More Colorado Pictures & Quiet Christmas

I had to show you a couple more pictures from Colorado. The one is of "BIG DON" a hunting buddy of Jerry's with my sister next to him, just so you can get a good idea of exactly how TALL he is. Big Don was the nicest guy and had some great stories to share. When I went to hug him, I got a stool or chair to stand on to make it a little more even. :o) Everyone got a big laugh from that. He loved to give us a hard time, so we had to do something for him.

The other picture is of our nieces and nephews playing spoons. It's kind of tradition, when we get together to play some games... Spoons is one of the crazy games we play. The object is to get 4 cards of the same, and try to grab a spoon WITHOUT anyone else seeing you. Once they notice a spoon is gone, LOOK OUT....They even let us older aunts and uncles join them at one point. Guess who won??? (the oldies :o)... We had a lot of fun. I love being together and playing games. That was one of the things we did, as kids growing up, especially when we would get together at Grandma and Grandpa's house for Christmas.

Trip to Colorado

For those of you who don't know, my oldest sister, Wanda (in the blue) lost her husband, Jerry , Dec. 9th after he had a heart attack while clearing the snow from their driveway in Trinidad, Colorado where they lived over 20 years. They had LOTS of friends and adopted family there. The town showed my sister overwhelming support and love. They showered us with all kinds of food, a nice discount at the hotel where a lot of us stayed, lots of beautiful plants and flowers, cards and phone calls and a ride to and from the airports for some of us.

It was nice to get reacquainted with some of Jerry's relatives that I hadn't seen in over 40 years. We had our good times and sad times. Jerry loved camping, hunting, four wheeling and his dogs. He worked for the State of Colorado for many years. We had lots of the state employees and his hunting and camping buddies stop by and share stories about Jerry. We had lots good laughs and it was fun to hear how much Jerry was loved and will be missed.

I'm not sure how these pictues will come out, but they are: my mom and Wanda..., Wanda and her neice Tammy, from Montrose, Colorado, ...Jack (Jerry's brother), and a hunting buddy, Brian (nephew) and I were fixing sandwices for the 30 people that came for lunch.... Then my neice, Hannah (red hair) with my youngest sister Glenda, brother Ron & I, ... then some of people at the tables we had set up to help acomadate everyone. It was awesome!

Look what jumped out of Santa's Sleigh!

I guess this Moose jumped out of Santa's sleigh and landed right in our front yard on Christmas morning. :o) It was fun to open our curtains this morning and see him laying about 10 feet from our front door, with the snow falling. What a sight.

Tom is busy making some green chili stew today. Vaughn is here with us and we're having a pretty quiet day, kind of un-traditional. Usually we're going somewhere. Tom has had a sinus infection and BAD caugh for the past week a half. He's finally starting to feel beter, after some antibiodics and stronger caugh syrup that helps. MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ALASKA TO YOUR HOME!! WE LOVE YOU ALL!

JoAnn is in Colorado and Vaughn is staying with the dog and me for his birthday. My mother and Lindy sent the same birthday card to Vaughn and he ask me if the two of them shop at the same card store,ha!! The temp to day is 6 below 0 ,clear and no wind and still dark at 9:30 am . Angel is having a tough time with Jo gone and having to put up with Von and me. She and her sisters and brothers are in Trinidad for the oldest sister Wanda's husband pass away this last week. Pray for them thanks. Laurie the new camera looks good, we have had so much fun seeing the pictures you take . It gives us a chance to see you and your family grow and change thanks. Lindy the picture of you Lonnie and Laurie on your blog really warms my heart and the pic you and Laurie took of Deb and Christy and both of you where fun to see. What a great family. Lindy we are so very proud of Rick , we have and will keep him in our prayers.

Birthday Train Ride

For my birthday, Vaughn came in town and Tom took us out to dinner, at one of my favorite places, Applebees. Tom got me a gift certificate to Bed Bath and Beyond. I can't wait to use it. Fun, Fun!!

Once we finished eating I went to the airport to pick up my best friend Karleen. She is from a small village in Alaska that doesn't have many stores, so we went shopping till we dropped, going to Walmart, REI, and a couple other places.

Saturday morning bright and early @ 5:00AM the alarm went off. We needed to be at the Train station by 6:00AM to go on the Holiday Train to Seward, Ak. There were about 450 people on this special train trip. The train was decorated with lights and other Christmas decor to make it more festive.

We started out about 7:00AM got our breakfast... OJ, yogurt, granola and a croissant and coffee for my friends and tea for me. For the first couple hours of the trip it was dark outside so we just talked and got acquainted with some other friends that were on there also. Once it got light out side then we could see a lot more and it was absolutely beautiful going over the passes to Seward from Anchorage. We got to see new country that we don't see when we drive down there.

About half way through the trip, a couple guys brought their guitar and auto harp into our section of the train and we sang Christmas carols. That was fun! Then.... Santa came to our train and we got our picture taken with him while singing more carols. I especially enjoyed the auto harp. Mom Nogle gave me an auto harp a few years ago, and I played it for a while, but kind of forgot about it till now. I'll have to get it out and start practicing again. It's beautiful.

Once we got to Seward, there was a big craft fair we went to, then the buses took us down town and we walked around for a couple hours, shopping, ate lunch, walked some more and took a few pictures then caught the bus back to the train that left at 5:00 headed back to Anchorage. By this time it was dark again, so we ate some more and played some cards and other games that some of the other people had on board. The time went rather quickly and we returned back home abut 9;30 pm. It was a long, fun filled day. It was a new experience for both of us.

Sunday, I was bushed!! Karleen had to go shopping without me. I took her to the airport about 3:30 pm.

She had gotten several Christmas items together for gals and guys to send to Iraq. Sunday night when she returned to King Salmon, about 13 friends of hers got together and put together 75 Christmas stocking to send to her son in Iraq to distribute to the troops in his unit. That was AWESOME!! I know they will appreciate them!!

Beautiful Christmas Tree

I'm just sending a BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS TREE to all of you who might not be able to get one. This is one of our neighbor's tree, and I was trying to capture some of the glistening frost and snow that was falling from the sky. This was one of our rare sunny and bright days with the temperature of about 5 degrees. There was a slight breeze so some of the ice crystals was falling from the sky and it was unbelievably beautiful, and peaceful.

Post Thanksgiving Walk in the Snow

After Tom, Vaughn, Kyle (our friend that is living with us) and I ate our wonderful Turkey, muffin stuffing, mashed yams, mashed potatoes, green beans, 3 different salads, and of course pumpkin pie and apple crumb cake, I was able to talk Vaughn and Kyle into going on a nice walk with me. It was 3:45 pm and about 15 degrees and was getting dark. It's always nice when I can talk someone into going with me. Kyle has gone with me a few times. Angel always loves going. She was getting a treat standing on her back legs.

Vaughn just came in town for a couple days. It was nice to him them with us! I tried a couple different recipes that I got from Rachael Ray. The muffin stuffing was made with a few onions, apples, zucchini, celery and crumbled up pumpkin muffins, that I made yesterday. It all turned out pretty good. The pumpkin muffins were a big hit also.

We had a great day. We watched the Thanksgiving Day parade in the morning, and watched a little football in the evening. Vaughn and Kyle rented a movie to watch.

Thanksgiving Smells

Just think of all the wonderful different smells in the house and outside around Thanksgiving.

The smell of the turkey baking in the oven, with the dressing and yams or potatoes. Yum!
Then there is the pumpkin pie or apple or whatever you choose to bake ( or if your like me, have Betty Crocker or Mrs. Smith) help me out. :o) Non the less, they still smell and taste great!
Home made rolls, baking in the oven. That is one of my most favorite smells, is the smell of bread baking. I guess that's why I like walking into Subway, because of the great smell when you walk in. Don't forget the vegetables and the cranberry salad of some sort. yummmy! Makes me hungry just thinking about it.

I love to watch the big, beautiful, soft snow flakes fall. It is so peaceful and it just reminds me of a beautiful blanket of purity and cleanliness covering the earth. It's so beautiful. Snow doesn't have any smell, but it makes up for it in it's beauty. We got about 3 inches of fresh snow tonight, and Angel and I were out playing and walking around in it. It was so warm, for here, about 25 degrees. It has been below 20 most of the time since Oct. , so when it gets about 20 I am jumping for joy, and right out in the midst of it!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

YES IT IS ALMOST THANKSGIVING ALREADY! WE ALL HAVE A LOT TO BE THANKFUL FOR!
MOST OF ALL I AM VERY THANKFUL THAT I AM A CHILD OF GOD AND HE LOVES ME JUST AS I AM! AND FOR MY FAMILY, AND EXTENDED FAMILY, THAT LOVES ME AND ACCEPTS ME.
I AM THANKFUL FOR A NICE WARM HOME, RUNNING WATER, ELECTRICITY, A NICE WARM BED TO SLEEP IN, & FOOD TO EAT.
I AM THANKFUL FOR TOM AND HIS JOB, AND HIS ABILITY AND WILLINGNESS TO WORK SO WE CAN HAVE A NICE HOME. (SO WE CAN SHARE IT WITH OTHERS)
I AM THANKFUL FOR MY JOB, MY WONDERFUL BOSS AND HIS WIFE AND FAMILY! (THEY SPOIL ME)
I AM THANKFUL FOR ANGEL, MY DOG, THAT KEEPS ME COMPANY ON WALKS.
I AM THANKFUL FOR THE ABILITY TO WRITE FREELY AND EXPRESS MY FEELINGS.
I AM THANKFUL FOR LIFE! (AND LIFE AFTER DEATH)
I KNOW THERE IS MORE SO I'LL HAVE TO CONTINUE ANOTHER DAY!

This Sunday morning is very quit ,we still have Kyle and Jess staying with us and Kyle's Aunt Karleen for the weekend. I think Angel enjoys the early morning as much as I do . Talked to Lonnie the other day,sounds like he has a house full of life . I am glad he has his daughters to keep him young, full of life, with all his wonderful grandchildren to keep him and Deb very happy too. When I ramble on like this some times the deeper and philosophical wants to take over and spout out some over the top thing. So before I go over the top I will say good morning and God bless you all.

Fall has come & gone

Fall has come and gone in Anchorage already. It lasted about a month. Mid Sept. and the first part of Oct. were fairly nice. My neighbor Hannah, and I, and the dogs of course, went for a nice walk yesterday, and it was delightful. Then....this morning when we got up, there was about an inch of snow on the ground. Ugggg! I wanted to just go back to bed and hid my head, in hopes it would go away, but I haven't yet. :o) Most of the beautiful leaves were blown off the trees a couple nights ago when we had very strong winds, for Anchorage.

Our friends, Kyle and Jessica & Roo (their dog) are still with us a little longer, although they are talking about driving down to Idaho soon, where her uncle lives. They are getting the car ready, tires changed to snow tires and things like that. Kyle has been like an adopted son to us, since we've been up here in Alaska. Their family and ours just clicked. It's nice!

We got a nice surprise phone call from one of our other adopted sons, Robert, that is back in Iraq again, Saturday morning. He is doing fine...re-adjusting to that life style again. He was stationed in Colorado Springs, Colorado and hopefully will be able to go back there when this tour is over for him. Tom got to see him when he was down there in July, then when he was in Alaska, in Sept, before he deployed, we all got to see him. Time together, with family and friends is always precious to me. We're never quit sure when the next time will be. Please continue to pray for Robert, and all our other family and friends that are serving our country.

This Kyle and Jess, Kyle is Glenn's son .Glenn is my hunting "guide " from King Salmon AK.They have moved from there to Anchor town about two weeks ago. They are stain staying with Jo and me now. The dog is Rue . The fog rolled in this morning which is a good indication winter is near. We where very happy to here that Rick will be

doing the BP . Laurie will you come here and do a BBQ for us? Sounds like it would be great fun.

The Magestic Eagle

Tom got some good pictures of a couple eagles that were right along the river that they were on. They were beautiful.

Tom's Vacation to King Salmon, Alaska

Tom went out to King Salmon, Alaska this past week for vacation. This is some of the area around King Salmon. It is pretty flat and the trees are just little. No mountains near there. This is one of the lakes and the area surrounding it. The other picture is some younger kids camping Alaskan style...with their head nets, to keep the bugs and misquitoes off , their 4 wheelers, camp fire, tent and out house. Tom said it rained on them while they were out there but they kept safe.

He also saw a couple very Magestic Eagles in the tree tops. They are so beautiful. He had a great time. It's always nice to get away from the phones at work and relax a while and enjoy nature.

Clouds over Anchorage

This picture was taken earlier this summer, but I don't think I shared it with you. The clouds have covered part of the mountains most of the summer. This was taken from right by our house. I am ready for some sunshine...hopefully tomorrow.

SARAH PALIN-GREAT ALASKAN LADY

WOW! What a week this has been in Alaska, since our Governor, Sarh Palin from Wasilla, Alaska (just a 45 min drive from our home in Anchorage) was nominated the Republican Vice President of the United States! Alaska is now on the map! People are finding out about the Palin family and some of the things she has accomplished while being Governor of this great state. She is a honest, hard working Alaskan woman with good morals and a good heart. We wish the best for her and her family! I know whatever she puts her mind to do, she gets done. She reminds me of Princess Diane- very smart, beautiful, and powerful woman that I look up to.

GIANT Cabbage

Now that's a BIG head of Cabbage. The lady is holding a 2 or 3 lb. head like we buy in the store, compared to the other one that is over 50 lbs. (Sorry I forgot the actual weight).

FUN AT THE FAIR WITH FRIENDS!

What a fun time we had going to the Alaska State fair last weekend with my 2 friends Karleen & Patti. We like to go and walk around and look at all the beautiful flowers and other exhibits...and of course, there's nothing quit like the corn on the cob, or smoked turkey leg, or cream puff with chocolate AND berries on it.... YUMMMM!!! We have to walk a lot to work off all the food we eat, mainly met. :o)

It was not a great year for the flowers this year, and yet, even though we had LOTS of cloudy days and rain, there were still Big and Beautiful floweres there. It was fun to see.

Another favoriate thing for us to see is all the quilts made by different groups and even some young people. That is incouraging to me. My friend, Karleen, is into quilting, but not me. I don't have the patients for it, right now. But...they are still fun to see.

Good Friends and my adopted Alaskan Family

My good friend Karleen and her son Robert were in town last weekend. Robert is in the Airforce, stationed in Colorado Springs, Co. and has a couple weeks off before he goes back to Iraq. We took a nice trip down to Kenai, Ak--about a 3 hour drive (depending on who is driving :o) and we got to go down by the beach and enjoy a nice evening "beach combing". It was delightful. Robert and the other boy cousins were on the 4 wheelers having fun, and the rest of us were just walking the beach.

Beautiful Cheney Lake

This is one of the lakes near by that Angel and I walk to quit often. I finally remembered to take my camera a few days ago so I could try to capture the beauty of the fireweed, with the lake and the mountains and clouds. This was one of the few partly sunny days we had here in Anchorage this summer.

I'm having trouble being able to add the pictures I want to this blog, so I'm a little flustered. I'll keep trying though.

I've been watching some of Summer Olympics, and it is amazing the determination these athletics have! They are an inspiration to me.

This the second week this summer that we have not had company. It's to quiet and it makes the house seem bigger. This video was taken when we were with Paul and Meg late July ,Ship creek runs through Anchorage . It has Salmon runs all summer long. We have injoyed the pictures of Lourie and Jason with the childern swimming in the 100 plus ,while we have had only two days over 70, I think we would melt but it would be fun to see if we could take the heat.

More Colorado Pictures

This is one of the families that adopted Paul before he got married. Then eventually Cindy and the children. Very neat family from his church. They are taking good care of Paul and his kids. In fact, Paul told Tom that he had enough food in his freezer to last him and the kids for a year.

Lon playing with the children.
Then Paul resting with John. I think this pictures is precious.

The 3 brothers worked on the motor of the air condition for the house. They finally had get a new one. :o) They got it installed and things cooled off fast.

Jason posing for a picture.

Just for fun

You add what you want to these pictures. Just more pictures of when Brian and Mom Nogle were here.

Brian entertaining Vaughn and I on the 4th of July. He couldn't get away without doing at least one show for us.

My favorite color

Can you guess what my favorite color might be?... If you guessed fusha you are right. I got kind of carried away with pictures of our beautiful floweres we have in our yard, once I finally took time to "smell the roses". And boy did they smell good! I had given the big rose bush a "military hair cut" earlier in the summer, and I wasn't real sure how it was going to do this summer. But it looks pretty good to me. It looks like there will be lots more roses here very shortly! YEA! The colombines are doing pretty good also. Enjoy!