July

While July hasn't brought the wonderful summer weather we were hoping for, we stayed very busy anyhow!

We went dip-netting for the first time this year. My co-worker Chad invited us to go with him and his family. I am so grateful for all the help they gave us and all the tips and tricks he taught us. We were able to stay in another co-worker's cabin which was way better than the tent we were planning on. It was an exhausting trip to the mouth of the Kenai and back, but we were so blessed to come home with 34 fish! We thought we had reached our 35 limit but miscounted at some point. I'd rather be one short than one over! If you get caught with extra fish, it is a $100 per fish fine plus they can seize your whole catch. Definitely not something I want to do! I wish I had been able to get pictures of each part of the trip, but it just doesn't work out too well when your hands are covered in fish and you are working so fast you don't even have time to eat. Maybe next year I'll try and do better! :-)

The beautiful hand-built cabin we stayed in.

The wonderful view....at 4 A.M.

Chad getting ready to get in the water.

 Aaron and Chad in the water.

 My first fish!! (It was still moving at this point haha!)









 

 




                        The products of our first dip net trip!












We also were able to finally replace the carpet upstairs in our house. It involved ripping all the old carpet out ourselves, getting the help from various friends to help move furniture around, painting the ceilings, and touch-up all those wall spots you find a year later!

Mattie doesn't appreciate home improvements when it involves moving her bed around. 

She is an engineer's dog...

  Ike loves when the beds begin to look like this! He does it EVERY SINGLE TIME!!!

We might have a few things put into the den....

My goal this summer was to run in some of the various races around the area. But due to my ongoing health, that just wasn't an option. Instead, we decided to run in the 300 yard Running with the Bears at the annual Bear Paw festival. I figured I could do that far anyhow! We ended up running with our little friends (who looked WAY cooler than we did!!) and that made it quite the memory! Plus, I realized later that it was Aaron's first race. So that was very cool too.

  

Miss Lily and her parents came over for dinner and Cole's birthday cake. Plus, it was the perfect opportunity for Lily to go swimming for the first time!! (In Alaska, that means the hot tub, even in summer!) She was so funny and absolutely loved being in the warm water. 

June

June 19 marked our second wedding anniversary. In some ways I can't believe how the time has passed by and where we were just a few days ago.

June 2008 Aaron graduated from OIT with his Engineering degree and then moved to Alaska.

June 2009 I graduated from OIT with my Nuclear Medicine degree and moved to Alaska that fall.

June 2010 We got married!!! So many details went into planning and orchestrating that day but it went so well and we have so many beautiful memories.

June 2011 We celebrated our first wedding anniversary and that same weekend adopted Mattie.

June 2012 We both have great jobs, have been married two years, are homeowners, and round out our family with a loving dog and crazy cat.

  

Unfortunately, at the end of June, we also received the unpleasant diagnosis about my health (which is a whole post on it's own). But we are learning to rely on each other more than before and trust that God has a perfect plan in place for our future, even though it is scary and depressing right now.

Quick Recap

Evidently it's been awhile since I last posted on this blog. Since early May according to the last date stamp in fact. I'd like to say that we have just been busy enjoying the summer, working on the house, and being outdoors as much as possible. While we have done some of that, there has been a lot of other things going on too. I've been sick. And hurting. And that doesn't make for the best blog posts. But I decided I might as well do a bit of updating and see where it takes me!

The week before Memorial Day was a tough one. My aunt and uncle had to put their old dog Max after several months of his failing health. Furball the cat and I lived with Donna, Dennis, and Max for almost a year while I was on my externship and before I moved to Alaska. Those two had a hate-love-hate relationship. But the last few months, they played chase up and down the stairs almost every night. It was far better than any TV program.

In the middle of the week, my grandma died. She had Alzheimer's disease and hadn't known me for a year or more. I know it was mostly because I saw her so infrequently but it was still tough to see her that way. The last few months she hadn't known most of the family and only her kids off and on. The day before she died though, she was blessed with clarity and even recognized my younger sister (unfortunately Meg was one of the first people Grandma didn't recognize). I am so thankful we were home in March to celebrate her 81st birthday. She was having a good day then and we were able to get the last pictures Aaron and I had with her.

 

Saturday morning, I had a text from my mom saying the family dog died in the middle of the night. Hannah was our rescue girl. She was a mixture of all sorts of breeds and was a tough girl through and through. She had been failing in health the last three months and my mom was agonizing what to do about her. We are so glad that her worst days were very few in numbers and overall she was healthy until the very end. Other than mild arthritis, she had been a very healthy dog. (I'll have to add pictures once I get off the couch and connect the hard drive haha).

 Maggie, the other family dog, seemed to get pretty depressed after Hannah's death but after a few weeks seems to be doing well once again (plus a few pounds from the spoiling mom did!!!). I was able to fly home for Grandma's funeral, which I am so grateful for. I was able to see family and especially my dad. It was a quick trip, but completely worth it. 

 

The tradition of surprising my sister in a group photo is several years old now. You would think she would remember it's coming at some point!!

 We might be a bit odd at times....but it was so wonderful to have a fun dinner with my mom, sister, and cousin Amanda. I'm not sure who thought of the straws first, but I'm sure it wasn't me!

I love them so very much!! And thanks to our waiter who put up with our goofiness!