AKk! I'm getting married!

The day started out simple enough..

A hike up the butte,

with beautiful views the whole way up :)

Here is my handsome man!!

(he was happy as can be the whole time up.. no wonder!)

After myself huffing and puffing and truely believing the top was getting farther and farther away..

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We got there and saw this..

so worth the hike!!

so I began taking a bunch of pictures and enjoying the view..

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Here he is just before asking.. ;)

(unbeknownst to me.. the whole thing was a complete suprise!)

Here we are!! JUST engaged :D

He scooted right next to me, pulled out the box,

and asked if I would marry him..

I said YES of course!

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And here is my ring..

It has a round diamond, two little diamonds and two sapphires on either side..

and unique to ak, it has little gold nuggets on it :)

(that way we will always have a piece of ak, Luke said..xo)

I love how unique and different it is!

(now I wish it didn't need to get re-sized.. don't want to part with it!)

Here we are, getting to the bottom of the butte as fast as possible..

to share the news :)

slid down most of the way.. haha

we went to share the news with Luke's cousins,

so fun and exciting to share this day with them..

and just wish we could see our friends and family at this time!!

(sorry we are sideways.. :S)

Our big day is June 30th.. we are so excited to start planning this new chapter of our lives!!

:D!

Lemme tellya. I just adore craigslist.

It is like garage sailing without the use of gasoline.

And seeing as I really don't own a car that is very beneficial.

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Anyway, scored two of the purply/maroon chairs for six bucks!

I have been looking for mid-century modern barrel-like chairs to re-upholster

and then put them in Luke's cabin..

These are not exactly what I had in mind, but I do like the simple shape,

the smallish size, and the fact that they 'float' off the ground will help in keeping the

living space from looking too crowded..

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I decided that since the cabin has a very yellowy undertone to the wood,

Will upholster them in gray with a plaid material for the seat cushion :)

Like this:

Love the dimension of heathered gray :)

will throw on some nailhead trim somewhere because I am a sucker for that trend.

And how cozy would an ikea sheep rug be thrown over one?

Excited for this project.. :) will have to post the 'after' once they get finished.

sometime this year. 

field trip!

Once upon a time Luke brought me on a field trip to his work.

Much to the excitement of everyone.

Well, at least to me.

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You see, typically listening to how his days go

and how this machine does this and that,

and when you factor in the x and the z to the y 

in order to drill the proper radius according to the proportions

 on the glarbarfafblagar and comparing it to the flangafluungit

because obviously that metal chunk is better than the other metal chunk

and the superturbo3000 machine does... *beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!*

.....

that was my brain shutting down.

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So, he brought me to see it all.

Now I can visualize what he talks about, and the *plan* was that I would be able to understand him.

But my brain is small. Ah well.

...

It was still fun to see him in front of the actual superhurboturbo3000.

and he turned that chunk into that neat thing!

And metal blocks into those!

All in this room full of intimidatingly large machinery.

I was fascinated. And proud of him. And awed.

And now I believe I may be dating the world's smartest man.

(Maybe that was his plan all along...?)

hahaha, but it was very fun to see it all! an interesting date :)

a take on Valentine's day.. :)

Luke and I didn't get a chance to see each other on the 14th,

but did on the 15th and we will celebrate "Valentines' day" on saturday.. :)

I know there are so many people who feel as though it is a silly holiday, but I love it.

We already know how much we mean to each other, but a day dedicated to just that?

perfect. :)

Cheesy or not, I am really looking forward to saturday and spending a day with my Valentine..

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Walk through the "front yard"..

One fine evening Luke came down to visit, and we went for a walk through Kincaid state park. :)

If you keep walking straight out of the driveway, across the road, and onto the trail,

you end up smack dab in the park.

And it is WONderfully wonderful.

Lovely fall color.. wish I showed up better, it was so golden looking...

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It takes about ten mins or so to get to the dunes part of the park.

Upon arrival, you will see the final resting place of "the goat".

Only those who really knew what "the goat" was will be able to appreciate this photo.

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Luke was all fired up and went charging on ahead to get to the top..

(or we were in a race and I *may* have been losing.)

:)

Such a lovely evening deserves a good flip.

Can you believe this beautiful ocean vista is just a small stroll out the front door??

Who wouldn't want to live here?!? :)

Looking out over south Anchorage, you can see quite a distance into the Turnagain arm,

the same place one can watch whales of all sorts. :)

Those headlights along the near side of the mt are

about 25-30 miles down the shoreline, it feels magestic to see that far while standing

so high above the ocean..(about 200 ft above to be precise). 

Can't wait to have some visitors here!! :)

Decorating. :) cheaply.

So many people think that they need to spend in order to have a nice, beautiful space.

And by no means am I saying that I think my space is "beautiful",

but it is definitly an improvement from when I first arrived!

.....

For example, just re-evaluate your furniture arrangement.

Notice how small and cramped my apt looks?

...

:window looks hopelessly small and wierdly off-center

:bookshelf is tucked away in the corner, behind the topply lamp.

and who knows what that picture is of? The only way to see it is to

stand on the far side of the table, or right in front of it.

:table is no-where near the kitchen

:coming down the stairs (they are along the wall

behind the bin of trains, to my back from where I took pic),

on way down stairs you can see a long narrow path right between

the table and blank wall to the baseboards. Makes room appear short.

not to mention the first thing one sees as coming downstairs is a train bin.

: couch is along the wall facing the bedroom door.

who wouldn't want to enjoy a cup of tea, facing no one else for company

and gazing into the usually messy-ish bedroom?

...

there are many tiny details that I did not appreciate in the original layout,

but carrying on.

:Oh, one more thing- the only perfectly useful chair

that could be used in a cute nook is by the fridge. and not at all facing the other seating.

so that lucky person could sip tea while enjoying the hum of the fridge. Such loveliness! haha

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Okay here is the new layout:

...

Fixed:

-the topply lamp is in no more danger of toppling. Properly placed in a corner.

-The nook chair now has a 'nook'. Facing the couch for company and

with good lighting to read books from the bookshelf, and a place to put that cup of tea.

-The couch is now facing the other chair for proper visiting, and also it stops your eye

as you come downstairs. So it acts as a 'half-wall' visually.

(See how there is a 'floor line' along the far side of the table that continues

along the near side of the couch?

It subconciously makes it two separate spaces. Dining and living, making room appear larger.)

-with the picture and bookshelf lined up beneath the window, it appears more in center of the wall.

and the couch taking up more of the floor space on the long side helps as well.

visual trickery! :)

window also looks less small b/c it is part of a larger structure now, instead of being alone.

-table: near kitchen!! :)

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The room could be left just rearranged, and would be a completely free 10 minute makeover.

 But I was bored and feeling the need to get crafty.

...

Being on a limited income- I made a budget of $30 to re-do the bookshelf area.

It is not what I would 'dream' of but it was fun to re-think items

and use as many freebies as possible :)

Curtains: burlap (they need an extra length still, so will hit the heat register once finished): 10$

...

Frame: micheals "oops" bin 5$.. Wire mesh hand-done: 2$

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Flowers: dollar tree 1$ ..Vase: oatmeal box covered in contact paper 1$ for roll

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Rosette Pillow: upcycled free sweater from free bin at a ski swap.

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Curtains: handpainted napkins 1$ each. Blue craft paint: .80

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Picture frames: 1$ for all from dollar tree

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Gold mercury glass candle holders: clearance from holiday items 2$ for all three.

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Books: from free bin at library-just picked nice looking colors :)

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There are two little wooden blocks that were free from nanny guys' burn pile, painted with nanny family's white craft paint and then decorated with paint chips.

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Free picture book-gift from mom :)

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Chalkboard in wire frame: 2$ for flat paint board. 7$ for chalk paint.

1$ for chalk.

...

Total: 35$ :) five over, but for a completed temporary bookshelf, was worth it!

Expedition to Homer.. finally posted!!

Luke, his good buddy Zach, and myself all drove down to Homer

one fine weekend in Sept to join in on a camping trip

with mostly everyone else who is up here.

Was so fun to get to know everyone a bit more, and to enjoy a new place! 

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The drive down was a rainy-ish one.

But with rain, comes rainbows :)

We saw a double rainbow almost immedietly.. so pretty!

This is along the Turnagain Arm, we saw belugas swimming in here,

they were so white, they looked like they were glowing!

We arrived in Homer that evening, and it was just beautiful..

Very clear skies, and perfect temp for a bonfire..

We also witnessed a very brilliant light show..!

Was so pretty, it appeared to stretch from one end of the spit to the other

(hey, sister K- this is the lights that I picked your necklace colors from :) ..)

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During the day on Saturday, we all wandered to the Wooden boat show,

It was such a neat little fair, with a handful of very picturesque boats

and a small food booth with a small kids' activity tent,

felt very accurate according to the size of the town! :)

At the fair, we ran into the roiko family that was visiting here,

very fun to see some familiar faces!

Loved this boat, floating in the water..

Made me wish I were a salty old sailor.

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This was, according to all who voted, the best sail in the entire show.

Oh for crying out loud, look how cute the little whale is.

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This was an old steam engine I believe.

I only half paid any attention to the actual information and instead just admired the looks of it.

And the shiny-ness of it.

And the interior paint colors.

Ahhh, to have a reddish-orangeish floor somewhere in a house..

and that's why I have no clue what type of engine it is.

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Oh hello there campsite!

Can you see that white building??

The fair was behind it sort of, so was a perfect little stroll away.

We camped right next to this line of shops, was just the darlingest coastal town I have ever seen.

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Wandering down to the harbor, we saw this huge halibut.

Quite artificial, but we did see a guy who caught one almost the same size.

The fillets they were getting off of it were about three feet long and about 8 inches thick.. was insane.

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As you can read, the harbor:

The harbor is just unbelievable..

The boats and their incredible uniqueness,

the reflections, the scenery, the colors, the feel of the salty air, aaahhh...

This is why people get into boating.

Right here.

Well now, ain't he cute.

Just a little tugboat.

With round windows!!

It really is a toss-up between the whale sail and this boat for the favorite trophy.

And this dude.

odds are good for him winning the trophy.

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Teensy jellyfish.

Can you see it??

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A historical landmark, built in 1897 and turned saloon 1957, before AK was even a state!

Originally a cabin- one of the earliest cabins built in AK.

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The tides here are world record tides.. usually about 40-60 feet of change..

Thus the buildings are all built on posts. :)

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Can you see the spit?

Taken through binoculars;

There is one long two lane road and it ends with a bunch of those shops and the harbor.

Towards the front, you can see a dark blob next to a lighter blob on its left?

We camped right next to the lighter blob!

Ohforgoodnesssake. The things we seen.

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Enjoying the tidal pools :)

a Jellyfish waiting for the water to come back up..

Didn't know they were clear like this!! Almost did not see them laying on the sand at all

We picked up the jelly and put it in water to watch it swim away..

It inverts itself then slowly unwinds its tentacles to swim :)

The sand looks like ribbons when the tide goes out..

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Oh I think I will keep him.

No complaints about holding my seashell cup and coffee cup

so that I could take pictures.. :)

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Looking back on the row of shops, crazy the water can reach all the way up those posts!

More ribbony sand.

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The second night was also beautiful..

Loved the relfections!

This here is a whale's tooth.

So my family can see what I was talking about.

So there you have it. Homer.. Such a long post, but hope you enjoyed! :)