Life in the Land of "The Frozen Chozen"

2009-03-28T20:49:00.002-08:00

OK, so what a weekend! Last night I went to a girls only Twilight party at a friend's house. Now, my idea of a "Twilight Party" would be for people to come over, bring food, and watch the movie. Yeah...THEIR idea is much different, and much, Much, MUCH better! We had "Twilight Jeopardy" with "Team Edward" and "Team Jacob". Then they had a contest to see who brought the refreshment that had the most relation to the movie. People got pretty dang creative, too! One girl brought candied apples, and she put "pearl dust" in the candy to created the glittering effect of Edward's skin. Another one brought a black forest dessert, and she put whipped cream all over the top. She said it was "Black Forest with the full moon because they ran through the black forest under the full moon". Another one brought little pizzas with "bites" taken out of them, because Edward took a bite of Bella's pizza. They also had a drink with cranberry juice in it for the blood. AND, they had candles burning with "blood" dripping down the sides, quotes from the book all over the house, pictures of scenes from the movie everywhere, and the movie poster with Bella's face cut out. We all posed as Bella, so there is a picture of me in Edward's arms somewhere. OH, and when we left they gave each of us the soundtrack, and a bandaid to cover our cuts due to the vampires. It was sooooooooo much fun, and FABULOUS!!!!! Today Mt. Redoubt erupted...AGAIN, only this time the ash did in fact fall on Anchorage. So I have volcanic ash in my yard, on my car, etc. Apparently it's good for the garden and soil, so we'll see how it does this summer. The ash is REALLY fine, and we can't use our windshield wipers or it will scratch our windshields like crazy. Anyway, it's my very first volcanic ashfall, so I'm kind-of weirded out by the whole thing. People keep talking about how it "destroys" your car engine, and it kills all electronics. We'll see! A friend of mine sent a picture of Mt. Redoubt erupting earlier this week (it's been erupting for a whole week now), so I thought I'd share it with everyone. It is sooooooooooo cool! The "experts" say we can expect this pattern of "slumber and erupt" for a few months. This could prove to be a pretty long summer! As long as my mom can make it up here, it will be fine! They've closed the airport several times this week due to the ash in the air, and today there are absolutely NO planes of any size in the air. It's sooooooooo quiet! Well, I'll keep everyone updated!

2009-03-24T22:36:00.002-08:00

Good grief!!! I can't believe how fast time goes! My sister always has to remind me to write on my blog. Sorry! Anyway, tons of fun up here in the great white north! We have Mount Redoubt that keeps erupting. The volcanos up here don't spew lava and stuff, just ash. Now the problem with the ash is that it's pretty dang abrasive, really fine, and magnetic. So every day before I go home from work, I have to cover all of our computers and equipment with plastic. PAIN IN THE REAR!!! It takes so much time. And then to go in the next morning to take it all off and fold it up. Over and over again. OYE! It can also destroy the engine in your car if it gets in there, as well as the vents in your house. I have NO idea how to protect everything! So I just keep praying for the wind to take it AWAY from Anchorage. So far, so good! Anyway, we keep getting warmer temperatures, and then it freezes on us. It's "The Big Lie". We think winter is over, and then WHAMO!! snow storms galore! Last year we got 2 feet of snow the last weekend of April. I REALLY hope that doesn't happen again! I was in such a bad mood that WHOLE day! I decided to change cell phone providers, and with that came a new phone. So I got one that takes pictures. I took a picture of Brenna and everytime I show her my phone, she won't let it go. Tonight I showed her, and she showed her mom. Then she showed her big sister, Lilli. When I took it from Lilli, Brenna started crying. Sheesh! You'd think it was HER phone or something! Anyway, it makes me laugh!!! She is getting some serious attitude. She's only 1, but today she she told her mom "NO!" and hit her mom's hand. Yeah...she got in some trouble! In fact, I think we call her "Trouble" more than we call her "Brenna". She is pretty dang cute, but STUBBORN!!!! Ha, ha! I knew we had it too easy with Lilli!!! I told Lilli that my new song for her is "Mama Mia". But instead of "Mama Mia" I sing "Lillianna". So she starts singing "Analee" and "Brenna Brenna". It's so much fun! I am truly blessed to be surrounded by such great people. If I can't have my family around me, then great friends are necessary. And I've got some GREAT ones!

2009-01-04T20:36:00.002-09:00

OK, so it's been a while since my last post. I actually forgot about my blog, and my sister emailed me and asked if I was ever going to post again. So here it is. I'm still working a TON of overtime, but that will change with the new year. We're still not hiring a nurse, but I have discovered that I am a very unhappy person when I work so much. So one of my New Year's resolutions is to cut back my overtime. I'm pretty excited about it, actually. I was blessed to have a lot of time off over Christmas and New Years, and I was able to rediscover my hobbies. So I'm going to try to keep up on them. I was released as the 2nd counselor in the Young Women's in my ward, and called to be 1st counselor. I was sooooooooo excited since a couple of my Beehives were turning 14 in the next couple months. So now I get to work with them again. One of them is very excited, and the other one keeps going "Oh, no!" I told them that some day they will have their own Young Women to torture, and I expected them to do a good job. They said they're learning from the best. I don't think they could have paid me a better compliment, to tell the truth. The weather up here has been painfully cold. It has been minus 20 for over a week now. We had a beautiful snow storm on Christmas, and 2 days later the temperature DROPPED!!!! I'm posting some pictures so you can see what it looks like up here at minus 20. The snow does NOT crunch under your feet, it squeaks and sound like nails on a chalkboard. So, as if the cold isn't enough to give you goosebumps, the squeaking snow will do it. The icicles on my house have a ton of frost on them, and there are people in my ward that can't get their cars started. Their gas lines are frozen, and their cars need to thaw. My car is the best car EVER and hasn't given me that kind of problem. It may complain about starting after work every day, but it does start. I keep my car plugged in at night. I bought a block heater a couple of years ago to keep the engine block warm. It's been a lifesaver! Or a car saver as the case may be :). Thankfully, though, it's supposed to warm up over the course of the week. It already has, actually. As I was taking my garbage out I noticed that it felt warmer that this morning. So I looked at the thermometer in my carport, and it said minus 10 instead of minus 20. It's amazing how much warmer 10 degrees feels!!!! Christmas was fabulous, although I miss my family a lot. I found out my oldest brother is moving to Kansas. Sometimes I think I should move back to the "Lower 48" so that I can see my family easier. But I love it up here, and I still feel like this is where I'm supposed to be right now. However, sometimes I feel like I will be moving back some day. Who knows? Weirder things have happened! Until then, I'm trying my hardest to stay warm! March 2009 marks 11 years living in Alaska. Sometimes it seems like the time has flown by, and it can't have been that long. Other times it feels like a lifetime. My mom gets to come up for 3 weeks this summer, and I'm soooooooo excited! I LOVE it when people come see me. It allows me to see Alaska, too. I'm usually so busy working and working on my house that I don't take time to travel around this beautiful state. I love planning my visitors' trip so I can do a lot of fun things, too. I'm looking forward to this summer. I'm really hoping for better weather than last year! I feel like I need to thaw! Well, that brings me up to date, I believe. Work is busy...still, but what can I do? My calling still keeps me busy, but that's a good thing! I've really grown to love the Young Women in my ward. They are an amazing bunch. If we can just get above zero, life will almost be perfect!

2008-10-28T22:18:00.003-08:00

OK, so maybe I'm slacking in my posting. But I have been REALLY busy! So, for a quick update over the past month. I'm working a TON of overtime because we're closing in on the end of the year. Now is the time when everyone realizes that their out of pocket is met, or their deductible is met, or whatever. So now they want all sorts of stuff done. It's only going to get worse from here. I did manage to get some pictures of the lake, with the snowy mountains behind the autumn leaves. I hope you enjoy them! Tonight was the first night that I saw the northern lights...aka Aurora Borealis. I didn't see them last year, so it has been a couple of years. They were pretty good tonight, too. There was 1 band, and it was green. They danced across the sky right in front of my house. After (over) 10 years of living here, I still don't get tired of all that Alaska has to offer. I still get excited over seeing the northern lights, and of seeing moose in the neighborhood. I still love to watch bald eagles soaring through the sky, and ravens absolutely fascinate me. They are very smart birds, and very mathematical. I saw one gut a seagull one time. It had caught a seagull and landed on the ledge outside of one of my windows at work. It was pretty interesting. It laid out all the organs in a neat and straight line before feasting. Then the other ravens found him and he grabbed the seagull and flew like the wind. Everyone else at work seemed to be grossed out. But I found it fascinating. Why would he lay all the organs in a row? Why not just dig in? Anyway, back to the northern lights... I love to watch them because they start to come down so they look like big curtains across the sky. Sometimes they're dim, and then they get really active. They get bright...tonight they almost got to be a yellow color...and they start to "dance" across the sky. They start moving around...kind-of like "the wave" at sporting events or something. Anyway, it's hard to explain, but AWESOME to watch! I would have gotten a picture, but it's really hard to get good ones. The thing about the northern lights is they come out when it's dark, clear, and freaking cold! So I can't stay outside too long to watch them because I end up looking like I'm having a seizure because I'm shivering so badly. Anyway, I thought I would share this moment with you since it's the first for the season. I have my friends the Kincades to thank for calling me and letting me know that they were out. We have a "network" of people to call when there is a sighting because everyone loves to watch them. Winter is not the best time to come to Alaska, but the northern lights are cool to watch! I guess it's a catch-22? I'm also posting pictures of my friends' daughters, Lilli and Brenna. They are my buddies who I love a lot. So if I ever mention either one of them, then you'll know who I'm talking about. I'll try to keep everyone updated about what's going on up here in the winter time. I can tell you that it was below 10 degrees when I went to work this morning, and it was below 10 degrees again this evening when I went outside to watch the northern lights. It's pretty cold for this time of year. No more snow, though. It all blew away. We had a big windstorm that woke me up a couple weeks ago. It also knocked down a tree in my boss's driveway. He had to use a chainsaw to clear it before he could go anywhere. It was pretty powerful. Anyway, it blew the snow away. Now it's just cold...and dark. I wish it would snow again. Then the snow can reflect the light and brighten things up considerably. Oh, well!!!!

2008-09-21T14:23:00.002-08:00

OK, so we finally harvested the garden. I knew we would get cabbage, some lettuce, maybe a raddish...but to my surprise, we also had peas! And they were pretty tasty, too! I thought I would show you the pictures. Just remember that these girls are as tall or taller than me! It was a lot of fun, and they're already talking about next year's garden. I'm glad they're excited! If we only had a couple more weeks, I'm SURE that we could have had zucchini and cucumbers, too! Oh, well! hopefully next year... Our nurse at work quit, so there's just 2 of us. Now I'm working a lot of overtime, and feeling exhausted almost all the time! We had our ward talent show 2 nights ago, and I decided to sing "Simple Joys of Maidenhood" from the musical "Camelot". Well, it was a last minute decision...I decided after I got there, and I couldn't remember all the words. So I called my sister to have her look them up on the internet. So after I got them, I told the person in charge that I would sing something. To say that I "sang" it is a stretch. It was AWEFUL! But, I got one of the loudest cheers all night. Of course, it was probably because it was over. But it was A LOT of fun!!! I'm glad I did it. But there is DEFINITELY a reason why I don't sing solos!!!! The leaves are changing even more, and they are falling everywhere. We also have snow in the mountains. I'll get pictures, but not until the clouds are no longer covering the mountains. I hope everyone is doing well, and that they are enjoying their weather...wherever they may be!

2008-09-08T21:12:00.003-08:00

Well, today was the first time I could smell fall in the air. I've been able to feel the cool, crisp, "nip" in the air that you can FEEL, but today was the first time I could SMELL fall in the air. Now, this is not necessarily a pleasant experience. I remember growing up in Utah, smelling the fall leaves while the dry ones crunched under your feet. Mmmmmm...I can remember it so clearly! The nice, cool, autumn days that make you want to bring out your sweaters, and take walks on the mountain trails. Well, up here the smell is not DRYING leaves, but ROTTING leaves. Yeah... big difference. I mean BIG!!!! The smell of dry leaves is fabulous. The smell of rotting leaves is as if a million dogs went and did their business all over the city! No matter where you go, you can smell it. My first whiff was in the grocery store parking lot. Then I got home, and there it was again. Mmmm, mmmm, good! Seriously, you don't step out your door and take a nice, long, whiff of fresh air. Nope, not up here! It's kind-of hard to, actually, when your sense of smell is acosted with the smell of doo-doo. Anyway, the colors are changing, the rain is falling, and the leaves are wet and rotting. Life is GREAT! Tomorrow, the Beehives are comming to harvest the cabbage out of the garden. That's all we were able to get. There might be a couple radishes, but it's just cabbage. It's sad, too. I went and looked tonight, and there are some FABULOUS blossoms on the cucumber, zucchini, and crook-neck squash plants. Also, the tomato plants are as tall as I am, and the pea plants are even taller. The flowers on the pea plants are so pretty, too! If only we had a couple more months, we would be able to get the other stuff, too. Oh, well!! Hopefully, next year we'll be able to get an earlier start, and actually get something other than the stuff that grows no matter what. Did you know that cabbage can grow in the winter? Maybe not up here, but down in "The Lower 48" it can! So, if anyone decides to give it a try, let me know! Hopefully I'll be able to get some pictures of the garden tomorrow, and the changing leaves another time. There is a lake within walking distance of my house, and it's surrounded by trees. It's really pretty in the fall to have the mountains in the background, and the changing leaves in the foreground, reflecting in the lake. Well, have a great day everyone, and until next time... Love ya!!!!

2008-08-25T21:18:00.003-08:00

OK, so it's been a while since I've posted an update. Of course, I didn't realize it had been THAT long! My sister told me today that I needed to update my blog, and I agreed. Then I pulled it up, and...sorry!!! So, what have I been doing over the past month? Not writing on my blog! Ha, ha, ha! Seriously, it has been a pretty crazy month. The battle of the garden has concluded, and I have won. Yes, the cat hasn't dug any holes since I put up my cat repelling devices. It's called "Catstop" and it runs on a 9 volt battery. If a cat...or anything...triggers the device's motion detectors, the cat gets scared away by ultra sonic noises. Anyway, I truly didn't think it would work, but it does!!! Next year I will be putting up the motion detector controlled sprinkler. Forgive me an evil chuckle...Moi-ha-ha-ha-ha!!! Anyway, that's the most recent thing. Before that, my Beehives challenged the rest of the young women to a Book of Mormon Challenge. We are reading the entire thing in 90 days. I'm pretty dang proud of my Beehives!! They're right on it! I also went hiking again. This time it was up a mountain called Flat Top. I'll bet you can't guess why! Just picture a mountain...with the top part sliced off. I would have gotten a picture to show you, but it was too cloudy. However, I did get some pictures that I am only too happy to share with you! In some of them, you can see the mist choking out our view. In others, you can see a sunny sky, but not the mountains that are right in front of us due to the cloud cover! OH, and also...there was still SNOW up there! Yup...SNOW!!! So, of course, I had to get pictures of that. Usually, there isn't snow up there this late in the year. But... I've already complained about the weather in my previous posts, and this was further evidence of the crappiness thereof. However, I was bound and determined to go for a hike in shorts. It is Summer, after all! It's just been too cool to wear summer clothes. So, this was the day to wear summer clothes. It wasn't too bad, thankfully!!! Now we're headed in to fall. We've grown a garden, and sometime next week will be the day of harvest. I think we'll only be getting cabbage and a few radishes. Hopefully next year will be better. I do have to say, though, that our peas grew to be over 5 feet tall. The blossoms are really pretty, but no fruit for our labors! It's pretty frustrating, actually. But completely out of my control. Live and learn...live and learn. Another exciting thing that has happened over the past month is that a neighbor a few houses down had a fire. So I'm sitting in my house, and all of a sudden I heard these sirens. I didn't think anything of it until they got really close. I look out my window and there are 3 or 4 firetrucks going down my street. One of them was parked right in front of my house...blocking my driveway and everything! AND, guess who was on those firetrucks? Yup...FIREMEN!!!! It was pretty fun, actually!!! I had to call my friends that live down the street and ask them how they were missing all of it. They showed up at my house not too long afterward. After all the excitement, they wanted to see my garden. So I took them into the back yard, and what should we see? My neighbor 2 doors down...PEEING IN HIS YARD! Why he couldn't go into his house and use his bathroom is beyond me, but there he was. I would have gotten a picture, too, but my friend laughed too loud and we were busted!! Oh, well! I'm sure there will be another time. Well, that's the excitement over the past month. I will try to be more faithful about keeping everyone posted and keeping up on my blog. In the meantime...

2008-07-20T21:58:00.003-08:00

Well, I survived my one night of girl's camp. It was cold and rainy, just like the rest of the week. The sun did come out as we were leaving, though. Unfortunately, I was unable to get the ice cream cone. As I drove in to where I get it, I saw 2 or 3 tour buses, and the tourists were lined up out the door and accross the parking lot. I quickly decided that the ice cream would have to wait until another day as I was not willing to wait THAT long! I can always drive up and get it another day. And don't think I won't! However, I do have a picture of this ice cream cone, but it's from last year and it's with my nephew, Blaine instead of me. Girl's camp was a lot of fun, though. We sang songs, ate food, did skits, and the girls received their certification. When I arrived, one of my Beehives ran up and gave me a great big hug. When she asked what I was doing there, I found myself saying "Because I wanted to see you guys. I've missed you this week!" The smile on her face was AWESOME!!! And the thing that shocked me was that I meant what I said! I really did miss them this week! So it was a lot of fun to hang out with them at camp. They were very excited to show me their cabin. There were 5 young women in this cabin, and let me tell you...it STUNK!!! After swimming in a slimy, leech-infested lake all week, they really got to be pretty rank! But they had a lot of fun, and I'm really glad that I was able to share part of their week with them. When I got home, the sun was out. So, of course, I took my dining room chair, stuck it out in the middle of my yard, and read a book. When I got tired of the book, I stretched out and closed my eyes. After a week of rain, highs in the low to mid 50's, and lows in the high 40's, I just needed to bask in the heat. It was great!!! I've also just discovered exactly how many mosquito bites I've received this weekend. It take me back to the times that we went to Alturus (sp?) Lake in Idaho when I was younger. When we got back, we all counted our mosquito bites to see who had the most. All I remember is that we always counted more than 20 of them. Good times! Good times! Anyway, I hope everyone had a great weekend and you were all able to get out and enjoy your weather. I know everyone outside of Alaska had hot temperatures and sun! All I can say is enjoy it!!!

2008-07-17T10:05:00.002-08:00

Since I posted last, I have watched my friend's neighbor chase a moose down the street with a rake (now THAT'S entertainment!), I've discovered that birds are eating my strawberries (BLAST!), and now I'm getting ready for Girls' camp. I actually have to work this week, and Girl's camp started 2 days ago. But I get to go up tomorrow and spend the last night. I'm really excited to go up, not to be at Girl's camp, but because I get to stop at Miller's Market and get the biggest ice cream cone I've ever seen. Seriously...it is HUGE! I'll have to get a picture of it. I'm taking someone up with me, so this shouldn't be a problem. Anyway, I get this ice cream once a year, and tomorrow is the day. YEAH!!! More to come on that... I talked to my friend who is already up there as a stake leader. She has a cold, the stake YW President has a cold, and a couple girls have already almost drowned in the leach-infested lake (yeah...I'm not a lake swimmer). It's raining and cold. BUT, it sounds like everyone is having a blast. I'm a fair weather camper, myself, so I'm not really looking forward to the cold and wet. But it's just for 1 night, right? I can do it! It's at a church-owned camp called LaDaSa. Cute, huh? They have cabins, a lodge, an amphitheater, a lake, and railroad tracks running right through the middle. So, the train runs through camp a couple times a day. Sometimes it's a train full of tourists, other times it's cargo. It separates the lake from the rest of the camp. Overall, though, it really is a nice place, and it's always fun to be there. It is used a lot and has been the victim of vandals more than once. So there are MANY service projects there to clean it up and repair some of the damage from vandals and over-use. I'll post pictures so you can see what I'm talking about. Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend, and I will write again sooner than later. I have to keep you posted about camp, right?

2008-07-04T21:05:00.003-08:00

So last night, my 4 year old friend, Lilli, slept over. As we were saying bedtime prayers, I asked her to ask Heavenly Father for a nice day "tomorrow" (meaning today). I did this thinking that He couldn't say "no" to Lilli because she is so dang sweet! Well, it worked. It was a BEAUTIFUL day, and perfect for hiking. It started to get "hot", meaning 70's, towards the end of the hike. See? Prayers ARE answered!!! Anyway, the hike was a KILLER!!! Oh, my gosh! It was brutal!!! The thing about hiking in Alaska is that the people who blazed the trails were apparently in a hurry. I say this because there is no going back and forth, gradually going up the mountain. No round-about way. Nope, not here! It's straight...and I mean STRAIGHT up! It is the shortest distance after all, right? Don't get me wrong, though...it was AWESOME!!!! So on this killer hike, you have to actually hike a couple miles to the actual trailhead. Then it's a couple more to the top. Then you come back down, and hike back a couple miles to the car. The peak is called "Near Point", but it is anything BUT "near"!!!! And to give you an idea of exactly how steep this trail was, I put some duck tape on my heels because I have a tendency to get blisters. Duck tape is the best blister prevention because it REALLY sticks to your skin and generally doesn't come off. Anyway, my hiking boots actually wore the duck tape down and I still got blisters on BOTH heels. When I took the duck tape off, there were my blisters and the duck tape was worn REALLY thin. Well...that has NEVER happened before! Next time I'll have to put on 2 or 3 layers!!! Anyway, while we were hiking to the killer trailhead, we came upon a black bear. He was just lounging in the middle of the trail. So, of course, I took out my camera. As soon as he saw the camera, he got up and started to walk away. So I only got his body...his head is in the bushes. After he got off the trail, we made some noise and kept going. I'm telling you...I LOVE THIS PLACE! Anyway, there were some really pretty wild flowers on the way up, too. So I took some pictures of those because they were such cute little wild flowers. One of them is called a "Chocolate Lilli". Sounds good, right? It is a really pretty flower, and it looks almost black. However, it truly amazes me that something so pretty can smell soooooooooo bad!!!! Seriously, I would like to not have to ever smell that smell again!! It was AWEFUL!!!!! My friend Marjory mentioned that she couldn't smell it above her own body odor (we were sweating pretty dang good!), but then she realized that the smell she was smelling was actually the lilli! It was pretty funny! We finally had to pull out the mint balm just to get the lilli smell out of our sinuses. It wasn't pleasant at all. The irony of it all!!! There were some other really pretty flowers that I don't know the names of that we didn't smell. Why would we after the unpleasantness of the first one! On our way up, we saw another black bear, but it was across a small gully and on another hill. We could see it walking our way, so I got a bit nervous. Then some people started walking down from the peak towards the bear (2 different trails to the peak). So I stood there, resting, completely enthralled by what was going on. They were walking right to the bear, and the bear was walking right towards them. Then they came to an abrupt stop, and the bear wandered off back up the hill. I still there thinking "Bear...bear..bear!!!!" We FINALLY made it to the top of the peak (I'm a rather slow hiker when it's that steep), and there were so many different flies and bees swarming the top. We had to back track a few feet just so we could relax for a bit. Then we hiked back down, made it back to the car, and talked about how tired we were, but how good it felt. All in all...not a bad day! I love spending holidays doing stuff like this, you know? I really do love to hike, even though I'm not in the best shape. I may feel like I'm dying on the way up, but I'm always grateful to be able to get to the top. It's such a sense of accomplishment, and the view is unsurpassed! Enjoy the pictures!!!

ADDENDUM: My friend Marjory just called and said she found out the stats on Near Point. It's a 2 mile hike to the actual trailhead and 1.5 miles to the top for a total of 7 miles. We start at ABOUT 1500 feet from the parking long, ROUGHLY 2000 feet at the trail head, and 3300 feet at the top. OYE!!!!

2008-07-03T23:40:00.002-08:00

So first of all, I must say that yesterday got up into the 70's. It was GORGEOUS all day long, and I kept looking at the mountains, longing to be in them. However, I couldn't go because I was watching Lilli and Brenna. Lilli would have been OK, but I couldn't figure out what to do with Brenna. So we went on a nice, long walk instead. I could still feel the heat from the sun at 9:00 last night. It was awesome. Then...the clouds rolled in. Cloudy all day and raining. Of course, it will be this way tomorrow, too. Great way to spend the 4th of July!!! Now that the weather report is done, I have to tell you about the excitement tonight. I was going to dinner with a couple of friends, and as we turned the corner from my house, we counted 8 cop cars. So I called my friend who lives in the house that they were parked around and asked her what was going on that she would have 8 cop cars at her house. She didn't know because they were walking down the street just to the north of mine. So we drove down there and saw some cops crouching behind cars and pointing their guns at a house. So, I called my friend again and told her NOT to walk down the street. We drove back up the street (it's a dead end, so we had to turn around to get out), and parked in her driveway. One of the cops was walking back to his car, so I said something along the lines of "I was going to ask how's it going, but with 8 cop cars it can't be good." So he told me what happened. Someone saw a man crawl through a window and called the police because they thought it was a robbery in progress. As it turns out, it was the owner of the house who locked himself out. I said "Well, that's a good ending to the situation then!" And we laughed. Anyway, it was pretty cool!!! That's the excitement for today! More to come tomorrow. I'm going on a hike with a couple of friends. It should be fun, especially if we DON'T come across the female bear that keep charging people and mauled a teenager earlier this week. We won't be hiking in the area that the bear has attacked, but bears do travel! Wish me luck!!!

2008-07-01T22:08:00.003-08:00

Let it be known that today, the first day of July in the year two thousand and eight was the first full day of sun all summer long. It was the first day that I was able to go for a bike ride without a jacket AND wearing my biking shorts. You know...the ones that have a padded seat to protect certain parts of your (what my brother Connin calls) "Nether-regions". Anyway, tonight was a combined YM/YW activity and the Beehives were informed that they were in charge 2 weeks ago. It just so happens that this was a rather large activity...meaning more planning than usual. We had a bike ride and a BBQ. Next time, I'm going to vote for bike ride and ice cream. Not that I don't like BBQ's, because I do. But arrangements have to be made for a grill to be transported to the park, food to be transported, and cooked. Then everything needs to be transported back. Not that it's a problem, per se, but it's a lot of planning and most people want to ride their bikes. Thankfully, the YM's Pres had a brother visiting, so he was able to drive the car that had the grill. Anyway, back to the relevant part of my story. The weather the past couple of weeks has been (if you will excuse the expression) CRAPPY!!!! I've already mentioned the coolish temperatures that are killing my cucumbers and making the rest of my garden slow to grow. Anyway, today the heavens were smiling upon us. It was BEAUTIFUL and by far the hottest day so far this summer. It actually got up to 68!!! Anyway, I was able to ride my bike to the church, then we rode as a group to a park and had a BBQ, played Wiffle Ball, and then rode back to the church. I talked a YW who lives down the street from me into riding back home with me. (I don't have a way to get my bike anywhere unless I ride it). So she agreed and we took the bike trail home. Along the way we happened to run into a Mama moose and her 2 babies. They were new borns and were sooooooo cute! We sat there watching them for a minute or two to see what they were going to do. Along came some other bikers from the other way and almost ran into them...literally. So they started to walk our way, and we went off trail, into the brush, down a dirt path, and finally back onto the bike trail. It was sooooooooooo AWESOME! The new babies are so cute and look so cuddly. They look gangley and clumsy, but they are sooooo cute! Those of you who have seen them understand. Of course, I didn't have my camera because I'm an idiot, so I don't have pictures to post. Sorry! Regardless of my lack of camera, it was an awesome evening, and I am truly grateful. I was dreading this activity, but it turned out GREAT!!! I told Maisi...the girl who rode home with me...that next time there's a day like this, we'll have to ride down the Westchester Lagoon or even Point Woronzof. Some day, I'll even make it out to Kincaid again (30+ miles). Until them, I am grateful that I am able to go as far as I can. Well, thanks to all who read my blog and thanks to those who comment. It's nice to hear from you. It's almost 10:30, so it is time to go to bed. I will let you know of any more adventures. I'm going hiking on the 4th with a couple friends, and it's supposed to be raining all day. I'm sure I'll have something to tell about, and who knows...I might even remember my camera! Good night!

2008-06-26T20:28:00.003-08:00

So, I was addressing some envelopes today to go out to some patients. I realized that there are some seriously interesting names of cities/towns/villages/etc... up here. One of them today was Quinhagak. We also have a patient in Egegik (one of my favorite ones to say). Then there's always Unalaska (WHAT?!), Unalakleet, and Yakutat. So, I was thinking of all the ones that I COULDN'T pronounce. So I googled "Alaska Cities" yeah...let's just say that this is one cool state! Besides the interesting and unpronounceable names of living spaces, I was on my way home from work and saw a young man on a bike with a fishing pole on his back. Seriously, where else are you going to see something like that? Alaska is the type of place where you see people doing some salmon fishing on their lunch break downtown. They catch reds, silvers, pinks, AND kings all summer long. Ship Creek goes right through downtown, so people who work down there go fishing during lunch. Also, moose walk down the middle of the street like there's no other place they should be. After 10 years up here, I still get fascinated by it! It is truly an AWESOME spectacle!!! We also get Beluga Whales in cook inlet, sometimes we even see a gray whale or a harbor seal!!! I do love summer...it's when everything comes to life!!! Of course, we're still having cool-ish temperatures, so the seeds in my garden aren't really comming to life. In fact, they're sitting there going "OK, we're in dirt...what now?" Oh another thing about Alaska...nowhere else could you use a toilet as a flower planter and get away with it! I re-did my bathroom 2 years ago, and when I replaced the toilet, I didn't know how to dispose of the old one. So, some of my friends talked me into using it as a flower planter. I'm displaying some pictures so you can see. Sadly, a big piece of it fell off over the winter, so now there's a blemish on the front. I don't know if a moose kicked it, or if it froze. But I decided to plant some trailing flowers in it this year to see if they will grow over it. Not much growth right now, though....coolish temperatures and all that! Well, I hope all is well with everyone, and that everyone is enjoying their summer. I'm sure it will be over before we know it. Until next time...

2008-06-22T00:55:00.005-08:00

Well, tonight (I guess last night, since it's after 1:00 am on Sunday) I had to chaperone a youth dance. Drama, drama, drama!!! We have different ethnic wards and branches in our stake. We have 2 Samoan wards, a tongan branch, and a spanish branch. In another stake there is also a Hmong branch, but that has nothing to do with tonight. More of an "FYI", if you will. Anyway, back to my story. Our YW Pres in our ward has decided to chaperone in shifts. So I went from 6:45 until 8:30 when my replacement showed up. Just as I was getting ready to leave, the Stake YW presidency escorted a couple of the girls out of the gym. 2 are sisters, 1 is their cousin. They were taken into a room to be "talked to", I guess. They belong to one of the Samoan wards. I guess they showed up at the dance for the purpose of beating up another polynesian girl that one of the sisters has had "words" with lately. So they cornered her in the bathroom and beat her up. So she went home, and then her dad and the rest of the family came tearing into the church, looking for the sisters, so that they could beat them up. Great example, huh? Anyway, so the stake YW President called the cops because now the girls were being threatened by an adult. Anyway, in the meantime, another girl was using the cell phone of one of the sisters to text her ex-boyfriend to talk "trash" about his new girlfriend. So he showed up looking for the owner of the phone, who was already being threatened by an adult, so that he could have an altercation with her. Confused yet? So the cops showed up, and when I say "cops" I mean 6 or 7 police cars, asking if it was this ward or that ward. Sad, right? It's a well-known face that there is a gang problem in some one these wards, and the "gangs" have named themselves according to their wards. So they call themselves "Samoan 16th" or something along thsoe lines. So it's truly sad that the cops know the names of the wards. Nice example for LDS youth to set, right? Anyway, they almost get things under control, when another fight breaks out. In the meantime, they're doing road construction and someone accidentally cuts a powerline, so the power goes out, too. So, the cops are there, kids are fighting, and the power goes out. To quote Bill Murray in "Ghost Busters"..."mass hyesteria!!" Needless to say, the dance was cut short (hallelujah!). Just think...if I had stayed just a few minutes longer, I would have witnessed it all. Seriously, though, it makes me so sad, and really sick to my stomach, actually. I know almost all the kids involved in this tonight. The other stakes haven't wanted to participate in our dances, but tonight some kids from the other stakes came anyway. And this is their experience. Next month, one of the other stakes is in charge, but I'm not sure that it's going to happen now. It's so sad that just a couple of kids can ruin the experience for so many!!! And I know that the leaders are heart-broken. I know that our stake YW Presidency loves each and every one of the youth. They have gone to great lengths to know each and every one of them by face and by name. It's hard to see so much potential go to waste with the choices that they make. It breaks my heart just witnessing it, you know? One of the sisters is a straight A student. She could so easily ruin her chances of any scholarships if she's not careful. But most youth don't think that far into the future because whatever is happening at the moment is the most important thing. Anyway, to change the subject, I also found out that a neighborhood cat is using one of my garden beds as a litter. Any ideas on how I can put a stop to that one? My sister is worried about rabbits getting to her garden in Colorado, up here I have to deal with cats and moose. I've heard that there's some product out there that keeps moose out of the garden. It's made of cow's blood. I'm not sure I'm ready for that, though. So far, the moose have not bothered my garden. But the cats...

2008-06-20T21:05:00.003-08:00

Welcome to Life in the Land of the Frozen Chozen! So far, it has been a rather cool June. Cool in temperatures, that is. I am 2nd counselor in the Young Women, and my Beehives wanted to plant a garden. So we just did that 3 days ago (June 17). We planted 4 different kinds of Lettuce, zucchini, pumpkin, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes. 2 different kinds of peas, green beans, cucumbers, strawberries, yellow zucchini, potatoes, carrots, and radishes. Whew! Anyway, we'll see how much of it actually grows, especially since it's so late in the year and it's been rather cool-ish. We built the raised beds 3 weeks ago, and filled them with dirt. I have to admit that it's rather nice having 12 and 13 year olds for slave labor! We are applying this particular project to our Personal Progress. It's one of the 10 hour projects. Things certainly have changed since I was in Young Women! But I do love the calling, the youth, and the leaders that I work with. I am learning a lot! Last weekend, I ran/walked a 5 miler called "The Women's Run" with a friend of mine. We had to donate money to participate, and the money went towards breast cancer research. We finished it in 1 hour and 10 minutes. Next year, I'm shooting for under 1 hour. We finished just in time, though. When we got to the car, it started pouring rain. Next weekend is "Arctic Thunder", which is the air show up here on the Air Force base. The Thunderbirds are going to be participating this year. Last time, it was the Blue Angels. This year also marks 50 years of statehood for Alaska. It should be a GREAT show, that's for sure! Lots of celebrating going on. Summer Solstice is here, and now we start to lose daylight. It's a rather depressing time of year, believe it or not. Summer just started, and we're already on the way to winter! Oh, well. That's why we always seize every opportunity to get out and enjoy the summer. It certainly doesn't last forever. 3 months...4 if we're lucky. Not this year, though! I hope to see you all soon!