Wasilla Ward Volleyball Champions!

(This should of been posted at the beginning of May.. )

For the 3rd year in the a row the Wasilla Ward took home the volleyball. In the championship match, we gave up the first game. It was best 2 out of 3 so we knew we had to win the next two. The 2nd game we won 26-24. The 3rd game was intense but we pulled it out. I can't take any credit for the wins. The youth were awesome and worked well together! Hurray!

Summer Begins!

Lazy Mountain Hike

I was feeling pretty ambitious and have been wanting to take full advantage of the mountains and the gorgeous weather we've been having. I knew Ashley Breshears likes to hike so I proposed we go and go we did. I knew I wasn't in the best shape but I didn't realize just how out of shape I am! Lazy Mountain is actually one of the shorter hikes but the first part is pretty straight up the mountain. I'm excited to try some other ones. Besides getting my butt kicked by a mountain, it was an awesome hike. Things have greened up and the view was amazing. 360 degrees of mountain views. 

These pics are from 1/2 way up... 

 The little bump in the left of the picture...that's the Butte. We thought about hiking that but decided to tackle Lazy Mountain instead. Man it looks like nothing from up here!

pics from the top...

 Matanuska Peak is behind Ashley. We think it could be  fun hike towards the end of summer :)

 I look like a giant...and it was pretty windy if you can't tell by Ashley's hair.

On the way back down... 

 

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

May Book Club

This month we read and discussed Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

This was my pick. I love Tamora Pierce and her way of writing fantasy. Most of her main characters are female and I love the way she intertwines all of her series by having them in the country of Tortall and mentions the characters throughout all the different series.

Alanna is a girl that doesn't want to learn to be a lady. She wants to be a knight in a world that doesn't allow female knights. So, she switches places with her twin brother, who wants to be a mage (sorcerer), and pretends to be a boy. She is very determined, smart and stubborn. We had some good discussion about the qualities that she had to have to be able to endure what she did.

Next month is Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster

Let me introduce you to...

 

 Herbie, Herbilina, and Herbison 

I have been so used to being around plants and yards that I have been really wanting something to dig my hands into. Since we live in an apartment, we aren't able to have a garden and we don't have a yard. It's also still a little too cold to plant outside containers but I needed something. So, Scott and I bought some herbs! It's not much but it made me happy. Herbie is Oregano, Herbilina is rosemary and Herbison is parsley. I thought the watering spout would be a funny mouth so I added eyes and names to each plant. I know, I'm weird but it makes me laugh when I look at them.

 

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Random Pictures of Us

Here are just some pictures of me and Scott from the last little while.

Us on the hay flatts

 the hay flats

 Chillin' at home

 At Delphi's pizza in Palmer



Useful Things People Leave Behind...

Part of Scott's job is to clean out apartments when people move out and leave things behind. Some people are moving out of state and can't take everything with them and they don't bother to try to sell it or some are evicted and just leave a mess of random things. Either way, we have benefited greatly because of people not caring about taking everything with them. Here are just a few of the items we have accumulated.

A bed frame! Now, as you can see, we have storage under our bed. Which is great for his guns and our Christmas decorations!

There are two things that Scott has brought home in this picture. The first being the paper shredder that is tucked away. It has been very handy to have around. The second being the three shelves. It fits perfectly into that corner and provides a great place for my laptop and all the other computer things.

I know this looks really cluttered but it was even worse before we got a bunkbed frame! It doesn't really help that every time I clean it up, I have to dig something out from the back. Also in this pic is a computer desk with a glass top. The top is sitting of to the side and I have blankets draped on the stand but we figure that it'll come in handy sometime :)

We now have a fireplace for our deck! I've always wanted one and now I do :) We've mostly been using it for burning paper but I'm excited to use it for smores. Yum Yum :)

April Book Club

I honestly never thought I'd join a book club. I never read any assigned book in high school and very few in college. Why would I choose to put those deadlines and obligations on myself? Well, it happened! Two fabulous people from my ward, Mary and Becky, asked if I wanted to join their small group. I was hesitant to agree but I said I'd try it out.

I went to the group in March when they had read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I haven't read many of the older books but I may eventually read it after hearing them talk about it. 

This month, April, we met after reading The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. Loved it! It's based on the fairy tale The Goose Girl by the Grimm Brothers. It's a great read about finding your self. 

The rest of the books in The Books of Bayern series are Enna Burning, River Secrets and Forest Boran. I'm in the middle of Forest Born. I wasn't a big fan of Enna  Burning but it's necessary part of the story and helps you understand characters and what happens in the other books.

The next book we'll be talking about was my choice and I chose Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce. She is one of my favorite authors and although Alanna isn't my favorite series, all of the other series are somewhat connected with this one.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre