Facebook

So...after months of contemplation...Chris and I finally joined Facebook.

Personally, my feelings were that Facebook is just a place to "get you in trouble." I'm sure Facebook is nice on many levels, but I'm not really one to look up old friends or aquaintances. Facebook seems like a free Match.com format to rekindle relationships from the past.

But, the folks that work with Chris all seem to communicate through Facebook and we never understood what all the hype was about, nor were we ever in the "know" with the latest gossip. So, this week we opened Facebook accounts.

Now, I think that both of us will be cautious on how we use this format...meaning that we're not going to be "Friends" with past relationships. (It's just an "enabler" and I think any temptation is NOT good for a relationship.)

So, we'll see how it goes...

What are your thoughts on Facebook?? Good - or - Bad??


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Job Offer!!

Well, good news...Today I was offered a JOB!

I am so excited to finally be back in the workforce and help contribute to the family!! The position is a property management & purchasing position with a construction/property company here on the island. No, it's not something that I've ever done before, but its a fresh start at a new career. The people that work in the company seem great, and I think I'll be able to learn a lot!

I start on April 6th, so I'll be sure to let you all know how my first week goes.

I am SO WAY EXCITED!!!

We Survived Our 1st Blizzard

It quickly came in last night. It started to snow...progressively got worse...and before we knew it, the snow was just blowing!!

Luckily we started dinner early because it wasn't long before the light started flickering, and eventually went black. It's gets dark here around 9pm, so when the lights went out at 6:30pm, there was still a few hours of daylight left. We rushed to find & light candles, and made sure all the blinds were closed tight; because no power means no heat, and heat is kinda important with the freezing temperatures in Alaska!

Emily eventually went to bed without any problem (she usually falls asleep to classical music...something they do at nap time at school which totally helps her sleep. But, no power means no music.) Chris and I busted out Yahtzee and played Yahtzee for the next 3 hours..taking a couple breaks to run out in the snowy blizzard with Chloe. It was fun.

When we woke up this morning the cars were buried in the driveway, all covered in snow. The berm from the snowplow who plowed the streets in the morning was well over 4 feet tall! Chris and fellow swimmer friend, Alex, have been shoveling the snow from the driveway for the last 3 hours. It's INSANE!!

But, in good news, we survived our first blizzard! The high winds...the downpour of snow...the blackout...the cold...no TV...we survived our 1st blizzard!

Eruption!!!!

Well, late last night, about 10:30 or so, Mt. Redoubt erupted. There were a series of about 5 explosions between last night and this morning, and they are expected to continue for some time. Mt. Redoubt is located on the mainland of Alaska, about 250 miles north of Kodiak. Currently, according to the National Weather Service, the ash cloud is headed north/northeast, away from us at about 60,000 feet in elevation. Everything here on Kodiak is fine, other than the cancelled flights from Alaska Airlines. We will keep everybody posted on the status of the volcano's ash cloud, but at this point it is not projected to affect us at all.

New Kitchen in California

The weekend after we left California my parents started their renovation on a new kitchen. I think it's been about 6 weeks, and their kitchen is finally complete! They did a beautiful job, and I'm so excited for them about their new kitchen, that it was totally blog-worthy.

Here's some pics:

Too Many Pictures

OK, so maybe I take too many pictures of the poor kid. She's 18 months old and she smiles for the camera. "Say Cheese..." -- and she does!!

I was trying to get a candid shot of her playing with her purse. She was taking coins in and out of the little purse, and then walking around with it thrown over her shoulder...it was super cute! But, every time the camera would make a noise as it focused, she'd just put on a BIG SMILE and say "cheese" -- TOO CUTE!

So, here she is, playing with her purse...and smiling for the camera.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Hey y'all! I just wanted to write a quick blog post to wish everyone a

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

The Coast Guard Base had a Fish Fry this afternoon that Chris and I attended. We picked up Emily from school early so she could join us for lunch, but quickly learned that we shouldn't try to switch-up her schedule. It was about nap time when we had finished eating lunch at the base and she started to get fussy because it was nap time! She wanted to go back to school, where they had just put all the kids down for their naps, and she had no problem walking in and going right to sleep. (She's a real good kid...if you keep her on schedule.)

I made a delicious Shepherd's Pie for dinner which the whole family really enjoyed! (My first one of these, and it was good!) Nicely themed for the day today. (I believe shepherd's pie originated in Ireland or Scotland...somewhere over there.) And Emily got Happy Feet on DVD as a sort-of St. Patty's Day gift. Hey...what can I say...some random guy at Wal-Mart talked me into buying it for her. Hopefully she'll like it.

Hamburger

Emily had her first real hamburger today! Her very own! She really enjoyed it, and ate about half of the whole thing...plus a few fries! This milestone happened at the Shelikof Lodge, which is an Inn/Restaurant here in Downtown Kodiak. They have pretty good food, but the BEST PART about Shelikof is that their prices aren't crazy-out-of-control like everywhere else on the island!!

BRUSHA...BRUSHA...BRUSHA...

After every meal at school, Emily brushes her teeth. She's graduated from the finger-brush and moved on to the Big Kid Toothbrush. She LOVES brushing her teeth. She goes to the sink and says "Teeth" - meaning that she wants to brush her teeth. I think, between home and school, Emily could possibly be brushing her teeth 4-5 times a day...and she loves it!

My 1st Subway

Emily had her first Subway Sandwich this afternoon, and LOVED IT!

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It's like she automatically knew what to do...she picked up the sandwich in both hands and started chowing down. (I don't think that we've even given her a whole real sandwich before...let alone a subway!) She pretty much ate the whole thing; but, of course, eventually tearing it to pieces and eating only the parts she liked best. She got the kid's meal, so it also came with yogurt...which she ate all by herself!

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She's growing up so fast!

Betty Joe

Introducing...Betty Joe!

Well, today we made an investment in our family, and her name is "Betty Joe." (so named by her original owners.)

This 1985 Jeep Wagoneer is a newly rebuilt, repainted, recarpeted, re-wood paneled...and rejuvenated!!

We got a great deal on this "Alaska Classic" - it is the perfect Kodiak Car! She's a BEAST!

Yes, after discovering that "Dan" - our Jeep Cherokee has an un-fixable electrical problem, we had to search for a different second car. As you can imagine, our options here on this small island are limited. And, we were working with a rather small budget...so, we were lucky to find this Alaskan BEAST at such a good deal. I could totally hit a tree in this car, and we'd be ok! Perfect for Alaska!

Time Fly's When You're...um...not doin' much...

Gosh, well, time in Kodiak just seems to fly by faster then anywhere else! I don't know if that makes sense because there really isn't much to do here, so you'd think that time would drag on. But, nope.

The latest and greatest news this week is that I sort of started working again at the radio station. It's only 2 hours a day, so don't get too excited. But, they gave me a time-slot for another show. It's a pre-recorded show and I go in from 2pm-4pm to record my part, which is basically the talking & introduction between songs. So, I go in, set everything up to run and then I leave. It works out nicely with my schedule because I can still pick up Emily in time from school.

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Which, by the way, she's doing really well this week. She's not crying anymore when we drop her off and she is really excited to go. They painted twice this week and she came home in her "spare clothes" both times because she made a mess. She's learning sign language, which makes it a lot easier for her to communicate with us. She's able to tell us what she wants or needs...it's pretty cool. We are so fortunate to have her in such a wonderful place!

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And Chris...well, right now he has a cold...again!!! He just got over a cold two weeks ago, and now he's coming down with another one. I'm going to have to start this guy on a vitamin IV drip to try to keep him healthy!