Is it Spring yet?

We had a little warm spell a couple weeks ago. It was a nice break from the sub-zero temps before. It's not quite spring yet. Today the temp is in the mid-20s. It's getting light earlier and earlier now, which is nice. Kyle doesn't have to wait for the school bus in the dark anymore.

Today is the restart of the 2008 Iditarod sled dog race in Willow. Yesterday was the ceremonial start in Anchorage. Some friends have a cabin on a lake and the trail goes right by, so we're going to have a campfire out on the ice and watch the teams go by. I'll post some pictures when I get some.

For now, check out our photo albums for some pictures of my last trip. Juneau, Seattle, Cancun, Cordova, Yakutat. It was a beautiful day in Southeast [Alaska].

Enjoy!

The Plan

It's the Plan. An inconceivable Plan. A Plan that has not - will not - fail. This Plan has been set in motion since the beginning of time. A young virgin, a carpenter, fishermen, tax collectors, beggars, all common people. There are the experts in the law of God and the oppressive experts of the law of the land. You, me, your neighbor. We're all a part of the Plan that the one and only God above can execute.

This Christmas we celebrate the One being born into the world to live out this Plan that will save us all from the evil schemes of the world, evil, and ourselves. The Plan that starts with an angel saying,

"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) the Lord."

Celebrate with us, your family, your neighbor, your world. Christ, our Savior, is born!

How are your plans coming along this Christmas?

Aloha!

I did my first trip to Hawaii this week. We departed Seattle for Lihue, Kauai. . . 6 hours, 50 minutes later we opened the door in Lihue. We were fighting a 170 mph jetstream for the first three hours. The time went by pretty quick. It was the first over-water flight for both the captain and I so we had a check-airman riding along showing us how it's all done. Flying outside the range of conventional navaids requires diligence in plotting our position. With 2 Inertial Nav units and 2 GPSs helping out, it's pretty hard to get lost these days, but we still have our trusty plotter and chart to ease the nerves when our plot lines fall right on track.
Kuaui is a beautiful island. Our layover hotel is right on the beach. Good food (take a look at the fruit plate in the pictures), good sun, snorkling, and the right amount of warmth. I'm looking forward to being there every Wednesday in December!

Check out the pictures here: Hawaii Layover
Aloha!

And now for Winter!

That was a quick Fall. . . it's wintertime now with temps dipping into the 20s at night and 30s in the daytime. We got our first snow last week and the kids suited up for some sledding in the back yard!

Are we ready for winter, yet? I dunno. . ..

Kyle's Birthday

Kyle turned 7 on October 16th. He's growing up fast! Amber and her mom put together a Dinosaur party with a fossil search, dino-races, and a dinosaur pinata. Family friends and friends from school were there as well as Uncle D from Denver and grandma and grandpa. Good times! Check out the pictures.

Autumn is here!

It's now late September and Fall is definitely here. Many of the trees have yellow leaves and they're starting to fall off. The green still outnumber the yellow. . . There's a chill in the air. We've had a couple frosty mornings and the "termination dust" (snow) caps the mountain tops all around.
School is well underway. Kyle rides the bus (which conveniently picks up and drops off at the bottom of our driveway). He loves 1st grade and has a wonderful teacher. Kyle goes to a wonderful school, "best in the valley," they say. Cougar Pride is top-notch!

Ashley is going to pre-school three days a week in her "little red school house." It's really a house, and it's really red! It was a tough for her to let go her first few times, but she's getting to where she's counting down the minutes. Now if we could just get her to let go of that blankey. . .

Avery is the only child some days now. "Um, daddy? . . ." We never realized how occupied the girls kept each other until they were apart!

Our longtime friends, Mike and Jeannie, just bought some land where they'll build their dream house. It's a beautiful location. We've been out there with them several times now, shooting model rockets and having a campfire with hot dogs and s'mores! There's pictures up on the picasaweb here.

I've been on reserve all September and have been to work all of three days so far! It's been great being home with the family all this time. I have six more days on call this month and I have a feeling I'll do some flying. Scheduling likes to "share the wealth" among the reserves. I'm by far the lowest time guy for the month.

So, that's about it for now. . .

East Comes North

Pictures HERE.
Mom, Dad, Sarah, Laurel and Allison all came up to Alaska to see the sights. We hiked to a glacier near Portage Glacier, picked blueberries on Hatcher Pass, toured the Independence Mine, plus more. See the pictures to see it all.