Lions, and Tigers, and BEARS...Oh My!

My first bear sighting was tonight (August 28, 2010) at about 8:30 pm. The bottom two pictures are from my camera and lens... you can tell how far away the bear really was (don't worry mom!) A very nice man next to me had the same camera, but a MUCH better lens, and let me borrow is for a little bit, and those are the top two pictures. Obviously, a much bigger zoom!

It was so exciting to finally see one... I have been dying to since we got here. I was actually told where to go look earlier today, and I was able to talk Kevin into going and check it out with me. While we were driving down the road we could see cars lined up with people standing by the guard rail taking pictures. We knew there was a bear, so we stopped and ran over. Everyone was so friendly and talked to each other. Apparently, the same few bears are out in that area at the same time every night. I'm hoping I can get Kevin to go out again tomorrow a little earlier so we can catch the bear fishing.

In other exciting news... my mom got engaged tonight!! I still haven't heard the whole story, but her boyfriend Bruce (who I helped set her up with in the beginning) has been planning this for some time now. He actually sat and talked to my sister Lauren and called and talked to me pretty much ask our "permission". We both adore Bruce, and know that he will make my mom a very happy woman. I can't wait to talk to my mom tomorrow so I can hear all the juicy details!! :)

Anchorage Trip!

Tuesday Kevin and I took a day trip to Anchorage. We rode a Coast Guard C-130 plane, which was an experience in itself. First of all, it was SUPER loud! We were given ear plugs to wear, and it was still so loud you couldn't even talk to the person sitting next to you. Secondly, when we flew onto Elmendorf Air Force base in anchorage the whole back of the plane opened up...like the stuff you see in movies where they parachute out! We were already on the ground, but it totally took me by surprise. The seats in the plane we like old, hand-me-down seats from a real airplane and it sat 51 people surprisingly. Once we landed, we were on the middle of the run way at the Air Force base so you can only imagine the planes we saw. There were these jets that were "practicing" or something that were pretty awesome looking. I will have to ask Kevin what they are called again, but everyone was super impressed. I got a few good pictures through the window on the bus we rode to the "terminal" so I will try to upload those a little later.

Once we were there, the day flew by! I definitely realize now that a weekend trip would be much more productive. We wasted so much time getting our rental car and dropping off equipment for the Coast Guard. We ended up eating breakfast at IHOP and I have never enjoyed my french toast more in my life! It was AMAZING! After that we went to a small mall that had an American Eagle, Old Navy, Pac Sun, etc. It was your basic mall- but still lacking a lot of stores. After that we went to a shopping center with Target, Kohls, Sports Authority, and Best Buy. We only had time to go into Kohls and Target. Everything was so rushed and not what I was expecting at all. Next we went back to the base, picked up some paperwork, and then went to another mall. This was like the holy grail! It was HUGE... and had everything! I wish we would have just spent the whole day there.

Either way, I'm glad we went. It was nice to see what the real world looks like. I was disappointed we didn't get to eat at least one other meal there, but it is probably for the best! It was definitely hard to come back home after that trip. I have no clue how I am going to handle it when we go home for 2 weeks!

Diary of a Mad Hungry Woman

Well hello there long lost friend! I'm so sorry I have been mistreating you! Things have been so busy and I have been so tired by the time I get home from work that I haven't had any creative juices running. Plus, to be completely honest... my life is pretty boring! I do have some upsetting news about the City of College Station and the EXIT Teen Center which is where I worked all through college, but I will save that post for when a little more information is released.

So onto why I decided to post tonight. First, Kevin is working nights so I am stuck at home watch the Disney Channel (don't judge...). Second of all, since Kevin is working tonight, he asked me to bring him some dinner. We have seen several commercials about these new tacos from Taco Bell called "cantina tacos". They resemble out favorite taqueria tacos, so we were pretty excited to try them out. Taco Bell is one of the 3 places we have to chose from, so new menu items is almost like a holiday! Here are the tacos I'm talking about...

They look pretty good right?!? I mean... as far as fast food tacos can go! The onion, cilantro, and lime is what "makes" our favorite tacos- so these had to be just as good, right? WRONG!! First of all... every one of those ingredients that I was looking forward to was MISSING! All that was on my taco was tomato...which I hate! Thankfully we have limes at home (thanks to the in-laws!) so I scooped the tomato out, cut up some onion, squeezed some lime, and put some salsa on...by this time my mouth was watering! I took my first bite and my mouth was not very happy. I managed to think happy thoughts and ate 2 of the 3 tacos, before I felt like gagging. Not worth it at all! :sigh:

I guess I will just have to hold off until November to get some good tacos, but the wait will be well worth it!

On the topic of food... you would not realize how much one person could crave specific food until it is all taken away from you! I find myself dreaming about Chick-Fil-A, Whataburger, Cheddars, and all my favorite Mexican food places (Casa Rod, Taqueria La Mexicana, El Pato).

Thankfully we will be taking a day trip to Anchorage this Tuesday and we will at least have a few more food options. Although none of my "cravings" are there either, there are places like IHOP, Chili's, TGI Fridays, etc. I have a feeling they will have to roll me back onto the plane at the end of the day because I plan on eating something horribly fattening and delicious for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

Well...now that I have made myself sound like the fattest woman on earth, I will be heading to bed to dream of chips and salsa. Hope you enjoy the rest of this weekend, and I promise that I will be updating more often!

My New Moto...

"Life is uncharted territory. It reveals its story one moment at a time."
-Leo F. Buscaglia

I Almost Forgot

This was taken last Sunday on my way home from town (sorry for the crappy picture..it's from my phone!) That big ol' monster of a mountain is called Barometer. We hope to hike it someday, but it takes roughly 8 hours to hike up and down it, and I don't think we are quite physically ready for that challenge!

But look at those sun rays!!! And everything is finally turning green... at least all this rain is good for something!

What is...

This warmth that is radiating off of my skin...what could is possibly be?!? Oh yea... the SUN! I forgot such a thing existed. But I must say, I have thoroughly enjoyed having sunshine the past TWO days! Yup, you read right...two FULL days IN A ROW!! No rain, clouds, or fog- man, life is good!

Now I can see why people talk about how beautiful Kodiak is in the summer. I really need to bust out my camera so I can prove to you that my new "home" really is quite beautiful when you get past the funky weather patterns.

A little something funny about Kodiak is apparently we are closer to the sun, so you tend to get burned much quicker here. I learned that lesson last Sunday when we had our first beautiful day. We sat outside in lawn chairs just trying to soak in every last ray we possibly could. Within an hour my entire right arm was scorched, and it didn't bother me... I was actually upset that my legs or face weren't the lucky ones to get a little color since I am looking like I could be a character straight out of Twilight these days. As much as I am against tanning beds, they sure have been calling my name lately...

The only bad part about all this wonderful sunshine is the heat. OK, I know that everyone from Texas who is reading this is about ready to jump through the computer and pop me in the face. The heat isn't bad... I would say that the past two SUNNY days have probably been high 70's, low 80's. I mean, it is absolutely perfect, BUT we don't have air conditioning in our house. We open the windows, and that helps some, but don't you dare think about turning on the oven! And I will be the first to admit...I like a cold house. We used to keep our house at about 72 before, and now it is 82 if the windows are closed. I'm melting....

But the worst part about having to open our windows is hearing everything outside of our house. For instance, the huge C-130 planes that fly right by us. OR when the Tsunami alarm goes off every Wednesday (think about the loudest, most scary sound EVER). OR when 15 of our neighbors decide to finally mow their lawn and BBQ at the same time, along with having a slip n' slide for their kids. When I come home from work, I want to sit down on the couch, watch my shows, and unwind...not listen to Mr. Rodgers and his "gang" hanging out having a brewski before bed.

But to be completely honest, if I had to choose between rain or dealing with a house that is hot as hell...I'll take the hot house. I know it wont last long, and I guess some fresh air wont kill me (now if I could only find some ear plugs...).

Worded Perfectly

I know that the whole purpose of having a separate blog for my trying to conceive efforts is so that I don't overload this one with sappy emotional junk, but I read this earlier tonight and though it was worded perfectly. Pretty much everything I have felt and thought is expressed in this, and thought that some of you would enjoy it. (Keep your fingers crossed... we are about a week from "test" day!)

There are women that become mothers without effort, without thought, without patience or loss and though they are good mothers and love their children, I know that I will be better.

I will be better not because of genetics, or money or because I have read more books but because I have struggled and toiled for this child.
I have longed and waited.
I have cried and prayed.
I have endured and planned over and over again.
Like most things in life, the people who truly have appreciation are those who have struggled to attain their dreams.
I will notice everything about my child. I will take time to watch my child sleep, explore and discover. I will marvel at this miracle every day for the rest of my life. I will be happy when I wake in the middle of the night to the sound of my child, knowing that I can comfort, hold and feed him and that I am not waking to take another temperature, pop another pill, take another shot or cry tears of a broken dream. My dream will be crying for me.
I count myself lucky in this sense; that God has given me this insight, this special vision with which I will look upon my child that my friends will not see.
Whether I parent a child I actually give birth to or a child that God leads me to, I will not be careless with my love.
I will be a better mother for all that I have endured. I am a better wife, a better aunt, a better daughter, neighbor, friend and sister because I have known pain. I know disillusionment as I have been betrayed by my own body. I have been tried by fire and hell many never face, yet given time, I stood tall.
I have prevailed.
I have succeeded.
I have won.
So now, when others hurt around me, I do not run from their pain in order to save myself discomfort. I see it, mourn it, and join them in theirs. I listen. And even though I cannot make it better, I can make it less lonely.
I have learned the immense power of another hand holding tight to mine, of other eyes that moisten as they learn to accept the harsh truth and when life is beyond hard.
I have learned a compassion that only comes with walking in those shoes.
I have learned to appreciate life.
Yes, I will be a wonderful mother.

~Unknown