AN ALASKAN WINTERY DAY

LOOKING DOWN TURNAGAIN ARM
THE VIEW AS WE DROVE TO ALYESKA FOR RODS CME CONFRENCE

LOOKING DOWN OUR ROAD AS WE CAME HOME
GOOD OLE MOOSE RANGE DR.

BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE!!!

SNOWMACHINE FUN!!

ROD, READY TO GO FOR A NIGHT OF FUN!

READY..SET.. LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.....

A NIGHT FILLED WITH SNOWMACHINE FUN AND FRIENDS

STEWIE WAS A BIG HIT WITH THE KIDS

A FEW WORDS OF ADVICE TO LITTLE DAVE

GO EMMA.........

A CHILLY NIGHT PLAYING ON THE LAKE BEHIND OUR HOUSE.

DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SNOWMACHINES FOR ALL THE KIDS?
NOT TO WORRY, THAT'S WHAT SLEDS ARE FOR.

YOU KNOW YOUR IN ALASKA WHEN....

You know you're in Alaska when....... there are more snowmachines

lined up at the gas station than trucks David and Emma are on the blue snowmachine in the front.

We were on an outing with the Jones Family, a family in our ward.

Good times...

A Toast to the NEW YEAR

New Years Day we helped Garry unload their moving van.
It was -7, but lucky for us it didn't take all that long!! We treated ourselves to a dip in "Chena HOT Springs" after unloading the van.
Now That was a TREAT. Chena Hot Springs is about 50 miles northeast of Fairbanks.

Parker and grandpa relaxing in the "indoor" pool. Outside was the "Rock Lake Pool". It was awesome outside, the steam from the hot water made all the trees, bushes and rocks around the lake frosted with snow and ice. Everything was frosty and steamy with just enough light from the spotlights around the lake to make it into a fantasy land. Back at the hotel,( Parker thinks we should really think about moving into a house) we toasted the New Year in with Root Beer Floats with all the gang, and banged on pots and pans.

Burrrr.....Fairbanks

Aud& kids and Rod and I met Garry and Jenny and kids in Fairbanks. A great time to get re-acquainted with the Parker, Olivia and Sophia. Olivia and Grandpa hit it off right away. She has tons of personality and doesn't back away from anything!

Parker, Drampa, Dave, Sophia and Olivia. Hey Emma, where'd you go?

Breakfast with the gang.

Shopping? with the gang!!!

Rod in the Flat Cap that Mary sent him from Jolly ole England.
Looks very good!

Olivia didn't get far from her Grandpa

Grandpa and Grandpa (acording to Livi) with Jens three kids.
What a great time we had visiting with Gar and Jen and playing with the babes!

Gramps and his "girls"

Funny Grandpa, Funny Livi, Funny, funny, funny!

Halls Hollidays

We had a quiet Christmas. Rod and Aud got off work early on the 24th, and Christmas Eve we had our traditional "Wassill"and watched the Polar Express then the Mormon Tab. Choir with Sissil. Everyone opened one present. Christmas we all slept in!! Yahoo. We got going about 10:30 or so, letting Dave and Emma dive in. We all got more that we needed. Rod got some tools to play in his garage with and clothes. Mary sent him an awesome hat from England. I'll post a pic sometime soon. We made a lovely breakfast, and then even got a nap in the afternoon. Later that Eve we went to some friends, the Hansens, for Christmas dinner . It was very relaxing and a lot of fun.
It's been chilly (not Cold) and is the darkest part of the year now...but the good news, we're gaining light every day! We did get snow so the kids had fun sledding in the back yard. Over all it was very nice, we missed the rest of the gang not being with us, but hey, maybe next year??.

Thurs night we went to Anchorage and stayed with Aud and the kids. Dave has a hockey tournament this week-end. We watched the game on Fri. and then Emma, Rod and I headed north to Fairbanks. Jenny and Garry and fam are moving to the air base up there. Yea, over Christmas (what Christmas? they might say). So we wanted to go north and see them, maybe even help them unload their moving van. Funny thing on the way though, the lights on the ole "Burb" kept flickering. They got progressively worse until about 15 miles out of Fairbanks , and about midnight, they gave up the ghost and left us stranded. Stranded on the Parks Hyw in northern AK in the end of Dec in the middle of the night, in the COLD . Good times.
Of course we were being watched over and one of the local natives soon rescued us and gave us a ride in to Fairbanks to our hotel where it was safe and WARM.
At present, Rod and Garry are out and about getting parts so we can get going again. Thanks to Garry for giving us his daylight hours,( which aren't many). With trying to get into a house and all it is very nice of him to come to our rescue. So this posting is really from the TOP of the World!

FATHER CHRISTMAS

SANTA BABY...just slip a sable under the tree for me, Been and awfully good girl, SANTA BABY, so hurry down the chimney to me.

Umm, Ok I want......

SANTA arriving at the Ward Christmas Party!

The Tree, complete with little elves.

Oh, WHAT DO YOU DO IN THE WINTERTIME??

A little "after work" work! Rod in our back yard on his 4-wheeler loading wood up the hill from the tree that blew down in the last wind storm!

A bit dark for working isn't it?.. Oh yea, we're in Alaska, it's always dark!!!

The tree on the right is the top of the tree that blew down. Rod hauled it up and it is now in our living room...voila., a beautiful Christmas tree

Another project for Rod. This time its a trailer for his "toys". It needed a little work, so he took it over to Max Finchs and got er done. Thats Max and Rod on the top, and Rod and Matthew on the bottom. I was especially happy he had some helpers (other than ME).

TIS' BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

It's that time of year again!! One of Rods favorite..putting up the lights.
The trick was getting the ladder up to the deck.

Thank you "little giant".

Ta Daa...looking good, even if it is only to us and the moose.

Let the Festivus begin.

THE DRIVE HOME

We were driving home from Anchorage last week end just as the sun was just setting. (yea, an early day) It was so beautiful I tried to capture it . Of course nothing is as good as the real thing, but since your not here, here's your peek.

These were taken along the Turnagain Arm before you get to Girdwood.

No matter how many times we drive this, it never gets old. It's unbelievable how beautiful it is.

This is the view we have everyday driving home.... doesn't get better than this.
Eat your heart out.