Tiffany, the pictures are beautiful. The forget-me-not is my favorite flower. How lucky to see such wonderful splendor. We love seeing you, Keyton and Kyla. Hope all is well and you are settled in. More later .......

Shirley & Bill

Turnagain Arm-One of America's Most Scenic Byways!

This weekend we took a drive down New Seward Highway, around the Turnagain Arm. Weather wasn't great, but we got a chance to take a few more pictures. We made our way down to Portage Glacier Lake and went to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, where we had a chance to be upclose to wildlife. We were amazed how green and plush the trees and greenery were!

Alaska Scenery

Today we drove to Chugiak to look at a house. Chugiak is a community about 20 miles north of Anchorage. Later we then drove to Bicentennial Park-right in Anchorage and had lunch by the creek and went for a nice stroll. Here are some pictures when driving up Glenn Highway. This highway is well known throughout Alaska for it's scenic views. It is an absolutely beautiful view when driving from Anchorage to Eagle River and Chugiak. This is one of the many reasons I want to live in Eagle River, the drive is absolutely amazing!

Alaskan Zoo

We went to the Alaska Zoo last week. Keyton got some great shots and we even got one of us too!

Our First Moose!

Yesterday we went to post (Fort Richardson) and got to see our very first moose and her baby! They were quite cute and were just walking around. The cars were stopped a bit away from them, to try and not frighten them. Keyton says they are not very friendly animals and can move quick and cause a lot of damage, as they are quite large and strong.
We also went to the Alaska Zoo this weekend and there were two male moose and a baby. I am sure everyone is surprised why the Alaska Zoo would house moose when you can find them roaming freely around the city, I know we were.
And of course we don't have a picture of the moose we saw, but I promise we will post some pictures soon. Unfortunately, we keep forgetting to bring the camera out with us to take some pictures!!!

I Passed!

To my relief (and all drivers in Anchorage) I passed the AK DL test today! So now I am officially on my way to becoming an Alaskan Resident! What a difference actually taking a look at the test booklet makes! Today we went to Flat Top Mountain, located in Chucagh State Park and got to see a breathtaking view of Anchorage and the surrounding waters (Turnagain Arm and Knik Arm). The state park is only 10 minutes away from where we are gave us a good perspective on where Anchorage lies. We didn't take pictures this time, but I promise to have some posted as soon as we get out more.

We're Here!

Well we made it to Anchorage last night around 8:45pm. Our flights went just fine, and Rosie did absolutely wonderful-which is a relief, and we didn't even have to drug her! She has spent the last 16 hours sleeping very soundly.
Last night it was still very sunny when we arrived and when we woke up at 6:00am it was still just as sunny as when we went to bed around 11:00pm. Apparently the sun sets around 12:30am and rises around 4:30am-so we didn't have a chance to see the sun go down. There are mountains everywhere-still covered with snow and it is very green. Driving is somewhat confusing, as the mountains are due east of anchorage, which will take time getting used to.
We have seen many "moose crossing signs", but no moose yet-we have only been here less than 24 hours-so I guess this is acceptable. Anchorage is a city with many one-way streets and tons of drive through coffee houses. We drove to downtown Anchorage and saw a few pieces of Eskimo hand carved art-and it is just beautiful and so detailed. I am excited to begin our collection of souvenirs from our time in Alaska.
So far, not so much activity, other than stocking up our cabinets with much needed food-as I swear Kyla was having an anxiety attack this morning. So much to her relief-we now have a refrigerator and cupboards full of snacks! I ventured out today to Fred Meyers-a very popular Wal-martesque sort of store and discovered things are pricey here in Alaska. Gas is $4.09 per gallon (for the cheapest grade).
We drove over to Eagle River this morning (a suburb of Anchorage) to take my driving test for an Alaskan Driver's License and as embarrassed as I am to say-I failed the test! It was a written test in which you had 20 questions and couldn't miss more than 4. To put you all at ease, it wasn't the basic driving questions, but the DUI and accident related questions I missed. Just so you all know you will spend 72 hours in jail for the first DUI occurrence and the legal limit for drinking is 0.08%-who knew this??? Fortunately, I have 30 days to obtain my AK DL and I can take the test again every day until I pass :). I am still able to drive legally with my CO DL, but will attempt the test again tomorrow. Apparently, I wasn't the only one to fail the first time, as when Kyla kindly announced that I failed the test when talking to Dale over the phone, others were very sympathetic and gave me very useful advice on what to do when I take the test again tomorrow!
As for now, we will begin our house hunting soon. I am still attempting to find nooks and crannies to place our endless amounts of clothing, shoes, etc. in our 420 sq. foot apartment-yes you read right! In Keyton's defense-I was the one who said to get the most efficient place he could until we could come and find a house.
I am trying to remain positive, as I know that the place for Kyla and I is to be with Keyton. After spending so much time involuntarily apart from one another, any time together is sacred.
I already miss Colorado, but will continue to make Alaska our home for now.... As Kyla asked when we landed in Anchorage, "is this home now", the answer is "yes".
Keep checking our blog, as I will update it as things happen!
Love, Tiffany, Keyton, Kyla, and Rosie