Iowa Holidays 2012

 Happy New Year everyone!  We wish you all the best in 2013!!

We had a GREAT trip back home to Iowa!  We spent a lot of time with family and friends....although we did miss seeing some of you--10 days just isn't enough time!!!  We were in Des Moines, Ottumwa, and Traer.  We got to celebrate Christmas with both the Kuceras and Harris' .......played with our growing nieces and nephew.  Unbelievable that the youngest- Kane is 4 (Emma will be 4 in April) and the oldest-Sydney is 13!!!  They are all growing up to be beautiful and kind young ladies!  Kane is quite the little man and so much fun!  Here is a summary of what we did and out of 200+ photos! 

 We spent a lot of time outdoors.... this was a creek walk with Deanna, Mom and the kiddos!

 The girls in their new Alaska jammies... butt flaps!  They had moose caboose or bear bottoms.  Kane was running around somewhere with is booty hanging out... literally!  So cute and fun!

 Uncle Adam helping Emma bowl at Bass Pro in Des Moines

 Adam playing one of the tasks in the game "Minute to Win It" that Jeanette put together for New Years!

 Of course.... Adam won!  This was his trophy! 

 Adam saw steer wrestling on the NFR when we were in Vegas and asked Brandon and Deanna to do it while we were home and watching them calf rope....well it worked out!  He learned how to wrastle steers on his 28th birthday!  This was the smaller one that they put fake horns on.

 And the true test- the big steer with REAL horns!!

 Brandon- the bestest calf-roper EVER!

 The group of deer hanging out on my mom and dad's land!

 best buddies taking a rest!  Adam and my parent's lab.

 They are so curious of the camera!  Loves of my life = horses!

 Jumped on Derby for a quick bare-back, bridle-less ride!  Hung on to her mane and squeezed my legs while the other girls tried to get her spunked up!  She's a great horse and took it easy on me, despite them!

 The deer at my parent's bird feeder! All of the kids were peaking out the windows at them.  Smart deer....nice and safe on my parent's land that sits JUST on the edge of town!...cuz..................

 Brandon had a muzzleloader tag!  He only saw does

 Adam went out with him one morning in hopes of a buck.... per the landowner's request.

 sledding at hickory hills with the Kucera kids!

 Sledding in the back yard of a neighbor w/ Emma!

 the hills were boring... so tried behind a horse!  Brandon/Deanna's horse- Coal did really well!

 Well then the horse got tired, so Grandpa had to bring out the truck!  We had SO MUCH FUN!  If you weren't on a sled, you were in the back of the truck throwing snowballs at the sledders!  Danae got to join us for this morning of fun!

This gnarly bruise was from a sledding accident.............keep in mind I bruise if a fly lands on me and this looks much worse than it was!  Just had to show-off the pretty colors and appear tough!

We were very thankful to be back in Iowa with family and friends--- we had sooooooo much fun and it was hard to leave, as always!  We love you all!

We are back in Alaska and as we speak, Adam and I both had an ice-day off from work.  The weather this winter has been HORRID!.... as in NO SNOW!  In September we had an early snow which made us excited for winter playing.  Then it got terribly cold, negative 10-20s for a few weeks.  Before we left for Iowa we got a foot of  beautiful snow and Adam got out for a quick snowboard run.  While we were in Iowa, Anchorage temps soared into the 40s! YES..the 40s!  So we got back to patches of snow.  Now it has been windy, rainy, and icy.  I haven't had my skiis, snowboard, or snowshoes out AT ALL this winter and have had to buy ice cleats to go out and "play"!  We went from 10 feet last winter to this and are very disappointed!  Well... Alaska has 3 more months of winter, so we'll see what happens! :)

Again- HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

December fun

 First of all-- Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We spent our first Christmas away from Iowa, but we will be headed back tomorrow until January 6th!! 

We have been waiting for more snow and FREEZING in negative temps this month.  We have gotten a few ice fishing trips in and welcomed some fresh snow last night!

 Our transportation to stay the night and ice fish on Figure 8 Lake.  We rode 14 miles and set up camp with our ice hut and Buddy heater.  Unfortunately, either the ice hut, the heater, or both didn't perform as expected.  It was a COLD COLD night...... let's just say we always saw our breath and the snow we brought in the hut on our boots DIDN'T melt!  We got MAYBE an hour of fishing in- but it was so cold the next morning we were outta there!  Fun though!

 The view from the lake

 Sunset!

 bye bye sun!  Hopefully the machines start in the morning!

 Pics got mixed up... of course.... Adam and I in Vegas!  He had a conference there and my brother and sister-in-law were there for the National Final's Rodeo.......PLUS his sister and brother-in-law came to join the fun, so I got to go for a few days too!  It was SO MUCH FUN! 

 The dogs were very good this year!  Chena spent Christmas with us, so Tundra got her some presents!

 Tundra was obsessed with his stocking and liked it more than his presents!

 Angel wasn't enthused.... at ....all!

 Fishing on Christmas day! 

 Hawkeye Santa drilling a hole!

 The first... and only trout of the day!  They kept gettin away from me!

 Tundra... teh big baby!

 Tundra loved sledding with the neighbor boy!

 Getting ready for a night out in Vegas--- my sister-in-law and me!

 Adam with his 3 yard, triple shot drink!

 BEGGARS! 

 The catch for the day when Adam went out fishing with our neighbor.. in negative temps!  I opted out due to the first experience in negative temps!

 Vegas!

 Some other pharmacists from ANMC went as well!  We had a great time! 

 Who knows what Jess and I are saying to the security guard--- but he was smiling!

 We whooped them ;)

 My breakfast one morning-- apple tart a la mode!

 Coyote Ugly!!

 wish the flash woulda worked!

 Belagio's fountains were AMAZING!

Tundra all bundled up on the overnight trip!  We snugged in my sleeping bag on my cot all night! 


Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!  I was happy to know you Iowans got some snow this year!  We hope to see some of ya on our trip back!  If not--have a happy New Year! 

PEACE and LOVE

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!