Visiting Anchorage, Alaska
First glimpse at our Home-Away-From-Home this week as we pulled into the Seward Port!
We made it to Port Seward and caught the first glimpse of our ship! The kids were super excited (and Dad & Mom too)! We arrived at a good time so were able to drop our luggage off, go through the check in process, drop items most of the backpack items off in our rooms, and head back out to tour the town of Seward. Our visit to the Alaska SeaLife Center took up the majority of the time we had in the town, but was a great activity for the whole family. It was a cloudy and misty day in Seward, however, we still had a wonderful time. It was a beautiful area, small town, and the local people we met were very nice.
Beautiful views as we roll into the town of Seward
Someone crashed on the way to the port!
Sweet girls having fun in Seward and excited about going on our Alaska cruise
Gorgeous area!
Travel & Vacation: Touring Beautiful Anchorage, Alaska
We had a blast walking and touring Anchorage, Alaska. Since we were only in Anchorage for a day we packed in as much as we could during our time in town. They have a lot of neat places to see. It was beautiful. During some of our walks we would stop and check out the scenery. The picture above is a restaurant over looking the river. We watched people fishing for salmon and many other cool activities while in the area.
They had a neat park near downtown where a lot of kids and families seemed to like to hang out. We went to the Ulu Factory. The Ulu factory does not do tours on the weekend, but have some demonstration explaining the utensil at the store. We shopped for some neat souvenirs while in the area. Anchorage is a great place to visit with your family with plenty of neat activities to do together.
Hanging out for a few minutes in the park near downtown!
Brina Bee on a roll!
Counting My Blessings: Week In Review
It was a fun week with my family. While Jake and I were working this week the girls were busy on the farm at Horse Camp. They were riding horses in the mornings, had a picnic lunch, helped with animal chores, and did a Bible Study at camp. It was a busy and tiring day for them, but they loved it and several times I think they would have preferred to stay at camp instead of coming home. They were able to experience a wide variety of tasks – trimming goat hooves, playing with soft baby lambs, washing horses & goats, hunting for chickens eggs, and more good activities. They had a blast and loved it!
I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.
Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:
Monday –Thankful that the kids have the opportunity to go to Horse / Farm / Bible Study camp while Jake and I were working. They loved it! Also, it is conveniently located only a few minutes away from my work which is a great bonus too!
Tuesday – Thankful for Jake and his thoughtfulness. He went out of his way to stop by the store and pick up some items as a surprise for me. I had been missing an ingredient in my smoothie drink this week (he picked up the chocolate flavor for me as a surprise), he got a couple non-dairy Mac-N-Cheese mixes for Brina, and bath salts to help me loosen up and relax a little bit more. Love it when he surprises me with special items that are perfect for that day, moment, or time. I am richly blessed to have him as my partner. Love this man dearly more and more all the time!!! XOXOXO
Wednesday – Thankful for my acupuncture doctor. My back and shoulder were really tender and they made time to see me today which was a huge help in loosening me back up.
Thursday – Thankful for my work and that they are willing to allow me to work around the girls camp schedule. The kids have been coming into work with me in the morning, I have been stopping to take them to camp and returning to work until they are out of camp. They have been a big help in getting little tasks done for me at work too.
Friday – Thankful for an opportunity to get some errands run and chores done at home so we can head into the weekend a little more prepared and ready.
Saturday – Thankful for my weekend with family. We had a lot to get done with everything going on and a busy week ahead, but we worked together, had fun, and was able to get some items done that needed attention.
Sunday – Thankful our church, the message, and a place where our girls can learn and grow with other kids their age.
What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today. It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day.
Counting My Blessings: Week In Review
It was a great week with my family. We had some good fun together while accomplishing a lot of little, but much needed tasks around the house and yard. The girls have been enjoying their summer adventures too! Love hearing about their days and what they have been learning at camp and the adventures they are enjoying. Thankful for an opportunity to have an extra day with my family over the July 4th Holiday.
I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.
Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:
Monday –Thankful for a great July 4th Holiday to celebrate our country, time with my family, and a chance to have an extra day at home to get some items done!
Tuesday – Thankful that Jake took the girls into summer camp so I could get into work earlier. Also, grateful that I was able to get off work at lunch to pick up the girls and spend the afternoon with them. We had a lot of fun hanging out together.
Wednesday – Thankful for Jake and the girls help getting some items done around the house.
Thursday – Thankful for an opportunity to spend extra time with extended family. It wasn’t on the schedule until last night, but my Grandma Willa was in town visiting so we had an impromptu dinner with Grandma, my brother & his family, Aunt Pat, and my cousins and their families. We had a great meal, the kids played well, and a good time of catching up. Grateful for an opportunity to see family.
Friday – Thankful for the girls summer camp and the adventures that they have been able to enjoy this summer. They met a lot of neat people this week and was able to get in a lot of biking time (also the importance of staying hydrated on hot summer days in South Carolina). Both girls were grateful for the camel backs this week.
Saturday – Thankful for some time to catch up on projects around the house and yard. Grateful for Jake and all he does for our family.
Sunday – Thankful for the freedom to worship and fellowship with other believers.
What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today. It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day.
What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say?
Our fortunes!
Recently we had Chinese food and the following were our fortunes from the meal:
- Jake – “You will be traveling to distant lands for business purposes” (He travels a lot of places for work!)
- Bridgette – “You will travel to many exotic places in the next few years.” (I LOVE to travel. I have already been to many amazing places over the years and I cannot wait to see more of the world. Plus, sometimes I get to travel with Jake when he goes on work trips. Maybe our fortunes were suppose to be together, sounds like more fun for me though!
Already looking forward to these exotic places we are going to together!) - Brina – “You have a flair for adding fanciful dimension to any story.” (She is definitely the more fancy of the two kids!)
- Karlie – “You will soon be involved in many gatherings and parties.” (I am curious about what she’s going to be doing!)
It was a fun evening of relaxing with the family, eating Chinese food, and laughing about silly fortunes. We have so much to be thankful for in our lives. We are richly blessed and take many things for granted every day. Let’s treasure the time with have with our friends, families, and those around us. It is not impossible to run into people that you know even if you are across the world. Our lives leave an imprint of each person we interact with whether it is only once or many times! Make each moment count for good!
My Newest Friend & Pet: Meet “Bubbles the 3rd”
Bubbles 3 now comfortably at home in my kitchen!
Jake came home from doing errands one day and this little guy was there to greet me. The first pet we ever had as a married couple was a red and blue beta fish named “Bubbles”. He hung out on the counter top in the kitchen at our apartment. We have not had a beta fish for a long time because we have other tanks and they are the type of fish that really need their own space and tank.
I am a big fan of animals and little critters, however, I don’t enjoy the maintenance part of fish tanks. Thankfully Jake handles that piece for me. I make sure Bubbles is fed and entertained, but otherwise Jake does any tank cleaning. Yes, I have conversations with my fish while cleaning or cooking in the kitchen! He is hard to get a picture of because he is either hiding or won’t stop moving. He is a beautiful red and blue long fin beta. Bubble the 3rd has even learned my tap means “time to eat”! Bubbles is the only pet that I get to feed consistently, the girls all feed and care for the all the other pets in the family. Bubbles is my cooking and cleaning buddy when Jake and the girls are not home or around!
Wishing You a Safe & Happy July 4th!
Happy 4th of July!!!
Wishing you a bright holiday full of fun and great memories!
Brina & Karlie’s 5th Grade Graduation Party & Celebration!
Brina and Karlie with Mrs. Johnson at their Graduation Celebration Party! Mrs. Johnson was Karlie’s homeroom teacher in 2nd Grade, taught Karlie in Gift & Talented Program from 3rd grade up, and was both girls STEM Club Coach for 2 years. Excellent teacher!!!
Such a sweet Daddy spent a lot of time helping get ready for this big day including helping cut starfish, decorate, blow up balloons, and so much more. Thankful to have a partner that pitches in and takes the time to celebrate with the kids!
Luau theme at the Grad Party! The kids had a blast!
Karlie with her homeroom teacher Mr. Moore and her friend David! Mr. Moore was an awesome teacher!
Brina hanging out with her friend at the party!
Sweet Sisters! Thankful for these two girls!Sleigh Bells Ring…
Volunteering at School
Crazy day volunteering at school, watching both girls speak in front of their classmates, teachers, and parents – they did awesome! After running errands, sharing a surprise with someone who has been a blessing to our family, and various other activities I was able to finally sit down, eat a late lunch, and soak in the beautiful sunny Fall view from our back deck. Thankful for the colorful landscape!
