november 7, 2015

Hey Y’all. If it makes you feel better, then you can go reread the first few sentences of basically every blog I have ever written saying “I’m sorry it’s been 2 months since I’ve written”, “I’ll do better, I promise”, “I’m going to write every week”, etc. We all know its probably not going to happen, but hey, I am writing now so let’s just all live in the moment. Deal? Cool.

A lot of really cool and really not so cool things have happened since I have last blogged.  Good things: I went to California, Justin took me to Disneyland, my awesome inlays Patrick and Nin visited and met their granddog, I got a new embroidery machine, I’ve almost completely caught up on 5 seasons of Once Upon a Time, lots of things.  Not cool things: The snow is here already. But I am here to tell you about my night last night (or I guess morning this morning).

Al Roker is on the Today Show (I have to say things like this for people like my sister who had no idea who I was talking about). He is doing something called the Rokerthon for the second time. This first time he did something like doing a weather report constantly for 36 hours. I have zero desire to hear about the weather for 36 hours. This year, he is going around and doing the weather report in all 50 states in 7 days! Al was in Alaska today! I knew very few details about where and when, but not many “famous” people come to Alaska, so I was going to see him! It just so happened that he was going to do the weather at 3 am in downtown Anchorage. I jumped out of bed, told Justin I was going to find Al, and ran downstairs. My friend Vanessa was supposed to go with me, but she is WEAK and was sleeping.  By the time I was in the car, I was wearing the Bill Murray t-shirt I was sleeping in, I decided to change out of my Grinch PJ pants and put on real pants (ok, ok they were leggings), Justin’s gross sweaty Army PT sweatshirt (that I am pretty sure I am not allowed to wear) no make up, and to top it all off I didn’t even brush my hair. I was obviously representing Alaska well.  So I take off for downtown Anchorage. I was driving around and I started praying, probably I would like to think, on of the most unique prayers God has ever heard:

            “God, I would really really love to find Al Roker. I know this is just something little and stupid but it would really make my heart so happy. I also would like for this scary looking “people that apparently come out at 3 am in downtown Anchorage” to not approach my car. But I don’t want to be needy, so if I have to pick one I choose Al. I know this stupid, well Al isn’t stupid, you made him so he is awesome, but this is just a little something and I mean, I AM living in dadgum Alaska, so I feel like I need some happiness when I can get it. Not that I blame you, God, for me being in Alaska, well I guess I am here cuz you want me to be, so……Sorry Sorry I didn’t mean to go there God, I would just really love to see Al this morning.”

Seriously y’all. I see this small crowd of people down this little road leading to the port/railroad. Instead of thinking “oh there is a small gang fight going on”, I drove right to it. Yep. It was Al. And a goat, but I didn’t care about the goat right now (his name was Jean Luc though for anyone reading this that cares about the goat). I park my car and run over right as they were counting down to start his segment of the Today Show!! I was so excited! God even cares about little things!!! Seriously people, Al is proof of that, just sayin…The camera people told me that the small group of people behind him with signs were all invited/chosen to be there. It was the Alaska Aces mascot, some dog musher, I don’t know people who “are Alaska”. I felt as though that was a tad rude, since I obviously was so dedicated. But now, as I am typing this, I feel as though they might have just not wanted me on the camera because of the way I was dressed/looked. I totally get it, camera people, I totally get it!

After the segment was over, I just walked right up to ole Al and asked for a selfie. It was then that I remembered the no makeup/hair issue going on, so that was humbling. He still chatted it up with me a little bit and basically invited me to NYC. So if anyone wants to go to NYC with me to see my BFF Al, let me know!

I was seriously so stinking excited about finding Al Roker at 3:45am. It is the little things people!

I called mom and dad and got back home and while I was on the phone with my mom, the Northern Lights appeared above my house!! For those of you that have been reading my blog, you know I have tried MULTIPLE times to see them and have failed. Well, my friends, this is actually the 2^nd time I have seen them!! I saw them for the first time last Tuesday! I forgot to tell you or make a facebook status about sooooo surprise! I saw the Northern Lights last week! It was actually an interesting night. I was having some procedures done on Wednesday at the hospital, one of them being a colonoscopy (holy moly jug of stuff you have to drink!) So after the tears, Justin telling me that I will have to reschedule and do it all again if I don’t finish it, me just saying I was fine with my stomach hurting forever if I could just not drink this anymore, I. FINALLY. FINISHED! So as a reward since I was already up so late, Justin took me out driving to find the Northern Lights (which actually was a pretty risky move, all you people that have had a colonoscopy know what I mean…). We saw them! So they actually really do exist!

It’s good to be writing again! Especially about the Northern Lights. And of course, Al Roker, because duh!

Always,

Anna

july 20, 2015

When summer hits Anchorage, there is never a moment that you can’t find SOMETHING to do. Especially with the sun being out practically always, you could even catch a baseball game at 2 am. People (other people, not me people) go camping and this thing I learned called “dipnetting”. Dipnet fishing is basically having this big net and you go stand in the water and wait for the fish to swim in your net and then you bonk them on the head (there is probably more to it, but I pretty much got stuck on the bonking on the head part.) I’ve pretty much been openish to trying things and experiencing new things, however, there is something coming up that I will not be attending…The Naked Bike Ride through downtown Anchorage. This is a real thing. This will be happening at the end of August…on a Tuesday…MEANING that I will be driving right through it on my way to work. So I have that to look forward to. Something else that is happening at the end of August is that Obama is visiting Anchorage. I think whoever schedules events in Anchorage missed a REAL opportunity when they didn’t schedule these two things on the same day…

 

Every day I wish that Tennessee was closer to Anchorage. I’ve gotten pretty used to feeling this. This past Friday, I added a new thing that I wish was closer to Anchorage. That would be Kodiak, AK. Bryce, Lexi, and sweet baby Cora have been on a month long journey moving to Kodiak. Bryce is in the Coastguard and this is where they will be stationed. Bryce’s family goes to my church at home and Bryce’s little sister, Lydia, is one of my favorite people. They were making their stop in Anchorage and we got to meet up for dinner at Bear’s Tooth. They had been lacking in adult conversation since being on this long road trip and I love talking so it was basically a match made in heaven!  After dinner and saying goodbye, I felt that it wasn’t fair that they were moving to Alaska, but they weren’t moving to Anchorage. I even tried to get Bryce to see if they would move the Coastguard here (I also asked if he would get to meet the Deadliest Catch people, but the first question was way more important, which is big for me to say)  I have a feeling I will be visiting Kodiak before my time in Alaska is up!

 

This weekend, Justin and I decided to go to Matanuska Glacier. This glacier is located in between Palmer and Glenallen and is about 27 miles long and 4 miles wide (at least that’s what Wikipedia says so duh it’s true). We stopped at the Palmer Ale House and ate a plate of cheese fries that were as big as both of our heads put together; I don’t regret any of it either. 

 Then we continue on to mile marker 102. This drive is not necessarily meant for people that get car sick, but it was so pretty! We finally get there (it was a little over a 2 hour drive) and get parked and we start towards the orange cones we are supposed to follow to get to the glacier. Let me paint you a picture of what is going on….

  

I am wearing a T-shirt, yoga Capri pants, and Keds. My husband is wearing gym shorts, a pullover and tennis shoes. Now, no part of this sounded concerning to me as we were getting dressed that morning, but as we are walking towards the cones in the parking lot, I notice people unpacking LEGIT equipment: harnesses, ropes, spikey shoes, poles, and helmets. HELMETS PEOPLE. I start this weird nervous laugh thing that I do and it only grew worse as people in snow jackets started walking out. Justin then tried to encourage me by saying, “Anna, we are gonna be fine, we are from Tennessee!” BECAUSE EVERYONE IN TENNESSEE KNOWS HOW TO HIKE A GLACIER. Nope. I wasn’t encouraged, but I followed him anyways. I even followed him when he veered away from the orange cones because “going over the glacier is way cooler than going around the glacier”. We slowly actually make it up on top of this one peak, and I have to say, it was so cool. We are taking pictures and I’m telling jokes like “Think of how much sonic ice we could make outta this” (because I’m funny and Justin loves my jokes……).  

This is “sunbathing in Alaska”.

Yes, my clothes got cold and wet taking this picture, but it’s a sacrifice I made for my blog…

Here I was thinking I was drinking the freshest of the fresh glacier water straight from the glacier, then my husband says after taking 15 pictures, “yea I just spit in that water”…………………….

When all the pictures had been taken and our hats had flown off a few times, Justin said it was time to climb down.

Y’all may have thought about going DOWN the glacier at the beginning of this story, but let me tell you, that was the first time I realized that I would have to CLIMB DOWN! Which, think about it, seems ridiculously dangerous. At one point, I was crouched over and told Justin that I was just gonna wait for it to melt. Which his loving response to that was, “Ok but you would die before that happens.” Soooooo I weighed my options of starving to death or risking my neck going down the glacier and let’s be honest, I like food way too much to let that happen, so I started walking.

Obviously you are reading about this now, so you know I survived! When we were done, and I thought about all those people wearing helmets and boots, I wanted to run up to one of them and say, “Boo ya! I just did that without a helmet you big baby” and maybe even head butt them, but I am a polite Southern woman and I would never act like that……

After that, we just drove home and I found out that my husband puts the raw macaroni noodles in the water before it boils where I put them in after it boils. What is this madness I live in?

Always,

Anna