ready or not.

currently my yard/driveway look like this:

ohh yes. winter is here. ready or not.
this pic was actually taken on 10.10.10.

-I've had a few people contact me about living here/moving here...if you are one of them, leave me your email addy so I can be in touch! :)

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Summer has came..and gone all too quickly!  While most of the country is gearing up for crisp mornings, colorful leaves, and most importantly a pumpkin spice latte..us southerns transported in Alaska are breaking out the 3-layer North Face jackets, hats & mittens, snow boots, and the thought of getting out of our car in 16 degree weather for a Starbucks makes us cringe. {because drive-thru Starbucks are unheard of here}

We have had a wonderful summer and used our time with nice weather to the fullest!  My best friend, Laura Beth came to visit in July...then Greg's parents visited...and my parents just left!  We LOVED having family and friends come see our home in Alaska and get to explore here...wish I could make everyone come! :)  I've got all kinds of beautiful pics from our excursions this summer, but for now, I'll keep this post short and sweet since it is a very special day on our calendar! 

I do still LOVE fall even if it ultrafast here in AK, like 2 weeks fast!  Last October I was in NC welcoming my twin nephews into the world and Betty Crocker'd it up!  I adore pumpkin flavored anything so when I found a recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies I knew I had to try!  My first attempt last year was a huge hit with my family so I decided to break out the recipe box again last week.  They did not disappoint and I had many people on my facebook ask for the recipe..so here it is:

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 1/2 C Spiced Pumpkin {Add more pumpkin if you like a more cakey cookie, less if you like it firmer}
3/4 C Sugar
1/2 C Oil
1 Egg
2 C Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Milk
1 C Chocolate Chips {or as many as you like}
1 tsp Vanilla
Nuts {optional}
Dissolve baking soda in milk; set aside. In a large bowl add pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg; stir. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda mixture. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla. Spoon onto cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees 10 to 12 minutes or until done. Enjoy!

sunshine & turquoise.

67 degrees today in Alaska...we'll take it!

Brigade Ball was a good time.  I love seeing my husband all dressed up! Enjoy a couple of pics:

{don't hate on the screen door...you know you're loving it}

On Saturdays, Greg and I have been little worker bees trying to make this house a "home".  Ever since I was a little girl I have dreamed of having my own "area" in the house..a dressing room!  Complete with a vanity, tons of girly vintage glam decor, and even a mannequin wearing my wedding dress.  Hey, a girl can dream right?!?  Well, our house isn't big enough for that yet...our 2 spare rooms are being used as an office/craft room and guest room.  We do have a little nook at the top of our stairs and I just knew it would be perfect for a vanity area!  I absolutely CANNOT stand up to put on my makeup and dry my hair.  You can go right ahead and call me spoiled, a diva, whatever...doesn't bother me! :)
We went to Fred Meyers [one of the ONLY places to shop here] and found a fairly decent desk and random chair.  For some, that would have been ok..but for me, I wanted to personalize it! In turquoise...my fav. accent color & new chair fabric!  Here are a few before & after pics..

This is before...minus the chair cover. I had already gotten to that!

 and after...

I have jewelry overload so we made this cute necklace & earring holder out of plywood, fabric, and cabinet knobs/pulls. 

 And I had no probem filling it! 

all decorated!

This past weekend Greg and I built a privacy fence in our backyard.  One would think that a privacy fence would be a normal thing that came with a row house..but apparently not in AK!  Our neighbors have about a million kids that are SUPER loud, annoying, and constantly running right at our windows!  And I'm a big fan of sitting outside every night after work..so privacy was much needed!  Thank goodness I married a handy-man & I'm becoming quite the fan of powertools myself! Here's a few pics of that project:

Next up on our agenda: GARDEN! :)  I never thought I would enjoy such "wife" things, but I'm really having a blast!  Now, the real question is...should I paint the fence a pale yellow or leave it au natural?!?  Hope everyone is having a great week!

la.la.la.

In bullets because that's how I roll today.

• I ordered this dress for the brigade ball next Friday. It.is.gorgeous on and cannot wait to see it all hemmed up and looking pretty!  I really wanted a colored dress this time, ya'll saw my last dress for the OCS Formal and it was black too, but I just couldn't pass this one up!  Something about black makes me feel extra classy! :)  Pics to come of that event!

Kinda reminds you of this, no?!?

• I have been subbing at the elementary school on post in Pre-K and L.O.V.I.N.G. IT!  I am soooo excited to have found an age group that I enjoy working with and I'm 100% sure this is what I wanna do with my life!  The morning session is Intensive Resource kids (most are autistic or DS) and the afternoon is just regular Pre-K.  They are all so, so precious!  I leave my heart in each of their backpacks (not bookbags Ms. Shannon, as I was told by one of my students) when they walk out the door each afternoon!  The lead Pre-K teacher liked me so much, she called me personally to ask if I could come back again the next day! Then, as I was leaving today, we had a little convo about my intentions..she asked if I was seeking full-time employment and to def. put her down as a reference and she would keep her eyes and ears open for me!  I think she really wants me at her school!  I am just sooo excited about the direction I am in!  It might seem kinda crazy since I have a Business Bachelors degree, but I was just not happy sitting in an office all day!  My heart is happy working with kids! :)
• Speaking of working at an elementary school on post...why must my husband's rank be the first question people ask me??  It's happened at least 27 times this week.  Absolutely ridiculous.  I do NOT wear my husbands rank on my sleeve..or my purse (have you seen those things?  The ACU transformed into a pocketbook...I know you have..at least once.  In the PX. Commissary.)  Anywaysss, the most info you are getting from me is his Unit. What does that have to do with how I work with children?  Geez, crazy Army Wives, lay off.
• I really want to coach again...soon!  I miss cheer & dance sooo much!

• My oldest nephew(the one in the middle) is saying my name now & I cannot even begin tell you how amazing it is to hear it.  I could snatch him right up and kiss all over his face ...via skype of course :)

• And I dont even need to go there on how stinkin' down-right, against-the-law adorable the twins are!
• I am reallyyyyyyy missing these girls. It physically hurts...has anyone else experienced this or am I just a nut job?

P.C.

• I really want Lee to win American Idol. Such a nice kid doing something great with his life.
• My husband ROCKS..even if he gets irritated when I make him go on walks after dinner.
• It is now staying daylight till 10:30pm...Come on summertime!

time.

Am I the only one who feels like I'm going to go to sleep one night & wake up to it being December again?  Man, oh man..time.is.flying!  Recently, I've found myself counting weeks by using events we have coming up..and our calendar is full! :)  No wonder I can't keep track of the days!  We are seriously taking advantage of every opportunity we have here in Alaska & loving it!  I guess if I leave AK in 3 years with only a few recap posts on this blog that means I'm using my time wisely right?

Here's what we've been up to:

Hiking in the gorgeous interior

I shot a gun for the very 1st time!

Hosted a St. Patty's Day Party

Lots of green fun!

Decorated for SPRING!

Got a very sweet Easter surprise!

Went to an amazing church service to worship our Risen Lord!!

Cooked & Hosted a huge Easter feast to share with some "Army Family" since we couldn't be with our real family...

Neighbors & Friends: The O'Neills

Hubs & I :)

Throw in a few random get-togethers and even a fire night, plus work for the hubs & I'm getting started as being a substitute teacher for the school district here and you've got one busy couple! 

My attitude has drastically changed since my last vent/post and I am so thankful for the blessings I am receiving!  I'm such a lucky, lucky girl to be living this life!!  The month of April has many exciting things in store for Greg and I and we both can't wait!  We went to Lowe's tonight and bought items to start working on our outdoor entertaining space..the weather here is SO beautiful and staying daylight until well after 9pm!  In a few more weeks it will be close to 11pm..and countine to move later each evening!  I get so giddy thinking about all the fun we are going to have here this summer and even more giddy thinking about the great friends we get to enjoy it all with!

On another note, I started reading the book Crazy Love today and let me just say, if you haven't read it...RUN to the store to grab it up!  It is absolutely remarkable to be so humbled by our ever-present, all-knowing Creator!  Thank you God, for loving me. forever.

overdue.

Wow...has it seriously been 2 months since my last post?!? Should I introduce myself again? Well, we are here and settled in AK and this place is stunningly beautiful! We ended up finding a place to rent off post (thanks to the 6 month waiting list for on-post housing) and are slowly filling it to make it a home. Since this is Greg and I's first place together and we did a DITY move, we decided to leave behind all of our "bachelor" furniture and start out fresh with things that we can call "ours". I do love the way everything is coming together..and we have PLENTY of room for visitors! *hint, hint* One day soon I will do a tour of the house.

Here's me in front of our place.

The post we are at is quite nice...Greg is getting settled into his job and taking it one day at a time. We are stuck in a rather diffcult situation because we only brought one car up here and we live off-post. We left our other car back in NC to be able to have a car when I fly home during the deployment coming up in 2011. I would like to be able to be mobile when I go home for extended periods of time. Greg has yet to really "click" with any of the guys up here that are in his company, therefore, making it extra hard for us to make friends. With only one car, it is nearly impossible for me to get a job and meet new people so we are both in a little bit of a slump. We both are the type who are CONSTANTLY around our friends..and while our marriage is stronger than ever, we both have a huge void missing in our lives. I would KILL for a girls night! With all that said, we have made some friends with another couple who made the journey to AK with us on the ferry and they have been heaven-sent. She is a Capt. in the Army and her hubby is from FL.  We have been doing a lot of outdoor stuff with them and even attending the same church! There are a few other wives who I have met here and there, but they are all mostly established into a "group" of friends. For those of you who are Army Wives, what are ways you were able to make a group of girlfriends?!? Why can there not be a sorority or dance team I can join?!? I joke...but in seriousness, there are days where Greg and I have really good days..and others that are just not so pretty. But, I am a firm believer that God will provide, so I'm trusting that He will place the right friends in our path.

Enough emotional babble..I have GOT to remain positive. We have done some REALLY fun things here in AK and taking advantage of every moment! So far we have been snowboarding, cross-country skiing twice, snow-tubing, visited Chena Hot Springs, toured an Ice Museum, and went Ice Skating! It's amazing how many new things I am having the opportunity to try and it is soooo much FUN! We have attended Greg's Hail & Farewell, a MercyMe Concert at our church, and celebrated Valentine's Days at a chic Italian Restaurant in downtown.  Everyday I thank God for this season in my life..it is truly awesome to be given this, regardless of the pros and cons! Here are a few pics of our time spent outdoors:

eskimos?

Valentine's Day 2010

Chena Hot Springs

Who says you can't have it all?!?

Snowboarding at Birch Hill

Cross-County Skiing

Snow Tubing at Birch Hill

Attending Greg's Hail & Farewell. Getting ready for events such as this are ridiculous without girlfriends!!  Honestly, I was sending picture messages to my BFF's back home for their advice. Geezzzzz..

While the weather is warming up everywhere else in the country, we were at -20 this morning!  I've already started shopping for my Easter dress..and yes, it will have long sleeves and be worn with leggings and boots! :( I just cannot wait for those LONG summer days up here..and to be able to sit by the fire at 3am while feeling like it's noon!

Ok, I promise to be better at this. I have been an avid Facebooker since we've gotten here to keep in touch with my family and friends, but I will pick this back up to help document our time here! :)  Next up, I think going to do a little recap of our 2 week drive across the lower 48!  I have some of the most AMAZING pictures and we visited some of the greatest cities in America!

And oh yea, to my followers, thanks for sticking around duing my absense! And if you're new here..take some time to introduce yourself! :)  I'd love to meet you!

Ta-Ta!

movin' on up.

So the move is going great! I forgot to mention that we are DIY'ing it..so for all you fellow Army Wives out there, you know what I mean. We are on Day 4 of our trip and currently traveling through South Dakota.

Here's a couple of fun videos from our trip thus far-
Day 1:


Day 2: St. Louis


Day 3: Mall of America


I cannot wait to put all of these together when we finally get to Alaska & make a movie of our journey! Toodles! :)

new journey

"But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God."
-Ruth 1:16

When my papaw read this scripture at our wedding 5 months ago, we both had no idea how huge of an impact they would have on our lives.

moving to Alaska. today.