So this Manger is very special to me.

My Dad built this himself. He used a blow torch to burn the wood, and then stained it and varnished it. He built it back in North Dakota in 1966. He and my Mom bought the pieces at Woolworths. The got the hay from a horse corral on Grand Forks Air Force base, where they lived in ND. I guess there is a funny story about my older brother Mike being chased by a Goose that day, with him just a screaming! Anyways, this Manger was set up in my house every Christmas. I loved playing with the people and setting it up. I would re-arrange them all the time. We even had a cat or two that would push them all aside to sleep on the hay.

My parents don't really set up all of their decorations during Christmas anymore, so I asked this Christmas if I could have it. They were happy to say yes! So here it sits in my house now....full of memories for me.

With the Holidays upon us, it is time to help out. Last year was my first try at this. My church always has an adopt a family. We have a tree decorated with items that this family needs. You can pick any (or none) items you wish. Bring them back and then the teen youth group wraps and delievers them. Last year, I got last picks. Pretty much there was a $100 GVEA GC you could buy or buy them their Christmas dinner. I was hoping to get off cheaper than that, but I really wanted to help, so I picked the Christmas dinner. I went to Safeway's Deli. It cost $49.99 to get a pre-cooked Christmas dinner. So I bought a $50 Safeway GC for this. Way more money than I wanted to give, but I did it. Let me tell you it felt so good. I didn't get to meet the family, or even know who they were. I didnt get to see their faces when they opened it, but it was beyond that for me. It just felt good to know I was helping someone else less fortunate feel better, for at least one day.
This year, we have the adopt a family again. I picked a tag that was for a 6 yr old boy who wants books. Can't wait to go to B&N and pick some out, with the boys help. Derek's work is also doing an adopt a family. He forwarded me the note. One family has no Christmas tree or decorations. We picked up an extra artificial tree one year at Home Depot at the after Christmas day sale. I think it cost a whole wopping $10.00 after all the markdowns. I was going to use it as an extra decoration outside with lights on it. Since fuel started costing so much, which caused electricity to cost so much more, we haven't set it except for one year. It's just sitting in the crawl space. Gathering dust. Derek made his way to town today, and bought some decorations and lights for it, and will drop it off to the HR dept of his work tonight. It feels really good to know that this family will be able to decorate a tree, which is such an important tradition in my family.
If you don't already help out....try it...I guarentee you will love it!!

Family Get Together

Uncle Mike sneaks in on Macy's moment...
Blowing out the candles.
(Yes, my pictures are all out of order...oh well!)

Carson got this gift during Macy's party, since his bday was just last week.

Jarret and Jenna

These boys just arrived from flying all day to get home from their roadtrip to Fresno. Not sure if a bday party was on the agenda, but I think they enjoyed the food.

Grandma gets piled up with Macy's toys.

Macy still handing out the toys...pieces of her wooden bday cake.

Grandpa

Playing with the wooden bday cake .

Grandma opening up some of her gifts as well.

Maggie shows us her sense of style!

Macy loved playing with the face off the bday cake. haha

We haven't had new family pictures taken in about 10 years. Portraits Studio did a great job. They took us up to the B. Gardens up at UAF. I have never ever been there. It is beautiful.

PS is you see this family picture, don't tell my parents about till after Christmas, it is one of their gifts.

And yes, it was sprinkling that day, so I hate my hair!

Love love love this picture.

All the cousins.
Jared wasn't born in Alaska (the rest were), but he has been raised here, so we think he qualified for the shirt!

http://nahl.com/news/story.cfm?id=1890

Very exciting post about Jared and Tayler. My Dad is beside himself, as Walpole, MA is right where he grew up. He is already planning his trip to watch the games.

Life is a journey and everything happens for a reason.

Home opener!

This picture of my boys makes my heart sing! Gosh, they look so much alike.

Uncle Mike and Grandpa Z show their support for Jared!

The 3 local kids! Proud of these boys.

Tayler, Alex and Jared


Jared, Cousin Jenna and Preston (who lives with Jenna's family).

Family shot!

Cousins Macy and Jenna with their matching coats!

This was during our vacation this summer in Washington D.C.

We had no one to take pictures of us, so I just held my iphone out in front of us and snapped away.

Quite comincal, I know.

I had no idea that Derek was making the faces behind Jared and I.

More self portraits in Washington DC at the Washington Monument on the 4th of July.

Gotta love Carson's 'crazy' eyes!

Haha

This years cabbage

(actually we had two of them)

Carson completely underwater while on our trip this summer.

This was in Newark, NJ (do not ever stay there!) at the hotel.

Pay the extra money and stay right in NYC-if I ever go again, I will!

It was such a HOT HOT HOT trip!

YES, I know....I have been neglecting my blog.

My friend Gayle is so awesome at updating hers

ALL the time.

Maybe Facebook is taking over the world...I spend too much time there.

or I don't know if I am just lazy, or that I think that nobody really looks at it.
I know some people do, but I really set out to do this so some far off relatives could take peeks at the boys daily lives.

But as far as I know, they don't.

I gave them the address-a few times. OK more than a few times.

Oh well.

But to all of the rest of my interested friends- who do look at it-

THANK-YOU!!

I will try to get back on track with updating every so often!

*Smile*

Some of Jared's senior pictures

well, Jared won't be graduating from NPHS, so really we didn't have to do Senior pics, as I don't think the BEST Program has a yearbook.

But, I just could not let him finish the year without the pictures. I know I will be thankful to have them in the future.

This is from Jared's Rookie Dinner night.

I guess last year, since he was a part time Icedog player, and also playing on the Arctic Lion U16 team, when they had their rookie dinner he was busy with his U16 team so he didn't attend the Rookie dinner. He did take part in other rookie stuff (the Rookie Skit), but since he missed this last season, they said he had to do it this season, then he would no longer be considered a 'Rookie.'

So, the rookies have to dress up like woman, going all out. Then they take a vet to dinner and pay the bill.

Preston and Jared got ready at my house and as you can see with your own eyes, it was super comical. From how to apply make-up, false eyelashes (which I have never used and we eventually gave up on), to how do you hold your purse.

I didn't help with the outfits at all.

I laughed, and laughed and laughed.

Good times.

Angel Rocks Hike

Derek's brother and his wife drove up from Alberta for a visit. We hiked Angel Rocks one day!

The boys up at the top

Derek and his brother Darwin

Me and my Sister in Law Shelley

Carson heading down with Hunter

It was steep going down.

Hockey Hall of Fame

Harvey, Carson and Derek with the Stanley Cup...it was a Stanley Cup we were told, but not the one of right now, as the current one, is currently traveling around with the players who won it. (Chicago Blackhawks).
I've posted about this before. Derek's dad won the Allan Cup (awarded to the best Men's AAA team in all of Canada) back in 1966. At the Hall of Fame, you just put in the team's name and your picture pops up. Here Harvey is posing with his winning team picture that he was in back in 66'.

The Allan Cup is right between Harvey and Carson.

It was so awesome to see it, knowing he lifted it at one point.

Now right across from the Allan Cup, were more trophies. The one to Derek's left, was for the best team in the East Coast Hockey League. You can't see it in this picture, but up close for 1992-93 season, Derek's ECHL team lost out to the Toledo Storm....whose name is on this trophy. I said too bad, you could have been in the Hall of Fame like your dad! Then Derek pointed out the trophy that is on his right. It was from his Jr. days in Alberta.....yep, they got second again, and the winning team in on the trophy! Two trophies he could have been on!

Oh well....it was still cool, knowing he played against those two teams!

Carson posing with Bobby Orr's stuff...the greatest defenseman of all time, most will say.

zillions of pucks! I cannot imagine how much stuff they most have boxed up in storage somewhere.

Derek's mom, Mary and I outside the Hall of Fame.

Hockey Hall of Fame, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

We decided while in Rochester, that we would make a day trip up to Toronto to go see the Hall of Fame. We knew Derek's dad's picture was in there, and obviously we all wanted to go see it.

Toronto is about 2.5 hours away from Rochester, where we were watching Jared's hockey camp. Jared was unable to join us due to his camp, which was a bummer for him.

The drive up went smooth. Probably because we left at around 7am. Traffic wasn't too bad for NY standards....for Alaska it would have been like rush hour! The border crossing went quickly and we made the trip right around 3 hours. The border crossing is near Niagara Falls. There is a very tall tower in Toronto called the CN Tower, which is just a couple blocks from the Hall of Fame. We were planning on going up, as on a clear day you can see Niagara Falls. Well wouldn't you know it, it was the only rainy day of the whole trip. If you have been following East Coast weather...they had a serious heat wave almost the entire time we were there. I'm talking crazy hot. Not even enjoyable for us Alaska people. The humidity was a nightmare really.

Anyways, we only saw the tower from the ground...way too cloudy and overcast to spent the money to go up.

The traffic on the trip home was nasty! The 2.5 hour trip took us just over 5 hours. It was very frustrating. Drive a mile or 2 at 65 miles an hour, then come to a stop, the roll along slowly for 5 miles, then go another miles at full speed, then stop again. I just don't get it. I don't think I could ever live with traffic like that. My time seems more valuable than that.

Anyways, even with the long drive home, it was more than worth it to see that picture!