Jed and I had an awesome Valentine's Weekend! Friday night Jed took me to the movie Valentine's Day...it was perfect and simply wonderful. I smiled through the whole movie. It set a perfect tone for the rest of the weekend making us feel all mushy and "valentine's-ish"

Saturday Jed came home from class with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates! (Good job--Babe!) Then we drove out to Girdwood to the best restraunt in all of Alaska and was named the top 10 in the nation by the travel channel...or magazine or something. This is the place just imagine two feet of snow everywhere. It is a delicious cajun/New Orlean's style restruant. It was an hour drive out to Girdwood then we waited about 90 minutes to get a table. We waited in the tiny (I mean really tiny) hallway next to the wine cellar...with about 10 other peope. We passed the time by playing twenty questions. We had a lot of fun...and when we finally got to order it was INCREDIBLE!! I had crab stuffed halibut with steamed vegetables and jalapeno bread! Jed had the biggest pepper steak ever! It was so good! hmmm...my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

On the actual Valentine's Day we had a nice relaxing Sunday. I gave Jed a pink tie (appropriate for Valentine's day) and a really cute Coodie Catcher decorated like a sweet Valentine...inside had a bunch of 'sweet nothings'. I also made chocolate dipped strawberries (and dinner ;) )

Jed was super sweet he gave me a pass to a new Yoga studio...that practices Bikram Yoga, which is the super hot yoga with the room at 105 degrees! I AM SOOOO EXCITED!! I am going to start going on Saturdays! And I will sweat out all the 'bad' from my body! ;)

Hope you all had a good and Happy Valentine's Day!

I'll Have a Sprite Please!

On my favorite podcast The Radio From Hell they refer to all non-alcoholic beverages as "sprite please beverages" I always chuckled when they said this but never really had a real life example of this.

I went out for sushi Friday night with some of my co-workers, I had lots of fun but it's always interesting to see the cultural difference between Utah and the rest of the world. My co-workers are the sweetest nicest ladies, they are some of my only friends here in Alaska, so in no way am I criticizing their choices. It is interesting how different Utah is, I only know a few people who drink alcohol and I've only seen them with beer. However, it is not unusual for people to drink alcohol here especially with a group of friends. They all order fancy fruity martini's and then pass them around the table so everyone can get a taste. That is the fun part of going out... drinking. In the beginning I had many questions about why I didn't drink, now they all know me and it doesn't matter. But I always feel a little out of place when the server takes our drink orders everyone goes around saying their 'fun fruity-tini's'. Tonight though, when my turn came to order I simple said "I'll have a sprite please"...in which I immediately thought of the RFH and understood "Sprite Please Beverage"!

I thought about it today so when Jed and I were out to eat for our date night the "Non-alcoholic beverage menu" caught my eye and one in particular stood out "Virgin Strawberry Shag" Strawberries, lemon and sprite. So I ordered it...but when it arrived it came with a little tiny giraffe on the rim. I looked around at the tables near us and everyone had drinks...much stronger than mine...and no giraffe. Jed said it's because little kids typically are the only ones to order those non-alcoholic drinks...and it comes with a toy like Happy Meals. It made me laugh and I decided I better stick to my "Sprite Please Beverages"The picture looks like there is more in my drink than Sprite....if you know what I mean! ;)

I Cough and Sneeze and Gasp and Choke

Sick
by Shel Silverstein

"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more--that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut--my eyes are blue--
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke--
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in,
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is--what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is. . .Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!"

I wish that I was feeling better...but I'm not. I am skipping church so I don't infect all the little children sitting around me. It's been really boring, I've watched a lot of TV, I haven't watched mid-day television for a long time but it is amazing what they have on TV these days! Tyra Banks has a trashy talk show. TLC has a show about women giving birth, that's just weird! Who'd want a camera crew filming your birth?! And the poor camera man is wishing he would've accepted the gig at his local news station. Judge Judy is still around....are you serious?! It wasn't all bad I got caught up on my E! News and I was able to see how all my dear celebrities are doing. Plus I got to watch a bunch of What Not to Wear re-runs and my favorite was Joan Rivers and her Fashion Police Team critiquing the red carpet gowns for some award show! Boy does Joan Rivers get a lot of botox!

But overall Jed took care of me, he did all the grocery shopping and made dinner. He's been really great, but now he's catching what I had...life is so unfair.

Jed and I Made a Baby!

It's not what you think! My officemate at work is having a baby so we had a baby shower at work for her. My boss suggested we play "WACKA-BABY" (a baby Piñata). So I volunteered to make the baby Piñata! I went home and told Jed all the things we needed to do and casually threw in "Oh and we need to make a baby this weekend". It threw him off guard a little but he was happy to help ;). He didn't help very much--but come on, men can't contribute much to making a baby. He helped me blow up the balloons, I taped them together and started the Maché.



It was kind of messy, it was time consuming and took a few days. We had lots of fun joking about "our baby"

After the paper maché, Jed helped me spray paint it.

And the final product!!

Our Baby!!

One a different note, we drove out by the Turnagain to check out the ice. The tide was low, so we got a great look at all the Ice.

Can Someone Turn On The Lights?!

This is Fairbanks which is further north and darker than we are here in Anchorage...but it is still the same with the sun only rising a little above the horizon and then slowly going away. I feel like this two minute clip is very similar to my actual day! I turn around and the sun is gone before I even know it!

But Winter Solstice has already passed, so now we are again gaining day light. It is slow...we'll gain about 2-5 minutes of daylight a day until. So to answer all your questions yep it's dark, it's cold and I am really glad Jed gets that cruise benefit!

Saturday Hike

Since I finally got a pair of warm snow boots we decided to go on a hike. When we left Anchorage it was 5 degrees outside...not super cold especially if you're hiking around...except it was about 0 degrees when we parked, and about -10 degrees as we hiked down into a canyon . We weren't properly dressed and had to end our hike sooner than we were planning. But meanwhile, my eyelashes and Jed's beard started to freeze. It was a fun day! We came home and had some super hot chocolate.

2009 In Review

Last year was a crazy year and it all started at Midnight of 2009 when Jed kissed me! That kiss triggered a whole chain of events for the rest of the year. The picture above is Jed and I in Payson Canyon just a few days before New Year's. I would have never guessed by 2010 I'd be living in Alaska and married to him.

This year I left behind my BYU-Approved housing and my great roommates for the "Mormon Mansion"Jed and I fell in love.

Jed spoiled me by taking me on two cruises to the Caribbean.

I drove 3,000 miles up the Yukon with Mama Beck.

I moved to Alaska.

I got a new job.

I got engaged!

I got a beautiful new red bike!

and I got married!
It's been a wild ride in 2009!

I can only imagine what 2010 will have in store!