2015 Christmas Letter

Life in AK is never boring and this year has not disappointed. Its always hard to recall everything that has happened and even harder to figure out what to include in a Christmas letter that won’t bore everyone.  So we will give a brief year in review and then let the pictures do the talking.

Luke’s life is filled mostly with work…which is good except when its not.  In February, he was assigned to work on a potential strike relief crew while the operators union and the management worked out their contact squabbles and got a 15 day all expenses paid trip to the Alaskan North Slope during the middle of the winter…  his work has taken him to the slope multiple times this year and has resulted in getting to sit out a snow hurricane for 8 hours in his pick-up until the heavy equipment operators were able to dig their way to their little convoy.  (Thank goodness the trucks had full fuel tanks and everyone had their required extra-warm winter work gear!)  All in all we can’t complain… the oil price collapse has made things interesting but we are just taking things one day at a time and enjoying living in Alaska.  If you’ve never visited, Alaska is punch-you-in-your-face pretty and full of all things big and outdoorsy.  Luke loves living here and enjoys being a dad and going adventuring and cutting new trails in the small forest behind our house.

Manda has had an eventful year as well… In January, she was asked to serve as a member of the Primary (children’s group in our church) Presidency…  there are almost a hundred children our ward and anyone who has tried to organize a hundred sub 11-year olds on a regular basis knows its no small task.  The gig only lasted 9 months but was a challenging and rewarding experience.  The last part of the year has been a bit different than she had imagined.  Her sister Kerri was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and suddenly priorities changed quite quickly.  She has been able to make several visits to see her sister while they try and untangle the sticky web that is metastatic cancer diagnosis and treatment plans.  It has been great for her to go and see her sister so much more frequently and to support her and her family during this difficult time, but challenging as well considering the circumstances.  Please keep Kerri in your thoughts and prayers.  (You can receive updates by joining our Facebook group #courageforkerri)

Karrick… where to being to describe the life and times of a happy-go-lucky 2.5 year old?  It has been a very active year for him…if he could pick he would either be outside running around like a crazy person exploring the trails behind his house and playing in the "nos" (Karrick for Snow) or gorging himself on fruit-snacks while binge watching Despicable Me (the original, not the sequel… that one has scary purple guys in it).  It has been very fun to see him grow and develop his little personality and we are excited for the upcoming year.

And now for some pictures... (most of these Manda has posted on instagram throughout the year, so you may have seen them if you follow her there.  And if you don't already, you should!  @mandaraeh)

We rang in the New Year with balloons.  We figured K would like them.  We had no idea how much he would LOVE them!

We didn't get enough snow for our liking...but when we did get some--no matter how little--we were sure to sled down the driveway!

K continues to LOVE LOVE LOVE books! 

The big truck/garbage truck obsession begins...

Checking out the animals at the Wildlife Conservation Center.

Riding the tram at Alyeska Resort.

Hiking adventures with "packpack"

Playing at one of the many parks nearby.

Hiking to Thurderbird Falls.

Exploring the new wildlife viewing platform at Reflections Lake.

Bear!  K's first wild bear viewing experience.

26 glacier cruise with Manda's parents and her sister Wendi.

We went on a tour of our local NIKE missile site...located on top of the mountain just south of our house.  (If you live in AK, we highly recommend taking the tour...esp if you are into Cold War era history!)

Moose!  With Arctic Valley below.

Portage Glacier cruise with Luke's brother Reece and his wife Haley.

Cousin time at Beach Lake when Luke's sister and her family came to visit. 

We took a trip to Seward with them as well.

"I would rather be napping" at Exit Glacier 

Grandpa White came back to visit us when he went on his helicopter fishing trip.

Fruit snacks on top of Mt. Baldy.

Mt. Baldy 

Manda's brother Dustin and his wife Cassie came to visit in September. 

Family cabin trip at the Eagle River Nature Center.

The northern lights in our back yard!

Manda and Karrick at a fundraiser volleyball game held for her sister Kerri in Tabiona Utah.

A knight for Halloween. 

Building a snowman.

Exploring behind our house/trying out new winter pants and jacket.

Denali is beautiful all year round!  But especially with the pink alpenglow of winter.

Free family night at Alaska Zoo to see the lights...courtesy of Luke's work.

The pink Christmas tree Manda decorated for her sister.

All ready to celebrate Christmas in AK with Luke's parents!

And just for fun...chicken pox!  Turns out the vaccine doesn't prevent them...just makes them not as bad. if and when you do get them.  Good to know.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy 2016!