Happy New Year Y'all!!

Well...here we are. At the end of another year! Where does the time go? We are doing the usual...staying home where we belong! Jake's buddy, Damion, is staying over tonight and we plan to play games and make cookies. I got pizza for dinner to make life easy. I doubt we will make it to midnight. It's another quiet New Year's Eve at the Newell house! :)

Ketchikan is buried in snow and more snow is said to be coming. It's cold, too, and is supposed to get down to 20 degrees tonight. Brrrrr!! I must say, tho, that it is absolutely gorgeous here right now. Nothing is melting and everything is covered in white. I will post pictures later when I'm not on my laptop. For those of you on Facebook...I put pics on there last night. Enjoy!

I hope you all have a fun night! We are laying low...tomorrow we will enjoy another day off. Well, at least I will. Tony's been home on vacation for a while now.

Many blessings to you and yours as we go into this new year together. Bye for now~ Nan

Snow is a Four-Letter Word

OK. So anything I was going to blog about has been seriously trumped by the ridiculous amount of snow we got today. Everyone has been snowed in by 2.5 feet of snow that fell today...OK...I don't know if that's accurate but that is how much landed in MY yard and on my deck today! It's more snow than Tony and I have ever seen and my dear husband had to go out and shovel a lot of it. I think he was out there a total of 3 hours...maybe more. *Sigh* I feel we've left "Kansas" and landed somewhere in Anchorage! Anyway, Jake went out for a little while (broken arm and all) and didn't take very long before he was freezing and wet. He came in within an hour and never went out again! It is THAT bad out there!! His boots were full of snow...which I found out had turned to water as I put the boots on the "boot dryer" we so wisely bought this last summer. Whoever invented that thing is a genius by the way! :) Anyway, church was cancelled this a.m. and that has NEVER happened in all my years here that I know of. All the grocery stores were closed because people couldn't get to work. I mean...this is unprecedented people!!!! Can you feel my pain????? LOL!!!

We had a slight power outage as well which sent me into a cleaning/laundry frenzy when it came back on. I was just SURE the power was going to go off again at some point due to all the heavy snow on the branches so I was busy ALL DAY cleaning and doing laundry before that happened. It will probably happen while I hastily try to post this! Knock on wood!! :)

So, here's a few pics for you and the rest will be in a slide show I will replace the Halloween one with. Anyone who has lived here will agree this is NOT a usual snowfall for us. It's just CRAZY!!

The roads are so bad I won't be going to work tomorrow. Perhaps I will continue to update this blog!! Hmmmm...there's an idea that's perfect for a "snow day". LOL!!!! TTFN~ Nan

Our back deck...crazy, huh?

Notice Tony's car is completely buried over in the corner! We won't be using THAT car anytime soon!! LOL!!

Our Boy

Well...our December just wouldn't be complete without a little trip to the E.R. Yep...you heard me...the EMERGENCY ROOM!! The above pics were taken at the lake today...Jake's FIRST day of Christmas break...just before he fell and broke his arm. His left arm....for the 2nd time. *Sigh* It's just a fracture but it will need a cast. He goes back to the doc tomorrow and we may need to go to the Ortho. Anyway, just thought I'd take a few minutes after a very long day to let y'all know...all is WELL at the Newell house. PTL!!!!!! I'm just glad he didn't fall and hit his noggen or something. :)

More pics and updates later. I'm FINALLY getting my tree done tonight. It's ONLY the 22nd!!!! I am SO far behind!!!

Deep Breath~ Nan :)

This Will Make You Smile

Click on the link below to watch a video on youtube. It's awesome!! Enjoy.... Nan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8

Update On Update

This is an update to let you know that I realize I need to update this blog. I have so much going on right now my head is spinnig. I'm sure you can relate. I promise to get pictures on here and a synopsis of what's been going on as soon as I can get to it. I figured once the singing tree was done I would have loads of time to work on this. However, that is not necessarily the case. Anywhoooo....I haven't forgotten about ya (mom) I am just trying to prioritize and juggle as best I can. I *did* manage to get to my pilates class last night and do some walking, which is a BIG priority for me right now. Not just for physical reasons but emotional, too. I am LOVING my pilates class now!! I was ready to quit the first day...LOL!!! :)

More later! Nan (Merry Christmas in case I don't get to this before the big day!!)

A Week In Pictures

Last Sunday began with church and an unexpected surprise. A gal I've known for years and no longer lives in Ketchikan was visiting with her new husband (whom I'd never met...) It was so great to see her and meet her new hubby! Her name is Trista and hubs is John...I didn't get the last name cuz I was too excited to see her. We worked together for a time at the OB/Gyn clinic back in the day...it was really nice seeing her!

We had 3 (it's a miracle!) days of clear, cold weather last week. On Wednesday, I went to work early and LO AND BEHOLD I could actually see the SUNRISE!!!!!!! This is extremely rare for me to see as it's usually either overcast and raining or the sun is up by the time I head in to work. I just HAD to stop and get a shot...I have a gazillion sunsets...but NO (until now) sunrise pics. What a blessing!! :)

Friday night found me and Shirley, my mother in law, at The Nutcracker. Jake's little friend, Grant, played Fritz...he did SUCH a good job and looked like he was having so much fun. It was fun to finally see him perform. He's been in ballet for quite some time. I think the girl next to him was Clara...not sure.

This is also a Nutcracker pic. This is Taylor...she played the Snow Queen and was amazing! I've known this girl since she was in diapers and it brought tears to my eyes to see how grown up she is now. That's Joe and Terie...her parents whom I've known forever. :)

NOW...the "piece de resistance"...this is ME getting a body wrap on Saturday. I lost 10 inches this day. It works!! What we won't do for beauty.......LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

My next post will be of Christmas party pics. They turned out pretty good. Until then...have a great week y'all. Love, Nan XOX

Who Knew?

That Pilates could be SO HARD?????? Yikes! Good thing I didn't know this BEFORE I signed up...I may not have taken this class. Mercy!! LOL!! Lord knows I need it, tho. I thought Yoga was tough...Wow! Who knew? Anyway...this class was much different than what I anticipated and I will have to really work to incorporate my regular aerobic activity in with it. This means MORE time at the gym...UGH!! Oh well...it's for the greater good!!! Ha! I've lost almost 20 pounds since October 1st and I am NOT giving up now. Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay for ME! And Tony is getting in shape, too. He likes to run 3 miles at a time on the treadmill at home...he is LOOKIN' GOOOOOODDD!!!!!!!

OK...enough bragging for now. What are y'all up to?

Hugs~ Nan

Long-Winded...Sorry!

Where do I begin today? It is December 2nd already and we are on the cusp of going into yet another busy, hectic, crazy holiday season. Heck...we are probably already there and I am just in denial! LOL! I am on the verge of feeling extremely overwhelmed. No matter how much I try to do in advance, I can not help but focus on what still lies ahead to get everything done in time. Throw in a birthday party for a soon to be 10 year old and you have the recipe for nothing short of a slight nervous breakdown. Oh!! And not to mention dieting on top of it all and starting a new exercise regime. We all know how HARD it is to make time for exercise in this day and age of working full time and running a household. As my grandma likes to say..."MERCY ME!!!" :) Soooo...taking a deep breath here as I try to take one HOUR at a time. Perhaps making a list is in order! Maybe crossing duties/tasks off of a list will help with the feelings of anxiety that start to creep into my heart. I know what some of you are thinking (Helen, Sabrina)..."How can she be overwhelmed? She only has ONE (1) child at home?!?!" LOL!! Well...all I can say is I may only have 1 child to take care of but it's all the little things that creep in that seem to overtake me at times. Not to mention, I have a full-time job that keeps me away from home for at least 9 hours a day!! You throw in going to the gym and it's even longer. Tonight I start a Pilates class that is 3 nights a week. My goal is to make it for at least 2 of those nights. Seems reasonable to ME! Oh..and did I mention I am singing in the Singing Christmas Tree this year? That's always a huge time committment. Then we've got the 4th grader (a BOY, mind you!!) who still (yes..still!!) needs to be constantly micro-managed when it comes to what he needs to be getting done, which is always homework, homework, homework!! It is just never ending! After all that is said and done...you throw in laundry, trips out of town, etc...etc...and before you know it...you are CHASING YOUR TAIL!!!! At least I FEEL like I'm chasing my tail. *SIGH* Now...all that being said...when I have moments like this I turn to my new favorite blog...which will take you to a daily devotion if you are so inclined. If you have not checked out Lysa's blog...YOU MUST. Thank you so much to my friend, Debra, for introducing me to her! I read her stuff daily and she is MY KIND OF WOMAN!!! She is so down to earth and shares the same struggles as the rest of us...you know...REAL WOMEN! LOL!! Anyway, today's devotion is a good one if you'd like to check it out.

Proverbs 31 Ministries: Daily Devotions

Now...enough "reflecting". Seems like I've been doing that a lot lately. Let's see....we are on day #2 of clear, blue skies and sunshine! Yea, Baby!!!!!!! I am LOVIN' it...actually everyone here is! LOL!! However, with that comes COLD, COLD, COLD! I'm sure snow is around the corner soon. Jake is hoping for the white stuff on his birthday (this is his wish every year!). Speaking of which, my baby is turning 10! *Sniff* How is that possible???? OMGosh!!!! We are planning a pizza party at Godfather's per his request. This makes it easy and I don't have to clean up...yay! I'm so glad it's on a Saturday this year.

So, this week I am trying to focus on getting packages in the mail for Christmas, planning a birthday party, making my Christmas card list, learning the music for the Singing Tree...hmmm...starting my Pilates class....What else??? Oh...and here's my schedule for the next two weeks so you may not hear much from me after this!! Starting Friday, Dec. 5th...going to the Nutcracker with my MIL. Saturday, Dec. 6th, trying to get Christmas tree and decorations out and UP...a daunting task it seems. Sat. night...company Christmas party with Tony. Sunday...church and "tree" practice. Sunday night...collapse! Monday...work and "tree practice". Tuesday...work and "tree" pratice. Wed...work & a night off...whew!! Thursday...work and "tree" practice. Friday...work and then 2 (two!) "tree" performances. Sat. recover from previous week...only 1 "tree" performance. Sunday...church and 2 "tree" performances!!!!!!!!! OK...perhaps I shouldn't have recapped all this...I'm feeling overwhelmed again. Yikes!! Not to mention...while all of this is going on...I have to get ready for Christmas!!! Ack!!! LOL!!!

Anyway, life is good but very busy! It's a good kind of busy...I just need to stay on top of it all. One VERY IMPORTANT THING I keep forgetting to mention is this. Behind every busy woman is a man who is just as busy. At least this is true in MY household. I must give a shout out to my very wonderful and HELPFUL husband who keeps things running at home like a well-oiled machine while I am "flitting" about pulling my hair out making sure stuff gets taken care of. Honey...YOU DA BOMB!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!! I COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU!!!! (I wonder if he even reads this blog!?! LOL!)

Soooo....I hope this doesn't sound like I'm feeling sorry for myself because it is definitely not my intention. I am using this blog as an outlet to keep myself in "check" and to get input from those around me (and friends far away.) It has been very therapeutic for me! LOL! And fun, too!! I hope you are actually enjoying it and getting *something* from it even if it's just a laugh or a smile. :)

With that, I will leave you for now and hopefully I won't get *too* busy to drop you a line once in a while.

Love and Hugs!! Nan XOX

OK Bloggers...

Some of you are getting a little "behind" on your blogs and I'm getting quite anxious about it! You know who you are! Now Get Busy!! LOL!! I'm dying for new pics and an update. I know you are all crazy busy this time of year...but please throw me a bone!!!!!!!! :)

Hugs~ Nan

Thanksgiving 2008

Poor Tom! (He didn't stand a chance.) You have fulfilled your turkey destiny and we very much appreciate it!! This is my whopper of a bird...22 pounds. Enough to feed a small Army! As you can see, he almost didn't fit in the pan!

Tony and his mom, Shirley. The "spread" before the spread.

The Newell Family

Finishing up dinner...Tony was in agony and not in this pic after eating too much! LOL! Anyway, starting with Jake and going clockwise...that is Mandy (Bob's youngest), Bev (Bob's Wife), Jennifer (Bob's oldest), Shirley (Mom/Grandma), and Bob (Tony's older brother). We missed Amy (the "middle" child) this year as she is still away at college. It was weird to have her gone! We'll see her at Christmas, tho. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving...I for one (and Tony) had a stomach ache from all the rich food. It was SO good, tho, and I finally achieved my goal of the perfect mashed potatoes. I had bought a "food mill" earlier in the year...that is my secret. There wasn't a lump to be found in those taters!! I also rocked the turkey...I'm getting GOOD! And my stuffing was YUM...course, there's a pound of bacon and butter in it. No wonder we were sick!! LOL!! Sorry...these are all the pics I took b/c I got so busy and then I was SO full and I just wasn't on my game. I promise to do better at Christmas time. Enjoy the rest of the weekend. OH!! I almost forgot! Tony got up at 5am to check out the "Black Friday" sales. He came home with an early Christmas present for me (us). It's a Shiny...Red...15 inch Gateway Notebook (Laptop)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was hoping for diamonds but I will happily settle for this. Now that I'm Blogging, Facebooking, and Emailing and what-have-you...I will always be connected wherever I go. We are quite excited! LOL!! Better Go....Happy Long Weekend to Y'all!!!!!!! Love and Hugs~ Nan XOXO

Happy Thanksgiving!

From our house to yours...Happy Thanksgiving! This year I am so thankful for my family and friends whom I love so much. I am also thankful for the roof over our head, the food on our table, and the many things that God has blessed us with. We are a very fortunate family and I am reminded once again how blessed we really are. It really hit home with my trip to POW just how alone you can feel when you don't have family or friends to turn to. My first night there I was dropped off in an unfamiliar apartment in a town I'd never been in. I don't get put in that situation EVER so it was quite disconcerting. It was dark and cold out...and I knew almost noone with the exception of a few co-workers but they were "doing their thing" as I settled in for the night. It was a very odd feeling and I must say I did not enjoy it very much. I thought I would love the time alone...but it was a whole different ball game once I was there. It made me think of all the people out there who have no-one. I felt a deep sadness for them and how the holidays were coming up and, unlike me, they had nobody to go home to. My eyes get misty now just thinking about it! So, needless to say, I have asked EVERYONE I can think of since my return if they have somewhere to go tomorrow for dinner. Rest assured, I extended an invitation regardless of their answer. I plan on going down to meet our new neighbor tonight and invite him if he has no plans. :) It's the "proper" thing to do, wouldn't you say? I can't stand the thought of ANYONE feeling alone and empty and forgotten on a holiday that celebrates family and friends and the many blessings we enjoy in this life. I am also thankful that because I know God...I am never truly alone. I can only hope that others...those without families and friends...can say the same. My prayers will be for them this holiday season.

So, with that, I will say Happy Thanksgiving and may you all be surrounded by those that you love this holiday season! I will be thinking of each and every one of you and thanking God for you as well!

More about my trip later and pictures to follow! Blessings to you!! Nan

SIGH*

Well today is the day. I am taking the ferry to POW and OF COURSE...it (almost) couldn't be nastier out. I am DREADING this trip now! Guess I'll go buy some Dramamine and hope for the best. :( If the boat goes down...I'll see you all on the other side. Pray for me!!! LOL!!!

Bye for now~ Nan

POW or Bust

Just a little overview of where I'm heading tomorrow for those that aren't familiar with this area. Craig is on Prince of Wales Island and located west of us. You can see Ketchikan on the far right of the map above. As you can see on the map there are many small communities on the island and I have friends throughout. Looking at the map now and considering it's already been snowing over there, I will not get to see my friends who I believe are in Thorne Bay which looks to be clear on the other side of the island. Darn! It's probably a hefty drive...sorrry Benson's!Maybe another time. :(

I am very much looking forward to this trip as I've never been to this big island...I plan to read and listen to Singing Tree music over and back on the ferry. It's a 3 hour journey. As I mentioned, they've already had snow and I anticipate it being quite lovely over there.

Anyway, I will spend today getting the house clean and figuring out what I still need for Thanksgiving dinner next week. We are taking Jacob and his little friend to the movie "Bolt" at 4pm and I will continue to get ready for this trip when we get home.

Stay tuned for pics from POW!!! Love, Nan

Who Is Reading This Blog? Raise Your Hand!

Hi gang! TGIF!!!!!! Hey...I set up something on my page that tells me exactly who is following this blog. If YOU are one of them...please post it on the left-hand side of this blog under "Followers". I would really like to know who all out there is reading my stuff. I would also encourage anyone out there who isn't already on MySpace to sign up with Facebook. I have SO many friends on there...I had NO idea so many people were doing it. It's been a lot of fun!

Anyway, that's all I have for now. I'm tired from staying up too late every night this week to get into too much today. Have a great weekend!!

Oh..One thing. I am going to POW on Sunday afternoon. That should be a HOOT. :)

Hugs~ Nan

Fresh Snow

This morning as I drove to work, I hummed to myself "Oh what a beautiful morning, Oh what a wonderful day..." You may recognize this little diddy from the musical "Oklahoma". Maybe not...LOL!! I've always remembered that tune after being in that play in highschool. It has a great ring to it. Anyway...it truly was glorious this morning and all day for that matter as the sun decided to grace us with it's presence. (My son was quite perplexed as to why I was pulling over to take photos when he was going to be late for school!!) Not to mention, there was some fresh S-N-O-W on the mountains. "Snow" is a four-lettered word to some around here...but I love it. And when the sun comes out and shines down upon it...it is just magical! Oh...and thanks Mr. Floatplane for flying into my picture! It sums up winter in Ketchikan perfectly. :) I think Jake *was* late this morning...but for some reason I just didn't care today. How horrible of a mother am *I*???? LOL!! Oh well...we do crazy things here when the sun comes out...which as you all know isn't often enough!! *SIGH*

After taking a few shots of "High Mountain" we continued on to town and a big "boat" caught my eye. It was indeed a USCG (Coast Guard) cutter coming down the channel. This is not a site I see often. It looked so majestic with the snow-capped mountain in the background. I could not resist getting a photo. I love boats anyway, so this is a great addition to my already huge collection of boat pictures. :)

I guess it's supposed to stay nice thru tomorrow. Two days in a row of sunshine...I can't be held accountable for what I may do!!!!!! :) I can only hope to get out of the office if only for a few minutes and soak in a few warm rays. We'll see. I'm sure I can find *some* kind of "errand" that needs running!

I found out today I may be going to POW next week for work-related training. I am quite excited about this as I have never been over to that "other island". Let's just hope we don't get 20 foot seas as I take the ferry over. I'm too chicken to fly...so the slow boat it will be. I have friends over there but probably won't have a lot of time to connect with anyone over there. I'll have to make some calls. As of right now, I'm only going to be there 2 nights with a full day of training in-between before coming right back on the morning ferry. Good thing, tho, as I will need to finish preparing for turkey day!!

Speaking of which...Jake has requested "all things pumpkin" for the big day. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies...he went all "Forest Gump" on me except it wasn't "shrimp" he was referring to...just pumpkin. :) What are y'all making this year? Any good recipes you can share? Blog it! Or Facebook it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well...I'd better get showered up and ready for bed. Hope you are all having a blessed week! Love and Hugs Always~ Nanette XOX

This Picture Cracks Me Up!!

Do you think this kid had cleans shorts on after this? LOL!!!

Bookworm

OK...so when you see the word "Bookworm" you think of someone who loves to bury themselves in a book so the title of this post is somewhat deceiving. Jake *does* like to read for the most part but in these pics he was being "forced" to do his reading "homework" for school. Oh well...he sure looks cute, huh? Can you believe how big he's getting? He's almost 10! I get all misty just thinking about my baby being 10 years old! How can that be? Surely it was just the other day I gave birth, right? Holy cow!!!

Anyway, today is Monday...UGH! It's back to the rain after a beautiful weekend. We got two days in a row of "nice" weather. Now, mind you, "nice" weather in Ketchikan is ANY day that it is not raining...it could be 10 below and as long as it's not raining...it's a NICE day!! However, we did see the sun this weekend and it was a blessing. Unfortunately, we didn't get out in it much. Jake has had a bad cough for over a week and so we kept him inside with the exception of taking him to "town" with us for grocery shopping and the like. And I don't know exactly what I did but I hurt my arm/shoulder some time on Saturday and by the afternoon I was in a lot of pain and could hardly move my arm. It hurt to even try to wipe down the kitchen table! So...I lubed it up with Tiger Balm (that stuff rocks!!) and Tony massaged it some (he's such a dear!!) and I hoped for the best. Sunday, woke up and it was worse. I almost couldn't drive myself to church! I had taken 800mg of Motrin and I kept trying to move it as much as I could. When I got home I put the heating pad on it and didn't do anything. It felt so good!! So anyway, I managed to get to Singing Tree practice but was back on the couch with the heating pad on my shoulder as soon as I got home. It seemed to really help and by last night I was doing a lot better. I was even able to pick up the kitchen a bit and fold some laundry. I lubed my arm back up with the Tiger Balm, too, so that helped. I love that stuff btw. If any of you out there have any aches or pains...pick some up at your local drugstore!!

Not much else is going on. I'm counting the days until Thanksgiving. I plan on eating myself STUPID, y'all!! Some of you may not know this but I have been "dieting" since the first of October. I decided to try NutriSystem when a friend of mine lost a lot of weight with it. So far I've lost 15 pounds! I am beyond ecstatic!! All my pants are starting to fall off of me! :) My goal is to be down 20 pounds by the company Christmas party which is December 6th. I know I can do it if I stay diligent. There are times when it's really hard to, tho. Friday night I pigged out at the Ladies Holiday gathering...but I paid the price!! I'm not used to eating a lot of food all at once any longer...especially anything that would be considered high in carbs. I was SO SICK the rest of the night!! LOL!! The food was just too good, tho, I couldn't resist (if any of you have ever had Chrissie McClennan's corn chowder...you would know what I mean). Anyway, I'm back on track and trying to get to the gym at least 3 days a week. I will also do the treadmill on the off days that I'm not at the gym. Soooo...the cat's out of the bag! I'm hoping that the next time some of you see me you won't even recognize me! LOL!! Wish me luck. It really IS a hard journey at times...especially when you love food!! And it will get even harder when I stop the NutriSystem and go back to eating "regular" food....Yikes!!

OK...that's enough for today. Hope you all have a great week. I'll be thinking about you! Nan

P.S. I tried the "Wii Fit" this weekend at my friend's house (Rachael's next door) and it is SO fun...we are considering getting this for Christmas...the jury is still out tho. :)

Facebook

OK...So recently I had two invites to Facebook from my cousin and a friend that used to live here. I didn't *really* want to do anything other than this blog and I hadn't heard of many people using FB (I figured MySpace was the more popular of the two). I was hesitant to say the least. However, when I got the invite from my friend, Jenn, I reconsidered b/c I hadn't seen ANY pictures from them in ages and I really wanted to see how her girls were growing up. Jenn and Evan were our neighbors for a short time before they left for Lake Charles, LA. I miss them a lot! Their daughter, Ella, was quite young (2?) when they left and they've since had another baby sooooo...well you see where this is going!!! Anyway, I signed up and can now be seen on Facebook. I remembered to check my hotmail account this morning (the email I designated for this Facebook account) and LO AND BEHOLD suddenly there are all these people I know using this site!!! I was stunned to find a bunch of old friends on there...some from church, some that have moved away, and some old highschool buddies as well. I was quite overjoyed!! LOL!! I'm glad I did it now! No worries, tho, this blog will remain my priority for those that aren't on FB. :) I feel so "techy" now, tho!! I am still learning how to use FB and getting to know my way around on there...it's not as easy as this blog but I'm getting there. :) If anyone out there is using Facebook and you'd like to be "my friend"...email me an invite or whatever at greeneyes99901@hotmail.com The more the merrier! :)

Anyway, it's Friday again and I can't believe how quickly the last two weeks have gone. I have been very busy at work and been trying to get to the gym whenever I can drag my butt up there. Once I'm there it's great....it's the getting there that's a struggle. Last night I just decided to go home and use the treadmill that Margie loaned us. It kicked my bootie!!! LOL!!! Who knew??? Ha! But back to what I was saying....

Jake's teacher/parent conference went very well and he's doing great in school. All As and Bs for him, which makes us both very happy. :) I didn't expect anything less. His teacher said he is really getting into reading and she's always catching him reading in class when he's not supposed to be. We'll have to have a talk with him about that. I wasn't too upset about it, tho. It makes us both very happy that he likes to read!! :) Tony and I are both avid readers and we were hoping Jake would follow suit.

The weather here has been very up and down. It's mostly been cold and rainy but we had a break yesterday with blue sky and sunshine. Today it's back to being "miserable". I'm just thankful I don't work outside!! I'm also thankful I don't live somewhere like North Dakota that recently got 2 feet of snow. I love snow but not 2 feet at a time!!!! No thanks!! Whenever the weather gets me down...I just remember that someone *somewhere* has it worse then ME!! Although...a mall to shop at would be NICE! :) Speaking of shopping...we have a new store opening here. It's taking the place of "Silver Basin" that just closed recently. We were all in a tizzy about SB closing and we are SO HAPPY that someone is stepping up to offer somewhere besides WalMart to shop at. Tomorrow is the Holiday Open House so...I'm sure it will be packed. They haven't opened yet to my knowledge but they should be tomorrow. Those of you that used to live here are probably the only ones that can appreciate what I am talking about. If you remember...we lost our Hallmark store over a year ago and it was quite devastating when Silver Basin decided to close it's doors.

At any rate...this weekend will be busy, once again, with housework, exercising if possible, and staying indoors. Tonight is a Ladies "Holiday" Gathering at the church that I am attending with a friend. I am excited to learn a new craft! Tomorrow night, my MIL is coming over for dinner and will share all the juicy details about her trip to Italy she just returned from. I can't wait to hear all about it!! :) Sunday will be church, probably grocery shopping, and then singing tree practice. Before I know it...Monday will be here again and I will be at work hoping the week goes by quickly.

Wow! It's almost Thanksgiving!! Can you believe it? I ordered my "fresh" turkey a while ago so I am set. I am DONE with trying to figure out when to take the dang bird out of the freezer for thawing. I can't tell you how many times I have stressed about cooking a turkey that's frozen in the middle!! Not fun!!!

Well...I'd better get back to work. Hope everyone has a great weekend! More later. Nanette :)

Brrrrrr!!!

The temperature has really dropped! Snow is right around the corner. It is completely dark when I get home from work now. Jake has a horrendous cold and cough...it must be November! Teacher/Parent conferences are this week so Jake has Thursday and Friday off. Tony is taking the rest of this week off since we are closed tomorrow for Veteran's day and we need someone to stay with Jake anyway. Shirley is due back on Wednesday from her trip to Italy...can't wait to hear all about it! My mom leaves Wednesday to go see my brother Chris and his new baby, Abbie, and of course my SIL, Katie. I'm SO jealous!! I'm gearing up mentally for Thanksgiving. It has become tradition that I make Thanksgiving dinner and my SIL, Bev, makes Christmas dinner. I've started my Christmas shopping and am almost finished...how envious are YOU??? LOL!!

That's all I got for now. Not much is happening. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods! Hugs~ Nan

New Baby Pics

OK...I don't have any new Halloween pics b/c Jake was with friends Friday night and when I stopped to say "hi" on my way home he wasn't in his costume yet. Oh well...he was cute, as usual, I'm sure!! I'm not too worried about it. Soooo...I'll go ahead and post a pic of Abbie, my new niece, in the Halloween onesie I sent her. She's so dang cute I can hardly stand it!! Anyway, not much new to report. It was a mellow weekend. I decided to be in the "Singing Christmas Tree" at church this year so I had practice for that on Sunday. Other than that, it was "business as usual" at the Newell house. It is getting really dark here now since we turned the clocks back! This will take some getting used to!


Have a good week and don't forget to vote!! Love Y'all! Nan XOX

"Little" Rascal!

My friend, Sabrina, who lives in Anchorage sent me this pic today. Their pumpkins have been mysteriously disappearing. They figured out who/what the culprit is...here she is!!! LOL!!!

Can you imagine opening your front door and seeing this??? Wow!!

Pumkin Carving Time!

Well...carving time is here again! We got such a late start that we only did Jake's pumpkin tonight. He did an awesome job but BOY...it is one CREEPY jack-o-lantern! Yikes! We told him it is going to scare away all the trick-or-treaters!! He didn't care...more candy for him (he thinks!) LOL!! Anyway, the pics are self explanatory. I, of course, made sure to save the seeds for roasting. Yum!! A low-fat snack for ME! :) More pics tomorrow of MY pumpkin. To see more pics from tonight's carving...I am going to put a slideshow on this blog sometime soon. Stay tuned for that. Also, in case you are wondering...my apron says "MOM is just WOW upside down!" Cute, huh?? I thought so! Night, Y'all and Happy Carving!!!!!!!!!! Shalom!! :)

Halloween Cometh...

My neighbor and friend, Julie, had a pumpkin carving party for her kids on Saturday. They looked so cute I just *HAD* to post some pics! Above is her daughter, Julia, dressed as a kitty kat!

Spooky Cupcakes from Julie's Halloween Party!

Julia (3years old) in her kitty-kat costume. Isn't she adorable???

Kai (5 years old) is the pirate on the end...Julia, his sister is the kitty next to the skeleton. They are SO cute!!!!!!!

Kai next to the pumpkins he and Julia carved. So fun!!

**We are doing our pumpkins on Wednesday night. Jake is (hopefully) going to be "Iron Man" this year. He gets to go Trick-or-Treating with my friend, Michi, and her kids this year while I stay home to make a cake for the Harvest Party at church on Saturday. He'll have more fun if I'm not around anyway! LOL!!! What do y'all have planned this year? Are you dressing up? We always dress up at work...I'm going to be a 1920's "flapper girl" this year if my costume gets here in time! I used to hate dressing up but all my co-workers really get into it so I figured, "If you can't beat 'em...join 'em!" It brings out the kid in you again...try it!! :) Please send pics if you or your kids dress up! I can put them on this blog, too, if you aren't already blogging!! Oh! That reminds me...I sent the CUTEST Halloween "onesie" to my new niece in Ohio. I hope she wears it and my brother gets pics! *hint-hint* Chris and Katie if you are reading this!!!!

Dancing With The Stars Winners

Does anyone else find this picture disturbing? For those of you out there that have been living in a hole...that is Barack Obama and Alaska's governor, Sarah Palin.

Hope you got a good laugh out of this. I know *I* did!!

Toodles! Nan XOX

Aaaaaahhhhh...the weekend!

TGIF, People! I am so psyched for the weekend! I cherish being able to sleep in and enjoy not coming to work. I've come to the conclusion that working for a living is HIGHLY overrated! Ha! Although, after that little "shopping spree" in Seattle...I very much need my job sooo...I'll quit whining. Speaking of work, last week I celebrated my "Two Year Anniversary" with Community Connections! Can I get a Whoop-Whoop?!? Where does the time go, tho?? Holy Cow! Each passing year is faster then the previous one. It's gone in the blink of an eye almost. Anyway, along with my anniversary came a nice little raise. I am happy! Every little bit helps and makes you feel appreciated.

Anywhoooo....we have a somewhat busy but fun (for me anyway) weekend ahead of us. We start tonight with a "going away" party for a co-worker of mine. Tony and I will be having appetizers and drinks with everyone at Annabelle's to say Good-bye to Rob Sullivan...a therapist I work with whom I am going to miss greatly! (Jake is staying with his buddy next door and is going to see "Highschool Musical"..YUCK!!...LOL!!) Tomorrow evening I am having a bunch of my peeps over for a GNO (girls nite out) Body Shop party. If you've never tried Body Shop...you are missing out! Check it out online at www.thebodyshop.com or find the nearest store!! Anyway, the holiday catalog is out and I am EXCITED! I am an addict to say the least. I've even got Tony hooked on it. They have very nice men's products as well as a new "baby" line. You KNOW I'll be sending some baby stuff out to my new niece very soon!! :) But enough about that....Sunday should be pretty low key. After church, Jake has a birthday party from 2pm-4pm so while he's at that I will be going to the rec. center and working out. I am STOKED! 2 whole hours at the gym!! I never get to do that. I can focus on becoming "one" with the eliptical!! LOL!! I'm guessing Tony will become "one" with the TV as it is a big football day. He was "good" and already worked out 2 days this week. I did NOT...hence...I'm getting my fat butt to the GYM!!! :) Besides getting groceries, that is probably the extent of our weekend. It flies by so fast it will be Monday again before we know it. UGH!!! I hate Mondays!!! Ha Ha!!

OK...I guess I better get back to work. Hope you all have a great weekend and I'll try to remember to post some new pictures soon (that aren't of my new baby niece...sorry...I just can't help myself!!)

Take Care and Bye For Now~ Nan XOX

THANKS, DEBRA!

As you can see below...there is a huge space between my last two posts. Does anyone know how to fix this? Leave me a comment! Thanks!! Nan

**PROBLEM SOLVED! CAN I GET A WHOOOP-WHOOP??????? LOL!!

More Baby Pics...Sorry! :)

Are they just the cutest family or what? This is Chris, Katie, and Abigail Moyer!

Proud Papa...

Need I say more? This is my brother, Chris, and his new daughter, Abigail. Is it ME or does he look tired??? LOL!!

Seattle

Let me just say how much I miss and LOVE Seattle!! As you know...I just returned from my "Girls Weekend" with my peeps and I must say...it was DA BOMB! LOL!! The weather was perfect with lots of sunshine. It was amazing! The trees were all turning colors and it was just beautiful. We had such a blast...it was perfect shopping weather. :)

Our trip was successful to say the least. I discovered and was introduced to some great places to shop. The first was "Dress Barn". The prices were reasonable and they had a lot of cute things. The other great place was "DSW"...this is a place that I refer to as "Shoe Heaven". If you are a "shoe person"...this is your place! It was awesome. I got a little carried away here but hey...I only get off the rock like once a year soooo...I'm not too worried about it. I also didn't get as much Christmas shopping done but I'm not too concerned with that either...it will all work out.

So, all in all, it was fabulous and I can't wait to go back. We did not end up seeing "The Secret Life of Bees" but did see "The Women" in the new cinema at South Center. It was "OK". I'm sure "...Bees" will be better and hopefully it will come to Ketchikan at some point. I will go see it with Marina...she loved the book even more than I did.

Jake and Tony faired well while I was gone and barely noticed my absense. It feels good to get away and know that things are ship-shape at home. :)

Anyway...not much else is happening. We are plugging away like everyone else. Jake is taking tennis 2 days a week. Tony and I are trying to work out more. The weather here has gotten really bad...it's supposed to blow 70mph tonight. I just hope the power doesn't go out!

I still haven't talked to my bro yet about how fatherhood/parenthood is going but my mom said he is forever changed. LOL! We all know what THAT means! :)

OK...I'd better get back to work. Love Y'all!! XXX Nan

Abigail Lynne Moyer

I made it home safe and sound (barely) from Seattle today. It was blowing 45mph while we were trying to land! YIKES!! I am exhausted but very excited about all I found shopping down there. Of course, I could have done even more if I'd had the time! Anyway, I was very excited to have pics of my brother's baby when I got home. Isn't she lovely? Too soon to tell who she resembles more but she has the SWEETEST, little face! More later after I rest up and unpack. Later! Nan XOX

She's Here!!!!!!

Baby Abigail Lynn was brought into this world at 5:57pm Ohio time today. She weighs 7lb 12oz and has a little bit of dark hair. Long fingers, too. My brother sounds so happy! I cannot wait for pictures. I will post as soon as I get them.

Life is GOOD!!!!!!!! :)

Peace-Out! Nan

The Baby Is Coming!

Well, I was wrong in my last post. They have induced my SIL, Katie, TODAY! I'm going to be an auntie again! I am so excited!! I can't wait to get pictures and post them on here so you can all see her. I have NO idea how I am NOT going to go to Ohio to meet her. It's going to KILL me!! LOL!! Thank goodness for digital cameras and email. I am SO happy for my brother. This is something he's wanted for a long time and he's going to be such a good daddy!!! Anyway, I will keep you updated as much as I can. I leave for Seattle tomorrow (11:45 ferry) so hopefully she'll be here by then. :)

Not much else is happening. I'm counting the hours now until I get on the jet.

Take care! Nan

P.S. Is anyone watching "The Biggest Loser"? It's the BEST SHOW! I just love it. It's my new favorite reality show. That, and the Amazing Race is good. :)

They Won!

Jake's team won the championship on Saturday!! Yay!! It was a very intense game and the weather couldn't have been nastier. We were all very happy it was all over and they came away the winners. Soccer is officially over! I would have posted some pics but I didn't take any b/c the weather was SO nasty. I don't think I've been to a wetter, colder, rainier, more miserable game EVER!! LOL! Those kids are troupers! :)

Jake is doing great in school. All his papers have "4s" on them, which are the equivalent of an "A". OMSI is visiting this week which is VERY exciting. OMSI stands for the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. They are located in Portland, Oregon and we actually paid them a visit last summer (2007) when Jake and I were south. They are AWESOME and they get the kids excited about Science. I guess Jake helped with a demonstration yesterday...something involving "gravity". If anyone is ever in the Portland area and you are looking for something to do with your kids...OMSI is the place!!

I talked to Chris and Katie (my bro and SIL) yesterday and they are inducing Katie on Thursday. I am so excited for them! Little Abigail Lynn will be here by the end of the week!!

I am leaving on Thursday for Seattle and will return on Sunday morning. It's going to be a whirlwind of a trip! I am hoping to get the majority of my Christmas shopping done. Only 71 shopping days left!! :)

I got two new books today. The first is "The Time Traveler's Wife" and the second is "An Hour to Live, An Hour to Love". I'll let you know how they are after I'm done. I'm still reading "The Shack" at the moment and I've started "The Last Lecture". LOL! Has anyone started "Bees.." yet????? Let me know what y'all are reading and what's good! I'm always open for suggestions.

That's it for now. Back to work. Love to All~ Nan XOX

Update

Hey There! If you are wondering why my blog looks different, well, I felt it was time for a change. With old man Winter licking at our heals I just felt like a change to match the season...DARK! LOL!!! Anyway, this week was busy and somewhat hectic. Last Sunday we said Good-bye to Tony's mom as she prepared to leave for her trip south this winter. She is staying with Tony's sister, Tami, on Bainbridge Island until the 24th. Then they both leave for Italy for Shirley's "retirement trip". Shirley retired from Tongass Trading here in Ketchikan after 19 grueling years. I say "grueling" because dealing with tourists all summer is NOT for the faint of heart and she did it with style and grace! LOL! Anywhoooo...when you retire with Tongass they give you a trip/cruise anywhere in the world you would like to go. She chose a 17 day "Under the Tuscan Sun" cruise thru the Meditteranean. It is a 12 day cruise and they spend like 4 days or so in Italy on the way back. Does that sound fab or what?? I am SO jealous but I am SO happy she is getting to do something so special AND share it with her daughter to boot! What a lucky pair they are. They both deserve it. Anyway, Shirley (shown with Jacob above) gets back on November 12th. I can't wait to hear all about it. They are stopping in Greece, also, so I'm sure that's going to be awesome! :)

Tuesday night Jake had another soccer game in the championships. They played the undefeated team. It went into overtime and it was still 0-0 after that (getting dark, too!!) They ended up winning in a "shootout" (penalty kicks for you soccer buffs out there!) So, this means we play again tomorrow and if they win again then they are the champs. The weather is taking a turn tonight, however, and it's supposed to blow 45 tomorrow so we'll see what happens. If they play and lose tomorrow...we play again on Sunday and the winner of that game wins it all. I am SO hoping they win tomorrow!!!

Work has been busy this week...but nothing exciting. Jake started indoor tennis on Thursday and he seemed to enjoy it. Tony and I worked out while he did that...we are trying to get in better shape! I just walked the track but I did a couple of miles so that was good. We will make a habit of going on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons while Jake takes his lessons. We figured it's a good place to start. We both have memberships at the Rec. Center so we'd better make the most of it! :)

We are SO glad it's Friday!! Other than soccer, we don't have much planned for the weekend. It's just nice to be HOME! Considering the weather, we will be spending as much time inside as we can. It has gotten really cold here and there is fresh snow on Deer Mountain. Yikes! Winter is just around the corner!

Oh! An update. My SIL, Katie, is getting close to her due date. My new niece, Abigail, will be here soon. Katie had an appt recently and so far there's no "activity". I will be on pins and needles until this baby is born!! Also, my sister, Becky, had her first OB appt. Her due date is May 11, 2009. I am excited for them! A new baby is always a blessing! I think the kids are excited...all 6 of them! I told her 7 is God's perfect number (hint, hint)...she just laughed at me!!

Oh yes...my trip to Seattle is rapidly approaching. My friends and I will hopefully be taking off for Seattle on Thursday night. If not, we will be back at the airport first thing on Friday trying to get off the rock. It will all depends on the flight load. We are flying as "companions" with Renee so we all three have to go together or not at all. We are VERY excited and have all kinds of plans. We are hoping to see "The Secret Life of Bees", which is coming out the weekend we are there. I just finished reading this book and LOVED it. It is going to be an amazing movie! I highly recommend the book and I'll let you know how the movie is. I am currently reading "Last Lecture" and I'm trying to finish "The Shack". I am trying to do more reading since it's something I love so much. I have no idea why I feel so guilty when I get engrossed in a book. I don't feel that way when I sit down to watch TV. Perhaps, as a friend suggested, it's because a book takes my full attention. And when it's a good one...I can't put it down. Everything and everyone suffers around me when I read. LOL!!!

OK..I'd better wrap this up. Have a great weekend! Peace~Out! Nanette XOX

October Has Arrived

Well...October has arrived in true fall fashion here in SouthEast Alaska. Today was a very blustery one as you can see from the waves in the Narrows in the photo. This was taken on my return home from work. I'm glad it's still light out (for now) when we get home! I'm not looking forward to the long, dark hours in the heart of the winter here. Anyway, today is the 2nd and I'm already feeling anxious about what is right around the corner. It will be Halloween before we know it...then Thanksgiving etc...etc...Yikes! Where does all the time go?

Jake is doing well and seems to be thriving in 4th grade. Soccer is still winding down. They are in the "playoffs", so to speak, so it could go on for a while if they keep winning. It's a "double elimination" championship and his team won their first game on Wednesday. This means they will play AT LEAST two more times. If they keep winning, however, it's anybody's guess as to when it will be over. I just hope the weather doesn't deteriorate too quickly. Sometimes we get lucky with an "indian summer" but it's not looking too promising after today. :)

Tony and I are keeping busy at work. I am going on my two year anniversary with Community Connections. Tony just passed the 1 year mark. He just got his "step increase", which you usually get automatically with each year. This also usually means a raise of some sort. Yay! You know how it goes, tho. Any time you get a little "extra" it seems to get absorbed one way or another. For us, the little bit of "extra" we get will be going towards Tony's 401K that he just became eligible for. Let's hope the stock market starts looking better! Holy Cow! Can you believe what a mess?!? Anyway, we are plugging along.

I am looking forward to a possible trip to Seattle on the 16th of this month. It is a "Girls Only" trip with two of my closest friends. We are hoping to spend the weekend in Seattle doing what girls do best...SHOPPING!!! I can hardly wait. My friend, Renee, who is going on the trip, is graciously giving me and our other friend, Buffy, passes on Alaska Airlines so that we can make this trip happen. We have been wanting to do it for some time but we couldn't afford it. Sooo...when Renee's hubby went to work for Alaska Airlines...well...we KNEW we could make it happen sooner or later. Thankfully, it's happening SOONER rather than LATER! LOL!! Let me just give big shout out to Renee and Charles....THANKS GUYS....YOU ROCK!!!! :)

Well, I've got things that need my attention including taking care of Jake's new "owie" on the bottom of his foot. He had to have a wart removed and I have to keep it very clean and dressed while it heals. It's the only way to make sure it doesn't come back. Soooo...for all you out there that just "freeze" these little buggers off...this is why they keep coming back! You need to have a podiatrist take it off completely. It's not fun but at least you know it's GONE! :)

Take Care Everyone and God Bless~ Nan XOX

Fall Sunset

These are pics of last night's sunset. We have had nice weather the last few days but there is an unmistakable chill in the air and fall has definitely arrived! Tonight is Jake's last soccer practice and this weekend is the final game. Yay! We move on to tennis next month. I'm happy we'll all be inside. :) Must go and get ready for work. More later! Nanette

Whales!

OK...I hate to brag but the whales are back. We haven't seen them all summer. Not only are they back but they were playing and breaching right in front of our house tonight. It was, to say the least, spectacular. We couldn't even believe what we were seeing! I got a short video of some of it but it truly doesn't do it justice. As you will see, it's very rainy and foggy out so the picture isn't the best but you definitely get the idea. I was also on the phone at the time so if I say something totally unrelated, this is why. You will also hear the wind on the video...sorry the quality isn't state of the art. It's still better than nothing! Anyway...what a nice way to end the week! We are so very blessed to be living on the water. Hope you guys have a great weekend! Hugs~ Nan

Baby Bump!

Hi All! Did that title catch your attention? LOL! I figured it might. Anyway, I thought you may be sick of fishing pictures so I thought I would put this on for all the world to see. This is my gorgeous sister-in-law, Katie! She and my brother are expecting a baby girl, Abigail, next month. We are all very excited!! Her due date is October 16th. For those of you that don't know, Chris and Katie are living in Ohio right now so I have NO idea when I will get to meet my new niece. I am really hoping they wind up back on the west coast at some point. It would be nice to be able to visit all three of them! I haven't seen them since they moved almost 3 years ago. :(

Anyway, speaking of babies...my sister, Becky, is pregnant with number 7. I am very excited to have another neice or nephew added to the already wonderful list. I am officially changing my sister's name to Myrtle, however. :)

Well...not much else is happening right now. We are very much looking forward to cruise ship season being over. Town was very crowded today when Tony and I went to lunch. Speaking of which, we sat out on the deck of the Eagles Club having some fish & chips and LOW AND BEHOLD there were two HUGE harbor seals in the creek going after all the salmon going up the creek. It was awesome! I've never seen seals go up that far into the creek. I was very excited and VERY disappointed I did NOT have my camera!!! That's the LAST time I leave my camera at home.

Catch ya'll later. Hugs~ Nan

OK...One More Post For Today!!

Jake and a baby King. We threw him back!

Dad having a blast reeling in a big Silver!

These were a little tougher to reel in than dad thought.