The clerical staff from our public health center was sent to Anchorage for a 2 day conference. This photo is the downstairs clerical team. We had a really nice time.
Life has been busy for me and I can't put my finger on why that is, exactly. I haven't had much time to rubber stamp and my house is a mess too!
We are all ready for Christmas. We will sure miss Jake this year. Lauren, Randy and Smokey should be over tonight to do Christmas because Clay is working for the next 4 days.
I'm so happy that it's snowing today! It is a light snow, but snow none the less.

The scenic photo was taken from the 15th floor of the hotel we were at in Anchorage. It's the downtown area and the photo doesn't do it justice. It was a beautiful view.

I haven't figured why it's been such a while since I've been here to write except that I've been pretty busy since we've been back from NV. Here is a photo that Jake sent of his cat, Cochise. He looks pretty comfy there! Jake said that he and Cody's cat, Bamboo, sleep in his underwear.
Happy Thanksgiving! Is it possible that we are nearing the end of 2006??? I guess that is okay. It's happening whether anyone is ready or not! I am not doing dinner here. We are going over to friend's for dinner and taking a couple of side dishes. I have to work tomorrow so it's not like it's going to be a big weekend for me. Oh well!!!


The other photo is of Lauren and Randy and their dog, Smoky. He is very dark so it's hard to see what he looks like. They wanted me to take their photo the other night so I took several, but Smoky is dark in all of them. Smoky and Chester don't really get along. Smoky wants to play and Chester wants to be left alone. They end up running all over the house because they always want to follow me when I get up and leave the room.
I have most of Christmas bought for this year, which is always nice. I will need to wrap a few things, get them boxed, and then in the mail. Next...it will be Christmas cards. Hopefully I will have time to make a few!!
Tomorrow I think I'll try to get over to Joanns and see what I can get with my coupons.

The photos are from our trip to Nevada. The one on the top was taken in Lovelock where Clay and I "locked our love." It is a ridiculous new tradition they are trying to start and of course I had to follow along. Clay was very gracious to do it with me. The bottom photo is of Clay and I with Jake at the Seattle airport, where Jake met us for a couple of hours to eat and talk. It was so good to see him! I wished we could have seen his new car, but the time was just too short.
We pretty much visited everyone we wanted to while gone. It's always good to get back home. Chester was very much missed and I think he missed us too.
I did my first Stampin' Up! party last night in over 2 years. It was fun as I had supplies for everyone to make at least 4 different Christmas tags, per the hostess's request. I don't know that orders will be super, but she made it clear that she did not want anyone to feel like they needed to order.
I did a super silly thing...I accidentally swallowed one of Chester's dog treats when I thought I was taking some ibuprofen. Lucky for me it went down! Chester was staring at me like I was nuts...he knew what I had done.
Our house is going into escrow again this week. The folks apparently have been pre-approved for their loan, so we have reason to hope this time! Our closing date is set for Jan. 5, Clay's birthday. What a nice present that would be!
Well, I'm off to go shopping today! I have coupons for Gottschalks, Michaels and Joann's so I'm armed with all I need. I will also be going by the craft fair, where I found many gifts last year for the folks back home. Later, I'll probably try to stamp or just kick back for the evening. I am doing a solo for church tomorrow morning so will need my rest!

Sometimes it's good to add photos that are more related to Clay and not me. This is a photo from the hunt he guided down on the peninsula. (Clay on the left)
The lunch box class went pretty well. Working with the Mod Podge on the tins is always a challenge and I think some of the ladies were disappointed at how the paper wrinkled, but it just doesn't seem to smooth out well. Most covered up the wrinkles with embellishments and I think were basically happy. I was given a really nice gift for doing the class. These gals are the best and I'm looking forward to going back and doing more classes. Next month I'm going to attend one that Shelly is teaching on a bamboo skewer scrapbook.
News from Jake...he traded in his Durango for a Subaru. I can't remember which model it is, but it's a 2002 and is the coupe version of one of their sporty cars. He says it's silver and he sounds like he loves it. He went in looking for a BMW and the salesperson talked him into the car he bought. Jake is now on his own for all his finances. I know he'll do well.
Lauren is still trying to sell her Protege to get the money she needs to fix both it and her new little Chevy.
We are still undecided on whether or not Ches will join us on our trip to NV. I'll be calling the airlines today and getting more answers. We have not practiced with him in going in the carry-on bag, nor have we given him melatonin to see if it will actually aid in calming him. I'm really procrastinating with this, but it's in his best interest.
We had another snow last night and I plan to take some photos today of the results. It was just a couple or so inches. It's still lightly falling, but didn't sound like we'd get much more until Tuesday or Wednesday.
Other local news...there was a shooting just less then a quarter mile from our house on Friday night. Apparently during a party a dispute broke out and someone had a gun. It looked like CSI:Crime out on College Rd. yesterday.
That is about the news of the day.

This card did not scan well for the color. It's actually vintage violet and I made it for a purple and black card swap. At first I had the trick or treat card inside of the mini envelope, sticking out so you could see to pull it, but it made the rest of the card look very plain so I glued it to the top. I think it looks much better now.
We had a small skiff (sp??) of snow last night and it is cold enough (27) to keep it from melting. It's nice to see the ground white again. I love the cool temps too.
I have a more relaxing week at work coming up so that is nice! Wed. is a state holiday for us, Alaska day, and I took Friday off work. I want to get things ready for the altered lunch box class I'm teaching on Saturday.
Everyone is doing well I think. Heard from Jake on Friday and he was finally getting a pay check. He said his training would end early and he was happy about that. He sounded very upbeat. Lauren is lagging pretty far behind in her classes. I wish I could help somehow, but I know better. When I help even a little she takes advantage and she doesn't want to work anymore. It is better for her to learn this way. Clay has a new supervisor at work and this guy is trying to talk Clay into being a driller leadman again. Clay said not without a sufficient raise in pay. The guy said "you got it" and Clay said as soon as he sees it on his paycheck he'll start doing it. We'll see! The increase in pay is always a big help!
I have had a very hard time relaxing and sleeping this weekend, probably because of how jacked up I was for the flu shot exercise. There are still some things I am having a hard time letting go from my mind. Some folks really dropped the ball in ways that affected me and my team's performance. I've learned a lot, but doubt that I will work in the same capacity for it next year if they do it again. I have a hard time working beneath leaders who are control freaks and then freak out when a little mishap occurs.
Time to go rest for a bit and then I have lots to do again for the new week ahead!!

This is a card I made for a swap yesterday. Nothing special, but it was fun to do!
We bought our airline tickets yesterday to fly down to NV to see the folks. We'll be flying out Nov. 2 and flying hom on the 9th. Hopefully all goes well! We are going to try to take Chester with us, but have to research whether or not they will allow us to have him in the carrier. I refuse to let him fly in cargo so that is not an option. He'll be going to the vet soon for a shot and a wellness certificate in case he is allowed to fly.
Only 2 more days till we put on the mass dispensing flu exercise! I will be so glad to get this thing overwith! The people at work are fit to be tied!! Also...I'm so tired of turning the elderly away because we can't give the vaccine prior to Friday.
I'm off to exercise this morning and then it's Chester's day at the groomer!! Poor kid. I brushed him pretty good last night so he shouldn't have too much stress.
I don't hear from the kids much these days. I guess they are just too busy!!

The pattern for this little purse is in the November 06 issue of Paper Crafts magazine. It's just big enough for a mini chocolate bar. It kind of got smashed in the scanner, but you get the idea!
I have a teeth cleaning this morning so am playing hooky from going in to work early. I really needed the break.
It was raining earlier and I hope that is over with because it quite possibly turn to freezing rain, which can be very treacherous.
I'm off to the shower!!

This is Chester yesterday. It was such a beautiful, chilly day. I couldn't get him to really look right at the camera, but the did pretty good.
We are all doing well here. Jake is surviving his training. Both he and Lauren are looking forward to dividends on Wednesday. Lauren wants to buy a car and Jake just needs cash. Clay and I will be putting ours toward our trip in February. Nothing new on the house, but at least some people are still looking at it so that is good.
Clay will be heading out north on Friday for his trophy caribou hunt. I wish he had someone to go with him. Had I known that I could have gotten the time off I might have put in for it, but things have been so sketchy at work for a couple of months now. I will make plans to go next year and by then I'll have my archery certificate too.
It's October and time is just speeding by. Soon it will be Christmas and then a new year.
Off to work again today. I hope it's going to be a good week.

I'm so disgusted I can hardly believe it. The sale of the house fell through again. We are just beside ourselves with how upset we are. Why does it have to be so difficult for folks to come up with a loan???
Jake started his job and that is great news. He called last night, however, and asked me how I thought I should he should deal with a person he has in his training class who is a muslim and sits in the class making statements of Islam and is extremely disruptive and distracting to Jake. I told Jake that he should probably talk to the teacher because there are probably others in the class who are bothered by him. Jake wanted me to tell him what I knew about the Koran so he could talk to the guy, but I didn't think that was maybe the best approach because Jake also noted that he thinks the guy is one exposure short of a full roll of film. I pray Jake gets this settled so he can concentrate on getting through this class. I almost couldn't sleep last night thinking about it and it was the first thing on my mind this morning.
Lauren is doing fine I think. She's attending her classes and trying to keep up, but with all her distractions or distraction, it's hard for her.
Clay is doing well. He is feeling good and back at work and seems fully recovered from his trip. He brought me a couple of nice gifts, a pair of mammoth ivory earrings and a night shirt. He is very thoughtful.
Well, hopefully our new realtor can sell this house for us pretty quick. Tracy, at work, told me that it will sell by the 10th of October. Okay, we'll see if that happens. I've had people make predictions before and they have not worked out.
The weather here is still pretty nice. Somewhat cooler, but still for September it's been fabulous. Peace out.

Well, I have no photo for today. I guess that means I'm going to have to get my camera out and get busy! My honey gets back tonight from the moose hunt! They did manage to get one nice moose and were going to try for another yesterday. Hopefully that worked out to have happened. It will be nice having him home again.
Jake still has not gotten a job. He's very busy filling out online applications, though. Today he has an interview with ACS and I am praying he gets that job!
Lauren is trying to drop her German class. She said she just can't keep up and I believe that, but I don't think she had a clue going into it that it was going to require a lot more than she was ever willing to put into it. She is going to try to get some of her money back, but I think it's probably too late. What a waste.
The weather is just starting to turn a bit colder. Yesterday was a balmy 68 I think. Today the high is supposed to be 50.
We may have sold our NV house too, which I don't want to get my hopes up, but that would be so awesome! We'll probably know for sure by Friday. Hopefully I post good news by Saturday!!

I'm still learning my way around this whole blogging thing. I did realize that I could provide a link to some other photos that I have posted at a webshots site if there was anyone interested in seeing these as well. Alaska Photos
Still no moose for Clay, but the rain is subsiding and a moose was spotted yesterday so hopefully today will be the day! He said his hunters were really great guys and he so wanted to make sure they got a moose.
Still no job for Jake, but he may hear something tomorrow. I guess he's not hungry at this point. I know when I got hungry, back in the day, I went to work at a restaurant. I always knew I had one good meal for the day. Cody's mom is heading down on the 27th and will be taking the kitten.
The photo is from Lauren's graduation. I love throwing in random photos. I totally need a new photo of me without the red hair. lol!
Yesterday I worked on Chester's brag book for over 4 hours. I am almost finished! It is turning out great and then I can work on some other projects I have wanted to do.
Is September really more than half over???

Well, the house is officially finshed and I'm glad for that! They redid the carpet downstairs and it looks better, but definitely it is ruined. Most of the stains in Jake's room are still there, but look more like grey blobs now.



Jake has not gotten a job yet, but might know something on Monday. Clay called and is doing fine on his hunt. Apparently moose are around, but the hunter missed his first shot at one. They have until Tuesday to get it done.
The card above is one that I made last weekend. The set of ghouls is pretty cute I think. I like the way it turned out.
We finally have the NV house back on the market and already have someone making an offer. I sure hope this one pans out. We are just sick of having to deal with all of this.
Today is Thursday. Never one of my favorite days, but it's almost Friday and that is a good thing! I am looking forward to going to bed early.

This morning at 5am I took Clay to the airport. He's heading down to the peninsula to guide for the moose hunt for 2 weeks. It was the first time in about 3 months that I'd seen the moon. What a beautiful moon! And lo and behold, a small aurora borealis also shimmering in the sky. Up here it can be worth it to get up early! I was reminded of our first October up here. (2002) One night we had a tremendous show of the northern lights and it was the next day that we were hit with a record setting earthquake. Amazing! It's really lovely outside with all the colors changing, yet still so much green. I wish the season lasted longer, but the reality is that by the time Clay returns it will be winter.
We still have people cleaning our home. It finally looks like they are getting somewhere. All our ceilings were repainted, the couch and chair cleaned and I think today they'll be doing the carpets.
Mom made it safely home from Montana. She'll be making plans to return next month.
What to do for the next 2 weeks?? Hmmm, I'm sure I could find lots of trouble to get into, but I better keep things cool. No one would know what to think if I ever got into real trouble! No matter what, I'm always busy. I'm sure it will take a few days to finally get my house back in order. Hopefully we get our curtains back soon. I'm starting to feel weird about that.

Labor Day...hmmm...great day to have off work. It is absolutely gorgeous outside. I'm sitting here waiting for Lauren to finish getting ready so we can go out and enjoy this weather while we still have it.
Jake called. Still no job. He's getting quite a bit bummed, but I can't help him and that's hard for me. I'm sure when he gets a job things will start to pan out.
I made the card at left yesterday for an apple swap. I have a few projects in motion, but really just want to cruise around today, maybe hit a couple of stores just to browse as money is really tight right now.
We are considering planning a trip down to NV again in November. Not sure if I really want to go. I hate the thought of leaving Chester. We are definitely going to Mexico or Hawaii in February and that I will leave him for! But Nevada...not sure if it's worth it. Ha!
Mom travels back home on Wednesday. Hope she has a safe trip.
Our house is looking pretty good. I guess the carpet cleaners come tomorrow and will do the living room, downstairs and Jake's room.
I think she's ready so I'm off.

Today is the first day of September, which means it could snow any day now. It's basically one of the first days of winter here in Fairbanks. We've been fortunate though, since we moved here it hasn't snowed until toward the last week of September. The weather has been really nice for about the last week or so.
Lauren really likes her classes, which is good. She and Clay are going to PBR tonight! This something that they've been talking about doing since she was a little girl. Who would think that the tour would ever come to a place like Fairbanks, AK?? I'll be doing the grocery shopping. It was just too expensive for us all to go.
Three day weekend!! What's not to like about that? Hopefully I'll be spending it stamping, mostly.
The photo is from our fishing trip in July down in Valdez. My biggest one was the fish directly front and middle. It had a line caught in it's mouth from one of the halibut boats. Pretty cool...stole one from the big guys!!

Jake and Cody...this photo does not reflect the excitement they had about heading on their way to Seattle. It was still early though, 9:30am, which is like 6am to most of us.
Yesterday was a bummer day. We found out that the sale of our house in NV that we've been working on for about 4 months did not go through. The buyers did not qualify for the loan, which we had thought they were already pre-approved for. We have really been anticipating this and finally getting into the black with some of our bills.
Clay came home from the goat hunt in a lot of pain. The Hep C is affecting his hips, leg and feet. I wanted to cry all day at work because of how bad I felt for him and the result of the house.
Lauren is still doing well. She's so excited about school. We were hoping to be able to help her with some financing and not sure now how we can do that. I just hope someone else will become interested in that house soon, now that it's back on the market.

This is a card I did a few months ago. It's still one of my favorites. Monday again. I didn't hear from Jake all weekend, but on Friday he called to tell me how excited he was about his new apartment.
Clay, my husband, left yesterday for his goat hunt. He sounded a little dubious about the terrain, but still confident on getting one.
Lauren, my daughter, is all set up for school. She'll start classes this Thursday. This is a really neat chapter of her life that is beginning. I'm so glad she's decided to attend college.
Well, my life is pretty much the same. I worked on Jake's room for almost 2 hours yesterday. Only killed one bug. His mattress was black. The smell is going to take a long time to dissipate, oh and all the black crud on everything...it's bike grease...remains of him coming home after work and not taking a shower. How he ever got a girl to go into that room I'll never know. Lauren's response, "Mom, you SAW the girls he took down there!" hahahaha. Well, a couple of them were kind of cute and nice. Scary.
Lots to do this week!

Life in Alaska can be a lot of different things. For me...I love it! There is so much to experience. Not everyone feels that way though, like my son, Jake...He's 20 and he couldn't wait to leave. He moved with his friend, Cody, just one week ago and I'm excited for him to finally be on his own, but it's tough on a mom to let one of her kids go. Chester, my 3 year old Chinese Crested, couldn't care less I guess. We still have Lauren home. Lauren is 19 and will be starting college next week, we hope!! Many things will change for us over the next few months. I'll be trying to stay as busy as possible!