Wow, I just looked at the blog and it seems that it's been a month since my last post...yikes...I don't know where the time goes!
Since Last I wrote we've been to a couple of hockey games...one loss and one win, so pretty good all around. The Ace's hold first place in the ECHL so we're pretty geeked!
Snowboarding has officially hit our household. Yesterday Lee was up on the hill for 9 HOURS...and the only reason he stopped was because the hill closed. I think he would have stayed all night if he could. lol....The nice thing about being in Middle School is that since there are alot more kids in his grade now, he meets tons of people he knows up on the hill. It sounds like we boarded with at least 10 different friends yesterday. He was going to go again today, but sadly for him, he "procrastinated" on his book report and is now trying to write the whole thing today, since it's due tomorrow. Been there done that :) Awww to be a teenager again.....ick.
So sadly he's at the table trying to get his work done.
Bret went back to work on Friday, and is now working in the Lead Floorhand position, he is next on the list to be promoted to "pit watcher" for those of you that know what that means. For now though he's the head guy in charge of the rig floor and he seems to enjoy it. It looks like he will stay at Beluga Point for the winter which is nice, since he won't have to deal with the extreme cold of the North Slope.
I've been really busy with work, as our new program went live on the 10th, (my birthday)lol...so far there are lots of bugs to work out, but things are coming together well. It's nice to see all of my hard work come together into a cohesive working program. Yay!
It's the American Thanksgiving this week, so far I'm not sure what Lee and I'll be doing. We have an invite to my friends house, but he wants to snowboard all 4 days off of school, so we'll see how we feel on Thursday. It never really feels like Thanksgiving to me in November....it's very un-Canadian...lol. But I won't complain about a 4 day weekend.
Winter has definitely settled in here. it's been snowing for the last 2 days so we have about 6 inches of snow on the ground, which makes it so crisp, clean, and beautiful. The temperature has hung just below freezing so it's been nice, since it's still warm enough to go outside and do things, without freezing to death. Right now we're trying to decide what to do for Christmas Break. We may try to take the train up north and see the Northern Lights in all their glory, but we haven't made any firm decisions yet. it would also be nice to take a snow machine tour in Hatcher's pass. What to do what to do? We'll keep you posted
Keep safe and warm!
Love,
bret, jan and Lee
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Same as Usual
Life in Alaska is moving on same as usual. Lee is chomping at the bit, to get up and snowboarding, the rest of us are glad that most of the snow has melted away and that maybe, just maybe we'll have a bit of a reprieve for now. Lee's mom is setting him up with an annual ski pass at Hilltop again this year and we are enrolling him in lessons twice a week again. The first month he'll just be in the regular snowboarding lessons, but he's decided to try a new class for the second month. The new class focuses on jumping and doing tricks on the half pipe, so needless to say the young man is quite excited.
Parent teacher conferences are this coming week and are student led. The students have been working on a power point presentation for the last week to present to parents, and then teachers will drop in and out during our appt. time to answer further questions and fill in the gaps. This sounds like quite an interesting set up and I look forward to seeing Lee's presentation. All in all he's settled in quite nicely to middle school, much to every one's delight, especially his!
Bret just went back to work last Friday, and is still working at Beluga Point which is just across the bay from Anchorage. This has worked out good and bad for him. It's not as cold as working up on the slope, but the wind walls down here are only 6 feet high instead of 12 feet high so, he's exposed alot more to the elements. He's liking his new crew and has a chance at being promoted to "pit watcher" this hitch, so the opportunities keep expanding with every hitch up there. We're very proud of all the work he does, it certainly isn't an easy 14 days for him.
I've been working from home for 2 weeks now, and absolutely love it! I can't even express the difference it's made for my health. It also works out great for Lee and I while Bret is gone, because I'm home when he is and we don't have to worry about piling too much responsibility on him. Even though he's 13 he still very much thrives in a scheduled routine environment and stays on track alot easier when someone is around more often than not. I'm also able to schedule things like parent teacher conferences during the day, and be here when he has half days, or full days off. I think it's been a hugely positive change for all of us!
Halloween is this coming Friday and Lee has the day off. He's been struggling with whether or not to go Halloweening, but also knowing he IS 13 and he's kind of old for the whole deal. The hospital I work for gets discounted tickets to the local hockey team's games, so we've compromised and decided to spend Halloween night at an Ace's hockey game. It's something we both love to do, and it still makes it a special night out for Lee. Go Ace's.
I've been taking some pictures with my new DSL digital camera, but have been saving them for this years calender. I'll try to pick some out to post this next week.
hope everyone is well! Take good care.
bret, jan and lee
Parent teacher conferences are this coming week and are student led. The students have been working on a power point presentation for the last week to present to parents, and then teachers will drop in and out during our appt. time to answer further questions and fill in the gaps. This sounds like quite an interesting set up and I look forward to seeing Lee's presentation. All in all he's settled in quite nicely to middle school, much to every one's delight, especially his!
Bret just went back to work last Friday, and is still working at Beluga Point which is just across the bay from Anchorage. This has worked out good and bad for him. It's not as cold as working up on the slope, but the wind walls down here are only 6 feet high instead of 12 feet high so, he's exposed alot more to the elements. He's liking his new crew and has a chance at being promoted to "pit watcher" this hitch, so the opportunities keep expanding with every hitch up there. We're very proud of all the work he does, it certainly isn't an easy 14 days for him.
I've been working from home for 2 weeks now, and absolutely love it! I can't even express the difference it's made for my health. It also works out great for Lee and I while Bret is gone, because I'm home when he is and we don't have to worry about piling too much responsibility on him. Even though he's 13 he still very much thrives in a scheduled routine environment and stays on track alot easier when someone is around more often than not. I'm also able to schedule things like parent teacher conferences during the day, and be here when he has half days, or full days off. I think it's been a hugely positive change for all of us!
Halloween is this coming Friday and Lee has the day off. He's been struggling with whether or not to go Halloweening, but also knowing he IS 13 and he's kind of old for the whole deal. The hospital I work for gets discounted tickets to the local hockey team's games, so we've compromised and decided to spend Halloween night at an Ace's hockey game. It's something we both love to do, and it still makes it a special night out for Lee. Go Ace's.
I've been taking some pictures with my new DSL digital camera, but have been saving them for this years calender. I'll try to pick some out to post this next week.
hope everyone is well! Take good care.
bret, jan and lee
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Happy Weekend to you all!
So it's yet another weekend without a post on this blog so I thought I'd better get cracking. lol
Bret is back up at work, technically he's not on the slope, he's at Beluga Point which is NW across the inlet from Anchorage. This is very nice for him because he gets to experience our weather, which is a a touch milder than slope weather. He went back on Friday, with the idea that he was going to be working for only a week and then back home for two, and then just settle into his two on, two off schedule. Oddly for Bret, LOL, he misunderstood and he is actually up there for three weeks and then off for two....so it kind of sucks. Not that he's upset about being back at work, it's quite the opposite, but psyching yourself up for one week is alot different than getting mentally prepared to be away for three....such is life.
Lee had an adventuresome week! He stood up in class to talk with one of his teachers, but sadly forgot to pull his chair back in, before sitting down. Needless to say, his but missed the chair, but his head did not! He now has 4 beautifully stitched stitches in his head to show for the ordeal. OUCH. Overall though, he was a real trooper, I don't care who you are, it's no fun to get numbing medicine in your scalp! double OUCH. He's healing well, and the stitches will come out this Wednesday. His newest acquisition is pictured below. We bought it yesterday with money he borrowed on his much anticipated Permanent Dividend Fund check...yes, it truly does pay to live in Alaska!
Hopefully this doesn't mean another trip to the doctor's for stitches! At any rate he is very proud of this new scooter, especially since his bike was stolen earlier this summer and he's been stuck walking everywhere....
As for me things are going reasonably well. I gave notice at my job and was miraculously offered a work from home position as the systems administrator for our new electronic record...pretty happy way for me to get the extra home time I need. This position will for sure be in place until January and then I'll possibly look at job sharing a full-time position with a co-worker who wants to retire, yet still keep her foot in the door. I'll keep you all posted as things happen. So 3 more weeks and i'll be happily working on my puter from home.....yea me!!!!
hope everyone is well and thanks for all the warm birthday wishes for Bret....he celebrated his 10th sober birthday on the 16th and I couldn't be more proud of him! Happy 10 day Bret!!!!
jan
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Released to work
Bret is officially released back to work as of Sept. 17th. YIPPEEE YAHOOOO (insert back flip here). Needless to say we are really thankful and excited. No one is more excited of course than Bret, I think he's starting to get a little stir crazy hanging around the house 24/7.
In my last post I mentioned that we were struggling with the decision of whether or not I should continue working. In short the decision has been made, and as soon as Bret gets back to the rig, I am going to give notice at work. After 5 weeks off and 1 week back at work, neither of us can believe the toll that work takes on my body; and all that is considering that my time off wasn't a vacation, it was recovery from neck surgery. It's come to a point where this is the right decision to make at this time, so be it, that's what we're going to do.
just wanted to write a quick note to update you, and I'll write more this weekend and with luck I'll even get a couple pics up from when Karen and Monty were up visiting.
love you all!
bret and jan and lee
In my last post I mentioned that we were struggling with the decision of whether or not I should continue working. In short the decision has been made, and as soon as Bret gets back to the rig, I am going to give notice at work. After 5 weeks off and 1 week back at work, neither of us can believe the toll that work takes on my body; and all that is considering that my time off wasn't a vacation, it was recovery from neck surgery. It's come to a point where this is the right decision to make at this time, so be it, that's what we're going to do.
just wanted to write a quick note to update you, and I'll write more this weekend and with luck I'll even get a couple pics up from when Karen and Monty were up visiting.
love you all!
bret and jan and lee
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Schools back in session!
So for us adults...school being back in progress, is a wonderful thing. No ringing telephone, no ringing doorbell, no "can I have", no "why can't I...", aaaaaaahhhh silence is such sweet bliss. For Lee on the other hand, it's back to the old grind stone.
Overall though I think Lee is feeling much better about middle school. His first day he left the house in terror thinking all the 8th graders were going to make his life a living hell. Well all they did was call him a "sevvy"....so when we asked what he said back he said they called them "eightys" and all was well. Whew, he dodged a bullet on that one. The funny thing was the other night at dinner, Bret asked Lee what he thinks of school now that he's been back for a week? the response....."it's not that I don't want to do work or anything, but ALL they expect us to do is SCHOOL WORK all day long!". Welcome to the big leagues, little man! lol
I'm back at work, since last Tuesday, and it's been a long week. When I have long periods of time off, I notice how much easier my life is, then when I go back to work, my fibro flares, my patience dives and life gets rather rough. Bret and I finally decided this week that I need to quit my job and take some time off, so as of yesterday that was the plan. Then I went in for my annual review at work and got a glowing review, and was told repeatedly on how she (my boss) relies on me totally....and then I caved and didn't mention our plans to her. So now I'm excited about the prospect about not having to work. But on the other hand, I feel totally guilty about work...and on the third hand (if that's possible), I like working and it's great to get a glowing review. Do I give it all up for fibro? Or do I make my fibro worse, for the job? Not that it all boils down that simply but that's where we're at right now...in the middle with no decision in place...argh.
Bret goes back to the doctor on Tuesday, and we're hoping he gets released back to work...so keep you fingers crossed and send the good vibes Bret's way! We'd appreciate it.
The weather here has been simply beautiful! This morning we went out for a hike in one of the biggest parks in town...and then treated ourselves to some DQ afterwards. Lee's out playing with friends, Bret's gaming, and I'm working up the energy to take a nap! LOL, not too bad for a lazy labour day Saturday......
please do keep in touch and keep your comments coming. We love and miss you all!!!!
Bret, Jan and Lee
Overall though I think Lee is feeling much better about middle school. His first day he left the house in terror thinking all the 8th graders were going to make his life a living hell. Well all they did was call him a "sevvy"....so when we asked what he said back he said they called them "eightys" and all was well. Whew, he dodged a bullet on that one. The funny thing was the other night at dinner, Bret asked Lee what he thinks of school now that he's been back for a week? the response....."it's not that I don't want to do work or anything, but ALL they expect us to do is SCHOOL WORK all day long!". Welcome to the big leagues, little man! lol
I'm back at work, since last Tuesday, and it's been a long week. When I have long periods of time off, I notice how much easier my life is, then when I go back to work, my fibro flares, my patience dives and life gets rather rough. Bret and I finally decided this week that I need to quit my job and take some time off, so as of yesterday that was the plan. Then I went in for my annual review at work and got a glowing review, and was told repeatedly on how she (my boss) relies on me totally....and then I caved and didn't mention our plans to her. So now I'm excited about the prospect about not having to work. But on the other hand, I feel totally guilty about work...and on the third hand (if that's possible), I like working and it's great to get a glowing review. Do I give it all up for fibro? Or do I make my fibro worse, for the job? Not that it all boils down that simply but that's where we're at right now...in the middle with no decision in place...argh.
Bret goes back to the doctor on Tuesday, and we're hoping he gets released back to work...so keep you fingers crossed and send the good vibes Bret's way! We'd appreciate it.
The weather here has been simply beautiful! This morning we went out for a hike in one of the biggest parks in town...and then treated ourselves to some DQ afterwards. Lee's out playing with friends, Bret's gaming, and I'm working up the energy to take a nap! LOL, not too bad for a lazy labour day Saturday......
please do keep in touch and keep your comments coming. We love and miss you all!!!!
Bret, Jan and Lee
Monday, August 25, 2008
Heads UP!!!!
I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm going to take the link to my fibromyalgia blog off of this site soon. I want to see how many people are visiting my blog on their own. So....if you want to stay tuned, please save the address in your favorites. I'll leave it on for another week or so, but then I'm going to take it off.
Thanks for all your support!
Jan
Thanks for all your support!
Jan
Monday, August 18, 2008
So far so good!
Sorry we haven't posted in awhile, but we're back now. Bret's parents came to visit for a week so we weren't online much. It was great to see them and we all had a REALLY good time...the only complaint was that we didn't see any belugas...sigh...hopefully next time.
It was great to have help with carrying groceries, cooking etc...it made our recovery alot easier than it could have been, so we are very grateful that Karen and Monty could come visit/help us.
Other than that recovery is still going well. I saw my doc last week and will have the collar for at least another 6 weeks, ick. Bret has his 6 week post-op appt. on the 2nd of Sept....so keep your fingers crossed, he's getting anxious to get back to work.
Lee is all registered and ready to go back to school. He and Bret are out buying school supplies as I type this. We all know that Lee's first year of middle school will go well, but he's not so much convinced yet....poor guy!
We'll keep you posted as school starts on Wednesday!
take good care!
Jan,Bret,Lee
It was great to have help with carrying groceries, cooking etc...it made our recovery alot easier than it could have been, so we are very grateful that Karen and Monty could come visit/help us.
Other than that recovery is still going well. I saw my doc last week and will have the collar for at least another 6 weeks, ick. Bret has his 6 week post-op appt. on the 2nd of Sept....so keep your fingers crossed, he's getting anxious to get back to work.
Lee is all registered and ready to go back to school. He and Bret are out buying school supplies as I type this. We all know that Lee's first year of middle school will go well, but he's not so much convinced yet....poor guy!
We'll keep you posted as school starts on Wednesday!
take good care!
Jan,Bret,Lee
Thursday, July 31, 2008
2 surgeries down...just recovery to go...
So I had my surgery yesterday and came home this morning. Overall it's going reasonably well today, but day 3 and 4 tend to be the worst. My neck pain seems to be a little less than Bret's but my throat sure is sore.
Lots of popsicles and jello so far....we'll keep you posted as the days go by!
jan and bret
Lots of popsicles and jello so far....we'll keep you posted as the days go by!
jan and bret
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Home sweet home
Bret came home late yesterday afternoon....then night for him was so so....he was pretty nauseous but he slept really well. Today is Day 3 which is supposed to be the worst day post surgery. He definitely is feeling the swelling in his throat and is living pretty much on pudding and Popsicles. The bonus is he's still able to lay down without feeling like he's choking...we count that as a HUGE plus.
So it's simply a day of taking it easy today. Lee comes home tomorrow afternoon so we're really excited about his arrival!
Will write more later....
thanks for ALL of your support!
jan
So it's simply a day of taking it easy today. Lee comes home tomorrow afternoon so we're really excited about his arrival!
Will write more later....
thanks for ALL of your support!
jan
Monday, July 21, 2008
latest news
Bret is out of surgery and lounging in his hospital room. All went as expected during the operation! The doc said that he had a bunch of bone fragments pushing against his spinal cord which were most likely the main cause of his numbness. He was put in a soft collar instead of a hard one, so our hope is that he will be able to drive by the time my surgery rolls around next week.
I spent about an hour with him after he got to his room, but he's still really groggy so I'm home to catch a few zzzz's myself...it was a short night last night....and then I'll head back to the hospital later this afternoon. When I left he was dozing away and had convinced the nurse to get him some pepsi, so life was good. I've been ordered to bring more pepsi when I go back, so he's well on his way back to normal....lol....
I'll post more as time goes on!
thanks
jan
I spent about an hour with him after he got to his room, but he's still really groggy so I'm home to catch a few zzzz's myself...it was a short night last night....and then I'll head back to the hospital later this afternoon. When I left he was dozing away and had convinced the nurse to get him some pepsi, so life was good. I've been ordered to bring more pepsi when I go back, so he's well on his way back to normal....lol....
I'll post more as time goes on!
thanks
jan
Bret's surgery is today....
So it's 5:21 in the a.m. and Bret and I are just getting ready to go to the hospital for his surgery, which is at 7:30. The surgery itself will take about 3 hours and I'll be at the hospital for most of the day I suspect. I will post an update before I go to bed though.
Please send positive thoughts Bret's way!
Love to all!
Jan
Please send positive thoughts Bret's way!
Love to all!
Jan
Thursday, July 10, 2008
As promised....
Here is a series of pics to fill you in on some of what we've been up to....I hope you enjoy....
Here are a couple action shots of our budding viola star during his spring concert :)
These are some huge ice "chunks" that calved off of the Portage Glacier, which is about a half hour from Anchorage. They're just floating around in the lake...but you don't want to get close because they are really unstable and can flip without notice.
This is Bret and Bailey making dinner at our camp, and I threw in a pic of our very old, but very beloved new pop-up trailer....woot woot
If you look really closely, you'll see a cute yet prickly porcupine that we came across in the woodsSo that concludes our slide show for now....I'll try to keep more current on the pics from now on. For the next post I'll take some shots of the inside of our house to give people an idea of where we live....
We love you all tons!!!
jan
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Checking in once more
So I'm doing my best to get back into the swing of posting regular blogs, so here I am checking in. The latest news is that I too need neck surgery, like Bret. My doc wanted to do it next week, but in reality I'm hoping for the week after Bret's surgery, if all the stars align. I just found this out tonight, so my mood is less than chipper lol....but I'll spare you all my rant....I took care of that in my other blog....lucky you lol.
So to recap....Bret has surgery on the 21st, Lee comes home on the 24th (yippee), and I'll have surgery that next week....fun summer huh?
I've done some painting in the kitchen and still have those camping pics to post (several of you have reminded me that they are still missing). I promise they will be posted by Thursday!
Hope all is well with you guys....I'm keeping this one short....until Thursday....take good care!
jan
So to recap....Bret has surgery on the 21st, Lee comes home on the 24th (yippee), and I'll have surgery that next week....fun summer huh?
I've done some painting in the kitchen and still have those camping pics to post (several of you have reminded me that they are still missing). I promise they will be posted by Thursday!
Hope all is well with you guys....I'm keeping this one short....until Thursday....take good care!
jan
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Many big events and well wishes!
So I know I said it last post but
belated HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!!!!!! to all my fellow Canadians!
HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY ALASKA!!!!!!!!! to all my fellow Alaskans!
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!!!!!!!! to all the Americans with whom I live!
But most importantly and definitely closest to my heart goes a huge and heartfelt....
HAPPY 9TH ANNIVERSARY TO BRET AND JAN!!!!!!!!!!!
Yep folks on July 3rd Bret and I celebrated our 9th year together....crazy huh....we've definitely built quite the life together, and it's been the best 9 years of my life! I love you and look forward to 9 more (x5) together!
jan
belated HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!!!!!! to all my fellow Canadians!
HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY ALASKA!!!!!!!!! to all my fellow Alaskans!
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!!!!!!!! to all the Americans with whom I live!
But most importantly and definitely closest to my heart goes a huge and heartfelt....
HAPPY 9TH ANNIVERSARY TO BRET AND JAN!!!!!!!!!!!
Yep folks on July 3rd Bret and I celebrated our 9th year together....crazy huh....we've definitely built quite the life together, and it's been the best 9 years of my life! I love you and look forward to 9 more (x5) together!
jan
Monday, June 30, 2008
Latest update...
Check out these pictures of a tornado that hit Manhattan and Chapman Kansas on June 11th...
The first photo is of the tornado that hit Manhattan, Bret's parents house was hit, but luckily they had minor house damage, but alot of tree and landscaping damage....here is a picture of their house, for those that know it....
Wowzers is all that I can say! We are thankful that Karen, Monty and Sean are all ok!
As for us, life is just chugging along. Lee is still with his mom and Bruce, and by all reports they're having a wonderful time! We are always happy when they can spend an extended period of time together like this, since we live so far apart!
Bret....well he does indeed have to have surgery. He will be going in for it during the week of July 21st, we haven't got a specific day yet. It will put him out of commission for a significant amount of time, so I'm hoping he will become an expert blogger...lol...NOT! This does mean however, that we will not be able to go to Canada as planned...sigh...but we got to do, what we got to do.
I may follow close on Bret's heels with the whole surgery deal. They have finally deduced, that my shoulder problem, is in fact a neck problem. I had yet another MRI done last week and I'll see my doc on Thursday...we will keep you posted on that one.
On the fun side of things, Bret and I got a chance to take our Pop-Up trailer out for the first time this past weekend. We had a blast! We went down to where the Kenai and Russian rivers meet, and camped right on the shores of lake Skilak! A great time was had by both humans and canines...we hope many more trips are in our future!
Well I'm trying to keep this short, but I should be on more regularly now that we've found some medication that calms my shoulder pain...hope all is well in your worlds!
LOVE YOU ALL!!!!
jan
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
pause...
I again apologize for the long absences! My shoulder is quite messed up and just sitting at the computer causes a fair amount of pain...so needless to say blogging has not been a priority.
A brief update is....Lee finished grade 6 and is now an official 7th grader...Middle school, here he comes! Congrats to Lee! Lee is currently in PA visiting with his mom and Bruce and will be back at the end of July.
It looks like, keep your toes and fingers crossed, that Bret does indeed have work this summer, which has taken a big load off of our shoulders. The flip side of this is that he's having some neck problems, and we're not quite sure, but he just may need to have surgery...sigh
As for me, My shoulder sucks, but I had a cortisone injection, via fluroscopy last week, and it might be getting better, but it's too soon to tell.
I have sooooo many pics and things to post....just waiting for my body to cooperate....please don't forget about us! Keep checking in.... we miss you all TONS AND TONS!
bret, jan and lee
A brief update is....Lee finished grade 6 and is now an official 7th grader...Middle school, here he comes! Congrats to Lee! Lee is currently in PA visiting with his mom and Bruce and will be back at the end of July.
It looks like, keep your toes and fingers crossed, that Bret does indeed have work this summer, which has taken a big load off of our shoulders. The flip side of this is that he's having some neck problems, and we're not quite sure, but he just may need to have surgery...sigh
As for me, My shoulder sucks, but I had a cortisone injection, via fluroscopy last week, and it might be getting better, but it's too soon to tell.
I have sooooo many pics and things to post....just waiting for my body to cooperate....please don't forget about us! Keep checking in.... we miss you all TONS AND TONS!
bret, jan and lee
Thursday, May 08, 2008
a quick check in...
So if you've read my fms blog you know that I'm still really struggling with my shoulder, and thus have not had the time, or inclination, nor the pain free moment to blog much lately. Is the shoulder better? "kinda sorta, but not really", i'll keep you posted though.
As spring has sprung in Alaska, it brings with it many changes in our lives. Elementary school will be over on May 21....can you believe it? Our little man will be a 7th grader this August. i'm not sure, even Lee has accepted this concept yet. All the Anchorage 6th graders put on a band/orchestra concert at the hockey arena tonight....all 3000+ of them. Bret and I attended and took a few photos that I will share with you this weekend.
Bret is home for another week and then goes up to the slope for his last guaranteed hitch of the winter. After that we have our fingers, toes, arms and legs crossed that there will be slope work for him this summer. Keep good thoughts for us, and we'll keep you posted.
I was recently offered another job in a different department in the hospital, and in negotiating with them, I was given a raise and promotion in my current position, so I'm feeling pretty proud of myself right now. We are putting in and designing a huge new case management software program of which, I will be the system administrator, so there's alot of new things happening for me at work right now. My hope is that my health will co-operate and let me take full advantage of this great opportunity.
The snow is all gone and the buds are budding....wow is it nice to see the spring coming our way. Our temps are in the 50's most days now, and most alaskans are sporting shorts and fleece to celebrate the return of the sun and warmth. When I go to work at 5:30 it's bright and sun shiny, and the sun doesn't go down now until about 11pm....it is simply spectacular! We are loving it to say the least.
I just wanted to check in and say hi, and let you know that we are all alive and well. Obviously to those who usually get calenders....we sad to say, but it's a no can do this year. I'm just too exhausted and in pain to even get that project together at this point. I really apologize, but I've gotta take care of me,and I don't have the best track record in that department. Pictures???? I will post a bunch this weekend to keep you up to date!
until then, take good care!
love you all as big as the world!!!!
Jan, bret and Lee
As spring has sprung in Alaska, it brings with it many changes in our lives. Elementary school will be over on May 21....can you believe it? Our little man will be a 7th grader this August. i'm not sure, even Lee has accepted this concept yet. All the Anchorage 6th graders put on a band/orchestra concert at the hockey arena tonight....all 3000+ of them. Bret and I attended and took a few photos that I will share with you this weekend.
Bret is home for another week and then goes up to the slope for his last guaranteed hitch of the winter. After that we have our fingers, toes, arms and legs crossed that there will be slope work for him this summer. Keep good thoughts for us, and we'll keep you posted.
I was recently offered another job in a different department in the hospital, and in negotiating with them, I was given a raise and promotion in my current position, so I'm feeling pretty proud of myself right now. We are putting in and designing a huge new case management software program of which, I will be the system administrator, so there's alot of new things happening for me at work right now. My hope is that my health will co-operate and let me take full advantage of this great opportunity.
The snow is all gone and the buds are budding....wow is it nice to see the spring coming our way. Our temps are in the 50's most days now, and most alaskans are sporting shorts and fleece to celebrate the return of the sun and warmth. When I go to work at 5:30 it's bright and sun shiny, and the sun doesn't go down now until about 11pm....it is simply spectacular! We are loving it to say the least.
I just wanted to check in and say hi, and let you know that we are all alive and well. Obviously to those who usually get calenders....we sad to say, but it's a no can do this year. I'm just too exhausted and in pain to even get that project together at this point. I really apologize, but I've gotta take care of me,and I don't have the best track record in that department. Pictures???? I will post a bunch this weekend to keep you up to date!
until then, take good care!
love you all as big as the world!!!!
Jan, bret and Lee
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
a quick note
Just wanted to send a quick note to let you know that we are still here. I've torn my rotator cuff and it's excruciating to sit and type so I haven't been on the puter at all. I will sit with Lee and we will write something this weekend....sorry for the long absences.
jan
jan
Sunday, March 23, 2008
At long last we post again!
Sorry for the long absence folks it's been a hectic month! First off I broke my ribs when I lost a race between myself and our BIG dog Shep down the stairs. He wanted a scooby snack and knocked my feet right out from under me....sigh. Then Lee was on spring break and caught the flu he was sick all week, and just about when he was getting healthy I got it....ick. So Bret spent his time home nursing the sickies, Poor guy! So in a nut shell that's why I haven't been posting on either blog.
Lee's now back in school, and life has somewhat returned to normal. Unfortunately Lee missed the talent show because of the flu so we were all a bit bummed out by that. Hopefully another one will come his way in middle school/Jr High. The weather has warmed up alot here and our snow is slowly melting away. After this last week, there's not too much left on the ground, except of course where it was piled up....hopefully the warm weather is here to stay! They've been warning all Anchorage residents that the bears will be coming out soon, if the warm weather sticks around...so we're all on high alert. There are several bears and their cubs that live right in the city so one has to take special precautions. Usually there's a big uproar each spring because some poor resident gets to watch a bear take down and eat a baby moose which of course people freak out about. They always seem to forget how the food chain works in the wild. They're not just cute fuzzy animals for our amusement....lol....
Bret's back on the slope , and we're hoping that the flu that Lee and I had, doesn't hit him halfway through his hitch up there. That would be bad! There's rumor flying around that his crew is going to be assigned to a new year round rig, that has a minimum 5 year contract. We have our fingers and toes crossed for that one. A bunch of the work on the slope shuts down for the summer, it would be nice to know that we have a guaranteed income for the next few years. It would also open up the possibility for me to look at not working for a few years in order to 1. be home with Lee, and 2. not get so overwhelmed with my fibromyalgia....but that's just the hope at this point.
That's a brief update on the Williamson/Carmichael clan for now....I'll try to post more in a couple of days!
HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!!
jan
Lee's now back in school, and life has somewhat returned to normal. Unfortunately Lee missed the talent show because of the flu so we were all a bit bummed out by that. Hopefully another one will come his way in middle school/Jr High. The weather has warmed up alot here and our snow is slowly melting away. After this last week, there's not too much left on the ground, except of course where it was piled up....hopefully the warm weather is here to stay! They've been warning all Anchorage residents that the bears will be coming out soon, if the warm weather sticks around...so we're all on high alert. There are several bears and their cubs that live right in the city so one has to take special precautions. Usually there's a big uproar each spring because some poor resident gets to watch a bear take down and eat a baby moose which of course people freak out about. They always seem to forget how the food chain works in the wild. They're not just cute fuzzy animals for our amusement....lol....
Bret's back on the slope , and we're hoping that the flu that Lee and I had, doesn't hit him halfway through his hitch up there. That would be bad! There's rumor flying around that his crew is going to be assigned to a new year round rig, that has a minimum 5 year contract. We have our fingers and toes crossed for that one. A bunch of the work on the slope shuts down for the summer, it would be nice to know that we have a guaranteed income for the next few years. It would also open up the possibility for me to look at not working for a few years in order to 1. be home with Lee, and 2. not get so overwhelmed with my fibromyalgia....but that's just the hope at this point.
That's a brief update on the Williamson/Carmichael clan for now....I'll try to post more in a couple of days!
HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!!
jan
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Wow now it's almost March LOL
As per usual time has escaped me. We've been busy with life, but I can't really tell you what we've been so busy at. Lee is in his last quarter of school, and is rushing back and forth to the ski hill in between school and homework. By the by, he has a great ski lift story to pass on, but I won't spoil you with the details. He's also been accepted as one of the acts in the sixth grade talent show comming up in March. He's singing a popular song that's on the radio right now AND he's up there all on his own. He has made his Mom, Dad, Bruce and I very proud! What a trooper! I'll keep you posted on that one.
Bret went back up to the slope this past weekend, after several failed attempts due to poor weather up north, he finally made it Saturday evening....lots of trips to and from the airport for me....lol...but it was nice to have him home for an extra night.
Our weather has been really warm....up in the high forties...this week we're back into the thrities, but Spring is definately in the air. Our whole light situation is improving rapidly, we are definately close to 11 hours of sunlight a day right now, as opposed to 6 hours like in December.
As for me life just keeps chugging along, which I'm sure you know if you read my other blog, so I won't bore you with the same details twice. We're hoping that Bret will be assigned to a year round rig before summer hits, so that he doesn't get laid off again this summer. If all goes well, that may lead to me taking some time off work to get my health on track. we'll keep the updates comming.
Take good care all!
jan
Bret went back up to the slope this past weekend, after several failed attempts due to poor weather up north, he finally made it Saturday evening....lots of trips to and from the airport for me....lol...but it was nice to have him home for an extra night.
Our weather has been really warm....up in the high forties...this week we're back into the thrities, but Spring is definately in the air. Our whole light situation is improving rapidly, we are definately close to 11 hours of sunlight a day right now, as opposed to 6 hours like in December.
As for me life just keeps chugging along, which I'm sure you know if you read my other blog, so I won't bore you with the same details twice. We're hoping that Bret will be assigned to a year round rig before summer hits, so that he doesn't get laid off again this summer. If all goes well, that may lead to me taking some time off work to get my health on track. we'll keep the updates comming.
Take good care all!
jan
Friday, January 25, 2008
Wow is it almost Febuary????? I'm slacking here
Well I hope everyone made it through the holidays safely and with some fun! We have really been slacking on the blogs, so I apologize for that.
We only just had our family Christmas yesterday....just a tad late, I know. Lee got home from his mom and Bruce's a few days after Bret went back to the slope so that delayed us some. Then we were going to do it last weekend, but some other issues came up that were more important. So I spoke to the people at work, and they graciously allowed me to take Thursday off. We pulled Lee out of school for the day, and we went to IHOP for breaky.....mmmmm.....pancakes! Good stuff! Then we went to the Anchorage Aviation Museum, which was pretty cool. Lee had gone to the museum in Seattle with his mom and Grandma Susan, last spring break so we thought we'd check out our local one. Obviously it's waaaaaaaaaaay smaller than the one in Seattle, but it was cool none the less. Lee is really into WW1 and WW2 aircraft so he's always excited to do something that involves planes. After the museum we went and got Lee a couple new pairs of shoes.......yikes we've hit the stage where the "label" means everything! AAAAHHH life with a teenager! Actually it's cool to watch and see. Then of course in true Williamson/Carmichael family style we went and browsed at the video game store and then the book store....we each got a little something. Then Lee finished off the night, with his snowboarding lessons.....and even got to stay later than normal since he didn't have any homework. All in all it was a great family day, and I think everyone really had a good time.
Other than that there's not much more to report. Bret left for the slope this morning and Lee was off to school too. We will get our well over due calenders in the mail hopefully by the end of next week, so keep ur eyes open for one. Lee and I are hoping to catch an Ace's hockey game either tonight or tomorrow....and then next weekend is supposed to be a good time to see the northern lights....provided it's clear and not cloudy. Can you believe that Lee and I still haven't seen them and we've been here 2.5 years.....ooooohhhhh well it will happen when it happens I guess.
I hope everyone is well and enjoying 2008 so far!
all our love
B-J-L
We only just had our family Christmas yesterday....just a tad late, I know. Lee got home from his mom and Bruce's a few days after Bret went back to the slope so that delayed us some. Then we were going to do it last weekend, but some other issues came up that were more important. So I spoke to the people at work, and they graciously allowed me to take Thursday off. We pulled Lee out of school for the day, and we went to IHOP for breaky.....mmmmm.....pancakes! Good stuff! Then we went to the Anchorage Aviation Museum, which was pretty cool. Lee had gone to the museum in Seattle with his mom and Grandma Susan, last spring break so we thought we'd check out our local one. Obviously it's waaaaaaaaaaay smaller than the one in Seattle, but it was cool none the less. Lee is really into WW1 and WW2 aircraft so he's always excited to do something that involves planes. After the museum we went and got Lee a couple new pairs of shoes.......yikes we've hit the stage where the "label" means everything! AAAAHHH life with a teenager! Actually it's cool to watch and see. Then of course in true Williamson/Carmichael family style we went and browsed at the video game store and then the book store....we each got a little something. Then Lee finished off the night, with his snowboarding lessons.....and even got to stay later than normal since he didn't have any homework. All in all it was a great family day, and I think everyone really had a good time.
Other than that there's not much more to report. Bret left for the slope this morning and Lee was off to school too. We will get our well over due calenders in the mail hopefully by the end of next week, so keep ur eyes open for one. Lee and I are hoping to catch an Ace's hockey game either tonight or tomorrow....and then next weekend is supposed to be a good time to see the northern lights....provided it's clear and not cloudy. Can you believe that Lee and I still haven't seen them and we've been here 2.5 years.....ooooohhhhh well it will happen when it happens I guess.
I hope everyone is well and enjoying 2008 so far!
all our love
B-J-L
Sunday, January 06, 2008
A New Year's Post from Lee
The New Year was great! Me, mom and Bruce, were downstairs playing "Pain" and "Rock Band" on the Playstation 3. So we never got to see the ball drop in New York on TV, because we were playing games. For Christmas I got about 5 fighter planes, a poker game for my Nintendo DS, some new clothes, and some new cars...all from PA. From Alaska I got 3 fighter plane models ( the snap together kind), an F-15 Phantom, a F-4 Eagle, and then an A-10 Thunderbolt. I also got a poker set with 2 decks of cards, 3 containers of white poker chips, 2 of blue chips, and 1 container of red poker chips. They didn't have amounts on them which is cool, because I can make up my own money value for them. It all depends on the blinds of the game. I also got some new HotWheels cars.
I'm going snowboarding this Tuesday, even if my wart is hurting my foot. I have 2 warts on my left foot, but I can't see the doctor until Wednesday at 2pm. Then hopefully I'll be on the hill every weekend, Tuesday and Thursday. Part of my christmas present from my Dad and Jan, is to take a family ski day to Alyaska to the big ski hill.
Hope you guys all had a great Christmas/New Year's party can't wait to see you in Canada, this August!
Love you all,
Lee
I'm going snowboarding this Tuesday, even if my wart is hurting my foot. I have 2 warts on my left foot, but I can't see the doctor until Wednesday at 2pm. Then hopefully I'll be on the hill every weekend, Tuesday and Thursday. Part of my christmas present from my Dad and Jan, is to take a family ski day to Alyaska to the big ski hill.
Hope you guys all had a great Christmas/New Year's party can't wait to see you in Canada, this August!
Love you all,
Lee
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
