Alaskan Hockey!

Hi, Everyone!

It's been a fun few days here in Anchorage.  Yesterday we went to Alyeska, where Tammy did some exciting skiing from the top of the mountain with Steve's co-clerks Rebecca and Michael.  Steve took another lesson, though he still isn't really loving the downhill thing.  Nonetheless, Steve's new pursuit and love is cross-country skiing, so it looks like he'll just drag those skis along while Tammy rides the slopes.  There's fun for everyone here in Alaska!

Upon the advice of some of the old clerks, we also bought a copy of the Northern Lights coupon book, which is essentially the Entertainment book for those from Michigan.  This book contains tons of coupons for restaurants, activities, classes, etc. around Alaska.  One of the coupons in the book includes a 2 for 1 coupon for tickets to the Alaska Aces hockey games.  

The Alaska Aces are the minor league hockey team here in Anchorage.  Because Alaska doesn't have any of the major pro-sports teams (baseball, basketball, hockey, or football), this is as close as they come to having a local fan base.  So the people who come out are die-hard fans who know all of the stats, players, etc.  It was really a neat experience.

The game was really neat.  And the best part was that the Aces won!  The Vegas team scored a goal in the first period, but in the second period the Aces scored two goals within minutes of each other.  Then the Aces scored again in the third period.  And then, with around 5 seconds remaining, the Vegas team pulled their goalie, the Aces hit the puck from across the ice, and it slid into the goal!  It was a lot of fun to watch the fans go wild on that goal.

Of course, in between each period Steve's favorite part of the hockey game came around:

We also came to realize that this arena was where the UAA team played as well.  Teams in their conference include Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Michigan Tech.  This, of course, warranted a picture:

That's all we have for now.  Steve's probably going to hit the cross-country ski trails this afternoon while Tammy works on some projects she needs to finish.

Next weekend we're talking about going to Fairbanks to see the Northern Lights, visit the hot springs, and hopefully take a ride on some snow machines.  We'll also get to see some of the other Alaska Supreme Court clerks, which will be a lot of fun!  Hopefully the weather holds up this time, unlike the last time we tried to head north.

Have a great week!


P.S. We're adding a new segment to the blog called "The Alaska Bucket List."   These are things we want to do before we leave this great state.  So far the list is as follows.  Please feel free to add any recommendations you may have!

• Catch a salmon and eat it
• Ice climb
• Snow machine
• Fly an airplane
• Sky dive
• Go to Midnight Sun Brewery and Silver Gulch Brewery
• Ice skate on a lake
• Do a 3-day backcountry trip
• Sea-kayak
• Ski Alyeska
• Hike in Denali
• Dog mush
• See Northern Lights
• Hike Flat Top and Wolverine Peak (cool hikes outside of Anchorage)

There's been a MURDER!

Hi, All:

Sorry for the downturn in writing as of lately; life got a bit hectic with the holiday season.  But now that that's in the past, let's focus on . . . . well, the past.

Right before the break we hosted a murder mystery party at our apartment.  The game was called "The Icicle Twist," so we decided to buy it because we figured it wouldn't take too extensive of costuming for us folk in Alaska.

Well, we were wrong.  The parts were a bit more intense than intended, but our friends did an amazing job dressing up.  We cooked some delicious food (stuffed mushrooms, salmon spread (thanks to MBC), a chili with cornbread, and s'mores and cookies (thanks, Tiff!) for dessert.  We also decked out our apartment to look something like a ski lodge.

POP QUIZ:  why are they called S'mores?!

ANSWER:  because once you have one, you'll always want . . . SOME MORE!

This is Aesha (the surgeon), Dario (the bodyguard), and Tammy (the ski shop owner) reading their respective parts.

Michael (the national security director), John (the P.I.), and Lindsey (one of the people at the party) all getting into their roles as well.

Tiffany (one of the people at the party), Rebecca (a flight attendant), Henry (a guest), and Elena (a guest) figuring out what questions to ask.  Note that to get the apartment setting correct, we bought this amazing fireplace DVD and had it playing in the background.  It made awesome crackling sounds and everything.

For the astute observer, you'll notice those are our cross-country ski boots by the TV -- warming by the fire.

Everyone is acting their roles!


It was a ton of fun and we definitely intend to host more of these in upcoming years.  We won't ruin the ending for you, but if you can guess the murder weapon off of this post alone we'll be very impressed.  Tiffany and Aesha were able to do so before even playing the game!

We also both went on family vacations these past few weeks.  Tammy went to DC and northern VA to go skiing with her family.  She stayed in the cold and snow.

Steve went to California with his family.  He experienced the true meaning of fire and ice:

These days, it's actually getting pretty warm up here.  It's above 30 degrees this week, and the snow is starting to melt.  We're expecting it to get cold again soon, but this is an interesting break.  We're also getting more sun now that Dec. 21 went by.  We have time to go yet before we feel much of the effects, but every day it gets a bit brighter for a bit longer.

We've also started putting together a bucket list of things to do while in AK.  So far the list is as follows:

Ice climb, sea kayak, catch and eat a salmon, snow machine (go on a snowmobile -- they call it a snow machine up here for some reason), fly an airplane, sky dive, dog sled, run with reindeer.

If you want to join us for any of these, or have any other good ideas to add, let us know!

Hope you're all keeping warm!

Merry Christmas to All . . .

And to all, a beautiful sunrise (with the moon still shining bright):

I Jumped In A Lake

Hi, Everyone!

Today I did it.  (I being Steve).  I jumped into a frozen lake.

For those of you who haven't been following, I decided to raise money for the Special Olympics - Alaska.  In exchange, they would cut a hole in a frozen lake for me (and 800 of my closest Alaska friends) to jump into.

Well, thanks to all your generosity, I raised over $500!  So this morning I bundled up, even despite the really really cold weather, and headed out to the event!

Here are some pictures of the site:

And here's the hole cut in the lake!

When it came to be my time, I prepped myself and jumped in!   My body, Michigan jersey, and all!  

It really wasn't that bad.  The water temperature inside the lake was warmer than outside the lake -- as could be expected.  So the water didn't feel too bad.  It WAS really cold once I stepped outside of the lake.  But then I ran (as you can see) down this little stretch and there were 3 hot tubs waiting.  Ahhhhhhhh . . . .  It was delightful.

Anyway, thanks again for all your help with raising money.  It really means a lot on how much you all supported this effort and it was a lot of fun to have a true Alaska adventure (jumping in a lake!).

Skiing Down The Hill!

Hi, Everyone:

Yesterday we decided to try downhill skiing.   Tammy had been numerous times before as a child.  But for some reason Steve was adverse to winter sports growing up, so he'd never really been.  His brother once tried to teach him snowboarding, but that resulted in a disastrous crash with a 6-year old at the bottom of the hill (after Steve spent 2 hours trying to even get up on the board), so that was the end.

Anyway, we decided to take a lesson and give skiing another go.  There are two primary places people ski in Anchorage: (1) hilltop and (2) Alyeska.  Hilltop is a lot like the "mountains" in Michigan; it's basically an oversized hill.  But the advantages to Hilltop are that it is great for learning and that it is located in Anchorage.  The other option, Alyeska, is the ski resort "in town."  It is approximately 45 minutes away, but it is absolutely beautiful.  It has some bunny hill/learner options, but it is mostly known for its north face of the mountain.  The highest chair lift goes to 2800 feet.  After that, it's basically helicopter access.

Needless to say, we decided to stick with Hilltop for the day.  We had an excellent instructor, and by the end of the few hours, Steve could actually make it down to the bottom of the hill without falling.

By the way, next Saturday is Steve's chance to jump into a frozen lake.  Unfortunately, he's still a few dollars short of his goal.  That means no pictures as of now!  If you were thinking of giving, please do so now.  It's for an amazing cause (Special Olympics).

You can give here (as well as see pictures and videos from past years):  http://www.firstgiving.com/stevenhurvitz

Thank you all for your support so far.  It's been amazing and we're almost there!!!!!

Until next time!
Steve

Gone Off The Deep End

Hi, Everyone:

I (Steve) hate to use every medium available to publicize this, but it is something of a last minute decision for a really great cause, so I wanted to put the notice in here.

I've signed up to do the "Polar Plunge" to raise money for Special Olympics (http://www.specialolympicsalaska.org/).  Basically, what this means is that I agree to jump in a frozen, frozen lake here in Alaska in exchange for the opportunity to raise money for the organization.   For those who were on my tamarack alaska trip, it is a re-creation of my $50 and a steak dinner deal.

If you want to donate, the link is here: http://www.firstgiving.com/stevenhurvitz

You can check out video of last year's plunge here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DHePm6wqOY&feature=player_embedded

Anyway, I'd really appreciate anything you might be willing to give.  In order to encourage you all to donate, Tammy and I have come up with this deal.

I have set a goal of $300.  If that goal is met, Tammy will take lots of pictures of me freezing both in and out of the water.  These pictures will get posted on the blog and facebook for all of your enjoyment.  If the goal is not reached, however, we do not promise pictures.  In fact, we probably won't put up the pictures as a protest.

So basically there's your stick and carrot.

In all seriousness, please give.  I know there are a ton of requests like this every day, and I know that these days funds are a bit tight all around.  But anything you can give ($10, $20, $50, whatever), is a HUGE help to both me (to make this worthwhile) and the Special Olympics.

Once again, the link is: http://www.firstgiving.com/stevenhurvitz

Thanks!

Best,
Steve

P.S. Added carrot:  If you donate and come visit at some point, I'll buy you a beer.  Danny, I'll buy you an ice cream.  :)

Moose (A bit too closely) Spotted

Steve went cross-country skiing this morning.  He decided to go on the trail that is about 1/4 mile from our house.  He made it about 2 miles on the trail, and almost (literally) ran into a mama moose and her calf.  They were standing in the river eating berries off of the trees.

This is not a great situation.  You really don't want to be that close to moose, especially a mama and her calf.  So Steve carefully popped off his skis and slowly backed away.  The moose watched him, not doing anything but staring and chewing, until Steve was a good 30 feet away.  At that point, the moose crossed the trail and walked to the other side.  Steve put on his skis, and bolted the heck out of there.

2 more moose spotted, but this time a bit too close for comfort.