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.

The passing of a friend...

I am very sad at the loss of a friend and employee (former) who was killed last night on the Seward Highway. Her husband and she were returning for a vacation on Kodiak when a truck crossed the center line and hit them head on. Her husband is in critical condition. Her passing is a tremendous loss to her family, friends and the district.

Ann was one of the smartest, caring and ethical person I have ever encountered. I will miss her and I keeping good thoughts that Bruce will come through this and heal with time.

I am reminded how lucky I was in January. Love you all - Ginger

From Seward to Anchorage

Bruno and I are enjoying our final weekend as resident's of Seward, Alaska. The house is packed and the beds have been sold. :-) We are sleeping on the couch and doing last minute preps for the renters.

I was very thankful for my mom's visit as her help was invaluable in getting things ready. She was a pro. I am ready for the rain to stop and it is one thing I will not miss. However, there are many things I will miss, including my nightly visits to the docks when the charter boats come in with the day's haul. I will also miss the instant beauty from my front door and the walks on the bay looking for sea otters and whales.

I will also miss some of the wonderful people I have meet in Seward. It has been a great three years but the time has come to move on.

Should have some pictures of the madness in a few days - waiting for mom to send.

Transition summer in Seward

This is what my good friend Sue calls it - "The Transition Summer." Packing is in full swing and I am looking forward to my mom's arrival this week to help get me to the end...including a yard sale. Because I start back to work right after the move (the next day) I do wish elves would come in and do the unpacking - of course I would than have to "find" everything.

I finally got pictures posted from summer visitors. There were so many I just picked a few - Enjoy the slide show below.

Back to packing - I am happy to report that the basement is completely packed (including bathroom and bedroom). Now working on the main level. Weather in Seward is still pretty good, although rain is surely on the way. I have been in shorts for weeks and it was 59 when I went for my morning coffee.

Movers come on the 27th of this month so back to work.

G