Trick-or-Treat Traffic Jam

Trick-or-Treat traffic jam.  

Lovely Browns of Fall

Tallest Fireweed I have ever seen! Yes I am standing... crazy right?!

Have a lovely weekend my dear friends. Share the love and kindness with all that you meet.

Ninilchik Alaska

In  the distance you can see Mount Iliamna center left, and Mount Redoubt far right. Both are active volcanoes that normally just spit smoke and ash.

The Transfiguration of Our Lord Russian Orthodox Church. 

Cool enough in the shade for ice to form in the puddles.

B-E-A-Utiful day!

Hunger Sets in ~ Lunch at Odie's

Hunger set in and we stopped for a bite of lunch in Soldotna.  

We totally recommend you too stop at Odie's!

Hope Alaska

Sourdough Dru's ~ heehee!

Hope or Hope & Sunrise ~ depending on whom you ask. 

A weekend road trip to Homer took us to a right hand turn down the road to Hope. Which made for a very peaceful drive in the cool fall frosty air.

Value Yourself

"Part of the solution is to value yourself, to know that you are a unique human being who brings something to the world that only you can. Finding that sense of worth will help you to deal with issues in a more confident and dignified way. When we find our voice and our value we start to operate from a place of power (not arrogance or aggression)” *

They might be handing out advice on your professional identity but this speaks loudly to me for my own personal growth, and my quest for peace and finding and sharing love.  With others, and with myself.

*Developing Your Professional Identity by Anel Martin

49th State Brewing Company

49th State Brewing Company ~ one of the newest places to eat in Anchor-town. Like all new places to eat in town they are crowded with eager excited people ready to enjoy a good meal, and 49th State Brewing Company lives up to most everyone’s expectations. 

We enjoyed a great meal and some tasty drinks, served with a friendly smile. The Solstice IPA was a bit too ‘piney’ for my taste but the other beers we tried were delightful. The seafood artichoke dish was tasty, next time I will ask that they not toast the bread into large dry croutons or perhaps ask that they serve it un-toasted. 

In the summer months make a reservation, and in the off tourist season be prepared to wait 20-30. Well worth the wait.  Plus the company I was with was wonderful!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. 

*Snow* We have SNOW!

Good morning winter wonderland!  

SNOW you are my inner child's dream come true today!

Day Five

Day Five – Summed up best by my husband:

...It's like I'm in some cliché movie....
Fate: Upgrade stress!
Me: Nope! Not going to let that happen.
Fate: Everyone else hiring and the group wants to unionize!
Me: Meh, well I'm kind of tied up right now. It'll work out.
Fate: Fine! More work, less study time, less support from coworkers, crammed sim sessions, and, and, oh I know family angst! Bam your sisters in a coma!"
Me: Oh my god, wtf.
Me: …it's all going to work out Fate because I have FAITH!

And guess what… take that Fate… everything worked out just fine. He passed his upgrade check ride. Congratulations DC9 Captain! Plus, his sister is in recovery, scared straight, and ready to make a new plan, and I get to go back to being spoiled and not have to make my own morning coffee (most days)!

Dayton-Dallas-Anchorage-home, see you soon husband!

Day Four

Day Four - Received a call from Jim C. mid-morning, he was calling to tell me I did a great job raising the boys. He said Moms need to hear that they did good once and awhile. He said the boys worked hard helping him on his build-a-house-project this weekend, and at the end of the day they would not take the amount of money he was offering them. Feeling the pride. Helps me get through anything a day at work can throw at me. Made my day. Week. Year.

Day Three

Day Three - Dear Krispy Kreme Donuts I like you less than Mr. Having-to-get-up and-make-my-Own-Coffee. Your sweet exterior was enticing but the after-effects left me feeling dizzy, and a bit nauseous. Next time my answer to you will be no thank you.

Early to rise and early to bed day three was quiet and peaceful.

Day Two

Day Two - For the love of Pete - 7:01 a.m. really - that's what time the clock says!? Good thing I had some of the morning tasks already done although a lot of good it did me. Perhaps the soothing sound of the all night rain, was my cause to slumber on past my wake-up time. Whatever the reason for my dilly dally, I had to call in late this morning.

My work day was fairly uneventful as I plodded through the next semesters textbook adoptions, and was interrupted twice by goodness. One was in the form a smaller size table desk for the back corner of my office. There is now more space for me to move around, and since almost everything is digital in my work world, who needs all that work surface to dust, not this girl.

The other win was getting to watch UAF's State of the University address via a live web cast. Thank you UAF for your transparency and for encouraging everyone to "take care of this university and each other."  Long live your pride and can do spirit.

Tomato soup accompanied by gruyère cheese biscuits for supper, and off to bed early. Wish me luck for an on time easy morning wake up.

Day One

Day One - Dear Mr. Having-to-get-up and-make-my-Own-Coffee, I'm not sure I like you.

Day one started off with a rush as I overslept, didn't mean to, like all days that I oversleep, this really was not the plan. Coffee, lunch, water, and a house half elfed will have to do. The clean dishes will have to stay in the dishwasher, and this day will get logged in the record books as the first morning that I've abandoned the new morning protocol to put the clean dishes away. Hopefully this is not a sign of things to come or this is going to be a long week.

The drive to work this morning was good but I would like to note that at the corner of Tudor and Lake Otis I was squeezed out of my lane by a car with plates that read 'Britt1'. What's up with
that?

Also noteworthy is that I could see a light dusting of snow on the top peaks, way in the distance of the Chugach Mountains. It begins.

Tonight after supper I prepared some of what would normally be on the morning task list. Coffee is ground, water bottle full, and the cream container is ready to dispense its goodness. I've learned from the master. Thank you husband for being a good example.

Oh and one more thing... Dear Mr. Train Crossing Active Sign, thank you for saving me time in traffic and giving me the opportunity to practice my city ninja skills.

Good night. Sleep tight and sweet dreams filled with peace and joy.

Something Old

Something old and very enjoyable to use for my sewing projects.  These were purchased by my Grandmother when spools were wooden, and thread was made in the USA!

Only Child

As  an only child my life used to revolve around me. Me and me alone. I didn't have to think of anyone else first, second or otherwise. There was me. What I wanted to do. All life's choices were of my choosing, and sharing was a rare commodity in my everyday life. In fact, the word sharing was something that other people had to do, it did not apply to me or my life.

All this selfish only child thinking started to change 27 years ago. I do not have to tell you that when a woman becomes pregnant everything changes. Some of these changes can seem to happen overnight, while other changes can take years for their full effect to become apparent. The slow change is how the sharing epiphany came to be part of the person I am today.

During those first few years of motherhood and the addition of another son, my selfish behaviors began to melt away with each day being more about them and less about my selfish wants. Each day I thought less about myself and more about someone else. There were a few things that remained sacred, my hairbrush... not to be shared, and a toothbrush never! But my time, my energy, and my space all began to belong to someone else. Their concerns came first, those sons of mine, of ours, and even my husband’s ideas started to take shape over my once selfish thoughts.

27 years later the boys are raised, and doing quite well if I must say. And I must say, as the pride runs extremely deep. So where does this leave me, you ask? Lost, I answer. Now there still is the husband, whom I love dearly, and would go to the ends of the Earth to make him happy, I did move to Anchorage after all. There are friends in my life for whom I am their cheerleader. Cheering them on at each corner of their own personal race.

But me, where am I among all these lost and lonely feelings?

...

UAF Pride

Most of you are aware of my ‘new’ job woes here at UAA, and the distress that this change has effected in my life. There were moments just before I changed jobs that I felt dislike for where I was and was looking forward to the change ahead. This could be chalked up to the classic behavior of being mad at the situation, or at a person, so that the separation is easier to make. In truth this job transition rocked me over, and set me on edge.

UAA is not UAF, not in the least. What is missing from UAA that is present at UAF? Pride! Generational pride of belonging.

In fact, I asked myself last week; am I just not looking for it or is it just not here? And after querying my co-workers old and new plus a few folks here at UAA that also have UAF roots, the answer is: it is just not here.

After 2 years 7 months and 16 days, I think I might finally be okay with this answer.

I do not work at an institution of higher education that has school spirit and pride in its identity, I work a job in the big city of Anchor-Town. The joy that I felt (most days – as every job is not perfect everyday) by having a sense of belonging to the Nanook family will have to be something that I once had, and now will cherish as a smiling memory from my past. I might one day again work for a university that resonates pride from its very foundations, until then, a nice office with a view of a patch of woods and tasks that I know how to accomplish with ease will have to do.

Happy 100th UAF!

 All my best! 

I do miss being surrounded by your school spirit!

Happy Birthday

Thank you for being my best friend and for taking me on all sorts of fun adventures around Alaska and the world.

 I love you tons.

Yesterday. 

Today. 

Tomorrow!

Love Is...

Photo credit: A. Winkelman

Love is the only way to fly!

Share the love with those you love!

Pass it along...

What do you see when you look down?