Special Delivery

Stephanie and Trent welcomed Lily to their little family this morning. TC says that Mommy and Baby are doing great, and both are beautiful.

Tears of joy and wishing I could see them all.

Congratulations, kids. Sending our love, prayers, and well-wishes.

Hope

As the kids and I scrambled through our morning of breakfast, packing lunches, and stuffing backpacks, we paused for a few minutes to listen on the radio to the swearing in of the new President of the United States. And the speech (click here for transcript) that followed.

Even in the rush of day, I had tears in my eyes.

What an amazing thing, to be part of a country with this peaceful transfer of power.

I've listened to President Obama's speech more than a few times today, and find myself filled with a hope and optimism that I pray will be fulfilled.

I did not vote for this man to be our president. I am worried that some of his specific policies will not be in line with my own beliefs. And I know that he likely wrote few, if any, of the words in his speech himself. (What talented speechwriters must have been on hand for this event!)

Still.

I am thrilled with the positive atmosphere this new administration brings. Almost like we are all hoping that turning a page on our current situation will bring a new view.

There are many in our country who have felt disenfranchised, downtrodden, or defeated by the established government. Now, they have chosen their man to lead. I sincerely hope he (and the Congress) will be able to do all the good they have promised. If the speech today is any indicator of intention, I am so happy to be a part of the adventure we are about to undertake.

In case you missed it, here is the transcript from the inaugural poem recited today by poet Elizabeth Alexander. I love the sentiment. My favorite line is

"Take out your pencils. Begin."

What are your thoughts on the matter? How did you feel today about the change?

Best Thing Ever

After my complaining about the socked-in extreme cold, we were hit with a record-breaking heatwave and torrential rain this week. Last Wednesday night it was -4o degrees. This Wednesday night it was 50 degrees. Above zero. To be clear, we are talking about 90 degrees difference from one week to the next.

The heat melted our deep snowpack, and then it rained (and rained and rained) on the still-frozen ground. A big mess ensued. School was canceled for 2 days.

(Note that in Alaska we go to school in 2 feet of freshly fallen snow, dangerously low temperatures, and hurricane force winds. We stay home when it's icy, though. No sense in getting all crazy on the slippery roads!)

Anyway, since we were housebound for two days, it was a perfect time to catch up on some reading. The photo above was taken of Brian and Casey as they worked their way through a couple of hours spent in books.

We had provisions in our kitchen, a warm heater, and no pressing engagements.

Cuddle up and read.

Best thing ever.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

To our friends and family "Outside" (not living in Alaska):

I know, I know. When you choose to live in Alaska, you cannot complain about the cold and dark. It comes with the territory, they say.

But, consider, if you will, that it is so extremely cold here right now. And has been for days. And will be for more days.

How cold is it? At noon today, I was out doing errands with Abby. The sun was out, and my thermometer in the van said -22. When I dropped the kiddos off at school this morning? -25. And windy. The Anchorage Daily News just published a story saying it was -40 here in Palmer last night.

And has been thus for over a week. We are talking serious cold, like 20 below. Like, double-digit negative temperatures for 10 days.

The kids are stuck indoors, as they can't go outside to recess if it's more than -10 degrees.

Please, send some of your warm weather our way?

Thank you.

Gym Time

I spent all day Saturday at one of the local gyms, playing in a volleyball tournament. I got to play on the same team as my Mom, so that made it even more fun.

We played for hours against a variety of teams with different skill-levels... Some of the teams were high-schoolers out to test their new rotations, others were more advanced womens' teams with big hitters.

The tournament began at 9, and when I finally dragged myself in the door at home at around 3 that afternoon, I was beat.

The next day, I had sore muscles I had forgotten I ever had. But the workout was so much more fun than running on a boring treadmill or even doing laps on a track.

I can't hardly wait to play again.

Aloha

We are getting unpacked from our super fun trip to Hawaii, trying to get re-acclimated...

When we left Pupukea beach on New Year's Eve, it was about 80 degrees in the water and in the air.
We arrived to a chilly welcome in Anchorage...
The temperature on New Year's Morning, according to our van's thermometer, was 31 below.
That's a difference of over 100 degrees.
Needless to say, we were exhausted and freezing.
Glad to be home, yet missing Hawaii.





Check back in the next few days for more photos.