Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Leaving on a jetplane

  Tonight Gatsby and I leave for our two week vacation home to Boston to see my family and then head to Washington D.C. for Dan and Erin's wedding where I will see my in-laws and I am so excited I can hardly take it!  This will be the first time to head home since moving to Alaska and it couldn't have come at a better time.  After working the last three nights and getting the first terrifying email that 3 soldiers from Pete's brigade were killed on Monday by an I.E.D I am ready to get away from Fairbanks and be around the people that I love most, relax, and enjoy some pampering.  Adios Fairbanks, hello east coast, civilization, Target, and Chipotle!



Today I miss having Pete to travel with and his shoulder for me to sleep on during flights.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

A pretty nice little Saturday

  Yesterday Gatsby and I had the pleasure of joining the Marzo and Clark family on a hike to Angel Rock, a trail that is about an hour outside of town.  The weather was perfect: 60 degrees, sunny, not a cloud in the sky, and I had a desire to get out and see Alaska now that most of it is thawed out.  There were a lot of other people that had the same idea so we did not have to worry about bears because of all of the activity and people making noise much louder than our little bear bells (we even saw a wedding party hiking because someone was getting married by the Angel Rocks, it doesn't get much more Alaskan than that!).  I'm glad that I had some company  for my inaugural Alaskan hike so I know that in the future this is definitely a hike I can do solo (with my bear bells and spray) because the trails are nicely groomed.  While I had an awesome time I don't think anybody had more fun than Gatsby, who had his favorite outdoor day in Alaska, complete with swimming!  Here are a few pics. of the day:

Gatsby leading the way, looking out for wildlife

Mitch being a tough guy and carrying both children, Lucy and Zoey

Gatsby and I taking our family picture at the top

The Marzo/Clark Clan

Goodbye arctic winter, hello arctic summer!  So glad that you arrived!

No longer frozen, the mighty Chena river is flowing.  The views don't get much better.

Gatsby loves mud and water.

Hiking back to the car, what a tough group!!

No Alaskan hike is complete without a moose sighting!  Hello Mr. Moose, when will your antlers grow back?

 After getting cleaned up from the hike I decided to join some co-workers out for their birthday celebration at the Blue Loon a local hole in the wall type bar that hosts concerts, comedians, and also plays movies during the week.  Last night there was a band called 'Sweating Honey' and it was like someone lifted up a rock and everyone came out to see this band play. All of these people that were stuck inside all winter long decided to come out and let loose and have some fun.   People from the age of 21-75 were there, many in sundresses and sandles dancing and enjoying the night.  This is my first time to be out in Fairbanks in the 'summer' and it is odd that at 10pm when the band started the doors to outside were open streaming in bright light so no lights had to be on.  Even driving home at 11:30 at night the sun was still  above the hills. This is a fun time in Fairbanks, there is an energy and excitement about all of the activities and things to do that is contagious.   I am hopefully this energy will continue through October and tire me out for another long winter.


Pete today I miss your Sunday morning breakfast burritos and reading the paper with you while we plan out our Sunday activities. Love you.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Creamer's Field

  One of the best things about our house in Fairbanks is that it is only a 7 minute walk to Creamer's field-a migratory waterfowl refuge.  During the  winter it is a place to go dog mushing, snowshoeing, or cross country ski but this spring I have learned that it's primary purpose is something much more incredible: come spring it becomes a place where literally thousands of different species of birds come to migrate for the summer and nest  -mom: Murphy and Gatsby would have a blast chasing birds here when you guys make the trip and if you would be willing to let him off the leash !  A true sign that spring is officially here is the thousands of birds that are already here. 
I realize that this picture doesn't look all that impressive, (I should have taken more of the entire field knowing that this would turn into a blog, however I didn't think of it at that time, I guess this makes me an amateur blogger...) but trust me, when you live so close to this refuge, you can actually hear all of these birds as they fly overhead towards their summer home.  Another thing that I have learned to love about Fairbanks: the noisy birds that live a few blocks from my house for the summer.  Some even sound like seagulls and make me think for a split second that I am living in a coastal town instead of the completely land locked gem of a town called Fairbanks.  Here are a few other pics for your viewing pleasure:
And here is a link to the refuge if you are so inclined: Creamer's Field.


I have decided that with each blog post I am going to mention something that I miss about Pete as part of my daily therapy :)

Today I miss having someone to go on walks with to cool places like Creamer's field after dinner.  Love you.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Okay Alaska, it is just you and me.

   After a long and distracting three days of work I finally have my first day off since D-Day (and it isn't really a 'true' day off because I worked last night 7p-7a so half the day was spent sleeping...) and the weirdness of a Pete-less house is a truly sinking in.   For the next year it is up to me and only me to make the most of my time in this beautiful state, hence why I feel like it is just me and the 49th state for the next year.  Okay, me and the other 698,703 that call this state home- this is crazy and refreshing to me considering I just moved from the Washington D.C. metro area where the population is 8,440,617In my attempts to become more 'Alaskan' I have started riding my bike to work (okay, and it cost  $75.00 to fill up my jeep the other day so that is also my other motivation...).  Even when it is -30 you see people commuting on the bikes and there are wonderful bike trails that I am able to use making the commute a breeze, no pun intended.  This has been a nice change giving me time to get some exercise even on days when I work and gives me time to unwind after a long and stressful shift.  This morning might have been my favorite ride home: at 7:30am on a Sunday when there were very few people driving and a lot of people biking or walking just trying to enjoy this beautiful weather.  I have made a goal for myself that through October my only mode of transportation to work will be my lovely bike.  This might be a little ambitious but I think I can make it through October without having to deal with snow!  It is a beautiful life and this is a beautiful state and while my heart actually hurts and I start developing what might be the closest thing to a panic attack that I have ever experienced when I think about not having Pete here for an entire year and him being in a war zone, I am determined to get out there and make the most of my time in Alaska.