I want to talk to Gore. It's more like, "Global Snowing".
Spring DID arrive, but winter decided to have one last hurrah. Last week, we made National News when it dumped 2 feet of snow in less than 24 hours in Anchorage, breaking a record for snowfall this late in April. I've never seen so many gloomy people in my life. And of course, most people had *just* changed over to their summer tires, too. Well, as you can imagine, if you know ANYTHING about my wonderful husband, he was ecstatic. If he had HIS way, it would never be summer- just winter and snow, year-round. Not me, man. I was among the gloomies on this one. But I will say this, it sure was beautiful. Here are some pics.
Oh.. and then we went to this huge sale at Alan & Petersen's Cooking Store, and got a pressure cooker. That thing sure is nifty! Charley grew up with pressure-cooked beans and home-made tortillas, so he got the recipe from his mom and taught me how to make them. Here he is rolling out the dough for the tortilla. He's a man of many talents, that Preston Boy.
You can see to the right the skillet he was frying them in..
And here he is about to throw a new one in the pan.
We had a pretty nice weekend. I went and took my final for my Nutrition class (for my Culinary Arts degree). I felt really good about it. I knew all but about 6 questions out of 105. It's amazing what 2 weeks of studying will do to one's ability to passing a test. who knew?! We also took a class Sat-Sun to get our concealed carry license so that we could pack a gun if so desired. It was actually a lot of fun (besides the getting up early part). We both passed and learned a ton. You don't need a permit in Alaska to carry a concealed firearm, but you do if you're going to carry outside of Alaska. Plus, we wanted to learn how to properly handle our guns, and learn how to shoot acurately. That, we did!
Hope you all are enjoying your Spring. I wish ours would hurry and come back.
Last night I decided to take some random pictures around the house because it's been a long time since I've taken ANY pics of ANYthing and posted about them. I thought I'd share. As you'll see, nothing especially exciting has been going on...
This is a sand pendulum that my husband built from the ruins of an old, torn down fish cannery out in Prince William Sound, Alaska. He brought all of these items back to Anchorage with him (by boat) last summer when we were exploring the Sound during our trip to visit family at Preston Cove, (Fish Camp). He even found the only white sand beach in Alaska and hauled a bunch of it back in sand bags for this contraption. It took a little while to grow on me, but now I really like it. And nearly everyone who comes to our house will stop and swing the pendulum and watch as it creates little cemetrical designs in the sand.
Here's some really great meatloaf that I made last night. (I told you they were random pictures)
Our snow is almost all gone, Spring is nearly here! Can't wait to start BBQing again.
And here's my handsome husband.. annoyed because I won't quit snapping pictures.
Oh, here he is again in our entry way- "seriously Jess, enough with the pictures". Is it just me, or does it look like he's about to chuck that milk in my direction?
Hey look! There's my new softball glove. I may have mentioned before that we joined a softball team. Since it's been staying light until nearly 11pm now, we've been trying to get out and throw the ball back and forth each night- at least for a little while. I have to say, my husband has quite the arm. And it's impressive because he's never played softball in his life! He's learning really quick though and I wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be one of the power-hitters on our team!
Charley's also gotten into photography lately. Ever since he got that fancy camera for his birthday, he's been studying and learning all about it and going out in the evenings to practice up on his new skills. He's actually getting really good! Soon I'll post some beautiful shots he's taken in the past few days of Alaska streams, sun sets, and, uh, railroads.
Today is my most excellent sister's birthday. She is truly the most awesome person I know- except for my husband - My Mr. Incredible. Anyways, she's 36 today. I've learned so much from Jen. Before I lived with her, back when she was single and I was just a little tiny kid living with our mom, she used to teach me all these fun, goofy games she'd invent. They were grand. I also remember when she'd try to teach me how to dance. We were going to be on Star Search together and so she taught me the chicken dance, or something like that. Looking back, I'm embarrassed for both of us. But at the time, it was quite swell. Then, she got married. Shortly after, our Mom died and I went to live with her and Geoff. Then she REALLY taught me a lot. She homeschooled me and helped me learn to play guitar. She taught me that Rush Limbaugh was NOT the president of the United States and that she was the queen of building the tallest ice cream cones for us kids from AM/PM (although she may have learned that from Geoff- which would make him the king). She also taught me to respect adults, love others no matter their appearance or differences, and most of all, love God. I think one of the very best things I've learned from Jen, which, I'm still learning today, is how to forgive and let God be the judge. She has become one of the most gracious, loving and patient people I've ever met. And being her little sister, I've been able to watch God produce these amazing qualities in her over the years as she continuously yielded her life and family to Him.
Jen is also one of the funniest people I know. She's got such a great sense of humor and always makes me turn into the blubbering, giggling 5 year old I used to be. Again, kind of embarrassing, but true.
There was a time (in recent years) when we'd almost lost one another completely because of... well, all sorts of silly reasons that I'm of course not even going to go into. But God intervened and helped us to realize that NO one is in a position to write off another because of their behavior. And NO one is too sinful or wrong to be forgiven and restored to another brother or sister-in-Christ. And now we are closer than ever. She's one of my very best friends and one of my most treasured blessings.
Guess what? Charley finally told me where we get to go for our anniversary trip next month! We get to go to my most splendid and wonderful sister's house in TN! I'm SO STOKED! They live way too far away.. after not seeing them after about 2 or 3 months, I start to go through serious Ig withdrawals. So you can probably imagine the agonizing pain I've endured since our last visit over 9 months ago. I still can not believe what a big cry baby I was when it was time to go home. I turned into a blubbering idiot and couldn't stop sobbing. Didn't know I had it in me. Anyways, that's going to be a jolly good time. I can't hardly wait for May 23rd! What fun!
Charley's birthday was on Friday. Unfortunately, I was gone to Arizona at a training for my Isagenix business. It was a long weekend- and even longer without Charley. I can't believe how much I missed him. It was like I was missing an arm... or a tooth, or, a finger. You get the picture. So he had some guy friends over who played nintendo and bbq'd steaks with him. And I called and wished him a happy birthday and told him to go get his present which I'd hid in the kitchen. It was just a birthday card with a bunch of money for this fancy schmancy camera he'd been wanting. He was pretty excited about that. I'd earned the money with my Isagenix business...and then his parents and brother contributed as well, which was helpful. I seriously have the best in-laws ever.
This weekend we are attending a conference by Family Life called "a Weekend to Remember". I'm really excited! We went last year and absolutely loved it! However, when you're engaged, they have a special session where they take the engaged guys and the engaged girls (separated) and do a different meeting with them, which caused us to miss some of the general session for married couples. So this year, we'll be able to stay together and participate in the entire event! yahoo for being married- it's worlds better than being engaged, or courting/dating, or that dreaded "crush" stage.. ew.
Oh! Guess what else? When I was down in Arizona, winter played the meanest of mean tricks on us and dumped a foot of snow all around Anchorage. And what's worse, it is STILL snowing, 3 days later! It looks like a blizzard out there! Yuk. This time last week it was all sunny and warm and almost all the snow had melted. People were getting out their Spring clothes, tents and sleeping bags- and then this. My husband, you can imagine if you know ANYthing about him, has been dancing around the house like a giddy little school boy. Well, I'm happy for him but feel sorry for myself.
I don't know if any of you have ever heard of James McDonald, but my life has been blessed by him and his radio ministry called, "Walk in the Word". You know, the one with the cheesy little jingle, "walk, walk in the Word, walk in the Word, walk, walk in the Word this is the waaaaaaaay".. Anywho, I receive their weekly email newsletter/devotion, and today's was really inspiring and, unfortunately, convicting. I thought I'd post it here just as a reminder.
Stand for Christ
So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:32-33
A hundred years from today there will be only one choice that will matter to you: Did I stand for Christ?
We’re not on a small subject here. Do you confess Jesus Christ as Your Lord and Savior?--Not just at church but everywhere you go? Is there a growing pattern of loyalty to Him? Does your love for Him resonate in your heart? Do you commit like me to putting Him first in everything?
Whatever else I get done in this world, God help me stand for Him. I will not lower the flag. I will not back up or shut up or hide the reality of my allegiance to Jesus Christ. I will not do that. I cannot do that. I choose to stand.
By standing, I mean a state of mind from which we are free from doubt. Allegiance. Assurance. Certainty. Certitude. Commitment. Confidence. Decisiveness. Fidelity. Firmness. Fortitude. Grit loyalty. Persistence. Steadfast resolve. Tenacity. Trust.
The opposite of standing would be things like: Backing down. Doubting. Faltering. Hesitating. Indecision. Skepticism. Suspicion. Unbelief. Uncertainty. Vacillating. Wavering.
The people who know you best should be absolutely certain that you love Jesus Christ as your highest priority. Something is desperately wrong if they don’t know that. Do you need to go to work this week and say, “Hey, there’s something I’ve never told you about myself before. Let me tell you what matters most to me.”
Are you standing for Christ? I commend to you the courage to examine this area of your life. Wherever life takes you, whatever happens to you, whatever you face or deal with that you couldn’t possibly know of right now, may your deepest passion and commitment be the reality that you stand for Jesus. Every chance I get, every place I go, this is what my life is going to be about.
That’s a powerful commitment. God can do awesome things with a person who is totally yielded to Him. There will be a day (unless the Lord returns first) when you will have a tombstone. Written on it will be the summary of your life. It would be amazing if it said, This person confessed Jesus Christ. He had a growing loyalty and an allegiance to Jesus. Or she grew to love Jesus more and more. Or He stood for God. What would be more important to your eternity than this?
You know, I see mom's stand up for their kids, wives (including myself) ready to take off someone's head if they try to talk smack about their husband, grown children stand up for their parents ("Don't YOU talk about my mamma that way), and women (and sometimes men) so engrossed in their multi-level marketing schemes... uh, er, I mean, businesses that it's ALL THEY EVER "stand up" about. But how often to we overhear someone try to share Christ with someone else in public, or ask someone who is taking the Lord's name in vain not to do that because it hurts your heart just as much as it hurts His. Not enough. What about when you're talking to an unbeliever who accuses a brother or sister-in-Christ of being "over the top" religiously. Do you defend that person? God HELP me to be one who is "not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ". If I'm going to stand up for ANYthing, that's what I want it to be.
I had kind of a neat weekend. My husband encouraged me to sign up for this retreat which the state puts on annually for women to learn the skills it takes to live and survive (as well as play) in Alaska. They have dozens of workshops for you to choose from including classes like Map & Compass, Winter Survival, Dog Mushing, Snowmachining, Field Dressing, Ice Fishing, Pond to Pan (where you learn how to gut and fillet a halibut, salmon, and pike), Firearm Safety, Bear Safety & Defense, Cross country skiing, Dutch oven Cooking, etc, etc. We could choose four classes to attend and I picked Pond to Pan, Winter Survival, Map & Compass, and Outdoors 101. The Pond to Pan Class was by far my favorite. That's something you really need to know how to do if you live in Alaska. PLUS, they taught you how to vacuum seal it and we got to take a bunch of it home with us! I ended up with 2 Silver Salmon and 1 Halibut! Charley was excited!
Speaking of Charley, this was the first time he and I had been apart overnight since we got married (GASP). I couldn't BELIEVE how much I missed him! His brother is here visiting, so he had someone to keep him company while I was gone at least, haha. A friend of mine from church, Crystal, came with me. It was nice having someone there I knew, especially since it wasn't a "Christian" retreat.
I'll tell you what though, we had some RUDE people in our cabin. I love sleeping in on the weekends, and as it was, we had to be up and at the lodge for breakfast by 7:30. Somehow, I ended up in the cabin with all the loud-mouth early risers. One lady in particular was driving me CRAZY. She'd get up at the ungodly hour of 5:30 and rummage around as loud as she could (KNOWING it was bothering us), until the rest of us finally had no choice but to get up too. UG. Talk about testing my faith. But I won't go into all that. In the end, it was a very useful and fun event, but I was so glad to get home to my amazingly wonderful husband (who doesn't snore like a freight train, shine flashlights in my eye in the middle of night on "accident", turn the heat down to 50 in the evening so i wake up a shivering icicle at 3am, or gets up at 5 to go through paper bags and pack up all his stuff for 45 minutes).
Here are a few pics from the weekend.
The Fish. Up top is a pike, below that is a Silver Salmon, and below him is a halibut
There's definitely noth'n CLEAN about this job Here's Crystal and me (and yes, grammatically, that IS correct. I can't stand it when people say, "oh yah, here's so and so and I". Drives me nuts).
Here's where we were, up in Chickaloon, Alaska.
And some antlers of a moose that was "field dressed"...
And finally, Chrystal and ME again in front of the cabins where we stayed.
Pretty, huh? MAN was it ever cold The end
It's trying to be Spring here, but it's confused. Our Spring won't start for another 2 months.. at least. That's okay though, I'll take this rain over cloudy and boring "nothing whether" any day. I actually really like the rain. I like the snow more, but we hardly ever see rain. When I lived in California with my sister and her family, I remember how much we valued rainy days.. It was so rare that it did *anything* other than be sunny and hot. So no, I'm not complaining.
Anyways, not much else going on around here. I just thought I'd update our blog since Ryann's birthday is long gone.
Today is my niece Ryann's birthday. I remember Ryann growing up pretty well. I had gone to live with the Igarashi's after mom died when I was 11, and Ry was 1 or 2. I remember her as just a tiny baby. She looked like a wild, red headed Indian.. and quite frankly, acted like it too. Her cousin Levi is the same age as her (like, exactly), but between ages 1 1/2 and I want to say, 3, we couldn't ever put them in the same area to play because she'd literally beat him up. I still don't know how she did it. He was a chunk and had he only sat on her, she'd have had to surrender, but I think her wild red hair, long skinny arms and legs intimidated him.. poor guy. (I'm actually going somewhere with this). As she got older, and her personality became a bit more.. uh.. humane, she began to develop into an amazing, loving, funny, godly and *really* beautiful young woman. It's bowled me over watching this little girl blossom into such a lady! I was only with them for a few years, but I could always sort of relate with her. Looking back, I see a lot of myself in her.. only, not the bad parts. She is SO quick to laugh her head off at any dumb joke I crack. And it's a really contagious laugh- so then I start laughing like a hyena and we both sound like morons laughing at nothing- that's the best. She calls me nearly every day to ask me what I'm making for dinner. If she doesn't call, I start to worry. She has such a heart for the Lord- and her family. She longs to be like Christ, and is the friend I WISH I could be. She has her mom's great sense of humor, and frequently catches me off guard with her quick, dry but hilarious wit. She's the only one of my 11 nieces and nephews who has consistently called me by my "desired" name of "Jess" instead of Jessi.. (but now it's just kinda cute when the other kids call me Jessi so I don't care). The funny thing is that she always said, "Juss".. with a "u" sound, instead of an e. I don't know, just one of those things that make me smile now. I really could go on and on about the phenomenal person she's turning into- and I wish I lived closer to her because I miss her- and her whole family. She's just one of the most special people in my life, and I love her dearly! So, Happy Birthday Ryann!! You're a wonderful, precious girl.. and friend!
Anyways, we are gaining light again, and fast. I love it- and am quite ready for it! At the risk of sounding too much like Anne of Green Gables, the past week or so has been pure bliss! Charley and I have been enjoying the longer days, and the slowly but surely warming whether. It's funny because I've had countless people tell me that if they lived in Alaska, they just "couldn't deal with the darkness in the winter", but you know what? After our summer-"sun fest", we almost look FORWARD to the opposite that comes with winter. We love playing games- Skip-Bo in particular is one of our favorites. In the winter, it's so fun to curl up with blankets, pillows, hot cocoa, turn on the fire (we have one of those "flip-the-switch" fire places- aka electric), and play games and talk. And in the summer time, we just stay up and out later. It seems like there's ALWAYS something going on.. big bon fires down by the river with friends, camping excursions, berry picking, road trips, fish camp, etc. The longer I'm here, the more I love this place. I feel so blessed. I married the most wonderful man, who provided us with the most beautiful little house, in the most gorgeous and adventurous state in the U.S.! How did I luck out so much!??
******edit******** Thank you to my dear husband for pointing out the fact (in THREE COMMENTS) that we do NOT have an electric fireplace, but rather a GAS fireplace.
In other news, we are quickly approaching our one year anniversary. Wow has the time flown by. My Mr. Preston has a knack at being romantic and planning *incredible* get-aways, so after not having a clue when he asked me where I wanted to go for our anniversary (and knowing 1/2 the fun is in the surprise), I just told him that he can decide and I'll find out when I find out... and I'll be excited no matter what- as long as we're together. So I guess we'll see. He knows that I want to see my sister more than anything in the world, but he ALSO knows that spending our anniversary with her, Geoff and 6 kids might not be the most romantic thing on earth, either. But man oh man do I miss them!
Well, time to get out of the office here, so I'll sign off for now..
In my efforts to convince my wonderful niece that Alaska IS truly the best place on Earth, I've dedicated this entry for her...
Spring showers!
Lush, summer beauty
July Fishcamp at Preston Cove
Fall berry picking..
And big veggies.. yes.. that does say 19 lbs
And big fish (your brothers should appreciate this)
And WINTER!!!
northern lights.. (I saw some like this a few weeks ago- AMAZING)
and of course, snow.. lots of it... picture perfect
My sister told me that I needed to blog again because she was bored of the last one. Unfortunately, this one shall inevitably be much more boring-uh-er as I have nothing interesting to talk about. Nonetheless, I shall share about the few things going on in our happy little lives up here in 'ol Anchortown. First of all, I'm a politcal nut, so I've been carefully following the primaries... with dismay. At least it's interesting. Anyone ready to head to the hills with me? That's all I have to say about that.
Second of all, it's been cold up here. I mean, COLD. I'm looking forward to Saturday when it's supposed to get up to 20. (depressing, huh?) I like how God uses my wonderful Alaska man to teach me lessons. I'm a whiner. When I'm hungry, I whine. When I'm tired, I whine. When I've got to use the bathroom and am forced to wait more than 5 minutes, I whine (which happens frequently seeing as I have a blatter the size of a pea). And, when I'm cold, I *really* whine. I think the Lord's been teaching me to stop whining so much. For instance: Over the past few weeks, during these ungodly, sub-zero temperatures, whenever we go outside, my husband gets all giddy and exclaims, "I just LOVE this weather! Isn't it glorious?? Isn't it wonderful? Isn't it just refreshing!??". Well, a few days ago, we had to run some errands and as soon as we stepped foot out the door, he starting going again. This time i wanted to "refresh" HIM. But God kinda just spoke to my heart, making me aware of how sweet, pleasant and joyful my husband was CHOOSING to be. Now I don't know if he *really* likes these minus 2,045 temperatures or not (though he swears up and down that he really does when I question him on his sincerity), but what I DO know is that I want to be the kind of wife who can choose to be pleasant and joyful even when my surrounding circumstances would have me be the opposite. So, starting next Saturday, I'm going to begin saying nice things about this state rather than mumbling and grumbling about the weather under my breath. And I'm just kidding about starting Saturday. I will, with God's help, start today! :)
Thirdly, my home-based business has taken flight! The cool thing is that I only "worked it" for about a month and a half. Now I just follow-up with product users to make sure everyone is happy. It's already just about replaced my income from my actual "job" that I put almost 30 hours a week into! Plus, the products are phenomenal and I'm healthier than I've ever been before! So that's good news. But I do give the glory to God as I commit it (and the people involved on my "team") to Him each day in prayer. The purpose of me even doing this is to build it up so that when I have kiddos and become a stay-at-home-mommy (which Charley and I found a name for last night.. a "wommy" - get it? "wife and mommy"?) I'll already have a home-based business with residual income established and rocking so that I can be the Proverbs 31 woman who is able to contribute to her family financially without having to leave my home! How's that for a run-on sentence?
Finally, we are wrapping up some of the long, drawn-out projects on our already-new house. That's been, uh, fun. Charley informed me the other day that I don't like to paint. I was a little perturbed and indignant. "Why, that's not true! How dare you tell me I don't like to paint. I love to paint! Are you suggesting I'm lazy?" (typical "un-led-by-the-Spirit-in-that-particular-moment response). He asked, "Then why has our entryway wall gone without it's third coat of paint since July? And why do you go for the popcorn and a movie whenever I suggest you finish it?". He was right. And at my silent and humbled, rude awakening to this sad fact, continued: "You, my dear, do NOT like to paint. Rather, you like the outcome! You like ME to paint. But I can't paint because I've got to work on the trim!" (which has also been waiting anxiously to be completed since July). So to review. I like the end results, but I do not like the work. And, though I did not say this to him, I also came to the revelation that HE does not like to do trim! The conclusion? Next time, leave it alone or call a professional. HE can do the work while we sit on the couch eating popcorn and watching movies.
We are Charley and Jessica Preston! We were married in May of 2007, and love our home in this gorgeous state that Alaskans like to call "The Last Frontier!". We love the Lord God first and foremost, and then strive to love each other the way Christ called us to in His Word. We love the great outdoors! Berry picking, snowmobiling, fishing, camping, snowboarding/skiing, and running away to little cozy cabins in the dead of winter are just a FEW of the things we love to do here. Being in Alaska, we are blessed to have every part of God's beauty just out our back door- from "amazon-jungle-like forests, to gorgeous lakes and rivers... the ocean is at one end of the Anchorage bowl, and towering mountains at the other! We've got it all!!! :)
The end
