BELLA!!

Bella loves to burrow through the snow. We were on our way to take Christmas pictures .. which I can't wait to share, but I'm waiting until the cards are sent out! She comes up out of the snow covered, does a big shake and dives back in. She LOVES the snow, and will be quite sad when it leaves.

Finding new things...

What?!

She has been such a trooper with people in and out of our home lately. Friends are fighting over where she will stay when we go to Tahoe; everyone loves her. Currently she weighs 50 lbs. and is in perfect shape. We are hoping that she will have fewer hip/joint problems as she gets older because she is so petite. I'm loving having something that is alive to come home to each day while Tyler is gone. She is passed out beside me and we're off to bed. I hope y'all have enjoyed a little insight into life up here. We miss you and love you more than you know.

Homemade Pie Crust

This is a little out of order, but I forgot to include my magnificent new undertaking. I decided to make the pie crusts for Thanksgiving from scratch. Of course, I practice the Sunday before Thanksgiving with an apple pie for Tyler. The crust turned out perfectly!!

Wonderful cookbook from my Aunt Pat. This is where I got the recipe.

Rolling dough and making crust!

Into the oven...

Perfection.

Kicking Off the Holiday Season!

Woo hoo for the Christmas season; we have had quite an exciting holiday season already and it is only December 7!!!

Beginning with Thanksgiving, we had 18 people over for dinner. Tyler dressed in his dress blues and served Thanksgiving to soldiers at the Dining Facility (D-Fac). Our first guests arrived at 12:30, Tyler arrived home shortly after. We had a few floating guests, and the last friends left at 11:30 that night. I cooked a 22-lb turkey, and I'm sad to report that I don't have a picture...it was beautiful and delicious!! I think some people ate three times while here, we played games and Wii, and just enjoyed company. My biggest prayer in life is that people feel welcome in our home, and I most certainly think they do!!

On Friday we went downtown with our friends, Amanda and Dan Fox, for the Anchorage Tree Lighting. Santa and his reindeer were there. After visiting with the reindeer we went to dinner at a local pub that was delicious.

Us with Comet.

The Anchorage Tree. This picture was taken at 6:00, notice how dark it is!

Close up of T & G

Everyone's favorite reindeer.

Rudolph's nose only lights up on Christmas Eve ;)

On Saturday, we got a Christmas tree, did a bit of Christmas shopping and went to dinner at a friend's house. Sunday we decorated our first Christmas tree!! Last year we were in transition between Winston and Missouri and did not have a Christmas tree of our own.

On Sunday afternoon we were treetopperless because I could not find a decent youtube video to teach me how to make a bow. Tyler told me to close my eyes, then he put one of Bella's tennis balls on top ... one that she conveniently had chewed a hole in. Everyone at Bunco LOVED the story.

But now ... we have a bow!!!

Up-close picture of my bow. It isn't perfect, but it isn't bad for a first attempt. My friend taught me how this weekend, and I was so excited!!

Again, the bow!!

Outfitted for the Arctic!

Tyler went up north to build an ice bridge recently. We thought that he would be gone for a week, but surprisingly, and much like the Army and our Battalion, was called back on the 12-hour convoy up. So, in reality, Tyler drove 12-hours north in a 12 vehicle convoy, of which he was in charge, only to come back the next day. He called me at 1:30 AM and asked me to come pick him up at the company area. I was quite confused, but happy to have a few extra days with him at home. Fortunately, he was all snow-bunnied up upon his arrival from the -50*F temperatures he experienced up north. This is what kept him warm ...

His whole outfit. Forgive his face mask, it was 2:00 in the morning and he was not too thrilled about pictures of his Army Snow Bunny Get-Up

Face mask, gator, turtleneck, longjohns and big coat.

A smile and his big gloves.

Check out those mittens ... they are connected with a string and can hang around his neck when he needs to use his hands for seconds before returning them to the warmth of the mittens.

BUNNY BOOTS, really they are called bunny boots! These shoes are SO HEAVY, I slipped them on to venture into the backyard one day. Basically your foot slips into a big area surrounded by air; somehow they keep your feet super warm. Some civilians wear these around town, but it hasn't really been cold enough here for them.

Winter Wonderland!

These are pictures on the afternoon of one of our first snows. We were so excited to finally get snow. After experiencing a cold snap ... highs in the negatives ... it finally warmed up and we got a little snow. The snow actually brightens up the dark afternoons and keeps us warm by insulating the space around us. Many believe that we get right much snow in Alaska, but we really don't, the snow just sticks around forever.

The trees immediately behind our house.

Looking down the neighborhood.

Amazing sight ... a convoy of four vehicles shoveling the snow out of the way. There is a pan that scrapes the snow to the side, a snow sucker-upper that blows the snow into a dump truck and then a truck that sprays gravel on the ground.

Still going ... this is on another street in our neighborhood.

Long Ago on A Clear Night...

These pictures were taken quite a while ago, but I just thought the sky was so beautiful. Typically the sky is very clear and the moon shines bright, as in the bottom picture. I still am fascinated by the beauty and majesty of this place I call home.

I Remember ...

Tomorrow we will only have 5 hours and 55 minutes of daylight. We are loosing 3 minutes a day, still, but come December 21 we start gaining light!! :)

Enjoy the sun friends!
g

Promise...

Hi Friends,

I PROMISE to blog this weekend with lots of pictures about life up here in the Last Frontier! We have had so much going on, and I can't wait to share.

I just had to let you know that Tyler got to Japan safely. He is enjoying his journey there, and excited about the job he gets to do. Bella and I are doing well. We've shoveled the driveway twice since he's been gone, walked a lot, and just finished hosting neighborhood Bunco; I've worked a little, too.

There was something super exciting that I wanted to say, but I forgot. Maybe I'll remember later. Until then, take care!

Love,
G

Too Cold!

Tyler left this morning to go up north to build an ice bridge. Yes, a bridge made out of ice. This is a training exercise, but the people in small, Native villages actually use the bridges during the winter to get food and other necessities. Anywho ... Tyler just texted me and it is -30* F wherever he is. WOW -- too cold for me. He is fortunate to have lots of really great cold weather gear, but I'm still praying that he'll be warm enough.

When he gets home, I'm sure he can give more details. Take care! :)

Happy Birthday to Three of Our Sisters!

Happy Birthday, Katie, Annie and Sophie! :) Katie's birthday is the 1st of November, Annie's the 15 and Sophie's the 30th. We missed celebrating with you all, but we were with you in spirit. We hope the next year (and years) of your lives are filled with lots of love, laughter and adventure. We love you!!

Kates and me; LOVE YOU.

Sweet Annie. I think this is one of the most beautiful pictures of Annie; my Mom took this at Tyler's commissioning.

Sophie standing on top of a mountain in Alaska last summer. Have a great birthday, Soph!

Bella is ONE!

Bella is one today! We have only had her for nine months, but her birthday is today! We LOVE having Bella to come home to, take care of and snuggle with. She has a really soft coat, she's smart and having so much fun in the snow.

We can't wait for all of you to meet her! :)
Just hanging out.

We Have SNOW!!

We now live in a winter wonderland! It began snowing on Sunday afternoon, tapered off, and finally began snowing for good that night. Monday we woke up to three inches of snow and off to work we went. The worst part of the snow is shoveling the driveway before work. We were unsure whether or not people shoveled for such a minimal amount so we decided to follow our neighbor's lead. Monday I woke up to skkecchhhh, skkecchhh, across the neighbor's pavement and out the door I went in my pink scarf, dress, brown tights and snow boats. At first it wasn't too cold, but my hands got colder as I shoveled along.

There is a posy of four trucks/plows that travel through the post roads to clear the roads. Here you can see them in the neighborhood across the street after school on Monday. You can also notice that the sun is setting and this picture was taken around 4:20.
The backyards around us.
The trees immediately behind our house.
Bella LOVES the snow. I bundled and walked her yesterday afternoon and she was just so excited ... we both were, but her especially. You can kind of see (sorry for the picture quality) the snow frozen on the whiskers under her snout ... so cute.

Sunday, Sunday

We've had a great weekend, but unfortunately all good things come to an end. Today Tyler tried on his new WFU jersey ... thanks Dede ... and has yet to take it off. We have spent the afternoon cleaning, making cookies for his platoon, studying and cuddling on the couch. Happy Sunday to you all! :)

Sweet Bells.

Tyler in his new jersey and with his new toy ... a computer that works! :)

Play Date!

Yesterday we hung out with our sweet friends the Dudleys. Molly, the mom, and I have become great friends and we truly love hanging out with her and her three children. Soon Matt, Molly's husband, will return from Afghanistan and we are excited to hang out with all the Dudleys upon his return! Recently they got a puppy who Bella plays with really well. It is really funny to watch them play!

We went to get pumpkins yesterday and then to the park with our four-legged friends. Below you will see pictures of Bella and her newest friend, Josey Paws, playing at the park. While the pups were playing we tossed a football around and just hung out.

Running, running! Josey tries so hard to keep up, but her little legs just can't do it yet.

Stand off.

Going for it.

Got her.

Sweet friends.

Sunset!

Below are some pictures of a recent sunset. Bella and I were playing outside and noticed this amazing sunset. Currently the sun rises around 9:15 am and sets around 6:15 pm ... yes, that is about 9 hours of sunlight. We are loosing about 5.5 minutes of daylight daily, which is decreasing by seconds daily.

We do have new furniture and I finished the curtains for our bedroom last night. Our slipcovers should arrive tomorrow and then I will post pictures of our newly furnished and homey-feeling home!!

Hanging In!

Hi all! I know I've been super slack on updating the blog lately, I apologize! :) Although you haven't gotten to see, we've been pretty busy. Fortunately, this week we will both be home every night this week ... woo hoo!

Tyler has been busy at work. I've been busy at work. We enjoy friends throughout the week and on the weekend. I've had meetings concerning the organizations I volunteer with, and I participated in the Spouse's Club Murder Mystery last week! We've worked hard to make our house a home by adding furniture, curtains, pictures on the walls, and fun, fall decorations. Many of our projects are still in the works, but I promise pictures will come soon.

The snow on the mountains has melted and we're really quite shocked that we haven't had our first snowfall yet. Don't worry ... I'll let you know when it gets here! We hope you are doing well and enjoying the fall weather!

Snow in September?!

That's right folks, it has snowed in Alaska! Last Saturday I was in shorts and a light jacket and then, it rained Sunday and the mountaintops emerged Monday morning covered in snow. This is referred to as "Termination Dust" in Alaska meaning that summer is terminated, but boy did it turn cold fast. Wednesday my car thermometer topped out at 41 degrees, yes, 41 degrees. Although it is cold, it doesn't feel like 41 at home; our bodies have most certainly adjusted to the cooler temperatures here.

On my way to work I stopped to take a picture of these mountain tops; pretty sure the MPs would not approve, but oh well.

The view from my house.
Other mountains from our house.

GO DEACS!!

GO DEACONS!! YAY for a win for the deacs! :) Tyler and I thought we were not going to get to watch the game today because it was only on pay-per-view for .... $135 PLUS taxes and fees ... we love you Wake, but obviously one football game is not worth that on TV. But then, my super computer-savvy hubby, found the game and a log-in for the ESPN 360 so we got to watch it on our computer. We enjoyed waffles, the wake game on the computer, the carolina game on tv, and our pajamas this morning!!

Bella in her Wake gear. She doesn't really appreciate football yet; she did not understand the random cheers and clapping to the fight song. Although unamused, she was dressed for the event!! :)

Bella, not too fond of the bandana, but we're working on it!

In other news ... Tyler built a gate for Bella! Now that I am at school all day we felt terrible leaving Bella in the crate all day. To fix this Tyler built a gate on the front of one of the knooks in our garage!! She loves her new space and I don't feel as bad leaving her at home each day.

The gate.

Bella's knook!