Update

So I realized tonight that I have a lot of really awesome pictures that I haven't uploaded on to the web so everyone can view them. Things in Alaska have been settling down and we pretty much just work and play and play and then somehow manage to find time to sleep.
Last week Zach's sister, Alene, fly into Juneau and visited for a couple of days. It was good to visit with her and be able to give her a taste of life in here in Alaska. One of the evenings she was here we went to Outer Point on North Douglas Island and watched the sunset, which was gorgeous and as we were headed back home there were 2 cruise ships jsut leaving the channel. It is so gorgeous to see them with all of their lights on just float on down the water. So I thought I'd make a slide show and let everyone enjoy (at least get a little taste for what they're missing).

I also had a manager retire about a week ago who was really sweet. She is traveling back east for a few months and so I probably won't ever see her again. I thought I would post the picture to let everyone see the people who I am working with. Some people aren't in the picture and the picture didn't turn out so good but oh well... I am still really enjoying work and we are having a blast here in Juneau.

Fishin' in AK!

We went fishing tonight and we all caught us some great salmon. It was so much fun! We were out on the water for about 3 hours at a place called Amalga Harbor just fishing off the rocks. We were snagging the salmon as they staged to enter the fresh water to do their spawing. They were so thick and jumping like crazy! It was amazing to see so many fish swimming together and jumping at the same time. When they jump their entire body exits the water and they really do soar through the air. Most of the pictures that we took were of Megan and Zach because Chelsea was the designated camera woman and Brett was the release guy (and we don't have license, YET). Most of the salmon we caught we released because when the salmon reach the fresh water to begin spawning they stop eating and enzymes start breaking down their bodies and they get rotten so the meat is not good at all. We did manage to catch 2 keepers that hadn't quite deteriorated too bad yet so we will be having a nice salmon feast for our sabbath tomorrow.A guy named Levi from Meg and Zach's ward brought his little boy, Sloan, and Levi took tons of great pictures so as soon as I get them from him I will be sure to post them. We had a lot of fun and can't wait to go back out for more!

Pay it Forward

So about amonth ago I won a "pay it forward" on my sister-in-law, Emily's, blog. How it works is that you respond to the blog requesting that your name be putting in a drawing, and in a week from now I will put everyone's name that responded into a hat and draw out 3 winners and send them a small gift (which I still haven't received mine) then, of course, you must pay it forward to 3 other people. I figure that the majority of the people that look at our blog and respond to it, is our family so it will be fun to send some things home. Of course, I do not expect you to pay it forward if you have already done it, unless you are just dying to do it again. :)
We love you all and hope all is well.

Eagle Glacier Cabin

Friday evening after everyone got off work we headed out for a backpacking adventure. It was a 5.25 one-way hike to Eagle Glacier Memorial Cabin which sits on a lake at the bottom of Eagle Glacier. The hike was kinda rough, not a strenuous hike but long enough to chaff Brett's behind and long enough to make my feet really sore (especially after being on my feet all day work). But we made it to the cabin. It was gorgeous! It sat on the edge of a big lake. It had a picture perfect view. The cabin had a double and single bunk in the bottom with a wood burning stove, an oil heater, a kitchen area and a lot upstairs. It was so much fun to be able to enjoy the scenery, each other’s company, and the outdoors.
Saturday morning we woke up and took a hike to the glacier, which is about 2 miles from the cabin. However, we only made it about half way there because the terrain was quite rough and Zach, Brett, and I were all getting sick so we headed back to the cabin to have some lunch before heading home.
We finally made it back to the car to head to a local burger joint called Hot Bite to grab a nice juicy hamburger. We were all beat when we got back. We took hot showers and crawled in bed. Let’s just say we all retired to our beds really early and we still didn’t feel rested when we woke up this morning.
We had a blast and can’t wait for our next backpacking trip in July to Peterson Lake. Be sure to check out our picture link for more pictures from our backpacking adventures!

A Few Firsts

The past couple of days we have had a couple of "firsts" since being in Juneau. Brett FINALLY went gold panning! YAHOO! He actually did find some gold too. On Friday afternoon we were able to get away from homework and other things that needed to get done and do some panning. We headed up a place called Montana Creek. At the end of the river there is an old abandoned mine but we didn't get that far. Montana Creek is quite a big river with some good places to pan. We set up 'camp' in a nice quiet place. It was so relaxing and fun to be outside. While Brett was working on his panning, I was finishing up some reading for one of my classes. We had a lot of fun together and can't wait for more gold panning adventures!

The past few days here in Juneau has been what is called 'Celebration'. It started on Thursday and ends tonight. This is where all of the Natives from Alaska get together and celebrate their heritage and ancestory. They basically take over Juneau for a few days. The place where Zach works (Sealaska Heritage Institution) is in charge of it so he has been stressed all week with getting everything running smoothly. But it all has ran very smoothly. We were lucky enough to have an in to things with Zach so we were able to go watch a couple of the klans perform. It was really neat to see their respect for their ancestory and the pride that they have of their heritage.

We love being here and are so excited for the rest of the adventures that we have for this summer! We miss all of our family and friends at home in Utah but are loving it here!

Car Troubles, AGAIN?!?!

This morning I had to be to work at 5:30 (as usual) and Brett at to be there by 6:15. I get off work early then Brett does so I took the car that we are barrowing from Megan and Zach with me to work. We have to travel on the one highway in Juneau to get to downtown, where we both work, all was going to well until we got about 1 mile from Brett's work. The car started to shake and it felt like we had a square tire. So we pull over to see if we have and flat and nothing looks wrong at all. Brett thinks that the CV joint has gone out (again) only this time it's the rear driver's side. So I dropped Brett off and headed to work, not wanting to deal with the car problems before work. When I go out to my car to leave work, I realize that my tire is almost completely flat. So I put air in it and think that it will be enough to get me home (it's not that far... only about 4 or 5 miles). When I get about 1/2 way my car is shaking really bad again and I know that I can't keep going. I pull off of the highway onto a side road and then into a pull out area. When I get out my tire is completely flat. At this point I realize that I only have 2 options: I can either sit in the car and wait for help or I can change the tire to the share on the back and drive home. So I decide to use the skills my wonderful dad taught me and change the tire. Remember: I just got off work so I am in a nice white shirt and business pants :)
I got everything out and start changing the tire, the jack is too tall to fit anywhere close to the tire so I put it more towards the middle of the car. I get the flat off and try to put the spare on and the car is not high enough. So I had to put the spare back on and then dig a hole under the car so the jack could be short enough to fit closer to the wheel but still be stable.... Somewhere in the middle of all of that it started to down pour. Luckily it only lasted about 5 minutes but I kept working the entire time. I got the sudden urge that i had to pee and I had to go right then. So I quickly run to the sid eof the road (there was a small ditch) and went right next to the highway. Once I relieved myself I was finally able to dig a good size hole and get under way again. From the whole experience I got very black hands and a little dirt on my face (that's what the picture is of) and my shirt. Thank you to my wonderful husband who was so patient with me and helped me with a couple of questions as I changed the tire. And thank you to my dad who was kind enough to teach me when I thought I would never have to know how to do it. THANK YOU!
And luckily, the car troubles are nothing serious this time! :)

Work, Work, Work

Yesterday, Brett had a 13 hour work day! Talk about a long day! Luckily, today he had a short day and was done by 1 pm, I didn't have to work today and was home doing homework all day. When Brett got home he passed out on the couch with the Bostons before he even had time to change his clothes. We love the Boston! Buxton is especially cuddly. (Brett looks kinda chubby in this picture but it's just the way that he is sitting. He hasn't gained any weight since we've moved.) The cafe where I work started opening at 6 am this week. That means that I have to be there at 5:30 to get things prepped before we open. I hate early mornings but with it being so sunny it makes it very easy to get up in the morning. One of the great things I love about work is that I get to meet people from all over that world that come to visit the great big Alaska. On Sunday we had a tour group of Germans that stayed at the hotel and requested early breakfast, so we had to open at 5:45. They were all very pleasant people except for one man... Everything was going very well until a couple came in and ordered 2 country breakfasts. That comes with biscuits and gravy, eggs, and their choice of meat. They told me they wanted scrambled eggs and bacon. About 5 minutes later when I took their food to them the man got very upset with me and started yelling at me that it was not what he ordered. I attempted to explain that it was exactly what he ordered but there was quite a language barrier and he refused to understand. As I reached down to take his plate of food back and just give him the eggs and bacon and some toast he proceeded to scoop his biscuits (still with the gravy on top) at me. Gravy went flying all over my apron. What a great way to start your morning?!? Meanwhile, the lovely tour guide (who spoke perfect English) just sat and stared at us as he was yelling at me, offering no help to the situation at all. Gotta love the foreigners. :) After the whole escapade, I didn't really want to serve him anything but he kept asking for more coffee, more toast, and more yogurt. Being the good person that I am I kept going back. Luckily, the tour group he was with was paying for his meal and they were the ones tipping me so I didn't have a thing to worry about. All of this just makes me happy to be able to communicate with those around me.