Halloween....Vacation...and then some!

I know it is a span of two months from October to November, but it seems like so much is going on.  Then I consider what actually has happened and realize nothing but the normal mundane day-to-day activities keeping our lives busy and moving forward.  The above picture was taken on the day JJ ran about 2 miles in a race.  Her brother and sister were there for the cheering squad.  She even got a medal at the end.  Everyone did, as positive reinforcement to encourage enthusiasm in running.

And then we have Halloween!  We got all ready only to be confronted by the first snow fall. of the season.  Strike that......blizzard.  Needless to say we were fast about it, before the kids were content to go home.  We only had 3 Tricker Treaters at our door the whole night, so others must have felt the same way.  It went from 50's to 20's in one day.

So the sledding season starts for the kids!  They sled at school for recess, sometimes for PE, and when they get home from school.  I keep waiting for them to be bored by it, but they are not.  Maybe it has something to do with them using Toby as a mushing dog.  The strategy is they will tease the dog, by telling him to, "Go get it!"  And the small brained dog is too dumb to realize he is being used.

Trav and I went on vacation for the first time since JJ was born.  Due to a compromise on funding and weather, Las Vegas and St. George were the place of choice.  If you want to see photos of Las Vegas...google it.  However,  Zion's Park was amazing!  And we had fun tooting around in a BUG for a few days.  But when Mom and Dad are away, Grandma lets the kids play!!!

They missed school for this....plus a number of other things.  But that stays between Grandma and the kids!!!  Her prerogative and my willingness to turn a blind eye means kids and Grandma have a good time and Mom gets a break!

Fair fun and then some!

We went to the fair, a farm, and a party all with in a couple of weeks. Too many to post so I chose a few to share.

Cameron met a little friend called Harry. He was only four months old. He took a great liking to the boy, but the boy was a little skittish with Harry snuffling him where ever he walked.

So Cameron soon left only to find a bigger friend.

His name is Denali. He was abandoned by his mother after some tourist found the nest and touched him shortly after he was born. After the mother smelt the human touch she pushed him out. A hunter found him shortly after and brought him to the farm. He is a big teddy, however He is HUGE! Had he been raised in the wild he would have grown even larger than he is. I was impressed!

Then Cameron found an even bigger friend............his mama! AAAAWWWW! Ain't he lucky!

Next event, the party at the zoo! Although there were animals there.....we didn't see much due to the fact of good food, company, and gifts. Don't fret though, we did come home with a few unique species, different from the ones we had when we arrived to the party!

The Fair was pretty FABULOUS!!! I found the fur coat I wanted, we saw some acrobats, played with guns, went on some rides, and built legos. I won't even mention all the fun food we ate.

The best part of the whole thing was the kids getting to meet a Clone Trooper......go figure!

Light

How many ways can the sun rise or set? So far, every morning and every evening I have seen one, they all have been different! Now, I know it is possible, but is it really?

Have you ever had a view which you looked upon everyday. Whether it is a face, a tree, a flower, a driveway, a mountain and everyday you see it. It is in the same place usually at the same time you look, but if you really look it is different. Every morning I see the sky here...it is the same mountain range and the same sky! It is also different. Clouds change, color changes all because of light!

Light.....it is a big deal here. Everybody cherishes it more than any other place I have been. The light is celebrated. People use every last moment of it too it's fullest. Light is the beauty of Alaska. It is what keeps this place kind of wild feeling and so entrancing. You may think my statement is a tad dramatic.... come and find out for yourself.

The above picture with no children is of the mountain called The Sleeping Lady. The other photos are various places I have been with the kids and taken there shots with the beautiful surrounding views. Man it is so hard to live here!

So Alaska is like...... an untouched wilderness. It truly is the last frontier. Driving along it's one and only highway, one tends to feel really small. Picture huge jutting mountains shooting up out of the ocean with very little beach front property. Picture these mountains being covered with a dark soft green velvet, with the occasional aquamarine gem nestled into the crevices of most mountain tops. These gems are so beautiful and ominous as you realize the ice has been situated there for an undetermined amount of time.

Do you ever feel there are too few words to describe a sight, or a feeling? It doesn't happen to me often, but I have been frozen in my tracks a few times since arriving here. You all may think... just wait until winter. Possibly you are right, but for the moment, I feel lucky and blessed to be here.

My husband woke one morning with the thought hanging on his lips...."Could you ever imagine a place more suited to you and I?" No, really I could not. It is in this that I will express my gratitude in a Supreme being who understands us better than we do ourselves. I am not so naive as to assume this will always be the land of "milk and honey" for us. Problems will arise I am sure, but I doubt it will have much to do with changing the huge sense of awe I feel in being in this incredible state.

I am not a photographer.....no justification, I am not. Not even a good camera will help me or

for that matter, hold my interest. So for the few pictures I post here, please bear with me. You are seeing a limited perspective because of the lack of skill I have.

These few photos show some of the beginning discoveries we are making here in the first month of living here. As I get better at this blog thing, I may post pictures of the past to illustrate in some of the stories I have to share.

Where's the Girl?

Seeing as most of my life I have traveled, I thought it appropriate to start a blog about the next stage in my life, while perhaps sharing some stories of my past that have lead this "girl" to the reasoning and decisions she has made thus far.

It may be an interesting journey for me to do this as a project. I have been hit and miss in my journal entries, and hit and miss in my letter writing, so this may be the outlet needed to stay in touch with the many whom I have loved and lost but not forgotten through my various moves around the world.

To be honest, I am not a blog reader. But then I never used to be a face book reader either. I find I don't want to waste my time "mooning" away about other people and how they live their lives. Which is one of the reasons I have been resistant in starting my own blog. So to all those who would like to read about my musings..... feel free. To all those who do not.... I really DO understand.