new blog

we are blogging our current travels at the following site: www.harveyglobetrotters.blogspot.com

Boating

With just a couple days left in Alaska we are experiencing mixed emotions. Excited for our new adventure but sad to leave family and the beauty of Juneau. We have been soaking as much of it in as possible. Today we went out on dad Roth's new tug boat and were blessed with gorgeous weather!

Skagway

We went to Skagway this weekend to visit our friend Brenna who is working there for the summer. Skagway is a small town of about 300 people north of Juneau (6hr ferry ride). Skagway is a historical town centered around the gold rush in the 1890's. They have kept the town preserved of its history and town character primarily for a tourist attraction. The first crew ship doesn't come in until this weekend so it was nice to visit Brenna on a weekend before thousands of tourists showed up.

Ice Caves

Another beautiful spring day in Juneau. We hiked west glacier trail which lead us to the edge of the glacier. You can go right up to the glacier and at some points walk through naturally made caves and (if you're brave enough) go far enough where you would potentially be inside the glacier. Here are some pics from our day.

Canon Rebel XS

We purchased a new camera for our upcoming adventures and it arrived this weekend. It has been a lot of fun learning how to use it. Here are a couple random photos from our walk today and just around.

Windfall Lake Cabin

We rented another national forest service cabin called Windfall Lake Cabin this weekend. This cabin has been booked every weekend we've been here (and until we leave). We both happened to have Monday off so we were able to rent it Sunday-Monday. It's a popular cabin because it's a fairly easy 3.2 mile hike and has a view of Windfall Lake. We were fortunate to have reserved it on a beautiful spring day. Here are a couple pics from our time.

Inner Peace

I saw this list a couple weeks ago and it struck a cord with me. I wanted to share it because I felt that it encompassed my goal for inner peace...something so easy to loose in the midst of busy lives and planning exciting adventures :) The list is called Symptoms of Inner Peace...

A tendency to think and act deliberately, rather than from fear based on past experiences.

An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment

A loss of interest in judging others

A loss of interest in judging self

A loss of interest in conflict

A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others

A loss of ability to worry

Frequent overwhelming episodes of appreciation

Contended feelings of connectedness with others and nature

Frequent attacks of smiling through the heart

Increasing susceptibility to kindness offered, and the uncontrollable urge to reciprocate

An increasing tendency to allow things to unfold, rather than resisting and manipulating

east glacier trail

Taking advantage of the nice weather-here are a couple pics from a hike we took on the east side of Mendenhall glacier. (a couple more AK pictures as requested by Cornel) :)

Debt Busters

Today marks an anniversary of ours that we are both very proud of and thankful for. A year ago, after celebrating my cousin Juli and her husband, Blake's wedding, we went to a church service with family at Northpoint in Georgia. The service was about financial responsibility and struck a cord with Emily and me regarding our own finances. After the sermon, we decided that we would try as hard as we could to get completely rid of our student loan debt within the next year. With generous help from family in many different forms, hard work, and the blessing of job opportunities, we are thrilled to celebrate that we are completely debt free. We wanted to share this accomplishment with sincere gratitude!

Family + Holidays

We had a terrific time with family over the holiday season. It was a joy to have such a full house filled with laughter, good food, and many memories. Here are several snapshots over the last couple weeks.