Happy New Year

It is fitting that the last post of 2015 is also blog post #2,000!  
We launched this blog on May 2, 2009.

The 2015 Button Report

Music (L) & Politics (R)

Dave Cumbo made these panels when we lived in NC

Holidays w/ Sports overflow on the bottom

Entertainment

1/2 of the Tourism panel

Sports

In Charles' collection (begun in the early 70's) there are 7,472 buttons given by 198 donors (not counting Charles).  In December of this year alone there were 101 new buttons. 

The collection is broken down in to eight major categories (and dozens of sub-categories): business, causes, holidays, miscellaneous, music, pets, politics, sports, and tourism.

Top 10 Donors with number given (not including Charles'): 

Dale Alkula (family) - 1,258;  

Belinda Alkula (family) -1,148;  

Joan Condell (BOG) - 694; 

Jacqueline Alkula (family) - 380; 

Joe Alkula (family) - 276;  

Linda Alexander (Gallaudet U.)- 185; 

Sandy Boda (family) - 154;  

Laurie Wilkowski-Galle (BOG) - 129; 

Warren Swaar (Navy) -106; 

Jody Alkula (family) - 99

The complete donor list (with place on the ladder):

11 Heather Jungk
12 Vandgriff (Alkula), Mom
13 Judy Clark
14 Sheila Hammitt
15 Chase, Gary
16 Chang, Helen
17 Kelch, Vicki
18 Trapani, Tony
19 Dee Grice
20 Baumbach, Don
20 Rowdy Howdy
21 Hatch, Stacy
21 Winston, Toba
22 Swaar, Kathy
23 Stickley, Russ
24 Herritt, Donna
24 Lucy Stickley
25 Carol Brekke Goffe
26 Barlow, Bob
26 Broadhurst, Lorraine
26 Fish, Paulette
27 Staci Golgart Alkula
27 Gragg, Carol
27 Marcia Prather
27 Jacqueline Rodd
28 Bailey, Diane
28 Harpster, Jean
28 Mary Ellen Kilmer
29 Condell, Shirley
29 Gable, Brian
29 Bertha Roylance
29 Speak, Kathy
29 Tucker, Terri
30 Judy Dye
30 Sparks, Craig
31 Alkula, Dad
31 Rowan, Dan
32 Alkula, Jason
32 Freeman, Clay
32 Sue Handford
32 Austin M. D. Quick
32 Wilhite, Neil
32 Wilkie, Clark
33 Akinwale, Judy
33 Chang, Terry
33 Drapper, Rilla
33 Hansberry, Bill
33 Nancy Harrell
33 Glen Krans
33 Moshier, Gail
33 Theisen, Vicky
34 Boyd, Sean
34 Dupree, Tim
34 Gordon, Pam
34 Jennifer Crate Kelley
34 Kephart, Roy
34 Pua, Ria
34 Schaffer, Kathy
34 Schuttler, Kevin
34 Townsend, Charles
34 Walton, Ruby
34 Anderson, Wanda
34 Balfour, Carrie
34 Baumbach, Edie
34 Brown, William
34 joey Diers
34 Ed Ferrell
34 Flading, Verla
34 Tim Gatewood
34 Stephanie Green.
34 Harn, Anne
34 Kenyon, Betty
34 Koelling, Marvin
34 Faye Krans
34 McElmurray, Jean
34 Rogers, Maggie
34 Troop, Dot
34 Witcher, Mary
34 Johnson, Torrey
35 Browne, Mary
35 Byrd, Helen
35 Cat, Nick the
35 Craft, Dolores
35 Daulby, Peter
35 Faciolli, Jim
35 Fish, Cameron
35 Forbis, Josie
35 Luella Hodson
35 Bob Hunter
35 Johnson, Carol
35 Petty, Norma
35 Ross, Allison
35 Saussey, Carol
35 Shaver, Mike
35 Becky Thaxton
35 White, Barbara
35 Wiegert, Betty
35 Witcher, Jim
35 Young, Brigham
35 Smith, Hazel
36 Alkula, Alex
36 Alkula, Joshua
36 Anderson, Howard
36 Armbruster, Julie
36 Austin, Kendrick
36 Julie Baldauf Nichols
36 Barlow, Sean
36 Barrett, Rhonda
36 Sarah Beck
36 Bickford, Lisa
36 Bird, Lois
36 Black, Berry
36 Bronson, Karen
36 Cavanaugh, Shelly
36 Chicott, Emma
36 Clausen, Amanda
36 Collins, Piper
36 Counts, Dave
36 Curtis, Tim
36 Damwitz, Britta
36 Daulby, Marie
36 Dinkel, Bea
36 Dougherty, Guy
36 Denise Dulaney
36 Eiichberger, Eileen
36 Escobedo, Theo
36 Farrar, Lydia
36 Fisher, Gail
36 Garner, Peggy
36 Garner, Shirley
36 Gebhardt, Debbie
36 Gonzalez, Elba
36 Hackett, Molly
36 Hancock, Helen
36 Hansen, Marsha
36 Missy Warren Harcus
36 Howells, Layouna
36 Janke, Rose Ann
36 Jenkins, Ada
36 Jessen, Brenda
36 Johnson, Lea
36 Kennedy, Shareese
36 King, Anastasia
36 Kirkley, Ed
36 Lang, James
36 Dennis Lawton
36 Lee, Jeannette
36 Leifer, Jane
36 Levin, Ashley
36 Lunn, Jennifer
36 Marshall, Cheryl
36 Matos, Anthony
36 Matthews, Sheri
36 McDonald, Lisa
36 McLarnon, Sharon
36 Meschko, Melinda
36 Milord, Fabian
36 Minnini, Silas
36 Moise, Dorice
36 Nansen, Tyler
36 Nelson, Karen
36 Michael Lee Nelson
36 Odom, Gloria
36 Paulson, Connie
36 Petty, Chuck
36 Phelps, Dorothy
36 Pres., Marshall Univ.
36 Prince, Paula
36 Quarles, Duke
36 Reed, Kelly
36 Riegler, Mark
36 Robertson, Tana
36 Marilee Rowan
36 Schrock, Ava
36 Schultz, Kevin
36 Stone, Sam
36 Thayer, Shirley
36 Thompson, Pat
36 Underwood, Betty
36 Bob Vecchio
36 Vernon, Verla
36 Walton, Mary
36 Wiley, Rob
36 Williams, Nancy
36 Wright, Tim
36 Wylie, Bonnie

Turkeys on the move

O

New Year's Eve, 3rd & College Streets in Stevensville

New Year's Eve traffic in Stevensville

The wild turkeys that moved into the neighborhood last month have made themselves at home. Each evening they take wing and roost in the trees on our block.  Quite the sight to see!

The weekend that was

Christmas Day games

At church on Sunday

A calm moment on Sunday

We had a splendid weekend from soup to nuts and now with these last few days of 2015 at hand we are grateful for what has been and what is to come.  Following the joyous Christmas Eve/Day events, Saturday was given over to a different sort of joyous activities.

Belinda spent much of Saturday in the kitchen, preparing Charles' traditional birthday meal of Cincinnati chili and all the fixin's! Nothing beats the aroma of chili on the stove and cornbread in the oven on a frigid December day!

Charles spent Saturday morning (along with a number of other folk) helping an elderly Stevi UMC member move into a retirement community. It was a lot of fun and went quickly with so many folk involved.

Worship and a restful evening wrapped up our weekend!!

Christmas with the Alkulas

Sheila & Belinda get into the spirit of the day

Peek-a-boo with Monty

The big reveal for our gift to Sheila

Belinda enjoys the fellowship @ Corvallis UMC

Our third Christmas in Stevensville

A wonderful white Christmas was in store for us as we celebrated our third Christmas in Stevensville. 

In addition to enjoying the morning at home with gifts and the antics of Wesley & Monty, we again took part in the Christmas Day potluck at Corvallis UMC.

With Saturday and Sunday still to come it has already been an amazingly wonderful Christmas for us!!!

Christmas Eve 2015

Birthday cheesecake on Christmas Eve

Neighborhood turkeys stop for a snack

Christmas Eve @ Stevi UMC

Full moon on Christmas Eve

Birthday eve boy!

 Our Christmas Eve was a full one with work and church activities taking us from dawn to late night. 

One highlight was Charles' birthday lunch complete with his traditional birthday cheesecake! Of course, the big event was the big event, the Christmas Eve service at Stevi UMC. It was our third year with this community and was a wonderful experience for us.

White Christmas on the way

Outside Charles' office Sunday morning

Indoor caroling Sunday night

 With more snow on the way we are now certain of a white Christmas in the Bitterroot Valley!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Clearing the drive again

Mo is ready for Christmas on College St.

Snow fell for the third day and we are almost certain to have a white Christmas in the Bitterroot Valley.

Year in Review - pt. 3

Mo moved to Montana in July

August is fire season in Montana

Judy (r) came for a visit in September

Charles loves being a Griz at an October game

One of the many bazaars we went to in November

December snow on College Street

Year in Review - pt. 2

January on the Bitterroot River with the Sapphire Mountains

February at the SUMC Valentine's dinner

Our first time at Flathead Lake was in March

Belinda was on the road in April with the UMW

In May we were in Denver for Lisa's wedding

Charles was in Spain in June

The year in review - pt. 1

Monty joined the family in September

One never knows where Wesley will stop to rest

2015 has been quite the year for us and the next two posts have pictures taken from the blog showing just some of the highlights of the past year.

It's looking like a white Christmas

With several inches of fresh snow today (in addition to the inch or so Wednesday) it is looking more and more like we'll enjoy a white Christmas here in the Bitterroot Valley.

Charles captured the glow of the lights under the fresh snow this evening. 

Another semester in the bag

"Ellen's Elbow" iron pour project

"The next move is yours"

Charles wrapped up the fall semester this afternoon with the class critique in the sculpting studio.  

His effort in last month's iron pour turned out very well, the effort put into the whole process was certainly worth it!  

The final project, using found objects to illustrate a theme, got some really positive comments from the class and the professor. It turned out quite differently than Charles' original concept but then that was part of the project's purpose.

The final product reflects the multitude of moves Charles has made since high school (some twenty-four). In the past eighteen years we've made twelve moves (three months or longer) and stayed an average of nineteen months.

With the final grade still to come in sculpting, it would appear to have been another good semester for Charles' GPA.  It looks like Charles will have an A- in Printmaking I (screen) and two A+ (Latin American Art History & Sculpting I).

A white Wednesday

Offering the prayer

Birthday cupcake

LOTS of energy!

We've had a busy Wednesday despite the wintery weather we're having today! Charles led a study group at the church this morning before we went to the monthly birthday lunch at the senior center. Charles was among those receiving a birthday cupcake!

This afternoon, we went to the Stevensville Elementary's holiday concert. One of our young ladies was among the children singing and we were sure to present her with a rose as we did after last night's concert.