Alaska Inaugural Gala
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
A Christmas Day Calf
I spent the holidays back in my homestate of Alabama, and it was terrific. There was so much Chick-Fil-A and Krispy Kreme consumed that I reckon I'll be detoxing from the South for a good month before my dietary habits get back to normal.
One of the high points of my trip was driving up to Tennessee with my dear sweet Momma on Christmas Day. Most of my roots are still in the Deep South, and whenever I'm that side of the Mason-Dixon line, I try to get some time in with family in Centertown, Tennessee. My last trip to see my Tennessee kinfolk was way back in 2012, so my visit back to the Farm was long overdue.
Most of the family's got a history in farming, and Uncle Pug - who's in his late 70s - is still up and at 'em. Imagine my surprise when he tells me Christmas morning that one of his Black Angus cows birthed a little one just a few hours earlier! Somehow I talked Uncle Pug into naming it Candice, because let's get real - who doesn't want to have livestock named after them? What an awesome, one-of-a-kind Christmas present!
Check out the video below of when Uncle Pug and I took the four-wheeler on the farm in search of "Candice." My fave part is at the 02:19 minute mark when Uncle Pug tells me about "Big Daddy." Enjoy!
Uncle Pug. Quite the character.
"Candice" and Momma Cow.
They call this one "Candice."
I don't know this cow's name. I will call it "Grumpy Cow."
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas from my family to yours!
Joel Osteen said it best:
"Christmas is the perfect time to celebrate the love of God and family and to create memories that will last forever. Jesus is God's perfect, indescribable gift. The amazing thing is that not only are we able to receive this gift, but we are able to share it with others on Christmas and every other day of the year."
Merry Christmas, y'all!