Thread's Winter Wonderland Celebration

Thread celebrated their 25th Anniversary with a Winter Wonderland Celebration at the Captain Cook Hotel this last weekend. Despite the near zero temperatures and frigid windchill, they had a spectacular turn out. My oldest daughter, Sycely and I joined over a thousand other folks for lots of free family fun: food, cake, Native storytelling, music and dancing with Fiddle Dee Dee, face painting, crafts and family portraits.

Thread was also holding a coloring contest at the event. They asked children to illustrate their Anniversary theme, "Growing through Generations." Sycely settled in to work on her picture (her and I planted flowers in the garden together) while I visited with some of the families at our table. One of the families sharing our table had a very special guest with them. Their little girl was hosting her cousin's Flat Stanley, all the way from Pennsylvania. They were excited to be taking some photos of Stanley enjoying some Alaskan family fun. I was, of course, quick to oblige when they asked if I would pose for a photo with Stanley for their cousin's class project.
The big highlight for Sycely was the free carriage rides provided by Alaska Horse Drawn Carriage Company. Despite the below zero windchill and 30 minute wait in said weather, she was determined to get her turn in the carriage. She was completely crestfallen if I even mentioned the opportunity to wait inside a few minutes to warm up, or do the carriage ride another time when it was warmer and we could enjoy a longer ride, so we stuck it out and got our three minutes of fun, squeeze under blankets with 9 other passengers, hoping our combined body heat would improve matters. In spite of the miserable cold and wind, Sycely's smile as we had our (3 minute) ride warmed my heart enough to make me forget how cold the wait was.

Alaska Association of Figure Skaters Christmas Show

I had a blast at the Alaska Association of Figure Skaters' Christmas Show at the Dimond Center Mall the weekend before Christmas. I'd have to say this was one of my favorite events so far- it had Christmas music, holiday costumes, lots of kids, skating and candy canes-what's not to love?!

The Christmas show has always been one of my favorite skating events, because I just love Christmas and of course, I love skating. I get a kick watching our younger skaters and remembering my early years on the ice, performing at this same rink. It's also fun to see other coaches' students that I don't get to see regularly at practice-it's always amazing how much they improve and grown over a year's time.

As part of the show's finale, I skated out and waved to the crowd, wished them a Merry Christmas and then handed out candy canes to the kids in the audience. As I skated around the perimeter of the rink, handing out candy canes and posing for photos, I was full of joy-for the Holidays, skating, family and my life. Being Mrs. Alaska has brought me opportunities to touch lives that I never would have had otherwise and I am so grateful that.

Military Family Reception/ ATT&T Holiday Tree Lighting

I was invited by Anchorage's First Lady, Lynette Sullivan to be a part of a holiday reception for military members and their families and the Town Square Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony on Thanksgiving weekend. Hundreds of military personnel and their families gathered at the Performing Arts Center for food and drinks, free gifts, crafts, entertainment and even Santa Claus for the kiddos.

I had a fabulous time manning my station, doing crafts and visiting with the kids and their families. I especially enjoyed talking with all the little girls dressed up in their fancy Christmas dresses. I was so touched by the stories they shared and am so grateful to these families for the sacrifices they make in order to protect the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. Many of these families were spending Christmas apart from their loved ones, while others were getting to spend just a week with their deployed spouse or parent for the Holidays. I can't imagine full-time parenting without the help and support of my husband and I commend those who are left no choice due to deployment. I was happy to take the time to thank these families for their service.

After the reception, over 1,000 people gathered on a chilly Anchorage night to watch as Mayor Dan Sullivan lit the Town Square Holiday Tree. I always enjoy events that allow my family to join me and the Tree Lighting Ceremony certainly was one such family friendly event! My family, bundled up and joined me at Town Square. As the festivities started, I had the opportunity to visit with Jackie Purcell, local weather forecaster and former Mrs. Alaska judge. It was fun to chat with her and share about my year as Mrs. Alaska. She helped determine my fate as Mrs. Alaska and it was great to share with her what I've been doing with the honor. A choir from a local Elementary performed some songs as well as a skit. Then, the big guy himself, Santa, arrived, pulled by a team of eight live reindeer! My family was thrilled to get to meet Santa's team after the tree lighting.

Mayor's Prayer Breakfast

I was very excited when asked to be a part of the Mayor's Prayer Breakfast, and of course, immediately accepted the invitation.he first Mayor's Prayer Breakfast was held in 1964 and is patterned after the annual National Presidential Prayer Breakfast held in Washington, DC. The Anchorage Mayor's Prayer Breakfast has been held each year since 1964. The breakfast is sponsored by men and women from all churches and faiths. The breakfast is organized by a committee comprised of people from several churches in the City of Anchorage.

We gathered, in spite of frigid temperatures, in the Hotel Captain Cook Ballroom. After an opening prayer, a few hymns of worship, and a warm, hearty breakfast I took to the podium to do the Old Testament reading- Psalm 32.

My favorite part of this selection was verse 8: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you." This particular verse spoke to me not only in relation to my platform (promoting the importance of quality experiences for young children) but especially as a mother. David's words spoke to my heart, with gentle reminder that as parents, we are entrusted with the development of our children. We should approach that charge with intention and attentive love. This verse implies that direct instruction is necessary in guiding our children, but that we are called not only to tell them what is right and good, but to counsel them as to why, helping them to develop their own moral compass which will serve as their guide in life. I appreciate the focus on the "loving eye" with which we are to view our children. We are encouraged to cherish our children, rather than lord over them and to look upon them with the eyes of grace the God views us, His children.

Miss/Miss Teen AK US 2010

In keeping with tradition I attended this year's Miss Alaska/ Miss Teen Alaska United States pageant with Mrs. Alaska United States 2009, Renee Scott. Only, this year, we'd reversed roles and I was the reigning titleholder and wearing the crown. We keep to a strict, "don't fix it if it aint broke philosophy" and did our usual pre-pageant dinner and peanut butter pie at the Glacier Brewhouse then scurried our freezing tushies over to the PAC.

As always, the competition was impressive and all the girls looked amazing. Congratulations to all the contestants for working so hard and preparing for this demanding endeavor! And, of course, special congratulations are due to Jessica Chuckran, our new Miss Alaska United States!

CPC's Dessert Extravaganza

My husband and I were gladly accepted the invitation to host a table at Crisis Pregnancy Center's recent fundraiser. This year marked the 7th year of their Dessert Extravaganza, an event that offers tasty desserts, inspiring speakers, fellowship and the opportunity to help provide financial support for CPC's mission. It was a wonderful evening of friendship, prayer, giving (and did I mention, cheesecake?!)I was blessed to spend the evening surrounded by friends and others from the community who proudly stand behind CPC and the lifesaving work they are doing.

And that work is pretty astounding, statistically speaking. As of October 21 CPC has, so far this year:

served an average 109 clients per month (including 127 teens, 13 of whom were under the age of 14)
spent 1,158 hours with clients
provided 314 positive pregnancy tests provided $40,000 worth of ultrasounds
prayed with 342 client, and presented the gospel to 245 of them, leading 19 of them to a salvation through Jesus Christ
helped lead 93 mothers choose life for their babies

Praise God for the work He's doing and the lives that are being saved through CPC. May He bless all those who come through their doors, the clients, those who volunteer their time, lend their financial support and cover them in prayer.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart..."
Jeremiah 1:5
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

Thread's Stories Through the Generations

I was very excited to be invited to be a guest reader at Thread’s Stories through the Generations event. This even was part of Thread’s ongoing 25th anniversary celebration and offered an opportunity for children and their families to come and enjoy class stories being read aloud. As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, Thread is Alaska's statewide child care resource and referral network, including professionals who work individually with families and early educators to ensure that they are knowledgeable and supported in guiding children to lifelong success.

It was great to be a part of this event not only because of how much I value Thread’s mission and enjoy collaborating with them in promoting my platform, but also because I got to dress up as Cinderella! Since the event’s focus was on stories that have been shared through the generations, I thought sharing my favorite fairy tale would be perfect. And what better way to share in than as Cinderella herself? (Plus, the added bonus was that I got a little more use out of the Halloween costume I’d spent 4 days sewing for myself!)

The children sat, enraptured as I read and the story unfolded. Some were nestled on parent’s laps, some sitting on blankets criss-cross-apllesauce, some just sidled right up and made themselves comfortable with me. As I read aloud the well-known tale, I posed questions to my audience and pointed out details in the illustrations, skills I learned in my early teaching years. The kids loved the story, even though the all knew it well, I’m sure, and begged for me to read more when it was over. So I did. I read through a few other books they picked out and enjoyed visiting and talking with children and parents alike while we enjoyed some casual snacks.

There are many benefits to reading aloud to young children and I was delighted to be able to help promote and demonstrate the practice at this event. Studies prove that the most important thing adults can do in preparing young children for success in school and reading is to read aloud with them. Reading aloud with children regularly is an extremely effective medium to build relationships and communicate with children. Children's self-esteem grows as they experience the security of having a parent or other caring person read aloud with them. Reading aloud allows children to experience increased communication with parents and other family members. Children are introduced to new concepts such as colors, shapes, numbers, and alphabet, in a fun, age appropriate way. Children build listening skills, vocabulary, memory and language skills and develop imagination and creativity. Children learn information about the world around them and develop individual interests in special subjects like dinosaurs, cats, or cars. They learn positive behavior patterns and social values as well as positive attitudes towards themselves and others.

It’s important that we read to children early and often. Infants will delight in being cuddled and hearing the calming voices of their parents even though they don't understand the words. Soon they'll associate reading with attention, love, and colorful pictures. As children get older, parents can introduce them to picture books and nursery rhymes. Even at a young age, they will be starting to learn a lot about reading. They'll discover that books are read from front to back and that pictures stand for real objects. As you continue to read to them and introduce them to stories, they'll find out that the print on the pages stands for words and that pages are read from top-to-bottom and left-to-right. Reading to young children is excellent preparation for formal reading instruction in school.

So much of the intelligence children will ultimately have is developed before they even get to kindergarten. When you read to them, you are building pathways in their brains needed for successful reading experiences. They will be developing auditory perception that allows them to think about how words sound. Furthermore, reading stimulates children's language development as they are like little sponges imitating everything they hear. Listening to stories will enhance their vocabularies and help them use longer sentences. Another wonderful plus in reading to children is that it increases their attention spans and ability to focus to what is being said. In addition, reading makes children more curious - a trait that must be fostered in young children or they will never acquire it. And of course, their knowledge of the world will expand.

More than anything else, reading to young children gives them a desire to read. Many children who are read to begin reading on their own without any formal instruction.