Where to begin

  As described in my last blog the months of May and June have been extremely busy with traveling.  Once I got home from the Boston/D.C. trip I worked 7 nights in a row and then left for Guadalajara for my best friends wedding (no, not like the romantic comedy from 1997).   It was a wonderful event and despite being sleep deprived and having anxiety about leaving Gatsby behind for the first time since moving to Alaska I had an incredible 3.5 days spending time with Ashley and her wonderful family.  While it was a very quick trip I had a incredible time exploring the town of Tequila, Mexico and exploring places like the Jose Cuervo distillery.  Remembering when Ashley and I would talk about our wedding days when we were in high school I was so thankful that I was able to spend her special day by her side.  I am lucky to have the most amazing and beautiful best friend both inside and out.

Alright now after the wedding of course I had to work the next three days but that meant that I was off for one of the busiest weekends in Fairbanks: the summer solstice festival!  The festivities began on Saturday night with the midnight sun run, a 10k that begins at 10:30pm at night that takes you on a tour through neighborhoods and you feel like you are running through massive block parties, live bands included. It was quite an experience to see so many people out to celebrate the longest day of the year and the costumes that people ran in.  I know next year Pete will not let me run in traditional running gear since he has such a love for costumes but I am glad that I was able to get my first run out of the way blending in!  Here are some pics from the

There were bumblebees

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head!

And then there was Andrea and I at the end!

It was a fun race and good for me to know that I am not too old to be able run 6.4 miles without any training (however next year I think it will be better the next day if I do actually run a little before the race!).
The next day there was the midnight sun festival where there is every type of food you can imagine being sold on the street, and vendors trying their best to sell goods. Live bands played on three different stages from noon to midnight.

It was nice to see so many people out and about enjoying all of this beautiful daylight.  Overall I am glad that I got out and took part in all of the festivities this weekend.  Was it a life changing experience?  Definitely not and it was almost bittersweet celebrating the longest day of the year knowing that in six months I will be enduring the shortest day of the year.
   I have a few activities planned in the next few days, work, and then next Thursday I leave for my final trip out of Alaska for the summer to North Carolina for family beach week.  I am extremely lucky that I have been able to do all of this traveling and that my job has been so unbelievably flexible with my schedule.  Feeling very blessed that I have been fortunate enough to spend time with Ashley for her wedding, that I am healthy and able to run in races like the midnight sun run, that I get to go on family vacation in just over a week, and that I don't ever have to worry about where my next meal will come from.  Life is good, but life will be great in April 2012 when I have my husband home to experience all of these things with me.

Today I miss having you make fun of me while I watch DVR's of shows like the Bachelorette :)

Wild Art Walk

   Today was the day that I have been looking forward to ever since Pete and I first heard about this event: the creamers field wild art walk.  It is an annual event where local artists set up booths and you can walk from tent to tent trying to locate your next prized possession.  Despite the fact that it looked like it was going to start pouring rain at any moment, it did not disappoint. 

  I left with a print that I adore (and am already thinking that I should have gotten a painting that I saw but wasn't ready to commit...) and had a great time walking around with Savannah looking at the different styles of art.  The majority of the art was nature themed, understandable considering where we live.  After the art walk Savannah and I officially dropped off our registration packets for the Midnight Sun 10k on June 18th, a race that begins at 10pm and finishes before midnight to celebrate the summer solstice when we truly have 24 hours of daylight.  Summer is alive and flourishing here in Fairbanks, it is time to enjoy it.


Today I miss looking at artwork with you and having you give me that extra little nudge convincing me to buy something so that I don't go home and have regrets and helping me decide where to hang things.

Back from vacation

  I have taken a long hiatus from the blog because Gatsby and I went on vacation: our first trip home since moving to Alaska.  We started our trip by going to Boston to visit my family.  There is something about being at home (even though I have never actually lived there since my parents moved there about four years ago) but my room still has the same furniture from when I was growing up and it makes it feel like home.  There is something really nice about having my mom cook the dinners that I love and making me breakfast in the morning.  One would think that at the age of 27 and being fully capable of doing all these things on my own this wouldn't be such a treat, but it is.  Gatsby and I had an incredible week filled with shopping, lots and lots of shopping, a trip to Maine, and even a Red Sox game.  It is always sad to say goodbye to my family but knowing that I will see them again in a short month for our annual trip to Figure Eight Island made it a little easier.
    After our week in Boston, Gatsby and I then boarded a plane to Washington D.C. where despite the fact they lost my luggage for 36 hours I was able enjoy some time with old friends from work, enjoy a drive down to Charlottesville to see my Grandpa, attend a wedding of one of Pete's best friends, and spend time with my in-laws.  It was a busy six days where I felt like I had to cram as much in as possible because I'm not sure when I will be making my way back to the nations capital.
     The night of Dan and Erin's wedding was definitely one of the hardest days since Pete has been gone, knowing that I am surrounded by all of his closest friends and family and knowing how much Pete wants to be there and instead is working long days and stressed out in Afghanistan, it just didn't seem fair.  Despite my attempts to make him feel like he was there by video taping as much as possible there was an obvious void that was felt by all.  Flying home to Alaska after an incredible two weeks of spending time with friends and family I would be lying if I said that I didn't think "what am I doing living so far away for this year?".  While Alaska is beautiful and there are a lot of things to see and do, it is lacking the comfort of being surrounded by the people who love me the most and the happiness that brings.  However, I made a commitment to my work that I would stay for a year and I still feel like it is important to follow through with that commitment even though Gatsby and I are both so homesick it hurts.  I guess this is the downfall of going away for so long.  So while I have been in sort of a 'blah' mood since returning I am reminding myself that prior to this trip I was happy and excited about this wonderful adventure and I can get that same enthusiasm back.  Thank you everyone who made my trip so special, I am lucky to have the greatest family and friends that anyone could ask for.  I am working 7 days in a row then leave on Wednesday for Guadalajara for Ashley and Fadi's wedding, and two weeks after that I will be leaving for a relaxing week at the beach with my family.  In between these trips there are a lot of things that I am looking forward to in Alaska: the art walk at Creamers Field is tomorrow (Pete and I heard about this during the winter and have been excited about it since!), the midnight sun 10k is June 18th, and I have started a book club with some of the wives that I have met and the first meeting is at my house on June 24th.  Not to mention my plans to go fishing and white water rafting with friends from work in July, this will be a busy summer and keeping busy will be key for making this year a success.  So while the mood is still blah, it is an optimistic blah knowing I have a lot of things to look forward to.

Today I miss playing racquetball with you and goofing off in the rubber rooms as if they are soundproof, when actually they are not and people think we are crazy.