NY, and Preparing for the Wedding...

The groomsmen had shirts for the bachelor party. Seth and Mark decided to model them for us.

 Gotta love the green bow ties.  :-)

 Mark and Iuli

 Out for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory with the boys when I arrived.

 So glad to have had a chance for some quality time with my bro's.

 Not TOO serious...

 Mom and JJoy worked hard to make enough potato salad to feed over 100 people!

 Decorating the reception hall. Zachary and I were setting up the centerpieces.

 

 Hannah's mom put the boys to work washing dishes. :-)

 The groom got to make the veggie platters.

 Mark and Seth...fooling around.

 

 Hannah and I made the shrimp shooters...

 And of course we HAD to make sure they were okay. FYI: they passed multiple taste tests!

 

Driving the Road System

I was feeling very unmotivated today, and a friend suggested getting out for a drive. These are the result of my afternoon out the road system. I only made it as far as Middle Bay this time. I saw several eagles. This one was right by the road.

Middle Bay.

 Many fond memories of picnics and fishing with the family on this river.

 Drive right in, pull out the poles, and fish until Mom called us to eat. Dropping our lines in from the bridge was fun, too.

 Aww...

 The sun was just perfect in this one.

 

Freezing Winds and Puppies

We've had a good week or so of freezing, extremely high winds that, in many other places, would be considered hurricane force. For Kodiakans, it just means bundle up, put on some gloves, and get out to enjoy the sun! One night Elly brought a couple puppies she's taking care of in to work. So cute!

He snuggled up right away.

 

 Jon wasn't sure what to do with him.

 Louise wanted to keep him.

 Tom looked like he was putting a baby to sleep.

 Puppies are just so adorable! Particularly these ones!



Kevin Dyer's Retirement Party

After many years with the Kodiak Police Department, Kevin retired this week, and tonight was the party. A bunch of us got together to wish him well, and, in my case, to let him have one more opportunity to do what he does best - harass and tease (all in fun, of course). It was great to see him relaxed and just having fun with so many of his friends, many of whom are coworkers from KPD.

 

 Jonathan and his wife, Jess.

 

 I guess most of you probably know me. :-)

 Tom (back) and his son, Patrick. 

Rachael and I.

 

 The evening was a success and lots of fun! :-)

Game Night!

I've found several friends at work who enjoy playing games as much as I do, and we have begun having random game nights. Last week was seafood chowder and Sequence; tonight was pizza, Poker, and Scrabble. Since Jon, Jay, and I all have fairly small houses/apts, we've used the McDermott's house, since they have enough space and chairs for all of us. This week Laura was out of town (hence, the pizza), but Lem did a good job as host in her place. Jess (Jon's wife) was able to join us later in the evening, and a fun time was had by all. :-) 

Jess

Jess and I figuring out the Keurig.

Kodiak in January - part 3

Monashka Bay ('White Sands' beach) after work one morning.

  

  Below are a few of my favorites!

       

      

Kodiak in January - part 2

 The sun poking through on a cloudy day.

  Mission Beach

 Trident Basin (float plane launch on Near Island) from Mission Beach.



Kodiak in January

 St Paul Harbor, downtown.

Cannery Row

 Extra-Tuf's are the Alaskan boot of choice.

 We had a bit of snow...12+".

 Gritz (a dog I watch sometimes) loves to play outside.

Buskin River

The ice from the river, after it thawed enough to break and wash up onto the beach. Some of it is 6-8" thick! 

Another point along the river

View of town from Buskin beach

Adrenaline Rush! And Fun With Good Friends. :-)

People don't do a whole lot for New Year's in Kodiak. Other than hanging out on the beaches and shooting off their fireworks. So I decided to join some friends for the evening. After dinner, another family came over to hang out, and the four boys played 'Need for Speed' while us adults pulled out Sequence. One friend tried his hand at Wii golf for a bit, too. Time flew by, and before we knew it, it was almost midnight. The sparkling cider came out, and we had a time of prayer before the countdown began. My friends had been collecting confetti poppers, so we made a mess with those at midnight. :-)

Unlike in NY, it's actually legal to set off fireworks here, so we headed outside to watch the boys light them. Most went off as planned, but there were some 'incidents'. One fell over, and the yard looked and sounded like a full fledged missile attack with the streaks of light shooting every which way across the lawn and deck, with explosions going off all over. Talk about an adrenaline rush as we tried to escape! Then another one did the same, and we all ducked and ran for cover again. During the first one, two of the boys were both hit (no major injuries, thankfully), and we ended up with a mark where the window was hit, too. The second time (one that appeared to be a calm, pretty fountain until it started exploding in all directions) one of those 'missiles' rocketed by only a few inches from my face. Another firework hit the trees and came spiraling down into a neighbor's yard. When another one did the same, only back down toward us, exploding a little above our heads, the boys' dad decided we'd had enough danger for one night, and we headed back inside. So what began as a quiet evening turned out quite exciting by the end. :-)

This past year has been an adventure, and now, as 2011 begins, I look forward to seeing what God has planned. Both in my life, and in yours. Hope you had an awesome 2010, and that you will have an even better 2011! Happy New Year everyone!