Winter Hiking

 We have had cold weather, but not very much snow :(.  We haven't been able to snowmachine or snowboard yet, so we've been doing a lot of hiking!  We hiked in 7 miles to Caribou Creek cabin with Shawn and Erin last weekend.  We were puppy-sitting a sweet australian shepherd pup for other friends at the time, so we took her with!  She walked a little, but mostly rode with Adam in his coat!  Check out these pics, it was a beautiful hike!

 Erin, the dogs, and me in a winter wonderland!

 Adam with baby Riley!

 We made it to the cabin! 7 miles in!  Unfortunately the dude that stayed the weekend before us broke the glass cover on the door of the wood stove so it took A LONG TIME to warm up the cabin. (he wrote it in the log book each cabin has)  We just hung out and played some games.  The boys cut some wood for the next people coming to the cabin.

 Adam was the "cook".... boiling water for our mountain house meals! 

 The view from the cabin

 The creek we pumped water from!

 It was trying to freeze over-- looked really cool!

 Our cute lil cabin and wood shed

 Starting the 7 miles out

 Tundra packed in/out his own food and supplies!

 Some cool ice photos.....

 Family pic!

 The crew!  We had so much fun!

 Apparently these two were being snuggle buddies!

 Tundra's new friend, she stayed with us for 10 days.  Tundra was veeerrrrry sad and mopey when she left!

 He taught her how to "frog dog"

 They cuddled a lot!

 She liked his tail and often teased him by biting it!

 Denali and all it's beauty!

 Brrrrrrr-  a paraglider off the top of Mnt. Baldy!

 Made it to the top just in time for sunset!

 My two handsome boys!

 I love the sayin... "Whoever said diamonds are a girl's best friend didn't have a dog"

 Mr. photogenic!  He has even learned the sounds of our new camera and freeze-poses when it beeps!

 Soaking up the sun!  We are at the time of year when our house doesn't get direct sunlight because we are in the Eagle River valley

 Me and my bestie-- in the sunset!

 Tundra doing the "hide and pounce" on a hiker and his dog meeting us on the mountain! 

 "Our camera is a freaking telescope!"---- we love our new camera!

 another family pic

 The smallest moose poop we've ever seen! ..... plus it was at the very top of the mountain!  Would've liked to have seen that!

 Tundra catching snowballs!

 Just tasting the moon!

 Being a weirdo!

 Adam and his best bud enjoying the sunset!

 This is how we get down the mountain.... on our bums!  Pretty soon we will pack along our roll-up sleds!  Only lost control twice on the way down! ;)

 The view from my school at sunrise!

No words for this cat!  Don't know who she learned that from!


Hope everyone had a very happy, filling, and thankful Thanksgiving!  We had some friends over for dinner and cooked up a nice turkey with the traditional Thanksgiving food. (Brandon thought we probably had fish for Thanksgiving!)  We had a very nice day and meal, but always miss the families even more on holidays!  The whole Harris gang went down to the cabin on Table Rock Lake.  The Kuceras went to my 'rents house to play and eat.  Our oldest niece was measured at school this last week and is now 1.5 inches taller than me!!!!.... she is 13!  We will get to see everyone for Christmas, although we will not get back until Dec. 27.  Our nephew doesn't understand why we can't come see him more often- we told him we would see him at Christmas when the tree is up.  Since then he has been asking his daddy to put the tree up! :)  I sent him a count-down calendar to help him understand........... so we are all counting down the days! 

We are so very thankful for the opportunity to live in Alaska, to experience adventures of a life-time, for our friends/"family" up here, and to be able to share "God's land" with visitors in the summer!  Although I still believe the flat beauty of cornfields in Iowa is another part of God's land! 

OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH, don't remember if I've mentioned it-- Daddio won the election and will be Tama County Sheriff for 4 more years!  WAY TO GOOOOOOOOOOOOO! 

We will be in VEGAS the first week of December for some CRAZINESS!!! Adam has a pharmacy conference there, so some pharmacy buddies will be there too.  BUT THE BEST PART IS... Brandon and Deanna will be there AT THE SAME TIME for the National rodeo!  AANNNNNNNNDDDD Jessi and Grant will be there too!  I have never been to Vegas before and hope to survive with all of these crazies being there at the same time--- it will be a blast!  Pics to come!......well the ones that are allowed to be shared!  There will probably be some "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" photos! ;)

PEACE!