Out and about...

Drew and I did the Virgin Creek Trail on one of these fine sunny days we've had recently.

After awhile we decided to get off the trail for a change of scenery.  We ended up coming down the mountain after a bit and popped out behind some houses.  Drew said that this was the most beautiful view in Girdwood:

Turns out we'd stumbled onto Echo Ridge, one of the places we've toyed with buying a place for ourselves.  Maybe it was meant to be...

We've also seen some moose and bears around the house this spring.  There is a mama moose and two babies that I see almost every day I run.  I love living in such a beautiful place!

Orlando, It's been a long time coming

So yeah, we went to Orlando a month ago now!  Crazy how the time has gone by.  It was a fun family vacation, thank you parents! We came back to the most glorious summer weather ever in Alaska, so there hasn't been much time for blogging about Florida.  Today is the first cloudy/occasionally rainy day we've had this month. (shocking!!!)  So I guess that means it's a good day to post some pictures from down south.  I didn't steal pictures from my parents or siblings so this is a bit incomplete, but there's still some good ones.

Drew and I ended up going to Seaworld on 3 different days.  We got great weather and we were able to see all the shows and ride all the rides, sometimes twice.  Drew's not much of an amusement park guy, so Seaworld was a good one for him because there are so many non ride shows/exhibits.  I still managed to get him on the Manta Ray once, and my dad went with me once.  Definitely my favorite ride.  We were surprised that Saturday was by far the least busy day we went.  There were almost no lines for anything until Saturday afternoon.

Paper hat made by Grandpa

We happened to be there the week after the new Antarctica ride/exhibit opened.  We timed our arrival at the park twice so that we could go straight there when it opened.  We got in almost instantly both times, but by the time we finished the ride the line was 2 or 3 hours long.  

We stayed at my parents Marriott timeshare.  This was my second time being there with them and Drew's first.  It's a beautiful resort with a lake and several pools, restaurants, tennis, a gym, jogging paths, activities, etc.  We spent a good portion of our week just relaxing at the resort.  Drew and I took a salsa lesson together and Drew got chosen out of the audience to dance the hula during the Wednesday night luau.

bean bag toss with Joe and Isaac

Dad and Drew at a chocolate tasting

We also spent a day at Aquatica, the water park that's associated with Seaworld.  It was such a great water park and we had a fun time.  Once again, we hit up every ride at least once.  We had fun racing on the speed racer slides all at once and floating in the raging rapids together.  My dad and I actually tied to the HUNDREDTH of a second on the racers TWICE! We waited the longest to do the clear water slides that go through a pool with dolphins in it.  It was not anything like it makes it look on the website.  It was probably my least favorite of all the rides.  Drew pooped out a little early, but my dad was willing to stay a little longer and ride a few slides again.

Taking our lunch break during the one 10 minute rain spell we had that day.

These little dolphins like to swim upside down a lot.  They think it helps them look for fish.

 My favorite ride was the Walhalla Wave, which was the best with three adults in it to get really high up on the sides of the slides during turns.  Drew took our waterproof camera on several slides and set it to take pictures every few seconds.  As a result we got tons of unflattering shots of my dad and I. :)

These rapids were the funnest way to get from one side of the park to the other.

Love that he's smiling with his eyes open underwater.  Isaac's swimming has really improved since we saw him last.

We also spent an afternoon at Gatorland, where we saw a lot of alligators and crocodiles and I got pulled out of the audience to hole a big yellow python.  I also got to do a little shopping, something that just isn't much fun in Alaska where there are barely any stores.  I finally found a bathing suit I liked, just in time for the last day of our trip.  Still this new suit better last me for the next 15 years or so, because it will probably be about that long until I can manage to find another flattering one again.  On the way back north we stayed with Drew's parents and my dad got to take a spin in the Mustang. 

My dad's first car was a 1966 mustang so it was fun to take the Harlos' 1967 for a spin.

All in all we had a great trip to the east, but we are glad to be back in Alaska and back to earning some paychecks.   If Drew comes home from kayaking tonight then maybe I can post on our packrafting adventures this weekend.  No promises!

Have a lovely last weekend in June...

3 Great Movies

So between all the beautiful sunny days we've spent outside we have watched a few great movies lately. I highly recommend them all:

Drew got this at the recommendation of a friend.  It's a former Sundance Film Festival Audience Award Winner and was nominated for an Oscar.  It's about a musician in the 1970s who makes a few albums that totally flop in the United States but become wildly popular in South Africa.  His music strongly influences the anti-apartheid protest movement, yet no one in South Africa knows anything about him.  Rumored to be dead, two of his fans set out to find out what happened to him.  This is a documentary about their search.  The film's soundtrack is entirely his music, which is GREAT. Loved it.  Getting it from the library download site as fast as I can. :)

I got this from Netflix after reading an interview with Jennifer Lawrence in some magazine.  She plays a supporting role.  It's an indie romance about a couple who meet in college, but she is British and he's American.  The film explores whether love can really endure separation, and how sometimes the timing is just all wrong.  I liked the girl, Felicity Jones.  Thought she was great.  So much of the movie is very much like real life, it didn't seem as fake as most movies.

This was an older movie I picked up at the library on a whim.  Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006, and was definitely my favorite of these three.  It's R rated, so don't say you weren't warned.  It's this ensemble cast and every character is just so interesting.  It follows four women and their husbands and just kind of looks at how people deal with those down cycles in life, regardless of where you are now.  It's kind of sad, somber really.  But really great writing, I thought.  

Anyways, hope you've found some good things to watch this summer...  

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to a great guy and a great dad!  I love you!

Drew and Isaac's Fishing Adventure

Drew and Isaac had a lot of fun one afternoon in Orlando trying to catch something.  It was Isaac's first time fishing and he lasted longer than we though he would.  Check out my sister's blog for more fishing pics.  I'm proud to say I was willing to touch a worm (unlike my nephew!) and I even ended up putting it on the hook when Drew left for a little bit.  Maybe I'm more prepared now for some serious fishing this summer...

Tom and Kelly Ann's Wedding

Congratulations to my brother and his new wife!  We were glad to be able to attend the wedding while we were back east this May.  It was also fun to see lots of family.  My Grandma, 2 aunts, and 4 uncles came out for the wedding.  It was fun to spend some more time with all of them.  The rehearsal dinner was Thursday.  The venue Kelly Ann chose was very beautiful.  I had no idea it would look as cool outside as it did.  It was a little rainy during the rehearsal, so we practiced inside.

I love how so many of the attendants seem to be biting their nails in this picture.  What are we all so nervous about?

 The rehearsal dinner was awesome.  My parents chose this place called Da Vinci's in Collegeville that had great food.  I definitely recommend it if you're ever in the area...

We sat with my wonderful Aunt Kathy and Uncle Darsono, who flew in from San Diego.

What an adorable family!

My parents.

 The wedding was Saturday afternoon.  It may have rained for the rehearsal dinner but the sky was clear for the wedding!  It was really beautiful, and yes I cried.  But hey, so did the groom, so I guess it's a family trait! It was fun to see some old friends from high school Tom invited as well as to dance at the reception.  My favorite moment was when we were trying to get the dancing to really happen and we decided a conga line might be appropriate.  My Aunt Kathy said, "Uncle Darsono is great at leading conga lines!"  Sure enough, he got us a good conga line going.  Drew danced for two songs with me...once I had the DJ page him to the dance floor. :)

This is blurry but their custom cake topper was too cute to leave out!

Joey and I got matched up...lucky us. :)

My nephew was the ring bearer as well as the dog escort.  They even had a corsage for the dog!  Isaac did a great job.

The beautiful bride...

Hanging out at the reception...

The mother son dance...my brother actually pulled out a few moves!

Isaac went outside to kick around his soccer ball during the reception.  Turned out that was a popular idea for most of the groomsmen as well. :)

I'm sorry, but my nephew is pretty much the cutest kid ever.

So the wedding was a big success.  The next day we took of for a family vacation in Orlando, and the happy couple left on their honeymoon to Hawaii!  More on Orlando later...

New Car...

So proud to be a two car family.  We've finally joined the Alaska crowd and have Subaru, cracked windshield and all. :)