Happy New Year!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Even Sasha says hello and Happy New Year!!

Ok... so we are a few days late a lots of dollars short, but still the sentiment is the same. We wish all of you a very prosperous 2009!

We have experienced many twists and turns on this roller coaster of life this year. Through all of the ups and downs, I think we managed to keep our hands in the air and our eyes open wide as we took in the thrill of the ride! We are looking forward to another year with an even more exhilarating ride in store.


Here are some of the happenings in our lives this past year:

Brian:





Brian made a major life-changing decision this year in submitting his retirement letter. As of September 1, 2009, after almost 21 years of Coast Guard life, he will be OSC Retired! We are really looking forward to the new adventures that await us in civilian life. With all of his acquired leave time, he will actually be off work starting the middle of May. He has many promising job prospects with many applications submitted in various positions. We are confident that the Lord will provide for us as we embark on this next journey.





Rosanna:


I am doing really well, and staying very busy. I am still taking college courses, as well as homeschooling the kids. I also manage to find time to sew and quilt. Now if I can just find the time to start cleaning/packing/de-junking the house!! I was released from my calling in Relief Society, which has been very helpful since we have made so many trips back and forth from here to Palmer getting ready for the big move.

Kasi:

Kasi is continuing to amaze us all with her variety of talents and wonderful charm. We tease her that we never know what color her hair will be from one day to the next, but no matter what color it is, it always looks incredible on her! She is a very beautiful young lady! She has been busy lately working (she is a courtesy clerk at the local grocery store) and planning her "Sweet 16 party". She has chosen to hold a Pirate-themed murder mystery party. We found a great party at www.nightofmystery.com that we are all really looking forward to. I really appreciate that they have a "clean and teen" section. Will let you know how it goes! We are going to be taking lots of pictures, and hopefully a video.

The many hair colors of Kasi: (the most recent is the picture above)


This was before she had it cut.... and the pink is a wig! Thanks Grandma!!



I told you she looks cute no matter the color! I really like the cool Halloween contacts too....

Kenny:

Kenny is still the handsome, intelligent young gentleman that we all love. Although after seeing him with the tag still on the sunglasses, which he is wearing at night, I might start being concerned about him! He is finally starting to gain some height and has almost outgrown Kasi now. He is doing really well in Boy Scouts, as well as in his schoolwork, and is becoming quite an accomplished chef! (He's taking a cooking class this year) He turned 14 in October, and is looking forward to taking the test and getting his driving permit. Imagine....2 teenaged drivers in the house! AAAAGGGHHHH!!! SCARY!! I do think he's going to be quite a good driver though, since he is so conscientious. No strange hair colors for Kenny yet! No piercings or tattoos either... thankfully!



Chip:


Chip is becoming quite the young man too. He is 5 now, and never lets us forget it. He is learning (has learned) the alphabet and the numbers. He can read some short words and is working toward learning to read. He is quite the little computer whiz kid too. Brian still says he has too much personality! He is quite a charmer, and can spin some pretty good whoppers in his storytelling too!


Katrina: The hurricane continues!


Katrina is still little and petite, although she has had a couple of growth spurts recently. However, her size doesn't stop her from keeping up with everybody else. Her nursery teacher told me that she holds her own quite well! She turned 3 last May, so is now officially in Primary and doesn't go to nursery anymore. She keeps telling me that she should be in Chip's class! She hates being left out of anything he is doing, or for that matter anything that the older kids are doing! She cried and cried at the State Fair because she couldn't go on the "Big people" rides! She is also quite a little computer hacker....I had to password protect my laptop again since she keeps deleting files! She's also really good at dismantling the keyboard.... now where does that U go again??

This picture was taken this last summer and is one of my favorites of Katrina:



Some highlights of our year:

1) Having Frank, Sheri, and the boys come visit! We really miss you all, and were glad for the chance to get together!




What a crew!! The family resemblance (and profiles!!) are remarkable!


2) We laid the pad for the foundation of the house!! We are building onto Mom and Dad's house. We will end up with 6 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms!

First we had to clear trees.... Brian did a great job with the chainsaw and he has the scar on his leg to prove it! ;) Good thing we have a good First Aid kit!!



Then we had to move the trees to a pile out of the way. Even Chip and Katrina helped...see their branches? They were really proud of them! The older kids commandeered some of the pink surveyors tape and wrapped it around their heads! Goofballs!!




Next came the really fun part.... driving the excavator to dig the hole....


I'm not sure who had the most fun...the little ones or Daddy!! Notice the bandage on Daddy's knee...see previously mentioned chainsaw incident! LOL

And here is the hole...mostly staked out.




We actually got the gravel hauled in, rented a dozer and leveled it as well, but I was at Time Out for Women while Dad and Brian did the gravel work, so didn't get pictures.... I could swear I have one somewhere of the finished pad, but haven't located it yet.... Alas!

Well, that's it for now. We do wish each of you the best. If I were more organized, like many of you, I would update my blog more frequently like you do..... but, if wishes were fishes....
- posted by Rosanna @ 12:34 PM 1 comments

Still Livin' Yes, we all still have our feet on the right side of the grass, and we didn't really drop off the face of the earth! We are all still here, which I guess means we are not all there!

Brian is still stationed here in Valdez. We asked for another 4 year tour, but were given a 1 year extension which puts us here until 2009. After that, who knows? We may end up staying even longer. He can retire any time after October 16, so if a really good job comes along he may put in his letter. Meanwhile, he has decided (I think) to take some college classes and try to get a degree so he can go into teaching Middle or High School science classes. Otherwise, he is kept quite busy with work and trying to train his junior personnel. It's hard to remember that we were ever that young and foolish!! He is also the secretary in the Priesthood quorum now, so between work, family, and church, he stays quite busy.

I am still the Enrichment Counselor in Relief Society. I am also still home-schooling Kasi and Kenny and will be starting with Chip and Katrina this fall (preschool). In addition, I have been working with Wanda Clark to get a Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) chapter started here in Valdez. It is slow going, but we are growing in numbers and getting the word out that we are here. I have recently taken on a new endeavor as I am working toward my bachelors degree in Psychology. I am taking my first online college course, which is so far going pretty well. I start another course the first part of June, so will have some overlap in my courses, but don't plan to try more than 2 courses at a time, since I really don't have a lot of time for more than that. In my spare time, when I can find any, I am working on making some fabric baskets to sell at the craft shows. I will be making some purses and different sized bowls as well.
Here are a couple of pictures of what they look like:
Kasi is growing up way too fast for my comfort. She has her learners permit and is driving now. She's actually a really good driver, and will probably be getting her license in January. She is quite busy with church activities, friends, school work, and the like. I never know whether she is coming or going and have a hard time keeping track of her. Here is a picture of her and some of her friends on the way to Prom. (No, she did not go with a date... she went with her girlfriends and they all had a blast! She also designed, drew the pattern for, and made her own dress, and rebuilt a dress for her friend Mandy. Here is a picture of the girls. Left to Right is Carlie, Kasi, Melissa, and Mandy.

This is Kasi with Brandon, the boyfriend I am not supposed to know about. ;)


Siamese Twins joined at the hair??? I do like this picture of Kasi.



Kenny is becoming quite the young man as well. He is taller than I am now, and may catch up with Kasi if he keeps going. He wears bigger shoes than his dad, so I told him if he's like a puppy and grows into his feet he definitely will be taller than Kasi! He is a good kid, and is really getting a good sense of humor. He is involved in Scouts, which he is really enjoying. He just finished his qualifications for Tenderfoot and passed his board of review. He only has a couple of things to pass off for 2nd class. I took a math placement test to see which math class I need to sign up for. I won't even begin to describe how poorly I did! I wrote down one of the problems and Brian tried to work it out too... I didn't feel so bad when he didn't get the right answer either. So just for kicks I gave the same problem to Kenny. It took him 2 tries, but he got it right!! So much for me helping him with Math!! I think I'll be asking for HIS help!!

Chip is getting to be quite the little character. He has a wonderful sense of humor, and is finally getting into the imaginative stage. He is really smart like his older siblings, and has more personality than he knows what to do with! He is learning to ride his tricycle, which he still has a hard time pedaling. He gets tired and convinces Katrina to trade him, since hers is easier to pedal. She goes for it every time, and then gets mad when he won't give her tricycle back to her!
He is a good big brother though, and watches out for her too. Here's a picture of the two of them on Easter.



Katrina just turned 3 the other day. She is quite the little character as well. She definitely holds her own with 3 older siblings, and most of the time wins out over them to get HER way! She was wandering around singing the ABC song the other day, and gets most of the letters, and even in the right order! I don't think she's going to lag behind the other 3 at all!! Here is a picture of the correct way to use the Tonka Dump Truck!

Well, this is getting long, and I have to get moving and get dinner done. Enjoy the pictures of the kids and the wildlife.

Here are some pictures of the local attractions we have been seeing as of late...

This little guy and a bunch of his friends have been visiting our back yard lately drinking from our feeder.
- posted by Rosanna @ 5:59 PM 4 comments

Finally an update! OK, it’s been a long time since updating, so there’s just a few items of news. First off, the Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Academy was awesome! It’s worth attending if for no other reason, than to learn about yourself. The graduation was a Military Formal Dinner. If you have never attended one of these events, it’s a great experience. Needless to say there are a lot of traditions and history involved with it.

Once I returned from the Academy, I finally got my windshield installed on the Ranger, so it was a much warmer ride for the rest of the winter. Didn’t do too much snowmachining this winter, it seems either I didn’t have time, or the weather wasn’t good enough to go. Kenny and I did go out one day and had a blast. We were supposed to meet up with a bunch of guys from work on their quads, but never saw them. Apparently they kept breaking through the snow and finally gave up after a couple of hours of winching. The advantages of having snowmachines in the winter!

A few weeks later I went out in the Ranger on part of the groomed trail. It seemed plenty firm enough and I had just ridden the same area on the snowmachine, so I figured I could turn around and head back. As soon as the back tires left the groomed trail, the Ranger sank up to the frame! I tried digging it out by myself for about 45 minutes, and of course there was nothing to hook onto with the winch. I finally called a friend and met him with my snowmachine. We hooked up the snowmachine to the back of the Ranger and it took about 4 or 5 good yanks to get it back up onto the groomed trail. Teach me to try and take the Ranger off the trail in the winter!

I took the Servicewide Exam for Senior Chief in May. I have my raw score, and I didn’t do too badly, but I’m not sure if it’s enough to make it. We’ll see when the profile letters come out next month. I’m hoping, but not going to hold my breath on making it next year.

On a different note, we got a new vehicle. Traded in the Sedona on a 2005 Ford Expedition Limited. I’ve been wanting to get an Expedition for a while now, but Ro has been trying to convince me to keep the van. Especially if we decide to retire in ‘09. The straw that finally broke the camel’s back, so to speak, was the service department at Stanley Motors in Anchorage. We’ve taken the Kia in a few times for service or warranty work at Stanley and they were very professional and courteous. The last warranty work we had done they had changed out the entire service department and hired a new service manager. They tried to charge us $300 for a front brake job. I told them no, and bought pads for $35 at Kragen and did it myself! About a month later we took it in again for more warranty work, they told us there was nothing wrong with the van. Let’s see, the front wheel has a grinding/growling noise which goes away every time you turn right. To me that sounds like a wheel bearing, but according to the service manager at Stanley it’s road noise and just the tires. They claim to have not been able to reproduce it and even had it up on the rack and checked all the wheel bearings. The service manager went on a test drive with me and still claimed it was only tire noise. I pretty much called him a liar and left. I stewed over this for about a month and a half, getting more and more ticked every time I drove the van. Finally on our last trip to Anchorage, I went and started looking at Expeditions. I really looked at one that Cal Worthington had on his lot, but decided to sleep on it. The next day we went over to Nye in Wasilla since we were staying in Palmer and didn’t want to drive all the way into Anchorage to talk to a dealer. They had a few ‘07s on the lot, and one ‘05 Limited with only 13,800 miles. We test drove the ‘05, then two different ‘07s. Ro and I talked about it, and even compared them side by side to see what differences there were. The deciding factor was the ‘05 sits a little lower and is easier for Ro to get into. I would have been happy with either, but the Limited is really nice! It has leather, quad seating, and about every option available. It even has heated AND cooled seats! I think the only thing missing is a built in navigation system, but they don’t work in Alaska anyway!

I think this is long enough, so here are a few pictures to tide everybody over.


Here is one of the portraits we had at the graduation with my Mom and Step-dad.



Here we are at the Chief Petty Officer Academy graduation.



The new Expy - beautiful, ain't it?
- posted by AK-Brando @ 10:13 PM 0 comments

Hello from CPO Academy OK, dropping a quick note to let everybody know that I am currently in Petaluma, CA attending the Chief Petty Officer Academy. This is a senior enlisted leadership school that is required for Chief Petty Officers in the Coast Guard to advance to Senior Chief Petty Officer. We have 5 Air Force Master Sergeants attending along with an Inspector from the Saint Lucia Marine Police. It is 5 weeks long, and I am currently about halfway through. This school is different than most leadership courses I have been to in the past. This one concentrates on making you a better person, and more aware of your strengths and weaknesses. This in turn allows you to become a better person overall. By being a better person, you become a better leader. This is a very brief description and does not even begin to give this Academy the credit that it is due. If anybody is in the Coast Guard (or Air Force) and is contemplating attending the Coast Guard CPO Academy, I can highly recommend it.

Here are a few pictures that I have taken with my cell phone while down here.

Bodega Bay



Me at Bodega Bay



My birthday cake at Mom's in Auburn, CA


- posted by AK-Brando @ 9:43 PM 0 comments

Look What I Got! OK, so I have a little story to tell about my latest toy. First I have to give you a little background though. I have been looking and wanting to get either a Ranger or Rhino for quite some time. I have even been looking at 3 and 4 wheelers since I know I can't afford one. Anyway, I got a line on an older Big Red 3-wheeler for pretty cheap. Since we were coming to Palmer anyway, I "convinced" Ro to bring the trailer along. So far my plan was working perfectly....

Once we got here, Ro informs me that there was no way I could afford a 3-wheeler even at the price I found it at because we still had to pay for the side of beef we were getting. However, if I could get financing I could go look at something used at a dealer. Hot dog! I was back in business!

We spent a day going and looking at both the Yamaha Rhino and Polaris Ranger. Take them on test rides and talking to the dealerships about financing options. Neither dealership would finance me, so we head back to our place in Palmer. Ro said she was sorry that we couldn't get one, but maybe we could wait until dividends come out. I'm not about to give up yet! So I go online and apply for loans at both our banks and of course they both deny me right off. - No surprises there!

The next day we are heading out to go shopping in Wasilla, and Ro turns her cell phone on and has a voice mail message. She checks it and it's from our Credit Union, they have approved me for a loan! I quickly call them back and they give me the details of the approval. I then call Hartley Motors in Palmer to find out if the Ranger we drove yesterday was still in stock. They inform me it still is, and we head directly over there and fill out the paperwork and I am now the proud owner of an '06 Polaris Ranger XP 700 SE in blue. Check out the pictures.

Front view:


Side view:


Here I am in the driver's seat!


And Kenny had to get a picture too.

- posted by AK-Brando @ 7:46 AM 0 comments