My Celebrity Look-alikes!

What do you think??

Productive Saturday

We decided this weekend that something was missing from our front yard...

So, we took advantage of the lovely warm day and decided to work up a sweat by doing some landscaping...

Now I know what you're thinking...one tree...how hard can it be? And you're absolutely right...one tree isn't that hard....

...eight on the other hand...

Right now they're about 6' tall and 2' around. Their full size is 15' tall and 4' around. They're supposedly very fast growing trees and with the sunlight we get here in the summers, I can only imagine how tall they'll be this time next year! I'm not sure we'll let them grow their full height...we'll see!!

My "little" Audrey

So, as you all know, we added Audrey to our family on February 17th, 2007 at which time she was exactly two months old. Well, she is now 7 months old and as you can see, just slightly bigger than our 2.5 YEAR old, Josie (English Springer Spaniel)!! I knew when we got her that she was a German Shepherd/Cocker Spaniel mix, but in hind sight "knew" could be classified as "those are not foreign words to me" because I am still amazed at how big she is! And she's only 7 months old!

She's a very good natured, sweet dog...very smart...almost calculatingly! During her crate training she would howl and yip and bark, so we got her a soft muzzle. She only had to wear it about 30 minutes one evening and every time after that when she'd go to her kennel, all you had to do was show it to her, say "be quiet, it's bedtime" and she wouldn't make a peep the whole night!!! She knows "sit", "stay", "lay down", "leave it", "potty", and "go poop" and has since the first 3 weeks we had her! We are still seeking the Lord however on how to get her to stop urinating in fear/submission. Most people I've talked to say it is a common Cocker Spaniel trait and she'll just grow out of it. Needless to say it has made house-training quite challenging. But, God is not silent when sought, not even about dog potty problems!! :)

Rain Clouds & Door Springs

NOT on my list of favorite things.....

So, the clouds are back with rain, as are the 55ish temperatures...*sigh*...July is supposed to be HOT. Oh well...at least it keeps down the forest fires.

As I type this Jer, Isaac, Geoff, and John are replacing the extension spring to our garage door. I had come home two nights ago, pulled into the garage and then pushed the button to close it...just as the door reached fully closed, there was this incredibly loud *SNAP*...scared the peewadens out of me. During my initial search I couldn't find anything wrong...next morning (Sunday) I tried to open the door to let the dogs out and it went up about 2 inches and then back down and then attempted on its own to open again by two inches and then went back down, then up 2 inches and down...I had to finally unplug it and release the emergency lever to get the door to go all the way back down. And this is a fully insulated double car garage door, so there was no way I could lift it (Jer was out of town camping) and my car was stuck inside. But, thankfully Jer parks his truck outside the garage, so I was able to make it to church on time!! Aha, I hear the door opening and closing...Praise God, sounds like they fixed it!!

Finally.....

....some sunshine and temeratures over 55!! Praise the Lord!!

A Sunday hike

Kendra and I have made a tradition of taking a hike on Sunday afternoons. This last Sunday we hiked up the Upper Huffman trails, which quickly became one of my favorite spots in South Anchorage! We found a perfect spot in the woods for a fort and we climbed a tree!!! Young at heart we remain!

My Sister and I

I had the most wonderful time with Becky during my last visit; she has become more than a sister to me in the last few years. It was SOOOO hard to leave!! Here's a few pictures of us at our best....high on caffeine and having blast!!

"Sisters is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship." ~Margaret Mead

"When sisters stand shoulder to shoulder, who stands a chance against us?" ~Pam Brown

"I don't believe an accident of birth makes people sisters or brothers. It makes them siblings, gives them mutuality of parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood is a condition people have to work at." ~Maya Angelou