FedEx donates a Boeing 727-200 to UAA Aviation

Yesterday FedEx donated a Boeing 727-200 transport jet to UAA Aviation.  FedEx is doing this all over the nation - but this donation was a bit special.  You see this large jet was to be delivered to Merrill Field in Anchorage, where UAA Aviation's building, hangar and operations are located.  The kicker: Merrill Field's runway is only 4,000 feet long, and is in the middle of downtown Anchorage!  After much back-nad-forth with various officials, the special landing was approved and then it was time to watch the weather and hope it was okay for the landing.  

The morning arrived and before the jet took off in the afternoon, it was a go!  The plane did two flyovers - and they were nice and low as hundreds in the downtown area took off work, stood on snow piles and snapped photos and video.  Finally, on the third trip over the area it landed - right on the numbers on the runway, with more than enough room to spare!  The flight crew did an amazing job and all who were watching were exhilarated by the historical experience.

This of course has kept my household very busy the past few weeks.  While we are happy the planning for the function is over, we are glad we were able to be a part of this day in Anchorage and UAA history.  Due to the huge crows downtown, my coworker Brad and I ended up hiking through some deep snow behind one of the local hospitals to view the field.  We then perched on some tall snow mounds, so we could see over the fence around the airfield.  Needless to say, due to my shorter stature, there is some fence in the bottom of almost all my photos.

Our spot was much less crowded than other areas downtown

The plane coming in from Ted Stevens International Airport

It was a beautiful sunny day

The plane coming in from Ted Stevens International Airport

Our view of the UAA Aviation Complex
(the hangar on the left with the UAA sign and the larger complex on the right)

Coming in for the first flyover

First flyover

The crowd at UAA Aviation

Coming in with the Chugach Mountains behind it

Second flyover
(with the main UAA Aviation building in the front)

Second flyover
(with the main UAA hangar in the front)

Coming in to land!

Coming in to land!

Parking the plane for its permanent home

Parking the plane for its permanent home

Parking the plane for its permanent home

The UAA Aviation Complex, with its new addition

The crowd getting its up-close view of the plane

The new view when I drop Andrew off for work in the morning

Many news outlets had some great stories, vides, and photos - here are a few of them:

Anchorage Daily News: http://www.adn.com/2013/02/26/2803589/a-smooth-landing-at-merrill-field.htmlhttp://www.adn.com/2013/02/26/2803638/727-lands-at-merrill-field.html#storylink=relastKTUU Channel 2 News: http://www.ktuu.com/news/boeing-727-successfully-lands-at-merrill-field-022713,0,6369794.storyKTVA Channel 11 News: http://www.ktva.com/home/outbound-xml-feeds/Donated-FedEx-727-Lands-at-Merrill-Field-193438841.html?fb_action_ids=10200802859739604&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

Valentine's Dinner

This past weekend, we went out for a fancy Valentine's Dinner with a group of friends.  All the gals got ready together - did makeup and hair (it felt like we were in high school again)!  Then we went into Anchorage and had dinner at the top of the Captain Cook Hotel, in the Crow's Nest Restaurant.  It was a gorgeous view of downtown Anchorage all lit up at night.  We had a private room and 16 of us had an amazing meal!  $1,312.20 later (split 8 ways), we headed downstairs and took some group photos in the lobby.  It was a great evening getting all "gussied up" and spending the holiday with great friends.  We all agreed this should be an annual tradition!

Dinner at The Crow's Nest

Andrew & I

The bill!

The whole group together - we looked great!

The gals

It's a Marshmallow World in the Winter...

This is one of my favorite Christmas songs, but in Alaska, it applies for many more months than just December.  Except this year.  After the snowiest year on record last year, this winter has been the opposite.  We finally got a nice big dump of that wonderful fluffy whiteness we call snow last week.  It was gorgeous!  Unfortunately, it was after some really warm weather that melted most of the snow, and turned all the roads and driveways into ice rinks.  So that with snow on top was dangerous to say the least.  Friday I finally ventured out and slipped and slid around UAA and APU's campuses to talk some wintry photos.

The Christmas Season

With Christmas a week from tomorrow, I thought I'd post some photos of our holiday activities.

Earlier this month our church had its third annual Women's Christmas Tea and Auction.  We all got together drank tea, hung out, and raised money for the Convenant House Alaska.

The church all decked out for Christmas

The fabulous women at the table I sat at

Pastor Kenny our auctioneer for the live auction

Last week was my office's Christmas party.  We have a great tradition of choosing one officemate ("Secret Santa-style") and then purchasing a toy we think that person would have liked as a child.  We then open them at our party and then donate them to a local charity.  It was a blast as usual!

During the week, we also got our first "real" snowfall, and it finally feels like winter here.  We now have about 4-5 inches in our backyard.  This past weekend was even more exciting as we both finished out the fall semester of school!  Then Saturday we baked cookies at Aimee's and then went to our friends' Cole and Cameronn's for their Christmas party.  It was a busy day, but it really felt like the Christmas season!

Making my mom's Christmas cookies

Sugar cookies

Connor and Aimee watching the cookies bake

Aimee and Abby decorating the cookies

Finally, today after all the snow fell last week, the temperatures dropped again, to 15 below zero - the coldest its been all season!  This week is cram-packed with Christmas parties, the busiest week of the year at work, and church activities - but honestly, I love it!  It will be so sad on the 26th when the radio stops playing Christmas songs, and decorations start coming down.  So why not enjoy the busy few weeks that are the Christmas season?  Our church has been doing a great series on Christmas - not the usual Christmas-y type message.  Last week's focused on the busy-ness of the season and this week's was even better "The Makeover Story".  Check it out at http://acfak.org/new-to-acf/online-sermons/

Merry Christmas everyone!

Woodley Kid Christmas Photos

Last weekend we had a blast taking Christmas photos of the Woodley kids (and some of their mommy too).  Taking photos with Andrew was so much easier than on my own - especially with 2 year-old Connor not wanting to sit still at all.

Below are some of my favorites.  Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Andrew wanted me to test out the lights before we got started

Abby helping wrap Mommy in lights

Awwww

He loved playing with "Ho Ho"

Mommy's turn to wrap Abby in lights

Typical Abby face :-)

My beautiful little sister 

Connor threw "Ho Ho" at them...

Uncle Andrew hugging Abs