Uniquely Alaskan!

Sorry about the delay in posting!  I'd like to say I've been too busy, but honestly....just been lazy. :)

Alaska State Fair
First up, I went to the Alaska State Fair over Labor Day weekend.  It was a windy, cloud covered day, but we managed to avoid any significant rain (at least til the drive home).  It is smaller in scale than the Wisconsin State Fair, more on scope with the Dane County Fair.  That makes sense given the much smaller population in this state.  I was able to try some good food including fried fish, cream puffs and chicken on a stick.  They were all fantastic.  I also tried cheese curds...now I know I'm from the dairy state and have high standards when it comes to fried cheese curds, but they were not my favorite.  It was a nice day and fun to get out of the city for a bit.  The fair is in the "valley"in the city of Palmer, AK about a half hour from Anchorage.

MAJOR Wind Storm
Craziness last week!  We had a MAJOR windstorm come through the area.  I remember sitting in my apartment watching out the patio door.  It was unlike anything I've seen.  The trees, flags, anything not strapped down was flying all over the place!  My outdoor parking spot is right under two very tall trees.  I was absolutely convinced those trees were going to be on my car in the morning (fortunately and surprisingly that was not the case).  About 10:30 the TV went out and about fifteen minutes later EVERYTHING went out, my lamps, the streetlights, everything...that's when I realized I had no flashlight!  I went to bed, but kept waking up every two hours to see if my fridge/freezer was back on.  Fortunately my power was only out for about 8 hours, some in the city were without for 3-4 days.
There was a fair amount of damage with trees and power lines down.  I got up the next day and went to work like normal...only to discover the governor had called off state employees in Anchorage!  Yes, the storm was bad, but it never occurred to me that we wouldn't have work!  I can't imagine winter storms aren't more limiting than this storm....but hey, it was a day off!  I am now on the texting list for government call offs! :)  It was predicted we would have another wind storm yesterday.  I headed to the store to get a flashlight and some supplies.  Walmart, Target and the grocery store were all COMPLETELY out of flashlights!  So...I bought some fire starters to light candles if necessary.  Of course now that I was prepared,  nothing really happened.  Anyway...the whole experience was unlike anything I've ever seen in Wisconsin.  I heard wind gusts got up to 130 mph.  I can only imagine going through part of a hurricane would be similar?

Termination Dust
As part of the recent windstorm the "termination dust" can be seen on the mountains.
Definition: the first, light dusting of snow; on the very tips of the mountains.  It's a warning, the first big snow is just around the corner.  At work I was told typically about six weeks after the termination dust we can expect snow on the ground!!  Guess I better invest in those snow tires!

Side note:  I'll be in Wisconsin this weekend (Sept 21-24), say hi if you're around!

Bears. Bears. Bears!!

Alaska is known for it's vast wildlife.  While I have wanted to see the various creatures, I have been quite nervous about encountering them in the wild!  When I visited during my house hunting trip in May, I saw two wild moose.  I guess fortunately, I have not seen any since actually moving here.  There was a black bear warning at work a couple of weeks ago, but again I did not see it.

I did want to see the animals the area is known for....so I headed to the zoo!  The Alaska Zoo is fairly small, but has some great exhibits!  So many animals I have never seen that close up.

I do plan to do some more hiking and biking in the near future, so just in case.... : )

Vegas Baby...Sometimes you just need to get away!

Actually, this trip was planned well before I even considered applying for the job in Alaska.  Nonetheless, it is always fun to get away and meet up with old friends!  It was Jonete's birthday and we decided to meet up in Las Vegas, NV for an extended weekend.  I had never been there before and it sure turned out to be quite an adventure!

We did plenty of gambling, walking around, eating and even took in a Cirque du Soleil show called MYSTERE.  I'd probably have to say my favorite was hanging out at Gilley's, a country bar inside Treasure Island.  We had a few drinks and watched some crazy people attempt to ride the mechanical bull.

As far as gambling goes, I probably came out pretty even.  I'm not a huge risk taker and hate losing money.  I won $150 the first day and that kept me playing the rest of the weekend.  Saw lots of great sites including the Bellagio's fountains, a cool bar in the Mirage and plenty of casinos!  

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Having never been to Vegas before, I wasn't sure what to expect.  There is honestly so much to do!  I will need to start saving my pennies for another trip!

Anchorage Fun!

Got out this past weekend to explore some Anchorage fun.  First I went to the Saturday Market.  It's an outdoor art fair/farmer's market held every weekend throughout the summer.  There was some incredible stuff there and I was actually glad I didn't have a ton of cash on me.  I did buy a coffee mug from Bean's Cafe, some glacier fudge and roasted pumpkin seeds.  I also got some good ideas for potential Christmas presents!

Then I went down town and ate at a local restaurant called Hot Stixx.  The food was great, I ordered king crab eggs bendict!

Finally I went to the Anchorage Museum.  I had read in the paper they were having a special exhibit on Alaska's contributions to the Olympics.  Expectedly most were involved in the winter games, but it was still very interesting.  I learned that Kerry Weiland, a stand out on the UW women's hockey team and silver medalist in the Vancouver games was from the Mat-Su Valley here in Alaska.

Had a really fun day discovering what my new home has to offer! :)

Surprise!

Last week I took a quick trip home to Wisconsin.  I hadn't intended to go home so quickly after arriving here in Alaska.  My little nephew had to have some tests and my sister was quite concerned.  We are a close family and it killed me not to be there!  BUT...with the July 4th holiday on Wednesday, weekend and the fact I had a free flight through Delta...I made the trip home!

Kelley and I coordinated to make it a surprise.  She along with Karissa and Brandon were the only ones that knew.  They did a super job of keeping a secret!  Mom and Dad were totally surprised when I walked up the driveway.  Katie's reaction was priceless!

I spent the long weekend hanging out with family and friends.  Visited work.  Made it to Evelyn's birthday party on Sunday.  Even did some Vegas trip planning over lunch with Shelly!

I have quickly become accustomed to the 50s and 60s temps here in Alaska.  The heat wave in the midwest was ridiculous!  When I got off the plane in Minneapolis, it seriously felt like an oven!  With the constant heat and air conditioning...I caught a lovely cold!  As I settle back into my cooler temps, I am starting to feel better.

Totally couldn't miss an opportunity to come home and see this cutie!  Happy to report all the tests turned out normal!!!!  Next visit home will be his FIRST BIRTHDAY!

Hope to get out this weekend and take some more pictures of Alaska...will post them soon!

Why I'm Here...

In response to Amy's questions....honestly I was just looking for something "different".  I had NO idea different involved a 3500 mile move across country!  I really wasn't looking for a new job or a new state specifically...just to shake things up a bit.  I got the Alaska job posting at work about 5 hours before the deadline.  I filled out the application and they called me the next day!  Getting a job at another DDS (Disability Determination Service) allowed me to make enough money to afford the move to a new city.  I'm young(ish), unattached and no kids....it was now or never.

It is definitely an adjustment to be so far away from friends and family.  Thank goodness technology is AMAZING!  With things like Facebook, this blog, cellphones and Skype/Face Time I have been able to keep in touch.  That is especially important with my young nieces and nephews!  Also, on Delta, the Anchorage-Milwaukee flight is one of their cheapest!  I've joined the Delta Sky Miles club and will earn a free trip in under three paid for trips.  My first trip home will be mid-September.  Come visit people!

I've always wanted to visit the state of Alaska....in fact it was on my recently rediscovered "bucket list" that I wrote up several years ago.  I just never thought I would end up living here.  I don't know if it will be forever or not.  I must stay two years, or pay back the moving expenses the State paid to move me here.  But I'm not going to put any limits on it until that time.

FAVORITES: it is BEAUTIFUL here!  The mountains and water are simply gorgeous.  I LOVE the weather.  It has typically been 60-70 degrees and sunny.  The people I've met at work and friends I've known before are great.  The many hours of daylight is a mixed bag.  I like it....except when I'm trying to sleep.  I first bought two curtain panels....then two more...and finally six total to try to bunch them up more and block out the light.  I'm sure I'll figure it out....just in time for the seasons to change.

So why am I here?  Sense of adventure, I guess! :)

My First Visitors!

Ok...so they were on a cruise that was planned before I even thought about moving here, but it was still awesome to see folks from home.  The Gasners arrived in Anchorage late Friday, so we decided to meet up for breakfast Saturday morning.  We ate at a small restaurant across the street from their hotel.  It was neat to hear about the rest of their adventure in Fairbanks, Denali National Park and other sites in this state.  After breakfast we took a trolley tour around the city.   It was interesting to hear some of the history.  My favorite part was over by the airport watching the small planes take off from the water.  The "Yield to Aircraft" sign cracked me up.  It was a gorgeous,  sunny morning here in Anchorage.  Next Dave and Jennie will be heading towards the cruise part of their trip.  It was great to see you guys and enjoy the rest of your trip!  Now who is going to visit next?! :)

Finally got my internet hooked up and thought I'd better get a note out on this blog!  It has been a whirlwind and hard to believe I've been in Alaska two weeks already!  After some initial hiccups with the moving company, my apartment is finally coming together.  They still have not found my prized Stockholm print from my first trip to Sweden; I am very sad about that.  Maybe I'll just have to take another trip there! :)

Work has been going very well.  The office is SOOOO different from Wisconsin.  It is a tiny group, twenty people TOTAL!  That being said, I do have my own office, with a door and everything!  I don't have an outside window yet...but i can see through my hall window into my neighbors office that does have an outside window.  There is a bike path and stream that runs behind our building.  We are also right by the train tracks....can't escape those whistles!  The trains make the whole building shake...my first day I thought it was one of the earthquakes I keep hearing about!  My co-workers are very nice and that helps a lot!

Last weekend Tony and I got out of the city and saw some of the beautiful scenery and wildlife Alaska is known for.  We went to Beluga Point and Portage Glacier.  We stopped at a state park and talked to a man that had some high powered lenses.  We were able to see some wild mountain goats up in the mountains.  I will try to add some pictures soon!

The weather has been amazing!  It has been upper 60s and sunny most of the time.  Everyone tells me this is exceptional and to enjoy it while it lasts!  The gazillion hours of daylight are getting to me.  I'm totally lacking in sleep!  I lose track of time and the next thing I know it is midnight...yet it looks like 4:00 in the afternoon!  I finally put up some blackout curtains tonight, the window blinds just weren't cutting it and probably contributing to my waking up a couple times a night.  Well I'm about to put them to the test...will add more later!