Tender Mercies

I really wanted to take a good picture with a good background. But the indoor lighting wasn't the best, and there wasn't a great place outside. It was 10:30 by the time this picture was taken, so I was really tired! At least we have something! I went to my second military ball on Friday the 28th with Mr. Handsome, and this time, I did things a little different.  The past month or so has been busy with lots of coaching and getting my skaters ready for the summer & fall competitive season.  By the time Fridays roll around, I am always exhausted! This Friday I was in no frame of mind to take hours to get all dolled up, nor did I want to do the work.  But I wanted to look good .  I knew all the other wives would have their hair and make up done and all look fantastic, and I wanted to fit in too, but I really did not have the energy to spend a couple of hours getting ready.  Sometimes I have a tendency to compare myself with others. It is not so...

Mom came to visit!! It's kinda fun when my mom can see where I live and the life I've made with my husband. Phone conversations and pictures only do so much. I really wanted to do something fun and memorable with her, so Marshall planned for us to go floating for a couple of hours down the Chena. He met my mom and me at Pioneer Park after work, and then we drove back to Post to MWR and rented a canoe. There we launched the canoe and all three of us started floating downstream back towards the park. It was so nice to just sit there and enjoy the hot sunshine and the cool breeze. Half way through our float, we docked the boat along the side of the river so that Mom and I could go to the Downtown Market and walk around a bit, which is basically a mini farmer's market with live music. Last week when we went, Marshall and I split a smoked salmon crepe from the crepe stand, and it was amazing.  Totally Fairbanks.  After telling Mom about the crepe, she real...

Has the weather in Fairbanks not been AMAZING the past couple of days?? With highs in the upper 70s and a slight breeze, it is nothing short of idyllic. Well, we could get rid of the mosquitos without any complaining, but I don't think they're going anywhere. Oh my goodness...there is grass! Chena Lake at 6:30PM. Look at that glorious sun! Anyways, Marshall's schedule has been all messed around, so we decided earlier this week that we needed to take the opportunity to go on an extra date on Thursday before my mom gets here next week. What did we do? Nothing fancy, but it included food, sunshine, exercise, and cuddling on the couch. Not bad for a date. Marshall, just enjoying the amazing food. My favorite ethnic food is Indian, but I didn't think we had any restaurants in Fairbanks. Until I heard a rumor that the Pizza 4 Less restaurant sells Indian food to go if you ask for a menu ( click here for their menu ). How random is that? But it's definite...

Can't you tell we're all sisters? They're basically my favorite girls.  I can't complain about the view either!  Alas, the vacation I had been planning for and looking forward to for so many months has come and gone.  But now I have so many good memories!!  My dad put me in charge of our itinerary, so I had the fun responsibility of coming up with the activities for all of us seven to do during our week on the island of Kauai.  I'm not going to lie; I spent a lot of time planning and researching all the things one could do in Kauai, and I somehow managed to find a handful of things that would satisfy everyone. I don't have all of the pictures from the trip, as most of them are on my dad's camera (who is still vacationing in Hawaii!), but I did get some on my phone.  The rest will just have to be on another post! Saturday May 25th: -We all arrived in Kauai in the late afternoon. Right when I stepped ou...