A Classic Alaska Christmas

We started the year with a performance of the Community Handel's Messiah. I was very honored to conduct it for the 4th time. This was the 18th performance, and my 18th year of singing or conducting.

There were about 100 singers, and 25 orchestra. They truly made a beautiful sound. I loved every minute. During the practices I was quite ill, but felt well for the performances, which added to my joy.

The performance was the 30th of November, which let us start the Christmas season right.

Jessica sang with the Alaska Children's Choir again this year. She has a true gift with music. She got the traditional fabric flower. We give her one each year she's participated in the esteemed Children's Choir. I believe she has about 6 of them now. She loves them and prefers them over live flowers.
She sure looked pretty up there. We were very proud of her.
We participated in 12 performances one of us performed in during the 2 weeks before Christmas. It was a crazy time, but we loved it all.

Terri conducted a local private school Christmas concert. It was wonderful. They came from zero ability, to actually better than the local High School. It was a Tour-de-fource for Terri. I was very proud of her -- as always.

It was Terri's year to decorate the Tree, and she did the BEST ONE EVER. We even decorated ourselves just for fun.

Christmas is now past, and we have dug out from under the garland, lights, tree and wrappings with a happy smile. It was great fun to have Lisa with us. She is our "my home is in Alaska" gal.

Lisa spent a few months with us between semesters, and really added to our home. She is so kind and patient. She braided Jessica's hair a million times, and was the perfect big sister.

Lisa also met a young man that made her short stay here lots of excitement for her. They were gone and gone and gone almost every night of the week. We had to schedule time with Lisa in order to celebrate the holidays with her. (Just kidding! kind of)

It was fantastic to have Bonnie and Patrick up from Boston for Christmasl. They lit up our world with laughter and non-stop play. Patrick did his best to wear out every video game he could find, and Bonnie made sure we partied hearty.

Terri made sure we ate too much. Jessica and Zahide added childish wonder, and I watched it all swirl around me in a state of delight.

Zahide came to live with us in October. She is a funny, happy girl with more energy than a nuclear explosion. She and Jessica keep the world spinning a little faster. We have truly enjoyed her. She's going to be returning to her family in January, and we will miss her a lot. Fortunately, she lives only a block away and Jessica can keep up their best-friendship.

Alaska Pontius Fam

OK, here I am officially BLOGGING now, because Lisa has finally forced me to sit down with her and get with it! I'm actually enthused to be up-and-running, or at least up-and-walking, with this project. It's my intent to use this as a way to renew my long-procrastinated scrapbooking efforts, with which I've gotten woefully behind through the years. John and I also want to keep up with all our loved ones this way. So, thank you for getting me started, LISA!

I guess I'll begin at the center of our blessed life in Alaska -- with J&T. In case you don't recognize, the Handsome Guy on the left is John and the Lucky Gal on the right is me -- on August 24, 2008, our 8th wedding anniversary. Of course I decorated the house to the hilt with yards and yards of TULLE (my fond nickname from Wasilla Young Women is Tulle Queen, long story)-- and I also enshrined our fireplace with assorted and sundry paraphenalia.

Happy Anniversary! I love you forevo Johnnie Cakes!!!


Life with rambunctious Jessica Elizabeth (12-years old currently) is extra wacky with her equally-crazy friend from down the street, Zahide (pronounced Zah-hee-dah). They're definitely doing a good job in keeping us from getting too old around here! In this particular shot from end-of-summer 2008, Jessica had accidentally poked out Zahide's eye (well not actually out, but it was pretty darn red). I convinced Z to wear a bandage so that she wouldn't blink and let it heal, and Jessica couldn't contain her hysteria (a common occurrence.)



We live on Gail Drive, which happens to be a mecca for Middle School minions (about a dozen in the immediate area) --of course a dream come true for Jessica. Actually some of the cutest boys at Teeland Middle School live right on "the street where we live" . . . to the continual delight of our daughter and cohorts.

One night in late August 2008, during a Dude Sleepover at our neighbor's, six rowdy boys came over and "FORKED" our house in the middle of the night. (Have you ever heard of it? A somewhat vicious prank involving at least a thousand plasticware stuck into the lawn). Nice job Boys. So we took a deep breath (as we so often do nowadays), laughed the initial shock away, and promptly called their Mom. Begrudgingly the boys came over and pulled said forks from lawn. Oh yeah, Jess and Z were instantly COOL . . . as if they weren't cool enough already.

In September, Lisa decided to take a break from school, and has come home for a while . . . which was an unexpected blessing for John, me and Jess! Here Lisa and I are posing for our ever-avid photographer Jessica, in the midst of our spectacular autumn backyard.

Lisa is such a beautiful and charming sweetie, and we feel OVERJOYED to have her around for a coupla months!




My dear brother Mark came up from Tucson on his way to Fairbanks, where he'll be this entire winter. I was soooo excited to get a visit from my (little) six-foot-five bro! Mark wanted to see some Alaskan sights, so we took him up to Hatcher's Pass -- to the left is the delapidated mine that they've now made into a State Park.

Right: We're on the way to Hatcher's, and stopped to check out the mountain sheep on the distant hillside, with Mark's super-powerful binoculars.