David Owens Music Live ↠ Anchorage Town Square.

A few weeks ago, on a day when it was in the upper 70's (heat wave, watch out!) here in Anchorage and a beautiful sunny day...Dave and I decided to head downtown and see if there was a spot he could plug in and jam out. We found the perfect spot at Anchorage Town Square, Dave asked the few people that were lounging in the grass if they would mind if he played for a bit, and everyone said no.

So that's exactly what he did. Once he got set up and started playing, people who would be power walking by would stop and linger or sit and stay once they heard him. It was so much fun! Dave even got an unexpected backup singer/dancer...it was all fun and games until he started grabbing Dave's guitar. Not cool, man, not cool.









The food stand people brought us a few waters and people really seemed to enjoy stopping for a bit to bask in the sunshine and listen to some live music. One of Dave's friends from the Air Force even was driving by and heard his voice, he made his girlfriend check on facebook if Dave was in fact in Anchorage and then they turned the car around to come listen and say hi. Such a small world.

Places to Visit ↠ Anchorage Coastal Trail.

If you take a trip to Anchorage, of course one of the first things you'll want to do is drive down to the coast and look out at the amazing Alaskan oceans with mountains off in the distance. Since Dave and I live right off the coast, I watch a lot of people drive up to the gate that separates the park from the ocean, they stand there for a few minutes/hours and take it all in, and then hop in their cars and drive off.

As gorgeous as that view can be even from the park, that makes me a bit sad, partially because it took me so long to realize there was a trail right below the park that runs along the coast. It twists and turns, runs by a lake, and generally has some of the most breathtaking views. And even though there are usually a lot of people down there (especially right now since it's the perfect temperatures), it's so peaceful.












There are benches along the way that you can sit and just take it all in. I love to take my book down there and read, constantly looking up to soak it all in. Problems seem so small, and the world feels so vast looking out and around here, but our Creator took a little extra time and creativity with Alaska...that's one thing I know for sure.

For more places to visit, go here.

Many more adventures ahead: Bloglovin' // Instagram // Facebook // Twitter

The adventure continues ≫≫ next stop, Juneau.

Well folks, if nothing else it's always an adventure around here, am I right? Dave got word yesterday that he's being transferred (willingly) to Juneau, Alaska! We're really excited to see more of this gorgeous state while we're here and to experience living somewhere that's a bit more "Last Frontier" than Anchorage. Don't get me wrong, I have loved Anchorage, and while it has many gorgeous sites of it's own to offer...it's still a big city.

 The real curveball though is that we thought we'd at least have until the end of the month to pack up and move out, but we were told yesterday when we got the official word that he needs to be there on the 19th. Which means we leave Anchorage a week from tomorrow...ahhhh!

So crazy, exciting, and a tad bit stressful thanks to the tight time frame. But hey, if there's one thing I've learned with all of this moving it's to be a quick and efficient packer (although Dave would beg to differ, he's the master packer in this family).


The good news is, we haven't accumulated much stuff since we've been here, pretty much all we have to our names is what came with us on the airplanes and a few boxes that my wonderful parents have shipped us. That makes packing ten times easier than usual, I'll take it.

Dave and I have never been to Juneau, so if any of you have been or live in Juneau, we would LOVE recommendations. Things we need to know, places to eat, must see things once we get there. Leave me a comment or drop me an email and let me know!

In the weekend ≫≫ pictures to ease into Monday.

I had a nice weekend taking a break from social media and all of it's distractions. I'm pretty proud of myself for making it all weekend (ha) without checking any of the accounts a million times or even posting on instagram once. I only cheated once (or twice) to check on Ruthie and Mandy's baby bumps...just couldn't help myself there, it's all just too exciting.

Any time I felt like I wanted to start scanning the various social media platforms, I read my book instead. It felt wonderful. We had our first rainy weekend, and it was nice to have a break in the blaring 24/7 sun. Dave and I did some cooking/baking, watched some shows on Netflix (House of Cards anyone?), and generally just relaxed and enjoyed having some time off together.











We were even able to go to dinner with friends on Friday night who are in town from back home, they've traveled in their RV all the way from Kansas. Pretty cool. They've had quite the adventure and we had a great time listening to their stories and catching up.

How was your weekend? Anyone else make it through a social media free weekend? Leave me a comment and let me know!

See you on the flip side ≫≫ social media fast.

As someone who is a photographer, blogger, and shop owner, I know how hard it can be to take a self-imposed vacation...especially if all you can afford is a staycation. When most of your work is on the computer and at home, you can work any time and so many of us end up working all of the time. Even though we all know that's a terrible idea.

I found this quote last night and it really hit home...

 

 ...so true.

Although I try to take breaks and my evenings off when I can, I still find myself constantly on social media. Anyone else? No? Just me? I know I can't be the only one, and yet I wonder if anyone else is as addicted as I am.

This morning I tested it out to see how long I could go before I checked all the accounts. And then, without even thinking about it, I sat down to do something and absentmindedly picked up my phone and started scrolling through instagram. I didn't even know I was doing it for a minute! Yikes.

So, needless to say, this weekend I've decided to do a mini social media/phone/computer fast...who's with me? :)