Baby Brannon

I got to spend time going to Texas to see my precious baby nephew Brannon Clay Fulcher. He is amazing, curious, playful, precious, darling, and so so cute!! I love him. I got to cuddle with him and hold him and love on him and I miss him already. What a gift he is to me!

Here are some pictures from my time in Texas :) My sister, Emily, and her husband Joe live in Dallas and so I got to take care of Brannon while my sister was at work teaching P.E. :) Nanny time!

Isn't Brannon such a cutie?!

Bonus of my trip to Texas: I got to see my bestie Mandy and her beautiful engagement ring! I am so happy for her and her future hubby Evan!! Congrats Mandy.

MISS my family. So hard being so far away in Alaska but I LOVED getting to spend sweet time with my momma, my sis, and my little nephew.

We took a night while I was in Texas and went to a painting class! I got to reunite with my best friends from high school Hillary, Liz, Lindsay, and Mandy. Such a good time being with them!!

We painted a "field of daisies". It was a Mom/ Daughter painting night!

LOVED getting to spend time with my lifelong best friends. Love these girls so much.

Of course Tony and I had to buy some Alaskan snugglies for Brannon boy! Here he is with his Alaskan moose and his moose bib :)

My mom and I did a 4 mile run at a running store in Texas called Run On. Of course my amazing runner Mom smoked me and I was just happy to finish the course. But there was a sale afterwards which was great and I got some new running shoes as a gift from my Mom! 

Anndd I got to have some barbeque from my sister and Joe's favorite BBQ place in Dallas, Hard 8 Barbeque.

Me and Joe with all the yummy BBQ meats!!

Texas, I do miss thee..

And I got some time to have a Baby Ruth reunion with Sarah and Caroline! SO good to catch up with them. 

Also got some Alexis Collett time!! Miss this girl. Got to have some crawfish with her!

Love this little cutie.

One of my first stops is ALWAYS Chick Fil A. So good!

The Chick Fil A Sandwich... my mouth is watering...

Also got some best friend catch up time with Stephanie King! MISS you stephers.

Little Brannon lying down for some play time.

Loved having sweet time with my seester.

Celebrating Cinco De Mayo with my sis Emily, my cousin Hannah and mi madre!

Watching Joe shoot his bow!

I so wish I could be closer to my little nephew. Love you Brannon boy.

Derek Zoolander look.

Brannon and I got to take stroller rides together!

Annnd then he would fall asleep.

Cutie boy in his swing that he loves.

Brannon Cake! Love my little nephew so much. I loved getting to pray over him, hold him, and kiss him and I wish I had so much more time with him. Making up for this with lots of prayers, FaceTime, and onesies sent his way.

So thankful for time with family and seeing my nephew during this trip.

Love, Anna

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A New Chapter + Old Memories

Whew! Life has been a whirlwind lately. I can hardly catch my breath or take a second to blog. So much has happened with Tony and I and we feel so blessed to see answers to where God is leading.

Life Update #1: I got a teaching job! I will start teaching middle school science (7th and 8th grade) at Grace Christian School in Anchorage, AK starting this fall! (Fall 2013). I am overjoyed and so, so thankful to see the Lord answer a prayer I have been praying since I moved to Alaska. I have learned so much at my job doing social work but I am so happy to pursue my passion which is hanging out with middle school kiddos and teaching them! I got to see my classroom and it has a tarantula in it!! :) I can't wait to teach science it will be such a blessing. The end of era comes when I finish my job at the Office of Children's Services on July 18.

Life Update #2: Tony has been applying to be an officer in the Marines. It is so exciting and I can't wait to walk with him in what this would mean if he gets accepted. Tony has his last physical fitness test to complete his application on Monday and then we will find out around the end of July/ beginning of August whether he was accepted as an officer. We are both seeking the will of the Lord and know that whether Tony goes into the Marines or not, we will praise the Lord for his goodness and seek where he has us to be.

Life Update #3: I got to spend some time in Texas at the beginning of May visiting my sweet little baby nephew, Brannon Fulcher. He is an amazing, beautiful baby boy and I had the most joyous and special time spending a week with Brannon. (More pictures to come from this trip)

Life Update #4: Tony and I got to spend some time in Kodiak Island, Alaska which was a super fun time exploring a new part of Alaska for us! We were there for the Kodiak Crab Festival 2013 to kick off the start of the fishing season in Kodiak. Kodiak is an Alaskan island off the mainland about a 1 hour flight away from Anchorage. 

While we were in Kodiak, we got to see a dead grey whale that had washed up which was pretty amazing.

Life Update #5: One of my best friends from my time at Pine Cove, Christa Davidson, got to come visit me in Alaska just last week. We got to go white water rafting, fishing, camping, hiking, and just enjoying sweet time of rest and friendship together. It was a much needed refreshment for me. 

Well that's it for updates for now! I want to work harder to keep the blog updated with our life adventures and summer adventures. Pray for me as I finish the race of my job as a social worker for these last 4 weeks and as we await where the Lord has us with Tony's career as well. 

Love, Anna

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Fitness Friday: Week 20

This last week, when I was in Texas I was able to run last Saturday for 4 miles. On Tuesday morning, I ran 20 minutes and biked 20 minutes. But I didn't work out 4 times, I only worked out twice.

Goal for this week: get back into swimming and make a point to get back on my training schedule.

Happy weekend! Pin It

Fitness Friday: Weeks 18 and 19

So since last Saturday I've been hanging out with the cutest of all cutes.. my little baby nephew Brannon! I came to visit my sister who lives in Flower Mound (Dallas), TX and got to see my sweet baby nephew:

He is such a cutie!! I have had so much fun hanging out with my sister and my Mom and just getting some good family time.

Here is an update from the fitness perspective: my goal at the beginning of the year was to work out 3 x per week for the months of January, February, March and April, then 4 x per week for the months of May, June, July, and August and then 5 x per week for the month of September, October, November and December.

So now that May is here: time to start picking it up a notch! Truth be told, last week I did not work out AT ALL. I think what is hard is when your routine is thrown off ... getting ready for this trip made it hard to work out. But, this last week since I've been in Texas: I went for an hour long walk with Brannon on Monday, an hour long walk on Tuesday, and yesterday I went biking with my Mom. So, I worked out a total of 3 times. My goal for next week is to make sure that I work out 4 times total.

Yesterday, I went with my Mom to this great store called Run On! and my Mom got me some new Brooks running shoes:

I love them and can't WAIT to use them! I love the neon laces and they are SO comfortable. I am still preparing for my sprint triathlon on June 15, 2013. These shoes will get me motivated to keep running. I haven't been able to swim while in Texas but the walking and biking has been beneficial for sure!

When I get back, I gotta kick it in high gear to get back on track with my training and prepare for June 15. For now, though, I am going to keep enjoying snuggle time with my baby nephew :) :)

Wishing you luck on your fitness goals! Pin It

Fitness Friday: Week 17

Had 3 workouts this week! On Tuesday morning, I ran for 30 minutes. On Wednesday night, I biked for 10 miles. On Thursday night, I biked 8 miles and swam 300 yards.

I can't wait for my triathlon! Happy fitness day. Pin It

Fitness Friday: Week 16

I had a great week of working out! I am proud of my progress. I've loved having the goal of the triathlon ahead of me, it is really pushing me to work towards something.

On Monday, I ran for 20 minutes and biked 8 miles. On Wednesday, I ran for 20 minutes and swam 200 yards. Today (Friday), I biked for 6 miles and swam 300 yards.

It's been a good week of working out and I can't wait for next week! I like the different pace with running, swimming, and biking and feeling like each work out is different.

Have a good weekend! Pin It

Life Lately

Just a little life update from the Luikens lately. We've been busy! After an incredible time with family in Texas over Christmas, Tony and I came back to a very snowy Alaska and snuggled back in for the winter :)

 In January, I applied for a job as a Junior High Volleyball Coach at Grace Christian School here in Anchorage. I got the job and enjoyed it so much! I got to incorporate scripture, encouragement, and Christ into coaching volleyball and I loved it. Of course, I loved getting to spend time with junior high kids as that is my ministry. I love junior high kids as I became a Christian when I was in 8th grade and needed someone during that time in my life. 

While coaching was such an incredible opportunity, it was also exhausting. I was working every night, getting home late, and working weekends. I worked January and February coaching and at the end of February, I was really being tested with patience and endurance. The extra coaching job on top of an already very exhausting job as a social worker was a lot to take in. In February, I thought very much about putting my resignation in for my job as a social worker. I was getting so exhausted and frustrated. I decided to take some time and pray and after a period of two weeks of praying and seeking God, I decided to stay in my job and am so happy that I did. I can see the Lord using me in big ways right now and all for His glory. I recently started a 4 day work week- working 8 AM to 6 PM and having Fridays off. This has been helping me tremendously to really be able to have rest and energy and pour my heart into my families and kids during the days I am working. 

Tony recently signed a contract with the Marines, to be a Marines Officer. We are both really excited about this opportunity. Tony will found out at the end of July. If Tony is accepted, he will start Officer Training School in Quantico, Virginia in October 2013. I am so excited for this opportunity for Tony and I am just waiting upon the Lord as to the direction he will take us and our family. I love the idea of getting to travel and do military life, ministering to military families and meeting new people and seeing new places. I trust the Lord and the plan He has for us. He hasn't let me down yet :)

Mostly, Tony and I are just in a place of waiting. We are both content at our jobs right now. We are doing junior high youth ministry every Wednesday which has been a huge blessing for us. We have been spending a lot of amazing time with our married couples small group from church. They have been a blessing to us and brought a lot of genuine, real community. A community of Christ followers that we can spend time with that are also married. We are thankful for that community!

Thought I'd put up some pictures from this Winter/ Spring 2013 to give you an idea of what we've been up to!

Valentines Home Decorating :)

Got the idea of the printable from Pinterest.

The sunsets are still GORGEOUS here in Anchorage.

My love got me some flowers for Valentines Day!

For my coaching job, I got to drive this bus full of junior high kids in the ice and snow. I am officially an Alaska woman :)

Congratulations to my sister, Emily and her husband Joe!! I am officially an Auntie and this is a picture of my little nephew, Brannon. Isn't he a cutie?! I can't wait to go see him from May 4 - 12 in Texas!

More Valentines fun.

After the exhausting 2 months of January and February, my loving husband took me for a fun weekend of rest at Captain Cook Hotel, one of the nice hotels here in Anchorage. Got to see beautiful views! Still snow here in Anchorage :)

Of course, I ordered King Crab. YUM. This is the before shot.

Annnddd... after. Dominated.

The views from our hotel room at Captain Cook! We were on the 18th floor.

We spent some time at the Anchorage "Fur Rondy", which stands for Anchorage Fur Rendezvous. This is the weekend before the Iditarod, the famous sled dog race here in Alaska.

People bring furs to sell. Tried some of these babies on!! They are pretty pricey. Maybe someday I'll pay $300 to have a fox on my head :) Welcome to Alaskan life!

Some of the furs hanging around at Fur Rondy.

Tony's new look :)

We also got to check out an AMAZING snow sculpture contest!! So cool. Check on Darth Vadar.

Can you believe that people can make this out of snow?! Better than any snowman I've ever made.

Iditarod 2013! Still one of my favorite things I've ever seen in Alaska. So lucky that I got to see it a second time!

Alaska Reindeer Sausage. That's right, we eat Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer up here. So good with mustard.

YUM! Come up to Alaska, visit me, and try one.

Just a little FaceTime with my nephew Brannon cakes.

Still snowy in March and April... it's true. 

Got to celebrate St. Patty's Day! It was a blast. Made some meat pasties, irish soda bread, corned beef and cabbage.

Remembered my sweet Irish grandma, Catherine Eckert on St. Patty's Day.

Got the chance to go skiing!! There was so much powder it was amazing. Skiing is seriously one of my favorite things ever and a DEFINITE plus to living in Alaska.

Finally found a Mexican restaurant that meets up to my 23 years of Tex- Mex food standards. Texans take Mexican food very seriously.

Got to spend some time antiquing and I found this really cute redone chair. I love the idea of finding old furniture and painting it, sanding it, and making it more modern!

Loved this piece. Some inspiration for me when I am a future home owner. This cute shop in Wasilla, AK offered some wood painting classes. Definitely want to try it!

Had a wonderful Easter with the Luikens!! Made some cupcakes to celebrate Jesus :)

Loved getting to host a baby shower for our small group friends who are expecting, Ian and Cara Turner.

We can't wait for Baby Turner!

Baby Shower Fun.

Still snowy here! Trying to make it through these last snowy days and make it to beautiful summer here in Anchorage! Alaskans call this time "Break- Up" (the snow melts and it is all puddly here). I'm looking forward to my trip to Texas in May and to summer and having some visitors come up for the summer!

Happy Spring from Alaska and the Luikens! :)

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