Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone! This year will bring change to our family as we get ready to list our house and move to Borger, but 'change is the spice of life'! We will 'bloom where we are planted' and 'find joy in the journey'! Ok - enough with the colloquialisms, we are sad to move, but look forward to what lies ahead. That being said...

As a kick off to this whole concept of actually keeping the blog up-to-date I decided we needed a new background and header. Thanx to help from Pocket and Cutest Blogs and my hubby buying me Adobe Elements 7 - I created, uploaded, etc. all the stuff I needed to create this. As noted at the bottom of the Blog the credit for the products used to make all this goes to GABhappyscrap using their 'Tickled' collection (way cute)!

Watch out...next I might actually try to SCRAPBOOK (digitally, of course)!

How Blessed I Am!

Today is Christmas and for most parents with small children excited about Santa Claus it was a early morning. It started fast and furious with presents being opened, breakfast made, showers and getting dressed to face the day, Wii set-up, and getting ready for friends to come over. We had a good day playing the Wii as a family and then when friends came over there was plenty of food and friends to enjoy. After tidying up, PJs & medicine for the kids, and saying good night (so glad dad is home to tuck them in to bed) I had a moment to sit and think.

I was struck how blessed I am to have a family with 3 beautiful/handsome, smart, healthy kids. A husband who provides so well for our family and makes personal sacrifices (6 months alone in AK) - who loves me no matter how much of a toot I am sometimes. I'm grateful for a family - extended - who stays in touch, has fun together, and likes each other.

I am blessed to live in a free land, a PROMISED land. I am so grateful for those that will fight for that opportunity in other lands, putting their own life on the line for others. I am blessed to be related to such individuals, not only in this generation, but in previous generations.

I am blessed to believe in Jesus Christ. I am blessed to know of His love for me - for EVERYONE! I am blessed to work with AMAZING women both in church and in other areas of my life. I am blessed to have a love of the scriptures and the true doctrines they teach. I'm grateful that a loving Heavenly Father has blessed me with the capacity to understand, apply, and teach.

In general, this Christmas like so many before, I realize I AM BLESSED. I bet others feel that way in their lives. As the Hymn states, "Count your many blessings name them one by one...and it will surprise you what the Lord has done!"

P.S. When Coby came downstairs after putting the kids in bed and found me blogging he was shocked - I guess that means it has been too long. Hopefully this next year I will get much better! :)

It's Officially Official

Last week we received the news that we will be definitely be moving to Borger, TX...where? Borger, TX to the north and east of Amarillo, TX about 45 miles.

I am to report to work on the Gasoline Benzene Reduction Project the week of January 19th. So I am leaving Alaska on January 15th come home pack and head out. Some where in there we are having a birthday party for Gavin who will be 3 on the 13th. Codi and the kids will be following closely behind (we hope). If you are looking for an adventure come and stop in on the Texas Panhandle. Borger is about the same size as the town I grew up in 12,000 -14,000. Just a little difference in size from Houston, but a change of pace will be nice.

It's the final countdown

As the year is coming to an end so are many other things in our lives. I am about to come home from Alaska for the rest of the year. As long as there are no delays I land in Houston December 19th around noon. I know that we are all ready for that. My time working in Alaska is also coming to an end...we should be finding out really soon how much longer I will be in the great white north. As my time here ends that means our time in Houston will also end. Once we find out for sure (100%) we will post where our new location will be. This time apart has been good for adventure and yet hard for our family to be apart and we are so ready to be together again...as we like to say the fun is now over.

Just when you thought it couldn't get worse

Tonight I write this blog as I am sitting in the Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, AK. I am supposed to be on my way home, but for some reason the delays keep mounting up and I was originally delayed for 45 minutes and then 1 hour 15 minutes. At present my delay is 2 hours. Mind you I am supposed to be on the 0045 flight, so late enough, but now I have to manage to stay up an extra 2 hours. I tried to take a nap before I came to the airport but I think the excitement of knowing I am going home to see Codi and the kids was too much for me to nap. Best laid plans they say. There is some solace to this whole thing. Continental is giving us snacks as we wait, a free flight would be nice, but beggars can't be chosers. If I have one thing I can't complain about is the fact that I was smart enough to upgrade my seat to first class several weeks ago. I hope this will allow me to get some rest, or not be so uncomfortable, it is an 8 hour flight. I am just ready to be home.

Codi's visit to Alaska

A couple weeks ago Codi made the long plane ride up to beautiful Alaska. Many thanks go out to her mom for making this happen. She came down to Houston to watch the kids while Codi came up to visit. We had lots of fun and got to see and do many things. Codi even ate fish...this doesn't normally happen. I think if you were to ask...she had the time of her life, even if it were a little colder than Houston was when she left.






We went down to Seward which is on the ocean side of the Kenai Pennisula. This guy was a total camera hog. He saw me coming with the camera and was posing the whole time. I wish I could have gotten some better pictures.

We were got this close to Exit Glacier...the road was closed.

On our way down to Seward we saw this cool bridge and so on the way back we had to get some picks. In Alaska there are not a lot of service stations and we coming back from Seward when we realized that we didn't have enough fuel to get even to Girdwood so we had to stop and ask a guy who told us that Cooper's Landing was the closest place. On the way down the road we saw the Adopt a Highway sign with ConocoPhillips on it so of course we needed a picture.

You can't come to Alaska without doing a hike so we went out Friday morning with some friends and it was just a little cold that day with a 25 mile an hour wind. So I would imagine with the wind chill it would have been well below zero.

We also had the chance to see the world premiere of Echos at the Anchorage Symphony. It was really cool with the story of the whaling adventures from the East Coast, Alaska and Hawaii. It included natives in the performance.

On Sunday we had the wonderful experience of visiting some friends that I grew up with. They live in Eagle River and are stationed at Fort Richardson. We had so much fun and laughed a lot.

Thanks again Mom for making this happen.

Snow Sweet Snow

Recently I have been going on lots of hikes as you can tell by other posts. The last couple have given us lots of snow and different wild life to see. To catch up I went on a hike to Hidden Lake, or so we thought until we got back and looked at the map. We took the wrong trail and added about 1.5 miles to our journey. We ended up at Rocky Lake...DJ said we should have taken the map, but we men "knew" where we were going eventhough none of us had been there. From here on out we are taking the maps with us. I got to see my first state bird while on this hike...a Ptarmigen (snow pigeon). These are the dumbest birds ever...you can almost touch them before they decide they should move away from you.

It was pretty cold that day (2 weeks ago) the sweat on my beanie was freezing, but for some reason I wanted to keep taking off layers to cool down. This weather is crazy, or maybe it is just me. You learn that layers are your best friend out on these hikes.

These are my friends DJ and Michael that I go with on these hikes in the wilderness of Alaska.

Yesterday we went out and it was still cold, but we got to see some moose and lots of cross country skiers and their dogs. I think I may try my hand at cross-country skiing but we will see.

This bridge is about 2.5 miles from where we started and this water...freezing cold, the ice doesn't even melt in it. I think it just keeps building up.



If you look close you can see moose, I wasn't brave or dumb enough to get close enough to see their nose hair. Right now the bull moose are in rut and so they are very aggressive. You can see people getting much closer than I trying to get pictures. I think I was far enough to see them well enough knocking heads trying to see who will get the herd of cows.

Life is good and the sunlight is getting less and less and the temps keep going down but that won't deter me from trying to see as much as I can of this great wilderness.

High on a Mountain Top...

Today I went on my first official hike...one that required more than following a wide trail and no climbing. Last week's experience of my hike inspired me to do it more and more. I went with one of my OSU Fire Protection Alum friends and his wife...also OSU alum. We started the day off around noon heading to the trailhead, an absolutely beautiful day in Anchorage...haven't had a clear and wonderful day in quite a while. We headed up the trail of Flattop Mountain...2.5 mile hike to the top and about 1500 feet of elevation change. I should have taken pictures on the way up...sorry guys hind sight is 20/20. We made it to the top in about 1.5 hours...my legs and feet are sore. We had to climb up the side of the mountain the last 300 or so feet of elevation. We started seeing snow as we approached the top and once up there we in the snow, roughly 2 - 3 inches or more in most places on top. The trip down was kind of tricky until we got the "2nd Saddle". From there we felt like we were sprinting down the side of the mountain. Finally it back down about 2.75 hours after we started.

Here are some of the pictures that either me or Michael took while on top of the mountain.



Apparently someone thought it would be a good idea to make a snowman.

A view of Anchorage from up top. A view of Denali (Mt. McKinley) from the top.

A couple of the different mountains that were "close".

My Latest Alaskan Adventure

Today I took a drive and a hike...I drove all the way to Houston, what a ride. On the way though I stopped in Wasilla...home to the next VP. On the way back from my roadie I saw a sign for a couple of places I had been wanting to go...Mirror Lake and Thunderbird Falls. T-bird falls was quite a hike...1000 vertical feet in a very short amount of time...some may think nothing of it, but it was quite the climb. It was a very beautiful area and an amazing view. Walking through the forest it reminded me somewhat of the forests in North Central Missouri where I grew up.


Here are a few pics from my adventure today.





Just for Chaz...this is an auto body shop that is in Anchorage. My view heading north to Houston.





Welcome to Houston, Alaska...not quite like home.




Welcome to Wasilla, the home of Sarah Palin...next VP of the US




Mirror Lake and Thunderbird Falls






From the top of the falls ...................and from the bottom of the falls.

Track this

For those of you wondering really what is going on in the gulf don't be fooled by the talking heads on TV. Predicting the weather is like winning in Las Vegas...you get lucky some of the time to keep you at it.

Check out this website...I have found it is better than most sites and weathermen.

http://www.stormpulse.com/2008-hurricane-season

Above the Arctic Circle

Today was my first time going up to the North Slope of Alaska...technically north slope of the Brooks Mountain range. Pretty awesome place...look at a map of Alaska, go all the way to the top find Prudhoe Bay/Dead Horse and go to the West about 25 miles and that is where I am. On the flight up I got to see the most amazing creation...Mt. McKinley in all of its glory...absolutely unbelievable. Today as we got off the plane it was snowing and 35 degrees or so. Best of all I have cell service from Verizon pretty sweet.

Me in my Arctic Survival Gear. I don't have to wear this yet, but soon enough when I come back up here I will have to.

Summer Vacation - In the Beginning...

My counsin Donny with his daughter Kate, flanked by Aedan & Gavin


We've been home almost 2 weeks, but it so often seems that a vacation after the vacation is truly needed! Here's the scoop:

Monday, Aug. 11 - the kids and I left about 6am to head up to Oklahoma to pick up Grandma for our trip out west. They were great! We left early because I wanted to get on the road to get to grandma's house earlier in the afternoon so they kids might get some energy out before our 18 hour drive the next day to Las Vegas!

Tuesday, Aug. 12 - got on the road early again. Not as early as Monday, but still in good time. Mom & I braced ourselves for a very long day of driving. We had all four of the cigarette lighter type plug-ins full. One for the converter for Aedan's Cyber Pocket, another for Chaz's DS Lite, the two up front were very connected - one for the iPod converter (a tuner for the iPod to play thru the radio - my van is just a couple years too old to have the direct connect), and the other with a splitter - on plug-in for the GPS and the other for the kids movies in the back (yes - they played almost the whole way and even when they were playing their games). We were packed with snax, pillows & blankets, and the necessary electronics in the main area, fully packed in the trunk, and a car topper strapped on top. The drive went rather well with just a couple of stops for gas, potty, & food. After covering MANY miles we arrived in Vegas to stay with my Aunt Bonna, Uncle Stewart, & cousins. Man, the air was dry and I was LOVING it! I miss the west coast!!
The best part about traveling west is the time change is in our favor - we arrived about 10pm Vegas time (midnight CST).

Wednesday, Aug. 13 - Sometime during the trip to Vegas from Ok Chaz started to cry - his ear was hurting him (in hind site mom and think it was when we went over the Sandia Mountains into Albuquerque - the first real elevation change). He had been complaining before the trip, but because we had been going to the pool so much I thought it was swimmers ear. I had the drops and gave him Tylenol and we continued to drive. By the end of the trip on Tuesday he was in pain and so I called my aunt in Vegas and asked about a good Dr. She suggested a walk-in clinic down the road and so on Wed. morning Chaz and I went to get his ear checked out. It wasn't too bad of a wait for a walk-in - about an hour. When we finally saw the Dr. she looked in his ear and there was so much fluid she couldn't see the ear drum. She determined that it was probably a burst ear drum and prescribed antibiotics. We filled the prescription ASAP and after a stop at a HUGE Jo-Ann's Etc we were back to pick up my mom and the other kids and get on the road again - this time for a short 7 hour trip!
We made it to Fallon, NV in good time and began a 3 day 4 nite stay with my aunt's family in Fallon (about an hour outside of Reno to the East - the relatively new home to Top Gun).

Thursday, Aug. 14 - Loved being with Aunt Shawna, Uncle Grant - their kids and Mojo (the dog). The kids and I enjoyed the first day of the week NOT in the van! Mom, Shawna, & I went on a bike ride after breakfast. I loved the cool morning temps - something I don't get in the summer in Texas! We played, rested, relaxed and enjoyed being with family we hadn't seen in TOO LONG!

Friday, Aug. 15 - More relaxing and playing. Shawna, Grant and I headed to Reno for a Costco run and met Grandma Christiansen, Great Aunt Gwyn, Mom (she drove up to Reno Thurs. morning), Dad (flew into Reno earlier on Friday), Bonna & Stewart (drove up to Reno Wed) at Claim Jumpers (YUM!). My cousins stayed in Fallon and watched my kids so it could be an adult dinner (yeah!!).

Saturday, Aug. 16 - Laundry! I needed to get our laundry done so that we would have enough clothes to last us thru Tahoe and the trip home! Shawna was so great to feed us, give us a comfy place to sleep and let us use all the other amenities! We packed up what we had brought in and got ready to leave early on Sunday morning to head to Reno to go to church and then prepare for the mass exodus to Tahoe (finally!). That evening my brother Cyle & cousin Shayla flew in to Reno from SLC and the Skouson cousins drove up from Vegas! Fun to reunite with EVERYONE! We stayed up WAY TOO LATE with an awesome Fireworks display by Josh and Millie (cousins) and yummy ice cream! The off to bed.

Sunday, Aug. 17 - Got up early-thirty to head to Reno. Shawna and Grant were having Stake Conference and I wasn't prepared for 2 hours with my kids (only brought a small church activity bag) and they didn't know who the visiting authority was going to be - so I chose to drive up to Grandma's ward to attend church with the rest of the family. Ironically, once we all arrived to Tahoe and talked about church earlier that day the visiting authority was Elder Pickard - my old stake president from Katy! His family had recently moved to Phoenix and he was in Fallon on church business! It would have been so fun to see him again - would have surprised him I'm sure! Oh well, loved church in Reno, had some pretty good revelation from one of the Sacrament talks!
After church we went back to Grandma's started the great load-up, ate a delicious breakfast provided by Bon and Stew and were outta there! We were all so excited to finally start the "official" family reunion at Lake Tahoe - something that had been planned for, thought about, & traveled too for about a year!

The Skouson and Moulton kids (missing Quinn) with a couple extras - enjoying the yummy ice cream after the fireworks!
Lt to Rt Front- Sharah M. (head down), Josh M. (green shirt), Aedan (tounge out), Kate (1/2 in picture) Back - Shayla M., Millie S., Mikayla S., Jacob M., Marissa S., Shalese M.

Alaska - Majestic

I haven't gotten around to posting some of the pictures from my Alaska trip from early in the month but now I am. Codi and the kids are off on vacation and I will be joining them soon. As for my trip it was absolutely amazing, apparently when I was there it was the hottest day of the summer a whopping 71 degrees. The sun stayed up until around 1130 in the evening and rose again around 6. My sleeping was at a minimum to say the least. I think one of the only words I can use to describe Alaska for those who have never been is simply majestic. Breathtaking and unbelievable are a few others come to mind, but simply put...majestic. I hope you agree.

Heading South towards Indian Point

Still heading towards Indian Point

This is heading North towards Palmer...they used to pan for gold in the area pretty heavily.

While I was there I also have a chance to go to a Musk Ox farm and to go by the Anchorage, AK Temple. Little known fact about the Musk Ox...they don't produce an odor and they are not an ox...they are actually part of the goat family and only have two stomachs and not four like the bovine family.

The Musk Ox farm just North of Palmer...these guys were pretty cool. Their under fur or tuft is used to produce Keiviet which is softer than cashmere and much more expensive, but it is so warm.

The Temple is much more beautiful than these picture give it credit. The Stake center next to it is still under construction...people have either tried to burn it down or destroy it while in the construction phase. However, they have done nothing to hurt the Temple.

More to come once I am in Alaska at the end of the month for my assignment.