Visit to America Part II - ALASKA!!

howdy all, hans here.

as you can see in the photos below, our time in alaska was priceless. we spent time with family and friends, had some alaskan adventures.....like... dip netting with a grizzly. good times. Going cruising in Katlian Bay at high speeds on a sunny day (within safe parameters of course)... quadding on some ATV trails... catching some fish that an enormous sea lion wanted to share...rather persistently at that...(even hopping onto the dock in pursuit).. lots of fun fun and more fun.

twas precious. quality times with quality folks.

i got to help my dad put a roof over the oil tank, i got to push my nieces on swings (and have them show me all the secret hiding places around my folks house : ) we got to eat some wondrous fruits of alaska (fishes) we were even given the chance to speak at my home church! We got to have a "christmas in july" birthday party, we got to have multiple game nights.... and even some movie nights : )

what more could one ask for?!?

this was certainly fun.... painful, yet fun : )

i think my bravery was tested more than the girls. they wanted to be pushed far higher and faster than my faint heart could muster

hmm....greek (oines style). seriously tough to beat that kinda spread

maritime adventures, courtesy of TJ motors and rentals

3/4's of the alaskan oines men. certainly a rare breed

fun and mud. seriously.... can you have one without the other??

i ask again: What more could one ask for??

except i guess.... more time?!? : )

We're Back!

When I say that, I mean "We're back in the blogosphere!" After a 3 month break, we decided it was time to get back in the swing of blogging. We know there are at least 3 of you who enjoy reading our updates! So to start, we need to do some backtracking. We just spent 2 1/2 wonderful months in the States and want to share a little about our time. The next several posts will be devoted to a recap of our home visit.

Visit to America Part I

We left SA at the end of June, just a few days after the last School of Biblical Studies (SBS) ended. It was actually a difficult time for us as we had just learned about my (Susan's) mom's recurrence of cancer and didn't really know what to expect as we journeyed home. We knew our time would look different than we originally planned since we would be spending more time with my mom, but we really didn't know what that meant. It all depended on news from the doctors, which varied a great deal with each report we received. So we left for the States without really knowing what our time there would look like or when we would be returning to Africa. We were just so glad to be going. How amazing that God worked out the timing of our trip to be at the exact time my mom would be diagnosed with cancer. We've had these tickets for over 6 months. Imagine if we had to search for last minute tickets and leave our jobs unexpectedly (because staying away was not really an option for me...). Instead, we already had this trip planned. We were already going to be in the States. Now I could be with my mom and family during this difficult time. I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am for that.

Our trip began with a week in California, where my parents live. After an emotional reunion, we began a whirlwind week with my family. We were heading up to Alaska to visit Hans' family after a week, so we made the most of that first week together. We had family meals, celebrated the 4th of July, had a "work day" at my parents house (tackling a list of things my parents have been wanting to get done around the house) and basically just got in as much hang out time as possible. It was wonderful.

This picture was taken the morning after we arrived... we woke up to 5 of my nieces and nephews (Tim and Donna's kids) standing at the end of our bed waiting for us to wake up. We met baby Hans for the first time, which was so special. (We don't have any other pictures from this first week... so that's all you get!)

So that was the first part of our visit to America... good ole Ripon California and time with the Schoolland family. Next stop... Alaska!