O' Christmas Tree

Arriving in time for Christmas we were able to successfully resurrect the tradition of getting a real Christmas tree. We were able to enlist the help of Uncle Theron to assist with the process.
The kids enjoyed hiking/riding in the sleds in knee deep snow up the ridge at the back of Grandma and Grandpa's property. Hidden among the many moose tracks, we finally found the perfect tree.

Prep Work


The Search Begins


The Supervisor


The Specimen


Successful


As requested, Here is the finished product

North to Alaska

We made it! Three kids, two cats, two exhausted parents, 200 lbs of baggage, but we made it. (Only mildly disappointed that Sarah Palin didn't come meet the plane.) We arrived in Anchorage at 1:00 AM Alaska time (4:00 am Kansas time), drove to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Palmer, and went to sleep. This morning my oldest daughter excitedly exclaimed, "Look Papa! A moose!" as a moose casually meandered across the snow covered yard. With this sighting the moose count is up to 6, and we have only been here for 8 hours.

Waiting for Papa to get the car in ANC

Dust in the Wind

The big question is, "How does one move from Kansas to Alaska in December?" Apparently, if you are the Voran Clan, you load it all into a 40 ft shipping container, wave goodbye, and hop a flight to Anchorage. With the much needed and much appreciated help of our friends and family, a grueling 9 hours or so of loading and cleaning, I shut the door of the container and watched it roll on down the road. I wonder if we will see our stuff again?

The Shipping container and our house


Loaded


Ready to go

The Polar Express

Over the Thanksgiving weekend we loaded up the van for a quick trip to Texas to visit grandparents before the chaos of moving took hold. We thoroughly enjoyed visiting with Grandpa and Grandma and making special memories. A few of the highlights was a tour of the Gaylord Texan hotel and for the kids a ride on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad "North Pole Express" complete with steam engine and a visit from the good ol' jolly one himself. The evening was topped off with a bite to eat at the Rain Forest Cafe and a "Volcano" dessert.

All I want for Christmas!!


Texas Longhorn


Our "Polar Express"


The Golden Ticket


The Jolly Red One


The Vollllcaaanooo

My Last Day a.k.a. The Prodigal Returns

Today is my last day. Last day at work in Kansas. No worries, as this was planned. Our family will be moving to Alaska within a few weeks to give our best "shot" at life in the "Alaskan Bush", and no, I don't know Sarah Palin personally. We are excited to be able to spend this Christmas with family in Alaska, but saddened as we leave dear friends and family behind. The VoranClan has had many wonderful adventures and memories over the past 11 years from our base in Kansas, now we look forward to many more in Alaska. We'll keep you updated as we go through this process.

Our new home

View Larger Map

When Darkness Falls

The other night there was a spectacular lightning storm passing through town. By the time I got to the house, grabbed the camera and drove out to the country, the lightning was of course gone. After trying to capture a few lightning shots from far away, but only managing to not drop the camera, get hit by a car, loose a lens cap, and only losing a small unimportant piece from the tripod, I came back into town to try and redeem some portion of the evening.

Our Town


Old and New Water Tower


Main Street USA

The Pumpkin Patch

Our oldest daughter had her first ever field trip with school. It was extra special because she wanted mommy and little sister to join her on this trip. We went to a pumpkin patch, out in the country, not far from our town. A slide, corn maze, hay bale playground and a corn filled stock tank were all included in the fun, as well as being able to pick and cut their very own pumpkin from the field. The kids got to learn a great deal about growing pumpkins and squash and gourds and in the end eat some yummy pumpkin bars. It was a lot of fun...and A LOT of kids! I have so much appreciation for kindergarten teachers!! I think the adults were more exhausted than any of the kids by the time we got home.

The Giant Slide


"Sandbox" of Corn


The Girls


Portrait with a pig


Children of the Corn

Trick or Sweet

When the leaves start to fall, and the weather turns cold, it indicates that it is time to go harass the friends and neighbors for some free candy. First we had to carve our own pumpkins. The kids each drew out what they wanted their pumpkin face to look like, then I had to figure out how to adapt the drawing to the pumpkin. After we finished we donned the costumes and went for the mother-load.

Our pumpkins


The robot, lady bug, Snow White


We ran into some elves, Scarecrow, Old woman, and Jack Sparrow


Getting candy with friends

The Archives and The Castle Anthrax

Since school has started, the adventuring of the Voranclan has been quite sparse. So to keep those people that actually read this blog (probably at least three) from giving up all hope on ever seeing a new entry and to keep the "shame mail" to a minimum, here are some pictures and adventures from the archives. Oh, and the title is tribute to the greatest movie of all time.

The ten year anniversary! (cira 2007)
Bran arranged for the kids to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Stuart and us to stay at Glen Eyrie Castle just outside of Colorado Springs on the Navigators campus. Somehow she was able to get the room at the top of the tower. It stormed the night we were there, and with windows completely surrounding us, it was fun to watch the lightning light up the room. We also enjoyed some hiking and exploring in the gardens and trails.

Glen Eyrie Castle


Repunzel! Repunzel!


Stormy Evening


Garden Dweller


The Garden


At the Punch Bowls


Nothing Beats Clean Fresh Mountain water


The "Path"

Movin' to the Country, Gonna Eat Alot of Peaches

Another highlight of the Colorado trip was getting to visit with Bran's Grandma in Pueblo.   While we were there, the kids discovered that Grandma has a peach tree in her yard and the peaches were ripe for the pickin'. There isn't anything quite like picking a peach straight off the tree, sinking your teeth into the sweet, soft flesh and letting the juice run down your chin as the sweet peach nectar teases your taste buds.
We managed to gather three sizable bags full of the fresh peaches, most of which we left with Bran's sister to can, but we did take a bag home. If I keep my fingers crossed, perhaps they will find their way into a pie?

Ahh! Sweet Nectar!

Peach pickin'

Like Mother, Like Son

Great Grandma Almanzar with the Voran kids.

Painted Desert Serinade

Whenever we are in Colorado, we try and make a point of doing some type of activity with the kids that is distinctively unique to the area. Often times this activity is some type of hike. On this trip we found a unique hike with some spectacular scenery. Located just down the road from the town of Simla, Colorado, is the Paint Mines Park.  It was used by the Native American inhabitants of the region to gather the minerals and clay to make the paint to decorate their bodies.

Just getting Started

Uncle Bryce leading the way

Cousins