My Wednesday Whatever List

As much as I am looking forward to being back in Utah for a few years, there are many things I will truly miss about Alaska…

1-Family- Of course this one is first. Being 3,000 miles away from my family for over 5 years has been hard. But I was very blessed to marry into the family I did. Nate’s family has taken me in and treated me as their own. From sledding _________, to eating my food off of my plate, they have truly treated me as family, and I couldn’t ask for more.
2-Our Friends- We have made so many friends up here and learned some great games! I couldn’t have survived without them!
3-Coastal Trails- Basically anywhere you want to go in the city of Anchorage, there is a trail to take you there. And I’m not just talking dirt trails, I’m talking paved, often lighted, marked trails. We spent all our time on them last summer and will miss them terribly. Even better than the trails through the cities, are the coastal trails. There is nothing like a midnight sunset on the ocean with your family.
4-Sunsets after midnight- Every now and then, when Tayvin didn’t want to go to bed, we would take off to the coastal trail at 11 or so and bike till the sun set way after midnight. Being the night owl I am, I LOVED it!
5-If you go south of anchorage, you’ll find one of the prettiest scenes in the world. There’s a rather large inlet that often has whales in it. But even when there aren’t any whales, there is the reflection of the sun on the ocean and the smell of pine trees. On one side of the road is the inlet (with mountains across the way,) and on the other side of the road are the mountains with waterfalls falling so close to the road that it’s possible to get splashed while driving by. It is one of my favorite places in the world.
6-Halibut- Anywhere else I go, I just don’t dare order halibut in a restaurant. I’ve been absolutely spoiled with fresh halibut here and don’t think I will ever be converted back.
7-Playgroup-Hands down, Tayvin and I have the absolute best playgroup there is. There’s not much more to be said, it just breaks my heart when I think about not getting to spend time with Autumn, Jen, Julie, Jess, and their kids.
8-Green everything! In late spring, usually about the third week in May, everything blooms! One day you’re just driving down the road and the green just pops out at you. Even driving down the highway, one is surrounded by green everything. It can’t be beat.
9-Construction- This is not something one would usually miss. See, in Anchorage, they have to redo most roads every year or two because of perma-frost. Because of this, they seem to have a pretty good handle on it. Having grown up in Utah and driven there when I have gone back to visit, I appreciate the lack of traffic that Anchorage’s construction causes. With a few exceptions, I’ve not seen any roads that are completely blocked off for more than a day or two. We didn’t know how good we had it.
10-Love of Music- Anybody that knows me well, knows I can’t live without music. Whether it’s dancing, violin, singing, or just listening, I HAVE to have music in my life. I believe so strongly in the power of music and have felt that here in the people also. It’s nice to drive down the road, see people singing to their heart’s content in the car, and not feel alone.
11-Glacier Brewhouse- I would eat there every week if I could afford it. If you’ve eaten there (with the exception of my family who didn’t have a very good experience there,) you know what I’m talking about. I LOVE that place!
12-Comfort- Although I grew up in Utah, I did most of my maturing here in Alaska. I met my husband here and some of my best friends. I had my first child here, and I learned to truly appreciate my family here. I have lived in Alaska for over 5 years and am comfortable with it. It will be hard to leave.
13-Tuukee- Last week I made one of the hardest decisions of my life. I know that sounds a little dramatic, but Tuukee was here before Nate. When my friends left after our first summer here, I was so lonely. After a month or so, I decided to get a dog. I went to the pound one day, just to see if they had any puppies yet, and they had just gotten a batch in. Tuukee was the chubbier one that all the others picked on. I just felt for him. I paid for him, went back to work, and picked him up from the vet 3 days later. He has been with me since and has gone through everything with him. I hope and pray the kids will love him as much as I do and take good care of him.

I've been Tagged!

I was tagged by my sister-in-law who emailed AND called me almost a month ago and still hasn’t heard from me…. Sorry Julia!

20 years ago… I’m not actually sure I remember anything from that far back (sorry to those of you who are like…ancient! : )
-I remember going to Disneyland around this time with my cousins so I was probably idolizing my older cousin Denise. Oh, and riding around in a dolphin wagon at Sea World.
-I loved going “nightcrawler hunting” and fishing with the nightcrawlers afterwards. (I can still give you great instructions on how to catch nightcrawlers, if anyone’s in need of that information. : )
-I was most definitely learning how to be the kind of tomboy my brother would be proud of…too bad society got to me and made me into the princess I am today, huh?

10 years ago… I was an awkward teenager. I was taller than all the boys in my class and stuck in between a clueless phase and a cowgirl phase. Just couldn’t decide who I was-What-ever Mo-tard!
-I had just made the drill team and was loving it!

5 years ago… I had just arrived in Alaska and was working quite a bit.
-I met Nate at the end of July then went and toured Nauvoo, Far West, Adam-Ondi-Ohman, Haun’s Mill, Carthage Jail, Independence, and other church history sites.
-During that year, my first nephew Kye was born, Tuukee joined my family, I met Jess and the boys, and at the end of that year, I started coaching drill team.

3 years ago… I was planning my dream wedding.
-Nate and I were married on the best day of the year, August 12th, sharing our anniversary with my mom and sister.
-In that year I also got pregnant and was glad to be done with school for a little while.

1 year ago… we were counting down semesters till Nate would be done with school and thouroughly enjoying Tayvin and his beautiful smile.
-We were exploring Alaska on our bikes, averaging about 60 miles a week. Those bike rides are some of my best memories with my cute little family.

This year… NATE GRADUATED!
-He landed a great job in Utah in April and two short weeks after his graduation, he left to drive the Alcan with his brother Mo.
-We were so blessed and excited to have all of my family come up for his graduation and some good old fashioned Alaska touring.

Yesterday… was my first day back in Alaska without my husband. It was quite sad since it wasn’t even sunny!
-I also found out another one of my good friends is pregnant, I’m so excited for her! (See post here...)
-I mowed the lawn and went shoe shopping.
-I bought more scrapbook stuff I don’t need. (Please don’t be mad at me, Nate. Just roll your eyes and move on!)
Today… I did a lot of stuff for other people. It was tiring but felt so good to know that I was helping others.
-My mother-in-law also took me out to dinner for helping her out at this great Thai place we’ve never tried.

Tomorrow… I will take my sweet boy to the park and maybe go on a hike.
-I will start scrubbing the apartment (most especially the walls) so that it’s spick-n-span when I leave.
-I will most definitely scrub my bathroom.
-Will be a movie night. We’ll either go to Bear Tooth or rent chick flicks-yay for mother-in-laws!

Next Year… Nate will hopefully be able to move up in the company quickly so we can buy a house sometime around Christmas.
-I hope with all my heart that there will be a need for a nursery in that house…only time will tell.
-My sister will leave on her mission at the end of July to New Zealand-does that rock or what?
-In the next year I will have reread the Twighlight Series who knows how many times but more importantly, I will have read BREAKING DAWN!

I tag whoever wants to play along….

Green Toes & New Shoes!!!

Well, I'm back in Alaska and as you can see, back online! When I'm in warm temperatures for what seems like the 1st time in 5+ years, I just don't want to spend a lot of time on the computer. So sorry to those of you who are as obsessed with other people's blogs as I am.
Just a few random tidbits and updates...
-I got to mow the lawn today so Helvi didn't have to come home to a shaggy yard. I have a pair of flip-flops that I have loved but needed to be put out of their misery. So, I wore them to mow the lawn. The grass was so thick that it kept clogging the bag thus leaving me with stained jeans, green toes, and not-white-anymore flip-flops. Therefore, I went shopping today and added to my shoe collection! (Get to work on that house with a shoe room, Babe.)
-Nate is doing well with his new job. There were a couple of stressful weeks there, but they tell him he is right on track and we can definitely see and feel the improvement. He is working super hard and learning fast. The poor guy has been in Salt Lake in the hot weather (for probably what feels like the 1st time in his entire life) pretty much every day but he's got a good tan to show for it!
-For those of you who are around our family you know that Nate and Tayvin love to talk. (Ok, I might like to talk a little too-but they're definitely worse than me-right?) Anyway, because of Tayvin's non-stop talking, especially in public places, I get alot of people asking me how old he is. (Maybe they're not used to 22 month-old toddlers with 2 to 300 word vocabularies?) So now when somebody asks how old he is, he holds up two hands and says.."owmos TWO!" It is quite cute though.
-He's also getting a little sassy now and then. (I'm pretty sure it came straight from his great-grandma BoDean-skipped me of course :) He was asking for snacks yesterday and being the multi-tasking mother that I am, I distractedly told him 'just a minute.' He looked me square in the eye, held up 1 finger and told me, "ONE min-tuet." And I'm pretty sure he was timing me too.

That's really all I have to share right now, I'm sure one of these days I'll have something of importance to blog about. Meanwhile, stay tuned for my up and coming weekly blog feature... Whatever Wednesday. (See if I call it whatever, I'm not limited to anything, and that's really best for me right now.)

A new update...

Since Nate works so hard on this blog, he has every right to complain that there is no update on it and he is complaining. (sensing the sarcasm about his hard work?)
So, here's the update...
-I'm flying out tonight
-Nate went out on his own today in his own area and did great! Yay money!
-My dear OLD mom turns 50 tomorrow so I guess I better be there to help her out of the bathtub.
-Um, that's pretty much it-I'm really just doing this for Nate.

Love ya babe-Can't wait to see you!

Stac

First Day of School and....

I remember (and have proof of) my mom taking our picture in front of the same tree on every first day of school. Today, Nate had his first day of his first career! I'm sad I wasn't there to take his picture in front of that same tree (ok, maybe I wouldn't have taken his picture but I would have at least gotten up with him and given him many good luck kisses!) I did however, get to talk to him for a loooong time about it. It exceeded his expectations and he really seems to have enjoyed it. I'm so greatful we were able to find something that he will enjoy and also have room to grow in.
I'm getting down to my last few days(at least that's what I keep telling myself) of life as we know it. When we first found out he got the job and when he would have to start, I just cried for several days. It meant that either we had to spend the summer apart or I had to leave everyone and everything in Alaska way sooner than I expected. I needed time...
I want to have a chance to live by my family and friends in Utah but it's going to be hard. This is what I've known for 5 plus years now, and this is where I've done most of my maturing. I've grown so close to Nate's family and many friends here. And seriously, who can resist the beauty of Alaska? Now when Nate reads this, he's going to try to move us back to Alaska much sooner than we planned but I feel like our friends and family here deserve a shoutout. I have four days left here then I will be in Utah for two weeks, then back for a week and a half-but that's not long enough to say goodbye. I was talking about wanting to make some thank you cards for my friends before I leave when Nate suddenly declared that the reason we girls have such a hard time with goodbyes is because we make them too long. (That and we say goodbye, not "so long.") So, maybe I'll just try 'so long' this time and see if it produces a few less tears.....

My Sweet Baby Boy

At times I ache for another baby and sometimes I can't imagine having to share my Tayvin time. Today was one of the later. Tayv was sitting in my lap in front of the mirror saying 'hi' to himself so I said "Hi handsome Tayvin." He smiled at me and said, "Pretty mama" with that look that says you're the world to me. I almost cried. If I had another baby right now, I wouldn't have experienced that. My sweet baby boy...

Some Funnies!

I found these on Motherhood for Dummies -LOVE the Kermit one!

So Stylish!

So, Tayvin and I decided we needed to celebrate Memorial Day somehow and Nate's mom went to England this week so we were quite alone. We made an angel food cake and were eating Strawberry Shortcake. I looked away for a minute and when I looked back at Tayv he was styling his hair with whipped cream. Not just putting it in his hair, mind you, but actually pretending to look in the mirror and spike it! Now yes, I've been known to do his hair a few times before we leave the house (few is a relative term right?) but seriously, Nate has always looked in the mirror more than I have and on top of that, has actually admitted to a time in his life when he spent like 40 minutes on his hair. So, this cute little thing that is obsessed with his looks-not my fault! I must say though, he did a pretty good job with it! (minus the few chunks of cake he left behind.)

And this last one is for you, Nate-we miss you!

(Sorry, forgot to rotate it beforehand.)

Why Women Live Longer Than Men

I'm sorry men, but this is just too funny! I got this as an email compliments of Dani
and had to share it! I was laughing out loud-hysterically! Enjoy! (Leave me a comment if you want me to email it to you!)






Standing on a bucket on TOP of a ladder, brilliant.


That CAN'T be right.


Ummmm..at least someone's holding the ladder steady


Isn't this a violation of the seatbelt laws?

Shouldn't he be wearing a lifejacket?

Wonder what HE makes an hour? It can't be enough.

Who needs a truck?

I get by with a little help from my friends.

Oh yeah, THAT's safe!

HMMM, maybe he couldn't see the huge yellow sign that said CLEARANCE.

Hey, I strapped it down.

........

I've got more I'll post later! I hope you enjoyed them!

Stacia

Our Little Family

I changed my font at pYzam.com

Hey You!

I love you babe! I miss you so much!

Updates

Well, I got a sitemeter account and discovered my blog is as unused as my violin-Very sad.
But here are a few updates anyway-even if I am the only one that reads them.
1-Nate left this morning. It hasn't even been an hour and I think I'm already losing my mind. Here I am at 7 in the morning, in bed with my laptop. Is there a more 'single' thing to do? He should get to Blackfoot Sunday night and then to my mom and dads monday. We'll be limiting our phone calls for the next few days so as to avoid a $200 phone bill.(Tried to buy a calling card for him yesterday but apparently, in this cell-phone age, we have moved above and beyond calling cards and pay phones-hmmph!
2-We had a BEAR in our yard the other night-that's right, a bear! I have lived in Alaska over 5 years and I've only seen one in the wild from a cruise ship. Unfortunately, after I got the camera we couldn't find him again. (No thanks to Nate yelling that I was NOT to go chasing after him-If I wanted a picture I better take it from the truck. I guess when he told my dad he'd take care of me he actually meant overprotect me!)
3-I survived volleyball with the McDonalds! (Well, sort of) We had a family gathering Saturday night with Nate's family, as he and Mo are moving, and John set up the volleyball net. We were having so much fun playing, not even keeping score, when things went bad. James went to set the ball but I was already en route. I tried to move back as fast as I could but somehow his elbow caught me just right in the mouth. It split my lip, landing me in the ER, and pushed my tooth back into the roof of my mouth, landing me at the dentist twice already this week. I was looking quite hillbilly for awhile. For now, my tooth is back into place and we're waiting to see if it dies and I have to have a root canal and cap put on. I didn't have to have stitches in my lip which was great but hopefully my face won't be too damaged. OH-so frustrating-we are only 3 months away from dental insurance-this will be one expensive volleyball game. Too bad it didn't happen when I was doing something cool like spiking it!
4- Tayvin's been quite sick but we'll go to the doctor this morning to find out about his legs and face. He seems like he's feeling better and luckily, it hasn't messed up his sleeping much! Will update on that later.

We hope all is well with everyone and hope to see you back here soon! I'll try to find fun things to make the blog a bit more interesting!

For lack of creativity....GRADUATION!!!

He did it! On Sunday, May 4th, 2008, Nate graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage with a double bachelors in Business Management and Marketing-Cum Laude. My entire immediate family was able to join us for the week (more on that posted later) and Nate's entire family was there too. He graduated with his brother, Mo, and many friends too. I am so proud of Nate and all his hard work. When we got pregnant with Tayvin, everyone told us how hard it would be to go to school while married and raising kids. It absolutely was! But although my schooling has had to be put off, luckily Nate's wasn't. I know it was hard for him and he made many sacrifices but we so appreciate Nate's dedication to his schooling, family, and church callings. Thank you sweetie! And Congrats!

(will post pics after my family is gone and I have a minute to think! :) )

Counting Down and Adding Up!

Well, we made a decision. Nate and his brother will be leaving May 22nd to drive the Alcan with our many, many boxes! They'll drop off our stuff in Kamas then go to Arizona so Nate can help Mo unload their stuff. I will stay here through the summer with at least one trip down to Utah to see my hubby and to be with my little sis when she goes through the temple for her first time (she's going on a mission to New Zealand-does that rock or what?) I'm not quite sure what Tayvin and I will do here all summer- I guess just bike and hike!
We're counting down the days till my entire family gets here for Nate's graduation! We're so excited to show them "our town" and for Nate to have so many people supporting him. Our good friends from Homer that we don't see near enough will even be in town too! We've been so blessed to have so many people supporting us along the way.
I also started going through all our storage-organizing and packing things up-the boxes are definetly adding up! Hopefully we'll be able to fit everything!
Tayvin has been having so much fun exploring outside and never wants to get in the car anymore. He sees the bikes on the back of my jeep and will say over and over again- "bike ride, hat, bike ride-eese!" He's even a safe little biker! The other day Nate was getting ready to go to work and Tayvin goes searching for Nate's helmet for him to wear. It took about 3 minutes of me explaining to him that Daddy wasn't riding his bike to work but driving his car instead. Now if only he could convince his mom to ruin her hair with that very fashionable contraption!

Well, do ya punk?

As the wonderful Clint Eastwood would say, " You've got to ask yourself one question..." We asked, and yes, we do feel lucky. More accurately, we feel very blessed. We spent a few days in Utah this weekend interviewing for a job that is absolutely perfect for us. It is exactly what Nate wants to do and can open so many doors for us, especially in his career. We were hoping they would offer us enough money so that we could take it but willing to settle for miniscule amounts of money because it could be such a good job for him. After a few interviews, though, we found out that if everything goes right, (there you go babe-hehe) within a year we'll be making triple what we were hoping for. And the health insurance is killer! (Of course, compared to our previous two insurance plans, what health insurance wouldn't be awesome?)
Anyway, Nate starts June 2nd which is way earlier than we were planning on so we've yet to make some important decisions but will have to within the next few days! Good job, babe-I knew you could do it! I'm so proud of you!