Momma's Tired

What a weekend. I spent two days at the "Ultimate Athlete" seminar hosted by Crossfit. It was very informative and I learned a lot but man am I tired. Stick a fork in me I am done! Preemptive Advil is in order because tomorrow I don't know that I'll be able to lift my arms above my head to wash my hair, or be able to bend over to pull on socks. I squatted, deadlifted and bench pressed more than I ever have before.

Weight I deadlifted.

Curious Cat

After a long day all I wanted tonight was to read my Kindle while soaking in a hot bath. However when you have to wait a half hour for your tub to fill because of the lack luster water pressure at your house, it just isn't as satisfying.

Once I finally had a full bathtub, the cats were curious. In particular, Roly.

Hello?

Last Paddle?

I believe days like today are numbered. It was 34 degrees when I woke up this morning but the sun warmed up nicely. It almost hit 60 degrees! The hills surrounding Fairbanks saw snow flurries last weekend. Yup, these warm days are in short supply. To celebrate such a lovely day I went for a paddle on Birch Lake. Kayaking is good for the soul and the best way to adjust one's attitude.

Almost Hawaii

The weather in Adak this past week was particularly nice -- only one day of rain.

It's Gettin' Real

When I interviewed for this job I was told that I might be sleeping on schools floors; be sure and have a good water purification system; and I'd have to take my own food with me since not all the villages have grocery stores.

Fall Color

I created a separate page for the pictures I've been taking of the fall color around town. Click the "Fall Color" tab at the top of this page.

Green Salad, Vodka, and a Missing Breast

On the flight home from Adak this week I was upgraded to first class.There were 15 people on the jet, total. Ten of us were in first class. The flight attendant asked me if I'd like to have dinner -- an herb chicken breast with a green salad. That'd be lovely, I said. Oh, and a vodka and sprite zero cocktail too, please!

Leaves

This past weekend, Hollie and crew had a destination vacation in Fairbanks. Cousins Henlie and Savanna had fun playing in the leaves and in particular, throwing leaves on me.

Ouch, That Smarts

On a layover at Anchorage airport last Friday night I overheard this phone conversation at the Chili's bar:

A guy was talking to his girlfriend. He asked her if she wanted to go to the OSU football game next weekend. I can only guess what her answer was based on the following response:

"Am I gonna pay attention to you? At the football game? Probably not!"

Silence on his end for a moment then,
"Just sayin' I'm not paying $200 a ticket to sit in the stands and stare at you."

He made a fair point. If I were paying $200 to see Justin Timberlake in concert I can't say I'd be paying attention to any boyfriend!

Fall Frivolity

It was another beautiful fall day yesterday -- perfect for a bonfire at Blair and Mark's.

A DIY First

Fine readers, I've reached a milestone. I started and completed a DIY project ALL ON MY OWN!  Sorry for the shouting but this is monumental. Typically when I DIY, I don't know what I'm doing, end up getting frustrated and either don't finish the project or do it hastily because I am sick of working on it, and it looks like crap.

But I've turned over a new leaf. The tide has turned. However you want to look at it, I can now look at Pinterest knowing that I'm a doer, not just a late-night-addicted-to-Pinterest-crack-whore-looker. That's right, I re-painted my dresser. I exhibited patience (waited for the paint to completely dry), did my homework (i.e., spent countless hours reading Pinterest), and I completed the project in three days.

Only in Alaska

I've mentioned before that some things are quintessentially Alaskan. There are experiences you won't have anywhere else in the world. Last night I had one of those experiences.

I was at my friends Adam & Yvette's house for a bbq. Our other friends, Blair and Mark stopped by for a few minutes. They were on their way home from getting their first moose. As in, they shot a moose with a bow. In case you didn't ascertain this, it's moose season in Alaska. For you readers not in Alaska, this is a very big deal.

Summer Pictorial Review

My observation that Fairbanks summer weather wasn't "all that' has been substantiated. Today's News Miner reported that the average temperature in Fairbanks this summer was 59.5 degrees. We had 5 days of 80 degree weather -- far off the average of 11 days.

Yesterday was Labor Day; summer is officially over. Here's summer in pictures:

Start of summer -- Hiking Angel Rocks

Here birdie, birdie, birdie...

I have a neighborhood raven who enjoys talking to the cats. He doesn't tease and taunt quite like Blue Jays do, but he sure does like to get the cats going! 

Back to It

This past week was my first trip of the year. 1 down 7 to go for Cordova! As is typical when I go to Cordova, the weather was exquisite. Truly, I have never experienced more than a day or two of rain while there. For those of you who don't know, Cordova never sees the sun. It's weather is similar to Juneau and Ketchikan: gray skies, rain and rain.I tell the locals that the sun comes out when I'm in town (obviously).

This week however was exceptional. The trip started with a fly-by view of Mt. McKinley, although I was sitting on the wrong side of the plane to get pictures! When I fly to Anchorage I always sit on the right side of the plane so I can see Denali if the mountain is out. This trip though, the skies were so clear the pilot did a special fly-by where he dropped down to 24,000 feet and circled around the mountain. Those on the left side of the plane had all the views. I did get this nice picture of Mt. Foraker though.