Bob's home

Sunday Morning

Back up at 6:30 am again. I guess that's what happens when you fall asleep before 8 pm. Which I am pretty certain that I did. I meet Amy for a walk and got in 8 m yesterday. Part of the reason I think that I was so tired.

It looks to be another beautiful day today. I have enjoyed the sunrise, I am heating up biscuits and gravy for breakfast (thank goodness Bob puts stuff in the freezer), then off to meet Tristan and Rosco for a little hike. I love sunny days, just so full of energy and the need to be outside.

Talked to Bob last night, he is getting the work done and has a fun (little scary) story to tell you all when he gets home. Looks like maybe Monday. MJ

Who's gonna feed me?

Bob headed back to Haines yesterday for a few days. Routine maintenance on the birds that are up there. Seems this year he will be traveling quite a bit more. It's been sunny and beautiful here since Wednesday, so his flight was good. Flew there with Wings, as before, small planes. I believe he said they seat 9. Yeah, not my cup of tea! But he loves it. Not sure how or when he's coming home, but hopefully by Monday.



I have a couple hikes planned for the weekend. After work yesterday I need to get the truck from Coastal, Yvonne (lunch lady) offered to walk with me. She didn't know what she was getting into. Doesn't seem as far in a car. But it was nice out and we had a good walk and talk. Today I was up at 6:30 am. Why is it necessary to wake up so early on my day off. Ugh. It was sunny already so I went for a walk, had waffles and ham for breakfast, finished watching Ratatouille, I work matinee at the theater, then Amy and I have a walk planned. Tomorrow Tristan and I are off on a "training hike" (preparing for the Chilkoot), then meeting Chris and Skyler for 10,000 BC, then rest. I plan to tackle our front closet. That is rest for me!

As for Ratatouille - it is adorable. Bob and I watched it separately (we planned on watching it Friday night, but Haines). He told me "your going to like it" and he was right. Good one.

Well, off to shower, the sunny is blazing and I am going to get out and enjoy it. MJ

Trying to age gracefully

I have told myself that I will age gracefully, there's nothing you can do about getting older and in my book the longer you are blessed to be here on this earth - well, it's a gift. As the white hairs continue, I just smile and say "maybe I will be fortunate enough to have white hair like my great granny, I put on a few pounds, okay, I just have to work a little harder, skin seems a little dro0py, no big deal. But after last weeks visit to the dr., it is not always going to be easy t keep a happy attitude. I have gained too much weight and as I was discussing this with the dr. I remembered that there is a bump on my back that has been there for a few years and I asked her about it. now mind you this is after I had been talking with her about the fact that I walk/hike 5 miles 6 days a week, we use olive oil, I drink 60 - 72 ounces of water a day and I am frustrated that I keep adding on the pounds. She looks at my back and you can see that she doesn't want to answer me. When it comes out of her mouth it is like slow motion, I can't believe what I am hearing "it's a fatty deposit". Are you kidding me. I get that lots of people get them as they age, but this is unacceptable. There were a few other things that happened in that office that only a few will know, but I tell you what, the miles a day just went up, fatty deposit, that will haunt me for a while.

My new goal is to get to 10 miles 6 days a week. This morning I think I started 6 miles. My plan is to increase a mile a week. I may do that a little faster since I am up 3.75 hours before I start work. The key is to do it all before work, then I don't get lazy. The only thing that may stop me is the plantosomething that I have developed that makes my feet hurt so bad after I stop. As long as i am on them I am fine, if I site and then try to walk, oh, mama, it hurts. I have some stretching exercises to do that should help. Tata for now - MJ

AS: After Sheri

It is hard to get back to our daily routine. I have been off work 10 days and Bob 4, ugh. Plus, it's always a little quieter after guests leave. We both feel it. It's a strange mix of missing the ones you love and enjoying the lives we have here. We have played a couple hands of cribbage, that Sheri taught us while she was here. Got to keep going while it's fresh in our minds. MJ

Sheri Log: Day 7

Bob and I kept harassing Sheri that we were going to change the clocks so she would be late. I know, we're not very nice, but we didn't want her to leave. We had brunch and headed to the airport. When Sheri tried to check in, it said her plane was delayed 2 hours (guess our mind power worked). But then it backfired, they got her out on an earlier light. Drat! She did call me an a**hole because I cried when I hugged her (Okay, so I have to come back and edit because Sheri sent me an email that she called me a name because I made her cry, that is true and it was so cute how she said it! I will treasure her calling me an a**hole the rest of my days). I can't help it, I am emotional! I knew I was going to. Come on, I feel that I held it together pretty well when we moved, now my flood gates can pour all they want. MJ

Sheri Log: Day 6

Top photo: The purple bunny @ Eaglecrest
Bottom photo: Sheri taking a picture of the totem @ Dzantik'i Heeni (my school)

Today is Easter and again, Bob is a bad influence (that's what we tell ourselves). We had a relaxing morning and then went to Eaglecrest (ski area) for the Easter Festivities. We say the Easter Bonnet contest and the bunny then decided to head out. The next event wasn't for a few hours and since we weren't going to ski we decided to move on. Sheri wanted to get pictures of totems so we went for a drive.

Back at home we played cribbage and had dinner. Bob made ham, sweet potatoes, asparagus, and homemade bread. Delicious! Then we watched the Exorcism of Emily Rose. I must admit that I fell asleep. I have already seen the movie. Bob and Sheri watched it. I had made a carrot cake for dessert, but we never got to it. MJ

Happy Easter

A blessed Easter to all of you.

The angel said to the women, "Don't be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said." Matthew 28: 5-6

Rejoice in this day.

Sheri Log: Day 5

Top photo: The three of us at the Alaskan Brewery.
Bottom photo: Bob, when he is losing at cards.

Today Sheri said "Bob is a bad influence", we did not leave the house until almost one. Yicks. We went to the Brewery, had a little tour, sampled some beers. The most surprising was Rough Draft was the Heritage Coffee Brew. It was surprisingly delicious. Ang we thought of you, but they only come in 5 gallon drums and Sheri wasn't up for lugging that back. We then went to Costco, Sheri has never been and you have not lived until you have had a Costco dog and drink for $1.50. Yummy.

Back at home we spent the afternoon with Sheri teaching us cribbage. We have had a board for years, but didn't know how to play. We played for a few hours and each of us won. But Bob was the last to win and he was getting a little upset. After winning, he did a victory dance.

You may find this strange, but people here have never even heard of Euchre, let alone know how to play it. We have only found one other person, John, who is also from Michigan (moved from MI 13 years ago). So with Sheri here, we had a foursome. Last night we played Euchre and the girls won. Whoopie. I did make Sheri shake her head a few times and give me some "suggestions". I warned her before we started that by the time we were done she'd be questioning my technique. Bob said he's good now for a couple years.

We managed to watch a movie after all that also. 30 Days of Night. I must say that when it was at the theater I had no interest in it, but it was good. Sheri's favorite part: When Bob covered his face because he couldn't watch the main character give himeself a shot. We stayed up until midnight. Not done that since New Year's. Party animals. MJ

Sheri Log: Day 4

First photo: Glacier close up
Second photo: White birds along the trail (Sheri is trying to find out what they are right now).
Third photo: Sheri climbing down. It doesn't look like it in the photo, but this is steep.
Fourth photo: Us on top of the mountain where we ate lunch.

Today we hiked to the ice caves/edge of the glacier. We blazed our own trail for a while, climbing over the mountain on snow that hasn't been touched for as far as you can see. I liked it, much easier than in the summer. With all that snow we could sit on our butts and slide down the steep parts. Of course it's a little scary when you start sliding off the edge, but so funny. Sheri said I was trying to kill her today, not true. She did keep running into branches across the paths. We hiked for 4 hours. It was great fun. Lots of laughs, we meet some people on the trail and after we passed them Sheri said "I heard people talking and I thought it was a bear." OMG I laughed so hard apparently she thought that Yogi was in the woods, cuz he is the only talking bear I could think of. We both laughed so hard we almost peed our pants.

After our hike we relaxed a little and then went to the Red Dog Saloon, for dinner, but they are not serving food right now. This place is famous and is on the travel channel whenever they talk about Alaska. We had a couple beers, then headed to El Sombraro for dinner. It's our most popular Mexican Restaurant.

Again we got a good nights rest and right now we are waiting for Bob to make our breakfast. Biscuits and gravy. Yummy! MJ

You can never escape me . . .

Bob would not stand still for a photo, but I captured the moment anyway!

Sheri Log: Day 3

Left Photo: Sheri and I, Glacier behind us

Right Photo: Sheri at a roadside turn out, beautiful view today

Day 3

Road the city bus to downtown

Walked around, did some shopping, someone is getting a moose poop key chain, no names, it is a surprise! Ate halibut burgers for lunch.

It was a beautiful day, sunshine and 43, yeah. Sheri got to see the incredible views here.

We had Bob pick us up after work, since it was so nice out and we went to the Shrine. That is one spectacular 180 view. This is one of our favorite places. If you come for a visit, it is a must see on a sunny day. We drove to the "end of the road". Sheri has been to all of the "end of the roads" now.

Back to the Glacier. It looks much different in the sun. Little hike around in the snow.

Drove down to Sandy Beach, we do have a beach here.

Down to the pub for dinner. They make excellent thin crust pizza.

Back home for The Grudge 2. They stayed awake, I struggled. No surprise there. MJ

Sheri Log: Day 2: Second Entry

Sheri and Molly at "Bob's Kitchenside Bar".

We ate steak hoggies last night for dinner. Chef Bob did a fantastically yummy job! Then we settled in for 2 of the 6 movies we rented, The Serpent and the Rainbow and Bee Movie. We all had a hard time staying awake until 9 pm. Bob was snoring before then. So sad. We have had a good nights sleep and today we are headed out to explore downtown. MJ

Sheri Log: Day 2

Today we got out for a hike. We were on the Rainforest and Outer Point. The top picture shows that the sun actually came out for a bit. After the hike, we ate lunch on the tailgate and enjoyed a little bit of sun. It went away before we finished. Then we checked out a cute little drug store that I love for all of it's fun trinkets. It is just fun to look around. Then to Fire & Ice. A jewelry store with lots of blinge. We checked out the Salmon Hatchery, which I am now aware is closed this time of year. Did a little browsing through Fred Meyer (our store like Meijer). The three of us also picked out 6 movies, crazy. Now we are in for the evening and watching movies and dinner will be homemade philly cheese steaks.

I am a little nervous that we won't have enough time to do the rest of what's on the list. I could add more everyday. Ugh, never enough hours.

Top photo: Sun on Rainforest Trail

Bottom photo: Sheri on the trail. Oh my, that hat keeps her warm.

MJ

Sheri Log: Day 1

Tuesday, March 18th

Today was a little choppy since I had a dr appt and a dentist appt (more on those at a later date), but we did manage to:

See my school/classroom
Go to the Glacier
Do a couple drives, got to see harbor seals/sealions, downtown
See Coastal Helicopters
Bob and Sheri went to dinner, fish and chips, Sheri likes halibut, it is delicious, and then they went to the Alaskan for a couple. MJ

Three alarm fire

One of the things about moving away that is tough is that when bad things happen you just can't be there. (and good things to of course)

On Sunday Aaron's house caught on fire. His description is classic my brother, the way only he can tell it! But I heard the story first from mom and I could just picture my brother in his house with a garden house, smoke all around him, fight that fire (yes, this is what happened, and it chocked me up. Granted he said that he had an escape route (large window to dive out if necessary), but it still broke my heart and not being able to see him and touch him to know he was really okay was tough. I am not always convinced with asking, since I know we all don't always tell the truth. I am grateful to God that he is okay and the damage doesn't sound too bad. Mom went to see him yesterday. (I knew that she put on a good front when she called me, acting like she was all cool and calm, if my hearts panicked, I know hers is).

Please, if you don't have smoke detectors and a fire extinguisher, go get them. And don't forget to have you extinguisher checked annually (which I need to do). As my brother said, "If it wasn't for a Sunshine stopping by, he would have lost his house." The rest, I can't even think about. Also, the firemen told him that "You did a good, but that smoke, it'll kill ya". MJ

Waiting

I just finished preassembling some little scrapbooks for our Basketball team. Tristan and I are having a little party with the girls tomorrow night. Sheri passed on the event, so she and Bob will be spending the evening together. Now I am just waiting about 10 more minutes before we go meet Sheri's flight. Y'all know that I don't have any patience, so this is hard for me. I thought I would type and that would help me calm down. It is so good to have visitors.

I spent 1hr 38 min in the dentist chair today. That was fun. They clamped my jaw open and it was so sore. It still is. But 2 more teeth done. My next appointment (with the oral surgeon) is tomorrow.

Time to go, finish that thought later! MJ

Just like Michigan

This is what we woke up to this morning after a few days of "Blue". Granted it is pretty, but it sure was nice to see the sun for a few days. As long as it comes back when Sheri is here, I'll be good, jsut one day so she can see the view. (I know you can't tell from the picture, but it is snowing sideways. MJ

Needed a change

It was time for a change and with baseball season beginning I tried to show our team spirit.
Let me know if it's too hard to read. A couple of the fonts seem pretty small. MJ

Grandpa's Harley

I added a link under Forever Friends. My cousin Josh is restoring our grandpa's Harley. You have to check this out, it's pretty sweet. Of course I should know better than to read it during Saturday School, there's always a mixture of "tears of joy" and of "heartbreak". Damn the weepy eyes! Technology is pretty sweet (when it goes your way).

Another Blue day here. Bob learned some in ski terms while in Haines. Blue is good, Bob thought at first it was bad. This morning he was giving me the run down. Sick, Pow Pow (known as powder in the middle school world), there was another one I can't remember. But it was fun listening to him describe some of the conversations. These times make me think about how blessed I am to be with some I enjoy. Most of the we just hang out together and it's fun. We like the same things and most of the time we are on the same page. I don't think that I say it often enough, but it is good spending my life with this man.

We are getting ready for our visit with Sheri. I have a list a mile long, but we'll let her pick. We just hope that we'll get at least one of these Blue days while she is here. The panoramic view is just so phenomenal when it's a clear day. MJ

We'll Be Home for Christmas

It's official, we'll be back in Michigan for Christmas this year. Bob got his vacation time approved today and as we all know, I will be on Winter Break. Tickets are already purchased (like a month ago) I like to plan!!! We just have to confirm with Hotel Richardson and Johnston and we will be set.

It's been one of those slow weeks. But now Spring Break has begun. The weekend is busy with work, then Monday Sheri arrives. I am looking forward to spending the week showing her the sites. Maybe we'll try a new trail together.

Bob arrived back from Haines this am. He was gone a couple of days to work on a helicopter. He got to meet "the top extreme skiers". It's good to have him back home, his poor fish, I forgot to feed them today. Can't trust me with the fish.

Girl Scout cookies came in this week. Yippee! I wonder why I am growing out of my clothes. Maybe not some many cookies would help.

We had a couple gorgeous days this week. Blue skies, you can see for miles. MJ

It's all my mother's fault

Well, I think that this is the first time that she did not remind me about the time change. Maybe that's because I always say "yeah, yeah, I got it". But since there was no reminder today we were an hour late for the movie. So we just drove around and then went to the 4 o'clock. Luckily neither of us had to work today. MJ

New tent, maybe

The latest "big decision" around here is to keep this tent or not. It can be challenging to buy online. We are debating between this tent and another. The other is here in town and we are thinking of asking if we may assemble it in the store so we can see what it looks like. A picture just isn't enough sometimes. Especially for such a big decision. Our "city camping" tent is a tough act to follow. It has held up excellent through some pretty crazy weather. Plus it is at least 10 years old and still going (as far as we know, it's been awhile since we've had it out). We are hopeing to make a decision this month so if this isn't the one we can get it mailed back. MJ

It doesn't look like much

Switch plates and plugs, just 3 to go and that project is done. The little projects seem to make a big difference. Soon the trim will be tackled, a couple more light fixtures and my favorite project for the year, closet organizers. MJ

Oh, Happy Day

So last night I got a call form one of my BFFs, Sheri and she is coming to visit!!! I am so excited!!! I love my job that I have time off. It's gonna be a great Spring Break. To think that I was just going to work. MJ

Here she is

Tristianna (Triston) and her proud Daddy, JJ (Justin).

Add another to the family tree

It is official, we are Great Uncle Bob and Great Aunt Molly. If you ask Bob, we have always been great! Tristianna Renee' Winstead was born at 3:30 pm on March 2nd, 8 lbs. 14 ozs., and 21 inches long. As far as I know all is well. Dad called me at 9 am this morning (Michigan time) are you doing the math? To say that they were at the hospital. But we are glad to be kept in the loop. Are plan is to meet her in December. Who knows maybe we'll have 5 generations there. how blessed we are. MJ

Did you know?

I read Dear Abby everyday and this was in her column this week:

The custom of "blessing" a person who sneezes originated during the Middle Ages, when people believed that when someone sneezed their souls left their bodies for an instant. Saying, "God Bless you" insured that the soul would jump back in rather than be "lost".

Just a thought . . .

This was in the paper last week and I thought it was a good reminder to us all.

Look everyday service person you deal with directly in the eye. That McD's coffee guy is a person, too; recognizing it makes you a better one.

Chris, one of the guys I work with at the theater was out on a smoke break looking at items in the window of the shop next door. Some guy walking down the street saw him, he was dressed in his movie theater attire, and said "You can't afford it any way". Chris was a little annoyed when he came back in. See what the guy on the street didn't know, Chris works for the state and doesn't need this job, he just does it like me, for something to do. Plus we have fun together. We don't know much about the people we interact with each day and we shouldn't presume we do.

For me the theater has become a way for students to see in a different light. Not just the "mean ole ISS Instructor". I am actually a fun human being that knows about movies. MJ