Annual Family Photo Sesh...

Well...it's that time of year again!  That time of year where I drag my family out, in clothes that they don't necessarily want to wear, in weather that is most likely cold and crappy to take family photos.  It's that yearly obligation that they don't like to do but they just do it.  Usually it is Travi who complains the most.  He grips about his clothes, about having to "fake smile", about me yelling at him, about his crappy hand/arm placement.  The fact that he wants to bust rhymes and rap gangsta the whole time just pisses me off too.  Trav and Taylor have learned to do what I ask, don't complain, stand where I want and just shut up.  Not Travi, he is still the weak link in this annual day.  This being the 11th year that I have done this you would think he has a grasp on this but nope, he doesn't.  Maybe next year....

The weather has been pretty crappy for the past month or more on our days off.  This whole evolution has to occur on a weekend, between 10am-3pm due to daylight hours and then when we have to make it work around mother nature, things get a bit tricky.  With the holidays literally a few weeks away I was cutting it close.  Today had to be the day.  We tried to time the weather but we still got rained on today.  At one point we actually retreated to the truck and waited out a downpour.  As you can probably tell, some of our hairdos where showing signs of weather fatigue but I literally could not call it quits because of bad hair.  This was the best day we had had in a while, no one had extracurricular activities, no one was off hunting, Trav didn't have duty and well...this was just it.  

So I got my family photos.  I got updated photos of the kids that I wanted and I have a few pictures to choose from when it comes to ordering Christmas cards.  

The only part of this annual event that Travi has grown to love is this part:    The stupid photos I don't want anyone to see, that I have no intention of every printing, that are totally ridiculous.  He loves them and even decides what poses we will do.  These barely manage to even be in focus.  I do these as payment to him for putting up with my bossy, nagging on family photo day.  Its about give and take, right?

As far as what we have been doing, well we are barely keeping our heads above water with life.  The kids are both crazy busy with school and activities, we are both juggling hectic work schedules.  Life feels like its such a grind right now.  The weekends fly by and are filled with playing catch up on chores, cleaning, running our kids around to be social, catching up on sleep and whatever else we neglect Monday through Friday.  On the upside, both kids have straight A's in all subjects, Travis is headed to SE Champs in Ketchikan with his swim club in two weeks and Taylor landed her front tuck at gymnastics last week.  We are getting a new paint job on Trav's beloved Tundra because an elderly driver didn't look both ways when merging and drove into the truck...eek!  Even more, although I feel really unprepared for the holidays its totally acceptable because in 25 days we are getting on a plane and flying to Maui for three weeks.  All this work, sacrifice and stress has afforded us a most epic Christmas vacation.  We will be ocean front for three weeks soaking up the sunshine and playing in the beautiful waters of Paradise.  What could be better then Christmas with sandy beaches, sea turtles, suntans and no work/school.  After the holidays and our return home we are hoping to finally, maybe, eventually get word on where the heck we will be moving in 6 months after Trav is promoted to Warrant Officer.  I will be leaving my position at the court in the Spring in order to have a bit of time to prepare us for the upcoming transfer and hopefully get a chance to enjoy my last couple of months in Alaska uninterrupted.  

Its hard to believe that this year is almost over.  Our life is about to be uprooted yet again and I am weary, anxious, afraid and exhausted just thinking about it.  What I do know is that with these three human beings by my side I can survive anything.  We are a unit and it takes each of us to keep this ship right and on track.

Lastly, Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.  We will be celebrating with friends and enjoying an extra long weekend off.  Cheers and Gobble Gobble!!!

Recycled Thoughts..

I feel like I have recycled the topic of this post at least a few times over the years.  Here we are again, heading into fall, thinking about another moving process.  I just loathe this whole waiting game where we stand around, talking about moving, over analyzing every possible outcome that is completely out of our control.  It stresses me out.  The one thing that is different this time from any of the previous moves that I have made is that I am firm on the fact that I don't want to leave where we currently are.  I want to stay in Alaska whether it be in Sitka or in Kodiak.  Our lives feel good here and I hate the thought of giving up that good feeling for another new spot.  Its a hard process to emotionally dive into again.  Letting go of home again, starting over, finding a new house, new schools, new familiar faces, new grocery stores.  I feel like I am not ready for new again.  The mom and control freak in me wants familiar, but the spouse and dependent in me knows that this is not my forever and we are going to have to go.

I just wish I could be more accepting of this part of my military life.  I know the CG won't let us stay here any longer, I know that is our time to go, I know that my kids will adjust and I know that I am able to relearn where all my favorite food staples will be in the next grocery store.  I know there will be new opportunities, new adventures, new friends and a new comfortable.  It is just the long process of getting there that leaves me restless.

I have been reminding myself quite a bit lately that I still have 8 months left here in Sitka, in Alaska to enjoy. That leaves me many months of hiking my favorite trails, running my favorite routes, seeing familiar faces and being comfortable.  I am reminding myself that we can hopefully return to Alaska for another tour at some point down the road.  This place is just so beautiful, so magical and so wonderful.  My heart feels really good here and I have great trepidation about saying goodbye.

In the mean time, I will keep smiling, keep thinking positive thoughts and keep taking pictures when I can to help us remember all of the best parts about our current, beautiful home. Here are some recent pictures I took.  We had "termination dust" on the mountains this past weekend.  The fall colors are beautiful, the air is cold and the forest is falling asleep for the winter.  I put extra blankets on the kids beds and we feel ready for the coming months of cold.

Summers over and I'm okay with that...

Summer is over!  My kids are back in school, I dropped what feels like a cool mint on clothes and supplies (I hate buying clothes and supplies for school) and the leaves are turning colors up here in SE Alaska.  Our fall here starts early and I am fine with that.  If you know me at all then you know I LOVE all things fall.  Its my favorite time of year.  

So both the kids are in the final year of school here in Sitka.   They are also finishing transitional years in school respectively.  Travis is an 8th grader and to be honest I'm a little stunned.  I am definitely not old enough to be viewed as the type of parent who carts around someone finishing middle school.  Taylor is finishing elementary school and will leave Sitka ready for middle school.  Again, I am not old enough for this.  I mean I still listen to hits radio, buy what I would consider cool, hip clothes and I know what a MEME is.  I know that I have lost my edge slightly but I just don't see myself having kids this old.  Then, I come home from work to a hectic, chaotic activities schedule, homework I don't now how to do, attitude, teen problems and reality fires me a gut check.  I have two older kids in older grades and I have the gray hair to prove it. 

Seriously though, look at these two.  My Travi is growing so fast, straight up.  His hair is pulling major credentials this year and he is so damn handsome.  His eyes, my mom says are the same color as my late Uncle Larry.  They look this unique color of gray. lavender and green.  Taylor is still the calming joy of my life.  She can sense my fatigue and stress so easily and her soul brings me great comfort.  I see little flecks of the women she will become but I am trying to enjoy the little girl that she still is. 

Summer was busy but enjoyable.  We had our vacation, enjoyed some family and definitely tried to soak in as much of a Sitka summer as we can since it was our last full one here.  My emotions feel overwhelmed at times when I think about leaving Alaska again.  But that is another post for another day.

                    

                    

Now we are turning our attention towards fall.  Hunting season is in full swing which we balance between work, swimming, school, cross country, gymnastics, football and band practice.  The NFL officially starts on Thursday and I day dream about pulling down my fall decorations to adorn my house with.  We take long walks on our favorite trails in the pouring rain because days without rain are few and far between, but secretly we love it!  I smile at the red, gold, pink and amber leaves I am seeing around town and I dusted off my sweater collection and tall boots to add them back to my work clothing arsenal.  I also purchased a small, fall scented candle which damn near made my weekly trip to the grocery store almost feel worth it.  

This is definitely my favorite time of year.  I soak up these cool, crisp days.  I love cozy nights under extra blankets.  Sundays at home watching football eating homemade soups and chili.  I think I could live in this equinox forever if I had to. 

Where have you been???

Where have we been????

Well, we have been doing our best to enjoy the summer months.  Its hard to believe that we are 2/3 of the way through the kids summer vacation and that in a month we will be back in the daily grind that includes morning school/work routines, after school activities and the nightly grind of homework and making the next days lunches.

We have had an very enjoyable summer so far.  May and June were unusually dry and warm for us.  We had days in the high 60's and almost no rain for over 30 days.  THAT. IS. UNHEARD. OF!!  

The kids have tried to stay busy and we finally got off the island in June and went on vacation.  That is were the pictures will begin.  We headed south to Seattle in late June.  A reprieve from the daily grind of work and small town, island fever.  

                   

To say that vacation was a mental reset would be an understatement.  We had a great trip.  We spent two days walking through downtown Seattle, Pike's Market and the Space Needle.  We drank expensive coffee, shopped, ate delicious food, walked sidewalks, wore summer clothes, people watched and unexpectedly found ourselves in the midst of Seattle's Gay Pride weekend.  Our hotel was fabulous, Taylor broke a sweat and didn't know what it was and we waundered our butts off in 90 degree weather.  

We then headed south to Great Wolf Lodge which I must say is a place that in my opinion is a one night only sort of place.  An indoor water park with 6 water-slides was epic but only for the first 12 hours.  Trav and I were over the crowds, lines and other peoples kids after about 8 hours.  I kept thinking about how much little kid pee we were swimming in and the amount of people packed into a themed hotel was nothing short of amazing.  We had fun but that ship sailed and it was time to head to the coast and my parents house.  I will say, I would go back to Great Wolf Lodge if my kids had other kids ie: friends, cousin's or someone other then me to swim with.  Swimming in the wave pool getting my ass kicked by 4 foot swells, courtesy of the wave machine, with my kids was fun but I would rather watch from the sidelines next time.  

My parents house was totally relaxing.  Visit THIS post for a reminder of their beautiful house.  I think Trav and I logged most our time on their deck watching the wildlife.  Their house is so peaceful and wonderful.  Going home to mom and dad's has taken on a whole new meaning in Washington.  We rode bikes, walked the beaches, enjoyed the 4th of July, ran new roads and visited with my parents.  It was beautiful!!  The weather was so mild and warm too.  My heart hurt to leave the confines of their retirement dream.  I can see how happy they are in their little bit of retirement paradise and it makes me so happy for them.  Trav and I walked and held hands many times contemplating our own retirement.  

FYI...We didn't exclude Travi from vacation pics. on purpose, he went to summer camp after Great Wolf Lodge.  

Trav and I returned home and left the kids with my parents.  We had two weeks of quiet evenings, late dinners, evening walks and lazy weekends.  We did a whole lot of nothing and found ourselves pondering what people with no kids do with all their time.  We missed the kids and at times felt restless in such a quiet house.  Now that the kids are back home we are trying to enjoying the last four weeks of summer that we have before they start school.  As for Sitka, summer is over!  There is a different kind of feel in the early morning air and the wild Fireweed is past its peak and dying off.  That is a sign that the seasons are changing. Soon the ground cover will start dying off and the Salmon will return to the rivers.  All signs that our very short fall will be here and then winter again.  The days are gray, the rain is back and we are shifting our mentality towards hunting season, darker days and hunkering down for another long winter. 

This will be our last fall and winter in Sitka.  We will be leaving next summer for another adventure.  We have a lot of unknowns hanging around right now.  I don't do well with unknown.  With that said, I am focusing on getting our lives organized and ready for school.  Taylor and I spent a total of roughly 3 hours looking for the perfect back pack and lunch box.  We have gone over the supply lists repeatedly.  Clothes shopping is officially done.  I am counting down the 31 weeks of employment I have left (planning to give my resignation next March) looking towards fall, my favorite season and smiling about the fact that we will be in Maui this winter.  

I think that recaps our lives for anyone out here in the world who still visits this blog considering my gaps in posting.  Where have you been lately????

Vacation

Let me preface this post by saying that I seriously live in one of the most beautiful places on the planet.  After more then 3 years here I am still in awe at how glorious this place can be.  BUT....living here is a total mind game and to put it bluntly sometimes I feel like I am being "mind fucked" by this place.

Living here is such a mental game.  Its gorgeous, its in the middle of fucking now where! Its adventurous, there are some days I feel trapped!  It is raw and rugged, its remote and isolated.  There are endless days of summer, there are endless dark, dark days in winter.  Its a mind game and right now Sitka is winning and I am loosing.

I haven't left Sitka in going on 13 months.  Lets talk about no real stores, no good restaurants, 14 miles of paved roads with a speed limit of 45.  Lets talk about a population of roughly a handful of thousands and I work at the courthouse where we assist in the prosecution of criminals and violators.  Can you imagine the awkward encounters I have in this town.  There is a large Coast Guard population, a small town population and some days its just a nightmare looking for a place to unravel.  I haven't left in a long time and I am just done.  Logistics, my job, family obligations and other factors have prevented it.  I am beyond ready to get out of this town.  I question my sanity about this place daily right now.  I love it but I hate it here.  I wish we were leaving this summer but I am grateful that we are not because of the hardship on the kids.  The weather sucks, I am sick of being cold but I am grateful that it is not Africa hot.  Do you get a sense of the mind games?  Its exhausting!

But..In 5 days we are going on vacation.  I have been waiting for this vacation for months and months and months.  I want something different.  To see something else, to drive somewhere new, to go to the grocery store and there actually be milk and eggs when I want them.  I want to eat at a good restaurant, go to stores and buy stuff.  I can not wait to not go to work and I am anxious to go somewhere and not see one person I know for good or bad reasons.  We are ready to visit my parents, eat food, drink and be merry.  We will be dropping Travi off at summer camp for a week and will be running on roads we haven't already pounded about 1000 times.

This is waiting for me, and for us.  My kids are feeling the same way.  So is my Trav.  I feel like I am about to get one up on Sitka.  The mind games will be put on hold and I can return home to Sitka feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.  We are touring the Space Needle and having dinner at the top, we are going to the IMAX center, Pikes Place Market, the flagship Starbuck, the mall, and a trampoline zone for taylor.  Spending the night at Great Wolf Lodge and then veggie out at my parents house next to a warm sandy beach.


I am giddy.  I want this work week to fly by.  Thank you Jesus for getting us out of here.  More to follow once we are down there.  Buh Bye!

Ummm what? Your kidding right?

I haven't had much time or inclination to blog lately.  Until today...and this is just to big not to document on the blog.  I hope to print this blog at some point some day and I want this included.

My Trav has been selected to make Chief Warrant Officer.  I am still dragging my jaw around on the floor.  Travis is still looking at me wide eyed, stunned, saying "I can not believe I am going to be a CWO!"  We were not expecting this at all.  Of course during the application process we had hopes but we always try to be very realistic.  This is a difficult process and the selections come with great competition.  The fact that he has been selected on his first attempt has blown our minds.  We are literally speechless, totally grateful but speechless.  

Our minds are now swirling!  This changes our prospects for next years transfer.  Where will we go and what will his new job be comprised of?  We have seen an unofficial, prospective list of openings and we are trying to be very optimistic.  The CG is going to do with him what they want and I am just hoping I don't burst into tears when he finally finds out what job they have given him.  We have had a very, very small carrot dangled in front of us almost immediately after he got word of his selection and I am hedging all my bets on it because being sent to Puerto Rico or Detroit is just not in my master plan.

This promotion is big, very big!  Did I mention that we are stunned!

On a personal note, I could not be more proud of my husband.  He never ceases to amaze me and always succeeds.  He finished his degree when it didn't make sense, he took care of his people and stood up for them when no one else would, he stood up to the Command and spoke his mind when he had convictions.  All of that has helped him get to this point.  His karma keeps up with him and we are sure it has played a part in this selection. For those that saw his hard work and dedication as something else, shame on you.   To those that recognized his dedication, Thank you!  There are a few people who helped him and saw his potential in preparing for this process.  It did not go unnoticed!

Holy Shit babe!  You have blown my mind with this promotion.