Wedded Bliss

Ryan and I attended a wedding yesterday.  It was fun to get all dressed up.  It was also nice to listen to the ceremony and remember what it was like all those years ago.

I am so lucky to married to this man!  Thanks for being all I ever wanted or needed!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Glade got to go on a business trip with Dad to visit some fun cousins in Arizona.

The big bunch of boys had a great time at the zoo, cooking out, and just playing together.

It was so nice to be able to wear shorts!  It was still winter in Alaska.

Thanks Uncle By and Aunt Jessie for having them!  They had a great time!

Winter Fun

We like winter, which is no surprise since we choose to live in Alaska.  Here are some things we did last winter.

An early winter bike ride for Ryan.

Skiing with a buddy.

Glacier skiing with another friend.

Ice climbing at the glacier.

Still on the glacier.

Sledding.

Enjoying the sun with Brook.

And yes, hunting Easter eggs.

Kim and Glade got skis and enjoyed them.

We went ice fishing at Chena Lakes.  Yes, we are standing on the ice and even drove our van down onto it. Don't worry, it was over 4 feet thick.

Ryan and I (plus Brook) had a ski date off of Chena Hot Springs Road.

Winter is fun, but we aren't sad it is over.  It was kind of long this year.

Riding the Denali Park Road

Ryan took advantage of a few days off to enjoy riding the Denali Park Road.  He and Brooks each packed up a bike trailer with gear and food and took off!

They rode a park bus to the end of the line and enjoyed some wildlife through the windows.

The end of the road.  90 miles or so from the start.

Gorgeous country out there!  We are going to have to take the time to ride a park bus as a family before we leave.  Doesn't he look a little cold to you?

The trekkers!

Here comes Brooks up the hill!

They camped out under a magnificent sky!

They made it a little over 60 miles before deciding that if they wanted to get home that night, they had better catch a bus back to the Jeep!  63 mles in 1 1/2 days is a LONG way!  

10 Year Trip

A few weeks ago Ryan and I took advantage of his parents being in town and took a trip to Anchorage and Seward.  It was so fun to spend time just the two of us.  We had gorgeous weather until we were driving back and enjoyed a few Alaskan things that we haven't done before.

The weather was perfect on the drive down and Denali was out!  Gorgeous mountain!

We spent one night in the Marriott in Anchorage.  It was super-nice!

We were able to attend the temple the next day and enjoyed the beautiful flowers there.

Then we drove to Seward.  We did a glacier cruise and saw a lot of animals.  Here are some sea otters.

Bubble-net feeding humpback whales were another treat.

Sea lions on the rocks.

The glaciers were amazing.  They were a lot bigger than they seem.  They were also really noisy.  We saw a few small calvings, which was awesome.

And the icing on the cake, orcas!  We went out of way and saw several pods of them.  They were wonderful.  There was even a little one that stayed right by it's mom.

The next day we went out on a fishing charter.  It was a little chilly and I got a little seasick, but overall it was a good time.

We caught 2 halibut (yummy!) and 4 black rockfish.

I am so lucky to be married to such a great guy!  It was nice to just focus on each other for a week.  We love our kids, but they always need things and sometimes it's nice to just remember why we love each other.

Granite Tors

Ryan took an overnight trip recently with a couple of friends.  They hiked the 15-mile Granite Tors Trail.

Jack and Brooks at the beginning of the hike.

The trail shelter where they spent the night.  Believe it or not, this was about 1:00 in the morning.  Lovely sunset, isn't it?

Jack getting ready to do some rock climbing.

I think they had a good time.  Fortunately the were safe.  A week later we read in the newspaper about a lady and her nieces that got chased by a bear while hiking on this trail!  Crazy!