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.

Winter Hiking

Well, here we are again! We had another snow of about an inch & a half or so! We had to get out of the house and breathe in that crisp air! We took a hike out about 3/4 of a mile to Silver Lake in the Swanson River Road area. It was just amazing! The sun would peek out and illuminate a few trees or just a patch of a tree! The lake was almost completely frozen over, but the ducks still found that open water! It was very quiet! We made lots of noise, though, so we wouldn't surprise any bears!!
Our first week with Pat on nights went pretty well. We saw each other a little bit every day and this weekend we spent lots of time together! We also have a webcam, so if you'd like to see us,...! The sun is shining, so I'd better get out there and soak it in! It's a balmy 32 degrees right now!

Wow! That's all I can say! The weather is extraordinary! The sun is out and I took the picture of Mount Redoubt across the cook inlet this afternoon! The other pic. is of us out on the Russian River trail. We had a great time! It was a little brisk! Quite invigorating! I'm looking for a job & have one place that is feeling better & better! I'll send pics when I know! Have a happy day!

Home Sweet Home

Well, here it is! We live on the "right" side of the duplex, and we park in the left carport. Pat is frustrated once again that our home is set an an angle! Does no one set homes on normal directions? The area is wooded all around the homes. It's quite lovely! There were 2 moose in the neighborhood last week and we have a bear warning sign on our street! Oh my! We biked the other day to the Kenai River and watched the sun set! It was gorgoeous! Mount Redoubt looked absolutely incredible! I understand why God met Moses on a mountain! These are such a display of His glory!

Today is a little cooler! It's almost 40 degrees! This past weekend we heard of a bear attack at a lake we visited a couple weeks ago. Kinda scary! It's a little hard to believe we are really here! Our home is becoming more and more ours. It's so nice to be able to put up pictures of family! I've missed you all! We now have cable and I'm not sure if it is a good thing! It will be nice this winter. They are talking about snow on the mountains coming close, so it seems winter is just on the horizon. The lawn around our home is still nice and green, though, so that is nice! We also have lots of spruce trees, so it won't be desolate! It is truly beautiful here. We are enjoying it more than I thought. I can't believe our drive up here went so quickly. I'll be trying to find more information about my license, so I can look for work. For now, I'm just a stay-at-home wife! I think Pat likes having a nice hot dinner every night when he gets home! I'd better not spoil him too much!!

Isn't it Gorgeous!

We'll start here! I've gotten our duplex, Pat has a job, and it's all going very well! I'll try and have frequent entries to document our new adventures here in Alaska!