For the past month, I’ve heard one particular question often:

“Why the heck are you going to Alaska?”

My favorite response was “I told my brother I’d take him anywhere in the world for his birthday. He picked freaking Alaska!”

But then I set foot in the savage, stunning, completely breathtaking beauty of Alaska and now I can’t thank Matthew enough for picking this wonderful state. I got to go whale watching, ride a four hour train through White Pass in Skagway, past sprawling jagged mountains bathed in snow and waterfalls dancing across all of them, close and far. So many waterfalls! Beautiful conifer and broad leafed trees, jade green and bright yellow. Snow everywhere and yet we enjoyed 80-degree F weather.

View My Alaska Photo Album here on Facebook!

I can tell you right now one of the best parts of this trip was being reunited with my travel partner and best friend, Rachel Rofe! Now that she lives quite a ways south of me, it’s hard for us to hang out as much as we’d like. But this cruise was a blast.

One day our entire ship coursed up Endicott Arm, through ice fields and fiords toward a massive glacier. Most will enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity nestled in heavy jackets, mittens, hats, and scarves, bracing themselves against a torrid wind and icy air.

But for us, we sunned ourselves in tank tops and bathing suits. 90-degrees that day. Clear blue skies.

I got a lot out of this trip. More than I could have hoped or imagined.

Sedona is one of those magnificent places where you’ll almost miss the magic if you never get past the hype and chatter of the tourists vying to have a spiritual experience. It has come to be one of my most cherished getaways, along with its tiny mountain neighbor Flagstaff.

My brother and I made a trip up to Flag and Sedona this past November for my birthday and we had a couple notable experiences worth mentioning.

A bit of back story first:

As a Scorpio (and on the cusp of Sagittarius), my symbol is the Phoenix. I border on obsessed with the mythology, symbology and power of the Phoenix archetype. My first company was called PhoenixFire, my license plate is FENXFYR, one of my fantasy series is about a Phoenix, you get the idea…

Well on my birthday, Matthew and I are taking in the sun and 360-degree vistas atop Airport Rock when Matthew grabs my attention with a poignant look. I stare back and he simply nods up toward the sky with a knowing smile. I follow his gaze, and soaring above us…

–

My very own phoenix in the shape of a cloud.

Rock on birdy – I hear ya!