Sweet Sweet Alaskan Summer

We live in the Land of the Midnight Sun. That nickname comes from the fact that it doesn't get dark during the summer time. By the time the sun sets in the west, the dawn is already breaking in the east. A few things that make the summertime so wonderful are:

1--Twenty-two hours of daylight means that our garden did pretty well! (However the cloudy summer kept it from doing as well as it could have--we'll hope for more intense sun next summer.) We were able to harvest one zuchini (4 1/2" long), a handful of sweet peas (nothing beats fresh peas!), lots of cilantro, and 8 pounds of potatoes. The beets, tomatoes, and cabbage didn't fare well with our mild temperatures. We have already turned half of our garden into a strawberry patch, so next year we hope to enjoy plenty of sweet berries.

2--Sam got to go deep-sea fishing for the first time, and it made it more fun because he was with his Dad. We love to eat halibut and salmon! He also pulled up a stingray, but had to cut that loose. It was a great workout to pull up such a flat fish!

3--While Sam and his dad were fishing, Sam's mom and I took a ferry across Kachemak Bay to a place called Halibut Cove. We enjoyed hiking around the cove and seeing the lifestyle of people that live on the shore.

4--We went cabin camping. This means we hiked in to a cabin owned by the park service and stayed the night. The HUGE bear prints we saw on the way to the cabin let me know that maybe this is better as a winter sport than a summer sport. We're glad bears take long winter naps.

5--The Kenai River is world-renowned for its great salmon fishing. We visited the river, and were amazed at how crystal blue the water is that runs in it. And that's where Sam caught his 28-pound King Salmon. Ask him sometime about how the salmon tried to outsmart him . . . We're glad he was able to land the catch!

Termination Dust

Right now it is a beautiful crisp fall day outside with blue skies and the sun shining brightly. But the weather has not been so well behaved lately. In the last 24 hours, we have had snow, rain, wind (over 100 mph, to be exact--it closed down the airport and power failures closed down schools) and now it is blue skies with a slight breeze. The picture shows what we call "Termination Dust"--snow on the mountains that signal the end of the summer. It means it's time to pull out the winter gear, find the snow shovel and put snow tires on the car. Summer is the reason that people endure 9 months of winter--just to live in the Alaska summer. Goodbye sweet sweet Alaska Summer!

The Waiting Officially Begins!

This week marks 7 months since Sam and I began adoption paper work with LDS Family Services. We just learned this past week that finally we have been accepted as an adoptive couple. We had to submit my fingerprints to the FBI 3 times before they would accept the fine ridges on my right pinky. It has been a tremendous labor of love to get us this far. Here is what we have had to do:
1--Each of us answer (separately and independently) 40 questions about our background, our marriage, ourselves, and each other. We didn't know each other's responses until we were in an interview with the agency director. I think every couple should have the opportunity to do this questionnaire to strengthen their marriage!
2--Have a home study where someone came and made sure that our home would be suitable for children.
3--Engage in multiple interviews together as a couple and individually.
4--Prepare hard copy portfolios of pictures that depict our personality as a couple.
5--Get medical checks, background checks, employment checks, ecclesiastical referral, and friends' referral letters returned back to the agency.

We fully believe that God creates families, and adoption is the way that he will be blessing our family. We have been told that only the strong survive the adoption process. We are driven by our desire to become parents and the understanding that Heavenly Father wants to teach us about parenthood through the miracle called adoption. We look forward to telling our child about the unique way they came to join our family.

Family Fun

I love this slideshow! When we have the opportunity to be around nieces and nephews, Sam quickly becomes a favorite uncle. I know he will make an incredible Daddy because he jumps right in and plays with the kids.