Trip Planning

A month from now we will be on-board the MV Malaspina, in route to Haines, Alaska!  They call it a poor man's cruise; it follows the same route that many cruise ships take and stops in ports along the way.  We will have our car on-board with us as well as a four berth private cabin.  The website says the ferry has observation rooms with comfy chairs, a movie room, a play room, a heated solarium, and a cafeteria.  I have heard that it is not at all luxurious but I can' t help but get excited.  Megan

Star Wars Half Marathon

Thank you Pops for flying out to San Diego to watch the kids overnight so John and I could run the a Star Wars Half Marathon!  We enjoyed the very early run through Disneyland.  The 13.1 mile course was made less strenuous by several stops to take photos with movie characters.  Similar to the Safari Park Half Marathon I surprised myself by being able to run the entire course (minus photo ops), once again proving that playing with two young kids is great physical conditioning.  Megan

Early Innovation

I have mentioned before that John likes to tinker in the garage.  The last few weekends Lydia has joined John for hours of garage time.  She watched him design a shelf organizer for the back of the Xterra and it has inspired her to innovate in her own way.  This is a dog toy for Lucy (we are planning on visiting her to say a final good-bye before the move).  Lydia designed and painted the dog toy herself.  I'm not 100% sure how the toy works but I'm sure it is ingenious.  Megan

Lucy, Thank You

John and I have been on a roller-coaster ride the past few months, struggling to figure out what to do with Lucy in our upcoming move.  Should we drive and ferry with her for a month of travel?  Should we send her to live at Amy's farm?  Should we fly her out on her own and board her until we arrive in Kodiak?  How will she handle the long flight?  Will she like living in Alaska?  What if we don't have a yard and have to walk her again in all that rain?  Honestly, every night John and I would put the kids to bed and then discuss our feelings on Lucy.  We posted an ad on Craiglist for Lucy about a month ago and that just caused the roller coaster ride to get even more wild.  Lucy had many playdates, as well as a over-night trial with a family that ended in failure.  We were accepting the idea of taking Lucy with us to Alaska when I got an email from the perfect candidate to be Lucy's new mom.  And this nice, nice lady did not disappoint.  Mitzi is a avid beagle lover who has owned three beagles in the past 35 years.  She has a house in a nice area of San Diego with a yard and doggie door.  She was almost in tears as she left with Lucy because she was so happy.  Her daughter told us that Lucy would be "spoiled rotten."  Thank you Lucy for being such a kind dog to our kids.  I never had to worry. Thank you Lucy for helping me feel protected when we first moved to San Diego and I felt unsure about our neighborhood.  Thank you Lucy for being a part of our family for five years.  We will miss you but will enjoy picturing you living out your golden years in the California sun.  Megan

Time to Clean the Car

I was driving Lydia to school on Friday.  I looked back at her and was surprised to see her eating a quesadilla-the quesadilla from the night before.  Her reaction to my disgust? "Mmmmmm, its still  yummy!"  Megan

Hola El Niño!

El Niño has hit San Diego this week!  The city has had major flooding with a lot of mud washing onto the roads.  John was offered early liberty from work for two days in a row. The kids are getting a taste of what is in store for them in Kodiak.  Our backyard has turned into a play-puddle, so they aren't complaining.  Megan

14 Letters

Lydia wrote her last name for the first time today (she needed a little help).  This is a self-portrait, which she requested to send to her new preschool in Kodiak to let them know that she is coming.  Megan

Got you Granddad!

My dad was our last visitor of 2015.  He flew in for a quick two night stay.  A morning of playing with the kids at the house and park left him a tad sleepy (me too).  As he dozed on the couch, Lydia covered this loyal K-State fan with our KU blanket.  Her giggles woke him right up.  Thanks for a fun day Granddad!

Megan