Update

So many things have happened since my last blog...where, oh, where to start?? Well...

1. Big shout out to Becky and Stew on the birth of their boys, Sawyer Gray and Finn Michael! What a blessing and so many answers to prayer! For pictures, click here.
2. On the 8th of June, I turned 29! I remember my 19th birthday 10 YEARS ago in Ketchikan...when I believe my "real" life actually started! Praise God for new beginnings and even better in-betweens! Jer, who is the KING of birthday presents, got me a Nintendo Wii! I have become a Mario Kart addict in the last week! As I type, Geoff, Jer, and Tony are quite loudly losing! Also, my friend Geoff, brought me a sports car to test drive...let me just say, zero to 90 in very little time (my adrenaline was rushing too fast to keep track!) was quite invigorating! It was a blessing to be surrounded by family and friends for my birthday!!!
   
3. Here's a mommy and two baby moose (twins are everywhere :) ) right off my back porch.
4. We're going to go camping this weekend, which will be a nice break...I'll post pictures when we get back.
   

Well, I think that's all I can think of for now...signing off!

The Roaring 20's!!

Last week was Andy's (Kendra's betrothed) birthday. Kendra threw a 1920's gangster style Dinner & Murder party! It was a TON of fun! It was basically the board game "Clue" brought to life. We each had a character to play and a basic idea of our character's background and what we had to accomplish that night, but the details were left to ad-lib and make up as you go, which made it all the more fun! My character was Madame MeMe and I was married to Don Wannabe (Dave). The setting was at the grand opening of our (MeMe and Don) lavish new speakeasy, The Four Deuces. The other characters were our guests. All of the characters were in some way connected, although very rarely in a good way! This left plenty of room for speculation and opportunities for motive to commit murder. Unfortunately, no one "won" in the sense of figuring out whodunit, however Dave (my "husband") won for having the most money (bribery was prevalent, as you can imagine) and I won best costume. It was some of the most fun I've had...very creative...fits my Drama Queen streak to a T! It's since been decided that every 3 months or so, we should pick an era and have a dress up dinner party. Enjoy the pics!Kendra (Donna Wannabe, Don's sister and my sister in law) and Andy (Big Jim Ravioli)

Dave (my "husband" Don) and I. What do you think of my gangster's wife sized ring?

Andy (Big Jim Ravioli) and Dave (Don Wannabe) showing off their best gangster pose!


Tifiny (Carrier Crooner-Ravioli, current wife of Big Jim) and Jenni (Vicky Ravioli, ex-wife of Big Jim)


Crystal (Vanessa Crooner, Carrie's mom) and Isaac (Al Capone, mine and Don's bodyguard/hit man, who surprisingly did not kill anyone!)

Jenn (Baroness Ravioli, Big Jim's mother)

Kendra, Jenn, and Tifiny

Al Capone and all the girls...what a stud-muffin!!

Bordering on insanity

Having lived in Alaska a combined 9 years, I've learned the true meaning of "Only in Alaska...". And today, I have something brand new to add to the list! That would be:

• Only in Alaska...do cute little nursery rhymes mean JACK!

For example: "April Showers Bring May Flowers". Doesn't that just warm you to the soul? Well, let me just steal that little warm fuzzy right from underneath your feet and say that the Alaska version apparently goes, "April Showers bring 18 inches of snow with another 12 -18 forecast over the next 12 hours". Lest you all become overwhelmed by the ungodly (literally) level of cynicism in this diatribe, please enjoy the following pictures, along with my meager attempts to be positive...especially considering I know full well it's at least 82 degrees in Maui where I could be on the beach getting a tan.

Stuck in my own driveway...but look how pretty and white!

Our friendly neighbor Steven who was kind enough to dig/snow blow me out!

My back yard...but look how white and pretty!!!

Me after shoveling in the downpour...is it technically downpour when it's snow? Anyway, who knew my hair was so curly??

Ketchup

I logged on today, astonished at how much time has gone by since my last blog! SO much has happened, I don't even know where to start. We've both been working hard, praying for spring. It is the 16th of April and we've had constant snow and temps in the 20s and 30s for the last week. At least its light out...that much I can be thankful for!!! We've made several improvements to the house, which we're happy about. We're looking forward to real spring and camping trips and not having to wear jackets! :) I keep forgetting to buy batteries every time I am at the store, so I have no pictures to post for the moment. More soon...

Jim Brickman

Sam and I went to see Jim Brickman at the PAC last Saturday. The pictures aren't great, but we had a great time! He is an amazing entertainer with a great sense of humor and of course the music was outstanding!