Kayla and Erik Stevens welcomed their first child, Lumi Andromeda Stevens, on Jan. 25 at 7:16 a.m. She weighed 6 pounds, 1 oz and is 20 or maybe 19 inches long, depending on who is measuring. Lumi, which means snow in Finnish, is a fitting name, as she was born into one of the craziest snow years in Juneau in recent memory. Almost 70 inches have fallen in January, the most since 2009. “I had always kind of fantasized or pictured that she was going to be born in the middle of a massive snowstorm and it basically happened that way. It was kind of a wild ride wondering if we could even get to the hospital once [Kayla] went into labor. Maybe we’d have to call a snow plow and an ambulance,” Erik Stevens said. The couple plans to head back to Haines on the ferry on Friday. They’re looking forward to being home. Sister Shannon Stevens is organizing a meal train.
Sara Chapell celebrated her 50th birthday on the North Shore of Kauai with Leslie Evenden, Jessica Edwards and Sally Andersen. She said it was the “perfect mix of relaxation and activity.” Plus, she enjoyed spending time with Haines friends as the Chapell family – Sara, Rich and Lucia – are all living in Juneau for the school year.
12-year-old Meg Davis spelled out M-I-S-C-H-I-E-V-O-U-S to beat out Olen Stickler and Chisel Triezenberg for her second straight Haines spelling bee win. It wasn’t entirely a shock. “I was a little surprised, but I also felt I had prepared,” said Davis, a sixth-grader. Davis spent the nights leading up to the bee getting quizzed by her mom, Holly Davis, on about 50 words per night. That got her pretty well-practiced on the list of about 500 words that included stumpers like “amphitheater,” “voracious,” and “Albuquerque.” It took nine rounds for Davis to clinch her win. Organizer and school principal Lilly Boron said there was palpable excitement after a lull during the COVID pandemic years. “It was more excitement than I’ve seen in several years,” she said. “Students were very supportive of their classmates.” Davis now has the chance at a conference spelling bee title through an online test. The top 75 scorers in the state go on to a state bee in Anchorage on March 21.
Dan and Jo Anna Egolf traveled to Colorado to see their son Ben Egolf, his wife Emily and new granddaughter Charlie Joe Egolf. She was born on July 14 and is the couple’s first child. Dan said he didn’t get to know either of his grandfathers, as they had both died before he was born, so he feels privileged to be part of Charlie Joe’s life. “When babies look at you, they take everything in,” he said. “Their gaze goes right into your soul.”