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Thanks for the support on the possible lupus diagnosis.  Yes, I did actually have a doctor tell me I was just fat.  He didn't say the word "lazy", but he certainly implied it.  I have really been hurting for the past 2 weeks and I'm quite interested in getting all of my blood work and tests results in.  I go back for more next Monday. We shall see.  I know I should probably be more concerned than I am.  But I'm really just feeling relieved.

Friday, on our 2 year Alaska anniversary!,  we had our first snow fall. Nothing stuck, but there was quite a bit of snow mixed in the rain.  Then today...WOW!  We've got Charlie Brown flakes falling off and on.  I just spoke to a friend who lives across town and her yard is completely snow covered.  Ours isn't sticking at all.  We've got a fire roaring in the fireplace. Ahhhh, love it.  :)

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Thank you so much for your help with the March of Dimes Jail and Bail.  I met my goal!  It was great fun and we made a difference for a great cause. 

I swear, this year has just flown by!  I sat around waiting for summer, and suddenly it's Autumn!  I can't even believe it.  Just one day there was a sudden chill in the air.  And now there is snow creeping down the mountains!  We've already built several fires in our fireplace and MIL and I are fussing over the thermostat.   As much as I hate to see what pathetic summer we had fade away, I can't help but get excited at the changing colors and the smell of wood smoke in the air.  Autumn has always been my favorite time of year and this year is no different.  Even if it does mean it is almost time to dig out the snow boots!

To celebrate this awesome season in this awesome state, Hubby has bought tickets for the two of us for the Fall Foliage Tour on the Alaska Railroad!  We've been here 2 years and have never gone on the train.  I rode the 1 hour train to Whittier 14 years ago, but nothing like this trip!  We are talking fancy foods and a 5 hours.  5 hours with just the 2 of us, the rails, and our gorgeous state in all of her fine autumn colors.  I can't wait!!

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Tomorrow (Thursday) is the day that I go to jail for babies.  I'm participating in the March of Dimes Jail and Bail.  I've been working hard for about a week to raise $1000 for my "bail".  I'm to report to Outback Steakhouse at 11 AM, where they will keep me until I make bail. 

Sadly, I'm still $100 short!  I'm a little freaked out by that, to be honest.  My boss has only authorized my being there for 1 hour.  They said that if I don't have my bail money, to bring my address book and they'll provide a cell phone and a telephone book. 

Oh dear.

So, if you are interested in helping babies, and helping me out of jail, you can go to my secure donation site and donate with a credit card or Paypal. 

http://jailandbail.marchofdimes.com/kristinaduckett

Thank you to everyone who has already donated.  I appreciate it, and more importantly, the families that are helped by March of Dimes appreciate it, too!

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• You recieved a polio vaccine
• You are aware that alcohol, tobacco, and drug use during pregnancy can result in poor birth outcomes.
• Your baby or a baby you know was cared for in a neonatal intensive care unit.
• You are aware that women of childbearing age should take a multivitamin with folic acid to decrease the risk of neural tube defects.

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I was asked about our land.  It is 1 acre and we currently have no neighbors.  However, a young couple bought the corner lot the same day we bought ours.  They were out there clearing land this weekend as well.  There is one lot between ours.  So, they have the corner, then there is 1/2 acre of woods, then us.  I don't think it'll be too bad.  We'd really like to hunt down the woman that owns that lot between us and buy it too....that way we can be sure it stays vacant.  :)  But that is in the future.

My Hubby the stud...

He made his own sawhorse to use while trimming boards and logs...

S helping build the roof...

My crew with the finished roof...

Hubby cut down several trees and cut them to length for the walls of the shed...

The first of the logs for the shed walls...

C got bored while Hubby was trimming logs and decided to use our discarded trees for his own creation.  I am SO proud of him!

And here is the exhausted Mommy eating dinner at the end of the day...

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I had a few people ask about PFDs.  Those are checks that are given to each and every resident of Alaska each year.  They are from the dividends earned off of the gas pipeline investments.  I'm not sure how it all works, but you can check here for more info.  A resident is defined as someone who lived in Alaska through the entire previous calendar year, and that includes children.  So this will be our first PFD.  The amount has not been announced yet, but is supposed to be announced on Sept 5, rumor has it.

As for why we chose to move to AK?  Well, for starters my parents and youngest sister live here.  I've always been in love with AK, but Hubby had never been here.  Long story short, there were no jobs in Kentucky, where we lived before.  (check out my archives for Sept 06 if you want a play-by play)  My Hubby felt strongly that God was leading us here. And we've been blessed every step of the way.

Yesterday we went to our State Fair.  Oh, we had such a good time. We had MIL with us, so we had to stop and rest a lot.  Which is fine.  We wound up staying even longer than we did last year!  We enjoyed every minute of it....even when it rained most of the day.  We just slapped on hats or hoodies and kept on trucking.  So fun!!  Of course, my favorite part was the livestock building.  I got my chicken fix for the day.  ;)

This weekend went very well camping on our land.  We found our front corners and were able to plan out where the driveway will be and approximately where we'll put the house.  Now we just have to figure out where to put the well and septic.  Meanwhile, Hubby started on a small storage shed so we can store our tools and gear out there.

C got creative and built a teepee out of the trees we were clearing off.  I will post pics later tonight or tomorrow.  I was impressed!  We actually wound up using it as a storage shed since the real shed isn't finished yet.  Go C!  Sadly, we'll have to take it down eventually, as he chose to build it right in the middle of the future driveway.  :(

It is a huge relief to finally get the ball rolling a bit more.  I need a plan to be able to function, and now we are formuating one. That is just such a burden off of me!

I will post pics of the weekend soon.  :)

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We are well and truly finally on our way.  I still have a hard time wrapping my brain around it.  On Sept 12 we will recieve our first PFDs.  They are anticipating the amount to be around $2100 per person.  So that's X4 for our family.  Plus each of us will recieve the $1200 energy relief check.  So that's also X4.  We are going to pay off Our Little Slice of Heaven, making it ours free and clear!

We are really doing a lot of research into what we need to do to make our cabin a reality.  We wanted to use the logs that are on the property, but they are almost all birch with a few cottonwood.  Not good for a log cabin.  Furniture and firewood, yeah. Cabin, no.  Which is a bummer.  We are assuming we'll need to purchase a cabin kit in that case.  Meanwhile, we are still looking for definate corner markers.  The plat map isn't matching the terrain quite like we wish it would.  Once we get that figured out, we can plan the layout of the land and start some true clearing work. 

That is the plan for this weekend.  We'll be leaving out Friday evening and will camp out there. We'll work until dark Friday night and then all day Saturday.  A friend is coming out late Saturday afternoon to help and we'll build a fire pit and grill some steaks or something.  Oh I can't wait!!

Meanwhile, as always happens when we try to draw closer to God and are recieving His blessings, Satan is attacking.  We are having plumbing drama where we currently live, my MIL is having some health problems that required a several hour stay at the ER last night, along with some pretty extensive testing to look forward to on Monday and Tuesday.  My eldest has entered the teenage years, with all that implies, and I am feeling the effects of wanting to be true to my calling.  I need to be home with him.  I need to be taking care of my home and family.  I am feeling guilty about working full time when I know my house and family  need so much attention.  I'm even feeling guilty about the time we're spending out at the land, if you can believe that.  Where we live now is requiring a lot more attention than I'm giving it. And I'm already falling behind on my bit of the new school year.  I have tons of projects that I need to look over and we're not following up on assignments like I feel we should.  Oh, we discuss the day's work every evening, but we rarely take the time to actually look over their work.  Bad me.

So, long story short, we need prayers.  *I* need prayers.  Satan knows just how to discourage me and he's good at it. Hubby and I have been trying to grow closer to God together and I just need to keep my eyes on Jesus and let Him lead me.  I need to follow Him and let Him help me keep things in balance.  So, please pray for me, that I can balance home and future home until the snow flies and we can't work on the future home so much.  And pray that we will keep praising God for the gifts He's seen fit to bless us with.

I am so looking forward to this weekend!  :)

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This weekend Hubby was going to go work on finding our corner posts, deciding where to clear off, etc.  However, it was raining, as usual, and he didn't go.  So Monday night we grabbed the opportunity when the rain stopped and dashed out there after work.

On Saturday we had found a camp stove at a yard sale.  It isn't pretty and it certainly isn't new, but it works.  So we packed up a cooler with some burgers and headed out there for dinner.  We had so much fun! 

We started by measuring from the one post we had previously located.  Sadly, our GPS is broken, so we did it the old fashioned way.  With a tape measure.  One person stood in one spot while the other walked away the length of the tape.  Then Person 1 joined him and stood while he walked again.  Over and over.  Tedious, but effective. 

While Hubby and Crew did the measuring, I started the cooking.   Calling all bears....

C enjoyed the official First Burger at the new land.  We don't have a picnic table or anything there yet, so he rested in the only logical place...the van.

After I ate, I snagged a boy and took my turn measuring.

Hubby and I are heading out there on Saturday with a friend.  The goal is to find ALL the corners and get started on a small storage shed so we don't have to keep hauling our tools back and forth.   To be honest, though, just being there works for me. 

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Yesterday I went blueberry picking with some of the women from church. 

This year it was a bit daunting.  First of all, bear attacks have been rampant in our area recently.  In fact, they have closed many trails, including our favorite!  One of our friends had been picking berries in the same area last Monday and saw sow and 2 cubs as she was leaving.  So we prayed for protection.  Didn't see a single bear, BTW.  :)

Secondly, this year has been weird.  We have had very very very few good summer days.  We've actually had fewer than 10 days that hit 70 degrees. Very strange. So we weren't sure there would even be good berries this year.  There were berries, but they are much smaller and fewer than last year.

And lastly, I am sick.  I was running a fever all day.  But I went anyway because the berries aren't here forever and this was really my only chance to go.  So I went.  I had a good time, but slept all the way home!  So, as I share my pics, keep that in mind.  :)

The terrain was pretty crazy.  Sudden drop-off that were hidden by the underbrush, etc.    In this next pic, I had been pretty well hanging off of that log to reach some berries that were growing off the side of one such ravine.

I love this part of berry picking....the juices all over my hands.  Proof of a hard day's work I guess.

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We spent the last 4 days at our church retreat.  It was a blessing.  I may share about that when I have more time.  On the way home yesterday, though, we had a few friends follow us to our new land.  As we were tromping around showing off Our Little Slice of Heaven, we made a discovery.

I have a few different types of berries growing out there!  We have red currants, rose hips, and most impressively, raspberries!!  I don't have a clue what to do with the first two, but I have a friend who does.  I'm going to offer them to her this year, and she can teach me.  Raspberries, however, I can handle.  I don't have very many and they weren't quite ripe, but I managed to pick a handful.  We munched raspberries all the way home.  Nothing better than fresh raspberries picked on my own land.  :)

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Today we spent the afternoon out at Our Little Slice of Heaven.  

Our main goal was to find the corner markers.  Unfortunately, we could only find 1.  The guy we bought it from suggested we take a metal detector out there.  I guess we're going to have to.  Noone has even touched that land in over 5 years, so they are pretty well lost in the undergrowth.  And quite alot there is, too!  S kept saying it was like a rainforest.   I don't think he was far from the truth!

So we started at the one corner marker we could find and began clearing the smaller trees near the road.  To be honest, we aren't completely sure where to even begin at this point.  This is completely raw land.  Where to begin, where to begin??

We had quite a milestone today. S cut down his first tree!  And he did it the old fashioned way...with an axe.  It was a very small tree, of course.  But it was still hard work.  Here is a pic of the newest lumberjack in town.  The perspective is a bit odd in this pic, he was cutting down the smaller tree in front...the one with 3 limbs.  The larger one is actually back a bit. 

Here he is with his trophy tree, after he had already cut most of it off.

Hard working men...

Here's a shot of the inside of the lot.  Check out all that undergrowth!

We have our work cut out for us!!

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Tonight, we signed papers on our actual real live Little Slice of Heaven! That's right, God has blessed us with 1 acre of Alaskan land. Real land!  As in, we're going to build our cabin on it and live there!!  I still can't believe it.

Here is a pic of the crew standing in front of it.  C has a hateful look on his face, as we had to wake him up for this pic.  He was rolling his eyes because Hubby told him he'd get $100 if he smiled.  He didn't get the cash....

Here is the front of the land.  S is standing at one corner and C is the little red dot in the back.

Yes, it is just an acre.  But that's prime property around here.  You can't hardly find an acre!   And this acre is right at the edge of the Valley, at the base of Hubby's favorite mountain.   It is walking distance from the Knik River and, coincedentally, my dad's favorite fishing hole.  :)

We plan to build the cabin ourselves on a cash per job basis.  Meaning it'll be a while before we can move out there.  LOL  But, at the end, we will own it free and clear!! 

Tomorrow we are going down there to figure out exactly where we want to start clearing off, and then start that process.  Oh, and maybe fish a little.  tee hee.  

I will leave you with this...This pond is across the road and just to the right.  The mountain in the background is Pioneer Peak, Hubby's fave mountain.  Did I mention that God is SO COOL??

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Last night we got our quarterly bonuses for work.  It was a fair sized bonus and we were able to do a lot with them.  We both work for the same company, so we get double.  That drives some of my coworkers batty.  Tee hee.

Yesterday I also got a bit of a surprise.  I got an extra kind of bonus.  If we go the whole quarter without any unscheduled leave, there is a bonus of 8 hours of leave time.  I've never gotten that, because C is so often sick.  Now that MIL lives with us, she can handle his chronic problems.  Therefore, I was able to leave him in her care when he had his bouts of asthma or vomiting.   When I got the email that I'd recieved the extra leave time, I thought it had to be a mistake.  I've worked for this company for over a year and a half, and I've never gotten it.  In fact, it wasn't even on my radar.  Go me!!

With our monetary bonuses, we were able to get a lot accomplished.  We paid off a few smaller bills and paid down a few bigger ones.  That is a huge relief to me.  When our Permanent Fund Dividends come in we'll be able to become *almost* debt free, if not completely.  That will be such a load off my mind.  Plus the state legislature is currently considering an extra $1200 per person for energy relief.  While it is supposed to be used to make our homes more energy efficient, those of us who rent can't quite do that.  It is also supposed to help with heating/fuel costs.  Well, I sorta look at it like this:  If I get my debt paid down/off, I'll have more left over to be able to pay my heating/fuel bills.  So, paying off that debt IS energy relief to me.  Roll on October!!

Meanwhile, with my half of our bonuses, I was able to order curriculum for the crew. Whew. That was also a load off.  We normally start in late June/early July so we can take lots of breaks through the "school year".  However, we've just not been able to order it yet.  Now that it is ordered, I feel like I can relax a little.  Now if we can just get the extra curricular things straightened out, we'll be good to go!

Praise God for his goodness in providing for my family!

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Friday night Hubby took me on a date.  This was not your typical date.  We aren't so much into dressing up and hitting the town.  We are much more comfortable with hiking boots and backpacks.  Although, after Friday night, dinner and movie doesn't sound so bad....

The hike started off not looking too difficult.

See the mountain back there?  That's our destination.

Halfway up, the rain started.

It was breathtaking.  That is rain over Cook Inlet.  Gorgeous.

However, this was a hard trail to start with.  Rock on one side, abyss on the other.  This pic is what prompted my new nickname:  Momma Mountain Goat. 

You can see the easiest part of the trail in the background.

We didn't get all the way to the top this time.  By the time we got near, the rain was coming down so hard that things were getting slick.  People were coming back down warning us not to try.  That was ok with me, by that time I was having a hard time breathing and my heart was pounding.  Oh, and that whole passing out thing.  Not sure if it was altitude, blood sugar, or just the fact that my heart rate was so fast.  Either way, once I sat and drank some water and ate a snack, I felt much better.  We wound up turning around at the last resting spot before the top. 

I know this is photo heavy, and I'm sorry.   But I just have on more to leave you with.  This is me, resting at *almost* the top.  The rain clouds were thickening and our drizzle had turned into official rain.  Gorgeous.  But I'm not trying again until I've lost 50 lbs.  And had an EKG...

All of this took 3 hours.  It was a 6 mile round-trip hike.  Or would have been, if we'd gone all the way. So I guess ours was more like 5 1/2 mile.  We started at 7:30, got off the mountain at 10:30.  The last 2 pics were taken around 9:30 PM or so.  We still have pretty long days, though they are getting shorter.  I'm going to miss my midnight sun. 

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We didn't get a summer this year.  We have only broken 70 degrees twice this year and we have had maybe 3 sunny days.  There is constant cloud cover.  It is getting ridiculous.  I don't mind the temps being in the 60's so much, but I'd sure like to see some sunshine once in a while!!  I feel like we're in limbo.  We haven't done hardly anything this year, as far as travel or hiking or anything.  We're still waiting for summer to arrive....

Speaking of sun, back a couple of months ago, a friend gave me a basil plant.  It was just a baby thing.  She had tons of them and brought some to the women at church.  I took mine and sat it near my kitchen window.  I've harvested a few leaves off of it, no big deal.  Unfortunately, my house is completely shaded by trees.  Which is awesome in some ways, I love trees, they are gorgeous.  I love that my house doesn't ever get overly hot, which is important since we don't have AC.  (not that we need it this year anyway...).  However, those trees are being the death of any plants I have.  My poor little basil plant grew to about 6 inches long.  I was at my friend's house and she was showing me HER basil plants, the "brothers and sisters" of MY basil plant.  Those suckers were like basil TREES!  They are a good 2 feet tall and branch out everywhere!  TONS of leaves.  So, she gave me one of those and I'll be taking my poor pathetic spindley little thing to work, where I now have a big desk with a big window and LOTS of sun.  (ya know, when the sun shines at all....)

She also gave me about 6 or 7 cucumber plants at the same time she gave me the first basil.  Those are equally pathetic.  I'll be taking those to work, too.  Such sad little creatures. 

Meanwhile, that basil tree we brought home last night really scented up my van.  My husband LOVES it and had his nose stuck in the plant the whole time he carried it down the hill to where we parked.  MIL and my crew...well, not so much.  I love the smell, too, though, and am glad my kitchen is going to be nice and fragrant.  (until lack of sun kills it.  LOL)

And its already Bear Paw Festival time again!  I can't believe it.  I'm not ready for such nonsense.  That means summer is half over!!  We went to Eagle River for the parade again this year.  It is a huge long parade that lasts an hour.  It was ok this year, not as good as last year, in my opinion.  This year had a Circus theme, and I just don't get into clowns and stuff.  Ah well, it was nice anyway.  We walked from my parents' house to the parade and then took "the long way" back home again.  It was a nice trek.  It felt good to walk so much. 

This coming week is our church VBS.  I'm excited because I'll get to actually go this year!  Last year I was working night shift and had to miss it.  We have a nice big enrollment this year, several visitors coming.  Its going to be a blast.  Anyone who lives in the Anchorage area who wants more info, please feel free to email me and I'll fill you in.  We'd love to have you! 

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I've had several people asking about me. I'm sorry I sorta disappeared for a bit.  I've been extremely busy with work and SUMMER!!

The days are supposedly getting shorter again, though it is hard to tell at this point.  Hubby and I went camping last weekend for our anniversary (17 years!) and we didn't even bring flashlights or anything.  I was able to read my watch at all hours of the night.  (and no, I don't have a digital watch) 

We are doing very well.  C will be 11 in 2 weeks.  He's very excited at the prospect. 

We have a 3 day weekend off from work, which is fabulous.  Hubby and the crew are going on a float/fishing trip with the men of church.  I'll probably go to a BBQ at my parent's house. 

I hope to be around a bit more.  Sorry for disappearing on you. 

Have a wonderful 4th of July everyone!

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Today I took the next step to becoming a real Alaskan woman. 

We've already conquered the first winter (and 2nd), we've gone berry picking, we've hiked on glaciers and up mountains. We've seen bear and moose and fox and lemming and eagles.  We've got beaver and reindeer and wolverine pelts and Fur Rondy pins and whale baleen.  We've got ulu knives and wooden bowls.  We've been to the State Fair and seen monster veggies.  We've eaten completely Alaskan Grown veggie stew.  We've been to 2 Iditarods.  We drink coffee like pros.  (well, almost.  Mine is still decaf....)  We are addicted to corn fritters and halibut nuggets.  We've seen the northern lights and the midnight sun.

And now, we have taken it one step further.

Ladies and Gentlemen:  I have my very first fishing license.  Complete with a King Stamp.

FISH ON!

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