Bombs Away!!!!

(Mount Redoubt - The last time it erupted)


____________________________________________

Hello!!

It is a pretty exciting time here in Alaska, we could be on the verge of a volcanic eruption within the next few hours or days.

This volcano, Mount Redoubt, is located about 100 miles from Anchorage and last erupted in 1989 / 1990. I remember it's last eruption quite well as it coated Anchorage with a layer of volcanic ash. We aren't in any sort of danger, it may just make things a little crazy for a few days. You are supposed to stay inside as much as possible, wear a mask if you go outside, cover your cars, and keep any electronics inside covered as well. Basically volcanic ash is small bits of rock and glass, much smaller and more dangerous than sand or dirt. If the volcano erupts we will make sure to get lots of pictures to post!!

It has been a pretty amazing January! We had a couple weeks of -20 degree weather, then we had a windstorm with winds that topped 100MPH, then we had 50 degree weather and all of our snow melted, and the other day we had a 5.7 earthquake that woke us up and now we are bracing for a volcanic eruption. One thing about life in Alaska, it is not "normal".

We will keep you updated!!

Warmer Temperatures...FINALLY!!!

So, our "cold snap" is finally over!! It ended up being one of the longest streaks of cold weather EVER in Alaska. Brrrr. We had about 2 weeks where the temp never got above 0. Today it is supposed to be 38, which feels SO warm after what we have experienced. The silver lining is that if we can make it through that, we can make it through anything!! Plus, there was a news story in yesterdays paper about how forecasters are projecting a warmer than normal summer for Alaska, so that is good news!

How we spent $139 on toothbrushes and could not be happier!

So we recently did something that I honestly thought I would never do in my life. We spent over $100.00 on toothbrushes. You read correctly, toothbrushes.

We have a few friends who had received Sonicare toothbrushes and raved about them and how great they work. I did some research on-line and was surprised to see how high the reviews are of people who use the Sonicare products. I expected the reviews to be very mixed, that seems to be the case with most items, but from what I could find the reviews are almost all positive everywhere I looked. I had heard that Costco sold them and had the best prices around so we went to look and they had a 2 pack of the Sonicare Flexcare brushes, the UV brush cleaner and a couple of other accessories on sale for $139.99 (they also had a 2 pack of another Sonicare model for $99). That may seem expensive, but it's actually a great price for 2 Sonicare's.

Bottom line...these are amazing, they work great and our teeth have never felt better! By far the best toothbrush we have ever used.

Things to do inside when it is freezing outside...

Howdy -

So, we are currently in the longest "cold streak" in Anchorage in about 25 years. It has been FREEZING for SOOO long. I don't remember the last time I saw a cloud in the sky. The days here have been beautiful and sunny, the problem is that when it is sunny here in the winter it gets cold. It looks like today could be the last cold day with it "warming up" to the teens and 20's this weekend and next week. Sherri and I have both commented that 10 above is going to feel great after what we have gone through!

One positive of this weather is that it forces you to stay inside and keep occupied. Earlier this week we got the idea to "re-do" our bedroom. Seems kinda strange since we only moved in 8 months ago, but we felt like our new idea would make the room more romantic and just a much more relaxing space. We didn't have a headboard for our bed and we have looked for one that we liked and we could just never find the right one, so, we made one. It was easy easy easy. We went to Home Depot, got a 1/2 inch sheet of plywood, picked out some nice peel and stick floor tiles that would go with the color of our bedroom accent wall, found some curtains that would tie everything together, bought new matching nightstand lamps for next to the bed and a few new candle sconces for around the room, we bought all new bedding to match and we are SO happy with the outcome!! It feels much more like what we wanted our room to feel like from the beginning. Here are a couple pictures of the final product!!

Happy Anniversary Alaska!!!

Today (January 3rd) was the 50th Anniversary of Alaska becoming a state! We have had events going on across the state for most of 2008 and they all culminated with a big "Statehood Day" today here in Anchorage. There were tons of events going on and Sherri bundled up and headed downtown to take some of them in! We are currently in one of the coldest streaks that we have had in years and it was about -10 when we were downtown but we still had a GREAT time!!

Here are some pictures!!

(This is the cauldron that was placed downtown, the flame was lit by leaders from all areas of Alaska and it burned throughout the celebrations)

(This is a huge 30 foot banner that is a reproduction of the newspaper headline here in Alaska the day that we finally became a state.)

(This is inside the main ballroom at the new convention center in downtown Anchorage. They had tons of music and entertainment going on throughout the day."

(This is a chopper built by O.C.C. (Orange County Choppers) to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Statehood. It will be featured on an episode of O.C.C. in March. If you don't know who O.C.C. is they are probably the most known custom motorcycle crew in the world.)


(Here are Sherri and I next to the ice skating rink in Town Square. Notice the frost on the outside of my hat)


(Every winter the city of Anchorage invites some of the best ice carvers from around the world to do pieces that are displayed throughout Town Square. They are amazing to see in person. Here is one of the carvings. They probably have 15 or so each year.)


(This is another of the carvings that depicts Anchorage after the 1964 Earthquake. A lot of the detail in this carving didn't get picked up by the camera, but it was pretty amazing.


(Another carving, this one depicts life in Alaska's oceans, they had it lit with blue lights and it was great.)

(The evening ended with a huge fireworks display shot off from 3 different locations downtown. This is a photo from our local newspaper because Sherri and I decided to watch and enjoy the fireworks together rather then try and get photos of them)

There were tens of thousands of people downtown and with the cold temps and everyone bundled up it just made for a really awesome event. Somehow celebrating Alaska's statehood seemed appropriate at -10 degrees.

This event reminded me how proud I am to be an "Alaskan".

Happy Anniversary Alaska, not a day goes by when something about you doesn't amaze me.

Happy New Year!!!

It's 2009, can you believe it?!?



We had a great New Years Eve. We started at The Crows Nest for a drink with friends. It is the restaurant that Sherri and I got engaged at and it is on the 20th floor of a local hotel that overlooks downtown. We then had dinner at Ristorante Orso with 3 other couples, Orso is a great local Italian restaurant. After dinner we went to The Buckaroo Club and played some darts and listened to music for a little while before heading to some friends house for the traditional midnight toast.

What we have been studying at church...

We are about 8 weeks into a study on the book of Galatians. We took a 4 week break from this series over the Holiday season and we are starting back up this coming weekend. This is a short video the church put together with some of the key points from the series thus far. It's been a really powerful series for Sherri and I and we wanted to share this.

A Christmas Blog

Hello Everyone!!

This is our annual Christmas Letter (in blog form). Welcome to our first time readers and welcome back to our regulars. We try and use this site as a quick and easy way to give updates on happenings, events and just general stuff that goes on in our life way up here in Alaska.
___________________________

A lot has happened since our last Christmas letter! Here are the highlights...

* We bought a house! We closed in April and moved in in May. We spent a few weeks totally redoing most of the rooms before we moved in, so it was nice to move into a space that already felt like "us".

*Our kitchen after we finished*

We have really enjoyed living here, we have 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. One of the bedrooms is an office, one is our master bedroom and one is a guestroom (so come visit!!). We have an amazing unobstructed view of the Chugach Mountains from our living room as well as a view of Campbell Lake from our 2nd floor balcony.

* We also bought a new vehicle this year. After having some mechanical issues with our Saturn we decided it was time for an upgrade so we bought a Mercedes M-Class. We got a great deal on it, the previous owner was a professor at the local University and he took amazing care of it. We have really enjoyed it and it has been GREAT here in the winter! We still have the Kia as well and it is still running perfectly!

*The new car, on a drive along Turnagain Arm*

* We are both still with the same companies, Sherri is an Executive Assistant at TecPro (www.tecpro.com) and I am a Regional Director of Sales with Extended Stay Hotels (www.extendedstay.com) We have each had excellent years at work and both feel very blessed by our jobs. Sherri works in an amazing environment where everyone goes to our church, she has an amazing boss that treats her with respect and I don't think we could possibly ask for a better position or environment to work in. I get to work from home, which I have to admit, is awesome! I have my office here and I come in and have a place where I can just focus on work. Its pretty perfect.

This year I traveled a lot with work. Everywhere from Puerto Rico to Seattle and all over the state of Alaska. I don't mind the travel, the air miles are nice and it makes it easier for us to travel for vacations.

*We spent several days in Seattle in September celebrating our 3rd Anniversary. We went and saw Phantom of the Opera, did a bunch of shopping, toured a great winery and just enjoyed our time away.

* Sherri's parents visited us for a couple of weeks in June and July this summer and we had a great time! We got out and saw quite a bit of Alaska and really enjoyed having them here with us in our new home!

*Sherri and her parents below a portion of the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline*

* We were able to get away a few times this year to go camping and just "get away from it all". I think the most memorable experience was when us and 2 other couples went winter camping last February. It was SO cold and we had to hike through the snow to get to the cabin, but we had such a good time and it is a memory that we will always cherish! In fact, we have a follow up trip already planned for next February!

*Here we are walking to the cabin. So foolish.*

* This year also brought an addition to our family! We adopted a kitten from a local animal shelter and she has quickly become part of the family! Sherri wanted a cat because I am gone a lot traveling for work and having an animal would make the house feel less empty. Her name is Missy and she has been soooo much fun to have around. She is certainly a mommas girl and she is almost always found laying on or near Sherri.

*Here is Missy, just after we got her*

* We are still actively involved in our church (www.changepointalaska.com) and are currently co-leading a small group of other newly married couples who don't have children.

* Sherri has been getting back into her art more this year. Our guest room also doubles as her art room with her drawing desk there and all of her art supplies. I think having a dedicated space where she can go and create has helped.

____________________________

That is just a small snapshot of the past year in our life. We have had an amazing year, we are greatly enjoying marriage and each other, we love our new home and have really enjoyed "settling in".

We feel so blessed to have such a great network of family and friends, we love you all and wish you a very Merry Christmas!!

Love, Adam & Sherri

A quick trip around the house at Christmas

Hello Everyone -

We hope that you are enjoying the Holiday Season! We have our house all decorated for Christmas, both inside and out, and thought we would snap a few pictures so you can see how it looks.

Enjoy!

Here is our tree with all of the presents!!

Here is our fireplace with our stockings! (yes we have a stocking for our cat)

We did the railing going to the second floor with lighted garland

Just a fun Noel sign that Sherri painted this year

Our nativity set on the table at the top of the stairs on the 2nd floor

Lights out back leading to the door


White LED lights that we hung on the front of the house

Just Watch...

You will enjoy.

So cute.

An Update!!!

Hello Everyone!!

We hope that you had an excellent Thanksgiving and are enjoying the "Holiday Season".

We haven't updated this in a few weeks so I will do my best to catch you up on what we have been doing!

___________________

* We had a great Thanksgiving and we stayed up all night in order to be in line for Black Friday shopping at Best Buy at 3am!!!

(Us with Jason & Jana in line at Best Buy at 3am)

* We are, for the first time, doing an Advent Wreath and celebrating the entire season of Advent. It has been awesome and I am sure this is something that will become a family tradition of ours.

(This is a picture of the Advent wreath that we made)

* We went and saw George Balanchine's production of "The Nutcracker" last week and it was great!! It was put on by the Oregon Ballet Theatre and they did an awesome job!!

* We have all of our Christmas lights up outside and the tree and decorations up inside! So it is feeling very festive around our house!!

* We got our first good sized snow storm last weekend. We got about 10 inches of snow, which makes everything look perfect for Christmas!

(here is a picture of our tree covered in snow with the white lights)

* Next week we are going to see the Broadway production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" that is starring Ted Neely, the guy who originally played Jesus in the movie. It should be fun and we are both looking forward to it!!

___________________

I think that is about it. Work is going good for both of us, my company has put a "travel freeze" into place so I am home at least through January, which is really nice!!

I will blog more later with more "Christmas pictures" of our tree and house all decorated. Also, what our plans are for Christmas.

On a lighter note...

It was announced today that the Broadway production of The Lion King is coming to Anchorage for 6 weeks of shows in September & October of 2009!! Both Sherri and I are REALLY exited to see it!!

Reflections on an eye opening business trip...

Howdy -

So I have been in Seattle for the past couple of weeks working. It has been a pretty successful trip from a business perspective, but it also really opened my eyes to the current financial issues going on around the country. See, in Alaska we have been pretty shielded from all of the issues, we have heard about them on the news, but we haven't actually seen or felt them. We are fortunate that our state is dependant on an industry that is still thriving (oil) and that we have had multi-billion dollar surpluses to store away for "leaner" times.

I went into meetings this week only to find out that the person I was supposed to meet with had been laid off, this happened a couple of times. I heard dozens of stories about spouses, family and friends of our accounts who have been personally affected, either by losing their job, or having hours drastically cut. It was pretty unbelievable. It really made all of the news stories that I have heard suddenly become real.

I felt heart broken for these people, they have been affected, not because of anything they did, but because of a broken system. People who planned on retiring soon, now working till who knows when. One person I met with was an older lady who's husband had been an engineer with a HUGE local company for almost 30 years, about 5 weeks ago he lost his job and because she doesn't make enough to cover their bills he had to take a part time job at Barnes & Noble just to make ends meet. Here is someone who went from a high paying job with a Fortune 500 company, to a bookseller at a national book chain. It just didn't seem right.

I have had a lot of down time at my hotel the past couple weeks to think and reflect on all of this and here is what I have come up with.

1) I am VERY thankful that I live in a state that is doing well financially. I am also VERY thankful that we have leaders (Gov. Palin & others) who, when we have multi-billions of dollars in surplus, don't spend it. They save it because they know that, while today we have plenty, tomorrow we may have need.

2) We need to fix the economic system in America. Now, I have no idea how that needs to happen, BUT, I do know that bailout after bailout will not help. If we bail a company out, but don't change the flawed approach that got us here in the first place, we are only delaying this happening again.

3) We need to be fiscally conservative. Now, please do not read that statement as "we need republicans in power". We have had a republican president for 8 years and we have a 10.6 TRILLION dollar national debt. Ugh. We need to take an honest look at where we stand financially. As Americans we need to be honest about our finances, maybe there are things we can't afford that we need to cut out, and maybe there are things that we can afford, and simply don't need. Just as American families need to do that, so does our government.

4) Americans need to save. I know that I blogged about saving a few weeks ago but I think it is important enough to say again. We have become so dependant on credit, that when the credit is no longer there we are helpless. Here is a blurb from a Washington Post article about the financial state of the American family, I think it is pretty interesting.
_

"Meet the typical American family.
It has about $3,800 in the bank. No one has a retirement account, and the neighbors who do only have about $35,000 in theirs. Mutual funds? Stocks? Bonds? Nope. The house is worth $160,000, but the family owes $95,000 on it to the bank. The breadwinners make more than $43,000 a year but can't manage to pay off a $2,200 credit card balance."

_

No wonder we are in the place we are. We are living with such a small "cushion" that when something unexpected happens (loss of job, loss of hours) we are quickly in trouble.

_

5) Americans need to give. Huh? Didn't I just say we need to save..now I'm saying we need to give? Yup. Our church runs a soup kitchen in downtown Anchorage that feeds 90,000 meals a year to the homeless and working poor in our city. The local newspaper recently did a story on them on how they are seeing a HUGE increase in families at the soup kitchen. Average, working, American families. There are thousands of families who have to choose between rent and food, and when there is a soup kitchen and food bank where you can get free food, the choice is made easier. Sherri and I have found that every time we give, we are never without. In fact, honestly, we believe that 100% of the reason that we have been as fortunate as we have financially, isn't because of any striving or achievement of our own, it is because right from the start of our marriage we made the choice to view our money as a tool not a yardstick. Something for us to use, not something for us to be measured by. So give, no matter how much or how little, give to organizations that meet practical needs. I think that giving helps us stay aware of how blessed we really are, and that is something that we all need to continually remember. We have much to be thankful for.

_

Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege.

- John D Rockefeller

_

Who knew that a 2 week business trip could turn into a multi-paragraph blog/rant.

Election

In a matter of hours we will know who the next President of the United States will be. Polls are opening around the country and we are sure to have a HUGE voter turnout today.

Thomas Jefferson once said "We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate."

Your vote is important, participation in our country's democratic process is important.

We have a choice between two men, both qualified, both inspiring. I am choosing John McCain. I do not believe that Barack Obama is a radical Muslim, un-American, or any of the other "titles" that some have tried to put on him. I just believe that when it comes to leadership and a direction that is best for America, John McCain is my man. I strongly disagree with Obama's economic and health care plan and I think that they both are VERY flawed.

I am aware that the polls look like Obama will win, and if that is the case, he will be my President. I will pray for him and hope that I was wrong, and that our country becomes better for electing him.

Our country is very politically divided right now. We have the far religious right, we have the extreme liberal left and then the rest of us who fall somewhere in the middle. I think that we need to work towards a more unified America. We can disagree on the issues, we can debate policies, but we should remain respectful. Our politics on both sides have become nothing more than overblown personal attacks that do nothing to make our country better.

We live in the greatest country in the world. We are at our best when there is unity among us. As we move past this election cycle it is my hope that, no matter who wins, we would support our country's leadership and work toward America becoming the greatest force for good in the world that we can.

Perhaps we all need to be willing to listen to, and work with, people on the "other side" of where we personally stand.

Halloween Pumpkin - 2008

So every year we carve a pumpkin for Halloween. It is always a fun evening that we look forward to. Here is a picture of the pumpkin that we carved this year!!

Birthday snowman and another trip to Seattle

Hello!

Sherri celebrated her 27th Birthday on the 12th and we had my mom, my dad and Susan over for dinner. We had received some snow that day and my mom, unbeknownst to us, was outside making a "birthday snowman" for Sherri before she came in. So when she got here we looked outside and this is what we saw...

Pretty funny.

____________________

Also, I got a call from my boss yesterday asking if I would mind going to help some of the hotels that we have in Seattle for a couple of weeks. The economic downturn has really hurt them and they are in need of some extra help. I will be in Seattle from November 2 - 14. Sherri and I aren't looking forward to being apart for a couple of weeks but we make it a point to talk several times a day when I travel and we text a lot, so it will be OK.

That's all for now

Taxes...the truth

During this presidential election there has been a lot of focus on each candidates tax plan. I found this great chart put out by a non-partisan tax group that helps explain exactly what each candidates tax plan will do.

I am sure that I will blog more on this later as I have some VERY strong feelings when it comes to taxes and redistribution of wealth.

What a difference a week makes..

This picture was taken last weekend, after we put up some of our fall decorations.

___________________________________________

This picture was taken this week after our first snowfall!!

_____________________________________________

All of the snow has melted and it has been replaced by rain, but winter is certainly on its way!!

Missy hates us...

We bought our cat, Missy, a great new Christmas outfit. It comes with a reindeer hat and a jingle bell neck thing. She absolutely hates it. But it looks SOOO funny. Here is a picture of her trying it on. She is SO not happy. Pets are great fun.

Please Use Spell Check..

Sherri and I were at True Value looking at Christmas lights and we noticed a spelling error on ALL of their boxes of multi-colored LED lights. All of the other colored boxes said "Strawberry", but these "special" boxes said "Starwberry". How is it that thousands of labels were printed, attached to boxes, sent to True Values across the country, and this was not caught? I am pretty sure that someone lost their job when this was discovered.