Living in Alaska - Life in the Last Frontier

I can’t believe that November is over! As we enter the final stretch before Christmas, I find myself increasingly busy. Going to Madison, has cut into my time for preparation, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world! I can not wait to see my kids!!

In this entry, I’ll be posting my final gratitude entries for November. There have been some mornings when I’ve drawn a blank when thinking of something to write about. I know my life is full of things to be thankful for, but picking one to elaborate on hasn’t been easy. Writing an entry each day, has made me examine the little - and the big - things I have been blessed with. It’s been good for me to start each day in November thinking about the good in my life. And so…

November 27th - Thanksgiving Day: Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate the many blessings in our life - like love and friends and family. It’s a time to reflect upon this sweet life, to blend new memories with the old, and to feel an abundance of gratitude.  On this day and always, I give thanks that you are a part of my life.

November 28th: Today I am thankful for short, efficient lines at the DMV, and service with a smile. I had to renew my license, and chose “Black Friday” to do so - hoping that everyone in the city was shopping and not in line at the DMV! There were only about 6 people waiting and four clerks on duty! I was in and out in 20 minutes - a record! It seemed that wherever I went today (which did not include any shopping), people were in fabulous moods. The ladies who took care of me at the DMV had a smile on their face and acted as if they were thrilled to see me. Likewise the postal clerk who took care of my packages today. Spending a day with those you love, eating good food, and giving thanks for the blessings in your life is good for the soul. I’m glad it carried over to those I did business with today. I hope that people allow this feeling to stay with them for the rest of the year, rather than giving into the stress and anxiety that can sometimes accompany the holiday season. I plan to make a conscious effort to do so.

November 29th: Today I am thankful for modern transportation, which allows us to travel across the country in only a few hours. Without it, visits with family would be few and far between. To think that, in 3 days, I will travel 3300 road miles in less than a day is amazing! A trip like this would have taken more than a month a century ago. I wonder how quickly people will be able to travel in another hundred years? Whatever travel is like in the future, I hope there’s more leg room.

November 30th: Today, I am thankful for comfy slipper socks and a warm robe. It’s chilly in the house, and the floors haven’t warmed up yet. My slipper socks are a chenille-type material with non-skid strips on the bottom. They say ALASKA around the cuffs. Steve bought me two pair last Christmas. I wear them so much, that my big toe is working its way through. But they’re so comfy! My robe is fuzzy and worn, and I’ve had it for about a decade. It has served me well. I think it’s time I replaced both my slipper socks and my robe, as they’re reaching the end of their life expectancy. I hope I can find a robe that I’ll enjoy as much as I have this one.

Although I have ended my month-long project of writing daily gratitude entries, I will still begin each day consciously thinking about - and giving thanks for - the good in my life. Too often, especially at this time of year, we rush around preparing for “the big day” without taking time to appreciate our blessings; especially our non-material blessings.  The love of my family and friends is a priceless gift - a gift I receive every day. May you also feel loved everyday!

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On Friday I created my Christmas newsletter for family and friends, and converted and recorded five more VHS tapes to my laptop hard drive, to edit them and burn them to DVD for the kids. They take about an hour to burn to DVD (120 minutes of footage), so I’m taking the originals with me, and I’m going to have Chris burn me copies while I’m there.

I recorded footage from March - December 1993, which included a visit from my parents to Fort Benning GA on New Years Day, 1994. They stayed for a week. It was so good seeing them on video, at our house no less, with the tree up and my kids having their undivided attention.

Also in the collection of VHS tapes was footage recorded by my family that Christmas, so my parents could bring the tape to us! It was our first Christmas away from home and we missed everyone so much. The video camera was passed from house to house in the days leading up to Christmas, so that we could see everyone’s tree and they could record video greetings. On Christmas Eve Day, my dad took it to my grandparents house for footage of my grandparents, my uncles and aunts and my cousins.

Then, on Christmas Eve evening - as was tradition - everyone gathered at my parent’s house for dinner and the gift exchange. What was funny, was that each of my brothers individually took the camera and recorded private messages to us. My brother Marc told corny jokes which was so typical of him! Watching that tape made me laugh out loud at times. Such great memories - but bittersweet too, as our family has had quite a few losses over the past 15 years.

I can’t wait to watch the DVDs with the kids when I get there. That’s going to be an all-day event. We should just pop some popcorn and have regular intermissions.

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I put up our tabletop tree. It’s pre-lit, which made things easier. Steve brought the decoration boxes up from under the house, and they are now empty and stacked in the dining room.  Here are two pictures of the corner of our room where the tree is. I’m so glad we went with a table-top tree, especially since I’m the one who does the decorating. As you can see, my Santa collection is positioned around the tree:

It’s fun to see the way my taste has changed over the years, to fit my decor. My early Santa dolls were pastel colors and more Victorian in style. As the years passed, I became interested in “rustic” Santas with bark and flannel suits. Since arriving in AK, my Santas wear parkas and carry snowshoes, or sleds. Last year, I saw an awesome Santa on a dogsled, but the price tag was too steep for my frugal nature. I hoped that it would be reduced for sale, but someone else bought it up before it could even be marked down. Oh well…

On Friday I had Sedona with me while running errands, so I decided to drive over to Pioneer Park to take some photos, The sky was really beautiful. On the way, I passed Sears and thought about running in to see what kind of deals they had going on, but after seeing a full parking lot and about 30 cars lined up to get in and out of it, I quickly decided that I was no in the mood to deal with crowds of people.

We took a short walk through the Salmon Bake area, which is closed for the winter.  There were quite a few moose tracks criss-crossing the snow, but none hanging out. I made my way over to Gold Rush Town, and then stopped at the pedestrian bridge for more photos.

A close up of the window. I like the frost texture:

Some more cabins at the Salmon Bake:

Gold Rush Town Pano:

The Christmas Lights are up! Time to go back for some night shots:

The sky was a beautiful turquoise bluish shade, which was beautiful in the river:

Chena River Pedestrian Bridge Reflection:

I stopped to take photos of the river from behind the Carlson Center. The sun was already heading down, and the trees were lit up beautifully. You could see mist coming off the water too, which was pretty. That portion of the river doesn’t freeze all the way because of the power plant upstream. The ducks were certainly enjoying the water. It’s amazing how many are wintering over here in Fairbanks. There’s no shortage of food, as several locals are keeping them in seed and grain.

Another view of the pedestrian bridge with ducks in the water:

Paved walking/bike path along the river:

Frosty Tree Reflections:

Sunset and Frosty Trees:

Mist floats above the river as the sun goes down:

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I decided to rent a car when I get to Madison, since my boys drive non-dependable vehicles. This way, we can do some short roadtrips to check out the surrounding area. They don’t get to do too much exploring, so it will be nice. I’m also going to meet my online friend Kerry (who lives just outside of Madison). I’ve known Kerry for about 5 years online, but have never met her in person. I’m really excited about meeting one of the friends who lives in my computer!

My boys are driving to the airport that night, with a friend, to meet me since I’m not familiar with the Madison area, and don’t like driving in unfamiliar territory at night. Their friend will drive home and we’ll all drive back to their place in the rental car. I’ll be taking myself to the airport on the 10th, and by then I should know my way around town.

I talked to Brandon yesterday, and he was busy scrubbing the kitchen floor. I told him I wasn’t coming to inspect the cleanliness of their home.  He then told me that he wanted the kitchen to be clean for when I cook for them!  My boys love when I visit, as I love to cook those comfort foods from their childhood, as well as just ‘take care of’ them. I love to do it too.

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I haven’t been sleeping well. Insomnia (and excitement) has been keeping me up until the wee hours of the morning, and then I get up for the day 4-5 hours later.  My goal is to get everything done I need to do by tomorrow afternoon, so I can go to bed early on Monday evening. I have to get up at 4:30am as my flight out of Fairbanks is at 7am.

I don’t know if I’m taking my laptop with me or how often I’ll get online while I’m gone. But you can bet there will be photos to share when I return home.

I’m BURSTING with EXCITEMENT!!!!

Until next time…