Let the Vacation Begin!

We're sitting in the Anchorage airport waiting for our 1 AM flight to Portland. Rich is reading magazines and I am....well, you know...on the internet, of course. We brought some snacks with us--semi healthy--so we'd avoid the fast food nearby. I've been munching on cheese and toasted sesame flatbreads. I did have to stop at Starbucks for a venti black iced tea, though. You knew I would. The week flew by and I had such a good feeling that I was all caught up at work and had nothing hanging over my head. That is SO unusual. I have spent my life worrying about all the things I didn't get done before vacation, all the things that COULD happen while I was gone, all the things that someone will need or ask about that I forgot to handle. My desk and my office were even clean when I walked out the door. Now I have probably jinxed myself big time and something major will go wrong while I am out of town. It's been snowy and windy and several planes did not get in or out yesterday, though I know at least one finally did. Then we heard that Alaska Air had a system wide computer failure and lots of flights were cancelled altogether. Funny, I mentioned last night that I wasn't sure why we waited till Saturday to leave when we could have gone Friday after work. Good thing we didn't or we would have been in the mix with all the other poor souls whose flights were cancelled. Today was a beautiful clear and sunny day, perfect flying weather. We left on time and arrived in Anchorage at 8:30 PM. When we checked in in Unalaska, we realized that we were not seated together on the flight from Anchorage to Portland and, even worse, we're both in middle seats. Ugh. When we got to Anchorage, we stopped by the AK Air counter to see if there was an off chance that some different seats might now be available. The agent did find one window seat which I'll be sweet and give to Rich since he hates the middle even more than I do. She then told us that the person on the window next to me is traveling alone so we should seek her out and ask if she will trade her window seat for Rich's so we can sit together. It's still early but we will be stalking this poor person as soon as people start checking in. We know her name. I'm sure she will think we are a little bit weird. And I wonder if it's okay for AK Air to give out another passenger's name. I've been in social work too long and think that everything is more confidential than it really is, maybe. Our next order of business was to priceline a room in San Francisco for tomorrow night. We have learned the hard way that it's not always a good idea to priceline the first night before leaving home, just in case we have issues and don't get out. No refunds on priceline, no matter what. As I noted in my last post, we'd been looking for a room for the 2nd and 3rd nights but were not having much luck finding a bargain. In fact, we did finally get one and had to pay more than we wanted. Bummer. So tonight, after going through Security, we settled in with our snacks and laptop and Rich pricelined a 4 star hotel for $75 right off the bat. Now we are wishing we'd waited on the other nights, too. Two more hours to kill. Okay, I really did write this in paragraphs but Blogger keeps putting it all in one long stream of consciousness post. I've gone back in twice and spaced it back out but it apparently does not approve. Have fun reading!

Random Stuff without Photos

We've been having exciting weather--high winds pretty much all weekend. Not just high winds, hurricane force winds, up to 115 mph. It's sort of lame to say because it's been repeated so much, but I still like the comment (said with pride, of course) "down south, they'd give that a name, but here we just call it Saturday." :) There was some damage done but no one was hurt, thankfully. I didn't even want to leave the house but I am newly appointed to the board of USAFV (Unalaskans Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence) and our annual Soup Off fundraiser was being held on Saturday night. I kept reading comments on Facebook about people getting knocked around by the wind and some saying "don't go outside" and "don't drive." We have a bunch of steps that we have to climb to get up to our house or down to the parking lot and I was kinda worried that I might get blown over. Rich was working but took pity on me, came to get me and dropped me off across town at the high school.

The fundraiser was good--we had a nice turnout despite the howling winds, though more than one person came in drenched and several noted that their soup entries sloshed out of their pots between the parking lot and the gym. Rich came over after he got off, we enjoyed lots of tasty soups, watched contestants get their awards, and stayed for the fundraising auction.

We've been planning our vacation and I am very excited about leaving on Saturday. We tried to priceline a room in San Francisco but can't seem to get one for the bargain price(s) we are proposing. Guess we will have to go up a bit more. Also looking for rental cars, another hassle. :) It will all come together in the next few days, though, I am sure! Now I am onto my next dilemma, which is my usual one: what clothes to take. I really want to pare down and mix & match and layer and not bring a stack of things I never actually wear. I always think "but I might need that." And, of course, I am not sure what the weather will be like. I wish I could be more like those folks who throw two outfits in a backpack and still feel like they've overdone it.

Since we've been to San Francisco a few times already, we've decided we are going to concentrate our activities by visiting different areas of the city that we haven't seen before. So we've been reading up on various neighborhoods, making notes of restaurants and shops and things to see and do. We plan to get in lots of walking (unless, as I whined to Rich, "it's too cold or rainy"--yes, I can be a little wimpy).

Changing the subject: I've met the nicest people on Postcrossing.com. I've mentioned before that I've struck up an ongoing correspondence with a few of them. One day last week Rich called to say that I had a box in the mail at the hotel. I hadn't ordered anything and couldn't think of what it could be but Raelyn, a postcrossing friend from New Zealand, had sent a whole box of sweet presents for Emery after learning about her story. What a very nice thing to do for a perfect stranger. I think we just have to look around to realize that most people have kind hearts and only want the best for each other. Well, that's what I choose to believe, anyway. Thanks, Raelyn!

One of my other fairly regular correspondents lives in Nara, Japan. I looked it up on the map and it doesn't seem like an area that's been affected by the horrors there; at least I hope not. I sent Noriko an email but I have no idea if communication is even getting through. I hope she and her loved ones are all okay. It certainly seems like the world is spinning out of control right now with the effects of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear reactor disasters in Japan along with the fighting in Libya and other countries. I could get into a big political dissertation right now but I don't have the emotional energy for it. I suppose my thoughts can be summed up like this:

I don't want us to get into another war.
I thought we didn't have any money and the country was going broke.
If we can't pay teachers and government workers, why are we going to get into another overseas adventure?

Very discouraging.

We still have to do our taxes before we leave. We started them weeks ago but were still waiting for some documents from our investment accounts before we could wrap it up. Those arrived awhile back and we can't seem to get motivated to resume the process. We've made a pact that we will finish tomorrow. That's postponed from our agreement that we would do it tonight.
haha

I've been a big insomniac again lately. Last night I was up till 4 AM reading. Then I slept really late this morning so now, of course, I am not tired. Ugh. It's a vicious cycle. I wish we didn't need sleep. :)

On the other hand, I am really happy about this: My houseplants are thriving. I love seeing them every day, nice and green and getting bigger all the time. Those of you who know my history with plants will be amazed and astonished. I have been accused of having a "brown thumb" and never, ever, ever had success growing plants in the house or flowers outside. It's funny how thrilled and excited I am about this. I have a daily ritual now, checking each of them like they're my little children. Is this one too dry? Does that one need to be pruned a little bit? Would the other one prefer being turned in a different direction? (Do I have too much time on my hands?)

Well, friends, have a good Tuesday and if I don't post before we leave, I'll catch up with you from California!

Spring Forward

I'm not a big fan of the time change. Rich and I went to bed around 11:30, knowing it was "really" 12:30 and he has to get up early for Sunday Brunch. I think I drifted off for a short while but woke back up and could not sleep. SO I am at the computer, after sitting at the table writing birthday cards and snail mail notes for a little bit. Haven't blogged lately so thought I might as well catch up.

Rich was out in the yard earlier today when these flowers caught his eye. We think it's a little early for them to be blooming, but maybe not. Nevertheless, we were excited to see them popping up. Hopefully spring is on its way.

So sad about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan--watching the devastation on TV is shocking, even as it's replayed constantly. My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones there. We had a little bit of excitement here as we were under a tsunami warning for several hours early Friday morning. Our general manager was out of town so I was "acting" and ended up staying up for quite a bit of the night in coordination with our TV and radio staff, who were keeping updated messages broadcasting from Public Safety. Thankfully, it passed us by and we didn't have to evacuate. Those who have been here a long time said that there has never been an issue on the Bering Sea side so most people were not overly concerned. Still, it gives you pause for a few moments when you're told that you're in the danger zone and to be prepared to move to higher ground.

I can't even remember everything that's gone on since my last post. Our cute and sweet little granddaughter Ally had her 4th birthday on the 8th--she is growing up too fast! Hated to miss her party, complete with a Barbie cake, but it sounds like she had lots of fun. Someday we will be close enough to pop in on birthday parties and various other events.

Last night I met friends for sushi and lots of laughs--we were going to have another fondue night but the hostess' daughter was sick so we decided to go out instead. Tonight was our annual membership meeting at my job so I spent several hours today getting ready for that and then attending tonight. It was followed by another drive in movie, "Mega Mind," in the parking lot but I didn't stay since we'd seen it with the grandkids when we were down south. The drive-in is a big hit since we don't have a movie theater here--another great idea from my coworker, Pipa (Ms. Creativity).

Rich and I are getting ready for our next vacation--we leave on the 26th for a few weeks in California, visiting his sister, his stepkids and grandkids, his cousin and family, who all live there, and my niece who is attending Santa Clara U. We'll spend a few days in San Francisco (one of our favorite places!) and then make the rounds. Yes, we love vacations!

Eating and Exercising

Sonia, Andrea, Tammy, Melanie

Rich was working on Saturday night, doing a food and wine pairing for the folks who were the high bidders at our Channel 8 auction a couple of weeks ago. So I decided it was finally time to have these gals over as I have been promising for many months. We settled on a fondue party, which was great fun. Melanie brought a crab fondue and a cheesy fondue while I made one of dark and milk chocolate, cream and marshmallows.


Everything was yummy and we had lots of good conversation and laughs. Andrea used to live in our house as a kid so she shared some of her memories of the place. Of course, it's completely different now and much smaller (since it used to be a full house and is divided into duplexes). Funny how she thought it was so small and we think it is so big compared to our last apartment.

We loved our fondue so much that we think we might have to have a regular fondue gathering.

After as much as we ate last night, it was a good thing we'd signed up for the Polar Bear Run/Walk today! It was pretty cold but overall a nice day to be outside.

Halfway!

Lots of emperor geese swam nearby

Yay! We did it! We walked, didn't run (well, Sonia did jog a bit) so we were pulling up the rear. Still, it was good exercise and we were proud. Then we went out for lunch. haha

Books and Birds

Last night I hosted our monthly book club. I've been traveling or have had conflicting obligations every month so it's the first meeting I've attended since the book club year started in September. Good thing I was available for the one I was hosting, huh? We always read a short, funny, fluff kind of book in February and this one was Happy Birthday or Whatever by Annie Choi, an amusing look at life and family by a Korean-American young woman. I enjoyed having people over and Rich, as always, came through with a fabulous dessert. From the bottom of the glass: butterscotch schnapps caramel, vanilla bean panna cotta, a thin line of melted red hots, fresh orange gelee, fresh whipped cream with a raspberry mousse rosette and a chocolate straw. Yum, yum. We also had a fruit, cheese and nut platter but it was a bit overshadowed. :)

Today was a rare occurrence--we were both off work on a weekday for President's Day. We slept in a little bit, did a few things around the house and then took a drive out to Summer Bay.

Emperor geese
Cormorants
Lots of seagulls
We also saw 11 seals and 3 sea otters but it's hard to get a good photo when they are pretty far out in the water. They sure were cute, though! I wish I could go swimming with them. :)

Insomnia

1 AM and I can't sleep...this getting older thing is not always that much fun. I used to be such a good sleeper. Thankfully I am only working part time--and afternoons at that!

I hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day. Yes, I know it's a manufactured holiday and many seem to be very cynical about it, saying we should let our loved ones know how we feel on more than just one day a year. Which I agree with, wholeheartedly. But I don't think there's anything wrong with doing something extra special for your sweetheart. What's the harm in that? We need more love in the world, not less, right?! As I tend to say every year, the Chef has to work on Valentine's Day to make sure all the other loving couples get to have a fabulous dinner out. I really do not begrudge them but it does make my Valentine's Day kind of a one-person event. :) It's okay, really. It's become our running joke, I think. I posted something on Facebook and instead of sympathy, my friends seemed to be chastising me for being selfish. haha But lucky me, when Rich finally made it home late tonight, I was the happy recipient of tickets to see U2 in Philly when we go to the East Coast in July. That and a very sweet note in a Valentine card pretty much canceled out my whining.

The last week was a whirlwind while I was working on our Channel 8 auction fundraiser. It is a blast but a whole lot of work and some very long hours--all worthwhile, of course! The auction took place on Thursday and Friday nights and, as usual, any event of this kind really brings out the best in our community and makes me feel very happy to be a part of this little town. From the large numbers of volunteers to the generous individuals and businesses who donate auction items to the locals who bid and bid and bid to help us support local TV, it's a testament to the community spirit that keeps us all connected. We had a great time! Check out the KUCB blog for some photos (or our Facebook page).

I worked part of Saturday so auction winners could come in and pick up their items, while Rich was also putting in a long day at his job. We were supposed to go to the Chocolate Extravaganza at the Museum that night, followed by a potluck to say goodbye to our friends Anne and Jeanette who were moving away. Somewhere around 5 PM, I was totally out of steam and called Rich at work to ask him, "What do you think about just staying in tonight?" I think he was pretty relieved. Although I literally HATE to miss any community event, especially one involving chocolate, we were just beat. He didn't get a day off at all that week, what with preparing for Valentine's Day and various other responsibilities, so it was nice to put on the sweatpants and recline with a magazine for the night.

Anne and Jeanette are off to visit family and friends and then heading for Africa for most of the next year. We will miss them greatly but know they will have a lot of adventures to report back and we will see them somewhere down the road, I'm sure. They've started a blog here so check it out in a few weeks and see what they are up to. Unalaska is such a transient town that reminds me in some ways of my Air Force upbringing. People come and people go and I am starting to feel like an old-timer since I have seen so many arrivals and departures in my almost seven years here. Just like those AF days, it's hard to get close to people only to see them leave. But our lives are definitely enriched by the experiences we get to have together, even if just for a short while. Happy and safe travels, Anne and Jeanette!

In family news, grandson Aidan got "Student of the Month"--way to go, Aidan! (And tell your mom I am still waiting for the picture and news clipping to arrive!) Granddaughter Emery had clear scans in January (yippee!), and granddaughter Elle just turned 3 on the 11th (where did three years go?) I am very excited that they, along with our other sweet grandkids Ally and Beck, and all their parents, will be joining us at the Jersey shore in July. It's gonna be quite a party with Mom, all my siblings, their kids, spouses, grandkids, and some of our aunts, uncles and cousins thrown in. At last count, I think we now have five houses rented. I can't wait!

Beautiful Days

While many in the lower 48 have been suffering through the weather, it's been a little ironic that we have enjoyed quite the opposite lately. Yes, we've had some snow and rain and wind but it's been balanced out rather nicely. Since returning home, I've been busy with work and various other activities but Rich and I managed to get out for a walk yesterday and a beautiful day it was. Rich caught this seal fishing for food while the seagulls hovered overhead, maybe hoping to cash in on a dropped morsel.

Red billed oyster catchers

Enjoying the view