Choose Respect

Juneau's Choose Respect rally on March 28, 2013, was a reminder to us all about the harsh reality of violence against women in Alaska.  According to the 2010 Alaska Victimization Survey, 58 percent of women in Alaska have experienced intimate partner or sexual violence; 47.6 percent have experienced intimate partner violence; and 37.1 percent have experienced sexual violence.  The facts are bone-chilling.  And this tragedy has got to stop.

Alaska Governor Sean Parnell is ​one of very few governors who is focusing on reversing this epidemic.  In 2009, the Parnell administration began the "Choose Respect" statewide movement with a goal of ending the epidemic of domestic violence and sexual assault in Alaska.  In just a few short years, Governor Parnell's initiative has expanded to more than 120 communities across the state.  What was prioritized at the upper echelons of state government can be continued deep down into the fabric of this state. 

We need Alaskans to take a stand.  We need men, women, children... politicians, secretaries, oil execs... hunters, miners, mushers... fishermen, baristas, tour guides... Alaska Native men, village leaders, and elders... to all take a stand.  A stand to Choose Respect.

We need YOU.  Join us.

2013 Iditarod Winner - Mitch Seavey

I had the awesome opportunity to vacation in Nome this past week, just in time to watch Mitch Seavey come across the Iditarod finish line!  Words don't quite describe the excitement in the air.  Check out this video to see what it was like.

A large outdoor screen projected the arrival time of the first musher.​

Friends, family, and sponsors gathered under the burled arch, awaiting Mitch Seavey.​

The media awaits the big arrival.​

Been waiting for this moment for a year.  So excited to be back under the arch!

2012 in Review: Alaska Adventures Galore - PART TWO!

Hello there!  If you haven't checked out Part One of my 2012 Alaska Adventures, please mosey on over to see a recap of January - June 2012.  (Pssst, click the "Part One" link above...)  Here's the second installment of my video and photo synopsis of 2012's adventures.  This blog features some of my experiences from July - December 2012.  Enjoy - and know that you, too, can have these awesome adventures if you just put your mind to it!

​Cleared for landing - Juneau, Alaska.

Somewhere in Southeast Alaska (near Juneau).​

Fourth of July Trip to Haines, Alaska

All aboard the Alaska Marine Highway!​

With my buddies, Ben and George.  ​

Pilot approved!

Mom's First Trip to Alaska

No trip to Juneau is complete without a stop at Tracy's Crab Shack.  She's got the best legs in town!​

Commercial fishing near the Shrine of St. Therese.​

​Whale watching with Captain Larry of Orca Enterprises.

Tracy Arm Cruise with Adventure Bound Alaska

BIG splash!

Soulful eyes.​

Quenching my thirst like a real Alaskan.

Mom and I at the Sawyer Glacier.

I love all the action in this sunset shot: cruise ship, fly fisherman, and purse seiner fishing boat.

Summer 2012 was a busy cruise ship season for Juneau.

Seen in downtown Juneau.

​Jumping for joy because I got to take this Cessna 182 from Anchorage to Palmer and back!

Icefield and Dog Sled Tour with Coastal Helicopters


Kodiak Island and a Washed Up Whale

​Saw huge bear tracks up and down the beach near the rotting whale, but the majestic Kodiak Brown Bear was elusive.

Pillar Mountain on Kodiak Island

​And When Back in Juneau...

For ONE SINGLE DAY in 2012, Juneau saw temperatures in the low 80s.  Sonny Bunny was beyond miserable, as was half of Juneau.​

One of the last cruise ships in town for the season.​

2012 was a terrific year because of new friendships shaped and old friendships reconnected.  2012 showed me I am blessed beyond measure!

Juneau Symposium on Sea Otters

Did you know that sea otters hold hands to prevent drifting apart while sleeping?  They are also the largest member of the weasel family, and their fur is the finest of any mammal, with 850,000 to 1,000,000 hairs per square inch.

Want to learn more?  ​If you're in Juneau on Thursday, February 21, 2013, you can hear about this important species at the Sea Otter Symposium, The Science of Southeast Alaska's Sea Otters​. 

Free and open to the public, it starts at 6pm at the University of Alaska Southeast's Egan Library.  A panel of experts will share the latest scientific data, and their presentations will be followed by a discussion and Q&A session. 

Can't make it to the symposium?  Check out this video and prepare to have your heart melted.