I'm NOT Crazy...

So, I just heard that they were clocking winds at 99mph over on Annette Island last night. Mmm-Hmmm...that's right!! For you "out of towners"...this is where the community of Metlakatla is located and the ferry boat "Lutuya" (sp?) is stationed at night...you know the one I mentioned earlier?!? So, I'm not over-exaggerating or being melodramatic or whatever you want to call it!! LOL!! 99mph Y'all!!!! Don't hurricane force winds start at 115mph or so????? See....I'm not crazy!! Considering how close Metlakatla is in proximity to Ketchikan...I'm sure we were seeing the same winds here. Yikes!!

Have a good one! Nan

Under The Weather...Literally!

So, last night a nice little "storm" blew in over SouthEast Alaska. There was a "wind advisory" in effect and they were calling for gusts up to 45mph. Well...let me tell ya...those were NOT 45mph gusts that *WE* were experiencing...no way, no how!! If the tide had been in we would have had waves lapping at our back door!! Now...I can handle me some storms y'all...been here almost 20 years now. But last night was SOMETHIN'. I can't recall a time when I felt the house shake that much! It was quite frightening at times and I knew the house would be missing a few "accessories" come morning. I was right! The screen door to Jake's slider was laying on the deck this a.m., which is a miracle in itself with the wind I was hearing. We also lost the "stove pipe cover" that goes over the pipe to the furnace...Chris will have to get that put back on. Funny thing, tho...my windchimes were still there today!! I only paid like $24 for those things and they hung out there like troopers!! I was so tickled...I LOVE my windchimes y'all!! Anyway, I wish many of you reading this could actually experience one of these storms that we get so frequently here. They are quite impressive. What's even more impressive is how our town holds up in the midst of it all. Some didn't fair so well, however, and one of our elementary schools was closed today due to a power outage. Our power went out, too, but was back on by the time we got up...THANK YOU JESUS!! I *hate* it when the power goes out!! We also almost lost one our ferry boats. The "Letuya", which is the ferry that runs between here and Metlakatla, actually broke free last night and ended up "grounded" about a mile away. Good thing it didn't go out to sea! Metlakatla is right on open water!! Anyway, that just gives you an idea of the magnitude of the wind here. Those that haved moved away probablly don't miss it!! :)

Along the same "note"...*I* am feeling "under the weather" today as well but I'm hoping it's going to pass quickly. There's been a stomach "bug" going around and the last thing I want is to be laid up all weekend. No fun!! So, I am "sucking it up" and just taking it easy at work today. Trying not to move around too much. :)

No big plans here for the weekend. Tony will probably watch the SuperBowl and Jake has a friend coming to stay the night tomorrow (if I'm not sick). I'm going to a "candle party". No spending, tho, since we have to pay our taxes!! Nothing nips spending in the bud like owing the IRS.

Hope you are all well. I'm thinking of you! Take care~ Nan XOX

P.S. If you still haven't started enjoying the blog by "Lysa TerKeurst" which I've posted over to the left side...Today's is a GOOD ONE! I highly recommend reading her daily blog as well as her P31 Devotionals on the P31 website. There's a link to it on Lysa's blog. Happy Reading! :)

A Day In History...December 20, 1998!

My "Baby" turned 10 on December 20th. Where does all the time go???

Jake opening gifts at his pizza party for his 10th birthday. No...he doesn't have the mumps. All the kids were getting jaw-breakers from the games they were playing!

Jake really digs magic tricks so I bought him a "Magic Show in a Box" kind of kit.

More presents...there's never enough it seems!

You can never go wrong with a gift card...No sir!!

Blowing out all those candles!!! :)

It's a "Harry Potter" cake, y'all!!

The Birthday Boy....


Back at home we remembered Grandma's present..."Wall=E"...we love this movie!!!!

Wet & Soggy

I don't have much new to report but didn't want to get too behind on this blog. :) Today it was supposed to warm up and rain but it was *just* cold enough to create some of that dreaded white stuff that is SO annoying. It ended up making for a very soggy afternoon. And of course I didn't bring my boots for once. Gross!!!!! They are saying it's going to be 43 degrees tomorrow with a 90% chance of rain. Maybe it will all finally GO away. It really cramps our style...especially when Tony can't drive his own car.

Anyway, this week is flying by. The whole month of January has flown by as a matter of fact. Soon, it will be February. You all know what THAT means....Valentine's Day!! Tony and I will be celebrating our wedding anniversary as well...14 years...can you believe it???

We are hunkering down for the night and will snuggle up to watch "LOST" later. That is our favorite show...as aggravating as it is. :) Oh well...whatcha gonna do? You get sucked in.

What are y'all up to? I don't hear from many of you...guess I better start reading some blogs!

Stay warm and count your blessings! Nan

Semi "Snow Day"...

Well...Tony and Jake are coming to get me! It's turned into a "Semi Snow Day" as I am leaving work early to get home before all the new snow freezes on the highway. I think we've gotten a good 6 inches already today!! They said it was supposed to start raining but we have yet to see that happen. Soooooo...Jake got his cast off and they are headed this way to pick me up. We will actually get to play in the snow today...maybe we'll make a snowman!! Oh wait...I may have to help Tony shovel. Yikes! Oh well...such is life. At least I get to leave work early! Yay!!!

OK...See you all later if we survive the drive home. I hear it's pretty bad out there. Bye for now! Nan XOX

**Update: Well...it was raining by the time we made it home today which made for very sloppy snow. Noone was interested in going outside at that point. It was so warm there was no need for shovelling and we had no trouble getting down our road and driveway. Yay for that! So, the big, bad storm has pretty much passed and it's supposed the rain for the next few days. We did enjoy getting home early, tho, and I got busy doing chores left over from the weekend while Jake did homework and Tony ran on the treadmill. I threw a chicken in the oven for dinner. It was almost like "Leave it to Beaver" around here! LOL!! Jake got a much needed haircut and is now in the shower WITHOUT A CAST and is singing "That's the way...uh-huh, uh-huh...I like it...UH-HUH, UH-HUH..." at the top of his lungs. (Y'all remember KC and the Sunshine Band, right? Wow...I'm dating myself here!!) Anyway, that boy sure keeps us in stitches. He's lucky I don't video tape him and put it on YouTube!!! :)

Anywhooooo...all is right in our universe at the moment...or at least just the way WE LIKE IT...Uh-huh, Uh-huh!!!!!!!!!!

Til Next Time~ Nan XOX

P.S. I'm off to make Smores for my dear family...no campfire required. (Put one small square of chocolate on half a graham cracker. Place in oven under the broiler until chocolate is melted. Take out and place 1 marshmellow on top of melted chocolate so it doesn't roll around. Put back under broiler until they look "done". Bon Apetit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Ramblings of a Tired Housewife....

Well...I guess I can't complain too much...I slept until after 10am this morning but I am bushed already. And we go back to work tomorrow...Oh Joy!! Actually, in light of this economy and what's happening everywhere...I am thankful to have a job so just wipe that snide comment from your memory as of RIGHT NOW!! LOL!! Anyway, this weekend was somewhat productive but I find myself behind in my chores. If it weren't for the fact that my feet are killing me...I would be doing SAID CHORES right now. But you know what? They will still be there tomorrow and I will get at it when I get home (maybe). Thank heavens for a man that does laundry...and the taxes!!! Yes...we are ON IT this year and have already started on the taxes. This is the earliest we have (Tony has actually) ever gotten our taxes "done". I say "done" loosely b/c they aren't completely done yet. As of right now...we owe almost double what we did last year (sickening, I know) so we are thinking of playing around with the numbers to see if contributing to our IRAs would make much of a difference. This would mean setting money aside until April then making a sizeable "donation" to our retirement in hopes of NOT paying more taxes. This, however, will throw a great, big, huge monkey wrench into my plan of paying down our VISA. Hmmmmm...I HATE paying taxes so the VISA may have to wait. Wow...getting off on a tangit here!!!!!! LOL!! The ramblings of a tired housewife....

So, this weekend was beautiful and cold. They are calling for more snow...2-5 inches from what I hear. This does not excite me in the LEAST...except...Jake gets his cast off tomorrow and would actually get to PLAY in some snow. I will be inside praying he doesn't break his arm again...or any body part for that matter!!!!!! We are all very excited. I think that boy has had about 4 showers in the last month due to the pain in the arse it is to wrap the cast each time. But enough about that. Jake has a new bed...WOO HOO!! It's used but it was FREE (it's a Queen) from a friend who just moved. He is/was outgrowing his full size bed (believe it or not) and it was a pain when we had friends overnight...they didn't fit any more! So, off to WalMart I went today to get new sheets for the new bed. Did you know WalMart sells 300 count sheets???? I had NO idea. If it's one thing I can't stand...it's CHEAP SHEETS! Probably a little known fact about me...Hee Hee!!

So the bed was yesterday and moving it took a long time. I'll save you the boring details...We got it home but had to go back to town for the frame b/c it needed to be taken apart and we didn't have tools at the time to take it apart. Soooo...by the time we did that, ate lunch, got home...I took a cat nap...then it was time to get ready to go to a going away potluck...which meant making food for said party. :) I made "Chip Chop Ham" with rolls...a favorite with people from PA...the girl leaving is from PA...so it was her recipe. I also made a vegetable pizza of sorts..it was good but time consuming. By the time I finished the food and gave Tony a haircut...I was running behind. We got to the party 30 minutes late or so but it all worked out. Tony's mom babysat Jake and we were home by 10:30 but STILL...my Saturday was GONE!!!!!!

Sunday was much the same...I didn't even go to church! Shame on me, I know...but my house was a wreck!! By the time I got up, tho, and made "brunch"...I had to get ready to go out to get the table...then I returned a book to Waldenbooks, got groceries, stopped and trimmed Candy's bangs, brought the groceries home, put away the groceries, then went to Walmart to get sheets for the above mentioned bed....yada, yada, yada...you can see where this is going. Now my SUNDAY IS GONE!!!!!!! Waaaaaaaaa!!!! Oh well...I got a lot of errands done (even returned a book I borrowed back to a friend!)

Tomorrow starts another busy week of nothing exciting. Tomorrow I start filling in at the front desk at work...that will be something new. It will be for about an hour while Admin has their weekly meeting. We'll see how it goes. I'm not very good when multiple lines are ringing!! LOL! Oh well...I'll do my best. :)

OK...that's it for now. Maybe next post I will put some pics on here. I still have birthday and Christmas pics to post. Hope you all had a good weekend and that it was more restful then mine.

Much Love and Hugs~ Nan

Hi :)

Well so much for getting caught up on this blog! I've been waiting until I had the time and energy to post new pictures at the same time but this is going to have to do for now! Sometimes I have the time but not the energy...and sometimes the energy but not the time. Sorry guys! For any of you out there that blog you know what a pain it can be to deal with posting pics...especially in the order you want them!! It's frustrating to no end. Maybe it's just ME. LOL! Anyway, the last few weeks have been pretty uneventful and quiet...just the way we like it! We've been slowly watching the snow melt and have enjoyed some very nice, sunny (almost balmy) weather between rain storms. I JUST got the Christmas decorations and tree put away this past weekend and that is a huge weight that has been lifted. The house looks so bare now! It was good to go thru everything, tho, and I even managed to consolidate some of my decos AND managed to part with quite a bit of stuff. I feel like I've started my spring cleaning already and it feels GOOD!!

Speaking of feeling good...many of you know that I have been on a quest to lose weight since October. So far, I have lost a total of 23 pounds and I feel terrific!! I decided back in late September that I wanted to give NutriSystem a try because a close friend of mine was having tremendous success with it. Sooooooo...I bit the bullet and placed my order. It has been SO easy and I've managed to get 3 more people (my mom included) on what I like to call "the program"...we aren't using the word D-I-E-T any longer!!!!!!!!! Anyway, I've also been exercising which you are aware of including a Pilates class that is kicking my fanny into shape! I have also gotten my Acid Reflux under control with the help of medication. So, with the help of poundage GONE and getting help for the agony of A.R....I feel like a new woman!! I am ready for whatever 2009 has to offer!! So, for those of you out there that made resolutions to lose weight...what are you waiting for??? It is SO worth the time and effort and you will feel amazing!! I plan to try and lose another 17 pounds and with the help of Nutrisystem, exercise and sheer determination I am sure I can do it. I'm hoping the next time my family sees me...they don't recognize me!! LOL!!

Jake is doing well and gets his cast off on Monday. This could not come at a better time...it seems like it's been on forever!! It stinks to high Heaven....anyone that's had a cast or a kid with a cast knows what I am referring to. There's nothing that can be done and I just can't wait for it to come off!!!! Jake is tired of it, too, and was very happy to hear it's coming off.

Not much else is happening. Just waiting for Spring at this point. OH!!!! I almost forgot...I got a call over the weekend from Dr. Mesdag...the foot doctor from Juneau I occasionally work for. He offered me a permanent spot working one Saturday a month for either him or a collegue (sp?) coming from Juneau. He is even giving me a raise! He is adding a third clinic to his schedule but Heidi (his regular gal) can't work another shift so he offered it to me. It will be good extra money which will come in handy. This will start next month...not sure exactly what day. Now if I could just figure out how to use this laptop while I'm there...hmmmmmm....not sure if there's a wireless connection or whatever it is you need to make this work. I'm still learning....LOL!!

OK...that's all I can think of for now. I will sign off and bid you "good night"....Nanette XOX

P.S. I set myself up on "Skype" if anyone is familiar with that and would like to "call" me. My Skype name is AKMom99901 or you can find me by putting in my name. I signed up so I could see and hear my new niece, Abbie, in Ohio! If anyone would like to set themselves up and you have a web cam...go to skype.com and it is very easy to get set up! Night Y'all!!!!!!!!! :)

P.S.S. Did anyone take my advice and go see "Australia"?????? Apparently NOT b/c I haven't heard SQUAT from any of you!! You know who you are!!!!!!!! LOL!! Anyway...if you didn't take that advice...AT LEAST LISTEN TO THIS....DO NOT...I repeat DO NOT go see "7 Pounds". I thought it was SO SAD!!!!!!!!!!!! Not my kind of movie AT ALL...although, Will Smith did an amazing job AS USUAL...but still...if I want to be depressed I can watch the NEWS...and it's FREE!!!!!!!!!!!

Favorite Film of 2009

OK...If you haven't seen "Australia"...get your fanny down to the theatre ASAP and see it. In a word...WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is the must see of the year IMHO (in my humble opinion.) I am not going to say any more for fear of ruining it. I knew it was going to be good...how can you go wrong with Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman? BUT CRICKEY (sp?)...it blew me away!! And I forgot kleenex...........DON'T FORGET THE KLEENEX LADIES!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so glad I got out tonight. There's another big storm heading our way tomorrow. We might be snowed in again for a bit. I'll be dreaming of being "down under"........**SIGH**.

Night Y'all!!! :) Nan

Catching Up

Well...as you can see I am trying to play "catch up" with my December postings. I still have many more pics to post so bear with me. It may take me several days but now that the holidays are over I can focus again on keeping up with this blog. I feel very led to say Thank You once again for all the wonderful cards, letters, and gifts we received throughout the month. We are very blessed and very loved! I'm sad it's all over...all that energy, time etc. to get ready and then it's all just OVER!! Oh well...what are you gonna do, right? LOL!! My tree is still up and I'm still enjoying looking at my snowman collection...I can make it last if I want to! So there!! :) Anyway, I'm going to call it a night and finish my chores. More soon! Love, Nanette XOX

The Singing Christmas Tree

As most of you know...I participated in the Singing Christmas Tree at church this year. It took place the 2nd weekend of December. It was an awesome year to be involved! The music was amazing and with much, much prayer...the weather was PERFECT! PTL!!!!! Anyway...here's some pics of us and the set. Enjoy....

There was a set of trees in the foyer...they included "animals" amongst the snow and bushes. Cute, huh?!?

There was a church/village scene that was stunning. It's hard to capture it with my cheap camera but you get the idea. I also had someone take a photo from a distance so you would get the idea of exactly how things are set up (for those that have never seen something of this nature!) The next photo is a close-up...can you guess which one is ME? And last but not least...our wonderful kids choir. They were awesome!!!

Christmas Party 2008

Christmas Party...Food, Fun and Friends!

Tony and Rich...our maintenance man. They "clean up" nicely don't they? Oh Tony...I heart you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Katie (in purple) gets down with Erin...our DJ for the party.

Leslie and Kelly!

My co-worker, Kim, and her sweetie, Evan. So cute!!

My new friends Cecil and Abbie. Abbie is a therpist for CMH.

First and foremost...I look SUPER fat here but I'm really not. Anyway, that's me, Rachael, and Renee. The three muskateers at ComCon! :)

My most awesome neighbor and friend, Rachael, and her sweetie, Aaron.

Tracy, Me, and Greg.

My good friend, Rachael, and I. Aren't we cute?

I saved the best for last...Me and the Hubs!! :)

Our party this year was at Steamers and it was very nice! Great job everyone on the committee and Thanks so much for a very nice evening!!! You Rock!!!!!!!!!!

God's Glorious Wonderland

This is the view going up our driveway!

Looking out over the ballfield where we were sledding!

This is the view from where we were sledding today...breathtaking!

On the drive home...the sun shining on one of the mountains. So pretty with the fresh snow!

Wicked Cold!

Happy 2009!! We started the year off with a very pretty but COLD day. The temp reader on my car said 19 deg but with the wind chill it was even colder. We took the boys (Jake & Damion) sledding up at the school out north. It was a blast but boy...were we ever cold by the time we left. I realized that I need to buy some long underwear and a thermos even if I only use them for 1 day a winter. I have a feeling I'm going to need them even more than that THIS winter! Brrrrrrr!!! Anyway, so far this year is flying by already! It's almost bed time and we've done next to nothing today. I slept in, which was heavenly after being up so late last night. When we got home from sledding I layed on the couch under a blanket and tried to thaw out. I put on P.S. I Love You (Gerard Butler, y'all!!) but I fell asleep. The cold just takes it out of you!! Sooo...without further a-due (sp?) here are some sledding pics. Happy New Year everyone!!!

Jake and Damion going on a run down the hill at North Point Higgins!

Jake trying a new path...the snow was too deep and fluffy so we went back to the other run.

Jake trying Chris' Ski-Doo...Chris, Julie and the kids showed up to sled with us.