Wednesday, January 16, 2013

I’m looking forward to bed time tonight! With all this freshly fallen snow, the only easy walking is the walking done on the plowed roads or trails. It is good exercise though, so I’m not complaining! J I’ll admit this: one thing I’m looking forward to about returning to Wisconsin is the ability to go for a run or walk and then have a SHOWER! J I haven’t done nearly as much exercise as I planned on, so I’m looking forward to getting back into my routine.

The temperature was about 5 degrees today, so it was more of a typical Alaskan day. We decided to go out to visit some friends since it was such a nice day.

First though, I had to make something for supper tonight. Since we are having company, I scrounged through the cupboards to find something to eat. We have plenty to eat, but making a meal that goes together is somewhat of a challenge in these last days. I don’t really want to serve a meal of sugar cookies, beans, pasta without sauce, and ramen noodles! J I came up with round steak with onions and gravy in the crockpot, mashed potatoes, and green beans. And we are having sugar cookie cake for dessert. If you don’t know what that is (since I invented it J), it’s sugar cookie mix spread into the bottom of a cookie sheet. Then when it’s cooled, I frost it and cut it into cake squares. 

After supper was cooking in the crockpot, we loaded into the truck to visit the Redington’s. They live on the outskirts of Manley and raise sled dogs. It was like visiting a history museum! What a great experience for the kids to meet a man who has raced in the Iditarod and continues to raise and train sled dogs!  They offered us tea, peanut butter and crackers, as well as salmon jerky and salmon fish bellies. J The jerky was actually really good, but I didn’t care for the fish bellies. It was a little oily for my taste, but thankfully, Roger ate mine! JWe had a great visit with Joe and his wife, Pam, and enjoyed listening to stories of raising dogs. There are many similarities between raising dogs and raising children! J They both need schedules, attention, discipline, and it is hard work to get them to do right. However, well -trained dogs are much more pleasant to be around then wild, unruly ones…same with children! J

Also, while we were there, Roger succeeded in getting the truck stuck in the snow! J (He’ll be so glad I told this storyJ) It’s the first time in all our weeks of travel that we had to get a shovel to get us unstuck. But Roger is strong and can usually figure out a way to solve his problems, so he did! J I gave lots of advice, and then I decided the best thing I could do was be quiet! J

After our visit, we headed to the post office. Since the mail plane didn’t come in on Monday, due to the snowstorm, we had LOTS of mail today! There is no way that I will be able to reply to every letter/package we received today before we leave, so your letters will be postmarked from various places along our journey home. We really feel so incredibly loved (i.e. spoiled!). We received packages from the Mayo family, my sister (Hannah), Roger’s sister and family (Rachel and Robin), our neighbors (Jay and Kay), my good friends, Jenna and the Longsines, and our wonderful family doctor! WOW! We are set for sugar and sweets! J My children will be bouncing off the walls of the truck, if I don’t ration it out! It’s great to know that we don’t need to put out any money for snacks…at least for the first day! J Travis was so glad to see a Nuk in the package from the Longsines! We received everything from soup, cheese, cookies, chocolate, baking stuff, macaroni and cheese, cereal, and assorted treats for the boys like fruit roll ups (which are $1.00 each here at the store), and even new match box cars! Amazing! THANK-YOU!!!

We enjoyed a good visit and dinner with our friend, Sid. So many people up here have incredible stories about the history of Alaska or their own life experiences. We can learn so much just by listening!

 

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17