Our bus ride

After a fun filled day in Anchorage we boarded a bus that took us out to Whittier to board our ship, the Island Princess. It was a beautiful drive. We saw some wildlife, Bryan Glacier, drove through a tunnel that actually is only big enough for one car to go through at a time. For 20 minutes the tunnel has traffic going one direction. For the next 20 minutes the traffic goes the other direction, the next 20 minutes the trains run. The speed limit is 10 miles an hour. Very close quarters.

The bay that we drove along side to whittier was going out. Did you know that the shore line around alaska, when the tide is out, the land is bigger that all of Texas.

Shauna and John

Our first day in Anchorage we had breakfast with John's cousin, Shauna and her daughter. What a great way to start the day out.

Flight Museum

Next stop in Seattle was the Flight Museum. Thanks Dawn for the suggestion. The museum is at Boeing field between SEA-TAC and Seattle. What an amazing afternoon. There are planes from all era's From the beginning of flight to the present. There is even a Black Hawk and a Gemini.

You can try your skills in a flight simulator, which John did and his skills were great.


They had a control tower we went up in and you can here the flight controllers at the airport telling the planes what to do. There was a screen that showed all the planes currently in the air and where they were. Great place to spend an afternoon.

Pike's Place Market

After Steamers John and I walked up the Harbor steps to Pikes Place Market. Yet again another place John had never been. The market place was having a cheese tasting. We went from vendor to vendor to taste cheese of the world. John was in heaven. Me on the other hand, I am not a fan of cheese so it was just taking up valuable shopping time! The market was a mad house as usual but the sights and smells are always so intreging. What a beautiful day it was. No clouds, mild weather. Lots to do and see. After all the cheese I took him to the flying fish. What a sight. It is fun to see the guys throw the fish around and all the chanting they do. Tasting the smoked fish and checking out the huge lobsters and shrimp. John purchased some smoked salmon to take with us.


Of course I had to go to post alley and check out the fun shops there. I bought some Welsh Brew tea for my dad in a cute little tea shop.

Alaska, Land of the BEAUTIFUL

John and I have been anticipating a cruise to Alaska for years. We purchased our cruise 3 years ago and found out in April that it was expiring in August. WOW. We scrambled to find a week to be able to take this long anticipated trip. As it turned out May was the lucky month. We left from SLC and flew to Seattle for a 10 hour layover. It was awesome. We rented a car and went into the city. The first stop was "steamers". My favorite place to have chowder and cod. John had never been there before. I was more than happy to take him.

Welcome, Sawyer

Welcome, Sawyer!

Last weekend we went to Olathe, KS to finally see the newest addition to our family,

Sawyer Mathias Carlston

Born: March 13, 209

8 lbs 15 oz

23 1/2 inches

He was blessed last sunday and we were priviledge to be there to witness it and for John to stand in the circle to help with that blessing.

We always have so much fun when we hang out with Ladd and Sarah. They are a true blessing in our life. Their children are so fun. Lauren is growing up so fast. She is 8 but thinks like a teenager. Wanting to grow up before her time. On Sunday she held my cell phone captive so she could text Nicole. About 150 messages later between the 2 of them, 100 on Laurens part. Thank goodness I have free texting. Miles is always on the go. He is so busy. Riding his bike, shoveling snow, building things, hopping on this ball thing. Miles was riding his bike in the basement, then John rode miles bike. Then Miles stood on the pegs on the back of the bike while John peddled around. Miles said it was scary but after they stopped asked for Uncle John to do it again. Isabelle is a lover. She is doing well with her new brother. She wants to be in the action and doesn't realize or care that she is too small. Thanks for sharing that specail day with us.

My Loving Husband

Those in the know know how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my husband. He is "MY BEST FRIEND"! I never thought I could have such a wonderful relationship with anyone. He bouys me up everyday.
Last week we had a Friday the 13th. John and I celebrate each one that comes along. You see we were engaged on April 13th, Friday, Full Moon. It had been _LUCKY_ for us so we take advantage of each one as it comes. Our children even call us when they see the full moon to make sure we know it is full, (even though we already know it is). It is nice that they know it is special to us and they remember.
John is my other half. He makes me feel like a millions bucks all the time. He puts my needs before his own. When he is away we both can't wait to get back together. He seeks me out to kiss me and love me as soon as he is back.
Even though he doesn't think he has been a good father he has. He has taught our children many things they wouldn't have learned had it not been for them. He taught them how to make an omelet by the time they were three. He taught them how to work and to love it. He shared his love for the outdoors whether it is skiing or camping, fishing or hiking, their love of the outdoors comes from him.
The kids love for me also comes from him. As they grew he made sure they never dis-respected me. He showed respect and in return they learned.
He is AMAZING