Winter Wonderland!

Falling snow, cold crisp days and beautiful sunsets inspired me to doodle in the outdoors taking pictues of God wonderful nature.



My parents stone wall they finished this summer. As you can see it has disappeared under the blanket of snow that fell all Christmas day long.





The trees were heavy laden with snow and the cold crisp days to follow solidified its presence until warmer weather to come.



Jimmy, Alex and I ventured off to Talkeetna to find this beautiful view near the Talkeetna Lodge. The only catcher in this was the lodge was closed and we had to find our way around the building...through feet upon feet of snow. Yep we were drenched and cold after 10 minutes of this and hurriedly headed for the car once capturing these beautiful photos.

Christmas events

I was fortunate enough to have christmas day off, took paid time off for the 26th and then had the next three days off this year....totaling 5 days off for christmas!!! Yeah!

Gerry wasn't as fortunate as he missed christmas and will miss new years as well. Looks like he'll have it off next year though because he's switching to a 2-on-2-off schedule. Woohoo!

I spent several days in Willow with my parents, sister Jen, bro-n-law Jimmy, friend Alex. We had a nice meal in the early afternoon Christmas day, talked, sang christmas carols, thanked Jesus for this year, sang Happy Birthday to Jesus with the kiddos, and finally opened up gifts at around 9pm.


Mom & Dad, Jen & Jimmy, Alex, Me, Darren, Chris & Ethan, Jeremy & Amanda


Niece & nephews, Chris & Ethan kiddos


Jimmy playing with Jasper. Jasper won over the hearts of this family with his quarky behavior-isms and silly disposition. Even my mom bonded with him after he shed his coat all over the house, scooted his rear end on the carpet (eewww!), and threw up wood chips at 4 in the morning.


Jasper taking turns opening gifts, ha ha!


Playing with awesome camera equipment Alex brought with him provided hours inspiration and creativity.

Belated Christmas "Card"

Merry Belated Christmas to Everyone!

Again this year flew by and I hardly had enough time to breathe. Thus the christmas cards I had hoped to send to everyone once again did not get to the mail, much less created. So, here's our christmas card via blog yet again.

2008 Events
Gerry:
1-Promoted to Coordinator/Planner on the slope in July
2-As we moved to Alaska, he is enjoying not commuting via airport/airplane anylonger
3-Went to Dallas, TX to experience another NASCAR race in November
4-Turned the big 31 this year in May

Heather:
1-Graduated from internship/residency in May
2-Passed National RD Boards August 1st! YEAH!
3-As we moved to Alaska, she accepted a clinical acute care RD position at ANMC
4-Longs for warm sunshine as Alaska is VERY COLD (or she's become a light weight)

Gerry & Heather Highlights:
1-Went to the Boise Humane Society and picked up Jasper in January
2-Went to Utah to visit numerous National Parks in May
3-Decided to move back to Alaska, moved in September
4-Went to Haakonson Reunion in June
5-God provided housesitting job for winter in Alaska
6-Finally got out of debt!!! Big victory!
7-Bought a new car...we're now a 2 car family for the first time ever!

What will 2009 bring???
A house? A baby? A new job? A vacation to someplace warm? Who knows but our Lord and Savior. I thank him daily for this journey called life he continues to lead us in. We are grateful for the many blessings of 2008 and are excited about what is to come in 2009!

Merry Christmas everyone and Happy 2009!

Heavy laden with snow

I really do love wintertime. All of the snow, the change of seasons, a reason to start a fire and snuggle up on the couch with some hot chocolate. Hmmm, all good reasons to love a little cold weather. This year we've been blessed with quite a bit of early snow as you can see by the tree in our front yard. There is so much snow that it hangs into our driveway and blocks where we need to park the car. The other day I tried to shake some of it off but it's frozen in place, probably until next spring. Guess I'll have to continue to run through it.

The Total Money Makeover By Dave Ramsey

In our family it just makes sense that I would be in charge of the finances. Gerry being gone half of the time sort of forces me to be BUT I also am the one who really digs reading up on budgeting, where to invest, comparing interest rates, etc. I'm kind of a numbers dork and I like this math stuff. So when I stumbled across The Total Money Makeover By Dave Ramsey I was thinking "Yeah, it's probably got some of the same stuff I've read in other books but I'll check it out just to see if there's anything new and exciting to consider." WEEELLLLLL...this funny white guy BLEW my mind with how simple he makes things. Now first you have to be a goal oriented person to love this book because it's all about completing 7 different step, one right after the other. It's not easy either. He talks about living a debt free life...even your mortgage. He tells you exactly how to invest, how to purchase a home, what percentage you need for an emergency fund, etc. And he does this by comparing all the other options out there and exposing why they don't work. THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!!! It's a must read for those who feel stressed about their finances or simply want to live like no one else now so they can later live like no one else(quote from book). Check it out for yourself and get on board. You won't be disappointed!

Happy (belated) Thanks Day!

We'll I know this is a tad late, but HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone!!! Thanks to my mom, Amanda and MarlaKay, I only had to show up with some sparkling apple cider in hand. We had a full feast of Turkey (of course), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, greenbeans with almonds, spinach-cranberry salad, artichoke-mushroom stuffing, gravy, whole wheat rolls, pumpkin soup and many a dessert. WOW...what a day of eating. Here are a few memories for you to enjoy...

Hiking in Alaska...It doesn't get much better

I went hiking a few weeks ago with some friends of mine and captured yet another beautiful Alaskan sunset. This is the backside of flat top mountain-peak one. As you can also see, the dogs had a blast too.




Here we (new friends Carissa, Kevin & Steven) are about two weeks ago on Wolverine Pass. It was all socked in but the snow was flyin' and it made for some pretty good glysading (sliding on your butt or feet without skis, etc).

Tag...your it!

This new version of tag can be fun but I promise you I will only be tagged once. So here goes...

4 Outdoor Activities I absolutely LUV:
-Trail running through the trees on a nice fall day with music in my ears and my dog running with his tongue hanging out. Nothing more relaxing than that.

-Catching fish. Not just the act or sport of fishing but actually CATCHING large Alaskan salmon. I love seeing a freezer full of fish. Yum, yum!

-Hiking up a rather large mountain. One that you are proud to "conquer", one that takes hours and hours to get to the top of.

-Mountain biking in Colorado or in Moab, Utah. There's no mountain biking like it in the world.

4 Movies I can't seem to get enough of:
-You've got mail. Came out in 1994 and I still like to watch it.

-Little Women. Everytime I feel like a cozy fire and hot chocolate are in order, I think about putting this movie on.

-Anne of Green Gables series. Classic!!!

-Gladiator or the mummy series. I love the adventure and great architecture of the civilization of old.

4 Guilty pleasures:
-Lindtt milk chocolate truffles. So very creamy in the middle.

-Hour long massages with hot stone therapy. Aahhhhh....

-Shopping at the Gap, Nordstrom, Potterybarn, William Sonoma or Eddie Bauer.

-Land O Lakes variety hot chocolates. You can get a variety pack at Costco right now that has 9 different kinds. Yep, I purchased them.

4 Jobs I've always wanted to do:
-Be a waitress at a cafe/bistro.

-Work at a National Park as a guide. Maybe a place like Zion or Glacier.

-Work as a camp counselor for a summer.

-Work as an RD in a hospital...oh wait I've FINALLY ARRIVED and am doing that right now!!!

4 Places I've always wanted to travel to:
-Manchu Pichu in Peru to see Incan ruins.

-Caribbean Islands, perferably on a cruise of some sort.

-Belize and the Yuchitan Peninsula to see the Mayan ruins.

-Afica: to see the Egyptian ruins along the Nile River and go on a Safari.

4 Challenges I face weekly:
-Work. I love what I do but it is exhausting. I just got done with working 6 days in a row to get one day off and work another 4. I need a break.

-Loving those who don't show or love me back.

-The economy and the fear of Americas future, when should we buy a house, etc.

-Getting used to Alaska's dark and cold weather. I find myself being a little grumpy these days and longing for the trails in Boise or Colorado Springs.

4 People I am going to "Tag":
-Jen Costello

-Christina Ingram

-Julie Preston

-Leslie Black

I've been tagged!

I am writing this to remind myself that I've been tagged to reveal the inner most parts of my being. To come...4 outdoor activites I absolutely LUV, 4 movies that I can't seem to get enough of, 4 guilty pleasures, 4 jobs I've always wanted to do, 4 places I've always wanted to travel to, 4 challenges I face weekly, and 4 people I plan on tagging when I complete this list myself. :)

NASCAR Mania

Gerry recently flew to Dallas, TX to watch the ever so popular NASCAR races at the Texas Motor Speedway. There were truck races, car races, t-shirts for sale and lots of cheap beer. This is how its done folks (apparantely).

Cycling class

I have never been one to want to pay for a gym membership. Even in dark, cold Alaska you'll find me running down a trail with a big fluffy coat, hat & gloves and my dog Jasper. I think I might have been convinced otherwise though as I experienced a cycling class for the very first time. Amanda (sis-n-law) invited me to go before Drew's birthday party at a local gym in Wasilla. What a butt kicker, quite literally. So much fun though. Image bringing your stationary bike to a night club and that is the fun we experienced. Strobe lights, loud music and sweat were the venue of the hour (or 45 minutes to be exact). I think I just might need to get a punch card somewheres to get my fix of cycling, night club style.

Drew Bacon turns 8!

My nephew, Drew Aaron Bacon, turned 8 yesterday. I can hardly believe he's growing up so fast. We celebrated with a roudy boy party that ended up with a bloody nose, a loose tooth and a poor sissy who just had a hard time keeping it together. Despite the craziness, everything settled down and presents were opened, many smiles were created, and yummy triple chocolate cake landed in bellies. Thanks J & A for such a fun party!

New Car

Finally we have become a two car family. Gerry and I have been "shopping around" for a fuel efficient vehicle for about a year now (as our truck is OBVIOUSLY NOT fuel efficient). As life changed, moved up to Alaska, etc, we realized it was now or never. One saturday we were searching around Anchorage and stumbled across this beauty. We can now call it our own. It is a 2008 Subaru Outback Wagon with the winter package (heated seats, heated windshield wipers, heated back window, extra ground clearance, and more). Gerry sure is enjoying the ability to drive anywhere his heart desires as we each have our own vehicle now.

Funny Hotel

During our stay in Redbluff we (Jen, Jimmy & I ) decided to bunk at the nearest, cheapest hotel we could find. This turned out to be a mistake. We settled on the Cinderella Hotel with a typical room includeing two queen beds for $165 for three nights. What you see in the pictures is what we found. Cinderella had abondoned this hotel a LOOONG time before. Instead the spiders were there to visit us. Notice the crack in the wall and the crooked door jam too. We found out the hotel is actually settling into the sacramento river. Lucky for us we didn't get the least bit damp. The only redeeming value of the room was the forever lasting hot water in the shower. We affectionately called it the "Step sister Hotel" instead. All in all it made for a good laugh.

Wedding Fun

Happy Couple-Aaron & Abie Bacon