A Day Spent Out in the Boat

Juneau has really been blessed with warm weather this summer. Last week it got up to 85 degrees! 

And in our book, that's water-skiing weather!

And that's just what we did:

I know what you're thinking. 

You're thinking, "Emily, I don't see you in any of these pictures!" 

Yep, you're right. That's because I was in the boat, taking pictures and video, with NO bathing suit on. Unlike this new family I have married into, I'm not completely crazy. 

That water is COLD.

To prove my point, here's the face Abigail made when she put on the soaking wet and very cold life jacket before climbing out of the boat. 

That's not a happy face.







Here's Paul getting out of the water, and boy is he happy to do so!

Because of the warm weather, everyone dried off pretty quick in the boat, so they didn't have long to shiver once they got out.




Later that evening, we performed on a Princess Cruise ship. I think the audience was a bit mystified when we told them we had gone water-skiing earlier that day...

Like me, they must have known how cold the water was!


Here's Abigail waiting for us to swing back around with the boat and get her after a fall:

Notice how she's up on the surf board? Yep, it was cold, but I think Abby, Quinn, and Paul would say that the water temperature was worth the fun!

I made a short little video to capture the chilling fun. You'll want to see Quinn and Abby jumping off the boat dock, and Paul's (wearing a wet suite, the cheater) water skiing skill!

Our Guide to Juneau - The Shrine of Saint Therese

We're doing a short little series on our favorite places here in Juneau! So many times up at the tram, we are asked where the locals go, or where the prettiest spots are. 

Well, here are your questions answered! Our favorite places to go to, and the places we think you've just gotta see while you're here!

---------------------------------------------------------

After a drive 'out the road', you will find yourself out of cell phone service and in the prettiest spot in Juneau: The Shrine of Saint Therese. 

This little spot is nestled in right next to the ocean, and no matter the weather, the mountains and sea surrounding it are always a joy to see.

Cabins can be rented right here, if you need a lovely place to stay (can you imagine waking up to this view every morning?), but the best part of this little spot is the tiny church, at the end of the short walk along the beach.

Underneath a canopy of green, lies the church, surrounded by quiet places to pray and rejoice in the beauty of God's creation. 

Many years ago (all the way back in 2011), the band filmed a music video here. The weather was much different, and I think they were all dripping wet by the end of it. To go and watch that music video (of the song, 'Be Thou My Vision') you can click here.

Words and pictures fail to show how serene and beautiful this place truly is. That's why you'll need to come and experience it for yourself when you come up to Juneau!

A peak inside the lovely church doors:

I had originally planned to have my wedding here, but the guest list kept getting longer and longer and longer...
Maybe Quinn and I will one day renew our vows in this lovely place.

Also, the acoustics in there are amazing! I couldn't help but sing a worship song or two (or seven) while sitting in one of the pews.

A maze of stones can be easily seen on the way back from the church. The perfect place to pray or reflect as you walk the carefully made lanes to the center.



We're very sure you'll love this spot as much as we do. You should make sure to have this quiet retreat listed on your to-see list when coming up and visiting our city of Juneau!

Our Guide to Juneau - Sandy Beach

We're doing a short little series on our favorite places here in Juneau! So many times up at the tram, we are asked where the locals go, or where the prettiest spots are. 

Well, here are your questions answered! Our favorite places to go to, and the places we think you've just gotta see while you're here!

---------------------------------------------------------

Sandy beach got it's name by being the only sandy beach in Juneau. However, it's not a natural beach! It was made from the mine tailings that poured out of the two large mines in downtown Juneau. 
Because of the rich mining history, there's buildings and old mine ruins all over the beach, just waiting to be explored! If you're trip or cruise takes you to Juneau, we think this should be on your list of places to visit.

Not only is the long beach lovely to walk along, there are easy trails to follow with maps and placards to lead and show you Juneau's rich mining history.

The trails are all well kept and often walked by locals as well. 

We recommend bringing some boots if it's been raining though (some parts can get muddy!).

Here are some ruins from the Treadwell Mine, a huge mining operation once run here. We made a music video in this building for our song 'Hardrock Gold' that Paul wrote (you can see it on our newest Alaska Odyssey DVD).

Old bricks are everywhere along the paths from old buildings that once stood where the forest now grows. 

Old pieces of plates can still be found on the shore of the beach from a messhall that once was built there.

Old buildings tower among the trees.

These were once the places where men worked and worked to find gold.

Posts from long-gone docks stick out of the sandy shore. And the familiar little house, once on a dock itself, stands alone. You'll see this little spot often in artwork done of Juneau. 

If you're crazy enough, you can swim in the water with the local children. When we took these pictures, even though the sun was out, no one was seen in the water. It wasn't quite warm enough yet...

A beautiful spot indeed!

We hope you agree with us that this spot must not be missed if you ever have the pleasure of coming up to Juneau. 

It's one of our favorite places to explore!

The Taking of a Late Honeymoon

We're back!

Yep, a whole week to ourselves. No practice, no work, and lots and lots of sunshine!

Also lots and lots of beach!

Quinn was definitely a happy camper.

I was happy to use my parasol that Quinn had gotten me for Christmas (there hadn't been a whole lot of sunny days to use it back home...).

We made a little video with some of the highlights from our trip, and we thought we'd share it with you! We used our only Hawaiian tune, Mele Kalikimaka (Yes, it is a Christmas song, but I love it so much I sing it all year!), as the song for the video. We hope you enjoy this little look into our vacation!

Quinn and I both agree one of the best highlights was hiking four miles to Hanakapi'ai Falls. We were able to swim in the cold pool underneath it; talk about invigorating! 

We were also able to go to the National Tropical Botanical Garden! Besides seeing the biggest spider ever right outside the bathrooms (Quinn may have almost had a heart-attack), we got to explore the lovely native (and non-native) Hawaiian plant garden. 

Quinn's favorite part?

No, not the spider...

Getting to see these amazing ficus trees! This is where they filmed part of the first Jurassic Park movie. We looked all over for some raptors, but wild roosters were all we saw.

Thank you all so much for all the kind words you left us! We both had an amazing time and we're so happy we got to finally go on our honeymoon.

And yes, we both agreed that we would never move away from Juneau (we love our own mountains and beaches too much...even if there isn't nearly enough sunshine!).

This little break away from home was nice, but now we're ready and looking forward to a summer full of shows and new exciting adventures! 

Boardwalk To The Cliffs

What do you do when you get off early from practicing and you can actually see the sun?

Why you go on a hike of course!

But not just any hike, oh no!

You want to go somewhere were you will be greeted with lovely views.

And that's just what Quinn and I did!

The trail itself was a boardwalk, hidden from the road. I hadn't even known about the trail (which I don't believe has a name) until a friend showed it to me.

All along the path we were greeted with pretty views of the ocean through the trees, but we were headed to something much better!

Small patches of snow were nestled in among the blueberry bushes that were showing off their bright pink buds and the three leafed dogwood plant that was just starting to sprout in the moss.

It even started snowing a bit while we hiked! Not enough to make us turn around and head for home, though...we're true Alaskans. 

When we finally reached our destination, the view was amazing! The sunset shown bright right in front of us, while off to the west, large rain clouds poured on the mountain tops. 

Three seals played in the water below the steep, rocky cliffs. It was hard to get a good photo of them, but you can see one of them here in these photos.

We put a short video together to capture the cliffs and view we saw from them so that we could share the experience with you.

We hope you enjoy it:

'In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. 

The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land.'

Psalm 95:4-5