Memorial Day Weekend

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful weekend. The weather was AMAZING and I spent every last second soaking up the sun. On Sunday we headed out the road to join our friends on their camping adventure. Here are some pictures of our lovely weekend.

N & Walter looking for whales....

Playing in the water...suprisingly warm!Our favorite couple!

We love our Logie friend!! He always makes us smile ;-)

Thanks for letting us play with the C family! You guys always make us laugh =)

Hope YOU had a great Memorial Day too!!!

dreaming of Tenakee

Tenakee is a little town in Alaska that I wish everyone could visit at least once. I've been lucky enough to visit a couple of times for some unforgettable girls' weekends.
This cute town is just a short ferry ride from Juneau but is ideal for a true Alaskan escape. Tenakee is best known for its hotsprings bath-house. My favorite is the sign stating "absolutely NUDE bathing only". It seems that whenever Stephenie, Marissa & I get together our conversation always meanders back to our time in Tenakee when we spent a fantastic Spring Break week relaxing and enjoying good food, tasty wine, silly games and great company!

Marissa, Stephie and ME dreaming of Tenakee but loving our sunny Friday walk!

messages

Wouldn't it be great to find these messages everyday? Last weekend Erin and I stumbled upon some uplifting sidewalk graffiti.

The sidewalk messages were compliments of a wonderful running program called Girls on the Run. It's a running/empowerment program geared at 3rd-8th graders. After a season of running fun they ended with their 5K on the day we were walking.
"You Rock"....yeah, we know but thanks for the reminder =)

Sunny Friday!

We've wrapped up our final "real" week at school and it has been fast and furious (but oh so sunny and fun!). Lots of classes had their beach day (PERFECT weather for beach day!!!) and the 5th graders had their fancy lunch.
My house is a mess and we haven't eaten real food all week. As true Alaskan's we know that sunny days are precious and we can't waste one of them indoors doing chores!

Adam and I at the airport trail. Adam, Evan & Rosco at the airport trail.

soon....

...summer will be here and Adam, Rosco and I will be catching the ferry and driving through Canada. It seems to be all I can think about these days. I can't wait to be on the road without an agenda or specific destination. I can't wait to camp under the stars, shop at new thrift stores, eat taco bell and see all see our friends and family!

If you know of any great stops along the west coast let me know!

While you were sleeping

The past few days have been filled with fun and exciting events. Unfortunately, Adam been home sick and missed all of them. He went to the doctor on Thursday and was told he has an ear, nose AND throat infection. Our wonderful doctor put him on antibiotics and told him not to even THINK about going back to work until Monday.

His class went on their big 5th grade hike to the glacier last week and he had to miss it. Poor Mrs. C was stuck with 60 5th graders and no partner teacher. Luckily, she had lots of parent help and a really experienced sub. You can see pictures of the glacier and read about their hiking adventure on her blog.

Our JEA union put on a big BBQ at Auke Rec on Thursday night. The weather was awesome and it was nice to hang out at the beach and pig out on lots of yummy food! But of course...Adam missed out on that.

The music teacher and I put together a talent show for our school on Friday and it turned out great. Adam was going to be in it with one of his students but had to miss that too.

Saturday was the retirement party for one of our wonderful MRCS teachers at Auke Rec (again!!). The weather was gorgeous and the food was amazing! It was great to enjoy the sunshine and the beach with such wonderful people. But even by Saturday he wasn't feeling well enough to venture outside.

All these great adventures while the hubby was sleeping...I'm hoping for a healthy husband soon!

Super Saturday!

Our Saturday afternoon was spent at the Gymnastics Acadamy for this little guy's birthday! Adam and I had no idea a 5 year old's birthday could be so fun! We played on all the fun equipment, chased cute little monsters and stuffed our faces with lots of awesome food. Happy Birthday, N!
After I recovered from that party I was off for my long awaited girls' night out! We headed to the Prospector Hotel for the Think Pink beer & wine tasting. It was a fundraiser for a few ladies who are doing the 3 day breast cancer walk in Chicago this summer. There were a ton of people there, a great band, lots of good food and more wine that you can imagine! My favorite was the organic cider from Michigan....so dangerous!

Good luck, Genevieve!!!

and this is why we live here...

Sometimes it's nice to get away from this small Alaskan town....to enjoy the hustle and bustle of a big city....walking into any fast food restaurant and ordering your favorite meal....having a Starbucks at every corner...going to the mall and finding exactly what you want....going to the movies and seeing the latest & greatest....going to an amusement park or the coolest water park....driving to another town and knowing that you could just keep driving if you wanted....
But there's something about living in a small town that I love....seeing friends and school kids at the grocery store.....enjoying locally roasted coffee (like RAVEN'S BREW!!!), admiring local artists at the annual wearable arts show.....soaking up the music at Folk Fest....and of course having THIS view! (oh, and not having to share it with countless other people)

Saturday was Juneau Appreciation Day. It's a day where some of the local tour companies have discounted rates on their tours. One of my favorite Juneau activities is riding the tram up to Mt. Roberts. On Saturday I headed up the tram with my little friend, S, and my camera in hand. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day! The sun was shining and it was GORGEOUS!

The tram ride up with beautiful Juneau in the background!

Wishing we could've hiked up to the cross for the amazing view! I wore the WRONG shoes to be hiking around in the snow.

Looking down on Sandy Beach....One of Rosco's favorite places to play!

The proceeds from the tram ride went to support the Raptor Center . We enjoyed seeing the eagles and falcon's they had up there.

We found random carvings in the trees. Someone is talented!

And now it's time for the tourist season to start. I love the hustle and bustle of downtown in the summer time. I love that I live in a town so amazing that people pay thousands of dollars to see it for just a few hours.

Thanks for a great Saturday downtown, S!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommy's out there! I hope you all have a wonderful day! You deserve it soooooooo much!

Last Saturday I went to Peer Amid Beads and got lost looking at beads. I found the cutest little purple owl bead and knew I had to buy it for my friend, Erin. She loves owls and has the cutest little family of owls tattooed on her wrist. I wasn't sure how I was going to use it but knew that I had to buy it and make her something special.

Here's what I came up with.....

It was going to be her mother's day present but I just couldn't wait!

Happy Mother's Day to my Mommy, too! I hope you're having a wonderful day! If you were here (or I was there) I'd give you a big hug, go out for brunch with you, go for a long walk and do all the other things we love doing together. Can't wait to hang out with you in Colorado! XOXO

fuuuurrrrriiiifffffiiiiicccccc!

It's looking pretty furry around this place! With two cats and a dog it is a nightmare trying to keep the condo fur-free. I decided that our furriest friend needed a haircut today. Unlike most cats, Linus LOVES getting shaved. He purrs and purrs and purrs until I've shaved his thick coat. Today I was only able to do half his body. He got a puncture wound a few days ago so his back paw is incredibly sore. He refuses to lay on it or let anything touch it. So, linus is sporting the half shaggy-half short style. I figure we'll fix it up when he heals a little more.

Do You Do a Didgeridoo??

Stephenie bought us the cutest kid book called Do you Do a Didgeridoo by Nick Page and everytime I look at it it brings back wonderful memories of our Australian adventures.

I got to do most of the planning for our Australia trip but Adam's one request was to make a Didgeridoo. With a little research I found an Aboriginal man in Yungaburra who had a Didgeridoo making business.

We drove out to the Atherton Tablelands and stayed at the cutest little hostel called On the Wallaby . The next day we drove out to the Didgeridoo making site and met a man named Phil who helped us make a Didgeridoo. Having worked in the tour industry I worried that the tour would be corny, tacky and touristy. I quickly realized that I had nothing to worry about and this tour was about as "authentic" as it was going to get.

Phil's business was located on his property where he makes numerous Didgeridoo's for local shops and art galleries. Since we were the only one's on this "tour" so he was able to give us his undivided attention and talk to us about Australian history and the native people.

To make a Didgeridoo (often referred to by locals as a Didge) you need to choose your piece of wood. These pieces have all been hollowed out by local insects and are ready to go!

Then you chisel out the inside. Adam likes to whistle while he's doing this =)

Then you shave off the bark. You get to do this with a BIG, SHARP machete!

You finish with a few coats of laquer and let it dry!

When asked "Do you do a didgeridoo?" You can say, "why, yes! I do do a didgeridoo!"