Red Shirt Lake

The day after the wedding at Bayshore Chris and I wanted to just get out camping, anywhere. We've been waiting for a nice weekend to come along and it looks like that just won't happen, so rain or shine we set out to the Nancy Lake area to pitch a tent and do some fishing.We stayed at the South Rolly Lake campground and found a campsite right next to the lake and the first night was really beautiful, peaceful, lovely.

We had put the kids in bed, Chris was working on getting the fishing poles ready for the next day and I was purposefully sitting in the smoke coming off of the campfire to get away from the mosquitoes. It wasn't really a campfire, the firewood we got from the campground was soaked. No warming flames but lots of great mosquito deterring smoke!

The next day we woke up to rain. It was just a little bit of a drizzle, so we were bound and determined to continue on with the plans to hike in 3 miles to Red Shirt lake for some Pike fishing. Chris carried Raegan on his back, Tucker carried a hydration pack, Gunner carried a hydration pack, Calvin carried an oar, I carried a backpack of supplies, the fishingpoles, and the life jackets, haha!

The kids were little troopers, they held out longer than I expected that they would. We took frequent breaks for them and eventually made it out to Red Shirt lake. Chris had rented a canoe from the campground, where they gave him a key to unlock one of the canoes already out at the lake. Whew! I'm glad we didn't have to carry it!

We didn't have any luck catching pike but we had a great time paddling around the lake. It was a relaxing, lazy time at the lake, still in the drizzle. And then it was time to head back. The boys didn't want to have any part of that. Calvin lost it minutes into the walk back and Gunner was doing his best to keep it together. We started talking about the rides at DisneyLand and his pace really quickened! Tucker did so good. Not hardly a peep out of that one. Chris was so sore from carrying Raegan and Calvin, at the same time. Yep, Calvin had to be carried part of the way and he fell asleep on Chris' shoulders, haha! So cute!

When we made it back to the trail head the rain was really coming down so we had to strip and pack all the kiddos in the suburban and then take down the rest of the camp. The tent is still drying out in the garage.. yuck!

Hopefully the kids look back on this trip as a fun time and not as a form of torture. It was nice to get out with my family...despite the rain.

Bayshore Wedding

Here are pic's (which dear, dear Marie took) of the wedding at Bayshore.

This bride stuck with mainly white and red colors and kept the decor pretty simple. Thank goodness for that, we had to completely change the area from a ceremony site to a reception site in under an hour!! Her dad made these awesome birch candle holders that looked great above the fireplace area. We complimented the look with arrangements of large curly willow. At the base of each arrangement we had red roses. Very elegant yet still had that outdoorsy feel to it. Check one more off the list!!

First Sleep Over

The boys had their first sleepover the other night. Josiah and Isaac spent the night and played the following day. They all stayed up very late watching Star Wars. Our kids have strict bed times even in the summer (mostly a break for us) so this was a very special time for them.

Thankfully the next day brought a rare (very rare this year) glimpse of sun and with it warm weather. The morning started with a water balloon fight....with unbreakable water balloons. Gunner just about got his head taken off 3 times.

After that they all ran through the sprinkler....check out those moves! They also played battle, rode on the toys and played baseball. They had a blast and can't wait to do it again.

Zoo Visit

We intended to go to the airshow....... however 100,000 people emerging through a hand full of gates created a bottle neck that we couldn't pass. Not wanting to disappoint our kids to much we took them to the zoo instead. They had fun and if we lived in Anchorage we'd definitely go more often. On the last picture Chris is explaining how big his moose was. 69" is big but.....

Moose Pass

The wedding we did in Moose Pass for Meg and Jim was so beautiful. Great group of people too. It took place at the Inn at Tern Lake. We had the ceremony outdoors facing the mountains. The cocktail reception was underneath a large tent right near the ceremony. The reception was indoors at the Inn. After everyone finished the delicious dinner made by Rose at the Inn they went back outside under the tent for cake and dancing. Very good food and a really beautiful setting.

Willow wedding

Here are some pictures that Marie took from the wedding in Willow on July 3rd. The weather held out for us, just a little drizzle during the ceremony and reception. It was only after dinner was over and the dancing started that the rain started to really come down. The bride and groom were very happy with everything and that is always really good to hear after the long planning process. Tandy and Marie came with on this wedding...I love those guys!

The colors for this wedding were chocolate brown, sage green, and a pale yellow. The bride really wanted to have a "natural" element to the wedding as well as a outdoorsy sportsman feel, if that makes sense. For the welcome baskets I put together some of the Alaskan brochures and magazines, included some postcards, local confections, and two bottles of Alaskan summer ale. All of these items were put into an Ammo tin and then tied off with a little note of thanks from the bride and groom. They were a hit!

The centerpieces were very fun and unique. I wanted to bring in something with the centerpieces that showcased the natural element that the bride wanted. So I made the arrangement on top of cool shaped rocks. The more unusual the shape the better, as long as it wasn't tippy! Then at each place setting was a small glass votive filled with polished rock and a lit candle.

We had tents set up with the tent liners, which add alot. Paper lanterns clustered in the middle of the tent and a few large ones all around the sides of the tent gave a more intimate feel when you were inside.

Thanks for taking pictures Marie!

Stop to smell the roses

Sometimes life becomes so hectic, weighty, and frantic one forgets to stop and smell the roses. This 4th of July was the perfect opportunity to do so, so we decided to get out in God's country to refresh our souls. After three weddings in two weeks (last one July 3rd) and Chris having to deal with some very heavy issues at work, we both needed life to slow down a bit and a little peace and quiet. We four wheeled in 3 miles up Baldie Mountain. Chris took us to a spot he found last year when he was hunting.

It was absolutely beautiful, with sweeping views of the entire Susitna valley, Knik Glacier, even part of Anchorage. Chris made good use of of his 4 wheeler trailer and brought a weed whacker and a chainsaw with us, making for a perfect camp site.

We spent the night making smore's, and watching fireworks down below.

The following day we all went down to a creek, had a little water fight,

and then.... made more smore's. We decided late that night to pack out as the weather was ominous and the thought of packing everything up in the pouring rain wasn't appealing. We began packing up camp around 8:30pm and finally arrived back at the suburban around 11:30pm. We were SOAKED!

It rained on us the entire ride back. Raegan fell asleep (as she always does on a 4 wheeler) so I had to hold her while steering with one hand. This made for a few unintended jolts into ruts which threw Gunner off twice and Calvin, who was sleeping at the time, into my back once (he was NOT happy). Tucker was a real trooper with his 80cc Suzuki. When he'd head up root filled hills he'd punch it, bounce back and forth until he reached the top. His wheels were spinning so fast I was praying he WOULDN'T grab traction. When we arrived back at the suburban everyone was very excited to get inside except Calvin. He expression was more "Who cares, I'm already soaked, tired, mad, and did I mention soaked?" as he sat in the rain, watching everyone else scurry for cover.

We had a very memorable, wonderful, relaxing 4th.

This summer is going by way too fast!

I know, I know!! I haven't posted anything for over a month! So here is a bit of an overview of what has been happening.

Yaya and Opa came to visit all the way from sunny FL. I wish it was a bit warmer for them while they were here, this summer has been cold! They wanted to help with wedding stuff while they were here, so I put them to work!! All their help was very appreciated. I really just loved having them around.



















Baseball. Tucker and Gunner have been playing T-ball and baseball the last several weeks and we've been having fun watching them. Calvin and Raerae love running around and playing in the dirt while the game is going. Sometimes Calvin will include himself in the stretches and huddle from afar.

Weddings, weddings, weddings......Seems all my free time these days is taken up with weddings. Invitations, decorations, flowers, you name it. I've been lucky to have Tandy Cypher and Sarah Brown as friends. Their help has been such a relief! Chris is such a great support, he's my right hand man at weddings. He has a knack for putting out fires before they even start. My sister Marie's help has also been so valuable to me. I would have been up all night with flowers if she hadn't been there to help the night before this wedding. And I love that she is always ready to take pictures for me, because that is one thing I never seem to remember to do.Here are some pic's from the last one. I've got another one tomorrow. I'll post pictures afterwards.

Chris goes on vacation starting on Friday, which we are all so excited about! Camping, fishing, lazy days together are going to be so great!