MRS. JONES

Tagged

2012-01-31T08:57:00.000-08:00

My friend Nicole tagged me in her blog last week. She asked me some of these questions and it was fun to think about these this week...so here are the questions:

What is your favorite book and why?
I have never been a big reader, in fact I didn't really learn how to read until I was in sixth grade when my neighbor made me read out loud to her on the bus everyday. She finally caught my attention by having me read some young adult LDS novels. Since then I have read a lot of different books but I still have fond memories of one of the first books I ever read, it was by Anita Stanfield called "First Love & Forever". It's horribly cheesy and I like to make fun of it a little bit but it's about a BYU student who had the choice to marry a handsome rich Australian, but who wasn't a member of the church...or a return missionary. She choose the RM, and after ten years of marriage was so unhappy and questioned whether she made the right decision, then the handsome Australian re-enters her life. It is a gripping story!

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In ten years...that is crazy, I saw on my friend Courtney's blog when she answered it saying we would be almost 40 and I'll have a ten year old! I am hoping that in ten years, we have finally finished our degrees and we are in careers that we enjoy. I would like to have a few more kids, own a home or have a reasonable interest rate on our mortgage, with a garage or shop for Jed and a little craft/sewing room for me. I see myself doing the same routine, church, mutual (or whatever the new calling is) boy scouts, then family activities camping and hiking...but it will be more fun with a child who is old enough to enjoy some of these outdoors activities.

Where is your favorite restaurant and what do you order there?

I think I have a few favorites, but my favorite in Utah is Barry's the little hamburger place in Spanish Fork, I always get the deluxe cheese burger with a dr. pepper. I love their white sauce! In Alaska my favorite is Bear's Tooth and their ooooh sooo delicious nachos! I love them! in fact I wish I could have some right now!

What was your first childhood memory?
I think my first memory was when my mom got pulled over in our big green van. I remember crying really hard and being in the car seat. I can't really expand much on that memory because that is basically all I remember, I think I was scared of the police officer and me crying was making my mom stressed out. I had to have been really small to have been in the car seat maybe 2 or 3 years old. LOL I also remember one time playing in the garage with my siblings and they had me on top of the chest freezer and I had to go to the bathroom and I couldn't get down from the freezer so I went in my pants...I think I was still being potty trained but my older sister got mad at me because it was really messy and she had to clean me up.

What is the most daring thing you have ever done or what are you the most proud of accomplishing?
This one is easy! It was when I finally made the decision to move to Alaska for a boy, with the hope that we'd actually get married. That was the scariest thing I think I've done. I packed everything in my little car and picked up my friend Becky, we drove for 5 days and on the fifth day we got to Tok, and I freaked out so rather than driving to Anchorage...we detoured and drove to Fairbanks. Once we got to Fairbanks I puked in the Fred Meyers parking lot because I was so nervous. I finally made it to Anchorage and was more calm about my decision, until we had to take Becky to the airport. We helped her get checked in and walked her to the security area and said our goodbyes and cried. I watched her walk away and then Jed and I walked out holding hands I realized that he was all I had, I had moved away from everything I had know, family, friends, my hometown, my college...I gave up everything just to date Jed. Good thing we got married! It has been the best decision I've made and it's helped me grow so much.

My List

2012-01-21T18:11:00.000-08:00

Before I had Elliot I was worried about what I would do during my Maternity leave. I thought that it was going to be a long 8 weeks before returning to work, so I started a mental list of things that I could do to keep me busy while I was stuck at home. That list included:

Make a quilt for Elliot
Edit all our home videos with iMovie and post them on YouTube for the family to see
Go to the Apple store for some One:One training on how to use iMovie
Blog
Get caught up on my DVR recordings
Rent all the cheesy chick flicks, and Disney movies that Jed would endure watching with me but would not enjoy...so I thought I could get them out of the way while he was at work.
Finish some other craft projects that have been lingering for longer than two years.
Take naps
work out and get my rockin' body back ;)
Read a book
Re-pot one of my house plants
Have the house clean and dinner ready when Jed got home from work

Guess how many of those things I've been able to do in the last six weeks? Well, I have a quilt top done for Elliot, but that is because my mom helped me with the hard parts while she was here. I've been able to read 1.5 books, which is kind of a big deal since I am usually in school and I don't have time to read anything (really I just don't want to because I am too tired). Taking a nap hasn't happened, because by the time I get the laundry changed and eat breakfast/lunch/dinner Elliot is ready to eat again. My DVR keeps backing up and I haven't rented any movies yet...you have to leave the house to rent a movie, except with netflix, but I keep forgetting to update our Que to add all those cheesy movies. As far as having the house clean and dinner ready for Jed when he gets home...I think it is an unrealistic goal and it probably won't ever happen.

After a few weeks off this is my realistic To Do list:

Feed Elliot
Eat Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner & snacks in between
Remember to get a glass of water, my phone, the iPad/book, and TV remote before sitting down to feed Elliot ---because once I am down I am pretty much grounded and it can be really boring staring at the wall while he is chowing down.
Brush my teeth---at one time I had the high expectation to shower everyday...but that was too much. I may actually be able to reapproach that goal now that Elliot and I have got a better routine.
change out of my bathrobe---even if it is just into yoga pants
Then if any time is left over I can reapproach my previous list of things to do.

So that is why I have been away, which I am sure I don't need to explain, most of you reading this have gone through this stage of life and probably even tried to warn me about it...but we all have to learn our own way.

Elliot is growing everyday! I don't know how big he is but I know he is out grown 90% of his newborn clothes. That is sad to see those little outfits be put away, I don't want him to grow up but at the same time I want him to grow up more than anything...no offense but newborns are kind of boring, Elliot is not much of a conversationalist. He is however, very alert and always wide eyed and watching me. He wants to see everything and I can see his little eyes watching and learning new things everyday.

As busy as things have been Jed and I have been able to get out a little bit and go on some hikes with Elliot which was fun. Elliot was really good he didn't fuss and he seemed to stay really warm ( I would assume he would cry if he was uncomfortable, right?)

I love this picture of Jed & Elliot on our hike on Flat Top, the sun makes it look like we are summiting the mountain but in reality we are not even close...and the sun is setting on us because we (rather I) was too slow.

This could be argued that it is a picture of a gassy baby, but he was smiling and I am claiming this as his first Captured Smile!

My Baby

2012-01-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

It has been a very busy month! But can you believe it? It is already been 4 weeks. My little Paco is growing so much, he is starting to get little chubby rolls on his thighs and his arms. He is almost out of the newborn diapers and the newborn clothes are getting a little snug on him. He is overall such a good baby, he doesn't fuss too much---and now that I've figured out the breastfeeding thing I'm doing much better...and he is putting on the pounds. He is very wide eyed and awake most of the day and night. He usually just wants to sit up and look around...he will fight to stay awake, I don't think he wants to miss anything.
My mom came on the 26th to help and she has been such a huge help! She is so helpful and as a Newborn ICU nurse she had all sorts of tricks. She taught him how to take a Binky, which right now I am very glad he takes one but if he becomes dependent on it I know who to blame. Not only has she been very helpful with things around the house and with Paco, it has been so nice to have her here and to spend time with her.

She is in the bedroom right now packing her bags to go home.
I am really really going to miss her.

I know she is ready to go home but I am sad to see her leave...I miss my family.

Not only do I miss my family but tomorrow will be the first day that I am left alone. I am not so much scared of being left alone to take care of the baby I think I have that taken care of...I am sad to be alone.
I was putting left overs away after dinner tonight and thinking to myself, I will have to eat lunch alone tomorrow and it made me really sad...I think I will be very ready to go back to work just to have some social interaction.

Paco and his daddy...aren't they adorable? ;)

Our Birth Story

2011-12-17T15:23:00.000-08:00

This was our plan...Jed started his vacation time December 8th, he wanted a few days to get things done and I had a final on the 10th...so we planned to finish my final on the 10th and then go to my work Christmas party so I could dance like crazy and we hoped that would induce labor so Jed didn't have to waste all of his vacation time at home alone...

To our surprise it actually worked!

Sunday morning I started having contractions, they continued to get closer together and finally that night at 11:30pm we decided to go into the hospital to get checked. I wasn't in such a hurry, the contractions were uncomfortable but not severe, I just didn't want to be one of those women that wait too long then are holding the baby's head in while they rush to the maternity ward. When we checked in I was only dilated to a 2, in an hour I progressed to a 3 so they kept us for a few more hours to see if I would go any further. They had me walk for a couple hours and I wasn't prepared for that and only had my big snow boots on, it wasn't very comfortable--and it led to nothing they release us around 4am. I continued to have contractions but they seemed to calm down. Monday Jed and I decided we needed to go walk and run some errands. We walked Costco for more than 2 hours, got some Christmas shopping done. The contractions didn't stop but slowed down. I figured nothing would happen and it would stop and in a few weeks I would actually go into labor.

So that night I got up to go to the bathroom and my water broke...but I wasn't totally convinced that it broke so I tried to go back to bed for a while. I let Jed sleep for a few hours and then woke him up and calmly said "hey babe, my water broke"---I've decided those word make men panic...Jed didn't exactly panic but was wide awake and ready to go in a matter of minutes.
Getting to the hospital and getting checked in was a little easier than the previous night, because my water broke I had the golden ticket. But things didn't go much faster after that, they made us walk for hours I walked the halls at Providence hospital...until the pain got to be severe enough that I didn't want to be out having people watch me.

By the way

Labor is painful!

I started to get really weepy and cried really hard a few times. Poor Jed didn't know what to do but was really supportive and tried to help.

After ten hours of walking and active labor I had only dilated to a 6 and they said they were going to have to give me Pitocin...that is when I decided I needed something for the pain. They suggested taking something to take the edge off, I should have just asked for the epidural but I took the medication and instantly it completely knocked me out. I was so loopy and it didn't help with the pain, it made me feel sick and I started to hallucinate the room had changed into a gingerbread house/land with royal icing and peppermint swirl fields...It was not good!-- and still it didn't help the pain.
I cried and begged for the epidural after only a few minutes. Just when I thought I couldn't do it any longer the anesthesiologist walked through the door.

I love him & the Epidural!

Unfortunately because I took that pain medication it made me & baby's heart rate drop really low, they had to stop the pitocin and give me oxygen. They scared us by saying that I may have to have a c-section if it continued. But as that other med started wearing off, our heart rates went back up. Once I was dilated to a 10 I pushed for an hour
&
Elliot Thomas Jones
made his appearance.

Child birth is nothing like anyone tells you...it was so surreal. We were pretty relaxed, we had casual conversation in between contractions and pushing...it was weird

....Child birth is just weird.

Jed didn't plan on watching it, but I really don't know how you can avoid seeing it, I was worried that he was going to get all wigged out or sick but he was awesome and said it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.

First moments with Elliot
Jed got to cut the cord and help give him the first bath. Elliot did not like having his hair washed at all!
The nurse above was one of Jed's friends--they worked together several years ago. I met her for the first time when we were admitted...then we got to know each other very very well in a short period of time. Closer than any of my other friends have ever seen me! She was very nice and I think helped Jed relax. She said that if he passed out she would make fun of him for the rest of his life.

Elliot cried the first night non-stop and we were all exhausted...the mother baby unit at Providence was not that great. The nurse didn't introduce herself, and after we called for help she didn't come for an hour or longer...by that time I was in tears and so exhausted I couldn't stand it. They took him to the nursery which we didn't even know was an option...but isn't that the point of being in the hospital (besides the whole observation of our health and stuff) but to get a good rest before going home. We got to sleep for three hours and it made a huge difference.
His feet seem so big and long to me, I guess in comparison to his body...they still look really small in this photo.

Our first family photo.

Since being home things have gotten much better. He is doing well (for the most part) with breast feeding. It is so nice to have Jed around! Jed has been so helpful and it's great bonding time for them. Jed doesn't have to go back to work until the 2nd of January we are so glad he is around, because we would probably go insane.

Well stay tuned because there will be lots of updates about our little Paco!

37 Week Update

2011-12-10T12:51:00.000-08:00

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday. It was my 37 week check up... Today I am 38 weeks and celebrating that I am almost done with this pregnancy. Things are looking really good I am 1.5 cm dilated and 50% effaced. I did find out that I tested positive for the group b strep... so I will have to get an antibiotic while I am in labor and there may be a chance that they will keep me and paco an extra 24 hours to make sure that he doesn't get. I am feeling pretty good, really busy though.

This past week was a crazy week for us, I had a bunch of homework to finish up early this week. I did some Christmas shopping and wrapped presents. One of my co-workers passed away unexpectedly last week, she fell through some ice and got caught in the current was trapped under the ice. It was really sad and unexpected, so it has been a hard week at work for many of us. I went to her service on Wednesday, which was really interesting because it was a Buddist service, they did a lot of chanting and burning incents...it was cool to be a part of. And Paco loves chanting, he must be a little budha because in my yoga class he is very active when we chant. Then we also went to a charity event that Jed's job was hosting for the Make a Wish Foundation. Last night I finished up the last of my homework, and I am just getting ready to go take my last final. So after I take this final I am going to start walking ALOT. I also have my work Holiday party tonight so there will be lots of dancing....I want this baby to come early enough that Jed can be around to help, and since he is now on 3 weeks of vaction before the New Year....I am ready!

Baby Shopping Day!

2011-11-19T09:12:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was such a busy day....I took the day off work, not for a relaxing day, but because I knew this may be the last day that I could take off and get everything done before finals and the Christmas holidays.

This is what it was like... no joke.

8:47am: Leave in -13 degree weather to go to the day care

9:00am: Met with the Day Care provider and talk about the contracts and all that business.

9:40am: Drive to Burlington Coat Factory to check out the baby section, particularly car seats

10:30am: Stop at Costco to see if they still have a car seat, and browse the isles of the giant wonderland. (Temp rises to -5 degrees)

11:07am: Drive across town to REI, to look for a baby pack/carrier...specifically the Ergo carrier, and to look for a snow suit, ran into our friend Ann and her kids, looked at studded tires for Jed's bike.

11:40am: Stop for lunch at Marty's Bagel Deli (Warmed up to 2 degrees)

12:20pm: drive around the one way streets to get back to a small store "Once Upon a Child" which sells used baby items. Found a Bopsy for $8, and a BOB stroller for $175, but we didn't get the stroller.

12:40pm: headed to the Hospital to meet the pediatrician. (Temperatures cooled down to zero)

12:55pm: Arrived in Parking lot and killed some time by checking out Facebook...Jed thought it would be funny to update his status and say "At the hospital with Sarah"

1:00pm: Found the pediatrician office, had a great meet and greet with the doctor asked lots of questions. He said he'd see us at the hospital unless it was Christmas, because he isn't working that day. Other than that he seems like a good guy and nice office staff.

1:30pm: Went to the Nursing Boutique in the lobby of the hospital and bought an infant insert for the ergo carrier and also got the coolest ice cleats for my boots ever! I don't think I'll be slipping with those on!

1:57pm: Left the hospital drove across town to Babies'R'Us

2:14pm: Arrived at Babies'R'Us,

2:15pm: Hilary calls upset, wondering what is wrong with me because Jed posted I was in the Hospital...she was so upset she said she was crying...then she was mad at Jed for playing such a mean trick.

2:20pm: started shopping for car seat, testing out the stroller car seat combos...which by the way why is a car seat alone $160...but I can get a car seat and a stroller together for the same price?

3:00pm...Finally make a decision about just getting a car seat alone...then see the one next to it is on sale for $50 less...but go back on our original decision. Get a separate base for the seat for Jed's truck, so we don't have to switch it out all the time.

3:02pm: start shopping for little things, Onesies, snow suit. Which we still can't find a NB size snow suit...not just a fuzzy fleece 'warm suit' but we're looking for an insulated Alaskan snow suit...they had one that we wanted and we didn't buy it AND now they are gone. Shopped for a diaper bag, closet organizers, a Genie Diaper pale and baby wipes.

3:55pm: Jed dropped me off for my prenatal massage and chiropractic appointment. A very nice break during all the running around. (Temp drops again to -3 degree...and sun is setting)

5:30pm: Jed picked me up and we headed to Target. Target we shopped for closet organizing items, hangers and grabbed some nursing pads to keep on hand. (Sun is long gone, temp still -3)

6:23pm: Heading home, stopped at Little Caesar's for a pizza
7:15pm: Arrive home (Temp dropped to -7 degrees)
7:23pm: Finally carried everything into the house.
7:30pm: Eat our pizza while watching some DVR'ed Chelsea Lately
8:00pm: Start my Journal project that is due in 12 hours
9:35pm: Finally finish my project and email it to professor
9:50pm: Bedtime and exhausted

But we are so ready for this baby to come! Hopefully Jed won't post anything that misleads you all again...and the next time it will be for "realsies"!

My Zombie Themed Baby Shower

2011-11-14T09:40:00.000-08:00

My co-workers threw a baby shower for me this weekend. They decided to have it be a "zombie theme"...I do have a love of zombies, so it wasn't just out of the blue. They used pictures from my Halloween costume to create the invitations.

All week it has been snowing like crazy, but Saturday right before the shower was starting it looked like a blizzard. But it's Alaska and it stop anyone from coming. Even some of my friends from Eagle River that said it was a complete white out. I guess that's the good thing about living in Alaska, a little snow doesn't slow us down.

We had the shower at Sicily's Pizza, which had a room we could reserve and it was a buffet pizza place. So everyone could buy their own buffet or just hang out with us. My co-workers did such an awesome job with decorations.
This little figure just added a special touch to the Zombie Themed decorations...it was really funny and definitely a conversation starter. My boss, Dixi made these adorable little bibs with "PACO" on them...since we still don't have a name picked out...and I think everyone at work will forever call him Paco, no matter what we name him.
We also had these delicious cake pops that were decorated like little zombies...and they were so good!

We also played "Wack-a-Baby"
Where you can beat a baby pinata to get all our aggression out.

I was amazed that so many people came and supported me. It makes me realized that I have made more friends here than I imagined.
I also got tons of gifts...and really good stuff too!

I was so excited that Nicole came--even through a complete blizzard. It was like having a little piece of one of my best friends Courtney there too (because they are sisters...in case you didn't know that.)

I had tons of fun going home and having 'show-and-tell' with Jed and all of the stuff we got.

Thank you for everyone that came and helped with the shower!
I love you all!

My Birthday!!

2011-11-09T08:36:00.000-08:00

My co-worker loves me and brought me TWO bags of potato chips for my birthday.

I had a pretty great birthday...it started really early when I started receiving texts and calls at 5am, people forget there is a two hour difference from Alaska to Utah.

My co-workers decorated my office with their typical birthday fashion. I also got a birthday card and $10 from the big head executive director...that is the only bonus we get all year.

I was really looking forward to going to my yoga class, but then I had a meeting that went a little late, and the roads were bad so with all the accidents and people driving slow I didn't make it. I started to drive home and it took me an hour to get home. I was kind of disappointed, but then Jed and I went to my favorite little hamburger place in Anchorage called Lucky Wishbone...I had a delicious grilled cheese, onion rings and an oreo shake. It was delicious! Afterwards I got to open my birthday presents.

Jed gave me flowers, and this weird Bert balloon.

I also got the Lion King, which we watched and I sang along to all the songs,

and my favorite....

GOLDEN TICKETS!!

Jed got me a spa pass!

I am so excited to use them....

I am going to pamper myself crazy before this baby comes!!

Injustice!

2011-10-27T04:41:00.000-07:00

I am thinking this could be my Halloween costume...A picture just in case you ever wanted to see what I looked like at 4am, after being awake for several hours...with no hope of more sleep.

Tonight is another sleepless night. It seems so unjust to not be able to sleep now, when in just a few months I will have a newborn and I will be losing sleep with him...doesn't it make more sense that I would be able to go into a deep restful state prior to the birth of my child, so I would be well rested and prepared to take on the challenges ahead. But no, my body has a different motive...it's "training" me to be up with the baby. It's stupid.

So when these nights come...which are becoming more frequent I lie in bed as long as I can trying to fight it because I am so tired. Then I will finally grab my phone and try to bore myself back to sleep by checking Facebook and emails...which doesn't seem to work. The last thing I want to do is get up and leave my bed, especially in our little apartment. The front room doesn't have heat, because the floor board pipe thingy is broken and the landlords are 'slum-lords' who won't fix it, because they would have to pretty much destroy the apartment below us to do it. So, when I finally decide that I need to leave my warm sleepless bed and wander around I freeze to death.

It seems like these nights always come at the busiest times. Last night was supposed to be my relaxing night because we didn't have a young woman's activity, but as soon as I got out of class I got a message from my visiting teaching companion reminding me that we set up a time to go visit someone (since I didn't have YW's). So I headed there straight after being at work and class all day. Then I called to tell Jed I was going to be late, only to be reminded that we had a temple recommend interview at the stake center also scheduled (since I didn't have YW's). So I rushed through visiting teaching, picked up Jed, who brought me my skirt so I could change in the car on the way to the interview and we rushed to our stake center which is clear across town. We were a little late, but what better excuse is there than 'I was visiting teaching...and it's not the last day of the month'...huh?

Afterwards I was starving and rather than driving the 20 min home only to have to prepare, cook, and clean up dinner...I convinced Jed to take me to dinner at the "Burrito King" mmm..mmm..(which yes, it is as ghetto-fabulous as it sounds). By this time it was 8pm and I was ready to go home. But alas, we had to make another stop at Sear's to browse the tool section. I pretty much fell in bed as soon as we got home. I wish tomorrow night would be better, but I have a busy day at work, and the youth temple night is tomorrow. Friday is even busier, with work Halloween party, a massage/chiropractic appointment, a friends open house, and my works Halloween dance in the evening. Saturday I have volleyball with the YW's in the morning, class from 1-4pm, grocery shopping and our church is doing "trunk-or-treat". Sunday is church, YW's presidency meeting, more visiting teaching, a paper to write that is due on Monday, dinner with my brother and my favorite TV show 'The Walking Dead'---which is how I am feeling right now...I think I have become the walking dead.

30 Weeks & TMI

2011-10-18T21:50:00.000-07:00

Today, I had my 30 week check up appointment. Things are looking really good...I am still measuring right on and the heart beat is nice and strong. Little Paco (Paco is what I am calling him because we don't have a name picked out yet) is breech and always has been, so the doctor is keeping a close eye on that. I will be standing on my head for a while trying to get him to move around...he doesn't really have much room to move but I can feel him trying everyday.

After my doctor's appointment I got to have lunch with Nicole, which I haven't seen forever and it was really fun to talk to her. It really made my day and she made me laugh so hard with some of her stories.

Tonight, Jed and I went down to the fifth avenue mall. It felt like it took so much effort to finally go, we both started talking and then we started yawning and getting tired, but finally at 6:30pm we left the house. I am so glad we did too...the big adventure was primarily to go to Nordstrom's because I wanted to get fitted for a bra (surprisingly Jed's idea). Like my last post said I feel like I have gotten so big, and I have been having horrible back pain. I know this is probably TMI, but in a way I am kind of proud of my accomplishment without surgery....So before I moved to Alaska I was fitted for a bra and was a 34 B, tonight they measured me at a 34 DD! Needless to say the bra I was wearing was not nearly that big and it is no wonder I had back pain.

The other funny thing that happened earlier, and I was even telling Nicole this earlier today. It seems like the topic of my LDS garments, or "special Mormon underwear" have been coming up a lot lately. Starting with getting my first prenatal massage, the woman explained that I could get undressed but leave my panties on...well, i kind of panicked and went into a whole spill about garments and the church, which led to more questions. Which is good...probably, share the gospel... right? I don't know it was just awkward. Well, the next time I had a massage, I wasn't in a very chatty mood so when a different massage therapist said the same thing I just told her I wasn't wearing panties and left it at that. I figured, I would rather her thinking I was just going commando than have to spend the next hour of my 'relaxing' massage talking about it. I have also had my co-workers ask me questions about it, mostly whether they have maternity garments and how that works. Then more questions from co-workers when Rick Perry's pastor said we are a cult, some going back to my "special mormon underwear"....I was getting pretty tired of the garment question. Then without even thinking about it, going into the bra fitting what do you think came up again? Yeah, I had to explain the whole garment thing again! I didn't even see it coming, and this young girl had no idea about the LDS church or Mormons. I found myself panicking again and rambling, to the point that I started explaining about the temple and I said "one of the things we do in the temple is we are sealed to our husbands forever" then I worried about the plural use of the word husband and hurried and explained that we only have one husband and we don't believe in polygamy.....ahhhh it was just a total disaster, and I made it really awkward for both of us. I left the store certain that the young girl helping me, not only thought I was really weird but that definitely Mormon's are really weird. So I am not helping much on damage control when it comes to our church being a weird cult...hopefully, the Lord will see the intent of my heart. And for heaven sakes why is my underwear coming up so much in conversation lately?!

Kenai Trip

2011-10-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

Jed skipping rocks on the shore of Skilak Lake

It was our 2nd anniversary this weekend! Two years...pretty crazy huh? It was a great weekend. On Saturday I had to go to our young women's volley ball game at the stake center, when I came back to my car I found a dozen red roses in my car. It was a great surprise, and the young women are always so fun and full of enthusiams, they were oohing-and ahhing for until I drove away. Jed and I drove to Kenia which is about 2 hours south of Anchorage.

It was the most gorgeous weekend, it was a little chilly but just a perfect fall day. We drove out to the Captain Cook State Park, which is the very end of the Kenai Pensinsula. It was so clear you could see for miles and miles, giving us a perfect view of Mt Redoubt, the volcano that recently errupted in 2009.

This picture makes me feel gi-normous! My stomach is growing everyday...but Oh my goodness, when will my boobs stop growing!! Holy cow!

The above picture is also by Skilak Lake, it was so nice and calm we sat there in perfect silence for an hour.

This is a picture on the beach of Captian Cook State Park, the mountain in the distance is Mt. Redoubt.
Along the Turnagain Arm on our way out we stopped to watch some Beluga whales. Also that boat I have never seen a boat in the Turnagain Arm, boats normally don't come up that Arm, because it is so silty and there are no fish. So it was fun to watch the boat and see some Belugas. We saw this couple getting wedding pictures and it was gorgeous!

Along the shore of the Turnagain Arm, I am watching the boat and trying to spot Beluga whales.
It was a great weekend! I am so happy to be married to Jed! He is my best friend and he is going to be an awesome dad! I love you babe!

Doctor Update

2011-10-04T16:48:00.000-07:00

I had a long doctor's appointment today. I am currently at 28 weeks and so the appointments seem to go really quickly. However, today they needed to do the glucose test again. I had one glucose test at 8 weeks, because I have family history of diabetes and it was okay...but they had to check me again. Today was the long one, I had to fast for 12 hours which is just not fun while you are pregnant. Then they drew my blood, I had to drink the super sugary drink in less that 3 min (Jed timed me and kept me on track)...then wait an hour to get my blood drawn again. Jed and I weren't listening very well because we thought we were done after that. Both Jed and I were starving, we were planning lunch, only to find out that we had to wait yet another hour to get my blood drawn again. I was feeling really not so good at that point...but I survived. After we got some Quizno's and went back to work.

The appointment was really good, I am measuring at 29 ( I don't know if that is weeks, or how they determine that...she just said I looked good and measuring at 29...so...). I am keeping a more consistent weight and infact lost a little from the last time I was in, which is okay since last time she, Dr. Wiggins, mentioned that I had a spike in wieght gain that was kind of unusual. I think last time I had gained like 10 lbs in a month. The baby was going crazy because I had just drank the sugary fruit punch so he was kicking like crazy while Dr. W was trying to get the heart beat. The heartbeat was going up and down from 130-155, which she said is a really good thing and it is a sign of a healthy baby...Interesting I didn't know that. And now I need to start counting the kicks...which most days shouldn't be a problem, he seems to be doing flips and turns all the time.

The Natural Way

2011-09-24T19:17:00.000-07:00

So between starting school, and having Jed move back it seems like life has gotten really busy, so I haven't had time to post anything. However, there is really not much to post. I have been really busy, it seems like every night this week I haven't gotten home until almost 8pm or later. Between class, doctor's appointments, yoga and Young Women's I am feeling exhausted.

The only thing I can really update you with is that the baby is growing everyday and getting very strong. Sometimes it is very agitating to have him rolling around and kicking...it can drive me crazy, especially when Jed starts teasing me and poking at me also, they are already teaming up on me and sometimes it pushes me over the edge.

My chiropractor is into the whole natural birthing process and gave me some interesting information about all of it. Between her and my yoga class, which has many "natural women" who are all planning natural births has sparked my interest so Jed and I watched the movie "The Business of Being Born" a documentary about natural home births with midwives. It was.....interesting, they made some very interesting points about natural births. Don't worry, I am not planning on getting a kiddie pool and delivering the baby in my front room. But as far as epidural or no epidural...as natural as you can get in a hospital... I don't know yet how I feel, but it gives me a lot to think about, and makes me wonder if I could or even want to.

Big Long Update

2011-09-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

Line to get into the Alaska State Fair

Here is a big update...starting from the most recent events. This weekend Jed and I went to the Alaska State Fair! It is always something to look forward to, this year it was really cold...I was freezing; it was 50 degrees, but luckily it didn't rain.

Largest Cabbage at the Fair

The largest pumpkin! In fact this pumpkin is one of only 4 ever grown pumpkins in the world that exceeded 1700lbs...but unfortunately, it was disqualified because there was a small hole in the bottom of it.
Also, I got that cute new hat at the fair because I was freezing!

Jed and I enjoying our favorite deep fried fair food

Last week when I got back from Utah I came home to a different season. While I was in Utah it was so hot, upper 90's definitely summer but when I returned to Alaska it was already autumn and in the low 50's and the leaves were already starting to fall.

This week we had a doctor's appointment, but there was nothing exciting to report. I am measuring right on at 24 weeks and the baby's heart beat was strong. I have been collecting a few more things for the baby. Just today with the Labor Day Sale I got this super cute outfit at Baby Gap.

UTAH TRIP
So Jed and I flew down to Utah for Jed's brother's wedding...it was a great excuse to go home for a little bit and visit all the family. It was so nice to feel some warm weather also!

This is the only picture that Jed and I took of the bride & groom, (oh, actually...where is the groom? I guess we didn't get any pic's of them together) we were so busy visiting with everyone we didn't take too many pictures.
This is my cute, pregnant, swollen and jet-lagged pose.

While I was in Utah, I had a list of places I wanted to eat...including Beto's breakfast burrito, Barry's in Sp-ork, Rumbi's Island Grill, and Jamba Juice.

My favorite was the Jamba Juice!! I am now on a mission here at home to recreate a smoothie that tastes like a jamba.

I loved being at home! I love Utah especially being at home in Benjamin...it was fun to just sit on the front porch and visit with the family.
Courtney Due Feb 9th, Me due Dec 24th & Sandy Due March 3rd

Finally, I was really excited and lucky to spend time with two of my best friends. It was so great to see them and spend time with them...they have been my closest friends since high school and now we are all pregnant at the same time. We went shopping in Park City and they helped me pick out some cute things for the baby.

Heading to Utah

2011-08-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited, I am heading to Utah! And contrary to Jed's belief this is a vacation for me...not just business, the business is a wedding. But I get to miss work, and it is going to be much warmer there, two major things to qualify this as a vacation. I've already made a list of places I want to eat, I may need to bring some back on a carry on bag.

So stay tuned I will have an update about my Utah Vacation.

My Little Yogi

2011-08-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

Baby Belly
21 Weeks

I went to my first prenatal yoga class...I found a great Groupon for a yoga studio in town. I have been trying to get to this class for a few months, but in the beginning I was too sick, and then in the last few weeks it seems like something always comes up and I can't make it. The studio only offers the class on Sunday and Tuesdays. Tuesday's is kind of early in the evening for me to get off work, so everything has to go just right for me that day for me to actually make it. Anyways, it was great. It's definitely not as intense as my Bikram class, but it was fun to meet a bunch of other pregnant women. It was exciting to see a few women who were 40 weeks, just waiting for the baby to come, but they were still able to do everything and they looked great.

It was really fun to feel the baby moving, during this class they begin by doing the chanting/singing thing and wow, the baby was excited about it, and the whole time it moved around TONS, it was just rolling around. So I think I have a little yogi...or hippie, he seemed to really come alive during class.

It's A Boy, Half Way There & Ultrasounds!

2011-08-06T11:31:00.000-07:00

We had our ultrasound yesterday and found out we are having a boy! We are very excited but we would have been excited either way. It's nice to know what it is and be able to plan ahead a little bit.

Today I am 20 weeks, that means I am half way there! So here is a little update on what is going on:

I feel the baby moving everyday and yesterday Jed felt it for the first time (I guess I can call it a him rather than it now).

I've only gained 1.5 lbs since last appointment so a total of 4 lbs, which they say is healthy.

I love hot spicy foods, I am curious if the baby is going to be born with a Mexican accent...but as of lately I have killer heart burn all the time so I am going to have to cut back on the jalapenos, which makes me sad.
I haven't been able to sleep through the night since last week, so I am hoping that is more from the cold I have rather than a long term trend...even though I am prepared for the restless nights later on.

Below are a bunch of ultrasound pictures...most of them I can't really tell what they are but if you stare at them long enough you might be able to see a foot or something. Everything went really well. With my job I work with people who are physically or mentally disabled so that has been something I've worried a lot about, so when I mentioned that to the ultrasound tech, he was really great at pointing out specific things he looks for for disorders and syndromes. Everything looked really great, the baby is a normal size. The tech said he thinks I'll probably deliver early because I am a smaller woman...I think he just cursed me, watch now I'll hold on to this kid until after the first of the year.

Baby Update #3

2011-07-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

Friday I had my 18 week appointment. We were really hoping they would do an ultrasound, but it worked out that we didn't because Jed had to stay home because he was so sick with a bad cold...which he has so kindly passed on to me. So I was really sad to go to this doctor's appointment, especially since it was our first appointment with the doctor I want to deliver with. The appointment went really well, again I got to hear the heart beat, I recorded it and was trying to post it but I can't figure out how to do that. It was good, it was 155 bpm and I am measuring right where I am supposed to be, but I don't remember what that was.

I am really excited about my doctor, she was very nice; she lived in Utah for a while and went to the U. We talked bikes for a while, she is one of those year round cyclists and she is really great at encouraging me to get out and be active.

We scheduled our ultrasound for Friday August 5th. I am really hoping that we will be able to find out the gender.

Sleepless Nights

2011-07-13T06:12:00.000-07:00

All week I have been waking up at 3am and can't fall back to sleep. Earlier this week I was having the worse nightmares, one about a gorilla zombie. I have crazy dreams that someone is hunting me and I am running and hiding, or people have killed my family and are looking for me, or someone has beat up my friends and are coming for me. It is crazy!

But tonight I have been awake since 3:15 and it is now 5am! It is awful, I thought the sleepless nights came later on in pregnancy.

So is this what I have to look forward to for the rest of my 24 weeks pregnant?! Or anyone have any ideas so I can atleast rest some before I become ginormous and before the baby comes.

Flattop, Zoo, & Fireworks

2011-07-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I updated my blog, so I just have a bunch of randomness. Yesterday Heath and I tried to hike Flat Top. We didn't make it clear to the top just to the saddle...I thought I was going to die. I haven't really been doing much besides lying around and puking for the last four months, so I shouldn't be surprised.

This is me dying...gasping for air ;)

MOVING ON...

Baby Bump: 16 weeks
Yeah, I know it's not that impressive.

Jed and I went to the zoo on Friday, it is always fun to wander around and look at wild animals in cages.

The Polar Bear behind us moved for a second to roll over...that is the most moven't I have ever seen from it...he's kind of boring.

AND....

Over the Fourth of July Jed and I drove to Fairbanks. We stopped in Houston to grab some Sparklers...and I got to get some pictures with the gorilla and batman.

Fireworks are a little boring in Alaska because it is so light. So Jed and I did them at 9AM when he got home from work...then after we burned some sparklers...I drove back to Anchorage.

As far as a pregnancy update: I am feeling a little better, but still getting nauseous, but it's not nearly as bad as it was...just annoying.

I am craving hot jalapenos, especially hot jerky. I am also loving the squeeze cheese in a can.

**Also, Jed's brother just got engaged...so there is slight possibility that we may come down for the wedding, depending what date they decide on.

I Spy With My Little Eye

2011-06-28T19:05:00.000-07:00

I Spy With My Little Eye.....Missionaries!!

I love it when I see the missionaries around town. Today when I stopped at the gas station I saw the missionaries talking to some people in the parking lot. It is exciting to see them around town and know that they are doing the Lord's work and spreading the exciting news about the restoration of the gospel! On Friday we saw a set of missionaries at a park where we were having a BBQ. And couple weeks ago I ran into another set of missionaries tracking around our neighborhood.

Also this morning I helped send off our Young Women to girls camp. I unfortunately can't go with them to camp because I don't have the vacation time...I am saving all of it for maternity leave. The girls were so excited! I am excited for them, I loved girls camp and always had a great time and a really spiritual experience.

2nd Baby Update

2011-06-24T22:47:00.000-07:00

Today was my second doctor's appointment. Everything is going great. Jed and I got to listen to the heartbeat and hear the baby moving around. The heart beat is strong and healthy 160 beats per minute.

I have also gained 2 pounds, so at least I'm gaining with all the throwing up I've been doing.

There is nothing they can really do to help the throwing up, and it has gotten better rather than throwing up everyday, several times a day...it's down to 1-2 times a week.

Next appointment is my 18 week check up, and they will schedule my next ultrasound!! So hopefully on July 29th we will be able to find out if it's a boy or girl!

First Prego Pic

2011-06-09T20:40:00.001-07:00

11 weeks

Some have been requesting a belly picture...and I really wish I had more of a belly to show off. I feel like I am the only one that is noticing that my belly is getting bigger. But I guess it will give a good comparison to when I get really big.

Other Prego updates:

Still feeling nauseous, but it has decreased a little bit. Although I did loose my lunch today and felt really sick all day...it is getting better.

The smell of shampoo is still really bothering me...so all week I have just been rinsing my hair and not shampooing it. Gross, but not as gross as puking every time I shower.

I have been really emotional, the other day I was feeling a little sick so I turned on the TV before I got ready for work and apparently it was Meradith's last day on the Today show. I haven't really watch the Today show for years, and I don't really care too much about Meradith leaving. But they were having a good bye moment with her by running her through the studio lip singing to Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" and I totally started to cry. It was a touching moment.

Beautiful Weeds

2011-05-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

From my work window I can see a soccer field just through the trees and today when I got to work, all I could see was bright yellow, and entire field of dandelions. All day I wanted to go skip through the field. But when I finally made it to the field so did our landscape crew with five lawn mowers...so I only had a short time to enjoy the beautiful dandelions.

It reminded me of my boss, who is frequently disappointed in our lack of knowledge about history. She often assigns us to do history reports about random topics. This last week was Woodstock. My knowledge of Woodstock was very limited, I knew it was a big musical festival but I didn't realize it only happened one time. I actually followed her challenge and read the wikipedia page about Woodstock, then reported back to her. Also for extra credit while I was out in the field I made a crown of dandelions and took it to her...she loved it.

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

Bell's Nursery has the most incredible hanging baskets! Can you see how big this is compared to the guy standing behind it!

This weekend was so beautiful! It was the best weather I ever remember having in Anchorage.... or I have finally acclimated. It was 70 degrees and sunny! This weekend was really busy and a lot of fun. Saturday I went to Bell's Nursery and got a bunch of flowers, then ran around doing a bunch of errands. I had to buy some fat clothes, particularly a skirt...I got one with an elastic waist so it can grow with me.

Sunday's are so hard for me, probably because my routine is off. Half the day I was extremely tired and nauseous then I got a second wind and was able to finally clean my house. I finally went through all our mail...piles and piles of it! I am really ready to go completely paperless, I hate mail. I vacuumed out all of the crumbs from my couch, and found our kitchen table again! I even made cookies.
Memorial Day, I slept in, ate cookies and planted flowers. I spent most of the day outside, and it was awesome!

I Miss Him Already!

2011-05-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

I miss my crazy husband already!

Jed left this morning to go to Fairbanks. Since we started dating I knew that Jed's job took him away for the summers. The first year was really hard because I didn't know anyone or anything about Alaska. The second year was awesome, because he took me with him...that's when I got to experience the duplex outhouse. And now this year, I'm left here pregnant. That's okay though...I really don't think I could make the 6 hour drive right now. But I am feeling a little lost tonight and I miss him! Hopefully, this week goes by quickly!

1st Doctor Appointment

2011-05-17T21:58:00.000-07:00

BABY JONES

DUE DECEMBER 24, 2011

Today was our first doctor's appointment. I was so nervous because I didn't know what to expect. Jed came with me so that helped calm me down. We got to have an ultrasound and see the little baby's heart beat. We also found out that I am only 8 weeks and 3 days, so that pushes our due date back to December 24th...so this is definitely going to be a Christmas baby. I was kind of disappointed that I wasn't too far along...I really wanted to get through the first trimester. That means my morning sickness started at 5 weeks, that doesn't seem fair. I hate hearing from people that they never got sick while they were pregnant, it just reiterates how unfair life can be!

I also had to do the glucose screening for diabetes because we have a family history of diabetes...that was really hard to drink all of that really sugary drink and keep it down for an hour. I haven't heard the results yet but I think everything should be okay.

It Continues...But

2011-05-14T23:32:00.000-07:00

It continues, the morning sickness the nausea and vomiting....it keeps going strong. I may have a day or an afternoon when I feel pretty good, then it returns with a vengeance. To add to it I have had the worse seasonal allergies, so I am congested, sneezing and coughing until I puke...it is awesome!

Yet, I have still managed to have a little fun this week, it's been a kick start to summer. Not only have I been catching up on all previous seasons of 30 Rock, I also went to a couple BBQ's this week. One with the young women's group which was awesome until someone sitting next to me decided to experiment by putting avocados on their hot dog...just the thought and sight made me so sick and I had to leave. Friday, my boss was having a BBQ to celebrate her in-laws 50th wedding anniversary and she invited us. None of us had ever met her in-laws but who turns down the opportunity for a barbecue? My boss lives an hour and a half away in Big Lake, literally out in the middle of nowhere...and she commutes everyday for work. I thought she was pretty crazy but her place is amazing and it's very secluded and quiet. I made my mom's famous Frog Eye Salad, it was a big hit no one had ever seen anything like it. Also another favorite moment at the BBQ was when I was having a conversation with one of my co-workers friends and in the conversation I just said that I had never tried alcohol before. He was so completely stunned, he was completely confused. I explained that I was a Mormon and he was still shocked. I have never had anyone react like that, and it gave us all a good laugh.

Today was the start of the Saturday's Market. It was a beautiful windy day...Heath (my brother that is living with us) finally decided that he wanted to hang out with us, since yesterday he got paid. So we enjoyed walking around, I had a corn on the cob and Heath got a funnel cake it was a great intro to summer. Jed at Saturday Market, trying on a hat made out of dog hair, and sucking on a cinnamon honey stick

And we just got back from the movie Thor...which was pretty lame, for the exception that Thor was really hot. Also, as a side note it is not a good idea to drink a Cherry red slurpee and watch an action movie when you are already feeling nauseous.

Announcing...

2011-05-09T22:12:00.000-07:00

BABY JONES
DUE DECEMBER 17, 2011

So a couple weeks ago Jed and I found out that I was pregnant. It came as kind of a surprise, and ended up changing many (more like all) of our plans. Since I found out I have been so sick, just awfully, horribly, twenty-four hour a day nausea and puking. I am estimating that I am only 8 weeks along, but we will know more at my first appointment on the 17th. So I will keep you updated on how this thing turns out!

Just One Soul

2011-04-11T23:48:00.000-07:00

Five years ago in a little town in Brazil called Itaípu I met the most beautiful little family. It was in fact the only family still intact (mom, dad and four kids) that I ever taught. We met them only a week after their youngest was born, and Valdenia, the mom, was looking for a new church. This family was golden...but it was a slow process. The biggest problem was Valdenia and Renato were not married. It was so expensive to get married, just basic marriage license, that it wasn't a priority for them. We taught this family for months and they had many question for us, but it seemed like nothing could speed up the process for them to get married. The hardest thing for me was when my mission ended and the closest I had ever gotten to seeing a whole family get baptized slipped away.
I heard from other Sisters that the family was still investigating the church. We got in touch with each other again, through email...and now because of Facebook we keep in touch more regularly. After a couple years, I heard that their oldest two daughters were baptized and they were all still investigating and attending church. The last couple of years they were still trying to save money to get married.

Yet the greatest thing happened, I just got a message from her today saying that they were married on Friday, Baptized on Saturday, and confirmed a member of the church on Sunday! She said that was all because of a seed that I planted in her heart five years ago, and that she would never forget me!

And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

I am so full of happiness right now that I can not sleep! I have often questioned why I served a mission, because all those I had seen get baptized while I was on my mission had fallen away and became inactive. I questioned if I wasted my time, and more so if I wasted the Lord's. But I feel the spirit so strongly tonight, and think of those words she said " all because of a seed you planted in my heart five years ago"...and I wonder, what if I had not answered my call to serve? Because we were there, and were willing to share the gospel this family has the opportunity to receive all the blessings of the priesthood and receive the ordinances so they can be seal together as a family. And again I want to shout! HOW GREAT SHALL BE YOUR JOY!! It's for this reason that I love sharing the gospel and I love sharing my testimony. You never know what kind of seeds you are planting along the way.

Walk A Mile in Her Shoes Event

2011-04-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

A few of my co-worker participated in a really great event for sexual violence awareness. They literally walked a mile 'in her shoes' wearing women's high heels. They carried banners and signs as they marched through UAA's campus. It was really great and fun to watch. There were a lot of high officials who participated and they raised just over $2,000 for the cause.

Here is Colonel Mallard, from the Alaska State Highway Patrol, sporting some awesome red pumps.

This guy reminded me of Ron Swanson from the show Parks & Recreation, I think he was either the chief of police or a judge...either way, Way to go!
This construction worker, was awesome...he just wanted to walk in behalf of all the victims, and to bring awareness.

I thought this was a great event and I wanted to share it with all of you!

Living the Dream

2011-04-02T22:08:00.000-07:00

Our neighborhood moose

It's been awhile...but we've just been living the Alaskan dream! Well not really, it is spring "break-up". All the snow and ice is starting to melt creating large pot holes in the icy roads. It is slowly starting warm up though. It was about 40 degrees today.

Jed and I went to the outdoor Sportsman Show today it was a lot of fun...we entered as many drawings as we could, hopefully, we win a free fishing charter, or an scenic flight or a free night in the Best Western !

The other exciting news is that my brother is probably moving to Alaska! I say probably because I heard that he got a job up here in Anchorage, and he is going to stay with us...but he hasn't really talked to me yet. I'm really excited though!

Other news, School continues on...it is busy and sometimes boring and typically really hard and frustrating. I have a new calling at church I am the 1st counselor in the Young Women's and so that keeps me really busy.

Spring Break

2011-03-13T17:07:00.001-07:00

This week was our Spring Break. It didn't feel at all like a Spring Break. We've had a pretty crazy week. First off! Why do professors feel the need to ruin any plans you might have for spring break? The largest assignments were given to me for this week. I have a 14 page take home midterm...I thought I was almost finished with it, there was only one more section left--which directed me to another section online that is 16 pages of more ridiculous questions! So I am sitting by our really slow printer waiting for those pages to print. But I've been slowly working on this project all week.

One nice thing is we haven't had to flex our work schedules so both Jed and I put in the normal hours and didn't have to worry about staying later or going in earlier.

But Jed had some bad luck later this week...he was working on his jeep and left his glasses on the hood then drove away...so we spent Friday night looking for them but still no luck.
Then the next morning his laptop died. I don't know exactly what happened, it doesn't recognize the hard drive anymore. We've been expecting it but it is always sad and disappointing when something you love dies. Jed also had to give a talk on Sunday and also teach his Sunday School class.

It has been nice and sunny. It's been in the upper twenties all week, so I guess I can't complain too much. I've been wearing normal shoes...this is the perfect time before break up comes and it will be too wet to were anything but rain boots. I just miss the days where we could drive south for a few hours and feel the southern sun!

Well my papers are finishing up. I have a few big assignments dues the first part of this week. Also I have my THIRD interview to be a tour director tomorrow. I have to give a presentation as if we were on a bus and I am giving a tour! Wish me luck!

First Signs!

2011-03-07T18:20:00.000-08:00

The First Sign: Today when I came home from work the sun was still shining. The Sun now rises at 7:39am and sets at 6:43pm...meaning we have 11 hours and 4 minutes of sunlight! It is so great to see the sun shining so much during the day! I can't wait for the long summer days!

The Second Sign: As shown in the video above...water dripping! Though it will freeze again this week...it is starting to slowly melt. It is the best sound in the world to hear spring coming (Slowly).

The Third Sign: While I paused to listen to the water dripping I heard the song of a bird singing in the background! That is a sound that we don't hear all winter...well we hear the loud crowing of the disgustingly large black raven's but they are really gross and don't count. But the birds are migrating back!!! There is sign of LIFE again!

Three signs that this awful horrible winter is almost over!!

Fur Rondy '11

2011-02-27T19:24:00.000-08:00

It's Fur Rondy time again! It's Anchorage's big festivities to celebrate the big fur rendezvous and the start of the Iditarod Dog Sled Race. It was a little warmer this year, the sun was out! But it was windy and really chilly. I thought it would be fun to ride the Ferris Wheel and Jed didn't argue too much, but once we got out on top it was SOOO cold! Worse idea ever! (This is us on top of the Ferris Wheel...FREEZING!)

We also had Flat Stanley with us, I took him to the Fur Auction...I think I am trying to smile, but I don't know...we couldn't feel our face after the that ferris Wheel ride.

Also ran into the Missionaries...we took their picture with Flat Stanley also!

The dog sled race, we didn't see too many of the real racers, but maybe next week we'll catch some!

On President's Day we also took a drive out to Talkeetna, Why? Just because...It was a little break from our daily routine. We saw a really beautiful bald eagle on the way and snapped a few photos.

AND if you are every in Talkeetna...which you should all visit one day! But if you are, you need to go to Mountain High Pizza Pie!! The most delicious pizza you'll ever taste! We got the Calzone, which is basically an entire pizza folded in half...mmmm--mmmm-mmm!

One way ticket to....

2011-02-16T20:47:00.000-08:00

I really should post more often. But it is hard because I feel so negative lately, and I hate spreading the negative vibes. It is hard to be in Alaska this time of year. It is really cold and there is no hope for winter to be over. I heard that Utah is having a bit of warmer weather...to all of you in UT you may not realize but your upper 40 degree temperature would be heavenly right now.

For the last few days it has been hanging around -5 to -10 degrees. My energy levels have dropped, probably from the lack of sunlight and vitamin D. I stay in bed as long as I possibly can, which means I no longer allow myself the time to go out and start my car before I have to leave for work (Shhh ...don't tell Jed.) My car really doesn't do well in the negative temperatures, it growls really loudly. Trying to drive a car that cold is just painful, but what can I say? I would rather sleep in my warm bed for those extra minutes than bother to warm up my car.

Things are getting a little better though, when I leave for work (around 8-ish) I can see a glimmer of hope coming beyond the horizon...the sun?? Oh heaven's no, but the sky has changed from being full of bright stars to a midnight blue, I can see the silhouette of the mountains to the east. During the day the sun has been shining brightly, but just at the level that your car visor won't quite block it.

But even with the sun coming out more, there is still a thick layer of ice over all the roads, parking lots, and side walks. It is still painfully cold to be outside for more than a few minutes...and people are getting irritated by it. A friend brought to my attention not too long ago that February is the mean month...especially up here! People get very impatient and tempers get out of control...meetings are more stressful, people I work with (clients and co-workers) are more easily offended, homework assignments seem more demanding of your time. All because we are hating winter and just want it to be over with!

I find myself browsing the one way tickets on Expedia...Hawaii, Rio de Janeiro, or the Caribbean? At this point I would take Seattle! I just wish the winter would be over. I want to walk out side without my bulky (yet very cute) snow boots, gloves, hat, and heavy coat...I want to wear normal shoes!

You'll still be blessed

2011-02-04T10:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Jed and I decided to go to the temple. The temple is really small up here so you have to call to make a reservation, so Jed called and made the reservation for the 8pm session, and the lady on the phone confirmed we were all set for the 8:00pm endowment session. We were running a little late had to rush to get there. When you go in the Anchorage temple you go in a little side room to remove your shoes and coat...so we rushed in threw our coats on the rack and walked up the little stairs to the recommend desk, where three temple workers were standing around talking. They immediately stop and starred at us, then exchanged glances with each other then asked "so what are you doing?"...umm, temple work I thought that's what we are supposed to do at the temple but Jed answered that we were doing and endowment session, again they glanced at each other and I thought we were too late...but there was still 15 min before the session was supposed to start. Then the gentlemen said, "well I guess you didn't get the message. The temple schedule changed and we only do a 7pm session rather than the 6pm & 8pm." So we missed it! But they assured us that we would be blessed for our efforts and they'd be sure to record our name in the computer. We turned around and got back into the truck that was still nice and warm and drove home. Going to the temple is so much easier than I remembered...And the truck was still warm!

Just Whatever

2011-01-30T14:47:00.001-08:00

It has been a wild week. School is going well, I now only have 2 classes because I dropped intro to Logic. I am signing up for a Spanish class in town to help me get ready for the CLEP test. School is school, nothing much has changed; we should spend more time studying and less time on the internet, but I guess everyone should do that.

After cleaning out the fridge yesterday, I have made a new goal to eat more! We had tons of left overs in the fridge and food that just went to waste...I decided that I need to learn to cook less or eat more, I'm just going to eat more for now ;)

I went to a yoga class with a co-worker on Friday. I forgot how much I love yoga, my other goal is to start going more often...I'm trying to get Jed to start going with me, he has never done it before. I'll let you know how that goes.

So other than that, I am surviving a little better than earlier this month. The sun is slowly coming out, we now have about 7.5 hours of daylight. Just a few more months and it will start to feel like spring!

Is that too much to ask for?

2011-01-24T13:15:00.001-08:00

I could really go for some warm weather right now...and yes the 27 degrees today feels pretty nice, from the -10 degrees we had last week. But what I'm dreaming about is 80 degrees or higher...I want windows rolled down blasting my radio,wearing sunglasses, chacos and spandex with my bike ontop of my car on my way to meet Mama Beck for a ride up Provo Canyon.

Is that too much to ask for?? ;)

I'm Still Here!

2011-01-13T21:28:00.000-08:00

I am still here, I am just trying to survive the winter. So I am trying to do my logic homework, and bake some chocolate chip cookies...while listening to the radio from hell. Meanwhile Jed is tearing our place apart looking for his text book receipts from last semester for tuition reimbursements.

Just another Thursday night at our place.

The Pain!

2010-12-01T21:28:00.000-08:00

So I am the worst procrastinator! I am just reaching my finals week...it just sneaked up this year, yeah and I have two papers due...in, um I don't know, like 17 hours. I have one almost complete, the other one well let's not talk about that one right now. I have some Dr. Pepper to try to get me through the night, (By the way I haven't had a Dr. Pepper or a Caffeinated beverage in many moons! I was doing so well, but desperate times calls for desperate measures!) but I needed a little break and I wanted to share my experience in hopes that you will all learn something from it.

When I finish these papers I also have a bunch of Statistics homework to catch up on, then my finals begin Tuesday! I have a final Tuesday at 1pm, Thursday at 3pm, and Saturday at 10am!

For those of you who are not in school I hope you are enjoying your spare time and I hope you feel sympathy for me...and for all of you who are currently going through this same hell as me I understand your pain!

Craft Fair

2010-11-21T18:27:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite family traditions is the day after Thanksgiving all the girls go to the Spanish Fork Craft fair at the Fair Grounds. For many years I would go for just one reason...the doughnuts. The picture above is a picture of me in front of the doughnut guys. They are so delicious. We mostly used the craft fair to get ideas, we very seldom bought anything (except the doughnuts). So now that I've moved away that is the one thing I really miss about this week. Yet my boss, Dixi came to my rescue last year and invited me to the big craft fair in Anchorage...so we have now a two year tradition going. I went this Saturday with her and Anchorage has a very unique craft fair.

(I want to know where you can buy these pants)

These were my favorite! Fur is really big in Alaska, but I've never seen mittens this big!! They were very warm and covered almost my whole arm.
It was a great start to the Holidays! I found some really delicious chocolates and a cute ear warmer/headband thing.

This week I have work, half a week of school, Adult Volleyball competition at our church, Thanksgiving with some friends in our ward...and back to work on Black Friday!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Lunch Date

2010-11-17T13:56:00.000-08:00

Kendo's Thai Food, Downtown Anchorage, AK

I just had lunch with Jed. I picked him up at his work and he took me here! This little dumpy gross trailer, called Kendo's. However, it was delicious Thai food.

It was so nice to get away from the office, get out into the little bit of sunlight that we get.

Thanks babe for lunch, I love you!

Only in Alaska

2010-11-14T15:18:00.000-08:00

So last week Jed's boss got attacked by a bear. It was pretty intense...the bear charged just after he killed a deer. He got torn up pretty bad but nothing critical. He broke some ribs, tore a big gash in his leg and it bit his butt. The bear was shot several times before it finally died. Crazy huh?!

Only in Alaska!

Below is a link to an article with his story in more detail.

http://alaskadispatch.com/dispatches/news/7403-alaska-bear-attack-a-shot-too-late?showall=1

Birthday, SAD and Food Poisoning

2010-11-13T11:26:00.000-08:00

I celebrated my birthday this week. I had a really great birthday! My co-workers decorated my desk at work and gave me a gift card to iTunes, plus we had a delicious cake. After work, Jed came home with some sweet gifts! He spoiled me this year. He gave me a magnified makeup mirror, which i've been very excited about. Plus, a table for my sewing machine, and a glue gun. One of my favorites gifts was a S.A.D. Light (a seasonal affective disorder light). It smaller than the picture below...but the picture made me laugh.
I look just like the woman when I sit in front of my light. I thought about taking it to work...but it is incredibly bright. But hopefully it will help the long winters in Anchorage.

Jed and I then went to one of my favorite little restaurants, Lucky Wish Bone, for a delicious swiss and bacon hamburger and onion rings. Then we went to see the movie below...which was cute, but predictable. The rest of the week went okay. It is getting colder here and I didn't wear my Uggs on Tuesday and thought I was going to get frost bite on my toes. I finally decided to go buy these boots I've been looking at since early this summer. I took advantage of the money my mom and dad sent me for my birthday to get these super cute, and warm (up to -40 degrees) boots.

My week ended with what we suspect as food poisoning. We think it is from some questionable spaghetti sauce we found in our fridge. Jed warned me and I told him it was fine. I missed work Friday and I'm missing class today still with horrible stomach cramps.

How Great Shall Be Your Joy

2010-11-07T15:53:00.000-08:00

Today is a lazy Sunday. It is snowing out side...you can't really see it in the picture above, but we are just hanging out and enjoying our fire place.

I have something to share with you. Since I moved away from Utah, I have really missed all my friends. It took me a while to make friends here in Alaska and most of my friends are also my co-workers. A little while ago I was particularly missing my good friends who are also members of the LDS faith. I missed having someone to talk to about spiritual things and who understood and respected my faith. Well, I prayed that I could find a friend in my ward or someone who was a member of the church to be friends with...But it seems the Lord can answer your prayers in ways that you are not expecting. He answered my prayer, in a way I really wasn't expecting.

I have a good friend (who I'll refer to as J) who started asking me questions about my religion about 10 months ago. She was going through a rough time and I volunteered Jed to give her a blessing. Which she accepted. We shared some things about the church and gave her a Book of Mormon. I didn't hear any other questions or bring up the church for a long time...It wasn't until I started praying a couple weeks ago that my friend J told me she was reading the Book of Mormon. I was really excited to hear that she was reading and that she had questions. She asked me more questions and we talked for a long time. I felt horrible when I didn't pick up on her hints about wanting to come to church with me. She first asked where the church was, then she asked what time it started, what people wore to church...and finally I caught on and asked her if she wanted to come with us on Sunday. So now J has been to church twice and we had the missionaries teach her the first lesson at our place. It is incredible to hear her talk about the things she is learning. She is very interested and wants to continue coming to church, and hearing the missionaries lessons. It is an amazing experience for me to help answer questions. And now I have a friend who is learning about the church and who wants to asks me questions about spiritual things, and who is learning more about my faith. I know He answers our prayers!

Halloween 2010: Jones' style!

2010-10-31T16:58:00.000-07:00

It is Halloween Weekend! We had a really great time getting our costumes together and going to our church's Trunk-or-Treat! It was a lot of fun. Jed Dressed up as a hillbilly/redneck, I went as Woodsy the Owl "Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute". We gave out a lot of candy and had fun talking to some people in our ward.

Other updates:
* I got an A on my statistics mid-term and got B's on my other two mid-terms! School is half way done!
* A friend came to church with me today and is coming to our house Tuesday night to hear the missionaries lessons.
* We are having dinner tonight with a family in the ward who seem very cool...they like to bike and are really outdoorsy....my friend who came to church is also coming!
* That is pretty much the update...but I think the first bullet point would explain why there is nothing else to report. I am studying a lot!

just a weekly update

2010-10-17T15:13:00.000-07:00

So another week has gone by. It seems that I haven't accomplished much except for homework this week. I think I left a load of clothes in the washer that will have to be washed again. I even made Jed go do the grocery shopping.
I have two mid-terms this week. I am experiencing my first 400 level college exam and it shouldnt be a surprise that studying for this exam is kicking my butt. I also have my statistics Mid-term, but luckily I have a good study buddy and we spend hours every Wednesday night so I feel like I am doing much much better this go round...Just don't ask me WHY we use any of the formulas...I just know how to plug in the info.

It's super cold already...it's been in the 20-30's all week. But no snow! It's supposed to snow tomorrow. I really wish I would have already put my studded tires on my car!

October 9th, One Year!

2010-10-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

Jed and I had our first wedding anniversary! October 09th. So, being the first big anniversary, we had to celebrate doing something different than the normal dinner and movie. So we spent the night at the Alyeska hotel. It was fantastic, complete with white robes, slippers and fancy rooms. On the way out to Girdwood we chased the Bore Tide, it was great! Since I've only seen it one other time. It was a pretty good tide also...we tried to get pictures but since we both forgot the camera we only had cellphone cameras. But it was really beautiful! This is Jed literally chasing the bore tide...he ran down the trail to see if we could get a better view.

If you look really closely and if you were there you would be able to see the tide in this photo...but good luck! Just think of it as a beautiful scene.

I surprised Jed by having someone I found on Craigslist make a cake...to traditionally celebrate our first anniversary! It was delicious. I hid it in the car, then sneaked out and had the front desk delivery it! It was a great surprise!

My 180th semi-annual General Conference Weekend

2010-10-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

I had a really great and spiritual weekend! Saturday was busy because both Jed and I have classes, so we weren't able to listen to a lot of conference. I did get to listen to some of Saturday Afternoon session while I was busy cleaning my house and making cinamin rolls.

To make things better we had the missionaries for dinner. They came right after the priesthood session. We made them a huge breakfast/dinner...with tons of pancakes, eggs, bacon, hashbrowns and Cinamin rolls for desert. The last few times we've fed the missionaries we have underestimated the amount of food they are capable of eating...so this time we were prepared, it felt like we were feeding an army! But after all was said and done there was not much left! I think we have found our secret weapon to satisfy missionaries appetites! They were a lot of fun also! We found out that our next door neighbor...or the neighbor on the other side of our wall is also LDS, but just semi active. It was great to have the missionaries in our home and to feel the spirit.

Sunday was a great, we watched conference at home with our laptop plugged into our TV. We stayed in our pajamas all day and we make a delicious roast in the crockpot! I love general conference.

So next Saturday is our one year anniversary!! It's gone by fast huh?

My Five Seconds of Fame

2010-09-24T20:32:00.000-07:00

Where do I start?

Last night I got the phone call telling me where I needed to go for my big scene. They also sent an email of instructions, including please bring your own wardrobe, have clean, dry hair with no product in it...and three shades of lipstick. So Jed and I went on an adventure to our local thrift store I tried on several outfits and finally found a great navy blue pant suit with a light pink button up shirt!

I had to arrive at 10:30am and I immediately saw a bunch of big Universal Studios trucks and after getting checked in I was sent straight to wardrobe. I was the only one out of the group who's wardrobe they approved of, infant they loved it. My hair was already awesome because I did as they said and didn't put hair product in it...it was big and really frizzy. After getting my wardrobe approved (well, after adding black stockings, and giant gold earrings), I went to the main trailer for hair. I was there for a while, just chatting away, asking questions, and saying things about all the big movie stars...I realized that the person doing my hair was trying to keep me turned a certain direction, which made me suspiceious and THEN I realized that there was some one famous in the trailer also getting their hair done just two chairs down from me. It only took me a second of listening carefully to know it was Kristen Bell...but I still asked "Oh my gosh! Is that Kristen Bell?!?" Then I realized by my tone that I could get out of control. I was too nervous to say anything to her. She started talking about how strange it was to see cooler with dutch tape coming around on the baggage carousal, until she realized that people were shipping fish and meat...I really wanted to tell her that wasn't the case, that really Alaska is just that cheap and really that redneck that we use Igloo Coolers for luggage! I finished my hair and they quickly rushed me out. No introductions, no autographs, no pictures you will just have to believe my word.Vinessa Shaw also came into the trailer and seemed very nice and cute...but I've never heard of her or recognize any movie that she's been in...but I feel it is note worthy!

Once we were all dressed with hair and makeup done they took us to an upstairs room in this dirty warehouse and told us we couldn't talk more than a whisper, we couldn't leave the room and they would call us shortly. Hours went by, I met some very nice people. My favorite was Célia an older woman from Brazil, I started to speak to her in portuguese and we talked the entire time. Come to find out she didn't really speak English and didn't know really what was going on. Once I started translating her personality really came out and she was a lot of fun, for everyone!

We sat around for many hours and then around 3pm finally they let us eat lunch. We were in a big open area of the warehouse...like a garage...but the food was really good. While we were sitting there we were all talking and I told them that I was in the trailer with Kristen Bell...I said "I am sure we won't be seeing any big names down here! I am sure they get to eat in the fancy part of the warehouse." Then the kid sitting across from me said "Isn't that Kristen Bell sitting right behind us?" So we all watched for a minute and sure enough it WAS! So as she walked by I said "We love you Kristen!" and she stopped for a second and was smiled and said "Thank you". We spent the rest of lunch trying to come up with ways to embellish the moment. It finally ended that Stacy (one of the ladies I met) and I would be having lunch tomorrow with Kristen, and the kid across the table got her number and had high hopes of getting a date.

We were then shuffled quietly back to the "Holding Pen" and waited for another hour before they led us down to the white house set. We all just sat there, we weren't supposed to show a lot of energy. We practiced about 5 times, then they shot the scene another, I don't know 10 times maybe. President Reagan came into the conference room and spoke a few lines. He was very fun and charming. His line apparently ended mid sentence so he finished his line differently each time...blaming the problems with the soviet union on the democrats, the republicans and my favorite was he went off on Nancy. The actor playing Reagan had a problem with fidgetting with his hands and the director Ken Kwapis (Director of the Office) didn't like it, so we had to re-shoot a bunch of times. We all walked away very certain that it was such a small scene that they are definitely going to cut it from the movie. So I have no pictures, no proof and I am sure if they need to cut any scenes it will be Reagan and the White House scene!

But it was fun! I got to practice my Portuguese and meet some fun people. Plus I saw Kristen Bell and Vinessa Shaw (who ever that is), and Ken Kwapis! I still hope to see Ted Danson and Drew Barrymore walking the streets of Anchorage!

4.9 Earthquake

2010-09-20T17:08:00.000-07:00

Today we had an earthquake. A 4.9...it was the strongest I have experienced yet. My co-worker started to get nervous when it didn't quit right away, so she hurried and got under her desk. We just laughed and it quickly stopped...no harm done.

Then Jed and I texted each other at the exact same time "Did you feel that?!"

I'm serious!

2010-09-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

I was serious when I said I was going to start Pilloos and Such!

Here is my new link Pilloosandsuch.blogspot.com.

I am hoping I can get more things on my new blog soon! I am just trying to get the word out about Pilloos and Such. I hope all my Alaska friends see this link!

But on a different note. I am doing well, I am busy with school and I am very excited for my upcoming role in "Everybody Loves Whales"---it's not really a role, I am going to be an extra I will probably just stand in the back of the room.

Hello Hollywood...Is That You Calling?

2010-09-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

This morning I received this email...basically from Hollywood!

Hello Sarah,
We thank you for auditioning for “Everybody Loves Whales.” This film
is about the grey whales caught in the ice near Barrow in 1988, their rescue and
the local, national and international press frenzy surrounding it all.
Yesterday, the film’s director, Ken Kwapis made his selections for the “White
House Scene” he hopes will be available to work on the film, if you’re receiving
this email, then you are part of that selected group.

Though cast
as extras, you will be seen and be an integral part of this film. Days
will typically be 12 hours, pay at minimum wage rates – roughly about 119.00 per
day with a warm meal half way through each day. You have been selected as a
White House Press member. This scene is scheduled to shoot on FRIDAY,
SEPTEMBER 24th in Anchorage.

I am really excited to be an extra. I think it is great that they are paying me $119.00 AND a hot meal. I was also thrilled to see that I would be going to the white house (*wink*) I've never been to Washington. I am not sure if I will be seeing or working with Drew Barrymore...I still don't know what her role is in the movie. So I may have some interesting stories ahead!

Pilloos & Such

2010-09-08T10:29:00.000-07:00

I have felt an urge to be crafty lately! Perhaps my creative side has been neglected by all the intellectual studying I'm doing. Whatever it is I am having a lot of fun. I have come up with a lot of creative ideas and how I can possibly use it to hopefully make some extra cash...since I work for a non-profit agency I'm not exactly rolling in the dough. So this is my tiny business proposition and if you have any ideas for me let me know! It all started when I saw a really cute throw pillow at Target that was $30! Outrageaous!! Since when do we need to get a small business loan to buy some throw pillows? So I made my own! Then I thought, I bet I could make a bunch of throw pillows and sell them to my co-workers and to my friends! So then I came up with the name "Pilloos & Such", because I don't want to limit myself to just pillows. I was born with crafty genes and with some help with ideas maybe I could make enough to cover my expenses. Who knows maybe I could do the saturday market, christmas craft fairs...and eventually sell my product world wide! Well maybe that is too much but I'd be interested in hearing what you think!

I recovered this pillow that was in my office and gave it a little make over! This is Just the beginning of Pilloos & Such

Casting Call

2010-09-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

Today I left work early, Jed and I went to the Dimond Center Mall for a casting call for the film "Everybody Loves Whales"...so not only will the Willies be famous, we will be a big famous family!!

(Jed was trying to be inconspicuous and just took a really blurry photo)

First Aid Certified

2010-08-28T08:37:00.001-07:00

Yesterday while I was driving home from work I saw a girl get hit by a truck. I was kind of stuck in traffic and on the on coming traffic I saw an older Ford truck slam on his brake right before nailing this girl, neither of them were going very fast, the girl rolled to the ground but then didn't get up. The guy driving the truck got out really quickly and had his cell phone out. I debated pulling over because there was so much traffic but I hurried and pulled into a car wash parking area and grabbed my blood borne pathogens kit they gave me at work, (which I always keep in my glove box) and ran across the street. I was the first to respond! Well besides the kid that hit her and he was on the phone to 911... Plus I was CPR & First Aid certified. She was unconscious but breathing...and smelled very strongly of alcohol. Just seconds after I got there her friend was there and said she was drunk and had asthma...but this time there is tons of traffic, and out of no where this lady on the opposing side is yelling out her window that she has an inhaler! with her arm waving out of the window with an inhaler. That made me laugh, because she was breathing okay she was just unconscious! The police arrived in less than 2 minutes and I didn't actually see what happened so they didn't need me any longer.

I've never come onto an accident like that, and luckily it wasn't worse. Ironically I have my First Aid training scheduled for Monday morning...that sure would have been nice LAST Monday. I think I did okay but she wasn't in too bad of shape! When I left I had adrenaline pumping through me so fast, I was totally excited that I actually stopped and got to help. I called Jed to tell him I was running late because I was a hero and totally saved someone's live!

Almost Famous!

2010-08-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

I can't keep a secret! Jed was hoping to keep it a secret and then surprise everyone! But it's legitimate, they are filming "Everybody Loves Whales" Starring Drew Barrymore here in Anchorage. They are considering using the Willy's in the film...it's going to be FAMOUS!!! Maybe Drew Barrymore will drive it? Or John Krasinski (Jim from the Office) is also starring in the film!! It's so exciting!! I am going to try to audition to be an extra and maybe we will both be famous!

A New Semester

2010-08-23T22:34:00.000-07:00

Tonight I semi-enjoyed my last evening without homework. Tomorrow is my first day of my Fall Semester. I am registered for Statistics (again), Demography, and Social Theory. I am only a few semesters from graduating, well to be more specific about 3...so I am getting to the more intensive courses, the ones where they actually expect you to know something about Sociology. I have a feeling this semester is going to be very crazy! It already started today. In order for me to continue working 40 hours a week I have to flex my hours around my school schedule. That means that I have to work late a few nights, go in super early other mornings and hope that nothing else comes up. It is really difficult to continue working when even the janitors are leaving for the evening, but hopefully I will have more work to do soon and if not I can sneak in some study time after everyone's gone.

One thing I am excited about it having Jed back! He flies in on Wednesday...this little break has been the longest we've been apart since we got married. It is strange not to have him around. I'm not to the point in our marriage that I enjoy the 'time apart'...as some have suggested.

So come this week I am starting my 40 hours plus 9 credit school schedule...Farewell friends!

Saturday

2010-08-21T21:36:00.000-07:00

I spent another weekend cleaning my apartment! I think the vinegar is starting to work, but I also read the coffee grinds help absorb the smell. I have about 20 nylons full of coffee grinds hanging around. I washed the windows, put baking soda on the carpets. Have any of you ever moved into a place that had a chain smoker living there? I guess I got my mom's hyper-sensitive sense of smell because it drives me crazy!

But in addition to washing walls I hit some garage sales this morning and also I went with my co-worker to the Saturday's market...while at one of the garage sales I got some really cool plants! They are kind of crazy but maybe they will help freshen things up! I think I am going to call them Oscar & Jerry...let's see if I can keep them alive during the winter when there is no sunlight!

Above: Oscar

Below: Jerry

Office Space

2010-08-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

I feel just like Milton from the Office Space!

"And I said, I don't care if they lay me off either, because I told, I told Dixi that if they move my desk one more time, then, then I'm, I'm quitting, I'm going to quit. And, and I told Barb too, because they've moved my desk four times already this year, and I used to be over by the window, and I could see the Moose, and they were merry, but then, they switched from the Swingline to the Boston stapler, but I kept my Swingline stapler because it didn't bind up as much, and I kept the staples for the Swingline stapler and it's not okay because if they take my stapler then I'll set the building on fire..."

My new desk! It's smaller...further away from a window and I now share an office with two other ladies.

But I got to bring my stapler with me!

From Fairbanks to Anchorage

2010-08-15T16:36:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my mini-mester at University of Fairbanks...well kind of I have one more paper to submit by tomorrow. But Jed and I decided to go to the Tanana Fair before we started packing!
The fair is awesome, it is small, but it has some really good food! We only had time for, corn on the cob that had been completely submersed in butter, deep fried chip-on-a-stick, Denali Creme puffs with a gallon of rich chocolate syrup on top, deep fried elephant ears, lemonade with vanilla. It was delicious!

I really love Fairbanks! It was a beautiful summer, warm and sunny all summer long!
But alas! Summer must end.
Jed and I moved into our dive of an apartment Thursday evening. We arrived to find that the carpet had not been fully installed...and that they only decided to replace the front room, not the bedrooms carpet. Also, they only painted where they had patched holes, with white paint over a creamy tan color...it looks great!
So needless to say it didn't help the smokey smell one bit! This is our fabulous kitchen...with bright orange counter tops.
(note the color in comparison to the fire extinguisher)

This is my favorite part the big windows...also because I can open the window and the smokey smell kind of passes for a minute.

We found an awesome couch at a clearance center and Jed recruited his co-worker to help move it up the stairs (3 flights of awkward stairs)

We were both really tired after moving everything in...but Jed had to turn around and drive back to Fairbanks!

Our summer fling ended!

Jed won't be back until school starts, about a week and a half...then he'll be back almost every 'weekend'.

I start working again tomorrow and I have walls to wash to see if the smoke smell will go away.

Just Some Randomness

2010-08-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

Just some randomness!

Our happy little family, including the new truck, my car and the Willy's

Jed's new truck! It's really dirty because we just got back from Anchorage when I took this picture.

My little flower garden...home grown in the Midnight sun!

I finally figured out what my mystery plant was! I thought it was maybe a pepper plant...turns out it is a sunflower! I'm surprised it bloomed at all!

Crossing the Nenana Bridge!
It was a long trip! We spent the majority of the time in the truck driving around looking for a place to live! We were both very happy to be so close to home!

My snacks and new water bottle!

At the Tanana Valley State Fair Leah and I got Glittery Tattoos! We also ate sooo much food, and found some really fun things! And Finally!!
Yesterday was the annual ULCER ride...the 100+ mile ride around Utah Lake. I have fond memories of this ride...and I was unable to make it down to ride it this year. Every year Mama Beck, my sister Annette and I rode together! I rode after only two weeks from returning from my mission! I flew down last year just to ride...But this year it didn't happen and that is okay because Mama Beck is in bed, on a twelve week recovery from a nasty bike crash! So if Becky can't do it, none of us were going to do it. Annette also didn't ride this year. I thought of them though and really missed them...especially on our drive home we passed a gas station in Nenana that had 3 beautiful cyclists taking a break, and it really reminded me of all the good times!

Now Leasing!

2010-08-06T22:16:00.000-07:00

Jed and I came to Anchorage this week to find an apartment. It was really frustrating! Rent is so expensive in Anchorage. For a 1-2 bedroom it is around $1000! That is the price for really ghetto looking apartments, in shady parts of town. We tried calling a bunch of places and no one called us back, so we drove by about 16 places. Most of them did not have parking space available for three vehicles. We finally got an appointment to see one, after seeing the apartment...we were so worried we weren't going to find anything, we were willing to take it even though it was more than what we wanted to pay...but then the manager told us that they didn't have anything available until September.

Why did you just waste our time showing us that apartment?! Which is not even available?!

We did get a hold of another property manager that dogged us the night before by telling us to call him back around 5pm and when we called the office closed at 4pm.

But
That worked out. The place is a nice looking area, with plenty of parking! It is close to the freeway, closer to campus and work. Plus it was in our price range! It has a washer and dryer, two bedrooms and a fire place!

It unfortunately had horrible carpet stains, a bad paint job and horrible smokey smell...since the last tenant smoked. So we tried to negotiate the rental price...instead the manager agreed to replace the carpet! Plus they might replace the hideous bright red kitchen counter tops. Hopefully that will take care of the smokey smell. If not any ideas?

Yay!
So we just signed a lease...and we can move in next week! (as planned!)
Pictures coming soon!

Busy Weekend

2010-08-02T18:06:00.000-07:00

We had a busy weekend.

Friday was our date 'day'...since pretty much spend the entire day doing dating activities. First we bought a new Frisbee and went to a soccer field on campus...Frisbee is hard! It is an intense workout too! Especially for us, we really suck and can't aim very well...well at least I really can't throw!
It was a really nice day, bright and sunny, hot about 83 degrees!

Then we went to see the movie Salt with Angelina as a Russian spy! It was good, it kept me guessing the whole movie. I was glad I saw it early.

Then we went to North Pole to eat at Pagoda...which is the best Chinese food in Alaska, by like a million times. It seems it is so hard to find good Chinese food. Jed and I seem to have bad luck with Chinese food...even before we were together, back when we were just friends we went to probably the worst Chinese restaurants ever! So of course we finally find a good one just before I'm moving back to Anchorage.

This weekend we also bought Jed's new truck (I'll post a picture soon...I can't find a 'look-a-like' picture on google)
That was pretty much an all day event.

I also spent about 4 hours cleaning my car, inside it gets so dusty living on a dirt road. I shampooed the carpets and everything. I also killed my battery...and was stuck at the cabin for four hours while Jed was driving out to Healy to get the new truck. It was frustrating considering we had two other vehicles in our driveway...but with no keys!
Sunday I also spent about 5+ hours working on the new truck! It was way worse than my car. The former owner worked in a mine and also had his little girl in it all the time...Kid mess is way worse to clean. I think she was a fan of smashing licorice nibs into the carpet.

It was a good weekend...but it went by too fast.

Mystery

2010-07-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

So today I got a package from my two nephews B & W. They called early to see if I had gotten it. I was surprised that they had sent me anything. They sent me this cute little sign (above)...because I have an outhouse..

and then also included in the package was...

A TV remote??
Hmm... I wonder why they sent their TV remote? I thought.
So I am on the phone with Hilpy trying to figure out why she sent me a Remote, only to find out that she hadn't! At first I thought it was just one of Hilpy's ways of teasing me. Like when she is at my parents house and answers the phone and pretends I must have called her home accidentally.
But she was really sincerely confused.
She asked B&W if they sent me a remote...and they were very confused. Then really curious. So I sent her this picture to see if she had accidentally sent me her remote...but they have never seen it before.

The Mystery Remote!
I am hoping no one put illegal drugs in it and is trying to smuggle it into the country!
Maybe someone is now really sad because their package is missing a remote.
Are you missing yours?

Our Pioneer Adventure

2010-07-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Jed and I slept in. It happens alot with Jed working graveyards. He can't fall asleep until wee hours of the morning, and I can't stay awake. The problem is, I don't wake up with him sleeping next to me...so I sleep for like 12 hours! I don't know how I do it but it really messes me up.

Well anyways, we slept in and didn't really have anything to do. Feeling slightly homesick, because it is the 24th of July weekend and my family is all together celebrating at Spanish Fork Fiesta Days...I knew we needed to do something fun and memorable. So we decided to drive somewhere! We packed our cooler, grabbed sleeping bags and a tent, just in case we liked it so much we wanted to sleep over. Then stopped for gas, before we decided which direction we would go. There are only so many choices from fairbanks, our choices were: Manly Hotsprings, a 150 mile dirt road, Circle also a dirt road for 161 miles, the Artic Circle (I don't know how many miles I think 300-400) or down around Cantwell.

We decided Circle...which is a little town along the Yukon, with pop. of 94. It was a beautiful drive. It was a little scary when we got into town, because it is not a tourist type of town, we didn't dare get out of the car because we were afraid some redneck would get out his shot gun for trespassing. We ended up camping about 3o miles south of Circle...it was the bestest spot ever! We built a camp fire and everything! The whole time we were there only two cars passed, and we were right next to the main road (the only road). It was very quiet! I hope to have pics soon.

Happy Pioneer Day! Hope you all had fun at the Rodeo, the parade, and the quilt show! ;) Love you all miss you tons!

Organic

2010-07-11T17:22:00.001-07:00

I haven't been very good at writing lately. Since my parents came I've been feeling a little 'Organic'--you know going back to basics. I decided to use that phrase while we were traveling with my parents. It seemed like everyone around me was so quick to get a picture of anything that moved or didn't move, and most people were so busy trying to figure out their camera setting that they missed the bear or whale all together. Sometimes it is just really nice to see it "organically" or first hand and not through a camera lens. I found that most of the pictures I took didn't give it justice and I ended up having more fun explaining what I saw to others rather than trying to rush to get a photo and not seeing it at all. Not only am I feeling more "organic" with my photography, but lately with my internet access, too. That mostly comes from living in a cabin that doesn't have wi-fi. (I found it for a day...then it vanished). I have seriously cut back on my internet time. I obviously still access it, but I feel like I've cut my time way back.

But anyway here's just a quick update:

I started another mini-mester I have 2 1/2 courses....one is carrying over from last mini-mester and will be done by the end of this month. The other two are upper-division and crazy work! Social psychology and Women's literature...oh my goodness! They require a lot of attention and so much reading, it makes me question why I am going to school. My psychology class makes me feel like a real-life college student...like the ones you always hear about...an Atheist professor who just can't help but try to disprove the existence of God. It is somewhat entertaining, but I'm glad it's only a 'mini-mester' only 4 more weeks!

I'm heading to Anchorage this week to put a few hours in at the office. I am staying with my friend/co-worker and I am way excited to see everyone at the office.

Travelin' with the Folks

2010-06-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

I am back!

My parents are still in Alaska but they are in Anchorage. I had to return to Fairbanks with my husband, who then left me alone to go to work.

I have had so much fun the last two weeks with my parents. I've put close to 2,000 miles on my car and saw more of Alaska in the last few days than in the whole year I've lived here. It was great to be a tourist.

We started in Anchorage. My parents came with us to do a session at the temple, a great way to start a vacation! We showed my parents a little bit of down town

That Friday we rode the train from Anchorage to Seward, it was a last minute thing that was free...yeah, I know this guy he hooked us up.(Picture of us speeding down the railway)

We spent some time in Seward it is a small town so there really is not much to see. We also did a little hike to Exit Glacier which was lots of fun.

Saturday we all stuffed ourselves into my little car and drove to Fairbanks. It was raining and foggy the whole way. We did make one stop in Talkeetna (the pictures our on my little point and shoot but I haven't loaded them). We toured around Fairbanks, went to Chena Hot Springs...which was soooo nice.

Then we left Jed behind to go to work and we went to Denali National Park!!!
Where we took a 12 hour drive into the park...it is closed to public access, if you want to go into the park you have to ride a bus! (or win the lottery they do every year to allow 40 private vehicles in during September.)
Isn't that a great shot of the mountain?

We got some amazing pictures of Denali...we were in the 20-40% of tourists that actually get to see the top of the Mountain.
We also went to North Pole and visited Santa, we saw the pipeline, and made it to Valdez!

I love my hubby, Jed...we had so much fun with him having experience as a tour guide...made it very entertaining!
(I love this picture of my parents enjoying the lunch on our glacier tour...they were tons of fun)

But the best of all was...

The fishing!
Heath flew up to Alaska, just to go fishing with us! We also brought along our cousin Christine. We had the boat to ourselves!
It was really wet! It rained hard the whole time, which made us very grateful that we bought rain gear as they suggested. It was kind of stormy at one point we were going through swells 4-8 feet high.
My mom only puked twice...but she had fun, and reeled in a few of her own!
We caught our limit and had 244 lbs of fillets to take home. Divided by 6...that is still a lot of fillet!

Hope you all like fish, because chances our you may be getting a visit from one of us!
Oh anyone have any good Halibut recipes?

busy

2010-06-13T17:11:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week.

This week will be even busier.

My parents will be flying into Anchorage on Wednesday!
YAY! I'm so excited to see them...and hope we get a little dryer weather.

I might be off line for a while but stay tuned because I'll have lots of fun pics and stories later on.

Crocs

2010-06-08T16:35:00.000-07:00

Have you seen these? I know you have! I think they may be the worst fashion statement ever. However, I know that they are amazingly comfortable...but, is that really any excuse to wear them out in public, to church, or work? I know a lot of people in the medical field wear them and I will forgive those people, because they look okay with scrubs. But I don't think people should wear their bright pink crocs to church or to a restaurant...

BUT!!!
Since I am living in a cabin and I have to go outside to go to the bathroom I decide that crocs would be okay to own...
then when I went online I saw THESE!

I just got them yesterday! They are just as comfortable as the ugly ones, but these are much cuter!

I want to congratulate Crocs for finally designing a normal looking shoe! not only normal but cute! Just goes to show you can be comfortable without looking horrible!

Tips for Dry Cabin Living

2010-06-06T14:08:00.000-07:00

Here are a few tips if you are ever in a situation of living in a dry cabin.
This is what I have learned.

I finally have an excuse not to do the dishes!
It is such a process to do the dishes, and it uses a lot of water so I only do them, once maybe twice a week.
How do we do that?

BBQ-er & Cast Iron Skillet...fast clean up!

Paper and plastic products...and this may sound gross but a quick rinse job on the few necessary items and wah-lah...you only have to do dishes once a week.
(Be sure to buy the Costco sized package of paper plates...and avoid paper bowls, it make your cereal taste papery)
Plastic spoon can be used as a knife...especially if any spreading is involved.

Make use of all the water you have. For example. I dropped an entire tray of ice on the floor...I stopped myself before I put them in the sink to melt, and remembered by plants outside need to be watered. Wah-Lah
I needed to thaw some chicken, but we don't own a microwave, so after boiling the potatoes I poured the left over boiling water over the bag of chicken to thaw! and Wah-lah, thawed my chicken and conserved water.

Get a good broom! It will be used daily to keep all the pine needles and dirt out, and it's also a useful tool in removing insects...especially the bees that seem to be on a suicide mission. (we remove them with no harm, just by holding the bristle of the broom up to where they've landed...they climb on and we take them outside to fly away!)
SAVE THE BEES!

BUT...THE MOST IMPORTANT
advice I can give you is....

Never pass up the opportunity to take a shower.
Even if THREE times in one week the gym did not have hot water.
Even if it gives you a headache to wash your hair because it is so cold.
Even if you think you will shower, the next morning
or down at the laundry-mat...
Don't miss the opportunity,
because
You really never know what will happen, what plans may change,
work schedule may change, plans with friends may come up suddenly...and you can't quickly jump in the shower!
If you missed yesterday's shower---you are going to be a smelly!
and NEVER (ever!) let five days go by without showering! That is way too many days! because on that fifth day when you do go to shower, something horrible will happen, like there will be no hot water!

I'm just sayin'

RIP cell phone!

2010-06-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

My phone died...it just went crazy. It was doing just fine, it is the first cell phone I've had that didn't break after the first month I had it. It was fast and did everything I wanted without problems...but then without notice it just decided it had enough. It died, then started to load and load, but never got anywhere. My warranty has expired but good thing I have insurance. I was really hoping this was a great excuse to get an iPhone, but they are really really expensive in the middle of your contract. My contract is up in November so I will get the iPhone then. Meanwhile they are sending me a replacement phone, and I am using Jed's old phone.

I finally decided about my Job, my boss called me and said she realized how crazy things must appear and she found a schedule that will work for both of us. Mon, Tues, Wed 7:30am-12:30, with the same young man. Also because this client is higher needs they are going to pay me $18/hr to work with him. I couldn't refuse that! She also offered me the Care Coordination position if I were to stay in Fairbanks....I really don't want to live in Fairbanks all year, but it was nice of her.

Early Memorial Day BBQ

2010-05-31T15:14:00.000-07:00

Friday night we decided to go on a picnic. We headed out towards the Chena Hot Springs in the Willy's and found a little turn off that looked like no one had driven down for a while...it was a good thing we were in the Willy's because it was a tight fit and there were lots of branches scratching against the Jeep. The little road led straight to the bank of the river. We had made a few kabobs and marinaded some chicken, and it was super tasty.

Alaska is so beautiful! It is fun to have the sun up all the time. After we were there for a while we saw this beaver, named Clyde...he was having lots of fun swimming and waddling on shore.

My Weekend

2010-05-30T16:05:00.000-07:00

I went to my new job a few times last week and I am not convinced that it is the right place for me. Only because the boss woman is crazy, and I am really worried that either it will be a scheduling nightmare...that she will not get the dates and times correct and I'll spend all my time finding coverage, or covering the shifts anyways or just leaving all my co-workers hanging, and I don't like any of those option. Or she is just crazy, maybe on Meth (seriously!) and I'll get screwed out of money or something terrible will happen. So I'm going a couple more times...then I guess I'll see what I want to do....but I am keeping my options open.

I planted some flowers, now I need to get a jug to haul water just for my plants. I am excited about growing something...especially here in Alaska the flowers grow like crazy because it is light all the time.

I'll have more updates tomorrow...I just forgot the camera to upload pictures.

Morning Star Ranch

2010-05-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

I got a Job today...I think.

I went to turn in this application and the receptionist was kind of weird...probably because I said I was seasonal. (For those who don't know, I work with people with disabilities and currently have a position waiting for me in Anchorage.) They didn't have any positions available, but I left my application anyway. When I turned to walk out I heard a woman kinda whisper..."follow me down the hall" then turned to talk to the receptionist in a normal tone.

It was kind of weird and I wasn't sure she was even talking to me. But I hesitated and waited for her to finish her conversation. Once we walked down the hall way a bit she looks back to make sure we are out of ear range or sight of the receptionist and continues to whisper "so you're looking for a job huh?"
It was like she was selling drugs or something...Then she says

"I'm looking for summer employees, but I'm with a different agency...let me get your name and number"

She seemed like the type of woman who has a millions things going on and they are so busy and scatter brained they barely remember what they were saying two seconds ago. Anyways, she told me where the group would be meeting, gave me directions, and told me when to meet her there. I wasn't sure if I was going to meet them to interview or just pick up an application, maybe just do a meet and greet. I didn't know but I didn't have any other options so

I showed up today and after waiting for a few minutes at her side she finally asked if I was in a hurry, I told I had all afternoon. She then said
"okay great! Then you are on the clock, go mingle with everyone."

ummm... Okay?

Before I could get another word in she was busy doing something else.

So I wandered over to the crowd of employees and clients and start talking to one of the employees...

Then I realized, I don't know the name of this "Agency" I don't know how much I am getting "paid"...I don't know if this woman is going to work with my schedule or if I am what they need...none of that.
So I started talking to one of the other employees then finally confessed. "I don't really know what is going on. What is the name of this group or agency?"

But luckily things turned out great. The program is an agriculture/recreational based program, so they have a farm a little ways out of town they do horse back riding, farm chores ect. They also do all sorts of activities in the community, and every Friday they go to the Chena Lake...for a BBQ.
I also get paid only $1 less than my other job.
She is super flexible...and willing to work with my random schedule.
So folks,
I got a summer job!

House Warming Gift

2010-05-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

This morning I was outside reading my book on our porch while I was waiting for Jed to come home. Our neighbor (I think our outhouse neighbor) stops his truck in front of our cabin and hops out to introduce himself. A gentlemen in probably his late 40's who introduced himself as 'Bud'...and he looked just like someone named "Bud".

So he asks where we come from and chats for a minute then he says

"He I picked up some benches at the Transfersite this morning...you want one?"

The transfersite is like the dump...I've never been there, but people just drop off junk, and you can pick up whatever you want.

Some call it the "Mall".

I think I'd call it dumpster diving.

Well he didn't really take my "no, thank you" for an answer. Then when he pulled it out of the bed of his truck. I really tried hard not to laugh...he didn't mention it only had TWO legs! But he was so excited about them and it made me laugh. He said we could prop it up with some wood or take it camping or whatever.

It's my first house warming gift!

When Jed got home he had the most confused look on his face when he saw a bus bench with only two legs. I could tell that he was wondering how I found something like that and Why in the world would I bring it home...
We both laughed every time we looked at it...but then we started brain storming what we could do with it! I think it might be our new couch...or the back seat to Jed's jeep Willys, either way I think it has made it's home with us!

While he is sleeping

2010-05-23T16:28:00.000-07:00

On Friday Jed and I rode our bikes to campus then all around town. (National Ride Your Bike to Work Day) We stopped at this little 'Falafal' place, it is just a little shack and it is ALWAYs busy. There are always people waiting in line. We had no idea what a Falafal was...but it was delicious. It's some middle eastern food. There are like meatballs...only made out of chickpeas...then stuffed in a pita with hummus, and I think some type of yogurt, jalapenos and all sorts of stuff. Later that evening Jed took me on a date for Thai food. It was a diverse food day.

So today is Sunday...Jed made it partly through Sacrament meeting before he started dozing off...I don't blame him. He works 12 hour graveyards. I took him home after Sacrament meeting and went back to catch the rest of church. I ended up sitting in the foyer and met a two really fun sisters in the ward.

Courtney asked what do I do while Jed is sleeping. hmm...Good question! Sunday's are the worse days, because first it is Jed's first shift of the week. Second he is a super light sleeper...and third we live in a studio style cabin. Sunday's I haven't quite figured out what to do. I really only have to worry about Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Jed works 4 days starting Sat., and Wednesday he just stays up...or just takes a short nap. SO...I have occupied my time by doing errands and staying on Campus...catching up on my blog reading.

BUT,
Tomorrow I am going to find a job.
Which is good because I am already really bored, and I no longer have my Statistics class because I didn't meet UAF's prerequisites. So that opens up a whole lot of time.
But Sundays are still long and boring.

Adjusting--and Q&A

2010-05-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

I'm slowly adjusting to living in my waterless cabin. I've used the sink to give myself a little sponge bath. I'm becoming all domestic I sewed some curtains for our two small windows...so our neighbors can't see our flat screen TV. We also purchased a little BBQ-er to help cut down on the amount of dishes. Jed was super manly he put the tiny thing together with his drill...

Things are going well...not too much to report in our crazy Alaskan adventures. But the day is not over.

Oh and to answer questions about some comments left on previous blogs...

To Joanne, and to satisfy Nicole...There are plenty of normal rental units in all of Alaska. However it is not uncommon to have "Dry Cabins" in Fairbanks. You don't see dry cabins in Anchorage, but Anchorage is not really part of Alaska anyways... they are way ahead of times there. Fairbanks has normals rental units yes, but they are twice as much money. We got our little cabin for half the cost and we like saving money. Alaska is awesome it has everything you need, well except an Olive Garden...we have plenty of stores and shopping. It's really nice, a little cold in the winter but overall it feels like any other place.

To Cali, my husband and I have lived here for a year...he has lived here for several years now. He works on tourist passenger trains all year, but in the summer his company relocates him to Fairbanks, where he is THE mechanic for Royal Celebrity tours. I go to school at University of Alaska Anchorage. But this summer I am taking some classes at University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Thank you all for reading my blog.

Gray Water & Black Water

2010-05-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

I know many of you are wondering how I am surviving without running water. So I thought I would show you how easy it is. Jed and I were discussing how our society has only had running water for a short time in comparison to how long world civilization has lived without it. Many countries still don't have running water...it is interesting how spoiled we are. How many of us even think twice about this when we turn on a facet? We live in an amazing time!

Jed and I may not have running water, but we have electricity, an electric stove, a refrigerator, and I can go to the store and buy ice cream and canned goods. I don't need to worry about our crops growing nor depending on Jed's hunting skills.

AND,

just to avoid any confusion,

we are not super green, we are not really tree-huggers (well we kind of are) but we use tons of paper/plastic plates and utensils...and I swear I am blind or I learned from my dad that I can't see without every light turned on in the place. We have our big flat screen and blu-ray player, laptops (3 of them) our cell-phones...so basically the only thing we've eliminated is running water

...but check out this set up!

I have a sink...the blue jug of water is just like running water with the little facet thingy. I have the tea kettle always handy and can throw it on the stove for warm water. If I boil some water in the morning or evening it stays pretty warm for a while. So we can wash hands, faces, dishes etc. The set up is awesome...it drains into this little bucket. That water is called 'gray water'. Then I just take the bucket outside and throw it in the bushes/trees. If we were real hippies/tree huggers we would try to filter and re-use that water...umm, no thank you.

We don't have a wood burning stove. We have what is called a Toyo stove, that is a name brand of the stove. It burns diesel fuel...well a modified diesel fuel that keeps it from gelling up in the cold....the tank runs into the cabin to this nice little heater...just another modern convenience! But what about 'Black water' you ask?
That is where the outhouse comes into to play...
We are so lucky we have a duplex outhouse, shared with our neighbors! It's two outhouses built together...two doors, two seats, one big hole! I can only imagine what it will be like when I run into them for the first time at the outhouse...very weird!

This outhouse is really gross...

What am I saying? All outhouses are really gross! But this one has a smell. My mission today is to see if we can clean it up.

I don't mind it right now... I think it would be awful in -40 degree weather. Luckily I won't see that anytime soon.

Errands in Fairbanks

2010-05-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

Phew! I did a bunch of errands yesterday and felt really productive. First everyone has been very nice and helpful around here. Even at UAF...they have no clue what is going on but they were nice about it. Well it looks like I am not going to make into my stats class...which will postpone my graduation for a little bit, but what can you do? I didn't meet their prerequisites at UAF. I tried to go buy my books for my online class, I wandered around campus and found the bookstore but when I asked for some help the lady said...

"Oh yeah, we don't sell text books here"

What?! why is there a bookstore on campus?

So I ask, "Where do the students get their books?"

"They all order them online."

I am still trying to find a way to get my books...for my online classes that started yesterday. Well after spending almost the entire afternoon on campus. I went grocery shopping, trying to keep in mind that we don't have water; so nothing that requires making a mess! Frozen pizza,cereal and sandwiches?

Did you know that you can go to a "Watering Station" put a few quarters in a machine...use a thing that looks like a gas pump and fill up your water jugs?

...but you have to be careful not to get the BIG hoses that fill up the HUGE tanks! That will make a mess.

Here are some pictures of our little Cabin...not included in the pictures are our normal sized, yet not very functional stove and new refrigerator.

We have a floor...it's plywood but it's a floor and a roof above our head. I really like it, it's nice an cozy...a bit chilly but that will be good in the summer to stay nice and cool.

Dry Cabin: RENTED!

2010-05-17T16:26:00.000-07:00

Our new dry cabin! We got the keys today and are slowly moving in!
There is more to blog later but I have some errands to run!

High Levels of Hippie...Proceed with Caution!

2010-05-16T17:33:00.000-07:00

I am really worried about what my life is becoming! I am at risk of turning into either a hippie with dread locks, wearing pants under my raggedy skirt or the other type of not so cool hippie (...or what ever they are) the ones that wear the jean button up shirts, and pants that are too short, with a big sun hat. I'll need to proceed with caution from this point on.

Funny story along that same line..., last night I kind of got lost, as I said in my previous blog, I stopped to get directions and decided to reconnect with the internet world. I was under the impression that the gym was open late like Anchorage...or maybe I thought that because Jed told me it was open 24 hrs, either way. I got the the gym 5 minutes after it closed. I had to stew in my own juices over night. At that point I truly felt homeless, I went to the grocery store, locked myself in the bathroom and brushed my teeth, did a quick paper towel bath, filled my water bottle and the whole nightly routine . When I walked out of the bathroom there was a man sitting near the restrooms who looked like he was really homeless...at that point I was grateful for my big purse to hide my toiletry bag. This morning I woke up and headed to the gym, which was conveniently across the street from the LDS chapel.

Two things I've never done which I did today. I've never showered in a public place...never at school, never at the gym but for the first time at the Fairbanks Planet Fitness gym. The Fairbanks gym is a very popular place to shower apparently! Oh yeah, and I forgot a bra! So I left the gym like a TOTAL hippie! It was kind of liberating...and like I mentioned above, something I should be concerned about! (don't worry I had an extra in the car)

The other thing I did for the first time was go to the laundry mat! Wow...there were lots of dread lock hippies there, I was surprised they wash their clothes! They really are gross!

Well Jed survived his first graveyard shift! Tomorrow is the big day! We are going to move into our dry cabin, hopefully, we'll for sure get our bed moved in but depending on Jed's sleep schedule it may be a few days!

I feel like a gross hippie!

2010-05-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

Jed started his graveyard shifts tonight...so I am free in Fairbanks, and kind of lost. I wanted to go to Barnes & Noble to use the internet, but I took the wrong exit and got kind of lost. So I am now in Safeways (grocery store) parking lot, they have free wi-fi. I haven't showered in a few days and because we've been camping I am a mess with mosquito repellent and sweat (Luckily no campfire smoke). I'll be heading to the gym to shower but I first needed a little help from Google Map.

We are in our tent again. Last night I slept wonderfully with my new green Therma-Rest and our huge down comforter on folded in half on top of me. The Camp grounds opened today so we hurried and reserved the best tent site available. The camp ground is seriously in the middle of town, it's kind of weird but it is surrounded by trees and you feel like you are camping. I am excited since I will be spending the next two evenings alone. I don't want to get eaten by a bear!

Home Sweet Home...or is it Tent Sweet Tent?

2010-05-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

Note: These pictures was taken a few minutes before Midnight! I love the light in Fairbanks!

Well we had our one night of luxury at the Motel 8 where I enjoyed the privacy of my last shower behind closed doors. Thursday we called as many places as we could, filled out applications only to be 'beat to the punch' each time. We drove aimlessly around town, finally decided to go see Ironman 2 --Robert Downey Jr is a great distraction from homelessness!
All the camp grounds were closed so we drove out of town a ways and found a semi open camp ground, there was one other person camped there but no host. It was nice and light still at midnight so it was easy to see the swarms of mosquitoes (Alaska's State birds). I was okay until about 3am when I woke up to piercing cold pains! I was so cold for the rest of the night, I tried cuddling with Jed, but our mummy sleeping bags are not very adaptable...but I survived!

Today (Friday) we checked out the WORSE cabin/house ever, painted bright purple! It was tiny at that point we started to question what we were willing to live in, then we thought of a cabin we saw yesterday that was small...only one room...and we decided it was not so bad! We quickly called them, looked at it again, filled out an application,

AND.....

We will be moving in on Monday!

Until then, we get the tent. However, I have a new mat to sleep on, which will keep me warmer, and I will also pile all the blankets we own on top of me!

Courtney, to answer your question...I'm not quite sure yet. Suggestions?

Homeless in Fairbanks

2010-05-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

We made it!

Wednesday we were planning to just pack up and go...but then we were invited to have lunch with all the new tour directors for RCT (Jed's company) on the train. So we took a break at noon, had a super nice lunch and an amazing brownie dessert before we returned to packing...It would have been amazing if the train had moved, but it stayed in the rail yard.

After packing everything up...we realized we left the towing hitch in the very back of the truck behind all the boxes and underneath the mattress. So we had to unpack everything! The towing hitch is for Jed's Jeep Willys...wouldn't want to leave it behind...it's a big part of our family now!

Needless to say we had a few delays, by the time we got on the road it was rush hour traffic. We finally arrived in Fairbanks just after midnight, found a taco bell...apparently the only place open late in this town, then we realized that all the camp grounds are still closed for the season...after driving for 7 hours (we were a little slower towing the willys) we decided that Motel 8 would be a better compromise for the night.

This morning we are homeless! We are at Jed's work office printing off rental applications. Then we're going to find a place to pitch our tent! I like Fairbanks, It's much smaller than anchorage, it's nice to get away from the crowded 'city'...Seriously! I thought that today as we were driving around... I think I'm ruined! It's only a matter of time before I will want to live in the bush where the only people we see are the pilots who bring us supplies every few months!

Oh did I mention it is raining?

4x6x10

2010-05-11T22:45:00.000-07:00

We are so close to leaving! I had my last day at work...I kind of expected it to feel like the last day of school, but it was way way too busy and stressful it was not the fun feeling of the the last day! We finished gathering the rest of the "Storage" unit stuff...

WOW!
We have a LOT of Stuff!

Our storage unit is a 4x6...about the size of a wood pallet...and 10 feet tall. We managed to fit in both sets of snow tires and about 12 of those rubber totes, a bookself--way in the back on top of all the totes! and about 20 other smaller boxes! I can't believe we have that much stuff...but at least we don't own furniture!

Pray we don't have an earth quake...because if anything moves when we come back it might bury us when we open the door!

Packin' for Two!

2010-05-10T23:16:00.000-07:00

We've been busy packing all weekend...and we are both super tired. Packing for two people is really exhausting! Work is hectic trying to get all the loose ends tied up before I leave for my Summer Vacation in Fairbanks.

(A few forgotten items for our place in Fairbanks)

We still don't have an "official" place to stay but we have the tent ready! Tomorrow (Tues) is our last work day in Anchorage, then we will be driving to Fairbanks on Wednesday! All I can say is this summer will be interesting and I hope I don't let you blog followers down! Stay tuned for stories of living in a tent, cabin without running water, outhouses...the "mall" and other Fairbanks stories you've never dreamed of!

STAY TUNED!

I Never Doubted!

2010-05-09T14:29:00.000-07:00

To My Wonderful Mother who always told me "You can have it all!"

Alma 56:47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

Alma 56:48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.

Many years ago my mother gave me the advice that I didn't have to choose between serving the Lord and either finishing my college education or getting married. She encouraged me to serve the Lord and told me that 'I could have it all'. She said "why can't you get married or graduate from college after you go on a mission?" In many other ways she was there for me and always offered equally valuable advice. She was often awake late at night when I returned from a date or when I was out with friends. She has always been my close friend that I was excited to share my life with, and she shared the excitement with me.
Now that I am far away from her it is hard not to get crazy home-sick. I miss having lunch with my mom on her lunch break at the hospital...or just driving to town to get a coke, or sometimes joining in with my siblings to tease her. Her advice that I could have it all has turned out to be true. I served an LDS mission for 18 months and I married a wonderful man who loves the Lord and was able to take me to the temple...And I am working hard to finish my college degree!

I love you Mom! And I Never doubted you knew!

Happy Mother's Day

And to my mother-in-law who raised the perfect man, well at least my perfect man and who has turned out to be the most amazing husband ever! He helps me with everything and when I asked where he learned how to do something he always says "My mom taught me." Thank you Myrna for raising the man of my dreams!

Home Invasion and Calories Burned

2010-05-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

There are somedays when I get so frustrated with work, and all I want to do is go home and veg out on the couch...eat an entire bag of potato chips and drown my stress away. But obviously that is not the best way of dealing with stress... and I can't do that anyway since our new roommate moved in last night and has claimed the couch until we move out. Oh and I realized that it's not my home and they are making it very clear by reclaiming their space...and using my nice pans! It's just weird for me to be at our apartment without Jed so I spend a lot of time at the gym or last night I went to my favorite yoga class, the really hot yoga which has help me sweat out all my stress. However, I don't think I can hydrate myself enough to go to that class every night...besides I couldn't afford to. So I've spent most of my evenings avoiding everyone. I know I shouldn't be avoiding them...but I'm burning lots of calories by doing so I think it is kind of good for me!

On A happier note my best friend Sandy had her baby yesterday Monroe May Bradley 7lbs 10 oz and 19 inches long. She is super cute!

One Step Closer

2010-05-01T15:52:00.000-07:00

Last year Becky and I were here at Portage Glacier...it was much warmer last year!

Wow, can you believe it? I've been here in Alaska for one year! Do you know what this means? I am that much closer to qualifying for the PFD (Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend). Well technically it goes from the first of the year...but still. So, I survived a winter, I haven't been eaten by a bear or stomped to death by a moose, but I also gained two pant sizes since I moved here. However, I now know all the streets and I no longer feel like the new person in town.

We are 5 days away from moving to Fairbanks. A new town, new opportunities...like living in a tent, using an outhouse, showering at the gym...you know, like you do.

Count Down

2010-04-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

Well the count down is on...I have two days until I'm finished with this semester! Then only 15 days until we pack our bags and move into a tent! We still haven't found a cabin so we will just pack our things and hopefully find something when we move up there. I am really looking forward to going since Jed's friends and owners of the condo moved back in this past Sunday...so it's a little crowded and little awkward for me, since I don't know them. ~Awkward~

However, I'm registered for almost all the classes I wanted this summer! I'll be super busy and I hope to get a little part time job to keep me occupied while Jed is work/sleeping. I am excited for the warm weather and some free time to ride my bike!

tid·bit (tid′bit′): a pleasing or choice bit of food, news, gossip, etc.

2010-04-22T21:56:00.000-07:00

So here are a few little tidbits for you all. First, every time Jed and I make an amazing meal I want to take a picture of it and share it will you all! I never remember because I'm so mesmerized with our accomplishments. We try lots of different recipes, above was one we tried last week on Martha Stewart...glazed pork and broiled vegetables. I think Jed is too lucky, he hasn't had a really horrible meal since we got married...well except that awful homemade mac & cheese we tried to make the other night, it was way too velveeta-ey. With all of the velveeta left over, we may invite some friends over!
We just got back from getting Jed a new phone. We got him the iPhone...I really pushed him to get one, because I'm really selfish and I know that if he has one, it's only a matter of time before I can get one. (Actually November 13th when my plan can be upgraded) I love my little iPod Touch and I use it everyday to listen to my best friends and great Americans Kerri, Bill & Gina, from the RFH. I listen to my iPod at least 3 hours everyday, and most times it is to their show! So I am starting my petition to get an iPhone in November so I only have one electronic device that I have to carry!
Finally, we are getting ready to move to Fairbanks. Jed has always had troubles finding a cabin to live in so he's just moved up there and lived in a tent for 2-3 weeks until he found a place. I'm not so happy about that so I've been looking on Craigslist determined to get us a place! I think I found something really great, but ofcourse when I called the guy was kind of a jerk and told me it wasn't going to be available but to call him when I was in town. Well Jed called him today and he's sending him an application...so hopefully this will be the dry cabin we will be living in this summer! cross your fingers! (Yeah, and still no running water or potty...just an out house!)

Will it ever go away?!

2010-04-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning and got ready for work as usual...Just as I was about to leave the house I heard something outside that I thought sounded like a snowplow...but I quickly recognized it to be the garbage truck. In my mind I laughed to myself thinking...wouldn't it suck if it had snowed during the night! I didn't even think twice about it I gathered my things and went out the door to see that it snowed at least 6 inches, and still snowing big heavy flakes....AAAAAAHHHH!! I was so mad!

All the snow from November hasn't melted yet! Why are we getting MORE?!? It's awful! I didn't have a heavy coat on! and of course I was wearing little ankle socks so my feet were wet from just walking through the parking lot. By the time I shoveled all the snow from my car my hair, which I now straighten everyday, was just wet enough from the snow flakes to make it look out of control for the rest of the day. And because it's really slushy and wet the back of my pants are soaked clear up to my calf...even after being inside all day!

And it's still snowing and it's already 4:15-ish...it's going to go all night! I can't even remember a world with out snow, I feel like the last few days when it finally reached the 40's was our summer...now it's over, winters starting again! GRRRR!

Buyers Remorse

2010-04-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday I had my haircut. I was in a desperate need of getting a 're-shaping' and my curly hair was looking a little two "mom in the early 90's" who's perm was kind of fading but the frizz was sticking. I had in my mind what I wanted, "just add some layer, and re-shape it" I planned to say. Well then I got to the salon and it seems like no matter what I want before I walk into the salon I always feel like I need to significantly change my hair... I mean if I'm going to pay someone as much as I do to cut my hair they might as well do some real work! Well I give my speech to my stylist, then my moment of hesitation came through my voice, and out of now where I said, "I've been thinking about going back to the cut you gave me in November" And before I knew it she was cutting away. Well, now I have Buyers Remorse! I feel like I have to straighten it everyday to make it look good....which is not the best timing with Finals just around the corner!

My other buyers regret is Dove Deodorant. I've been using 'Secret' for years. So when my deodorant ran out, I thought it was time for a change, why not try a new brand? Well all week I've seriously regretted that Dove Deodorant, because it just didn't agree with my arm pits...and I was super sweaty all week. Don't worry though I got new Secret Deodorant last night...it's all back to normal!

So there you go, my buyer remorse!

PS--just an update for the family...I am super busy trying to finish a few major projects for a couple of my classes. I have one early final this week, and then just those projects. I dropped out of Stat's so I no longer have to worry about the final, but I am still attending the class to get a heads up on next semester.

I registered for classes this summer, and also in the fall. If I work my tushy off this summer I may actually be back on track for a spring '11 graduation. I'm not too hopeful for that so I am shooting for fall '11!

I should blog...but what?

2010-04-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

I should be doing homework...but after Tuesday's unfortunate statistic's test, I have been left unmotivated. I guess i'll just give you a quick update. I am trying to pass my statistics class, but I got a 12 (Yes, a twelve), the sad thing is I felt fairly confident about that one. So, I have two options: Fail...with a big D- or F, or withdraw and get a big W on my transcript. That is all I want to say about that!

I got my new Shape Magazine today for April....just another reminder that I have gained yet another pant size since I've moved to Alaska. Surviving Alaska's winter had it's costs...a few extra pounds and a big lumpy butt. But good thing I'm married now because I have no one to impress.

I washed the layers and layers of dirt off my car...in fact, they had me drive through the car wash twice because it was still dirty....when I was done my car was so white it was almost blinding. You see...they don't plow the roads here in AK they just through done sand and gravel. Besides that many places don't even pave their parking lots because 8 months of the year it if covered in thick ice and snow...(this is my work parking lot). As the snow melts it creates such a muddy mess!

That's my life...and Jed made dinner tonight but put it in the freezer to "cool" off...unfortunately it cooled off too much and is now frozen..."but at least I didn't burn it" he says. Bon Appetite!

Sparkling V-ver

2010-03-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't been around much--on Facebook or Blog because...well first, I've been trying to catch up with school, but then after all that is done I have been stuck on this stupid book! I enjoyed the first of the Twilight novel series. Almost three years ago I read the first book in a day and felt super excited about the new ideas of sparkling vampires. Then I started the second 'New Moon'--BLAH ( it made me sick) so I took a break. Well when the 'New Moon' movie came out I caught the Sparkling V-ver (Vampire fever) again. I was drawn to find this book and finally got my hands on a copy of 'Eclipse'...it took me a couple months to get through it, and I found it somewhat enjoyable. So while I was in Utah I stole my mom's copy of 'Breaking Dawn'--and it's captured my attention and stole away all my spare time.

Infact as we speak I have only three chapters waiting for me in my car that I had to pry myself away from this morning. All day I've been thinking about how they (the sparkly Vampires in my novel) are 'in the clearing' with the Volturi approaching...all their lives endangered...and there they all are just sitting and just waiting for me to return so something may happen! OH THE SUSPENSE!

I'll be back to normal by tomorrow! See you all then! Love ya!

We're Coming Home!

2010-03-03T22:06:00.000-08:00

WE'RE COMING HOME!!

We are going to be in Utah this Sunday! I've been so excited and of course this week is dragging on! I thought I would schedule a bunch of things at work to keep me busy and help the time pass. It hasn't helped, it now seems like I just have a whole bunch of things I must endure to get through the day.

Well that's all...I'm excited to be in Utah. I'm just sad it is such a short trip, I wish I had more time to spend with friends and family.

Fur Rondy

2010-02-28T15:02:00.000-08:00

It was the 75th annual Fur Rendezvous (Fur Rondy) here in Anchorage. It originated from the fur trappers coming together to sell their winter harvests. It's a celebration of the end of a long winter and the coming of spring. It is also the beginning of the Iditarod the 1,161 mile dog sled race from Willow to Nome. ( you all should watch Iron Will in the spirit of the Iditarod). So in celebration I participated in my first Fur Rondy. It was cold and after one day of freezing my toes off, when we went back for Day 2 I was prepared with extra thick layers. There is snow carving contests.
The famous RUNNING OF THE REINDEER!
It's just like running with the bulls they let loose a bunch of reindeer and people run next to them...but there were like 1,000 people running, and only 4 or 5 reindeer.
Fur is still a big deal...you see it everywhere. I am sure PETA is going crazy but there were no protestors...I'm sure it's pointless.
The Carnival is crazy! There are a bunch of kids fully dressed in their winter attire running around to all the carnival rides and games. They have bright red cheeks and runny noses...I was thinking they were crazy but they were having so much fun. (I think it must be some form of child abuse)

The blanket toss is a tradition with the Native Alaskan's, it's a large piece of leather, or several sewn together. A person stands in the middle and is tossed up and down. The trick is to stay on your feet. The girl above was just sitting being bounced.

The famous out-house race, where people build outhouses on skis then race them. they win a roll of Toilet Paper as a trophey.

The best reindeer dogs...it was freezing cold though.

BIKRAM

2010-02-20T13:39:00.000-08:00

Well I mentioned last time that Jed gave me a pass to a new yoga studio. I went to my first Bikram class this morning. I was so excited!!
Bikram is a little different than regular yoga. First difference is the room is set at 105 degrees. It makes you sweat like crazy but it also allows your muscles to stay warm and stretch further. Bikram is only 26 Anasas/postures...no sunrise solutes, updogs or down dogs. It's stretching, balancing and strengthening.

For me it was phenomenal! It pushed me to my breaking point, then we continued for 30 minutes. It is very mental because it is so hot, then it is physically draining. For my body size I can burn up to 1,000 calories during that 90 minute...plus you sweat out all of the water in your body. :)

I left soaking wet in my own sweat and feeling incredible like all the bad stress left my body. It also left me feeling so empowered, I thought if I can last through 90 minutes of hell nothing else today can be that difficult! If any of you get a chance Bikram Yoga is something you should try at least once!