Happy Halloween

Seth is Shadow Ninja and Sydney is a bumblebee. I had to take a picture of the grass because we had no snow and loved it. We did not have to cover our costumes with winter gear and walking the neighborhood on pavement was great. The sky cleared up and it was in the 30's. Perfect night.

Emma, Sydney and Aunt Andi

 

Had a very busy past 4 days. It all started on Thursday when I took Seth to swim lessons then off to a high school volleyball match. Friday I took Grandma Thelma shopping and lunch - okay, I said busy but also fun. Still did not find that perfect leather coat. That night Seth and I got to go to a private screening of The Transformers at the Alaska Wildberry Theater and got to eat delicious food from Sourdough Mining Company. Way to go Optimus Prime - Seth could not stop talking about the whole movie. He said he liked the transformer that said "put the cube into my chest." Saturday we woke up to a great breakfast and started work on the bathroom - okay we means Pops and Glen, but I kept out of the way if that counts. Seth had hockey practice and I had to go off and do my last volleyball match at UAA -they have a wonderful 1-14 record. I needed a drink after that match so I went to the Knechts for their Halloween party where I helped Gary end his losing streak of beer pong. Hope to have pics sent to us and I will post. Got home late so slept in. The bathroom is complete - new vanity and toilet and boy does it make a difference so to celebrate Thelma and I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and spent beyond what I was planning - is that the Beyond part? The bathroom does look 200% better. We also got to visit toys r us and they are out of Transformer things - odd to see an empty shelf in that store, but we managed to get some Christmas shopping done. Emma, Dani, Andrea and Tim came over. Showed Tim the nice pic of the Bull moose we had - apparently, the moose have outsmarted the hunters as Tim cannot find any in his permit zone. They are in the burbs. To top off the 4 day spree, I just got back from my gallery shift - the tourist are gone and things are slow. Oh, well I just get to go home and enjoy my new bathroom.

 
Emma thinks that Sydney is her baby doll cousin and I think Sydney likes to play along.

Emma and Sydney

 

Meet Artimoose

 
This is the first moose visitor and we shall name him Artimoose. We get so many moose this time of year in the neigborhood I am going to start giving them names like we do for hurricanes. Off to a great start with this bull.

Sydney's Birthday

Sydney is 1

Sydney Kathryn has turned one and for her birthday she gave ME a gift. She started saying Mama. Wow, how it pulls at your heartstrings to hear your baby say that for the first time. Cake will be served and pictures taken and blogged soon.

Quite the Encounter

A Nome musher took her team out for training and saw one bull in the bushes and then all of a sudden there were more. The Musk Ox herd charged the team and the musher had to let loose some dogs. All animals survived.

John Wayne Wisdom

"Talk low, talk slow, and don't say too much"
"When you come slam bang up against trouble, it never looks half as bad if you face up to it"
"Nobody should come to the movies, unless he believes in heroes"
"When the road looks rough ahead, remember the 'Man Upstairs' and the word H-O-P-E. Hang onto both and tough it out"
"Nobody ever saw a cowboy on the psychiatrist's couch"
"When people you work with do their job to make things right and still have time to smile and get along with others, I want them around"

A new haunt

The doors to Modern Dwellers Chocolate Lounge finally opened and I had to go satisfy my curiosity. I walked in and was greeted by Zoe, the owner, and an offering to sample a chocolate drink. I picked the Maya Chocolate drink and wow was my first thought. Its a warm, thick and rich chocolate elixir that has a kick at the end. Very unique truffles - like the salmon truffle with a piece of dried salmon on top - may require a bit of convincing on my part. I went with the mainstay Mint Truffle and a lavender truffle - both will have me coming back for more.

A great moment

I was working at the gallery on Sunday night and witnessed a great moment. There are times when we have very snooty people come in and I have learned to be tolerant and actually find them quite entertaining (not sure how people become that way - very interesting), but for the most part we have wonderful customers from around the world and at home. On this night, I witnessed one of the nicest things. We had 4 young Army soldiers browsing the gallery. I asked if they were local or from out of state and was told they are heading home to Hawaii after 15 months in Iraq. They were stuck in Anchorage waiting for approval to go home - but being treated nicely as they were having dinner at Simons and staying at the Captain Cook. I took the opportunity to say thanks for all that they have done and how I hope more soldiers come home safely. Then a lady walks in and starts asking them questions as well and says that her and her husband pray for them every night and she was happy to see them heading home. She then turned the corner and saw the two lady soldiers looking at jewelry and approached them. Before she could say anything one soldier said the lady was wearing pretty earrings. The lady mentioned that she had just made them the other day and next thing you know the lady is taking the earrings off and giving them to the lady soldier who admired them and then she takes off her necklace, that she had just made, and gave it to the other soldier. This made the 2 soldiers start to cry because the lady was just so genuine in her appreciation for them and insisted on giving them these things. Hugs were made and tears started by all and I am trying to keep it together at the counter. It was a great moment.

He has the moves

Thought I would start the week off with a Dancing Bird. Happy Monday

Stinker is Exploring

Sydney has discovered the toilet, much to my dismay, but maybe now I can get the boys to put the seat down as she has not yet figured out how to raise the seat. Last night I heard splashing and knew instantly where she was. She is at the point where she likes to go through the pots and pans, try to climb into the pantry and swats at the toilet paper roll so that the paper comes off. She also has found the button for the TV and the computer and she knows exactly what she is doing when she turns them off because she laughs after pushing the button. Not even 1 year old and already pushing our buttons - we are in trouble.

Bed Mates

Every night we go on a search for all of Seth's bed mates. Let me introduce you to Red Fish, clown fish, blue dog, Max, crazy monkey, blue bear, dog, kitty and of course Monkey (curious george). Once we left Monkey at Chena Hot springs and thank goodness for FedEx because nothing worked for a stand in.

Change of Seasons

Woke up this morning to the first snowfall. This is our Birch tree in the front yard going from lush green to yellow to bare. We will put a snowman next to it for company

Skunk of a story

FOXNews.com - Michigan Cop Takes Aim to Save Skunk With Head Stuck in Salad-Dressing Jar - Local News News Articles National News US News

Found her courage

I can be changed by what HAPPENS to me.
I refuse to be REDUCED by it.

In the face of such uncertainty.
believe in these two things -

you are stronger than you think, and you are
not alone
*** Maya Angelou


I have a friend that finally found the courage to take her and her 2 daughters out of a horrible relationship. The "husband" was the most controlling man I have ever heard of and let's just say Dr. Phil would have a hay day with him. Even the marriage counselor at their church said he had to change his view of marriage. I applaud my friend for standing up to him and being a great example for her daughters. We only get one go around down here and I can already see her happiness, self-esteem, and confidence coming back. Way to go!

Termination Dust

 
The snow is staying which means we will probably have snow by Halloween.

 
This is Flat Top Mountain. A great day hike with a view thats worth the effort, especially on a day like this. Plus a thrill of a ride down in winter.

Unusual Angler on Brooks River

These pictures were taken at the Katmai National Forest on the Brooks River. The lone female wolf caught about 15 fish and would retreat back into the woods each time and come back for more. Onlookers figured she was either feeding cubs or taking it back to the pack. Read the full story on adn.com