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"Christmas
waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything
is softer and more beautiful." --Norman Vincent Peale
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Current
Time & Temp in Fairbanks
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Journal
Updated Wednesday December 31, 2003 |
| Monday
December 1, 2003 |
Beginning
a New Month |
Sunrise or Sunset?
Gingerbread House
Our Christmas cards
|
A new month begins here in Alaska
and it's supposed to be the coldest one yet. The temperatures
hovered in the -14 range today and a very light snow was falling.
This morning I picked up my friends Susan and Luann, for our
workout at the gym, a little early because I had my ITC (International
Training in Communication) meeting today and I had to be there
by noon. I was in charge of the opening and closing thought
so I didn't want to be late. The workout went well, but it seems
on Monday I just don't have the energy that I have the rest
of the week. I should be refreshed after the weekend, especially
after a long weekend, but we were busy decorating the house,
etc. Plus if I would remember to take my heart medication in
the morning, I probably wouldn't be so tired. Anyway, as I said
before, I had the opening and closing thought for the meeting
and I had decided that it would be fun for the opening thought
to say what our favorite Christmas commercial was or is and
why we like it. Your supposed to go around the room with each
person telling in two minutes or less their favorite commercial
and then at the end I tell mine and close the topic. Well I
chose the old Norelco commercial where santa comes sliding down
the hill in the razor because that was my favorite when I was
a little girl. I thought how clever of me to think of that one,
surely everyone would have forgotten about it, right? Wrong!
everyone said that was their favorite too! The only thing different
was the reasons they chose it. I guess I'll have to come up
with something more clever next time. For the next meeting,
I'm in charge of the Lexicology portion which is the study of
words to increase vocabulary. The presenter goes over the definitions
and usage of several unusual or interesting words they have
come across in their recent reading. I'll have to come up with
something fun like Supercalafragilisticexpalidocious! ;-) What?
It's interesting! Just kidding, I'm sure I'll find something
appropriate.
After my meeting, I ran some errands and drove back on post.
I stopped at the guard gate, as I do 3 or 4 times a day, and
the guard said to me "Mam, are my eyelashes frozen?"
I said yes they are and we both laughed. Poor guy! If your eyes
water in this extreme cold, they freeze! Every time I pass the
guard gate I want to bring those guys some warm soup! Bless
their heart for standing out there and keeping us safe!
As I was driving to the bank on post I noticed the sun low on
the horizon. Was this sunrise or sunset? Hard to tell anymore
with the short days! It disappeared quickly, but I was able
to get a shot right before it slipped out of sight.
When Stephen got home last night, we ate dinner (left over's
from T-day of course), then we worked on decorating the tree.
We got all the ornaments on and that was a feat in itself since
we have about a gillion of them! Ok, I'm exaggerating a little,
we only have hundreds! We collect the hallmark ones and every
year we get each other about 10 or 12 new ones. I suggested
that we scale down to just one or two new ones. Otherwise we
will have to get a second tree just to hold them all! Anyway,
now he just has to put his train village back together under
the tree and we will officially be done with decorating. |
| Tuesday
December 2, 2003 |
BRRRR
Rabbit! |
Our Christmas Tree
Ornament of
the Day
My Favorite: Froggy Christmas
Stephen bought me this one last year and I love it
because he's a frog and he's so cute and tiny hanging on to
the candy cane for dear life!
Stephen's favorite: Tonka Fever
Stephen loves all of his Tonka ornaments because they
remind him of his real Tonka toys
when he was a little boy
Weather for tomorrow:
Wednesday Partly cloudy. Local northeast winds to 10 mph.
Highs 5 above at higher elevations to 25 below in calm valleys.
(practically a heat wave!)
Sunrise tomorrow: 10:20 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:59 p.m.
(Dark days swiftly approaching) |
It was -40 this morning when I woke
up and boy was I glad that I didn't have to stand outside and
wait for the school bus like the kids do every morning! I received
a call from Rachel, the wife of one of Stephen's soldier's asking
if I could take her two kids to school because they missed their
bus. I said yes, just let me get dressed and I would be right
there. When I picked them up, we had to find out where the school
was because obviously I don't have children so I don't know
where it is and they just moved here and usually ride the bus.
We finally figured out that it was off of Trainor Gate Rd. You
see our housing complex backs up to that road and there is a
gate right around the corner, but since that gate is closed,
we have to drive all the way out of post down the street and
back around to the school! I don't understand why they don't
have this gate open, they have badger gate in the back of post
open and with all of the new people coming in, they can't be
that short of people to man the gates. I just think it's silly
to make everybody (including the school buses) drive that far
out of the way, especially in this weather! But I'm just a little
peon with no say in the matter, so I guess I'll keep my mouth
shut ;-)
While I was driving I noticed that my steering was a little
stiff and it was somewhat difficult to press the brakes. I don't
think "Ben" likes getting out in this frigid weather!
I think his fluids were trying to freeze and he's used to staying
inside a nice warm garage. I don't know how people let their
vehicles sit out overnight, if it weren't for being able to
plug them in, they would really have problems. My friend Susan
told me that one of our other friends went to the gym and left
her car unplugged for 30 minutes and it broke her power steering
line! I will definitely have to find a place to plug in when
I go out!
Susan picked me up around 10:30 a.m. and we drove downtown to
visit the little gift shops. We made sure we found a place to
plug in, but we had to do some walking to get to the shops.
I didn't pick out the best outfit to wear in -40 degree weather
and my toes about froze. I wasn't wearing my ear muffs or a
hat either! When will I ever learn? I survived the nearly two
block walk and we discovered a little out of the way mall filled
with gift shops and even a scrapbook store. I didn't go in that
one because I knew I would spend a lot of money and it's too
close to Christmas for that. I got some cute Christmas ornaments
with "Alaska" on them and a cute stuffed moose. In
one of the stores we were commenting on how cold it was outside
and the lady behind the counter said "What are you girls
doing out in this weather?" Susan and I found that amusing
because we thought the natives would be out and about, but it
turns out the tourists are the ones braving the bitter cold
to prevent cabin fever!
We were getting hungry and decided to look for a cafe' to eat
lunch. We were going to try Bobby's (another diner downtown),
but they weren't open so we opted for "The Diner"
again. This time I had the cheeseburger with nice cup of hot
chocolate and Susan had a patty melt with a glass of ice tea.
The burger was good, but the chocolate hit the spot! It was
pushing 2 p.m. by the time we left and I had promised Rachel
I would take her to the commissary this afternoon. We started
back towards post and I called her on my cell phone and found
out that she couldn't go after all, so Susan and I decided to
go to the PX to find her husband Steve a wallet and look at
their souvenirs. The PX or Post Exchange is a department store
for the military. The prices are discounted and there's no sales
tax, but it's more like a Dillards or Sears instead of a Wal-mart
like I think it should be. They have a nice selection of souvenirs
and they even had the same ornaments I bought at the gift shop
and for a much cheaper price! I'm going to try to get a refund
on the ones I bought earlier and buy them at the PX. I bought
a few Hallmark ornaments for Stephen, as if we needed any more,
but I only got him 3 this year!
After dinner, Stephen and I exchanged our new ornaments. He
bought me three too so it worked out great! Since we have so
many ornaments, I thought it might be fun to post one of my
favorite ornaments each day for the month of December. Of course
when Stephen heard I was going to do this, he wanted me to post
his too, so there will be two ornaments of the day from now
till Christmas.
It's after 11:00 p.m. now and I have to get up early in the
morning and take my Father-in-Law (Butch) to the doctor by 8:00
a.m. He's not been feeling well since last Friday and Stephen
and I finally forced him to go get checked out today. The doctor
said that he's getting an infection in his foot. Butch is a
diabetic so that's not good at all. He put him on an antibiotic
and told him to come back in the morning and he would put him
in the hospital if necessary to treat him properly. I hope he
gets better and doesn't end up losing his foot, because he's
going to have a really hard time getting up and down the stairs
in our house. I guess we will have to cross that bridge when
we get to it. |
| Wednesday
December 3, 2003 |
Busy
Day |
Ornament
of the Day
My Favorite: Alvin the
Chipmunk
My brother and his family got this ornament for me
a couple of years ago and I love it because when you press
his tummy he sings
"The Chipmunk Song"
Stephen's favorite: Our
First Christmas together
Stephen loves this one because it is an ornament of our
first Christmas together.
We got engaged on December 17th just
in time for Christmas in 2000.
Weather for tomorrow:
Partly cloudy. Local northeast winds 5 to 15 mph. Highs
15 above to 10 below...coldest in calm valleys.
(not bad)
Sunrise tomorrow: 10:23 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:57 p.m.
(Dark days swiftly approaching)
|
It was a very busy day today!
I got up early and took Butch to the doctor and we had to
wait about an hour, then he told him to go home and get his
toothbrush and other stuff because he was putting him in the
hospital. We followed the doctors instructions and got to
the hospital around 10:15 a.m. I waited with him until around
noon because I wanted to catch Stephen at home for lunch so
I could tell him about his Father being admitted. Usually
I would be able to call him at work, but they are in a class
this week and can't have their cell phones on.
I ate lunch with Stephen, then I had to go to the commissary
to get some groceries so I called Rachel to see if she still
needed to go and she wasn't home. I left a message for her
to call my cell phone if she wanted me to pick something up
for her and headed off to the store. I was almost done with
my shopping when I got a call from Rachel saying that she
did need to get some stuff and could I pick her up around
4:30 p.m.? I said yes, I would take my things home and go
by and pick her up, but that I needed to be somewhere at 7:00
p.m. She said her husband would be home at 4:30 p.m. to watch
the kids so I agreed.
When I got over to her house, her husband was not home yet
and she was trying to reach him on the cell phone. The kids
were watching "The Grinch" and of course I watched
it too! I've only seen the movie once and had forgotten most
of it, so I enjoyed it. She finally got in touch with her
husband and he made it home around 5:45 p.m. I knew we would
have to hurry if we were going to make it back in time for
Stephen and I to get to Church for the Finance class. The
lines were long at the commissary as they usually are this
time of the month (just after payday) and we didn't finish
until nearly 7 p.m. Needless to say we didn't make it to our
class, but it's a 12 week class and hopefully we can catch
up next week. I bought a rotisserie chicken at the commissary
to eat for dinner because I was tired of turkey leftovers!
It was a nice change.
After dinner, Stephen and I went up to the hospital to visit
his dad before visiting hours were over. He has a roommate
that is about his age, also a diabetic, and has lots of stories
to tell too, so they get along GREAT! The nurse said there
were 4 diabetics in the hospital with foot infections right
now! Something in the water? I don't know, maybe. We stayed
and talked to him for awhile and of course Stephen jumped
on him for not taking care of himself and adhering to his
diabetic diet and exercise! He said he would have to check
his Dad's feet more often since he obviously won't do it himself.
But, he promised to do better so Stephen let it go. They are
going to operate on his foot tomorrow and we are just praying
that he gets to keep his foot and his leg! If he loses it,
we will be in a bind because of the stairs in our house. We
would have to put in a request to be moved to a handicapped
equip apartment, but that would be a major feat because he's
not a dependant. We had to get a special waiver for him to
live with us so we don't know if they would even approve something
that drastic! Aside from that option, I don't know what we
will do!
The hospital here on post is an old one and the rooms can
have a total of 4 patients in them. The bathroom is down the
hall and is co-ed (sort of like a port-a-john) so there is
not much privacy. The TV's that they have are wheeled from
room to room and are used on a first come, first served basis
and good luck finding a remote that works! They are building
a new multi-million dollar hospital just down the street,
but it's not set to open until 2006! I hope we are still here
when it opens, it's supposed to be state-of-the-art!
We left the hospital around 8:30 p.m. because we wanted to
get back home for West Wing, one of our favorite shows on
TV. I needed some gas because it was just below half and you
don't want to let it get much lower than that in this cold
weather or it will try to freeze, so we drove to the Chevron
station just off post. There is a gas station on post, but
the gas in the wintertime tends to be less quality. People
also recommend that you add "Iso Heat" (an additive)
to your gas to keep it from freezing, and Stephen makes me
put one bottle in my tank before each fill up. As Stephen
was pumping the gas, two vehicles pulled up and started filling
their tanks without turning their engines off! I don't understand
how people can be so ignorant! I see people smoking and talking
on cell phones at gas pumps all the time! Have they not seen
the 20/20 specials on how gas tanks explode! It's real people!
It does happen!! Why do you think they put those stickers
up that say "turn your engine off" and "don't
use cell phones" and definitely "no smoking"??
How lazy do you have to be not to turn your engine off or
throw a cigarette away before reaching for the pump? This
is not rocket science!! I prefer not to be blown to bits because
of their carelessness! Ok, I'm done venting now! Thanks for
listening! ;-)
|
| Thursday
December 4, 2003 |
Moosin
Around |
Ornament of
the Day
My Favorite: Monsters,
Inc.
Stephen
gave me this one last year and I love it because it reminds
me of one of the cutest movies I've ever seen, by a company
that I wanted to work for; Pixar.
Stephen's favorite: Road
Grater
He of course loves this one because
it reminds him of the toy one he had as a child!
Baby moose on the road into post
Moon over the forest
Weather for tomorrow:
Mostly clear. Local northeast
winds 10 to 20 mph. Highs 10 below to 15 above. Coldest
in calm valleys.
(break out the suntan
lotion!)
Sunrise tomorrow: 10:25 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:55 p.m.
(shorter and shorter!)
|
Even Stephen's kiss couldn't wake
me this morning I was so sound asleep. I just didn't want
to get out of bed and when I finally did it was already 8:30
a.m., but of course the sun wasn't up yet so it seemed much
earlier! Will I ever get used to this dark stuff? We'll see!
I received a call this morning from Brandi (the employment
liaison on post) informing me of a Web Site Manager position
at the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. She said
to go online and fill out the application right away, because
the deadline for applying is December 9th. I went to their
website and, with some difficulty, I found what I thought
was the application and started filling it out online. I get
so frustrated with applications because I don't feel that
they are necessary. Isn't that what a resume is for? so you
don't have to write the stuff over and over again? The resume
contains all the information that you use to fill out the
application so why can't they just look at the resume? I don't
get it! Anyway, I did my part and filled it out, but when
I hit the submit button, it didn't work! and of course I lost
all the information I had entered so I tried one more time
to no avail. I finally decided to go to the contact page on
their website and find the Human Resources contact for the
web department and send her an e-mail with my resume attached
and a cover letter. We'll see what happens!
Stephen came home for lunch and we had some sandwiches, then
at 12:30 p.m. I switched on the TV to TLC for "Perfect
Proposal". I've been watching this show for the last
few days and it's really good. They take any ordinary man
wanting to propose to his fiancee' and help him pull off a
unique and perfect proposal. Today was the best one I've seen
so far. The guy bought the ring and put in the floor board
of a New York cab (one that was used specifically for the
show) and got his girlfriend's friend to coax her to the right
cab to find the ring. The ring was in a bag (as if someone
bought it and left it behind), with a business card of the
jeweler that supposedly sold the ring. The girl was flabbergasted
to find the ring and tried it on just for fun! She went on
and on about how beautiful it was and told her boyfriend on
videotape (the friend was taping) that this was the ring that
she wanted! Then to make a long story short, she tracked down
the jeweler who asked her to take it to the hotel for the
guy that she thought was proposing and imagine her surprise
when she got there to find her own boyfriend standing there
waiting to propose to her with the ring that she had fallen
in love with! It was so sweet; I was crying. I'm a big sap
for stuff like that!
Not long after the show, I received a call from Mary, one
of the members of my ITC group asking if I wanted to meet
her at 2 p.m. at McCafferty's downtown. She wanted to give
me the book that we are reading for our book club, so I didn't
have to purchase a new one. I said I would be delighted to
meet with her and have a cup of coffee. I had a few things
to finish before meeting with her so I got right to work.
I had to call all of the ladies in 3rd platoon about the Christmas
party on the 13th of December. I was surprised to find out
that most of them had no idea that we were having a party,
much less when. The girl who volunteered to be the Key Caller
for our platoon hasn't been doing her job, so I told our FRG
leader, Katie that I would be happy to call everyone. If you
read about our Christmas party plans back in November, you
will remember that that 3rd platoon is supposed to bring side
dishes, so I called the ladies to see what they plan on bringing
to make sure we don't end up with 10 bowls of mashed potatoes!
Most of them were very responsive and promised to make something
and seemed to be happy that I called to inform them. Right
now we have stuffing, mashed potatoes, 2 green bean casseroles
and jambalaya. I left messages for the ones that weren't home,
and hopefully they will get back with me soon so we can complete
our mission!
With that out of the way, I sped off to meet with Mary at
McCafferty's coffee house. I didn't think I would be there
long and the temperature was only -1, so I didn't plug "Ben"
in this time. I made my way across the street to the coffee
shop and found that I had gotten there before her, so I bought
myself a short decaf mocha latte and found a nice place to
sit. Shortly after I got seated, Mary walked in and joined
me. The book we are reading is "Nine Parts of Desire"
The Hidden World of Islamic Women by Geraldine Brooks. While
Mary went to get her own cup of coffee, I read the prologue
and I didn't want to put the book down! It's a true story
about a journalist, Geraldine Brooks, and her intrepid journey
toward an understanding of the women behind the veils, and
of the often contradictory political, religious, and cultural
forces that shape their lives. I think I will thoroughly enjoy
reading this book! Who knows, I might even start an online
book club with you guys! If your interested e-mail me at smkatt@yahoo.com
and let me know!
I enjoyed talking with Mary and finding out more about her.
She's an older woman who has lived in Fairbanks since the
1960's and she's a loner. She likes to rent movies (old ones
and new ones) to keep her company while she falls asleep at
night and she doesn't like to get out past 30 below! It's
interesting to hear how people ended up here and how they
cope with the extreme conditions. In her case, she stays inside
most of the time, but she said she's trying to get out more
and invited me to join her again sometime for conversation
and coffee. I look forward to hearing more of her stories.
On the way back on post, I glanced over and saw the baby moose!
I whipped my camera out of my purse and snapped a photo as
I was driving by. The mama moose was over by the trees, but
she had a watchful eye on her child ready to charge at a moments
notice. A little further down the road, I noticed the moon
bright and full and got a few shots. I sure wish I had a zoom
lens to capture the details. Maybe I'll put that on my Christmas
list next year!
This evening Stephen and I went to visit his Dad and we found
out they are not going to operate on his foot just yet. They
are going to do an MRI tomorrow and watch him over the weekend
and then decide Monday if they have to operate. The doctor
said his foot looked a lot better today so it sounds pretty
good!
After visiting Butch, we drove to Burger King to grab a quick
bite to eat. The girl at the drive through window was an outstanding
employee; she was friendly, not pushy and very efficient.
We like to report good experiences as well as bad ones, so
when we got home, I called and asked for the Manager and told
her about our pleasant encounter. She thanked me for calling
and asked me to fill out a customer comment card on her because
for every one they receive, they get a $5 gift certificate
for food. It's not a lot, but I think it's a nice gesture
and a great incentive in this new world of shrinking customer
service! |
| Friday
December 5, 2003 |
Frosty
the Snowman |
|
I woke up earlier this morning
and not half as groggy as yesterday so I fixed Stephen his breakfast
(just cereal, it's not like I break out the frying pan or anything
;-), then read a little from the paper before bidding him farewell
as he left for class. I was checking my e-mail when Susan IM'd
(instant message) me to see if I wanted to go to the gym a little
earlier than our usual 10 a.m. I said sure and IM'd Luann to
see if it was ok with her and she also agreed. I would actually
rather go to the gym in the morning around 6 or 7 a.m. because
it gets me up early and I don't feel like half my day is gone
when I'm done, but because of the cold weather, that's where
a lot of the troops do their PT and we don't want to be working
out in front of a bunch of soldiers. I was about to leave the
computer to get dressed when I received an e-mail from Maria
the lady at the school district. She said she received my resume
and sent me a link to the application that I need to fill out.
I promised myself that I would fill it out and send it back
after the gym.
Just when I thought I was making progress with my workout, I
injured myself! I'm really not sure exactly what I did, but
as I was lifting up on the bar for the chest press, I felt like
it was too much weight because I felt a quick pain in my shoulder.
I dropped the weight a bit and tried again and finished the
set, but then my shoulder started getting worse and by the time
we finished working out, I could hardly move it. I was driving
so it was a little difficult turning the steering wheel, but
I thought if I could just work the soreness out, I would be
ok. Susan and I decided to run to Michaels because she had to
return some lights that she purchased that didn't work. My shoulder
started feeling some better so again I thought I must have pulled
something. On the way out the door, I noticed the entrance into
Bently Mall. I had seen advertisements for the mall, but I had
never been in it so we decided to check it out. I was pleasantly
surprised to see some familiar stores like Payless, Eddie Bauer,
After Thoughts and even Walden Books! I can't believe I didn't
know these stores were here. I had mixed emotions about Waldens
because I had a membership card and I threw it away when we
got here, because I just knew it would expire by the time we
got back to the lower 48! *hitting palm on forehead. Maybe they
can retrieve my old information and issue me another card?
Anyway, we walked around a bit and then drove over to the Owl
Tree (an upscale women's clothing store). We laughed because
we were still in our gym clothes with no make-up and we were
wondering if we were going to get the "Pretty Woman"
treatment, the "We don't have anything for you!" line,
but they were very nice to us. We both are looking for a jacket
of some sort to wear to the Valentines Ball because our dresses
are sleeveless. They had some beautiful fur lined jackets that
were a bit out of my price range, but the lady at the store
had some great suggestions for using the existing wrap that
came with the dress and pulling it behind and pinning with a
beautiful broach. I had never thought of that before, I think
I will try it!
As we were leaving, I must have moved the wrong way, because
I felt that sharp pain in my shoulder again! OUCH!! I don't
know if I pinched a nerve or what, but I may have to break down
and go to the ER if it still hurts tomorrow.
On the way to drop Susan off, I took her around the corner from
our house to see the huge snowman that someone made. As usual,
I had my camera with me, so I snapped a photo of it. They really
put a lot of work into it.
I arrived back home in time to see Stephen for a few minutes
as he was home for lunch, then I started watching TLC (The Learning
Channel). Perfect Proposal was cute today, but not as good as
yesterdays so I won't elaborate. I then got hooked watching
A Wedding Story, I like to watch them because it's nice to see
happy couples! Stephen and I were talking about all the different
shows on TLC last night. They have everything covered. A Personal
Story, A Makeover Story, A Dating Story, Second Chance, Perfect
Proposal, A Wedding Story and A Baby Story! What's next? A Divorce
Story?? Now, that would be interesting!
| Stephen got home early today
around 3 p.m. and he took a short nap while I worked on
the computer. At 5 p.m. this evening we went to the post
gym (PFC) for the annual post Christmas party and tree
lighting ceremony. It was a mandatory event for E7 and
above, but we wanted to go anyway. They had the tree inside
because it was so cold outside, we were all happy about
that! There were all sorts of activities for the kids
like face painting, puppet show, Santa was there and Moola
Moola, the mascot for MAC Federal Credit Union. At first
when we saw Moola Moola from behind, we had no clue what
it was supposed to be. Stephen said it looked like a Barney
Fart! (that was too funny, I had to high five him for
that one). In the gymnasium there were some of the support
groups selling food for fundraising and I got some awesome
potato soup and soft bread! The main tree lighting ceremony
started at 5:45 p.m. and Stephen, Susan, Steve and I went
upstairs to get a better view, just before they hit the
switch. After the official ceremony they opened the ice
rink for free skating so Stephen went out to the Jeep
and grabbed our ice skates. We skated for a little bit,
but not knowing we were going to be skating, I didn't
wear the proper socks and they hurt my feet. We needed
to get to the Church anyway for Choir practice so we just
left. |
|
Once choir practice was over, we dropped by the hospital to
visit Butch for a few minutes. They took him over to Fairbanks
Memorial Hospital today for an MRI (they don't have an MRI machine
at Bassett) and brought him back around 4 p.m. just in time
to get a piece of sugar free cheesecake! He really enjoyed that!
His roommate was supposed to be discharged today, but the doctor
won't release him till tomorrow. Butch will miss him I'm sure,
they've gotten to be pretty good friends. I told them they should
keep in touch after they go home, maybe get together to play
cards or something. His roommate (you know I don't know his
name...hmmm) said he was going to call and harass Butch while
he was still in the hospital.
Well, another end to another hectic day! It's 11:48 p.m., -22
degrees and Stephen is already sleeping. I have to wait till
he goes to sleep so I can work on my journal. He likes for me
to spend time with him when he's home; I can't imagine why ;-) |
| Saturday
Night
December 6, 2003 |
Movie
Night |
Ornament of the
Day
My Favorite: Santa in
Space
I bought
this one for Stephen right before we started dating back
in 2000 when I went to the Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
Stephen's favorite: Front
Loader
His mom gave him this one in 1997.
Tired of Tonka yet? He's not!
Weather for tomorrow:
Partly cloudy. Local northeast
winds 5 to 15 mph. Highs 10 above to 10 below. Warmest in
the Hills.
(warmer still)
Sunrise tomorrow: 10:31 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:51 p.m.
(slowly but surely)
|
We got up and went to Church this
morning and then we went to track down one "Cat in the
Hat" Fish Flashlight! Our friend Stephanie's little boy
Dylan wanted one for his birthday (his party was today) and
she thought she saw it in the paper at Radio Shack. We went
to both stores in town to no avail, then we went to this little
strip mall beside Gottschalks and imagine my surprise to see
a Hallmark store! I really need to get out and shop more, I
can't believe all the stores we have that I thought we didn't!
I was feeling a bit claustrophobic today because there were
so many people around and the stores are small and the parking
spaces are even smaller and there were kids crying and people
shoving and pulling out in front of me and I just wanted to
scream "Calgon, take me away!" Anyway, we never found
the flashlight, but instead bought him a 3D View Master and
3 different discs to go with it. His party was at 3 p.m. so
we had just enough time to grab something quick at the deli
before heading over to their house. There were about 10 kids
there and about 15 adults. Of course there was food (Stephanie
always makes yummy treats), a birthday cake, presents and even
a piñata. The theme was Sponge Bob Square Pants and she
made the cutest Sponge Bob cookies! She's so Martha Stewart!
We didn't stay too long because I was looking forward to spending
a nice quiet night alone with Stephen at home.
 |
On the way home we dropped by blockbuster
to pick up The Santa Clause 2. I know this movie came
out last year, but for some reason we missed it! We own
the first one so we decided to watch it before watching
the sequel. Once at home, Stephen popped some popcorn
and poured some cold drinks and we settled in for a night
at the movies. It's been awhile since I've seen the original
movie and I had forgotten some parts. I enjoyed watching
it again and reliving the funniest moments. As I watched,
I sipped on some egg nog; ah that sweet nectar of the
holiday season. I just love that rich smooth taste as
it slides down my tongue down the back of my throat and
into my tummy. Stephen gags at the mention of the beverage,
but I relish it and look forward to it every year! |
The first movie was on VHS,
but the second was on DVD and with our surround sound
speakers you could really tell a difference! We felt like
we were at the movie theater, I'm sure the neighbors were
pleased ;-)
Santa Clause 2 was a good movie, but I'm not quite sure
it was as good as the first one. Sometimes in a sequel
they try too hard and it comes off as too fake. I'm afraid
this movie fell victim to that theory. One thing I did
like however was the fact that all the characters except
one, played in the second movie as well. I really hate
a sequel that doesn't have any of the same people in it,
especially the main characters. |
|
Well, once again it's late 11:58 p.m., Stephen is not asleep
but reading his off road adventure magazine, but my eyes are
getting droopy so I will bid you adu for the evening! Ta Ta
For Now or "TTFN" for short. |
| Sunday
December 7, 2003 |
Gold
Canyon Candles |
Ornament
of the Day
My Favorite: Biltmore
Estate
Stephen and
I got this one when we went to Biltmore Estate the day after
we got engaged in 2000.
Stephen's favorite: Lionel
Daylight
I got this Southern Pacific Daylight
train by Lionel for him this year! The passenger car actually
lights up!
Weather for tomorrow:
Mostly cloudy. East winds to
10 mph. Highs 5 below to 15 above. Mildest in the Hills.
Sunrise tomorrow: 10:33 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:49 p.m.
|
It was a lazy Sunday morning here
and I didn't get out of bed until around 11 a.m. I was awake
long before, but I was watching ice skating and sipping coffee
while snuggled in our warm bed! My friend Amanda called around
8 a.m. to tell me that her husband Dane found out yesterday
that he's going to war. He is in the National Guard, but has
been active more than anything. He's a blackhawk medevac helicopter
pilot and will be at Ft. Carson for 3 months then off to Kuwait
for 18 months! During this time he will probably fly many missions
into Iraq to pick up wounded soldiers. She, like all of us military
wives, is concerned for her husbands safety and of course the
time they will spend apart. We know that it's their job and
we support them 100%, but we ourselves sacrifice so much in
having them gone and sometimes the stress of it all can get
you down. That is why we have FRG's or Family Readiness Groups
to give us that support and complete understanding of what were
going through. Stephen will be deployed in 2005 and although
it seems like a long way off, it's really closer than I want
to think about. For now, I just have to support my friends whose
husbands are there now or will be shortly.
Around 1:45 p.m. this afternoon, I picked up Susan and we went
to our friend Nina's house for a Gold Canyon Candle party. I
don't know if you have ever heard of Gold Canyon, but if you
haven't you should visit this site
and find a consultant near you. These candles smell SO good
and they are even cheaper than Yankee candles. What I like best
about the parties is that you get to take home what you want
right then, you don't have to wait for it to be ordered! I bought
three 5oz. candles, one 8oz. candle and two auto fresheners.
The fragrances I got are: Cucumber Melon, Cozy Christmas, Holiday
Wreath, Mulled Cider and Cinnamon Vanilla and Apple Spice auto
fresheners. The scent of these candles is extremely vibrant
and they last a long time too!
After the party I dropped Susan back off at her house and then
Stephen and I went to the auto parts store to get some rubber
hosing that he needed to install some fuel savers we purchased
for each vehicle. The fuel saver is supposed to increase our
gas mileage by 20%, I'll believe it when I see it! While we
were out, we dropped by McDonalds for a quick dinner, then to
Safeway to grab some more egg nog. We stopped by the hospital
to see Butch and found out that they are going to operate on
his foot tomorrow afternoon. We didn't stay long because he
was eating dinner; we'll be going by tomorrow after his surgery.
When we got home, we watched "National Lampoons Christmas
Vacation". That has to be one of the funniest Holiday movies
I've ever seen! I laugh so hard every time I see it and I watch
it every year!
Well, not everything that happened today was good. As I was
filling out my weekly certification for unemployment, I saw
a notice on the top of the page that said "Due
to the decline in the North Carolina unemployment rate, the
Extended Benefits (EB) program has ended. The last week for
which extended benefits will be paid is the week ending December
13, 2003. Basically this means that I will get my
last unemployment check a week from tomorrow! This after I just
received the letter about a 13 week extension! I'm still in
shock and I will be calling the unemployment office in North
Carolina in the morning. |
| Monday
December 8, 2003 |
Just
Another Day |
Ornament
of the Day
My Favorite: "Special
Friend"
My dear friend
Laura gave me this ornament just before we moved from North
Carolina. I'll cherish it always!
Stephen's favorite: Crane
I just bought this one for Stephen this
year. It's Tonka, what else?
Weather for tomorrow:
Mostly cloudy. East winds to
10 mph. Highs 10 to 25 above. Continued warmest in the Hills.
(I'll
believe it when I see it!)
It
was supposed to be 15 above today and it only got up to -10
Sunrise tomorrow: 10:36 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:48 p.m.
|
Today was a pretty ordinary day,
but it started out great! I called the unemployment office in
North Carolina and found out that the program that's ending
does not include me! I still have 9 weeks left, thank God! Tomorrow
is the 9th also, so I should be hearing from the school district
about the Web Site Manager position in the next few days. I'm
leaving it all in God's hands!
Susan, Luann and I had our usual workout this morning and my
shoulder was fine today. I must have pulled a muscle or something
last Friday, I'm just glad it wasn't more serious. I was much
more careful today with the weights. After our workout, we went
by the post office to mail some bills and get some stamps and
we found out there is a box there for us to drop our cards that
we want to have "North Pole" postmarked! We were so
excited to see this, because we thought we were going to have
to drive all the way to North Pole. It's only about 20 miles
up the road, but still it's nice to know we can drop them on
post. We took Luann home and then Susan and I went to the commissary
to get a few things. Today is Susan's husband Steve's birthday
and she's cooking him dinner. This may not sound unusual, but
she doesn't usually cook so it will be a nice treat for him!
She's even baking a cake!
I just ran some errands and balanced my checkbook this afternoon
and then this evening I wrote out Christmas cards. I'm sending
out 60 cards this year and I wasn't going to do a newsletter,
but as I was writing addresses I noticed that many of the people
don't have e-mail addresses so I think I may do a small newsletter
after all to include in some of the cards. We'll see how I am
doing on time!
We dropped by the hospital this afternoon to check on Butch
and he is doing fine. They operated on his foot today, but we
don't know how much they had to remove. We know it's not his
whole foot so that's good! We think he may have lost his big
toe though and that will prove hard to walk. We're hoping they
put him in rehab and get him as well as possible before sending
him home due to the stairs in our house.
I'm so angry right now! I just watched the finale of "Average
Joe" and I cannot believe she chose Jason! What is she
thinking? The guy lives with his parents, he doesn't have a
stable job, he's immature, ok he's pretty, but come on! Adam
is genuine, has a great smile and personality and a stable job!
Stephen and I both are disgusted with the show because technically
they can't call it "Average" Joe anymore! The guy
who won certainly was not average! Anyway, after ranting and
raving, I realize that it's better that Melana didn't choose
Adam because now we know how shallow she really is. I think
Adam could be the next "Bachelor". What do you think? |
| Tuesday
December 9, 2003 |
Christmas
Shopping |
Ornament
of the Day
My Favorite: "Tigger
and Pooh"
This is one
of the miniature ornaments we have on our little tree upstairs.
Stephen bought me the whole set of Winnie the Pooh a couple
of years ago.
Stephen's favorite: Snoopy
Hockey
This is another miniature ornament on
our tree upstairs. Stephen likes this one because they are
holding hockey sticks. I got it for him in 2000.
Weather for tomorrow:
Mostly cloudy with flurries.
East winds 10 mph. Highs 10 to 25 above ...warmest in the
Hills.
(Practically
Balmy)
Sunrise tomorrow: 10:38 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:46 p.m.
|
I was sleeping soundly this morning
when the phone rang. I stumbled to answer it and managed a
weak hello. My friend Angel from Alabama was calling to chat
for a minute then, all of a sudden she realized that it wasn't
11:00 a.m. like she thought it was to begin with, but it was
actually 5 a.m. She was thinking we were 3 hours ahead of
her instead of 3 hours behind! I told her it was ok, we get
a call like that every once in awhile from someone in the
lower 48 who forgets what time it really is here. Anyway,
It was good to talk with her and she told me she was going
to try to purchase her plane ticket to come see us in May!
I'm so excited!! Now I have to get the guest room ready ;-)
While chatting with Susan this morning, we both discovered
that the other needed to go to Sears and some other places
around town. We wanted to go Christmas shopping for our husbands,
so we decided to go together. She picked me up and we went
to Sears where I bought some stuff for Stephen, but I can't
tell you what because he might read this. (nice try, but I'm
not telling you Stephen!). After Sears, we went to Fred Meyers
because I was looking for another Christmas Card List Book
because the one I have now is about to run out. They didn't
have what I was looking for, but I did get some padded envelopes
to mail out the ornaments that I purchased earlier and some
Christmas recipe cards for my gifts in a jar. Our next stop
was Office Max where I bought some beautiful Christmas letterhead
for our family newsletter. I was looking at refills for my
Day Timer and was shocked to find that they are nearly $30
up here! YIKES!! I usually only pay around $20. I decided
to wait on that purchase until after Christmas.
We were getting a little hungry around 2:30 p.m., neither
of us had eaten yet, so we ended up at Food Factory for a
late lunch. We swap off who picks up the check and it was
my turn today! I had the Captains platter with fish and fries
with a salad and Susan had the hot ham and cheese sandwich
with fries. We've eaten at Food Factory many times before
and it has become one of our favorite places to eat. It's
one place we know we won't get food poison, at least not yet!
;-)
After a delicious lunch, there was one more place I wanted
to look at. I wanted to go to Waldens Books in the mall to
see if maybe they had the Christmas List Book. After all,
I saw it on their website! Well, as usual they didn't have
it either so I guess I'm just going to have to order it online
and pay the shipping cost. That's one thing that is really
frustrating about Alaska, they always seem to be out of or
don't have what you want. I guess it has to do with trying
to get stuff shipped up here, we'll just have to adjust.
Having a day of retail therapy with a friend can be inspirational.
When I got home I started working on our newsletter and I'm
just about finished! I want to take a current picture of Stephen
and I, but I won't be able to do that until Friday. I want
to get the picture in the snow (for a real Alaskan feel),
but with only 4 hours of daylight it will have to be around
1 p.m.and Stephen has off on Friday. For some reason, they
have a 4 day weekend coming up. We can't figure out why because
it's not a Holiday and it's so close to Christmas, but we're
not going to argue! We will enjoy the extra time together.
We were discussing plans for Christmas tonight and I think
we are just going to have Christmas at home just the three
of us, and then maybe go to the movies, that is if Butch gets
out of the hospital in time. Speaking of Butch, the doctor
confirmed that he did take his big toe. And they don't know
weather the skin that was left will grow to cover the hole
in his foot. It's pretty much a waiting game for now. |
| Wednesday
December 10, 2003 |
Feeling
Great! |
Ornament of the
Day
My Favorite: Hedgehog
Love
I got this
one a few days ago! I love the detail on them and the way
the boy hedgehog has flowers behind his back...reminds me
of Stephen!
Stephen's favorite:
Front Loader
(I stand corrected; Steam Shovel)
What a surprise, It's a Tonka!
Weather for tomorrow:
Mostly cloudy. East winds
5 to 10 mph. Highs 8 to 20. Lows zero to 10 above.
(warm
trend)
Sunrise tomorrow: 10:41 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:45 p.m.
(shorter
still)
|
I slept hard last night because
I didn't even hear Stephen get up and leave for PT this morning!
I woke up when he came out of the bathroom after his shower
3 hours later! I usually have breakfast ready for him by the
time he comes down stairs, but I was running a little late this
morning. He didn't mind too much because he didn't have to go
in till around 9 a.m. because their class is over and it's back
to a somewhat normal schedule.
As soon as Stephen left for work, I got dressed for the gym
and picked up Susan and Luann. My workout went really well today!
We had to try a different style of bike, because the other ones
were taken, and the seat on this new one hurt my butt! However,
I was able to get my heart rate up to 128 without getting short
of breath and that's a HUGE step for me. Usually I can't get
past 110 before I'm huffing and puffing. Of course having a
slim fast right before probably helped a bit by giving me more
energy. I could hardly walk when I got off the bike, but I felt
great otherwise! I also took advantage of the energy and up
'd the weight on the machines. All in all I think I did a great
job today and I feel pretty good about myself!
After our workout, we dropped by the post office again so Susan
could mail some stuff to her family in the lower 48. Then we
let Luann off at her house and drove over to GCI (our cable
company) because Susan's router needed to be replaced. Tech
Support told her to bring the box into the office and we both
thought that was a little strange. Why would they make you
bring it to them when your paying them
for the service? Well, she got an answer from the lady behind
the desk. What the Tech Support guy should have told her is
that you can put in a service request call for them to come
replace it, BUT it may be a few days OR you can bring it in
yourself and save time! Makes perfect sense now, so why didn't
he say that in the first place? Your guess is as good as mine!
I guess I'm really getting used to the cold because today it
got up to 12 degrees and I didn't wear my long johns and I even
had on a short sleeve top, under my jacket of course ;-) I think
this "most cold natured girl in the world" is getting
tougher. I'll probably burn up when I go back to the lower 48!
Around 4:15 p.m. Susan picked me up to meet some of the other
wives to shop for the Christmas party. We met at Michaels to
get prizes for the games and some sort of craft for the kids
to do at the party. There were 6 of us shopping and it was a
little confusing at first, but I think we pulled everything
together in the end. We then went over to Party Palace to get
the Piñata, stuff for gift bags and the table cloth rolls.
It was getting close to 7 p.m. and time for us to be at the
Church for our finance class with Pastor Sigh. Stephen called
me on my cell and said he was a few minutes away so I told him
to pick me up. We waited and waited and I was getting more upset
by the minute because all the ladies were waiting for him also.
They didn't want to leave me there by myself. I called again
and ask him where he was and he said just down the street. About
10 minutes later he drives up and I was just about to jump all
over him and ask where "down the street" was exactly
when I saw a single rose on the seat! He had dropped by Fred
Meyer to get me a beautiful pink rose, for no reason at all,
except that he loves me! All the angry thoughts about being
late melted away!
It turned out ok, because when we got to the Church they were
still trying to get the sound system to work. We listened to
the tape and then Pastor Sigh talked to us about making and
sticking to a budget. I'm really enjoying these classes, I just
hope I can do the things we're learning about. Let's just say
that we are setting goals and doing our best to meet them. That's
all you can do right? |
| Thursday
December 11, 2003 |
Desperately
Seeking Susan's' |
Ornament
of the Day
My Favorite: Mouse on
a Plate
Stephen gave
me this one in 2001. I think he's so fat and cute eating the
cookies left for Santa!
Stephen's favorite: Hot
Wheels
He also collects the Hot Wheels ornaments.
I gave him this one last year I think.
Weather for tomorrow:
Mostly cloudy. Northeast winds
5 to 10 mph. Over Hills gusts 25 mph with blowing snow. Highs
zero to 15 above. Lows 5 below to 5 above.
(here
comes the snow again!)
Sunrise tomorrow: 10:43 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:43 p.m.
(solstice
approaches)
|
| What were we seeking you ask?
The beautiful sunrise that we saw this morning on the
way to the PX. We both woke up this morning with a headache
so we decided not to go to the gym like we had planned.
We still needed some garland to decorate for the company
Christmas party this weekend so we thought we would run
over to the PX to see what they had. On the way, we noticed
the beautiful sunrise with it's orange and pink hues and
were determined to get a shot of it. We put off the shopping
for just a bit to try to find a spot to capture the beauty
before us. We drove over to the golf course and it turned
out to be the perfect location. This shot was taken at
11:30 a.m., but it looks like it should be around 6 or
7 a.m. The sun makes its way and peeks over the horizon,
hovers there for a few hours and then goes down again.
December 21st is Winter Solstice (the shortest day of
the year), we will have 222 minutes of daylight then we
start gaining minutes of light everyday after that. In
other words, this is as bad as it's going to get so I
think I can handle it. |
 |
We were discussing how we couldn't understand people who
get depressed and stay inside when there's this type of scenery
awaiting them. How can you be down in the dumps looking at
beauty like this?
We finally made our way over to the PX, but the selection
was slim. They didn't have any garland and what little ornaments
they had cost way too much in our opinion. We got a few things
and then headed to the Musher's Roadhouse to eat lunch. It
was Susan's turn to pick up the tab and we wanted to see if
they had a special like the Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken
for only $4.95 that we got last time. Well they didn't have
that, but they had Turkey Pot Pie. It was a little different
than the pot pie I'm used to because it had two biscuits in
a bowl with a stew mixture poured over the top. It was really
good and was only $5.95. I told Susan I was going to suggest
Musher's the next time it's my turn! ;-)
After eating we drove down to Fred Meyers to find some last
minute Christmas gifts for family and then ended up back at
the PX because the prices for Alaska Souvenirs is much cheaper
there!
Susan dropped me off at home around 3:30 p.m. and the sun
was already down. I worked on the computer for awhile and
chatted with a few friends and one of my nieces'. Stephen
got off work early today because it was the last day of the
week for them and usually the last day they get off at 15:00
or 3 p.m. for Arctic Family Time. Well, he decided to take
advantage of his time off and go shopping for me. I called
him around 6 p.m. and he was still at it. I told him I had
to go to the Church to practice with the women. We are singing
"Mary Did You Know" for our candlelight Christmas
program and only a few of us know it. I am a soprano, but
I usually sing the melody. In this song there are two soprano
parts and I'm singing the 2nd. It's much different than the
melody so it's very challenging. It's so pretty though and
I think we'll be able to pull it off, I hope anyway! Our first
performance is a week from Saturday at Golden Towers. We are
going to try to have it recorded.
It's 9:18 p.m. and my dear Stephen is still out shopping!
What in the world could he be getting me that takes 6 hours??
Lord only knows with that man!
He finally made it home around 10:30 p.m., but of course he
wouldn't tell me where he had been, he's sneaky that one!
Anyway, I need to get in bed because my headache is back and
I have a busy day tomorrow. I'm going to the gym, then I need
to go grocery shopping because I need to get some sort of
side dish to take to the party Saturday night and we've invited
the new Lieutenant to dinner on Sunday and I'm making tacos,
then at 2 p.m. we are decorating for the party, then we have
choir practice at 7 p.m. at Church! Huff Puff! |
| Friday
December 12, 2003 |
Decking
the Halls |
Ornament
of the Day
My Favorite: Purple Glitter
Stephen bought
me a set of these purple glitter balls because my favorite
color is purple!
Stephen's favorite: Cement
Truck
Yet another Tonka!
Weather for tomorrow:
Mostly cloudy with flurries.
East winds 5 to 10 mph. Highs zero to 10 above.
Sunrise tomorrow: 10:45 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:42 p.m.
|
Today was a very busy day filled
with running errands and decorating the day room at the company
for the Christmas party tomorrow. I picked up Susan, Tania and
Luann around 1:45 p.m. and we drove over to the company because
we were the first shift of decorators. Susan and Mariecruz worked
on the columns and wreaths, Luann decorated the tree and Shawna
and I made the picture frames to hold the polaroid pictures
of the kids with Santa.
In the midst of it all, my cell phone rang and it was the lady
from the North Star Borough School District wanting to set up
an interview for the Web Site Manager position on Monday at
1:00 p.m. So now I have to work myself up again for another
interview.
We waited and waited for the second shift of decorators to show
up, but I had to leave at 6 p.m. because of choir practice and
they hadn't got there by the time I needed to leave. Susan stayed
behind and told me later that they never showed up! We are not
sure why, but they should've at least called.
Anyway, choir practice went well and I think we'll be ready
for our first performance next Saturday night at Golden Towers.
After practice, we went by the hospital to see Butch and he's
doing fine. They thought at first they were going to have to
take more of his foot, but they decided to wait and see how
he's doing in a few days. Since he's probably going to be in
the hospital over Christmas, Stephen and I are going to take
him a Christmas tree and some decorations for his room.
It's midnight and I'm exhausted! It's been a really full day
and tomorrow promises to be the same! Good Night!
|
| Saturday
December 13, 2003 |
Charlie
Company Christmas Party |
Ornament of the
Day
My Favorite: North Pole
Stephen got
me this one this year,
It's my first Alaska ornament!
Stephen's favorite:
Defending
Our dear friend Rainey gave this one
to Stephen right before we left North Carolina. It has a
representative for each branch of the military!
Stephen helping the kids make frames for their Santa
pictures.
 SFC
Goldstine showing his little girl how to wacky the piñata.
Weather for tomorrow:
Mostly cloudy with flurries.
East winds 10 mph. Over Hills gusts 20 mph. Highs zero to
10 above.
Sunrise
tomorrow: 10:47 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:41 p.m.
|
We woke up this morning to
get ready for Church and we were already running late! I feel
like I'm always in a hurry and there's never enough time in
the day to get everything done. Anyway, we made it to Church,
but we almost didn't get a seat. The children were having
their annual Christmas program so the Church was overflowing
with people. We found a spot to squeeze into just as they
were beginning. The program was called "Homeless"
and was a touching modern day story on how if Jesus were born
here today he would probably be born on the streets. There
wasn't a dry eye in the place at the end!
After Church, we had to rush home so I could put my pan of
Lasagna in the oven before the party. I got one of the Stouffers
Meat Lasagna's because I didn't have time to cook anything
from scratch. While it was cooking, Stephen and I changed
clothes and suited up to go out in the snow for our Christmas
picture. We grabbed Toofy and Tiffy in their new sleigh so
we could get some photos of them in the snow as well and drove
around looking for a good backdrop. We didn't have to go far,
because right around the corner was a group of trees that
provided a great spot.
We waded through about 2 feet of snow to get in place and
set the tripod up right across from us. I discovered that
I didn't have my remote control for the camera and asked Stephen
to look in my purse. He said it wasn't in there, so I had
to jump in "Ben" and run home to try to find it.
Meanwhile, I had him cover the camera with a cloth because
the snow was falling and I didn't want it to get wet. I couldn't
find it at home and I was on my way back to him when I decided
to look one more time in my purse and viola! there it was
right in the center pocket! MEN!! I got back and we took a
few photos of us and then a couple of Toofy and Tiffy and
drove back home to get ready for the company Christmas party.
The party was to start at 5 p.m., but those of us on the
decorating committee decided to get there around 4 p.m. to
make sure everything was set up and we didn't have to run
get something at the last minute. People started arriving
about 10 minutes to 5 p.m. and kept coming in all through
the party. We had a great turnout of people and Santa came
in to visit the kids. He gave them a gift bag and we took
photos of each child with him and then let them make their
own picture frame to put the picture in. The piñata
was a big hit, no pun intended, but was a very tough Santa
to break! We had to string him up by the neck because he kept
falling and then in the end, we had to put him on the ground
and let the kids beat the smack out of him before he would
break open! We played several games of "tape the nose
on Rudolph" and "Musical Chairs" then we called
it a night and started packing everything up. It was a lot
of work, but I think everyone had a great time.
When we got everything loaded back in the Jeep, we went to
Safeway to pick up some drinks for Butch before going to visit
him in the hospital. He was craving some Diet Ginger ale and
Diet Dr. Pepper because he's getting tired of drinking tea
and he doesn't like the Crystal Light they give him. We got
to the hospital and saw a moose as we were driving in the
parking lot! I didn't have time to set up my tripod, so we
just admired him or her and went on our way. As we walked
in Butch's room, he had a pained look on his face. I asked
him what was wrong and he said he's had the hiccups off and
on for the past three days and they are driving him crazy!
I told him we would have to try to scare them out of him,
but he didn't think that would work. We brought him a Christmas
tree, his stocking, some sugar free candy canes and chocolate
and some more movies to watch. He might still be in the hospital
when Christmas rolls around so we wanted to help him stay
in the Spirit of things with a little decoration. He was happy
we did.
On the drive home, we couldn't help but notice that the snow
looks so magical! It looks like someone is pouring thousands
of buckets of fine glitter all over everything. It shimmers
like little diamonds and It's so beautiful. I wish I could
capture it on film, but it just doesn't show up!
Stephen is calling for me to come watch TV with him, so I
guess I better go spend some time with him! He says he always
has to compete with my computer. I think he's actually jealous
;-) |
| Sunday
December 14, 2003 |
I
Think I Can, I Think I Can! |
Ornament
of the Day
My Favorite: Cycling with
Santa
Stephen's Mom
got him this one back in 1994. I think it is so cute!
Stephen's favorite: Fire
Engine
Yes it's Tonka, but at least it's a little
different than the rest!
Tree with all the trains set up
My new cat
Weather for
tomorrow:
Partly cloudy. East winds 10
mph. Over the Hills gusts 20 mph. Highs zero to 10 below...except
15 above in the Hills.
Sunrise
tomorrow: 10:49 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:40 p.m. |
Today started out like most any
Sunday, I lay in bed and watched figure skating while Stephen
went to Denny's to eat breakfast with the Men's Ministry group.
After skating went off, I watched one episode of TLC's Trading
Spaces. I'm sorry, but if that woman, Hilde, tried to do some
of the wild things she does to one of my friends homes, I would
have to put my foot down! Today she wallpapered an entire room
with cardboard!! She even put in cardboard furniture!! No thank
you!! I haven't seen the episode yet where she used feathers
as a wall treatment, but cardboard takes the cake! This woman
is certifiably nuts!!
Once I got over the shock of the cardboard room, I worked on
our Christmas newsletter, printed them out and put them in the
cards. They are now ready for the post office!
At 5 p.m. I started preparing the mexican dinner that we promised
the new LT (Chad). Stephen had invited him over and I'm not
sure if he just wanted to be nice or if he was trying to find
a way to eat mexican food. At any rate, I made tacos and spanish
rice. Stephen made his famous "Lime Dessert" with
lime sherbet and Stuart's Key Lime soda.
While we were waiting for Chad to come over, Stephen worked
on his train set. He had a crick in his neck when he woke up
this morning, so it was difficult for him place everything where
he wanted it. He got mad a few times and I could hear mumbling
and grumbling coming from under the tree. He finally got it
all set up and then he put the trains on the track as the final
stage and wouldn't you know it, none of them worked! The tracks
got messed up in the move so he's going to have to fix them
later, but the villages all look great. I took some photos of
them to preserve the moment because he worked so hard on it.
Each little section was meticulously done by hand and all the
accessories were placed ever so carefully.
There are 2 deer kissing by a babbling brook with a stone
bridge, an Alaska type setting with a moose, a bear, a wolf
and even an eagle in a tree. He has 4 different size trains,
one is N-gage, one HO scale, one L scale and one S scale.
The N-gage is the smallest one right under the tree. One of
his favorite scenes is the accident complete with ambulance
and person sprawled out on the road!
 |
 |
Chad showed up about 6:15 p.m. and we ate our mexican meal
and dessert. I think he really enjoyed the meal, at least
he said he did. We enjoyed talking to him and getting to know
him. We are happy that he's nice guy, we didn't know what
the new Lieutenant would be like and Stephen has to work in
the same office with him. I think they will get along just
fine!
He probably thinks we are crazy with all the stuffed animals,
trains and toys around, but he must have enjoyed the company
because he ended up staying until 10:30 p.m. Stephen made
his awesome hot chocolate (secret recipe) and then he said
he had to go finish his laundry before bed.
After Chad left, I took some photos of my new cat! I got a
box in the mail yesterday and when I opened it there was a
cat inside! It looks so real, has real fur and even meows
at you! Stephen says it's creepy, but I love it!!
Well, I better get in bed, it's midnight again and I have
that interview tomorrow at 1 p.m. with the school district!
Be praying for me!! |
| Monday
December 15, 2003 |
Last
Minute Shopping |
Ornament
of the Day
My Favorite: Rudolph
Stephen bought
me this one this year and I love it because if you push his
nose you can hear a clip from the movie.
Stephen's favorite: Reindeer
Stephen made this one himself in 1977.
He made it and painted it!
Weather for
tomorrow:
Increasing cloudiness. A slight
chance of snow. Local northeast winds to 10 mph. Highs 5 below
to 5 above.
Sunrise
tomorrow: 10:50 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:40 p.m.
|
I got up early this morning to prepare
for my interview. I was nervous, but I just kept thinking "be
yourself" and don't stumble on your words. My interview
was at 1 p.m. and I felt ready until I walked in and saw two
people. I have interviewed with more than one person before,
so I just collected myself and tried to remain calm. I stumbled
a few times, but I think it went pretty good. They are going
to try to make a decision by the end of the week. One thing
that impressed me was the comment that one of them made about
personally calling instead of sending a letter. It's nice to
know that they see us as people, not just an applicant number.
I know I could be a good asset to the School District and be
able to utilize and enhance my skills and creativity, but we
will see what happens.
After my interview, I had some errands to run so I got right
to it. I dropped off more than half of my Christmas cards at
the post office in the North Pole box, then I went to Fred Meyer's
to pick up a few things, then to the PX and Commissary to pick
up some last minute gifts. I need to get them all in the mail
tomorrow if they are going to make it to the lower 48 by Christmas,
which by the way, is a week from Thursday! YIKES!! It's really
sneaking up quick!
This evening, Stephen and I went up to the hospital to see his
Dad and he's doing about the same. The doctor said something
about him coming home, but we think he might have meant to rehab.
We hope anyway! We want him healed as much as possible before
he comes home because of the stairs.
When we got home, I helped Stephen type up his Monthly Counseling
on his soldiers and now we are about to watch Threat Matrix.
Tomorrow, we are taking Stephen's Jeep to get auto start put
in! If you don't know what that is; it's a device that you can
use to start your car by remote. It's essential in frigid weather
like we have. He's really excited about it!
I also plan to go to the gym tomorrow with Susan and a couple
of other ladies we recruited to join us. Luann won't be able
to go because today they came home to a foot of water in their
basement! She has to be home when the cleaning crew gets there.
After the gym, I need to do a little more shopping for Christmas,
then I'll be through for the year!
|
| Tuesday
December 16, 2003 |
Mad
Rush |
Ornament
of the Day
My Favorite: Cowboy Snowman
I just got
this one in the mail from my friend Lesa in Texas. He had
the wrong mouth, but I fixed him!
Stephen's favorite: Bob
and Larry
I gave this one to Stephen two years
ago, because we both love Veggie Tales and Bob and Larry are
our favorite characters in the show!
Weather for
tomorrow:
Mainly cloudy. Light winds.
Highs zero to 8 below in the valleys...near 10 above in the
Hills.
Sunrise
tomorrow: 10:52 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:39 p.m. |
This morning started early because
I had to take Stephen to drop his Jeep off to get the auto start
put in. Once we left the dealership, we went to Dillinger's
for breakfast. We had heard so many good reports about their
meals and decided we would see for ourselves. We split an omelet
with mushrooms, onions and tomatoes with hash browns and an
english muffin. Now we know what all the hype has been about.
It was very good! The hash browns were really crispy, the way
we both like them.
After taking Stephen to work, I picked up Susan and we went
to the gym since we didn't get to go yesterday. We road 7.2
miles on the bicycle then worked out on the weights and walked
around the track for awhile. It was a good workout!
While on the bike, we discussed that we both needed to go to
Fred Meyers, so I took her home to change while I changed myself
and balanced my checkbook and got bills ready to mail. The dreaded
15th of the month!! When I got home, there was a message from
the dealership saying they couldn't install the auto start in
the Jeep because there are too many accessories on it. I called
Stephen and he asked if I could pick him up and take him by
to get his Jeep. He was going to take it to another place. I
said yes, but it might be awhile because I was still writing
checks. It took me about an hour and a half to get everything
done and he called me twice during that time wanting to know
where I was. I told him that I was writing as fast as I could!
I picked Susan up again and we went by to get Stephen and take
him to the dealership. After we left him, we decided to see
what the special was at Musher's since it was my turn to pick
up the tab. It was seafood gumbo and salad. Neither of us thought
it sounded good, so we opted for something else. I had the Big
Dipper(a French Dip sandwich) and Susan had the grilled turkey
sandwich. Since it wasn't the special, we made it Dutch. We
asked the waitress if they had certain specials on specific
days and she said it's pretty much the luck of the draw so we
might have to call to see if they are serving the Chicken Fettuccine
with garlic bread that we love so much!
With our tummy's full, we drove over to Fred Meyer, but we didn't
stay long because Susan discovered that the price for their
hams doubled since last week! It is so aggravating when stores
jack up prices when you know good and well what the original
prices were only days before! That is a very common thing up
here I'm finding out and I don't like it one bit! I did find
the sugar free candy that Butch wanted so it wasn't a total
loss. We decided to drive over to Safeway to see their prices
on hams and it was much better. Susan ended up getting one (frozen)
for about $10 instead of $30 or $40!
I still had to go to the PX to get some gifts wrapped, but Susan
decided not to go with me. All she wanted to do was to go home
and eat some hot soup and get warm! I didn't blame her, I wanted
to do the same, but I had to get this done. The gifts are already
going to be late!!
I took all my gifts up to the PX where a group of ladies from
172nd Support Battalion was wrapping for donations. A different
unit mans the booth each day and it's a good fundraiser for
FRG. I don't mind paying someone a donation to wrap all my gifts!!
I absolutely detest wrapping and I'm not good at it to boot!
Stephen on the other hand wraps gifts beautifully with ribbons
and bows and he usually stays up all night Christmas Eve to
get my gifts wrapped for the next day! What a man!!
Anyway, I got them all wrapped and I promise they will be in
the mail tomorrow!!
|
| Wednesday
December 17, 2003 |
Home
Sweet Home |
Ornament
of the Day
My Favorite: Aristocats
I got this
one last year from Stephen!
Stephen's favorite: Hot
Wheels
I got this one for Stephen last year
I believe. He says it reminds him of this Hot Wheels when
he was just a little boy.
Weather for
tomorrow:
Mainly cloudy. Light winds.
Highs 5 below to 10 above...warmest in the Hills.
Sunrise
tomorrow: 10:53 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:39 p.m. |
Today started out with another one
of my headaches. I got up early around 6 a.m. and surfed the
net for jobs, but didn't find anything. I went back to bed to
see if I could sleep off the headache and woke up again around
9 a.m. I begged off from the gym today because I had some stuff
I really needed to get done.
I finally got everything for my family in the mail today!! I
sent them all priority so they assured me they would make it
before Christmas! Whew!! I just made it because today was the
last day for guaranteed delivery by December 24th.
This evening, we picked Butch up from the hospital and brought
him home! He's happy to be back and getting around quite well.
In the morning at 8 a.m., I have to take Stephen to drop off
his Jeep at another auto place to get the auto start put in.
At 10 a.m. I'm taking Butch to the doctor and then at 12:30
p.m. I hope to be able to make it to a friends house for a small
gathering.
I'm sorry, I'm not very talkative tonight, but tomorrow is a
new day!
|
| Thursday
December 18, 2003 |
Busy,
Busy Busy! |
Ornament
of the Day
My Favorite: Shark
Stephen had
this one before we were married, but I think it's cute! His
Mom sent it to him when he was in Hawaii
Stephen's favorite: Santa
Sleigh
Stephen made this one in 1977. He made
and painted it all by himself!
Weather for
tomorrow:
Increasing clouds. Light northeast
winds. Highs 5 to 15...warmest in the Hills.
Sunrise
tomorrow: 10:54 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:39 p.m.
(Have you noticed
that the sunset time hasn't changed the past few days?) |
I woke up this morning to the
sound of Stephen jumping up and down on the bed shouting "Wake
up sleepy head", "Get your butt out of bed"!
I wasn't a happy camper!! He says I'm really cranky in the
morning, but how can I not be when he does stuff like that?
A subtle kiss on the cheek and a "Baby, it's time to
get up" would do just fine!!
Once I finally got up, in a bad mood I might add, we took
his Jeep to Auto Expressions to get the auto start put in.
I dropped him off at work and drove home to pick up Butch
to take him to the doctors office for his nutrition appointment.
I went in with him and listened to the Captain tell him what
he could and couldn't eat so now he can't cheat! The diet
she has him on is not a tough one, it's 53-67 carbohydrates
per meal, it's just the portions are much smaller than he's
used to! About 1/2 cup servings!!
It took us about an hour and a half at the doctors, then we
went to the commissary to find him some frozen Healthy Choice
and Lean Cuisine meals he could eat for lunch. She told him
to try to eat 3 square meals a day, which means that now he
can't sleep until noon and then eat breakfast. It will be
good for him to get up and get moving early in the morning.
She also suggested that after his foot heals, he should take
water aerobics! That will be great for him!! During our shopping
spree, Stephen called and said his Jeep was ready to be picked
up. I asked him to please get someone to carry him up there,
because my plate was full today. I was supposed to meet the
girls at Mo's and I promised Rachel that I would take her
and her 5 kids to the hospital to get their booster shots
at 2 p.m. He said he would get the LT to take him over.
I got him back home just in time to leave again to meet with
girls at Mo's house for dessert swapping! I remembered half
way to her house that I forgot the cookies! I whipped into
the shoppette to grab some pecan sandies and made it to Mo's
just as the other girls were arriving. We enjoyed delicious
pumpkin bread, cookies, snack cakes and hot butter cider!
We talked and talked for about an hour and made plans to go
tubing next week! I want to go, but Stephen and I have never
been tubing and he wants our first time to be together. If
we go on Sunday, then I will go with the girls next week.
This evening, Stephen and I went over to Tim and Tammy Seeber's
house for dinner. They have a dog named Chip and an 18 month
old son named Matthew. Tammy had gotten some stuff from her
Church that she thought might help some of the new families
with Christmas. They are very sweet Christian people and we
enjoyed being with them.
Tomorrow at 1 p.m. there is a "name changing" ceremony
at the gym. This ceremony is to commemorate the official change
to a SBCT or Stryker Brigade Combat Team. The soldiers will
be singing a song and the Senator of Alaska will be there
to give a speech. It's a big deal and the wives have all been
invited!
|
| Friday
December 19, 2003 |
Reorganization
Ceremony |
Ornament
of the Day
My Favorite: Susie
My Mom bought
this one for me when I was just a little girl. I will always
be her little Susie!
Stephen's favorite: 1st
Christmas
This was our first official Christmas
ornament as a couple in 2000!
Weather for
tomorrow:
Mostly cloudy. Light winds. Highs zero to
10 above.
Sunrise
tomorrow: 10:55 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:38 p.m.
(started dropping
again....very weird!) |
This morning I woke up ready to go
to the gym! Susan and Luann went yesterday, so neither one wanted
to go today. I called another friend, Shawna, and she said she
would love to go with me so I picked her up and we went to workout
for a little while. We did the usual ride the bike, weight machines
and then walk, but we didn't stay long because today is the
Reorganization Ceremony for the Brigade and we needed to go
home and take a shower and change before 1 p.m.
I dropped her off at home and told her that I would be back
around 12:45 p.m. to pick her up again. Then I drove home to
get myself cleaned up. I invited Butch to go with me and we
stopped by and picked up Shawna on the way. We got to the PFC
(the gym) about 10 minutes before the ceremony was to start
and found Stephen. We waited for a group of soldiers participating
in the ceremony to leave the stands so that we would have a
place to sit. There were 4 groups of soldiers representing each
Company, Headquarters Company (HHC), Alpha Company, Bravo Company
and Charlie Company was on the end right in front of us, so
I was able to get a good shot of them. There was only room for
15 soldiers from each Platoon, so Stephen didn't have to participate;
he sat in the stands with us.
 |
 |
| Charlie
Company "The Diablos" |
The Ceremony |
The ceremony started with an Invocation followed by the National
Anthem, then some remarks by the Brigade Commander, the Battalion
Commander and the Regimental Association President. To end,
the guys sang the USARAK (U.S. Army Alaska) March and the Army
Song. They had a reception in the hallway with cake and drinks.
It was short ceremony, but now they are an official Stryker
Brigade!
After the ceremony, I took Shawna home and went home myself
to have a sandwich because I hadn't eaten anything since my
Slim Fast for breakfast around 8 a.m. When Stephen got home
we decided to go to the PX to find me a white shirt for the
Christmas program tomorrow evening. I'm in charge of the dress
for the program and I thought it would look nice if everyone
wore a black skirt or pants and a white shirt. the song books
we will be holding are red and green and there will be a lot
of colors in the decorations so I wanted to keep the dress simple.
Anyway, I found a shirt for $5! Can't beat that price!!
This evening we had our final choir practice before our performance
tomorrow afternoon at Golden Towers. Practice went good, but
that one song "Mary Did You Know" that I have to sing
2nd soprano on is going to be the death of me! Nicole and I
wanted to drop it from the program, but everyone thinks it will
be fine. We'll see! |
| Sabbath
December 20, 2003 |
Make
a Joyful Noise unto the Lord |
Ornament
of the Day
My Favorite: Kitty
I like this
one because it's a cat hanging on a ball with a hamster in
it.
Stephen's favorite: Kitty
Hawk
Stephen says he likes this one because
he says it's what you get when feline meets fowl. HA HA!!
Weather for
tomorrow:
Mostly cloudy. Light winds. Highs 5 below
to 5 above.
Sunrise
tomorrow: 10:56 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:39 p.m.
(Winter Solstice:
shortest day of the year) |
This morning at Church the "Northern
Star Harp Ensemble" performed "The Christmas Story".
Several members of our Church are part of the ensemble and have
all played for special music at one time or another. The harp
is one of my favorite instruments to listen to and they sound
so heavenly all together.
 |
|
Northern
Star Harp Ensemble |
Sigorney's
Solo |
The narration that went along with the story was Mary telling
Jesus, when he was a little boy, the story of how the angel
came to her and told her she was going to have a son, how
she told Joseph, then about the night he was born. It was
a very interesting way of presenting the Christmas Story,
one that I had never heard, but enjoyed immensely.
This evening we had our first performance at the Golden Towers
and it went pretty well, except for one song that we all stopped
singing on for some reason. It was almost like all of us got
stage fright at the same time! It was very comical!! The room
was very crowded and there was only about 4 or 5 feet of space
for all 20 of us to stand, but the rest of the program went
off without a hitch and we even made it through "Mary
Did You Know"! We have one last practice on Tuesday night
then the big candlelight performance Christmas Eve. I hope
to get pictures then and maybe some video footage.
|
| Sunday
December 21, 2003 |
Winter
Solstice |
| Ornament
of the Day
My Favorite: Curious
George
I used to love
Curious George as a child and I had all the little books!
Stephen's favorite: Tractor
Needless to say, Stephen likes this one
because it's some sort of man machine!
Weather for
tomorrow:
Snow likely. Additional accumulation about
1 inch. Southwest winds to 10 mph. Temperatures 5 below to
5 above.
(I'm dreaming of a white Christmas!)
Sunrise
tomorrow: 10:57 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:39 p.m.
|
With today being the shortest
day of the year, I thought I would share with you some information
on winter solstice. Here are some facts that I found on the
web. Enjoy!
Solstice Time
Mon., Dec. 22, 2003, marks the solstice—the beginning
of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern
Hemisphere
Reason for the Seasons
The reason for the different seasons at opposite times of
the year in the two hemispheres is that while the earth rotates
about the sun, it also spins on its axis, which is tilted
some 23.5 degrees towards the plane of its rotation. Because
of this tilt, the Northern Hemisphere receives less direct
sunlight (creating winter) while the Southern Hemisphere receives
more direct sunlight (creating summer). As the Earth continues
its orbit the hemisphere that is angled closest to the sun
changes and the seasons are reversed.
Longest Night of the Year
The winter solstice marks the shortest day and the longest
night of the year. The sun appears at its lowest point in
the sky, and its noontime elevation appears to be the same
for several days before and after the solstice. Hence the
origin of the word solstice, which comes from Latin solstitium,
from sol, "sun" and -stitium, "a stoppage."
Following the winter solstice, the days begin to grow longer
and the nights shorter.
You can read more about Winter
Solstice from the Alaska Science Forum, read an article
on Daylight
and Darkness from Alaska.com and view a time
lapsed picture depicting the movement of the sun in the
sky during winter solstice. Everyday after today we will start
gaining sunlight so all in all I don't see what the big deal
is about the long dark winters! It's not that bad here; now
if I lived in Barrow where the sun disappears for about two
months, it might be a different story, but I don't so I think
I will be able to survive ;-)
Today was a very lazy day for me....I got up early and surfed
the net for a bit, then I watched ice skating, jump roping
and some sappy movie on Lifetime. Stephen left around 8:30
a.m. to go help LT winterize his jeep, then when he got home
he watched some football. He was disgusted that the Saints
lost and are now out of the playoffs! I don't know what he
expected, they always loose!! Sorry Saints fans, but it's
true ;-)
After watching football for awhile, we both decided to take
a nap. We were supposed to go tubing today, but it was -10
and we thought it might be a little to chilly to enjoy it.
When we got up from our nap we had the sudden urge to go see
a movie! I jumped on "Fandango" and found out that
"Elf"
was starting in just 30 minutes, so we got dressed in a hurry
and I purchased the tickets online to save time. The movie
was very funny and we enjoyed getting out of the house for
a little while. One of the things I'm going to miss the most
this Christmas is taking my nephews to the movies! It's a
tradition for Stephen and I to take them to a movie on Christmas
Eve so their Mom can bake and wrap gifts and I'm really going
to miss that this year! Maybe next year we can go home for
Christmas, I hope so, I really miss you guys!!
After the movie, Stephen got a call about one of his soldiers
trying to go AWOL, he heard that he might be leaving on a
9:00 p.m. flight from Fairbanks so we rushed to the airport
to see if we could catch him. He wasn't there and wasn't listed
on any of the flight manifests so we thought he might possibly
have gotten a ride down to Anchorage to fly home from there.
The airport security was going to call the Sacramento airport
to see if they could pick him up once he arrived. I don't
understand why people join the Army if they really don't want
to be a soldier! It's too easy these days to get out of it
before you ever ship off, believe me, while Stephen was in
Recruiting we saw it all the time! It's just unfortunate that
he chose to do this right now, because if they catch him he
will probably spend Christmas in jail! |
| Monday
December 22, 2003 |
For
He's a Jolly Good Fellow! |
Marshall and the boys after their fishing
trip last summer!
Brother
Brother is a lovely word
that always brings to mind
memories of the happiest
and very warmest kind!
Thoughts of you bring memories
through each passing year,
you've been the kind of Brother
who's especially sweet and dear.
If you could read my heart
then you would surely see
with every day that passes by
you mean still more to me.
|
Today is my Brother Marshall's birthday
and I just wanted to share a few memories to celebrate this
occasion. When we were little, my brother used to hit me all
the time. Before I was even born he threw a dictionary at my
mom's stomach and he wanted me sent back when he found out I
was a girl. He would especially hit me during commercials on
TV and when we were riding in the car! He would give me Indian
burns, knuckle sandwiches and make me cry for mercy! He flushed
my favorite stuffed dog down the toilet and taped over my Mom's
Christian 8 track tapes with his Black Sabbath music and almost
gave her a heart attack! He would tell me every Christmas how
I was adopted and I'd cry and wonder where my real parents were.
He used to take me camping in the back pasture only to scare
the living daylights out of me and make me run home to mommy!
He would take my sack lunch and slam it up against the chalk
board at school and dare me to break into my Aunts house while
they were away! He would call me choo, choo, bean pole and MB,
and destroy my pine straw house that I worked so hard to build.
Was he really that mean? Well, yes....but, he would also protect
me if someone said something mean to me and he would make me
donuts out of biscuits rolled in sugar and help me eat the chocolate
chips and put the inflated bag back in the freezer before Mom
noticed they were gone. After he went off to school in Tennessee
he would bring me gifts when he came home to visit, he even
went through the trouble to carry a huge (4 or 5 foot tall)
stuffed blue dog that I named Perry all the way home in his
little yellow Honda Civic. That almost made up for all of the
bad things that he did to me, but the one thing that made all
of those memories good ones, was when he said those words "I
Love You Sis" It made me realize that no matter what a
brother does to you, he only does it because he loves you, really
;-)
I'm so proud of him for becoming the loving, Christian man that
he is today. He loves spending time with his family, he makes
breathtaking stained glass pieces and he loves working with
bonsai trees. He has a very talented wife, Kathy, two great
boys, Jonathan and Jordan and a beautiful daughter, Adrienne,
who has her own family, including his adorable grandson Jaid!
Thank You Marshall for always being there for me, even when
it wasn't considered cool!
I hope you don't mind me saying these things about you on the
web ;-)
I hope your birthday is a good one and please know that I'm
thinking of you!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUBBY, I LOVE YOU!!! |
Ornament
of the Day
My Favorite: Tweety Bells
I've always
liked this cute little bird!
Stephen's favorite: Taz
in the box
I got this one for Stephen because he
reminds me of Taz; very hyper!!
Weather for
tomorrow:
Mostly cloudy. A few flurries. Light west
winds. Temperatures 5 to 20 below...coldest in valleys.
Sunrise tomorrow:
10:58 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:39 p.m.
|
This morning started early with
me taking Butch to his doctors appointment at 8 a.m. It didn't
take too long and I was back in time to pick up Susan and
Shawna to go to the gym. I really pushed myself today on the
weights and I'm sure I'll be paying for it tomorrow, but I
felt really good about it!
I had to run some errands this afternoon, so I went out by
myself to the dry cleaners, Sears and the commissary. I needed
to pick up a few more things for Stephen and get some food
for Christmas dinner. It's just going to be the three of us
so I just got a couple of cornish game hens. I've never cooked
them before, so if you have some ideas on what I can do with
them, e-mail me!
Stephen didn't have a good day today, but we had a long talk
and he feels better now. He just needed some reassurance that
he's not a has been or has turned soft in his old age! ;-)
I told him that you can't stay young forever, but he's finding
that pill a little hard to swallow!
Tomorrow the girls from my online group are supposed to go
tubing. I want to go with them and Stephen said that he didn't
mind if I went the first time without him, so I'm hoping the
weather won't be too frigid! We are invited to go back to
Susan's house afterwards for hot drinks, I hope we get to
go!!
Tomorrow evening we have our last practice before our Christmas
program Christmas Eve!
|
| Tuesday
December 23, 2003 |
The
Countdown |
Ornament
of the Day
My Favorite: Cat in the
Hat
Stephen bought
this one for me last year, it has two other ornaments "thing
one and thing two" that goes with it. I'll post them
tomorrow!
Stephen's favorite: Auto
Transport
He likes this one because he likes trains
and it was part of the set.
Weather for
tomorrow:
Mostly cloudy. A few flurries. Light winds.
Temperatures 10 to 20 below.
Sunrise tomorrow:
10:58 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:40 p.m.
|
Well....the countdown has begun!
24 hours from now it will be Christmas day!! It really came
fast this year, but I'm glad that we are here in Alaska for
the holidays! I love seeing white everywhere and the lights
reflect so beautifully against the blanket of snow. Of course,
it's -20 below so we can't go out and enjoy it, but It truly
is a "White Christmas"!
This morning I got up, got dressed and picked up Susan to do
a little last minute shopping for Stephen. We went to Fred Meyer's
to pick up a certain something, then we went to Sams and found
it cheaper! After Sams, we were starving so Susan suggested
we go to Dillinger's for lunch. I had a chicken sandwich with
a cup of potato soup, MMMMMM, it really hit the spot!
After eating lunch, we drove back over to Fred Meyer's so I
could return the certain something I had gotten earlier, then
we dropped by the visitors center because Susan heard they had
maps of the "Christmas Lights Sightseeing Tour" It
is really neat, because they have a route mapped for you to
follow around the city to look at the various subdivisions with
beautiful lights! Tomorrow evening after our Christmas program,
we want to drive around and enjoy the lights! Stephen said he's
going to make a thermos of hot chocolate for us to savor along
the way!
As I was driving in the driveway, Stephen was home and shoveling
snow. He decided to take a short nap and I encouraged him to
do so because I needed to wrap his gifts and I could make good
use of the time while he was sleeping.
In the midst of wrapping I got a phone call from Rachel asking
if I could take her to the commissary to get food for Christmas
day. I picked her up and we drove over to the grocery store.
Because of the high threat level the nation is at right now,
security is much tighter on post. We have to show our I. D.
everywhere we go! The commissary and the PX were both a mad
house filled with last minute shoppers like ourselves! While
she shopped, I stood in line, so it worked out pretty well for
both of us.
This evening, we had our last practice for our Christmas program.
I know you are probably saying to yourself "I'll be so
glad when this program is over so she'll stop talking about
it", I promise I will after tomorrow evening! ;-)
With practice over, we went over to Stephanie and Josh's house
to exchange gifts because we will all be busy on Christmas day.
They gave me a new "Top Secret" cookbook that has
recipes such as A&W Root Beer and Dunkin Donuts! I also
got a Ty Beanie Baby Moose! His name is Zeus, but Stephen named
him Mickey so we could call him "Mickey Moose" ha!
ha! Stephen got a gift card to Sears that's burning a hole in
his pocket! I told him he is not to go to Sears until after
Christmas or I would have his head!! Butch got a gift certificate
to the Pump House restaurant! We told him he can take us to
dinner ;-) |
| Wednesday
December 24, 2003 |
Christmas
Eve |
Last
Ornament of the Day
My Favorite: Thing One
This is "Thing
One" from the Cat in the Hat set!
Stephen's favorite: Coca
Cola Santa
This one is really tiny, it's not even
an inch high!
Weather for
Christmas Day:
Snow likely. Additional accumulation up to
an inch. Light winds. Temperatures 10 to 20 below.
Sunrise tomorrow:
10:58 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:41 p.m.
|
I woke up early this morning to take
Butch to the doctor for his follow up visit. It wasn't supposed
to take too long, because all they wanted to do was look at
his foot. It ended up taking an hour and a half!
While we were at the hospital, Stephen went to breakfast with
his First Sergeant and some guys from work. The First Sergeant
was going to buy all of their meals, but when he went to pay
the waitress told him the bill had been taken care of. He asked
who had paid it, and she said that the man wanted to remain
anonymous! He paid for every soldier that was in the restaurant
at the time! What a great American Christmas story!! Stephen
said he wishes he could have shook the guys hand, but I told
him they should write a thank you in the local newspaper. He
said that's a good idea and he will bring it up to the guys
after the holidays.
This afternoon, I made butter ball cookies (my sister-in-law's
recipe) and sugar cookies. Stephen and I decorated some of the
sugar cookies and will decorate some more tomorrow after we
open gifts. While I was baking cookies, Stephen was wrapping
my gifts. He loves to wrap gifts and spends a lot of time making
sure they are just right with beautiful ribbon on all of them.
This evening, we had our big performance! We made it through
and didn't sound half bad ;-) We even sang "Mary Did You
Know" correctly! At the end of the song, I had to fight
the strong urge to yell "Yes, we did it!" Our friends
Stephanie and Josh came with their three boys, Gage, Dylan and
Troy. Troy, the smallest of the children, slept through the
entire program. After the singing, we had cookies and punch
in the foyer and stood around talking for a little while.
After our Christmas Program, we drove around to look at lights,
using the map that we got at the lumber store. We didn't have
hot chocolate with us like we had planned, because we didn't
think it would stay hot enough while we were at Church. We enjoyed
driving through the neighborhoods looking at the different lighted
displays and seeing the various effects the snow had on each
house.
We drove around for about an hour, then we dropped by a store
to grab something quick to eat because I hadn't eaten since
breakfast about 12 hours before! Once our tummy's were full
again, we went back out to see more lights. As you can see,
some of the houses really went all out and of course some didn't
do much at all, but we still enjoyed it! |
| Thursday
December 25, 2003 |
Christmas
Day! |
|
Christmas is a time for Families, Fun, and Festivities!
A time of family gatherings and holiday meals. A time for
Santa, stars, and singing carolers. A time for ornaments,
gifts, and twinkling lights. Of sleigh rides, hot cocoa,
and gingerbread cookies. Enjoy the time you have together
and cherish every moment for we know not what tomorrow brings!
MERRY
CHRISTMAS to all of you from the Spivey family!! |
We woke around 8 a.m. anxious to
get Christmas started. The packages that Stephen so carefully
wrapped were neatly stacked up by the tree so I decided
to snap a few shots before paper went flying! He takes such
care wrapping my gifts and putting just the right ribbon
and bows, I consider myself lucky if I even get his wrapped!
I wanted to show you the detail he puts into it so I took
this up close picture. Notice the coordinated colors of
ribbons and bow with the wrapping paper and the little mitten
as a finishing touch! His Mother used to do this with their
gifts and he says it's the personal touch that means so
much.
 |
Stephen made us a quick breakfast of toaster strudel and
beef sausage biscuits and a cup of coffee, then we began
the gift exchange. First I would open one, then Stephen,
then Butch so we could all see what each other got. I got
so many great gifts like a tire cover for my Jeep's spare
tire, silk long johns, Alaska kitchen set (purple and green),
Chicago Christmas CD, a couple of DVD's I had been wanting,
bear and dragon fly jewelry and socks and gloves. One of
my very favorite gifts though was the Ft. Wainwright Army
throw that I'm sporting in the picture to the left. It is
a tradition for the military wife to get a throw from each
post the family's been to and since this is our first post
together, he got it for me! I LOVE it!! He also got me the
official Army throw with the Army seal on it.
My friend Amanda sent me two chenille throws and had a scarf
made for me! She said it was all part of "Operation
Keep Warm". I think with all the warm things I received
this Christmas, that will not be a problem! ;-)
Stephen's Christmas had a Craftsman theme of course! I got
him the brad nailer/staple gun, the all in one cutting tool
with scroll attachment and the bench grinder! He was thrilled
about them! Butch got some warm arctic mittens, some other
gloves and an Alaska sweatshirt to match ours.
After the last gift had been unwrapped and we had talked
with my family by phone, I decided I had better start cooking
if we were going to eat before midnight! Since we had a
turkey with all the trimmings for Thanksgiving and it was
only the three of us, I just got two cornish game hens to
fix and we had dressing frozen from Thanksgiving as well.
It took a long time to cook everything and we ended up eating
around 4 p.m., but we enjoyed the meal and the day. By the
time we started watching some of the movies we got, I was
exhausted and fell asleep!
|
| Sunday
December 28, 2003 |
Holiday
Slumber |
| |
For the past three days we have done
nothing but lay around the house, watch football and leave the
house only once to go to Church! We don't feel guilty either
because it's the Holidays and Stephen is going to be leaving
on January 4th for two weeks. We have been spending as much
time together as possible. Today was an exciting day because
the Green Bay Packers won the chance to be in the playoffs next
weekend! It was a nail biter because they had to win the game
they were playing against the Denver Broncos and the Minnesota
Vikings had to lose against the Cardinals for them to get the
spot. Green Bay smoked the Broncos 31 to 3 and then in the last
play of the game with no time left on the clock, the Cardinals
made a final touch down with one foot in the in zone to beat
the Vikings 18 to 17! Stephen and I were whooping and hollering
because we had given up hope when there was only 2 minutes left
in the game. It didn't seem that it was going to happen, but
alas, it did! I'm so happy for Green Bay! They really played
hard the last couple of games, I just hope they can make it
all the way! Stephen is sick because he's going to miss all
of the playoff games while he's gone!
On Friday afternoon, I received a call from the Daily News Miner
about the Graphic Layout position. They interviewed me over
the phone and set up a face to face interview for tomorrow morning
at 9 a.m. They want me to show them samples of my work so I
went out to Michaels, Office Max and Ben Franklin looking for
a portfolio to display them and finally found one at Ben Franklin
for a reasonable price. I think I have a pretty good shot at
this job because I have graphic design and advertising experience.
While working for Century 21 back in Alabama, I was responsible
for designing all the ads for the paper and worked closely with
their graphic artists. There's only one problem; as of this
afternoon, we have no hot water! We've put in a call to maintenance,
but it's unlikely they will get here before 7 a.m. I hope my
samples make a good impression because my hair is probably going
to be flat! As always though, I'm leaving it in God's hands.
I'll keep you posted! |
| Monday
December 29, 2003 |
Yet
Another Interview |
Weather Forecast
Tuesday and Tuesday Night:
Snow likely with up to 2 inches accumulation. West winds
to 15 mph. Highs 10 to 17. Lows 5 below to 5 above.
Sunrise tomorrow:
10:57 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:47 p.m.
|
I couldn't sleep at all last night!
(hmm...sounds like a song ;-) I was tossing and turning going
over my work history in my head and trying to prepare for
my interview this morning. Stephen had the T. V. on at first
so I couldn't go to sleep, but then even after he turned it
off, I still couldn't fall asleep. He scratched my back and
gave me a massage hoping it would relax me into slumber, but
to no avail. I'm not sure exactly what time I finally slipped
into my dream world, but it seemed like mere minutes when
the alarm sounded!
The interview went very well and I feel positive about it,
but I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high. Like everyone
else, they said they hoped to make a decision by the end of
the week We'll see!
After my interview, I came home to type my follow up letter
and then changed to go to the gym. I really needed to go today
because I haven't been since before Christmas! Susan decided
to go with me and dropped by the commissary afterwards so
she could pick up the ingredients for dinner tomorrow night.
She and Steve invited us over for dinner, but we also discussed
going tubing in the afternoon since the guys only work half
days this week and it's so warm! The temperature today was
24 degrees ABOVE zero!! It's supposed to be 15 tomorrow with
2 to 3 more inches of snow! Perfect weather for tubing!! We
will try to take some pictures! |
| Tuesday
December 30, 2003 |
New
Activity, New Job! |
Snowflakes falling on the tubing
hill
Tubing Mania!
Weather Forecast
Wednesday:
Snow diminishing. Less than an inch accumulation. North
winds to 10 mph. Temperatures steady 5 below to 5 above.
Sunrise tomorrow:
10:56 a.m.
Sunset tomorrow: 2:49 p.m.
|
This morning, I had to get up early
again to take Butch to the doctor for his follow up visit. He
had an appointment at Kamish clinic and then one at Bassett
Army Hospital. Both doctors said he was doing fine and to come
back next Tuesday for another check.
When we got back home there was a message on my answering machine
from Brian, the I. T. guy at the Daily News-Miner. He said he
needed to ask me a few technical questions so I called him back
right away. I got his answering machine and left a message for
him to call me back. A little while later he called and asked
me what versions of Photoshop, Illustrator and Macromedia products
I had experience in. He also asked me what I thought was the
hardest part of designing and I told him a blank canvas, but
once I get my inspiration I'm off and running! He said "ok,
that's all I need to know", "Jim or Jeff will be calling
you shortly." About 10 minutes later, I got a call from
Jim, the Human Resources Manager offering me the job! Of course
I took it!! Yea!! I'm employed again!! I'm now a Graphic Artist
for the Daily News-Miner, our local newspaper! I will be part
of a team designing all the ads for the daily paper! I'm so
happy to be back in the employment world, but I'm also a little
scared. The 24th of January will be a year since I've worked
and I've really gotten used to it! There will definitely be
an adjustment period, but I know, with God's help, I can handle
it! Thank you all for the prayers and words of encouragement
during this whole ordeal, it means so much to know I have so
many supportive family and friends!
This afternoon, Susan, Steve,
Stephen and I went tubing! We had such a blast riding
down the hill together, screaming and laughing all the
way! It's $6/hr per person and well worth the money! It's
cheaper than going to the movies and much more fun!! You
sit in the tube and then your strapped to the tow line
and it drags you up the hill. Then once you get to the
top of the hill, your let go and you slide down the first
slope to the staging area. Once in the staging area, you
have to jump out of your tube and get out of the way before
the next person comes down the slope and knocks you off
your feet! I know this because Stephen swept me off my
feet, and I don't mean in the romantic way ;-) Well actually,
I landed in his lap so come to think of it maybe it was
romantic! At any rate, I learned to move quicker the next
go around.
You can go down by yourself or holding on to your partners
tow strap so you can go together! We did it both ways,
but preferred together because you get more air that way!
We all went down in a line hanging on to each others feet
and went the fastest and farther est we'd been all day!
The hour went by quickly, but we were ready to go inside
and get warm at the end. We are definitely addicted to
tubing and will be frequent hill bunnies! |
Hill Bunnies |
After tubing, we went home to shower and change before heading
over to Susan and Steve's for dinner. Susan cooked a roast with
potatoes and carrots, broccoli and cheese and I made a loaf
of Hawaiian Sweet Bread in my new bread maker (while we were
tubing) and we had chocolate cake and hot cocoa later. We enjoyed
conversations about everything from computers (me and Susan)
to stories about Airborne school and Ft. Bragg (Steve and Stephen,
of course). I practically had to hold Stephen's tongue so he
would stop talking long enough for me to interject that we needed
to go. It was 9:15 p.m. when we finally left their house, but
we had a great time! Tomorrow evening, we are going to watch
the fireworks at the University at 8 p.m. They have fireworks
on New Years here because on the 4th of July the sun is out
all day so they can't have them then. We are thinking of getting
a bucket of KFC on the way! You see, chicken is very expensive
up here for some reason so we only have KFC on special occasions.
We are celebrating my new job and a new year! What a great way
to start 2004! |
| Wednesday
December 31, 2003 |
Happy
New Year! |
Auld
Lang Syne
Should auld acquaintance
be forgot and never
brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance
be forgot and days
of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of
kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never
brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days
of auld lang syne?
And here's a hand,
my trusty friend
And gie's a hand o' thine
We'll tak' a cup o'
kindness yet
For auld lang syne
|
Well, here we are at the close of
another year! It is so true what they say that the older you
get the faster time flies! Stephen and I have been together
4 years now, married for almost 3 and it really seems like yesterday
that I moved to North Carolina. Now I'm living in further est
and coldest state I have ever been to and loving it!
Today, I got up and went to the gym for the last time in the
morning. From now on, I will have to go in the evening after
work (boy that sounds funny). I'm only going to go on Monday,
Wednesday and Friday because the other days I want to just come
home and veg out! I will miss working out with my buddies Susan,
Luann and Shawna and I'll especially miss my day adventures
with Susan! She did say that she would come have lunch with
me so we could catch up with each other and I'm sure Stephen
and I will still find time to hang out with her and Steve.
At 1:00 p.m., I had to go in to work to sign all the necessary
paperwork to be an employee. Everyone I've met so far has been
so nice and it seems like a great place to work. The benefits
are great as well, I get a free newspaper everyday, my gas pumped
for free, free tickets to all the events in town and some other
perks. I was there for about an hour and a half and I met Theresa,
the girl who is going to train me, some other people that I
don't remember their names and Denise gave me a tour of the
building. I think I'm really going to like it. I have to report
to work Friday morning at 9 a.m.
 |
This evening we drove by KFC
to pick up our celebratory chicken and headed over to
the Parks Highway to get a good spot to view the fireworks.
We got there around 7 p.m. and people were already lining
up along the road facing the University. We parked and
ate our chicken before the fireworks began. Some people
had their own fireworks show going and at first we thought
it was the big show, but it was only 7:40 p.m. and all
the advertisements we had heard said 8 p.m. Well, promptly
at 8 p.m. the real fireworks display started and we called
our friends Laura and Rainey back in NC because it was
midnight there! They were at a party and we could hear
cheering in the background. The fireworks were ok, but
I guess once you've seen 4th of July in Washington D.C.
nothing compares! |
On the way back to post, I stopped to get a picture of the ice
sculpture that someone carved at the front gate. The statue
is of "Iron Mike" or "the Audie L. Murphy - Follow
Me" statue. He was World War II's Most Decorated Soldier
and you can read the whole story here.
It's only 10 p.m. here and we are still awaiting the arrival
of the big moment. We will pop the cork on our nonalcoholic
grape juice and toast to the past, present and future and to
a prosperous New Year!
|
| |
Continue
to January 2004 |
|
