MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!

Although I am posting this on Christmas eve EVE, none of you will actually read it until Christmas Eve.. so I feel like I'm safe with my title!

I hope you are all ready for Christmas!!! Believe it or not Jason actually went out today to finish some Christmas shopping.. craziness! In the last few years I have tried really hard to be ahead of the game and get things done so I don't have to worry about it. This year I was a little more behind then I ever care to be but I really had a hard time deciding what to get anyone, especially Jason!

I have to tell you Ive been eating well lately! I'm not sure if you saw he picture I posted on Facebook the other day of my lunch at the Bear's Tooth! I don't usually post pictures on there and I know it wasn't the best picture.. you have to bare with me, my camera on my phone is worse and worse but its all I have until we get back to the lower 48. Anyways I LOVE the lunch menu at the Bear's Tooth, I always get the same thing generally and its always amazing! Check it out, Anaheim Turkey club with fresh roasted turkey, avocado, sprouts and some kind of sauteed pepper, bacon and a garlic mayo.. INCREDIBLE!! Not to mention the side of garlic cilantro fries!! TO DIE FOR!!

 

On Wednesday morning Tammy invited us all over for a traditional southern breakfast! Everyone knows how much I miss the south.. the southern hospitality, the heat and of course biscuits and gravy! Well Tammy is your perfect definition of a southern belle! She was born and raised in Mississippi and her cooking shows! We went over Wednesday morning and Tammy had made homemade biscuits from scratch and homemade country gravy.. SO GOOD! I could have just sat there all day and ate.. I absolutely LOVE biscuits and gravy and Tammy's was the BEST Ive ever had! Check out these biscuits!

 

 

Now after breakfast Tammy whipped out a new Christmas present.. or an early Christmas present I should say! Did I mention shes from Mississippi?

 

 

PINK CAMO! Haha I sent Jason this pictures and he wrong back and said "NO WAY, I didn't know you could buy your wife a gun for Christmas! Guess what you're getting next year!" HAHA! She was quite excited about it!

 

We also had a work Christmas lunch this past week which was nice! We went to the Olive Garden which is always a fan favorite and it was a nice time. What was even better though was later on that day Tom wrote me an email and said that because the next two weeks are screwed up work weeks he would like to change my days off until Monday, which means I don't have to work Christmas eve or New Years eve!!!!!!! Which means in short.. 2 THREE DAY WEEKENDS IN A ROW!!  Honestly I couldn't be more excited!! Talk about Christmas spirit! Tomorrow would have been a short day anyways but it is so great not to have to go in! I managed to get a TON done for tomorrow so I can just hang out with the ladies all day which I always look forward to!

 

Our apartment is starting to look a lot like Christmas too, we have a plethora of Christmas Cards this year which is always nice! The residents at work have been extremely generous this year with cards and gift cards! I don't think we have ever had this many!

 

 

Today I really spent majority of the day baking! I did gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies! I planned to also do peppermint whoopie pies but I didn't get that far.. I started cleaning and and organizing! I got mostly everything done for tomorrow so I think we will sit back and enjoy the snow and wait for everyone to get here!

 

 

 

So all of this shopping and baking apparently took a lot out of Jason because this is how he spent his afternoon!

 

 

Haha! Jason!

 

So we would like to wish you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS, from our home to yours! I'm really not sure how Christmas is going to play out for us this year.. its still a hope that Jason wont be working but that's not extremely likely.. so we'll see! If I have a chance I will try and make it back here on Christmas Day!

 

We love you all! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!



 

 

 

 









ONE WEEK UNTIL CHRISTMAS!

Well its getting close now! I'm really not as excited as the title of this blog would lead you to believe, but it is getting close so it seems to be all about Christmas! I'm definitely finished all my Christmas shopping, I'm waiting on one thing to arrive which I need to track now that I'm thinking about it! All the parcels we have sent have arrived at their destinations and we have received all the parcels we were expecting which is great!

Today was my day off so I got out with the girls and got something to wear for Christmas Eve, we had a great lunch and did a lot of touring around! I decided to wear my knee high boots with a pair of tights.. its not very often I get to wear a cute outfit because I work all the time but let me tell you my feet felt they could BREAK by the time we got home. I took off my boots at the door and on my way to the washroom I must have said "ouch" 50 times.. whoever said beauty was pain wasn't lying! It was an eventful day though, we lost the car.. haha for longer than I care to admit, especially considering the fact that there was 4 of us!

So I got home and wrapped one of the last presents I got and opened up an WONDERFUL parcel from Barb! She sent us all kinds of goodies! She stocked Jason up on cereal and added to the tea that Mom sent him, boxes of chocolate covered almonds, PINK MILK, chai tea hot cereal! Great box of goods, I'm excited for Jason to come home and see the loot!

I'm making a grocery list because that is our plan for tonight! I'm going to spend Sunday baking because as it stands the guys will be working Christmas Day so I would like to send some goods in for everyone.

Tomorrow Tammy is making all of us breakfast, I'M SO EXCITED! Shes making biscuits and gravy! I miss being in the south and getting biscuits and gravy! Tammy is THE southern belle so I'm super excited! Unfortunately I will have to go to work after that but whatever.. its definitely a good way to start the day!

Really there isn't much else going on, I think it might be a long week.. although nothing can be worse than last week!

Last week was a really long week and it definitely didn't end well. On Saturday I went to work and ended up dealing with an IRATE tenant. Her car was towed.. or rather her husbands car and all while he was out of town. She was in the wrong in that she received a letter at least a month ago saying that she was not allowed to park there! Then the car was not registered with us which would have also prevented a situation like this because we would have known who it belonged to and could have called them before towing it.. well maybe because we didn't even have a number on file that worked for them. Anyways she was in the wrong but would not hear it and was just screaming at me! Honestly Ive never had a bad experience with this girl and I kept asking her to calm down and that just made it worse! I didn't tow her car, I don't have that authority! So anyways it escalated and I eventually told her that I didn't deserve to be spoken to like that and therefore I wasn't going to continue to listen to it, she could calm down and call me back or she could have her husband call me and then I hung up. So she came to the office and screamed and yelled.. and basically this went back and forth until I called Tom and insisted he come down because I was at my wits end.. I just wanted to cry.. I couldn't deal with her anymore! So Tom came down to the office and as he comes in so did she and she was screaming at him and telling him I was the rudest person she had ever met.. the WORST person she had ever met.. which really upset me because I was being nice and trying to help but eventually just got really upset. So she took our business cards and said that she was writing letters and that she had already been in contact with her parents lawyer.. keep in mind she wasn't much older than me, if at all. So I came home and cried.. even though in the grand scheme of things she doesn't matter nor does her opinion but my feelings were hurt. I don't like anyone to hate me, or have a bad opinion of me... let alone act the way that she did towards me. Monday was quiet and she didn't return but I have no idea what tomorrow will bring.. or what today did for Deanna. Should be interesting.

So that's my scoop! Jason is home and making turkey pot pie for dinner, so I am going to run.

I hope everyone is having a great week!!

Pictures from Around Anchorage Decemeber 2012

Hi Guys!

I don't really have anything to report but that we are heading back into the deep freeze unfortunately! But I thought while I didn't have anything to report I would keep up with blogging and post some pictures I found from the Anchorage Daily News, pictures from around Anchorage in December thus far! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Marc Lester / Anchorage Daily News Ridges and woods in the area of the Glen Alps trailhead of Chugach State Park peek out of the clouds that blanket the city of Anchorage on Friday morning, December 14, 2012

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/12/14/2712746/best-of-december-2012.html#storylink=cpy

 

Pan ice stacks up in Ship Creek near downtown Anchorage after a 33.3 foot high tide began to ebb on Thursday evening, Dec. 13, 2012. High tides in excess of 30 feet can be seen through Monday. - Mom you should know this place, its where we went to see the Salmon right behind the Ulu Factory in Downtown Anchorage.

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/12/14/2712746/best-of-december-2012.html#storylink=cpy

A young moose is masked in white from feeding on snow-laden branches in the yard of a Beechcraft Drive home Wednesday morning Dec. 12, 2012 in west Anchorage

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/12/14/2712746/best-of-december-2012.html#storylink=cpy

A pedestrians passes through snowy Town Square downtown. Anchorage woke up to a heavy snowfall on Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/12/14/2712746/best-of-december-2012.html#storylink=cpy

A bald eagle takes flight from a tree overlooking Turnagain Arm in Indian on Tuesday, December 11, 2012. Several eagles were attracted to the area Tuesday by moose remains along the shoreline

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/12/14/2712746/best-of-december-2012.html#storylink=cpy

An eagle checks out traffic from a Midtown perch above Benson Boulevard Sunday afternoon Dec. 9, 2012 near C Street.

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/12/14/2712746/best-of-december-2012.html#storylink=cpy

The Middle Fork of Chester Creek carves through fresh snow at Russian Jack Springs Park on Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/12/14/2712746/best-of-december-2012.html#storylink=cpy

A sun dog hovers above Airport Heights Drive in a view looking south Wednesday afternoon Dec. 5, 2012 in east Anchorage.

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/12/14/2712746/best-of-december-2012.html#storylink=cpy

Low clouds blanket Anchorage east of downtown on Friday morning, December 7, 2012. An optical illusion known as Fata Morgana distorts the view of the mountains west of Cook Inlet. Alternating warm and cold layers of air bend light to create the effect

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/12/14/2712746/best-of-december-2012.html#storylink=cpy

Star the reindeer crosses 6th Avenue during a walk downtown on Friday, December 7, 2012, with help from Albert Whitehead. KSKA radio journalist Daysha Eaton walks along side the pair and interviews Whitehead for a story. Star lives in an enclosure at 10th Avenue and I Street downtown and can frequently be seen being led on walks and appearing at events around the city

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/12/14/2712746/best-of-december-2012.html#storylink=cpy

An old barn has seen better days along Bodenburg Loop Road in Butte. The Palmer area and much of Southcentral Alaska stayed below zero in temperatures for much of Wednesday, December 5, 2012. Take a photographic tour of part of the Valley along the Glenn and Old Glenn Highways on a clear, cold day at the Focal Point photo blog at adn.com/focalpoint

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/12/14/2712746/best-of-december-2012.html#storylink=cpy

The tugboat Glacier Wind is docked near the Port of Anchorage boat launch Friday morning, December 7, 2012, as the sun hits the mountains across Cook Inlet

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/12/14/2712746/best-of-december-2012.html#storylink=cpy

I hope you all enjoy, I included the captions!! As well, while we are on the topic of pictures I also wanted to share this with you.

Gary Jones is a good friend of ours, he works with Jason and has for years.. in the time that we've known him he has taken up photography and although his photographs from all over are absolutely amazing, his pictures from here blow me away as he post them daily on facebook. Gary has sold his pictures on Etsy for quite some time now and having such great luck he decided to open his own website where you can purchase pictures.

Jason and I bought a beautiful picture of his from NYC of the skyline with the tribute to the twin towers, its amazing. Gary guarantees quality and if you are not happy with the photograph when you receive it he will not charge you, he always wants his customers to be happy! His prices are more than reasonable, the pictures of amazing! Please take a look!

http://www.jjoutdoorphotography.com/

Interesting... Good Read!

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/scientists-say-2012-saw-astounding-change-arctic

SNOW!!!

Well its here in all its glory.. SNOW! Honestly sometimes its like the sky just opens up and it falls a lot faster then it seems! We got at least a foot today, which sounds like less than it seems! This is what we had first thing this morning and it just kept coming.. over 12 inches!

 

In the last picture you cant tell but there are stairs! I took a bunch of pictures on my camera this morning, I will share them tomorrow when I can get some more pictures!

 

I just wanted to stop by and leave a few pictures and an article! I'm going to watch the Private Practice I taped last night and then have a bath!

 

Hope you are all having a great week!

 

 

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/national-weather-service-says-snowfall-its-office-set-record-dec-12

Gingerbread Men?

Well today was extremely successful! As you all know Tuesday's are my day off and I had the girls over for lunch, minus Tanya who is getting married tomorrow!

I got up and did some cleaning while making pasta for lunch, Tammy and Imelda came over and we had tea and lunch and headed out to do some Christmas shopping! I actually managed to finish today! I finished all my stocking stuff and even have everything wrapped!! It is always such a stress reliever when all your shopping is done. We ended up being out later then I had expected and I had promised Jason I would make him gingerbread cookies. I'm not going to lie I wasn't excited about this at all because I don't even like gingerbread.. I don't like anything ginger in fact! So I got home and started cookies, turned on Home Alone and started wrapping.. check it out...

 

Not bad for my first attempt huh? I was pretty impressed, not only did I make a point of actually using the cookie cutter but I decorated them too.. unfortunately I think they will all be ruined when they go in a container to go to site tomorrow but whatever.. its the thought that counts.

 

So nothing else really going on around here.. I know I haven't been great about blogging but I swear sometimes we just aren't that interesting.

 

Apparently tonight they are calling for a winter storm.. I would be more excited if I didn't know that on Saturday the temperature was going to drop again to miserable cold!!

 

http://www.weather.com/weather/alerts/localalerts/USAK0012?phenomena=TSL&significance=S&areaid=AKZ101&office=PAFC&etn=0000

 

Alright I'm going to make my football picks for the week and watch The Santa Claus 2!! I hope everyone is having a great week and having great success in all their Christmas shopping!!

 

 

 



Jason's Anniversary Gift

Well here is a picture of Jason's Anniversary gift! Per Cathy's request I will get a picture of mine as well, in my ears haha!

 

Its all custom to Jason's gun.. its super nice! He really loves it too, he said he doesn't plan on wearing it in the woods.. more for show! haha

THE EARTH IS MOVING!!!!!

Well if you didn't hear about it through the grapevine or read about it on my facebook then you should know that we recently had QUITE an earthquake here! Monday afternoon we were in the office and all the sudden the earth started to move, a lot more than it usually does! Turns out it was a 5.8 earthquake that his 25 miles west of Anchorage.. SO SCARY! When you see a building SWAY in a way that a building never should its absolutely terrifying!

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/aftershocks-some-big-enough-feel-will-follow-alaska-earthquake

On a good note there was no significant damage and no one was hurt.. there was also no Tsunami warnings which is always a plus! I think I'm a lot more terrified about a Tsunami then an earthquake. Its probably because of the horrendous cold we've been experiencing.. I don't understand what is going on! We aren't getting any snow its just absolutely FREEZING!!!!!

Anyways the other night Jason and I went out to the post office to send out Christmas parcels, we went to the main one in Anchorage because its open late and so I could have help carrying the boxes! Well we got there and the guy told us that the cut off date to reach Canada was November 28th.. NOOOOOOOO!!!! So we sent it express and now we hope like hell. To be honest I'm not SUPER worried about it because he said its customs that is backed up but I think it will be fine! Lets hope!!

While we were out driving around I got a picture of this sign.. well kind of, it was dark! But I realized I don't actually have a picture of this anywhere!

 

 

Yesterday day was Jason and I's second wedding anniversary, honestly its so hard to believe! Where have the last two years gone? When I really think about it, we've been all over and seen and done so many things but its still hard to believe.

 

When I got up in the morning I saw this on the table...

 

 

 

I seriously wasn't going to open it until Jason got home so we could exchange gifts but honestly its a jewelry box, I wasn't waiting! haha! Jason bought me a beautiful pair of diamond earrings! I'm sorry I don't have a picture of them haha I put them right in my ears! They are absolutely beautiful!!

 

Now I didn't think that Jason's gift was going to make it on time as I ordered quite late. When Jason bought his gun he found this amazing custom leather gun holster that he loved but didn't want to spend the money on, so I bought it for him! Its absolutely beautiful and really it shouldn't have been here until probably late December, early January if then! Well I called on Monday and what are the odds, it was out for delivery and came yesterday!! YES!!

 

To be honest this week has actually been full of good fortune for me!! I won the family football pool, I won the work football pool which won me $105.00!!! Jason's gift came on time, I finally won my wunder under crops! I got BEAUTIFUL diamond earrings from Jason and I made a totally new recipe for dinner last night and it turned out amazing!!!

 

Yesterday was my day off, so the girls and I went downtown and I got quite a bit of Christmas shopping done and then picked up my weddings rings before coming home. I had to send them in to be replated and have the diamond on my engagement ring tightened! They weren't suppose to be back until next week.. SEE! GOOD FORTUNE!

 

Unfortunately now I must run and get ready to go to work.. ugh! I hope that everyone else is having a great week.. I will leave you with a somewhat crappy picture of a really cool thing! We saw this yesterday on our way home from the mall, it was half motorcycle, half car!!

 





PICTURES!

Well I thought I would stop in quickly and post these pictures I took yesterday!

Even though its horrendously cold here the sunrises are worth stopping and taking a minute to enjoy.. isn't this amazing...

 

 

Then last night Jason and I went to Fred Meyers (the grocery store) to get some stuff for dinner tonight and check this out! I tell ya I don't know if its an American thing or an Alaska thing but they have duct tape for EVERYTHING.. its hilarious.. of all things!!

 

 

Were not up to much today, just taking it easy! My end of the week at work was extremely busy and its been so terribly cold that having to be outside and running all over all day is just miserable! So I slept in this morning and got ready and now Jason is out doing some shopping and I am just hanging around.

 

Ive been reading about that Kansas City Chiefs player.. how awful... what at 25 could be so bad to leave your 3 month old child with no parents, to take your life.. a life you worked so hard to get, it just doesn't make sent!

 

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!!

 





What could be so bad?

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/jovan-belcher-kansas-city-chiefs-kills-self-suicide-kills-girlfriend-team-facility-120112/

Month end...

Well as usual I seem to have fallen short on keeping you all up to date on whats going on around here! With month end rolling around which makes me horrendously busy at work and Christmas rolling around and needing to get my ass in gear the get everyone their gifts ordered and ready to ship so they will arrive on time... needless to say things have been extremely hectic!

Ive been taking pictures of the beautiful sunrises and sun sets around here.. its been sunny everyday because its been sooo damn cold!! I keep meaning even just to post pictures of those but that hasn't happened so here are just a couple because I feel like they all look the same now!

 

So we've been trying out best to get in the Christmas spirit around here, its been so cold that indoor activities are extremely popular! Last Sunday we decided we would have a fire and listen to Christmas music, drink hot chocolate and put up the tree... needless to say Jason got right into it!

 



Haha! I bought Jason that Patriots Santa hat last year for Christmas and he absolutely loves it! Jason had made homemade wings and chicken fingers for dinner so he was snacking post tree decorating! We had a really great time decorating the tree.. although every year its a different tree and different ornaments its still us making out own traditions and I absolutely love that.

We also decided to decorate the balcony this year which is something we have never done. We bought a tree this year that already had the lights so we had extras and then Deanna gave us a wreath to use to we decided to put them up on the balcony. Although its FREEZING COLD here lately we went out for frozen yogurt the other night.. hahaha.. and then came home and stood on the balcony FREEZING and decorating.. although I don't have a picture of the finished product which I promise to get, I do have some pictures of the process!!

It really does look awesome, Jason did such a great job! A good job is a good job but a good job done in adverse conditions deserves extra points!

Its been a busy week.. a rough week actually! On Monday afternoon I took a longer lunch (with permission of course) and decided to go and get a coffee.. well on my way I was driving along and hit some black ice causing the truck to spin.. well if you know me at all you know that I do not do well with this at all.. I didn't even think there was ice on the road, you couldn't see anything and I honestly wasn't even going fast.. well I cried.. and then I got to my destination I threw up in the parking lot! I don't know why the hell I get so upset.. I think that is the scariest thing in the world!! I mean it was no big deal, I didn't hit anyone or anything, I didn't go off the road.. but I was so upset.. I mean I basically had a mild cardio infraction.. AKA - I CHOKED ON MY FRIGGIN' HEART! I'm never driving again!

However when I got there they has sample drinks.. STARBUCKS had sample drinks! It didn't cure all, I was a wreck driving back to work.. but who doesn't love free Starbucks!

 

 



Tuesday was my day off and Imelda made an AMAZING Mexican lunch.. honestly her cooking is too good for words and she knows that I don't like any other meat but chicken so no matter what she makes she always makes me chicken.. god love her! After lunch we went out to do a little Christmas shopping and look what I came across...

 

 

 

Americans call what we call 'rockets' they call them smarties! They don't have legit smarties here!! Every time I see this I want to die.. I cant even believe it.. and now they have 'smarties candy canes'... you think they would get it right!

 

What else has been going on? I get out of the groove of blogging and then I don't want to miss anything when I do!

 

We have gotten a good start on Christmas shopping because we have to ship so much stuff and you never know how long things will take to get places and I have no faith in the postal system.

 

Its officially month end at work which means I am crazy busy.. and tomorrow is beginning of the month which is equally as busy! Move outs, move ins, rents due.. chasing people for rent.. running around basically for the whole time I'm at work in a day.. .its fine because I would rather be busy I just wish the running around didn't have to be outside in the cold. We aren't even getting snow its so damn cold!

 

Well I guess I should head to bed.. its 10:30pm and tomorrow is going to be busy! I cant wait until Sunday.. I love any day where I get to sleep in really!

 

Oh did I mention I fell the other night on the stairs because of the built up ice and broke my toe? Its pretty painful to wear my boots.. so all this running around sucks just a little more! Haha I LOVE WINTER!!! - NOT!

 

Hope everyone is doing well and staying warm! I will blog again on Sunday.. I may have nothing to tell but I'm going to do it anyways!!