Well, I have a new blog that I am sure you are all going to want to follow! It will be all about my journey using P90X, and once I get 25 followers I will post the information on how to enter in the $50 Visa Gift Card giveaway I will be offering!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
A Few to Hold You Over...
Not any "great" pictures, but they are all I have so far!! I am hoping to get Kevin to take me out for an "adventure" to the pretty parts of Kodiak on Thursday or Sunday when he is off. We've heard that we can expect to see wild horses, buffalo, and possibly whales. Not sure when the bears really come out, but trust me... we have been warned about the bears (although I really want to see one and get some really good pictures of them)! I keep begging Kevin to let me get the camera I want, but who knows when that will actually happen, so for now you will just have to endure looking at pictures that may be a little blurry or not as zoomed in as I would like. I'm planning on driving to my **favorite part of Kodiak tomorrow to take some pictures of the view there and all of my little bald eagle friends!
**My favorite part of Kodiak is between town and the base. It is on a curvy road, where there are rocks and mountains to one side, and on your other side there is the water with the mountains in the background. I don't know why I love it so much, but every time I drive by I have to say, "Wow...this is my favorite part!" haha! I'm sure I will find plenty more "favorites" but for the time being this will do.
Where to Begin?!?
Wow... All I can say is I have felt like I fell off the face of the Earth! It has been roughly a week since I have had access to the internet, and I must say it is a little sad how dependant I have become to this form of technology. A lot has happened this past week, so let me give you a brief overview. (Sadly, I have been really slacking on taking pictures, but I plan on venturing out to take some on Wednesday or Thursday).
My last post was a week ago, which was Kevin's first day at work. I had been waiting around all day for him to come home and to hear what he had found out from the housing office. When he walked into the hotel room he told me to start packing, because he had the key to our house! I could not believe it! I was so thrilled to be leaving our hotel, although I knew it would be awhile before we would have internet and cable (and a "real" bed).
When Kevin started describing the house to me I became extremely disappointed and wanted to cry. The first thing I asked was, "Do we have a fenced in back yard?" and Kevin's reply was "No". Next thing I asked was, "Well, do we at least have a garage?" and once again, Kevin's reply was "No". At this point I knew we were in the 4-plexes and wanted to bust into tears! The 4-plexes are just like they sound... 4 homes in one building...2 upstairs and 2 downstairs. Thankfully we were able to get a bottom unit, so we don't have to worry about going up and down stairs every time we have to take the dogs out, but it really stinks to have to put them on a leash numerous time a day. As we drove to our new "house" I was really just expecting the worst. I think the reason I was having such a difficult time is because I know this is where we will be living for the next 3 years. There is no way we can move to a different house later on down the road unless we move out of the military housing all together, and find a rental house in town (the problem with that is they are extremely expensive).
As we pulled up I realized they weren't at ugly as I was expecting, and was pleasantly surprised as we parked the car. The house is a decent size, and considering it is just me and Kevin (and even when we do add one more) we really have enough room. I love how open our living/dining room is, and although we only have 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, they are right next to each other, which will make for a perfect master bedroom and nursery (when the time comes). It is a little funky though. We have to go down into the basement to do our laundry, and it is in an open area that we share with the people above us. We also have a storage unit in the basement, which is massive and Kevin keeps talking about how he wants to make it into his "man-cave".
All of our hose hold goods arrived on Thursday, so I have been slowly but surely unpacking everything and trying to make it feel more like home. We have been lucky and have met several of our neighbors, and they all seem great. We keep getting told that we are extremely lucky... the fact that we not only got our house, but all of our household goods within a week seems to never happen. I must say that I am VERY thankful that we are in our house, have all of our stuff, and now we have Internet and cable (all within a week!). I still have a ton of unpacking, organizing, and decorating (my favorite part!) to do, but I don't have many complaints these days.
On Friday, Kevin's station had a B-B-Q for everyone that is leaving this summer, and for the new people who are taking their places (Kevin is the only new person here so far). It was at a "beach house" that sat up on a cliff and looked out over the water with the mountains in the background. It was absolutely beautiful. The town of Kodiak is actually very ugly, Base is prettier, and we have been told that if you keep driving past base it is gorgeous. We are hoping to make that drive on Wednesday or Thursday of this week since Kevin will be off work, and I PROMISE to take lots of pictures!!
That night was one of Kevin's supervisors invited us to dinner. I really was hesitant, and wanted to just stay home and unpack. Kevin twisted my arm, and I could not be more thankful! We went to dinner and ended up going out with everyone afterwards. Much to our surprise, the bars here don't close until 5 am!! That is just asking for bad news!! We had a blast, took a taxi home, and ended up feeling awful the next day! Needless to say, we didn't get any unpacking really done until Sunday. I already have plans for a girls night this Friday, and can not wait! I really thought it would take some time to make some friends of my own, but it is shocking how friendly everyone is around here and how welcoming they all are. I think the hardest part about living here is going to be when the friends I make, end up moving away.
So I am very pleased to say that after being in Kodiak for 10 days, I am loving it, and can't wait to experience everything Alaska has to offer.
My last post was a week ago, which was Kevin's first day at work. I had been waiting around all day for him to come home and to hear what he had found out from the housing office. When he walked into the hotel room he told me to start packing, because he had the key to our house! I could not believe it! I was so thrilled to be leaving our hotel, although I knew it would be awhile before we would have internet and cable (and a "real" bed).
When Kevin started describing the house to me I became extremely disappointed and wanted to cry. The first thing I asked was, "Do we have a fenced in back yard?" and Kevin's reply was "No". Next thing I asked was, "Well, do we at least have a garage?" and once again, Kevin's reply was "No". At this point I knew we were in the 4-plexes and wanted to bust into tears! The 4-plexes are just like they sound... 4 homes in one building...2 upstairs and 2 downstairs. Thankfully we were able to get a bottom unit, so we don't have to worry about going up and down stairs every time we have to take the dogs out, but it really stinks to have to put them on a leash numerous time a day. As we drove to our new "house" I was really just expecting the worst. I think the reason I was having such a difficult time is because I know this is where we will be living for the next 3 years. There is no way we can move to a different house later on down the road unless we move out of the military housing all together, and find a rental house in town (the problem with that is they are extremely expensive).
As we pulled up I realized they weren't at ugly as I was expecting, and was pleasantly surprised as we parked the car. The house is a decent size, and considering it is just me and Kevin (and even when we do add one more) we really have enough room. I love how open our living/dining room is, and although we only have 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, they are right next to each other, which will make for a perfect master bedroom and nursery (when the time comes). It is a little funky though. We have to go down into the basement to do our laundry, and it is in an open area that we share with the people above us. We also have a storage unit in the basement, which is massive and Kevin keeps talking about how he wants to make it into his "man-cave".
All of our hose hold goods arrived on Thursday, so I have been slowly but surely unpacking everything and trying to make it feel more like home. We have been lucky and have met several of our neighbors, and they all seem great. We keep getting told that we are extremely lucky... the fact that we not only got our house, but all of our household goods within a week seems to never happen. I must say that I am VERY thankful that we are in our house, have all of our stuff, and now we have Internet and cable (all within a week!). I still have a ton of unpacking, organizing, and decorating (my favorite part!) to do, but I don't have many complaints these days.
On Friday, Kevin's station had a B-B-Q for everyone that is leaving this summer, and for the new people who are taking their places (Kevin is the only new person here so far). It was at a "beach house" that sat up on a cliff and looked out over the water with the mountains in the background. It was absolutely beautiful. The town of Kodiak is actually very ugly, Base is prettier, and we have been told that if you keep driving past base it is gorgeous. We are hoping to make that drive on Wednesday or Thursday of this week since Kevin will be off work, and I PROMISE to take lots of pictures!!
That night was one of Kevin's supervisors invited us to dinner. I really was hesitant, and wanted to just stay home and unpack. Kevin twisted my arm, and I could not be more thankful! We went to dinner and ended up going out with everyone afterwards. Much to our surprise, the bars here don't close until 5 am!! That is just asking for bad news!! We had a blast, took a taxi home, and ended up feeling awful the next day! Needless to say, we didn't get any unpacking really done until Sunday. I already have plans for a girls night this Friday, and can not wait! I really thought it would take some time to make some friends of my own, but it is shocking how friendly everyone is around here and how welcoming they all are. I think the hardest part about living here is going to be when the friends I make, end up moving away.
So I am very pleased to say that after being in Kodiak for 10 days, I am loving it, and can't wait to experience everything Alaska has to offer.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Fingers Crossed!
I can not believe that the "move" is already over and it's back to real life... sort of. Today is Kevin's first day back at work after having a month off! Yup, I said month! It has been so nice having all this time with him after 5 months of never seeing him, although there were some days I was ready to strangle him! So considering it is his first day back at work, that means it is my first day of being alone. :( I know once we get into a house I wont mind being at home alone (until I find a job), but it just feels weird and awkward since we are still in a hotel. I hate taking the dogs out because I have to walk down the stairs, through the lobby full of people, try to keep them from barking, try to keep Winston from making his choking/gagging sounds, and try to find a trash can that is not placed directly next to the front door of the hotel to throw away their poop. Not to mention our hotel is located on the "main road" (there is only ONE road that goes through town) and I hate having the dogs so close to a road where the speed limit is roughly 55 mph.
Kevin has a lot of paper work he will be dealing with today, and he is meeting with the housing office!! I thought I would be able to meet with them as well, but I guess not. :( We drove around the different housing neighborhoods yesterday, so I was able to point out to Kevin which neighborhoods I want and don't want (and we were on the same page with that!). I have been praying for weeks now that they would have the perfect house ready for us immediately. It would be a dream come true if Kevin were able to sign the paperwork this morning and get the keys so we could move in this evening. I know I am probably getting my hopes up way to high, but a girl can dream! It is going to be killing me all day wondering what is going on since Kevin can't use his phone, and I don't even know what time he will get to come home tonight.
As for me (other than trying to keep my anxiousness at bay) I have a few ideas on how to keep myself busy. With nothing to do but watch TV for the past couple of days, I have been watching the Dog Whisperer A LOT! That show has made me realize that even though I have tiny dogs, they still need their exercise, and I never take them for a walk. So this afternoon we are going to take a nice long walk around downtown and see what kind of shops they have around there, and kill some time as well. I also found that the hotel has a business center where they have a computer and printer. I'm going to print off several copies of my resume to have with me when I apply for the jobs I have found online (almost all of them require that you apply in person). Other than that, I bought a new Nicholas Sparks book to keep me entertained, and I have a few people I need to call and chat with.
Hopefully today will fly by and I will hear something about our house soon! Once I hear anything, I will be sure to update.
Kevin has a lot of paper work he will be dealing with today, and he is meeting with the housing office!! I thought I would be able to meet with them as well, but I guess not. :( We drove around the different housing neighborhoods yesterday, so I was able to point out to Kevin which neighborhoods I want and don't want (and we were on the same page with that!). I have been praying for weeks now that they would have the perfect house ready for us immediately. It would be a dream come true if Kevin were able to sign the paperwork this morning and get the keys so we could move in this evening. I know I am probably getting my hopes up way to high, but a girl can dream! It is going to be killing me all day wondering what is going on since Kevin can't use his phone, and I don't even know what time he will get to come home tonight.
As for me (other than trying to keep my anxiousness at bay) I have a few ideas on how to keep myself busy. With nothing to do but watch TV for the past couple of days, I have been watching the Dog Whisperer A LOT! That show has made me realize that even though I have tiny dogs, they still need their exercise, and I never take them for a walk. So this afternoon we are going to take a nice long walk around downtown and see what kind of shops they have around there, and kill some time as well. I also found that the hotel has a business center where they have a computer and printer. I'm going to print off several copies of my resume to have with me when I apply for the jobs I have found online (almost all of them require that you apply in person). Other than that, I bought a new Nicholas Sparks book to keep me entertained, and I have a few people I need to call and chat with.
Hopefully today will fly by and I will hear something about our house soon! Once I hear anything, I will be sure to update.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
FINALLY!!!!
FINALLY... that is the only word that keeps running through my mind. After 3 VERY long weeks, we have finally reached our final destination and new home!
We arrived at the ferry terminal in Homer, AK this morning at 7:30 am. We waited patiently until 9:45 to finally board the ferry, which was much smaller than the first ferry we took. This one was pretty interesting... to get our car onto the ship we had to drive it onto this "elevator" type machine, where it lowered us onto the car deck, spun us around, and then we had to back into our designated spot. Stressful to say the least! Once we were on the ship we went to our room and laid down since we were so tired from waking up at the crack of dawn. We went and had lunch at about noon, and this was when I realized I had left my motion sickness medication in the car. I should have known this would be an issue when I saw the "bark bags" posted all over the place. As soon as we stood up from lunch the water had gotten so rough I could barely stand. We were clinging to the hand railings as we walked back to our room. I thought that maybe if I stepped outside and had some cold air on my face I would feel better, but that was such a horrible idea! I guess seeing the water and boat swaying made it ten times worse because all of I sudden I started shaking and was on the verge of puking everywhere! I ran back to the room where I laid down, shut my eyes, and clung to the rail on my bunk bed. I slept on and off for nearly 5 hours! At one point they came on the speaker to tell us there was a pod of Orka whales, and sadly I felt so sick I couldn't even jump out of bed (not to mention open the curtain to our window) to go check them out. Thankfully around 6 the waters seemed to calm, and we went and had dinner. Our ferry was delayed about an hour, but we landed in Kodiak at 8:45 pm! Sadly it was getting dark, so I didn't get any pictures, but I plan on taking TONS tomorrow!
When we got off the boat, Kevin's OS-2 and Chief were waiting there to meet us. They showed us to our hotel, helped us carrying all of our bags in, and showed us around. Kevin and his OS-2 went to the station so he could get his orders signed to help make the process on Monday go by more quickly. His Chief took me and showed me around town. It was so welcoming and gave me such a great first impression of what it will be like to live here. To think... these men both have families and children at home, and they stayed out until 11 pm making sure that we were all settled in and felt comfortable.
Now onto the good stuff... Kodiak itself! The town has ONE stop light... can you say SMALL town! There is a Walmart, Safeway (grocery store), McDonald's, Taco Bell, KFC, Subway, Starbucks, a Vets Clinic, several auto shops, small gift shops, etc. It looks like a cute little town, but it was dark when I saw all of this. The buildings aren't very pretty, but are made to withstand the elements. On the base there is a hospital, Commissary (grocery store), Exchange (general store), HUGE gym with an indoor pool, movie theater, bowling alley, pizza parlor, and one section of the housing. These houses look the least desirable, but still didn't look that bad. The other 2 housing "neighborhoods" aren't right down the street from the base, and both looked very nice. I am so anxious to find out if we will be able to move into something on Monday, or even sometime this week.
All I can say is, so far so good! I think I am really going to like it here! I will post again tomorrow with some pictures. Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!
We arrived at the ferry terminal in Homer, AK this morning at 7:30 am. We waited patiently until 9:45 to finally board the ferry, which was much smaller than the first ferry we took. This one was pretty interesting... to get our car onto the ship we had to drive it onto this "elevator" type machine, where it lowered us onto the car deck, spun us around, and then we had to back into our designated spot. Stressful to say the least! Once we were on the ship we went to our room and laid down since we were so tired from waking up at the crack of dawn. We went and had lunch at about noon, and this was when I realized I had left my motion sickness medication in the car. I should have known this would be an issue when I saw the "bark bags" posted all over the place. As soon as we stood up from lunch the water had gotten so rough I could barely stand. We were clinging to the hand railings as we walked back to our room. I thought that maybe if I stepped outside and had some cold air on my face I would feel better, but that was such a horrible idea! I guess seeing the water and boat swaying made it ten times worse because all of I sudden I started shaking and was on the verge of puking everywhere! I ran back to the room where I laid down, shut my eyes, and clung to the rail on my bunk bed. I slept on and off for nearly 5 hours! At one point they came on the speaker to tell us there was a pod of Orka whales, and sadly I felt so sick I couldn't even jump out of bed (not to mention open the curtain to our window) to go check them out. Thankfully around 6 the waters seemed to calm, and we went and had dinner. Our ferry was delayed about an hour, but we landed in Kodiak at 8:45 pm! Sadly it was getting dark, so I didn't get any pictures, but I plan on taking TONS tomorrow!
When we got off the boat, Kevin's OS-2 and Chief were waiting there to meet us. They showed us to our hotel, helped us carrying all of our bags in, and showed us around. Kevin and his OS-2 went to the station so he could get his orders signed to help make the process on Monday go by more quickly. His Chief took me and showed me around town. It was so welcoming and gave me such a great first impression of what it will be like to live here. To think... these men both have families and children at home, and they stayed out until 11 pm making sure that we were all settled in and felt comfortable.
Now onto the good stuff... Kodiak itself! The town has ONE stop light... can you say SMALL town! There is a Walmart, Safeway (grocery store), McDonald's, Taco Bell, KFC, Subway, Starbucks, a Vets Clinic, several auto shops, small gift shops, etc. It looks like a cute little town, but it was dark when I saw all of this. The buildings aren't very pretty, but are made to withstand the elements. On the base there is a hospital, Commissary (grocery store), Exchange (general store), HUGE gym with an indoor pool, movie theater, bowling alley, pizza parlor, and one section of the housing. These houses look the least desirable, but still didn't look that bad. The other 2 housing "neighborhoods" aren't right down the street from the base, and both looked very nice. I am so anxious to find out if we will be able to move into something on Monday, or even sometime this week.
All I can say is, so far so good! I think I am really going to like it here! I will post again tomorrow with some pictures. Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Winston Update
The vet seemed to think that he possibly ate something that upset his stomach. I highly doubt this since we have been living in hotels for the past 3 weeks and keep all trashcans on the bathroom counter to avoid issues like this. I am hoping it is just from stress and all the changes he is having to go through right now (how sad is that).
When we took him to the vet we took a sample of what we found in the bathroom, still uncertain of what end it had actually come from. They weighed him (he has lost about 2 pounds in 3 weeks), took his temp (he was normal), and gave him a rectal exam (which came out completely empty...guess he emptied himself out on the bathroom floor). They decided to hook him up to an IV to rehydrate him and gave him two different shots. We got two different pills to give him- one for the diarrhea and one is an antibiotic. We were told to keep him from eating or drinking anything for 24 hours, which makes me feel like a bad mama!
He has been more active since we got back from the vet. For a while he just laid under one of the chairs in the hotel room, as if he were in trouble. I think he is scared he is going to get beat since he has been pooping in the "house". After a while he started playing with Charlie and barking at the people who walked by our room a little too loudly. Hopefully he will be back to normal tomorrow, especially since I am so worried about him being in the car by himself for 10 hours while we are on the ferry (plus can you imagine what our car would smell like if he wasn't feeling better!).
Thanks to all of you who were concerned about my furbaby!
When we took him to the vet we took a sample of what we found in the bathroom, still uncertain of what end it had actually come from. They weighed him (he has lost about 2 pounds in 3 weeks), took his temp (he was normal), and gave him a rectal exam (which came out completely empty...guess he emptied himself out on the bathroom floor). They decided to hook him up to an IV to rehydrate him and gave him two different shots. We got two different pills to give him- one for the diarrhea and one is an antibiotic. We were told to keep him from eating or drinking anything for 24 hours, which makes me feel like a bad mama!
He has been more active since we got back from the vet. For a while he just laid under one of the chairs in the hotel room, as if he were in trouble. I think he is scared he is going to get beat since he has been pooping in the "house". After a while he started playing with Charlie and barking at the people who walked by our room a little too loudly. Hopefully he will be back to normal tomorrow, especially since I am so worried about him being in the car by himself for 10 hours while we are on the ferry (plus can you imagine what our car would smell like if he wasn't feeling better!).
Thanks to all of you who were concerned about my furbaby!
Funny How Things Work Out
After my tantrum yesterday about being so mad that we aren't getting on the ferry today, I awoke to the sounds of a dog barfing. Winston has been throwing up for about the past 3 days, usually just in the morning, and its all just stomach acid, no dog food or anything in it. We have been making sure he is still eating and getting lots of water, but figured he probably just got something out of the trash that didn't settle well with his stomach.
So this morning I rush out of bed to clean up the vomit, and smell an AWFUL smell... Of coarse he had diarrhea all over the floor too. As I'm cleaning all of this up (Kevin is still passed out asleep) I can see Winston squatting like he is about to again! I grabbed him, threw him into the bathroom and slammed the door! Once I finished cleaning everything I took Winston and Charlie out for the morning, where Winston continued to vomit. When we came back inside I made him a comfy little bed in the bathroom with his food and water, so that if he did get sick it wouldn't be on the carpet.
I waited about 10 minutes and went to check on him and was horrified! Thankfully I had already looked up the number to a vet, because I was on the phone immediately. When I opened the door all I saw was blood everywhere! I couldn't even tell you if it is vomit or "poop". We scooped up a little on a hotel cup to take with us to the vet, and we still have to wait another 30 minutes or so before our appointment (I'll update to let you know what we find out).
It's funny how dogs really do become your "baby". This has me so worried sick, and all I can do is just have Winston lay in my lap and pet him and try to comfort him. I don't know what I would do if there was something seriously wrong with him. But I can say I am VERY thankful we aren't getting on the ferry today, and will have all day today and tomorrow to get Winston feeling better.
So this morning I rush out of bed to clean up the vomit, and smell an AWFUL smell... Of coarse he had diarrhea all over the floor too. As I'm cleaning all of this up (Kevin is still passed out asleep) I can see Winston squatting like he is about to again! I grabbed him, threw him into the bathroom and slammed the door! Once I finished cleaning everything I took Winston and Charlie out for the morning, where Winston continued to vomit. When we came back inside I made him a comfy little bed in the bathroom with his food and water, so that if he did get sick it wouldn't be on the carpet.
I waited about 10 minutes and went to check on him and was horrified! Thankfully I had already looked up the number to a vet, because I was on the phone immediately. When I opened the door all I saw was blood everywhere! I couldn't even tell you if it is vomit or "poop". We scooped up a little on a hotel cup to take with us to the vet, and we still have to wait another 30 minutes or so before our appointment (I'll update to let you know what we find out).
It's funny how dogs really do become your "baby". This has me so worried sick, and all I can do is just have Winston lay in my lap and pet him and try to comfort him. I don't know what I would do if there was something seriously wrong with him. But I can say I am VERY thankful we aren't getting on the ferry today, and will have all day today and tomorrow to get Winston feeling better.
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