Bonnie and I wrapped up our Bible Study on Esther, so my Tuesday nights are free again, just in time to spend them wrapping presents, when there's not a Dimond Hockey game. Ella and I have been getting lots of shopping and errands done during the day so we're pretty close to being done with our Christmas prepping. I also got a decent amount accomplished on Black Friday. I spent the morning (starting at 3:30am) with Kathryn and some with Bonnie and all the other die-hard crazies braving the snowy roads and chaotic crowds to score some good deals. We met up with the "Elmore Girls" for brunch to wrap up our morning.
I've got to be a part of several fun Mrs. Alaska events this month- the Miss Alaska United States pageant (with Mrs. AK 2009, Renee Scott), the Mayor's Prayer Breakfast where I was tasked with the Old Testament reading (and a dessert reception the night before), the Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony at Town Square, (I spent the couple hours before doing crafts with kids at a reception for military families at the Performing Arts Center.) Lem and the girls joined me for the outdoor ceremony where we got to watch the treelighting, see Santa arrive in his sleigh, pulled by reindeer which we got to meet and pet afterwards. You can read up on all the details and see pics on my Mrs. AK blog at: http://www.mrsak2010.blogspot.com/.
For the second year, we hosted Thanksgiving here at our house. We kicked off the day with cinnamon rolls and the Macy's parade where Lem and I spent an hour engaged in a "Where's Waldo" type activity trying to spot Mrs. United States, who was in the crowd. We took a family soak in the hot tub before lunch and naptime then finished prepping our part of the meal. This year we were joined by Nanny and Papa, Ian and Kathryn, and Marybeth, one of Lem's fellow Dimond teachers. My cousin Danny and his family, came over for dessert and games while the girls enjoyed some playtime together.
Lem and I got to have a night away down at Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, and it was a beautiful, crisp fallish weekend. We had a delicious dinner at Double Musky, pastries from the local bakery for breakfast and brunch on our way out of town at Jack Sprat's. The drive home was gorgeous and we enjoyed the majestic, breathtaking views we Alaskans so often take for granted.
We fell victim to a gang of hoodlums that made sport of shooting out over 100 vehicles' windows with an air gun. We just happened to leave the explorer out one night so we didn't wake the girls pulling into the garage, and of course, it was the wrong night for that. So, a $500 deductible and a whole new back window, and lift gate panel and paint ($1500) later we got our car back in drivable condition.
Ella's keeping us entertained with her cute little self. She was under the weather for a bit, just before Thanksgiving, but is doing much better now and is back to being the life of the party. She's a bundle of energy and laughter and says the funniest things, like "Daddy has a sparkly chinny-chin-chin" while she snuggles with him, noticing his stubbly morning face. She's also obsessed with washing her hands after every time she eats, which apparently is supposed to be a good thing, but just feels annoying as she insists on climbing her own stepstool up to the kitchen sink to "do it all by myself." She's really gotten into imaginative play and has taken to referring to her (imaginary) Grandmother and her Granddaughters (whoever they are.) It's really a joy to watch and listen to her and Sycely play together, Sycely even following Ella's lead sometimes.
My big fun this month came via a new wedding ring set from my hubby. We'd been talking about upgrading for our 10 year anniversary this year and did a little looking. I was surprised how quickly I found something that was perfect and everything I wanted- sparkly, sophisticated and elegantly beautiful, and did I mention it just happened to be on clearance? The saleslady even swung us two additional discounts which brought it down to about 20% the regular price. It was a deal we just couldn't pass up. What I was getting wasn't a surprise, but when and how certainly were. Jim Anderson, owner of Anderson's Bride (my former math teacher and Lem's colleague and friend) asked me to come in (and bring a friend- maybe Kathryn?) to try on some dresses for the upcoming bridal fashion show I was going to be modeling in. The show isn't until January and usually we don't do fittings until a week or two before, so I was super surprised they were so ahead of the game this year. That morning I was part of the Mayor's Prayer Breakfast and we just happened to see Jim there. He confirmed times with me, gave me some instructions and said he'd pulled a few smaller size dresses he wanted me to try. He mentioned they really wanted to push the pocket dresses this year, since they're a new fad and super trendy this season. So, Kathryn and I headed over there for our "fitting" while Lem had Ian over to play some Star Wars Lego Wii. Kathryn and I pulled a few bridesmaid dresses and a couple gowns and started trying things on. Jim came to check on us and told me he'd pulled a dress and put it in the dressing room for me. He said it was brand new and they wanted to see how it looked on and how it would "model." So I worked my way into the sparkly, gigantically puffy (but gorgeous) gown and came out to show him. And there was my handsome hubby, waiting for me in a suit and tie. He complimented the dress and then said, "Are there pockets in that dress?" As I slid my hands down and into the pockets, I discovered my new rings, stealthily hidden in the pocket! Kathryn snapped a few pictures as Lem "re-proposed" on bended knee asking me to stay his wife forever. I was super impressed by the plotting he'd done that that would have been more than enough, but he didn't stop there. He informed me Ian and Kathryn were going to watch the girls and we had dinner reservations at Crow's Nest, one of the fanciest restaurants in town. It sits atop the Hotel Captain Cook and offers breathtaking views of the city, mountains and inlet. He even brought me a few dress choices (all matching the one pair of shoes he'd brought along) and my whole jewelry box so I could change and get myself ready right there-yep, he thinks of EVERYTHING and knows his wife quite well. We enjoyed an amazing evening. We had our own private corner in the restaurant and it was so romantic. The food was great too, but not as good as the conversation. We finished off our date with Bananas Foster, prepared table side, flames and all. The whole thing was definitely spectacular and memorable. Sometimes I feel like I need to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming this amazing blessed life I live.
We carved our family jack-o-lantern with help from Daddy. He turned out pretty cute and was a friendly welcome to our party guests on Friday night. 
We invited family and friends to celebrate Halloween (and our first year in our new home) with a fun party for all our kiddos. We had bone shaped 
We did some games with the kids-a pumpkin pass, pin the eye on the ghost, a cake walk and a pumpkin toss. We rounded things out with a 
All the snacks and games were a hit with all the kids and it was the perfect chance for all of us to sport our costumes for some WARM, indoor Halloween fun. 
On Saturday 
We helped hand out candy at Nanny and Papa's on Sunday and did some 
