What the heck is he doing?

This morning when I went into to wake Quentin up and so we could get ready for school this is how he was sleeping. I am not sure how he did not fall out of his bed....


He was just snoring away - I really don't know what he was doing or how he managed to stay in bed and not fall out but he did...Also it should be noted because you can't tell from the picture but his little foot is not touching the floor it was just dangling there.........

Spirit Week

This is spirit week at Quentin's preschool this week, since he only goes 3 days a week he will get to participate....honestly I think that I am more excited about all the silly things he gets to wear to school than he is.

We went to Michaels this weekend to get the supplies we needed for Crazy Hat day - that is tomorrow so I will post a picture tomorrow!

We also went to KidtoKid to get the clothes that he needed for Crazy Clothes day! This is what we came up with -I have to say that it is a pretty cool shirt!

I bought these two shirts for $3.00 each and then cut the collar off each and cut them down the middle and sewed them together (with grandmas help) for a CRAZY SHIRT.....

He fit right in at school, there was a little girl who had on pajamas and a swim suit over them. I love it! If only adults could be so carefree! Although I wonder what my boss would say if I showed up at work with my jammies and a swim suit on!!!

More pictures this week as spirit week continues!!!

Slow cooker chicken n rice gumbo soup!

Thought I would share this recipe it was really good, and better yet it had very little clean up!

Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 7 hour and 20 minute
Makes 6 servings

3/4 lb boneless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 lb fully cooked smoked sausage
2 med celery stalks w/leaves sliced
1 large carrot
1 can organic stewed tomatoes undrained
5 cups water
2 tblsp chicken bouillon
1 tsp fried thyme
1 box frozen ocra thawed and drained
3 cups got cooked rice (I bought rice from the Chinese place by my work, mine never turns out)

Mix all ingredients except ocra and rice.

Cover cook on low heat for 6 hours 30 min or until juice of chicken is clear

Stir in ocra, cover cook on low heat for 20 minutes longer.

Spoon soup over rice in soup bowels serve with hot sauce if desired.

Enjoy!
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Just Call me ROCKY!!!!

Today on lunch I called to check in on Joe and see how things were going today. He has both kids home today as I thought that Quentin had pink eye but he actually is very irritated from the dust and ash that is in the air. I hate to say it but we need a good rain!

Joe asked me if I remembered punching him last night - I told him I did not. Apparently when he came home from work last night (it was 3:30AM) I punched him in his eye and then said "oh sorry" rubbed his face and went back to sleep. I mean I was totally cracking up when he told me this. I don't remember this at all.

Then the man says that his eye is bruised and going on and on - he even said that maybe we should go to counseling since we are experiencing domestic violence in our sleep.....LOL!

The funny thing is that when Joe first started working nights I did not sleep very well at all, I always heard him when he came home or would be up when he got home because I had heard a noise or something, I know silly but it is true. Now that I am used to him working nights for the past couple of years I totally sleep just fine, I can always hear my kids if they wake up but there are very few occasions that I hear Joe when he comes home, and gets into bed. I chuckle to myself sometimes when I get up for work and he is in bed, I think "when did he show up?" So I am not surprised that I didn't hear him last night either, I am surprised that I punched the poor boy. I just told him that I am sure he did something to deserve it.

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Baby kisses!

Adrianna has started to show her affection with kisses! It is so cute although if she plants one on you it is open mouth and very wet, but you forget that because it is so sweet. She grabs your face and proceeds to smother you with baby kisses! Poor Quentin was her victim this morning, it is so sweet that she loves her brother, for the moment I will enjoy it and when they are fighting with each other I will reflect back to this time.
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This just isn't right.....

I know that my family will kill me for taking these pictures someday - but oh well - how fare is it that my whole family was still sleeping this morning and I was leaving for work? Hopefully I will get to sleep in tomorrow - I won't hold my breathe!

Happy Friday everyone!

Blessings, Bunnies, Bread and Brunch

What a full weekend we had. My office was closed on Friday, so the kids and I headed to my mom's house to help her make the traditional Easter Bread, Bosca. The bread is an all day process so we got to my mom's house around 10 - she had already started the bread, it was rising for the first time.

Quentin went on an errand later with Joe in the afternoon and Adrianna took a nap so I finished up my "bunny" shopping. When I came back it was time to get the bread in the oven and just wait....my mom made potato soup for dinner and we watched a movie. As the first batch of bread came out of the oven Quentin and Grandma colored eggs it was fun to watch him dunk the eggs in the color.

Once the bread cooled it was time to FROST - YES!!! Quentin did the sprinkles and then licked the spoon for frosting. I will post pictures later -

Saturday was another busy day - Quentin wanted to eat lunch at Red Robin - not really sure why but we ate lunch there and then went home for naps - we colored eggs at our house and spent the afternoon cleaning getting ready for the Easter bunny - we put a carrot out for the bunny before bed. Quentin wanted to leave a cookie out for Santa too - I told him it was too early for Santa and that the bunny was Santa's friend. He was fine with this..PHEW!

Sunday was our busiest day - EASTER SUNDAY! I woke up at 6:30 AM and was able to get both kids dressed in thier Sunday best and myself out the door by 8:30 to make it to mass by 9:00AM -Even with the excitement of the bunny eating the carrot and leaving a treat I still made it to church on time! YEAH ME!!

After church we went to my mom's house for a traditional Landeis Family Easter breakfast, hard boiled eggs, Bosca and Itialin Sausage, I know my grandpa was smiling down on us as we ate, Easter breakfast was his deal and as long as I can remember it was always the same items, simple but memorable and good.

My mom had eggs hidden around her house for Quentin who had a blast finding the eggs -

After breakfast we watched Pinocchio and all let our bellies rest.

At 3PM we headed out for brunch - it was nice - Quentin really was impressed by the chef who made him a GIANT waffle - he also was sitting at the end of the table with the kids, and thought he was hot stuff.

(sitting at the big kids table)

(ready for another waffle)

Adrianna slept most of the time - when she woke up she just sat in her car seat and smiled at everyone.

My favorite part of the whole brunch was the dessert - Chocolate Covered Strawberries - they were DELICIOUS!!

I hope that you all had a great Easter! I feel blessed to have such a wonderful family and of course my friends.

7 Months

Seven months ago today at 9:58 AM we welcomed Adrianna Norma Chavez into our family! We have never been the same since! LOL!!!!

I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by - to think that 7 months ago I was giving birth - where the heck has the time gone already?

Where is my snugly baby that would let me hold her for hours and just be content, now she is wiggly and only wants to snuggle if I am feeding her (thank goodness I am still nursing so she still needs me)

She is sitting up now unassisted - rolls all over the house, so I know it is just a matter of time before she is crawling. Has teeth that are coming in, loves her big brother!! She will look at you if you call her name, she recognizes me, Joe, Quentin, Uncle Ryan and Grandma.
Adri has also developed this high pitched scream - I haven't figured out what she is using it for, she seems to use it when she is happy or just playing so I think it is a happy scream!

I can't complain because she is a wonderful baby very content much like Quentin was - she has the same laid back go with the flow attitude that Quentin had, how did I get so lucky to be blessed with two wonderful babies.

The other day I was watching Adri play in her exersaucer and she just looked at me and smiled, I just melted it was so cute!

So the compulsive planner in me wants to start thinking about her 1st birthday party, for crying out loud I only have 5 months to plan this!

I have also started calling her Adri - what do you think? I really like it, but not sure!
I know that the time will continue to go by quickly so I plan on enjoying every single second that I can.

Turkey Stromboli

I found this recipe in my Parents Magazine and thought I would give it a try, I am forever searching for fast, easy and yummy recipes! The whole thing from start to finish took less than 30 minutes.

Quentin loved the stromboli except for the "grass", there was plenty for my small family of 3 (Adri didn't get to eat any yet) but for a larger family it is so easy that making two would not be that big of a deal.

Here is what you need:

Pillsbury Pizza Crust - 11 oz one
Turkey Tenders (I used breast and cut them into strips)
Cheese (any kind that you like)
Pizza or pasta sauce (anykind that you like - you will only use 2 tblsp per stromboli)
1 pkg frozen spinach thawed (grass) and drained
2 Tblsp Milk
Parmesan Cheese (the kind that you sprinkle)
Parchment paper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Boil the turkey tenders in stock until cooked through. While the turkey is boiling spread out the pizza crust on the parchment paper - spread the sauce on the bottom of the crust (I used regular tomato sauce and italian seasoning - put a layer of spinach or grass on top of the sauce - then spread out your turkey - then cover with cheese.

Cut 12 strips on both sides of the pizza crust and fold over criss cross if you want - brush the top of the stromboli with the milk and sprinkle parmesan cheese.

Transfer stromboli and parchment onto a cookie sheet and put in the oven to cook for 11-12 minutes!!

When I pulled the finished product out of the oven - it looked just like I had ordered it from a restaurant - and it was YUMMY!!

ENJOY!!!

A Sign of Spring in Alaska (not what you think)

I will try to keep this post G-Rated, it might be hard because of the adult content!! LMAO!!!

I have read so many blogs from my fellow bloggers about the Spring weather in thier areas and planting flowers, washing driveways, taking walks etc. So many beautiful thoughts of Spring!
I wish that I could say that my posting would contain one of those items, sadly it doesn't.

The sun is shining so beautifully today that I decided to run some errands at lunch rather than stay in the office. My office is in Spenard, which is not the best area of town but not the worst and has pockets which are still pretty nice. My office is on the corner of Iowa Drive and Spenard Road - across the street from my office is a residence which is occupied by an older gentleman who is retired and keeps an eye on things happeneing on the street. Next to the house on the corner opposite of my office building is a hotel, I can't remember the name but it doesn't matter because I would never suggest anyone stay there.
Next to our office on the left side is the Spenard Hotel (read the review Cheerios in my bed and Hotel Hell - very funny!) This hotel is best known for it's "hourly rates" staying at this hotel you will not have nice view of the majestic moutains that surrond the Anchroage Bowl - rather the XXX store that is located in the very next parking lot over - LOL!! Ok so you now know the area that I must spend each and every day~moving on....

I always know when it is Spring because the pimps and prostitutes who have been quiet all winter start to emerge. My vision of Spring is of Old men in nice cars slowling down so that the girl running down the street can jump in, then 20 minutes later the same car drops the girl back off and she is back on the corner for her next date.
I know, I know not the visions of Daffodils and cherry blossoms that you wanted but this is my reality.

Happy Spring!! LOL!!!

Another Giveaway!!!

Thank you to Kate and Amy who have alerted me of a fantastic give away! A HUGE CRAYOLA package, from Blissful Kids!!!

Whenever we visit Target Quentin always asks to go down the Crayola aisle! I love doing this too as I LOVE to color! I think that I get more excited when there is a new product than he does!! LOL!!!

I bought him the PIP SQUEEKS markers as they fit his little hand much better than the regular size markers!!! I love the washable paints too, messy but fun!!!

Quentin also received the floating desk for his birthday - so we can even do art projects in the bathtub!!

Good Luck to everyone!!!

Thanks again Amy and Kate!!!!

Happy Crafting!

She did it....

For the past two weeks Adri gets totally pissed if she is laying down on her back and raises her neck to sit up or if she is on her tummy she rolls all over the house and then up on her elbows like she wants to sit up. She would only sit up if someone was near her, even with the boppy she needed someone near her.

Last night we were hanging out on the floor she was playing with her favorite doll (thank you Auntie Amy) and I was sitting by her - I put the boppy behind her and went to the kitchen to get Quentin some juice. When I turned back around and she was just sitting there playing with her doll!! She was sitting by herself - unassisted, the boppy was behind her just in case she fell backwards, but even then she had balance and wobbled a little but continued to sit!!

Of course she would not sit up on Saturday when I took her for the Easter pictures - they still turned out cute - I had to hold her hands while she was standing because not only would she not sit but she didn't want to lay on her tummy either...Stubborn, I wonder where she gets that?? LOL!!!

She is getting too big too fast - April 9th she will be 7 months, I just don't know where the time is going. I know it is just a matter of time before she is crawling and then walking.......

Convicts and Coughs and Crying...OH MY

What an eventful evening I had last night. I had planned on going home and making breakfast for dinner, since it was Scrambled April Fun Day on Sprout, I thought I would follow their lead! We got home and I ran to Fred Meyer to pick up a couple things as well as Adrianna's prescription (see previous post). When I got to Fred's the line for the pharmacy was super long, not a big deal I thought I will go and get my grocery items and then the line will have gone down. I was wrong...the line was even longer by the time that I had checked out with my groceries.

I took my place and line and began the LONG wait, when it was finally my turn I had been in line for 40 minutes. Apparently they are upgrading the computer system which is supposed to speed things up, UM I don't think that the upgrade worked - so the girl asks me the patients last name, I say "Chavez - and spelled it" the girl types it into the computer and then just stared at her screen (never a good sign). She them asks me (still looking at her screen) "UM was it called in today?" I responded "Yes, this morning around 9:30AM" (please note that the time is now 7PM plenty of time for the RX to be filled) she then says "we don't have it" My fuse was already pretty close to the end after standing in line for 40 minutes. So I asked the girl to please check again, she says she is going to check another area. I immediately get on the phone to Joe, "where did you have them send the RX?" he says Fred Meyer - OK I hung up on him. I called Latouche which is supposed to be open until 8PM - I got the voice message that says "If you have reached this recording our office is closed" WHAT THE HELL??????
The girl comes back and says they don't have it and have not received anything. Profanity flew out of my mouth - I apologized to the girl and said it wasn't directed to her, said Thank you and off I went.

I get home to make breakfast for dinner and am LIVID, Adrianna is crying because she 1) doesn't feel good and 2) she heard my voice and knows I am home and wants me.
I pick her up and she is BURNING UP - I strip her down to her diaper only change her and take her temp 104.3 - HOLY COW - now not only am I mad I need to figure out what to do about this fever. I call the nurse line (which by the way is located at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane, WA) leave my information and wait for the nurse to call me back. I get Quentin his waffle, strawberries, sausage and orange juice. Joe is also eating at this time and I am feeding Adrianna.
8:18 PM the caller id says Sacred Heart, I answer it was Joyce, she starts asking me all these questions you know typical, how much does Adri weigh, is she on any medication - my answer to this was very rude (again not towards Joyce) "Well she should be on Amoxicillian, but the NP didn't call it in" Joyce responds with "what?" I tell her the whole saga - she keeps saying "OH MY GOSH, I can't believe that" then she says she is going to call the doctor who is on call, Dr. Tappel, and then she will call me back.

9:00 PM the caller id says Latouche Pediatrics - I say "Hello" it was Dr. Tappel, he says that he isn't sure why Fred Meyer didn't have the script because he could see it was sent, my response "HMMM" then he asks if we were at home. Yes Ding dong you called my home number, that was just my thought. He asks if it is possible that we come to the ER and pick up the RX, that would be fine we only live 5 minutes away. He said to hold tight and that he would call me back.

9:15 PM the caller id says UNKNOWN - "Hello" the voice on the other end says "This is Bruce calling from Providence ER?" I say "yes Bruce?" he explains to me that Dr. Tappel has a prescription for Adrianna and that the admissions tech needs to take some information from me, hands the phone to the lady who takes my information. I verify that the patient is Adrianna Norma Chavez and she is my daughter. Bruce gets back on the phone and gives me the phone he has with him and tells me to call him when I get to the ER - he also said he would call me when the RX was ready for pick up. I asked if I needed to bring Adri with me, he said yes.

9:30PM the caller id says UNKNOWN - "hello" - "Hi Mrs. Chavez it is Bruce, you all can head on over, you still have my number?" I tell him yes and we would see him in a few minutes.

9:35PM we arrive at the ER - I call Bruce and let him know I was walking in, he meets me at the door and says "I called you too early, the RX is not ready yet, sorry" no problem I can just hang out - "how long do you think it will be" I asked. His response "well it shouldn't be long"

10:00PM - Still waiting
10:20PM - Still waiting - Bruce comes out and says it won't be much longer (UM IS THAT ER TIME OR NORMAL TIME? LOL)
11:00PM - Still waiting - by this time I was being amused by all the nut jobs that had appeared in the ER! Adrianna slept through the whole thing (THANK GOD)!!!
The police brought in a couple people - the one officer sat his convict right next to me - HELLO WHAT THE HELL? I just looked at the officer like - move this dude, I have a baby here! He must have gotten the drift because he moved the guy - who then glared at me the whole time and growled a couple of times.
Then there was the lady who came in holding her croch yelling "I HAVE A BLADDER INFECTION AND CAN'T STAND IT" I could not help laughing out loud at that one.
11:15PM - Still waiting - update from Bruce - Dr. Tappel will not need to see Adri and the medication was almost ready. I thought I brought my baby to the damn germ factory and no one is even going to look at her? WHAT THE HELL?????!!!!!
The couple sitting across the lobby had a toddler who was coughing like crazy - and then the girl in triage who had a 4 year old who was screaming because she didn't want her temp taken - the mom said that either she takes it in the mouth or the bum bum. What the hell is a bum bum?
11:40PM - BRUCE APPEARS WITH MY RX!!!!!! We are out of the nut house!! I tell him thank you for the efforts and off we go.
In the car I call Joe and tell him we are the way home - at that point I realized from my growling tummy I never ate dinner. We got home and Adri woke up as I was taking her out of the car seat, I gave her a dose of her medicine, changed her diaper and off to bed we went.

Another trip to the doctor and April Fool's Day......

Joe took Adrianna to the doctor today because last night she felt warm and was fussy so I took her temp, it was 103. Normally this should alarm any parent, although because this is our what seems like millionth time with a high fever I self diagnosed. I assumed it was an ear infection AGAIN.

I finished getting dinner ready and called the doctor for an appointment this morning when the girl at the scheduling desk said what is the problem, I told her high fever and most likely an ear infection. Set the appointment for this morning at 8:30AM made a mental note that the morning would be rushed but we could do it.

The night went on with a fussy baby, we slept on the couch for most of the night until she was asleep enough that I could put her back in her bed, this was close to 3AM, my alarm went off at 5:30AM I hit snooze way too many times. I got up and ready for work, got Quentin up and dressed, then woke up Joe and then got Adrianna up and ready for the doctor.
As I was blow drying my hair I turned on Sprout we watch this in the mornings and then at night we watch the GoodNight Show, only a couple shows and then off to bed.
Quentin came into the bathroom and said "Mom is it night time?" I looked at him and said "no silly, why?" he said "UMMM the GoodNight Show is on" I thought he was kidding me, so I go to the living room and sure enough the damn GoodNIght Show is on, scrolling on the bottom of the screen it says that today is Scrambled April Fun Day (APRIL FOOLS DAY) so I explained to Quentin that is was backwards day and that is why the GoodNight Show was on in the morning. He sweetly said "OH" and went back to watching and eating his breakfast.

We will see how it goes tonight when we are watching the Sunny Side up show and it is time to go to bed, hopefully he sweetly say "OH" again and go to bed but I am not holding my breath.

The doctor confirmed that indeed Miss Adri has an ear infection, AGAIN - so we will do the antibiotic thing, AGAIN and pray that her damn teeth get done popping through so no more ear infections.

I hope that everyone is having a good Wednesday, I am ready for this week to be over.

The Right Thing

I have been working in the Health Insurance industry for 9 years, this is an industry that has its own language and rules and is very confusing for those who don't speak "health insurance"

Many people know that they have insurance they may not understand their plans but they have it and use it, receive EOB's (explanation of benefits) in the mail when a claim has been processed, most toss them and some hang onto them since they know that they are important.

On any given day I answer questions for many of the member's of the health plan I work for and walk them through the way a claim was processed. Most of the time they are happy with what I tell them, with a few instances of people being angry because something wasn't covered.

When I had Adrianna in September I had a c-section which require not only my doctor but also an assistant surgeon. I knew this going into the procedure as this was my second c-section.
Adrianna was born on September 9 at 9:58 AM - the atmosphere in the OR was so fun, the anesthesiologist was cracking jokes, Dr. Whitefield (my doctor) was talking about his trip to Brazil, the assistant surgeon was talking about Mexican food she had for dinner the night before. At one point I looked at Joe and said "I hope that they don't forget the task at hand here" he just laughed. They remembered because my beautiful daughter was born with out any problems, beside the cord being around her neck 3 times.

I had a wonderful recovery at Providence Alaska Medical Center, the care was great and the nursing staff top notch.

In November I received a bill from my doctor's office that stated I owed $447.18 for the assistant surgeon fees. I pulled out the EOB that I had from my health plan to see what they had paid. I was covered at 100% at the time Adrianna was born and should owe nothing. The EOB showed the total billed was $1435.00 for the assistant surgeon my health plan paid 25% of the surgeon's fee (standard payment for any asst. surgeon) at 100% so my health plan paid $987.82. Now standard practice is that the amount that was denied as assistant surgeon reduction is written off and not balance billed to the patient, so I ignored the bill in November.

In March I received a statement from my doctor's office showing that the balance owed for the assistant surgeon was +120 days and now due. I called and spoke to the billing office and was told that they were not networked with my health plan and that I would be responsible for the denied amount. They also said that they bill 35% of the surgeon's fee for assistant surgeon. This surprised me as I was expecting the balance to be written off as it had been when I had Quentin in 2004 and as is the standard. I politely said thank you to the billing clerk and hung up.

Red flags were going off all over the place in my head because of my background in insurance. I knew that the industry standard is to bill 25% of the surgeon's fee and that the patient should not be balance billed. I also knew that in Alaska we do not have a network and our plans are written that we can see which ever doctor we want to see without being penalized.

I thought a bit and decided that I would write my doctor a letter. I have learned through dealing with the pediatrician's office that the doctor's don't always know what is going on in the administrative part of the office. I had a feeling that Dr. Whitefield didn't know that the policy his office was using was outside the standards in both the community and the industry and was penalizing his patients financially.
The worst that would happen was that I would have to pay the statement, the best outcome would be that the office would do the right thing and write off the balance owed.

I composed a letter directly to my doctor explained the situation and requested as a long time patient of the practice (10 years) they adjust my bill. I mailed the letter out on March 13, 2009.

I waited for a response, I was pretty sure that Dr. Whitefield would call to discuss my letter with me. Saturday Cassie from the billing office called and said that Dr. Whitefield had received my letter and that my balance was zero - they wrote off the reduction amount. I said Thank you, and her response was that it was the right thing to do.

So the moral of this long story is that if you have questions about your bills and you don't like the answer you get from the billing office go directly to your doctor. Also since I know a thing or two about health insurance and all kinds of plans please don't hesitate to call or email me with a question that you have - I will do my best to help figure out the issue.

Olive Juice Bags

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I LOVE handbags!!! Poor Joe is getting inched out of the closet with all the handbags that have taken residence in our home.

I have stumbled upon a company that I am VERY excited to share with you all, I am getting ready to place an order for my first bag, The Anna I just need to decide which sash color I want ! The name of the company is Olive Juice Bags, a company started by two moms who I can tell LOVE a good quality handbag as much as I do!!!!

So I will keep you all posted as I add to my collection with these bags!!!

One busy weekend!

We had an unusually busy weekend, we usually have one or two activities but this weekend was jam packed with activites for everyone!!!

Friday Night: Joe worked early so Quentin and I ordered pizza and watched The Bee Movie.

Saturday: Hope hair cut, Joe dropped the kids at Grandma's house, after hair appointment lunch at Humpy's and then shopping. Joe needed new jeans and I got some good deals and Gymbucks at Gymboree. After shopping we had dessert at Starbucks and then picked up the kids!

The Before Picture of my hair!

The After Picture of my hair - I LOVE IT!!!

Sunday: This was the fullest day for us!

We had a birthday party for Quentin's girlfriend, Maddy at Chuck E Cheese at 11AM stayed for 2 hours then home for a QUICK nap and Quentin and I were off to the circus. It was a fun afternoon Quentin loved the circus. The show lasted 2 hours. Then it was off to Subway to pick up sandwiches for dinner and then home. While we were at the circus Joe and Adrianna were at Joe's volleyball game.

Quentin showing his cotton candy tongue during intermission at the circus!

Needless to say I was exhausted after Sunday and was happy when both children went to bed - and was not ready for the alarm to go off this morning - Monday always seems to come more quickly than Friday in the work week - why is that?

The Volcano FINALLY BLEW!!!!!

From a previous post in January where we were all on alert for Mt. Redoubt the dang volcano finally erupted last night around midnight. It has erupted 5 or 6 times since then. I have to say that I was proud to be prepared!!! I had my masks, and air filters and emergency kit!! YEAH ME!!
So I wake up this morning because I was asleep whent he eruption occured to find 5 text messages on my phone all about the volcano. The ash was supposed to hit Anchorage around 2 AM it never did and now we will most likely only get a dusting of ash - PHEW!!! ASH is nasty to clean up! The Mat-Su Valley is getting most of the ash - although we are tough in Alaska and all schools are open!!!
I will keep you all updated on the happenings of the Volcano!!!

Only in Alaska...

My office is located in a residential area so every morning I see the school bus stop in front of our office, nothing unusual about that. This morning I was sitting at my desk and noticed this car hitting the brakes and sliding I look out the window and the school bus has thier red flashing lights and stop sign out not for children crossing the street or getting on the bus but for a moose - yes I said a moose!

I took a picture of the moose after she had crossed the street - only in Alaska does a school bus put thier red flashers on for a moose to cross the street.

My New Family

In a previous post I wrote about my sister, Brittney finding Ryan and I. Well there is some errornous information in that post that I feel I should correct.
I emailed Brittney after she contacted me again and let her know that I was not upset at her but was caught off gaurd that she has a relationship with our father.
I got a response last night - I was way off - Brittney has never even met our father in fact he is more of a dirt bag than I thought or knew he was - apparently he didn't even acknowledge Brittney until 8 years ago when she was 14 years old.
So moving forward Ryan and I are planning a trip to Spokane, Washington to meet our sister! Apparently we have a neice and nephew as well - this is very exciting!!!
I have a new attitude about this new sister - I will keep you posted on the developments. It will be really neat to be called Aunt Hope from kids that are actually my neice and nephew! Silly I know!