Trick-or-Treating on Halloween

We had a fun Halloween Day!!

Tracy went to work dressed as Sarah Palin; in a suit, hair up, glasses, and a gun...it looked good. (Sorry...no one was up at 5am to take a picture of me. )

Chris went to work dressed as Teen Wolf.

(no pictures of that one either...sorry)

Emily went to Daycare today dressed as the Little Monster...and we have a ton of pictures of that!! She wore the costume while we went trick-or-treating in Downtown Kodiak...with about a thousand other kids!! She had a great time and got to walk all over the place!! She even collected candy! Not much, but she got the gist of what was going on.

She got fussy and tired about 2 hours earlier then normal, probably due to all that walking. She eventually went to bed about an hour early...and the doorbell is still ringing with trick-or-treaters, and she's still sound asleep!!!!

2008 Pumpkin Carving in Alaska!

We had a lot of fun this year carving our pumpkins.

Emily was able to get in on the fun and it was cool to see her trying to help out!

Chris' 1st Prime Time Appearance!

That's right! Bob Woodruff was in Kodiak, Alaska today to do a story on the Rescue Swimmers!

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We don't know much about who/what/when/where/why...but, Chris did a SAR (search and rescue) Demo for the ABC Cameras! If you happen to catch the news story, Chris is the "swimmer" in the demo!!

Like I said...we don't know the who/what/when/where/why...so, don't ask just yet. If they have the article available online...don't worry...we'll find it and post it on the Blog!!!

Preparing for Halloween

Well, Halloween is at the end of the week and we are all ready to go in our new Halloween Costume! Our Lil Monster will be doing a little Trick-or-Treating around the block, just to show off the costume.

You'll have to admit that she is the cutest Little Monster Ever!!

For Your Viewing Pleasure

Question for the Masses.

Well, the weather here in Alaska is rather dry. I use lotion everyday, so I hardly ever have dry skin. However, my eyelids are another story. This past week my eyelids have been SUPER dry...red...and burning. I don't know what to put on them. I mean...it's my eye! You can't just put anything on there! A perfumed lotion will burn the sensitive skin. Some of these other products say not get get them close to your eyes. I also need to wear eyeshadow everyday, which means that the redness is covered, but it also means that a remedy will need to be removed for most of the day. (without the eyeshadow I just look old & tired...it's needed)


Anyway, I thought I'd "throw this one out there" to see if anyone has any feedback.
Thanks!

Sandbagg'n It

So, these photos were taken a few days ago...before the First Alaskan Snow.

The day before it snowed we drove down the road to a...I don't know exactly what they call it...but, it's a big mountain of sand. Our neighbor suggested that we fill the bed of the truck with sandbags in order to weigh it down, therefore it being less-likely to fishtail on the icy roads. What a Genius Idea! Our neighbor, also known as Senior Chief, gave me a few empty sandbags...and it was up to us to go fill them up.

Well, the weeks went by and we just never got a chance to go collect sand. Finally, I was reading the weekly weather for the radio station and noticed that last Tuesday was going to be our LAST POSSIBLE DAY of good weather before the storm front came in.

storm front

So, in the 30 degree weather, Chris and I drove to the sand pile and filled our 6 sandbags. As we were there at the base of the mountain you could see the storm front coming in off of the horizon...it started to rain just a few hours later.

...Now, driving with the sandbags in the bed of the truck, you can feel that with the weight, the whole vehicle feels more grounded. The roads are icy and with the weight of the sandbags there is less of a chance of slipping while driving! Great Idea! Thanks Senior Chief!!

Chloe's Love of Snow

We had some great fun with Chloe today and the first snowfall. She just doesn't quite "get it" but she loves being outside and playing that that soft, white stuff.

Here's also a few pictures of our First Alaskan Snow!

As I'm writing this post, I haven't yet had a chance to take Emily outside to check it out. So, I'm not quite sure yet what she'll think of it all. I'd like to wait for Chris to get home so we can experience it together, for the first time, as a family. (...aaahhh)

The Little Walker

That's right...no more wobbling...Emily is a walker!

Island Dry Cleaning

So, we "heard" that there was a dry cleaner on base...but after searching, I couldn't find it. Well, I was in dyer need of getting my stuff dry cleaned, so I just decided to take it into town and get it done there.

WELL ........ $70 later........ I got my 9 sweaters and a pair of slacks back from the cleaners.

Seventy freak'n dollars! Is that how much dry cleaning costs these days??!? I mean, I know I haven't done any dry cleaning in a few months, and I'd usually try to hit up the "cheap dry cleaners" in Brea for like $2.00 per item. But, SERIOUSLY...that's $7.00 per item! Is that right?!?!

I am totally going to ask around and see if I can find that dry cleaner on base!!!!

THE BIG WEEK!!

So, this is IT! THE BIG WEEK!! Chris had a brief "meeting" on Friday with his Chief. What he thought was going to take another 2 months to get qualified is being sped-up and he'll be fully qualified by the end of the week.



Needless to say, Chris is a little overwhelmed by this Rapid Qualification. The Shop is a little "tired" right now and a new qualified swimmer will bring a lot of relief to the scheduling of the Shop. So, they're speeding things up!



Chris will be on a flight everyday next week...for about 6-8 hours each day. We, originally, thought that he would be a qualified swimmer by mid-December. Now, he'll be a qualified swimmer by next week!! I'm planning on him coming home late everyday this week and going straight to bed. He'll be so dead with exhaustion!!



The good news is that this two-year process is almost done!!

A Different Kind of Responsibility.

So, something is bothering me today. I've been on the air at the radio station for about 6 weeks now and I have developed somewhat of a "fab-base" -- now, I'm not tooting my own horn here...it's just kind of true. People recognize my voice and "think they know me from somewhere" or tell me that they listen to the show every morning.


Anyway...I don't get too many phone calls in the morning from the listeners. Actually, I don't really get any phone calls from listeners and often wonder if there is anyone out there actually listening. There are about 3 people that call every now-and-again, but I do have 1 listener that calls, religiously, every morning when he gets up between 8:30am and 9:00am.


I don't know anything about him, just his name. He calls to request a song every morning and sometimes we chat for a few minutes about whatever is on his mind. (I'm just actually glad to see the phone ring!) Well, I hadn't heard from him at all this week and was kind of getting worried. Since I know nothing about him, I just figured that maybe he was a fisherman and he was out on a boat fishing.


Well, after 4 days of no calls, he finally called me today. We talked for about 15 minutes where he told me that he has been in a fight with a good friend this week and is so upset about it that he's, for the most part, been drunk all week. He continued to tell me that he is so upset about it that he was planning to jump off a cliff and end his life. - What do you say to that!? - I mean, if it were a close friend I could know whether or not they were serious, but this guy...I don't know him! I know nothing about him! From my impression of him and my "stereotypical analysis" -- I wouldn't put it past him! I hope he calls again on Monday.


It just made me realize that I have a new responsibility. I have a responsibility to the listeners. These people wake up to my voice every morning. They hear my stories, enjoy the music I play for them; they laugh at my jokes and pay attention to the activities I tell them are happening around town. There are a lot of people on this island who know me, but I do not know them. They think we're buddies because I'm in their life.


As this young man called me, his "friend," to share his troubles, I realized what an eye-opener it is to think that I have an affect on people whom I've never met, nor even know are out there. Yet, being in my situation...what do you do? I know I should care because that's human instant, but where do you separate yourself? And, how do you separate yourself?

Emily's TV Cubby

Emily's bedroom is set up with a small desk just behind the door and next to the closet. It's probably only about 3 feet long and is the width of the closet. Because she has no need for a desk, it just has a few boxes and the diaper-reserves on top of the desk. However, under the desk...


...well, I thought it looked like a neat "cubby" to play in. Yes, she may be a little young for this, but it's cute. So, I bought a small couch and put an old tv under there where she can watch DVDs. (personally, the tv is a smige too close to the couch and she doesn't actually sit there for too long...she's not a tv watcher...but it's another neat option for her to stay entertained!)

A Box Arrived Today...

So, a box arrived today. No one rang the doorbell, nor knocked...I opened the front door to take the dogs outside and there it was, tucked away inside the screen door. A box.

Now, I had been expecting this box for about a week and had agonized over it's arrival. And...although smaller then I had expected, there it was. A box. I think I was mostly passive about it's arrival, whereas any normal woman would have been excited. You see, this box wasn't just a "box" it was something that symbolized a new life, and laid down new boundaries for my future over the next few years. And...it was just a silly box.

This was a much nicer box then your "normal" cardboard box, simply stated on the outside were three letters...G.A.P.

I've never ordered anything online that was more then the occasional book from Amazon; and definitely never clothes. I didn't see a point to shopping online because there aren't any good deals online, compared to those in the stores...especially after you pay for shipping. And, as many of you know, I'm not a big shopper - so, spending money on myself is kind of a foreign concept. Sad, I know...but, that's just the way it is right now.

Well, with the recent job and having to go into the office 5 days a week...I can't "recycle" my limited closet supply as often as I use to; and wear, basically, the same thing from one week to the next. (Yes, if you're a man reading this, it may sound crazy...but my women readers understand.) In the months prior to Kodiak my wardrobe mainly consisted of comfortable clothes that were easy to wear around the house while taking care of the baby; so, having to get dressed everyday was a little "different" for me. Needless to say, what's left of my Summer California clothes can only take me so far and I needed to get a few more items to change things up a bit.

Our options here in Kodiak are extremely limited. We have a Wal-Mart, and a small sports shop that sells Columbia clothes, and the Base which is extremely limited. The only way to survive Kodiak Shopping is to find it online! I had never done this before and I was worried about....well...many things. What if it doesn't fit? What if I don't like it? What if the color looks different when I get it in person? Will I have to pay to ship it back? What if I need another size? Is that the style I like? What if I want to try something new? ...the list goes on and on.

But, I NEEDED new clothes.you..it went beyond a "want" and turned into a "need" - so, I bit the bullet and ordered a few things online. I ordered a new pair of jeans and 5 shirts. (yes, the dress code at work is casual) So...Aunt Carol does quite a bit of online shopping and she's been sending me emails from some of the places she's ordered from in the past. I've "shopped" at all of those sites, but haven't ordered anything because I was 'scared' to try a new place for my first online order...I mean, if it was a bad experience I might never want to shop online again and then I'm totally screwed! So, I went with Good 'Ol Trusty G.A.P. The sizes should have been consistent and I stayed with "safe" choices.

So...my point....

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I ordered clothes online, and a box came.

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Inside the box was a dangerous "invitation"

to the new and uncharted world of online shopping.

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...and all the clothes fit!

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The Ice Turns to Frost!

Today the Front turned into ICE!! I got up this morning, as usual, and went to leave for work around 5am. I got about 30 feet down the road when I realized that my windshield wipers won't clean off the dew on the windshield...that's because this "dew" is ICE!! So, luckily, I had bought an ice scraper in preparation for the coming winter. I backed up the car...back to the house, and went inside to get the scraper. And, in the 33 degree night air, I scrapped the ice-layer off the windshield.

So, there is a brush on the flip-side of the scraper. I wasn't sure what it was for...? But, once you've scraped the snow off the windshield...it leaves the ice powder...which is why there is a brush!! So, after it was scrapped, you brush it off!! BRILLIANT!!

In the end...I was about 5 minutes "behind" on my way to work this morning, but I survived my FIRST windshield-scrapping! It wasn't that bad, and I'll probably have to do it again tomorrow...and the next day...and the next day...and the next day...

The Last Fall Day Before the Frost

Snow Flurrys already showing their face...the last beautiful non-snowy day on Kodiak Island.

The Ball Pit

I think one of Emily's Favorite Toys is her new ball pit! She loves sliding in & out of the pit and taking all the balls out...and putting them all back in. Mommy & Daddy gave her the ball pit for her birthday, and I knew she would just love it...why?...because I loved ball pits and still do!!!!!!

The Kodiak Aquarium

Here are some more pictures of when mom, dad, and Lisa came to visit. Lisa ended up having to stay for a few extra days due to weather. So, we spent one of those days (ok, a few hours) at Kodiak's Aquarium and Touch Tank. (literally, there's one of each...and nothing more)

It is basically a place to raise awareness and a research center for scientists. Currently they're doing a study on the reduction on King Crab and wondering if it was related to the Exxon gas spill back in the 90's. But, they have a touch tank and a big fish tank. So, since Emily loves the fishies...we thought we'd check it out. Here are the pictures from that day.