On Our Way

Melis leaves Alaska in two days.

She heads to Nevada to work for two weeks before getting married. Her friends gave her an amazing send off party yeserday. It will be hard to leave the gorgeous fall colors up here, but it has been a rainy and cold summer and now its time for some New Mexican sunshine.



Joey is off in the mountains carrying loads for a Discovery Channel production called- "Out of the Wild: Alaska." They have flown 10+ contestants up hear from all over the country and all walks of life to survive and travel through the Alaskan Wilderness just outside Talkeetna. This small town has become a virtual little Hollywood.


We are really looking forward to our wedding and will send out final RSVP cards soon.


Signing off for now- Thanks to my Alaskan girlfriends and Holly Sheldon for throwing me an awesome party.

3 Weeks! Are you ready?

Wow- Now it is really getting close, we can almost taste it- and all these catering menus ARE helping.............

Worried we are going to feed you too much? You should be! That's why we are encouraging guests to join a run sponsored by Santa Fe's local running club the "Santa Fe Striders." They are hosting a fundraiser run Saturday morning, October 4th at 9am. It is a 12-mile run ascending 2,000 feet to the summit of Teusque Peak (12,043'). It is an out and back run on a maintained dirt road. It could also be a nice hike. Event fee is $22 and proceeds benefit an organization called "Wings of America," a non-profit supporting American Indian youth development programs.

Click to see the event details below:

http://www.santafestriders.org/race_info/event_info.aspx?eventname=BigTesuque08

Check out Wings of America:

http://www.wingsofamerica.org/

Should be fun! Pack your sneakers.

5 Weeks

The wedding is now only 5 weeks away. We are busy settling up details and will soon email guests with a more specific and up to date list of wedding events. Our promises to the guests:

#1 A festive and informal "Rehearsal BBQ dinner" open to all guests.

#2 A beautiful ceremony starring the bluesy guitar licks of our close friend Joe Balsamo.

#3 Yummy and local southwest fare and beer.

#4 Dancing tunes by a hot local New Mexican band.

#5 Lots of good times and memories.

I hope you are ready...we almost are!

(Above is a painting at my mom's gallery by Native American aritist Marcus Cadman: The wedding and recpetion will be held at her gallery "Coady Contemporary.")

Propoganda

Joey and Melis have decided they are going to use their wedding as an excuse to sell their friends and family on coming up to Alaska to visit them! Melis is in Juneau this week teaching an 80-hour Wilderness First Responder course to students at the University of Alaska Southeast. She arrived a day earlier to go sightseeing and hiking with friends. Click on the video to see what she saw.

WELL

It was a big day for Joey and I. We drilled a well and found crystal clear water at 70-feet below our property. It flows at 15 gallons per minute. Over the last year, Joey and I have been hauling water to our cabin in 5 gallon containers. Our current water use averages 10 gallons per week. We hope to put a sink and shower in our new addition. We can hardly wait. For now we will have to settle for squirt guns.

7 Weeks

Our wedding day is quickly approaching. Be sure to book your rooms soon. It is a busy and festive weekend in Santa Fe. We have a list of hotels and links to them at the bottom of our blog. Many of the wedding party are staying at the El Rey Inn. If we have reserved a room for you be sure to pay for your first night soon to hold your reservation. Then contact us and let us know where you are staying. We'd like to make a list.

Out of town

Joey and I have spent the last couple of days planning an amazing wedding celebration. We have been on and off the phone non-stop and are excited for what appears to be an big turnout for the festivities. We head into the mountains today to teach teenagers how to iceclimb and won't be back until August 8th. Talk to you then.