Thursday, February 5, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Saturday, January 31, 2009
I'll ask ya about Alaska
Some common questions about Alaska:
1. Is it cold?
In a word, yes. Compared to Doha, oh yes. Compared to Chicago, yes kind of. Just as being on the water changed the weather in Doha to a hot, sticky mess, being on the water here in Anchorage changes our weather too. Throw in some mountains and you've got some interesting stuff going on. It's averaging somewhere between 20 and 30 degrees since we've been here, and I gather that this is the norm. The water and mountains combine for massive amounts of snow, though. We've had about 6-8 inches in the past two days. Which, actually, is good because just before we got here they had a warm spell (in the 40's) and most of the snow melted.
There you go; that answer is just as boring as the question. Please stop asking. (Just kidding...kind of.)
2. Is it dark all the time?
Here in Anchorage, in the southern part of the state, it isn't quite as dramatic as closer to the arctic circle, but it is different. It starts to get light around 9, the sun is fully up around 10, it sets around 5 and finally gets dark around 6. The light is beautiful too, not that harsh desert sun of Qatar. On the flip side, in the summer we'll have 18+ hours of daylight.
3. Have you seen any moose/bears?
Yes, we almost ran into a moose on the way to church last Sunday. It was amazing. I mean, it was amazing because Brad saw it in time and we got to watch it cross the road. You can't imagine how huge they are.
Except for the stuffed bears in the airport and the mall, we haven't seen any of those and I'm hoping to keep it that way. Our kitchen did come equipped with bear spray, though. Which isn't really all that comforting. Especially since our backyard backs up to a green belt.
4. What about the volcano that is about to erupt?
My friend Lanny wrote to me on Facebook about the volcano, and I wanted to reassure you, if you've seen any reports, that if/when it erupts we're not going to be covered in lava, just toxic ash. We're pretty far away, and there are lots of mountains in between here and there. Winds would have to be perfect to bring the ash our way. However, it is a possibility, so we're prepared with drinking water, extra furnace filters, etc.
So, that's all the questions I can think of right now, but if you have any others, ask 'em and I'll give you an answer, even if I have to make it up. :)
1. Is it cold?
In a word, yes. Compared to Doha, oh yes. Compared to Chicago, yes kind of. Just as being on the water changed the weather in Doha to a hot, sticky mess, being on the water here in Anchorage changes our weather too. Throw in some mountains and you've got some interesting stuff going on. It's averaging somewhere between 20 and 30 degrees since we've been here, and I gather that this is the norm. The water and mountains combine for massive amounts of snow, though. We've had about 6-8 inches in the past two days. Which, actually, is good because just before we got here they had a warm spell (in the 40's) and most of the snow melted.
There you go; that answer is just as boring as the question. Please stop asking. (Just kidding...kind of.)
2. Is it dark all the time?
Here in Anchorage, in the southern part of the state, it isn't quite as dramatic as closer to the arctic circle, but it is different. It starts to get light around 9, the sun is fully up around 10, it sets around 5 and finally gets dark around 6. The light is beautiful too, not that harsh desert sun of Qatar. On the flip side, in the summer we'll have 18+ hours of daylight.
3. Have you seen any moose/bears?
Yes, we almost ran into a moose on the way to church last Sunday. It was amazing. I mean, it was amazing because Brad saw it in time and we got to watch it cross the road. You can't imagine how huge they are.
Except for the stuffed bears in the airport and the mall, we haven't seen any of those and I'm hoping to keep it that way. Our kitchen did come equipped with bear spray, though. Which isn't really all that comforting. Especially since our backyard backs up to a green belt.
4. What about the volcano that is about to erupt?
My friend Lanny wrote to me on Facebook about the volcano, and I wanted to reassure you, if you've seen any reports, that if/when it erupts we're not going to be covered in lava, just toxic ash. We're pretty far away, and there are lots of mountains in between here and there. Winds would have to be perfect to bring the ash our way. However, it is a possibility, so we're prepared with drinking water, extra furnace filters, etc.
So, that's all the questions I can think of right now, but if you have any others, ask 'em and I'll give you an answer, even if I have to make it up. :)
Thursday, January 29, 2009
On unpacking
It's amazing how the chore of unpacking can become infinitely more enjoyable when you find something that you love. It's even better when you can share that thing with your children and they find the joy in it too.
Catie and Nick playing with the Tupperware picnic set from my childhood.
Catie and Nick playing with the Tupperware picnic set from my childhood.Saturday, January 24, 2009
Moving on
We signed the lease yesterday, and they're delivering our stuff today. :)
On a completely different note, one of my college roommates, Lisa, wrote this poignant blog post recently and it has me thinking.
First, some background, out of 4 roommates, 2 of us have had twins, and the third, Lisa, is pregnant with twins. The fourth roommate is pregnant with her second child who will be born on her first child's birthday. Okay, now that that crazy coincidence is explained, on to the important stuff: my musings.
Lisa wrote beautifully on the subject of waiting, in regards especially to her pregnancy, which prompted me to comment to her not to wish her pregnancy away.
When I was pregnant with the twins, I honestly enjoyed being pregnant. It was the first time in my life that I was big for a good reason, and I felt beautiful. But, there is the inevitable impatience. I wanted to see my babies, to hold them, and love on them. Then, when the twins were born at 37 weeks and spent their first 8 days in the hospital, I felt an overwhelming guilt for wanting them to come early. If only I had been able to carry them a little longer...
As those feelings faded, but not completely, I moved on to other smaller milestones. I can't wait until they eat solids, I can't wait until they're crawling, I can't wait until they're walking, I can't wait until they're talking, I can't wait. Then, one day, I looked around and saw that I had wished their first two years away, and I'm still saying things like I can't wait until we can have real conversations, I can't wait until their potty trained, and I can't wait until they go to preschool.
The truth is, I can wait, because it's going to happen whether or not I'm wishing it. I'm sure I'll have to make this resolution over and over, daily even, but today I am resolving again to enjoy the twins right now, where they are.
On a completely different note, one of my college roommates, Lisa, wrote this poignant blog post recently and it has me thinking.
First, some background, out of 4 roommates, 2 of us have had twins, and the third, Lisa, is pregnant with twins. The fourth roommate is pregnant with her second child who will be born on her first child's birthday. Okay, now that that crazy coincidence is explained, on to the important stuff: my musings.
Lisa wrote beautifully on the subject of waiting, in regards especially to her pregnancy, which prompted me to comment to her not to wish her pregnancy away.
When I was pregnant with the twins, I honestly enjoyed being pregnant. It was the first time in my life that I was big for a good reason, and I felt beautiful. But, there is the inevitable impatience. I wanted to see my babies, to hold them, and love on them. Then, when the twins were born at 37 weeks and spent their first 8 days in the hospital, I felt an overwhelming guilt for wanting them to come early. If only I had been able to carry them a little longer...
As those feelings faded, but not completely, I moved on to other smaller milestones. I can't wait until they eat solids, I can't wait until they're crawling, I can't wait until they're walking, I can't wait until they're talking, I can't wait. Then, one day, I looked around and saw that I had wished their first two years away, and I'm still saying things like I can't wait until we can have real conversations, I can't wait until their potty trained, and I can't wait until they go to preschool.
The truth is, I can wait, because it's going to happen whether or not I'm wishing it. I'm sure I'll have to make this resolution over and over, daily even, but today I am resolving again to enjoy the twins right now, where they are.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Our new home (maybe, we hope)
So, the showing today was successful. We're hoping to sign the lease and move in on Friday. I'll be sending out an email soon with our new address. For now, here are some pictures of the place.
The first floor has a two car garage, the kitchen, great room, and a half bath.
The backyard is small, but it's fenced and it backs up to a green belt with lots of pine trees. It feels very private.
Upstairs there's a loft area at the top of the stairs. There are two smaller bedrooms at the front of the house, with a bathroom in the hall, as well as washer/dryer. The master bath has a large bathroom and walk-in closet.
This is one of the front bedrooms.
The hall bath.
The master bedroom.
The master bath and closet.
The first floor has a two car garage, the kitchen, great room, and a half bath.
The backyard is small, but it's fenced and it backs up to a green belt with lots of pine trees. It feels very private.
Upstairs there's a loft area at the top of the stairs. There are two smaller bedrooms at the front of the house, with a bathroom in the hall, as well as washer/dryer. The master bath has a large bathroom and walk-in closet.
This is one of the front bedrooms.
The hall bath.
The master bedroom.
The master bath and closet.
It's not everything we wanted, but it's new and clean, in a great location, and it will work for a year.
Fast friends
We're still plugging away at finding a place to live. Yesterday, I took our list of 8 places to look at and mapped out a loop around the city. Two hours later, I narrowed the list down to 4. After a phone call to Bradley, I called the top two for appointments. One has already been rented. I have high hopes for the other one, which I will be seeing today at 10 am. Keep your fingers crossed.
Finding a home will go a long way in getting settled here in our new town, but last night might have been even more important. We spent a couple hours at our friends David and Kristine's place. They're great friends that Brad met when he was here before we were married. Another friend, Dianna, was there as well, and we all had a fun time chatting and watching the kids play. (David and Kristine have two kids also.) It's wonderful to already have good friends to make you feel at home.
Finding a home will go a long way in getting settled here in our new town, but last night might have been even more important. We spent a couple hours at our friends David and Kristine's place. They're great friends that Brad met when he was here before we were married. Another friend, Dianna, was there as well, and we all had a fun time chatting and watching the kids play. (David and Kristine have two kids also.) It's wonderful to already have good friends to make you feel at home.
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