A Christmas to Remember!

Some of you probably heard that we went Christmas in the woods. It was definitely an un-tradional Christmas, but one we will always remember. We went with our good friends the Keller’s to the Upper Ohmer Lake cabin that we reserved ahead of time for the 24th-26th.
Christmas Eve was really crazy! We kept the store open until about 5, and then once we were closed we rushed to gather up the gear, the food, the fire wood and all the gifts to be on our way. Brian was thinking ahead when he decided to leave ahead of Parker and me to get a fire going in the cabin for us. The only problem was that it was pitch black, snowy, icy and cold and I had no idea how to get to the place! I realized this about half way there. Thank goodness for cell phones. I called Brian and made him pull over and wait for us. Once we got to the dirt road Brian sped away to get there a little faster and luckily got there a little bit before us!

I’m not sure how many trips back and forth the guys had to make but they piled all the stuff on sleds and pulled it into the place for us. They are so good to not make us carry anything! In fact Travis hooked two sleds together and pulled Nettie and her boys in one sled and Parker and me in the other sled…plus some gear! It was a fun ride!

We threw some hobo dinners on the stove once we got there, and shortly after that we realized I forgot the eggs for the omelets Christmas morning. So Brian and Travis drove back to town to get those while Nettie and I stayed behind with the wild boys and tried to get them warm and fed…and in bed! Some Christmas eve this had turned out to be! We didn’t even have a tree! The worst part of that evening was that I had to pee and I didn’t know where in the trees the outhouse was. I knew it was at least 5 below 0 out there and I wasn’t about to squat and have the pee freeze to my legs! I may have gone to look for the outhouse had the guys left us a flashlight (or told us there was one in the backpack!). When Brian did finally walk me out to the outhouse that was about 200 yards away, we shined the light inside and the place just sparkled! No, not because it was clean, because it was covered in ice crystals! I have a hard enough time with the bathroom situation with out adding the fact that I’m 7 months pregnant! All I can say is that I survived.

I’m not really that great at estimating measurements but I will tell you that cabin was too small!!! There was a table, a small counter, a wood stove and 2 bunks….and a small area in the center that the children and the toys took over! Nettie and Travis have 3 little boys and we have Parker (who counts as 2 most the time) so you can imagine the sleeping situation! Actually the only really hard part was getting all of the boys to go to sleep, once that happened Brian and I got enough sleep to feel refreshed. Travis would probably tell you a different story, but thanks buddy for keeping the wood stove burning!

The next morning Brian drilled a hole in the lake and got some water to boil so we could make breakfast. I don’t know whose idea this was since we hauled at least 6 gallons of clean water that was room temp in the cabin. I swear it took that water at least 2 hours to boil. We had omelets and bacon and finally got to eat around noon. That’s another thing…don’t mess with a pregnant ladies meal schedule!

While we were waiting for the food, Nettie and the boys made ornaments for the tree. I’m glad she was motivated enough to bring along the glitter, glue and paper to be festive with! She also has way more patience than I ever will….who lets a 1 year old help decorate paper with glitter and glue??? Nettie you rock! I have to also say that Brian and Travis came up with some pretty creative ornaments made from popcorn and wipes. Thanks guys, it almost felt like a real Christmas.

Next all the boys got dressed up way warm to go cut down a tree. I’m guessing it was around 1 or 2 and I think we were all getting a little worried that Santa hadn’t made it by now. But we had a pretty good feeling that he would come if we got the tree ready! We hung it from a string above the kitchen table and went out to play for a bit. When Brian was sick of pulling Parker and me around in the sled we went back in and got warm and put the decorations up. Then Nettie, Brian and the boys went out to play again and you’ll never guess who came while they were gone…

We had a great time with all the fun gifts and you could tell the kids were having a really good time! We all got some awesome things. Even my unborn child got something…Thanks Haws family, we loved the little outfit…so cute! Parker got so many fun new toys, Elmo Live, Blocks, a horse farm thing, a fishing pole, Bathketball from his cousin Keller, and a flashlight! Brian got some new x-country skis, and a Cabella’s hunting game for the Wii. I got a new pair of crocs, and a kitchen aid attachment that does slicing and shredding! (also got a Wii, but we started using it early as part of my birthday!) And the best gift ever…A trip to anchorage with 24 hours free babysitting from the Keller’s!

I grabbed a sandwich and Brian and I headed back out to the road to call our parents. We left Parker behind and Nettie and Travis cooked dinner while we were gone! It was great. They told us that the whole time we were gone Parker stood in his portable crib with his new fishing pole and swung it around. He had a great time! I think he’s a fan of the whole Christmas thing now!

Dinner that night was more traditional: Ham, potatoes, rolls, salad and sparkling cider. Yum! Then Nettie had a fun scavenger hunt for the boys that ended up being a nativity set we unwrapped and discussed the importance of each piece! Thanks again Nettie for the entertainment!

After the whole bed time mess was over with we got some sleep, and the next morning cleaned up and went home! It had snowed the night before and things outside were beautiful. Brian had a great time with his new skis!

I really wanted to name this post “There’s no place like home for the holidays” I just didn’t want to sound like a scrooge….but seriously no matter how many songs we sang, the one song that played over and over in my head was that one! It almost felt like a movie! I really did have a good time…I was just moody I guess. I get homesick and stressed out during the holidays and so I hope I didn’t ruin any of the fun. I will however admit I would do it all over again!

Our new baby…

Ok, so we are still waiting on the little boy that is coming in March sometimes, but in the meantime we have another “new baby”. After a couple years of pressuring and nagging Brian to figure out what he wanted to do with his life he finally figured it out about 6 months ago! It took a lot of work (on Brian and his dad’s part) but on December 10, 2008 we became the official owners of Wilderness Way Outfitters, INC.

So you’re all probably wondering what the crap that means…so let me tell you a little bit about it! Wilderness Way is the store that Brian has been working at for the past 3 years since we have been in Alaska. His boss was ready to retire, and so Brian approached him about selling the place to us. The store carries mostly high end outdoor equipment, Brian’s specialty! You can find things like coats, long underwear, cross-country skis, backpacks, water bottles, sunglasses, hiking boots, freeze dried food, water filters, travel guitars, fly fishing gear….and the list could go on. Some of the clothing lines include Mountain Hardware, The North Face, and Patagonia.

If Brian we reading this right now he would probably laugh at my lack of knowledge of the place! It is quite obvious that he is the expert on this whole line of business, but I am slowly learning. I guess my main job will be the bookkeeping and all the fun paperwork that I can do from home.

Brian had me come in last Saturday to try and learn the computer system and get a feel for helping customers, since I will be working there the week of Christmas while we are hopefully (fingers crossed) super busy. Of course wherever I go….there Parker is also. Not for long though. Parker was fired from his second job (first one was Radio Shack when he pooped on me) on Saturday….his first day at the place. He was a holy terror! I can’t figure out if it was because he was sick or because that’s just his stage now, but he was screaming and running around and wrecking the office. There was no place for him to go…so Brian sent us home. Although I didn’t describe all the details of the event, trust me when I say it was quite the experience.

I had the hardest time keeping all this excitement to myself this whole time, but we signed confidentiality documents that didn't let us disclose that any of this was even happening. Sorry....I would have shared sooner if I could have!

A couple really super cool things about the whole deal….first I get to advertise with a whole bunch of new clothes….and the other is that the Outdoor Retailer Show is held every January and August in Salt Lake City. We have to go to meet with all the vendors to do the pre-season ordering so we will get to go visit twice a year for sure and write the whole thing off as a business expense! Sweet! Brian will be coming down this January by himself though…I’ll be 8 months pregnant and we won’t have anyone here to try run the store, so I’ll have to catch it in August.

We have lots of big plans and dreams for the future of our “new baby”, and as time passes I will try and keep you updated with all the fun new changes. In the mean time if you call our house and we answer, “Wilderness Way” it’s because we call forward the phones after hours to our home office.

Oh yeah...It doesn't look like this in Alaska right now...obviously everything is a white and frozen. Hopefully we'll be able to get a picture of us with the store sometime soon! But I wanted you to get an idea of the place!