Renstrom Residence on Rocky River Road

Here is Adam and Natalie's GORGEOUS home on a beautiful 3.5 acres surrounded by pecan trees and and a lovely lawn, shrubs, garden area etc. Presently, their home is in the rough stage but soon to be polished to perfection. The fireplace is a cool highlight which can be seen from the livingroom and also kitchen. They have a practical floorplan which will work well for their family. Everything is going smoothly and soon to be painted and trimmed by Phil. I was able to help a little by tearing down sheetrock from walls and ceiling in the hallway area. Usually, I am afraid of heights, but this time I was up on the tiptop of the ladder (they have 10 ft. ceilings) tearing sheetrock off piece by piece. I really enjoyed it!! I wish I could see the rest of it come together but now it's only through Natalie's blog Rocky River Farmhouse.

Lowe's Speedway Charlotte, North Carolina

Natalie got to experience rolling down the speedway minus all the race cars. She is such a nut. There was an awesome contemporary Christian concert. We got to hear Mercy Me, Fee, Toby Mac live in concert at the Nascar. Actually, it was all alot of fun, although it did get pretty chilly and windy even for us. There is alot of pre-race activities from vendors, displays, tailgate parties going on until the race begins at 7:00 pm. Jimmie Johnson was the winner with car number 48 who is sponsored by Lowe's. There are probably about 50 contestants in the race. They fly the professional racers in by helicopter about an hour before the action. #48 won the race at about 11:30 pm which was 500 laps I think. Bernie had made reservations for all of us before we left AK and it was a first for all of us including Adam.

Will is One Year Old!!

It's hard to believe, but Will is one year old today!! He is sporting his new cowboy boots in one of these pictures and will soon be stomping around as soon as he can walk...he's close! He is a beautiful boy who is full of energy and curiosity. He is always happy and usually content, unless Greta is pestering him. He went to his one year Dr. appt. today and weighs in at 19.10 pounds and is in the 85th percentile for his height. I wonder where he got that? He loves to explore and will soon be walking. Natalie made these great pumpkin cupcakes and also these cute owl Rice Krispy treats with little Oreos for eyes and a candy corn for the beak. He loved the cupcake and Greta helped with blowing out the candle. He is a treasure!

Friday "Spur of the Moment" Hike

This is the best autumn with the mildest temperatures I can ever remember. The leaves haven't even dropped yet which makes every moment so valuable for spending time outside. We know our time is limited but we are entirely grateful. Thank you Lord.

Here we are on our ride with the CMA group which was down from Fairbanks for the weekend. There were ten bikes in all and we met many new friends. The Lord blessed us with wonderful weather and the sights were breathtaking. Bernie and I were saying that we are so blessed to live in a state in which you can always go sightseeing, no matter how long you've lived here.

Portage Glacier Ride with CMA

I Can Count...Two Dogs, Three Adults, Five kids 3 and under.

Here's Gretchen, Finn, and Elli at the top (not really) of Mt. Baldy. It was the top for us, but there was still a little piece to go.

Elli was a very good travelling baby. At the top, she got out and crawled around on the tundra and ate snacks.

Here I am with one of my inspirations, Brooke, who was my buddy on the ascent. Both of the twins are great little hikers. This was their 3rd time this summer I think.

Bailey, Heidi, McKenzie, and Brooke at the top. Heidi gets the Mountain Woman award for carrying McKenzie and at one point, she had one twin under each arm during a tough spot.

We were so thankful for good weather. This was Gretchen and I's first time on Baldy this summer.

We got quite a sense of accomplishment and were grateful that Heidi had invited us.

Elli (Mini-Me of Gretchen) turns One Year Old

These are a little out of order unfortunately. Here she has just devoured her cupcake.

Elli, unashamedly scarfed her cupcake down and loved every moment of it.

Here she is waiting patiently. Gretchen made these pretty cupcakes.

Blueberry Picking on Winner Creek Trail

Friends Kathleen, Fumiko, Bernie, and I went blueberry picking last weekend. We had fun traipsing through the woods picking from the high berry bushes.

We didn't get much, but you can see, we are very competitive. We all got between 2-3 cups a piece and had more fun than 2-3 cups.

The forest was so beautiful. It was wet, mossy, full of mushrooms and fauna.