Our Life in Alaska and Beyond

After spending some time at the AWCC, we went over to the BBVC. It's a really nice visitor center with some really cool displays and exhibits. Also, the girls had been working on their Jr. Ranger booklets and they were able to turn those in and get some really cool patches. Great job girls! Enjoy these pics from this beautiful Alaska summer day! 

Both of these patches are so cool! The BBVC Jr. Ranger patch, and the Chugach National Forest Jr. Ranger patch.

After going on the glacier cruise, we spent the night at an Air B&B in Girdwood, and then before coming home the next day we stopped at the AWCC. We've loved having a season pass here. It's always so fun to see all the cool animals, and it's in such a gorgeous location! Enjoy the pics!

Black bear!

The next day (which was also Robyn's 7th birthday! We celebrated with cake a few days later.) we drove with Mike and Kay to Whittier and went on a glacier cruise. It was fun driving through the tunnel, and then we had a gorgeous day on the water. We did the glacier quest cruise with Phillips Cruises & Tours and we saw so many beautiful glaciers and actually quite a bit of wildlife too! It was a fun time! Enjoy these pretty pics!

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This post is dedicated to the many pics I took of the beautiful, blooming fireweed while running outside in July, lol. Enjoy! 💗

I got Ruby to run with me a few times! (Love the daisies here too!) 🌼 7/15/24

Just a few extras from July 2024. Such a fun month!

Friday Fling in Palmer. This peony was huge and so pretty! 💗 7/12/24

Ruby and I had another mommy/daughter hiking date, and this time we did Reed Lakes! We had great weather, but unfortunately, the lower lake was almost completely clouded over, so we really couldn't see it that well. We still hiked to the waterfall, and it was so pretty, despite the low clouds. Such a fun hike (and pretty big, over 8 miles!) with my sweet Rubes! She's the best hiking buddy!

While Chrissy was still here we decided to do a little hike around Reflections Lake, and then we went into Anchorage and got Moose's Tooth pizza to go, and then ate it at a park. Yummm! It was a fun day. 😊

Just a few extra pics from the beautiful month of June! We had so many beautiful blossoms and blooming flowers, especially lupine. So pretty! (I took all the flower pics while out running!) 

6/10/24

On Sunday we drove down to Portage and went to the AWCC. It was a little rainy, but still fun to see all the animals. Enjoy these pics!

Elk

Scott and I both worked during the day on Thursday (thanks so much Chrissy for watching the girls and taking them to the trampoline park!), and then that evening Chrissy, Scott, and I hiked Lazy Mountain. It was a beautiful evening and so nice to get out and hike! We did the steep side up and down, and we did it pretty fast, too! Enjoy these pretty pics! 🏔️☀️

A few extras of my favorites from May '24! Welcome summer! 🪻🏔️🖍️👩🏼‍❤️‍👨🏻 

Lupine just starting to bloom along WFH at the end of May. I took these pics on some of my runs around the neighborhood! 5/29/24

A few extras from April '24! Towards the end of April things just start getting green here, and it gets everyone so excited for warmer weather! Enjoy these *almost summer* pics! ☀️🌱

The girls and I hiked the Butte! (Scott was on his way to St. Paul Island, but unfortunately the plane wasn't able to land, and it ended up getting scheduled for another time!) 4/28/24

Right after moving here I got Noelle and Robyn signed up for ballet to continue working on what they had started in Utah. It was a great studio, and they had a fun time, (although I definitely miss Studio 1!) In the spring they had a nice recital. It's a bigger studio so they had many recitals during the day, and Noelle and Robyn weren't in the same one, but I had fun watching all the other classes as well, haha. Both Noelle and Robyn are such beautiful dancers and I love seeing them on stage! Great job girls!

Ruby also had a spring choir concert with her school. I was so impressed with the program! Her music teacher is so good with the kids and puts in so much work. I don't know that much about music, but the songs were great, and the lights on the stage were so cool too! I loved the concert! Great job Ruby!

4/27/24

Noelle turned 9 shortly after we moved to AK. Her birthday was on a Sunday and we kept the celebration pretty simple; sledding with family, a few presents, and instead of cake she opted for hand dipped cones and ice cream. It was a fun day, and we're so happy to have our sweet Noelle Belle! 👸🏼

January in AK can be pretty dark and slow, but we always try to make the most of it. Here are a few highlights! ❄️

With all the snow we got plenty of sledding in! Sledding at the littles' school here. 1/6/24

Scott had a work conference in Portland, and I was able to join him! After being apart for so long, it was so good to be together! We loved being with each other! During the day, while Scott was at his conference, I got out and explored all over Portland using the TriMet, we'd usually meet up for lunch, and then we'd do something fun in the evening too. Such a fun trip together! While visiting Portland we couldn't help but notice so many unhoused people, which was so sad, and I know there aren't any easy solutions, but we still had a great time in a beautiful city! 

These first few photos were taken at the Lan Su Chinese Garden. It was so beautiful! There was a chrysanthemum festival going on, and I loved all the flowers! 11/14/23

Ruby and Noelle performed in their school play, The Lion King! They worked really hard, going to early morning practices for weeks, and they did so good! Ruby was a lioness, and Noelle was part of the ensemble, as a bird and a wildebeest. I was amazed at how professional it was for an elementary school production! The costumes and set were amazing, and all the kids did such a good job. It was so fun to see! They performed two nights in a row, and I'm so proud of them! Most of our family came to watch them the first night, and then I think just Chrissy and I went the second night. Great job girls! 👏🏻👏🏻 

I love Utah in September! It's still really warm, but just starting to cool down a bit. (October in UT is so nice too.) While Scott was gone I was working 2-3x/week, but with the kids back in school, I was able to go on lots of runs and hikes. Enjoy these pretty pics I took while out enjoying nature! 🍃🌻🍁

9/14/23 Davis Creek Trail. Look close to see the waterfall

 A round up of favorites from Aug. '23!

Noelle and Robyn performed with the Farmington High Nixelles (drill team) at an FHS football halftime! They had so much fun and did so good! 👯‍♀️ 8/11/23