Alaska - Day 3

As soon as I posted the last update, some pictures were made available to us by some of the leaders.  Here are some of Livvi and some of the group making Akutaq, aka, Eskimo ice cream and partaking in a traditional Alaskan banquet dinner.

While they aren't supposed to spend time with the sled dog puppies until Day 5, they lucked out and saw some on the way to Denali Park.  Here is a cute short video of Liv (was probably supposed to be a photo):

Note:  We made it clear before she left she can't bring any more dogs home.  


Here is what was planned for today:

• Depart for the stunning Denali National Park! Encompassing 6 million acres where wild animals large and small roam unfenced lands, living as they have for ages. On the way, they hope to keep an eye out for the park’s iconic big game including bear, caribou, Dall sheep and moose! 

• Preparation for the amazing venture into Denali National Park from the ground up during an educational sub-Arctic talk at the Charles Sheldon Center. An expert Biologist will welcome the group and teach them about Alaska’s three unique ecosystems, the Alpine, Boreal (taiga) and Tundra. 

• They will participate in a Denali National Park Ranger program at the Denali Visitor Center. A Park Ranger will welcome the delegation and talk about Denali National Park’s mission. 

• Afterwards, they will enjoy the opportunity for a special People to People moment when they join a local resident to learn about life in Denali year round.

Fun Facts:

DENALI NATIONAL PARK 
Established as a national park in 1917 under the name Mt. McKinley National Park, the park increased in size and changed its name to Denali National Park and Preserve in 1980.  It stretches across 6 million acres and is larger than the State of Massachusetts. 

Denali means “the high one” in the Athabaskan language – referring to Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in the North America. The park is home to 650 plant species, 170 bird species, 10 types of fish, 39 species of mammals and one amphibian – the wood frog.

Alaska - Day 2

In the update portion at the bottom of yesterday's post, I indicated Livvi's plane landed around 10:45 p.m. (DST).  Since it was only 6:45 p.m. there, they had a scheduled dinner and had to get to their hotel.  She texted us at 1:39 a.m.:

"Good might!" (she's new at this texting thing).

When I realized it was "only" 9:39 p.m. in Alaska, I asked if she was heading to bed (remember, she has been up since before 7:00 a.m. (DST) that day). and she responded at 2:19 a.m.:

"Yup! Luv u guys!" 

I hope she slept well.

Since she doesn't have a way to get pictures she's taken to us, I need to rely on pictures the leaders post or send us. We have two.

With a totem pole:

With the mayor of Anchorage, Dan Sullivan:

The following was on today's itinerary:

• Explore Anchorage during a guided tour, exploring the historic downtown district and Lake Hood, the busiest float plane base in the world. 
• Enjoy an official welcome from the mayor of Anchorage! 
• Visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center and gain first-hand insight into the diversity of First Nations history and culture in Alaska.  
• Learn how to cook with native Alaskan plants and ingredients and enjoy their own creation!
• Hear about what it’s like to live in Alaska from an Alaska Natives member. Gain insight into their work to educate and hand on native languages to future generations.

Fun Facts:
The largest and most populous city in Alaska, Anchorage is home to almost half of Alaskan residents. The city first began as a tent camp city built to house the workers and their families who were employed on the construction of the Alaska Railroad in the early 20th century.  The city has since grown to almost 300,000 residents.

Did you know that the longest summer days in Anchorage contain about 19 hours and 21 minutes of continuous daylight?

 I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Alaska - Day 1

Well, the day finally arrived for Livvi to head to Alaska.  The bigger delegation of 40 goes next month, but there was a smaller delegation from Cincinnati that was to go today.  That group went from about eight (five boys, two girls, and one adult leader) down to just three.

The flight took off on time and the weather was perfectly clear.

At the time of this writing, they have already landed in Dallas for a four hour layover until their flight to Anchorage.  We got Liv a phone for the trip and just got the following text:

We landed in dallas and are deciding where to eat. Miss you

They won't be landing in Alaska until after 11:00 p.m. (our time).  Poor girl is going to be tired!  Hopefully, she gets some good sleep as the fun starts tomorrow!

We all prayed together before bed last night.  We prayed for safe travel, fabulous times, and reminded ourselves that Livvi belongs to our Lord and not to us.  We are to trust Him in ALL things.

This has been pretty hard on us all.  Heather is being very strong for all of us.  While at (many) times I cry missing my oldest girl, I feel silly as I get her back in less than two weeks.  There are many families who don't get that.

So excited to hear reports from our Livvi on her new adventures.

-----------------------------------------
UPDATE:  They landed in Anchorage about 10:45 p.m. our time!  Now they have a welcome dinner with the other ambassadors that made it. About 20 other kids got stuck in Houston and won't arrive until tomorrow.

Derecho

Last year's derecho occurred with Heather and I in the front yard.  We heard it coming before it even arrived.  Kind of eerie, yet cool at the same time.  The winds really picked up and it was scary enough we told the kids to stay inside (but we stayed outside to watch).  The temperature felt like it dropped 10-15 degrees in minutes and dust and leaves blew all over the place!

With the forecast predicting another derecho to occur here very early Thursday morning (it was supposed to arrive around 2:00 a.m.), we prepared the house as best we could (taking in stuff that might blow away) the night before.  We started several plants by seed this spring in pots on our deck.  Since they were doing pretty well, we thought we'd better bring them in so they didn't get damaged in the wind.  In a matter of minutes, our garden was in our kitchen.

It apparently wasn't as bad where we live.  We were on the edge of it and I think we got a lot of wind, but not the really bad stuff.  I took the plants back outside in the morning.  It may have been premature, since at 8:45 a.m. that morning, this rolled through (pictures were taken from where I work).

The winds really picked up and it rained like crazy!  Probably should have left the plants inside, but they came through OK (and got PLENTY of water).

"Breaking" News

In a previous post, I explained how Olivia was going to get to go to Alaska this summer.  While it will be a great and educational adventure for her, it isn't cheap.  We were looking for ways to help raise money for the trip.  Her martial arts school, Cincinnati Martial Arts Club, had a great idea of a break-a-thon for Livvi to do.

The break-a-thon actually offered two different opportunities for people to give:

1. Donate $5 per board to break the board themselves
2. Sponsor Livvi a total amount or a per board amount
3. I guess a third opportunity was to do both!

I think all money is now collected.  Everyone was so generous!  Livvi broke 60 boards in 30 minutes and raised $1,705!

Here is a video of her breaks:

Thank you to all who donated their time and money!  It is truly humbling!

Student Ambassador

We received a letter in the mail back in December.  Olivia was being invited to interview for a student ambassador position with People to People.  We thought we'd look into it and attended a meeting at Wyoming High School to find out more information.  We were all interested enough to allow Livvi to interview for the position.  Well, that is all it took and she was chosen to be a People to People Student Ambassador to visit the great state of Alaska at the end of July for 11 days with 39 other 5th and 6th graders from the area.

She has a few more meetings, assignments, and at least one service project that need completing.  The biggest hurdle will be coming up with the $5000 for the trip.  Liv's martial arts school gave us a great fundraising idea.  It sounded like a unique and fun way to raise some money for the trip.

On March 23 from 11:00 a.m., there will be a BREAK-A-THON!  You can sponsor Livvi and can donate money per board she breaks in 30 minutes or just a total donation.  Or, if preferred, you can break boards yourself!  Each board would be $5.  If you buy 5 boards, you get a 6th one free.

If you would like to donate, you can send us a check or click the donate button below.  All donations given will be used toward Livvi's trip.  We are so thankful for your help!

It's All Downhill From Here

Yesterday, we had an opportunity to go skiing at Perfect North Slopes in Lawrenceburg, IN.  I had to decline because of a meeting I felt I needed to attend.  However the girls were all set to go!  Livvi and Joie even completed their Monday school work on Sunday so they could go.

Shortly after they arrived at the slopes, I found out I could go after all!  However, with the spotty cell service at the slopes, I wasn't able to get a hold of Heather as quickly as I would have liked.  When I finally did, we decided I'd head that way!  I wasn't dressed for skiing and if I headed home to change it would just waste time in me getting out there (I sensed Heather wanted help with Joie).

I arrived to see Heather and Joie making their way to the lodge.

Joie and I went in to the lodge to have lunch while Heather and Livvi skied some more.  When we sat down to eat, Joie said something to the effect that it is nice to spend some time with her dad.  I must say that it was nice to hear!  After lunch, we walked around the lodge, including the ski shop.

While Joie had a great time, she was tired and didn't want to ski any more, so we turned in the skis and boots and got her regular shoes back on.  By then, Heather and Livvi were back and wanted some lunch.  After lunch, Joie and I headed home while Heather and Livvi wanted to hit the slopes for a little while longer.  Before we left, I took this picture, which would have been good, had I had the good camera with me.  Therefore, I just got a nice outline of my girls.

We (I) wanted to get a look at them skiing, so I took these three pictures, then this video.

A good time was had by all!