Sweetheart

I have never heard Karsten even use this word before, but this is what he called Jen the whole time she was visiting.  I'm so happy they bonded!

Jen

I haven't had a chance to hang out with this girl since I was pregnant with Skyla.  I love Jen!  I was so thrilled when she booked tickets for her and her kids to come and play in Alaska while her husband was working overseas for a couple of weeks.  Sierra and her daughter Alyssa were best friends when they were little and Skyla doesn't know this, but she's secretly been betrothed to Austin who was born the same week as she was.

We had so much fun showing them Alaska.  Everything is a party with Jen.  It was non-stop laughing.  I loved getting to know Alyssa and Austin better.  They were so much fun.  At one point we were rafting in the middle of a down pour and they didn't complain once!  That's some tough Colorado kids!   The week went way too fast. 

We hope they decide to make this a yearly trip!  

Genes

The post about this weekend was already formed in my mind.  Pictures of my mother-in-law (LaNae), Jayson, and the kids hiking to beautiful Exit glacier, Jayson's first salmon, our picture perfect day floating down the Kenai River, LaNae and Jayson in their hip waders, David's HUGE catch of the day, the girls pulling the dead fish through the water as if it were their pets...  And in one careless moment, my camera was left by the river and is now in the hands of someone else.  Someone honest?  I can only hope.  I am so sad.  Sad for the lost pictures.  Sad because my camera is practically my third appendage.  Sad sad sad.  This gray cloud has been following me all day.  I started to cry (again) when I didn't get a picture of Grandma playing games with the kids.  And another one of Sierra's fabulous desserts.  And and and...

What is wrong with me?  I lose my keys all the time.  This isn't the first time my camera has been lost.  I spent months this winter looking for my favorite gloves.  I misplace papers.  I can't even remember to push in my drawers after I get something out of them.  Some days I will walk into the kitchen and every single cupboard drawer is open.  I got something out of it and just left it...  I know it is very frustrating to my husband who loses nothing.  He puts things where they go and always remembers them.  I've been married to him for 15 years now and he has NEVER lost his keys.  How is that possible?! 

Does some part of my brain just works differently?  Is this just in my genes?  Try as I may, I just can't seem to be organized.  I can't put my keys in the same place twice.  I'm easily distracted and just put things down haphazardly.  I grab something out of a drawer and then before closing the drawer, I quickly head to the next thing.  I'm hoping that maybe this same part of my brain is what helps me be creative.  I wish I knew so that when I lose my $1000 camera there is a way to gain perspective.  My husband could say, "Well, that's a small price to pay for the creativity you bring to the family."  There's got to be a link, right?

Speaking of perspective, I ditched an hour of church because I needed to cry about the loss of my camera.  (I had just realized I had lost it an hour before church.)  Returning, there in the foyer was my beautiful friend Cari with a big smile on her face even though she has dealt with the biggest tragedy of her life this week - her oldest daughter was stabbed and killed.  How dare I cry about my camera.  I have never met anyone like Cari who has so much faith, and strength and courage to deal with and lead her family and friends through this tragedy.  I just hope that somewhere, just maybe not developed yet, I have those in my genes too.   

Double Scoop?!

Grandma must be in town!

David's mom and brother, Jayson just got here for a visit!  Smiles and double scoops all around! 

No judging

So I'm about to admit a bunch of confessions here.  To my fellow Alaskans, it's going to seem completely normal and innocent.  If I were reading the things I would be doing this summer a year ago, I would have thought I was becoming a very bad parent.  Thus another lesson in not judging.  Ever.  :)

Here goes:

*  My kids sleep in until 10am every single day.  And some days, so do I. 
*  My kids stay up until 11pm every single day.  Sometimes later.  Rarely earlier.  Thus you can see why we sleep in.
* Some days I'm not sure what they have eaten.  We eat breakfast around 10:30ish, dinner at 7 or 8 (maybe) and lunch sometime in between there.  And I have a sneaking suspicion that sometimes I forget lunch.  Or else they have to fend for themselves.  
*  Snow cones and otter pops are part of our daily food intake.
*  Some days I have absolutely NOTHING on our agenda.  Nada.  Zilch.  If you know me, you know this is completely out of character!  I am a PLANNER.  I love to seize the day - starting with the morning!  Yet we've slipped into this comfortably yummy lazy summer schedule.  Don't get me wrong - we're still bike riding, hiking, and swimming.  We have play dates and sleep-overs like they're going out of style.  Our trampoline is getting daily use.  But not until after 11am.  And only if we want to.

I guess when you live where the sun never sets, there's no rush to absorb the daylight.  We've got more than enough.  And I'm loving it. 

Behind my back

This little girl got up at 5:30am the morning before my marathon to make me a special dessert.  And not just any dessert, a chocolate souffle!!  She snuck the ingredients downstairs, beat the ingredients in her bedroom, somehow got the dessert over to one of my friend's house to bake...  Can you believe it?  It was the most delicious, dessert I have ever tasted since what other dessert have I ever eaten that is made with so much love.  Thank you Sierra!


This little girl while shopping with me, snuck over to the jewelry section, and purchased with her very own money this most beautiful necklace I have ever seen.  And it wasn't cheap.  And she's trying really hard to save her money.  Yet she would so selflessly buy this for me.

I have the most wonderful daughters in the world!!

Small Town Girl

Well I was born in a small town.  

And I live(d) in a small town.  

Prob'ly die in a small town, 

Oh, those small communities.

This is (was) my house growing up in Rifle Colorado.  Population:  5000

All my friends are so small town
My parents live in the same small town
My job is so small town
Provides little opportunity

 My 20th high school reunion was this weekend.  There were 108 of us that graduated that year.  Yes, we all knew each other.  We all knew each other very, very well. 

Educated in a small town
Taught to fear Jesus in a small town
Used to daydream in that small town
Another born romantic that's me

Here we are, 20 years ago!  

But I've seen it all in a small town
Had myself a ball in a small town
Married an L.A. doll (actually a California boy)and brought her (him) to this small town
Now she's small town just like me

This is us having a ball.  Hippie ghosts in case you were wondering. 

 No I cannot forget where it is that I come from

I cannot forget the people who love me
Yeah, I can be myself here in this small town
And people let me be just what I want to be

John Cougar Mellencamp has definitely got it right.  It was so thrilling for me to be able to come back to my small town for my 20th class reunion.  It was walking into a room of old friends.  I felt loved.  I could be myself.  These are people who knew me before college, husband, kids.  We may or may not have a lot in common now, but together we survived the ups and downs of Rifle High School.  We wanted "Welcome to the Jungle" for our class graduation song.  (Denied) We came in last for the Homecoming float - maybe every year?  We learned to drive.  We learned to survive.  We had a ball in our small town.  And we had a ball 20 years after graduating.  We even danced to Welcome to the Jungle.  :)

Padding

As you know from the previous post, I was thrilled to be at my 20 year reunion.  HOWEVER, would I buy a ticket, miss 4th of July with my family to go all the way to Colorado just for a reunion?  Probably not.  But throw my sister and her adorable family into the deal and I'm there!  Add to that my twin nieces, road trip with my aunt and cousin and I was set!  So even if the reunion was a total bust, I padded the trip with my sis, my nieces and nephews, cousins and my aunt and wrapped it all into one fabulous weekend.  It was awesome!  

 

JaNece and I had so much fun reminiscing and showing Pat the sights of Rifle.  This mountain is a particular favorite - Jabba.  It looks just like Jabba the Hut!  

Oh I love this little girl!   

Zoey is three months old now and I am so so happy I got to see her!  She melted my heart. 

 

Road trip with my Aunt Mary and my cousin Christi!  How is it I missed taking a picture of this?!  Oh, maybe because I only got 3 hours of sleep that night flying in...  Ugh.  But I did get to meet their newest family member - and what a cutie petutie she is! 

And here are two more reasons I needed to come to Colorado - my twin 5 month old nieces!!  Twins truly are double joy!  I got to spend the entire morning with them and there was at all times at least one available baby for me to hold.  How fun is that!  David even made me breakfast and Melissa picked me up at the airport at 7am.  They are the cutest parents and I loved seeing where they lived. 

I was missed!

Homecomings are sweet.  And Sierra's desserts are even sweeter.  :)

I missed my family!