Campside Stories

Turkey Trot

2011-11-24T18:34:00.000-09:00

I went out in the morning to run the Turkey Trot with Jody and her son. I figured I could handle this 5k since Colton is 8. No problem keeping up. But when the race started and he took off running, I wasn't so sure. Luckly he slowed down and I was able to catch my breath. It was a fun way to start the day and make room for dinner.

The turkeys and the hunter

Jody and I (this is my Alaska Sister, so many people thinkwe look alike)

The trail

Jody shakin' her tail-feathers

The hunter killing me at the finish line

After the race I walked home, it was such a nice walk over that I figured I'd keep enjoying the outdoors. As I started walking it turned into a white-out! It was still a beautiful walk home, but a bit crazy!

Thanksgiving Eve

2011-11-24T17:44:00.000-09:00

On Wednesday night we joined a group of friends for and I quote: "Turkey Bowl Disco Night" at Treadwell, the local ice rink. When we arrived the gal behind the counter was super excited and asked if we were here to bowl. "Sure". Tristan was the first to sign-up. After a bit of skating it was time to bowl.

Tristan "bowling" the 14.1 lb turkey

Bob preparing to "bowl" a strike!

It's not as easy as it looks. Me on the ice.

On my second "ball" I got 9.

The winner, after two "turkey-offs", he said this was his trophy.

The champions with their prizes.

Bob decided to donate his. Hopefully it brought as much joy to a family as it did us. I think this might be a new tradition for us.

Movember

2011-11-16T19:00:00.000-09:00

In honor of Mo-vember Christael and I in our mustaches.

Snow day!

2011-11-14T20:25:00.001-09:00

I totally could not believe that we had a snow day! I was all dressed and ready for the day when I got the call I changed my clothes, hung my cute outfit up for tomorrow and enjoyed a quiet little morning.

Even though I had a school snow day, there was still work to be done, so I headed to the Dog for a bit. I think I got out before the snow crews . . .

Oh how I do love the look of fresh snow

A snowman keeping watch over Marine Park

Biking around town

2011-10-22T10:32:00.001-08:00

I wish I had a parrot to bike around town with me . . .

Dinner by the fire

2011-10-09T10:48:00.000-08:00

Another sunny Sunday so we decided to head out Thane after the baseball game, enjoy a bit of the sunshine and bbq up a little dinner delight.

Is that a penguin or an egg plant?

2011-10-07T10:55:00.000-08:00

You decide . . .

Dog on a roof?

2011-10-04T10:50:00.000-08:00

That's right folks - as we were leaving for work this morning Bob said "there's a dog on the roof". I am guessing that he wished now he wouldn't have brought it up. We went back, I took a few pictures, knocked on doors and in the end called our management company so someone could get the poor guy off the roof.

A Sunny Sunday Afternoon

2011-10-02T10:33:00.000-08:00

Pinecones are dangerous

2011-09-26T20:01:00.000-08:00

I woke up to a beautiful Monday morning and was excited to get to ride my bike today. It was a wonderful ride, the crisp air, blue skies and pinecones, that's right, pinecones. I learned today that although they are very useful when starting a fire, they can be quite dangerous when biking - avoiding them is a much better idea. Here's hoping that tomorrow is rain-free also.

Red Dog end of season

2011-09-18T10:44:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again, the end of the season is approaching and we are celebrating the end of another season - Red Dog Style.

Me and Kenny

Me and Andrew

And then she smiles . . .

2011-09-07T21:41:00.001-08:00

Lately JNU has felt a bit gloomy, but today she shined wand was indeed beautiful. It is another reminder of how blessed I am.

I did it!

2011-08-29T20:23:00.001-08:00

Today started my bike commute to school. I totally wasn't nervous about doing it, just how I would feel doing it, so far a-o-kay. I like this time to myself and just smile and bike. Today was rain free, so it was a great ride. Tomorrow I will remember to take deodorant.

Bike Commute

2011-08-28T20:06:00.003-08:00

I am all ready to go. Got my bike, new waterproof bag, helmet, waterproof gloves, some reflective bands and an "I can do this" attitude". Tomorrow I begin my bike commute to and from work.

First Day of School 2011

2011-08-24T20:14:00.000-08:00

I love that my Mother is retired . . .

2011-06-23T22:06:00.000-08:00

Yes, I do! She is truly the most beautiful, devoted, loving, forgiving women that I know. She has spent her life serving and taking care of others and in her retirement, I would expect no less of her. I cannot remember a moment in my life when she was not there, yes, sometimes she doesn't answer her phone, but if I called me as much as I called her, I wouldn't answer either. She has heard and been a part of way more than I am sure she wishes to be, but I do hope that she realizes that it is our trust, love, and the fact that we know she is "the vault", that we share.
I am enjoying all of the blogging that she is doing. I don't know if she, or her grandchildren realize it now, but these moments they are sharing together now are priceless and I am so grateful that they get to share them, it warms my heart.
I am looking forward to having her all to myself next Spring. Love you Mom.

A little visit with my Hillis Family

2011-05-16T11:21:00.000-08:00

It was a brief visit, but so good to eat a delicious dinner,

see all of your beautiful faces,

share family moments,

laugh and oogle,

dance,

smile,

kick-back,

be silly,

be happy,

be family,

and of course give Bethy a hard time.

Thank you for a wonderful visit!

A little family bonfire

2011-05-15T08:43:00.000-08:00

On Saturday night Aunt Mary and Uncle Phil hosted a bonfire. It was a fun, relaxing night.

I got to see Uncle Dacel. . .

Hangout with a fun family . . .

and a ninja . . .

remember that the grand-apples don't fall so far from the . . .

steal some moments of my "new" nephews . . .

grand-apple . . .

enjoy seeing the "second cousins" have fun like the "first cousins" always did . . .

and just enjoy being back with my family. It does the heart good.

SAM

2011-05-14T08:27:00.003-08:00

SAM: Sheri, Angie and Molly

If you know us, there is nothing more to say. But there are moments when you are reminded of the bonds of friendship and this weekend for me was one of those moments. I blow into town for a few short days to celebrate my brother's wedding and my Sheri and Ang are there to lift me up.

They drove from what I know consider "the ends of the earth", living in Juneau will do that to a person, to see me, celebrate with me, bring me Wendy's, return my rental car, see my Hillis Family, take me for ice cream!, have friends come stay with their boy so they can drive me to the airport at 3 am so I didn't have to stay there all night. Thanks truly isn't enough. I love you girls and am so glad that boys, jobs, life choices and changes and miles have not separated our hearts.

Back in MI for my brother's wedding

2011-05-13T08:13:00.001-08:00

It was a whirlwind of a weekend . . . left Juneau on May 10th at 8 pm ish, arrived in MI on May 11th at 11 am ish and never stopped, well, until that nap at Aunt Mary and Uncle Phil's. Anyway, we surprised Aaron with bringing Denise home for the wedding.

Who says cow print isn't fashionable? Thank you to one of the twins for this pic.

Mother looking fabulous. Denise, mom and I had our hair and make-up done for the occasion. Thank you to Danielle for making us all look fab!

While Danielle was making us look fab, I got some snuggle time.

When it was time to get the boys dressed, since it was a little crowed inside Gram's, I laid out the suits on the lawn and they got ready in the great outdoors. They were troopers all day. How do you ask three boys to stay clean all day long when it is gorgeous outside? But somehow, they managed. I was dirtier then they were!

The finished product! I will say that they are serious boys. When I first tried to take a picture I told them to make silly faces. They replied "Naw, but we'll be serious and you can take out picture". Which is what I had wanted in the first place, I just didn't think I would get it. Guess all I had to do was ask.

Here they are again in action . . . their hands behind their backs cracks me up! They did that all on their own.

My favorite pic. Just love this one of ARB. Thanks Aunt Mary!

I just like this pic.

Here comes the bride . . .

The Sand Ceremony

Driving away as Mr. and Mrs. Barnes

Uncle Josh and Eleni two-steppin'. Josh was patient enough to two-step with all of us. "Slide, don't hop."

The wedding cake.

Where's Lino? The only man brave enough to get on out there and dance.

A moment shared between a mother and her sons.

Lost and Found . . .

Signs of Spring

2011-05-07T18:23:00.001-08:00

Bob got the "planting bug" this weekend and beautified our deck.

Bob "Fish Eyed"

The finished product.

Welcome Disney Wonder

2011-05-07T18:17:00.000-08:00

Today, the first ever Disney Cruise Ship sailed into Juneau. This is a big deal and Bob humored me with a walk along the docks so that I could check it out. I also got to play a bit more with the camera.

"Pin Hole"

"Fish Eye"

"Pop Art"

Bye, bye fishes

2011-05-07T17:57:00.000-08:00

At least for a week or so . . . Bob has been doing battle with the fish tank lately. Seems like there is always an algae bloom goin' on in there. The guys a Wee Fishie had told him to cover up the tank and leave it that way for a week. He finally gave in and closed them up (we'll see if he makes it a week). Hopefully it will be all cleared up when the cover comes off.

First Ship of 2011

2011-05-06T17:52:00.000-08:00

The first ship of the year has arrived. It is official time for the tourist to come and enjoy this beautiful place we live in. Welcome tourists.

Playin' with the new camera, again

2011-05-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

Goofin' around with the new camera.

Silly Models: Britt and Shane

A little visit with friends

2011-05-05T14:42:00.001-08:00

Look who came over for a visit . . .

Our view revisited

2011-05-05T10:18:00.001-08:00

Recently we purchased a new camera (we thought the old one was corrupt, but it ended up being the card reader in our laptop) with Bob's favorite feature: the stitch. Here is the view from our balcony, all "stitched together".

The Adventures of Mr. Bear

2011-05-04T17:12:00.001-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

I recently took a holiday to Andros, Bahamas. It was a marvelous time. I caught up with old friends and made a couple of new ones. I feel refreshed and do believe that I can now make it until the sunshines at home.

Wishing you lovely days,

Mr. Bear

Our quiet little Easter

2011-05-03T17:35:00.001-08:00

Bob and I spent a quiet little day, Bob fished and I relaxed and enjoyed wating him and the nature around us.

A little trip to Girdwood, Alaska

2011-05-03T17:19:00.001-08:00

I spent a week in Girdwood recently, it was a new place to explore in Alaska, a cozy little ski town.

Alyeska Resort - kind of reminded me of the Shining . . .

The chocolates on my pillow, everynight . . .

Unloading on top o'the mountain . . .

Me!

A yummy little desert . . .

that turned my tounge blue (it tasted like lemon) . . .

Andros, Bahamas

2011-05-03T16:58:00.001-08:00

What a perfect vacation . . .

The King

2011-04-25T21:37:00.000-08:00

Bob opening "gifts to the king"

And now the photo shoot begins . . . thanks Sheri and Lino, this took too much time! But was lots of laughs.

Even the Guard Goose got in on the fun!

Bonvoge to Tristan's 30's

2011-04-22T18:55:00.002-08:00

Friday Night

2011-04-22T18:40:00.000-08:00

Friday night's are wild at our place . . .

I love our Friday nights together, homemade pizza, white cheddar air-popped popcorn, cherry coke, curled up on the coach watching a movie. We are missing out this week, as I am sitting in the Anchorage airport waiting for my flight home.

Playin' a lot of "catch-up" . . .

2011-04-01T13:58:00.001-08:00

Wow, it has been so long since I have blogged, I don't even know where to start . . . since we've blogged last . . .

I attended a bridal shower for Anilisa's daughter . . .

Bob flew to St. Catherine, Ontario and back to pick up a helicopter

. . . he got to fly over Niagara Falls.

I had my annual "date" with Tristan . . . Wearable Arts 2011

Finally found a shirt to wear with one of my favorite,

made by my Grammy, sweater . . .

I attended a retreat and this Pope was freaky . . .

so we covered him up . . .

and turned him into a hammer-head . . .

much more pleasent to look at.

We celebrated the Super Bowl . . . with good eats . . .

Molly practiced walking in her new fancy dress shoes . . .

Our Girl Scout cookies arrived . . .

Our coffee table after a Friday night . . .

We have another snowfall . . .

Joelle came for a visit . . . and had to study, but we still got to have fun at Bullwinkles', thanks Joelle!

And that get's us all caught up.

A little bit o'sun

2011-01-30T19:32:00.000-09:00

Today the sun was shining so we went out to Sunshine Cove to enjoy a bit of it . . .

The Governor's Ball

2011-01-21T19:21:00.000-09:00

MJ and Darla

Perfect Hair Day!!!

2011-01-12T19:58:00.000-09:00

I made Bob take my picture this morning cuz my hair was perfect!

Today's free write . . .

2011-01-10T16:42:00.000-09:00

The happiest moment in my life . . .

This was hard for me in the sense that I have so many moments in my life that have made me happy, and even happiest. Unfortunately for some, they can't think of a single moment, how terribly sad. My happiest moment . . . marrying my Bob.

A Photo Reflection of 2010

2011-01-01T15:56:00.000-09:00

Milwaukee Architecture

Silly fun with Denise at Goofy's Candy Shop
(can't wait for our next trip in 2012!)

GO TIGERS!!! - Seattle

A quiet morning at Auke Bay Harbor

Seriously, one of several porcupines

that scared the be-jesus out of me this past year!

Ahhh, nothing like being "on top of the world" . . .

. . . and looking to the horizon.

A man and his fish

makes for a happy man

and a full belly . . .

There isn't anything quite like a sunny day, relaxing at the end of a trail

and taking in the view

to remind us that are enjoying a blessed life.

What a sweet day this was . . .

watching glacier's calving leaves you excited, giddy with laughter

and no words that really express

to others the wonder of the moment.

Bob and Joelle skipping rocks . . .

A hiking we will go . . .

Molly cooking, I know, a shocker!

Notice the beautiful sweater?

It was made by my Gram some . . . years ago. (Gram when you read this,

if you remember how many years ago,

I'll post it.)

There's always room in Molly's suitcase

for Mr. Bear.

Bob and Molly in front of Vista House.

Part of a lovely weekend in Portland

with a spectacular tour guide named Jordan.

All snuggled up in our Christmas jammies.

On the fifteenth day of Winter Break . . .

2011-01-01T09:02:00.001-09:00

HaPpY NeW YeAr's DaY!!!

Happy New Year's Eve!

2011-01-01T08:15:00.000-09:00

We rang in the new year with the Solomon family.

This is Bacon, the largest, sassiest, cleanest and softest cat that I have ever meet in my life!

One of the Solomon brothers, Zac and I.

The other brother, Shane and I.

Cheers! Brittany and Kristen.

Bob and I

On the fourteenth day of Winter Break . . .

2010-12-31T08:20:00.000-09:00

Since I stayed up late last night reading my book, the day started out with a bit of reading, then the condo was cleaned so that it didn't need to be some tomorrow. Gonna start the New Year out with a clean house.

Then on to a New Year's Eve celebration!

On the thirteenth day of Winter Break . . .

2010-12-30T16:56:00.007-09:00

Today was the day to "hit the books". I worked to try and finish up one class for about 8 hours, it was painful. All of that work for 1 credit, but it's almost done!

On the twelfth day of Winter Break . . .

2010-12-29T16:55:00.005-09:00

We started the day by reading in the dark with our booklights . . .

On the eleventh day of Winter Break . . .

2010-12-28T22:17:00.004-09:00

We saw Gullivar's Travels . . .

Went on a Costco run where we bought some new fuzzy hangers . . .

(which made lots more space in our closets - bonus!)

and got my new watch sized . . .

(no batteries or winding ever! - Bob did good)

On the tenth day of Winter Break . . .

2010-12-27T21:45:00.005-09:00

we went to Home Depot for Bob to spend his gift card and buy some more tools.

On the ninth day of Winter Break . . .

2010-12-26T21:42:00.006-09:00

just snuggled on the couch and read a good book.

On the eighth day of Winter Break . . . Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T17:14:00.001-09:00

When spending Christmas in Alaska, it is always a simple quiet affair. Truthfully, there are good things and sad things about being here for Christmas. It is nice not to rush around and drive from place to place. We just get to snuggle in and enjoy each others company. We do miss the smiling faces of our loved ones.

Christmas flowers . . .

Christmas breakfast with yummy Michigan Maple Syrup . . .

Presents . . .

My handsome man waiting to unwrap presents . . .

So at first I thought that I was going to have to kill Sheri or at least never speak to her again. Then I thought it was Lino and I would make him pay . . . but when I looked a little closer, I decided they could both live.

The aftermath . . .

All unwrapped, we are so blessed . . .

Bob talking to family . . .

Even the Guard Goose got a present this year . . .

Stunning . . .

Merry Christmas to all . . .

On the seventh day of Winter Break it was Christmas Eve . . .

2010-12-24T21:18:00.004-09:00

Bob traded in our side-sucker . . .

He had gotten so big, he outgrew the tank.

This is the second one we have had to trade in

(and I killed one).

This time Bob got a dwarf one,

so hopefully he won't outgrown the tank.

It was kind of sad watching him go.

Our Christmas decorations this year . . .

Bob getting ready to open his Christmas jammies . . .

Thank you Lephew/Havens family for this tradition,

we just love it!

Molly ready to open her Christmas jammies . . .

Bob lounging in his new Christmas jammies . . .

Us sporting our new Christmas jammies . . .

Merry Christmas Eve!

On the sixth day of Winter Break . . .

2010-12-23T21:09:00.000-09:00

Bob started his vacation and oggled over his new tools . . .

On the fifth day of Winter Break . . .

2010-12-22T21:05:00.001-09:00

I had my bartending debut . . .

and a Shoefly party . . .

Mothers-of-the-Brides

Anilisa and Ms. Christine Walker

Work it sexy lady

Sexy

On the fourth day of Winter Break . . .

2010-12-21T20:08:00.000-09:00

I spent an hour and a half in the dentist chair

and treated myself to a mani and pedicure . . .

sparkley

On the third day of Winter Break . . .

2010-12-20T20:03:00.000-09:00

I worked at the Theatre and the Dog and went to bed extremely early. . .

On the second day of Winter Break . . .

2010-12-19T20:01:00.000-09:00

. . . I woke up at 5 am, so I decided to watch the sunrise at the gym

. . . bought some baby food for my turtle

. . . and a little treat for my favorite dog for Christmas

. . . and attended our Threatre Christmas Party . . .

You look marvelous in 3-D glasses

And so do you Britt (with 2 Ts)

On the first day of Winter Break. . .

2010-12-18T16:39:00.001-09:00

Home Depot delivered to me. . .

our brand new, front-loading stackable washer and dryer.

On the day before Winter Break . . .

2010-12-18T16:19:00.002-09:00

my auntie sent to me, and my Bob, ornaments

to put on our mini Christmas Tree . . .

It's been a busy couple of weeks . . .

2010-12-12T19:16:00.004-09:00

Wow, I am finally slowing down after a couple of weeks of craziness! With meetings and practices every night except Mondays for the past two weeks, finalizing the yearbook cover contest, our Basketball Tourney one weekend and the Robotics Jamboree the next, I haven't stopped. It feels good now to know that Winter Break is almost here and I will be able to hit the gym most everyday, finish up the shipping of gifts, catch up on blogging and spend some time with my Bob. Here are a few pics from the craziness:

The winning design

Thank you flowers

SWISH

School Spirit

While preparing for the Robotics Jamboree, I was trying to print some pictures and the message on the computer screen said "the printer cover is open, close to continue printing". Well, the only way I could print was to open the cover and stick my finger in a hole! Whatever, I got the job done.

Robots in action

Caught eating my sandwhich

Hard at work making changes

A couple of the kids were listening to Rick Ashley (I think that is his name) cracking me up singing it. Sorry about the sideways video, I forget I can only record horizonally with this camera and it won't rotate. Just turn your computer.

TIme for some new decorations

2010-12-01T12:53:00.001-09:00

. . . at the Red Dog. Atleast in my opinion, what is this thing?

Skillet Pizza . . .

2010-11-27T12:13:00.000-09:00

oh how I love you . . .

Truthfullly I am not a fan of any of the pizza in JNU. Maybe a Pub pizza every now and then, but not like I used to feel about pizza when we lived in Michigan. The best place to get pizza in JNU is right in my own kitchen by Chef Bob, plus I can kiss the cook.

Our Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T11:13:00.001-09:00

We celebrated with a nice quiet day full of good food, relaxing and enjoying one another's company.

Our delicious ham, looks burnt, not so the extra crunch on the top

added to it's flavor.

But from the comments coming from the kitchen you wouldn't have thought so . . .

"Stupid Thanksgiving", "My favorite thing in the world (I thought that was me, but I was mistaken) and I ruined it", "Can't even tell you how mad I am right now"

Perfectly shaped homemade rolls and oh so good.

In the afternoon I went to work to an empty theatre. I work every year on Thanksgiving and it has become my little tradition. My co-workers always make me smile on Thanksgiving.

Matt lives right across the street from Bob and I and he needed a ride to work (the city buses don't run on holidays) so he wrote our number on his hand, I told him it was a bit creepy.

Matt and I. I love this kid, he is so funny!

Matt always gives me a hard time because I "clean too much". I told him if there was nothing to clean I wouldn't do it!

Matt juggling. We only had eight customers, it was pretty slow.

Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours.

You also look good in a Mustache . . .

2010-11-22T11:02:00.001-09:00

Another event at lunch to support Movember . . .

Anilisa and MJ

Crystel and Ms. Hillis

Sally and MJ

Deb and MJ

You'd look good in a mustache . . .

2010-11-21T12:46:00.000-09:00

Many of our male teachers have been participating in Movember and as a fundraiser, they put together a pin the mustache on the female teacher at lunch this week. All for a good cause.

An enjoyable little weekend . . .

2010-11-14T18:34:00.000-09:00

That's what we have had. A bit of reading, relaxing, cleaning, we bought our first major appliance together - - a washer and dryer (can't wait for them, our washer has issues, but we have to wait 4 to 6 weeks for them to arrive), saw a play, I worked on one of my classes and Bob did a little reading.

I did tell Bob that having days off makes it rough to go to back to work, when you work everyday, you're just always at work!

WeddingChannel - Congrats to my Brother and Karen

2010-11-07T18:33:00.000-09:00

Check out the link to keep updated on their wedding plans: WeddingChannel

Silly Situation

2010-11-07T16:54:00.000-09:00

So this week . . .

. . . I cleaned out my travel bag and realized that there is change stuck in the lining and I have no idea how it got there.

Portland, ORE - - our little getaway

2010-10-28T04:22:00.322-08:00

My plan was to blog each day on our trip, but unfortunately the hotel did not have free wireless internet - what the heck is up with that?

Bob has been looking up lots of places that we might check-out while we are there.

Wednesday, October 27th

We started today with both having the day off, running a few errands, cleaning house so that it will be nice and clean when we get home, getting Ursulla set up for us to be gone and I did a wee bit more scrapbooking. It was nice to have a day to pack and get ready and not cram it into the night before we leave.

Thursday, October 28th

It is fairly typical that on the day we leave I wake up before the crack of dawn, today it was 2 am. I guess that I did get 5 hours of sleep. Of course I had so much time that I was ready way before we needed to leave. Also, we bought a timer for Ursulla and couldn't leave until we made sure it turned on.
We made it to Seattle, without getting stuck in Ketchikan - it's always a fear when you're on a flight that stops there! - had our Wendy's, yummy, then boarded our flight to Portland. It's a short flight, like 35 minutes, not too bad. But we were on a large prop and those things are loud! But we made it and Jordan meet us at the airport.

Jordan and Molly

We dropped off our bags at the hotel and went for lunch and a little tour of Portland with Jordan as our guide . . .

Jordan's office windows . . .

Molly and Hello Kitty . . .

How far is it to? ? ?

Molly and Bob

Bob. . . wings and football . . .

Friday, October 29th

Bob's first cup of Starbucks coffee. . .

We woke up to a bit of a grey day, we walked along the waterfront and decided to explore the Japanese Garden . . .

After the Japanese Garden we explored the Pearl District and then went to Powell Books, the craziest, largest books store in the world! We also stopped by Ben and Jerry's for a little ice cream delight and then the Cupcake store for one of the Friday Cocktail Cupcakes.

Since it was so nice and sunny out, we decided to check out the view from the Tram, only $4.00 . . .

Mt. Hood

Mt. St. Helen

What a view it was. We also found a few trails to hike around on before we headed down. We meet up with Jordan and Yusef for a yummy dinner and a stop by Voodoo Donut. I was so nervous going in there, it reminded me of the "Soup Nazi" Episode of Sienfeld. Too funny.

MapleBacon Donut

Saturday, October 30th

We awoke to a rainy day. We walked along the river to the Saturday Market, looked at all the neat booths,

took a rest in a doorway . . .

found a U of M Alumni Bar. . .

which Bob inquired about watching today's game at,

tried to figure out what the heck this sign means . . .

people dropping, people pee-ing?

had Taco Bell . . .

went to a beautiful rose garden . . .

I absolutely love this pic of Jordan . . .

smelling Bob's favorite rose . . .

Next stop, the Zoo - I love the Zoo!

Jordan is as tall as a black bear - grrr!

Bob got a kick out of this, she's pee-ing!

- and she started at us the entire time!

Bob was the "hotest". . .

Cute little bums. . .

Eatin' cotton candy - yummy . . .

"Love birds". . .

Chillin' in an eagles nest. . .

After the zoo I relaxed and snuggled in bed watching horror flicks the rest of the day. Bob went and watched the U of M game and we had an early night.

Sunday, October 31st

We woke to blue skies and sun, took a walk along the river, and stopped for breakfast . . .

Molly's yummy hazelnut, chocolate chip pancakes

while eating breakfast we decided to check in with Jordan and see if he would like to take us for a drive to see the waterfalls he had told us about. To our delight, he said yes!

Waiting for Jordan to pick us up

driving along . . .

I love this pic of Bob and Jordan! They were so cute taking lots of pictures at every stop. I think if we lived closer they would share lots of tips with each other. It was fun to watch and listen to them.

US! We're cute too!

Vista House

photo techniques . . .

The bathrooms were marble, even the stalls!

One of several beautiful waterfalls we saw . . .

After a day of exploring waterfalls we went our separate ways to rejuvenate. While Bob relaxed and read, I went for a walk, it was Halloween after all and surprisingly warm and I wanted to enjoy it. I took a little photo shoot along the way.

I had forgotten the sound that dried leaves make as they crunch under your feet . . .

Waiting for Jordan and Yusef to pick us up . . .

(neither of us knew the other was making a face, we're silly)

pumpkins in our hotel . . .

The four of us went to four haunted houses and it was so much fun! I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. I will say that Jordan slapped me off of him, I was scared being left in the dark!

We ended our night with another trip to Voodoo Donut. . .

On Monday morning we headed back home to "the rock". We had a wonderful trip, Jordan and Yusef were wonderful tour guides and Portland is a neat town to visit. Until we get off "the rock" again . . .

Ahoy Matey!

2010-10-25T19:47:00.001-08:00

This week is Spirit Week/Red Ribbon Week at school.
Today was Pirate Day!

Bob made my hat for me! I had the best one, cuz' it was made with love!!

A perfect Friday night . . .

2010-10-22T19:45:00.001-08:00

So, Bob and I have our first weekend off together, since I think when we went to Seattle in April. It's pretty darn nice . . . we are having my favorite Friday night meal . . .

and my favorite Friday night snack . . .

watchin' Law and Order reruns with my favorite man.

Our Alaska Day

2010-10-18T19:38:00.002-08:00

Today was the first day in a couple of weeks that Bob and I actually had some time together. He has had Mondays and Tuesdays off. This usually happens once a year and it's always a ruff time for us. But today we got to spend it together. After sleeping in a bit, we lounged around and then headed to the grocery store to have enough time before to get home before the baseball game. We picked up a bunch of sunflowers, they always remind me of my MandaGirl.

We also bought a bunch of fruit, we always do, but lately I have been on an apple kick, not the same apples, a couple of as many types as I can find at Fred's. . .

The we cleaned house, did laundry, and packed lunches for the week. We also brought in our Hosta, we figured that it has earned a place inside for the winter. Last winer we put the pot and Hosta in the outside storage and when we opened it up this Spring the Hosta was a foot tall and stark white, it had not only survived the winter, but had grown! So this winter we will see how it does inside.

I also learned today that my Gram reads our blog! I have been thinking that I needed to do better at blogging. I love you Gram, thanks for the chat tonight, I miss you all the time.

Now we are enjoying white cheddar popcorn and some spooky old-school Halloween movies. What a good day . . .

"Red Dog" Weekend in Seattle

2010-10-18T12:20:00.000-08:00

I was in Seattle this weekend, participating in the process of buying new product for the gift shops for next season. I admit that it was kind of cool to see all the styles and be in on what we purchased, but I also enjoyed . . .

. . . taken Mr. Bear along, he hasn't missed a trip yet!

. . . enjoying a Wendy's Single and a Frosty . . .

. . . while staring at sunny skies . . .

. . . my nice big hotel room . . .

. . . and the sleep number bed . . .

. . . all snugly, comfy and cozy . . .

. . . enjoying some bbq and a sauce tour at Famous Dave's . . .

. . . relaxing in the sun at a local park (this tree was perfect to lean against, curved right out) . . .

. . . and taking in the view . . .

. . . there was a bit of shopping, but just a little,

like this vintage tee for Bob from Old Navy . . .

. . . a few scrapbooking items from JoAnn's Etc. . .

. . . and a couple pair of holiday socks. . .

. . . and then there was Target, I just love to browse around. I came home with a new shower curtain (only $14.99!) and a few other little items . . .

It was a nice little getaway, loved all the warm and sunshine.

GSE Weekend

2010-10-11T19:27:00.232-08:00

This weekend was my GSE selection weekend and I spent it with some pretty remarkable people. I was so nervous, but was put at ease. Everyone was so kind and I had a wonderful time. I even cooked! Imagine!!

Friday Night . . . we all meet and had dinner. It was pretty neat meeting everyone and listening to the Rotary members stories. Part of our District is in Russia, so their stories about traveling to and from, were pretty entertaining. I also meet all of the other GSE applicants and they all seem down to earth. We had some nice conversations and it was good to meet everyone. They also told us that tomorrow night we have to cook - are you kidding me, ya all know I don't cook! They told us that the secret ingredients are a moose roast and some smoked salmon, it sounded like there were some good ideas on how to prepare it.

Me ready for dinner

Me ready for dinner with my sweater

Saturday . . . After a day of learning about Rotary and presenting our Power Points, which I was pretty nervous about, but I did it!, we also went shopping for our dinner items.

Devon with the secret ingredients - moose roast

Carrying the groceries up the drive

All of us preparing the feast

Thomas with the moose roast which was taken down by the 11 year old granddaughter of Mike and Peggy from the selection committee.

Me helping with the salad - it was yummy!

A full kitchen

The feast

Beef Stroganoff

Dinner preparations

The Chocolate Moose (delicious Kate!) brigade

Time to do dishes . . .

After dinner . . . we took the "out of towners" for a night tour of the Capital City . . .

Devon at the Capital

At the Red Dog (aka The Dog) taken the tourist pic . . .

A few drinks at "The Dog" . . .

Cheers!

Sunday Morning . . .this morning we meet with Dora, who will be the Team leader, then we departed . . .

Bob forgot to mention that he had reset the alarm for 5:45 am, instead of 5 am, so the result was me drying my hair at Coastal.

Departing from the hotel . . . the candidates then went to the Glacier

The GSE Candidates at the Mendenhall Glacier

It was a pretty remarkable weekend. I am glad that I had this opportunity, that's what this "Alaska Life" is, seizing the moments . . .

Time for a change

2010-10-11T19:10:00.002-08:00

With the new season, I thought it was time for a change. Hope you enjoy the new layout, fall is my favorite time of year. MJ

False Outer Point

2010-08-02T17:39:00.000-08:00

This afternoon we went out to False Outer Point so Bob could do some fishing and I did a bit of studying. It ended up being very warm and sunny.

False Outer Point. If you look closely, you'll see Bob fishing.

My study spot, complete with a stump for a desk.

My view.

Dupont Trail

2010-07-27T20:02:00.000-08:00

Monday and Tuesday are mine and Bob's weekend. Today when we woke up it was sunny and warm out. Normally we head out the road, but since I had to work for a few hours this afternoon, we headed out Thane Road. Here's Bob at the first waterfall on the trail.

The view.

Bob hauling in his catch.

Dupont Dock

Bob's fishing spot.

Relaxing on the beach.

Where we would love to live, in the shack.

Us.

Catch of the day . . .

2010-07-19T20:05:00.003-08:00

Bob and I went out to Amalga Harbor today. It wasn't sunny, but it was a warm day. Bob fished and I made a little fire and read. Some pics from the day . . .

Afterwards we raced back to the Valley to watch Despicable Me. It was cute. Now a bit of couch time to end the day.

Our 4th of July

2010-07-05T21:46:00.000-08:00

The parade . . .

Watching the fireworks from our bed . . .

We didn't actually see the parade, we both had to work. I was downtown and last year their was no one in the store, so I stood outside and watched. This year, we were crazy busy and I let our employees enjoy the parade, so they took a few pictures for me. The family on the bike have been biking all over the US and are from Kentucky.

As for the fireworks, we fell asleep and then were woken up at midnight by the sound of the fireworks. This year, we could see them from our bed! What a way to watch them.

Why I love Old Navy

2010-07-05T21:42:00.000-08:00

Because I can order clothes that don't cost me a small fortune and when they come they actually fit!

Somethings I learned and was reminded of this week . . .

2010-07-02T22:13:00.000-08:00

I learned that . . . .
I like to have some time to myself to rejuvenate. I don't normally stop, so this is a revelation. It may be time to start listening more to that inner voice of mine.
it's okay to not be constantly working. That's huge for me, let's face it, I am a workaholic and it's hard to break that habit.
It's nice to have the time to cook and prepare my meals, paying attention to what I am eating. Then having the time to clean up and keep everything put away.

I was reminded that . . .
I am married to a wonderful, caring man, whom I adore.
My mother is a Saint and I am not sure why she still takes my calls.
I have the best BFFs in the world. I love them and miss them.
I have meet some truly incredible people in Alaska. This place is a blessing.
I really enjoy scrapbooking and getting our pictures into albums, finished another this week.
I enjoy waking slowly, drinking coffee, reading the paper and making breakfast.
I enjoy having time to reconnect, write letters, and talk to those I love. I have been horrible about sending cards and gifts, something I used to be so good at. I am going to work on this.
I enjoy having the time to blog. I always have all these ideas, but never seem to find the time to keep this blog up. I am going to try and make the time to do this.

I am taking baby steps to stop being a workaholic and let go, it feels good, Bob is right.

Tram in it to the top of Mt Roberts

2010-06-28T20:58:00.059-08:00

Mt Roberts is the view that we see from our condo. We have lived here for four years and kept saying that we needed to do the trail, so today was the day. Since we couldn't start until 2 pm and Coastal has fee passes for the Tram, we decided to ride the tram up and then hike from there.

The Tram takes you up to 1800 ft and for those of you reading this, you must know that I hate the Tram ride up, really I do, I don't look around, I find a focus point, usually my hand or the floor and focus on my breathing. At the Tram we stopped for a restroom break and then checked in the Nature Store for a trail map. To my dismay, they were a $1.00 and since we brought no cash and we have trail books at home, there was no way I was paying for one. I asked the elder women behind the counter for the the miles up to the summit. She seemed a bit weary that it was 2:30ish in the afternoon and we, well at that point it was I she saw Bob was in the restroom, was going to head to the summit. I tried to reassure her that: a. we lived here, b. the last tram was not until 9:30 pm and if we missed it, we would hike all the way down, sunset wasn't until 10:55 pm c. we have hiked plenty before and I didn't think that this trail was that challenging. At this point Bob had walked up behind me and was giving a look. I wasn't sure if it was the "I can't believe you told her we were locals look" or not. I told the lady we had a cell, we would be fine and we headed off to hike. What I found out later was that Bob was annoyed with the women for asking so many questions and implying that we weren't prepared. Seriously, you should have seen some of the people that we saw on this trail: hiking in poor footwear, no water, little kids being dragged along. Anyway, our first stop . . .

We had picked up Subway before we came up and stopped at the first picnic table we came to for a bit of lunch and recharging. The picnic table and scenic outlook just happened to look out to our condos. They are the brown ones you see in the picture below. While taking the picture and hiking, we had a few people comment that we lived here and we would just point, "yep, see those brown buildings, right over there".

Hiking along. As you look at these pics, you should be able to tell who had the camera today. It was a beautiful hike.

The view down Gastineau Channel towards Taku Inlet.

Takin' a breather.

Time for a water break. I didn't realize that Bob was taking my picture as I was watering myself.

Ahhhh!

Smile.

I believe just before this picture we were singing "the hills are alive with the sound of music, ahhhhhhahhhh". It just reminded us of the views in the Sound of Music.

Bob the Explorer

The view

At the top we found a spot to sit and Bob had brought a Coke along to enjoy, and yes, it was really a coke!

As we sat there, these guys floated into view. We had seen a few different ones all along the trail.

As we hiked and chatted with a few of our fellow hikers, we were asked how high we thought the summit was. Bob and I originally said 3300 to 3600 ft. Then we lowered it to 3300 to 3500 ft. As I was working on this blog posting I decided to look it up. It is actually "3816 vertical ft". I told Bob at the end of the hike that I felt like we had speed hiked. We were out of the car at 2 pm and back in by 6 pm.

People along the way:

We meet a nice young (I know, can't believe I said that, but we are getting a bit older, from South Dakota. They did pretty well, they ended up turning around, realizing that they didn't have the proper gear or water and they were really huffing and puffing. I thought it was cute that at one point the girl told us that she couldn't believe we weren't laboring on the hike! I assured her that I love hiking, but hate the up part and that we labored too. We told them about a few trails in Skagway since that was their next port.

High-fived a little guy decked out in Tiger gear.

Chatted with a man that was hiking in workboots, jeans and a sweatshirt! It was warm out, by the top I was in a tank top and had zipped the legs off my pants!

It was a perfect Monday, we ended our wonderful day with a stop at the Breeze for a take-n-bake and a slushie. Then home to the couch where photos have been uploaded and blogged. Bob is watching The Lightning Thief and since I have already seen it I am off to dreamland.

Yummy bread bowls

2010-06-22T07:45:00.000-08:00

New Micro . . .

2010-06-22T07:43:00.000-08:00

for now. We plan to buy new appliances in the Fall, but this is what we are working with until then.

Out with the old

2010-06-21T20:41:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, our microwave started sparking and smoking and although it had done this before, this time it was done for good. We have lived with it still installed for a few weeks, today, Bob decided to remove it and throw it away.

Bob trying to figure out what's still holding the darn thing in

As we take on new project, by choice or because we have no choice, we are discovering new projects:

I ranted a bit after seeing this, looks like they just punched a hole in the wall. What happened to pride in your work? Bob and I have been joking that with our "improvements" we are going to systematically destroy this place!

Auke Lake Trail

2010-06-21T19:09:00.000-08:00

Pictures from Auke Lake Trail

Wouldn't you just love to "pull up to" the lake in your plane?

The old trail

The new trail

Bob and I went for a walk in the woods today. We revisited a trail that we went on when we first arrived in JNU. It was October 2006, we had just bought our rain gear, it was a rainy day and we wanted to make sure it kept us dry. That was the first time we visited this trail. Now it's 2010, the trail has been completely redone. It's no longer a hike to us, but a walk in the woods.

Birthday Flowers

2010-06-20T19:54:00.000-08:00

My beautiful birthday flowers from my wonderful husband. There were also birthday brownies, but they went pretty fast!

We both had to work today, but Bob picked me up and we decided since it was a beautiful night to walk over to downtown, stop in at the Dog and then get some Mexican for dinner. On the walk over I remembered, as I am wearing flip-flops - which Bob questioned when we left the house, that the buses stop early on Sunday, so we would have to walk home also. No big deal usually, but for the flip-flops that I had woren. On the way, we saw some kind of crane that we usually don't see, so here they are. We only had the little camera, so not much of a zoom, trust us, they are some kind of crane.

Once we got into town, we just decided to go and eat. We went to the two Mexican places in downtown and realized that they are both closed on Sunday! So much for our mission! If you could have seen us, we were focused on getting some Mexican food. Next we tried the Hanger and Bob was applaud with there prices, we have apparently never gone there for dinner and it is tourist season. So we stopped by the Dog, had some potato skins and then started our walk home. About 3/4 of the way home, my loving husband took pity on me, that and he needed to use the restroom and he sped up and then came back to get me. Now I do this walk all the time and it is no big deal, with the proper shoes! Alas, always be prepared - I know this!

Once back at home I enjoyed a very enlightening conversation with my brother and then snuggled with my love.

Lilacs

2010-06-16T12:22:00.001-08:00

I was so surprised the other day when I was walking home that I have been walking and driving by an entire block of lilacs and never even noticed. I was stunned! It is incredible to me that I have lived here for four years and never realized it was there. It smells lovely and I will now make it a point to walk this way home and so that I can enjoy the beauty.

High Finger Fivin' the Mitten

2010-06-15T07:40:00.001-08:00

On my walks to work in the morning, I have passed this "mitten" since we moved here. Recently I started high fivin' it with my finger, it's not big enough for a full high five. It kind of makes me laugh each time I do it, got a little Monk in my I guess cuz' now I can't pass it without the finger five.

Happy Birthday Sis!

2010-06-15T06:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Sis! I hope that you take some time for yourself today, you deserve it!

One lonely flip-flop

2010-06-13T20:48:00.000-08:00

You would think that I would know better than to try and wear flip-flops on my walk to work, but in my defense after our hike the other day I got a blister and it hurt too darn much to wear shoes, so I headed to work in flops. About 10-15 minutes into the walk I realized that this wasn't happenin'. I need real shoes and I know this. So I stop along side the road, change shoes and finish my hobble to work. After a couple hours at work I can't take it anymore and decide to go and put my flops back on. What do you think I find . . .

that's right, I only have a flop, no flip! I must have left the other along side the road. So after work, before my meeting I went and bought a pair of open back shoes. Then I my way home I look for my flip, but no luck, I am left with a flop!

Campers' Cove Hike

2010-06-13T06:20:00.002-08:00

Monday the 7th was Bob and mine's first day of summer vacation day off together. The weather had been so nice that we decided to head out for a hike. We both needed new hiking boots and we had been wanting to purchase a new smaller backpack for day hikes. Using backpacks that are made for school books, just don't cut it and we've done that long enough. Could be that we are getting older and we have a few more aches and pains then we used too. After spending my entire first paycheck from the Dog, we had what we needed and were ready to go.

The plan was to hike to Campers' Cove Cabin, have some lunch, fish and read, then hike out. The hike was beautiful and it was so warm and sunny out. At the cabin we played in the water, it was actually a nice temp, you could walk around in the shallow bay and your feet didn't ache from the cold after two minutes. Then Bob fished, I read and we enjoyed the sunshine. When it was time to start hiking out we decided that instead of hiking out the way we came, we would hike the loop, connecting so one of our favorite trails, Pt Bridget. This is where the fun really begins, first, we didn't bring bug stuff, who forgot that?, then we were both a bit more tired then we realized and started to drag, next, we kept seeing some very large paws prints, trying to convince ourselves that it was a large dog! On the way through the meadow, the tall grass started rustling, I knew that I couldn't make it to catch up with Bob before whatever was coming crossed our path, so I started backing up. That darn porcupine scared the bejesus out of me! He was all puffed up, Bob said, "it's not gong to shoot it's quills at you", how did he know that's what I thought it was going to do? The rest of the hike to the trail head was fairly uneventful, just the two of us being together, enjoying this beautiful place, smacking at bugs and stumbling over tree roots cuz we were tired and not lifting our feet. Once we hit the road, we had about a mile hike back to the truck. Bob had said on the hike, when we were seeing lots of scat, that we wouldn't see a bear in the woods, but we would on the road . . . luck for us, I had my new whistle. What a fabulous first hike.

New Gear

Also notice on the new day pack a new carabeaner and whistle, which came in handy for beinging loud to let the bear know we were there.

Some of the bays that we hiked to

Nature

Molly playing in the cove

Nothin' like finding a rope swing in the middle of the woods

Wildfowers in the meadow

PS Thank you Joelle for our NAO gift certificates!

A Quiet Morning at Auke Bay Marina

2010-06-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

This morning I was up super early, Bob had to be to work at 6 am and since I needed the truck, I was up with him. I decided to just get ready for the day, Saturday School at 9 am, and after I took him to work, I went for a drive. I ended up on Back Loop Road and as I entered Auke Bay, I say this gi-normous yacht!

Seriously, I know that you can't really tell from the pictures, but it was huge. I never could see the name of it, I wanted to Google it and see if I could find out where it came from, no luck. I am always curios who these things belong to when they roll into town.

A sailboat named Bob.

This was an odd looking boat and I was wondering what it was. Upon closer inspection I found it to be for oil spill response.

It was flying a pirate's flag.

Auke Bay Marina

Heading out for a day of fishing.

Memorial Day 2010

2010-05-31T21:15:00.022-08:00

Whales, Eagles Sea Lions and Bears - Oh My!

Bob and I spent our Memorial Day at Sunshine Cove this year, watching whales play. When the day started we weren't sure where we were going to end up when the day first started. We drove out the road and there were so many cars and people (of course), but as we drove back, discussing where to go, we saw a whales tainl and that was it, decision made. We parked the truck, sat along side the road for a bit, then Bob found a way down to the beach and that's where we stayed.

Whale - we didn't bring our camera with a lense, so no close ups, but we watched them all day, it was pretty cool.

Cooling off.

Bob went for a little walk and watched the whales play.

We think that there were also sea lions playing too.

These guys used this tiny little boat to check their crab pots. We watched them bring in some crab and them woot and hollar as the crabs snapped at them.

A new design

2010-05-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

I figured that I better get those raindrops off of our blog since it has been so warm and sunny here.

There are nine days of school left and one big project is out of the way, now onto the eighth grade dance. Last week was GPS (Goals for Personal Success) for our eighth graders and I do some coordinating for that. It did almost defeat me, I ended up sick, might have something also to do with the clouds of pollen blowing around, and have roughly 5 cold sores all over my lips. It has sent me home early two days this week and I am seeing what it plans to do with my weekend. The one in which I need to get things done for the dance! Anyway, you know I am sick if I miss work. I have slept roughly 35 hours in 2 days and could still use some more. Not to mention that fact that it is beautiful out and I would rather stay tucked under the covers. Bob was also sick this week and our Adam friend too. We all need to get better so that we may enough the lovely days.

Happy Mothers' Day!

2010-05-09T20:03:00.000-08:00

I have been truly blessed to know some many wonderful mothers. To all of you, thank you for all you have taught me, you are the most incredible women and I am blessed to have you in my life.

To my own mommy - I can't wait until we are "together again". I miss my mom and wish we weren't so far apart, but I blame that on you . . . you raised us to believe that we can do anything and so here I am thousands of miles away and grateful for the woman that you are. No, I am not crying, my eyes are just a bit watery. I love you mom.

Frist Day in the Shop . . .

2010-05-09T19:54:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day since the cruise ships started to roll into town that I was in the gift shops interacting with tourist. And wouldn't you know it on day one . . . "has Sarah been in lately?". Okay, so I know what he means, but here is my poor employee, her first day, and I can see that she's thinking "do we have a Sarah who works here?". Anyway . . .
Come on, first if she was still our Governor, it would be Governor Palin, NOT Sarah!!! Second SHE QUIT - she is no longer our Governor, never liked Juneau and is probably gallivanting around the country overcharging at events that she speaks at!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, it is day one for me, don't even get me started!
On a happier note, all of our employees seem to be good, it's a nice start to the season.

Birthday Girl

2010-05-01T20:03:00.001-08:00

Happy 21st birthday Brit!

Getting started . . .

2010-04-28T21:39:00.000-08:00

Tonight I started my Library Science course through UAF. I am a bit cranky that I have to take a 100 level course, but so be it. I will be writting a research paper, topic of my choice, I do like that part. I have an idea in mind, but still want to think about it a bit before I submit my topic.

The wallet has been found

2010-04-20T19:03:00.001-08:00

Finally! The funniest part is that it was with us the entire time that we were gone. It was in an outside pocket on Bob's carry on that is made for umbrellas. It took three days to find it and we were so lucky that it didn't fall out. The pocket is designed to slide your umbrella into so it is open about 6 inches at the bottom. Woowee lucky.

Our weekend in Seattle . . .

2010-04-19T19:00:00.000-08:00

to see the Tigers!!!
We had a wonderful time, lots of baseball and browsing. We stayed right downtown in Pioneer Square and explored much of downtown Seattle. What a great town. It is set up easily for getting around and seeing the sites. We decided that we will travel to a new ballpark each year to see the Tigers play and explore a new town.

Thank goodness for passports . . .

2010-04-16T18:35:00.006-08:00

As we were getting ready to run out the door at 6 am to catch our 7 am flight, Bob discovered that he couldn't find his wallet. He had it last night and now it's gone. After ten minutes of frantic searching we grab his passport and headed to the airport. We then stood in the longest line I have ever seen at our airport and made it in time to walk on the plan, no waiting.