Andie and our awsome friend Marshal(marchelle)

This is Kyle with his long hair straightened

he's so scary

This me and that awesome friend(Alex).

Hello All,
I know my mom wasn’t the best at keeping up with this, but she’s busy. So my Uncle Luke and Aunt Emily told me to take over. We are not dead. Heres an update on what were up to.

Well Ryan is a pill but I can live with that. His best friend from preschool is moving away this weekend so he spent the night here on Tuesday. He is easy to watch until Kyle gets up then he thinks he doesn’t have to listen to me because he is older than me.

Kyle is sleeping, sports, or church and he finds some time to spend with us or his girlfriend. He’s looking forward to going to World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia next summer for 2 weeks with my mom and our youth group. So we are busy fundraising for that.

Mom is just fine. She is busy working at the church and because she is working at church she goes to mass every day. Her and dad started the South Beach Diet again. Healthy Food!!

Dad is fishing and wishing he was fishing while working. Him, Ryan, Dennis, and Jaramiah went out fishing yesterday and caught some pike.

As for me I met an awesome person at ACYC her name is Alex. Then we helped with the kindergarteners and third-fourth graders at VBS. She left Friday. Kyle and I go to MAFIA on Tuesdays and youth group on Thursdays. MAFIA stands for Mass, Adoration, Food, and Interesting Activity.

Andie

Andie
Originally uploaded by karmanak.

WE spent the day at the Fireweed Festival. The St. Nick's youth group were in charge of the facepainting booth. the girls all did a great job. They grow up so quick!

Who's that guy?

Who's that guy?
Originally uploaded by karmanak.

He went to the homecoming dance. Had a lot of fun. I think he even danced! He cleans up pretty well!

Ky - Post game

Ky - Post game
Originally uploaded by karmanak.

Feel lucky that you can't smell him. pee eeww!

Kyle

Kyle
Originally uploaded by karmanak.

So he's #51. He's kind of sad that Football is almost over. One more regular season game. Then wrestling starts. woohoo!!

Kindergarten

Kindergarten
Originally uploaded by karmanak.

Okay, so I don't know what the heck I'm doing. So bare with me on all of these posts. I hope people still check the site.

Toothless

Toothless
Originally uploaded by karmanak.

So this photo is taken about a month after I got back from Seattle. He's still adorable.

tidbits...

Howdy! The lateset news form the upper one is Matt left on Wednesday for Ft. Sill, OK. His email address is matthew.armour@gimail.af.mil drop him a line. He may even write back. He seems to be doing fine down there.

I downloaded pictures finally... I just don't know how to marry the 2 sites. Excuse the construction as I attempt to figure this out!

School time...

Well School is in full swing here. We went to the open house at the high school last night. We are fortunate to know 4 of the 6 teachers Kyle has teacher's away from the school atmosphere. Gives me peace of mind for when matt is gone. I know he will have other people watching out for him. He is pretty psyched about the football game this week. He is dressing for Varsity. He is one of two freshman with that honor. We are so excited for him. He has dressed and played in two varsity games. His JV team remains undefeated. Varsity is 2-2. They have 4 games left. He seems to be doing well in school. Concentrating on his homework. He is realizing that it is a lot of work to play sports and get homework done.

Andie is doing well. We are still trying figure out what she is going to do for an activity this year. Acrobatics was fun but she wasn't passionate about it. We are going to take a year off and see if she can find something else. We thought about swimming...but practices are 4 times a week from 6-8. It would be different if Matt were going to be here. School is going well for her. She has Kyle's old Wrestling coach and Matt's friend as a teacher. Warm fuzzy feeling about the support she'll get at school too.

Ryan loves school. We are lucky enough to have a personal relationship with his teacher too. She goes to our church. We had her and the kids over on Sunday for a get together. She is awesome. I think her family will be good support in the coming months also. Ryan has learned 5 letters know...I, E, U, A and O. And he knows they are vowels. It is wonderful to listen to him when he is playing and he just breaks out in song...Jesus loves me. He is enjoying running around the football field while his brother practices. We enjoy how tired he gets and the energy he burns.

So as for Matt and I. We are hanging in there. Trying to savor the next couple of weeks. WE may even go on a date next weekend. He has been extremely busy at work. Things are starting to slow down a little for him. My work is another thing. Our contract expired with the base in August. All my guys went to Wainwright to work. So John and I are still at Eielson, going to inspections and doing paperwork...or writing blogs. The Gov't is trying to move everyone out of our houses by the holidays. So the schedule is pretty busy. It's all very strange and I don't really know what is going to happen to me yet. I think I have become an asset to the company and they will find a place for me. They understand my situation with Matt leaving and the kids going to School at Eielson. I think they are willing to work with me on that note. Time will tell and I'll keep you informed.

I have pictures to download. Hopefully I'll have a spare minute on Sunday that I can post some. Until next time...God bless!

I'm back...

I made it back last Wednesday night. So much has happened in the past 3 weeks. Where do I start...

I met my sister at the Seattle airport. We made it to the Bacon Mansion and got some rest. We stayed in the Carriage House loft. I went to work on Friday, a short 1/2 block walk from the B&B. Diane got a cup of tea and then went exploring. She met us for lunch on Capital Hill. Work went well. I felt useful. The change of environment was good. After work we got ready to have dinner with Mr. Fischer and his wife. We had cocktails at the house (Mansion) and then went to a little French Bistro they frequent. We had a great evening. I work for a wonderful man.

Saturday Diane and I went walking. Seattle is a very hilly place. We walked downtown to Pike's Market, got some lunch and fresh fruit and ate in a park along the water. The Thunderbirds were in town for the Seascape. They were incredible. We walked along the water and chatted. Went shopping and didn't find anything we wanted. Thought about going to the aquarium, but it didn't seem right without the kids. We drug ourselves up the hill and go ready for dinner. Mr. Fischer gave me use of the minivan for the weekend so we went to Alki Beach for Supper. Enjoyed some seafood and a glass of wine then walked along the shore. It was a great day with my Sis! Matt called me that afternoon so I could talked to Ryan. He lost his 1st tooth. I knew it would happen when I wasn't there. The toothfairy took good care of him.

Sunday we spend an hour trying to get on the highway system. Not an easy thing to do for out of towners. We were going to go shopping at the mall until Diane's flight time, but we couldn't get to the mall. Sure makes me appreciate Fairbanks and the slow lifestyle. I went to the mall and Target. Had lunch at the Olive Garden and headed back the B&B. I walked to the Cathedral in Seattle for evening mass. The church was BEAUTIFUL. The organ was a little to loud. It was hard to sing. It was a good experience nonetheless.

I got to have dinner with Matt's parent's, Ronnie and Jerry on Monday. They had the same problem trying to get on or off the highway. It was good to see them again. They had a wonderful drive through the western access of the Alaskan Highway. I think they were ready to sleep in their own beds though. They stooped in Salt Lake to see our friend's Scott and Michele and then drove like crazy to get home for Mama's Birthday party. Only 2 of her grandkids didn't make it for the party. We miss a lot of stuff being in Alaska. The price we pay.

The rest of the week went well. I went shopping, had some great company for dinners, saw a movie and a play. Saturday I flew out to Salt Lake. Michele and Courtney met me at the airport. Traffic is crazy there too. I forgot how hot it was there too. I got to be a part of Maggie Rose's Baptism. It was wonderful to see everyone from our old church. Scott and Michele are great. Their kids are wonderful. What blessings they are. They sure have their hands full now. :) One downfall was I missed Kyle's first Football game. He had a great time and they won by 2 points. He made a safety so I can credit the win to him. Michele and I had some great quality time together. I think we both needed it. Sure wish they lived closer. Ryan lost his second tooth while I was there. We also found out the he couldn't go to Kindergarten on Eielson. It's amazing how God answers prayers.

I got back to Alaska on Wednesday night. Brett flew back with me so she could start work at UAF on Thursday. We had a nice flight and even got a little sleep. The rest of the week was scrambling to fill out paperwork, get school supplies and go to the dentist. It all worked out. Kyle had a football game on Friday. He played the whole JV game and dressed for Varsity. He played half that game too. It was rainy and clod but the smile on his face was pure happiness. He did a great job. Monday was the first day of school for everyone. Ryan started kindergarten at North Pole Christian School this past Monday. He is very excited to be in school and ride a school bus. His teacher sits in front of us at church. So we are very comfortable with him going there. We are still working out some bugs. I forgot about this part of it.

Matt is trying to get his honey do list done before he leave in September. So needless to say we have been extremely busy. Life is good and we are all healthy. Hope everyone else can say the same. I'll write again next week and let you know how the first week of school went. Until then have a great week! God Bless!

Vacation...

I'm not really sure where the summer went. But it went fast. Matt's parents and cousins left this morning. I'm headed to Seattle and then SLC for a little working vacation tomorrow. My sister is meeting me in WA for the weekend. It will be a lot of fun.

Kyle is in full swing 3-practices a day football. You would think he'd go to bed earlier than he does. I guess girlfriends will do that to you. Ryan is so ready to start Kindergarten. The countdown is on the frig. He has 2 wiggly teeth. He'll probably loose both while I'm gone. :( Andie is staying active with church stuff and at the youth center. I think she is looking forward to the start of school and seeing her friends again.

We have carpet in the basement. I love it. I want to put the same stuff in the 2 upstairs bedrooms. That's another remodel job for a later date. Matt is working like crazy. Construction season is tiring for him. He is also trying to get the honey-do's done before he leaves in September. He gets to be Mr. Mom for the next two weeks. I am going to miss the first football game of the season. Kyle seemed kind of bummed but he knows I'll be there all the others. I do get to participate in the baptism of our God Child, Maggie Rose. That makes it worth it.

We had a great time with our company. Wish the weather would have cooperated a little more. They canceled our cruise to the glacier in Seward and it got cold and rainy while we were camping at Birch Lake. We had fun nonetheless and it was great spending time with them. Now we are back to business as usual...whatever that is.

I hope to update when I'm on the road, if not pray for safe travels and a return. Until next time...God Bless.

My five factor personality Profile??

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion: You have low extroversion. You are quiet and reserved in most social situations. A low key, laid back lifestyle is important to you. You tend to bond slowly, over time, with one or two people. Conscientiousness: You have medium conscientiousness. You're generally good at balancing work and play. When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done. But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it. Agreeableness: You have medium agreeableness. You're generally a friendly and trusting person. But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism. You get along well with others, as long as they play fair. Neuroticism: You have low neuroticism. You are very emotionally stable and mentally together. Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly. Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is low. You're a pretty conservative person, and you favor what's socially acceptable. You think that change for novelty's sake is a very bad idea. While some may see this as boring, many see you as dependable and wise.

The Five Factor Personality Test

Pretty interesting stuff? How true is it? You tell me.

A short snippet

We are on phase 2 of our visiting season. Nonna, Grandad, Ronnie and Gerry arrived on Friday the 14th. They had a wonderful trip driving from PA to North Pole. We have many plans while they are here. Anchorage, Seward, Birch Lake...I love having company, it lets me do touristy things.

The past week was kind of crazy. Does any one watch Extreme Makeover...Home Edition? Back in March, there was an ad that said they wanted to come to the Upper One and bless a family. I knew just the family to nominate. (no it wasn't us) The family goes to our church. Betsy, the mom, is raising 7 boys and 1 girl and took in her brother who is on kidney dialysis and his 3 young children. They live(d) in a 900 square foot home. The boys are all involved with wrestling and football. They always have a hug to give away and a smile on their face. Well, last Friday, the 7th, they got the knock on the door. I spent the week volunteering as security while this amazing house was built in 5 days. Needless to say, I didn't get much done at my house that week. It was so worth it to see the faces of the Rogers on Friday night when they got to see their new home. It was great to see our small North Pole community come together and provide for this family.

The next 2 weeks we are going to be busy enjoying family and then I go to Seattle and see my sister. Scott and Michele welcomed Maggie Rose into the world on July 12th at 7:50am. She weighed 8lbs 2oz and was 20.5 inches long. Mom and baby are great. I get to go visit them after I'm done in Seattle. I am very excited about seeingmy Utah family again.

The kids are all staying busy. Kyle is working out at the gym, running and getting ready to start football. He seems to really like it. Andie just said goodbye to her best friend who is moving to Utah. I hope they keep in touch. Ryan is gearing up for Kindergarten. He can't wait.

The summer is going by so quickly. We are waiting on our new carpet to be installed. Matt, Lee and Ronnie are getting the little things done in the house. Dianna and Gerry are making sure the house stays clean. We are heading out for the water on Saturday and cruising to a glacier from Seward. The guys are trying to think of the fun they will have and how to smuggle a fishing pole or 2 onto the boat. I think some King Salmon fishing is going to have to happen soon.

Well, I better get back to work. Jamie, I will try to make these shorter and more frequesnt. Our love to all. Have a great week and God Bless!

Happy Summer!!

It is amazing how fast time flies. It doesn’t feel like 3 weeks have past since I last wrote. We have been pretty busy with traveling, company and planning picnics. We had an awesome time in Valdez, once we got there. Our Excursion didn’t feel like making the trip. We got 50 miles from home and it started leaking oil everywhere. Thank goodness we had Jaramiah with us. We got it towed back to our house. Dennis came with Matt’s truck so we could tow the trailer back. Then Matt, Jaramiah and Dennis went to the Ford dealer to see if they could get the part that broke. An O-ring on the high-pressure oil pump. They don’t sell just the o-ring, you have to buy the whole pump…$650. Ouch. So being the handy guys they are, they found an alternative. Got an o-ring installed and we were on the road again. The guys (minus Ryan) were scheduled for a halibut charter at 6:30am and the girls (plus Ryan) were going on a Glacier cruise. We made it down to Valdez about 4:30AM got the camper set up so the glacier crew could get some sleep. We had a great day out on the water. Saw a mama and baby humpback whale, a few rafts of sea otters, and a couple clans of sea lions. About 10 bald eagles flying or sitting watch in the trees on the shore. We didn’t get to get as close to the Columbia Glacier due to the ice moraine. It was still an amazing sight. The guys made it back to camp before we did. Had a little fire, made some chicken and enjoyed watching the sea otters play in the Prince William Sound. Check out some other pictures from our trip.

Friday was overcast and chilly all day. Tim, Alan, Matt and I went to the Valdez museum while Michele and the kids took naps. Then we ordered pizza and went to a common area at the hotel and chatted for a while. It was nice to just be.
Saturday we headed home and wouldn’t you know, at the top of Thompson pass, the truck broke again. We were prepared though. We had our mechanic, about 100 more o-rings and all the tools to fix it. We got to see the glacier up close for about an hour. Jumped in the truck and headed home again. The truck has an appointment next week. The oil pump should be under warranty still.

The Hunter crew arrived on Sunday. We enjoyed some of the 160lbs of Halibut they caught. It was yummy. We got Kyle packed up for The Alaska Catholic Youth Conference. He was down in Anchorage for the week and on the way back went white water rafting in Denali. He had an excellent time. However he got home Friday and had to leave for Football camp on Sunday Morning. He made the trip down to Anchorage again, this time came back bruised and sore. He had a great time again and learned that he isn’t the big fish in the sea right now. I think he will enjoy Football this year. It should be fun watching him. He’s had a busy summer so far. It’s good to have him home again. Andie even thinks so. She had a great time with Aunt Shelly and Amanda. I think she enjoyed being the oldest with the little ones. She has started singing in the Church Choir and doing stuff with the youth group from church. She has been spending time with her best friend, who is moving to Utah in July. She is also making new friends. Check out her new Do. I think it is adorable!


Ryan had a really great time with Amanda. He even asked if she could stay here with us. His summer has been pretty normal. He got to take a few days off of school while our company was here. At least twice a week he asks when Kindergarten starts. We have the countdown going.
We are looking forward to our next visitors in July. We have plans to go down to anchorage, Seward and Birch Lake. It funny how we only see Alaska when company comes.
Matt has been working on the boat and has even had it in the water a few times. He’s also been working on the Yard. Or should I say Jaramiah has been working on the yard. We realize now that permafrost melts when it is exposed.
And black spruce trees have very shallow roots. We are having fun and I can picture the end results. We aren’t going to start anymore projects until Matt gets home next year! Check out some more remodel pictures here.
I survived another planning of the company picnic. Met some of the people from Washington. I am definitely psyched about going to Seattle in August. And going to Utah to see the newest addition to the Warehouse.
Well, you are probably tired of reading by now. Which really means I need to write each week. Our summer seems to be filled with running from here to there. The kids are having a great time. I look forward to your comments. Have a great week and God Bless.

Will it ever end?

So this remodel is over taking our lives. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel but it seems so far away. All the little stuff really adds up. Like picking out baseboard. Shouldn't be that hard ... right?Oh no, there are like 15 different patterns in 5 different types of wood or other material. I just want something simple. Our floors and door casings are walnut ... oh the decisions. Matt got the bathroom floor tiled and grouted this weekend and we got the waincoating back on the wall and the fancy new ceiling fan put up. I even got my washer and dryer hooked up ... again. We have a mountain of clean clothes on our bed that needs folded. So that's progress ... right?

We had a pretty good week, for a four day work week. Tuesday, at our meeting, one of our friends (He works for the Air National Guard) mentioned that there was a plane coming in from Maine and he was going to order some Lobster...yummy! We order some and so did about 4 other couples. I saw him on Wednesday and he said they, the Lobsters, were coming in on Thursday ... LIVE. Needless to say I offered up the outside of my house and we had a huge LOBSTER FEST with about 30 people. It was awesome. I have never seen so much lobster. Everyone brought something to share and we all had a great time. The food was great and the company even better. It put us a day behind on the house but we don't' really have a schedule. It was well worth it.

We are gearing up to go to Valdez this week to meet up with Michele, Tim and crew. The boys (minus Ryan) are going on a fishing Charter and the girls (plus Ryan) are going on a glacier cruise. I am really looking forward to the relaxation. Ryan is ready to go camping. He has slept in the trailer the past 2 nights. So has Matt for that matter. I even got to stay out there last night... remember the mountain of laundry I mentioned---it's on MY bed. I can't wait to get the laundry room DONE!! We had a record cold here last night, 25 degrees, we must be crazy. Our sleeping bags are warm though, thank goodness.

Well I should get back to the day. Keep the comments coming. I love to hear from you!! Have a great Day! God Bless!!

Finally...

An update...
Spring has sprung and summer is just around the corner here in the Upper One. We are gearing up for visiting season. Michele, Tim, Amanda and friends are on their way to Alaska as I write. We are so excited to get the company. We are meeting them in Valdez next week for some fishing and glacier watching. We are hoping the basement is somewhere close to livable by next Saturday.
I had written about a remodel in previous post. It was very exciting to design our new kitchen and upstairs. That plan got put on the side burner once we decided that before we could do the upstairs we needed somewhere to put the computer. The plans changed to the down stairs. We took out the sauna, enlarged the room by 3 feet and made a new laundry room. Took the old laundry room and made a nice size office and workout room. We even enlarged the living room by taking out the closet from the laundry room. Installed new ceilings. Made more room in the bathroom for storage of towels and things. It is all coming along nicely. But we are in crunch time now…And Matt is getting worried. We have a bunch of little things to get done and we keep finding more. It will be great when it is completed.
The kids are done with school. Ryan asks about every other day when Kindergarten starts. They are all doing great.
Since I last wrote…what has happened.
The Steelers won the Super bowl (I know…It’s been that long ago)
Ryan turned 5, Kyle turned 14, and Matt and I aged another year also.
Grammy came for a visit.
The ice Sculptures were awesome this year.
Andie was very active in Mallet Mania and Acrobatics
Kyle finished 7th in state for Jr. High Wrestling.
Matt finished a course at the NCO Academy and was awarded the highest honor, The Levitow Award for leadership and academics.
Matt and I attend a weekly meeting with a great group of people from church
Matt got elected to our Parish Council
Andie made the A/B honor roll for the 3rd time this year.
Our friend’s Jamie and Chris moved to Montana. I miss them…
It’s hard to remember all the great stuff. We are all doing well. I’m going to attempt to keep this new site updated. The days are soooo long here. Summer is the hardest. We seem to lose track of time and forget to go to bed at a decent hour. But the sunshine is much needed and the grass is turning green and the leaves are in full bloom. So are the mosquitoes. We are getting the camper and boat ready for a wonderful summer of fishing and camping. Matt’s parent’s and friends are driving up here in July for a long visit. We have some fun stuff planned while they are here.
So that is my jumbled update. Hopefully next time it will make a little more sense. Congratulations to Luke for graduating with his Masters degree! Way to go! Happy birthday to Tim (3rd) and Luke (6th). Have a great week and God Bless!