Oops. And...Ouch.

USCG Senior Chief Petty
Officer collar device

"Attention on deck!"  Everyone pops up out of their seats, straight backed with fists clenched, all chins up and stiff as the Captain strides up to the stage.

Well, except for me.  Sure, I stand with the rest, but no where near close to the body language of the throng of blue I'm surrounded by in the chilly auditorium.

It's the pinning on ceremony for the hubby's advancement to Senior Chief, and I'm probably more nervous than he is.

For those who might not know, a pinning on ceremony is when the person advancing in rank is formally acknowledged by the command in front of their peers.

Usually someone close to the person advancing (normally the spouse, children or a close colleague) pins the appropriate device on their collar after a short description of what they're being acknowledged for accomplishing.

Leave it to me to add a little flair to the proceedings.

Now, it wasn't my first rodeo with pinning on.  But you wouldn't know that by the way it played out this time!

We practiced the night before.  Because as some of you may not know, those uniform collars are stiff.  There's actually a bit of plastic inside the collar to keep them straight and rigid.

So, if you don't get the pin aligned with the hole, it's a little tough to get it through.  As I was soon about to be reminded.

The hubby was the first to be announced, so we trotted up to the stage to appear "front and center," as requested by the Captain.  As we're walking up on stage, I couldn't help but whisper to him, "Are you sure I'm supposed to be up here with you?"  It just felt weird for a second.

Not to worry.  I was supposed to be there.

After the formal reading of the advancement certificate, it was time to get those bad boys pinned on properly.  I did one collar, and one of his colleagues did the other.

Ohhhhh, the struggle!

And I couldn't get the damn pin through the holes.  The little bastard would not fit where it was supposed to go.

As luck would have it, this advancement ceremony was also the kickoff to an air station all-hands training.  So, a couple hundred people in the audience. Oh, happy day!

I had the pleasure of hopefully not too obviously wrestling with that stubborn little muther of an anchor pin while a large part Air Station Kodiak personnel looked on.  Wheeeee!

Now I realize this was all of 30 seconds in reality.  But, it felt like I was struggling front and center for at least a full minute or two.

I managed not to curse as I wiggled and then downright shoved it through, when the little shit finally cooperated.  And in my single-minded focus on getting the blasted pin onto the collar, I promptly pricked my finger on the razor freaking sharp pointed end.

You know what happened next, right?  Cue the blood!  I didn't even realize what I had done until we got back to our seats.

As I happily sunk back into my seat, glad to be done with being on stage, I gazed over to my left and realized...gasp...to my horror - that not only did I bleed all over my hand, but I shared the love and left more than a few crimson drops on the collar and back of the hubby's fancy dress uniform.  It stood out nicely against the light blue.

Oh, and I unknowingly wiped my face with said bloody finger for a lovely smeared effect across my forehead.  Awesome, right?  Again - so glad we were back in our seats already and I wasn't freaking Carrie on stage with my bloody face and dripping hand!  Lovely pictures they would have made for posterity, right?

What am I new here, or what??  Nothing quite adds to an advancement ceremony like bodily fluids.

So of course, after I cleaned myself up, I had to whisper to the hubby, "See?  I bleed for you."  Oh, the sacrifice.  Ha.

Congrats, my love.  I mean Senior Chief.  I'll do my best not to bleed on you at the next one. 

Ta-ta for now.

Another Roll of the Dice

Lots o' options!

A question I'm asked often is some version of, "How do you know where you'll go next?"  Or, "Do you get to pick where you go, or does the Coast Guard just send you where they want?"

Unlike the title of this post, it's a little more strategic than just rolling the dice.  The gist of it is this.

We're in the very early stages of PCS, (Permanent Change of Station) so we just received the official "shopping list" for our next tour.  Which basically means what positions and locations will be available to transfer to in the summer of 2016.

Availability is based on the hubby's rank and position, and more importantly the needs of the almighty Coast Guard.  Because home is where the Coast Guard sends us.  Which is kind of part of the fun.

The potential billets totaled 8 different locations and ranged from Washington D.C., to another tour in a different part of Alaska, to Puerto Rico, among others.  The next step after learning what our options were was to submit our "dream sheet" based on the available slots.  Essentially what our picks are for the next four years.

We ended up submitting for 6 locations - from California, to Oregon, to North Carolina and a few others.  What's nice is that because we've spent the last 3 years outside the continental U.S, we'll have precedence for the next set of orders.  So the chances of us getting our first pick are good.  Our first pick is Sacramento, California.

I've been prematurely researching all the different potential locations, well because it's kind of fun to play the what if game.  Honestly, I just want to get back to civilization again.  I was so excited to see all of the restaurants, pubs, and live music venues in a bunch of the locations we could end up at.

Civilization and the prospect of more than 132 average days of sunshine per year is...more than alluring!   Our time in Kodiak has been unbelievable, and I'm so thankful we had the opportunity to experience living here.  I've had the privilege of immersing myself in a completely different culture through my work experiences here, met some wonderful people, and I've seen some of the most stunning natural beauty I've ever laid my eyes on.  It's been unforgettable and I know we'll remember this tour fondly for the rest of our lives.

But on the other hand, I'm also ready to move on.  The challenge now is to tame the restlessness that's inevitable when we're right on the edge of transition.  I'm doing my best to live in the moment and not spend too much time focusing on what's to come.  Because as we all know, tomorrow isn't promised.  Okay, no more Deepak Chopra for you.

We'll find out what the next set of orders will be sometime around Christmas/New Years.  I think of it as our Christmas present.  I already know that the next roll of the dice will be another excellent new place to call home.  Because I refuse to accept anything else!  Take a look at this & you'll understand what I mean.  Stay tuned!

Ta-ta for now.

7 Things I've Learned About Being a Coast Guard Spouse

Do you love lists as much as I do?  I love making lists.  And even better?  Is making lists when I can gleefully cross off whatever task was completed.

Now this isn't a task-oriented list, but it's still one that I think is worth sharing.  Especially with fellow military spouses.  Particularly the newbs.  And know that I say that with nothing but love and respect.  Ya newbs.  Just kidding.

And for the non-military folks out there, maybe my abbreviated take on this unconventional lifestyle will provide some insight for those who might be curious.  So, here we go.

7 Things I've Learned About Being a Coast Guard Spouse 

1.  Every move gets easier.  The first move?  ROUGH.  It was lonely, uprooting, unfamiliar. I look back on our first move least fondly, but I also wouldn't trade the experience.  Because it was the first step toward getting a handle on how to handle it.  If that makes sense.

2.  About that how to handle it part.  I've developed a PCS formula for myself that works for me.  It's certainly not rocket science, but it includes a few non-negotiables - no matter how much I want to do the exact opposite.  I tend to be a house gnome, so it's really important after PCS-ing  to commit to things like establishing (or continuing) an exercise routine and sticking to it, volunteering, and embracing all there is to explore in your new "home."  Trust me.  Just do it even though you don't want to.  (For those asking themselves, what the hell is a PCS, it's the military acronym for Permanent Change of Station.)

3.  Make sure to take some time every so often to really soak in your surroundings at whatever place you're calling home.  Whether you've just arrived and are still settling in, you're prepping to haul yourselves to the next destination, or you're somewhere in between the two - I guarantee you can find a few things that are absolutely unique to that place and that place only.  Take the time to explore or revisit your surroundings.  There's always something new and distinctive to discover, no matter how long you've been stationed there.  Unique discoveries and the whole process of exploring is one of my favorite things about living in a new community.  Embrace it!

4.  I'm a stellar acquaintance maker.  Now I know some will read that and think something along the lines of, "You need to make more of an effort," or "Branch out and get more involved."  But the truth is that my friends - my longtime, sincere friends - live somewhere else.  Usually somewhere far from wherever is home at the moment.  And those friends are people I've had in my life for a very long time.  I'm not saying I don't make connections at whatever new place is thrust upon us as home.  But, I'm realistic in the fact that most folks I interact with - fellow Coast Guard spouses, co-workers, people I meet through work or volunteering, etc. - become acquaintances.  Of course there are those welcome exceptions, but generally I'm a top-notch acquaintance maker. It's just the way it usually plays out.  And really?  That's okay.  Because those acquaintances are just as valuable and important as those friends I've known for 25 or more years.

5.  It's really important to find your thing.  Or things.  Some activity or past time in your new surroundings that fuels you and makes you want to go back for more.  It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it pushes those buttons of motivation and passion.  Just be sure to ask yourself a few key questions.  You know like, is it legal?  And...is it an obvious detriment to my health or well being?  If the answer to either question is yes, then by all means jump in feet first.  Sounds like fun.  Just kidding.  A little.

This is one of my favorite pictures of the hubby in his element

6.  It's okay to be a bit of an outcast.  How so?  You may ask.  Simple.  Voluntarily choose the less traveled path of not having kids.  And be a military spouse.  And be 40 years old.  Done and done.  When you fall into this category and you live on base, it's just reality that commonalities between you and those who you live around will be few and far between.  Because most neighbors have children and many spouses are usually both much younger, and are stay-at-home moms.  When folks are neck deep in all things baby/toddler/kid, there usually isn't a whole lot of common ground.  And again - that's okay.

7.  You don't have to feel guilty about not doing everything that's out there to get involved with.  Both on base and in your community.  Yes, it's important to put yourself out there and get out of your comfort zone, but it's also okay to hang back a little.  Find a happy medium for yourself.  The best thing you can do during times of change (or any time really) is to pay attention to what you really want.  In work, in play, in relationships.  That inner voice is pretty intuitive.  Listen to it.

So, those are my two cents about what I've gleaned from being a Coast Guard spouse and moving around for the last 6 years.  It's not all sunshine and lollipops, but I think it's pretty good gig. - Especially when it means these types of experiences become part of our story:

Not to get all schmoopy on you, but we just celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary, and I don't think this grand adventure would be nearly as much fun with anyone else!  That curmudgeonly, dedicated, funny and offbeat man I call my husband is the reason why we have the privilege of trekking around this country every few years to experience living in such diverse places.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

Ta-ta for now.

Photo credit:  Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

The Golden Anchor

The Golden Anchor is the sports bar on Base Kodiak, and it's a cool little place to have as essentially our neighborhood pub. It's about the only bar within walking distance, so that right there makes it more appealing than taking a cab into town!  We ended up taking a walk down for happy hour a few weeks ago for a few beers.

We came on the early side, so we had the bar to ourselves

It's predictably Coast Guard-centric with the decor, and it has a little game area with the usual suspects - pool, darts, foozeball & a shuffleboard table, among others.

The Mighty Resolute

One of the unique things about the decorations are the retired Coast Guard life rings that are hung all along the walls.  I walked around to read some of them and I found The Resolute, which is the cutter hubby served on right after he got out of boot camp before he switched to aviation.  It was signed by some of the crew and was dated 1991.  Way before his time in the CG, but it was kind of cool that his old boat is represented.

And of course, they have lots of Alaskan beers on tap & in the bottle, and they feature beer from Kodiak Island Brewing Company, too.

I really like some of the beers we've discovered from Alaskan Brewing Company, which is based in Juneau.  They have a nice Belgian White, (which The Golden Anchor has on tap, yay me) and the Alaskan Amber is good too.

Single Engine Red is another Alaskan beer we've discovered up here that's also pretty tasty.  It's another one they have on tap at The Golden Anchor.  Who wins?  WE win.

It's a red ale that's from Denali Brewing Company, based out of Talkeetna, Alaska.  That's the real deal Alaskan interior.  It looks like it would be a fun little town to visit.  In a small, rugged, mountaineer-y kind of way.  Mountaineer-y is too a word.

Talkeetna is known as the base town for expeditions up Denali, and the name Single Engine Red is a play on the air taxis that flew mountain climbers to the base of Denali.

Kind of a neat little back story to the name.  Lots of new beer experimentation up in the great white north...It's beer!  Hoooor-aaay, beer!  Ten points if you know the reference there, fellow beer lovers.  (I know, not exactly challenging)

The menu at The Golden Anchor is typical for a sports bar.  I was digging their fried pickles, and hubby can never say no to tater tots if they're available.  Not the healthiest fare, but you could certainly do worse!

I picked up a pool cue for the first time in a very long time, and I was impressively bad!

When I was younger, my brother had a pool table in the basement, so we used to play all the time.

After all that practice over my teenage years, I got to a point where I could hold my own at the pool table.  Yeah...those days are over.  It was a sad state of affairs.

Minnesota Fats, we're not!

Another nice thing about our little base bar is the view.  It's on the second floor and it's right on the water, so it's a pretty commanding view of Women's Bay and the mountains.  Not too shabby for our neighborhood joint.

All in all, the Golden Anchor is a a worthwhile spot to relax that's close to home.

I'm sure we'll go more often during the spring and summer since the walk down won't be so frigid!  And maybe after some practice, I'll get my pool game back.

Ta-ta for now.

I can't help noticing that my skin is the color of my sweater.  I'm back to being translucent again. Pale is the new tan!

Why yes, there IS a giant golden anchor outside

Living on a Coast Guard Base

I've talked about this a little bit before, but this is my (and hubby's) first time living on a military base.  I had my reservations before we moved in, but now that we're more settled, it's time to broadcast on the interwebs my two cents about what it's like.

The Andy Griffiths Show  
Photo Credit:  CBS Television [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

To be honest, it's a little Mayberry-like.  Mayberry - as I'm sure the vast majority of you already know, but I feel the need to clarify for the young-un readers that may be out there - is a fictional community from a 1960's black and white sitcom set sometime in the 40's or 50's called The Andy Griffiths Show.  My point being, base living is kind of innocent.

Now I know you're asking yourselves what makes it innocent, so here goes.  We have the local po-dunk paper, The Kodiak Daily Mirror, delivered to the house daily.  No joke, it's delivered by a very clean-cut adolescent boy on a bicycle, and he carries the papers in a canvas satchel that's slung over his shoulder.  And he actually puts it in the mailbox.  Now, wearing safety gear when you're biking is mandatory on any military base, but his helmet is the icing on the cake.  I bet if I listened, he'd be whistling and saying things like, "Awww, shucks."

Just to contrast, in Key West we also had our paper delivered.  Only it was by a crusty old dude in a dilapidated pick-up who wouldn't get out of his car.  His method of choice was to fling the paper in the general direction of the house, which inevitably missed the porch and usually resulted in the paper fetcher having to take a mini-trek into the hibiscus bushes in front of the porch to try and excavate said paper from under the house.  Good times.  Pretty big difference from the squeaky clean teenager with a canvas satchel, right?  But I will acknowledge that Key West isn't exactly an even playing field as far as comparison goes.  We're talking about an island that's taken fetish to a completely new level.

Entrance to USCG Base Kodiak

And of course, it's not just the paper boy.  (I still chuckle at the fact that we even have a paper boy - who actually is a boy) Base Kodiak is one of the largest U.S. Coast Guard bases, so along with housing, it has amenities like the commissary (grocery store), the Exchange (a combo of a 7-11/Target/department store), a pizza place, movie theater, gym, bowling alley, pub, etc.  It's nowhere close to the size and scope of most Air Force bases I've visited, but it has a lot going on for a Coast Guard base.  The Mayberry-factor comes in the price of a movie ticket.  Ready?  It's five dollars. FIVE DOLLARS.  It's like being transported back in time.  And it's not like they're showing Rocky IV or The Karate Kid. - The movies are current, usually released in the last month or so.  So let's hear it for saving a few bucks at the movies.

This is our little corner of base housing

Another thing that's on the "of times gone by" side is seeing kids walking and biking to school in the morning.  Kind of sad to say, but it seems like that's not as common now as it was when I was little.  Add in the regular patrols throughout the neighborhood by USCG police and it's downright vintage around here. 

Living on base still wouldn't be my first choice if it wasn't required, but it hasn't been a bad experience so far.  Cookie-cutter and over run with kids, sure.  But it certainly could be worse.  Can't be too upset, especially when this is what's in the backyard:

Barometer Mountain - July, 2013

Mayberry or not, base Kodiak is a decent enough place to live.  Opie paper boys, Barney Fifes and all.

Ta-ta for now. 

Space A? Yes, Please.

Boarding our ride in the hangar

Last week we were able to take advantage of one of the fantastic benefits available to us called Space A flights.  I wasn't familiar with it until we moved to Kodiak - I guess because so far we haven't been stationed somewhere that was so remote that Space A would become oh-so-enticing.

It stands for Space Available, and it basically allows us to reserve a spot on a scheduled Coast Guard C-130 flight.  Wherever the flight is going, we can hop a ride in the back to whatever destination they're already scheduled to go to, at no charge to us.  In our case, it's usually Anchorage.  I've heard that they occasionally have Space A flights available going from Kodiak to Honolulu, so we'll be sure to keep an eye out for that sweet opportunity!

The seating inside the plane - Try not to be
distracted by the zombie eyes on the left!

So, last week we took a quick trip to Anchorage on our very first Space A flight to get off the island for a little while. - Our first time leaving Kodiak since we got here six months ago.  Six months isn't that long, but you really feel the remoteness of Kodiak because...well, it's pretty remote.

It feels like much longer because of that "we're so far away" feeling that's just inevitable.  If you're like me, you're now singing in your head, ♪ ♫  "We're so...faaaaar away....doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore...?" ♫ ♪  That would be Carole King for those of you who are saying, huh?  And shame on you if you're over 30 and didn't recognize it!  Just kidding.

Anyway, this was my first time flying in a C-130, and it was most definitely a memorable experience.  The only thing about it that was similar to a regular commercial flight was the seats.  I could tell they were hand me down airline seats from quite some time ago because some of the arm rests still had cigarette ashtrays built in.

It's kind of hard to believe there once was a time that smoking on a flight was actually allowed.  What a horrendous experience that would be!  Hurtling along in a steel box full of carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and thousands of other lethal chemicals wafting through the air?  Glad that's not how we fly anymore!  (It might just be a perfect example of social evolution)

The flight itself was much noisier than a commercial flight, (they handed out ear plugs - which I totally used) and the vibrations were pretty noticeable.  The seat vibrated so much, it reminded me of one of those old school movies or sitcoms where the character would put a quarter into the shady motel's vibrating bed for a "massage." 

Hubby posing for me after landing at Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage

The very first thing I noticed after landing was how much colder it was in Anchorage compared to Kodiak.  When we got there, it was about negative 10 degrees outside.  That's step outside and your nose hairs start to freeze weather.  The coldest temperatures I've ever experienced, for sure.  Remember, we're not talking wind chill, we're talking straight up air temperature.  Negative 10.  Downright frigid.  Makes Kodiak seem balmy with its 35-ish degrees on most winter days.

The hubby and I had different ideas about what we wanted to do once we got there, so we went with a divide and conquer strategy.  He was hell bent on continuing his on-going love affair with Costco, and I was desperate for some new jeans and long sleeved shirts/sweaters.  So, I went to a mall and he wandered around Costco, and we met back for lunch a few hours later.

Winner of the hipster prize

We started playing "spot the Anchorage hipster" pretty early on, and found the hands down winner of that game at the lunch spot we went to called Brown Bag Sandwich Co.  (really delicious - whole-heartedly recommend checking it out on the off chance you find yourself looking for a lunch spot in Anchorage)

Tell me this guy doesn't get the hipster winner's trophy with his matching "Dude" sweater/hat combo.  And you can't even see the pièce de résistance, the giant phoenix-like bird with fully outstretched wings on the sleeves and back.  All that, plus the pom pom on his hat & the wooly beard just about made my afternoon.

I had a little moment while we were playing spot the Anchorage hipster and scarfing down our panini sandwiches and belly warming hot soup:  I realized we were utterly surrounded by thousands of dollars worth of high-tech, performance winter outerwear.  From Patagonia, to North Face, to Marmot, to Columbia - it was a smorgasbord of cold weather technology.  Ourselves included.  All hail outdoor activity clothing!

Outside McGinley's...BRRR!

Later that night after we checked into our hotel, we made our way to an Irish pub right by our hotel called McGinley's to get our first draft Guinness beers in six months.  Makes me cringe writing that.  I haven't seen Guinness on draft anywhere in Kodiak so far, but that doesn't mean it's not out there.  Somewhere.  If any Kodiak locals are reading this & know of a place, TELL ME, please.

After the mandatory Guinness, we went to dinner at Glacier Brewhouse.  They had phenomenal beers, (it's a great brewery) and I had the best salmon I've ever had.  It was prepared so simply, but it was out of this world.  The restaurant had a great vibe, too.

My absolutely delicious salmon

It was so cozy with the fireplace, and it had a very rustic, farmhouse feel to it.  I love when restaurants and businesses are all decorated
for Christmas, it always feels so festive wherever you go at this time of year.

Now this is the point in our trip when Mother Nature stepped in to let us know she was in charge.

Inside Glacier Brewhouse

We had planned to stay overnight on a Tuesday and leave the next day, but the combination of what they call "below minimums" in Kodiak, and then a blizzard in Anchorage changed that.  Below minimums basically means it's too damn foggy to land.  We ended up catching our scheduled flight on Wednesday afternoon, flying to Kodiak, circling around in a holding pattern for about 15 minutes, and then turning around and flying right back to Anchorage.  I wasn't sure why we even bothered to fly all the way there if they already knew the conditions were bad, but I'm just a passenger. - I'll leave those decisions the the professionals!

Plates at Moose's Tooth

Once we came back and rescheduled our flight for later, the snow started in Anchorage and our flight was cancelled.  We did get to check out a well known pizza joint we wanted to go to during our down time waiting for the next flight, though.  It was called Moose's Tooth, and it took the edge off the whole flight delay/cancellation debacle.  Pretty good pizza and beer, and I was digging their moose plates.  :)

When all was said and done, we finally got home on Thursday afternoon, just a day later than what we had originally planned.  What a fun trip it was!

So very nice to get off of Kodiak for a few days.  Even if it was freeze your ass off weather in Anchorage!  Now, about those Space A flights to Hawaii....hmmmm.

Ta-ta for now.

Can I Get an Amen?

About five minute after I started complaining about having to wait too long to be assigned a place to live via military housing, the Coast Guard Housing Gods smiled upon us and made that shit happen.  Really, I think it was my sister Maureen.  She put the good vibes out into the universe, and lo and behold, what was coveted appeared.  Alright, enough with the pseudo-religious crap.  

Movers converge

The beyond happy news is that we're finally, blissfully out of the hotel room.  If you listen closely, you can hear my giant, heaving sign of relief.  No more Bitchen!  (bathroom/kitchen for those non-followers)  And also no more bitchin' from me about being in limbo at a hotel.

View from our backyard

To be honest, my expectations for military housing were pretty low.  Which worked out in our favor, because we totally hit the jackpot with our living situation again.  The place we were assigned is about perfect. - Two bedrooms, a garage, and a fenced in yard for the Pugbull to roam.  It's everything we were hoping to get, with backyard mountain views as a bonus.

Another backyard view

Coming from Key West - where the houses in the area where we lived are notoriously tiny - this place feels palatial.  I can't even believe how much storage space we have.  Closets galore, and even an extra storage room behind the garage.  A whole other room!  Just for storage!   Unheard of.  Hubby was in utter heaven over the weekend working on one of his, oh I don't know, 8 bicycles.  Up on the rack!  In a space that isn't a living room or tiny deck in the sweltering heat!  I swear I heard him whistling.

Clearing the Pushki that was poking through the other side of the fence in the yard, so the Pugbull doesn't have to suffer a round two of the rash. (Pushki-whacking?)

And I know this is a slightly sad thing to be excited about, but I'm so stoked to have an actual laundry room.  Not a laundry closet with the world's tiniest stack-able washer/dryer, but a real, live laundry ROOM.  It's been over 5 years since I've had that luxury.  With a high-efficiency, front loading, full-sized washer!  I won't admit how long I crouched down and watched through the door while the clothes tumbled around in the sudsy water the first time I did a load of laundry.  It was a while.  What?  Did I not say I was excited?  

Empty cabinets - soon to be fully stocked

We've been wading through a sea of boxes and all of our crap since the movers came and unloaded all of our worldly possessions a few days ago.  It's really amazing how much pointless stuff you can accumulate over a relatively short period of time.  I've been in throw out mode for the last few days.  If it's remotely unusable, broken, or is a double of something, out it goes.  I'm glad I stumbled upon a Salvation Army here, because I'll be paying them a visit with a donation soon.  

Unfortunately, the movers didn't treat our TV as gently as we would have hoped. - It emerged from the box with a pretty substantial scratch on the upper left side of the screen.  Which is hard to believe, considering they double boxed the damn thing.  Hell, I could easily carry on watching it with the scratch and not care a bit, but since the moving company has a 100% replacement policy for any high dollar items that are damaged, I guess it makes sense to follow the process through.  Plus, someone else would probably not be down with the whole "the TV isn't really broken" philosophy I've got going on right now.  I won't name names.  

Home sweet home, finally.  Hallelujah! 

In other news, I ventured out to the DMV to become a full-fledged Alaska resident and driver today.  It was a valiant, but failed attempt.  Apparently the state of Alaska requires all drivers to take a multiple choice test in order to receive an Alaska license, even if you have a license from another state.  Let's just say I did a cursory skim through of the driver's manual the night before, and promptly failed the test today.  I was feeling less than smart after that debacle.  Needless to say, I'll be doing more than just skimming the information this weekend, and I'll re-take the test on Monday.  Stupid, random numbers.  Did you know that you should turn off your high-beams when you're 500 feet or more from an oncoming vehicle?  Not 300.  Won't get that one wrong if it comes up again.

It's funny, it always makes me a little sad when I have to turn in my Florida driver's license.  I've had to do it one other time, and I was sad then, just like I'm sad now.  It'll be bye bye Sunshine State, hello Last Frontier.  If I can pass the damn test, that is.

The Cheetster waiting patiently to get a sniff of his new home while the movers do their thing

Finally settling in to our new home was a terrific 39th birthday present!  And home made chocolate cake with the king of all frosting (cream cheese, if you don't already know the answer to that) from the hubby wasn't too shabby, either.

Day 17 and Counting

I joke that I'm going quietly insane living in this hotel room for dangerously close to 3 weeks.  Do you remember the old Queen song called "I'm Going Slightly Mad?"  That's been playing on a constant repeat in my mind for the last week and a half.  So there you have it.  

I've mentioned it before, but neither one of us has lived in military housing before, so we're both unfamiliar with what a normal time frame would be to be placed in a house.  We were told it's first come, first served, but that's a bunch of BS.  We had all of our paperwork submitted and completed, and hubby went over to the housing office first thing on the Monday morning after we arrived.  A colleague of his went in after him and was put on the mysterious "list" along with us, but he was placed a week ago.  I'm not saying it's wrong, but they obviously place Coasties who have children before a family of just two.  Well, three if you count the furry, four-legged master of destruction and filth.  

At least someone is content living in the hotel

My point is, don't pretend it's first come first served when it clearly isn't.  It creates slightly unrealistic expectations.  We're completely at their mercy.  In this tiny room.  Where I make coffee in the bathroom.  We joke and say we have a Bitchen.  You know, Bathroom/Kitchen.  It's a Bitchen!  If we weren't required to live in military housing - we absolutely wouldn't - and we'd have a place to call home by now.  We're both just frustrated.  If what they've told us so far is accurate, we should hear something this week.  Good Lord, I hope so.

Alright, the complaining portion of the program is complete.  And I'll continue to go sliiiiggghhhtly maaad.  Seriously, go take a listen to Queen's "I'm Going Slightly Mad" if you don't know it so you can feel my pain.  And maybe sing along a little.  It's from their 1991 album Innuendo, and also the Classic Queen greatest hits-type album from 1992.

So, moving on.  We've been able to explore Kodiak a little bit since we've been here, and it's truly beautiful.  We'll just say that the scenery is a little different than Key West!  

Mill Bay Beach

Driving down to Anton Larsen Bay - View of Pyramid  Mountain

Mossy tree hiking through North End Park

I think out of all the experiences and activities we'll do while living here, I'll enjoy hiking the most. It's such a great way to get out in the fresh air and get some exercise.  And you really can't beat the views.  

Hiking in Rotary Park

Tomorrow is my 39th birthday, and I was hoping part of my present this year would involve us diligently unpacking boxes and settling in to our new home.  I know, I need to up my birthday standards, right?  

We have a fun day planned for tomorrow getting out to Fort Abercrombie State Park for a picnic lunch and some hiking with the Cheetster.  It's supposed to be a diverse and beautiful park, so I'm really looking forward to checking it out.  

Our usual tradition is having a birthday dinner at whatever restaurant the birthday-ee chooses, but since we can't leave the pooch alone in the hotel, my birthday dinner will have to wait until we get our new digs.  Until then I'll continue to go slightly mad. 

P.S. - Update!  Just got notified we have an appointment with housing to do a walk through on a place tomorrow.  Two bedrooms, a garage, and a fenced in yard.  Hooray and happy birthday to me!!

Adiós, Worldly Possessions!

It’s been a little unexpected around here lately. – Since the movers decided to not show up on the day they were scheduled to come and pack, load and transport our household goods. That’s what they call all your worldly possessions in the military – “Household Goods.”  And if they’re gettin’ fancy, just HHG.  You can always count on them to make up an acronym.  They have whole manuals dedicated to decoding them.  But, I digress.  

Cheety doesn't know what to make of 
all the activity. - Just that it's very 
untrustworthy!

Anyway, somebody along the way dropped the ball on when the movers were scheduled to come, so we had to re-schedule them for the following week after they were originally supposed to come.  Which actually worked out better, since we were in no way ready for them to converge on the house and start doing their thing.  And our total lack of preparation has nothing at all to do with the fact that my main priority the weekend before was lying by the pool and drinking beers.  Somehow doing any of the 500 things that needed to be done to get ready wasn’t as important.  Eh, it happens.  

So, here we are.  We got an extra week with all our things, and now we’ll only have to house camp for 1 week instead of 2.  Sounds good to me - everyone wins.  It took me a little while to get to that point, though.  At first I was completely irritated and genuinely pissed off that it wasn’t going as planned.  I’m better now.  Let’s hear it for forced flexibility when one of your default traits is being rigid.

Hubby With Gene, one of our impressively efficient movers & a Tower o' Boxes in the kitchen

So at the moment, I'm sitting on the tiny island free of chaos that is our couch. (With a very concerned Pugbull by my side.) They're wrapping and packing today, and loading should start tomorrow.  That's good, because that means I don't have to get up yet.  And so it begins.

Bedroom Anarchy

He has to be thinking, "Well, my bed USED to be here."