Autumn kick-off.

September 1, 2010
Krysta excitedly woke up saying, “MOM, TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF SEPTEMBER! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!” Yes it is! Autumn is knocking at our front door and I’m ecstatically letting it in. This is OUR season. Our favorite season. And we’re soaking up every moment of it.













To kick things off, Ron and I met for a breakfast date at Kaladi Brothers, because nothing says “autumn” like Alaskan-Style Chai Tea and poppy-seed and almond muffins.
*Photos brought to you by my blackberry*






Our lives can get so hectic sometimes. I love it when we can kick back and catch-up on the latest comings and goings, especially before the day really begins. It’s like getting that little note in your lunchbox from your mom saying, “I love you”, it puts an extra pep in your step. When days begin like that, you know it’s going to be a good one. And a good one it was- my typical Wednesday felt like a Friday, and that is something to smile about.
*Photos brought to you by my blackberry*








With autumn here, I’m nostalgically reminiscing through old pictures of Krysta pumpkin picking, navigating through corn mazes, with chrysanthemums, in a huge pile of golden leaves, you name it. I’m over-joyed that this bountiful season is back and I can’t wait to experience it this time with double the love of my two babies.






Since this is Will’s first Fall Season, I want to show him everything, for him to experience all that this glorious time of year has to offer; to breathe in the crisp autumn air, to crush amber-colored leaves in the palms of his hands, to savor the taste of pumpkin, to smell hearty homemade foods, such as roast beef with sage, yeast rolls, and apple cider.
















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September 2, 2010
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been an artsy type of girl. Seriously. My mom has drawings I did of Angels at the age of three to prove it. I also took college art classes in high school and loved every minute of it; this creating and making images come to life. Art has always been in my blood, running through my veins, and that can’t be ignored. You see, I took a break from painting during my pregnancy and for William’s first six months of life. Now, the urge to paint is coming on stronger and stronger, and it’s time that I give it the attention it longs for. I’m back and I’m ready to feed my addiction.

Tonight I pulled out my brushes, tubes of buttery oil paints, and a smooth piece of linen canvas, and I sat. I sat and I stared at those tubes of paint for over an hour- analyzing color combinations and skin tones. It was a magical feeling.







Oh, and remember awhile back when I said that I’m working on something fabulous? I actually started working on it two years ago, but something wasn’t quite right and I couldn’t put my finger on it, so I stopped until I could sort it out. Now- now I’m finally finished with it!

Here it is. My daughter, Krysta Jean, at the age of five:







I’m ending today with these photos of a moose. Yes, a real live moose. I saw this bad boy grazing on the side of the road while driving to the post office. It excites me to no end when turning an ordinary event into something amazing, something so wild and untamed. How often can you say, “I saw a moose while driving to the post office”? I mean, really!

Drawing an end to summer.

What to say about this week? This week has been full of rain, sun, homework, and the waking of alarm clocks.




We officially finished the first full week of school. It was…a success! Krysta woke up to her very own alarm clock, picked out her very own clothes, AND made her very own lunch. Look at my big girl, would you! You see, when I said it’s going to be a big year, full of big new things, I meant it. And Krysta is rocking it like a pro.





The sun graced up with her rays- kissing our shoulders and giving us hope to a nice ending to our summer. Heck, after 32 days of straight rain, Mrs. Mother Nature owns me a bucket full of sunshine.

I took advantage of this rare sunshine and laid out a thick quilt on the soft green grass for my babies to play on. As summer-like as it was, there were signs of autumn in the air; the crisp cool breeze, the purple and red leaves from my front yard tree, clothing consisting of rich browns, reds, and oranges, and textured tights tell the story that Fall is on its way.

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven. -Ecclesiastes 3:1








Krysta worked on her homework, William practiced scooting, and we all enjoyed basking in those golden rays. It was a beautiful afternoon.








This week elections were held. We went to vote before dropping Krysta off at school, so she could see how the process works. Why? Because voting is important. Because it’s your right. Enough said.







Just as quickly has the sun appeared, so did the rain. Ron organized a hike for his squadron to help raise money for the Christmas party with a cook-out afterward. Did I tell you that Ron is the President of the Booster Club? Anyway, little did we know, the weather would quickly change for the worse.

Dum. Dum-Dum-Dum. MORE RAIN!




We started walking several hundred feet and then turned around. It was cold. It was raining. And we weren’t prepared. Already there was water leaking through my socks and shoes, and my toes were already going numb. So, we let everyone else hit the trails while we stayed back to flip the burgers and get the food set up.
P.S. Notice the random Fall colors starting to pop through.













We didn’t see the views that we would’ve liked, or got the exercise I was wanting, but we did get to spend some time together- just us, and that’s totally worth all the cold, rainy days in the world.









Krysta’s cheerleading is going smashingly well. She’s rocking out the moves, swaying her hips, and shaking what her mama gave her. We need to work on her smile- one of the many ways that she’s like me is, she concentrates very hard. We just need to work on curling up the sides of those rosebud lips.

P.S. Here's a video from this afternoon. As the video plays on, the music becomes a little more clear- you just have to listen through the rain and the background noise.





I'm going to end with this photo. It's a view from my bedroom- doesn't the sunset cascading over the mountain tops look gorgeous?

Oh how I love your laugh

I can't get enough of my baby squirrel's laugh. If Will's laugh was a drug, I'd be addicted- oh heck, who am I kidding- drug or not, I'm hooked! Every time he lets out that baby chuckle, I smile until my cheeks hurt. It's music to my ears. Pure heaven.

Road Trip

At 5am we packed up the car and packed up the kids and headed to Seward, Alaska. It was our last summer hoorah before the snow hits and school starts.

The weatherman said, "sunny skies!" Hallelujah, sunny skies! It has been raining for the past month, so this trip couldn't be more perfectly timed!

...Uff-da, the weatherman let me down. It rained. and rained. and rained. Seriously dude, throw me a bone here...or an umbrella! A little bit (okay, a lot) of rain wasn't going to slow us down- we kept on trucking it out there because that's how we roll.

It was well worth it, even if it was raining. The views and scenery were spectacular- from the ocean, to the marsh and rivers, to the snow-capped mountains, to the lush foliage. The smell, oh the smell, there's nothing like it- it was like fresh morning dew and honeysuckle. Delish.
I'm harvesting these images in my memory bank and carrying with them until I'm gray-haired.

Here's our drive from my point-of-view, from Anchorage to Seward, Alaska. You see what I saw through these pictures; bugs on the windshield and all.
{more trip photos to come}