This little sweetie wasn’t part of the last goodbye, and she wasn’t here late Monday night when I took the updated photos. But this is her enjoying the snowmachine ride with Uncle Zach at -20* on the eve of Christmas Eve. The other five were on sleds being towed behind. She loves her Uncle Zach, her name for him is “Ach!”

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{This was New Year’s Eve and me trying to take pictures at -20*; I have my settings wrong but it was so dark and cold I couldn’t see to change. When my brother helped me out I did get some better pictures, but by then I actually couldn’t feel my fingers. 🙂 I feel like this picture is an adequate visual of me…everything is there, but you can’t tell what belongs where – it’s all jumbled, BIG time.}

I really wish I had wonderful pictures ready to post, but I don’t. In fact right now I have a tangled mess of nearly 20K photos between my iMac, MacBook Pro, and two different external hard drives. I think all 20K are on all four devices, but they’re organized differently on each so I’m not completely sure. To top it off the iMac won’t work and I’m so weary of calling Apple to have them walk me through fixing it over-n-over-n-over again. Seriously, I’ve had the machine for 13 months now and I’ve called them 25+ times for help. Half those calls were over 2 hours, and at least a fourth were 4 or more hours! My brain refuses to even calculate how many hours of my life has been spent on the phone with them. Since I’ve had it, I think I’ve comfortably used the machine twice for a couple hours before it got stuck and stayed messed up until I call……. anyway, I’ve digressed to whining so I’m going to stop now. 🙂

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So this update is an attempt at a ‘shortened’ pictorial version of this anti-socialite’s life 🙂 – God stretched me to the point I feel like a rubber band that has stayed stretched out, no more ‘bouncing back’ to my original shape. So, if you plan to read all the way through, get comfy – consider this is your warning as this post is loooong. It is once again day by day for my sake when I’m trying to journal pictures later…or just when I try to remember why I am so very tired.

Plants on the deck are coming along. We planted a garden again this year, but we also wanted to keep some cabbage & lettuce (last year the moose got them). I told Vince he could make a container garden on our deck as long as he came up with an interesting container. He came up with the idea of tires – I love it! It seems the plants do too, we’ve decided the tires heat up & helps the plants grow well.

June 10th & 15th I went for training for filling in full time.
June 13th – 2pm was a bridal shower an hour away & at 7pm a wedding here.
June 16th-July 2th I worked full time. A very different life for the kids & I. My mom watched the kids for me. Mom, dad & the kids actually went to the cabin June 20-26th.
June 20th-26th I was home 100% alone & working all day. I haven’t lived that lifestyle since 1995! Life was VERY strange. They left Sat after the annual meeting at church – the rest of Sat & all day Sunday was the strangest. It was good for me. It was just long enough that I got past the weirdness of it & was happy when they came home. 🙂 Mom & the kids came home on the 26th.
June 27th was another friends wedding.
June 28th -mom, the kids & I went to town to go shopping for me to get things for going to camp & looking for clothes for my cousin’s wedding.
June 29th – after work we went into town again for more shopping…uggghhh, I really dislike shopping! We got home at 11:30pm!!!!
June 30th – after work I went to the airport to pick up Nate & Christina and their 5 kiddos. We went to eat in Anchorage. We got home 9:30pm & then visited for a couple hours. Oh yeah & I had to get a Creative Memory order in…
July 1st – Nate & Christina headed to the cabin. I went to work, then to a meeting for camp, then shopping to get the craft supplies for camp – home about 10:30pm.
July 2nd – went to work for half a day, went home & fell asleep sitting straight up on the swing on the deck for over an hour! Then 7’ish we headed to town again to take the truck to Jeremy’s apt for Uncle Dave & Aunt Sharon the next day. Home about 11pm.
July 3rd – needed to be at church by 12:30…at 12:15 in the Wal-mart parking lot, while sitting in my mom’s car, someone hit the car. No dents, just scratches – but still caused an adrenaline rush!
July 4th – was so different this year. This year I was at camp with other leaders & 46 students. Last year was the parade in a campaign year. Mom & my kids were home, they went to the parade & the Hughes’ picnic. Jon & Kathy got in & all headed to the cabin, there were 24 people there!

Our view when walking down the hill to eat or for meetings the Lodge.

FAMILY

Uncle Dave (Aunt Sharon’s husband) filled Vince’s love tank to overflowing. Uncle Dave loves to be in the kitchen cooking & so does Vince. He actually chose to stay home when we all went on a hike so he could cook with Uncle Dave for the rehersal dinner.

A small portion of our crew starting the hike.
It took 5 vehicles to get us all up to the mine! Of course I have many pictures of flowers. They were different than the ones going up the other trail. 🙂

Christine & I had to head down the mountain earlier than everyone else. The allergies were getting to be too much & I had to get to town to get paper for the wedding programs and back home for the rehersal dinner at 6pm.

July 9th (evening)– the rehersal dinner was at our house. How strange to have people from both of my hometowns at our house here. It was ‘mentally trippy’ :).

If I counted right we had 44 people here that evening.

At 12:30 Friday morning the 3 oldest girls had a sleepover in my bed.

July 10th –

The beautiful bride working on the bridesmaids’ bouquets.

Buckets of flowers!

By 1:30pm the centerpieces, bouquets, boutiners & food were as ready as they could be. So we went separate directions until 4, when we were to meet for manicure/pedicures. I went to Jo-Ann’s & Michael’s with mom & Aunt Sharon. We needed ribbon for the programs & something for the flower girls to carry.

I got my first pedicure. I figured it would be a fun memory for a first. I even got a design, one of the other girls got it & I liked it – so I copied her.

The table in the backyard during the rehersal dinner was Jeremy’s table. Kate came back to the house to get something she forgot & saw them burning it after the dinner (it broke when trying to move it), she was sad & mentioned she’d really liked the legs. Vince snagged a leg & made it into a hanging rack – sanding it down & putting hooks on it. He gave it to her at the reception – she recognized it immediately & loved it. He was so pleased!

Mom & Dad with the little car. Dad & Vince brought the little car into Anchorage. Dad chauffered Jeremy & Kate away from the wedding in it.

July 12th – church, gathered for lunch & then all gathered up at Zach & Janes for a hot dog roast – but first Christine & I went to church for the camp wrap up (a crowd of 80+!). Fourteen of our family friends also joined us. Jon & Kathy left late that night.
July 13th – Nate & Christina left late-afternoon (flew out at 5:30pm). Unfortunately Christina got sick & ended up in bed ’til the moment of leaving. I took them in to the airport, made a couple stops to return stuff not used for the wedding & then home for a movie with mom, kids & Gabby. Uncle Dave & Aunt Sharon went to a friends for dinner with Josiah, who left late evening.
July 14th – Uncle Dave, Aunt Sharon & Gabby had to be packed & ready to go. We drove up to Matt & Samantha’s for a BBQ, Nick & Beth (WI friends) also joined us.

While at Matt & Samantha’s, Matt took Gabby & CJ to fly over the glacier. They came back, landed & ate, then we left. We were there just over an hour. Then headed back to drop off BBQ stuff, pick up the fish and luggage to take them to the airport to fly out at 9pm.

This brings us to today, July 15th…It was the first morning I didn’t have to be up by 6:30/7am & out of the house by 8/9am…I slept until 10:20 & Christine until 11! Mom left to go for a campout with friends down in Ninilchik and Vince went to a friend’s for R’s birthday – so it’s just CJ & I. How weird is that?! Today, I got to actually stop & look at my flowers on my deck & how they’re doing. Guess what – remember my hibiscus I couldn’t get to hang onto its buds & bloom? I put it on the deck a month or more ago, I thought it was dead, I just didn’t get around to getting it to the garbage & I’ve basically ignored it. Yesterday (or the day before) I noticed a bud & today it had bloomed! It had all turned yellow & looked very dead. I’m glad I never got around to pitching it. Also, my pots that looked so pathetic have filled out nicely. For some reason though, my Viola’s that should only get to 6″ are all 12-18″ high….who knows. I’m just thankful they are all still alive & I can slow down, breathe & enjoy them now.

I must say I’ve learned so much in the last year & the last 6-7 wks cemented it. I feel as though this picture from last week’s hike very aptly describes my life right now. Beautiful, with bends & curves I can’t see around – but it is still good. All essentials there, just not straight, practical, functional – the way I tend to think is best. My trust is growing thru all this. For an anti-socialite who is used to requiring a couple days to recover from one crowd to see how God does give strength to make it thru multiple crowds in a week or crowds day in & day out for weeks on end… I’m tired but content. God has provided above & beyond, exceedingly & abundantly above all I could ask or think. I’ve been too tired to ask, but He knew what I needed even when I didn’t get it requested.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for knowing me – who I am in Christ.
Knowing what I need, when I need it & how much.

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We have started “the time”. The time we’ve known was coming for several years, even in denial we knew it would eventually come, when Zach & Jane don’t live here anymore. The kids won’t ever be little here at Bumma & Bumpa’s house anymore. Yes, this has caused many a tear at random times for all of us. This hurts, but like I keep reminding myself…I’m glad it hurts, because if it didn’t it would mean our family wasn’t as close as it is. …. but it hurts {wiping tears}.

Look at those stair steps! What will it look like when they’re all in Alaska again at the same time? Will these 3 goofy girls dress up in princess dresses to have a tea party “just because”? Will there be an even number of boys & girls when they see each other again, or is it possible the boys will outnumber the girls? These are the thoughts that are hard.

We do get to see them in just under a month. I do not look forward to saying goodbye again, that one will be ‘for good’. Why do we think this way even though we have not been promised tomorrow? The only part that will make it bearable is we’ll be the ones getting on the plane to return home, and the goodbye won’t be in Alaska. Silly, I know – but oh, how we miss them and we knew (as much as we can know) when they left we would see them in 6 weeks AND they haven’t even left the United States!

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