He Rides Again!

Today we went down to Caribou Hills and had a Great Time!! Pat is much more daring than I, so his pictures are much more exciting! We still don't really have enough snow, but we're making do with what we have and enjoying it immensely!

What Pat does at Work!

Here is Pat's latest artistic display!

Welcome Home!

Here's what I received when I got back to Alaska!

My Trip to Kansas

These are my kiddo's! Okay, they are my sister's, but I'll still call them 'mine!' Aren't they so sweet! These pictures truly reveal their personalities, so far!! I'll post a few more on another day! I had such a great time. It is such a blessing to have a family that you miss so much!

Augustine Volcano

Here is what is going on today. Our volcano is awake again and spewing ash! I am praying that it will not affect my trip to Wichita next week!

Major Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

This is the weather this morning! Ouch! Do you see the temperature at -20 degrees? Pat is working outside all day today. He has a bunch of very warm layers, and they have no problem with going in to get warm when needed! I think I'll plan on staying in today! Oh, yeah, and this is at 9:30 AM! Just imagine what it was like at 4:30 AM! (That's when Pat gets up for work!) Just thought I'd keep you up on what is going on up here!!!

New Year's

Before the camera broke, this is what we did over New Year's!

Quiet Giant

For any of you who may be interested, we have not had a major eruption, yet. They say there is a new dome pushing up. I'm not sure exactly what the implications of this are, however, the status of the volcano is at "orange" and not "red." This means there is less chance of a major eruption at the present moment! Of course this can change instantly! I am fascinated! As the picture shows, the snow is now all gray due to the ash, and on the other picture, the dark spot in the middle of the dome is the possible new dome. Have a happy day!

We're Erupting!

This is the Augustine Volcano west of Homer, AK. Homer is about a 2 hour drive south of us. We are watching the winds to make sure we won't have to worry about ash fall. One could see the ash across the inlet on a clear day, but we can't see Augustine from here. If the winds should change, we will have to brace a little for the ash fall which is not a pleasant occurance, I've heard! It is truly fascinating to watch, but there is also the fear of the unknown! They don't have volcano's in Kansas!

Winter Color!

My husband is the best guy in the whole world! He picked out these perfect little daffodils to brighten my days! Thank goodness for the webcam! It takes pictures, too! Have a lovely day!

New Year!

Okay, we are not having a good start to our new year!! We celebrated the coming year looking at the inside of our eyelids, snoozing away! We then slept in, and got ourselves around to go out to Caribou Hills to ride our snowmachines! We were having a lovely time when about 2:30 or 3:00, Pat's machine began to make a strange noise. After much deliberation and trying to fix the problem, the chain case broke open from the chain (like a timing chain in a car) coming loose from the front axel breaking. Stupendous! Luckily, we were with a group of people and we were able to have the machine towed out to the truck later that evening.
Also, after I took a picture of the broken chain case, I lost my hold of the camera while putting my gloves back on and proceeded to drop the camera into the snow. Apparently, this is enough to break it. I will try to either have it fixed, or we will look at new ones shortly. I apologize to all of you who await the fabulous pictures that I post for the lack of new shots! I hope to begin again soon! Thank you all for your patience!

Alaska Christmas

I think these will be our new "traditions!" Have a good King Crab Dinner, open gifts, and go riding! We can't wait to share it all with friends!

Let it Snow -- More!!

We finally have more snow!! It feels more like Christmas!! Have a wonterful week!

Watchin' Discovery Channel

Pat has it really tough. The remote is really big and takes a lot of energy to run! This is our Sunday afternoon!

Where are we?

Can you see the green grass in the back? We are sad! For several days it was colder in Kansas than it was here. We are losing all our snow!! Fortunately, it has just started snowing!

Igloo Church!

Hey y'all! They really do have igloo's in Alaska! This is the church that we are praying seriously about! We enjoyed the last service, and plan to go again this Sunday. If you think of it, pray for the Lord to reveal His will for us! Thanks!

We Play!

This is what we did today! We bought Pat's machine, a Ski-doo (pronounced ski-'DOO), 700 Z series after this "test ride". We rode around an area an hour and a half south called Caribou Hills. We had a blast! 0-50 in 50 yards!

More Pictures!

Just some pictures I took today! Pat's helper took some of him last night!

Hmmmmmm...........

We took a little stroll around the neighborhood the other day! Isn't it pretty!! It was a lovely 18-20 degrees and no wind! We walked around and through some of the woods and found a little parcel for sale!! Don't you like Pat's fur hat? He says it is very warm! It better be! It's his Christmas present! It is made of Beaver fur, and it is very toasty! He's beginning to really look his part!

Characters!

Here's my wall of pictures! If you happen to notice, most are not formal portraits! I am requesting that if you happen to take pictures that are fun, tell a story, make you laugh, have character, please send a copy!! I love to look at my family and smile!!! I have another wall of pictures for the family portraits, so if you want to look updated, continue to send those, too! For this wall, I can add more frames if I need to, so...! Thank you!!

Thanksgiving Day

Today we are thankful! Thankful for everything!! Nothing we have is to be taken for granted. We are thankful for fun! Oops, Pat has to pull it out of the trees! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

It's Becoming Home!

Well, I've begun to re-arrange all the furniture! You know it feels more like home when you move everything around! I have added a collage of photos to the big barren wall - I'll show that later!! I had to let Pat know, so he wouldn't trip when he got home! It's feeling more and more cozy! Can't wait for you to come see!

The Best Hubby!

Pat is the BEST! He came home the other morning and had these to surprise me! Aren't they beautiful!! They still look like this! I love color!
For anyone who thought we would "slow down" on our affections after our first year, yeah, right! I think we are as giddy in love as much as we ever were! Good thing!

I love Salvation Army!

Yes, it's early, but it's snowy!! I can't help but get in the spirit! I got the lights, garland, & a wreath that is outside all from SA for about $5! I got the tree and bows at a different 2nd hand shop for a total of $3.50! I'm such a good bargain hunter!! The nativity under the tree belonged to my Grandma B! I've been playing Christmas music for a week or so now! It's just a beautiful time of year. It helps me remember what is important. Gifts! Just kidding!! The ultimate Gift of Jesus! How blessed we are!

New Toy!

Here I go! Here's our new winter toy! It's a Polaris 500 Indy Trail. It has a 136" track, heated seats, heated grips, two-stroke, & it goes 0-60 in 4.9 seconds...now if we can only get it started! Just kidding! Okay, only sort-of: it takes me a little more to get it started! Pat can get it going on the first pull! We do need it to snow a bit more, though. I think we can ride it a little now, but it would be better with a few more inches. Now, don't you want to come up and play?

MOOSE!

This is what we saw this morning out our window! It's in our front yard! We think this is a young cow. Her "baby" wasn't with her, so it might be all on its own now! Just thought we'd share!

I really am 29!

I'm humbling myself to show you what I look like in the morning! I did put on a hat though! For that I must thank my Fabulous Sister-in-love, Jana! oh, & Josh too! Pat came home this morning with a blazing fire - a piece of German Chocolate Cake with 29 candles on it! I only had to open my mouth and let the morning breath wipe out the entire flame! When Pat regained consciousness, we slept in a bit! I had met him at work for "lunch" last night at midnight, so I was a little tired! Plus, it's my birthday, so I can sleep as long as I want to!!
I am so blessed! I'm thinking of all my blessings, and as this is not a novel, I won't bore you with details! I can't imagine what I would be like without Pat in my life! God has blessed our marriage more than we could have imagined. I can't think of a single day that I haven't been grateful for our lives together. Pat is the perfect man for me, and we will continue to "sharpen" each other! My family is amazing! I have pictures that my nieces and nephews drew for me in the pictures! I put them up on the 'fridge, but I'm thinking of using them for a mural on a kitchen wall, so keep them coming!! People will think we have kids! I do! I pray for them often and miss them more than I can put into words. I can't wait to meet my new niece Mia! What a joy to miss them! I feel so blessed to have a sister that I miss so terribly. I'll cry if I say more!! I am so grateful to have the support and prayers of all our family!
We have also been blessed with material things. God knows our needs and gives beyond our expectations! We are truly nothing without HIM! He has given us a home, jobs, a car, and much more little stuff! Everyday I see His gifts to us.
I often use my birthday to evaluate my life and to give myself goals. I don't often share those as that leads to accountability! This year I need to push myself. I want to truly live my faith out. I want to be bold. I want to be positive. I want to be encouraging. I want to be adventurous! I want to be serious about cultivating discipline in my life!! YUCK! I didn't want to write that last one. Anyway...!
This will be a good year. I thank you all for being such a positive influence in my life. I'm excited to see what the Lord has for me for year 29! It is His.