Annual trip, take 2

It's the end of February and everyone knows what that means! It means I am HERE:

In Anchorage, Alaska. Once again, it is quite balmy up here for this time of year (I'm told, anyway). It is about 20 degrees outside. When we wake up, it's about 5. I freeze my ass off but apparently I'm told it is "warm." Again, like in December, not buying it.

It is very beautiful up here, however, not to mention since December, this city has gained about 5 hours of light a day. For the past two days since we have been here it has been sunny. You can see for miles and the mountains are just gorgeous. Flying in yesterday was absolutely unbelievable.

Tim is headed up tomorrow for his first time ever in Alaska along with another co-worker. We will all be here through Saturday. We are participating in Anchorages' Fur Rondy event. I'm not exactly sure what this is, other than it is an annual event held every February in Anchorage. I think it is just a winter celebration... there are reindeer races, dog races, snow covered streets, etc. We are participating in an outhouse race. I'm serious. We have coupled with our client to build an outhouse, come up with a theme/story, and then we race a couple of blocks. Whoever has the best theme wins and whoever wins the race also wins. It is going to be a riot. I can't disclose the theme here... look for pictures to follow. I think that Tim might even be pushing the outhouse (the outhouse is built on skis so that "pushers" can push it down the street, with someone inside of course).

I am hoping since we are staying through Saturday we can see a little bit more of this beautiful state. I especially hope to see one of these (again):

Valentines Day 2009

I have never gotten into Valentines day. I think that the whole day is overrated and full of unrealistic expectations that should be happening on a daily basis with the people you love. I do not like going out on Valentines day, I don't really get into the whole buying presents thing, it all just seems quite silly to me. Knowing this, Tim planned what he called "Valentines Day weekend" which is really much more low key than it sounds (and honestly, it was not unlike many other weekends we have had).

When I got home on Friday night he was waiting for me in a suit with a bottle of one of my favorite wines and a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. He had gone to Whole Foods and Trader Joes so that we could make great dinners on Friday and Saturday night. Friday night we made chicken pasta and rosemary bread with salad (which worked out great since we went on a big hike on Saturday) and Saturday he had bought fresh wild salmon that we had with salad and veggies. On Saturday morning before I worked, I bought some dessert for us to share that night. Yum!

Like I said, we hiked Saturday and we also hiked Sunday. It was the perfect weekend. Really nothing too exciting, very low key, very relaxing, but perfect. I loved it.

Waiting for me when I got home from work with flowers and wine. Gorgeous!

Sniffing the roses... they actually smelled amazing! He had gotten the bouquets at Trader Joes (where flowers do not cost $100 on Valentines day... a phenomenon that I think is ridiculous, by the way!) Usually whenever he goes to Trader Joes he will buy me a bouquet of flowers. The only difference this time was his make shift heart card in honor of the heart holiday. He is the best ever.

I am not sure why I included this picture. I look hilarious. Notice the glasses. Yep, still wearing them. Ugh.

And a picture of both of us.

The mountains on one of our hikes. This is most definitely why we live here. It has been gorgeous lately too. Lots of sun, high 50s. We have been outside as much as possible. It is feeling like spring although I know better than to get my hopes up. I have a feeling that Seattle's winter is far from over and there will be rain/cold days ahead of us. That's ok though because it never gets so cold here that we can't hike! And it's much better to have a busy season in this weather than in the gorgeous Phoenix weather. In Phoenix during busy season, it was always so lame because it was 75 degrees and sunny and you were stuck working. At least here if its freezing and rainy, you might as well just work because you know when busy season over, the gorgeous summer days are just around the corner!

Slightly neurotic

"Oh, you're eating a chocolate covered pretzel? Can you get me one too, J?"

"No problem."

I walk to the sink to put it in his mouth since he is rinsing something off and doesn't have a free hand. He backs up and looks at it for about 10 seconds before eating it.

"Why do you have to look at it? It's not like I'm feeding you shit or anything."

"I just don't like to eat stuff backwards or upside down so I had to make sure it was facing the right direction."

Uh huh.

A few words on Octomom

I am absolutely outraged at that whole situation. This lady both creeps me out and disgusts me. And personally, I do not understand how it is possible for more people to not be outraged. 14 kids? FOURTEEN?! FOURTEEN!!! People get weirded out by the Duggar family that have 18 but actually run a successful and well-managed family. They have two parents, they had each of the 18 kids one at a time, they are not in debt, they own their own home, they have the ability to provide for their kids. This octomom lady is living at her parents house, is barely holding it together, doesn't even have a degree (does she even have a job?), collects foods stamps according to the news last night and now has FOURTEEN KIDS. It just seems utterly irresponsible.

I'm not really sure that it's my business and maybe I should be more upset with the doctor that fertilized her (most recently with 6 babies that turned into 8) or with society that is fostering her behavior. But whatever. Who evers fault it is, the reality of the situation is that it is totally twisted and completely f-ed up.

I understand the desire to want to have kids. I understand the purpose. I don't fully understand the love yet, but I know I will one day when I have my own. I feel passionately about having kids. I never knew it was something I truly wanted until I met Tim. Now it is something that I desperately want. One day. When the time is right. But until then, I appreciate the time I have alone, to build a life with Tim so that when we choose to have kids we will not only have a stronger relationship for the time we had together but we will have a stable life and will be able to fully support them. We could support kids now. We have money, we have a stable life, we have love. But in the best interest of the KIDS, we know that the time right now is not perfect. We could definitely not support 14. I think it would be a stretch to say that anyone could even totally support 14 animals, much less kids!! Who seriously has that capability? Who would truly want that chaos? And how do you meet the needs/wants/desires of 14 people every single day especially when they are so young that they demand it every second of the day?

I mean, this lady just seems completely and utterly selfish to me. She had 14 kids, selfishly, without any regard to the lack of capacity that she has to care for them-in all ways... She just "wanted kids."

My heart just goes out to those kids, it breaks for these kids. The road just looks a little shaky for them on the surface. As an optimist at heart, I truly hope that it works out for THEM but I am still totally repulsed at the irresponsibility and lack of care that their mom appears to be exhibiting. I hope she can pull it together and give these kids a good life... one way or another.

More snow?

At 5am this morning as Tim was leaving for work and I was continuing to get ready to leave for work, I get a call on my cell phone from him telling me to look outside.

We got an inch of snow. More snow. If you remember, back in December we got about 20 inches.

This winter has been so unusual for Seattle. Just getting a dusting once a year is considered crazy. We have had so much this winter. And I guess more is expected tonight!

Our weekend (aka yesterday since I had to work Saturday and Tim was recovering from a 0 hours of sleep 24 hour shift that he got off of on Saturday morning) was great...it was filled with everything we hadn't done all week. So not totally relaxing, but very productive! We were speed grocery shoppers. We hit Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and even Costco all in a couple of hours plus a couple of additional errands. By the way- pet peeve of mine- why can't a single grocery store have everything that we need/like/want? Anyway, another rant for another day. We basically had absolutely no groceries since both of us have been working so much lately and neither of us would have time this week to go.

After grocery shopping, we went on a hike and froze our butts off. We haven't watched the weather apparently because it was about 30 degrees and for some reason, we had thought it was going to be 50. Maybe because the prior weekend it was 50 degrees? Who knows but we were running on the hike to stay warm. I am sore today as a result. It was a great workout, which I desperately needed.

We also gave the boys baths. It's unfortunate that I don't have pictures. This is always quite the funny experience. Cats don't really like being plunged into water but they look so much better when they are clean. They also really hate being brushed. Also necessary.

Oh yeah, we also quick cleaned the house. It was a disaster after our week of working and ignoring it. This is a common occurrence this time of year. Tim's schedule usually allows him to clean it (I seriously have the best husband) but he hasn't had a four day off block in a week and a half so he hasn't been able to. And I have been working 6am in the morning to about 9 or 10 at night when I then proceed to pass the hell out so I haven't really gotten around to it either. Bummer.

His next four day block off starts Thursday so hopefully I won't have to work long on Saturday and we will have most of next Saturday and all of Sunday off where we don't have to try to cram everything into one day. Gotta love this time of year!!!

27-23

Before I get into this week too far and forget, the Superbowl yesterday was LAME. I was totally pulling for Arizona, of course. First of all, I greatly dislike the Steelers for whatever reason. Secondly, I love Arizona because a) I lived there and b) I have always liked Kurt Warner since he was in St Louis. I totally thought they had it won with two minutes left in the game. Plus, I made my lucky nachos (that helped KU win the basketball championship last year). I guess they weren't so lucky yesterday. So disappointing.

It was a great day though... we got to hike in the morning, eat nachos and watch the Superbowl in the afternoon/evening. Even if the outcome was not what I wanted it to be, at least it was a genuinely good game.

Earthquake?

This morning there was apparently an earthquake in Seattle. See!

I am pretty bummed because I just slept through it, didn't even wake me up. Tim was working though so if I had woken up to an earthquake, I probably would have been slightly freaked out. Mainly because I have never been in an earthquake before. I would have no idea what to do.

I grew up in the midwest, where we had tornadoes. And when they come around you hide under stuff (unless you are my mom and you feel compelled to open the garage door and stand outside so you can see it-this, by the way, is not recommended). Hiding under stuff is probably not the best tactic for earthquakes. In Phoenix, the only real natural disasters were monsoons and dust storms. And these, I just kinda sat and watched from a distance.

But earthquakes? No experience.

On my first day of my job here in Seattle, I got handed an "earthquake survival kit" to put under my desk as well as a lecture about how I should keep walking shoes in my office so that if an earthquake happens while at work, I can walk home. Uh.... I was a little freaked to say the least.

Since then I have been anticipating my first earthquake. For two years I have waited. And I slept through it. Bummer.

Ladies night!

I've delayed posting this for about a week... all for a picture of a cheese board. Sounds ridiculous, right?

Everyone knows how I am with pictures... last Thursday proved to be no exception. I had about 6 lovely ladies over to my house for a night of cheese/wine/bread/chocolate (basically all things good). Tim was working so it was the perfect time to do it.

I love entertaining and even though I had the perfect, brand new house to entertain at in Phoenix, I never really entertained there because as my friends liked to tell me, I lived in Eastern LA so it wasn't exactly convenient for people to get to my house... and then drive home after drinking wine.

In Seattle, I live in the perfect location. 10 minutes to get anywhere... makes for a great commute, a great place to go out, and a great place to have people over. So last Thursday I left work a few minutes early to come home and get things ready. Wine opened, cheese board made, bread cut, crackers/dips out, music on, etc. I was pretty proud of my cheese board (I don't know, it looked cool) so I took a picture of it figuring that would get me into the picture mood and I would take pictures.

Well, the only picture I have of that night is of my cheese board. Once everyone was over and we were talking/snacking/drinking, I neglected photography. And now it's a week later and I still haven't uploaded that one picture so I figured I would just make the post without it. It IS just a cheese board, anyway. The point is that it was a great time to have everyone over... to relax, to forget about work, to not have to get all fancy to go out, and to just have a little bit of girl time. I think everyone had fun and enjoyed it. It's just too bad we had to go to work the next day... I think next time we will do ladies night on a Friday or Saturday night.