End of the Year

Well, this is the final post of the year. It was an interesting year to be sure. I've been on vacation since the 21st and it's been great. I have really enjoyed having my entire family together again. I am ready to get back to work and a schedule though. I'm sure by Friday that I'll already be looking forward to the next time off! It's good to have something to do everyday but it's also nice to have down time here and there.
I hope you all have had a great year and that 2008 will be even better!
Enjoy your new year celebrations!

Crazy Busy

I have not posted in some time! It seems the day gets away from me lately. Eagle has returned. We celebrated his 18th birthday this past Saturday. I can't believe it! It's great having him back home!
We have a winter storm warning. I am quite hopeful we'll have a great snowy Christmas! Sgt Dad has taken the older two boys snowboarding this evening. Youngest son decided to stay back with me to get the house all spic and span for Christmas. We need to dust, vacuum, and mop. He doesn't know that he's going to get to do all this while listening to Christmas music!
I'm missing Blackie. After having him around for 13 Christmases, knocking down the lower ornaments and pulling off the garland, he is sorely absent.
Sgt Dad and I drove to Wasilla this morning to buy a gift for Oldest Son. This was my first experience actually purchasing something I found on Craigslist. It was pretty good. I imagine the gentleman who posted his item was pretty happy to sell it within 24 hours of posting.
My cell phone is on the fritz and all my phone numbers are stored in it. I wanted to call Mom and Dad but don't know their cell phone numbers! Perhaps tomorrow I'll try my siblings to hunt down their cell numbers. I guess I really should back those numbers up in my address book.
Sometime this week I'll have to update the great fun Eagle had on his return flight. I need to get that cleaning done and cookies baked. I already heard that Santa's been spotted on NORAD's radar............ http://www.noradsanta.org/

Winding Down the Year

This week I was very busy at work. We are winding up the semester and getting ready for the new one. It's great! I love to be busy! I got to make our department newsletter which is an assignment I really enjoy. My supervisor is taking my counterpart and me out to lunch on Tuesday. I have yet to decide where I'd like to go. Since they are both men, they kindly left it up to me to choose the restaurant. After Friday I'm off until January 2nd! I'm SO excited! I haven't been able to do that - ever! Except for one time when we went back to NY for Christmas.
I don't think I've blogged about my vehicular drama, so I'll fill you all in. Two weeks ago this Monday I went to the gym and when I left to go to work, my van would not start! The garage found my distributor, rotor and distributor cap were all bad. Fortunately, my extended warranty covered the distributor but I still had to pay about $250 for the rest of the repairs. When I picked up my van, it started right up but I noticed that my gas pedal was catching. Over the next week it didn't go away so I had to take the van back in for more work. I forgot the name of the faulty part but just the part was $480! Fortunately that was also covered by the extended warranty. The part had to be ordered and still isn't here. I'm hoping to get it back on Monday. This has been an expensive fall!
There have been wolf attacks in the area! Middle Son thought he heard some wolves before but I totally disregarded him. I guess there is a good chance that he actually heard them. Apparently there is a known pack that resides on post! Nice! I guess they have gone after dogs that were being walked off leash. At least little Lexi stays in our fenced back yard. I won't be walking her very far anytime soon though!
Sgt Dad and Eagle will both be back in Alaska this week- just in time for Christmas. Eagle will be 18 this coming Saturday. I just cannot believe that one of my children will be a legal adult! My how time has flown! I'm looking forward to seeing what he'll do with his life and what he'll become. I pray he makes good choices and is successful. I sure had fun (most of the time anyway) raising him.
I sure miss shopping options! There are enough shops in Anchorage to get by but if you want something specialized or uncommon, this is not the place to be. I miss Rochester and Columbia. They had several shopping malls to choose from. We only have one real one and a couple shopping centers. At least I live in the internet age and can find stuff online. Of course, it's late now and I can't order anything in time for Christmas- not unless I want to spend an obscene amount on shipping! That'll teach me to procrastinate!
Ah well- till next time!

This Week

Well, another week has passed. Not much has really gone on here. We are adjusting to Blackie's absence. I still catch myself looking for him for a second now and then. Last night when I was out shopping I was choosing a new toy for Lexi and it crossed my mind that I should get one for Blackie too- just for a split second- before I remembered he didn't need toys anymore. The vet clinic called to tell me his ashes are ready to be picked up but I haven't been able to make myself go get them yet. I guess part of me hasn't really accepted this yet and picking up the ashes will really solidify that he's gone.
Sgt Dad is in Hawaii for another training exercise. I'm sure he's really suffering in the warm sun there. He told me it hasn't really changed much since we were stationed there in the early 90s. Oahu is a small island and they toured it all in one day. They got to go to the Arizona Memorial yesterday which is cool since it was the anniversary. I asked him to drive by our old homes there but he said he can't remember where they are! I think I could still find them. One was an yukky old apartment and the other was an ok townhouse. It was so long ago I guess I can understand his memory lapse.
I am really missing Target and Kohls. Anchorage is kind of small and we don't have all the major retailers here. It certainly could be worse though. I found an item for Sgt Dad that I paid almost as much to ship here as I paid for the item! (I am not sure if he reads the blog so I don't want to post the name of the item; he probably doesn't read it but one never knows!) My younger sons and I got all his Christmas items purchased last night. We'll wrap them and hide them today. It feels good to be done early for a change!
I guess that's all the thinking and blogging for me for today! Have a good one!

Remembering Blackie

We made the very difficult decision today to let Blackie go. He had a seizure last week and he has progressively deteriorated this week. Yesterday when he quit even trying to stand and we had to take food and water to him, I knew he was in real trouble. Last night he fussed all night, so this morning I finally knew that he was telling me it was time to let him go.
Blackie joined our family on Labor Day in 1994. Eagle picked him out of a litter of puppies from the Humane Society. He was the only black one in the bunch! I didn't care for black dogs but Eagle really wanted him, so that's the one we chose. Blackie was about 4 months old at the time so we've always said his Birthday was May 5th. Blackie was SUCH a hyper puppy! He was almost uncontrollable- running everywhere and jumping on everyone! Once we neutered him though he mellowed out into the sweetest dog ever! He was the best, never sick, never bit, never had fleas, and never messed in the house. He grew up with our boys and was a constant in our ever changing lives. He moved with us from Alabama to Japan to Texas, to Virginia to South Carolina to New York and finally, Alaska. When he was young he loved to play with his squeaky barbell toy. He loved to find dark closets to hide in! He will be sorely missed in our lives. Thank you Blackie for all the joy you brought to my family.

Blackie 5/5/1994 to 11/30/2007

Catch Up

I've meant to blog for some time but have let "life" get in the way. First thing- Happy Birthday to my Grandma H. I had meant to dedicate a whole page her but never got to it! Shame! Shame! I hope that her birthday was a great celebration.
We had a nice Thanksgiving here. We sure did miss our Eagle though. He'll be home soon.
Well, sorry this is so short but I'm on my way out the door!
'til next time......

Just SO funny!

Winter Wonderland

Well, not only did it snow most of yesterday, it snowed most of today as well. This pictures is the scene from this morning-around 11 am. Bear in mind, that it continued to snow until after 5 pm.

As you can see, no plow has been through. As I sit here writing, still now plow has been through. Now I understand why everyone here has snow or studded tires. It's because they don't keep up with the roads! The only place that looked well plowed was the highway. All the other roads were packed snow with sand and gravel thrown on top for traction. Let me tell you, it was really fun driving today! Middle son took the money he is allowed to spend and bought himself a Nintendo Wii today. It was alot of money to spend but he's still saving half of everything he earns for a car. On the way back from the store we saw a Jeep had gone off the road and rolled over. He appeared to be okay and police were on the scene. It was a good reminder to remain vigilant on the road. I'm very cautious because of my mishaps last year but it a visual aid never hurts! The gravel does seem to help, I only slid a little bit once, when turning out of a store. The rest of the time I just rumbled along on the gravely ice. On the way home from grocery shopping earlier in the afternoon, middle son and I saw a family of moose grazing along the side of the road. They are alot easier to spot with the white background! They blend it so well to the normal greenery. Now that winter is here, we should see them more easily.

I guess that's about all I have to say today. Sgt Dad will be back sometime next weekend- Lord willing and weather permitting!

Let it Snow!

Well, this morning I awoke to a light covering of snow, finally. After weeks of snow on the forecast and only getting freezing rain mixed with snow, I'm glad it's arrived. I prefer to have it cold and snowy or warm and rainy- NOT the in between stuff! This appears to be the fine kind of snow that lasts all day and accumulates but not to any great amount of snow. My little Lexi just bounces around the snow as if that will make a difference. Blackie seems fairly indifferent to it, other than he hates to walk up the stairs when they are wet. I think Sgt Dad is going to have to build a ramp for Blackie with a non-skid surface. Sometimes the boys have to go out and carry him back into the house. Poor old man.
I just found the COOLEST thing! Kodak has a wireless digital picture frame and it's wi-fi enabled. So, if you have one and your friends use kodakgallery.com they can email those pictures directly to your frame!!! Sometimes technology just blows me away! How cool would that be to come home from a shopping trip and see your frame displaying new photos of your friends or brand new niece or whatever?!!? Of course this is only good for people who have a wireless network in their home (which I do). I suppose it won't be long before everybody does. I think there are a great deal who do already. I put this frame on my wish list and told my boys to tell their father. It's very Harry Potter I think to have a picture frame that displays changing photos and can update wirelessly. This one can even play MP3s if you wish. I think it's a great grandparent gift. That is, if they have a wireless home network. Youngest son saw me get so excited about this (it is totally cool though) and says, "How are we related?" Seriously though, a wi-fi enabled picture frame- awesome!

The Random Thoughts in My Head

I drove into work this morning in the dark- at 8 am! It was a scary ride. It had rained overnight and froze. I drove across the black pavement that glittered like it was full of diamonds and I was scared to death! I knew that sparkle wasn't diamonds but the very dangerous black ice! The first thing I heard on the radio was a traffic report telling of a rollover accident near UAA drive (the last intersection that I pass through on my way to work). I drove slowly and cautiously and carefully observed the roads and was sure to slow down in the worst of the icy sections. As I was approaching the gate and driving past the concrete barriers a great gust of wind blew hundreds of dry leaves from the forest and they danced across the road bringing with them a flood of childhood memories. It reminded me of dark fall nights while I was growing up and the many Halloweens and raking the leaves into huge piles then jumping in and spreading them all right back out again. The pleasure of a crisp fall morning and the crunch of the dry leaves under my school shoes. I've always loved fall! I guess partly because it brings with it the promise of the coming holidays and snow and winter break.
This afternoon on my way home, in the dark, my thoughts wandered in a totally different direction. I observed a few vanity plates in the following order:
HI QT, NVRKWT, AWSMAK Vanity plates are pretty fun I think. After seeing Evan Almighty I thought I would like to get ARK (Act of Random Kindness) but it's already taken. I also thought of KENJEN but decided it was too cheesy. Honestly, I guess there isn't any one thing in particular that I want to say to the world. I would probably change my mind daily based on my mood.
I had to take an hour lunch today because my teenage boys forgot their house key. They had only a half day today and neither boy remembered the house key. I wasn't any too happy to have to drive all the way home to let them in the house. Frankly, quite often one or more doors are left unlocked, of course the day they don't have a key is the day they are all locked! Hopefully they'll remember to lock the doors more frequently and remember their key!
Sgt Dad isn't having much luck with getting online in Japan. Apparently the base isn't very up to date with their tech services. I haven't spoken to him much. He did send a short email stating that he went to the zoo this week. I guess he's doing okay. He's only worried about watching his team play!
I had another thought but it's left me. One of these days I'll keep a little notebook handy so I can jot down things to blog about.

Slow Week

I guess my life is pretty boring as I've had nothing about which to post! Eagle has found a job delivering pizza. I guess it's a pretty common first job. I'm not in love with it though. Sgt Dad and I told him he can take the job but he's got to keep looking for something else. We don't like him being on the road so much. Middle Son got a $50 award at Burger King. I guess every six months they have awards and despite having only been employed there about a month, he has made a good enough impression that they chose him for this award! It makes me feel good that I've raised a hardworking, reliable young man! Sgt Dad has hired Youngest Son to clean up around the house for us for $25 a week. He's loving the cash and I'm loving that I have a clean house every night!
Sgt Dad left for Japan this morning. He'll be gone for 3 weeks. That should be enough time to get the cigarette smell out of the house and hopefully when he returns he'll really quit this time.
That's about it. I had a thought earlier this week that I meant to blog but it slipped away and I cannot retrieve it. I remember it being a pretty good one too!
I'm quickly approaching my 100th posting. I've started working on a post of 100 things about me. It's alot harder than I thought. Hopefully you all will find it fun and interesting!

Happy Surprises

Well, as you know Sgt Dad's and my 17th anniversary was this week. We had a nice dinner at Lone Star and both overate and were too full to do anything else. So, we came home and vegetated in front of the TV. Boy are we getting old! I imagine you are all wondering how Sgt Dad did for our anniversary as he had forgotten my birthday. Well, those of you who know Sgt Dad well, also know that sometimes he really come through and does something really special. This year was one of those times. Earlier this week Sgt Dad told me that he would need our van to move his office. I knew that he was going to be moving soon, so I thought nothing of it (in fact his office really did relocate this week). He told me he would need it Thursday and Friday. So, I said OK. Well, Wednesday I drove to work in the van as usual. I went into a meeting (didn't take my cell phone) and when the meeting was over I had more than a dozen missed calls between my cell and office phone- all from Sgt Dad. At first I thought something had happened to Eagle but then realized Sgt Dad was just trying to reach me to find where I park. He was pretty frustrated that he couldn't reach me. I felt bad but what could I do? Even if I had taken my cell phone to the meeting I wouldn't have interrupted the meeting to answer. So, I tried to call Sgt Dad back but his phone was off. I figured he was pretty mad. I didn't go down to the parking lot to see if my van was still there but I figured he probably found it as the parking lot is big but not THAT big and I know he knows which building mine. About and hour later I got a couple calls from people looking for Sgt Dad. I was like, why are they calling my phone? (He had given them my number since his phone died) Then a car company called and said he had dropped of his car for service and forgot the keys. I said, "I didn't know he needed service, what is he having done?" When they told me it was a remote start I thought, "that bugger! he is having a remote start installed in his car when I had said I wanted one". Then I asked if it was his car or van. They told me it was the van. Then I realized the reason for his frustration over not being able to reach me and that he had indeed found the van. He had gone to all this effort and planning so that he could surprise me by installing a remote start in my van for an anniversary gift! I was so excited! It was so thoughtful and really classic Sgt Dad. So, his surprise was spoiled by his uncharged cell phone and forgetfulness. When it comes down to it, I was still surprised, just not when he wanted me to be. I love it! It has a 2,000 foot range, so I can start up the van from my office and by the time I shut down my computer, put on my coat, and walk down to the parking lot, my van will be warmed up for me! It was a great way for him to take care of me all winter long!
In a side note, all of the sudden I understand why last Monday night Sgt Dad was asking me how many feet are in a mile!

Present Collides with Past

This Friday is Sgt. Dad's and my 17Th Anniversary! We've officially smashed all the statistics and those critics who whispered behind our backs that it wouldn't last! I'm not sure what we'll do to celebrate- perhaps buy shiny, new, studded tires for my van! Yippie- the pleasure of being an adult!
Anyway, that's not the real purpose of this post. In thinking about my anniversary, I remembered another 17Th anniversary- my parents. Since this is an odd number and not one of the "big anniversaries", you may wonder why this one stands out in my memory. The reason is this: on the occasion of my parents 17Th anniversary I was 12 years old. It was one of the first, if not THE first, times I got to babysit my younger brother and sister. I remember "baby sister" and myself staying up late and watching our first RATED R movie- on TV- it was Rambo. I actually thought it was a pretty good movie. We also made a really big sign to hang on the wall wishing our parents "Happy Anniversary". This was in our old house on Campus Drive. I still remember standing on that old ORANGE couch to tape up the sign. (That couch is hideous in my memory. I even had a nightmare once while sleeping on it when I was sick. It had some kind of black/white/orange stripe pattern and in my nightmare it came to life and was like some kind of crazed jack-o-lantern trying to eat me!!) I don't know how late Mom and Dad were out; my memories of that night are sketchy. I wonder how much the rest of my family remembers of that night? I wonder if my boys will have a memory of my 17Th anniversary?
NOTE: Before I hurt Mom's feelings; I'm sure that the couch wasn't hideous. I'm sure you realize how things change in your memories. I imagine that next time I visit, I'll look at a picture from the past and find the couch to be quite nice.

My "Baby" Sister

My sister- not the littlest one but the grown one- is a really special woman. While growing up together, I always referred to her as "my baby sister". Today I feel like telling all of you why she's so special.
My sister is just 14 months younger than me. We grew up together and in many ways are like twins. Because of the school we attended through our elementary and middle years, we were in the same classroom and had the same friends. We shared a bedroom and were together all the time! Growing up, I often fought with her. I guess it was typical sibling rivalry. I've always been a very independant person and wanted to break free. She always wanted to be with me and go where I went. I didn't appreciate her then. I used to complain, "Why do I always gotta take her with me?" I always loved my sister and wouldn't let people say mean things or be mean to her- but at home I was the mean one. I wasn't very nice her alot of the time. I wish now that I had been. We could have had alot of fun together. Not to say that we didn't have fun. I have many fond memories growing up together. Many times we joined forces against our little brother and others. We all love to tell the story of the time we fed one of our male friends chili that we had added ALOT of cayene pepper to. The poor boy tried so hard to be polite and eat the chili. His mouth probably burned for hours! I remember the two of us playing princess- this was way before Disney Princesses- by wrapping our hair in our long beach towels to pretend we had very long hair. I wonder if she remembers the summer we created the very first water babies. We filled balloons with water and put baby powder and diapers on them and they were our babies. I remember making forts out of the couch cushions on rainy days.
Anyway, I just felt like posting today how much I admire my sister. She is a very solid person. She is methodical and not flightly at all. In high school she was always kind; she didn't join the snotty, stuck up group. She worked very hard and studied and did all her homework. She went on missions trips to Mexico.She played sports and acted in the school play. She even earned a college scholarship for her soccer ability. She worked hard in college and didn't lose sight of her goals. She carefully searched for the right husband but graduated from college first! She got married then had kids! She manages her house and finances well (I guess she helps manage the finances but she doesn't overspend!). She's patient and kind. She's creative- I haven't seen anyone make a better scrapbook! I miss my sister and I wish I was more like her! I love you sister and can't wait until we can spend time together again!

What "They" Say Is True......

Black is slimming. Yesterday on my way home from work the sky was semi-clear and I got a pretty good view of the mountains surrounding Anchorage. They seemed so much larger and closer. The reason- they were covered in snow. It occurred to me then that it was because usually they are dark green but now they are mainly white. Perhaps those of you living in mountainous areas are aware of this phenomenon already but it was my first time to encounter it. They just seemed so much more imposing. They sure are pretty like that. I'm not really sure if they are prettier than the green, just different.
It kind of got me thinking though- I better wear dark clothes all the time!

Childhood Memories

This week while returning to my office from the break room, I passed some one's open office door and spotted them peeling what appeared to be a kiwi fruit. You may wonder why on earth I would be blogging about something so mundane and I'll explain.
That simple act sparked a memory. I'm not sure how old I was but somewhere around the general age of 10 I saw a kiwi fruit for the first time. Perhaps I was even younger. Mom's family all live in the general area of Atlanta, GA. Just about every summer when I was a little girl we would travel down there from Rochester to visit. It was always great fun and since we were there so rarely, everyone seemed to make a big deal of us. One of my uncles, who has no children of his own, seemed to really enjoy spending time with my sister and me. He always had some great thing planned. He took us water skiing, sailing in FL, and once took us to his job at Ma Bell. While there, he let us get in a bucket truck and touch the top of a telephone pole. I thought that was marvelous! I'm sure my parents were involved in the planning of some of these activities but in my mind it was all my really fun and exciting Uncle!
Back to the original point of this blog......
One of these summers, we had gone to my Uncle's house to see him. I was so fascinated by his house because he had a fence that went all the way around his yard and he had a gate that closed at the bottom of his driveway. I had never seen a fence like that before. In Rochester, at least where I lived, people only had fences around their backyards. (Later, as an adult, I observed that kind of fencing was fairly popular in the South) My Uncle had two dogs, Hansel and Gretel. I thought that was so cool. I can't remember them very well now, only their names and I think Gretel was a Schnauzer. That night was so hot like all southern nights are and my Uncle offered us some cold fruit. One of the fruits was a kiwi. To my little eyes it looked so disgusting! This brown, fuzzy fruit! Ick! Then he cut into it and it was GREEN! I was SO uninterested in trying it. But I really liked my Uncle and he said it was good and to try it. So I puffed myself up, reached out for a piece, and LOVED it! I couldn't believe something so unattractive was so sweet and good. I don't remember if my sister tried it or not. I would suspect so. I don't even remember much else from that night or trip but I remember my first Kiwi!

Eagle's Car and My Toothless Sister

Well, here is Eagle's car and my sweet little sister missing her front tooth! I think Eagle is pretty lucky- that's a pretty nice looking first car. I hope he takes good care of it.

I wonder how long before lil Sis loses that 2nd front tooth?

First Dusting

This morning I awoke to the first dusting of the year. I knew that the forecast called for snow this week but I had thought it wasn't going to be until mid-week. I was pretty surprised. It didn't seem that cold when I went to bed last night. As you can see from this picture, it was only a dusting. We've had a couple light frosts but it really hasn't been that cold - yet. Sgt Dad and I both should purchase snow tires but have not yet done so. I've heard horror stories from long-time Alaskans about 6 hour plus waits to purchase and mount tires if one waits too long. Of course, Sgt Dad and I both are procrastinators so no doubt we'll be among those poor saps who have to surrender their vehicle for a day to get tires installed. Sgt Dad at least has two sets of rims and next year this won't be as much a problem as he'll be able to switch out his tires himself. I don't think I'll invest in a second set of rims, so I'll have to have my tires switched out yearly.

Middle Son seems to enjoy working or at least he doesn't hate it. He's excited about earning his own money. On his first day someone called in sick, and despite having only watched health and safety videos, he was called out of training to help. Talk about trial by fire! He said he didn't know what he was doing and that it was pretty hot in the kitchen. He's been getting advice from some of the teens who have been there awhile about how to avoid the chores that you don't like. For example, when it's slow is when the manager calls them out to sweep and mop the dining room. So, make sure you are busy, or look busy, and the manager will pass you by for someone else. Middle Son spent alot of time yesterday stuffing kid's meal bags.

I took my boys out to the mall yesterday because Middle Son needed black, non-skid shoes for work and Youngest Son wanted a poster. You would have thought it was the week before Christmas! It was packed! I had to wait in line to get into the parking garage and for the elevator. I was confused since it's only October until I remembered that the PFD checks were dispersed this week. It reminds me of Kodak bonus time back in Rochester back when Kodak gave out huge bonuses. Even if, like me, you don't get a PFD check this is a good time to shop because all the stores have sales and specials. Payless had their BOGO sale and I bought Middle Son's work shoes there and a cute pair of sneakers for myself. It was like wasting money not to! I also found the poster Youngest Son has wanted for over two months now. I looked for an iTouch so I could check it out but no one had one on display. That's the number one item on my Christmas list- IF I like it. I can't imagine not liking it but it does have less memory than my current 20 gig iPod. Although it's not like I'm running out of memory anyway, there's only about 3 gigs of music on it. (maybe Sgt Dad will buy it for our anniversary instead of making me wait.....)

This weekend has been our lucky weekend. The club on base holds Texas Hold 'Em tournaments- which are free since gambling is illegal in Alaska. So, we went on Friday and they advertised a members only tournament for Saturday. So, we decided to join the club. They are having a membership drive right now which includes waiving the membership dues ($8 a month) for 6 months and when you sign up you are given a scratch-off ticket that has a maximum prize of $100. So, since I had already lost the tournament Friday, Sgt Dad charged me with the task of signing us up. He said he wanted to scratch his own ticket but we only got one since membership is for a family and not an individual and they make you scratch it off at the counter in front of them. So, I had to do it and we won the max prize of $100! Yippie! That was the same as the prize for winning the tournament! Suddenly I didn't mind that I was out of the tournament. Sgt Dad didn't fare much better in the tournament but we still had fun and were walking away with $100 in cash! On Saturday we came out for the members only tournament. First I won a hat then later I won the raffle drawing for a bread basket. It comes with three loaves of bread, jelly, and a really nice bread knife. Plus there is a gift certificate for a free loaf of bread each month for 6 months! Too bad I'm on Atkins! Sgt Dad and the boys will enjoy the bread though or I'll take it to work. Either way, it was our lucky weekend. Sgt Dad bombed out on that tournament, not even making it an hour in. I did pretty well though and made it to the final table, finishing 5th. It was too bad that I couldn't hold out for one more place because 4th place got a $25 gift card. All in all it was a successful weekend.

Rite of Passage

Well, Eagle has found and purchased his first car. I'm sad that I'm not with him for this major event. Don't we all remember our first car? I was 27 years old before I had my first car. I mean, Sgt Dad and I always (mostly always) had a family car but I was 27 before we could afford a second car. It was such a hassle when I needed the car. I would have to get all my babies up and drive him to work and they would NEVER go back to sleep after that! Of course they would all be napping when it was time to pick him up after work and I'd have to wake them up again. Sgt Dad never liked to be "stuck" at work without a car and I didn't like to be "stuck" at home with no way to go anywhere. It seems like so long ago and yet not so long either. And now one of my babies has his own car! I'm happy for him that he won't have to call around to beg for rides but now I'm nervous. How safe will he drive? Will he be able to manage the snowy, icy conditions in Rochester? Can he concentrate with friends in the car? It's hard to let go and trust him. I do, mostly anyway. *sigh* I just miss him. I wish I could have done something different and kept him home until he finished high school.
Meanwhile, Middle Son has started training at his first job. He beat Eagle on this rite of passage. He is my first child to have a job! Can you believe that Burger King pays 10.02 an hour here??? Sgt Dad told him he is required to save half his paycheck. He wants to buy a car too. I wonder if I can afford insurance! It's insane how much it costs to insure teenagers- especially if they have their own vehicles. My house is sure quiet and seems quite empty with Eagle gone and now with Middle Son working. Poor Youngest Son is going to get ALOT of attention.
One last thought, the sun was just rising over the mountains at 8 this morning as I came into work. It was beautiful! I can't wait to be able to see the Northern Lights! I'll have to read up on how to photograph them so I can post a good picture. I have to think of the positive things about the impending darkness. It's going to be so weird!
Anyway, that's it for now!

You Might Be a Geek If...........

This morning as I was walking up the stairs to my office, I heard a distinctive ringing. I am embarrassed to admit that it didn't take me long to place why it was so familiar. The ringing was of the Public Telephone. (Yes, we actually have a working pay phone in the building! The cell phone is not quite as ubiquitous here in Alaska as other places.) But the sound was not familiar to me because of some memory of old public phones or having used them. Oh no, it was because of a movie or rather a series of movies that featured the now archaic public pay phones. Do you know to which trilogy I am referring? The public pay phone had a featured role in these movies.........


It's the Matrix. Do you remember how they would run to the ringing pay phones and pick it up and it would pull them out? Maybe I'm in the Matrix- maybe that was my crew trying to pull me out, maybe none of this is real, I hear that phone ringing again.........

Observations

Military bases have banned the use of handheld cell phones while driving. Here in Alaska they do not fool around! The penalty for a first offense is a 30 day post driving privilege suspension. (and don't even think of speeding in a school zone - that's one year!) It's enough of a deterrent that I won't even consider picking up that phone. I do use the hands-free option, which is legal. However, today as I was driving around the post I made an interesting observation. I was driving behind a Hunter Green Tahoe. This driver had a Military Police sticker proudly displayed across his rear window. Normally this is a good indication of someone's military occupation specialty. In fact, I think Sgt Dad's car would look pretty cool with Drill Sergeant across the rear, but I digress. When the Tahoe and I approached a stop sign, I got a very clear view of the male driver holding a cell phone to his ear and yakking away. Very interesting choice of activity for someone who has given the indication that he, or perhaps his spouse, is an MP..............

The Eagle Has Landed and Distractions

Well, my dear Eagle has made it. His flight from the nest lasted all night but he arrived safe and sound in NY. He even managed to negotiate a plane change in the infamous Chicago O'hare airport all on his own! I'm glad there was good weather last night. I'm already hoping for clear weather for his flight home for Christmas. It's strange to think that this boy I've had for the past 18 years won't be in my sight again for 3 months. When he comes home again he will be a different boy. I'm making sure to buy his ticket to ensure that he will be here for his birthday. There's an empty spot in this house and the ghost of his presence.....
So, Sgt Dad has been attempting to distract me today. We started out by going to the Peanut Farm this morning. And what is the Peanut Farm? It's a popular restaurant/sports bar that has tons of big screen TVs and the NFL Ticket. A big plus for Sgt Dad is that this is a popular place for Bills fans. I imagine that other than Buffalo, this place has the most Bills fans in the country! It's great to finally meet other Bills hold outs and not get laughed at for it! Because of this, it's almost as fun as watching the game at the stadium. We stayed until the 3rd quarter and left when Sgt Dad gave up. The poor team is plagued with injuries, mediocre players and rookies. Hopefully there will be a good year for them soon. When we got home, I helped Middle Son get himself arranged in Eagle's room. He didn't waste any time in claiming it for his own. Fortunately Eagle left a lot of stuff behind so I don't feel as though he has gone for good. Although, he took so much that we had to pay $50 in overage charges. At any rate, Middle Son is settled in and Youngest Son has his own space. After that I spent the rest of the afternoon finishing the game room. When we moved in several boxes of books and office stuff were shoved neatly in the closet. So, today I went through them and got stuff all organized.
Now I've got to deal with dinner. It seems like all I do is prepare and clean up meals all weekend sometimes! I think tonight is gonna be a fix your own meal night. I'll deal with cooking for less people tomorrow. (I sound like one of my favorite heroines with that particular statement)

The View from Up Here... or Myopic Lifestyle

Friday morning I took the boys to school since I had to withdraw Oldest Son. It had been raining over night and therefore the air was saturated with water. This caused a very heavy fog especially as I got closer to their school because there is a river that runs through that town. One could barely see three car lengths ahead. Upon exiting the high school, I had the feeling that someone had put a white barrier up and the only place that existed in the world was this school. I guess this was reflecting my own feelings that morning. I was feeling overwhelmed with loss because of Oldest Son's imminent departure. I felt as though there was nothing else in the world. As I drove away and slowly, slowly the fog was dissipating, the world was becoming a bigger place. It occurred to me then that often we have a myopic view of the world, whether we are wrapped up in bliss or sorrow. We lose sight of the reality that whatever is going on is just a small piece of the picture. This moment in time I am grieving over the end of an era but in the bigger picture this is what I want. I do want my child to become independent and live a full and happy life. The timing of off for sure but this is a necessary step for his ultimate lifetime success. I don't think a single president or titan of industry has been based out of his mother's home! So, I will allow my myopia over this weekend but next week the fog will clear and I'll see the bigger picture and revel in being able to see my young Eagle flying away from the nest and spreading his wings.
So, in that spirit, Oldest Son will henceforth be known as Eagle.

Restaurant Review II

Last night Sgt Dad wanted to "carbo-load" before his PT test this morning; so, we decided to try a new restaurant. We went to Muldoon Pizza and Fine Italian Dining. He ordered spaghetti and meatballs and I ordered the antipasto salad. We shared an order of chicken wings. While waiting for our food, I visited the restroom. Had I visited it before ordering, we never would have eaten there. That was a disgusting, filthy bathroom! There were layers of grime on the light switch, door, and soap dispenser. In the corner was a build up of layers of black dirt. I guess it was from being pushed in there by a rag mop. It didn't smell bad so I could tell they wipe it down regularly but not really clean it. UGH! So I had the heebie jeebies and that may have tainted my opinion of the food- NOT! The spaghetti was way past al dente and the sauce was terrible. The meatballs tasted like mushy frozen meat-like products. My salad was fresh but only iceberg lettuce and the dressing was basically only vinegar. I can barely comment on the wings. They were clearly baked and not fried and lightly breaded. TERRIBLE! We had ordered a pizza to-go to bring home for the boys. Surprisingly, it was pretty good. However, in light of the condition of the bathroom, I would not ever get food from them again.
We are still having connectivity issues with our ISP. Last night they said that the problem was with the upload and located at the pole. They had to call another team to come and repair that. However, last night we had high winds and it wasn't safe for them to climb the pole. Hopefully they will be out today to complete the repair and hopefully that is really the source of the problem. It's really frustrating when you sit down to accomplish something online and you can't get on. I was going to post last night but lost connection and it didn't come back up before I went to bed. Grrrr!

Termination Dust

In Alaska summer isn't officially over until termination dust arrives. And what is termination dust? It is the arrival of snow on the otherwise green mountain tops. It arrived near the end of this week. We had a few days of heavy clouds and rain and as the clouds rolled away we saw what was left behind- termination dust. It means time to change from summer and prepare for winter. Everyone has begun pulling their lawn decorations indoors for the winter. I've seen more than one person haul out their snow tires and head off to the garage to have them mounted and commercials advertising studded tire sales. I read somewhere that it is legal to start driving with studded tires as of September 15th. Slowly we'll see that termination dust drift downward and before I know it there will be snow on the ground out my front door. The leaves have begun changing already and are about 50% or more towards peak. It's 9:10 pm and only the faintest light is visible. After the fall equinox the daylight will begin to drop off dramatically. I've begun looking for a "happy" light already to stave off SAD. Might as well be proactive!

Yesterday enjoyed watching Oldest Son's football game. They played against another team for their homecoming. ERHS is quite popular as opponents for homecoming games.. The opposing team's kicker kicked as state record field goal, 49 yards, against us and won 45 to 7. ERHS has a good quarterback and reciever who are leading the league in completions and yards. However, the rest of the league is focused on rushing yards. Oldest Son got alot of playtime yesterday. So we sat through the game in the rain but enjoyed it much more. Our old friends from Japan were there too as their oldest son, Oldest Son's friend, goes to the opposing school and their daughter ERHS. Next week ERHS homecoming but it doesn't look like we'll go as more than likely Oldest Son will return to Rochester this week.

Speaking of that, I nearly had a breakdown about it today. I was feeling out of sorts and like I was about to burst into tears all day and just couldn't figure out the reason for my turmoil. Finally it dawned on me that I am not doing so well suppressing my emotions over this upcoming departure. I'm sure going to miss that boy!

I had to go out today to buy contacts for Youngest Son. On my way home I spotted a large Mama Moose grazing off the side of the road. I quickly u-turned and pulled off to the side, got out of my van and started snapping pictures. She was just watching me and I seemed a bit jumping to I got back in the van pretty quick. I pulled another u-turn and it was then I noticed her calf in the woods not too far from her. Then I realized why she had been so jumpy. I guess it was pretty lucky of me that I hadn't hung around getting pictures longer. I tried to get a good shot of her and the calf but they were pretty well hidden.

We were going to go to Denali National Park this weekend for military day but I read the dates wrong and it isn't until Tuesday. So, since we're both working and the kids are in school we won't be able to go this year. I am hopeful this is a yearly event and next year we'll take leave and go out to see the park.

I had a BIG scare today with my cell phone bill. My friend Dawn will totally empathize with me on this one. I opened the bill to pay it today and nearly fell over when I read the total: $589.45!!!! It was data usage on one particular phone. So naturally I flipped out! I called our provider because we had paid for text messaging for this phone and our bill shouldn't be so big. It turns out it was for internet usage. I explained to the poor customer service rep that Sgt Dad and I had explicitly blocked internet usage with the clerk when purchasing the phones. She informed me that the block was removed when I added AOL instant messaging. Then explained that the charges are because using AOL also uses internet. I explained to her that I was not informed of this when I added AOL IM to the phones. After a long time on the phone and her speaking with her manager we got all the overage charges reversed and removed AOL from the phones. They can live with out it! Their service rep should tell people that using IM requires internet usage and you need a plan or you will incur these kinds of bills. In hindsight, I guess I should have realized that the aol im uses the internet but it seems that there should be some fine print at least stating that fact. Alls well that ends well I guess but I imagine that I have a few more gray hairs coming from this event. Sgt Dad actually grabbed the phone from me for a minute and let her have it! It was amazing! He was having a bad day. Our internet went out- again! They just can't provide us with reliable internet service! We have another service call scheduled for Tuesday. Hopefully they can find a way to keep us from getting booted so frequently- and despite how that sounds we are using broadband and not dial-up.

Finally, the last bit of news is that I'm officially an Alaskan resident. I got my driver's license and registered to vote.

Now, how long before I'm eligible for "free money"???

Earthquake!

This afternoon I experienced my first Alaskan earthquake. It was just a couple seconds long and nothing fell off the shelves but it was enough to get my blood pumping! I had forgotten that earthquakes are fairly common up here. Had I not experienced earthquakes while living in Japan, I probably would have been pretty shaken up. Those of us in the office enjoyed sharing our "first earthquake" experiences. None of us had ever been in a bad one. In fact, I really need to give thought as to what to do should a major earthquake hit. I have no way of getting outdoors quickly enough. I guess I'll just have to manage with the old standby of standing in the doorway and praying that it isn't strong enough to take down the building.
One of my greatest fears while living in Japan was that a big quake would hit while I was far from home and separated from my children. I don't know how I'd stand not being able to get quickly home to them. At least with the popularity of cell phones I'm more likely to at least be able to get in contact with them in an emergency- provided of course the cell phone towers aren't knocked out.
Speaking of disasters, we all remembered 9-11 today in our own way. Many of us chatted about our experiences that day and how it changed us and our lives. For me, it was the first time I felt vulnerable to world-wide turbulence. I always felt very safe here in the US, as though it would never, could never happen here. I don't walk around expecting danger everywhere but I also am more aware of my surroundings than before. I'm sorry my children haven't been able to grow up as I did with no war and no soldiers dying. I knew nothing of war for America while growing up. It was all in the history books for me, not in the daily news reports. I'm sorry for the innocence lost on that day for all of us.
Switching to lighter news; I had my first experience of traffic delays from Moose IN the road. I see moose nearly every day but today a Mama and her calf were crossing the road and taking their sweet time. How AWESOME is it that such a magnificent creature is so abundant here. Also, the people here have such respect for them. They just slow down and wait for the moose to cross. No honking horns or obvious frustration, it's just part of Alaskan life. In fact, I know people who've been trapped at home because a Moose was at their front door and wouldn't move. Moose are HUGE and you don't dare try to run around one. Perhaps moose are the secret to the different way of life around here. At any rate, I love the attitude of people here. It's quite contagious. I wish I could let you all experience it too.
Come on up and visit. Alaska is a magnificent place!

Belated Birthday

I'm in trouble! Youngest Son asked to see his birthday post and somehow I never got around to posting it! His birthday was Aug 12th. He turned 14 and is now eligible to get his learner's permit! Alaskan's must be nuts to allow 14 year olds on the road! I will, however, take him to get his permit. He will only be allowed to drive on side streets for some time. At least he's grown a bit this summer and is physically big enough to manage. He's actually taller then me now! Anyway, my sweet little boy is now a full-blown teenager and now he has his own birthday post- although a belated one!

Happy Birthday Son- I love you!!

Are you ready for some football???

I've noticed that soccer mom's have the reputation but it's football mom's that are truly nuts! At least I must be! I sat out in the cold, 52 degrees, and rain through two and a half hours of a game I don't like, all to see my child on the field! The first half of the game was so miserable! It just steadily rained and the wind blew! Despite wearing two jackets and a tarp and using an umbrella, I got pretty wet. During half-time, Sgt Dad, Middle Son and I went to a laundromat to dry our jackets and blanket. It was a pretty good idea. The warm dry clothes went a long way towards reheating our frigid bodies. For the second half, the rain finally let up and it went so much faster.

Our team got creamed- again. It stinks! However, our school has 800 students in comparison to the other area schools which have about 1600+ students. At least I got to see my son on the field a couple times. Today was the other team's homecoming. There were some crazy teens in the home team stands sans shirts- in this weather!

All-in-all I'm glad I went. I wanted to leave in the worst way but couldn't allow myself to go home, miss my son playing all the while he is standing out there without any of the comforts I had brought along for myself. I figured if he could be out there in short sleeves and take it, I could manage with all the gear I had brought!

Happy Birthday Tater!

Today was Tater's 16th birthday! I can't believe it! We took him (and Strummer but not Eagle since he was at football practice) to the Bear Tooth for dinner and a movie. This restaurant/movie theater is a popular local attraction. They took out every other row of theater seats and replaced them with dinner tables. So you enter the theater and pay only $3 per person then order your food. Then they give you an orange cone w/ a number on it. You then go into the theater and find your seat/table, put your cone on the table and enjoy the movie while waiting for your food to be cooked and then delivered to your table. We saw Evan Almighty. It was a good movie! We did learn that it's best to get there a bit early or your order will be last (like ours was) and wasn't the best food we ever had. However, overall it was a great experience and we'll do it again. For the four of us we spent about $55 which is the same or less than just going to a regular movie and having snacks. Tater really enjoyed it! After dinner I couldn't wait any longer and gave him his birthday present without even wrapping it. He got Guitar Hero II for XBOX 360. He was really happy. Then we stopped at the grocery store and bought cake and his favorite ice cream- mint chocolate chip. Yes, I totally cheated on my diet! So, when we got home, I sang a solo Happy Birthday as Sgt. Dad and the other two boys did not join in. Poor Tater! I hope his ears will recover before next year! I think Tater had a good birthday. We'll try to take him tomorrow to get his permit.
So, that's about all that's going on worth mentioning tonight. I'm tired after a long week and I'm off to bed. G'nite!

Today's the 5th???

In case you live under a rock- today was my birthday. And what a day! It started off with a bizarre and vivid dream. I was visiting a friend who had adopted a daughter (not true- we both have sons only) and the new daughter (only two or three in the dream) was showing the house to me. It was a beautiful, huge Victorian and the little girl had several cubby-hole type "rooms" within her room all just big enough for twin mattresses- like lots of sleeping cubbies. Then I was talking with my friend and her husband on this large catwalk type Balcony looking out at a large stained glass window. I was asking if the window was original to the house and thinking it was impossible because look at how it's bowing even now with the wind. When suddenly the wind blew in the window! I don't remember the rest but it was so vivid! I nearly had to call her to see if she had adopted a little girl. At this point my obnoxious alarm was beeping and I hit it off and lay there with my eyes closed, trying hard to sleep but not really, when Sgt. Dad came barging in telling me one of the dogs had peed on the carpet. I grumpily realize that it's my birthday- 35- ugh! and drag myself out of bed to deal with the mess. So, I sop up the pee, soak it, steam clean it up, spray it with enzyme cleaner and realize it's 6:15 and I've only heard one boy moving around. They all have to catch the bus at 6:45 so I run upstairs and awake my younger two. I run back down and pack a "snack" of two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for oldest son to eat after school and before football practice. I don't have the heart to remind them it's my birthday. So off they go with out a reminder. Sighing, I got my newspaper and had a cup of coffee while completing the daily crossword. With the house to myself, I got ready in record time and left the house. It was then I realized Sgt Dad had gone by bicycle for PT and left the garage door up and I had to leave it open as I had also noticed his keys sitting on the kitchen counter. So, off to work I go leaving my home unsecured. Traffic was a bear. They even spoke about it on the radio how early rush hour was this morning.... I guess everyone tried to be early? I was feeling all bummed out and missing friends and family when I got to work. BUT when I booted up my computer and checked my email my day turned around! Mommy to the rescue! My Mom remembered my birthday! and so did my former co-workers! It SO made my day! I didn't tell anyone here, except my counterpart who actually had remembered. In fact, we were supposed to go to lunch together but he had something to do at noon and didn't come back until 2:30 and by then I didn't feel like going anywhere. By this time Sgt Dad had still not called and I was realizing that he was going to forget my birthday- again! At 2:45 my younger two boys called- they remembered and felt bad that in the rush this morning they hadn't! How sweet. After getting home I gave Sgt Dad plenty of hints and time to remember- but he didn't and I stubbornly refused to remind him. I bitterly cooked dinner and picked up oldest son from football. Oldest son remembered. He even cooked up an excuse to go out and buy me a card and a present! He usually is good to me. Sgt Dad finally realized what was up and blamed me for not reminding him!! LOL. He said- you can't ever keep a secret- why didn't you tell me. Anyway... that was my day. Tomorrow Sgt Dad will take me out for my belated birthday! Now that I'm an "old" lady I can't stay up late- I need my beauty sleep! Goodnight!

Alaska State Fair

So, we went to the state fair to celebrate Labor Day. It was probably no bigger than the Monroe County Fair for you Rochestarians and would be about 1/2 the size of the SC State Fair. It's doubtful we'll go next year. Cost-wise it was par for the course for Alaska, which means expensive. I guess if you are a farmer or into 4H it's a great fair. Also, since there seems to be a lack of amusement parks here, it's probably the only chance many locals have to enjoy the rides. They had a Gravitron which I haven't seen in probably over 20 years. I was fascinated by the piglets that were born on Aug 28th. Their mother was gigantic! The view of the snow capped mountains was beautiful also. I'm totally rambling tonight because I'm worn out from hours of traipsing around the fair. Sgt Dad has to check out ALL the food stands before deciding what to eat and see ALL the rides before deciding which to ride. Which reminds me, youngest son attempted the games where you are supposed to shoot all the red star off the target and he nearly did it! So- video games are good for at least one thing- marksmanship! For the record, Sgt Dad didn't shoot all the star off either. (it was a windy day... that target kept moving.... )
All in all we had a nice family day only marred by the frequent remembrances of my oldest son's upcoming flight from the coop.
Enjoy the fair pictures!

Letting Go

Well, it is with great difficulty that I announce that my oldest son is leaving my home. After a great deal of consideration and tears, Sgt Dad and I feel that the best thing for Oldest Son is to allow him to go. He will move back to NY to finish out his Senior year of high school. He will live with Sgt Dad's Mom. I will surely miss him but think it's better that he be happy. I think he'll get more out of school if he isn't completely miserable. Time will tell if we made the right decision or not. It is probably the hardest decision I've ever had to make. It will be a very different life for him than he is used to. He will have to take alot of repsonsibility for himself- laundry, cooking for himself, etc. I guess it will be like leaving for college a year early. I knew this day would come but thought I had another year or at least a few more months.
On the lighter side, the younger two boys have already called dibs on his room! I may let them change rooms around but Oldest son is always welcome home (and encouraged to come back!!!)
That's all the news and all I can handle as well!

Flat Top Mountain

Today we attempted to climb to the crest of Flat Top. I'm so mad at myself- I couldn't make it. It was a very tough climb and yet there were children 7 years old making the climb! The view from the crest I did reach was magnificent! I could see forever! We picked a nice, clear day to climb and were well rewarded for it. I would like to train up and try again. The website describing the hike was accurate I guess. It said it was moderate with some difficult areas. I would describe it as strenuous with some very difficult areas. I guess it all depends on what kind of fitness level you have attained. I would say, if you aren't a regular hiker my description is accurate. If you are a regular hiker, or someone who regularly partakes in sporting or vigorous excercise, then the website was accurate. I got some great pictures of the view! We didn't see any wildlife. I think this trail is too well travelled. We got within a mile or less of the crest and I had to quit. My legs were so fatigued and shaky! I was concerned that if I kept pushing, I'd have to call for rescue to get back down! The hardest part was yet to come as well. The remainder of the hike was largely involving quasi rock climbing. Meaning the trail was quite steep and often you are grabbing rocks and pulling yourself up! I'd love to go back another time for a sunset (and only climb high enough for a good view!).
I did snap a nice pic of the sunset from my front porch. I'm exhausted but I earned it!

Alaska's Lessons

Today, three things happened that made me appreciate the beauty of Alaska and it's people.
Firstly, upon leaving the gym this morning the sun had crested the mountains and was shining on the lifting fog from the valley. It was so bright and I was just struck by the beauty of that scene! I wish I could have captured it. I started to think about how many of us in the lower 48 rush around so much that we miss the beauty all around us.
Secondly, after work I was already on my way home and my mind was running through the day and what needed to get done after arriving at home. I was totally distracted and not paying attention to anything other than my thoughts while sitting at a red light. Just as the light turned green, something grabbed my attention. Off to my right was a HUGE cow moose just grazing away next to the road and I had totally missed it because I was not taking the time to look around myself. I was so tuned into my inner thoughts. I realized at that moment that Alaskans really have it right. They don't rush around, there's no honking, bird throwing, no worrying about being fashionable. Really, what does all the stress we pile on ourselves get us? Things get done, everything works out, do your best and let it go. It's a great philosophy. I love it!
The final thing that happened today was while Sgt Dad and I were taking our boys for new sneakers for school. We saw twin moose calves! They were just wandering around, chasing each other, and licking the stoops of some empty houses (they like the salt). Their mother was no where to be seen (and I hope she's not injured or dead). I captured video with my cell phone (darn me for not having my camera on me!) but I have not been able to figure out how to get it from the phone to my computer to share it.
At any rate, my thought today is to take a look at the beauty all around you and the next time you're feeling rushed and stressed- chill. You can only do what you can and the rest will just have to wait.

*HUGS* to all!

Commercial Madness

Every place I've ever lived has had a commercial that struck me as being either very annoying or odd or something to really stick in my mind. In Rochester the winner would have to be, "HUGE ROCHESTER, HUGE". Those of you reading my blog from there will know immediately which commercial I'm referring to because it's not only annoying but it plays CONSTANTLY. The hands down winner in Alaska has to be the Mattress Ranch commercial. It's on way too often and is just insane. Where did this guy learn to dance?? I wonder how on earth they talked him into actually airing these commercials....
Anyway, enjoy the diversion.......

Fish Beware!

Well, I am planning on attempting to fish again this weekend. I'm gonna get those fish! Sgt Dad bought waders and we aren't leaving until we have caught a fish. I'll be happy even if we don't get a keeper. I think they have to be 20" to keep. I will have to check the book again.
Alaska has quite a few regulations for fishing and restrictions on where to do it. It's kind of complicated. I'll post a picture of any fish caught.
It's just about 11 pm and it's dark! I guess that isn't a good thing since it means that the days are noticeably shorter already. It will be dark most of the day all too soon. This is going to be quite an experience. I wonder where they sell those "day" lights..........

School Lunch

To expound a bit on my diatribe regarding the cost of living here I would like to mention what I paid for school lunch in the past:
In NY state I paid $2.25.
In SC I paid $1.75.
So you can see how since 2005 my school lunch costs have skyrocketed! They have literally doubled in 2 years! There is a very good chance my boys will be welcomed to the world of packing their own lunches.
However, I do think they'd get a healthier lunch by eating at school. The way oldest son eats I'd probably go through a loaf of bread daily. Oh well.
This morning traffic was snarled by a Moose standing at the edge of the road. Unfortunately, I had just passed the intersection when he arrived. I heard about it on the radio. Apparently he wandered out of the woods and just stood at the edge of the road.
I went grocery shopping this evening and went over budget by $100. I am in trouble with Sgt Dad. However, it is cheaper to go over and eat at home than to stick rigidly to a budget and eat out because all the food in the house is gone. I've noticed that even shopping at the commissary food it about 20% more expensive here than the lower 48.
Which reminds me- I transferred our vehicle insurance to AK and that went up to $4000 a year. *SIGH* It's all adding up- that cola allowance doesn't seem so generous anymore!
At least I don't have to worry about the gas/electric bill this year! That's probably the best benefit of government housing.
Well, it's getting late here so I'm going to bed!

Sticker Shock!

Well, I looked up the school website today to find out the cost of school lunch. I about fell off the couch! $3.50 per kid, per day!!!! That's $10.50 a day in school lunch. I hate to make my kids the dorks who have to pack but TEN - FIFTY per day!!!! Why can't all that oil money provide FREE lunch for all?!?! I have a feeling that there will be quite a few kids who pack. That's just crazy. I guess it wouldn't be so bad if I only had one or two kids but for all three.... ack!
I also stopped by the shoppette today (it's the equivalent of 7-11 on the base) to pick up a 12 pack of Diet Dr. Pepper- it was $4.69. I said, "never mind" and bought a 2 liter instead.
I never mentioned that when I signed up Oldest Son for football I had to pay a "sport fee" of $160.
So, we don't pay taxes but we still get hit! I guess gas is about the same here as NY- $2.92 last I saw. Of course that is the price w/o any state taxes- if we had state taxes it would be significantly higher I suppose.
Yes, life in Alaska is a bit of a change from the lower 48.
I guess we had been in Alaska for about 2-3 weeks when we got hit with a rock from the road and got a nice little "hole" in the windshield. I was frustrated and was going to get the glass replaced but Sgt Dad informed me that they use gravel along with the salt up here. He said those kinds of things are pretty common. That's when it occurred to me that I had noticed quite a few cracked windshields around town- and not just on old clunkers. In fact, just a few miles down the road a beautiful Lexus SUV passed us with a crack 2/3 of the was across his windshield. So, since my little rock didn't crack the glass all the way through I'll wait until it does or until I get several "pings" on the glass.
In other news, yesterday was Youngest Son's 14th birthday. Wow does time fly! I'll have to post pictures when I can use my laptop again (more on that later). He was very happy to receive an Ipod nano. He had a pancake breakfast, peanut butter and honey lunch, and spaghetti dinner- all his faves! Then cake and cookies and cream ice cream for dessert. All-in-all a nice day. We missed having all the extended family around; it was so nice having everyone come over for the past year. Youngest Son was so funny when he opened his gift. He picked it up and told Middle Son, "See this? Don't touch it- ever!" Middle Son is notorious for losing, dropping, breaking things! Sgt Dad and I had the best laugh in weeks!
Back to why I'm not on my own laptop and posting pics. For the past few days I had noticed this high-pitched chirping noise. I figured it was some new sound of the house. Unfortunately, it was coming from the power brick on the power cord of my laptop. Apparently, it has gone back and does not provide a charge to my laptop. So, until I can replace it (tomorrow is payday- yeah!) I'll have to use Sgt Dad's laptop. If it's not one thing, it's another,eh?
Current time is 9:52pm and I am seeing the prettiest purple-blue sunset. It's still light enough that elementary age children are playing outside (I can hear them through my windows).
I'm off to bed, I have to get used to working full time and retrain my family into helping.

Check it out- boxes and all

Ok here are the pictures I've been promising. Don't mind the mess. Some of it is moving mess and some of it from the boys being home all day with us parents working. This is my living room, dining room, kitchen and garage. If you look carefully at the garage picture, you'll see my van parked outside through the windows. After I work up the energy I'll get back to work getting this place in order. When I get it all done, I'll post pictures of it all set up and sparkling clean!

FOOTBALL

Hey- check out the Eagle River Football Team's Website and see my "baby", number 86! http://www.erwolvesfootball.com/

Moving Day III

It's the end of my third day off for moving. I am probably about 1/2 way done. I'm not sure why this is taking me so long. It seems like last year I got through much quicker...... hmmmm..... what could be the differing factor from a year ago? I guess I can't blame it all on Sgt Dad. I have had alot of other mitigating factors this year.
I spent the majority of today going with the boys through their school to get lockers, pictures, schedules, etc. I found out they have to get a shot- Hepatitis A. They had all had B but not A; my guess is that it is more common here.
After going through the school I took Oldest Son to the ER because of his hamstring pull. This morning he noticed significant bruising and showed it to me. It was then I realized that he had a groin pull and that it needed to be examined. The ER doc said he actually tore ligaments at the pelvic bone and he is not to play football until August 19th. He is to stay off of it and use crutches. At least it's not the end of his football season but it will have a major impact I'm sure.
My poor Blackie is having such a hard time with the kitchen. We are trying so hard to get him used to the linoleum floors. Today I have tempted him across the kitchen with leftover pork chops. He has a very hard time with the stairs out the back too. We'll try giving him analgesics to alleviate some of his discomfort but I'm starting to believe that his time is growing very short. It's not very often that I cry but last night it really hit me that Blackie won't be around forever.
Still no pictures. I know I've been teasing for days now but my camera is in the car (I keep it there at all times since I never know when I'll spot wildlife around here and don't want to miss an opportunity) and I'm too tired to go retrieve it.
We finally came up with a furniture configuration for our bedroom. It's ok but I'm not thrilled with it. At least I can finally unpack my suitcase. I'll probably get through the rest of my boxes this weekend- if not it will have to wait for next week.
Back to work tomorrow! I think it will actually be a nice break from moving. I'm hoping they have my employee number so I can be official. All the faculty will be returning next week so I expect to become very busy! Yeah! I love to work hard! For real- it makes the day just fly by!
That's all the news from the Land Up North!

What is that??

The movers arrived yesterday about 8:30 and had all 11,000 pounds of my STUFF unloaded by 3pm. There were only two of them so I was amazed! There was a small, young man who was able to carry my big TV all by himself! That thing has to weigh around 200 lbs! The two of them carried my piano off the truck, up the garage stairs, over the landing and into my living room. They at least struggled with that. I was beginning to think they were superhuman or something! My TV stand did not survive the trip unfortunately. We went out to replace it last night so we didn't have to worry about our TV falling over. We had some hardware missing from furniture too. Other than that, so far anyway, everything seemed to arrive ok. We had a total of 245 boxes and furniture pieces. I managed to get through 8 boxes of kitchen items yesterday. Yikes! That is not a good rate! Of course I wasn't able to get started until 3pm. Clothes boxes will go alot faster anyway.
Blackie does not like to walk through our kitchen which is a problem because he has to in order to go outside for the bathroom. We are trying to coax him with food but he's too smart for us and high-tails it to his kennel whenever we attempt to get him in there. I'm not sure what we're going to do about this. Then he gets scared and nervous if we try to pick him up or pull him which leads to dribbles on the carpet. Poor old man. I feel sorry for him.
I didn't post last night because the internet wasn't up when I was ready to sit and relax. The cable company is coming today to fix us up right! I can't wait.
I'll try to post this evening with pictures.
See ya later!

It's Going to Be a Long Week!

Today Sgt Dad and I both had to work and the boys were on their own for the day. Sgt Dad works across the street- literally! He was able to come home for lunch. Ha ha! I didn't have to make it- I can imagine what went on here with all of them fending for themselves. I work about 20 minutes away so it's not feasible for me to come home. Once I get it together, I'll begin packing my lunch and following Atkins again. My plan is to go work out in the morning before work. Sgt Dad should be around to make sure that all the boys actually go to school and don't kill each other in the process of getting ready each day.
Tomorrow our main shipment arrives and the real work for us begins! I am looking forward to my bed but not to unpacking and finding places for all my STUFF! I have the next three days off to get organized and whatever isn't done I'll have to do in the evenings and weekends.
We had cable tv and internet hooked up Saturday evening. The tv is working great but the internet is not. We can connect for about an hour and then it goes down for random amounts of time. According to tech support we are not getting enough strong signal- so we have to wait until Wednesday for a trouble call to find out how to boost our signal. The phone service won't be active for another week. I have to admit that sporadic service, though very frustrating, is better than none at all.
Work is good so far. It seems like alot of general office work. Ordering supplies, filling out purchase orders, labels, updating student records, and on and on. The tempo is pretty laid back. I've even seen dogs (not service dogs) in the building! Maybe over time I'll get comfortable enough to bring in my little Lexi. She'd love sitting on my lap all day. Although, I do alot of running around and my lap wouldn't be constantly available.......
You can check out my department's website:
http://coe.uaa.alaska.edu
That's about it. I'll post at least a blurb tomorrow and maybe a picture of my house full of boxes.

Dining in Alaska

Today I am posting a review of restaurants in Alaska. Recently four of our family dined at Golden Corral. It was $60 for the four of us! The food was what we expected and our waitress stopped by frequently enough. The place was packed! I think that this restaurant was in the main tourist area. I doubt we'll go again as I think it was too pricey for "ok" food. Maybe if it's just Sgt Dad and myself. A few days ago just Sgt and I ate at a place called Sorrento's on Fireweed. I did not order a beverage and we spent about $40 for the two of us. Not bad for a good restaurant. We both ordered a spicy penne dish and it was excellent. It came with salad and garlic bread. We will definitely return there. The kids ate Burger King that night- lol. They didn't want to go out furniture shopping. Another night when it was just Sgt and me we tried City Diner on Minnesota. It was GOOD! We spent $35 for the two of us. Sgt Dad ordered a cheeseburger (he never orders cheeseburgers- that is such a lie- he rarely orders anything else). It was HUGE! He even commented that he couldn't believe they also have double cheeseburgers. I ordered the fish (Halibut) and chips. We shared an order of onion rings and had soda. My fish fry was light and not greasy- yummy! I liked that when our sodas were served they were brought to us in a cute little pitcher- no waiting for a refill! We will definitely go back there. It's cheap enough we can take the kids without taking out a loan!
There you go- my first restaurant review. If you ever come to Alaska I have now recommended two local restaurants and dissed a national chain! It's hard when you go to a new place to find the good places to eat. It's always a crap shoot when trying a local restaurant. We tried Sorrento's because we were starving, Italian sounded good, and the parking lot was pretty full. We tried City Diner because it smelled SO good! So far- local restaurants 2, national chains 0.
I'll post as we try more places....

Home

Well, since I last posted we FINALLY signed for and took possession of our home! We FINALLY checked out of lodging for the last time! And we got the first of our two shipments! Our main shipment, the items from our home in NY, will arrive on Tuesday. Finally we'll be Alaskans- and no, we are not given $1000 upon entering the state as the Simpson's movie implies- too bad, we would certainly enjoy spending that!
I have also started my new job as admin assistant to the Department of Teaching and Learning at UAA! So far I think I'll really enjoy the job. It will be great being among so many smartie-pants! (to use a "big" word, lol) From what I've read, the benefits are pretty good also and I think I'll finally be able to earn a PAID vacation! Whoo hoo! I don't think I've ever had one....
Today Oldest Son had his first scrimmange and unfortunately could not play. He pulled his left hamstring at practice last night. It was cold and rainy all day today with a high of 59. My poor boy had to stand with his injured muscle in the cold rain from 10-3. He was soaked and stiff and hungry, of course!
Meanwhile, we thought we'd go pick up the sofa and love seat we had picked out and return to watch most of the scrimmages. Well, we had an adventure instead. First of all, our debit cards expired at the end of July so we can't use them at all any more. So, we found a member credit union and went in there to withdraw the cash from our account to pay for the furniture we wanted. Well, our credit union only allows $500 per day to withdraw. So, we asked if we could cash a check and we have the same limit for check cashing- apparently. GRRR! So we thought maybe the furniture store would accept an out-of-state check from us since we are military (many businesses will waive that rule for military). They would not So we decided to see if the local bank with which we have opened an account would cash a check for us- and they did. Yeah! All of this took from 10 am to 12-ish. We went back to the furniture store and after getting there couldn't decide on which of the two sets we wanted. So, we walked around the store and ended up buying a totally different set. We are now the proud owners of a reclining sofa & love seat with a matching recliner- in dark burgundy leather. Ooh la la- fancy schmancy! Now all five of us can choose a reclining seat! So, we had brought our trailer along to carry the furniture back with us, only there wasn't enough room and we had to take the sofa and recliner home and go all the way back across town- again to pick up the love seat. In case you've lost track, that's three trips back and forth across town. Finally, we got all the furniture (we had grabbed Wendy's drive through on the first trip back with furniture) and it was 3pm and we had missed all of Oldest Son's scrimmages. So, Sgt. Dad dropped me off at the field (Oldest Son had driven just in case) to ride home with Oldest Son and he went on home with the younger two. We were in a hurry to get home since the telecommunications company was due at 4pm to install our internet and cable. Can you believe we got an appointment time and not a time frame?????? He was only and hour late too!
So, after a long day we not have internet access, TV and some place nice to sit. Still no home phone but we have our cell phones, so it's no big deal! Sgt Dad and I are sleeping in our favorite recliners- more comfy than the air mattress!
Sgt Dad is set to quit smoking- for good- on Monday. Tomorrow is my last day with a smoker! We are all excited and ready to be supportive! Whoohoo! Good for Sgt Dad!
I almost forgot- we saw our first Bull Moose today. He was young and his horns were just forming- they looked like little hands off the top of his head. He just took his time crossing the street while Sgt Dad sat gawking and I was frantically trying to grab my camera from the back seat. I didn't make it in time to snap a shot unfortunately. At least I finally spotted one though.
Till next time!

Gutter Ball, Spare, Gutter Ball, Strike!

My title describes the day using bowling analogies. We started off today by going to the housing office. We got the keys to see the house and Ken was not happy. He doesn't like the dining room. It's a very small square at the very front of the house. It's not very practical. Then he was very unhappy with the master bedroom layout. It's a long "L" shape and, again, not very practical. He couldn't figure out furniture placement for that all important bedroom TV. So, he was considering declining those and waiting for something else. However, all the four bedrooms are the same, so there is no point. (gutter ball) In addition, we would lose our TLA benefits (that means the Army would no longer pay for our hotel and daily meals). Therefore, we accepted those quarters. (Spare) So, we are set to actually sign for the quarters but they aren't ready paperwork-wise to be transferred to us. (gutter ball) We were told to come back later in the day to see if they are ready. In the mean time, we have had to check out of the hotel and now have no place to stay for the night, all the kids and dogs and STUFF are in the van. (double gutter ball) So, we go have lunch. Sgt Dad goes back to work. I go to get Youngest Son's military ID renewed- I need power of attorney and it's not on me. (gutter ball) It IS in the van and I find it. (Spare) So I got that renewed, stopped by the housing office (it's in the same building) and am told the paper work should be done by 3 and to come back then. (SPARE) I stopped by the lodging/hotel office (same building) and they DO have a room for us for tonight. (STRIKE) It's not clean yet (gutter ball), so we went bowling.(Spare) At three we went to housing, the paperwork was ready but we can't officially sign for and take possession until tomorrow. (gutter ball then spare)Finally it was time for Oldest Son's football practice so we checked into lodging and he went off to practice. Now I'm decompressing and can't wait to get moved in. The movers are coming on Tuesday, so we'll be camping out in the house for a few days. I'm just glad to have some space to spread out! I'm not sure how quickly we'll be able to get internet and phones so my posting may become sporadic. I guess you'll have to wait and see.
Oh and the biggest STRIKE- I got the job at UAA. I'm so happy! I can't wait to get started! It's such a relief to have that settled. No more interviews!!!!!
-Till next time.

It's a Bust!

Well this whole day was a waste!!!! I wish I could just fast forward the remainder of the day and be done with it.
My "second" interview was terrible. I had a sneaky feeling that this company was trying to get sales people and I ended up being right. In fact, I nearly skipped the entire thing but Sgt Dad talked me into going anyway. When I got there I felt as though I was sitting in an Amway or Mary Kay presentation. Finally at the end of the "interview" they covered the "positions" they were "filling". EVERYONE they hire- to include "office staff" must get insurance licenses and do field work which means going to peoples homes to sell them supplemental insurance and working "retail hours". At the end of their multi-media presentation I was mad! What a phenomenal waste of my time. I told the guy in my first "interview" that I wasn't interested in a stressful job and wanted to be available for my children. What part of that sounds like I want to go into people's homes to sell them insurance and work until 9 pm???? How would that make me available for my kids??? So when they pulled each of us aside to ask us more in depth questions I let them know how irritated I was and informed them that I had NO interest in sales nor in working until 9pm. GRRR!
Then when we went to housing today (as we were told to do) the woman we were working with was in training. So, the manager "helped" us and of course had no information and told us to come back in the morning. I'm sure had we spoken with the woman who knew our case we would have had a more fruitful meeting.
The one bright spot today is we are planning on furniture shopping this evening. Some of you already knew that we discarded our sofa and loveseat before leaving NY and need replacements. We also need a computer desk or two. For those I will check thrift shops and yard sales. The sofa and loveseat need to be new. I wouldn't want to get home with one infused with cat urine- or worse. We'll soon see how bad sticker shock is up here.
Speaking of sticker shock- I spent over $17 buying lunch for Oldest Son and myself at Arby's last week! Yikes! Things are not cheap up here. We haven't shopped for vehicles yet. We are thinking that we'll make what we have last or buy clunkers. We are strongly considering a vehicle purchase for the boys to use. It would be nice if they had their own wheels.
Time to attempt the crossword for the day. See ya!