Decisions

Andy & I (mostly Andy) have endured many questions and decisions lately regarding the wedding: theme, stationary font, printing pictures, back and forth on honeymoon ideas, cake design, etc.Whew! We've got a lot accomplished on a pretty advanced schedule, I think. I figure I'll keep working on things and get ahead for the time when I'll fizzle and need a break.

There's one decision that is plaguing me lately and I think Andy's not interested to figure it out any time soon...

...what costumes to wear for Halloween. SHRIEK! SCARE! BEWITCHING!

Halloween holds great potential for us this year because 1) It's on a Saturday, 2) Andy has the weekend off from work, 3) our 1st time celebrating the Ghoulish holiday together. Oh the ideas for what to do and who to be! We've batted around a few, but it's really been ME pushing the dress-up as I want to get crackin' and hit the thrift stores for materials.

Andy has expressed interest to be Danzig. Do you know who or what is that? Me either. It's an 1987 heavy metal band. That would be pretty stellar if he really wants to go for it.

I'm advocating for a Clark Kent and Lois Lane team. Wearing our glasses and pursuing our natural life-saving and journalistic natures...there are many versions and eras to explore within this theme.

Another idea drew laughs from us the other night, but was so good I've forgotten it. Guess the pursuit will continue, assuming Andy actually wants to get in the spirit and have some fun for one year. Not that the pressure is on or anything!

*Amy (the witch)

Know Thy Neighbors

I've lived in Wasilla over a year, Andy longer, and we still don't know the neighbors. That's no reflection on them; relationships are a two-way street. I've consulted with other Wasilla residents and learned that "keeping to ourselves" seems to be the norm. Doesn't mean we don't see them coming and going, though. Andy even waved to Camo-man yesterday as we worked in the yard. So for this post I'd like to offer what we know about the neighbors, and what we've made up about them.Guy Across the Street: aka "Camo-Man," aka "Rock-Man," perhaps "Steve"

FACT:

• has built extensive odd rock walls around his property, maybe has Irish heritage
• seen/spotted wearing only camouflage clothing, except for the one time Amy regrettably caught him in a bathrobe by the garage door
• owns a Mustang, big truck and a four-wheeler
• has "man days" when the buddies show up to drink and fix things
• they had a "man sale" during the garage sale season of 2009
• owns a black cat that occasionally crosses the street to us
• front room light is on every Saturday night, but dark during the week

WHAT WE'VE MADE UP

• odd schedule so could be ex-military or a North Slope worker
• could have wife and children but we can't see them because they wear Camo
• only gets fresh air to drive four-wheeler, go hunting with man friends or to wash the Mustang
• Best Friend is "Denim-Man" who came over this weekend to work in the garage

Family Next Door

FACT

• Mother & Father NOT together but were still living together; she owns a hair place
• elementary-aged twin girls
• middle-school boy with bad bleached hair
• boy drives dirt bike or four-wheeler around the property in a circle
• trampoline and deck is never used
• will see the kids for a few days or not at all
• Latino ethnicity and will sometimes play festive music outside

WHAT WE'VE MADE UP

• not much, but will curse the kids when they drive the darn motorized toys around and

around

• may have had to perform community service in order to explain the terrible-looking white

-washed rocks lining the driveway, Tom Sawyer style

• Father is kicked out of house now and the kids go there, why we don't see them?
• they don't leave the house when the temperature drops below 55-degrees
• cooks tasty food at home that we want to eat

MISC. NEIGHBORS

• Yellow Dog--lives down the street and when we go on walks it wonders into the street to

join us with a wagging tail. Yellow dog is actually a blonde lab.

• Man with Pipe--lives in the subdivision just over from us. He walks two tiny dogs every

night with probably his wife. He always has a pipe. We always wave to Man With Pipe.

Perhaps we can invite them all over for the post-wedding 4th of July BBQ in 2010. Then we can

get to know them, or maybe it's just more fun to guess what's going on with Camo-Dude.

Yellow dog is especially invited to the BBQ because he's the friendliest out of everyone.

*Amy

Famous Websites!

Yes, we're still engaged! We're nearly half-way thru the engagement and enjoying our timeline. The other week we did have an outdoor engagement photo session as it's included with our wedding photography package. This morning we received the 150 pictures from that stunning fall morning. The only fault with any of those images would be the human subjects. Melissa, our photographer, is simply wonderful, and adventurous.

Right now we're the main blog on her website! A few of the shots are shown here [link]. If you decide to visit and don't see us as the first blog entry, just scroll down. Melissa describes the action of the Saturday morning pretty well!

***

Another webpage of note is one that involves Andy's career! National Geographic has created a series following Alaska State Troopers. It debuts Oct. 14th. Click here for the show's interactive website [link]. We had fun seeing and listening to his coworkers in the Valley. A lot of content is dedicated to the AST at Nome post. There's a feature in which you actually listen to dispatches. In one dispatch from Wasilla you hear a revving engine and sirens...that's our taco-loving, mexican train domino-playing & wise-cracking buddy! Another dispatch really cracked Andy up; one of his former trainers talks about moose crashes.

You won't see Trooper Gorn in the show, but we'll try catching some future episodes dedicated to their courageous line of work.

*Amy

Shroom-Tastic TWO!

We've had a lot more mushroom growth around the yard as you can see. Andy took these pictures before cutting the grass last weekend. We had fun exploring and staring at the mysterious Dead? Living? fungi grow and grow until cut down. What individual little characters, huh? Should have spent some time researching edibility! I guarantee everything you see is legal. :)

On a side note, speaking of Andy as photographer...we've received some very nice compliments about photos taken & shared on the blog. Although I default to the main arranger and writer on this site, I want to say that Andy takes all the good pictures and is far more proactive about it. His stories are the images, often. He took 99% of the pics. during our weekend to Valdez (below post), but I was able to take one picture of our Blog's Photographer and Fisherman. It makes me happy seeing him do what he loves to do.

*Amy

Valdez

So very long ago, like two weeks, we drove to Valdez. It was a 5-hour trip one-way from Wasilla. It was also a work trip because a co-worker & I went to support a Women's Health Fair that one of our AmeriCorps Members organizes annually. Since the event was on a Saturday, we traveled Friday and that meant Andy could come along (and be the driver!). It was neat because we had never been to Valdez before.

The weather forecast was proven wrong because we had gorgeous sunshine on the Glenn Highway, showcasing the fall colors, canyons, mountains and glaciers. (glacier on right-hand side of picture, below)

My co-worker and I enjoyed chattering the entire drive, which goes through Glennallen, passing great views of Wrangell-St. Elias, and thru Thompson Pass. The Pass takes you into the mountains before you coast down into the tiny sea-level town, where Alaska's gas pipe line ends at the Port of Valdez. Thompson Pass has tons of waterfalls you drive by!Then we stared at Worthington Glacier, which climbs all the up a very big mountain. How old was that ice and the path it has traveled? The 3 of us marveled at its immenseness. This picture only captures the glacier's base.The AmeriCorps Member and her husband took us on a comprehensive tour (for a place with a population of about 4200), and we learned about the health issues she works on. The Health Fair was great! She called it "A Time For Her." There were massage therapists, health screeners, crafts, food and prizes. We were trained on the hearing screen test. I actually sent out the tones and had ladies raise their hands when they heard them. I think this speciality is something I can add to my resume! ha.

While we worked, Andy fished. A fine silver salmon was brought home in a cooler, but he actually wanted more considering all the fish we had hit our lines later on. In our free time we also attempted a hike in the drizzle--that was until I spotted a black bear cub rustling around in the brush along the trail not far away from us. When I shouted, "BEAR!" it looked at me for a moment before rustling away. We wondered about Mama Bear and began our exit.

Other wildlife was a-plenty in Valdez, not far away from the Alyeska oil terminal that processes North Slope oil and ships it south...we were highly amused by the belching sea lions feeding in our salmon fishing spot!

The marine mammals were much better fishermen than Andy. We have another clip of a feeding and the seagulls descending on the spot. I could practically hear them shout "Mine! Mine! Mine!" (obscure movie reference anyone?).

Nice work-sponsored weekend getaway taking us to another beautiful area of this amazing state.

*Amy

Fallin' For Fall

During the Labor Day weekend holiday we took a day to explore more of nearby Hatcher's Pass by driving its entire loop from Willow to Wasilla. It was a great fall day to see the historic mining district and I knew it'd be good scenery because Denali (Mt. McKinley) was staring right back at us, already snow-covered. We played good tunes and smelt the pungent fall aroma of rotting leaves, plants and moisture.A week ago the leaves and countryside were just starting to change their seasonal colors.Already these colors are outdated! How quickly we slide into Awesome Autumn.Chameleon colors or mutant foliage?Soon we'll share some more of the golden hues from our recent trip to Valdez, but it's time to start another work week...

*Amy

In August I spent 10 days in Council with G1, G2, and good family friends (Jim, Jeff, Toby, Matt, Simon, Kevin, and of course the Mike W. family) to help construct the Gorn family cabin. When I arrived G1 had already started working on the foundation. Of course, without the extra timber supplied by Mike work would have come to an abrupt halt, thanks Mike.

After the foundation was in it was time to start pounding some wood together. Reinforcements and extra labor arrived to help speed the process along.

Once the cap was on it was time to start putting together the first floor walls. G1 had a pretty good plan put together. Not a single wall was stood up until it was complete all he way down to the siding. It worked out pretty damn well.

It seemed to take a bit of time, but eventually the men with skills were working on the second floor. It was about this time that Matt and I started up the Logging and Timber Union. We knocked down some trees and made a circle drive in an effort to stay out of the way of men with carpentry skill.

Matt and Jim also started up the local Plumbing Union and made some improvements on the outhouse. Nicely done.

Lots of hard work and long days for the construction crew paid off when the second floor started coming together. Don't get me wrong, there was a little bit of time to talk stupid and drink some cold ones though.

It all paid off in the end. Many happy memories yet to come at the cabin.