WOW.....

.....as in World Of Warcraft. For those of you lucky enough to never
have heard of WOW it's an online computer game. Adam started playing
it about six years ago and joined a guild (group that does quests
together) that became pretty tight.
He stopped playing a few years ago but he stayed in touch with a
couple of the guys. We decided that our roadtrip would be the perfect
opportunity to finally meet these guys and their girlfriends.
We all met up outside of Fresno in a town called Clovis. It was a
beautiful town but 108 degrees while we were there. Too hot for a
couple of Alaskans!!
It was fun getting to meet these people I'd heard so much about over
the last few years.

Oregon to Cali

We've been doing a ton of driving over the past two days. We rushed
through oregon in a hurry to get to Fresno to visit some of Adam's
friends (that will be a whole new blog post soon!!).
Oregon was gorgeous and we can't wait to go back and play on the coast!
It's 108 degrees in Fresno right now and we all feel like we're
melting!!!

Charisa

Yesterday I was able to drive down to Tacoma to see my best childhood friend, Charisa. We grew up together and have been best friends since we were 8...9??? It seems that no matter how long it's been since we've seen each other we always just pick up right where we left off. We had such a great day together...pedicures, shopping, Thai food, and drinks on the dock until midnight.

She was able to take this morning off and after a lazy morning with lots of coffee we headed downtown to a little farmers market. They had a ton of amazing smelling food and the biggest burrito I'd ever laid eyes on! We steered clear of the food and bought some flowers, jewelry and coffee, instead.

Eventually it was time to head back. I managed to avoid too much traffic through Seattle and was back in Sedro Whoolley in time for Adam to take me to dinner at Olive Garden!Tomorrow we head to Astoria, Oregon where we'll start exploring the Oregon coast.

XOXO

Guemes Island

Today we went out to Guemes Island which about a five minute ferry ride from Anacortes. Adam's grandparents used to live on the island and he spent many summers roaming the quaint little island.
He's always wanted to take me there and today we were able to drive over and do some beach combing. It turned out to be a gorgeous day and we made it to Anacortes around noon, picked up some sandwiches and coffee and headed over.

One of the things that Adam and I both enjoy doing is beach combing. He knew a secret entrance to the beach and we spent hours searching for beach treasures. We found some great rocks, sea glass and a few hard to find agates. Adam's grandparent's old house...
Guemes Island

Beach combers ;-)

Uncle Bill's Campground

Here's our home for the next few days. We're staying at Uncle Bill's campground and it is PERFECT! It's quiet, has electricity, showers, a fire pit and we're the only one's there!
We set up our new tent for the first time yesterday. Adam left the instructions at his dad's house but we still managed to get it done without any problems. We put our air mattress in the car and slept in there. It was great being able to fall asleep while gazing out the moon roof.
The weather here is a little chilly and overcast but we're still having a great time. We relaxed by the fire last night and I'm sure we'll see sunshine at some point on this trip!!!
Today we plan on getting some BBQ stuff and having a Father's Day BBQ at the campground. I love that we're able to spend Father's Day with my father-in-law and wish my Dad could join us too! Happy Father's day to all the daddy's out there!
P.S. Rosco updated his blog ;-)

back in the states

We flew through Canada in a rush to get to Washington. We did see a farmer's market and had to stop. I picked up some delicious apple chips and then we headed down the street to Tim Horton's where we loaded up on hot fresh coffee (the one thing I've learned about Canadians is that they love their A&W's, Tim Horton's and Boston's Pizza-there is one of each in EVERY town!).

We're now in Washington where we will spend a few days visiting Adam's family. We're staying at Adam's uncle's campground and it is GORGEOUS. I'll post pictures soon. Also, Rosco will be updating his blog shortly so stay tuned ;-)

Juneau to Quesnell, BC

What a great trip so far! We left Juneau on Tuesday evening and settled in for a long ferry ride. Unfortunately, the weather was cloudy so I wasn't able to sun bathe on the deck like I'd hoped! I did however, spend the entire time with my nose stuck in a book and it was wonderful!
We stopped in Kake and Wrangell to let Rosco out for a bit. There have been a few changes since I lived there when I was 6 but there are STILL kids selling garnets to the ferry passengers! Our next stop was Ketchikan where we had a little bit of a longer layover and were able to run across the street to The Landing for dinner with Adam's mom and brother. It was great being able to see them again and the food at the Landing was just as good as it used to be! (side note...Adam and I had MANY dates here before we were married and became HUGE fans of the breakfast burrittos! If you're ever at the Landing be sure to try one!!) We made it through the border without any problems. Adam says it's because we're "boring". I'd like to disagree with him but when I look at us through they eyes of the Canadian border patrol I guess it's true....We drove straight through Prince Rupert (not really much to see at 2:00 a.m. anyways) and planned on driving to Prince George. It was still fairly early in the afternoon when we arrived in Prince George so we decided to drive a little further so tomorrow wouldn't be so long. We made it to a cute little town called Quesnel and found a "pet friendly" hotel to crash at for the night.
The drive was beautiful! Gorgeous scenery all over and I wish I could've taken so many pictures. Unfortunately, I would've been stopping every two minutes and my driver would've killed me! We did see a little bit of wildlife along the way....one deer (I was asleep for it), one bear (from a safe distance and from our car!!!), a fox (or maybe marmot?? Too small and fast to identify it correctly) and the enormous dead bee that flew through the window and landed on my shoulder (EWWWWW!).
I'll leave you with a few pictures of us on the ferry...This is one of the few times Adam was awake! That boy is amazing when it comes to sleeping on the ferry...once the boat starts moving he's OUT!

Till next time....XOXO

And we're off!

If all goes as planned we should be sailing on the ferry as this is posted. I'm hoping for blue skies so I can bask in the sun for the two day ferry ride. Once in Prince Rupert we plan on driving as far as we can and camping over night. We're hoping to make it to Vancouver, BC by day two (is that too ambitious???) so we can spend the day/evening sight seeing.
I've never done a true road trip and am so excited about the idea of camping along the coast, eating new foods and taking a ton of fabulous pictures along the way. Adios Juneau!

in the wee hours of the mornin'

Our sleep schedules are crazy! It's definitely summer time in Alaska. The light is almost constant and I'm reminded of our wacky college days in Fairbanks where we'd take trips to the 2-go station at 3 am for coffee and hotdogs. This morning we both found ourselves awake at 4:30 a.m. (Adam hadn't slept yet and I just woke up from a restless 3 hour sleep).

With nothing to do we watched a few episodes of Mad Men (love that show!) and then we went to McDonalds for some delicious breakfast burrittos and coffee. We drove out the road in search of sunshine and I was still back in time to get to the gym when it opened. Love my coffee from McDonalds...excuse the sleepy eyes and make-up-less face =)

Adam's favorite early morning treat-McDonalds breakfast!

Too sunny to blog!

School's been out for about a week now and we've had the most amazing weather in Juneau. Like any good Alaskan I spent as much time playing outside as possible. So, here's a quick picture update on the week so far =) Adam and I took a class on Monday and Tuesday about place-based teaching. Tuesday morning the class was held outdoors at Auke Rec. This is a picture of two Alaskan Natives teaching students how to cook salmon. I enjoyed girls night at Mi Casa with some great friends! I am now hooked on pomagranite margaritas and must find that recipe =) We had our first bonfire of the season! We played horseshoes on the sandy beach, watched the cruiseships roll out and enjoyed the finest Rasberry Wheat Alaskan beer =) Rosco and I have been taking lots of walks with our friend Erin. Little man N is even starting to join us on his bike!

We've been getting ready to head out on our road trip. Finally have my bridesmaids dress for my brother's wedding.

The weather report now calls for rain for the rest of the week. We take the ferry to Prince Rupert on Tuesday so the blog posts might be few and far between. But, I promise lots of pictures when we return!

mama stephie

I think Baby G knows that Stephenie is going to be a mommy soon! Congrats to Stephenie! She's going to be a super fun mommy! We're sending you lots of baby girl vibes but will love that little monster even if it is an "Oscar" =)

field day, last day of school and all the fun in between

This week has been fast and furious and oh so fun! Tuesday and Wednesday I helped with field days. On Tuesday my stations were the egg race and hoop jump relay. On Wednesday I manned the musical corners and cup stacking stations. One station was the parachute and it brought back memories! I used to love the parachute! Both days were full of excitement and the time flew by!


Today was the last day of school and we had an incredibly full agenda. We started off the morning with our year end slide show. It was jammed pack with the cutest pictures from the year...these kids are just too cute sometimes ;-)

Next came the 5th grade promotion. These guys were 2nd graders when I started working at the school and it's been so fun to watch them grow and change.

After lunch the 5th graders had their ice cream social. The sun popped out for a few minutes and the kids were able to enjoy their ice cream outside where they could run around and be wild!

After that we were on to yearbook signing. One of the perks of knowing the entire school is that you get to feel like a rock star on the last day when everyone wants your signature! Love these kiddos!

We ended our evening at the 5th grade BBQ at Sandy beach. It was awesome to hang out with the kids and NOT be responsible for them. Yay for parents!

It's been a great school year with the kids but I welcome summer with open arms!

it's not always the camera

I took this with my iphone and just love the simplicity of it. I didn't have a zoom lens, wasn't able to play with my aperature or shutter speed and didn't use a tripod but think it turned out perfect. Sometimes, it's all about being in the right place at the right time and taking a moment to look around and take in the beauty around you.
15 more days until I head on the ferry for a grand adventure with my two favorite boys! Don't worry...the iphone, cannon rebel & gorilla-pod are all coming!