Shake it!

This summer has been absolutely amazing. My mother, step-father, and brother came to visit for a week. We picked them up in Denali and went to Valdez to go Halibut fishing. Although we didn't catch any monsters, I'm pretty happy with my catch (I'll post a picture later)! I miss them already.

My dad also came and stated for a couple weeks. We went camping, rode the Alaska Railroad, and went to see Mt. Mckinley. Although it's rare, we were able to see the top of Mckinley--even from the train. On the shuttle into Denali, we saw dall sheep, caribou, and even a bear. I wish he could have stayed longer, but hopefully I'll get to visit home soon.

We've also moved onto Ft. Greely. No more driving! This is especially great for the winters--the roads can be very dangerous. I love it here...plus I've made some friends which makes it even better. I can walk to the gym, commisary, px, Zumba class, etc. It's great. There is so much room in our new place. We have three levels, including a basement. Oh, and about Zumba, I absolutely LOVE IT. I am the most uncoordinated person alive, but I cannot say enough good things about this class. It is fun, a great workout, and you feel a sense of accomplishment afterwards. More on this later.

Trevor's dad, granddad, and uncle are coming up this week. We have been super-busy with company and I love it. They are going on a men's fishing trip for silvers--we always have to take full advantage of the summers.

It's hard to believe we've been here for over a year. I'm still happy here--especially since we've made the move. As long as I get to see my family and take fun vacations, I'm okay here. In August, Trevor and I are going to Dallas for an Energy conference. I CAN'T WAIT to lay out by the pool in a bikini--that's one thing I miss. Even though we've had several days well into the 70's and 80's...it's no Alabama.

I Passed the Bar!

Obligatory...since now I'm a lawyer and all...

Spring is Here!

Now that it is incredibly beautiful outside, I'm suddenly in the mood to take pictures and post about activities. Last time I posted, the sun was out around 3 hours a day. Now, the sun is up from around 4am to 10pm, and it's only going to get better. In January, the temperature was anywhere from -20 to -40 and today, it'll be 60 degrees.

I was in Alabama for all of March taking the bar exam. It was incredibly difficult and doubt I'll pass. People continually ask me "How do you think you did?" Well, the answer is "I have no clue." The bar exam isn't an objective test, meaning you have to choose the "most right" answer from a mostly ridiculous question that would never occur in real life. This is why it is almost impossible to gauge your testing results. As far as the essay portion, I don't feel terrible about it--it's easier to study for, but impossible to know what the examiners are looking for. I've already passed the Ethics portion...let's just hope I can go all the way. But enough about my personal life....back to Alaska!

Anyway, so we finally bought a trailer for the RZR. Who knew they would be so expensive? Regardless, I'm happy we bought it. We went riding Saturday on Coal Mine Road which is an old, abandoned trail leading up to an old coal mine. Snow and melting snow (mud) was terrible in some places, but the RZR is pretty awesome and we made it through. Karla and Brent (our friends) went riding with us and brought their cute doggies. It was so much fun. Brent and Trevor even shot a few Ptarmigans (wild birds) and I cooked them for dinner. This summer is going to be amazing. Today, we're going fishing. Hopefully I'll have a big fish to post on here later.

Winter Pictures

Water Freezing at -40F

Welcome to Winter

Well, thanks to a 2-3 month project at Boeing, my blog has been out of commission. Today is my first day home. Now I'll have a little more time to devote to documenting our experiences in beautiful Alaska.

So how are things going? Well, it's cold for starters. Even though this has been a "warm" winter, we regularly experience anywhere from -10 to -40 degrees. We plug our car in nightly to avoid freezing. One night we forgot, and our tires were square and the Exploder would barely move. Hopefully that won't happen again.

We've made a few friends which makes our journey much more enjoyable. It's nice having people to hang out with when it's so dark and cold. For New Year's Eve we went to a Fort Greely Masquerade Ball which was tons of fun. Trevor and I had cools masks, outfits, and a great time.

I've booked my flight home for Feb 17th. I take the bar on the 22-24th of Feb. I'm not looking forward to it; hopefully since I'm home I'll be able to take advantage of the study opportunties.

I've got lots of pictures and videos to post!

Anchorage

Two weeks ago, Trevor and I made our way to Anchorage to shop for winter clothes for the weekend. While there, we got snow pants, masks, bibs, ugly boots, gloves, etc. I look like the Michelin Man. Oh well, at least I'll be warm. Anchorage was a beautiful and small city...we really liked it. The mall, however, is pretty poor--only a few good stores. But of all the things we bought, I'm the most excited about the new earrings Trevor bought me for my birthday. I love them. I know they won't technically keep my warm or anything, but whatever. Ha.