Family Friends and Culture

The sets was gorgeous, but we read in the program to not take pictures after I got these few, being a rule-follower I didn't take any more.



Manderzz shared some with me...yum! My salad was gross.
The whole gang...Wonder if we'll EVER have occasion to include MTM's and K's families too??
C & B were so cute. Silently entertaining themselves while the adults talked and talked.
I think Frederico was Mexican not Japanese, oh well. He was good.



It's our last night in ANC --we're sooooo ready to be home. I know that Jr, Dylls and Bella are very ready for us to be home too. Friday we met up with my brother Rick, Brenda and their boys at Benihana. What a meal! It was delicious! We had a great time visiting too. We were exhausted and I was in bed by 9pm.
I'd been up since 5am to hit Sportsman's Warehouse for guns, ammo, hunting/sledding clothes and who knows what else, A LOT of stuff. People thought we were sooo rural Alaska that we chose THAT store and THAT stuff to buy on Black Friday. Whatever --all the other electronics can be purchased on line and shipped to us, why bother with the crowds and lines? (plus we're not doing the crazed electronic thing this Christmas, our "indulged" kids have more than enough already!)

Yesterday we ran a few errands, Target and Old Navy for Mrs. Beard's class. T went to REI for some gifts while Manderzz and I ate at the Middle Way Cafe -
http://www.yelp.com/biz/middle-way-cafe-anchorage
I want to eat that sort of food all the time! I think Jeff needs to open a place like that?!! Or Alena?? Come on guys! Someone...
Last night was the big night, The Nutcracker! We met Patty, Dave and DJ. It was lovely, Manderzz liked it a lot. Patty gave Manderzz a sweet little ballerina ornament as a keepsake (she's so thoughful that way!) T survived and didn't fall asleep, but there will be no more ballets for him.

Today, just a quick trip to Fred Meyers I haven't gotten 2 items for Mrs. Beard's class and T has a few more things to get (don't know where we'll put this stuff. We literally have 9 pieces of luggage and 2 carry-ons each and CB thought we were slackers in the shopping department!! WE acquire huge amounts of crap without even trying.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Life is Good

NO WAY that's our little Manderzz....grandma is a great photographer...now give us back our baby girl who's only 11!!!

Grandma Buddy and her new friend hiking!! I LOVE IT!!

Dyls at his swim meet. He reported that he won every heat he participated in (did he or is that how he remembers it??) not bad for being sick for over a week AND oversleeping once or twice, missing practice.

ohh this is the one that really got to us! We want our little baby girl back...sheesshhhh she looks like a teenager!
Yes, grandma sells her photographs in Kodiak, mostly of bears (she is brave or crazy that mom of T's)

Jr and Juno.

Dyls always looks tired...doing both wrestling and swimming has got to be exausting!

Wow...they do like their grandma, the boys usually NEVER watchtheir sister play sports --she ALWAYS watches them though....creeps!

Grandma feeding the troops who were over last FRI for a night of Xbox, a bonfire and something ab0out an egg toss in the road...still haven't heard the story behind that?!

We missed her first game, she was soooooo excited, a GREAT coach this year, she's improving a bunch! Thanks Mr. Ley!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH............ how cute!

This is the frickin life...except some fruit would be nice. All we have is cafe, cerveza (yuk), pan y yogurt! Even better minutes later our friends from the SH contest called, brought their extra food and we went to brunch! Cabo is the best.

Here's where I'm sitting typing. i should be at the pool, but T is out fishing, i could not risk getting sea sick and ruinning his expensive charter) I am catching up on emails and everything else...which I'mnot supposed to do...T wanted a computer-free trip, pleeeeaassee! That's sort of impossible. I jump om every other day or so. I've got some time before my 2.5 hours at the spa! I love that place!!!!!

My wonderful mother in law is staying with the kidws, she is getting to know them better, T even fixed her up with a friend WH --sounds like they hit it off just like AG and I did when her husband "fixed us up" My sister made a scrapbook layout and posted it on her blog....THANKS K, it's womnderful!! We haven't changed a bit, right? There is just about 30 pounds MORE of each of us to love :)

Glass Beach!

My treasures after 3 walks on "glass beach" My secret --bring lots of teens and the occasional tween to help spot glass!
I'm just not sure this was a great idea, but he felt the need to do it and survived (whew!) He climbed up the hill, ran over and climbed down by the vehicle...only about a minute later than when we got there after following the path around the base --I'm impressed.
This kid loves picking up random dead creatures! That is a huge hermit crab!
AG, Manderzz & ABob sifting the rocks for glass...we ran out of beach, but didn't want to leave, it was sunny!
Dills found a marble...it's new. Someone must've had extra ones that ended up in the ocean?? Jsut guessing...
Ohhhh this seaweed is going to smell bad when it starts to rot!! YUK!!!!! I bet there is a lot of glass under all of that though...

I did deduct which beach "Glass Beach" was...the only one I'd never been too! It's so fun I walked there three times in 2 days this weekend. It was decent-enough weather on Saturday evening with CB. But WONDERFUL on Sunday when we went with AG and then with CB too....4 hours of beach time in one day! It was 62 degrees with barely a breeze....probably the best day of the summer.
It's drizzly tonight, and feels like a Monday (blah!) But I did play cribbage with Jr and PT...PT won, that's OK, I won SORRY on Friday night when my husband popped in for 28 hours -- I NEVER win games!! I'll be happy for years :)
They came back from patrol, then he headed out moose hunting.

And They're off Again....

What a wild and crazy group we are! Watching the WGN news...mocking all the newscasters, and deciding if a model with serious drama REALLY is gorgeous or scary-looking. ~~Nice seating arrangement too, huh??
There really is a reasonable explanation for this...umm not really! He's just a pest.
And this...AG would only do this EXCEPT for a very important and mature reason! She is a PROFESSIONAL and NEVER silly!!
Dips, salsa, fruit salad, hamburgers, hot dogs, fires, cake, lemonade --yummy!!!!

It was great having the guys home for a month, we did something almost every day! Had the crew over last night :)

Kolecta Bay Memories

We missed the Festival of the Aleutians and the parade too...but I think all 9 of us are happy we went camping, even though it was gray and the clear day predicted for Sunday didn't happen. It was good enough weather. The boat is leaving soon, and from the sound of the wind this fall is here....or coming VERY soon.



A cute flower growing in the rocks, I can't pass a perfect one by!
Our glass ball, they're always just sitting in the driftwood, looking like they're waiting for us to find them!
We are certain there are several glass balls in every pile like this...but what can you do??
I bet it was 52 degrees in the morning...did that make Dills put on any clothes....nope!
Manderzz and Mr AG playing with some sparklers.
No sand and all rocks is better than I thought...less mess on us, the gear and the food!
Expelliarmus!Mr. CD....tending the fire...
Something was cracking AG up!
AG would not drink the punch I made --similar to the punch from Tundra Golf...so I had to work on it myself!
S'mores!
AB used a bouy I found as a chair.

Ahhh......so sweet!
Good thing we had 5 of us to figure out the hamburger-cooking thing! I couldn't figure out how to open it!
AB REALLY likes summer sausage!
The girls had air mattresses....we used the cushions from the skiff --rumor is I had both and T had none! Oops...I didn't know. I just know I was REALLY comfortable!
Checking the skiff.
We had 4 tents, each couple and one each for the boay & for the girls.