The Cannon Clan

Happy Birthday Baby Colt

2010-10-15T23:09:00.000-07:00

I LOVE YOU!!!

The Picture Allison Took...

2010-07-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

I love to take pictures, but I would also love to be good at getting my picture taken... but I'm not!

I can sit around all day long and think about different poses or angles

but when I get in front of a camera...

...all the muscles in my face tense up...

...I get a goofy uncomfortable grin plastered on my face...

...my body morfs into all kinds of weird shapes...
...And I totally loose control of myself...

However last night as the sun was slowly setting I called Allison to see if she wanted to come over and model for me.

Because she is AWESOME!

...so she arrived...

It was about 10:30 or 11:00pm when the sun started to shine through the clouds again.

I was so getting so excited about the different frames and all the golden liquid color : D

Then she asked if I wanted her to take some shots of me...

Sure.... uh.... ok, so what do I do now...????

So all the muscles in my face tensed up, I grinned my goofy grin, my body morfed, and I had no idea what to do...

...but there was one picture. A shot of me standing their contemplating on what I should do next...

...And I Love IT!!!

Indepence Day

2010-07-04T17:57:00.000-07:00

His Favorite

2010-06-11T00:38:00.000-07:00

My Sweet Boys

2010-06-02T21:15:00.000-07:00

I love you!

Another Walk...

2010-05-27T00:49:00.000-07:00

...only this time its about 11pm.

The sunset was beautiful and the mosquitos were horrible!!!

"Mama what's that?"

Back Home

2010-05-21T13:33:00.000-07:00

We are home now...

No matter how many times we come and go

it is always SAD:(

It does feel good to see green grass,

long days, and get back into schedule

...but I'm looking forward to visiting again next year:)

Mama with the boys

PawPaw and MawMaw with us

All of MawMaw's Great Grand Babies

Me, Ashley and Gen with our babies

My Boys

2010-05-11T07:04:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post these.

The boys have been good little models

and I'm hoping I'm not driving them crazy...

I've posted pictures of Cecil and Anne on my photography blog.

They were helping me practice "couples" pictures.

Hey Sarah...did you notice? I LOVE it!!!

Rainy Day in Georgia

2010-04-20T07:56:00.000-07:00

It's raining today, Colt is sleeping and my Dad took Cruz to Hardie's to drink coffee and socialize with the family so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to update my blog.

We flew to Texas first to visit with Steven's grandparents in Kerrville. The weather was beautiful, everyone was friendly and the food was good! They had just moved here after visiting with us last year so we had never been to this part of the state before. I loved it! The landscape was beautiful, it was like stepping out into an old western movie but with big green trees.

We had a wonderful visit and it was really hard saying goodbye...

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson with the boys

Guadalupe River

Blue Bonnets

After a week in Kerrville Steven flew back to Alaska and my parents picked me and the kids up to take a road trip back to GA. We took I-10 east to Gulf Shores, Alabama and then north to Hiawassee. Colt and Cruz did so well!!! We stopped one night before we got to Alabama and then spent two nights at the beach. The hotel we found had all of their rooms facing the ocean, with a balcony and a private beach. The white sand was so soft and warm and we just sat there soaking it all in:)

Cruz was so happy to be there

I loved the way this turned out. It was starting to get dark outside.

Cruz, Colt and Pimpaw

Looking for shells

"The Emerald Coast"

We spent the whole day after that driving to the mountains. Cruz and Colt got to see lots their Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and cousins (and they're still not done yet). We finally made it to my parents house, the place where I grew up. My Dad is remodeling the kitchen and fixing lots of things that have broken down from the house being vacant for so long. Yesterday I helped him fix a broken pipe in the field that feeds our water down from the artisan well. It was fun I got to play in the mud barefooted:)

So more to come when I get a chance. Colt has been teething nonstop and his schedule has been nonexistent so when things calm down some more maybe I can post some more pictures.

The pasture during a foggy morning

Our First Walk

2010-04-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

This is our first walk of the spring.

We usually try to walk around the neighborhood

once a day during the summer.

He is always marching around the house

like he's in marching band... :)

No wonder he was so wet when we got home.

He's getting tired of me asking him to look at the camera. I was trying to

capture his

beautiful eyes in the sun.

"Look Mama Airplane"

Preview

2010-03-24T14:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a preview for my next blog "Our First Walk"

I have been overwhelmed

by house work, kiddos and other stuff recently

We will be leaving for Texas and Georgia for six weeks soon

I am excited!!!

My Baby

2010-03-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

Spring's Last Snow??? please???

2010-03-09T18:32:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago (when it was still warm) during Miss Livvy's photo shoot we took a break to watch the snow fall...

It was coming down in criss cross action and melting a soon as it hit the porch.

Cruz: "I cold Mama"
Me: "Well go back inside, you don't have shoes on"
Cruz: "ok"

Anne & The Chipmunks "I'm Yours"

2010-02-27T16:31:00.000-08:00

Mr. Cruz

2010-02-25T14:05:00.001-08:00

Peek-a-Boo

2010-02-23T23:12:00.001-08:00

New Camera Lens

2010-02-22T10:26:00.000-08:00

I got two lenses for the price of one for my birthday. The Nikkor 200 that I have been saving for was on sell because it didn't come in a box and the difference made up for the Nikkor 50mm that I have been wanting. So here are a few shots with the 50mm. I love it, I just have to practice some more. The last three shots are from the bowling alley during neon bowl.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap

2010-02-18T21:06:00.000-08:00

Here lately I have become quite the "Frugal Domestic Diva." I am now grinding my own wheat and making my own bread, I make my own bath soap, hopefully in the future I will learn how to make shampoo and conditioner and I also make laundry soap. I have been using this recipe since the summer. I love it and it saves about $40 a month from store bought soap. I think here in AK 10 gal. of this soap will cost about $4.00 and depending on how many people are in your family it lasts a while. Not all stores carry the ingredients, but the Fred Meyers in Palmer has it all.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

The 80's Party

2010-02-13T01:21:00.000-08:00

Allison surprised Dwayne with a 80's party for his 30th. We had so much fun!!! I finally had an excuse to use my polaroid camera (which not of these picts are from) and tease my hair. The guys and their wigs were hilarious:)

January Pictures

2010-02-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

Colt

2009-12-22T01:05:00.001-08:00

!!! Happy Birthday Cruz !!!

2009-12-19T11:49:00.000-08:00

Cruz turned 3 on Nov. 30th. I know I'm a little late on the announcement, but I've been busy! I made him a "tractor tippin" cake from the movie Carrs. (Steve is putting this in here to see if she prof reads) I'm not the best baker in the world but it was cute. He got lots of cars and trucks and a couple of books. He had fun. He shared his party with both sets of grandparents and his aunt and uncle.

New Blog...

2009-11-16T15:38:00.000-08:00

I have make a new blog to keep my personal life and creative life separate. Steven asked me once why I had non family members on our blog (talking about my photography). So now all my photography, art, crafts and other cool stuff and links will be located at www.purplepolkadotsAK.blogspot.com Here is the first entry: a pair of baby slippers I made this morning.

Brothers

2009-10-30T13:16:00.000-07:00

Brothers... I'm so happy!

Colt

2009-10-09T20:04:00.001-07:00

Birth of Colt

2009-10-06T17:38:00.000-07:00

Mr. Colt Mitchell Cannon arrived 9/29/09. I was induced at 6am and he arrived at 2pm so everything went very quickly. He came out with a head full of dark hair and the longest fingers and toes ever. He eats and sleeps very well and loves to snuggle. I instantly bonded with him and I can't stand to be apart from him for any length of time. He is so precious and beautiful!

Home in the South

2009-09-17T07:08:00.000-07:00

My brother took this video of where we grew up in Georgia. I think he did a great job!!! His SLR camera has a recording feature with excellent quality. Hope you enjoy it.

This is the first house my Dad built I think in 85'. He set the logs with an old power wagon and my Great-Uncle did the rock work. I LOVE this house...we have so many great memories growing up here of swimming in the creek and playing with our cousins. I think my parents are thinking about turning into a B & B and growing an organic farm.

Miss Mollie's Photo Shoot

2009-09-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Cruz and I went over to take pictures of Mollie. I started talking to Caitlin about it a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to get it done for her before I have my baby and things get a little crazier.

Again, this was a first for me. I had been working on some props and I also had some left over flower headbands from the craft shows.

She did very well and had some of the cutest expressions.

So between me wallowing around in the floor trying to get the best angle, Caitlin, making sure she didn't fall and keeping her attention with toys, and Cruz jumping all over the place and also keeping her attention with toys... I think it turned out very well:)

Thanks Caitlin and Mollie for letting us come over!!! Hopefully we can do it again later.

Sager's Maternity Shoot

2009-09-06T16:59:00.000-07:00

On Friday I went up to Hatcher's Pass with my friends/neighbors to take their maternity pictures. The weather was unbelievable, almost to good because of the bright sun. The fall colors were starting to set in, but there was still enough green to make for a nice back drop. We parked at the Summit Lake area and the views were gorgeous!!! Kevin and Stephanie did a great job and were very agreeable with the different poses. This is my first couple's shoot and I liked the way it turned out. There are some things I will do differently next time, but it's all a learning process. I hope you like them...

Baby Shower

2009-08-31T14:16:00.000-07:00

August 15th was the baby shower for my new little boy. Jolene hosted the shower at her beautiful house. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was relaxing. Those in attendance were Mama, friends and ladies from Church. They blessed me with wonderful, creative, and useful gifts.

Amanda, Stephanie, myself and Allison are all pregnant:)

Thank You to everyone that attended and helped out. Pictures by Jolene

Girl's Day

2009-08-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

My friends Sarah, Dana and Nate (Dana's Baby) came up for the weekend to visit before the baby comes. They got here Friday night and chatted for a while and watched the fireworks from the fair oh, and watched Bob the Builder (Dana's present to Cruz).

Saturday morning for breakfast we cooked up some funnel cakes being that it is fair season. They turned out excellent. I used the Krustez wheat and honey just add water pancake mix. Super Easy!!! I didn't have any cream cheese so I opened up a can of Eagle Brand SC milk and I had some syrupy jam that didn't solidify all the way and those were our toppings.

I think we left the house around 11:30ish and headed toward Hatcher's Pass. I've been wanting to do a photo shoot up there while the colors were still vibrant and Nate was the perfect subject. Plus Dana had never been up there before so it was nice to see her reaction to one of God's most beautiful creations. So we finally reached the pull off right above Summit Lake after beating Dana up from all the pot holes (she is on her 2nd broken tail bone from giving birth). I don't know how, but I had totally forgotten about how bad that road was. So we took some pictures and tried to keep Nate from freezing. The pictures turned out better than what I thought. I've been trying to practice using my manual settings so I can get better color and most of the time I end up very frustrated.

So we wrapped things up on the mountain and headed back down. It was about two by then and we swung by Fred Meyers to get paninis for lunch. I also picked up some magazines for Allison to read during her stay in the hospital. So we finally got out of Freddies about 2:35 and fought fair traffic and red lights down the Palmer-Wasilla to get to the 2:45 showing of The Time Traveler's Wife. We made it there about 3:00 and missed the first 5 minutes or so.

After drying our eyes from the tears shed and walking out into the bright disorienting light we drove down to Target. Living in Anchor Point, Sarah and Dana never get to go so we browsed for quite some time. I finally broke down and purchased a hand held vacuum, a yellow tank top that I'm hoping will fit by about February and a big red pot to replant my last Christmas' poinsettia.

D & S still had to go to Wal-Mart so I had them drop me off at the hospital so I could visit with Allison and the newest addition to the Engelbreght family: Jonah. Allison was doing well, so glad not to be pregnant anymore, but now starting the recovery stage. Jonah was doing very well, a spitting image of the whole family, but no one imparticular. I visited with them for about an hour until S & D came to pick me up.

We then headed back to Freddies in Palmer to pick up odds and ends and ingredients for the pizza we were determined to make for dinner. And I also had to check the mail that I had forgot to check earlier in the day because Steven was anxiously awaiting a new chess CD. I think we finally made it home about 8:30.

All we wanted to do was flop on the couch and sleep for 3 days, but we had pizza to make. So we got to work and by this point delirium had set in and every thing had turned goofy. But, by Dana's diligence we were able to complete our goal and eat a delicious dinner. We put the babies to bed, sat down on the couches along with Steven, ate ice cream and tried to come up with baby names for this little guy about to pop out and for Sarah's 5 month little mystery in her belly.

We were totally exhausted but we had fun!!! I have been friends with these ladies for the past four years and I love every minute I get to spend with them. Thanks for coming up you too:)

Potters Marsh, Whittier and Portage

2009-07-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

Steven's Grandparents are up for a month along with his Great Aunt for two weeks and we wanted to take them to see some of the local sites. Steven took a couple of days off work and we headed down south. Every year the Andersons come up they like to go to Whittier for fish and chips at Swiftwater Cafe.
So on our way down there we stopped at Potters Marsh outside of Anchorage and walked up and down the boardwalks looking at the beautiful scenery.

Cruz enjoyed running up and down the boardwalk and letting out some of his energy.

After that we jumped back in the car(s) and headed to Whittier. We didn't wait long to go through the tunnel and when we did Cruz kept calling it a car wash. So Funny! So when we finally saw the light it was like we were driving into a white wall. The weather was sunny and slightly warm with a bit of clouds on one side and Whittier was completely fogged in and misting. We parked and set of to find The Swiftwater Cafe. I have to agree with the Andersons they do serve some delicious fish and chips!!!

After we ate we took Cruz across the street to visit Jolie the reindeer. She was so beautiful and still had the velvet on her antlers.

The fog was starting to lift a bit and I walked down to the harbor to take some photos of the boats and Steven let Cruz touch the water.

After we got some ice cream we decided we should probably head on out. Well we forgot to check the tunnel schedule and had to wait for about 35 min. Which usually wouldn't have been that bad, but it was foggy, rainy and humid and when I am closed up in a car in those conditions I can't get my ears to pop. Oh and Cruz really needed a nap.

After we surfaced from the "car wash" we stopped at the Portage Trail. Peggy really wanted a picture of the glacier. So the last time I hiked that trail was about 5 yrs ago and I didn't think there was much to it. Well Steven, Peggy and myself started up that trail just a hoofing it. We were passing everybody and I kept saying, "Oh, its shouldn't be that far." Well for a lady in her 80's and a 7 1/2 month pregnant lady a mile is a long ways especially if your speed walking. So we finally made it and took some pictures and took it easy walking out. I forgot to mention why we were in a rush. Steven didn't want to get caught in the rush hour traffic in Anchorage.

So it was a long day, but we got a lot accomplished and saw lots of pretty scenery. And we were exhausted, but it was worth it! I find that living up here the only time visit the local sites is if we have visitors with us.

More from the Festival

2009-07-23T23:25:00.000-07:00

Moose Droppings Festival

2009-07-15T15:31:00.001-07:00

Moose Droppings Festival, originally uploaded by Katie Cannon.

Over the weekend we drove out to Talkeetna for the Moose Droppings Festival and Steven's softball tournament. We got there to late to play in the morning game so we watched the parade and looked around at the booths. I stood in line for about 20 mins at the only working ATM in town to get enough money to buy an ice cream. As we were walking around we saw a group of friends from Church and other softball players we knew from Wasilla. Mainly we were waiting to see when the next game was. We finally found out it wasn't going to be until 8 pm so we looked at each other and said "Well let's go home." So we loaded up Cruz, the stroller, several bags of supplies, our jackets (even though it was almost 90*), the bat bag and ourselves and high tailed it back to Palmer. We had fun and Steven's team ended up winning the tournament the next day.

I'll post some more pictures later and if you want to see my flickr pictures I thing you can just click on the photo above and it should take you directly there.

Wedding Pictures

2009-07-02T08:47:00.000-07:00

Recently Ant and I helped Jolene McDowell out with a wedding. Ant and I were in charge of the guys getting ready and we were kind of nervous being out on our own but we made it and got some great shots. During the wedding we were in charge of getting the small things that the main photographer doesn't have time to get. It was a long day but we had a lot of fun and took LOTS of pictures.

Jolene's blog: http://www.mcdowellphotography.net/blog/

Maternity Photos

2009-06-29T17:09:00.000-07:00

So today while the kiddos were asleep Allison and I got out and took some more pictures. This time I was not behind the camera and therefor very uncomfortable. I can't keep a straight face so most of the shots turned out with me having a goofy head because I didn't know what to do with myself. Allison did a great job so here you go...

My First Photo Shoot!!!

2009-06-25T09:48:00.000-07:00

Yay!!! I finally got to do my own real photo shoot. This is Allison she is a wonderful friend, beautiful model, and an amazing mother of soon-to-be three. We were in her yard and mine armed with a camera, several dresses and couple of second hand props we picked up here and there. We spent half of the time fighting with the clouds and mosquitoes, but that didn't keep us down...we had no time to spare because all of the kiddos were sleeping. So I think it turned out pretty good considering it being my first time and I think I've only taken one photo of someone being pregnant before. So hopefully here in a couple of weeks I will post some photos of me that she will be taking being that we are only two weeks apart.... hopefully to be continued:)

Colony Days

2009-06-15T15:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the Colony Day in Palmer so Steven, Cruz and I took the opportunity to get out of the house and enjoy ourselves. We got there right on time and we watched Cruz enjoy the excitement of the parade. He was so cute waving to all the people passing bye. One lady gave him a sucker so we had to teach him to suck on it rather than bite it. After he was done he had snot running down his nose and yellow sticky slime smeared across his face. He was so cute!

We finally got tired of watching the parade and went to chat with our friend Dwayne. He had his chiropractic booth set up for screenings. After that I got a pulled pork sandwich from the Rib Shack and Steven got a cheese burger. Cruz snacked off our sandwiches and fudge.

Then we decided it was time to go home.

Cruz

2009-06-15T15:14:00.001-07:00

Cruz, originally uploaded by Katie Cannon.

Last Days of Winter

2009-03-27T15:50:00.000-07:00

With spring sneaking in (hopefully) and winter waving its windy hand goodbye I would like to reflect on our time spent together... AHHHhhhhhhhhh if I ever have to live through another winter like this one with out a two month sunny HOT vacation I think I will absolutely go CRAZY!!! This has been the hardest winter by far that I have ever had. It probably would have helped if I had got out of the house more or maybe took up skiing or snowshoeing. Anyways I could go on for days about how this winter has given me a new appreciation for those hot humid days in Georgia where all we could do was lay on the porch and pray for a breeze..... ok, back to reality.

I am soooo excited that the snow is melting and it has been 40* for the last several days. I know we may get snow a couple more times, but I can hear the mosquitoes and see the flowers on the horizon. The ice is almost melted off the porch and as soon as the ground thaws we are getting a yard:) Yea!!!

Last time I blogged about what a fun time Cruz and I had playing outside. Here are the pictures:

2009-03-12T21:08:00.000-07:00

.......

2009-03-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

I will admit it, I am not a good blogger. I always think about things I can write, but go blank as soon as I start to write. I have actually tried to blog about 3 times since my last post. The first one I accidentally erased, the second I can't remember and the third I was trying to load a picture and it froze so I got frustrated and went to something else.

So the exciting news about the Cannon Clan: Well most of you know that I am 3 mo. pregnant and due Sept 20th. I hope to deliver on time because Steven has to give a speech at a work conference in Atlanta the first week in October and I am determined that Cruz, the new baby and I are going with him.

We have been enjoying the warm days. Cruz has been dragging me outside and we just walk around. I took some cute pictures of him yesterday and of course they are still on my camera. I am paranoid that we are being watched by all the neighbors. I can't wait to get a fence!!! The dogs are driving me crazy and that's another reason I need a fence. I have to let them out separately so they won't run off.

Next week we head to the Kenai. Steven goes down there for work every month so latime we are going with him. We are going to stay at a hotel with a pool and go and visit friends in Anchor Point one day. I am excited, but we have to drive separate.

Ok, well I am going to go for now, Cruz is crawling all over me.

5 Things for Amanda

2009-01-29T08:48:00.000-08:00

5 Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago
1. Just switched to Palmer High School from Colony
2. I was really missing my friends in Georgia
3. Reading magazines and talking on the phone
4. Crushing on boys
5. Plucking my eyebrows into shape for the first time

5 Things on My To-Do List Today
1. Get out of bed
2. Tend to Cruz
3. Wash the pots I meant to was yesterday
4. Plan for two different parties this weekend
5. Go to my soccer game tonight

5 Snacks I like
1. chips and salsa
2. hot sauce and crackers
3. chocolate chip cookies and milk
4. spring rolls from Mekong
5. I don't know if you can count this, but a fully loaded salad.

5 Things I Would Do if I Were a Millionaire.
1. Like Amanda...hire a house cleaner.
2. Make sure my husband and parents never have to work again.
3. Give a big chunk to the Church
4. Buy a beach house
5. Take a exotic vacation every year
6. Buy Stocks

5 Places I Have Lived for Various Times
1. Hiawassee, Georgia 9 years
2. Bethel, Alaska 3 years
3. Hiawassee, Georgia 4 Years
4. Palmer, Wasilla, Anchor Point, Alaska 10 years

5 Jobs That I Have Had
1. Baby Sitter
2. Slack's Sugar Shack
3. Office Cleaner
4. Secretary at Mat-Su College
5. MOMMY

5 People I Tag (to post a "5 Things . . . " list on their blog)
-sorry I don't know how to tag people_
1. Norman and Tara
2. Casey
3. James and Andrea
4 & 5??? I think everyone else I know has been tagged.

Portraits...

2009-01-28T15:41:00.000-08:00

For the longest time now I have been wanting to do portrait photography. Of course I love taking photos nature, but I think taking pictures of people draw out more emotions. I also want to make people feel good by capturing their beauty... especially their eyes. I want to get to a point where my subjects don't feel like they have to pose... where they can just be natural. Right now my favorite technique is overexposed picture and the eyes still with full color. I don't know what it is called, but The Picture Lady does it really well (I have got a link to her blog under photographers). So if anyone has any techniques, angles, or lighting advice please let me know. Thanks

Allison and Dawson 3

2009-01-28T15:39:00.001-08:00

Allison and Dawson 3, originally uploaded by Katie Cannon.

I took several shots of her in the living room surrounded by toys to capture her life as a Mom.

Allison and Dawson 2

2009-01-28T15:37:00.001-08:00

Allison and Dawson 2, originally uploaded by Katie Cannon.

Again, the same positioning. This one came out a little blurry, but I still like it.

Allison and Dawson 1

2009-01-28T15:36:00.001-08:00

Allison and Dawson 1, originally uploaded by Katie Cannon.

They were on the stairs and I was up in a chair looking down over them.

Jumping off and having fun!

2009-01-20T23:05:00.001-08:00

Jumping off and having fun!, originally uploaded by Katie Cannon.

I took this photo of the guys in Kauai at Barking Sands Beach.

orchids

2009-01-14T16:35:00.001-08:00

orchids, originally uploaded by Katie Cannon.

Who Puts Green Onions in Their Salsa?

2009-01-11T13:41:00.000-08:00

A while back after eating out several times and either really enjoying my meal or thinking I could do it better I decided that being a food critic would be the best job ever. I love to go out to eat and I really enjoy great food so even though I won't be getting paid I am going to start giving reviews on the restaurants that I feel needs to be discussed.

So back to my title "Who Puts Green Onions in Their Salsa" who does that? Well I tell you who...Garcia's in Eagle River does... at least they did Friday night. Here is the breakdown: 1-5 1-terrible 5-good

Service: 4 for the hostess they walked around screaming the names of those who were waiting after it was obvious they were no longer there.
5 for the waitresses they never let our glasses go empty, they were prompt, and one gave me a compliment.

Atmosphere: 4 it was loud but not overpowering and they decor was fitting.

Food: 2.5 the salsa was terrible (green onions & lack of salt). Steven and I got the Lalapolooza Platter for 2 the enchiladas were good but everything else was blaaaa. The beans were cooked under the heat lamp so they were stiff and crusty. And I'm not really a fan of veggies in my Spanish Rice.

Price: 3.5 for the taste it was way overpriced, but for Alaska it didn't surprise me.

So overall score: 3.5

Personal Notes: Steven, my parents and I remembered why we haven't been there in years. And we probably won't be back unless they get some tips from anyone that can cook good Mexican Food. We are also a little picky because we LOVE eating Mexican food, we cook it all the time and Steven's Family is from S. Texas so they can cook it pretty good.

Here is my quick and easy Salsa recipe:

2 cans rotel
1/2 onion
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro (use stems) and chop it up a little
Pour in some granulated garlic powder, salt, pepper, and lime juice and don't be stingy with the garlic. Whip it up a couple of times in either a food processor or a blender.

If you have never used Rotel it is diced tomatoes with a Mexican twist. You can find it in the canned tomato section in most grocery stores. You may wonder why I don't use fresh tomatoes... well if I had them and they were good I would.
Enjoy!

palms

2009-01-10T13:36:00.001-08:00

palms, originally uploaded by Katie Cannon.

Lonely Palm 2

2009-01-10T01:33:00.001-08:00

Lonely Palm 2, originally uploaded by Katie Cannon.

I made this look like it was taken in the 60's. I love it!

IMG_6391

2009-01-09T13:56:00.001-08:00

IMG_6391, originally uploaded by Katie Cannon.

Cruz riding his Wonder Horse this summer while we worked on the back porch.

Old Truck 2

2009-01-08T16:48:00.001-08:00

Old Truck 2, originally uploaded by Katie Cannon.

This old truck sits out in the pasture in fronts of my parents house in Georgia. In the summer the bush in the back is full of roses. Nest time we are down there I would like to take some close up photos of it.

Hatchers Pass

2009-01-07T07:29:00.001-08:00

Hatchers Pass, originally uploaded by Katie Cannon.

I went hiking one day with my parents, brother and Cruz on the zig zap trail and this was overlooking the other side.

Pioneer Peak

2009-01-06T16:30:00.001-08:00

Pioneer Peak, originally uploaded by Katie Cannon.

Please ignore the black spot in the sky. I need to get my camera cleaned and for now I don't have the patients to fix it in photoshop.

Palmer Nights

2009-01-06T16:29:00.001-08:00

Palmer Nights, originally uploaded by Katie Cannon.

This is from yesterday.

Poor Cruz is sick this week. He has been coughing and congested and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. Hopefully it is working its way up and out. Poor Guy:(

I have also started to put his room together. It is time for him to have a big boy room. So I moved a shelf in there and laid it on the floor so we can stack his books and toys in there.

Over the weekend Steven had to work 31 hrs straight. He got called out on Thursday about 6:30 to work in Anchorage. While he was there they got another call for Kenai. Some part broke so they had to wait for someone to bring another part out from Anchorage. He didn't end up getting home until 8:00 Saturday morning. That's why we weren't at Church on Sunday he slept straight through it.

Black Spruce

2009-01-04T22:47:00.001-08:00

Black Spruce
Originally uploaded by Katie Cannon

Black Spruce

Sterling Hwy to Kenai. I was driving down the road and couldn't keep my eyes off the beautiful trees so I stuck my camera out the sun roof and took the photo.

Flickr Photos

2009-01-03T14:50:00.000-08:00

Check out flickr.com if you haven't already. I am uploading a photo a day and I will try to upload it to here too.
This photo was taken in 06 at Little Breneke Beach in Poi Pu, Kauai, Hawaii.

Happy New Year Everybody!

2009-01-01T23:16:00.001-08:00

I hope all of you had a Great New Year. I spent the last couple hours of 2008 trying to capture the perfect fireworks picture. I got myself all bundled up and walked outside and set up. Our neighbors were shooting them off so they were practically right in my face. The shots came out amazing... I am so excited!!! My brother just taught me how to take photos at night and I have been trying to practice every chance I get. So despite it being -25* outside I was pleased with the outcome. As far as the rest of the clan... Cruz went to sleep and Steven was playing games with our nephews.

So an update on the workout: We did it for the third time last night and I am really starting to feel a difference. It is getting a little easier every time.

One of my New Year's Resolutions

2008-12-29T09:50:00.000-08:00

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to get in better shape.... I know everyone says that every year, but I am desperate... I will turn 27 on my birthday and already I am feeling the aches and pains of a much older body. This year alone I have dealt with knee problems, developed turf toe, and pulled several muscles, however I do feel that I should have several more good years of playing sports without sitting out half of the season. So Steven and I decided it's about time we do something about it. I've gone back and forth about either going to the gym or just walking down stairs and working out. So for now I think I will save some money:)

I don't know if any of you watch The Biggest Loser, but I LOVE that show! So those of you who do know the show Know Jillian... I would totally pick her to be my trainer if I was on the show. Steven found a workout of hers and we tried it and it kicked-my-butt! (I will post the link at the end if anyone would like to try it) My legs were shaking so bad and were almost numb.

So I will keep you updated on my progress:)

Here is the link to the workout: http://www.self.com/fitness/workouts/2009/01/the-great-one-month-slim-down-video

Ok, here I go again...

2008-12-29T01:38:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I am going to try to write a blog again. I tried this a couple of years ago and obviously I failed. So here I am again and I hope this time I can keep up with it. To all who read it thanks for taking the time... and to all my family down South we love and miss you.