FUN!!

I have been dying to get a decent camera for some time now. I was REALLY hoping to have it by the time we started our move, but that just wasn't realistic. About a week ago, Kevin surprised me and decided to go ahead and order it for me as an early Anniversary gift (I can't believe it has almost been 2 years!) I have been so anxious for it to get here so I can get out and take some pictures of Kodiak!

Well it finally showed up today! YAY!! And I must say...I am VERY pleased with this camera. We ended up getting a Canon Rebel XSi, and it is GREAT! Now if all this darn rain would clear up, I could venture outdoors to show off my beautiful new "hometown".

I immediately sat down and started trying to figure out some of the functions. One of the first things I wanted to learn how to do was blur out the background, and leave the object in front standing out. I've seen some awesome pictures with this technique, so naturally I HAVE to figure out how to do it myself. I'm pretty sure I will never get the whole editing thing down, but I'm hoping my sweet little sister will edit them for me if I email them to her! :)

So here are a few of the pictures I took tonight. Don't judge... it was my first hour with my new BFF! And for some reason, I had a VERY difficult time uploading them to Blogger, and as you can see above, it somehow messed with my text as well. I'll have to figure all of that out another day.

This is actually a centerpiece from our wedding, with our "You May Now Kiss the Bride" picture behind it

My Little Lion - Winston! (He REALLY needs a haircut!)

My little stinker- Charlie (He is just so darn cute it kills me! He definitely works the "puppy eyes"!)

Pretty Deep...

WARNING
This Post is Pretty Deep...Meaning Very Emotional

It has been a while since I have posted anything on our efforts to conceive a child. The main reason for this is because I have started a completely separate blog for that. I didn't want my "obsession" with becoming a mom to take over my day to day blog. Unfortunately I have set my TTC (Trying to Conceive) blog on private, so that is is a place where I can vent, share, cry, and most of all write without worrying about being "judged" or feelings like I have to censor my feelings. But if for some reason, you really feel the desire to read along, email me and I will use my "best judgment" to decide if I can handle having you follow along.

The main reason I decided to post on this topic here today, is because it is actually National Infertility Week. Although at this point in time Kevin and I are not considered Infertile, I have met some amazing women who are suffering with this. I am a member of a forum that's entire purpose is for women TTC to ask questions, share stories, and offer support. The women on there are incredible... some trying to have a baby for 4+ years! There is also an entire section for women TTC after a loss, which has been extremely helpful for me.

You see...Kevin and I are still very much trying to have our baby. Every month that passes with a negative pregnancy test and period that shows her ugly face,my heart sinks a little further into my chest. April 4th (which was what would have been my due date) has come and gone, and I survived. The pain from our loss is weakening, but I know it will never fully go away. We would really appreciate lots of prayers for a 2011 baby!

But enough about that... Today as I was looking through the blogs that I follow, I found a post with the most beautiful and touching video, and just had to share it with all of you! But I have to warn you... it may make you cry! The lyrics are beautiful (and SO very true), and the video itself will give you goosebumps!

ENJOY!!

April Showers Bring BOREDOM!

It still blows my mind that Kevin and I have already been in Kodiak for 3 weeks! Some days it feels like we got here yesterday, whereas other days it feels like we have already been here for months.

I am glad to report that the house has come along quite nicely, and everything is pretty much unpacked. There are still a few last minute touches, like hanging up curtains and trying to fill a few blank spots on the walls, but nothing major. It still kills me to drive through the other neighborhoods and see all the houses with their backyards and garages, but I guess I should be thankful that we were able to move into something so soon. The layout of our house is pretty nice, and the living/dining room is very spacious. The one thing that kills me is not having a yard for the dogs, but I guess I will just have to learn to deal. Other than that, we have a huge basement which is where our washer/dryer is and a storage unit which is so massive we don't even fill it up 1/3 of the way! Furniture stores are pretty much non existent unless you want to pay big bucks, so our new TV stand and desk are from WalMart, but I can't complain too much. We don't have the nicest furniture to begin with (mostly hand-me-downs) but with all of the moving around we have done, it has gotten pretty beat up. Once we find a place where we will stay a little more permanently we will splurge on some new stuff, but for now it works just great!

Other than the house, we have met some amazing people who have really welcomed us in. We went bowling with two other couples this past Saturday, and I think it is something that will turn into a weekly event. I was also fortunate enough to already find a job! I will be working with the Teen Center on base, helping coordinate and plan and work all of their events (Bingo night, dances, lazer tag, skate night, etc). I'm considering applying to be a lifeguard on the side as well. There is a huge indoor pool, where they are desperate for lifeguards. It would mostly be something to do on the side to help keep me busy and out of the house, but we will see what my schedule is like with the Teen Center first. I am still waiting for them to process all of my background checks and paperwork, and will hopefully start working the end of this week, or next. I'm DYING to start... I am getting pretty tired of being cooped up all day.

For the most part the weather hasn't been as bad as I was expecting...until yesterday! We have had to deal with a few rainy days, but nothing like yesterday. The wind was so bad, I thought for sure I was in the middle of a hurricane. As I was standing outside with the dogs, the 3 of us were nearly beat to death by the lashing wind and rain. Today the wind isn't as bad, but the rain has not let up at all. It really makes it difficult to want to get out and do anything (although there are not many options to begin with). But the opposite is true as well... when there is a pretty,sunny day, all you want to do is stay outside and soak it all in. Don't get me wrong... it is still cold, but the sun feels wonderful on your face (since the rest of your skin is covered up with layers of clothing)!

Thursday was a nice sunny day, so we decided to invite the two guys that graduated A-school with Kevin over for a BBQ. It was a little chilly, but the sun was out and since it had been raining the 3 days prior, we were ready to be outside. As we were sitting around the deck, it started to snow! Completely out of nowhere... a few wind gusts, some snow flakes, and it stopped (thank goodness)! We got a good laugh out of it, and continued on. Not 5 minutes later, another gust brought more snow! It was a little harder and longer the second time around, so we ran in and grabbed gloves and beanies. We were determined to enjoy the outdoors... and it was still sunny with the snow! It eventually blew over, and the rest of the evening was perfect.

Other than that, nothing new is going on the with the O'Connors. Lots of web surfing, video game playing, movie watching, P90Xing, with a little socializing mixed in. I DID finally order my camera this past week, so I am waiting very UNpatiently for it to arrive! I can't wait to test out all of the features and get Kevin to finally take me to some of the beaches to do some whale watching. There is also a huge Flea Market on base this Saturday that we are going to check out (not that we need any more crap!). We also caught wind of another local festival called Crab Fest. It is at the end of May, and it is THE festival to go to. They set up carnival rides along the boat docks, and have all kinds of vendors. I was looking over the schedule and sadly, I am looking the most forward to the book sale! All of the proceeds benefit the local library, and the books are supposedly sold dirt cheap. I plan on stocking up on children's books since you can never have enough of those! There is also talk that Chip-N-Dale's male dancers from L.A. will be in town... (wish Kelli was here to go with me!) but that is just a rumor.

It's funny to me how your perspective on life can really effect how you live it. Thankfully I had prepared myself for living in Kodiak, knew somewhat what to expect, and have been pleasantly surprised with how everything has turned out. I actually look forward to spending the next 3 years here, and I am happy to call Kodiak "home" (for now...).

Kodiak Whale Fest

Yup...you read right! The 2010 Kodiak Whale Fest actually started on April 19th, with visits to the elementary schools, but the majority of the events will start taking place this weekend. Here is a copy of the schedule of events.

A few of the events that I really want to check out are the Whale Skeleton's which starts tomorrow (and Kevin is off work... YAY!), the Narrow Cape Whale Watching which is on Friday (Kevin is off), and the Harbor Walking Tour on Saturday (Kevin has to work... boo!). I have been DYING to see some of the wildlife here in Kodiak, and just thinking about getting to see a whale gives me goosebumps. I'm getting excited knowing that they are starting to migrate through here, and people have told us that just driving down the road you can see them swimming by. Hopefully I can get some good pictures, but if I get frustrated with the camera, I plan on switching to the video camera so I can have some sort of proof and memory of our first whale sighting!

Not Alot Going on Here...

Now that I am juggling different blogs, I have started neglecting my first love... this blog. I guess since P90X is about the ONLY somewhat exciting part of my life right now, I don't have a whole lot to update on here.

I have also started realizing that I have been pushing back my emotions as much as possible, to try and stay happy and excited about Kodiak. Last night for some reason I got a horrible, sick to my stomach, homesickness for my sister Lauren. Her and I are 7 years apart, but we have always been extremely close. While she was in elementary, I was in High School, and often times I would wake up to her tiny little body in my bed. If she was scared or upset, she would run to me. When she was in the 5th grade (my senior year) our family went through hell and back. It still blows my mind that a little 5th grader had to go through and experience what she did. Once I graduated, my mom, Lauren, and myself moved to Huntsville. I left for college, leaving Lauren to basically be an only child. During my time in Texas it was crazy to see that she is no longer that tiny little 5th grader I will always remember, but he is a 17 year old Junior in high school now. She has a job, plays Varsity soccer, takes all advanced classes, and is struggling to decide what college she wants to go to. I can't believe she is all grown up!! I guess for some reason yesterday I realized that I will be here when she graduates from high school and leaves for college. I told Kevin immediately that I had to figure out a way to be there for her graduation.

Just thinking about this makes me tear up... it is "issues" like these that make living so far away really difficult. Not only do I miss my family like crazy, I am missing my friends just as much. And the scariest part of it all... I have only lived in Kodiak 2 weeks... I still have 2 years and 10 months left to go!

But don't get me wrong... I DO love it here. The people are AMAZING and it really is beautiful. I am still waiting to check out the beaches and the "super pretty" parts of Kodiak, which are about 45 minutes away, but just looking out the windows in my house is breath taking. I even woke up to snow this morning! The coldness will take some getting used to, and the sunlight is beginning to get longer and longer. Last night it wasn't "dark" until about 10 pm. It is so weird to crawl into bed at 9:30 and it still be daylight... I feel like I am 6 years old again!

And I have some exciting news... I have a job interview today!! It is with the Teen Center on base, which would be PERFECT! It is only part time, but I don't mind. I am thinking about volunteering at the Animal Shelter or at the hospital. I'm just trying to keep busy, and meet as many people as possible.

Speaking of meeting people... I have met some really great ladies already. Tonight we are having a Girls Night Out, which I am so excited about! We are playing "Dirty Bingo" which I'm a little interested to see how it all spans out! Basically you go and play Bingo, but the prizes are from a company called "Pure Romance"... if you catch my drift!

But considering how busy of a day I have ahead of me, I better get off the computer and try to get a few things done! Have a great Friday!!

Another Lindsey Creation

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!

Check it out!!

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.

Facing town
Facing the direction of the base

The Munro- One of the Coast Guard Cutters
This is right at the entrance of where we live!

Oh! And last but not least.... our new address!!!

105 B Invincible Court

Kodiak, AK 99615