Vegas groove

Things are moving along here in Vegas.  I started my new job on 10 June which was almost a month later than when I was suppose to.  There was a big hick up and I was told there was a 50% chance that I wouldn't have a job but things moved forward and I was able to start!  

Most of work is focused on computer based training and shadowing others for now.  I won't be able to start seeing patients until I complete training in Walter Reed where I'm suppose to go in a couple of weeks.  I've been waiting on my contract company to approve the travel so I can get tickets for everything.  I hate waiting on other people, I hope it all goes smoothly!  So far it seems that I will be working with a good group of people.  It's a different type of work, being incorporated into primary care but the hope is to mitigate problems before they escalate to the level of needing specialty mental health.
We're moved into our condo and it's a nice place.  It's a quiet area, decent pool, and away from all the Vegas madness.  Still getting use to the heat.  It's amazing how draining it is.  The temps were in the 80's so we forced ourselves to go out and about the other weekend.  It's funny that we are seeing 80 degree weather as "cooling down" but after it being 100 and above it felt so nice!

Before I got this job, we had Alaska vacation plans with Joe's nephew and his friend.  When I accepted the job it was cleared that I would have a week off without pay due to these plans that were already made.  We had a great time in Alaska doing tourist stuff although it was the hottest week ever in Alaska while we were there!  They were also battling multiple forest fires.  They tend to let the fires do what they need to but it's still sad to see all that is being burned.
We did some major Alaska "must do's": fishing, bear viewing, saw moose, bald eagles, and flew over a glacier!  It was amazing to be back soon after moving away.  It was so laid back and relaxing compared to the traffic business of Vegas.  It was a wonderful vacation!

Now that we are back in Vegas we have to get our Vegas groove on.  We are going to focus on exercising, eating right, and get back to saving money! 

Time for a reset

Tux is not amused!

We've had a couple of good visitors but now it's time to get down to business.  As you can see, Tux isn't a big fan of being productive but it's what we have to do... damn adulthood!  But before I get into that stuff, our summer in Alaska is coming to a close :(

Mom's visit...she brought in some good HI sunshine!

Mom came for a month long visit and we had some decent weather while she was here!  We did some tourist stuff but I couldn't take a lot of time off so Mom was left to her own devices and she got familiar with our bus system.  She got out and about and saw Anchorage on her own.

We did the Kenai Fjords Tour which was amazing!  We saw whales, otters, puffins, otters, seals, glaciers, and amazing scenery!

Although this glacier was BIG it has shrunk dramatically over the years :(

We visited an old abandoned mine which is a quick drive from our house.  The park was closed, but we could walk around and it was beautiful.  Alaska amazes me on a regular basis!

We have been busy with Mom's visit but now she is back home in Hawaii and now we are in purge mode!

Like I mentioned in a previous post we are moving from our 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment to a studio apartment AirB&B.  We have a month to purge all of our stuff!  It's a mental process just as much as physical one.

We've been slowly downsizing and I've been keeping my buying down to a minimum.  Whenever I'm out and about, shopping or window shopping, I always ask myself now "do I need this? how will this fit into my traveling future? what will it replace?".  Knowing my goals and what I truly value has allowed me to stay focused in my day to day life.  I am able to ask myself how does this thing or this action fit into my value.  If I can't answer that question, I move on from it.  

For the past few weeks I've been thinking about my bathroom.  As a female we have tons of stuff in our bathrooms.... make up, hair products, face products, and just random stuff.  Today I purged my bathroom and my jewelry.  It is already feeling "more simple" and I'm just getting started!

In addition to this physical purge of all of our stuff we are doing a reset on our bodies.  With our visitors our eating habits have gotten out of whack and we both feel like our mental and physical selves need a reset, just like our purge of stuff.  

24 day reset!

We've done this once before and what we like about it is that we don't have to totally change our diet.  We eat healthy and as clean as possible.  So...for us that means less eating out and no alcohol LOL. So starting on Tuesday, after the holiday of course, it's game on!

one step at a time

Life is crazy and we never know what is next.  Being able to know your true self and your values allows you to keep moving forward in a way that fills one's soul.  

Slow internet... it's really selective internet!

I'm at work, not a place I like to blog but the computers are running on molasses!  Well, the programs and internet sites that are connect to my work are not working so here we are! I've restarted my computer 4 times and nada so I blog:P

Work is still going smoothly with no real complaints.  Things are at a pace that is almost a tad slow for me but I'm doing other things with my time.  Researching diagnosis, taking the time to really prep for people I'm working with, and doing some education. 

This past weekend, Joe and I took Stevie out for the weekend.  We didn't drive off far, it was just a regular weekend but it is amazing how camping and being out in nature changes one's mood.  After last week I was fine, wasn't overly stressed or anything along those lines.  We go out camping and it's like my work is a world away, although we just drove 2 hours away!  We spend a full day hiking on Saturday and it is confirmed...I did something to my knee :(  I have an appointment already scheduled so we will see what is going on with that!  Can't be restricted to only 4 mile hikes!  Not here in Alaska!

The trail we chose to go on is actually around 16 miles or so, an out and back.  You hike 8 miles out to a glacier and then come back.  We made it to almost 4 miles.  So we did a total of around 8.  We attempted to make it to the 4 mile marker but we were thwarted by marshy land we could not navigate through or around.  So we turned around, found a clearing, and took a power nap before heading back to Stevie.  Not a lot of food traffic on the hike so it was pretty low key and relaxing. 

Getting back to Stevie we relaxed with some drinks and grilled some cheeseburgers.  We heading home early on Sunday and it worked out great because we got back before the other RVs, so no line to dump, and we had the day to get ready for the week ahead!

Animal sitings update:

Buffalo: a big herd

Caribou: 9 alive and 1 carcass
Deer: 5

Dall Sheep: lost count

Rabbit: 1

Prairie Dog: 1

Tundra Swan: lost count
Moose: lost count
Bald Eagle: lost count
Porcupine: 1
Sea Lions: 4

Artic Ground Squirrel: 1

New job, updated animal sitings, random outings

Two weeks down at a new job and so far I am feeling that this has been a good employment move for me.  The morale/vibe of the place is good and the pace not a regular crisis mode.  I got an office with a view which was a nice surprise.  I'm redoing my name tag.  I'm not sure why some things are difficult to make neat but it is what it is.  

My view :) I LOVE all the natural light I'm getting right now.

I'm fixing this to make it neater, sorry Army NCO this just isn't cutting it for me!

This coming week I'll take over the anger management group and then hopefully have my schedule updated in the system so I can start being scheduled with individuals.  Things are moving at a steady forward pace which as been a nice change from the last job.

After my first work week, we took Stevie to Seward for the Mermaid festival.  We were both fighting a head cold but we decided that since we had Stevie, she is warm and we can be comfortable, that we'd still make a go of it.  I'm glad we did.  It was rainy and overcast the whole time but it was a nice get away.  Relaxing and beautiful.  We stayed right on the water!  We saw bald eagles and some sea lions playing in the water while we had our morning coffee.  

Our view from our camping spot once we pulled in to Seward AK

rainy weather doesn't stop the annual Mermaid Festival in Seward!

The Mermaid Festival was a small venue but it was good, local vendors and some local music!  Since we were both under the weather we brought soup for our dinners ;) With me working it was up to Joe to gather most of the things for Stevie.  When I got off of work I asked if he had certain things, packed up my clothing etc, and we were off.  I found out once we got there and it was time for dinner that Joe does not get to pack up kitchen stuff anymore.  We were missing some key items, like more than one spoon!  As usual we adapted and had a good time.

He forgot the spoons, he got the cooking spoon!

We are currently finishing up a three day Memorial Day weekend.  We kept it low key but decided to drive up to Talkeetna to check out the town.  We went past it on the train in the winter and thought it looked cute and fun.  We were right!  It's a small town and touristy.  The place was busy and everyone was walking around, it takes about 10 minutes to walk the town!  The cruise ships have started coming to Alaska and some of them dock in Whittier.  There was a group of older ladies that were visiting from Albany NY and took the train to Talkeetna.  They were having a good time and one of them was getting ready to sign up for a helicopter ride around Denali!  It was a relaxing sunny day.

on the banks of the Susitna River... background is Denali!

air strip.... they are every where here in Alaska!

On the way home we stopped at Lynne Lake because a friend of ours was helping his folks clear out some lake front land.  It turned into an impromptu canoe ride which we did not complain about!  Joe went back the next day to help clear some more land while I went on a little hike with a friend.  

Random canoe ride!

Have I mentioned how beautiful it is around here!

It is so beautiful here, it's so hard to capture in pictures but we try.  The nature here is amazing.  A few days last week I would pass by a moose with her two calves.  Today we were driving home and there was a moose having her dinner on the side of the road!  So far we have not seen or come across any bear but we have our bear spray that we take with us when we are out and about ;)  At the end of this blog I added our animal siting updates....it's fun but we are getting to the "lost count" range with some of them.

When we are not out and about we enjoy our lazy time at home with Tux the Judger.  We have a wonderful bay window that looks out towards the mountains so we always have a great view, once we look over the roof tops!

Animal sitings update:

Buffalo: a big herd

Caribou: 9 alive and 1 carcass
Deer: 5

Dall Sheep: lost count

Rabbit: 1

Prairie Dog: 1

Tundra Swan: lost count
Moose: lost count
Bald Eagle: lost count
Porcupine: 1
Sea Lions: 4

Unemployed in Alaska

at our camp site in Homer AK

Yep, we are still unemployed but I got a firm job offer yesterday and may be starting my new job 14 May, so that has taken some stress off.  Joe is still looking and has applied for some government jobs of his own but is in no real rush due to starting his last two classes for his bachelor's degree.  He is using his post 9/11 GI Bill, so he's getting paid a decent amount of money to take classes :). As Joe said a month ago...we will be fine!

Chris, Grandpa, and me

Things have a way of working out when you don't fight them. After I submitted my 2 weeks and was on leave, my Grandmother in Missouri took a turn for the worse.  She was in her 90's so it wasn't a big surprise.  Everything happened quickly and within a matter of days I was flying out to support my Dad during the funeral.  I got to see a lot of family I have not seen in awhile in addition to my brother.  If I was still working, it would have been stressful for me taking the time off and navigating all of that.  So I'm grateful that I could just do my thing and fly out with no additional stress.  I got to visit with Grandpa.  He suffers from Alzheimer's but he's happy.  With Grandmother gone, she was slightly controlling, he gets to watch westerns all day :)

Off to Homer AK

Stevie

When I returned, Joe and I took our new family member to Homer AK.  Stevie is a 97' Fleetwood Sport Jamboree.  She is are trial run for living small :P and a way for us to get out and explore more of AK without worrying about hotels etc.  Homer hadn't woken up yet, so it was more of the sleepy fishing town while we were there.  We boondocked on the spit and practically none of the stores and restaurants were open yet.  I guess the magic open time is in May.  We spend 2 nights there.  One thing that Homer is known for is the bald eagles.  There wasn't as many as pictures show, it's probably a season thing too, but we saw enough!  They are amazing birds!  The size of them and to see them just flying around...we were constantly in awe!

boat docks at the Homer spit

We had a decent walk about in Homer, walking 8.8 miles one day!  Joe and I usually end up doing a lot of walking.  It's a great way to see things and take up time when you got nothing going on, which is usually the case when you're camping.  

all to our selves!

Stevie is great!  The heater is awesome!  We had some things things that brought up questions but we either figured them out on the road or just adapted until getting home.  Joe has a friend that rents RVs here in Anchorage and he cleared up some of our questions.  We did good for our first packing for a trip too.  We under packed kitchen stuff but over packed clothing LOL. It's a learning process but we are good and going with what we got, working together to solve problems.  The only thing we didn't try out was the shower.  

a must have for AK traveling!!!

We may be taking another short weekend trip next month.  We will see how things go.  Stevie needs a good washing, outside and in before our next adventure.  

down time while camping

My goal is to do quicker blog updates... there is so much to say and share when we go on our trips and even life here in AK.  We tend to have a lot of relaxing time while we camp so there is no reason not to do an update ;)

Baby steps, enjoy where you are at

It's a lazy Sunday here in Alaska but we are going to be checking out a used Class C around lunch time...sssh don't tell anyone :). 

Joe is more excited than I am, I'm always a wait and see before getting excited.  Too many times of getting ramped up just to be let down I suppose.  We are going with an open mind due to we both know this will not be our "forever" vehicle.  It's our starter vehicle! The one that we try on for size, gets our feet wet with in regards to living in a vehicle so we can narrow down our needs, must haves, and it would be nice to have.  We have a pretty good idea of what we "must have" but it's amazing how things begin to change once you're in it.  So we will see how this progresses.

We are getting exposed to spring weather in Alaska.  Like most areas we will have a bout of "warm weather" where things begin to melt.  Like right now we may reach 40 degrees today but within a couple of days it's snow snow snow!  It's not really called "spring here" but "breakup".  Which is a fun way of looking at the weather... I see that I'm breaking up with the cold dark weather but it really describes the TERRIBLE road conditions.  In Alaska they don't use salt on the roads, they use gravel of some sort.  So during the winter you are pretty much driving, in some areas, over packed down snow and ice.  No big deal you get use to it.  But now with the weather warming up that snow and ice is breaking up and you are driving on like the worst back country road imaginable.  Plus with this thaw and freeze craziness, once you get to the road, there are potholes that will blow out your tire if you are not careful in addition to all the gravel that was laid down...wind shield cracks are the norm.  So although the Alaska mountains are and will be forever beautiful in the background of my day to day driving, the roads are surround by black dirty snow and booby trapped roads.

Well my coffee is done and it's time to get moving and see what our future may look like!

Alaska Life

It's been an interesting week but that seems to be par for for the course here in Alaska.  The weather has been weird, so far not much of a winter but it's coming.  We had some warm weather, in the 40's and almost 50's, this past week which results in the packed down ice melting creating gargantuan pot holes!  They call that "break up" and it will be worse as we really get into winter and then with spring.  With the warm temps the snow is just hanging out in the mountains and it's hit or miss down in the valley.

This past Friday I had a pretty awesome experience.  I woke up in a mood and heading out to work.  It's always pitch black when I head out to work and it's pretty dark when I come home...we are only averaging a handful of daylight hours a day now.  Anyway, I'm driving out of our complex and I see a mama moose and her kid just laying there.  I was first shocked then slowed down, stopped right in front of them, rolled down my window and snapped a picture!  They are amazing creatures and their vibe is just peaceful and majestic.

It totally changed my mood around!
Before moving here people would tell us it's different.  We acknowledged that and when people would tell us how expensive things were up here I would compare it to Hawaii.  Alaska is out of the way of everything, pretty remote, and although it is connected to land and not an island...it pretty much is another island of the U.S.  But living here there are other connections that I am seeing with Hawaii.
People in Alaska and Hawaii have a connection with the land.    You cannot live in either state without acknowledging the natural beauty of the land.  
In both states the land is respected and is a main focus of activities and life.  Yes, there are your plays and music but a lot of events are outside, even in the winter!  The people of the state have a long history of depending and working with the land to survive, one has to know and understand the nuances of the land for this to be done which results in respect and a deep connection.  
You can probably get this in some of the lower 48 states, farm belt, wine country.... I don't know.  All I know is that I've never noticed it as much except in HI and AK.  
Nature is a good reminder that this life is bigger than us as individuals.  
It needs to be respected and honored.  

Work time

Week 1 of work done.  It's a struggle for me being the "new person" at work.  I like the challenge and the new environment but it's exhausting because I tend to put really high expectations on myself.  This past week was mostly new employee orientation.  Working a federal job comes with different nuances compared to a non-fed job.  For me it wasn't all that different due to spending a majority of my work life in the military but I can see how overwhelming it can be for someone that has not worked in a federal environment.
It was a small group of new employees so that made it more comfortable and not as overwhelming since we could talk and bounce things off one another.  I have a beautiful view of the mountains from the hospital and I have my own office that I need to make cozy for my clients.  It's going to be a process but it will be nice to have that stability and personal touch when doing therapy.

One thing I have realized from my past job and now this one...not a whole lot of orientation.  You get a drive by set of basic stuff and then you're off to the races.  Coming here to Anchorage I did not realize that Alaska has the highest, or one of the highest percentages of veterans, so it seems as if the is VA has a lot more veterans working at it than other VAs.  The majority of people that I have met, coworkers, have either served or are married to a military member.  


My goals of working out didn't go too well this past week :(. I made it only two times to the gym out of my goal of 5 times.  BUT I did do a decent job at tracking my food, sticking to reasonable portions and not eating out a lot this week!  According to my food tracking I only went over my calorie intake ONE day!  That's a win for me!  I'll need to figure something out for this coming week,  more of a balance of working out at the gym and downtime at home.  I may be an ever other day gym person....

Last night we went to The Rocky Horror Picture Show!  Fun time but today I'm moving slow.... my recovery time after drinking is not as good as it use to be :(. We were all surprised that not as many people dressed up!  I expected more costumes but a majority of people were not dressed up. It was like us four and maybe another group of about 5 people!  

Bit by bit, or box by box

It's been a busy week for us.  We are mostly unpacked but have yet to start putting things on the wall, baby steps.  We have a least two boxes of donation/give away items.  I survived that crazy workout session and can now walk normally again.  Tomorrow I will be at the gym but I will ease into my workout!  We have Alaskan driver's licenses and Alaska license plates on our vehicles!  

We are enjoying Alaska!  It's cool, it's been around 50 degrees  give or take a few degrees up or down and now we have a good dusting of snow on our mountains.  Yep I'm claiming our mountains because if I'm sitting at our table or on the couch I can see them :)

We are truly blessed.  We have another couple that we hang out with and they have been here for some years so they know what to do and how to adapt to living here.  

I picture above is driving to their place and it was amazing how the sunlight was highlighting that snow capped mountain!  Beautiful!  Also, a few minutes later during that same drive I saw my first moose walking down a side street!  NOW it is official, I saw a moose so now I live here in Alaska!

The local scenery!

This past weekend the weather was beautiful!  Sunny and clear.  On Saturday we drove down to Alyeska which reminded me of the ski communities in Salt Lake City, UT.  It was a beautiful drive on AK-1/Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm.  We were surrounded by mountains and water! Along that dive there were numerous pull outs to go hiking and to take pictures, and our friends mentioned a few that are good.   Our friends also mentioned that Seward Highway is one of the most dangerous roads in the U.S. for fatalities.  It's not the animals but the people doing stupid crap, trying to pass in a no passing area etc. :(. But it's good to know the next time we are traveling on that road.  
What is funny to me is that I was here May 2010 with the Hawaii Air National Guard and was on that same road.  We even went to Alyeska and I got a similar photo!  I never thought, living in Hawaii, that I would be eventually living in Alaska!  Life is crazy!

We oooh and aaah'd our way to Girdwood and made it to the resort and figured since it was such a beautiful day we'd take the tram up to the top.  The tram takes you up 2,300 ft up the mountain!  Talk about views!  We climbed a little higher for some pictures and the view before heading down.  Back nestled in the mountains are 7 glaciers!  
I saw a corgi up there :). Sami is keeping an eye on us via her connections :P

After a little hike and fresh air we needed some food and stopped at the Girdwood tap house.  They had a food truck that sold crepes (not totally in the mood for that) but we got a drink, sat outside, enjoyed the view and ignored conversations around us.  The conversations were not bad but it seems that in ritzy areas of ski resorts, there is a different vibe.  We enjoyed the area, the drinks, the view and headed back into town for an early dinner.  
It was an awesome day!  
On Sunday, Joe spent the morning working on his resume stuff for Monday (today) an then we went over to some friends house for food and football!  

A successfully good weekend I must say!

this is the "lake" our place is on :)

I have two weeks of "vacation" left via Joe and then it's back to the working and being an "adult".  Joe is going to be doing an informational interview  this morning (Monday) and fingers crossed he has a job also!  We still don't have our furniture but we adapt well and hopefully early this week we will get an update on that!  I can't wait for a real bed!

This afternoon we have our "fit test" at the gym we signed up with, The Alaska Club.  That should be interesting and scary! But we both need to get back into being fit and healthy so we can do all this stuff we want to here in Alaska!!!