Third annual Fucik/Gunning reunion...

Traveling is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.  And what better way to travel than with friends on a boat?!  Nate and I were so excited to go on our first cruise with Calli and Zac to Alaska!!!  We spent seven days making memories while cruising through the Pacific Ocean, and we have the pictures to show for it...

First Stop: Ketchikan, Alaska

We spent a few hours exploring this small town of 8,000 people.  We shopped, ate at an adorable hole in the wall called "Polar Treats", and explored a Tongass Historical Museum. There was native culture everywhere!  Ketchikan has the world's largest collection of standing totem poles sprinkled all through the town, we loved it!

 

Second Stop: Juneau, Alaska

The entire trip was breathtaking, but this town was beyond words.  We took a gondola to the top of Mount Juneau where we could do a little hiking and see the city from a different angle.  We didn't stay long at this port, but we loved every second of it.

Later that day, our boat took us to see a glacier!  The water was emerald green and the air was reverent and calm.  There were ice chunks floating in the water, and I thought I was on the movie Titanic!  This was my favorite part of the trip because it made me feel like we were really in Alaska.  The captain got us as close to the glacier as he could before he had to turn the boat around.  It was so peaceful.

Third Stop: Skagway, Alaska

This day was one of my favorites.  The weather was awesome, and I didn't even feel like we were in Alaska.  Skagway populates less than 1,000 people normally, but more than double that number come to Skagway during the summer to accommodate all the tourists.  We spent the day doing what we do best: simply exploring the town.  We went on tours, hikes, found a cute ice cream shop, went shopping, and enjoyed the day.

A little windy in the picture below... but the mountains in the background are pretty!!!

Last Stop: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

The stop in Canada is a blur.  All I remember is the delicious BBQ sandwich I ate and my feet hurting at the end of the day from walking around the city!  Too much fun!

When we weren't ported, we were busy eating, sitting in the hot tubs, getting ice cream cones, watching shows, ordering room service, playing cards, whale watching, and overall just eating.  It was an amazing trip, and we can't wait for our fourth annual Fucik/Gunning reunion :).

Escape to Pinetop...

We had only been in Clovis for 2 weeks, and we were ready for our first escape!  Pinetop, Arizona was calling our names for a weekend filled with Fourth of July memories to make.  We hit the road on Thursday, and made it just in time for dinner and fireworks.  The firework show was awesome, and so fun to be with family.

On Friday, the Workmans had a BBQ and all family was on deck... literally!  There were cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and so much more!  I think I met more extended family members at this BBQ than at our wedding reception in Arizona :).

By Saturday, I was in a food coma! But don't think for a second that I let that slow me down.  We had a big day planned of fishing, shopping, and eating more of Kathy's delicious food.  We went fishing down at a nearby lake, and unfortunately, this was the first year we didn't catch anything.  I still suspect that Nate gave me the bunk pole because he didn't want me to one-up him again this year ;).  I'll get him next summer!  

The rest of the day was filled with boutique shopping and visiting with the family.   

Later that night, we had a pool party at the hotel where Katie and Mark were staying.  Avery is only two, but was swimming circles around us.  My favorite part was when her and Nate were diving into the pool like they were Olympic swimmers.  She's such a doll!!!!

We had such a fun weekend.  It was worth every minute of that 8-hour drive to spend the weekend with family.  

We're back... and yet, we're gone...

Remember that time we got married, and we said we would blog about all the fun stuff we do?  Yea, there's really only two possibilities to explain why we haven't posted anything since February...

1. We aren't having any fun, so there's nothing to blog about.  Or..
2. We are having so much fun, we don't have enough time to blog about it!

I hope you guessed #2.  Well, there's good news.  Time seems to be in excess these days because we moved to Clovis, New Mexico, so I'll have plenty of time to blog!!!  Clovis is a small town in eastern New Mexico, described as a dusty, desert town.  It's not that small; populating about 35,000 people, and we're determined to explore every nook and cranny of this town and the surrounding ones!

Everyone helped us pack up a truck, then mom and dad helped us make the drive across the country... okay, just across the state line!

On Saturday morning, we unpacked the truck in a mere 45 minutes (thanks to the guys from church who came to help), and my mom and dad left Nate and me to do the fun stuff... unpack!!!

It was a fast goodbye, and I didn't feel the effects of them being gone until later that night.  Believe me, I cried like a little baby.  But it's time to face the facts.  We are New Mexicans now.  I don't live in the same apartment complex with two of my sisters and their families anymore.  I don't live 2 miles away from my parents and other sister.  I don't have the ability to see my brother, sister-in-law, and two babies (age 7 and 2... still my babies) whenever I want.  Homesick will be part my soul now.  Sounds depressing, right?!  Don't let me fool you... Nate and I couldn't be more excited about this new opportunity. 

Let the new adventures begin.  And this time I promise will probably blog more often so that our families and friends can keep up with our latest and greatest adventures.  The most current adventure we are embarking on is buying a home.  More pictures to come!

A new "business" adventure...

It's no secret that we take a lot of pictures.  We think a picture says it all, and we see the value in capturing memories in a 4x6 or 5x7.  A few generations ago, memories were preserved using 35mm slides.  But these days, everything is going digital.  That's where we come in!


We've started a part-time "business" out of our home.  We put "business" in quotes because we're not sure which direction this will go.  So far, business is BOOMING... our first client was my dad, and our second client was my mom.

We have inherited a Nikon Super CoolScan 5000.  Seriously, that's what Nikon named their scanner!  And with the Nikon Super CoolScan 5000, we are able to digitize your 35mm slides.  It's easy.  You give us the slides, and we will scan and edit them for only .35 cents per slide.  We will then return your pictures to you ready to be shared digitally with the world through social media, prints, or created into books using various websites like Shutterfly.  The options are unlimited.

Here are some priceless classics from our last project.  We love every little detail about these photos, including the glasses, clothing, couches, and hair-dos.

Things we know how to do... how well we do them is anyone's guess: teaching (how-to add/subtract fractions, write a persuasive essay, the process of photosynthesis), fill cavities, run, make a quilt, swim, lift weights, play volleyball or golf, read, bake, and sew.

Things we have no idea how to do: start a business.  

So here it is... our first attempt at a small business!  If you have slides that are snuggled up under a blanket of dust in the basement or garage, or you know of someone, send them our way.   

Moving Day...

It's nice to live in Colorado for many reasons, but the #1 nicest reason became evident last May when we had lots of family to help Nate and I move into our new apartment!  Everyone helped.  My mom watched all the kids while we got our muscles together to move everything from one apartment to the other.  Luckily, we were moving into a bigger one-bedroom apartment in the same complex, so it was "quick".   

My family is a lot like an ant farm.  No one asked any questions, people silently piled on as many boxes and bags as they could carry, and loaded it into the cars.  The bad news was I lived on the third floor, and we were moving onto the third floor of another building.  Good thing we all have "runner's legs"... nice and strong!  As the last few loads were brought up to the new apartment, family members started dropping like flies.  We were exhausted...

Nate and I spent the weekend trapped in the apartment, putting things away, hanging pictures, painting that hideous green wall, and getting settled.  Our apartment is perfect, and what we call home!