The Morning Ritual

I'll be the first to admit that there are days when I'd prefer to say in bed....just pull the pillow over my head and block out the madness for a few more hours. I don't wake up "bright eyed and bushy tailed" and I never have, you can ask my parents. The fact that the sun stays in bed until almost 11am right now isn't making getting up any easier...but I know I must. When I finally coax my feet to hit the floor they carry me straight to the coffee pot. This happens every day.

I, my friends, am a repeat offender.

You would think that having to get up everyday at 5am would exhaust Nate enough to sleep in on the weekends. You would think. The problem lies in the programming. After 4 years of 5am wake-up calls with a year of that being deployment, his body is programmed to get up. It couldn't care less if it's Saturday morning, even if he cares very much.

Everyday, he is up by 7am (at the latest) and I lay in bed arguing with the dogs about it being Saturday, and I don't care if daddy is up, please stop licking my toes and leave me alone. Ok, fine. I'm getting up. Stupid dogs. And straight to the coffee pot I go.

We make an effort not to speak to each other in the mornings. Not speaking before my first cup of coffee makes me much more agreeable for the rest of the day. I try not to talk to him before he has eaten. A discarded cereal bowl usually means I'm good. And heaven forbid we have to go out before coffee and cereal! I shudder for every airline worker who has to deal with us on an early flight. ;)

It's funny to me that the only part of my day when I don't want to talk to him is the first 10 minutes. Maybe I'm subconsciously saving my marriage, lol, but as soon as I get the sleep out of my eyes, there is nowhere else I'd rather be than right here beside him....I'd just prefer we take a nap. :)

Love and Hugs,

Oh, Alaska!

Ive always loved the snow.

I can remember my mom bundling me up and sending me outside to play when I was little. Cover-alls, boots, mittens and hat, with her warm maroon scarf wrapped around my neck, face and head for good measure. Those memories make me smile...and occasionally bring tears to my eyes.
Snow reminds me of warm stoves, baking cookies, snow days, wonderful smells from the kitchen, the Holidays, family.

It's a really good thing I love snow.

As I'm writing, it's negative 30 outside. We have about 8 inches of snow on the ground that has been accumulating for about a month. We would have more, but the majority melted last week when a ton of freezing rain turned the roads to sheets of perfectly deadly ice.  More snow has fallen, so the ice will probably stick around until March at the earliest, where it will be scraped away into the huge gravel and snow piles that tower over every parking lot in Fairbanks. It's awe inspiring the first time you see it...all that snow...

Did I mention that I really like snow?

There are so many things to occupy your time in Alaska...if you are creative and know where to look.  There is a ski resort here on post (I'm horrible at skiing), they also offer tubing and ice skating, but just stepping out your door can be an adventure this time of the year. My next door neighbor spent her morning off work last week sitting at her window with a cup of coffee watching people check their mailboxes....and I was mad that I didn't think of it first! With everything covered in ice, the trek to the mailbox was treacherous at best.  We have all fallen at least once...so it's kind of ok to laugh when someone else bites it.

Anyway, I guess my point is that I am lucky enough to live in one of the most beautiful places on Earth and I intend on making the most of it. I get so tired of people up here complaining about being in Alaska. It's ALASKA! Most people dream of visiting this place, and God has blessed me enough to let me live here for a while...outside of anything I've ever experienced, or will ever experience again. We have 24 hours of daylight in the summer, 24 hours of darkness in the winter. You don't need air conditioning because the summers usually stay around 70 degrees and there is zero humidity! When the leaves on the trees change color...breathtaking. And the cold...You just have to steel yourself and accept that it's part of life here. It really doesn't bother me, but I do love people's reactions to the sub-zero temps. All of these experiences in under a year and I'm stockpiling knowledge that will last me the rest of my life...that will see me through every cold day yet to come...and I'm learning so much about myself, my own inner strength, as each day passes.

Amazing.

Much Love,