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!