Alaska Inaugural Gala

January 14, 2015

It was an evening of rainforest revelry, a night of wool and sequins, chiffon and XtraTufs. It was the long-awaited Alaska Inaugural Gala - and boy, was it a sight!

Downtown Juneau's Centennial Hall was a packed house on January 10, and it felt like half of Juneau turned out for the festivities. And Juneau has never looked so good. The town rolled out her red carpet for our new Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and their families - and the community danced the night away!

Check out my video below of the first few minutes of the Gala - complete with a rousing intro by the Yees Ku Oo' dancers of Juneau and some wonderful words from Governor Bill Walker. At the 7:45 minute mark, you'll see Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott (of Tlingit heritage) join the group on the dance floor - a symbolic moment showing pride in his Native culture and solidarity with the Juneau community.

Hats off to our new leadership team!

The Decor and the Music

Selfies with the Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Reunion Time

December 22, 2014

A far cry from Alaska, tonight I'm in Central Alabama for a long-awaited evening with my wonderful (and gorgeous!) friend, Stormy, who flew in from San Diego, and our close friends and mentors Audrey and Eduardo. Wish I lived closer to these three.

Funny story: in 2008, Stormy and I were visiting Audrey and Eduardo in their kitchen. The topic of my moving to Alaska came up, and I expressed my hesitancy. Audrey responded without missing a beat:

"What do you have to lose? It will change your life. You'll probably have the adventure of a lifetime, too."

For whatever reason, Audrey's statement flipped a switch in my mind.

Later that evening, I literally saw the sign - a magnet on Audrey's fridge, which read:

"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do."

Remember this inspiring advice, my friends. Remember it. Always.

Juneau Loves Gretchen

December 3, 2014

"Good friends are like stars. You don't always see them, but you know they're always there."

Gretchen is one of those friends. Caring, bright, compassionate, focused, and thoughtful. She seeks to understand, listens deeply, not to mention she's one heckuva communicator. Since she lives in Anchorage and I live in Juneau, we go months without seeing each other face-to-face, though social media makes keeping in touch a lot easier. And when we do finally reconnect in the same city, it's like we don't miss a beat. We chat breathlessly, share stories, and laugh incessantly.

It's always a delight seeing Gretchen, and I was privileged to spend time with her today when she visited Juneau. We noshed on yummy Thai and Chinese cuisine at Canton House, but the real treat was catching up on each other's lives. I always walk away from our get-togethers inspired and energized. Thank you, Gretchen!

Not only does Gretchen love Anchorage, but she's a lovely person and truly loves life. Check out her lovely home on the web at http://www.gretchenlovesanchorage.com/.

Charlie’s Angels Go Paddleboarding

August 12, 2014

Living in Juneau brings lots of daily adventure, especially if you live in close proximity to Sandy Beach. The area is not only picturesque, but loaded with history.

Rain or shine, there is always something to do at Douglas Island’s Sandy Beach. It's a great location for dog walking, family barbeques, and even serves as an easy jumping off point for paddleboarding.

Earlier this summer, I joined my friends, Debbie and Heather, on a little excursion to paddleboard along the Sandy Beach shoreline and around the old and historic Pump House. It was sunny and warm (by Alaska standards), but we still wore wetsuits and little booties – and had an absolute blast!

I highly recommend the paddleboarding experience to visitors and locals alike. Want to check it out for yourself? Blue Nose Surf specializes in outfitting folks for paddleboarding and surfing in southeast Alaska. Better yet, they’re located on Douglas Island – so you’ll be just a hop, skip, and jump from Sandy Beach.