We’ve lived in Alaska for over 20 years, and only a few earthquakes have rattled us. Most are brief jolts that are finished before we even register what happened, but there have been two notable exceptions. The first was in January 2016, when a 7.1 caused so much damage to my school library that we closed for weeks. It ultimately revealed structural damage that closed … Continue reading All Shook Up
Here I sit in September, finally exhaling after a whirlwind summer that blew us straight into a new school year before anyone had a chance to fasten their seat belts. I’m scrolling through a zillion cell phone snapshots and feel the need to pay homage to all the Alaska adventures we had after returning from New York, DC, and Nebraska. Here are those summer 2018 … Continue reading Summer 2018: The CliffsNotes
It was a frigid -8 degrees last year on our tree day, but we had an idyllic adventure and came home with a the best Christmas tree ever. This year it was a whopping 47 degrees warmer and drizzling rain. Ice is no fun to walk or drive on, so we preferred the colder temperatures from last year! I was anxious about driving on the … Continue reading 2017 Tree Day
There’s a wee bit of an age difference between my sister and me. And by “wee” I mean 21 years. Truth be told, I’m closer in age to my mother than my sister. Let’s just say our parents had unexpected blessings on both ends of the spectrum. 😉 I was a sophomore in college when the phone rang in my dorm room at 711 Sandoz. … Continue reading An Ode to My Sister
No matter how busy life gets, our family will always make time for our annual Christmas tree excursion. This December’s weekend commitments included soccer games, horse chores, birthday parties, book club, gobs of homework, a band concert, and a debate tournament. No matter. We blocked out one lone Sunday on the calendar and headed to the woods. Good choice. Sunrise isn’t until 10 AM this time … Continue reading Tree Day 2016
Woah. We packed it in last month! Life was at times overwhelmingly busy, but looking back I can’t think of one experience I would take off the table! It all started Labor Day weekend with an overnight excursion to our friend’s Bonnie Lake cabin. Boating, bonfires, and orienteering made for happy kids. Fresh air and fetch games made for happy dogs. And all of the … Continue reading A September to Remember
Summer is a time for salmon, and Alaskans are chasing them right now. A few weeks ago we headed to the Kasilof for some fishing. The fish weren’t running strong, but the sun was shining and we decided to give it a shot. Our family’s dipnet permit allows us to catch up to 55 fish per season, and the kids are now old enough to strap on … Continue reading Watch us Dip, Watch us Net, Net!
This spring break we mastered the Staycation. We played a lot, relaxed a little, and worked just enough to avoid feeling guilty. Trivia at Buffalo Wild Wings. Tubing at Arctic Valley. Lots-o-board games. A poker party, a vet appointment for Rosie, and Alyeska ski school for the kids. Maggie and I whipped up a batch of homemade lotion – when else do you have time … Continue reading Staycation
Today I am grateful for the scientific advancement of airline travel. I really am. Living in Alaska, it would be impossible to visit family (or tropical places 🙂 )without it. But when it goes wrong, it is so, so hard. And this holiday season it went so, so wrong. I dropped off Clark and the kids for their red eye flight on the Friday before Thanksgiving. … Continue reading Retrospective Gratitude
We hardly e-v-e-r get snow days in Alaska. Today was an exception. The pattern of ice instead of snow in recent years really wreaks havoc on the roads, and today was one of those mornings. The kids were sooooooo excited! They love school, but clearly they love snow days more. The neighborhood was alive with impromptu snowball fights and Capture the Flag matches all day long. … Continue reading Bonus Day
Profoundly Ordinary 