We made it!

Mike took this picture just a moment before we stepped onto our first Alaska Airlines flight. At midnight tonight we will have been in Alaska for a week.

We've had interesting and exhausting adventures in trying to find a place to stay. An hour ago we dropped off our suitcases at our new apartment, and we're about to ride our bikes down to Fred Meyer. We need to get the funk out of the fridge and scrub down the bathroom, but I think it will be a good place to live.

In Los Angeles

We made it safely to Los Angeles, and now it is time to relax and hang out with Mike's family. After two busy and stressful weeks, an abundance of free time where we have nothing to work on feels wonderful and a little strange. I feel like I am living someone else's life right now. And the concept of arriving in Fairbanks in 9 days, where I'm going to be teaching and studying, also seems like someone else's happy life that I am dreaming about living.

Some pics from our trip so far:


The napkin reads, "More legroom than any other U.S. Airline - United Economy Plus".
Somehow, Mike and I managed to sit on the only row of seats that has substantially less leg room than any other airline.



Murals on the windows of the harp shop that we visited to buy a replacement string for Mike's mom.


Driving into Burbank. The mountains are beautiful and very different from the short, conifer-filled hills in Northern Alabama.

Fruit!! Suddenly, I'm surrounded by fresh fruit. The backyard has so many fruit trees and my first ever visit to Whole Foods was wonderful.

The Crunch

We're leaving Alabama tomorrow to fly to California.

The last two weeks have been a non-stop blur of packing things for storage and deciding what to bring with us. In an hour, Mike and I are going to meet my mom for dinner and to deliver my red-eared slider to his new home in Mom's kindergarten classroom. And since none of us will probably sleep tonight, Dad's coming over to join in an all-night movie fest.

Tomorrow I'll leave Brawley, my cat, at Dad's house and we'll drive down to Birmingham.

I'm looking forward to the first leg of our trip in California. I've always wanted to visit, and I'm really excited to meet Mike's parents.

So, ten days and then we'll be in Fairbanks. Woot!


If you see two bicycle-riding geeks looking super happy to be out of the hot Alabama sun - that's probably us.

Yard Sale!

The yard sale description Mike posted online:

Yard sale at my place tomorrow: Saturday, August 4th, starting at first daylight (we'll be awake all night getting it together). Come see what horrors two geeks can amass and eventually sell (in this yard sale, of course) in preparation for a trip to a far-away land of bears and snowmobiles. We will have a crap-ton of damn fine-looking clothing for sale (we have good taste, but precious little suitcase space), many, many honestly geeky books (including subversive/ political/ revolutionary/science-fictionary insanity, and a few boring(i.e. "good") books as well), toys (including a rocket!), games, furniture(bookcases, desk, shelves) electronics, antique cameras, sporting goods, picture frames, a cute little tv/vcr, a musical instrument or two, cages for rabbits/ ferrets/ chinchillas/ rats, some good shoes, a well-loved motor scooter, some pretty things, and if there's any left when you get here, free coffee! Shockingly low prices for everything, I promise.

We had around 5 people show up, and made $35. It was scorching hot at 9:00 am, so I'm not surprised most people decided to forego stopping at our yard sale. Still, it was worthwhile to separate what we are going to give away/ donate from what we are going to store or take with us.

Cabins vs. Dorms - Take Two

Around the beginning of June I received a letter from UAF Residence Life saying that Mike and I were on the waiting list for a dorm. At the end of June I emailed Res Life to check on the status of the dorm, and they said they would know whether we would have a dorm room around mid-July. Last week I emailed Res Life again to check on the status. Right now, Mike and I are 3rd on the wait list for a dorm room. The only openings for a co-habitating couple are 2 bedroom dorms in Hess Village for $965/ month.

So - a cabin it is!

We're arriving very early in the morning on Sunday, August 26th. Hopefully we'll be able to look at some cabins that day. I'm a bit worried there might be a pre-term rush for cabins that are close to the UAF campus. Starting August 27, I will be in Teaching Assistant training from 9-4 everyday. I'm really looking forward to the training, but I am worried about Mike going cabin hunting by himself. We went through a similar situation a year ago in Birmingham, and it was very stressful even with the aid of his motor scooter.

Right now our plan is to pick up the Daily News-Miner and two bicycles and see where they take us.

Present and past Fairbanks insiders, if you have any advice or secrets on securing a good cabin near the UAF campus please share them with me. I would love any help!

Breaking the News: Mom, Dad & Andrew

After several 6 day work weeks, last weekend I had three consecutive days off. One day to recuperate, one day to wait out the brunt of a nasty stomach virus that has been making the rounds, and one day to drive out to my mother's house. After a tour of the new vinyl siding that has replaced the old wood portions of the house, we climbed into Dad's truck and headed down the mountain to the small Mexican restaurant. Snacking on chips and bean dip, Mom and Dad started asking if I wanted to find a better job. "Actually, I kind of have some exciting news." My Mom looked down when she heard this. I told them about Grad school and Alaska. They were both excited and happy for me. Andrew, who had been distracted by our surroundings, suddenly put his arms around me.

Mom said that she had spoken with my sister the day before. My sister told her she was mad at me. When my mom asked why, she replied "I'm not at liberty to say." My mom tried to think of a secret reason Jess would be mad at me, and decided the most likely scenario was that Mike and I had eloped. Jess, she supposed, was mad because she had not been able to be the Maid of Honor at my wedding. This strikes me as a really strange concept, but with a cousin getting married this weekend and another recently becoming engaged Mom probably assumes I'm not far behind. Actually, Jess was tired of being a secret keeper and wanted me to tell Mom and Dad about Alaska.

Surprisingly, Mom said she will want to visit. "I missed my chance to see Japan."

After dinner, we drove back up the mountain and Andrew gave me a tour of his tree house. I recorded his tour with my digital camera and promised to send him a copy soon.

Nana called while I was there, and I told her as well. "That's a far piece," she said.

My reply: "Yes! I'm so excited."

Where I'm Coming From

A few scenes and thoughts from my current place in Athens, Alabama.


Hair Mechanics & Bujinkan Martial Arts
There is a large open field behind this establishment. I had hoped to see people doing handless cartwheels and slicing through blocks of ice with their bare hands. The students of Bujinkan must need more room than the small building to practice their art. I have never seen anyone go into this building. And do the Hair Mechanics specialize in 1950s greaser styles?


Yesterdays Welcomes the Destined


A View from beside the front porch
When Mike and I moved into the Mouse House (a nickname Dad gave it, because it is very small and cozy), I imagined myself soaking in the summer from the front porch. With a glass of sweating iced tea in my hand, I'd muse about life and write stories and poems at a steady pace. Not so. I started working 2 days after we moved in, and since I work the night shift I rarely have a chance to enjoy the sun.


Sunflowers
Another goal of ours was to beautify the outside of the house by planting lots of flowers. These sunflowers are the only ones that made it into the ground. They've gotten so tall, but no flowers yet. I hope they bloom before we leave.


The Shed at Sunset
The grass was dry and cracked beneath our feet for most of the summer. And then last week, with only 3 days of rain, the grass shot up to nearly 2 feet in height. The neighbors had been eyeing our private jungle, wondering when we were going to mow it. Mike spent 2 hours on the lawn mower, and now the yard is full of large grass clumps. We're going to have to rake the excess grass away, and probably trim the yard again, before we have our giant Moving to Alaska yardsale in two weeks.


* Thanks to Mike for the pictures of Hair Mechanics/ Bujinkan Martial Arts and Yeterdays.*