ALASKA PART 2 OF 2

Sunday, July 25, 2009

The Ice Museum

The Sled Crossing

These are the sled dogs. There were at least 50 of them.

These were the moms and the puppies.
The girls tried to get near them but the moms weren't having it.
They wouldn't even let you get close to the fence.

If you look closely on the porch you will see the sleds they use.

The flower are absolutely gorgeous up there and I will share more about those with some amazing pictures later.

This was the beautiful scenery we took in while making

a pit stop to use the pit toilet:) You use the drop toilet or
the woods but remember there are lots of bear and other wild life.
We saw a porcupine on this trip but was unable to get a picture.

ALASKA PART 2

Saturday, July 25, 2009
Abby and I woke up fairly early. I was surprised because the day before was so long. She and I started putting away our clothes and straightened up. Mrs. Janice had invited me to breakfast the night before. Some of the women from the church get together at a restaurant called Dalmans every Saturday morning at 10:30. The restaurant is family owned and the food was delicious! When we got home we sat around getting to know the Wallaces and the girls watched TV:) After a while we made a trip into Fairbanks to the Wal-marts to get some supplies.

This is a picture of the road going to the Wallace's house. The road they live on is a dirt road. Look at that beautiful sky!!!!!

We had Great Alaskan Pizza Company for supper. It was nice to just sit around, relax and enjoy the company.

Shelby and Abby waiting to go to church with their dolls that Mrs. Janice bought them.

Sunday, July 26, 2009
All of us were excited to go to church. We couldn't wait to meet the people there. They were all so friendly and inviting. The service was great and we felt right at home. The girls loved meeting another little girl named Anali. After church we ate at the Pagoda Chinese Restaurant. It was incredible! There was a ton of food. The girls got the Pu-pu Platter and they thought that was hilarious. When it came out there was fire coming out of the top. I wish I had gotten a picture of their faces because they were so fascinated. We got a chance to get to know a woman from the church named Penny. She said that one time while they were at the restaurant there was an earthquake and the place was swaying and rolling. (Alaska has a lot of earthquakes) Everyone else went outside and they just stayed at their table eating and watching the chandeliers swing back and forth.

After lunch we went back to the RV to rest. Around 4:00 we got ready and started the drive to Chena Hot Springs. The drive was beautiful.

The top picture is a Bull Moose that is hardly ever seen out in the open. The bottom picture is a Cow Moose which are more easily seen in the open. For one thing the Bull Moose are hunted so they stay under cover. We were fortunate to get to see the Bull Moose and it was very exciting.

The Hot Springs was real cool because the water coming out was HOT, I mean HHHOOOTTT!!!!, like coming out of your faucet and scalding you hot~well, maybe not that hot~ but it was hot~believe me. Pastor Ron said that a lot of Japanese people come to the Hot Springs in the winter because of the Northern Lights. It is told that if they conceive a child under the northern lights the baby will be a boy.

These are Moose racks, lots of them!

Monday, July 27, 2009

We had to go to Sam's Club in Fairbanks because I lost my meds in Cincy while we were at convention (or so I thought, when we got home they had been on the dining room table the whole time~I told y'all I was frazzled) So this was the first adventure on our own. Armed with a map and a prayer we headed for the highway. Thankfully, it wasn't hard to find. We are lunch at Sam's. Mike got a Reindeer Dog. The girls and I played it safe and got regular hotdogs:) He let me take a bite and it was good~a little spicy but good. They carried things conducive to the area like cans for canning salmon, lots of outdoor gear, and lots of things to use for preserving meat (ex~jerky makers, smokers, meat grinders, etc.)

Pastor Ron cooked supper for us almost every night. He is a good cook. This night we had caribou and it was very tasty. I really liked the flavor. We had ice cream after dinner and just hung out~talking and having a good time.

I have other pictures but I couldn't get them to upload~maybe I can later:(

I MISS THIS SWEET BABY

ALASKA PART 1

I lied. I told my Dad that I would have these posted last weekend and I didn't.

I'm sorry, Daddy.

Here we go~~ I am sure it is going to take me a couple of posts to get the whole story on here. Hence the Part 1 in the title.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Shelby, Me, and Abby in the Nashville airport before our very first plane ride.

Mike and I woke up 4:30am. We were too excited to sleep. We didn't have to be at the airport until 9 so we could have slept but we couldn't. Finishing packing and weighing the bag we were going to check was the most important thing on our minds. Mike said we were right at 50 pounds so we were good to go:) We packed the car with all 5 of the backpacks and the bag we were going to check~or so we thought.

When we got to the airport we started unloading at the curb and saying goodbye to Trevor~ one pink backpack for Abby, one light blue backpack for Shelby, one red backpack for Mike, and one navy backpack for..........what the hay~~ WHERE is my backpack?????????? The one with all the important stuff in it like our travel journal, lip gloss, and ipod touch!!!!

Mike didn't even say a word. Bless his heart, he just loaded everything back in the car and we drove off~back home to retrieve the VERY important bag. Someone , who shall remain nameless but has the initals TCK, sat it down in his room to get something for his Dad. Ok~2nd trip to airport was a go. Said our goodbyes to Trev for the 2nd time~I may have shed a few tears:), got our boarding passes spent $15 for our checked bag and $15 for an error in seat change, went through security without a hitch, and found our gate.

Wendy's for breunch~that is breakfast and lunch together. I was rethinking that choice when I sat down on that plane!! I'm just sayin'!

Shelby and Abby

Shelby on the first flight

Shelby sat with Mike on exit row and Abby and I sat a few rows back. There was a little girl and her Mom sitting in front of us. The little girl had to be like 2 or 3 yrs old. There is a point to this info:) The little girl fell asleep on the way to Minneapolis and between Nashville and Minnesota she must have been dreaming about waterfalls or something because she peed everywhere!! I was unaware of this until I went to get something out of Abby's backpack from under the seat and it was drenched. I mean soaking wet!! I thought at first that someone must have spilled some water or something but when we were getting off the plane the little girl got up and she was soaking wet from head to toe. The mom tried to play it off but it was obvious what had happened. I tried not to gag as I carried the backpack into the airport. Abby kept asking why she couldn't put it on and I knew if I told her she would flip out. I mean, come on, I wouldn't want to wear something that has been soaked by someone else's pee. She doesn't know to this day~let's keep it that way, shall we? Did I mention this was the first flight for me and the girls?? Oh yes, it was! It was cool. We all liked it~except for the pee incident:)

Abby just hanging out

Shelby, Abby, and Mr. Moose in Minneapolis airport

One of the girls took this picture of Mike

Okay, we get to Minneapolis and find our gate for the flight to Fairbanks and I go buy Mike a $249.99 sub sandwich, a $149.99 bag of combo cheezits, and 2 $99.99 drinks. Of course I'm exaggerating but not by much. Our flight was delayed about 30 minutes but no worries. We finally got in the air on our way to Alaska. This flight was 5 1/2 hours and not bad at all. We were all on the same row, Abby slept, and Shelby read, talked, and ate.

Shelby, Abby, and I on our way to Alaska

The views over Canada were amazing. We tried to take pictures but they didn't do it justice.

We flew through wildfire smoke which was real freaky~ one minute it is daylight and the next it was dark. I was scared because~1) this was only my 2nd flight in my WHOLE life, 2) the song by Alanis Morrisette kept playing in my mind~"Isn't it ironic, don't ya think?" haha (jk) but I was a little concerned:)

When we arrived in Alaska there was no one, I mean, NO ONE in the airport until we went down the escalator to baggage claim. Then we saw Pastor Ron and Janice waiting on us. It was so cool to finally meet them. Mike and Pastor Ron went to get our bag and we walked out of the airport I wanted to cry. I don't know why but I loved it instantly and as we were sitting in Denny's (the northern most Denny's in the World) I had a surreal moment.

My cell rang and it was Trevor saying he had been in a car wreck. I'm not going to lie I thought I was living a nightmare at that exact moment. Here I am farther from my child than I have ever been (over 4,000 miles!!) and he has been in an accident. He was trying to explain it to me and I just had to hand the phone to Mike because I couldn't even hear what he was saying for the blood rushing in my ears. We managed to finish our meal and get to the Wallace's house. Mrs. Janice showed us to the RV and it was just perfect. We loved it. After they had gotten us settled it was after 9pm and we were exhausted. We called Trevor back and by that time, I'm not going to lie, I was mad (we knew he was alright and that he had ran into a bulldozer~yeah, you read that right) After we got as many facts as we could we settled down and went to bed. But, not before I had an UGLY cry and I'm talking about a full on, can't breathe much less talk cry. I cried because I wanted to see Trevor and that this had happened the first hour we were in Alaska. I was also crying because I was so grateful that he wasn't hurt or much worse. I was thankful that it was just the car that got smashed, that God had protected my son. See, that was a BIG fear of mine~that something would happen and we would be so far away that we couldn't get to him. And, it came true, and the Lord provided peace. I was able to fall asleep and leave it in the Lord's hands. His was big enough to handle it when mine were too little and too far away.

The RV

Whew~that was a long day and a looong post. I promise the other ones won't be so long:)

IF YOU HAD A BUNCH OF BAPTISMS YOU COULD CALL IT "CASH FOR DUNKERS"

These pictures are Shelby and Abby getting baptized by Pastor Mike. They were baptized the day after Trevor's graduation. See how far behind in blogging I am??? See those three people in the background, standing down on the stage? I love those guys~the couple to the right, The Coopers, are on their way to Laos today!! Lynsey said she is never standing there again for a baptism because she could see me and I was crying so she was crying. It was a wonderful day:)

I BET YOU THOUGHT I FORGOT!!!

I didn't forget about this kid graduating! I just wanted to have time to write a post about the whole week of graduation festivities and so here we go~~~

Mon, May 25~Jeremy, Jessie, and the littles got here around 5pm. Mary brought Noah down so they can hang out with us. We just talked, talked, and eat~and then we talked some more. Oh, and the kids played and I smooched on Baby Kaiya:~) Jeremy and Trevor went to a movie, Mike went to work, and the rest of us hit the hay.

Tues, May 26~ Mary, JR, and Noah came over and ate lunch. It was the first time They had met Mary's husband~their new brother in law:) It went splendidly and the kids had a ball playing the Wii (and the adults:) Jeremy found out that Wii boxing is quite the workout!! In the afternoon Jessie and I sat outside and let the kids make mudholes in the yard with the sprinkler~ Hey, don't judge us~ there were 5 kids here~ we had to do something to keep them occupied so we could chat. Jeremy, Jessie, Mary, JR, and Trevor went to the late movies, I listened for the kids and slept, and Mike went to work:(

Wed. May 27~Early in the morning~ Mike, Jeremy, Jessie, Baby K, and I went to Cracker Barrel and had a nice long, leisurely breakfast. Trevor was at home to take care of 4 littles. They were all asleep when we left but by the time we got back he had already feed them all and they were happily watching Qubo:) Mom and Dad were on their way with Jeremy's two oldest. I had to go pick up the decorations for the party so Jessie, Baby K, and I did that. We sent Mike, Jeremy, and the other 4 littles to the Bicentiennal Mall to get wet. They have a bunch of water fountains that you can run through, sit on, or refuse to be a party to it (right, Sam?:) Jess, Baby, and I met them there and we were going to walk to the big globe that turns on water but we didn't make it becasue it came a huge downpour. We raced into the food court at the Farmers Market and sat in there to wait it out. After about 15-20 min. we decided to go because it smelled good in there and the kids were "starving" or was that the men? Anyway, we went home at lunch and hung out there playing Wii and~~~there's a pattern here~~talking, and napping. Mom, Dad, Steven, and Zoie got here around 6pm. After a little while we decided to go surprise Trev at Chickfil@. It took three vehicles to get us all there but it was worth it~with my 50% discount (because I am Trev's Mom~I love that perk:) 13 of us at for $30! When we got home Mike got up and~~can you guess?~~went to work:(

Thurs. May 28~Dad, Mom, and Mary got here around 10 am because Mom and I had hair appointments. Mary, Mom, Jessie, Baby K, and I left to go to the appt and the menfolk stayed with the kids. Jessie ended up getting her hair cut too and donating it to a charity here. We hung out for the rest of the day at home just soaking up everybody~it's so long between visits! We had baked spaghetti for supper and Mike~oh~you know what he did:(

Fri. May 29~We went and decorated the fellowship hall for the party. It turned out so nice! Pat and Tommy were on their way. They got here around 3:30pm. All of my family went to Opry M^lls and to hang out at Mary's house. We(Mike, the kids, and I) took Tommy and Pat to Loveless C@fe. It was awesome!! We also went and hung out in their hotel room for a little while~although it was so tiny we were getting claustrophobic. I made final preparations for the next day and guess what~Mike didn't have to work!!!(fooled ya:)

I went to the restroom and this is the pic that was taken while I was gone. I left instructions for someone to take a pic of Trev and the girls and this is what I got. Abby might as well not even be in the pic:)

Pat, Trev, and Tommy

Sat. May 30~ THE DAY~ We started early getting showers and stuff. Jessie, Baby, and I went to pick up the cake and finish some things up at the church. Trev and Steven went to run a few errands~~AND I forgot the dern crockpot~~I needed it at the church so Trev had to go home get it and bring it to me. Mom and Mary met us at the church so Mom could make her Taco dip~delicious!! Then, we raced back home to 2 frazzled husbands that were trying to wrangle the littles and give them baths. Let's just say they weren't exactly bundles of pleasantries when we arrived. Jeremy was all about feeding the kids lunch and we weren't the least bit concerned with it. He got his way so we ended up feeding the little darlings:) Jessie, Mike, and I took the high road saying we could make it through the afternoon without eating. We are martyrs that way. We got everyone loaded up~we didn't forget a single person~can I get a hand clap for that none to small feat??? We made it up to the church on time AND we got good seats. AND then the processional started~ and I cried like a baby. The End~ Nah that's not the end but I was undone. My baby was graduating and I turned into a blubbering mess. The ceremony was great. Mike said it was a little too long. The littles did awesome and Confession time~after they called Trevor's name and they still had a bazillion people to go~I snuck out and went to the vending machine because Mama needed a SHNACK! Mike had leaned over and asked me to bring him back a pack of Nabs. I bought 2 Dr. Peppers, 2 packs of Nabs, and a bag of Sour Cream and Cheddar Ruffle$ . I was walking back from the machine wondering how I could get these delicious goodies to Jessie without her husband not catching on. I rounded the corner and there sat my girl in a chair nursing the baby. I started laughing and handed her one of the Dr. P's and Nabs. She started laughing and we tore into that stuff like it was our last meal. We thought that we could keep this little picnic from Jeremy seeing as how he tried to tell us we needed to eat something before we left~Dang if he didn't come out to check on Jess and catch us with food in our mouth!! He laughed his head off and gloated about being right! Right before the end of graduation Mom, Dad, Mary, and JR had to leave so JR could get to work on time. We took some pictures and then headed to the church for the PArrrrtay! My friends were there helping set everything out and we had a blast. Mike got up and said a few things, Trev got up and said a few things, and then I got up. Because Mom's are all emotional about their kids I decided to just play a song to remind me of Trevor's last year of High School. If you want to listen to it I suggest you go get a box of Kleenex and listen here. There is a story behind that and I am sure you can figure it out:) It was hilarious!! When I pulled out the player Trevor thought I was gonna sing. YOu should have seen his face. He kept saying "Are you serious?" "You're not serious!" He was scared I was gonna break into a rendition of "Sunrise, Sunset". If you want to hear that click here.

I am going to post about Sunday separately because it was a whole post within itself.

Zoie, Samuel, Jeremy, Kaiya, Trevor, Jessie, Taylor, and Steve

Kaiya and Trevor

IT'S MY JOB TO MAKE THE TOUGH DECISIONS

These pictures were taken by the girls. This is our friend Mason. I like this pic for some reason.

This is in Sonya's china cabinet.

Abby's feet:)

Shelby's feet:)

Abby's face:)

We went to eat lunch with Mary and Noah today. It was a lot of fun. We are missing Shelby and we have it on good authority that she is having a great time.

Abby and I baked a strawberry cake this evening and it smells wonderful.

She is reading her books for the Summer Reading Program at the library.

Tomorrow we are headed for the splash pad with friends if the weather holds up:)