Epic Eighth Anniversary Trip!

Disclaimer:  This is a long post with a lot of pretty amazing pictures.  Prepare to spend some time!

I can hardly believe it has been 8 years ago when I convinced my beloved to "just get married!"  We semi-eloped to a friend's place who had the most beautiful grounds, and asked our closest family to join us while we said our vows and pledged each to the other.  It was the most special day!

Little did I know what was ahead!

For the traditionalists, we did go through the formal ceremony in July when we had set a formal date.  It was also beautiful, but in retrospect, the first was the all we needed (though it was fun to wear a fancy dress!).

Every year, we try to celebrate our anniversary by doing something fun and usually outdoors.  This year was a take 2 on getting a storage barrel to our bear camp up in the mountains and to do a spring black bear hunt.  We had tried the week before but kept loosing our trail in the snow and getting our feet snowed in.  We had high hopes that the snow would be much less.  It was, for a while.  We trudged our way through drifts of snow, winding back and forth to and from the trail.  I can't adequately describe how fabulous this was.  *Sarcasm!*  Then we hit this:

Fortunately, my loving husband chose this moment to suggest we bail.  I had been trying to think positively while tromping through muck, mud, & snow while tripping and sometimes falling through the snow and over hidden branches into running water below.  Finally, I was just trying to be quiet.  "If you don't have something nice to say..."  Yeah, I was not going to be saying anything nice!  My husband became my hero when he said we should just quit.  Then he really pulled out the stops when he produced a tiny bottle of wine to drink with our cheese!  It was very fun!  Suddenly, I had no problem thinking positively!

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, he suggested we go down and head to Seward to take a Kenai Fjord tour!  This is something I have been asking to do for years but the interest just hadn't waxed as much for Pat.  I was so excited and I think he was too!  We promptly finished our lunch and made our way to Seward.  We had no bedding and were wearing matching camo clothing, so I suggested we try a thrift store to remedy both situations.  We found a lovely comforter and pillows with bed mats for cushions, and I did find a nice sweater to add to the old pair of jeans I had in the car.  Crisis averted!  Since I had "new" duds, we also hit the town and saw a movie!  It was quite possibly the most interesting movie theatre I've ever been in.  It had fascinating decor, and  I was a bit in awe of the Christmas lights around the curtained screen.  I wish I would have had my camera as it was somewhat indescribably, well, quaint!  We had a rather cool night camping in the car (we did use the automatic start to warm it up a time or two!), and made it to our dock at the appointed time.  I was very excited!  Pat looked a tiny bit tired, but he was excited, too!

From our second deck window seat, we had a great vantage point to see the first of many wildlife sightings.  The first was the Sea Otter.  There were many who were just reclining in the midday sun.  

Then came the Dall Porpoise.  We called them the Killer Dolphins.  They have coloring like the Killer Whale but are porpoise and like to play in the boat's wake.  They chased us a couple of times, but we remained safe!

(O.K., this wasn't my photo, but I thought I should show you what was splashing in the photo previous to this!)

We did come upon a couple pods of Orca's, the Killer Whale.  There were several young and female with one larger male.  It was quite obvious to tell the difference!  I kept waiting for our deckhands to lean over the deck with a fish hanging from their teeth, but I suppose these guys haven't learned those tricks just yet.  It was pretty spectacular to see them for "real!"

We were having a ball running back and forth from our cozy table inside to the upper deck to see more.  It was a little breezy up there, and the wind made it a bit chilly, so we chose not to stay outside for too long of intervals.  

We were approaching this glacier, Holgate Glacier to be precise, and this other tour boat was ahead of us.  I thought it was good to give perspective!  We followed suit and slowly advanced on the slightly calving wall of packed snow/ice.  I had never heard the calving before, and it was truly thunderous.  We only saw smaller pieces fall and it was booming, so I can only imagine what a huge chunk would sound like.  

True to form, Pat was on the lookout for bears and found 4 black bears crawling around near the glacier.  We also saw many mountain goats with cute little babies, but the real draw for Pat were the bears.  He is, at this moment (in the photo and in present tense), planning his next bear hunt, since this one proved to be a bit different!

The Orca's abound!  This is one of the male leaders of one of the pods.  They were fascinating.

The whales are what I was most excited to see, since we've seen all the other animals before.  After seeing all the Killer Whales, we began to have sightings of Humpback Whales!  They were either solitary or in a pair, and it was extraordinary to see them!  The captain of the boat would get as close as we safely could, then turn off the main engine to achieve as much quiet as possible.   You could hear them blow out as they surfaced and then slid back down.  Everyone on the boat would gasp with excitement with each fluke.  It was amazing!

Spectacular!  I couldn't think of a better way to spend a Sunday, worshiping in creation!

We did come back pretty tired.  It seems that even our dogs were exhausted and we all just crashed with pleasant, peaceful rest!  That was truly the best bear hunt on which I've ever been, and one of the most memorable anniversaries yet!

Hello? Hello? Can you hear me now?

This spring, we removed a large tree stump from between our house and garage.  It was no small feat.  In fact, it took a friend's backhoe (yes, we have a friend with his own backhoe) to dig out the surrounding soil, frost included, loosen up the roots with an ax, and then pull it out.  It took hours.  We then had a ton of backfill to do with the pit-run we had delivered earlier.  We had used this pit-run to create a positive drainage situation from our driveway to the backyard, without nearing the house or garage.  To say the least, there was a lot of pit-run.  In case you are not aware, pit-run is a "dirty sand" mixture used to form a base of buildings, driveways, etc.  It's heavy.  It settles.  It worked very well for our purposes.

Well, come to a couple days ago when I got home to find our phone not working.  It said on the receiver, "no line."  Strangely enough, my internet still worked.  Until the next day.

I called the phone company and they suggested I test the line from the exterior box and that they'd put a request in to repair it in a couple of days.  Super.  They did forward my line to my cell phone so I wouldn't miss any calls, which was nice.  

I came home from work and pulled out the princess phone; you know, the one with the "lanyard!"  I took it under the deck and opened the box and plugged the phone line into it.  Nothing.  Well, it looked like they'd be paying for the repairs, right?  Nope.  My handyman hubby came home and realized that our pit-run had pulled the main line out of the box as it settled.  Dang.  It was our fault.  The weight of our solution to our water issue had created a new disconnection.  

I hate it when that happens in my "real" life.  

I have felt so disconnected lately.  My husband can hardly believe that since I am so tied to my computer and phone.  It's not the same, though.  You know.  I wish I had been watching my "phone line" while setting up my solution for my "drainage problem."  Yeah, that's vague.  Sorry.  I'll clarify.  I have a great need to be connected to my family.  I love them tremendously.  They are incredibly valuable to me.  All of them.  I have not been able to spend time with them for a year and 3 months.  I was so set on solving the "problem" of when to come to help my sister with their travel needs to Africa that I pulled the plug on my connection.  This is all my doing.  I don't remember praying about or seeking a way to keep that connection solid, because my focus was on the other.  There's nothing detrimental about it, fortunately.  Just like our phone connection, it can be reconnected and resumed.  I'm just waiting for that to happen!  My connection is vital for me, not because I put them above my husband or that I don't rely on Jesus to meet my needs, but it's because I love them and I want to be a part of their lives.  I miss all the little things, and it's not the same to have to celebrate/grieve/live through big events through the airwaves.  I'm looking forward to the day I walk down the aisle at the airport to see familiar faces, some growing up, and I can feel a bit more connected.

In the meantime, I have been in this holding pattern waiting for our house to sell in order to see what God is going to have us do!  I was shown through our study of Experiencing God, that I need not wait.  He is working right now around me and all I have to do is join Him.  What am I waiting for?  Again I'm focusing on the weighty solution for one issue and it's disconnected me from the most important relationship.  This is a disconnect that can be immediately remedied!

Lucky Number 13!

Oh how I wish I could show you all a picture of my new nephew!

My sister got her referral on Tuesday and I have been just enthralled ever since.

That day was interesting, as I had accidentally left my phone in the house as I drove away.  I realized it shortly after I left my driveway and after a split second thought of "What if today is the day?" I rushed back to get it.  I am so glad I did!  I don't remember exactly what time it was, but my day at work hadn't gone too far when my phone began to vibrate.  With my very dirty hands (I was transplanting flowers), I fumbled to pull my phone out of my pocket and see who was calling me.  I was already a bit excited thinking it may be my sister, but when I saw that it was, I just about jumped out of my skin trying to remain calm as I answered, "Hello?"  It was her and she said it was IT!!!!  I immediately began to bawl and ran outside where I could be alone in my jubilant tears!  Plus I wanted to run around and jump and scream!  After hearing the few details, I tried to go back to work, all the while telling everyone I could about it.

As much as I'd like to pity myself for not getting to share in person this fabulous moment, I can't!  My joy is overflowing and I am so happy, it doesn't matter where I am!  I love that I live in the days of technology and can share moments over a phone and computer!  So is my husband, or I'd have never left the "midlands!"  I now wait with gargantuan amounts of anticipation for the day I can go to Kansas and bawl all over again when I see my sister and we can send them out to pick up their son!  I will likely bawl when they get home and we embrace (figuratively if not literally!) the little guy into our family.  O.K., we already love him to death, just like the previous N&N's!  I'm so excited!  Can you tell?  I will have the joy to meet two new nephews on that trip!  Remember my brother's little guy?  He looks like he's ready for some Aunt Meli time, too!

Well, I just wanted to share my joy wave for this week!  I can't wait to share pictures and all that sort of thing, but if you weren't aware, that is not allowed until the process is officially complete and he is theirs.  I knew you'd understand!  Whew, 13 N&N's!  Love it!

Grow!

I am so excited!

My group has decided to spend the summer Experiencing God!
 I think it's rather appropriate living up in Alaska.  I know other people think they live in "God's Country," but I think He made Alaska in His most favorite  mood!  The mountains here are breathtakingly beautiful, the lakes are too numerous to count, the rivers vary from trickles to raging, and the wildlife is unbeatable.  All of these things are just beginning to emerge as the snow slowly melts and disappears.

It's actually my least favorite time of year. 

I've never liked spring.  It's such a tease.  You want and expect it to be all flowers and sunshine and it rarely cooperates.  Even when I lived in Kansas it was either too short and gave way to the blistering temperatures of summer, or it was simply bleak and dreary.  Yes, I'm a bit over-dramatic.

It's way worse in Alaska.  It has been a month of melting that reveals the brown and gray of the landscape, a stark contrast to the brilliant white of winter or the all-consuming greens of summer.  It's mucky and wet and cold.  I know I should be used to the cold, but when you are expecting the warmth, it makes the cold colder.  I joke that I "get" to experience an Alaskan winter, which is incredibly gorgeous, but then have to go through a Kansas winter which we call "Break-up."  The name is pretty self-explanatory, but this is when all the snow and ice break up and melt.  It looks like Kansas in the winter: gray and lifeless.  (I liken the bits of green in the fields of winter wheat to the spruce trees that break up the monotonous white and gray birch and aspen trunks.)
All this to say that I'm in such a need for a Spiritual Spring!  I'm ready to have my subdued Christian walk burst forth and sprout into something alive!  I'm ready to feel the Son warm me and make me grow this summer, and I'm excited about it!  As I am a plant person, these types of analogies resonate with me.  They are a little bit cheesy, but alas, that is my favorite food, so I suppose it's bound to come through.

Seriously, though, I walked around my yard yesterday when the sun warmed it to a balmy 49 degrees, and began to clear away the old debris around my perennials flowers.  Most of these were planted later last summer and didn't have too long to take root, so I'm curious as to what made it through our relatively mild winter.  As I pulled the wet and decayed leaves off the bases of the plants, I began to see tiny little peaks of green emerging.  I would position myself so I could kneel as close as possible without setting myself upon one of these hidden gems and bend down to get as close of a look as I could.  The sun was warming the mulch and I could smell the moist earth mingling with the threat of mosses and leaf mold.  It's a fabulous scent to this nose.  I began my daily walk-throughs a while ago when the first beds were appearing with little to no signs of life.  Lately, our weather has been warming, so my frustrations are easing and I'm seeing more and more.  A couple of times, I would uncover the expansion of a plant, and that usually makes me ecstatic!  I'm fond of the "bullies" and have little use for flowers that take an exceptional amount of babying.  I love to see my little leaves poking up through the barely warmed soil and I can't wait to see how much bigger it will be this year!  They always get bigger, you know.  And the bigger they get the more spectacular they are, but if they get too big, they can start to die out and need to be divided.
I can't wait to grow this summer!  I heartily dislike the notion that Bible Studies should disband for the summer.  In the craziness and fun of summer, I still need growth and Godly women to surround me.  I am so incredibly happy that I am not alone!  The great thing about it is I feel that I can expect the growth to happen, I am anticipating God to work in me and our group, and there will be no disappointed waiting for "spring" to arrive.  I can't wait to see the result!  I would even like to see an eventual "dividing."  I don't see it in our near future, but could honestly see each one of the members of our group leading a group someday.  For now, though, I'll brace myself and prepare to grow and Experience God!

Prep for Showings

I've been painting A LOT!  I totally repainted the upstairs (tv room) and bathroom and worked to clean out and eliminate clutter in order to streamline the rooms.  I've spent much energy preparing our home and trying to keep it ready for a last-minute showing.  To my dismay, the floors are incapable of staying clean.  Somehow the kitchen and bathroom continually need work.  Why can't we just live in the garage for a while?!

The thought occurred to me: How much to I prepare my heart (as Christ's home) for His coming?

I rarely give too much thought to the second coming or end times.  I tend to feel that dissecting the details of what may happen is a waste of time when, regardless of your views, the implications are exactly the same: Love God and Love People to show God's Love!  I was challenged, however, to ponder how ready I am to show myself to my Lord, whether He comes to me or I go to Him.

Do I have too much clutter in my life?  Am I hoarding things that speak more to the things of my own personal desires and not the desires of Christ?  If I was called to Him tomorrow, what would I want to clean up, remove, or redo?

One of the things that I am currently struggling with is my "purpose."  Because we have chosen to keep our family as it is, we do feel we are uniquely situated to do something.  I don't exactly know what.  It's part of our NEED LESS PROJECT.  We want to position ourselves to be able to be used in whatever way God calls us.  At this exact moment, I don't feel ready to meet Christ.  I want to redo a few things and I'm not sure how long to wait to begin.  I want to pursue purpose!  My heart is telling me there is more than what I am doing and that I have a calling that is greater.  Fortunately, I know God is working and as I am listening, I am confident that God will reveal His desires for me.  I'm pretty sure my life will be changing in the next year and I'm not sure how, exactly.  One more thing I can find comfort in, is that God is using this moment to prepare me for whatever it is He will do.  Time is never wasted.

In the time I have been given, I want to do better preparation.  I need to de-clutter and spruce up a few places in my life and spend a bit of effort on places that I have been letting go too long.

This is a showing for which I want to be prepared!

Oh Vanity!

I was visiting with a co-worker the other day and explaining the reasons why I no longer wear shorts.

I, for some reason, still own one pair and actually donned them for two hours last summer while I was working out in the yard and it reached an unearthly temperature of 72.  It was on the south side of the house, there was no wind, and I'm positive the thermometer read 90-something.  It was only for two hours, though, and I was able to quickly revert back to my jeans once the sun began it's northern fall.  Yes, the sun sets in the north up here in the summer, and come to think of it, also rises in the north in the summer; just opposite sides of north!

When we moved up to The Great Land, I was not saddened to relinquish my shorts, as I never particularly liked pictures of me wearing them.  I couldn't remember feeling awkward with them on, but really hated those pictures!  I clearly needed TLC's What Not to Wear's help in choosing the right fit, but instead, moved to a place that no longer dictated that I wear them.  I began to notice the melanin leaving my legs once we arrived in this great state.  It happened rather slowly, but definitively.  I chose at one point to pay for the opportunity to have cancerous rays accompanied with luscious warmth poured around my body.  I've often suggested that the owners of such establishments have a room that has Happy Lights, a sauna, and then a spray tan!  I'd pay for that.  Well, I did convince the melanin to return to my skin through those months, but I felt a bit like I was playing cancer roulette.  I haven't been back.

Just recently I have noticed the "cancer-free" look of my legs again, and have been tempted to return to the warming lights of destruction.  (I've heard too many real-life tales of skin cancer to pursue it too much)  I have realized that cellulite is much, much less visible on tanned skin.  I was also alerted in the last few moments that I have sprouted yet another lovely situation that I can only assume would be less visible with less of a contrasting color of pigment.  I have had a couple varicose veins behind my knee for some time and have lamented that genealogical curse a number of years back.  I've just discovered that I am now in the possession of spider veins as well.  Oh joy.  As I am not likely to spend the incredible amount of money for such a vain vein, I may feel the need for some tinted lotion.

Where I've Been

I have not been avoiding you.  I promise.
I have been extremely busy with our NEED LESS PROJECT and getting our house up on the market.
The cleaning up and cleaning out is simply endless and it makes me almost glad to keep my moving every 3 years streak alive!  Just imagine the clutter I'd collect if I stayed in one place for too long!  Yes, you are right, it's mostly my husband who is the "collector," but I thought I'd try to share blame!

The house is now listed on Craigslist and Alaskalist and I've started a blog to post more information and pictures at 47130autumnroad.blogspot.com.  It is coming along and we've had an interested party call inquiring more.  They are from California, so not being able to come by is a hindrance to them and thus requires me to send more.  I'm perfectly fine with that!  I'm rather excited as a matter of fact!  I just wish I didn't have this pesky job thing to go to so I could devote my time to gathering and sending information!!  Oh, well.  The joys of selling.

We have both been extremely motivated to finish projects and create new ones on our house.  It has been fascinating to see how God has been providing funds to do so.  I don't imagine He's doing this to help us live in a home that is nicer.  I'm sure it is because He will sell it soon!  I doubt He feels any necessity in a stainless dishwasher over a white one, especially since it doesn't even work as well, but He provided it!  Our next big project will be to redo the deck and since the snow is beginning to melt, we should be able to kick that off in a week or two, barring any future snow dumps.  We still have some tweaking to do on the house and are contemplating putting in new cabinets/counter for the kitchen, but not too sure about that one just yet.  I know HGTV recommends it, but if we can sell it without, we will!  We'd have to raise our price if we do too much renovation!  Shucks!

I just thought I'd give an update on where I've been and where I'll likely be for a short bit.  I will try to keep updated!  Thanks for all the encouragements!