I had almost forgotten that I even had a blog!  My mother-in-law, BJ Shinderling, called today to ask some questions about blogging and I remembered that I had one and even remembered how to get on here.  So, I thought I would update and maybe add a few pictures to see how we have all grown.

This year has been busy and I have decided that it's just how life will be.  I don't think I would want it any other way.  Sometimes it would be nice to be able to just come home and have nothing to do, but so far, that's not been the case.

Let's see.....last year at this time we bought property in Sidney, Montana and with our new partners, Stone & Aimee Baker, built a new storage facility called B&S Storage.  It currently has 86 units and enough space for lots of RV's.  We opened it up to renters in June of last year (2012) and it is about 60% full right now.  We hoped it would have filled up a little faster than it has, but are not disappointed.  The weather this past winter was awful, but now that it's getting better, we have seen an increase in rentals.  We hope to be able to put in another set of units this fall.

Our storage units in Dubois are doing well.  They are about 70% full and seem to stay right around that percentage.  We spent 4 months this past fall/winter living in Dubois while we did lots of work on all of our rentals down there.  There is still lots that needs done, but we needed to get back up here to Alaska to take care of things here too.

The kids continue to grow too fast.  Cody is 17 and a junior in high school this year.  He is enrolled in a program that allows him to take most of his classes at the college for the next 2 years, so when he graduates next year from high school he will already have an associates degree from college as well.  His family moved to Pasco, Washington at the beginning of the school year last year.  He is about 5'8" now and turning into a fine young man.  He is a typical teenager at times but we still love him.

Dakota is 10 and nearly done with 4th grade.  He has had an amazing teacher, Mrs. Davis.  I have seen a lot of growth in him (intellectually and physically).  He is now up to my chin, wears size 7 shoes and weighs 83 lbs!  He is still my "mama's boy" and I hope he never grows out of it.

Olivia is 9 and still as girly as you can get :) We let her get her ears pierced a few months ago and she loves getting all dressed up and beautiful.  She is in 3rd grade this year.  Her hair is getting really long. 

Deshka is 6!  I know, it's crazy!  She is in kindergarten.  She is more of a tomboy than Olivia.  She and Dakota are wrestling this year and are doing really well.  Deshka took 3rd in her first tournament ever.  Dakota just won his first match ever at the last tournament.  I couldn't be more proud.  We are thinking about heading up to Anchorage one more time for the State Tournament next weekend.  We have already gone to 3 tournaments this year and it tends to get a little spendy. Besides the time that it takes to travel.  It is almost a 7 hr ferry ride each way, plus another hour drive to Anchorage.  We have really had a good time with our family up there though.  Many years from now, we won't remember how much it cost, but we will remember the time we were able to spend with each other.  Memories were made and that's most important.

While up there this past weekend, Bruce had a surgery on his back.  He had some lumps in his lower back and they removed them.  We have sent them off for biopsy just in case, but haven't heard any news yet.  Hopefully they were the cause of his back pain and with them removed, his back will feel better.

Bruce and I were able to go the Temple a few weeks ago and do sealings for some of our ancestors.  I also went back the next day and did some initiatories.  They were wonderful experiences and I love the peace that I feel while at the Temple.

Bruce bought another plane.  This one is an RV10.  It is a home built 4 seater.  He only has part of it and it's in our hangar in Wyoming, but he is excited to get to build it.  We just need to decide if we are going to haul it up to Alaska or spend the next school year in Wyoming.

Bruce and I have been married for 13 years and have enjoyed every minute.  We keep very busy and just enjoy life, one day at a time.  We look forward to many, many more years together.  And, many more memories made. 

Fishing is done for this year and Bruce is busy doing construction in the off season. He is leaving in a few weeks to go to Idaho/Wyoming to do work on our rentals. We had a good fishing year and are grateful for our blessings.

We just got back from Anchorage last weekend. I had Lasik Surgery on my eyes and they are healing up nicely. It is so nice to not have to wear glasses. While up there, I went to Soldotna where I did some training for YW. It was also our 12th Anniversary, so we went to the movies. We had Deshka with us, but still good to spend our time together as much as possible.

The kids started school the 3rd week in August. Dakota turned 9 and is in 3rd grade. He just started Cub Scouts again this year and is excited to work on that. He has become very interested in video games and Wii and I have to keep an eye on how much time he spends on it. He also loves to hunt/fish/shoot guns, so he does that any chance he gets.

Olivia will be 8 in December and can't wait to get baptized. We are talking about going down to Salmon for Christmas and would then think about getting her baptized while we are there. But, it's an expensive time to travel, so we will see. She is in 2nd grade this year and loves to read. She is better at it than Dakota and likes to rub that in when he is struggling with a word that she can read. She is my stubborn one. Apparantely a lot like me because we battle it out a lot and she's only 7!! Scared for when she's a teenager. But, when she wants to, she is very lovable and a great helper in the kitchen.

Deshka is 4 and in pre-school. She still struggles with her speech a lot and most people struggle to understand her, which is very frustrating for all of us. But, she is getting better. She is my adventurer and runs everywhere she goes. She asks daily to go to Disneyland and we may have to take her soon or it will drive me crazy!

So, we are all doing well and are still really loving it up here in the beautiful state of Alaska.

I Didn't Die!!

Family March 2011, Crystal, Olivia, Deshka, Bruce, Dakota

Cordova, Alaska - view from the window of Bruce's Super Cub

Don't worry, my small group of friends who actually might read this! I didn't die and I didn't move to another country, but I did however neglect to keep my blog up to date. And, to try and sum up a whole year of what's been going on would be difficult. Suffice it to say that we are all doing well. We had a great year fishing and look foward to another successful year.


School gets out in 2 weeks and summer has already begun. Bruce started fishing on Monday and did pretty well. He is out again today and tomorrow. I have been busy with Young Women's, kids, net mending, house, etc... The list really is endless and I know I can get lots of sympathy from all of you. :)

I head off to Soldotna and Seward in a few weeks for Youth Conference, Girl's Camp and Youth Baptisms. Because of the huge cost of getting us all out of Cordova, they try to cram everything in all at once. Makes for a long week and a half, but it's exciting to be part of it. I have a fantastic group of girls and leaders. We have lots of fun and learning together.

So, an update on what's been going on in my kids' lives. Cody is 15 and got his learners permit. So, if you're ever in Moses Lake....beware!!! He is growing up so fast....literally, he almost weighs as much as Bruce. He is almost done with his freshman year and after school is out and scout camp is done, he will come up here for the remainder of the summer. He turns 16 at the end of the summer and is very excited to get his actual driver's license.

Dakota is 8 and just finishing 2nd grade. He participated in wrestling again this year and we actually went to a meet in Anchorage where he competed. He did well for his first match and went several rounds with each of his opponents, but ended up losing to both of them. He starts his first year of baseball this week. He, too, will be going out fishing with his dad and Cody for the summer.

Olivia is 7 and will finish 1st grade this year. She started t-ball today and shows so much improvement from last year. She is excited to play again this year. She looks forward to a fun summer filled with picnics and friends and sunshine (hopefully).

Deshka is 4 and in pre-school. She is busy like any other 4 year old and loves to help out around the house or shop.

Well, I dont want to bore anyone. So, I will post a few pictures and see if I can't do a better job.

Hawaii Trip

Polynesian Culture Center

We decided last minute to go to Hawaii the 3rd-7th of February. We wanted to use my benefits from work before they ran out, so away we went. Had lots of fun, but wished we would have had a few more days and maybe gone to a less populated island. But, the Polynesian Culture Center was really good...again, I actually went 16 years ago when I was a teenager with my family.

Sea Life Park

Waiting for the show to start at the Sea Life Park

Sunrise from our beach near Laie, Oahu, Hawaii

I had to keep getting after my girls to not pick all the flowers, they loved them all. This one was found on the ground and thrown out the car shortly after when she discovered lots of bugs in it :)

Sitting in front of the fountain at the Laie, Hawaii LDS Temple -- yes, we are getting wet...hurry up and snap the picture already!

"Is it bright out, or is this guy winking at me?"

Deshka - almost 3

Dakota - age 7

Olivia - age 6

Alaska Airlines

As most of you already know, I quit my job out at Alaska Airlines in February after working there for only a few months. I realized that I had left home too soon and my kids and husband still really needed me. It was a great opportunity and I'm glad that I did it, but I'm really glad to be back home too.

I saw some beautiful sunrises (at 10 a.m) and sunsets (at 4 pm) while at the airport. Here are a few of my best photos of a sunset with an Alaska Airlines jet, just to prove that I was able to get that close without being arrested :)

I really liked my job out at Alaska Airlines, but my "part time" job was becoming full time real fast. I had to decide whether it was worth it or not. Obviously, we decided not. I never wanted someone else raising my kids and so the decision was made without too much heart ache. I will miss the feeling of importance that having a badge and job title gave me, but I know that only I can fill the shoes of mother to my kids, so it's worth that sacrifice.

In my next 30 years.....

I didn't know that as soon as I turned 30, which I did last month on the 18th, that life was going to get crazy! I applied for a job at Alaska Airlines the first part of October. They had a part time position come open and they don't hire out there very often, so I needed to get my foot in the door if I could even though my kids are still little. I hadn't heard back from them week after week (other than the initial receipt of my application). So, I had almost decided that they had hired someone else until I sent Bruce off on a plane to Wyoming and when I got home, I had a message from them to call them. I did and I passed an interview over the phone and they set up an interview with the manager of the airport for the following Friday. They called me back that afternoon and set up an interview for me to meet with Human Resources in Anchorage the following monday (16th of November). Bruce was still gone and I found someone to watch my kids while I went up for the interview. I guess that if you make it that far, you have got the job, but I didn't know that and was very nervous. They offered me the job and did the drug screening and fingerprinting right there. I started training in Anchorage on the 30th-4th. Bruce was home by then and kept the kids. He brought them over to Anchorage on the 3rd so that he could work on his boat, which is almost done too. I got out of class a day early and he was able to work on his boat more, so that was good. We stayed in Anchorage that weekend. I took the kids to a place called Bouncing Bears. It was a lot of fun. They have a bunch of blow up toys, slides, etc... to play on. Burns off lots of energy and the adults can play too, so it was fun. Our hotel had a pool and we enjoyed that too. We took the ferry home and got here at 1:00 a.m. and I started my on the job training the next morning at 7:30. We work 4 ten hour days (when I work) I am what they call vacation relief, so I only work when someone else is on vacation. So far, I really like it. There's lots to learn and it's exciting to learn something new after so many years of doing a lot of the same things.

My job includes such duties as: driving the tugs, baggage carts, fork lifts, etc..., loading/unloading cargo and baggage from the aircraft, guiding the aircraft in to the load/off load position, fueling the aircraft (eventually), de-icing (eventually). I will also train to cover for the people at the cargo desk when I'm done training for ramp agents.

Bruce has been awesome through all of this. He finishes getting the kids ready for school if I don't get it all done before I leave. He has made dinner a few times, or atleast had it ready to start when I got home. Along with being Mr. Mom, he has also been working on our drywall in the upstairs. We are all done mudding and taping and now just need to sand it and then we're ready for texture and paint. Once that is done, we'll be ready to put in tile and carpet and the upstairs will pretty much be done except for trim. We will finish the chinking before we put everything back together too. So, we have been very busy the past month.

While Bruce was in Wyoming, he put up a steel building in Dubois. We have it rented out to the garbage guys for the next several years. We have been very blessed this past year. We've been busy and life is a little chaotic, but that's just the life we have chosen to live. We'd get bored, I think, if we didn't have atleast 3-4 projects going at a time.

Cody will be here on the 20th for Christmas Break. We weren't suppose to get him until after Christmas, but he called and asked if he could come up for the whole break. So, we were excited that he could come for the whole 2 weeks. My other kids have 3 weeks off.

We were able to go to the Anchorage Temple while up there and that was a wonderful experience. It had been way too long since we were able to go together, so I was excited to get to do that with him.

We are in for a challenging and busy year, but as long as we don't lose focus on what's most important, we will do fine.

Tooth Fairy

Dakota lost his 1st tooth last week and he was so excited. He is 7 years and 2 months old. My little boy is growing up so fast. He has been doing really well in school and loves to come home and show me all that he has worked on. He loves to do homework and really understands math well and has come so far in the last year. He is learning to read and although he doesn't really like to read outloud if I ask him to, he likes to read if it's his idea. He is still a "Mama's Boy" and I can always count on a big hug from him. He likes to hold my hand when we're out and about. I wonder how much longer it will last. I know at some point he will be too big to sit on my lap and will probably stop giving me hugs in public, but I enjoy it while it lasts. Bruce and I were talking the other day about how big they are all getting and how he thinks I'll cry like a baby when he grows up and leaves home. I'm sure that he's right because it makes me sad to think about it. But, I have atleast another 10 years to enjoy before that happens. I just hope and pray that I can help to teach him what he needs to be strong and valient in the world that we live.

It's hard to smile and show off the bottom teeth, but I think you can see that there's a tooth missing. The one next to it is getting a little loose too, so it won't be long.