Fairbanks Idol

   Sunday night while at work I was invited to my first work social event: the Karaoke finals held at the Pump House Restaurant where the lucky winner wins a tropical cruise.  Of course I am excited about this, I felt like I had made it and was in the circle where I will start getting invited to work functions!  I woke Pete up when I got home just to let him know that we have plans on Wednesday night to meet my co-workers, I'm sure this was a weight of his shoulders to know that I am starting to make friends at work since he is leaving in three weeks. 
   Fast forward to Wednesday night. We get ready and head over to the Pump House and we arrive to a completely packed parking lot (don't get the wrong impression-the bar is just one room and really isn't that large of a space).  We go inside and I start looking around expecting to see a big table full of people I work with that all stand up and get excited as soon as Pete and I walk in the door.  Nope, no big table of people.  Pete starts looking at me expectantly wanting to know where my co-workers are at and like the girl that got ditched by her prom date I sadly  report that nobody from work is here.  We grab a drink from the bar and Pete guides me over to  an area where some of his co-workers are at (convenient that of course he randomly shows up and there are about 6 people he knows...) so we spent the next two hours listening to the best singers in Fairbanks sing their hearts out to win the two cruise tickets with his co-workers who were all very nice and happy to have us join in on the fun.  By the end of the night I saw a total of three of my co-workers randomly dispersed around the bar so I guess I can't say that I was completely ditched, but it definitely was not what I thought I was getting invited to.  Hopefully I will get another invite to something where I won't have to rely on Pete's co-workers to save the day since in a few weeks I won't have him to fall back on.  Regardless, we had a lot of fun getting out of the house and listening to the talented singers of Fairbanks.  We left at 9:50 so we did not get to see the winner but I hope that the 80 year old gentleman who sang a wonderful version of Frank Sinatra's New York New York (with high kicks and all) won. 

Volunteering in the 'Banks

   Today I went to an hour long information session about  the American Red Cross and their role in disasters and it is official: I am now a nurse volunteer for their disaster response team (it was a very educational and motivational hour, luckily they were only trying to talk people into becoming a volunteer and not trying to get me to buy a timeshare or start selling makeup or jewelery...).

I will go through an 8 hour training on April 9th to learn about the paperwork and how they document the care that nurses and physicians provide and then it will be officially official that I can be part of a disaster response team and will respond to any disasters locally in Fairbanks (such as a flood, fire, avalanche, etc.), in the state of Alaska, and within the United States depending on the nature of the disaster.  Most importantly, after April 9th I will get a vest and name tag!  There will be multiple training sessions offered in the coming months so that I will feel like I know what the heck I am doing but this sounds like it will be a good way to spend some free time and actually be able to help people when they need it the most.  Apparently the Red Cross just opened an office in Fairbanks within the past year and has a total of four people working in it and only has 8 current volunteers, none of which are medical professionals.  Don't worry, I haven't gone completely off the deep end, they emphasized that I can be as involved as I please meaning that I won't be required to respond to every fire that happens in Fairbanks, or every natural disaster but if I happen to be available and able to help, it will be nice to know that I am prepared to offer some assistance.  It is good to know that during my three years in Fairbanks I can use my free time to do some good. 

Have an Ice Day

    Something that I can honestly say that I never thought that I would see is the world ice art championships. However, Fairbanks is the host to this event every March and it is the talk of the town so we thought that we would show off the best of Fairbanks to Pete's parents while they are in town.  We went twice-once during the day which we thought was pretty impressive

And then we decided to go back at night when everything is lit up with beautiful lights and I officially became amazed at how intricate and detailed these pieces of art are.

The championships started on March 1st and will be going on until the end of the month.  There are competitors from Russia, Mongolia, China, Japan, Sweden, and many other countries that fly to this small town in Alaska.  They actually get the ice from a pond located right next to the park and it is incredible how clear the ice is

  Surprisingly, most of the competitors have some sort of culinary background.  I am excited to come back next year to watch them actually create these pieces of art (a 'season pass' is only $25.00 for unlimited views!).  While here I think it will be important to take advantage of these opportunities so that one day I can think back to that one time when I attended the world ice art championships when I lived in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Here are a few more pictures for your viewing pleasure:

And Dad, this one if for you:

Hip Hip Hurray!

   I think it is officially safe to say, that I have  made it through my first arctic winter.  By arctic winter I am talking about the -20 and below bone chilling weather, the darkness that inevitably comes with winter but strikes Fairbanks especially hard, and the feeling like it might not ever get warm in this frozen wonderland.  I officially feel like it IS going to get warm here and now that the sun doesn't set until 9pm and I must wear sunglasses driving to work at 6:30pm or else I truly am blinded by the brightness it helps bring a much more positive outlook on things.   The highs this week are in the mid 30's and I feel like a true 'local' because I only have to go out in a long sleeve shirt and a vest and feel completely fine.  Funny what -40 to -50 degree weather will do to a girl!  There are two different 5k runs that are happening in the month of March and April and there are so many fliers hanging with local things to do in the break room at work.  I don't know how I will have enough time to be able to do it all (kidding, kind of...) but at least I feel plugged in and am aware of what is happening around time.  My co-worker invited me to go berry picking/jamming this summer which I can't wait (it is only about 4 months away so I figure it is never too early to start getting excited) and another co-worker has already picked a weekend for us to go dip net fishing to catch more salmon than I will know what to do with.  Say hello to the new, more rugged, more outdoorsy Katie Dillon.  I feel like I should get a merit badge that says something along the lines of:  Made it through her 1st arctic winter without a car for a month, without anything in her house for 6 weeks, and without her husband for a month.  I can only imagine what I will want the badge to say after next winter!  Happy spring to everyone, even up here in Fairbanks I can feel it. 

6 dogs, 2 cats.

   This past week has been a little bit crazy in the Dillon household.  This isn't because of the usual post-vacation catch up that usually happens or because both Pete and I had to return to work.  It had everything to do with the fact that Pete and I both said that we would pet sit for two different friends over the same 4 day period.  I guess this is one of those times that we definitely learned that we need to communicate a little better when saying we would house dogs for any period of time.  My neighbor Bree and her son flew to Texas on Tuesday night until early May (yes, that is almost two months) and she was beside herself because she did not know what two do with her two 7-month old black lab pups.  Not wanting her to be stressed and the animal lover that I am, I told her that I would watch the dogs.  I told this to Pete however he did not realize that we were to start watching the dogs Tuesday night and he told his friends the Joslin's that we would watch their three dogs while they went to Seattle for the week for spring break with their kids.  A beagle, a black lab mix, and a 5-month old husky mix puppy moved into our house on Monday night and starting Tuesday night we were responsible for the other two black lab puppies from across the street.   This probably sounds pretty stressful, but you have no idea, it was completely insane.  We kept the black lab pups at their house and just went for frequent checks to let them outside.  Every morning at about 5am before I had to go to work I would take all six dogs to the trails behind our house and let everyone just play and run to get some energy out.  Luckily, they are all good dogs who don't run away and they really enjoyed playing together but trying to walk 6 dogs in ice and snow is a very difficult task.  On Wednesday morning during our morning walk/play time somehow Gatsby dislocated his patella and Pete had to take him to the vet to get it put back into place.  I think it is safe to say that Gatsby is over this whole fostering other dogs while people go out of town thing.  Friday he was finally able to put full weight on his back leg and seems to have made a full recovery.  Thankfully on Friday we were also able to return the Joslin pups so now we are 'only' responsible for Gatsby and the black lab pups.  In case anyone was wondering if it was possible for me to become an animal hoarder, the answer is a definite no.  Being responsible for six dogs and two cats for a five day period probably took a few years off my life.  Pete and I will be spending the weekend trying to get the house back together before his parents fly into town Sunday night.  Phew. We made it through the week with only one minor injury to report.

Pizza pie.

   It probably comes as no surprise that Fairbanks has pretty much none of the restaurants or stores that I am used to dining or shopping in.  In fact, unless it is something you can get at a Wal-Mart, Old Navy, Sports Authority, or Barnes & Noble you either need to get really good at online shopping and paying the outrageous shipping charges or make some changes to what it is that you think you need.  There really isn't much that I truly miss besides a Target and Chipotle (Pete and I spent $15.00 each way to take a cab to the nearest Chipotle while we were in Ft. Lauderdale and it was worth every penny...).  For the past month there has been a massive ice sculpture on the side of a major road in Fairbanks advertising the opening of....

wait for it...


.PAPA JOHNS!!

Alright, I am very aware that this might not seem that exciting but trust me, in the town of Fairbanks this is a very big deal.  On Monday Pete and I thought that we would take the leap and enjoy a delicious piece of pizza with the delicious garlic sauce and banana pepper on the side.  We called and for the first 5 minutes of calling nonstop the line was busy.  No big deal, Fairbanks isn't a big town so we will just go over there and place our order and pick it up.  When we arrived to the small restaurant there was a line out the door into -15 degree weather and an assembly line of about 15 broke high school and college kids making pizzas inside.  I had no idea that such an operation could exist in Fairbanks but this small building was crammed full of kids trying to make a buck and create a great pizza pie.  About an hour later, and after some incredible people watching Pete and I walked away with two medium pizzas that were only moderately warm but still delicious.  Fairbanks is moving up in the world, now if only we could get someone to start a Chipotle franchise so that my restaurant needs could be complete. 

Green Turtle Cay=Heaven

  Early Sunday morning Pete, Gatsby, and I returned to Fairbanks International Airport after spending 8 days in tropical warm weather.  We started our adventure very sleepy but excited to leave the negative temperatures behind.  Even Gatsby was excited about riding in his 'box' for the next 14 hours if it meant he got to run and play in the sand:

Don't worry, he got out to exercise/go to the bathroom about every three hours.  After traveling from Fairbanks to Seattle, to Dallas, and finally to Ft. Lauderdale we were greeted at the airport by Pete's sister Maureen and his best friend John.  The next day we took an extremely small 6 person plane to Treasure Cay, a small island in the Bahamas

It was an extremely bumpy ride due to the wind but we all made it to Treasure Cay in one piece.  However, our traveling was  not done, we still had to take a ferry from the airport to the actual  island

And then we finally arrived, to paradise:

We stayed in a house with a lot of character that was about a two minute walk from the ocean.

  Kendall and Brett had a beautiful wedding on the beach with an incredible reception that followed (where I was able to show off my sweet dance moves).

I was able to take a day trip to snorkel and eat lobster on a remote beach, feed stingrays with my toes (which I completely hated and just the thought of it still creeps me out ever so slightly because I truly feared my toes were going to actually get sucked into it's little mouth).

I was able to have a golfcart be my only mode of transportation and have chickens and roosters live in my backyard that would start doing their wake up calls at approximately 1am despite the number of times I would let Gatsby loose to scare them.  I was able to see wild pigs, not ugly boars, but sweet pigs on my way into 'town' each day

I was able to bring Gatsby and see him in his version of Disneyworld, the happiest place on earth

And most importantly I was able to spend a relaxing week with Pete before his deployment where we could truly relax and not worry about the stress and struggles of the year to come.  We could just be us, where we are happiest: at the beach.

Like all vacations, they must come to an end and I must admit that I wasn't as depressed as you would think considering I was leaving tropical 80 degree weather to come home to snowy maybe above zero temperatures. There is something calming and relaxing about being home, even if that home is in Fairbanks, Alaska.  So I am going to return to work this week feeling rejuvenated by my bronzed skin and answering questions about how I got so tan, and make the most out of this month with Pete as we prepare for his deployment and be happy that the high temperatures have been around 20 degrees everyday since we have been home.  Life is good.

Hello and Goodbye!

   Alright I know that I have been bad about blogging the past few days and everyone probably assumes that since Pete just got home I am taking a break from blogging.  You are right.  Well, only sort of right.  Since Sunday (homecoming day we can call it..), it has been quite busy in the Dillon household.  Monday night I had my first FRG meeting with the unit Pete is deploying with and it was a potluck (FRG is an acronym for Family Readiness Group-it is a group that provides support to both soldiers and their families during deployments.  To many people it is a social/gossip group...).  I know, I know, how very "Army wife" of me, but I figure it will behoove me to get a little bit more plugged into the unit that Pete is leaving with so that I can be kept updated about what is going on.  Unfortunately, there were only 8 people there and I was the only person that was told it was a potluck and the broccoli rice and cheese casserole that I made was an awkward item to eat solo (in my defense, I was only supposed to bring a side item and I thought I would have a main dish to eat this with...).  I also found out that this group is extremely chaotic and doesn't have much leadership so any hope that I originally had of feeling more plugged in and maybe meet other wives that are similar to myself quickly dissolved.  Luckily Pete keeps me very informed of what is going on and what to expect so I will depend on that (some of the wives haven't heard from their husbands yet from NTC and didn't even know when they were coming home.  Ouch).  Regardless I feel like I should get some brownie army wife points for making the effort to become more involved in this crazy world that is the army.  I guess I will continue with my original plan of meeting people at the canine good citizen class, and the sewing class at Joann Fabrics. 
   I worked Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in the ED and everyday in the ED seems very busy.  I feel like all day I run around putting in IV's, giving pain or anti-nausea meds, getting sneezed and coughed on, and discharging patients.  I am kidding. Kind of.  I do quite a bit more but that definitely is how over half of my time is spent.  Luckily I am having fun doing these things (except the part where I get sneezed and coughed on...) so it makes the day go by extremely fast.
   Pete has been going into work for a few hours in the morning and then working on his skills as a 'house husband'.  Wednesday he had to drop off/pick up Gatsby from his grooming appointment, and today he had to clean the house and take Gatsby to his vet appointment so that Gatsby can get approval to go with us to the Bahamas.  Yes that is correct, we are taking our 15lb dog with us to the Bahamas.  Our flight leaves at 0120am Fairbanks time and we will fly all day and finally make it to Ft. Lauderdale Friday evening at 8:30pm.  This makes for a very long day but I am so excited about going to warmth and sunshine that I don't care, neither does Gatsby.

So this will be my last blog for 9 days because I will be relaxing and enjoying my time with my husband and dog at Kendall and Brett's wedding.

Here is to destination weddings when you need them the most.  Goodbye -30 degree weather, hello tropical sun and sand.