Trip to Ohio

I have been slacking in my blog, and for that I apologize. I do believe the last post was when we first arrived in Alaska which was 4 months ago!! 

Goodness, a lot has happened since then. I went home to Ohio from the end of June to mid July. My baby brother Logan graduated from basic training at Fort Jackson, SC. I'm so very proud of him!! He didn't know I was coming, so it was quite a surprise when he found out!

After his graduation, we took him to Virginia Beach for his AIT training. We got to spend a couple days with him and relax on the beach. It was FANTASTIC!!

After our little beach vacation, we headed back home...and soon after my favorite sister and brother in law came up from Texas!! We had such a good time watching fireworks (or "shower works" as my 2 year old niece Calynn calls them), swimming, having cookouts with family, catching lightning bugs, celebrating birthdays, and so much more! Time spend with my  nieces and nephew are never long enough. Here are just a few of my favorite pictures from my visit home...

Time home is always a cherished experience. Not knowing when you'll see your family next is just one of the hardships of being a military family. Thankfully I have not had to be away from my husband for a deployment yet...although I am trying to prepare myself now for that lovely experience. I thank God every day for how fortunate I am to have traveled as much as I have in the 2.5 years Cory and I have been married. God has taken care of us everywhere we've been, and I KNOW that He will continue to do that here in Alaska. I always go back to Jeremiah 29:11. God has a plan to prosper the Leckrone family and give us a future...I can't wait!!

There's still so much we've done this summer...I'll be writing soon...I promise!

Ferry/Canada/Alaska

This is where we caught our Ferry.

And THIS is our Ferry. The "Malaspena"...where we would spend the next 4 days. 

Our luxurious stateroom. We spent most of our time on deck or in a common room playing games with a fantastic couple we met...who happens to be going to JBER too!!

My car and Oliver remained here for the next 4 days. And we were only allowed to let Oliver out 3 times a day. :-( Poor guy did really well though! It was a huge answer to prayer!

I viewed the Ferry as my least favorite part of our trip. I thought we would be extremely bored and just dreaded the thought of being on a small ship for days at a time. My attitude and heart were not in the right place. If God is going to lead you, He is also going to provide for you and meet your needs...and He even met my wants despite my attitude. We had such a great time on the Ferry. We met our dear friends, Britney and Blayne Rankin. And the funny thing is, we didn't even have to search. We were parked beside them on the parking deck, AND our rooms were right next to each other. I love how God works that way. He has done that a few times since we've been to Alaska. It's really amazing!! Praise God!!

Back to the Ferry...Our stops in Alaska were: Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Juneau, and Haines. 

Ketchikan:

Wrangell:

Petersburg:

Juneau:

Us at Mendenhal Glacier in Juneau

Random pictures:

This is a whale fin. He jumped out of the water right before, but this was all we could capture.

We saw 2 whales, 2 porpoise, and 1 seal!

Our final stop in Haines:

After we got off in Haines, we took the most beautiful drive through the Yukon, Canada. The mountains there are like nothing I have ever seen before. 

Here are the last pictures of our journey. From Canada to Anchorage, Alaska:

We made it!! 2 countries, and 8 states later...

I just want to thank our friends and families who have kept us in your thoughts and prayers for the past month. And ultimately thanks and praise to God who kept us safe on our amazing journey. What a blessing it was to see the beauty of His creation.

I hope that you will continue following our blog as we explore the beautiful state of Alaska!! 

Have a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend everybody! 
(Cory's dad and step-mom are coming into town this weekend! I'm so excited!) 

God bless!!

Hello Seattle

As we drove into Seattle, I made Cory listen to the song "Hello Seattle" by Owl City only a couple times!! Sadly, we didn't see any manatees or albatrosses.

 Anyways, we LOVED Seattle. I wouldn't mind living there. You have the city, the mountains, and the ocean all in 1 location...not to mention Pike's Market! If you're ever in Seattle, Pike's Market is a MUST!

And they had rows upon rows of my favorite flowers...TULIPS! And they were so cheap!!

We obviously had to visit the original Starbucks!

(Where's Waldo??)

Y-U-M-M-Y

We loved walking downtown...the feel of the city was so laid back and cool. We fell in love!

After Seattle, we headed north to Bellingham where our ferry departed from.

The next post will be all about our ferry adventure...and it was just that!