Sherry Meers Innes

7 grandchildren ages 2 to 10 years.
Lisa & Justin enriched my already full life by blessing me with my first two grandchildren:
Brooke, born in 2003 is in 1st grade this year. She's a young 6 so it wasn't easy at first. She (and Mom) have finally adjusted. (I think.)
Jake, born in 2006 is very creative. He sees things others miss & later draws or talks about them. Peyton, born in 2012, an energetic charmer.
Determined not to be merely a photo on the mantle, I fly down every few months to spend time with my Seattle children and grandchildren.

Scott & Kristy are parents to my 4 Alaskan grandchildren:
James, born in 2006, is reflective & cerebral.
Juliet, born in 2008, is gregarious & out-going
Matthew, born in 2009, has the swagger of a jock in the making.
Annabelle, born in 2012, shows leadership qualities already.

I love being a grandparent, and I'm thankful I can be an active contributor to their growing up memories. Being born and raised in Alaska, our children didn't have the advantage of spending much time with their grandparents. (That was our only regret.)

After my freshman year at Adams State, I went to Colorado Springs for summer employment...or so I thought. A few days after arriving, I met a handsome Colorado College pre-med student who eventually became my husband. Turns out we shared a curiosity about life in Alaska that, once discovered, became a passion. At twenty, Bob drove up the AlCan Hwy alone. Through a series of circumstances, he became a Christian shortly before I followed by airplane. We were married in Anchorage in 1964 and made Alaska our home. (Sadly, he died in a small airplane crash at 36, but we were comforted because of the decision he'd made before I joined him.) I remained in Alaska to raise our children in the place we'd chosen to make our home and with the values that guided our family life.

From the time I was a little girl growing up on the farm in Texas, I knew mine would be an adventurous life. Books by Robert Louis Stevenson, Edgar Rice Borroughs, Zane Grey, and many others transported me to interesting places far away from our farm. It was a comment I made on the phone to my fiance in 1963 that resulted in our making Alaska our home. I loved being a wife, and later, a mother. Our home was surrounded by woods and moose frequently wandered through our yard. (Still do.) We had an outdoor life. Like most young families in our area, our social life revolved around church and school. It was a great way to raise a family. Our children grew up with the tools to make good choices in life and the proof is in the adults they became. Each one is the sort of employee, neighbor, and friend everyone wants to have.

I always wanted to travel. An unfulfilled goal Bob and I had was to drive from Alaska to the tip of South America & explore Tierra del Fuego. In the '80s I read a Reader's Digest story about Dr. John Goddard, adventurer & the world's greatest goal accomplisher. I decided to follow his example and put my lifetime goals down on paper. My list began with two places I would like to see with my own eyes: the valley high in the mountains of Papua New Guinea and the ruins of Machu Picchu. Over time, the list grew to include books I wanted to read & things I would like to learn. (Example: knit those long skinny scarves while they are still fashionable.) Eventually, I divided the list into A, requires stamina & good health, and B, things I can do in a wheelchair if it comes to that. These days I'm busy checking things off my list. (My daughter taught me to knit last week during a short visit to Seattle. Check.) I trekked the Inka Trail to Machu Picchu (2001) and next summer I plan to visit Papua New Guinea. Then I can put a check beside the second of the first two things on my list. I don't have enough life left to do everything on my lists, so that guarantees I'll never be bored, sitting around waiting to go be with the Lord (i.e. die). I didn't know many classmates well, and they didn't know me. Like most teenage girls at the time, I was caught up in the desire to be liked, etc; so I doubt very much if I turned out like anyone thought. Surprise!

I was only a part of Moosie Hi one year. My father's dream of moving to Alaska after WWII hadn't been realized, so he settled for moving to Colorado at the end of my junior year. Our parents knew each other in Texas, so I relied on Linda Chappell to show me the ropes. With my platinum blonde hair and Texas style, she cautioned me that I might not fit in, so I dyed back to something close to my natural mousey (dishwater) blonde before school began. In spite of any misgivings and the fact that I didn't have a shared history with my classmates, I had a great experience at Alamosa High School. I look forward to celebrating our 50th with the people who were there when the big event took place.

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