FRIST Robotics Competition

I arrived home this morning after 9 days in Hawaii with our Robotics Team for a competition. We saw the sites and played with the robot, finishing 19th overall. We were in 9th going into our final qualifying match only to make a fatal mistake that got us disqualified in that match dropping us to our final standing of 19th.

We were chosen to participate in an alliance in the finals. We were knocked out in the quarter finals, but we had a good time.

I did arrive home to almost an addition hour of daylight. Sunset tonight was around 9:00p. Can't wait to see daylight in the morning before going to work.

Spring Break

Bruno - showing off the newly plowed track in the backyard.
Snow was still falling so may have to be out there again tomorrow morning.

The "moot" I had to shovel today. We got so much snow last night it was all the way up the retaining wall. We don't trust our boys not to go visit the local moose.

The plowed area in the backyard for the boys - without the plowed (or shoveled) area Nikan and Bruno would have to tunnel to the places they choose to do their business.

Moose taking her daily walk on the trail behind our house. Nikan was going crazy while I took this pictures. We relish the days that she walks by without the dogs knowing.

Walking the trail!!!

Spring Break has gotten off to a cold and snowy start. Monday found me with a friend in my ice fishing hut hoping to catch a big one. While we caught lots of little rainbow trout (6-8 inches) the big one escaped us. My friend did have a whopper on her line at one point...I am sorry to say it ran off with our best lure (the Swedish pimple). I am thinking it was a good 30 inches - at least that is what we are telling everyone.

It has been snowing for a couple of days but the bulk of it dropped over night. I spent about 1 1/2 this morning with the snow blower clearing our driveway, the neighbor's driveway and our yard.

We are seeing an abundance of moose these days. I say two by the highway today just chomping away. It is great to see these beautiful animals up close, unfortunately it is these brave (hungry) ones who venture too close to the highway and/or on/off ramps that tend to end up getting hit.

I was hoping to visit Seward later in the week but the recent volume of snow has also brought avalances. Two avalanches today in the Girdwood area closed the road for several hours. We will have to see how the weather shapes up tomorrow before making a final decision about a road trip.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures.

Still here...

Hi all,

Sitting here in the dining room watching the trail, snow and trees hoping for a moose to wonder by. I am excited that it is still daylight and 6:23pm! Our hopes of an early spring were dashed this week when a blizzard rolled in on Thursday. A few more days (weeks?) of winter is not the end of the world but I can feel that "break up" is on the way.

February is always a crazy month in the land of dark. It is the time when we have settled into the routine of living life in the dark just to have light slowly creeping back. By now we are getting more than 5 minutes more of daylight each day...about 40+ minutes more each week. And trust me when I say it is a crazy, crazy time!!! My error this month was taking a class for re-certification credit during this crazy month! Yikes...The class was called The Rage Within - uhm...what was I thinking?

This winter has been a fun one...not too much skiing but I have been enjoying Ice Fishing. The joy of fishing year round is awesome. Last time out I hauled in a nice 22 inch trout (Arctic Char)! We don't generally eat trout but had to have this one. Not bad but not our favorite. In the future they will return to the water for another day.

I did get to spend a few days at the begin of February in Seattle visiting with my Mom, Aunt Jan and Uncle Rich. We had a blast! See you all same time next year :-)

I also traveled last weekend to Fairbanks with the Robotics team to compete with our "little bot". It was a great experience to let my inner geek come out to play. In March I will be traveling with a larger Robotics team with the "big bot" to Hawaii for a four day competition.

Finally - Fur Rondy began yesterday and we braved the cold to check out the Snow Carvings and the Fireworks. Fur Rondy is the celebration that leads up to the Iditarod next weekend. It is all about the Fur Traders. For reference, fireworks in the first picture were at 6:45p and it was about 24 degrees with a bit of wind. We all had toe warmers in our shoes and hand warmers in our gloves. Gotta love winter.

Hope this finds you all well!

A few pictures of the last couple of months - sorry they are in reverse order of the events.

Fireworks for the Fur Rondy Celebration (Mary, Lynette and Kathryn)

Mary and Kathryn waiting patiently in the cold while Lynette and I take pictures

Snow Carving - doesn't look finished...6:30p and getting dark

Carvers were working on this - this picture is from behind but I wanted to get the full effect of the boat on the halibut. This was the best one we say although there were some close seconds.

This yearling greeted me in the neighbor's driveway when I came home from work one day last week. The moose have been out and about in droves lately. We have one mom who takes walks on the trail every afternoon.

22 inch Arctic Char!
Ice Fishing Heaven

The boys enjoying a "winter pug party"

First Tech Challenge - Robotics Competition, Fairbanks AK
The "game" was two on two basketball

Mom and Jan
We were out for a hike! Amazing to have NO snow in Seattle at the beginning of February.
Even saw trees in bloom!

Winter 2009 may have arrived...

After a very sunny and warm summer, followed by a very pleasant fall...we think winter may be here as it is finally snowing. This is a picture from our little deck off the front room into the back yard. The fence on the left opens onto the Independence Park Greenbelt Trail System. Not sure I will be as excited about this snow when I have to go out and clean off my car tomorrow morning.

These were our Halloween costumes - Scary!!!!

Life is good - Mary's B-day is on Friday...we are doing a little getaway for the weekend to Fairbanks and Chena Hotsprings. Hoping to see the Northern Lights.

Looking forward the Sue and Susan's visit for Thanksgiving Week!

A friend on Facebook posted this today:

In honor of Thanksgiving, every day this month until Thanksgiving, think of one thing that you are thankful for and post it as your status. "Today I am thankful for..." The longer you do it, the harder it gets! Now if you think you can do it then repost this message as your status to invite others to take the challenge, then post what YOU are thankful for today.

For those of you who are not on Facebook (MOM)....Mary and I are very thankful for each and everyone of you and the richness you bring to our lives!

This week's activities

• A weekend of float tube fishing at DeLong Lake (located by the airport, about 10 minutes from our house)
• Nikan and Bruno get new Halloween costumes
• Moose traveling the neighborhood when we came home from work tonight.

It has been a busy week! I am leaving for Fairbanks on Thursday for the State Charter School Conference - returning home on Saturday in time to attend the State Principal's Conference in Anchorage beginning on Sunday...the cool thing is that my friend Wilma will be presenting at the Principal's Conference on Tuesday!

As usual Mary is busy, busy with work (and some play)!

Hope all is well with each and every one of you!

G

So Proud...

Congrats go our to Mary!!! I am so proud.

Today Mary was honored at the Outstanding Employee of the Quarter. The letter reads...

Dear Mary,

I wanted to take the opportunity to recognize you with an Outstanding Employee Award. The CTG Management Team recognizes that you are noted by BPXA client as a Project Manager you can count on. You consistently carry a heavy project load and deliver on each with excellence. Your contributions provide a meaning impact to CTG's business. You will receive......(a bit of money in your next check....)

.....Sincerely.....The big boss

Way to go Mary!!!!

Many are asking...Where have you been!

I apologize up front for the amount of time that has passed since my last post...life has been very busy as we moved from Seward, settled into our new home in Anchorage and I began a new job.

The summer was the best yet with the nicest summer weather possible, lots of fishing and visits from Danny and Emily, Amber and Cole, Paige, my mom (to help pack and garage sale queen), and Bob and Susan. Our extra freezer is so full that we had to give fish away to friends as we simply did not have the space. Part of that is due to our continued storage of Danny's monster Halibut and his success with snagging Red's in June. We will be making a delivery when home for the holidays.

Because Fall is the best fishing for Rainbow Trout...I may be out looking for a float tube today - lots of lakes close to Anchorage for trout fishing. Easy to go out after work with fishing buddies for an hour or two. And while Mary gets cold easy - I don't mind the 30-40 degree weather.

While I do missed the breathtaking views and wildlife of Seward (not that Anchorage doesn't have moose and bears...moose in our yard two days ago) we are settling into the flow of life in Anchorage. I absolutely love my new job. The staff is dedicated and wonderful, students are partners in their education, and parents are involved in decision making and problem solving. I am learning to navigate the fine line of working within the district structure and being answerable to a board of directors. So much more to say about this...but that will come.

We have joined a bowling league, I am trying to make regular trips to the Archery Range, making new friends, exploring the city and surrounding areas...and looking forward to winter activities. After the expert modeling by my mom, Mary and I had a successful garage sale yesterday (got me 1/2 way to my season hockey tickets - go Aces). Mary was able to expand her stained glass work area and I was able to set up an area for winter fly tying - in our heated garage! Still have a few boxes to go through and a garage sale to host in the spring...but the garage has space and is usable!

Finally - students at school planned and hosted a Quarter Carnival on Friday night. It was put together by the prom committee to raise some money to cover the cost of the spring dance. The highlight was the Pie Throwing booth. Kudos to all the staff members who agreed to be the "targets" for the evening - I was the last in the booth. Enjoy the pictures.

Check back next Sunday for an update.

The pictures are in reverse order...can't seem to get the "right order" posted...but enjoy.