Alaska Wildfire!

Alaska Wildfires! 100's of acres have been lost....


Smoke, smoke, and more smoke....brings about sore and dry throats!

Kiefer after his 1st fire call for the NPFD Station #1

Ash.....ash.....and more ash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE LONGEST DAY EVER!!!!!!

June 1st....my first weekday off (scheduled off that is!) in a very long time.....and let's just say it was NOT a relaxing one.
7:45 AM I JUMP out of bed...literally....as for whatever reason there was miscommunication about getting Kiefer to the Alaska Conservation Camp on time for his first day as one of a few Junior Counselors. So I start off running...again literally...to get him up and out the door asap and on the road.
Approximately 8:30 AM Sam is getting ready as she has an orthodontist appt I need to get her to. So yes, I had to drive in to town for Kiefer, back out of town to get Sam from home, and back to town for her appt. (Sam @ 8:30 AM)

9:30AM...at the orthodontist for 1 1/2 hours......for this end result @ 11:30AM



Time for a lunch break...Let me just say the Thai Peanut Wrap @ Brueggers Bagels is to die for. Love love love it!!!
So a few errands to run @ this point such as the DMV, Beaver Sports for bicycle parts for the boys. And I have to say...exactly how many tires do boys usually go thru?? My gosh I feel like they are in constant need of tires and tire tubes, chains, yada yada. Will that EVER end???
So finally...after months of asking, begging, and whining.....she received the present for her 16th birthday (which was in April) and with praying that the phase would pass. But to no avail...I guess it could have been worse.


Sam @ 2:15PM

So a few more errands, like returning to the orthodontist to get her temporary retainers, dropping off a friend who had spent the night, going to the Post Office, and getting the car washed I was finally home.....

What a LONG day!!!!!

Our girl is 16!!!!

Our little girl is 16!!! I can hardly believe it. Darin and I got her a tiara to wear to school for her "Sweet 16." She is still in the process of planning the party/get together as we can't really decide what to do exactly. We have considered Chena Hot Springs, a party, or staying at a hotel for a night to celebrate. The only thing is...of course she wants to have boys at the celebration too. Well, not quite sure I want to be responsible for an overnight deal with girls AND boys!
She can technically drive now too of course. However....we can't seem to get past the test for the permit! :) Fourth time is the charm? Guess that test got a lot harder these past years!!!
Anyway...love to all,
Angela

Keep on Trucking!!!!!

So....how many of you bloggers have ever watched the "Ice Road Truckers" on the History channel??? Well it is fun to watch, and amusing, amd nerve wracking!! :)
So anyway, I am going to give you a little information about the show and add a few pics from this last weekend. The family went to watch the fabulous Ice Dogs play their #1 and #2 Playoff Games. Well @ game #2 - which the Dogs won 7-1!!!! :) Darin spotted some celebs! He was thrilled and had a grin so big I couldn't stop smiling myself. So he went and talked to them for a bit and got their autographs and picture!!!

About the Series

WATCH ICE ROAD TRUCKERS SUNDAYS AT 9/8C

ICE ROAD TRUCKERS is a story about adventure, perseverance, human ingenuity and most importantly DANGER. Every day the truckers hit the ice roads they are taking their lives into their hands. One miscalculation of the road, bad weather or an unseen road hazard can mean the difference between life and death. If a rig breaks through the ice and sinks into the freezing water, the trucker has less then a minute before they will freeze to death. Ice Road Trucking is not for the faint-hearted.

BIOGRAPHY - ALEX

Alex is larger than life, enormously capable and able to take on the hardest and most demanding jobs. He's a street intellectual who is also a Roman Catholic lay prison minister.

Alex is the first-generation son of a Polish military officer, known all around town, not least for having run for mayor (his campaign posters were pieces of old automobile bodies), and he is a beloved wit whose VHF diatribes have kept many a trucker awake and laughing through long winter nights. Juvenile delinquent, adult delinquent, he is the proud father of 11 children and 7 grandchildren.

BIOGRAPHY - HUGH

Hugh, an animal on the ice road, is one of the toughest and most experienced ice road truckers on the planet. "It's about adventure and cash," he says. Known by some as "the polar bear," Hugh is a big kid and has a reputation for being sarcastic. This year he's on ice roads that he hasn't seen in more than 20 years, in an Arctic environment far more desolate and isolated than the roads out of Yellowknife he's used to, but he's undeterred: "The winter road just gets in your blood. It's adventurous, challenging, and you can go as hard as you want."

Hugh was born and bred in Canada, lived in Yellowknife most of his life and then moved to British Columbia. He's married with three kids, and his wife worries about him every year when he leaves to work the perilous ice roads.

ICE ROAD HISTORY

Since its completion in 1979, the 417-mile-long Dempster Highway has provided Inuvik, largest town north of the Arctic Circle in Canada’s Northwest Territories, with year-round road access to the rest of the country. Built from gravel and crushed stone piled high on top of permanently frozen ground, the Dempster makes for treacherous driving, especially during the winter months. Once you get past Inuvik, however, the situation gets even tougher.

So we have a few of our own "celeb pics" from the game. We have Alex and Hugh dropping the puck, pics with Darin and I, and the autographs Darin was giddy over :) But....I have to admit...it was neat to see and talk to them. They were very nice guys and very funny!!!!

Kiefer forced to forfeit!

State wrestling tournament started yesterday @ Tanana Middle School. The bus left the school at 8am and they wrestled until 9pm. Kiefer won his 1st match, lost his 2nd, and won his 3rd. So we left last night knowing he would be fighting for 3rd place in State today. So I took him to the school to catch the bus at 615 this morning. I knew he would have a long morning with getting situated and all the kids weighing in. I came home, slept for a bit, then Darin and I headed into town to catch todays matches. We walked in to the gym and headed toward the mats looking for him. I looked and looked and asked a teammate where Kief was. Kief was "on the mat" but talking to refs and his friends and coaches and I have NEVER seen his face so red. I knew he either lost or something was really wrong and my stomach just instantly fell to the floor. I wanted to be a crazy mom and run across the damn floor....but I knew that would make it worse. That's the only thing that stopped me! I asked the teammate if we missed the match and he said "no...something happened with his mouth." I looked up and Kief was getting dressed. He started toward us and I asked what happened and he said he had to forfeit the match (giving up any more chance at winning a place in State) because his lip was stuck to his braces and he couldn't wrestle without his mouthguard in. Apparently his opponent had knocked him in the face and his mouthguard shifted and the injury happened!!! Sure enough, his upper lip was totally stuck and wires were poking right in and sticking there. I felt and still feel so bad for him. But he has handled it well. He has decided to continue even though the season is over. There is a Team Icemen here that is Freestyle wrestling so he can keep up on his strength and skills a bit longer this season. He is already looking forward to HS Wrestling next year. So here are a few pics of his weekend....

Crazy Wrestler's Mom!!!!


Get him Kief!!!!!!





And the lip is stuck on the wire :(



My baby is hurting!!!



I took him to Dr. Sutley's and we had to numb him so we could get the wire out of his lip!



So anyway....that has been our weekend so far! The coaches and Kief say he was winning the match but it just wasn't going to happen this year. We told him he will take them all by storm next year as an "Awesome Unknown" that nobody is expecting to get their butt beat by him so they better watch out!!!

Wrestling Regionals

So here are a few pictures of Regionals last weekend. Kiefer placed 3rd for his weight class of 110#. He has done fantastic for a wrestler who missed most of the season with a broken toe! :)

We are in the process of the State Tournament this weekend!!!

Kiefer is cleared to wrestle!

OK...so Kiefer has gotten the go ahead from Dr. Wade, his toe surgeon, to continue activity without restrictions. This includes wrestling and he was so very happy to hear that news! So he used last week to get used to shoes again on both feet and to stretch a few times a day. He started wrestling practice again this week, and had 2 meets already with wins. He has a big conference meet this Saturday that will be an all day thing.
Dr. Wade had one request, and asked Kiefer to bring a signed picture to the office...winning of course....so it can be hung in the office since he has yet to "get a wrestler on the wall." :)
So thought I would put up new pictures of his healed toe...since the last one made some of you ill!

February causes!!

http://www.goredforwomen.org/

Prenatal Infection Prevention Month http://www.groupbstrepinternational.org/

Give Kids A Smile Day http://www.ada.org/prof/events/featured/gkas/index.asp

National Condom Day

http://www.ashastd.org/

National Women's Heart Day

http://www.sistertosister.org/

Kids E.N.T. (Ears, Nose, Throat) Month

http://www.entnet.org/kidsent/

National Children's Dental Health Month

http://www.ada.org/prof/events/featured/ncdhm.asp

Been busy with normal life :)

Well not a whole lot is new. Just normal everday life in Alaska.
It has been up in the 40's here a few times this past week and I could hardly believe it. We are supposed to get another "cold snap" this coming week. It is nice to have the warmer weather, but after it being so cold the roads get pretty dangerous.
It has been slow driving in the dark after work. Darin actually had a very near miss with a semi the other night, when he braked for a dumbass in front of him who changed his mind about turning and decided to pull in front of Darin again. Darin slid thru the median and into oncoming traffic in the path of a semi. Luckily our truck somehow swung around at the last minute and the semi flew past. I was just all goose bumpy when he told me and am so glad everything was ok. I can't imagine the tragedy and having to go on without him.
Anyway, kids have been busy cleaning their caves this weekend. Wow their rooms get scary sometimes. I've been doing laundry ALL weekend! They must get down to the last pair of underwear and socks before they decide to visit the laundry room with a full basket!
There is no school tomorrow for the holiday so the kids are happy about that. One more morning to sleep in for them.
Hopefully I will have some new pics to post for you all soon. Love to all :)

Be Aware This Month

Fundraisers.com Features This Month's Causes

As we start a new year, I thought it a good idea to make myself and everyone else I know to be more aware of things; illnesses, causes, etc. that we may not think much about. If you are someone who knows me well, one cause I have been involved in as much as possible is with animals. I have done a few “walk for the animals” for the Humane Society and I have also volunteered at an ASPCA shelter (which Samantha and I enjoyed doing together) So here I say THANKS again to many of you who made donations for our walks.

Another area or cause I try to do my part in deals with cancer. Our family as a whole has participated in The Relay for Life events in Fairbanks and really had a great time. I was lucky enough while in Washington to have a job I loved on “the cancer floor” of Tacoma General Hospital. Though many work days were sad, I also met wonderful people and their families and learned so much from that experience. Working with cancer patients taught me a lot.

So, I wanted to list some of the “Awareness Topics” for the month of January.

National Birth Defects Prevention Month

Cataract Awareness Month

Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

National Volunteer Blood Donor Month

Thyroid Awareness Month

National Mentoring Month

National Poverty in America Awareness Month

I hope you check out the sites of anything that caught your eye.

Love to all, Angela
"No one has ever become poor by giving."

.....Anne Frank