Finally! Snow! Sure it's only 1/10th of an inch, but I'm not picky. It was crazy how just that light dusting of white turned Anchorage into a winter wonderland.
It wasn't, however, nice when it came to my commute this morning. I've driven my fair share of icy roads, but not on three lane highways with people merging this way and that. I just kept telling myself to be cool and pretend like it was just like any other day of casually driving to work. Once I got onto the onramp and caught a glimpse of what I was about to slide into, though, I definitely broke out in a sweat. Not only were there hundreds of cars on the road but it was next to impossible to see the lanes! I like to drive in the center lane because people use the left lane to zoom around like hooligans and the right lane gets too messy with all of the merging. The center is safe. I like safe. Nothing was safe this morning. I didn't like it. But I magically got to work in one piece and back from work in one piece so no complaints! Supposedly it gets worse...?
I only had to work six hours today which was nice because the office was DEAD and it's really hard to get absorbed into your tasks when you're picturing your coworkers out living lives while you stare at your three monitors. Lunch was provided today, too, so it was a great start to the four-day weekend!
Garrett got off work early as well so we took full advantage of daylight and took a nice, long, wintery walk on the path by our house. Remy's eyes looked so awesome against the white backdrop but she has this weird sixth sense where she knows that I'm trying to photograph her splendor and does everything in her power to prevent me from getting what I want. Following is a sequence of what becomes of my efforts:
There's a pond about half a mile from our house that I'm sure will be superb for ice skating if a) I had ice skates and b) I wasn't afraid of falling through. I have visions of walking over with our (nonexistent) friends with thermoses filled with hot cocoa and Christmas music magically floating through the air as we spend a sunny (that's unrealistic) afternoon casually skating around the pond in the forest. Maybe people skate there a lot and I can just awkwardly skate near them and pretend like my vision is realistic!
Tonight I'm making my grandma's potato salad and Garrett is baking a pecan pie. We're heading up to Houston tomorrow and staying the night at Mammaw's - hopefully the roads are ok! Even though it's hard not being in Montana for the holidays, we're excited to start some new Morris traditions.
Another snowless week has inched its way by. I'm getting kind of bummed now. I had this vision of having a beautiful, white winter and it is not happening. Does Anchorage even get snow? I'm starting to doubt it. We have plenty of ice and dead leaves, though. Our yard is so frozen that when I tried to pull the shovel out of the dirt to pick up Remy doo-doos yesterday, I felt like I was on set for Sword in the Stone. I definitely broke a sweat. At least Remy isn't digging anymore!
Things have been pretty laid back here lately. Garrett and I have both been working normal hours and spending our evenings together. We finished the fourth season of The Walking Dead on Netflix and were having withdrawals so we purchased a pass on the Xbox to be able to watch the new season as it airs. But now we have to wait a week to see new episodes - ah! It's going to be a long winter.
Luck was on our side this week and we were able to secure ourselves a dining room table! A woman I work with is remodeling her kitchen and randomly asked me if I needed a table. I had to control my excitement because upon being asked, I wanted to jump out of my chair and embrace her while screaming OH MY GOSH YES but instead I just smiled and said "if you truly don't mind!" It's a really nice oak table that I'm sure has been in her family for a while. We were almost desperate enough to go buy a card table from Target and some folding metal chairs just because we were so tired of eating every meal on the couch! Actually, the only places in our house to sit were on the couch, on two stools we're borrowing from Mammaw, on the stairs, on the floor, or on our bed. Now we have FOUR more chairs! Such an improvement.
Because it gets dark here pretty early and because we don't have any friends yet that are willing to entertain us every night of every weekend, Garrett and I hung low these past few days. We crafted again and created some side tables for the couch, I made some slightly disappointing chocolate chip cookies (I blame the oven), took a long walk in the sunshine on the path by our house, tried to go ice skating or bowling yesterday at the Dimond Center but some selfish child was having a birthday party or something so it was closed to the general public (rude), and Remy had a playdate with Thor for six hours yesterday.
To give a glimpse of what my surroundings look like every day of the week, I took a picture of the cute part of my desk:
My whiteboard that I have way too much fun decorating:
And the view from the tax side of the office:
We will be heading up to Mammaw & Bill's for Thanksgiving on Thursday this week and are excited to spend some time with family. I'm planning on making my grandma's "famous" potato salad to bring because to me, Thanksgiving just isn't Thanksgiving without a giant bowl full of that delicious stuff. Every person I've told that to says "but potato salad is for BBQs, not Thanksgiving!" and I don't know whether to laugh or cry. They just haven't seen the light!
We haven't decorated for Christmas yet because Garrett refuses to until after Thanksgiving. I tell him that's fine but I've secretly began worming things into our lives that are Christmas-oriented, hoping to subliminally convince him to accept that Christmas is upon us. For instance, I bought a balsam and spruce scented Yankee Candle yesterday and have been burning it non-stop since, I "accidentally" had the radio station in our car set to the 24/7 Christmas station, and I hum holiday jingles randomly when they pop into my head. Part of it is on purpose, part of it is because ONLY 32 MORE SLEEPS UNTIL CHRISTMAS and I just can't help it.
Unfortunately the days of having a guest are over. Of course her last week here flew by and before I knew it, we were hugging in the parking lot of Judy's Cafe and smiling with watery eyes. It was so nice having a long time friend stay with us and it's weird not seeing her on a daily basis. Who's going to keep me motivated to run after work?! Who's going to want to play random games of charades with clues only a fellow girl would understand?! Who's going to jam out to Taylor Swift in the kitchen with me and sneak-eat thirteen pieces of leftover Halloween candy that just won't go away?! Sigh. Good thing I married someone who is just as entertaining, just in a guy kind of way.
Work was good this week - I finished up the work I was assigned to and will be receiving my review notes in a few days. Garrett hasn't had to work nights in a while so he's a happy camper. Remy had a vet appointment this morning for a few vaccinations and got a thermometer up her bum so she, on the other hand, is not a happy camper. But all in all, we're good.
We took a nice long walk with Bri and Thor today and the sun was so bright and warm! I started the jaunt in my jacket and a sweatshirt but actually got down to just my t-shirt at one point. The view, as usual, was incredible and we could see Denali. We were so surprised to not see any snow on the ground. Parts of the marsh were frozen and were sprinkled with brave ice skaters but no snow in sight. I'm definitely expecting that to change in the very near future.
Speaking of weather, I couldn't believe the difference between Anchorage weather and back home this week. The huge storm that was brewing up here a bit ago must've skipped right over us and released its fury on the lower 48 because we didn't so much as have a sprinkling of rain. It's been sunny, "warm", and fall-like here for about five days now. It makes me chuckle to think of all the people that thought Anchorage was going to be so miserable when one of Bozeman's highs last week was like -2. If we could survive Bozeman, we can survive anything!!!
Because I'm not going to live with mild temperatures for much longer, I invested in a brand new coat today. If you know me at all then you are well aware that for me, getting a new piece of outerwear is basically the equivalent of a normal person's excitement over finding a random bag of cash. I wasn't expecting to make such a large purchase today but the stars aligned and it was garment-love at first sight. It was just meant to be.
To stop ourselves from watching the entire third season of The Walking Dead in one sitting, Garrett and I busied ourselves with crafts this afternoon. I was tired of hanging our jackets on the banister and on the back of the couch so we bought some supplies to make a coat rack for the hallway. The entire process took us about two hours and only cost around $30. Even though we could've bought one for less somewhere, it was really fun to design it and work on it together. Now we have somewhere to hang our (my) endless supply of jackets! I'm super excited about this.
Last week was my first five day stretch in the office where I actually got to do billable work. It was much better than enduring eight solid hours of training! I got into a nice little routine and was excited to be working on client stuff.
This may sound corny but I watched a documentary on Netflix with Garrett earlier this summer called Jiro Dreams of Sushi. It was definitely about sushi but it also was about this old Japanese man named Jiro whose only occupation his entire life was making sushi. I think he'd been doing it for 75 years or something crazy like that. One of the interviewers asked him how he hasn't gotten bored or fed up with doing the same thing every day and what he said kinda-sorta changed my outlook on things. He said "Once you decide on your occupation... you must immerse yourself in your work. You have to fall in love with your work. Never complain about your job. You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill. That's the secret of success... and is the key to being regarded honorably." It dawned on me not too long ago that I picked a profession that will probably wear on me after a while. The excitement of corporate life, my own cubicle, dressing nicely, and daily time reporting will eventually make me want to pull my eyelashes out. Honestly, what job doesn't get monotonous after a while? Apparently making sushi...but most of the other realistic avenues I considered would also seem less sweet after a few years. I'm kind of a complainer and have noticed how much it affects my mood and outlook. If I let one thing bother me then suddenly I have a mental list going of all the things that are "happening to me" and I won't hesitate to recite them to you. Well it all started when I dropped my hairbrush on my foot, then I tripped walking up the stairs at work, then I got handed a big project and can't leave work early, and I forgot to switch my loads of laundry this morning so now my day is COMPLETELY RUINED! Why me?! So I've been making an extremely conscious effort to not only not complain myself, but not to partake in other people's complaining. I feel like if someone plays along with my pity party, then they're enabling me to believe that the silly things I'm whining about are actually valid. But if no one so much as offers a "you poor thing", then I have to take a step back and think "why don't they feel bad for me? Oh yeah, because I'm being ridiculous." Jiro inspired me to lunge into my new career with positivity and excitement instead of dread and anxiety. Yes, there will be weeks when I have to work 60 hours. Yes, sitting in a cubicle and staring at a computer screen is not the most exciting past time. Yes, the pressures and deadlines will eventually weigh on me. But I worked really hard to get to this point. After all of the classes, tests, late-night studying, and puffy eyes I just can't bear the thought of being unhappy about my first job. As the days get shorter but my required hours at work grow, I just have to remember to love what I do. I choose not to complain!
On another note, my "twin" has been staying with Garrett and I for the last month and will be heading back to Montana this weekend. It's been so much fun having her here (even though I had to disappear to Arizona for two of the weeks...boooo) and I wish I could somehow trap her to keep her here forever. We did all sorts of things this weekend in an attempt to jam everything into the days we have left. We...
Ran a 5k! It was my first race and it was way more fun that I thought it would be! Having never ran more than a mile straight in my ENTIRE life, we successfully ran about 3.2 without stopping and I was so excited. It was chump change to Ali, having ran in two marathons and two half-marathons as well as countless other 5ks before, but I was very glad to have her there with me. Now I want to sign up for another! After I go buy some new shoes...
Drove up Hatcher Pass! Even though the main road was seasonally closed, we still got out and took some photos. I love it up there!
Made cookies & played Monopoly while dancing to Taylor Swift's new album.
Went to dinner at a new restaurant and ate too much.
Visited Mammaw & Bill and walked on a frozen lake! It was crazy how clear the ice was - literally like walking on water. Remy was not a fan. I wished I had ice skates and better coordination of my limbs.
Watched the rest of The Walking Dead season three! I. am. so. addicted.
Went on a sunset walk down by the ocean with some other friends and dogs! The sunsets have been so gorgeous lately. Having stunning watercolor skies for almost an hour every night makes the shorter days worth it.
Hopefully we can cram a few more fun things in before she heads out on Friday!
After two long weeks of training, I'm finally back from Arizona. I stayed in Scottsdale at a ritzy conference center with two pools, outdoor fire pits, and a sit-down restaurant that served filet mignon. Although it was fun to live the high life for a while, I definitely got tired of the heat and the busy schedule.
I was up and at 'em at around 6:00 almost every morning. The breakfast buffet started at 7:00 or 7:30 and class began an hour later. I was assigned to one of the ten or so conference rooms with about 30 people to a room. Inside of the rooms, there were tables set up and groups of five or six assigned to them. My group got along fabulously and by the end of the two weeks, I was actually pretty sad when we had to say our goodbyes. We got to pick our team name and I told them about my impressive record of going all through college successfully naming all of my groups "Team Fierce" and they were all about keeping the streak going. So Table 4 became Team Fierce.
The first week was pretty rough. We were pounded with information and a lot of it was really new to me despite doing my internship last year. I was also worried because I was the sole representative from Alaska and I definitely felt like an outsider. Most people are from big cities in the mid-west or on the east coast and live a completely different lifestyle than I do. The main questions I got were "how many people even live in Anchorage?", "how cold does it get?", "why do you live there?", and "isn't there like a month of complete darkness?" It got pretty old. I wanted to turn around and ask them why they live in a place where the only foliage they see on a daily basis is the litter-ridden city parks but I decided it was a lost cause. I did end up making some great friends, though, and was really grateful because I don't know how I would've made it through the two weeks without them. One girl was from the New York City office, two were from Columbus, Ohio and another girl was from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It was awesome to create bonds with people that I never would've met if it wasn't for my job! It'd be fun to plan our future annual week-long trainings to be at the same time!
We had half of Saturday and all of Sunday free and my goal was to say "yes" to everything I got invited to so I didn't wallow in misery by myself at the hotel all weekend. On Friday, a pretty big group of us went to dinner in Old Town Scottsdale at an outdoor Mexican restaurant. It was perfect weather and we all were so happy to be outside after spending countless hours inside over-air conditioned rooms all week. We walked around a bit afterward and found out that Scottsdale is a ritzy place. There were shiny Bentleys driving around and 50% of the shops were upscale art galleries. On Saturday, another large group of us took a shuttle to Glendale to watch an Arizona Coyotes hockey game and it was a blast! It was my first hockey game and I found out I actually liked it - who knew! The group split up afterward and half of us headed back to the hotel. I'm glad I went with that group because I found out the other half ended up staying downtown until almost 3am and I would NOT have been a happy camper.
Sunday was the best day by far. I got up super early - about 5:30am - and met a group of 7 people in the lobby to board a shuttle to...wait for it...the Grand Canyon! My NYC friend and conference room table mate put the whole thing together and I was so thankful. Even though I lived in Utah for almost half of my life, our family never made the journey south to visit the Grand Canyon. It's never been somewhere I've been dying to see but, being so close to it, I didn't hesitate when the idea came up. We headed to Sedona first and I fell in love! I've always pictured Arizona as one giant desert and never understood how people lived there year-round in the heat. Sedona completely opened my eyes to a different kind of Arizona, though, and I definitely felt like I could live there. There were streams, orchards, giant ponderosa pines, flowers, mountains, gardens, cottonwood trees, and farm animals all nestled into this little valley out past the sandstone and saguaros. It almost felt like home. It wasn't too far from Flagstaff, too, but of course the company I work for doesn't have an office there - only in Phoenix. Bummer.
Once we put Sedona behind us, the terrain once again turned to sand, sagebrush, and scorching heat. I had no idea that the Grand Canyon was on a giant indian reservation. It's predominately Navajo and is called the Havasupai Reservation. We entered the reservation and that was the last of traffic lights, fancy hotels, and fast food restaurants. Apparently there's only one building with running water and it's a trading post/restaurant in Cameron. We stopped there to get a quick lunch of highly recommended Navajo tacos (fry bread with ranchero beans, burger, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and an eye-watering salsa) as well as some souvenirs. We then drove past a few traditional Navajo mud huts that are still lived in today and spotted a couple wild horses. Our tour guide told us stories of Grand Canyon-related unsolved mysteries and old indian legends as we wound our way toward the south rim. My first glimpse of the canyon made my eyes open wide. It looked like someone took a dagger and rammed it through the earth in a fierce, jagged pattern. It seemed bottomless and dangerous but at the same time fragile. The edges carefully fell inward into layers of muted colors piled on each other like a thousand-tiered cake. We pulled into a look-out and walked single file to our tour guide's "secret" place. Keeping one eye out for scorpions and the other on the crumbling ledge, we stood in awe at the vastness of it all. At some points it almost looked two dimensional - like a painting or a postcard. It was hard for my eyes to comprehend all of the height and textures. I'd take a few steps to the right, then to the left, stand on my tiptoes, and lean my head just to try to capture all of the dimensions. We stopped at a few other places and I couldn't believe how big it all was. It seemed to extend endlessly in every direction. All I could think of was how strange that there are places like that in the world that remain so untouched and others that have been ruined by humanity. Who gets to choose which places stay and which go?
We stopped at Grand Canyon village for a last look, browsed the Hopi House souvenir shop, snapped a few more pictures, spotted some elk, then made our way back. We were all wiped and slept for at least an hour on the shuttle. I was thankful to have a whole row to myself! We stopped in Camp Verde for a quick dinner and made it to the hotel by 8:00.
The second week of training wasn't as tough but I still had trouble focusing. I was tired, homesick, overwhelmed, and anxious. I felt like I had so much to learn and in so little time. Luckily it went by in a flash and before I knew it, I was on my way to the airport. I almost missed my flight out of Pheonix because my flight time was changed to three hours earlier and I didn't find out until an hour before takeoff, but everything worked out and I made it back to Anchorage two hours earlier than originally planned. Potentially horrible situation successfully avoided!
Now I'm back in the land of near freezing temperatures and winter hats, shorter days and higher heat bills...but I couldn't be happier.
