We're Engaged!

I don't know how many people go through the "Getting-Married-But-NOT-Engaged-Yet" Stage while dating, but ours seemed especially long. James asked me to marry him quite a few times before he was allowed to officially propose.

The official requirements for engagement:
1. Ask your girlfriend's father for permission. July 1, 2006
For the weekend of June 30/July 1, we planned a day at Lagoon (amusement park). My granddad had a stroke just after Father's Day, so we were also anxious to come to Utah and spend some time with Granddad & Grandma. James, my parents, my siblings & families all drove to Utah for the weekend. James was planning to ride with my parents - the perfect opportunity to privately ask for permission to marry their daughter. Instead, Kathy came to Utah a few days early with my Aunt Janeal, Katie and Jayme. So, James would have uninterrupted time with Gil on the 5-hour-drive. 5-hours! That could make a suitor nervous. Instead, Deven's siblings, Brady & Kaydrielle, also hitched a ride to Utah with Gil & James. So, James thought he'd wait for a more confidential opportunity.

We spent Friday June 30th at Lagoon, riding rides and playing at the water park. James must love me, he let me drag him into the Pioneer Village, dress him up like an Outlaw and have our picture taken together. It really is Grandma's fault. She began calling us "Jesse James". Then we began calling James' XTerra, "The Outlaw". And sometimes, we refer to our future children as our "banditos". It's silly, but I think we look like very happy outlaws!

On Saturday July 1st, we spent some time at McKay Dee Hospital visiting with Grandma & Granddad. I was sitting on Granddad's bed and James was sitting in the windowsill. Gil and Kathy, Jed, Hallie, Stella, Deven & Kim, McKayla, Carter, Clay & Kristen, Emma and Aspen were all in the room or somewhere near.

Granddad asked me what our relationship status was currently. I made some non-committal answer. Granddad asked, "What's the delay?" And every face in the room turned to look at James.

Brave, brave James. He turned to face my dad and asked, "Gil, may I marry your daughter?" And every face in the room turned to look at Gil.

Dad's in the Hot Seat! "I have one condition, you'll have to watch a slide show of Jessi's life." James agreed and permission was finally, publicly obtained!

2. Buy an engagement ring.
James and I decided to go looking at rings together. We had several 'ring shopping' dates. We narrowed down the style of my ring very quickly, but looked and looked and looked and looked and looked at men's bands. We also decided that we want to save up the money required to buy our rings, so I knew he might not be able to propose with a ring. On the sly, James purchased a ruby ring, which he'd use to propose. (Not so sly: James ran into Kim & Deven at the store and Kurt & Carlee insisted on seeing it when he brought it home.)

3. Propose marriage to the love of your life. July 6, 2006
The Simpson Family Reunion was July 6-9, 2006. I was so excited to bring James to the reunion and introduce him to (yet more of) my dad's extended family. I wanted us to paddle the inflatable kayak on Cascade Reservoir, to play in the annual cribbage tournament (I taught James how to play cribbage very early in our relationship - in our games, the winner gets to choose a movie!), to help clean our adopted stretch of Highway 55, to jump off Banks Bridge into the river (which we did!), to raft the Payette River, to eat, to laugh and to visit.

On Thursday July 6th, after James got off work, we took The Outlaw on the 2-hour drive to the reunion. At one point, we drove over a wooded hill and then down a grade with a pretty view of Cascade Reservoir. James had seen a dirt road that looked as if it might have another, quieter view of the lake. We turned around, and turned up the dirt road, then parked and walked up to the ridgeline. Sadly, the view was mostly obscured by trees. We hurried back to The Outlaw (the mosquitoes were fierce!) and continued our drive. We quickly arrived at the campground. James asked if you can get to the lake from the campground, so I directed him to drive past our sites and down the road to a day-use area on the lake edge.

We arrived at sunset - the sun just below the ridgeline with a few pink clouds overhead, the almost-full moon putting extra sparkle on the water. We climbed out of the XTerra and walked to look out over the lake. James chose that moment to ask me to be his wife. I said YES! And he slid the ruby ring onto my finger. (There might also have been kissing.) James & I share a love of the outdoors, especially the mountains, so making the official decision to get married in this setting was wonderful.

4. Choose a wedding date & place.
October 10, 2006 - Salt Lake Temple
James wanted an anniversary that would be easy to remember - 10/10 looks like an easy date: we'll see if he remembers that date in five, thirty-five, even sixty-five years! We had a very short debate about which temple to be married in, but James didn't really have a choice. My parents, my maternal grandparents, and my maternal greatgrandparents were all sealed in the Salt Lake Temple and it has always been one of my favorites. Although that particular temple has significance to me, it is also wonderful to see and learn from all the long and happy marriages exemplified in both our families.

5. Congratulations, you can announce your engagement!
Because James proposed just minutes before the Simpson Family Reunion, I was able to introduce James as my fiance. In fact, I re-introduced him to my parents, my siblings and their spouses, aunts and uncles, cousins, Oma, anyone who would sit still for a second or two. We had just arrived at the pavillion and were visiting with some cousins, when APPLAUSE burst out from some picnic tables all the way across the room. Kim, Carlee & Kristen had caught sight of my ring and were cheering for James!

2006 Summer Apart...

Jessi moved to Bountiful, UT for the summer - sharing an apartment with several other girls (Kirstin, Maddie & Stephanie for April and May / Kirstin and Jausi for June, July, August & September). Since I was not going to be spending my summer with James, I wanted to be extremely busy and then the time would fly! I worked for Life Flight & Fed Ex Ground, fulfilled my NSP Board of Director responsibilities, attended the local student ward and called James on the phone at least a couple times a day.

James spent the month of April at a friend's apartment in Bountiful (in fact he spent more time at the apartment than Ethan did!). April was the one month where we lived less then two miles apart. James then moved to Idaho to begin work with Stonehenge Granite on May 1st. Kurt, Carlee, & Tyler offered a room at their house in Middleton, so James moved in with them and saw more of my family than I did this summer. James' received a calling to be a Ward Missionary in their ward.

According to MapQuest.com, we spent the summer living 359 miles and 5 hours apart!

Adventures:
Hiking for Turns - May 23, 2006 and June 2, 2006 - Jed's newest hobby is making skis - all spring he labored over a pair named "Nice Kilt" due to their plaid pattern. Once completed, they needed to be taken out for a spin. Jed Kurt & James took a couple different days off to extend their winter and test out the Kilts. On May 23rd they went to Copper Mountain - ask about the huge sun roller - and on June 2nd they went to Snow Bank Mountain, near Cascade, ID. There, they skied lines with names like "Granite Peak" and "Rockpile Chutes". Jed even put together a DVD of footage from the two ski adventures.

Memorial Day - May 29, 2006 - Lofgreen and Cherry Creek homestead sites. On Memorial Day, James and I went with my Grandma and Granddad Price, Uncle Glen and Aunt Nancy, Brett, Chad, Uncle Roger and Aunt Lynnette, Trevor, Chelsea & Colton to visit two places in our family history. Granddad's grandparents James & Sarah Williams homesteaded for a while in a place called Lofgreen, UT - all we could see from the road was railroad tracks. The road away from Lofgreen, back to the highway, is dirt and has a lot of extreme up and down - but Granddad took that motorhome everywhere that Glen's jeep went!

A little later in their lives, my great-great-grandparents homesteaded near Cherry Creek, UT. So we visited there next. We parked the motorhome and the Shumans led the way on their motorbikes. The rest of us climbed into Uncle Glen's jeep - Glen and Nancy in the front seats. Granddad, Grandma and Chad in the back seat. And James and I squeezed into the far back. Normally, I don't mind being cozy with James - but about the time we GOT STUCK IN THE CREEK it got a little uncomfortable. James, Chad, Granddad & I all climbed out the back window to dry ground. I'm sure Uncle Glen would appreciate a little disclaimer at this point:

"We are certain the jeep would have made it through the creek, had the 4-wheel-drive been fully engaged." Eventually, the jeep was towed out by Roger's truck and some old fashioned muscle power!













The great-greats had a house (which was moved to another location after they left the area) and built corrals and fences. They also planted a few trees along Cherry Creek - the trees being the biggest evidence of their presence in the area! So, of course, we took some pictures by those trees.












Eagle Fun Days - June 9, 2006- James' brother Brian (on his way from Alaska to the MTC in Provo, UT) and I arrived in Boise on the same morning. To celebrate, we raced indoor g0-karts at Fast Lane. We met up with Jed, Kurt Carlee & Tyler, Deven Kim McKayla & Carter, and some other friends. McKayla, Carter & Tyler even drove around the track for a lap (on an adult's lap!).

June 10, 2006 - Eagle Fun Days Activities: In the morning, Mom & I dragged James & Brian out to the Eagle Fireman's Fun Run - walking 3.1 miles. Sad to say that McKayla and Carter (&Kim) finished before both James and Brian. However, Brian did finish FIRST out of all participants from Alaska. Congratulations! We enjoyed the parade and wandering through Eagle, but we skipped out of the Rocky Mountain Oyster Feed in favor of a BBQ and a movie at Kim & Deven's house.

June 11, 2006 - Elder Brian McCalvy / California, Sacramento Mission.
Brian was set apart as a full-time missionary at 8 o'clock am on Sunday June 11, 2006 by President Stafford of the Eagle, Idaho Stake. We drove to Utah and on Monday, James & Brian did some last-minute shopping and toured the Hill Aerospace Museum. James really enjoyed spending a few days with Brian and I know they'll need more than a few days to swap mission stories two-years-from-now!

Brian entered the Missionary Training Center on Wednesday June 14th. Elder McCalvy left Utah for the Sacramento, California mission sometime near the 4th of July.

Visiting Family~

Aspen K Doty -
January 24, 2006 - My newest niece, Aspen, was born January 24, 2006 in Boise, Idaho to Kristen & Clay. 7 lb 10 oz. 20 inches. I didn't get to meet Aspen until the weekend she was blessed. On the Saturday prior to her blessing, the whole family went skiing. I finally got to SEE Aspen when we all met at Bogus Basin's lodge. My grandma, also holding Aspen for the first time, had priority - she was helping to watch the 8 kids under the age of 9 that were skiing with us. It wasn't until the very end of the day that I finally got to hold Aspen. Everyone had packed up, except James & I and Kristen, Clay, & Emma - they were busy collecting gear. My dad handed me Aspen on his way out to the car, saying, "She's probably hungry." Sure enough, meeting her favorite Aunt Jessi was not enough to distract her and she fussed a bit until I could find her bottle.

March 5, 2006 - Aspen's blessing. Aspen was blessed by her grandpa, Marvin Doty, at Clay & Kristen's house in Hidden Springs, Idaho on Sunday March 5, 2006. I was much luckier today - I got to hold Aspen quite a few times! My mom made the blessing dress and I crocheted the lavender baby blanket in my lap.

Mathew Camiel Bonnell -
June 7, 2005 - James' cousin, Mathew, was born during James' trip back to Alaska last summer. James & Brian were able to meet Mathew and visit with Uncle Rod, Aunt Laura & Jonathan during a brief stop near Reno, Nevada. Mathew was diagnosed with a genetic disorder - Spinal Muscular Atrophy. This disease affects the muscles - Mathew wasn't able to hold his own head up well, but that never affected his smile! Half of the infants with this diagnosis don't live until their 2nd birthday, so everyone knew time was short with this precious boy. For more information on Spinal Muscular Atrophy visit www.fsma.org

March 30, 2006 - Mathew passed away. James was able to attend a memorial for Mathew held near Reno on April 7, 2006. James and Uncle Rod have always been close friends, so James was grateful to spend some time with Rod and his family.

Ski Season - 2005/2006

December 24, 2005 - Brundage Mountain / McCall, ID - We planned to ski at my 'home' resort - Bogus Basin - on the 23rd with all the family that could make it. Unfortunately it was warm and rainy during the days leading up to Christmas and Bogus closed for the week. We packed our ski gear anyway, with very hopeful thoughts that even if Bogus was closed, somewhere else might be open.

On Christmas Eve, we did get to go skiing! James & I drove up to Brundage Mountain Resort with my dad. It is a two hour drive from Eagle, so we drove Turbo (my ski patrol vehicle) and really enjoyed the space you save by having a ski rack on the car - room enough for a nap in the back seat! In fact, both Dad & James napped while I drove. Dad wore the Santa hat while skiing, but loaned it to me for a photo op with James.

February 11, 2006 - Alta Ski Resort / Salt Lake City, UT - My parents were in Utah for my dad's dental meetings, so we took the opportunity to ski at Alta Ski Area in Little Cottonwood Canyon-just one canyon drainage away from Brighton.

We asked another skier to take a group photo for us at the top of one of the lifts. He took a couple pictures for us and then my dad asked him to take one, "Up close and personal." Dad then proceeded to grab and kiss Mom! So James & I followed suit. The photographer was so surprized, that he missed the smooches completely!

February 20, 2006 - Brighton Ski Resort / Salt Lake City, UT - James' job this winter is ski patrolling at Brighton, I also volunteer at Brighton on Saturdays. Sometimes we do ski together, but we patrolled together only once this season. I had Presidents' Day off, so I spent the day with James. We didn't work any wrecks or pull any toboggans. We did do the basic opening work run and closing sweeps (clearing the mountain of people at the end of the day). We skied!

James jumped this rock in Aspen Chutes off of the Great Western Chairlift a couple of times so that I could take his picture. On the second round, we had to wait for a couple of 7 or 8-year-olds to jump. More kids and a couple of adults were watching from down the slope a bit. They had to hollar encouragement up the slopes, but eventually both boys jumped off the conservative edge. Then they all waited to watch James. "Okay, watch how Ski Patrol does it!" James waited for me to signal a 'ready' with the camera and then launched. He threw a little mid-air ski jib, completed the trick with a perfect landing, got wild applause from his audience and a "That's my boyfriend!" from me.

March 4, 2006 - Bogus Basin / Boise, ID - I finally got to take James skiing at my home resort! Bogus Basin was closed during Christmas week due to warm weather and rain, but it was perfect for skiing during this trip! We spent half the day skiing all the terrain - it was fun to share my home resort with James - to tell him stories about skiing with my friends, siblings, and cousins, and about patrolling with my dad & Uncle Gord on Friday nights. It was also great to watch him ski with my brothers & brothers-in-law. They have so much energy! James has a pair of skis that throw up 'rooster tails' of snow as he turns. So if you ski directly behind James, you need a good pair of goggles because of all the snow they throw up into the air!

We spent the other half of the day with the munchkins on the beginner lift. Even Carter (1) got a ski run in - when James carried him.

At the very end of the day, James & I took McKayla (3) and Emma (3) out for a few last runs on Coach (the beginner chairlift). Emma had been asking me to ski with her all winter, so I wanted to be sure to take Emma out to ski a few runs. Coach is a two-seater, so I had Emma with me in line and James had McKayla with him.

McKayla said, "I want to ride with Aunt Jessi!" So we had a little talk about taking turns and then McKayla was content to ride with James.

On the next lift ride, I was standing with McKayla when Emma said, "I want to ride with Aunt Jessi!" We repeated the talk about taking turns.

On the third lift ride, I heard James say, "It's my turn to ride with Aunt Jessi!" Poor James, three-year-olds can't ride the lift together, so he had to give up his turn!

Fall 2005 & The Holidays

October 22, 2005 - Hiking to Desolation Lake - Big Cottonwood Canyon - Utah
My sister, Kim, has been a wonderful hiking partner for me. She is really quick on the uphill and I am way more comfortable on the downhill! That difference keeps us both moving! Beginning when McKayla was very small, we'd put her in a backpack and hike different trails along the Wasatch Front. In summer 2004, when Kim was pregnant with Carter, we hiked this trail to Dog Lake (a shorter hike). This summer, we got in a couple short hikes to Cecret Lake at Alta Ski Resort -- McKayla was able to hike by herself and Carter got used to riding in a backpack.

Today's hike to Desolation Lake is 7.5 miles round trip, so Kim & I were very grateful to have James haul the kids around! Kim & I would take turns, but James had a munchkin all the time. Pictured above to the left are: McKayla (age 3), Kim, James, Carter (age 1), and Jessi.

October 31, 2005 - Halloween - My niece Emma (2+) asked me to go trick-or-treating with her this year. James & I packed up the car with Kim & McKayla & Carter and headed for Eagle, ID. We had dinner at Kristen & Clays the night we arrived. James was meeting many of my family for the first time and with my parents, my sisters and sisters-in-law, and one brother-in-law, 5 little girls and 3 boys, it was a bit overwhelming. Luckily, Clay & James were able to talk skiing and motorcycles!

On Halloween, Carter "the Giraffe" didn't even make it out of the bedroom in his costume, but we took McKayla "the Bee" and Emma "the Pirate" out for candy in Kristen and Clay's neighborhood. Clay "the Ostrich Cowboy" was a big hit with all the neighbors.

November 24-26, 2005 - Thanksgiving and the annual Tree Hunt! - One of my favorite traditions is the annual tree hunt. Back when our family could fit in one vehicle, we would head into Idaho's National Forests to choose just the right Christmas Tree - sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas. When we got older, we began having the tree hunt during Thanksgiving weekend so that college kids could participate. My niece Stella (9 months) is in the picture to the left. After all the hunters have bagged their trees, and all the kids (big & little) have had their fill of snow play, we go to a nearby community's heated swimming pools and hot tub to really wear everyone out. The perfect day to eat leftover turkey!

This year, James helped me choose an enormous tree, shaking wet snow off the branches of many inferior trees before finding 'the one'. Helped put it on the car and drive it back to Utah. Rigged the tree stand for 'just one more year' with bailing twine and luck. Turned the tree so the barest spot was into the corner. Retilted the tree so that it wasn't tilting toward the wall. Borrowed the neighbors ladder for stringing lights and decorations all the way to the top of that enormous tree. Retilted the tree so that it wasn't tilting toward the wall. It was a beautiful tree!

December 23-26, 2005 - Christmas - Another of my favorite traditions is to sleep beside the Christmas tree on the 23rd of December. All the munchkins come to Oma & Opa's house to play in the hot tub and be rowdy and wear themselves out before Christmas Eve. Their parents enjoy the evening off for a date night or last minute Christmas shopping. This year, James, Tucker (8), Hallie (2 1/2), Hannah (6), Emma (3), and Jessi all slept by the tree - can you tell we're faking for the picture?

One evening, the kids were taking turns having James 'wrap' them up in a blanket, complete with festive ribbon, and deliver them to the recipient of choice. Tucker is being wrapped in the picture, and I know I opened Hannah at least three times!

Christmas Eve dinner is an event at our house. Mom brings out her china and makes a beautiful meal with a Mediterranian theme. All my siblings had other dinner plans, so James & I were contemplating our Christmas Eve dinner with my parents. We just sat down when Jed & Maria and their four kids arrived. Turned our romantic double-date into a party of 10!

December 31, 2005 - January 1, 2006 - New Years! - James & I swapped New Years resolutions on New Years Eve. One of his made big points with me! He resolved to kiss me a MILLION times. In order to keep that resolution in 2006 - we'd need 2,740 kisses a day - that's 114 kisses an hour! If we stretch the resolution over the next 50 years - we'd only need 55 kisses a day. After doing the math, we decided that we'll need an eternity for this resolution and plenty of chapstick. (In case you're wondering how we're doing on this resolution, we've lost track. Good thing we'll have forever!)

Alaska! September 2-13, 2005

James' Fish & Game job lasted until the week before my visit. I was a little nervous, packing for the trip while James was still out in Eshamy Bay, certain that I'd end up meeting the family without him. It wouldn't have been a problem - the McCalvy's are great!

September 2nd - Fly from Salt Lake City, UT to Boise, ID. I was lucky to spend a couple days with my family.

September 3rd - Family photos and Tucker's baptism. As soon as Tucker's baptism date was set, Mom began planning for family pictures. We had the photo session in the morning. Tucker's baptism and confirmation was held in the afternoon. He was baptized by his dad, Jed, in the Eagle, ID Stake Center on Eagle Road. Afterward, we went to Jed & Maria's for dinner & some pool time.

Back: Jed/Stella (7 mo.), Maria, Deven, Kim/Carter (1 yr.), Carlee, Kurt, Clay, Kristen.
Front: Hallie (1 yr 5 mo.)/Gil/Hannah (6 yrs.), Kathy/Tyler (9 mo.), Tucker (8 yrs.), McKayla (2 yrs)/Jessica/Emma (1 yr 9 mo.).

September 4th - Fly to Anchorage, AK. I went to church with my parents and then began my long flight to Cordova. I flew to Seattle and then Anchorage. I wouldn't fly out of Anchorage until very early morning, so I took a taxi to a hostel that I'd found online. It was very dark and rainy, so I didn't get to see much of Anchorage. Slept in the top bunkbed in a room with another bunkbed. There was another room with two additional bunkbeds and at least two more rooms - quite a houseful!

September 5th - Fly to Cordova, AK. I got up early and took another taxi to the airport - still dark and rainy. I flew into Cordova and James met me at the airport in the same red truck he'd driven to Alaska. His mom works at the airport, so I got to meet Sharon right away. We took a vehicular tour of Cordova and we were going to go out to one of the glaciers, but I fell asleep in the truck! Instead, we got settled at the McCalvy's and I got to meet James' sister-Kathleen, brother-Brian, Dad-Dick, three dogs, three cats and a bird. (James' sister-Beth, and Beth's son-Nick, live in another Alaska town. I'm looking forward to another Alaska trip and an opportunity to meet them!)

September 6th - Ferry tour & Haystack Trail. We took a tour of the new 'fast' ferry - the M/V Fairweather. There are only two ways to get to Cordova - by airplane and by boat. You can take your car, but you'd need the ferry to get it there. In the evening, we hiked the Haystack Trail - the trail winds up a hill through really dense trees and then arrives at the scenic overlook. It looks across several rivers and mountains and the ocean - at least I think you can see the ocean from there when it isn't cloudy. We took the three dogs and were standing at the overlook when Dick & Sharon came up. We all hiked down together.

September 7th - Salmon fishing & Mt. Eyak Ski Hill. I caught a 13 lb Silver Salmon! Brian actually caught the first fish (photo far left), but I think mine was the biggest for that day (photo near left)! James didn't catch any (this day), but he did unsnag my lure a couple times from the branches just under the water at river's edge. I felt like quite the accomplshed fisherwoman until it was time to clean the fish. Dick taught me how to filet! It is tricky with a slippery wet salmon - and there was a sealion waiting down in the water to eat my precious fish if I should lose my hold! We fished on the Eyak River - you just drive out of the McCalvy's driveway, down the highway just a smidge to a put-in. Then you can run the boat down the length of the river to the ocean.

This was the first day that the sun came out during my trip. A minor miracle! James & I enjoyed the clear evening by hiking to the top of the Mt. Eyak Ski Hill. It is immediately off of the ocean and above the town - with an incredible view of the ocean (picture below to the left) and its nearby islands. The ski hill has one chairlift - a single rider chairlift that was one of the original chairlifts at Sun Valley Resort in Idaho - my dad thinks he rode in that exact chairlift when he was ski racing as a teenager. From the top of the Ski Hill, James showed me where he likes to do some 'out of area' skiing on nearby mountains and then showed me where all the avalanches occur! We watched the sunset and the fast ferry steam out of the harbor.

September 8th - Crater Lake & Salmon Fishing. We hiked to Crater Lake in the morning. We brought the three dogs and a rifle in case of bears. It was a beautiful hike up a ridge with huge trees and wild blueberry bushes and waterfalls (the good part about a rainy climate). The lake, being in a volcano 'crater', is surrounded by ridges and feels very secluded. But, hike to the edge of one of the ridges and the view expands to include ocean and sky or more mountains. Once we reached the lake, we stopped for lunch. I took off my boots to test the temperature of the lake water (very cold!) and James did a bit of exploring. He came back for the rifle and said a black bear was headed our way. I barely saw its head above the bushes before the dogs began barking and chased it away. I put my boots back on in a hurry and we followed the bear's last known direction to see if we might be able to see him at a distance, but we didn't see it again. Instead we saw another black bear up on the ridge wandering along. It was far enough away that we used binoculars to really see it. That was definitely close enough for me!

In the afternoon we went fishing again. James caught the most fish (pictures above)! We took the boat down toward the ocean to see the duck hunting cabins that are built along the riverbank. My favorite had a sign on the porch that read "Duck on Inn". The wildlife along the river is pretty incredible - we saw bald eagles, a variety of other birds, seals, and of course, the salmon!

September 9th - Sheridan Glacier, Salmon Fishing & Volleyball Games. Rainy again. We went out to the Sheridan Glacier in the morning (picture to the left was taken on 9/10 from the Copper River Highway). In the afternoon, I caught two more salmon and got to practice my new fish-filleting skills. We also went to Kathleen's JV volleyball games at the high school. Her team won! It is the only high school in Cordova and one hallway is lined with pictures of every senior in every graduating class. I got to see the Senior Year photograph of Sharon and each of her siblings, James, Beth, and Brian.

September 10th - Childs Glacier, Volleyball, the Harbor. We finally made it to the end of the Copper River Highway to see the Childs Glacier and the Million Dollar Bridge. It is called the Million Dollar Bridge because it cost just over $1M to build it in 1908. Then in 1964, the end section fell during a 9.5 earthquake! The bridge was finally completely repaired in 2005 at a cost of $19M! On a family history note, Dick & Sharon McCalvy were married near the Million Dollar Bridge on July 4, 1976.

Childs Glacier, across the Million Dollar Bridge, runs right up against the Copper River. The water undercuts the ice and large pieces fall into the water, creating waves that cross the river to the day park on the other side. The ice is about 300 feet high and I learned a lot about glaciers from the informative displays. Have you ever heard of an ice worm?

I love Cordova's varied geography - the rivers and mudflats, the mountains and glaciers, the lake and ocean. We also watched Kathleen's volleyball team win again and wandered around the harbor and educate me on the different kinds of fishing boats.

September 11th - Church and blueberries. The branch building was under construction during my visit, so we had church in the elementary school cafeteria. I enjoyed visiting with the ladies in Relief Society. I told one group about learning to filet salmon from James' Dad. They told me "If you know how to filet a fish, you can have any man you want!" In the afternoon, James & I picked blueberries from the wild bushes just outside their house so that I could take wild salmon and fresh Alaska blueberries home with me. Yum!

September 12th - Anchorage, AK. James and I flew into Anchorage and spent the day being tourists. We learned more about the 1964 earthquake, went to a couple different museums and a gold smithing place. We met up with Sharon & Brian (they came out on the ferry) and took a drive out to see the Anchorage Temple before they dropped me off at the airport. During my night flight from Anchorage, the pilot gave his talk about flight time, cruising altitude, weather in Seattle and "if you can see out the left side windows, you'll see the aurora borealis." What a perfect finale to a very fun Alaska adventure. The picture is from the Michigan Tech Geological & Mining Engineering & Sciences Website: www.geo.mtu.edu/weather/aurora

September 13th - Fly to Boise, ID and SLC, UT. My sister, Kristen, and her daughter, Emma, met me at the Boise airport. I had a long enough layover to enjoy lunch with them and my parents. For the final leg back to Salt Lake City, I switched airlines. The new airline would not let me check my fish/blueberry box. So I hauled the fish box through the Boise airport and onto the plane as carry-on. I got lots of "Were you just in Alaska?" comments and talked about my trip the whole way home.

James stayed behind in Alaska for another month. Another long month, but the communication was much better now that a satellite phone was no longer necessary!

Spring 2005 Adventures

Hiking in Southern Utah: April 2005 - at the end of ski season, James and some of the other Brighton pro-patrollers went on a river trip. I stayed behind to work while they paddled down the Green River, but as soon as I could get off on Friday, I hopped in my car and met James, Ethan Frank and Melissa Stevens (pictured to the left) in Monticello, UT. On April 30th, we hiked in Mule Canyon - a beautiful desert canyon near Blanding, UT with Native American ruins and red rock walls. Then we drove to McLoyd's Canyon and camped. On May 1st we hiked down into the canyon and back up the other side to the Moon House Ruin - a huge ruin with obvious white pictographs on the ruin and canyon walls. The canyon is so far south, we had to drive across the northernmost tip of Lake Powell on our way back to Salt Lake!

Temple Trips: We are lucky enough to live in the middle of a high concentration of LDS temples and visited several of them together.

April 12, 2005 - Salt Lake Temple - Salt Lake City, UT - We went to a session with James' ward.

April 21, 2005 - Jordan River Temple - South Jordan, UT - We went to a session with Jessi's ward.

May 7, 2005 - Mount Timpanogas Temple - American Fork, UT - When we asked a lady to take our picture outside the temple (picture to the left), she asked if we'd just gotten engaged. We told her no. I thought that was pretty fun just to be thought of as a couple. James thought her question was fairly prophetic. He'd just been thinking how it might be possible for this new relationship to progress into one that could last forever.

May 21, 2005 - Las Vegas Temple - Las Vegas, NV - we took a road trip to Las Vegas for James' friend's wedding.

Road Trip! May 20-22, 2005 - We took our first road trip together to Las Vegas, NV for Dennis & Megan Rhodes' wedding. On our drive down, we detoured off of I-15 and camped near the Valley of Fire State Park - it was too dark to see much when we drove through the park, but we would like to go back when we have more time. We then drove along the shore of Lake Mead and into Las Vegas. We went to a session at the Las Vegas Temple (pictured above at the left). Then spent some time along the strip - we even rode a couple rides at the top of the Stratosphere tower! We attended the wedding reception in Boulder City and then drove back along the strip after dark to see all the neon and wandering people. On Sunday we attended an early ward at the chapel next to the temple - it was the only building we were certain we could find! And then drove back to Salt Lake City. The only thing we could have wished for was more time!

Summer Break: May/June 2005 - at the end of May, James' brother Brian came to Utah for a visit. We did quite a few Utah tourist things - like tour the Beehive House and the Conference Center (picture taken on the conference center roof). We also went miniature golfing and bowling and out to eat and had a good time.

During the first week of June, James and Brian loaded up James' XTerra and another red truck and started their road trip to Alaska. They stopped over near Reno at their Uncle Rod & Aunt Laura's house and got to meet their new cousin, Mathew (born June 7, 2005). They left the XTerra in Reno and completed their trip in the red truck. James lost cell coverage about the time they reached Canada. Instead, I got a postcard every day until James called me from his home in Cordova. It was a longer trip than they expected - due to replacing a fan clutch somewhere in Canada and they also missed the ferry they wanted in Valdez, AK, so had to wait an extra day to get home.

James spent the summer working at Eshamy Bay for the Alaska Fish & Game - counting salmon. A certain number of a particular species of salmon have to be allowed to return upstreat to spawn before the fishing industry is allowed to begin harvesting that species. James & his co-worker, Chris, also helped with a study on non-native salmon and had to cut open the heads of a particular species to look for and keep a tiny bone called an otolith. James had to be flown out to the remote camp on a seaplane. The biggest competition for the salmon is the bears - he saw more bears than people! They had a satellite phone that they were allowed to use in an emergency and once a week for 5-minutes each. Luckily, they could send and receive mail on the planes that flew in with supplies. So we exchanged a few letters and a few very short phone calls during a VERY long two months of summer.