i don't want to leave.

i don't want to leave the mountians. i don't want to leave new friends and days spent gallivanting on islands and beaches and playing in the forest.  i don't want to leave the ocean and its cold beauty.
i don't want to leave the boats, even if they aren't mine, i like to just look at them and dream about owning my own someday. i like being on them and lazing on the bow with the cold wind consuming me. i love laying snuggled up in blankets in the bay and smelling like the sea.

i just really love alaska.

-noni

i am excite.

today we're going to boat out to an island, picnick, go whale watching, and simply relax and have a bloody-freakingtastic time.

the sun is shining. that's enough to get me happy because *my* whole summer has been so sunless. in canada it was overcast 85% of the time, and this is only our 3rd sun filled day we've the whole time we've been here in juneau. they say it rains 360 days out of the year in alaska (i'm guessing rain or snow, doh), and i'm seriously starting to believe them.

today is gonna be really good.

but first, i need coffee and Jesus time.

xx-noni



p.s.
leaving alaska early friday morning. *le sigh*, it'll be good to be back on the road but sad to leave this pretty place!

last night you added to your collection of drafts 3 times within an hour. last night you finally finished organizing and editing photos from last week. last night you weren't happy but you weren't exactly sad. last night you didn't sleep that well. but hey, you got to sleep in and then you had a fantastic cup of coffee while listening to groban. so what if last night was a bad memory. today you've seen the sun shine and felt the mist of a giant waterfall on your face. today you ate an entire foot long from subway and today you visited the glacier from far away. today you finally got to see what the mountains really look like and today you found a relient k and josh groban cd at a thrift store for a buck, perfect condition.

today you might be dreading tonight, maybe just because you know how you get at night.
but the sun is so bright so you're gonna be happy for as long as you can and you're gonna keep mayer on repeat cos the sun sets late in alaska.

xx- don't beat yourself up so much, k?

the eagle swooped down as i sneaked up to watch and take photos. it was the closest i'd ever been to an eagle, they're not very friendly in missouri. i sat about 7feet away from it, watching it eat a dead fish carcass. i kept crawling closer, over the rocks, till it flew up and away to join the other eagles in the trees. its wing span was at least 6ft, its body longer than my arm.
eagles have always fascinated me, i feel so lucky to have sat so close to one and stared it in the eyes.

next, i want to meet a bear.

;)

-noni

advice

come to alaska.

hello, alaska!

hey guys! i'm in juneau, alaska, and i'm pretty dang stoked to be here! my adventures in canada were epic. i met some seriously amazing people, saw some pretty dull landscape (not counting the alaska highway, that part was breath taking) and i had a lot of fun. i'm totally hoping to visit canada again, actually, we will be heading through canada on our way home! so anyways. its been a long, wonderful last month. i've been gone from home for 39 days, and its been a crazy 39 days. so many wonderful memories have been made that i'm so thankful for. i'm still processing it all.

so anywho! i know you guys want photos. so here are a few photos from the trip on the alaska highway and a few from the ferry ride we took from skagway to juneau. enjoy!

right now we're all staying at a duplex, my aunt's cousin owns it, we'll be living here for the next 2 weeks or so. its pretty nice having a house to stay at rather than the bus. although i love the bus, there's so much more stretch room here and we can cook! i get my own room and there's a giant bathroom and stuff, we're all pretty happy with the situation.

i'll try to keep posting photos and whatnot around here as often as i can.
i hope you guys are having a spectacular summer!

peace out.
-noni

ayye! so this is probably going to be my last post for awhile, because tomorrow we're headed into Canada and i don't plan on blogging from there. i'll be lucky enough if i can check facebook a few times! but once we're into Alaska i'll start the blogging back up. so anyways. i had a few questions about my family's music and what kind they play. so i'll try to explain...

my cousin's play a variety of music. they started out hard core bluegrass, but they grew out of that and started merging some gospel, Americana, and country into it. so now they're a mix. a really fantastic mix, if i may say so myself. my aunt is a classically trained pianist and vocalist, so she taught all her kids piano and how to sing. they've all had music instilled in them their entire lives.

rachel, (25) the oldest girl, mainly plays mandolin, but she can play piano, bass, and the penny whistle. she also has an amazing voice and is one of their lead singers.

next is kyle (23), the oldest boy, he plays fiddle. and wow, can he seriously play it. i know i might sound like i'm bragging about my family here, but honest to goodness. i'm not. they're just very talented, it runs in all of us kids. kyle is married to ashley, they have a 13month old girl named Maddy, i'm here as the babysitter/photographer.

next is benjamin (almost 18), he's the banjo player, and like kyle, he's incredibly skilled on it. him and kyle can play and do play just about everything else thats on stage.

then there's aaron, he's 15, and the lead guitarist. the last few years he's really bloomed with his music and now its his life. at first we weren't sure if he had it in him, but once he started there was no doubt. that kid can play!

and lastly is john (or jawn), he's 13 and learning the bass and is everyone's go-fer. poor kiddo, he deals with it, though, and is constantly making me laugh. i love that kid.

their dad, my uncle, who is my mom's brother, is the sound man. and their mom, becky, she plays guitar, piano and sings.
so now that the introductions are out of the way!

so here are some photos of them (and several extra randoms).

aaron

benjamin

left to right. becky, rachel, john and aaron. john was doing his johhny cash song here.

l-r. kyle, tyler (cousin-in-law, not related to me) becky on bass, ben on electric, rachel on mandolin, john just standing there, and aaron on guitar.

rachel, becky and aaron.

kyle w/the fiddle, tyler on drums.

rachel, aaron and ben.

rachel.

kyle and tyler on the box.

aaron.

ben on the electric banjo

rachel

lance, the sound man and bus driver.

me and the mad bug.

right now i'm in north dakota, all of these photos were taken in minnesota, except the last one, which was taken here in nd.

i really love life on the road. i could see myself doing this all the time, its so random and fun. but also incredibly tiring, there is work involved. but the fun evens out the work and its all so worth it. sometimes i wish i was the one on stage..but only sometimes. i like being the background helper.
so anywho, i could have sworn today was saturday. i've been a day off since wednesday.

and thats all i've got! i hope you guys are having a funtastic summer. :))

peace out,
-noni


p.s.
please excuse any horrid typos, i'm incredibly tired and i've got a cold. :p