More December icy pictures

The snow and frost has been beautiful this year. We had about 2 weeks of really cold (around zero) then we got more beautiful snow. It made everything so beautiful.

Nice Christmas

We had a delightful Christmas and are very thankful to the Lord for His love to us.

We had some good friends over and Tom fixed a yummy brisket, like uncle Darrell does, with the Clauds BBQ sauce from Albuquerque. It always turns out really good. I actually made an apple and pumpkin pie and chocolate chip cookies the day before. Everything turned out really nice, and I didn't even take any pictures of our spread. :( Maybe next time I'll remember?? The vegetable medley with, little red potatoes, asparagus, zucchini, red onion, red & yellow bell pepper, with a little olive oil and salt & pepper turned out pretty good, along with the scalloped potatoes, a couple wonderful salads. Yummmy! Needless to say, most of us ate to much. :)
Linda, my friend and I went driving around and looked at some beautiful Christmas lights after we pulled ourselves away from the table and got things cleaned up. I'll try to post some of the pictures that turned out.

Catcing up!

We wish all of you a very Blessed Christmas and a very Happy New Year!!

You can check out the pictures on this blog, from the last year to see a little of what we've been doing.

Winter has set in now and will be with us for a while. Over the last month we have gotten about 30 inches of snow and has been very cold, about zero to 15 above. Needless to say I haven't done much walking this winter.
I've been working extra hours to cover my co-worker who was on vacation for a couple weeks, and my boss leaves Monday for a month, so I'll be holding down the fort for them again, until Jan. 18th when they get back. Then...I'm taking off on vacation. Going to Albuquerque, to see family, then on to Phoenix to see more family and get some natural beautiful vitamin D.

Tom is keeping busy at his same job he's had for the past 20 years, with the building supply company. He's looking forward to the day when he won't have to "punch a clock" for someone else. He still loves his boat, fishing, 4 wheeling and he's a great cook. I'm so thankful he likes to cook.
Vaughn is staying with us for a while, until he gets his feet back on the ground. He is still working nights at Target, and we're thankful for that. It's been nice to have him here.

Angel is still a good friend (that doesn't talk back) and walking partner, when it's not so cold. She's always ready to go anytime, and anywhere.

So far, we have all been able to stay healthy. The Shaklee products give me the energy I need to keep going and keeps my immune system up. Now, I'm entering a new phase in my life that requires more help so the extra vitamin D, mood lift, Omega 3, and other natural vitamins, all work together, to help me through these LONG winters up here. I need all the help I can get.
We have a new web site that I'm excited about. Check it out @ http://nogle.myshaklee.com
Lots of cool, short video's and good information.

In Aug. I got to got to go to King Salmon, Ak. to visit our good friends, Mike & Karleen. We flew over Mt. Readout-one of the active volcanoes here in Alaska.
We also got to go fishing and four wheeling. The first silver salmon I caught was about 12-15 lbs. and had bear claw marks on his back. He barely got away once from the bear, but didn't make it away from the mighty fishermen (fisher woman) of Alaska. HA!! I had a great guide who showed me how and where to throw the line, where the big ones were. He was right. What a guy!

Mike didn't tell Karleen that I was coming out, so it was a total "surprise" to her. We had a great time.

Our neighbor got a bunny rabbit this summer and 3 chickens. Between the bunny, chicken, and the squirrel it kept Angel pretty occupied. She gets so intense, especially when she see's or hears the squirrel. She's finally become friends with the bunnies, and the chickens are kept inside their own little house with a heat lamp, so they don't freeze. I hope they make it through the winter.

We'll find out in a few more months.

The fireweed was beautiful also this year. I tried to be a little creative and catch one of the bees on it.

Tom finally helped me put all the pictures in a different file so I can actually find them when I want to now, so I thought I would add a few more and get you caught up a little. We had a beautiful summer and very nice long fall, almost through Oct. before things changed to much. I think this Cheni Lake is so pretty, especially in the fall. There were a few fishermen out there in the little float boats and a canoe. It was just delightful.

Our tree in the front yard is about to reach the ground from the 30 or so inches of snow in the past two weeks.

We had two weeks of ice fog before that. This why Jo is ready to go some place warm and to see the sun again.

Just Thankful!

I'm just so thankful to have Vaughn working again. He started a job tonight at Target. YEAH!! It's a LONG TIME over due. There are so many things he needs to do! I'm so thankful he finally has a little life in his step. Thank you all for your support and prayers...don't stop. :)

Pictures from yesterday!

I finally figured out how to add these pictures that went with yesterdays post. :) I still need some help on how to arrange them though. Anyway, I just wanted to show we do have a beach in Anchorage where some people wear their swim suits, (and maybe shouldn't) and some of us don't. There is a reason some of us DON'T wear our bathing suites. You need blinders on for our white legs. :o)
It was another BEAUTIFUL day today. We broke another record of 80 degrees officially, but it was hotter than that at our house. It's delightful and very unusual for Anchorage. Lovin it, lovin it.

New Friend-Beautiful day

There is nothing quit like a new friend, beautiful sunshine and around 80 degrees and a walk around the lake. Plus...I'm on vacation for one more day. It's been delightful.

My friend Victoria and I have just connected. She's a real good listener and knows exactly how to ask the right question to get me going. We can talk about almost anything, and I feel very comfortable knowing she is there for me. We both miss our families back home and can relate to one another. It's a very nice good change in my life to have someone to open up to a little and do things with. (unfortunately once again, I wasn't able to get the pictures on here I wanted so...you'll just have to see them on my face book). Maybe one day, I'll find an easier way to get this to work the way I want and it won't be so complicated for me.

Vaughn and I have had a good time getting reacquainted these last few days while I've been on vacation. He is still not working but looking everyday. He's got a good heart and I know he will find what he likes one of these days.

Beautiful Trip to Alyeska

Vaughn and I took the day today and took a very nice beautiful trip to Alyeska, about 45 minute drive. It was a gorgeous day! We had a nice time going out for breakfast first, then drove to Alyeska. We took the gondola up the Mt. to 2300 feet where the view was absolutely fabulous! We took a few short trails around the top of the mountain, then went down the hill a little to watch the para sailers get their sails ready and run off the mountain and into the wild blue yonder flying like a bird. I love to just enjoy the fresh air and warm sunshine just watching them fly over the inlet. Some day I might actually try it, IF I get my nerve up.

I'm on vacation until next week, so we're hopefully going to do a few short fun trips. It's good for both of us to get out and enjoy life and have a change of pace.

New Libby Baby

The Doctor, that I work with, just had the cutest baby boy a week ago. Cindy brought him and his big brother to the office today. They are both sooooo cute!! Big brother, Ellison, just turned 3 a couple months ago. He is such a ham and has the cutest smile and the best personality. They are moving to California June 18th. ;( Dr. Warren Libby is going back to school to be an Orthodontist. We're not sure if they will be returning to Alaska or not. Warren was raised in Alaska, so we really hope they will return in a couple years. We will miss them a lot.
I also went and saw my other Doc. (chiropractor) today and she worked on my right knee that has been hurting a lot recently. I haven't been able to walk on it, for very long, for a week now. Going down stairs would just about did me in. She gave me a referral to get an x-ray, to see what the problem is. One thing she said was that, I need to stretch my muscles more. As the muscles shorten, it pulls on the knee cap and causes pain. ( I guess it's just one more thing that can happen to us IF we don't take care of our self properly) Oh the joys of getting older. :) It has felt really good since she used the laser and a did a deep message on it. She is WONDERFUL! She has helped me so much, with anything and everything, health wise that is, these last few years. I think she knows how every cell of our body works and how it's all connected and works together with other parts of our body. If one part of our body is week, it affects other parts. It's AMAZING how uniquely and beautifully our body is made. What a miracle!! (Just like the Libby's baby)

New Mamma-Rare Site

Angel and I were headed out for a walk on this beautiful afternoon, Memorial Day, when we turned the corner about 3 blocks from our home and I saw a momma moose. We QUICKLY turned around and made a beeline to the house where I put Angel up and hoped in the car and went back down to where I saw the moose, and there was her baby with her. It couldn't be more than a few days old. So cute, BUT you do NOT want to get near them. You can tell momma had her ears down and was pretty nervous. She had been eating something, which she needed to do. She was pretty thin. This was my first time of seeing the young one so close to our house.

Beautiful Sun Shine and Sounds

I woke up this morning to the sun shining brightly through our windows. We opened the curtains and windows to let the sounds and fresh air come in. While I was sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast, in the nice warm sunshine, I heard a robin singing to me in the nearby trees. It was a beautiful sound, since I know once they get here after a long migration back to Alaska, spring is almost here. I am still waiting for the little swallows to make their way back to their nest near our kitchen window.
I even put on my shorts yesterday and probably will today also. My poor legs were so white from being hidden all winter, that I needed sun glasses on so I wouldn't be blinded by the brightness!
I talked to my sister, Glenda, today. She got out of the hospital yesterday and is staying with my aunt and uncle there in Denver, until after tomorrow when she has follow up appointments with her doctors. She seemed to doing pretty well now, she's able to eat and keep things down, and is managing the pain. She getting stronger and stronger each day. She will just need to take it easy for a few weeks yet, but I bet she bounces back pretty quickly. The Shaklee vitamins helped her
be nice and healty. :) Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Blogger: JoAnn's Alaskan Life - Manage Posts

Blogger: JoAnn's Alaskan Life - Manage Posts

My dreams

Well, Laurie you got me thinking again. One of the things I wanted to do when I was younger and able to wear high heals, was to learn to dance. We were never allowed to even go to dances growing up. Tom and I did take country western dancing lessons with 3 or 4 other couples many years ago in Albuquerque, but... to make a long story short, it didn't work out. It was to hard for me to follow Tom, and we were "feeling" different beats to the song, so it was a disaster. I did line dance a few times, and I did much better by myself. :)
I love to watch dancing with the stars when I have time and remember that it's on. Maybe one day...in my wildest dreams I will learn to ball room dance. They just look so graceful and beautiful. I knew an older lady in Albuquerque that took ball room dancing, and brought pictures of herself all dolled up, into our office. My goodness, it's amazing what a LOT of make up and a beautiful flowing gown, and a handsome young man can do for an older woman. :)
I really enjoyed watching Christie do all her different kind of dances one time when mom Nogle and I were down in Phoenix a few years ago. She was great! I could learn a lot from her. It was so much fun!

Quiet Skies

With the falling of the ash comes closure of the airport last night. Many more stranded travelers, stores & restaurants closing and moving of some planes from the Air Force base here and a very quiet ski. It was very unusual to not have planes flying overhead and rumbling through the night. Not last night. It was very quiet...kind of weird.
Here at our house we only got a dusting of ash, but enough to darken the snow a little. I wrote you a note in it but I'm still having trouble getting them to here.
I can tell that spring IS getting closer though with my rhubarb just peaking up out of the ground about an inch. The snow is just a foot away from them. It's a good thing it hardy, otherwise it wouldn't survive here. The birds are singing and the squirrels are driving Angel crazy. It's fun to watch Angel be soooooo intense when she sees them.
I'll be very glad when we make it through the rest of March and April. May usually brings green grass, more flowers and lots warmer temps. I can't wait to be able to get out more. I guess you could say, I have cabin fever bad this year. This time of year I also hibernate more, eat more, gain more weight and do less. NOT a good combination. :(

What does a Volcano burp up?

With the recent activity of Mt. Redoubt going off, it got me thinking. Hmmmm.....What exactly is that volcano burping into the air over 12 miles high? Just think, everything that comes up, once was miles beneath the earth. So.....hopefully someone somewhere can take some of the ash and whatever it is that's spread all over for miles, and will learn from this and share it with the generations to come.
With all the eruptions lately comes air traffic cancellations, people stranded all over the country not being able to get to their work, or loved ones, vacations or their final destinations. It's quit an inconvenience to lots of people and yet we do NOT have any control over it. It's just one of God's ways to show us who really IS in control.

Nice walk in the Snow

Angel and I went on a nice walk after our 4-6 inches of beautiful fresh fluffy snow today and on our way home we came across our neighbor and her dog Otis. He's so gentle and mild.






We came across these Bohemian Wax Wings that are migrating through Alaska. They are gray with red on their top notch and yellow on their tails. Hopefully you can tell a little by these pictures. They love to eat berries and left over crab apples.

Angel loves going on walks with me.

Vaughn in town

Vaughn came in town last night so since most of us were hungry for something sweet...we fixed it. We made some wonderful chocolate chip cookies. They turned out pretty good, if I must say so myself. He took most of them back home with him for the 3 bachelors that share a house. and I took some to work, so there are just a few for us, which is all we need. :)

Today our heater was not working properly, so Tom had to relight the boiler pilot light. Now we have heat again. YEA!! It made me a little nervous when you have to do that. It's kind of like lighting a propane grill. Fortunately, nothing bad happened. It is about 15 degrees out side and it was down to 62 degrees inside our home. It ws pretty cool for a while. Maybe I should have baked more tonight to warm up the house. :)

Finally the Rest of the Cruise

Cozumel was my favorite place. I really enjoyed just being outside and playing in the water and enjoying God's handiwork.

Look real close and you can see a turtle in this crystal blue water. Just absolutely beautiful.

I couldn't believe how narrow the streets were in Cozumel. They did have little cars, mopeds, horse and buggie and of course walking. We did take a short ride on the horse and buggy after we had walked along the beach.

Donald bought this hat from the guy on our catamaran that made it from Palm leaves, (I think). That's a grasshopper on the side of it. :)

The beach was absolutely beautiful!

Yep, I did it again, put the pictures in exactly backwards, so bare with me. We had a great time snorkeling. I took off my fins way to soon, and had to work pretty hard to not let the current take me under the boat. So I was pretty tired when we finished.

Yep, that's me out there. Tom stayed on the boat.
It's so different looking under water. The fish were absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!

Beach volley ball anyone? I did really well at protecting my body from getting to badly sunburned, until here... OUCH! It was worth every second of pain I had though :)

Donald and Glenda enjoying the water.

Getting ready to go snorkeling. If you haven't tried it, you need to. It's a little tricky to just BREATH through your mouth. :)

No this is not me, even though I was tempted. Maybe next time?

I was trying to be creative with my photography. This is a picture of my chicken salad in a mango. :0)

Yes, I actually took this picture of the beautiful sunset myself. Just gorgeous.

Our beautiful ship ...

This is actually in Belize. I think this is the river that separated the rich from the poor. There was a distinct difference between the two.