First Snow of the Season

Today Sierra & I woke up to the first snow of the year.  It was so wonderful to lay in bed and watch the large snow flakes falling outside.  It took Sierra a few minutes to remember she liked snow but once she did I couldn't get her back inside.  We spent the morning playing in the snow with the neighbor pups (who we love) and talking to family on the phone. 

After a few hours the clouds parted and we saw the sun for the first time in weeks. The clear skies and crisp air was perfect for an afternoon spent eating lunch and shopping with friends.

Goodbye Fall...

Hello Winter

"Let's Play"

Modeling her new jacket

"Are my friends outside yet"

New Jacket #2

"Mom, Stop taking so many pictures of me"

A perfect day to relax...

As you can see we have had a nice relaxing day.  The only thing that would make it better is if the Mr was home to enjoy it with us.

Love,

Mrs. Messinger & Miss Sierra

South Fork Hike

We woke up this morning to a beautiful sunny day so we decided to hit the South Fork Trail in Eagle River.  It was a beautiful 9 mile hike to a nice calm lake.  Sierra did a wonderful job and just kept hiking on even with the distraction of 2 people on the way there and 30 on the way back.  She now carries her own pack and loves it.  Here are some pictures of our hike...

We are thinking about walking the 11 mile Coastal trail tomorrow if we are not too tired.

Hope you are all having a great Labor Day weekend.

Kindest Regards,

Mrs Messinger

P.S. My new hiking boots and day pack worked great.

The Mrs Turns 24...

On my 23 birthday I woke up alone in a queen size bed that was next to another queen size bed occupied by my parents.  You see we were in San Antonio, Texas for Andrew's graduation from the Air Force Basic Military Training. Andrew had been gone for 8 weeks with very little communication and I was so excited to see him and all of the WingMoms & Families of the other new airman.  These WingMoms, Dads, & Wives had become my support team while our loved ones away.  I remember being so excited to see Andrew and thinking birthdays can't get much better than this.  

Fast forward a year and roughly 4,000 miles to my 24th birthday where I woke up in a king size bed occupied by my hubby and my puppy Sierra.  I can't help but feel satisfied with my little family.  We have a beautiful home that keeps getting better and better with every little project we work on, even Sierra's puppies art (muddy paw and nose prints) bring character to our home. We have lots of family and friends in the lower 48 that still manage to shower us with love from a far, we have lots of Alaska friends who make our days so much brighter and we even have great jobs and co-workers who make our jobs that much more fun. 

On this 24th Birthday one word comes to mind... BLESSED.

 With Love,

Mrs Messinger

Camping at Otter Lake

This weekend we packed up our camping gear and headed for Otter Lake.

We spent the weekend enjoying the great outdoors, playing with the puppies, taking walks to the lake, paddle boating, and relaxing by the fire. The rain decided to roll in Saturday night leaving us huddled under tarps and rain jackets.  We all managed to have fun and the rain just added to the adventure.

Our new tent that has been nicknamed "The Cabin".

Campfire Time

Sam & Calvin by the Campfire

Charlie

Sierra & Charlie playing

Andrew on the Paddle Boat

We had a great time and are already planning our Labor Day Weekend trip.

With Love,

Mrs. Messinger

Finding Comfort in the Mountains

This past weekend marked 10 years since the Mr's dads passed away.  We usually find comfort in our families during this time of the year however with being so far from home we found comfort in the mountains.  We spent the weekend remembering Drew's beloved dad while hiking throughout the Alaskan Mountains.  

Arctic Valley

Coastal Trail

A plane flying over the Coastal Trail

Eklutna Lake

If you have memories of AJ that you would like to share we would love it.

Love,

Mrs. Messinger

Eklutna Lake, Alaska

Feeling adventurous after spending the morning at the Animal Hospital with Sierra we decided to take a hike / walk at Eklutna Lake.  

It had been raining all morning but we wanted to check out the lake to see if it was worthy of taking my parents for the day.  The drive itself was beautiful with views of lush green meadows and endless now covered mountains. Once we arrived to the lake the clouds started to part and the sun peeked through. We walked 4 miles along the trail and enjoyed the birds chirping  and the dragonflies flying by.   After a beautiful afternoon we decided a camping trip to Eklutna Lake is in our near future.

 Love,

Mrs. Messinger