Twelve in One

As a reflection of 2010, I thought it was high time for a favorite moments post-

January was a very exciting time in my life as I married my Captain J (although he wasn't a Captain at the time).

February came and brought with it a new place for the Cap'n and I to live- Read about that here in Life's Greatest Blessing. There were ups and downs in this month, including adopting our dear Drifter dog and briefly thinking I was allergic to him.

In March, we took a trip to the gorgeous Valdez, continued to love on each other (see this date night), attended the Alaska Outhouse Race of 2010, discovered broomball, and enjoyed another scenic hike at Angel Rocks.

In April, I was reminded that I was still getting used to this whole Army Wife role (reflected here: In The Field?) We celebrated his promotion to Captain, too.

May brought some happiness, too. I won a writing contest for this post: The Captain and Her. The snow melted and we began to enjoy the little things that Alaska offered. Later that month, I finally got my football fix.

June came and Captain J and I got to take our honeymoon to Hawaii.

July was awesome as we hosted our first (and only) visitors to Alaska (Read about fishing for Halibut with my sister and brother-in-law here). Drifter continued to thrive and my love for him blossomed (as I found out here).

August brought about some great weather and a new addition to our household! We took a very memorable trip to Wonder Lake in Denali National Park.

September brought me closer to family as I traveled home alone to see my friends and family.

We spent October hanging out with good friends, taking a crazy trip to the Arctic Circle, and celebrating Halloween!

November is my birthday month but it was bittersweet because we also had to say goodbye to all the friends we had made up in the Great White North. Our family migration from AK to GA began!

December allowed us time with family as we reached them in time for Christmas. The best gift of this month was finding out that we are expecting a little one! Despite who that announcement offended, the two of us are thrilled and hoping for a sweet, healthy baby come August.

I look forward to what 2011 may bring. Happy New Year to you all :)

a thanks and photos post

I participated in Wife of a Sailor's holiday gift exchange and I'm just getting around to talking about it! I'd really like to thank the lovely lady who drew my name. I loved my gifts. I got a book and a candle (and a Christmas card from her beautiful family). She didn't leave her blog link so I'm not really sure where to find her and I'm not sure I have permission to give her real name, but if you're reading- you know who you are and thank you so much!

After all the excitement of the holiday season has come to an end, I'm trying to catch my breath. The last few days have been rough for me for a couple of reasons, but I'm keeping my head up and really enjoying spending time with my family. As we speak, Captain J is battling my brother and his friend in a Wii game of bowling and I'm getting excited about going out with my friends. I've seen Laura Faye (a bestie) briefly and I haven't seen Miranda (another bestie) at all so I'm pretty anxious to catch up with them. We'll be going to dinner tonight in Knoxville and maybe I'll remember to snap some photos. I haven't been very good at that this year.

I'll leave you with some photos taken back in September that we surprised my mom with this year at  Christmas! We're heading back to GA soon so you can expect more posts from a certain Mrs. K. Have yourself a Merry New Year.







[caption id="attachment_2099" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="love this one. siblings are so funny!"][/caption]

Parade Rain

When one gets pregnant, instantly many people feel the need to enlighten the pregnant person on a variety of different topics- much of which are appreciated. I enjoy hearing stories of experiences in prenatal, postpartum, child rearing, and the like. It's comforting to hear stories from women who have been through many of the same things I'm experiencing and knowing that women have been doing this for years! Let me tell you, I know I don't have it too bad, but that isn't to say that I've felt like running a million miles a minute when I wake up in the morning. I don't. I feel dizzy, nausea, icky, and with a side of heart burn. I'm not complaining, though. I actually enjoy the feeling a tiny bit because it reminds me that this baby is real. 

But allow me to let you in on the not so awesome side of being pregnant...

The assumptions that I "shouldn't do this" or I "shouldn't do that". The ridiculous comparisons- I never felt tired, why should she? That attitude is selfish and really very ignorant. Clearly, each pregnancy is different for each woman and one person couldn't possibly know another person's experience with it.



I won't be tolerating that line of thinking. I'm going to do whatever I can to have a health baby boy or girl and I don't care whose toes I step on along the way to do so. What is important to me is my son or daughter. So if resting makes me weak than so be it! ;)

Will you join me in praying for this baby boy or girl? Captain J and I would really appreciate it. It makes me nervous that we haven't been able to get into a doctor yet due to complications with the PCS. Ya know, Army stuff. The last thing I want or need is any added stress so please add us to your prayer list if you're the prayin' kind! Thank you so much.

I will continue to keep you updated on how I'm doing, but I promise not to only talk about that! I mean, hearing how I feel on a daily basis probably isn't why you read a blog, huh? Actually, my stepmom got me a pregnancy journal for Christmas that I've already started writing a bit in. I really like it! I look forward to having more accurate dates for the lunar calendar and hearing the words, "Baby looks healthy."

Until then, please don't rain on my parade. I'm leaning on God to help me along the way. Him, and my darling husband, J, who has been pretty darn good to me! I'm so grateful to be showered with all these blessings.

Jolly, Jolly Christmas

How was your Christmas? Mine was wonderful- one of the best. I feel so blessed to have a husband who is good to me and our baby on the way. What more could I want? Nothing, but I sure did get a lot of other cool stuff, too...

Christmas Eve was spent at my mother's house with my step-dad's side of the family. We drove in from GA on this day so I was very tired, but excited to see all those who I hadn't seen in awhile. Christmas was extra special this year because it marked the end of our time in Alaska thus the end of being away from family on major holidays (for awhile anyway). My mom decorated our house, as she always does, down to the very special touches. The tables were set with holiday plates, the candles were lit, Otis Redding was singing, "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...", and the rooms were waiting to be filled with the excitement and chatter that only this time of the year brings. We got to meet baby Rackley; he has the cutest smile! I was happy imagining that next year we would have a little one about his size and that our little baby would always have a cousin to play with.

Captain J and I woke up Christmas morning and Santa had made his rounds in Loudon, Tennessee. After digging into those gifts, we drove to Mimi and Papaw's for breakfast. Eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, pork chop, and much more was waiting for us. Let the eating begin!

Afterward, we made a few other visiting stops and I went home to settle in for a long winter's nap. This baby growing business is tiring!

Then we went to my dad's place to have dinner with family and friends and play a board game. I'm so glad to be visiting with everyone and catching up on all the time we've missed together. Now, we're celebrating with Captain J's family. We're calling it Christmas #3 and it's just as festive! It feels like Christmas Day here. There has been much present opening, more eating, and fun socializing. I'm so glad to be home!

Free Stuff!

Remember how I shared with you about the deal Shutterfly
was offering? The 50 free Christmas cards? Well, I got them not too
long ago. I'm really slacking in getting them addressed and sent,
but I'm really happy with the way they turned out. Aren't they
precious? I also found this great
deal in which I got an 8x10 canvas with a photo of my
choice for absolutely no cost to me! Isn't that fabulous? Ok, I
paid for shipping...but seriously, this is an awesome deal. Their
larger canvases are greatly reduced, too so if you've got a photo
you've been dying to enlarge you should definitely check out this
sweet deal!

Top 5 Reasons Why the South is the Place to Be...

this week any way :) ...

1.) This morning I threw on a tank top, some shorts, and went outside on my front porch swing to enjoy the pleasant weather with my journal in hand-

2. Our neighbors came to welcome us to the neighborhood. Never not once did anyone do that in Alaska. It feels good to be back in the land of Southern Hospitality y'all! Did I mention one neighbor offered to watch our house while we're gone (along with our newly installed alarm system)? Another gave us a Christmas tree so that we would have some Christmas cheer around here. And still another came over bringing us bagels for breakfast!

3. Much needed girl time with much needed friends-

4. Big, fenced back yards for Drifter and Holly to play (or relax)-

5. And a wonderful husband, who I'm sure I don't deserve, firmly planted down south for Christmas. I'm so grateful to have him stateside this year.

Deck the Halls

So maybe my house doesn't have any furniture, but by golly we've got Christmas decorations! What can I say? I'm my mother's daughter.

As you can see, Captain J and I are in Georgia- half moved into our new home. It is slowly becoming home to us, but that isn't to say that we don't miss Alaska. We do miss it quite a bit, but we don't miss the weather...or the distance from family.

I wanted to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all the congratulations that you all provided in my last post. I am so very excited and it feels good to have you all celebrating with me!

Love,

Mama -to- Be

a Christmas blessing

After many, many negative pregnancy tests this year, I'm happy to report that I'm looking at three, wonderfully positive ones. Can you believe it? Captain J and I will be parents. I can't describe how happy this makes me. I wake up every morning and remember all over again. It brings a smile to my face (and sometimes some not so happy faces as I have experienced a little sickness but not much). Perhaps I'm premature in announcing this, but I'm just so elated. I have gone back and forth debating on whether I should talk about my experiences in TTC (trying to conceive) on this blog and with friends and family. For the most part, I kept my worries to myself and didn't express anything of the sort here or elsewhere. There were months of thinking, "I wonder if something is wrong with me physically", "I wonder if God doesn't see me as a fit parent", etc. Captain J and I tried our best to keep positive attitudes, repeating to ourselves that God would bless us when we were ready.

I'm grateful that the time has come for this blessing. We've prayed a lot for this life inside me and I have no doubt that it came at the right time. After all- our furniture hasn't shown up yet so that will be a lot of boxes, chairs, and other household goods that I won't have to move around when they finally do. ;) J is babying me already and I'm just going to soak it all up!

We notified J's parents first because we would be making them grandparents for the first time. Very excited exchanges evolved from that conversation as you can imagine. Then we were off to talk to my blended family: Mom & Joe and Dad & Julie. It feels so amazing to know that this baby will be so loved by many people.

I should have more of an update next week after a visit to Doc.

What a wonderful Christmas blessing. Thanks be to God!

Stuck, stuck.

I would love to say that I'm blogging from a well formed yet cushiony warm spot in the bed but I can't. Heck, I'd even love to say that I'm writing to you from a hotel desk again. Anything is better than this. We're stuck (I mean dead stop, truckers pulling over to sleep, no one is going anywhere) in traffic. Ice storms have encompassed Tennessee and parts of Georgia, causing inexperienced winter drivers to slide right off the road. Slippery, this ice! Anyway, some poor soul ahead of us on I75 has backed up traffic from here to Timbuktu! It's times like these that I miss Alaska. I'm not sure if "traffic" is in their vocabulary.
The past few days have been hectic but also wonderfully happy. There's much to catch you all up on! Perhaps I'll set some time aside for more blogging this weekend (just for you annoyed army wife).
Until then, GET ME OUTTA HERE!

On the road again...

I have missed blogging. I mean really missed it. I was laying in bed last night thinking how much I needed to write. My uncharged computer was outside in Tennessee's version of a winter wonderland and my journal was, too. There was no way I was leaving the warm bed for that so I stayed there, alone with my thoughts. I've got so much to tell you, but really no time to catch you up right now. Captain J and I are in TN, preparing to drive back down to Georgia for a day or two to get our house ready. We've got a huge load of my belongings from my condo in college in a uhaul attached to the back of the truck. Turns out, our road trip is far from over.

It's Columbus Day!

Ok, so it's not really Columbus Day for the entire country, but for this military family it is! This past Tuesday, Captain J and I pulled up to what is to be our last hotel on our long PCS journey. My beautiful Beamer, J's F350 baby, two sweet Alaskan huskies, and a few items of clothing were all we had to our names but I can't describe how good it felt to finally be in Columbus, GA. This is the city that will be home to us until the Army tells us otherwise. We've made it!

On our first night here, we drove around exploring a bit until we decided to stop and have dinner. I knew we were going to have some semblance of a date night so I wanted to look pretty :) If you follow me on Twitter, you know that my husband has created an awesome tradition for when we travel. Can I brag on him for just a moment? He gets me new jewelry that is characteristic of the place we're visiting. When we were in Arizona, he bought me this:

I put the necklace and earrings on (obviously) and actually painted my face a bit. To say that I was slacking in that department during our trip is a definite understatement.

Captain J and I had Mexican cuisine at a place called, Los Amigos. The restaurant wasn't crowded at all, but we enjoyed it. I ordered shrimp fajitas and a frozen margarita. Yum!

I think we're going to like it here.

Are you in the Fort Benning area? Do you know someone who is? Send me their blog links! I'd love to get to know the city via the blogs and it would be awesome to get to know some friends in the area, too.

Updates to come!

(P.S.- It feels wonderful to be a two car family again! Woo hoo! Freedom.)

(P.P.S.- The realty website already took down the photos of our new place, pictures to come in the near future.)

Shopping Woes, Pandora, and a coffee cup of wine

If you live in hotel room after hotel room for a month, you begin to come up with some stories. I'm not even talking about stories of other people one may meet along the way, I'm talking about those things that happen on a daily basis- the conversations, the improvising, and the hysterics that this vagabond life sometimes ensues for me.

Today was no different for us, although we've finally arrived at our destination. I woke up ready to get the ball rolling on Christmas shopping, finalizing the rent situation, and feeling productive. To say that it took me awhile to get Captain J on board is not quite revealing how difficult this task actually was.



Let's back up for a moment and talk about his time in Iraq. He tells me often since he has been home that he considers most days good ones because he's not getting shot at, there are no sirens/announcements going off in the middle of the night as he tries to sleep telling him that mortars are incoming, and he hasn't had to see any death, for the most part. When he puts it like that, I try to understand but I know that I never can.

Sometimes his easy going attitude drives me up the wall, though. There's furniture to pick up, even more to purchase, gifts to buy, stockings to hang, halls to deck and he doesn't care if we hang out at the Waffle House all day sipping coffee (doing nothing!), he's just glad to be home. I'm really, really happy to have him here, too and when I think about that Christmas he missed here, my perspective begins to change. Still, there's stuff to do so off to the shopping centers and mall we went.

I have a confession. I don't like Christmas shopping. See, if I had plenty of time to think about what perfect gift so-and-so would want then maybe I would enjoy it more. I'm pretty terrible at that, though. I once got my husband (a practical virgin big game hunter) a food dehydrator. I just knew he'd want to make jerky because he likes it so much but I forgot about that little detail of living in Alaska and not being around the white tail deer at every other tree like we've seen in Tennessee. Present fail! There've been many others, but I'll spare you me.

Anyway, Toys R Us almost did us in today. We went in on a mission for a wii game. After waiting for bloody ever, we emerged from the masses with a Pictionary UDraw in hand (after a woman boldy took up for me by saying, "this lady was here first!" Then another woman angrily proclaimed, "No, I was!" Fight re:me ensuing, I embarrassingly grabbed what I needed and tried to get away). Much to my dismay (then), Captain J would not leave Toys R Us until we had finished buying for my two nephews and niece, at least. I'm grateful now, but I wasn't when we were there. I was getting all flustered maneuvering a huge present around the small isles with many people flooding them when I sweetly looked over at J and said, "You know this is man's work?" None too happy with me, he grabbed the large pink box with baby dolls and changing stations adorning the cover and marched off in the direction of more manly toys.



When he's shopping, he's a man on a mission. He approaches it Army style, I suppose. I like to browse and "think about it and come back" which is insane to Captain J. I guess he is the reason why I made a big dent in our Christmas list today.  I won't count my chickens before their hatched, though so we'll see when I get them all wrapped how much more we're lacking.

While shopping, I got a phone call from my sister. She was pretty pumped about this "new" website that I "should share with everyone on my blog." She went on to tell me that it was "sort of like a radio station" that can choose music for you based on what one likes, what one searches for, and what one "likes" on their facebook page. THEN...she says ever so confidently-

"It's called Pandora. You know, like the Pandora charm bracelets..."

I knew this was coming and I could hold my laughter in no longer. Before she could finish, I was belly laughing. She couldn't figure out why until I calmed down to tell her that she was about ten years late on this "new, awesome website." Love her heart.

We laughed about this for awhile and I decided that the Christmas shopping was done for the evening. I needed some red wine and pronto!

J and I arrived at our makeshift home, aka- The Extended Stay Deluxe, with a skillet dinner, bread, and bottle of wine in hand. It was then that we realized that the bottle opener had been left with our camping necessities in Paint Rock, TN a few days prior.

We're drinking corky wine out of coffee mugs now but who cares? When you're in the Army and forced to move at the drop of a hat an order, you learn to improvise.

Tomorrow I'll tell you all about our first night here in our new town and hopefully provide a preview our our new home!

One Year!

You'll never guess what today is! Well, maybe you would, but I'm not going to give you time to think about it. It's my BLOGOVERSARY! One year ago today, I was typing up my very first post on this blog that has become my release. I stuck with a writing task for a whole year! That, my friends, is impressive for me. I'm so excited that writing has become something I love to do on a daily basis. Thank you all for coming back to my page and making me feel as if you care what I'm saying. It means a lot to me!

I've met friends through blogging. I've kept myself busy writing and reading what so many others have to say. Occasionally, I get to feel as if I've influenced someone. One of the coolest things that has happened since I began this venture was that someone read my blog and then decided to vacation in Alaska because of it! I loved hearing that story.

Mrs. K and Captain J has been through many changes throughout the year. Perhaps you remember the title- Confessions of a Snowbunny? I finally took that down because it seemed so many were landing on my blog after typing in some naughty things. Ha! While funny, I didn't want to be associated or confused with any of that so I changed it. If you stick around for 2011, you'll notice even more exciting changes aesthetically. I also have plans for my very first ever giveaway and much more. :)

Again, thank you all so much for reading and commenting! You're the best.

Happy, Joyous Blogoversary to Me!

So you wanna get me a gift, eh?

People keep asking me what I would like for Christmas and I never know what to say until I'm all alone, shopping and I think of a million gazillion things I could use/want. In case you missed it, I made a post about this earlier. Then I hinted around at some more here. But I've got some more ideas that are actually affordable (Seriously, I'm the easiest person to shop for ever, I swear):

1. The latest Twilight DVD, Eclipse, is one that I would love to add to my collection!

2. I would love to add this bottle holder from Target to my new kitchen!

3. Speaking of wine, I love those bottle tops/stopper thing-a-ma-bobs (And I don't happen to have a single one!).

4. Captain J and I are moving into a new home...a new home where a Target resides close by. I'm soo happy about that! If you find yourself not wanting to shop, a Target card would be awesome!

5. I had to part with most of my candles when we left Fairbanks so I could use some smell goods in my life also.

*Now, I feel as if you all those who asked what I want should have to tell me what they want...right here, right now- in the comment sections. Help a girl out! I've been busy moving across the country; I could use a jump start on the rest of my list. Thanks? Or maybe I should say pretty please with a cherry on top?!

Hey Readers, what's on the top of your Christmas list?

Georgia on My Mind

You haven't heard from me in a few days because we finally made it to Tennessee and I've been enjoying our brief visit with friends and family. We only had two days to spend here so we're leaving as soon as Captain J drags his sleepy self out of bed. I just love when he's not working! He sleeps more, wakes up rested and glad to not be going into work. We should have a few more weeks of this luxury until it's back to work for him (and me). Our journey is not over yet, though. Now, we must find a place to live within our budget, make sure it has a fence, move in all our furniture, unpack boxes, decorate for Christmas, and try to feel as if we didn't just move thousands of miles across the country, smack dab in the middle of the Christmas season! I'm one busy gal and I've got Georgia on my mind...

I'll give you an update soon :)

the one where I complain

I'm awake. I'm tempted to call up all my Alaska buddies because I'm sure they would be the only ones awake at this hour. I might just like this time change. Anyway, why am I up, complaining on my blog? Well, I'll tell you. It's because of these two numbskulls:



I'm sick of them. There, I said it. Yeah, they look cute and innocent in that photo but they (read: Drifter) are far from it. This is the trip of a lifetime that Captain J and I are making, but having two rambunctious huskies kind of throws a kink in all that. We can't take them off the pavement in any National Park we've been to thus far so saving money camping is out of the question. Not to mention, we aren't able to do the trails that we'd like to do either. Just earlier, J and I were having dinner at the restaurant in the hotel and we got a phone call saying that people were complaining about our dog whining. I'll give you one guess as to who that would be. I'm just over it.

Traveling around the country with your honey is supposed to be exciting, romantic, and fun...Getting our evening interrupted so that we can go take care of our dog is none of the three.

I slept for awhile but I woke up to little paws in my face and a 50lb mutt on my feet.

I'm not that much of a dog person. When they're taking over the bed, they've got to go outside. They're dogs. Dogs! J forgets that a lot! I never allowed them to sleep with us in Alaska so I don't know why we've started that now. I just cannot wait to get home now- to a place where I can have my husband back. I want to sleep in the same bed as him without feeling like I'm being cuddled by a bunch of stinky mutts. I want to wake up in the morning and not have to find a cold wet nose on my bum. I want to greet Drifter and Holly with a smile again when I see them for the first time in the mornings instead of a "shoo, excuse me, MOVE out of my box" look that comes much more easily these days.

I wouldn't trade those two for anything in the world, but tonight I'd love nothing more than to have a bed to sleep in with absolutely no dog breath to wake me in the a.m. I'm afraid that's just not going to happen, though.

Poor, poor, pityful me.

"Mommy Dearest"

Hi y'all! It's December 3rd, which means it was Grand Canyon day for Captain J and me...but more importantly, it's my dear mom's birthday :) In honor of her day, I thought I'd tell you about the day when I realized (for the gazillionth time) I'd like to be a lot more like her...

It was orientation weekend at Tennessee Tech University.  On this particular day, I suppose the school decided we should have one last activity before we began college that took us back to the days of kindergarten because they gathered us all up into two large circles- one for the parents and one for the soon-to-be students, making me feel like a child. We were encouraged to get to know each other while we answered odd questions like, "What do you plan on studying?" Psh. 'Wish I knew', I thought to myself. I began to get nervous about my mini public speaking requirement that was quickly approaching when I looked over to the other large group of parents, desperately wanting my Mommy. She was easy to find among the group. While I was standing alone hoping someone might chat me up so I didn't feel like a total loser, my bubbly mother was already laughing and socializing with a large part of her group. Oh, to be more like her!

I still find myself thinking that thought quite a bit in my adult life. My mom has such a sweet, caring, calming presence and I know God blessed me all those years ago when He made her my mother. So when I saved her name in my phone as "Mommy Dearest", I meant it in the best possible way. Later she told me the real story behind that term. Whoops!

Love you, Mom. See you in, I dunno, about 3 days?! Yipee! Happy Birthday!

 

5Qf Arizona Style

Mama M.'s 5QF

California Redwoods

A couple posts ago, I promised you some redwood pictures, didn't I? I'm sure Captain J got plenty of good ones with our his fancy schmancy camera, but he has forbidden me to post any until he can choose the ones he wants the world to see. Oh, the trials of being married to a good photographer. He takes five gazillion trillion shots and out of those he'll like ten of them. Perhaps by the end of this trip he'll let me share some with all of you. Until then...you're stuck with mine!

They're a pixelated mess, but at least you can see how enormous the redwoods are. Maybe I'll buy myself my own fancy schmancy camera for Christmas and avoid this little problem all together!

But then again, if J is taking pictures and I'm taking pictures then who is going to watch these two crazy mutts?

We'll be in Arizona by tomorrow!

City Life in Cali

San Francisco  wasn't ready for us....and boy (or girl), lemme tell you- we weren't quite ready for the streets of San Fran. These two Alaskans in our F350 just didn't mix well with the traffic and congestion in the hilly city. The first hour or so was quite stressful as we tried to navigate around the city and attempt to not  dismember any innocent pedestrians. Thanks to the help of Magellan, we found our way to our first stop: Wags Hotel.

We knew hauling two huskies up and down the streets of a busy city was just asking for trouble so we chose to board them for the night. I swear, their "hotel" was better than ours. You wouldn't believe the ammenities/goodies/extras they offered: One on one swim time, Yappy Hour, and more. I'm pretty ashamed of myself for pampering them so, but I'm sure they had a good time (Their report card said so! ;) ).

After Captain J and I decided on a location to rest our pretty little heads, we set out to explore the city...on foot. No more driving for us! We walked everywhere we went. I'm surprised I survived.

We strolled down to Fisherman's Wharf to walk along the water and view Alcatraz from a distance. Later we spotted Ghirardelli, which quickly became my favorite place in this whole entire world. I was in chocolate heaven!

After a quick snap of this photo (and J telling curious onlookers that I was a "chocolate fiend"), we strolled on down the street where we came to a wine tasting. Being in California and not tasting wine is criminal so we sat down to enjoy a few swigs of California's best aged grape juice.

Afterwards, we continued on down the road to Pier 33 where there were tickets to Alcatraz being sold. Knowing that I'm slightly obsessed with prison shows and culture, J hopped in line to buy us tickets. The boat ride took approximately 12 minutes. In no time, we were standing on the island- looking out at the bright lights of San Francisco. I regret that I didn't bring my camera during this time. How could I forget that?! All I had was the iphone and it doesn't have great capabilities in the dark. Oh, well...I'll have to savor those memories in my mind. I did get a picture of a quote from one of the wardens of "The Rock"-

I thought this was pretty profound especially when I think about all our soldiers who have given all. Did you know that before Alcatraz was a prison that it was actually a military base? Did you know that families occupied the island as well during the time the inmates were there? The tour was quite interesting and I'd definitely like to check out some more literature on the topic.

Around 8 o'clock that night, we finally had dinner. As suggested by my dear dad-in-law, we had dungeness crab and chardonnay. It was excellent! These Californians have it down a little better than Fairbanksians, I just have to say. We left the restaurant with our bellies full and began the long trek back to our hotel.

I didn't get much sleep that night because there were two women in the room to the left of ours that were having an excellent time together, if you know what I mean. Then to to right of us, there was a young couple who argued in German during the wee hours of the morning. Add in cars honking, tires screeching, and the hustle and bustle of city life and it's easy to see why I slept very little.

I woke up with a spring in my step, though. I was ready to get out of that hotel! Captain J and I put on our walkin' shoes and got to stepping bright and early. We had breakfast in the Wharf then headed to Lombard Street to see the crooked roads and beautiful gardens.

Photo Credit Here

Then we went to see the interesing Chinatown district where I wanted to snatch up a couple of those beautiful Chinese children and high tail it to GA and call it a day! (I promise I'm kidding) They were all so precious and it reminded me of the pull I feel to adopt from China. Maybe one day.

We followed the streets to Coit Tower. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to go to the top due to construction on the tower.

Note Annoyed Smile

I could go on forever. We literally went all over this city and by the end of the day I felt as if I had done a half marathon, at least. Then I began to ponder how San Francisco(ians?) stack up in marathons. I bet they win more often than not. You wouldn't believe the steep hills that I was huffing up. Whew! I get tired just thinking about it. I just know if I lived there, I'd look amazing with all that extra exercise I would likely get.

We loved this city, but were glad to drive out of the congestion and back into a slower pace. We definitely wouldn't make it as city folk! Tomorrow we're camping in Yosemite. The adventure continues...

P.S.- Does anyone else have the Full House theme song in their head now?

Hello, Sunshine.

I'm not sure how much sense this post will make as it is 2:30 am and there are a bunch of yayhoos next door being obnoxiously loud. We're in California- San Fransisco to be exact. I'll have to save this city for another post, there's just too much to tell!

But I will tell you about Northern California- It was very rainy at first. We had experienced rain all throughout the ferry ride, Washington, and Oregon so it was just more of the same to these ole vagabonds. Finally, we drove out of it into a town called Crescent City where we were able to catch our first glimpse of the shoreline. After a quick stroll around the water, we loaded up the dogs and were on our way to our next stop.



Orick was interesting, a tiny little dot on the map- nothing at all like you would picture when you picture the state of California. It was here where I met my first Californians and....wait for it....

Sarah Palin fans! I was surprised, to say the least. I knew these people had to be good people when I walked in their cafe and saw this:



Right beside their Northern Cali flag were the flags of the two places I've lived- Alaska and Tennessee. It was pretty cool. We talked to them a bit and hearing that we were among people who held TN very dear to their hearts made me happy all over again to be on this journey back to the south. To all you Tennessee folk reading, one man told us he was "at a place called Tellico just two weeks ago." Small, small world.

I'll tell you what wasn't so small, though- those huge Redwoods! They are magnificent. We saw some on our trip to NZ, but those were transplants, if you will. They weren't native to that area so they hadn't had the time to get as big as these it seems. I had so much fine hiking around the national park (except I have a bone to pick with them--but I'll save that for later) and exploring these very old, very large trees. I'm too lazy at the moment to get my camera, but I will post some photos later that certainly won't do them justice.

Thanks for following along in our adventures! I apologize for lack of commenting/contacting on my part. I've been trying to keep up with all of you as best I can with limited internet access. I hope this post finds you well! Much more travel joys and woes to come...

a quick drive thru- Oregon

Oregon was much more interesting than I originally thought it might be. Before this journey, the only thing I really knew about Oregon was how much they beat UT by this year in football (blah). We quickly drove out of Washington into beautiful stretches of green farmland. Along the perimeters of each farm, there seemed to be hills nestling the land into a miniature valley. It's safe to say that I wasn't expecting that at all. There was so much green that it made my heart leap because I hadn't seen so many shades of green in quite awhile. Every so often, we'd pass a single tree with fall colors decorating each branch. I loved it because I missed most of the fall while I was in TN in September and I missed the only fall Alaska offers during that same time period.

That wasn't the only part of Oregon that I enjoyed...Every rest stop we passed had a sign reading: "Free Coffee". It was awesome, but I wonder how much money is going toward that little luxury each month. This brings me to my next point--

There are numerous signs saying, "Your tax dollars at work" which I think is a completely facetious saying by now so much so that I can't take it seriously. Does anyone look at those and say to themselves, "oh good...I'm glad that road was repaired"? Maybe...but when I see them I just fight the urge to roll my eyes.

All the people we came into contact with here while we were overnighting in Salem were very nice. I decided I liked Oregon(ians) back in September when they expressed their disdain for Lane Kiffin, too. Residents of Oregon- here's to you! You're okay in my book.



In short, I really enjoyed Oregon, but I was welcoming the sign to California more than you know! More on California tomorrow.

Love,

Gift Idea! #1

Want a stocking stuffer idea or a gift for a special lady in your life? Consider this! Last year, Santa (or was it Mom?) ;) brought me this yummy smelling goodness. The pink stuff pictured can be purchased as a three in one product- shampoo, bubble bath and body wash! It all smells heavenly and has been a lifesaver on this trip.



If you'd like some decorating tips, take some from my mom over at her blog-
http://kimbodarlin.wordpress.com

Boat (and Book) Reviews

Hey! It's Mrs. K- back in real time. :) Captain J, the dogs, and I got off the ferry around 10 AM this morning with a spring in our step. The boat ride cut off many, many miles from our car trip so we were thankful for that, but we were also very ready to be on dry land. The weather was yucky and rainy most of the time so it was difficult to see much along the way due to all the fog in the area. Still, we're glad we took the ferry. We had a lazy couple of days and I read so many books- I may just have to review them for you in a moment.

As soon as we drove off the boat, we used the awesome "Dog Parks" app to locate the nearest fenced in play area for our furry friends. It took us right to one so Drifter and Holly were playing and running within 10 minutes of being in Bellingham, WA. After getting all that energy out, we loaded them up and hit the road again. Now, I'm writing to you from Salem, Oregon. Our plan next is to head over to the Red Wood National Forest and camp for a few days so if you don't hear from me--that's probably why ;)

Now, on to what I've read the past few days-

The Last Bridge was written by Teri Coyne. It is a very dark book about a woman who has become estranged from her family due to disturbing issues involving them in her childhood years. When she gets word that her mother has committed suicide and left her the only suicide note reading, "He's not who you think he is", she wants to get to the bottom of it and find out who her mother meant when she wrote it.

I didn't want to stop reading this book, although I wouldn't recommend it if you can't handle reading about child abuse. Parts of it were quite shocking, but it is a work of fiction!

I also finally read Sweet Love, a book lent to me by the lovely Nicole. This novel was written by Sarah Strohmeyer. It's a cute book, but do not read while hungry! She describes desserts to die for! The main character, Julie, receives a gift from her mother to attend a class by a renown chef. She hesitates to go because her career seems to be on the downhill slope much to her dismay, she finds out her first love is enrolled as well, and to top it all off- she's juggling the role of single parent along with all her other titles. If you enjoy Shakespeare, you'll enjoy the quotes that the author ties in quite frequently.

Remember how I told you I wanted to read Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'Easter? Well, my dear friend, Sarah, got it for me for my birthday and I absolutely loved it! I read this one in about a day because it was just so relatable for me. Written by a resident of Memphis, Lisa Patton created a witty work of fiction that describes the life of a Tennessee woman who loyally follows her husband to Vermont to fulfill his dream to open a bed and breakfast inn. LeeLee finds herself changing as she adjusts to life with a bunch of yankees ;) As I said before, I loved this novel and would definitely recommend it to a pal!

Whew, I read a lot of books in five days! Let's see....2 more to go:

On Captain J's recommendation, I finally picked up Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern. J and J's friend were talking about how hilarious it is and when I ran out of things to read, I perused his collection. I sometimes read what this guy has to say on Twitter and I hear they have a show coming out on tv, too. The book is funny. There's a lot of profanity and crudeness, but still there are many humorous quotes. I suppose it's good end table material!

Last but certainly not least is- I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced. This nonfiction book was written by Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui. This young lady is from Yemen and was forced by her father to marry a man 3x her age. With much courage, she decided she would no longer tolerate her husband's tendency toward abuse. She found a chance to flee from her family and marched up to the courthouse where she insisted a lawyer help her to get a divorce. She was honored by Glamour magazine (alongside Condoleezza Rice!) as their Woman Of the Year. This book is excellent!

 As you can see, I've had a lot of time on my hands. I owe you all some more book reviews, but I'm going to stop with what I've read recently. Perhaps I'll catch up eventually. Now, I want to get to reading some of your blogs!

 Adios.

knitting once more

Remember when I decided I would start knitting? Wellll...

I didn't exactly follow through --until now! I finished the first scarf I ever attempted about a year later than when I began my little project. I have a lot of free time on the road so I've been plugging away! I even started another one for my dear hubby. Do you think he'll wear it? Yeah...me either.

Anyway, here's a look at my handy work...

We are getting off the ferry today! I'll soon be back to my shenanigans on facebook and twitter. I'm quite positive I've been missed. Maybe.

P.S. It's my sister's birthday! Thank you, Paige, for creating the most beautiful, sweet, little nephews and niece in the entire world. I'm so thankful for you every single day. God blessed me when he made you my sister! I love you and I'll see you soon :)