This summer went by so fast and all we did was work.  :(  Rene decided to quit Air Traffic Control and go back to school so this summer we both did seasonal work.  We decided to work separate shifts so we wouldn't have to get sitters for the dogs and they wouldn't be alone for too long.  It was a very long, and early, summer for me.  :)  lol  

The highlight of the summer was having one of my nieces, Makayla, come up to Alaska.  I had previously spoken with my two oldest nieces and told them of some seasonal job opportunities up here but unfortunately, only one got a job.  It was wonderful having Makayla here!  Although it took us the entire summer to coordinate some days off between the three of us so we could go out and have an adventure.  

Here are some pics of our trip to Seward.  It was a gorgeous day, after days of rain the sun came out just for us!!  Along the way, we saw the Beluga whales coming into the Turnigan Arm.  This is a pic of Rene trying to get some close-ups of the whales. 

Next, we saw dall sheep right along the road.  I was able to snap a beautiful pic of one of the two families we saw.  (Makayla decided she didn't need to take any pics since I was)

Our three hour car ride turned into 6ish hours because of all our stops along the way.  We were ready to settle in and get some rest before our morning adventures.  Now, hotels were a little spendy so we camped out in the car. It was supposed to be Makayla and I resting up in the back but she thought she'd be more comfy in the front.  However, it ended up being a lot colder since Rene's a total furnace and kept the back of the car nice and toasty.  

In the morning, we went on a 6-hr Kenai Fjords boat trip.  It was another beautiful day.  Here's the Seward boat docks in the early morning.

Makayla on the boat.  It was a little chilly in the morning and Makayla wished she had her big, warm coat.

One of the humpback whales we saw.  It was hard to get a decent pic with all the waves and the boat constantly moving, but this one turned out okay.  

We were so fortunate to see so many wonderful sights and animals, but for me the whales were the highlight.  Below are some Orca's.  There were so many pods out there that the Captain was saying he thought they were forming a super pod before going out to the ocean.

It was a wonderful trip and so great to be able to spend some quality time with Makayla.  I just love my nieces so much and value all the time I get with them.  Shortly after this trip, Makayla went home to start her second year of college.  Maybe next summer both Makayla and Jessica will come up here!

Towards the end of the summer, Rene's Aunt Joan and Uncle Dave came up to Alaska for a short stay.  As I was working and Rene started school, we didn't get to see them too often, but we did meet up in Talkeetna for a day.  Again, the weather was on our side.  It turned out to be another gorgeous day.  Here's Rene, his mom, aunt and uncle.

After breakfast in downtown Talkeetna and walking around the 'town' we headed up the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge for the best view of the Alaska Range.  We took a bunch of pictures, and no matter how many times I see Denali I'm always awed.  Here's a B&W of the Alaska Range with Denali in the middle. 

What's New??!!

It seems as if there is always something new going on in the Dunford home.  In 2010, we moved from Indiana to Alaska. 2009 was the year we bought a home in Indiana and 2008 was when we made the official move from Alaska to Indiana.  Ahhh!!!  That's a lot of big stuff.  And 2011 is going to be no different. :)  Rene has made the decision to change careers.  He is no longer an Air Traffic Controller.  The plan is for him to go back to school and get a Bachelor's in Accounting.  Rene's ultimate goal is to get the bachelors and work for the FBI as an intelligence analyst (or something like that). 

Last weekend my younger sister had a bday party for her son's 4th birthday.  I was asked to make a cake and this is what I came up with.  (Don't look too close cause you will see all the flaws! lol)  My nephew loved it though.  He just sat in his stool looking at the cake and he was even licking it!!  I let him help me put in the candles.  I wish I had taken a picture of the candles, they were so cute.  They spelled out Happy Birthday!  :) Anyways, he was getting really excited about the cake and decided to take some taster bites from the top.  Here he is blowing out his candles. 

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone!!!  I hope you all had a wonderful day :)  I spent a good portion of yesterday in the kitchen making the cake featured below and then I was in the kitchen again today making a big dinner for my family (dad, mom, sister, her son and boyfriend, and Rene and I).  It was a busy two days but a lot of fun and now I get to enjoy some much needed downtime. :)  I even got a back massage from Rene, yay!!!!  

This morning I was talking to Rene about Easter family traditions and what I remember from my childhood.  As we were sharing, Rene shared some new things I never knew.  It's so amazing to me that after 5.5 years of marriage and a total 16 years of friendship (holy cow that's a long time!!!) that there are still things I don't know about him.  Wow, 16 years..... that's more years than my youngest niece has even been alive.  I feel old now :(  LOL  

My poor car :(

Last Friday, Rene and I got in my car to head downtown for a nice evening out.  Rene was going to drive but when he tried to start the car it just wouldn't.  :(  The car was making the juj juj juj sound but it just wasn't firing. We didn't have time to do much about it so we got into Rene's car and headed out.  The following day my parents came over so my dad could take a look.  And really, that's all he did :)  He tried what he could but he said he just doesn't know much about the newer cars.  I am so not excited about this....  If it's not something simple this could be a very BIG, unexpected cost. :(  Let's hope it's just a small thing!!!

I called a mechanic today, had my car towed to his shop and after they took a look he called to inform me my car was flooded.  What??!!  He said they looked at everything but there was nothing they could find so they drained the gas and it starts perfectly.  He asked if we had pumped the gas at all while we attempted starting it and I said how Rene may have when he tried but not initially.  The mechanic was befuddled as well so he said he'd keep the car over night and see how the car did in the morning with a cold start.  So far so good, let's keep this cheap!!  I'm guessing there was something loose and after they fiddled around it got fixed.  I just hope I get some more good news tomorrow morning.

Not much going on...

 Long time no blog.  There's really been nothing going on with us lately so nothing to blog about.  But I did decide it was time to update the blog with something so here are a few things.

In February, we celebrate the Fur Rondy here in Alaska and here are a few of the pics of our day.  Below is a picture of the winter carnival.  Yes, we do ride all the rides bundled up in our winter gear but NO, Rene and I did not do that this year as Rene isn't much of a fan ^_^

This is the blanket toss.... it's a seal skin (at least I think it's seal) and they let anyone who wants sit in the middle and they toss you up.  I was hoping they'd let people stand up during the toss but they only let them sit.

 This year we had our first Yukigassen (a snow ball fight).  It was pretty interesting but we didn't stay too long cause the day was so super cold with a very bitter wind.

And lastly, the sled dog races.  I love how happy the dogs look as they run by. 

 In March, my parents celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary!!!  Love you guys!  Anyways, I took a cake decorating class to learn how to make beautiful flowers and with that knowledge I made the below cake for my parents.  The flowers are carnations and roses made out of gumpaste (very pretty but no fun to eat! lol)

 My sister Tammy came up from Colorado for a week and I made this cake for her.  It's just a basket weave with some lilies. However, Tammy said the flowers looked like spiders, yuck!  I wasn't a fan of the flowers but I decided to use them instead of throwing them away.  I just really love the basket weave.  This was also my first attempt at the basket weave. ^_^

 Okay, last cake ^_^  This was spring inspired.... I made a bouquet of flowers and adorned it with leaves and a 'grass' border along the base.

 So on a completely different note, Rene made a comment the other day that I liked.  He mentioned how on Facebook there are quite a few people who only update their status with facts about their kids and only talk about their kids.  Since we have yet to have children I thought perhaps I should dedicate all of my FB posts to our puppies!  I didn't do it BUT here are some adorable pics of our cuties.

Cocoa - such the sweet heart & cuddler :)

 Indy - how can you say no to that face??  too cute!!

Now this last pic of Indy is so funny.... When Rene's up in the office on the computer, Indy loves to get up on the windowsill and look outside.  He will even lay on the desk and place his head on the windowsill sometimes.  He's such a funny guy.