Who's in Lansdale, Pennsylvania?

So, you may not have noticed, but we've got a "Tracker" along the left column of the blog. It's kind of neat because we can see who's checking in on us and I love seeing that all of you are enjoying our little "adventure" up here. We've had blog visitors from as far away as Moscow, Russia. (Well..."far" for you guys...Russia is our "next-door-neighbor" up here in Alaska.)

Anyway, who's in Lansdale, Pennsylvania? I don't know anyone in PA...are you guys moving to Kodiak? I know that last year I did A LOT of research before we moved to Kodiak!! I read many blogs and searched the web a lot!! If so, send me a comment or something and I'll tell you more about what to expect on The Rock.

Kodiak Crab Fest

Ok, let's talk "Kodiak Crab Fest" ---

First, let's talk about the hype. The Kodiak Crab Fest is put on every year by the Chamber of Commerce. It is a HIGHLY ANTICIPATED event that the ENTIRE ISLAND looks forward to every year. The "locals" here swear by it! The hotels sell out MONTHS in advance!

I was VERY MUCH looking forward to Crab Fest...the events...the vendors...the different types of food...the entertainment...the rides... I've heard so much about this "wonderful" event. No, I'm really not much "into crab" so, it wasn't just about that -- the city was going to come alive with activity...and for our small city, this was a HUGE EVENT!

Let me start off by saying...it rained. And, it rained. And, it rained. Now, "rain" doesn't stop the people of Kodiak...they keep going. But, it is miserable.

We went down to Crab Fest the evening of the very first day, Thursday. It wasn't raining just yet, but it was still a little chilly outside. We walked around and looked at what the vendors were offering and all the food. And then we wandered over to the rides and games.

The rides and games were those that you'd find at any State Fair (except ours', but that's another story...) Emily rode the train that went around in a circle. It was $3.00 to go around in a circle about 4 times on the train...I think West Covina Mall has a similar train. We then played a few Carni Games. Emily went "fishing" and then got to pick rubber ducks from the "river" - it was fun and she enjoyed it. She won 4 TOTALLY CHEESY Carni Stuff Animals, which I'll probably end up giving away because only God knows where those have been!

From what we found out later, it was $700.00 to have a vendor booth at this 4 day Crab Festival. EXPENSIVE!! I'd say there were about 20 total vendors there...food and souvenirs - 20 total! The cost explains it...most business owners on our tiny island can't afford that! Most of the vendors were community organizations trying to do what they can to make some money. I don't think we purchased anything. And, the only thing we ate were King Crab Legs for $15 a plate. Yes, a little costly. But, you got a lot of crab and we really didn't want to leave the "Crab Fest" without having "Crab." Sadly though, there was only ONE vendor selling "Crab" at "Crab Fest" -- just one, that's it. Without St. Mary's Catholic School, there would have been no Crab at Crab Fest.

We went back to Crab Fest again on Sunday, but only for a short while. In all honesty, it was lame. It was boring. There wasn't anything to do there. It was just disappointing. I think I had my expectations up too high...I mean, it still is "Kodiak" what do you expect?!?! Being from Southern California really sets you up for disappointment. I've seen it ALL and done it ALL. And, my family rarely-ever stayed home; we were always out-and-about doing something or going somewhere. Being on this tiny island is a nice change, but I really feel sad for the people who have never experienced The Big City (and Anchorage doesn't count!)

All-in-all...we'll probably go again next year, but only because this is the biggest event of the year, and whether or not it "sucks" has nothing to do with it. We're going because there is NOTHING else to do!

Here are some pictures we took at the Much-Raved 2009 Kodiak Crab Festival:

Grandma Came to Visit

Wednesday afternoon my mom came to visit. I hadn't seen her since Christmas, but when arriving at the airport to pick her up, it was as-if it had only been a few days since our last visit. We picked up Emily early from school that day, and it took her a second to register who this lady was with mommy. But...only a second - they were buddies and hand-in-hand as we were leaving school. You could tell that Emily knew exactly who this lady was and it wasn't long before she was saying 'Grandma,' which really comes out sounding like "Maa-Ma."

It's a good week to come to Kodiak. We've got the Crab Festival in town this weekend, which is THE LARGEST event in all of Kodiak! We were expecting some great things, but sadly, it was almost like the San Dimas Western Days - only about half the size. So I guess, in some respects, coming from "The Big City" has it's downfalls because everything else just doesn't compare to what "The Big City" can do. I can blog more about the Crab Fest later; we still have one more day left of the festivities and I don't want to spoil it too soon.

But, we're both really happy to have mom in town visiting

- and we're all having a great time!

Glacier Hiking

Well, Chris is having a great time in Cordova. Among the many things he's done already...and he's only been gone for 6 days...well, the other day he went Glacier Hiking and even wandered into an ice cave.

Here are some pictures:

Foggy Day in Alaska

Morning view of the mountain...you can only barely see the peak.

Morning fog on the lake

Just a ring of fog left from the morning

(this pic taken at 5:30pm)

USCG Flea Market

Today we participated in the annual USCG Flea Market, which is put on by the Spouses' Association. They hold a Flea Market every May mainly for those folks who are transferring off the island in the summer...so they can clean out their stuff and therefore not have to move unwanted items. We've always heard it was a BIG EVENT, but we really weren't ready for all of the people that showed up.

(before the crowd)

You see...we didn't get a chance to clean out our stuff before we came to Kodiak because it was all in storage. So, since we got here, our garage has been FULL of just junk we no longer needed. We had our own yard sale back in September when we first arrived, but didn't sale quite as much as we did today.

(in full swing)

The event was held inside a C130 Hanger (those are the HUGE planes also known as "Hercules"). There were about 50 "vendors" there selling their stuff...we were one of them. The Coast Guard folks got in at 8am to start shopping, and at 10am it was open to anyone on the island. It was INSANE how many people were there, and things were "flying off the shelves" - we would have never sold that much stuff at a regular garage sale!!

In the end we got rid of about 90% of the stuff we had to sale

...and made $700.00!!

woop! woop!

(this one lady was so excited about the dog-backpack she bought from us

that she came back to show us that she was using it with her dog)

1st Bike

So, the sun was out and it was a beautiful day...and Emily needed a bike.

I was getting a few things from Wal-Mart and they had these tricycles (and for those of you who don't know...when Wal-Mart has something, you buy it! Things FLY off the shelves at Wal-Mart - you HAVE to buy it when you see it!)

Well, they actually had tricycles at Wal-Mart, so I bought one for Emily. I know she's probably a little young for a tricycle, but we only have 3 months of summer and then the snow's back again...we've got to jump at the chance for her to get outside!

She's a little hesitant to get on the bike, but we rode around for about an hour before she started to get cranky and went off to bed. We're working on the "pedals" and the whole "concept" of riding a bike. But, I think that by the end of the summer we may have it down.

Summer's-A-Com'n

Ever since October our lake out back has been frozen solid. It was a cold winter with lots of snow, rain, and a few blizzards. But, the sun is out shining and all the "cold" is melting away. The snow on the ground is gone, we're starting to get green grass again, and the ice on the lake is breaking apart. You can see in the picture where the water is beginning to seep through, and you can still see the frozen pieces of ice left on the lake.

Oh, by the way...the past week or so...the sun doesn't go down until about 11pm. It's crazy!

1st Fight at School

Well, it was bound to happen someday. Today, at school, Emily and another child were playing. It turned into them arguing over a toy and the other kid bit Emily on the forearm. It didn't break the skin, but left a pretty good red mark.

Hours later we went to pick Emily up from school and the teachers informed us of the incident. The mark was still pretty red when we came to get her.

We got an Incident Report and everything...they don't mess around. Under the "Description of Action Taken" the teacher wrote: "removed both children, offered Emily an ice pack" -- It was just kind of comical because Emily is only 19 months old, and they "offered [her] an ice pack" that was the "resolution"...an ice pack?? It just struck me as odd because that's something you'd offer a big kid, not a little child. I dunno, it was just funny to me. They said she put the ice pack on her arm for a few seconds and then ran off to go play again.

So, her first fight at school...another one for the books.

One Month on the Job

Well, today marked my One Month Anniversary with the new job.

Time has just flown by and I can't believe that it's been a month already. I've learned a lot and I'm still learning a ton! So, for those of you who don't know, I'm managing a few properties for a local company here on the island. It's been a completely different arena then anything else that I've been involved in, and I'm welcoming the new opportunity.

Last week my boss and I went to Anchorage for a Fair Housing and Housing and Urban Development Conference where we learned a lot about government regulations and procedures. The conference was...well...rather dry - though, I'm sure you can imagine...government regulations. (lol) But, we had a lot of fun shopping on our off-time - there are NO SHOPPING OPPORTUNITIES here in Kodiak - So, it was nice to get some shopping in.

Chris and Emily picked me up from the airport upon my return, and the instance I stepped into the terminal, Emily screams "Mommy!!!" and comes running into my arms. The moment was priceless.

Overall, I'm really enjoying my new job and I'm hoping they'll keep me around for a while. :0)

Emily's 1st Owie.

It was another beautiful day today and Emily & Chris were outside playing. They were running up & down the street with her little car toy and she fell over and skinned her knee.

It looks worse then it really was. I think she may have cried more over the Band-Aid then she did from the actual owie.

But, here it is...

19 months old and her first owie.

(oh, and she got cookies & juice afterwards to make it "all better")

Trevor's Bowling Birthday Party

Yesterday we went to a birthday party for our good friend Trevor who was turning 2. We all went bowling at the base and had pizza & cake. Emily had a lot of fun and really enjoyed bowling!

Having a Heat Wave...A Tropical Heat Wave...

Yep...it was the first day in many months where the sun was out and the family was in shorts. We had a wonderful day today, enjoying the sun. Went for a long walk and then sat on the back patio and sunbathed.

70 degrees in Alaska!