I have not a clue what that title is supposed to mean in regard to this blog entry, but I thought it was a good name for the nonsense you're about to read. Reason number one being, I just feel like writing but I don't know what about yet. I feel as if I'll be a little more sane if I can let the words spill out onto paper the computer screen.You may have read my previous entry in which I spoke of my yearning to be some place warm and breezy, well that was only the half of it, sistahh(s)! (and brothas). The other reason I went with "Mish, Mash, Pish, Posh" is because all these words are all those little things in life that don't really matter at the end of the day, but I'll write about em anyway...
For the past two three 45ish days and counting, Drifter has found it necessary to bark his precious head off at night when we crate him. His barks quieten down after about fifteen minutes, but then he's wide awake and rarin' to go at midnight again. I don't know what his deal is, but he's a whiner and a talker and a big fat pain in my butt the sweetest dog around. Honestly, he just wants to be around us, I know that, but I don't do dogs in the bed. I never will. We allowed him to sleep with us when we traveled to Valdez one night (not my bed, sheets, etc! :) ) but that's just not something I ever want to get in the habit of. Anyway, to make a long story short- We've tried everything. Even the vet commented on how loud and "talkative" he was when he stayed there a couple of hours. That clued me in that we've got a special one here and he's going to take extra patience. Great. I've got tons of that (note sarcasm?).
Moving on...
I threw a shoe today. I was annoyed for the lack of sleep I've been getting. I was annoyed that no matter how much I tidy up, Hurricane Drifter still swoops in throwing around everything in his path. I was being whiney, too, I guess. Anyway, I just threw it forcefully into the closet and realized what a silly spectacle that must have been. I'm sure glad the walls can't talk. If they could they might tell you that not only did I lose my temper over something ridiculously miniscule, but I also went on a mini-shopping spree today without telling my dear, sweet, hardworking husband. Retail therapy was exhilirating. I found deal after deal that I couldn't simply pass up and now I'm officially suffering from buyer's remorse. I shouldn't have. When Captain J comes home from work this evening to pick me up for our weekly date night, I picture him saying "You look great, Kace BUT...." because everything I'll have on is new!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Just dreamin'
Well, I've found my purpose, my ideal job, my hopes and dreams. Unfortunately, one thousand applicants found it before me. I was browsing the news today and came across this excellent idea found here. If you do not feel led to read the article, I'll give you the gist of it: It. is. bloody. awesome.It's right up my alley. First of all, if chosen, the "employee" is forced paid to travel to amazing honeymoon destinations all over the world, get a feel for the area via beaches, luxurious dining, champagne, et cetera, and then report back by writing entries in a blog on his or her experiences there. It's a couples thing, too! In short, some lucky son of a gun is going to travel the world with their spouse and have everything paid for. Jealous doesn't quite describe what I'm feeling now.
Oh, to travel somewhere warm! I'd give anything. Well, almost anything. I miss the sand between my toes as my skin is browning and my eyes are shut tightly cat napping in the warm breeze. I miss being by the pool with a book I can't put down. I miss shorts and sandals and the way my hair curls up with the humidity in the air. Oh, Alaska, how I scorn thee today.
I've always been a beach girl. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing I love more than a nice drive or hike in the mountains. If God ever seems distant, I seem to always find Him there. But there's something about the ocean that calls to me. The salty water, the shells, and the atmosphere beckon my carefree side to sit and stay awhile. This is the longest stretch of time that I've gone without a quick trip to Florida or any beach elsewhere. Jordan better know how much I've given up for him. :) ha I guess I'll just rest my eyes and pretend I'm somewhere tropical, soakin' up the rays, with only the worry of what book I'll read next on my mind.
Monday, March 29, 2010
another daily musing
I love checking the mail to see if I have any word from back home; it's just a simple indulgence. It's fun to receive a little card from my family or words from my friends and parents. It gives me a little piece of them, knowing that as they wrote those words or prepared that package that they were thinking of me. So, on Saturday evening when I received a package from my mom, I couldn't wait to open it. Inside I found two books, one of which is entitled The Every Day Book. It's unique crimson color and Old English style writing caught my eye. I opened it to find pages and pages of quotes with a date included for each entry. The book dates back to 1905 and is very interesting to flip through. I found this gift very thoughtful considering one of my favorite things to do in my spare time is blogging; it provides much inspiration. Anyway, I didn't want to skip to the actual date today because I might miss some really good material. I opened the book to January 1st and read:
"Look into thine heart and write."- Longfellow
I thought, 'how perfect'! I read on to see an additional quote below it for the same day that says, "Words are little things, but they strike hard." This second part solidified the deal--I have to write today. I have to write about what is on my mind and that is the topic of forgiveness. I must say, it's something I need to work on.
From a young age, I typically allowed people to walk all over me. I rarely stood up for myself when I was being used in some way and I neglected to speak my mind when I thought doing so might step on someone's toes. No one bullied me or anything, but some people in their own little ways would abuse my friendship and my trust which in turn made me weary of trusting many people. I'll admit, the older I got, the more my strong, independent, and opinionated sister rubbed off on me to which I'm forever grateful. I started noticing that people would listen to the quiet girl when she passionately declared what was on her mind. I began to feel more secure and confident in my own voice.
But I will say, that side of me only comes out when I truly feel the need to speak about a certain topic. I prefer to be the one who listens to everyone talk, soaks in their opinions, and formulates my own ideas. I don't mind if people think I have nothing interesting to add. I don't care at all because being the center of attention isn't something I need or ever really desire in large groups. I enjoy keeping to myself when I should and speaking out when it is necessary. Perhaps this is just an example of my introverted qualities revealing themselves. Either way, I'll say that I don't understand why people choose to do the opposite. When did America stop telling its kids "If you can't say something good, don't say anything at all"? I don't understand.
I said this entry was about forgiveness, didn't I? Allow me to get back on track-
I've been hurt many times by people who say hurtful things or just downright lie to me or about me. Fine, I can deal with your shortcomings. Heck, we all have them! But I'm not so good with the second part that comes along with toleration, you know, the forgiveness part. I am a Christian and I know that God forgives me daily so why is it so difficult for me to practice forgiveness? I don't know, but it is. I guess I can forgive. I just never forget which is not true forgiveness. God wipes my slate clean each time I ask him. I should be able to do this to those who hurt me.
Matthew 18:21- Then Peter came to him and said, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother who sins against me? As many as seven times?” 18:22 Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, I tell you, but seventy-seven times!
77 times actually means an unlimited amount of times. Wait, a second, I'm supposed to continually forgive? WHAT IS THIS?!
I think I hide behind use the fact that I do not forget when I'm wronged as a defense mechanism. This way, I won't be surprised when I'm hurt by this person again or others who may let me down along the way. I won't take anything they say too personally the second time around because they've already slightly been written off by me.
How incredibly mean of me? I'm not perfect and this is one thing, of many, that I struggle with. I'm not saying I automatically don't trust you anymore if you lie to me about liking my outfit or if you take my favorite shirt and neglect to return it for months. I'm talking about bigger things such as insulting who I am or downright lying about things I've said or done. I find people who do/say such things less credible each time. I can go about life as if nothing happened to the rest of the world, but somewhere deep inside I'll likely never forget. Is it wrong? Yes and it's something that I pray about quite frequently. But on the other hand, more people should realize that words have consequences.
Take for example, the following sign:
Merely posting this nonsense is beckoning trouble makers all over the place to throw rocks at this sign. It might as well read "Please, oh please, find the biggest stone you can find and toss it at this sign." Our words, our actions do not go unnoticed nor do they slide by without the smallest repurcussions.
Way back in 1905, a sentence was printed in a little red book whose words still ring true today: "Words are little things, but they strike hard." May we all be mindful of how each statement and each action can affect those around us. May we realize that our words have consequences. It is my hope in writing this blog for the world to see that I offend no one, but still manage to shed light on what goes on in the mind of Mrs. K :) Perhaps this is a lofty goal, but that's what I'm aiming for.
I'd love to hear what you have to say. How are YOU with forgiveness?
"Look into thine heart and write."- Longfellow
I thought, 'how perfect'! I read on to see an additional quote below it for the same day that says, "Words are little things, but they strike hard." This second part solidified the deal--I have to write today. I have to write about what is on my mind and that is the topic of forgiveness. I must say, it's something I need to work on.
From a young age, I typically allowed people to walk all over me. I rarely stood up for myself when I was being used in some way and I neglected to speak my mind when I thought doing so might step on someone's toes. No one bullied me or anything, but some people in their own little ways would abuse my friendship and my trust which in turn made me weary of trusting many people. I'll admit, the older I got, the more my strong, independent, and opinionated sister rubbed off on me to which I'm forever grateful. I started noticing that people would listen to the quiet girl when she passionately declared what was on her mind. I began to feel more secure and confident in my own voice.
But I will say, that side of me only comes out when I truly feel the need to speak about a certain topic. I prefer to be the one who listens to everyone talk, soaks in their opinions, and formulates my own ideas. I don't mind if people think I have nothing interesting to add. I don't care at all because being the center of attention isn't something I need or ever really desire in large groups. I enjoy keeping to myself when I should and speaking out when it is necessary. Perhaps this is just an example of my introverted qualities revealing themselves. Either way, I'll say that I don't understand why people choose to do the opposite. When did America stop telling its kids "If you can't say something good, don't say anything at all"? I don't understand.
I said this entry was about forgiveness, didn't I? Allow me to get back on track-
I've been hurt many times by people who say hurtful things or just downright lie to me or about me. Fine, I can deal with your shortcomings. Heck, we all have them! But I'm not so good with the second part that comes along with toleration, you know, the forgiveness part. I am a Christian and I know that God forgives me daily so why is it so difficult for me to practice forgiveness? I don't know, but it is. I guess I can forgive. I just never forget which is not true forgiveness. God wipes my slate clean each time I ask him. I should be able to do this to those who hurt me.
Matthew 18:21- Then Peter came to him and said, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother who sins against me? As many as seven times?” 18:22 Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, I tell you, but seventy-seven times!
77 times actually means an unlimited amount of times. Wait, a second, I'm supposed to continually forgive? WHAT IS THIS?!
I think I hide behind use the fact that I do not forget when I'm wronged as a defense mechanism. This way, I won't be surprised when I'm hurt by this person again or others who may let me down along the way. I won't take anything they say too personally the second time around because they've already slightly been written off by me.
How incredibly mean of me? I'm not perfect and this is one thing, of many, that I struggle with. I'm not saying I automatically don't trust you anymore if you lie to me about liking my outfit or if you take my favorite shirt and neglect to return it for months. I'm talking about bigger things such as insulting who I am or downright lying about things I've said or done. I find people who do/say such things less credible each time. I can go about life as if nothing happened to the rest of the world, but somewhere deep inside I'll likely never forget. Is it wrong? Yes and it's something that I pray about quite frequently. But on the other hand, more people should realize that words have consequences.
Take for example, the following sign:
Merely posting this nonsense is beckoning trouble makers all over the place to throw rocks at this sign. It might as well read "Please, oh please, find the biggest stone you can find and toss it at this sign." Our words, our actions do not go unnoticed nor do they slide by without the smallest repurcussions.
Way back in 1905, a sentence was printed in a little red book whose words still ring true today: "Words are little things, but they strike hard." May we all be mindful of how each statement and each action can affect those around us. May we realize that our words have consequences. It is my hope in writing this blog for the world to see that I offend no one, but still manage to shed light on what goes on in the mind of Mrs. K :) Perhaps this is a lofty goal, but that's what I'm aiming for.
I'd love to hear what you have to say. How are YOU with forgiveness?
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Angel Rocks
On Saturday we took advantage of the nice, warm weather and headed out of town for a day hike around the Chena River. The trail we took off on was the Angel Rocks Trail, a popular hike in the summer time. In the winter months, people tend to stay away from it, though. It's not a difficult hike, but it can easily get me breathing pretty hard as you'll see in a sec. It felt good to be outside again and there were a couple times where I actually felt hot. I haven't had that feeling in awhile! Bring on summer!
In the video you're about to watch, you'll see Captain J and Drifter standing on what I called "the water" which, of course, is actually ice. The part of the trail where I started filming was straight uphill so as you can imagine, I lost the spring in my step a bit. "The boys" were ahead of me so they stopped to check out the frozen river. Drifter was not a fan of the ice!
On the way back down, we actually walked on the river against my wishes. I just kept having visions of my husband falling in and me having to run miles and miles in snowshoes in order to get him help. It wasn't cold outside (about 30-35 degrees Farenheight), but falling in ice cold water in the bush out there would have been problematic. We made it out of the woods with ten fingers and ten toes each so all is well. The following is when we reached the top and were enjoying the view God gave us. I sent this video to my mom to let her know I was thinking of them. It's a little shaky b/c we were standing on a small rock together-
Thanks for watching!
In the video you're about to watch, you'll see Captain J and Drifter standing on what I called "the water" which, of course, is actually ice. The part of the trail where I started filming was straight uphill so as you can imagine, I lost the spring in my step a bit. "The boys" were ahead of me so they stopped to check out the frozen river. Drifter was not a fan of the ice!
On the way back down, we actually walked on the river against my wishes. I just kept having visions of my husband falling in and me having to run miles and miles in snowshoes in order to get him help. It wasn't cold outside (about 30-35 degrees Farenheight), but falling in ice cold water in the bush out there would have been problematic. We made it out of the woods with ten fingers and ten toes each so all is well. The following is when we reached the top and were enjoying the view God gave us. I sent this video to my mom to let her know I was thinking of them. It's a little shaky b/c we were standing on a small rock together-
Thanks for watching!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Broomball, shmoomball
Somehow in my sheltered little box in East Tennessee where I grew up, no one bothered to mention to me that there's such a thing as broomball. So, when my husband tells me, "Hey Babe we have an FRG (Family Readiness Group) meeting to go to then afterwards we need to stop by my soldiers' broomball game", naturally, I think he's yankin' my chain. Seriously? I truly thought he was joking for a good half hour, that is until I got to the FRG meeting where there were several soldiers proclaiming their love for this bizarre sport. I could see it in their eyes the way they talked about their previous games and the way they tried passionately to suggest to Captain J that he suit up to play, as well (Oh, goodness...Surely, he isn't considering this).
Anyway, broomball is sorta like hockey with brooms minus the knock-down-drag-out fights. It's played on ice, yet skates aren't used. There are special shoes one must aquire before taking on this hobby (YES! Shoes J doesn't own!). The sport originated in Canada so I guess its popularity floated on over to Alaska and, according to Wikipedia, all "around the world." Please tell me I'm not the only one who has never heard of this!?
As sure as the sky is blue, broomball does exist. It was actually interesting to watch and the team we were rooting for pulled off a 3 to goose egg win. Later, I asked Captain J if he was considering joining the team and like music to my ears, he replied in the negative. I'm just happy that a bunch of dudes in semi-sturdy ice shoes and oversized helmets aren't competing with me for J's attention :) And now for proof-
Kacy vlogs!
Head over to Mama M's page to check out Five Question Friday and all the brave vloggers today :) I apologize for my awkward exit...haha! I just don't feel like doing it over. Perhaps I'll start vlogging more often so maybe, eventually I won't be so strange in front of the camera. Looking at this, I wonder how in the heck my husband fell in love with me over Skype video while he was deployed! Here goes nothin' -
The end of that was, "I like the way they fit!" And what I meant to say afterwards was--Thanks for stopping by! Au Revoir!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
"You've got questions...
we I've got answers!" Yes, I've joined the bandwagon that is formspring. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's simple: Ask me anything you want! You can do this anonymously or leave your name if you'd like. Go ahead, I can take it. Ask me anything and I'll be sure to answer you in this blog on the page titled 'Your Qs Answered.' In the event that you think of something later on down the road, I'll include a link to my formspring page just below the Feedjit widget on the right side of my blog. Ask away :)
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
TYT!
What comes to mind when I ask you--What are you thankful for today? Maybe it's your little old lady neighbor who baked you the yummiest sprinkled sugar cookies yesterday or perhaps you're just thankful you got through yesterday. Sarcastic or not, I want to hear about them and so does Captain over at Our Imperfect Life. She started this blog carnival called Thank You Thursday so if you want to join in the fun, go check out her page for more direction! (Note: I'm aware I have one more hour until it's technically Thursday for me, but most of you who are reading are coming from the future so will you just let this slide this once? THANK YOU!)
My Thank Yous-
1. Thank You, Lord, for some how willing Drifter to do the impossible. He passed puppy class--all glory to God! Seriously. Miracles do occur.
2. Thank You bloggy friends for seriously helping me to maintain my sanity. Honestly, I get so bored during the day without all of your witty, crazy hilarious, & entertaining posts.
(Click here for my weirdest but funniest find of the week: A Booger Dare)
3. Thank You, Shutterfly, for finally sending my wedding announcements. I mean, it's really no big deal that the cards say "We are happy to announce our RECENT wedding..." when recent was many moons ago.
4. Thank You to the current administration for this awesome healthcare plan. Oh, wait...scratch that altogether. I think it blows.
5. Thank You to my mom and mom-in-law for the recipes. I had fun trying something new in the kitchen!
6. Thank You to Myxer.com for the free ringtones. I especially love when my mom calls and I get to hear Renegade by Styx..."o mama I'm in fear for my life..." Makes me giggle.
7. And finally, I'll just throw a big Thank You out to the universe for all the little things in life. Seriously, I know I'm a nerd but hear me out... I arranged some apples in a little candle holder I had laying around and the beauty and simplicity of it made me smile today. Doesn't take much ;)
So tell me, what are you thankful for?
Prayer Request
I feel sick. A blanket of dread and sadness smothered me when I read THIS post at A Little Pink in a World of Camo. It's the story of a 23 year old Marine wife with a newly born little girl who is now widowed. Her husband passed away last week while serving in Afghanistan. I can't imagine what she's going through and it hurts me to think about it. I posted this to just ask you to please, please pray (if that's your thing). Otherwise, send some happy thoughts her way or go leave her an encouraging comment. Show her the kindness of a stranger. She sure could use an uplift.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Try it out Tuesday
"...I thank you that I have a wonderful family to come home to..."
When my husband uttered these words while praying just before dinner tonight, I silently rejoiced in my heart because somewhere deep, down I always wanted this. I can't describe to you how much that I never believed I would be truly happy. Until I met Captain J (as my Mimi sometimes says (Before J) "BJ"), I simply believed I'd settle down with a really good guy friend, marry him, and just live a life of mediocrity. That notion changed dramatically when J walked into my life. I'm so incredibly grateful. To this day, I have no idea why God chose to bless me so fully but I'm so thankful He did.
We had a nice dinner tonight. Earlier I told you I might attempt some new recipes. Well, I did just that. And can I just say: This girl can cook and bake!
Watch out, cooking channel! You could totally have a new star! Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a teeny, tiny bit, but I was rather proud of my accomplishments in the kitchen today. It's as I told Captain J earlier, I know I can cook if I have ingredients, directions, etc. I just also am very aware that I'll probably never be able to go into the kitchen and eye ball measurements and assess whether ketchup goes with pepper sprouts. Apparently, I didn't get that gene. Anyway, two people that did have that very characteristic entertwined in their DNA are my mother and my mother-in-law. These two women are the reason why my dear husband is sitting on the love seat, reading a book, with his belly full. Without further ado, here are some photos and recipes for your enjoyment:
Main Dish: A Meat Marinade
I used chicken, but Laura used steaks. It has an Asian taste to it. Here's what you'll need-
- 3/4 cup canola or olive oil
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1-2 tsp grated fresh ginger or dry spice
- 2 tbsp honey
- green onions scallions sliced
Because I lacked time, I only let the chicken marinate for around 45 minutes and that worked well for me. After soaking the chicken, I added it to the skillet/pan for a stir fry type meal.
Let it sizzle and let the yummy fragrance fill the air and VOILA!
Dinner is served! As you can see I prepared rice and some bread to accompany it. Pretty good little meal.
For dessert, I succeeded in making apple dumplins. Mmmm mmmm. This recipe was orignially from someone else in the fam who then passed it on to Mom who then passed it on to moi. It is so easy. Honestly, if you can follow directions you can make this dessert. Here's what you'll need-
- two granny smith apples
- two crescent roll packages
- 1 cup sugar (or a little more ;) )
- 1/2 a stick of butter
- can of Mt. Dew (I used diet)
- Cinnamon to taste
Directions: Cut the apples into 8 slices. Roll apple slices into crescent rolls. Mix butter, sugar, and cinnamon- Melt it. Pour it over the apples then pour in 12 oz of Mt. Dew. Bake at 450 degrees for 45 min. Sooo tasty!
Before:
After:
We enjoyed both recipes so thanks Mom and Laura! I'd also like to include a link to Cait's page because she always has something creative or uplifting to blog about and just the other day she posted a similar apple dumpling recipe which can be found HERE. Her directions and pictures are much more descriptive so if you want to try it, be sure to stop by her page for more information.
Bon Appetite!
Reawakening
Well, it's another gorgeous day in Alaska. The skies are blue and the wind is blowing the trees back and forth, side to side. This is exciting because I know spring is on its way. Typically during the winter Fairbanks gets very little wind. In the spring and summer, all bets are off. Needless to say, the wind is a welcomed change. When I go outside now it feels like a reawakening of my soul. Corny? Maybe, but it's true. I can go for a run. I can wear something besides sweaters and long johns. Good grief, I can even shovel dog and moose poo and be content because it feels so wonderful outside. Our highs have been anywhere from upper twenties to lower forties! Since I've moved up here, I often get asked about the light/dark situation here. People are intrigued by it, as am I. Our days are getting much longer. It's usually light outside around 7:45am and it doesn't get dark again until about 8 o'clock in the evening. I love having these longer days. I'm truly looking forward to summer when it feels like the days never end. I've never experienced complete light in the middle of the night. I can't imagine what it will be like yet. I wonder if I'll be able to get any shut eye. Anyway, as I said, stepping outside feels as if the world is new again. In a way, it is. Around town, I'll catch glimpses of people with an extra spring in their step that I contribute to the rise in temps. Just last week, I was driving down the road and I saw a soldier coming towards me in his truck, windows down, ACUs on, music blasting, and breaking out some intense car moves. He looked pretty excited to be off work and to be able to feel the fresh air on his face. Yes, it's those little things that make us happy, isn't it?
As you can read in my previous post, my weekend was interesting. I got a chance to finally get out of the house and do something I've been wanting to do for awhile and that is participate in Operation Beautiful. It's such an easy way to brighten someone's day. Be sure to click on the link for more info. If you do not know about it, the idea is to tell someone they're beautiful. Of course there are several ways of doing so, but usually this is done via anonymous notes left for others to find. I didn't get to take a picture of what I left on a bathroom mirror at a local Italian restaurant, but it felt good to do this one thing for someone else. I wrote, "You are beautiful. Pass it on" with ridiculous hearts all over the pink sticky note. The neat thing about leaving it at a restaurant was the rare opportunity for me to watch who I knew had read the note. Our table was beside the bathroom (eew? lol), but it was the perfect place for me to see the affect it had on people. I felt like most were smiling at they left the room. Maybe it was simply because they were returning to the table with their loved ones waiting, but I like to think that the small note I left made a big impact on their day. Hopefully, someone took the note home with them and then made a few of their own to leave in bathrooms all over Fairbanks! It's just so easy to show some compassion. The kindness of strangers can go a long way, in my opinion. Go check out the website and see what you can do.
Speaking of feeling beautiful. I do, I do! Captain J is pretty good about reminding me :) But that's not why I'm feeling better and better about myself. It's because I've been getting busy working on my beach bod. A couple weeks ago, I wrote a blog topic entitled Think Yourself Thin in which I proposed to start up P90x again. Well, that didn't really happen. haha Until now. I finally got the ball rolling and I'm going to stick to it. I won't go on and on about it here because I've written about it here. Yes, I've started yet another blog. I know what you're thinking ("this girl has too much time on her hands"), but I've got plenty of time to maintain my blogs. I decided to start another one for a couple of reasons. The first one being that my fitness blog is for me. It's to keep me on track with my progress and daily goals. I debated on whether I would promote it, but I decided I would mainly because I've monetized it. I switched to Blogger so that I could use google adsense to get paid when visitors clicked on the links on my new page, My World, My Playground. Hint, hint. So, show me some love over there.
Are you confused yet? No, I'm not deleting Confessions of a Snow Bunny or Learning to Live and Living to Learn. I love wordpress for it's professional feel and tons of editing options. Plus, I've really aquired a large following here and I don't want you guys to quit reading. I enjoy connecting with all of you and updating those back home of my happenings here. I have simply added another blog to my list of things to do, which is fine by me. It can be good reading material for the chronically bored, as well.
I'm done with my shameless plugging and linking now. I'm headed outside to "Live in the Sunshine!" Time for a run. Perhaps I'll run a few errands today so I can get to work on some recipes that my mother and mother-in-law have sent me recently. I'll be sure to keep you all updated on my cooking adventures if I choose to tackle that path this week. J is the cook around here ;)
(P.S. Like the new layout? I polled some bloggers who said they preferred a light background with dark writing as opposed to what I had. I hope you like the changes.)
Much love,
Mrs. K
As you can read in my previous post, my weekend was interesting. I got a chance to finally get out of the house and do something I've been wanting to do for awhile and that is participate in Operation Beautiful. It's such an easy way to brighten someone's day. Be sure to click on the link for more info. If you do not know about it, the idea is to tell someone they're beautiful. Of course there are several ways of doing so, but usually this is done via anonymous notes left for others to find. I didn't get to take a picture of what I left on a bathroom mirror at a local Italian restaurant, but it felt good to do this one thing for someone else. I wrote, "You are beautiful. Pass it on" with ridiculous hearts all over the pink sticky note. The neat thing about leaving it at a restaurant was the rare opportunity for me to watch who I knew had read the note. Our table was beside the bathroom (eew? lol), but it was the perfect place for me to see the affect it had on people. I felt like most were smiling at they left the room. Maybe it was simply because they were returning to the table with their loved ones waiting, but I like to think that the small note I left made a big impact on their day. Hopefully, someone took the note home with them and then made a few of their own to leave in bathrooms all over Fairbanks! It's just so easy to show some compassion. The kindness of strangers can go a long way, in my opinion. Go check out the website and see what you can do.
Speaking of feeling beautiful. I do, I do! Captain J is pretty good about reminding me :) But that's not why I'm feeling better and better about myself. It's because I've been getting busy working on my beach bod. A couple weeks ago, I wrote a blog topic entitled Think Yourself Thin in which I proposed to start up P90x again. Well, that didn't really happen. haha Until now. I finally got the ball rolling and I'm going to stick to it. I won't go on and on about it here because I've written about it here. Yes, I've started yet another blog. I know what you're thinking ("this girl has too much time on her hands"), but I've got plenty of time to maintain my blogs. I decided to start another one for a couple of reasons. The first one being that my fitness blog is for me. It's to keep me on track with my progress and daily goals. I debated on whether I would promote it, but I decided I would mainly because I've monetized it. I switched to Blogger so that I could use google adsense to get paid when visitors clicked on the links on my new page, My World, My Playground. Hint, hint. So, show me some love over there.
Are you confused yet? No, I'm not deleting Confessions of a Snow Bunny or Learning to Live and Living to Learn. I love wordpress for it's professional feel and tons of editing options. Plus, I've really aquired a large following here and I don't want you guys to quit reading. I enjoy connecting with all of you and updating those back home of my happenings here. I have simply added another blog to my list of things to do, which is fine by me. It can be good reading material for the chronically bored, as well.
I'm done with my shameless plugging and linking now. I'm headed outside to "Live in the Sunshine!" Time for a run. Perhaps I'll run a few errands today so I can get to work on some recipes that my mother and mother-in-law have sent me recently. I'll be sure to keep you all updated on my cooking adventures if I choose to tackle that path this week. J is the cook around here ;)
(P.S. Like the new layout? I polled some bloggers who said they preferred a light background with dark writing as opposed to what I had. I hope you like the changes.)
Much love,
Mrs. K
Monday, March 22, 2010
Annual Outhouse Race 2010
I thought the most redneck event I had ever experienced was back in my hometown of good ole Loudon, Tennessee, when our entire high school played tic tac toe with cow crap out behind the football field. Was it for a good cause? Was it supposed to inspire school spirit? To this day, I'm clueless, but sure enough- We all picked a square on "the board" and bet on where the cow would shamelessly excrete her waste first. This memory competes with my latest, but I don't quite think it comes out on top. Here's my story:
Yesterday started like any other day. We woke up early and began planning out our day which was to peak at brunch and a drive to Fox, Alaska, to witness quite a spectacle: The Annual Outhouse Race 2010. After a spectacular dining experience at The Pump House complete with mimosas and the largest, tastiest breakfast spread around, we headed in the direction of Fox. Captain J's friends, Josh and Don joined us and my buddy, Nicole came, too. When we arrived, we pulled up to rows of cars parked along side the road and a hole in the wall bar right off the main road. This was going to be interesting. We excitedly walked down the pathway to the festivities and lo and behold, there were eight homemade outhouses with skis attached to the bottoms of them all. Some were quite creative, some more so than others. Just before the races began, Josh found a fellow soldier friend of his who asked him to help push the literal port-a-potty across the finish line.
How bout I just let the pictures and video speak for themselves:
The one with the most character-
Yesterday started like any other day. We woke up early and began planning out our day which was to peak at brunch and a drive to Fox, Alaska, to witness quite a spectacle: The Annual Outhouse Race 2010. After a spectacular dining experience at The Pump House complete with mimosas and the largest, tastiest breakfast spread around, we headed in the direction of Fox. Captain J's friends, Josh and Don joined us and my buddy, Nicole came, too. When we arrived, we pulled up to rows of cars parked along side the road and a hole in the wall bar right off the main road. This was going to be interesting. We excitedly walked down the pathway to the festivities and lo and behold, there were eight homemade outhouses with skis attached to the bottoms of them all. Some were quite creative, some more so than others. Just before the races began, Josh found a fellow soldier friend of his who asked him to help push the literal port-a-potty across the finish line.
How bout I just let the pictures and video speak for themselves:
The one with the most character-
Honorable Mention-
And the winning outhouse-
The winners just happened to be Josh's team-
The race was done in heats. I couldn't get a good one of the winning team, but this one works just fine-
As you can see, there are rednecks all over our country and honestly, they're some of the best company I could keep. I mean, I totally fit right in! :)
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Mark Down Today
*yawn *streeettttcchhhh! "What time is it?" No answer. It doesn't matter because it's light outside and the beautiful blue Alaskan sky is beckoning for me to come out and play. The line of pine trees surrounding our cabin frame the place perfectly like a quaint painting that might hang in someone's bathroom. The crisp morning air is refreshing and promises warmer weather is not far away.
What will we do today? Maybe we'll attend the outhouse races in a neighboring town. Perhaps we'll go skiing for the afternoon. Maybe we'll just bask in the gloriousness that is today. One thing is for certain, I know I'll mark down today as proof in my higher power. A big bang certainly didn't create the view from my front porch and luck isn't responsible for blessing me with such a wonderful man in my life.
What will we do today? Maybe we'll attend the outhouse races in a neighboring town. Perhaps we'll go skiing for the afternoon. Maybe we'll just bask in the gloriousness that is today. One thing is for certain, I know I'll mark down today as proof in my higher power. A big bang certainly didn't create the view from my front porch and luck isn't responsible for blessing me with such a wonderful man in my life.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Who knows?
Every morning in between sips of coffee and goodbye hugs and kisses, I manage to utter the words, "Don't leave, babe." I know he has to go to work. Heck, someone's gotta have a job around here! I'm just in imaginary bliss at thoughts of spending all day with my man. I wonder how long this will last. :)
His response each time? "I've gotta go defend the free world, babe."
Of course, he's being facetious but it just makes me wonder...What do they do when they're stateside? Mountains of paperwork? Top secret meetings? Supermarket Sweep missions for lunch foods? Maybe they revert back to their younger days and go out in "the field" and play army all day. Who knows? I sure don't.
Captain J is one of those rare people who leave their work at work. He doesn't bring it home with him. He's an XO for his company so I know he must have responsibilities almost constantly, but to his credit, he rarely tells of his worries at work. I like that about him. It seems that a person like this is hard to come by these days. Even when he was deployed, he didn't talk much about what happened over there. Of course, part of that was because he wasn't allowed to, but the other part is because he didn't want me to worry even more about him. I imagine he also didn't want his one break (a Skype conversation with yours truly) in the day to be about Army talk. Whatever his reasoning, I appreciate it. I let him tell me what he will tell me and that's it.
I'm not one of those wives that will seek to learn all the Army's crazy acronyms. I'll probably never understand all the paperwork and obstacles that must be hurdled to get anything accomplished in the military. I might not ever be that woman.
But I will always be the woman who stands proudly beside her man in every decision, every deployment, and through every path we take together. I'm so proud of him for doing what he does (I'm sure he'd feel nauseous if he read this!) and it's not only because he goes off to foreign countries for the sake of his own; it's because he goes to work every day whether he wants to or not, he takes care of me in every way, and he loves me unconditionally all while simultaneously juggling his duties to this country.
Then again, his duties while stateside may very well be playing in poker tournaments in the AHA building. Who knows?
His response each time? "I've gotta go defend the free world, babe."
Of course, he's being facetious but it just makes me wonder...What do they do when they're stateside? Mountains of paperwork? Top secret meetings? Supermarket Sweep missions for lunch foods? Maybe they revert back to their younger days and go out in "the field" and play army all day. Who knows? I sure don't.
Captain J is one of those rare people who leave their work at work. He doesn't bring it home with him. He's an XO for his company so I know he must have responsibilities almost constantly, but to his credit, he rarely tells of his worries at work. I like that about him. It seems that a person like this is hard to come by these days. Even when he was deployed, he didn't talk much about what happened over there. Of course, part of that was because he wasn't allowed to, but the other part is because he didn't want me to worry even more about him. I imagine he also didn't want his one break (a Skype conversation with yours truly) in the day to be about Army talk. Whatever his reasoning, I appreciate it. I let him tell me what he will tell me and that's it.
I'm not one of those wives that will seek to learn all the Army's crazy acronyms. I'll probably never understand all the paperwork and obstacles that must be hurdled to get anything accomplished in the military. I might not ever be that woman.
But I will always be the woman who stands proudly beside her man in every decision, every deployment, and through every path we take together. I'm so proud of him for doing what he does (I'm sure he'd feel nauseous if he read this!) and it's not only because he goes off to foreign countries for the sake of his own; it's because he goes to work every day whether he wants to or not, he takes care of me in every way, and he loves me unconditionally all while simultaneously juggling his duties to this country.
Then again, his duties while stateside may very well be playing in poker tournaments in the AHA building. Who knows?
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Last Night's Date Night
In honor of the awesome holiday that is St. Patrick's Day, J and I went out to dinner for Sushi. Yeah, we're festive. At least we wore green! As I've told you before, CaptainJ, Drifter, and I are seen as the bad kids on campus in obedience class. Because Jordan had to work a little late, we opted out of puppy class last night. It was the best decision we've made all week. We needed date night last night. We didn't do much, but just being with him, just the two of us, was refreshing.
So, yes...We went to our favorite Sushi place here in Fairbanks. It's an old fast food restaurant turned sushi fabulous. From the outside it looks like a hole in the wall kind of place, but it's remodeled quite nicely on the inside. The food is excellent and the man who prepares it often yells out in Japanese to greet us and then sends us an appetizer on the house. I imagine it's not exactly because he likes us but because the place is fairly new and he wants to make a good name for himself. Speaking of new, I'm fairly new to Sushi. It wasn't that long ago that I cringed at the thought of it. When J was home on R&R from Iraq, his family took us out to a Japanese place because Jordan insisted he taste Sushi again before he had to return for the rest of his duty. After years of missing out on raw fish, I thought I'd give it a whirl again and have a taste test. J talked me into it. He then dipped the Sushi into Wasabi and handed it over to me. It was probably one of the worst things I've ever tasted. It was right up there with green beans. Yuck.
Come to find out, it's the wasabi I despise. I actually enjoy going out for Sushi now, but I never let J forget that day so many months ago when he unknowingly attempted to kill me. Which is why I dared him to do this:
So, yes...We went to our favorite Sushi place here in Fairbanks. It's an old fast food restaurant turned sushi fabulous. From the outside it looks like a hole in the wall kind of place, but it's remodeled quite nicely on the inside. The food is excellent and the man who prepares it often yells out in Japanese to greet us and then sends us an appetizer on the house. I imagine it's not exactly because he likes us but because the place is fairly new and he wants to make a good name for himself. Speaking of new, I'm fairly new to Sushi. It wasn't that long ago that I cringed at the thought of it. When J was home on R&R from Iraq, his family took us out to a Japanese place because Jordan insisted he taste Sushi again before he had to return for the rest of his duty. After years of missing out on raw fish, I thought I'd give it a whirl again and have a taste test. J talked me into it. He then dipped the Sushi into Wasabi and handed it over to me. It was probably one of the worst things I've ever tasted. It was right up there with green beans. Yuck.
Come to find out, it's the wasabi I despise. I actually enjoy going out for Sushi now, but I never let J forget that day so many months ago when he unknowingly attempted to kill me. Which is why I dared him to do this:
Please ignore my five year old little girl voice. Does anyone like their recorded voice? Anyway, I hope you all had a fun Irish holiday celebration. All throughout my day, my thought was, 'I'm just glad J is home this year, this holiday.'
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
It's a St. Patty's Day Edition of...
Wasn't Me Wednesday!
- It wasn't me who went back to bed until 10 am. I never do that. Why would I start now?
- It wasn't me who abandoned my responsibilites at home to go hang with friends.
- It also wasn't me who had Taco Bell for lunch. I would never!
- It wasn't me who lazily vegged out on the couch in front of:
Yeah, you guessed it--Full House! Oh, wait..I just showed proof!
Have fun pinching the non green wearers today. I never do that and I'm not sure why. It's the perfect time for mischief. J pinched me as I got out of bed this morning, which just isn't very fair is it?
Instead of green beer and leprochans, we're going out to dinner and then going to the grocery store. Old married couple! I wouldn't have it any other way.
And now I'll leave you with an Irish blessing and a Happy St. Patrick's Day from yours truly-
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Two Cents on Blogging
In honor of my fairly new blog reaching celebrity status over 3,000 visits today, I want to tell you a little about why I started blogging. If you've browsed around my website at all, you know I write basically because I'm bored and because I'd like to keep my family in the loop of my life. I think blogging can be so much more than that, though. This is why I sometimes spend hours browsing around and reading peoples' stories. I love sitting in my little cabin imagining the daily happenings of somewhat "normal" people just like me.
In my opinion, the push for abnormal is why, as bloggers, we start writing for the world to see. Anyone who has the urge to write, share, create, et cetera simultaneously has the urge to not be normal. We only have so much time in this world before our time is up, as my Dad reminded me on facebook today, and most of us don't want to believe that our imprint in our world was miniscule. If one is abnormal, they stick out. Bloggers want to stick out, to share their stories, their ideas, their opinions, and their lives. I think this is part of why I like to write. I'm not so alone during the day when I'm connecting with Paris, Japan, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, New Zealand, Pennsylvania, and the list goes on...
Each of the people I get to converse with are seemingly "normal" individuals to the rest of the world, but to me they're just as abnormal and quirky as I can be. My favorite blogs are about real people who are living life however it is that they want to. Some are in the midst of BIG things and some are just typing throughout their lunch break, but each entry is something I look forward to. I hope that's what I've created here- a place to come when you need a laugh or when you're insanely bored. The internet is good for that. Trust me, I'm an expert on the topic.
In my opinion, the push for abnormal is why, as bloggers, we start writing for the world to see. Anyone who has the urge to write, share, create, et cetera simultaneously has the urge to not be normal. We only have so much time in this world before our time is up, as my Dad reminded me on facebook today, and most of us don't want to believe that our imprint in our world was miniscule. If one is abnormal, they stick out. Bloggers want to stick out, to share their stories, their ideas, their opinions, and their lives. I think this is part of why I like to write. I'm not so alone during the day when I'm connecting with Paris, Japan, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, New Zealand, Pennsylvania, and the list goes on...
Each of the people I get to converse with are seemingly "normal" individuals to the rest of the world, but to me they're just as abnormal and quirky as I can be. My favorite blogs are about real people who are living life however it is that they want to. Some are in the midst of BIG things and some are just typing throughout their lunch break, but each entry is something I look forward to. I hope that's what I've created here- a place to come when you need a laugh or when you're insanely bored. The internet is good for that. Trust me, I'm an expert on the topic.
Post it!
It's Post It Note Tuesday again! Click the pic to check out SupahMommy's page. Here's my sticky for the day--
We chucked the dog outside at 0500 this morning because he had been whining literally all night. Yesterday, I set up his play pen outside because the weather is getting warmer and we never fully intended him to be an inside dog. He's been outside ever since and I feel like I have my life back! I woke up a little before eight and got to work tackling laundry, cleaning bathrooms, and making the kitchen sparkle look decent.
When Drifter is around, he either-
- follows me around as I try to clean and walks all over my feet
- gets into the trash, rips up paper, then consumes it
- barks constantly and loudly if he's crated
Do you see the pattern? It's difficult for me to get anything done around here, but now that spring is on its way, I don't mind to put him outside for awhile for some "me" time...even if I am cleaning. It feels good to do something besides babysit a five month old husky! I was proud of him in class last night, though. He seems to be getting better. Or maybe I'm just biased ;) Do I talk about my pet too much?
Moving on...
Anyway, as I was cleaning the sink (which is a daily chore here because my Army man is constantly having to shave) the water started spitting out oddly and making one of the worst noises I've heard to date then the water turned an ugly brown. Sweet! The water is out...I can quit cleaning with a good excuse! ha
In Fairbanks, many have their water in a holding tank and just schedule deliveries when they're running low. This prevents pipes from freezing and having to deal with trying to get running water out in the middle of nowhere, etc. This is what we do, too. It's really not as much as a hassle as I thought it would be when we moved in. As you can see today, it's working to my benefit!
More later,
Mrs. K
Monday, March 15, 2010
Let's drop a bomb...
When is the last time you did something thoughtful for a total stranger? Aside from the blogging community, I can't think of a single thing that I've done recently for someone I don't know. How sad. The other day, I was reading a post from a young woman writing from London, England, who told of a girl shaking uncontrollably with tears streaming down her face. She was all alone. The blogger had the urge to go up and ask the girl if she needed a hug, to which she replied, "Yes!" I'm sure the troubled girl will always remember the kindness of that particular stranger that day.
I wonder if that is something I could do. I think about it and all that comes to mind is being rejected with something like, "umm, no I don't need a hug, FREAK!" (haha) Why do we let our own insecurities come into play and get in the way of helping other people? Who cares if we get rejected? At least we tried, right? This week, I plan to go out of my way to touch a random person's life. Sure, at the end of their life it will be miniscule, probably not worth mentioning but I believe all those little things add up to something extrodinary. If enough people join in doing small acts of kindness, we can really have a large impact. I believe that. Which is why I used to buy coffee for the car behind me in line at Starbucks just so they might have a better day and then pass it on later. I think they did pass it on because I've received free coffee by doing so, too. It's just a couple extra bucks to make someone's world a happier place. Most random acts don't cost a thing, just a little compassion. This is the very reason I decided to join It Starts With Us. Each week, this gaggle of participants has a mission to accomplish. Each mission focuses on helping someone out and challenging ourselves to make our world a friendlier place. (Are you hugging trees yet or throwing up the peace sign? :) ) The program I enjoy most within the group is the "love bombs" we drop every week. This week we're focusing our efforts on a high school student who has been going through a rough time lately. If you want to participate without signing up, just visit her blog entry here and leave an encouraging comment. Let's let her see that there are people out there who don't even know her that care about what she's going through. I hope you'll participate, too! Let's drop a love bomb, it'll be fun!
I wonder if that is something I could do. I think about it and all that comes to mind is being rejected with something like, "umm, no I don't need a hug, FREAK!" (haha) Why do we let our own insecurities come into play and get in the way of helping other people? Who cares if we get rejected? At least we tried, right? This week, I plan to go out of my way to touch a random person's life. Sure, at the end of their life it will be miniscule, probably not worth mentioning but I believe all those little things add up to something extrodinary. If enough people join in doing small acts of kindness, we can really have a large impact. I believe that. Which is why I used to buy coffee for the car behind me in line at Starbucks just so they might have a better day and then pass it on later. I think they did pass it on because I've received free coffee by doing so, too. It's just a couple extra bucks to make someone's world a happier place. Most random acts don't cost a thing, just a little compassion. This is the very reason I decided to join It Starts With Us. Each week, this gaggle of participants has a mission to accomplish. Each mission focuses on helping someone out and challenging ourselves to make our world a friendlier place. (Are you hugging trees yet or throwing up the peace sign? :) ) The program I enjoy most within the group is the "love bombs" we drop every week. This week we're focusing our efforts on a high school student who has been going through a rough time lately. If you want to participate without signing up, just visit her blog entry here and leave an encouraging comment. Let's let her see that there are people out there who don't even know her that care about what she's going through. I hope you'll participate, too! Let's drop a love bomb, it'll be fun!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Our Saturday in Pictures
We're enjoying Valdez. The town is quite small and there's not much to do here in the winter aside from snowmachining, heliskiing, and snowshoeing. Basically, if you're a winter sports nut, this is the place to be. It's awesome here! We're looking forward to coming back this summer so we can partake in whale watching and fishing. I just wanted to write a quick note, but we're on our way out the door again.
Happy Saturday!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Valdez or bust!
After a six hour drive, give or take, we've arrived in Valdez, Alaska. We're covered in white stuff, but not because of the snow. Drifter is shedding so that made riding with him an allergy sufferers worst nightmare. He was all over the place, sniffing his new friend, Josh in the face and whining to be closer to the boys sitting up front(Captain J's buddy joined us in our travels this weekend). Finally, he settled down though and I settled in for a long car ride with Palin's book, Going Rogue, in hand.
The majority of the trip was uneventful, but somehow I managed to lose iphone number two to the rough terrain of the Last Frontier. Crap. Here's what I believe to be true: I wanted to make sure my dear son, Drifter, was taken care of so while Josh and J got out to snap some photos of which I'm sure will be of excellent quality, I took the dog for a walk so he could relieve himself. As I was getting the monster five month old back in his seat, I heard something fall. I looked around in the snow and thought, 'Surely I would see something sticking out of the pristine, white snow if something had indeed fallen out.' I didn't think much about it until I reached for my phone to take a picture of the breathtaking mountains we were driving by. In other words, I noticed my phone was gone about an hour and a half too late. I had placed the darn thing in a boot for safe keeping. See how that worked out for me?
Oh well, such is life. At least I have a new adventure to tell about. Valdez is new to us so we're very glad to be here. The snow is so deep. Some of the road signs barely stick out of the snow drifts and there were places along the road that reminded me of how I pictured a white out. It was surreal, really. Anyway, I'll keep you updated!
Sincerely,
Snow Bunny, aka- Mrs. K
The majority of the trip was uneventful, but somehow I managed to lose iphone number two to the rough terrain of the Last Frontier. Crap. Here's what I believe to be true: I wanted to make sure my dear son, Drifter, was taken care of so while Josh and J got out to snap some photos of which I'm sure will be of excellent quality, I took the dog for a walk so he could relieve himself. As I was getting the monster five month old back in his seat, I heard something fall. I looked around in the snow and thought, 'Surely I would see something sticking out of the pristine, white snow if something had indeed fallen out.' I didn't think much about it until I reached for my phone to take a picture of the breathtaking mountains we were driving by. In other words, I noticed my phone was gone about an hour and a half too late. I had placed the darn thing in a boot for safe keeping. See how that worked out for me?
Oh well, such is life. At least I have a new adventure to tell about. Valdez is new to us so we're very glad to be here. The snow is so deep. Some of the road signs barely stick out of the snow drifts and there were places along the road that reminded me of how I pictured a white out. It was surreal, really. Anyway, I'll keep you updated!
Sincerely,
Snow Bunny, aka- Mrs. K
Thursday, March 11, 2010
It's that time again!
If you don't know about the blog carnival hosted by Our Imperfect Life, click the following link to check it out: Thank You Thursday
Without further ado, I'll continue on with my Thank Yous for the week-
1. Thank You to my readers. I've recieved so many comments, emails, etc. that encourage me to keep blogging away. My little network has grown and that makes me happy, so thanks a bunch!
2. Thank You to my dear, Drifter, who performed marvelously last night in obedience class. I was so proud of him! He didn't bark as much...progress! In addition to that, he did the best in our challenge task. Of course, he didn't win because he's still a holy terror, but that's ok. Mama was proud!
3. Thank You to those of you who lovingly rubbed it in that you were experiencing breezy, sunny 60 degree weather earlier this week. I really appreciate it. (Psyche!) No, seriously, I'm happy for you...NOT.
4. Thank You to my husband for comforting me instead of looking at me like I was crazy when I was upset about missing all my people back home. It was refreshing and boy does he know me well...He poured me a glass of wine and even though we had lost a lot of water earlier in the week due to the broken tank fiasco, he watched the dog while I took a long, hot bath.
Which brings me to my next point-
5. Thank You to our plumber. ..I won't mention any names, but you were sooo personable. I really liked how your eyes almost rolled out of your head when I met you at the door. Thanks also, for looking completely annoyed each time we had questions for you. Oh, and best of all...you're so timely! (Note the sarcasm)
6. Thank You, God, for each one of these precious moments during the past week...
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
If you could step into my head...
This post has been brewing for awhile, possibly even years. I was reading this blog entry earlier today from a lady who is currently in Kenya and blogging about her experiences there. Her story is heart warming! Definitely check out that link and read her story, otherwise, mine may seem completely random.
When I watched that first little girl falter when asked which doll looked most like her after she'd already answered that the white doll was the "nice" doll, my heart broke. I wanted to delve into this subject further, but as you may know, it's nearly impossible to get research approved when children are the main subjects. It didn't help that I was a young white undergraduate that sought permission to talk to elementary age black children about racial issues. I let that idea fall by the wayside, but it is still something that touches me every time I read about it.
This is the reason why I thought of this study when I read the entry posted from Kenya. Kristen blogged about how the orphan she met asked to touch her hair and her skin because she had never touched a white person before. She wrote about showing the children pictures of her own kids and how they excitedly looked at them proclaiming "so white!" I realize it's a totally different scenario because these kids grew up in Kenya, not New York, but it's still shocking to see our world's races so out of "touch" (pardon the pun) with one another.
The other idea I want to throw out there today is the issue of adoption. When I was younger, I joked that I wanted adopted babies from all corners of the world because I just couldn't decide who was cutest. Of course, I was planning to adopt to avoid being one of those women who have freakishly frightening birth stories. Eww, giving birth...Yuck! Anyway, I grew up and the possibility of having my own children became more real to me and I realized it was something I really, really wanted one day. Along with that realization was the ever-present fear that this dream may not happen. I've never had any reason to believe I may have trouble getting pregnant, but like I've told you before- I'm a slight total hypochondriac. Anyway, I truly do hope to have children of my own one day, but if I can't (or even if I can) I know there are plenty of children around the world and in this country who need our help. I love the idea of adopting. What a wonderful thing to offer a child- a future!
Captain J's family just recently adopted little Aster (seen below) and welcomed her into the family last year. We got to meet our new cousin around Christmas time and I fell in love with her big brown eyes and infectious laughter.
She has been such a blessing to them as they have been for her.
Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed stepping into my head this afternoon. It's a crazy jumbled up mess at times, but I hope you were able to follow along. If you want to continue to read about Kristen's life, click HERE or go to the Blogs I Love page on my sidebar and click the link entitled "We Are That Family."
Thanks for stopping by--
Mrs. K
There are two topics from this story that I have felt pretty strongly about, especially in the past four years. I'll start off by saying that I always wanted to study the effects of racism on minorities. As an undergrad, I toyed with basing my thesis on studying young girls and their thoughts of body image and/or self esteem compared to their white peers.
I wanted to do something like this.
When I watched that first little girl falter when asked which doll looked most like her after she'd already answered that the white doll was the "nice" doll, my heart broke. I wanted to delve into this subject further, but as you may know, it's nearly impossible to get research approved when children are the main subjects. It didn't help that I was a young white undergraduate that sought permission to talk to elementary age black children about racial issues. I let that idea fall by the wayside, but it is still something that touches me every time I read about it.
This is the reason why I thought of this study when I read the entry posted from Kenya. Kristen blogged about how the orphan she met asked to touch her hair and her skin because she had never touched a white person before. She wrote about showing the children pictures of her own kids and how they excitedly looked at them proclaiming "so white!" I realize it's a totally different scenario because these kids grew up in Kenya, not New York, but it's still shocking to see our world's races so out of "touch" (pardon the pun) with one another.
The other idea I want to throw out there today is the issue of adoption. When I was younger, I joked that I wanted adopted babies from all corners of the world because I just couldn't decide who was cutest. Of course, I was planning to adopt to avoid being one of those women who have freakishly frightening birth stories. Eww, giving birth...Yuck! Anyway, I grew up and the possibility of having my own children became more real to me and I realized it was something I really, really wanted one day. Along with that realization was the ever-present fear that this dream may not happen. I've never had any reason to believe I may have trouble getting pregnant, but like I've told you before- I'm a slight total hypochondriac. Anyway, I truly do hope to have children of my own one day, but if I can't (or even if I can) I know there are plenty of children around the world and in this country who need our help. I love the idea of adopting. What a wonderful thing to offer a child- a future!
Captain J's family just recently adopted little Aster (seen below) and welcomed her into the family last year. We got to meet our new cousin around Christmas time and I fell in love with her big brown eyes and infectious laughter.
She has been such a blessing to them as they have been for her.
Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed stepping into my head this afternoon. It's a crazy jumbled up mess at times, but I hope you were able to follow along. If you want to continue to read about Kristen's life, click HERE or go to the Blogs I Love page on my sidebar and click the link entitled "We Are That Family."
Thanks for stopping by--
Mrs. K
Stories
I'm sitting in front of the t.v watching a typical love scene on a bad soap opera and nothing stands in my way from the remote on the other half of the couch except a sweetly sleeping puppy with his head on my lap. How can I wake him? I've always had this problem. A couple days after I met Captain J, he invited me to go to the beach with him. During the ride to salty water and windy beaches, he fell asleep on my lap so I tried desperately not to breathe deeply so I wouldn't wake him. I also was somewhat excited that he felt comfortable enough with me to go to sleep on my lap until it hit me that he's just a guy and he was surely only concerned about sleeping and easily passing the time in the car! Oh well. Still, nothing has changed. If J is sleeping, I tip toe around the house. If he's sleeping on me, I'll endure thousands of those tingly things that attack my arm just before it falls "asleep" so as not to wake my dear husband. It's because of the look he gives me when he is just waking up. I imagine it's the look he would give me if I rolled his 1985 CJ8 (which can be seen here) off the nearest cliff.
So, here I am...stuck watching the "stories" which aren't mine! I'll take this opportunity to catch you up on what's been going on the past couple of days. Monday we took Drifter to puppy class yet again. I wish dogs could ignore nature in some way and not act on their sexual instincts because it grosses me out. Drifter was being quite the male harlot and I was slightly appalled. I can't wait to get him neutered! Other than that fiasco, he did pretty well. He didn't bark the entire time this class period.
After class, Captain J loaded Drifter in the jeep while I jumped in the truck to head off to a night out with my girls. I met Kim, Allison and her two children, and Kristel for dinner at Boston's. Sometimes I get into funks and feel as if I don't have any friends here, but after spending time with these ladies, they always seem to cheer me up. I find it hard to find balance between reaching out and making plans with friends when I feel like I rarely get to see J as it is. I'm sure they feel the same way because all of their husbands are Army guys, too and I'm sure they're working just as hard as J does. I was thankful we had that time to meet up because it truly lifted my spirits in knowing that I do have some girlfriends up here in Alaska.
Tonight we are headed back to obedience class, so wish us luck!
So, here I am...stuck watching the "stories" which aren't mine! I'll take this opportunity to catch you up on what's been going on the past couple of days. Monday we took Drifter to puppy class yet again. I wish dogs could ignore nature in some way and not act on their sexual instincts because it grosses me out. Drifter was being quite the male harlot and I was slightly appalled. I can't wait to get him neutered! Other than that fiasco, he did pretty well. He didn't bark the entire time this class period.
After class, Captain J loaded Drifter in the jeep while I jumped in the truck to head off to a night out with my girls. I met Kim, Allison and her two children, and Kristel for dinner at Boston's. Sometimes I get into funks and feel as if I don't have any friends here, but after spending time with these ladies, they always seem to cheer me up. I find it hard to find balance between reaching out and making plans with friends when I feel like I rarely get to see J as it is. I'm sure they feel the same way because all of their husbands are Army guys, too and I'm sure they're working just as hard as J does. I was thankful we had that time to meet up because it truly lifted my spirits in knowing that I do have some girlfriends up here in Alaska.
Tonight we are headed back to obedience class, so wish us luck!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Outside my window
Do you have any secret indulgences? (Please note: If they're dirty, I don't wanna hear about em! ha) I do. There's a certain quiet time, early in the morning, when the dog is asleep and Captain J has already left to go to work. I like to sit at my kitchen table that is nestled beside a big window and look out into our yard and just think. Being busy and productive is slightly over-rated in my book. I'd much rather ponder if birds understand each other's chirps or if the Mona Lisa really was da Vinci's face. Kidding. But I do look outside and wonder what my loved ones are doing at this exact moment.
While most of the trees are dead and crumbling, the snow has freshly fallen. It's the ultimate oxymoron. My yard is dead yet alive with the glimmer of hope that spring is on it's way. To a southern girl, who rarely ever got any snowfall, the white blankets are still magical. It's as if anything could happen, the world is my playground. Today, I sit here and wonder, what are my friends up to? Some of you are working, some of you are walking around campus enjoying the warm weather, and some of you are probably cat napping. Then I wonder where each family member is. What are they thinking right now? Do they know how much I wish I could see them? I feel a million miles away right now.
As I type, tears are forming. They're not happy, but not sad either. Just indifferent. I love life up here with my husband and new puppy, but I'd give almost anything for a knock on the door from someone who knows me, someone who misses me, too.
I look outside, though and no one is there. I'm just surrounded by the tall, skinny pine trees that have come to be characteristic of my home here. Pretty soon they'll green up, the grass will reveal itself once more, and I'll be able to enjoy much, much longer days in the land of the Midnight Sun. My whole view outside this picture window will change, but one thing will remain--I sure wish my family could see it, too.
I miss you all.
While most of the trees are dead and crumbling, the snow has freshly fallen. It's the ultimate oxymoron. My yard is dead yet alive with the glimmer of hope that spring is on it's way. To a southern girl, who rarely ever got any snowfall, the white blankets are still magical. It's as if anything could happen, the world is my playground. Today, I sit here and wonder, what are my friends up to? Some of you are working, some of you are walking around campus enjoying the warm weather, and some of you are probably cat napping. Then I wonder where each family member is. What are they thinking right now? Do they know how much I wish I could see them? I feel a million miles away right now.
As I type, tears are forming. They're not happy, but not sad either. Just indifferent. I love life up here with my husband and new puppy, but I'd give almost anything for a knock on the door from someone who knows me, someone who misses me, too.
I look outside, though and no one is there. I'm just surrounded by the tall, skinny pine trees that have come to be characteristic of my home here. Pretty soon they'll green up, the grass will reveal itself once more, and I'll be able to enjoy much, much longer days in the land of the Midnight Sun. My whole view outside this picture window will change, but one thing will remain--I sure wish my family could see it, too.
I miss you all.
Monday, March 8, 2010
My weekend in 805 words or less
This past weekend had its ups and downs, but overall I can't complain. Friday we had plans to go to a farewell party for a friend of a friend. All of their parties are themed and since the theme this go round was "redneck", we knew we'd fit right in. We put on our flannel and I tamed my hair into pigtails and we laid down on the couch to rest awhile before we headed out. Fast foward to a few hours later: Yawns and stretches, a glance at the clock, the realization that we are that married couple that falls asleep on a Friday night. Oh well.
Saturday I woke up to a pretty wretched dream, as you probably already know if you keep up with my blog. After having a laid back morning with Drifter, J and I walked into the laundry room to find it completely flooded. We weren't sure what had happened so we cleaned it up and set out on our way to the Upper Chena River to test out our new snowshoes. We had a pretty good day. It was fairly warm so hiking around wasn't terribly uncomfortable. We took the dog with us, too. I think he enjoyed getting out and exploring around the area with us.
Snow started pouring from the sky and covering the roads again so we headed back towards Fairbanks. We stopped at one of our favorite places to eat on the way home and enjoyed a drink at the bar. I had coffee and Bailey's, the perfect warm me up drink. While there, we met an Air Force guy who seemed to have traveled all over the world. He had been to a lot of the same places J and I visited while we were in New Zealand a couple of months ago. He was a pretty cool dude and interesting to talk to! He spoke of running marathons, climbing mountains, and other physcial tasks. All the while, he was sitting at a bar with a whiskey drink in hand and a cigarette in the other. I guess we've all got to pick and choose our vices! :)
We drove on home to our little cabin in the woods with the majority of the day still ahead of us. We planned on going to all you can eat crab night at one of our favorite spots, but when we checked out the laundry room for the second time, we knew that wouldn't be a possibility. We needed a plumber...fast! We finally found the leak that was spraying a big mist out into the room. There was and still is a crack in our water tank. We called the plumber to come out and check on it, but he said he couldn't get here until the next morning. This annoyed me to no end because I so enjoy attending church on Sunday mornings. Anyway, I picked up a pizza while J rigged a bucket to catch all the water that flowed from the duct tape covering the crack. Fun fact: Did you know Wasilla, home of Sarah Palin, is the duct tape capitol of the world? They deemed this name appropriate because the Wasilla Walmart has the most duct tape sales out of anywhere else in the world.
We awoke the next morning and waited for the call from the plumber. And we waited and we waited. Church was looking less and less likely with every minute that passed. Captain J gave him a call and he said he was in North Pole, but he was on his way. Finally, he arrives and in five minutes he was gone again. Guess what? I still have a bucket catching the water that wastes away to the floor of the laundry room. We might as well take a couple hundred dollars and use it as kindling for the fire. It's basically the same thing. Grr.
Yesterday wasn't all bad, though. J, nominated for best husband of the year award, decided we could dedicate the day to setting up my craft room. The extra bedrooms in our house aren't being used for anything besides storage for the masses of Army gear he has aquired over the years so he allowed me a space where I could work on my scrapbooks and cards. We went to Walmart (I swear, Walmart didn't pay me to mention them so many times) and found several organaziational items, a table, and chair to outfit my new space. I spent the next few hours scrapping our fishing trip back in September. Check out my little crafting area:
While I was in creative bliss, Jordan was hard at work in the kitchen preparing a candle lit dinner of lamb, rice, and veggies for the two of us. I'm so blessed to have him!
Blessings,
Mrs. K
Saturday I woke up to a pretty wretched dream, as you probably already know if you keep up with my blog. After having a laid back morning with Drifter, J and I walked into the laundry room to find it completely flooded. We weren't sure what had happened so we cleaned it up and set out on our way to the Upper Chena River to test out our new snowshoes. We had a pretty good day. It was fairly warm so hiking around wasn't terribly uncomfortable. We took the dog with us, too. I think he enjoyed getting out and exploring around the area with us.
Snow started pouring from the sky and covering the roads again so we headed back towards Fairbanks. We stopped at one of our favorite places to eat on the way home and enjoyed a drink at the bar. I had coffee and Bailey's, the perfect warm me up drink. While there, we met an Air Force guy who seemed to have traveled all over the world. He had been to a lot of the same places J and I visited while we were in New Zealand a couple of months ago. He was a pretty cool dude and interesting to talk to! He spoke of running marathons, climbing mountains, and other physcial tasks. All the while, he was sitting at a bar with a whiskey drink in hand and a cigarette in the other. I guess we've all got to pick and choose our vices! :)
We drove on home to our little cabin in the woods with the majority of the day still ahead of us. We planned on going to all you can eat crab night at one of our favorite spots, but when we checked out the laundry room for the second time, we knew that wouldn't be a possibility. We needed a plumber...fast! We finally found the leak that was spraying a big mist out into the room. There was and still is a crack in our water tank. We called the plumber to come out and check on it, but he said he couldn't get here until the next morning. This annoyed me to no end because I so enjoy attending church on Sunday mornings. Anyway, I picked up a pizza while J rigged a bucket to catch all the water that flowed from the duct tape covering the crack. Fun fact: Did you know Wasilla, home of Sarah Palin, is the duct tape capitol of the world? They deemed this name appropriate because the Wasilla Walmart has the most duct tape sales out of anywhere else in the world.
We awoke the next morning and waited for the call from the plumber. And we waited and we waited. Church was looking less and less likely with every minute that passed. Captain J gave him a call and he said he was in North Pole, but he was on his way. Finally, he arrives and in five minutes he was gone again. Guess what? I still have a bucket catching the water that wastes away to the floor of the laundry room. We might as well take a couple hundred dollars and use it as kindling for the fire. It's basically the same thing. Grr.
Yesterday wasn't all bad, though. J, nominated for best husband of the year award, decided we could dedicate the day to setting up my craft room. The extra bedrooms in our house aren't being used for anything besides storage for the masses of Army gear he has aquired over the years so he allowed me a space where I could work on my scrapbooks and cards. We went to Walmart (I swear, Walmart didn't pay me to mention them so many times) and found several organaziational items, a table, and chair to outfit my new space. I spent the next few hours scrapping our fishing trip back in September. Check out my little crafting area:
While I was in creative bliss, Jordan was hard at work in the kitchen preparing a candle lit dinner of lamb, rice, and veggies for the two of us. I'm so blessed to have him!
Blessings,
Mrs. K
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Gone
I roll over and there is emptiness. Nothingness. My soul is void of everything I have come to know. There are no dreams, no hope. There is only a giant weight pressed upon my heart and little else matters. How did I get to this place?
I look back to happier days when there was a loving, seemingly endless presence who easily integrated into my whole being. He was my life. Where is he now?
This is what I woke up to this morning. A terrible, horrible dream that J was gone. I didn't know why. I didn't know how. This isn't the first time I've woken up in such a manner. I hate these dreams. It's as if I'm alive but I'll never truly be alive again because he's..just..gone.
I talk a lot about not taking him for granted because I never know when the big, bad Army will swoop down and take him away again. These dreams are just another reminder: enjoy your time with him now.
I stumbled to my feet and into the kitchen for some coffee even though it was entirely too early to be awake on a weekend. I felt better when I began to feel the coffee energizing me for the day. I got out a pan and some tasty ingredients and whipped up a nice breakfast for me and my soldier. I'll do all I can to make him happy because he is here today and today is all that matters. The future doesn't exist. Not yet anyway.
I look back to happier days when there was a loving, seemingly endless presence who easily integrated into my whole being. He was my life. Where is he now?
This is what I woke up to this morning. A terrible, horrible dream that J was gone. I didn't know why. I didn't know how. This isn't the first time I've woken up in such a manner. I hate these dreams. It's as if I'm alive but I'll never truly be alive again because he's..just..gone.
I talk a lot about not taking him for granted because I never know when the big, bad Army will swoop down and take him away again. These dreams are just another reminder: enjoy your time with him now.
I stumbled to my feet and into the kitchen for some coffee even though it was entirely too early to be awake on a weekend. I felt better when I began to feel the coffee energizing me for the day. I got out a pan and some tasty ingredients and whipped up a nice breakfast for me and my soldier. I'll do all I can to make him happy because he is here today and today is all that matters. The future doesn't exist. Not yet anyway.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Think yourself thin?
I come to you today with a brownie in hand to enlighten you on my perspective of America's overweight/obesity epidemic. (Yes, the brownie is all part of my plan.) I kid you not, all of the following scenarios have happened to me today and I've only been awake for about five hours-
What? I do have a reason for this brownie!
Do you see the problem here? America has become obsessed with all things diet, exercise, and healthy living but the problem is we don't actually follow through with all of it. We research it, decide 'that would totally work', and then we go get a brownie while we "plan" on changing our behaviors.
See, I'm only eating to prove a point ;)
Additionally, I realized I was very much a part of this thinking problem when I became annoyed that the Olympics meant that I couldn't watch Biggest Loser. What do ya mean- I should be excited about the Olympics?! hehe What does that say about our country that I would rather watch people try to lose weight than tune into see the world's greatest athletes? Gah, I'm terrible.
Anyway...
Unfortunately, we can't think ourselves to thinness or health. We CAN, however, think our way to happiness. My mother has told me that my entire life and I'm pretty sure she's on to something! I think the two should be able to entertwine. Lord knows, I'm no advocate for healthy living, but I do know how to make myself happy.
Example number one-
But I also value feeling good about myself physically so when I start to not like what's staring back at me in the mirror, I try to do something about it. I think it's about that time again. Don't get me wrong, I've embraced my body but I would love to have that "in-shape" feeling again. You know what I'm talking about- I want to feel like I could take on anything, that I'm prepared for a summer in Alaska with my Army Ranger. I can barely keep up right now.
So here's my pledge. It's P90x time again! I'm going to Walmart this weekend, buying a video cable, and then I'm tackling that program again. The brownies are gone so there's no excuse now. Who is with me?
- On an online forum I participate in, one witty, intelligent, sweet young lady posted a thread called something like 'show me your tummys!'
- I am in the habit of reading Psychology Today pretty religiously and I woke up to this topic this morning.
- I'm currently tuned into Project Runway that is known for tall, slender, gorgeous models working with fashion designers.
- I thought about all the media I've been bombarded with in regards to body image in just the last few hours so I go to the kitchen, pour a glass of milk, and grab a brownie to satisfy me while I step up on a bloggy soapbox.
What? I do have a reason for this brownie!
Do you see the problem here? America has become obsessed with all things diet, exercise, and healthy living but the problem is we don't actually follow through with all of it. We research it, decide 'that would totally work', and then we go get a brownie while we "plan" on changing our behaviors.
See, I'm only eating to prove a point ;)
Additionally, I realized I was very much a part of this thinking problem when I became annoyed that the Olympics meant that I couldn't watch Biggest Loser. What do ya mean- I should be excited about the Olympics?! hehe What does that say about our country that I would rather watch people try to lose weight than tune into see the world's greatest athletes? Gah, I'm terrible.
Anyway...
Unfortunately, we can't think ourselves to thinness or health. We CAN, however, think our way to happiness. My mother has told me that my entire life and I'm pretty sure she's on to something! I think the two should be able to entertwine. Lord knows, I'm no advocate for healthy living, but I do know how to make myself happy.
Example number one-
But I also value feeling good about myself physically so when I start to not like what's staring back at me in the mirror, I try to do something about it. I think it's about that time again. Don't get me wrong, I've embraced my body but I would love to have that "in-shape" feeling again. You know what I'm talking about- I want to feel like I could take on anything, that I'm prepared for a summer in Alaska with my Army Ranger. I can barely keep up right now.
So here's my pledge. It's P90x time again! I'm going to Walmart this weekend, buying a video cable, and then I'm tackling that program again. The brownies are gone so there's no excuse now. Who is with me?
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Everything is tougher in AK
We have a saying here that we jokingly use when life gets rough and it is "Everything is tougher in Alaska!" Alaska is referred to as The Last Frontier with good reason. As one of the country's newest states, residents here may still enjoy the freedom to live self sufficiently away from towns and cities. This freedom is quickly dwindling in the lower 48 because cities are springing up all over the place. When I first moved up here, I kept hearing the term: the Alaskan "bush" but I didn't know what it referred to. Click here for a lesson from Wikipedia. Basically, the bush is a blanket term for areas in this beautiful state that cannot be accessed by roads. Some may be surprised to hear that there are uncharted places in their country's backyard. It's easy to take for granted gas stations on every corner in bigger cities. For you shop-a-holics who may be reading, it's difficult to find anything fashionable in this area of the country. It's just not practical in a land where carharts, flannel, and turtle necks are cool.
It's pretty easy to find yourself in a survival situation pretty quickly here. Sliding off the road out of town, running out of gas on the way to the next stop, or out riding snow machines can be dangereous (as you can see here). The first way to reveal southern roots to an Alaskan is to say "snow mobile" instead of "snow machine." See me trying to acclimate? Anyway, the link above is a news story about a young boy who fell in the ice while riding his snow machine with a friend this week. They found his body yesterday. It's a terrible, unfortunate reminder that Alaska can be a big, mean bully on a playground at times.
I'm glad to have the opportunity to experience life here 125 miles away from the Arctic Circle. I remember saying BJ (Before J) that I would never, ever live in Alaska. Life has a funny way of taking one places they've never dreamt of going! I wonder where else the Army will take us.
Just today, we found out that Jordan's brother has orders to go to Germany. We are so excited for him. What an awesome duty station to get! We look forward to visiting him there and hearing all about his adventures there. I would love if Captain J and I could get stationed there as well. My grandparents lived in Germany for awhile thanks to the U.S. Army so there's a lot of family history there. I have yet to visit, but I can't wait to do so.
Until then, I'm going to enjoy what The Great White North has to offer me here in Alaska. I'm looking forward to warm warmer weather and getting out and partaking in the summer activities. Bring on Summer Solstice!
It's pretty easy to find yourself in a survival situation pretty quickly here. Sliding off the road out of town, running out of gas on the way to the next stop, or out riding snow machines can be dangereous (as you can see here). The first way to reveal southern roots to an Alaskan is to say "snow mobile" instead of "snow machine." See me trying to acclimate? Anyway, the link above is a news story about a young boy who fell in the ice while riding his snow machine with a friend this week. They found his body yesterday. It's a terrible, unfortunate reminder that Alaska can be a big, mean bully on a playground at times.
I'm glad to have the opportunity to experience life here 125 miles away from the Arctic Circle. I remember saying BJ (Before J) that I would never, ever live in Alaska. Life has a funny way of taking one places they've never dreamt of going! I wonder where else the Army will take us.
Just today, we found out that Jordan's brother has orders to go to Germany. We are so excited for him. What an awesome duty station to get! We look forward to visiting him there and hearing all about his adventures there. I would love if Captain J and I could get stationed there as well. My grandparents lived in Germany for awhile thanks to the U.S. Army so there's a lot of family history there. I have yet to visit, but I can't wait to do so.
Until then, I'm going to enjoy what The Great White North has to offer me here in Alaska. I'm looking forward to warm warmer weather and getting out and partaking in the summer activities. Bring on Summer Solstice!
When life hands you lemons
When life hands you lemons you're supposed to make lemonade, right!? Well, I thought of this as I was preparing for a night out on the town with my husband. We are making Wednesdays our date night now. Anyway, he came home yesterday with the hopes of going out to eat. Sweet! I love getting out of the house.
I started getting ready by attempting to tame my static filled hair and splashing on some makeup which just doesn't happen very often. I also got to break out a short sleeved shirt because Fairbanks was having a heatwave yesterday: 30 degrees above zero! As I was choosing a pair of earrings to wear, I noticed some silver and black ones that I rarely ever wore. I picked them up and realized that they were a "friend's" who no longer talks to me. Despite trying repeatedly to figure out what went wrong, she refuses to talk to me about anything significant but, in her defense, she does still act like we're friends to my face. Odd situation. Anyway, I realized the earrings were hers that she'd left at my house years ago. I'm makin' lemonade with them now :)
Yes, those earrings and I went out for a night on the town. We loaded up in the truck and J took us to Lavelle's, a restaurant/bar scene in downtown Fairbanks. I had such a nice evening with him. We talked about everything under the sun while sipping on his and her drinks (His- Alaskan Amber; Hers-Chateau Riesling). The food was pretty good, too. We hardly ever go there so it was a nice break from our "usuals."
I consider myself lucky that I still get butterflies when he tells me he loves me more than anything in this world. I'm still excited to hear about his day each and every day. We love talking about our futures together, but since the future doesn't really exist, we focus on our gift of the present. Last night was a time of reconnection and a much needed break from Drifter, too.
I started getting ready by attempting to tame my static filled hair and splashing on some makeup which just doesn't happen very often. I also got to break out a short sleeved shirt because Fairbanks was having a heatwave yesterday: 30 degrees above zero! As I was choosing a pair of earrings to wear, I noticed some silver and black ones that I rarely ever wore. I picked them up and realized that they were a "friend's" who no longer talks to me. Despite trying repeatedly to figure out what went wrong, she refuses to talk to me about anything significant but, in her defense, she does still act like we're friends to my face. Odd situation. Anyway, I realized the earrings were hers that she'd left at my house years ago. I'm makin' lemonade with them now :)
Yes, those earrings and I went out for a night on the town. We loaded up in the truck and J took us to Lavelle's, a restaurant/bar scene in downtown Fairbanks. I had such a nice evening with him. We talked about everything under the sun while sipping on his and her drinks (His- Alaskan Amber; Hers-Chateau Riesling). The food was pretty good, too. We hardly ever go there so it was a nice break from our "usuals."
I consider myself lucky that I still get butterflies when he tells me he loves me more than anything in this world. I'm still excited to hear about his day each and every day. We love talking about our futures together, but since the future doesn't really exist, we focus on our gift of the present. Last night was a time of reconnection and a much needed break from Drifter, too.
I'm so grateful to God for blessing me with the most amazing husband, family, and true blue friends a woman could ask for. I don't deserve for Him to look upon me this way, but I'm so thankful He does.
Now, for a family photo:
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
"If Boredom Kills...
... then cultivating curiosity heals." These are the words Dr. Kashdan, who recently wrote for Psychology Today, about
the latest research on boredom.
Of course, this article caught my eye because I was mindlessly browsing the net for something, anything that would interest me. I may claim to be bored several times throughout the week, but really I don't mean it. I suppose it would be more accurate for me to say that I'm feeling less productive and as society tells us, productivity is a positive thing! Am I bored, though? Nah. It's easy for me to get cabin fever up here in these arctic temps, but thanks to technology, books, hobbies, and my darn dear puppy, I've got plenty to do.
As a child, I remember my parents asking me if I was bored. If I was, I rarely told them for two reasons:
I probably was having a good time. I'm one of those people who are easily entertained! I don't need constant conversation. I don't have to always be on the go. I've always been somewhat of a homebody. I guess that's the introvert coming out in me, but I am usually fine with myself because I happen to think I'm pretty darn cool :)
Back to the article, though...Did you read it?! Eek! I don't want you to die of boredom, which is why I feel like it's my DUTY to keep you informed of my day to day existence. I feel led to do my part in preventing you from perishing away at your office because no one thought to write silly blogs for your own enjoyment. I won't let you down! I'm here for you! (hehe)
Top ways we prevent boredom in our household (in pictures):
(No, not playing hide-n-seek. Painting nails!)
(Sleeping. This one is highly recommended as I mentioned here.)
(Making something old new once more!)
and last but not least...
(Dancing!)
the latest research on boredom.Of course, this article caught my eye because I was mindlessly browsing the net for something, anything that would interest me. I may claim to be bored several times throughout the week, but really I don't mean it. I suppose it would be more accurate for me to say that I'm feeling less productive and as society tells us, productivity is a positive thing! Am I bored, though? Nah. It's easy for me to get cabin fever up here in these arctic temps, but thanks to technology, books, hobbies, and my darn dear puppy, I've got plenty to do.
As a child, I remember my parents asking me if I was bored. If I was, I rarely told them for two reasons:
- They might use that as an excuse to put me to work.
- Or because I was one of those weird kids who worried whether I'd hurt my parents' feelings. I didn't want that (not that it was their sole responsibility to keep me entertained) so I'd say "No, I'm having fun."
I probably was having a good time. I'm one of those people who are easily entertained! I don't need constant conversation. I don't have to always be on the go. I've always been somewhat of a homebody. I guess that's the introvert coming out in me, but I am usually fine with myself because I happen to think I'm pretty darn cool :)
Back to the article, though...Did you read it?! Eek! I don't want you to die of boredom, which is why I feel like it's my DUTY to keep you informed of my day to day existence. I feel led to do my part in preventing you from perishing away at your office because no one thought to write silly blogs for your own enjoyment. I won't let you down! I'm here for you! (hehe)
Top ways we prevent boredom in our household (in pictures):
(No, not playing hide-n-seek. Painting nails!)
(Sleeping. This one is highly recommended as I mentioned here.)
(Making something old new once more!)and last but not least...
(Dancing!)Now, get to livin'...Go have fun because I want to keep you around :)
I should be cleaning...
Drifter has gotten me thinking mean thoughts today. I swear, he's making me mean. It seems like all I do is scream "down" ,"shhhh!", and "bad dog". He's being pretty good right now after a long, punishing stint outside. I have no idea why he likes to be around me, but I guess I'm glad for it most of the time.
Anyway, since I'm thinking negatively already I might as well go ahead and vent about a few pet peeves of mine, right?
Alright, I just had to get those pet peeves out. I'm an ole fuddy dud today! In an effort to turn my day around, I'll talk about a couple of things I happen to love:
Anyway, I'm going to get back to it. Perhaps I'll accomplish something productive today. I'd much rather sit here with a cup of coffee and one of YOU to keep me company, but it's just me and the dog today...
Anyway, since I'm thinking negatively already I might as well go ahead and vent about a few pet peeves of mine, right?
- It drives me insane that the term "FML" has become common place in our language. For those of you who do not use it or know what it means, it's basically saying F____ My Life. I despise seeing this all over facebook and forums I'm a part of. I know some people have it really terrible and that maybe they do feel this way, but the people who use it are mostly referring to something silly like 'I forgot to return a movie on time. FML!' or 'My dog peed on my floor. FML!' It's ridiculous and when I see it written I just feel sorry for the author and it's not for the reasons they may want.
- I also become super annoyed when people call me several times in a row. First of all, it freaks me out. I think something is wrong with someone I love. (I worry too much) Secondly, the more times you've called and I haven't answered the less likely you're gonna get a phone call back. If there's actually a problem, of course, call! Or if it's time to catch up with each other, I always love that. But if you're simply bored, please refrain! haha I'm not a phone person.
Alright, I just had to get those pet peeves out. I'm an ole fuddy dud today! In an effort to turn my day around, I'll talk about a couple of things I happen to love:
- I love seeing and partaking in random acts of kindness. Seriously, little actions like holding the door for someone speak volumes to me. This is something I sometimes miss about the south. It seems like everyone likes to help someone out there. Not that Alaskans are rude; I think they're more self sufficient and may mind their own business instead unless asked. I just miss a smile and a 'how are you?' in line at the grocery store sometimes. Just the other day at puppy class, one woman didn't have a chair so I went and found one for her so she wouldn't have to manage her huge dog while simultaneously searching the building for a chair. Besides, J was with Drifter. She didn't have an extra person to help her. I found a chair and brought it to her and she looked shocked that I would do that for her. It's interesting anyway. It feels good to help out in any way I can. And it always feels good when someone reaches out to me in some way. Even all of you, who come to read my blogs and leave me comments about what I've taken the time to write, bring sunshine to my day. I love hearing from you all! :) I appreciate the kind words and feedback I've received.
- I love a clean house. I feel better about myself when I've worked all day making this place sparkle. Ok, I'll be honest. It never sparkles. I should never volunteer for a white glove test or anything, but when everything is clean I can rest easy. That is until J gets home, then I follow him around picking up stuff behind him. Bless his heart. I'm sure I drive him bonkers sometimes! I should get to work today. I've gotten a late start, although, the first thing I did this morning was the dishes. I think I deserved a blog break. Maybe.
Anyway, I'm going to get back to it. Perhaps I'll accomplish something productive today. I'd much rather sit here with a cup of coffee and one of YOU to keep me company, but it's just me and the dog today...
Tell me, what are your pet peeves? What do you love?
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Thanks, Norah
It's that time again-
Please check out this link to view SupahMommy's blog, the one who started all this fun :)
My post it:
I'd love to know what YOU have to say today!
Please check out this link to view SupahMommy's blog, the one who started all this fun :)
My post it:
I'd love to know what YOU have to say today!
Dog Days I
Monday brought with it a new era of doggy behavior (or so I'm hoping). Yesterday, we took Drifter to his first lesson at obedience class. I was so hoping to be a proud Mama that I even wore my Drifter socks in support of him. For those of you who do not know, I love weird socks. They are basically all I wear in the winter. Well, class number one just didn't work the miracles I was yearning for, but realistically I suppose he did alright.He literally barked the entire class period (an hour and a half). I was like a parent who was embarrassed by their kid's behavior for the first time. I couldn't believe he wouldn't calm down and be good for five minutes! All the other furry friends barked for awhile and then settled down. Not my little terror! I'm so glad J was there to restrain him. After awhile, I noticed it wasn't an aggressive bark. Drifter just wanted to go around and meet all his new pals. Still, he was easily the worst kid in class.
There were lots of cute puppies there. There were a few sweet, older dogs, too. We are hoping these lessons pay off. If nothing else, he'll be more socialized. There was a moment that I was very proud of our little husky...
The task at hand was to take the dog into the center of the circle and give him the command to "watch." The others in the cirle would then vote, after all the dogs had accomplished this task, who did the best this week. I will say that Drifter at least deserved second place. He watched the longest by far, but I guess people just couldn't get past his annoying behavior during the rest of the class period!
Now, he's got some homework to do. It depends on how you look at it, though. I guess I'm the one with the homework! Here's Drifter on his big day before class:
I look pretty evil in this pic, but this is the best one I could get of Drifter and me because he was anxious about being in that parking lot again. I think he thought he was headed back to the vet, which will happen soon enough.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Questions for Mrs. K
In the hopes of my blogging community/readers getting to know me a little better (and for the sake of my entertainment and boredom prevention), I googled '10 Questions for yourself'. I came across a list of points to ponder. I have yet to read them myself, but answer them I shall! Here goes...
1. What do I really want? I'll admit the first thing that came to mind was family. I look forward to having babies- to take part in creating a life. I want to be a mother more and more everyday. That being said, I also want to wait a while before we TTC. This time is still "our" time together and it's something we need.
Spiritually, I want to seek God more. I want to be fulfilled every day in my walk with Him. I want to know that I've taken part in the Christian life I've chosen and I want to know that people can see that. Long ago, I heard in a song that "the greatest single cause of athesim in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him with their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable..." I want to be a better example for nonbelievers.
Educationally, I want to keep studying! I want to finish my Master's. I want to be in a learning, classroom environment again. As far as a job goes, I want to find one that keeps me fairly busy, one that I enjoy most of the time, and one that suits me well.
Materialistically speaking, I want this. (J- hint, hint!) I also want a table for my craft room. I'd like some organization with my supplies so I can see everything I have to choose from and it will all be easily accessible. I really enjoy scrapbooking because I have a terrible memory and I like arranging our photos into keepsakes we will have for a long time. I want to remember every bit of my time with J. I'll cherish our beginning as a family and I want to always have record of these special days.
Hmm...what else do I want? How bout a big warm chocolate cookie? Yum! Moving on...
2. Should I really change? The answer to this is yes, of course! There's always room for improvement. Change can be a good thing. I truly hope I'm constantly changing in certain ways throughout my entire existence. I hope to always seek to better myself. That being said, I recognize that I do have good qualities that are to be admired and I hope I can hold these dear to my heart and stay steadfast in them.
3. What's the bright side in all this? I don't really understand this question, but I'll say that the bright side is life! I never know what it's going to bring but lately it has really left me with some pretty sweet deals. I've had an upbringing in which I always felt loved. I have friends, family, and in-laws who I wouldn't trade for anything in the world; I've really been blessed in that department. I found an amazing husband, who I don't deserve and who loves me unconditionally. Life is good!
4. Am I comfortable with what I'm doing? This is iffy. I want to be comfortable with what I'm doing. Yesterday in church, the pastor said that our society and media tells us that busy is better. If we're busy, we're somehow recognized as more productive, more put together, better individuals. Maybe this is why I want to be back in school or in at least a part time job- because I want to feel better about myself. This is completely wrong thinking! I'm comfortable with where I'm at and what I'm doing, but content with it? The jury is still out.
5. Have I done enough for myself? Easily, yes. I read my bible daily. I take long, luxurious dips in the hot tub. I sit by the fire and read when I want. When I'm feeling unattractive, a trip to the hair salon is always in order. I do plenty for myself!
6. Am I happy with where I'm at today? Completely.
7. What is my appeal? I always despise questions such as this one. It's like when I'm trying to "sell myself" in an interview... I just don't like the idea of that. I can be appealing to different people in different ways, I suppose. In general, I'd say my appeal is my attitude towards other people. While I may not be relateable, I am a good listener. In fact, I prefer to listen and really ponder on what people are saying to me instead of responding right away. I can be a good friend in that way.
8. What do I truly desire? A closer relationship with my Lord and Savior.
9. What motivates me? Learning new ideas. Entertaining thoughts of adventure or new experiences. Chocolate. Feelings of self sufficiency. Winning. Failing.
10. What really makes me tick? Seeing a beautiful sunset, hiking up a mountainside to look out on what all God has created for us, perfectly boring Sundays with people I love, finding happiness in my relationships with others, trying new things with my hubby by my side.
Do you feel like you know me just a little bit better? What are some questions you would like me to answer? Ask away!
1. What do I really want? I'll admit the first thing that came to mind was family. I look forward to having babies- to take part in creating a life. I want to be a mother more and more everyday. That being said, I also want to wait a while before we TTC. This time is still "our" time together and it's something we need.
Spiritually, I want to seek God more. I want to be fulfilled every day in my walk with Him. I want to know that I've taken part in the Christian life I've chosen and I want to know that people can see that. Long ago, I heard in a song that "the greatest single cause of athesim in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him with their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable..." I want to be a better example for nonbelievers.
Educationally, I want to keep studying! I want to finish my Master's. I want to be in a learning, classroom environment again. As far as a job goes, I want to find one that keeps me fairly busy, one that I enjoy most of the time, and one that suits me well.
Materialistically speaking, I want this. (J- hint, hint!) I also want a table for my craft room. I'd like some organization with my supplies so I can see everything I have to choose from and it will all be easily accessible. I really enjoy scrapbooking because I have a terrible memory and I like arranging our photos into keepsakes we will have for a long time. I want to remember every bit of my time with J. I'll cherish our beginning as a family and I want to always have record of these special days.
Hmm...what else do I want? How bout a big warm chocolate cookie? Yum! Moving on...
2. Should I really change? The answer to this is yes, of course! There's always room for improvement. Change can be a good thing. I truly hope I'm constantly changing in certain ways throughout my entire existence. I hope to always seek to better myself. That being said, I recognize that I do have good qualities that are to be admired and I hope I can hold these dear to my heart and stay steadfast in them.
3. What's the bright side in all this? I don't really understand this question, but I'll say that the bright side is life! I never know what it's going to bring but lately it has really left me with some pretty sweet deals. I've had an upbringing in which I always felt loved. I have friends, family, and in-laws who I wouldn't trade for anything in the world; I've really been blessed in that department. I found an amazing husband, who I don't deserve and who loves me unconditionally. Life is good!
4. Am I comfortable with what I'm doing? This is iffy. I want to be comfortable with what I'm doing. Yesterday in church, the pastor said that our society and media tells us that busy is better. If we're busy, we're somehow recognized as more productive, more put together, better individuals. Maybe this is why I want to be back in school or in at least a part time job- because I want to feel better about myself. This is completely wrong thinking! I'm comfortable with where I'm at and what I'm doing, but content with it? The jury is still out.
5. Have I done enough for myself? Easily, yes. I read my bible daily. I take long, luxurious dips in the hot tub. I sit by the fire and read when I want. When I'm feeling unattractive, a trip to the hair salon is always in order. I do plenty for myself!
6. Am I happy with where I'm at today? Completely.
7. What is my appeal? I always despise questions such as this one. It's like when I'm trying to "sell myself" in an interview... I just don't like the idea of that. I can be appealing to different people in different ways, I suppose. In general, I'd say my appeal is my attitude towards other people. While I may not be relateable, I am a good listener. In fact, I prefer to listen and really ponder on what people are saying to me instead of responding right away. I can be a good friend in that way.
8. What do I truly desire? A closer relationship with my Lord and Savior.
9. What motivates me? Learning new ideas. Entertaining thoughts of adventure or new experiences. Chocolate. Feelings of self sufficiency. Winning. Failing.
10. What really makes me tick? Seeing a beautiful sunset, hiking up a mountainside to look out on what all God has created for us, perfectly boring Sundays with people I love, finding happiness in my relationships with others, trying new things with my hubby by my side.
Do you feel like you know me just a little bit better? What are some questions you would like me to answer? Ask away!
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