what is real?

I love Meanest Mom. She is linked to me on my list of Blogs I Stalk, meaning: I do not know her but read her fairly regularly. She cracks me up as she describes her escapades as a PhD in Medieval Literature with Crohn's Disease now staying at home with 4 very young children.

Meanest Mom is quite a popular blog and she occasionally has give aways. The most recent is a give away from Shabby Apple. In fact it is the very dress I have been working up the nerve to buy for myself.

Meanest Mom writes this about the dress:

Maybe it's just me, but it seems that stylish dresses that fit real women's bodies are going the way of the dinosaurs. Around these parts, they're virtually extinct. In their place, the timelessly sexy skirt + sweater set has taken over.

So in the act of leaving my comment for a 1/900 chance to win I came across this comment by anonymous:

Ugh. I really liked your blog until I read your comment about "real" women. I'm a size two. . . am I not a "real" woman just because I exercise, watch what I eat, and take care of myself? How much weight must I gain to be considered "real"??

So is she seriously offended by "real women" comments because she is a size 2 or is she joking with the jokey Meanest Mom? And who is to say anyone who is not a size 2 is not taking care of herself. And why is she anonymous? What is she afraid of, women with hips coming after her with donuts and a plunger to make sure they get down her throat?

All I know is the term Real Women embraces everyone of all sizes; be it 2 or 42. Wherever we are and whatever journey we are on to lose/gain/maintain is alright with me. I hope miss size 2 gets over her inferiority complex and I hope it comes with a cupcake or two.

Because real women eat a cupcake every now and then too.

We almost lost Grandma to a bear...no seriously.

The kids with Grandma and Grandpa (Brent and Darlene) at Carter's birthday

We just sent Brent and Darlene back to WY. The boys wanted to make up a story about how Grandma was seriously injured from a bear encounter and would no longer be able to fly home for school teaching and that Grandpa was so worried about her he to was in such a state that rendered him unable to travel. When I told them that would be lying and dishonest they said, "SO!" Apparently honesty is optional when it comes to making up excuses to try and keep grandparents at our house for a little longer.

Ok so I was close too, but I still zoomed in to get this shot.

And the accidental bear encounter almost happened. We found a big ole grizzly in Denali National Park on our first drive about 5 miles from the entrance. It was way up a dry riverbed and walking towards us. Of course Dar got out for a closer look (OK we all did) but she was the last one in the car. She had the bus drivers from the park busses yelling at her to GET IN THE CAR!!! Dad was yelling at her and I was closing the door to save my children from certain bear stampede when she finally decided that across a dry creek was indeed close enough


There are plenty of other things I would be worrying about besides squirrels. Especially with JaDee's mom in the park.

Denali was awesome. Denali is the Native Alaskan name for Mt. McKinley. We saw the top 2 days in a row, but it is so huge and about 70 miles away from where we saw the top that by the time we got to the bottom (about 30 miles away) the whole thing was covered in clouds. Only about 10% see the whole thing totally cloud free and only 30% see the top ever so we got our pins at the gift shop that say we were part of the 30% club.

Look at us on the bus! This was our traveling venue for 8 hours and 120 miles round trip. Sound fun? It actually was!

THere is only one 90 mile mostly dirt road into the park. You have to take a bus unless you draw out for the lottery for a apersonal vehicle pass. Jeff may be excited for his elk but I want a park pass next year. THere are lots of "hotels" and resorts outside of the park entrance and there are 4 very nice resorts in the park at the end of the road. That too is another dream of mine.

So we hopped on our bus and rode 60 miles in and it was amazing. At one point I was hanging out the window over this drop off next to the bus to snap pictures down the valley from McKinley. And I do not think I could get tired of looking at that mountain. MY dream is a deck chair and a blanket and a morning of mountain gazing from one of those interior resorts (JaDee are you reading this? There is nothing in that last sentence about shooting anything in it).

After we got home at midnight from our day in the park we got up and went shopping. Well Darlene and I did. And let me tell you shopping with Dar for souvenirs is an experience like unto seeing the tallest mountain in North America. We had a blast.

This is a big bull in the wild. He is surrounded by Fireweed. People make jam out of this. and the moose love it.

That afternoon we headed out for some salmon fishing. But first we stopped at the Animal Conservation Center. We got up close with 2 bull moose and got to pet them trough the fence. We saw baby moose bottle fed. We saw a grizzly do tricks for reinder meat, saw the big Caribou (the ones in the park were scrawny) and black bear. Oh and those BIG cabbages Alaska is famous for: bok choy. An asian cabbage found in eggrolls and stir fry. Not a lot of taste but a lot of ruffage after you cook it. But huge to see.

This is a moose behind a fence.

We caught lots of fish. Note to all those girls who got to go with Grandma: Snagging them in the back, tail or any where other than the mouth region is illegal and you have to throw them back. An art JaDee finally mastered by the end of the night. He about killed his dad being out there so long and it wasn't until I threatened to leave him there in the rain that JaDee finally came in. Again we were home at midnight.

all in all a very satisfying trip. We loved having Grandma and Grandpa here for Carter's Aaronic preisthood ordination. It was a special moment for him and for us as his parents. He is a good boy who is growing up fast. He loves to help his sister and me. He and Ethan play so good and just giggle and laugh at all things boy. (The current joke: "Have you seen the movie 'Constipation?' No? Me either it hasn't come out yet."

Thanks scout camp.

And for Grant another fishing video.

Vanessa is awesome!

Look at my kids! They look cute! They look happy! They look like they love each other! Vanessa Millecam can work miracles if you are in the Utah area.

If you are a Facebook Friend you can look at all of them http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=112015&id=1477154594&ref=mf

All pictures courtesy of Vanessa Millecam Photography.

Pure majesty

I have so much to tell you! But in the mean time enjoy this picture of Mt. McKinley.

The tallest point of North America at 20,320 feet. We were part of the lucky 30% to ever see the top. But not part of the 10% to actually see the whole thing all at once. It is so much taller than anything else around that it aactually creates it own weather so the clouds are abundant. By the time we got to the part of the National Park that you could see the whole mountain, the clouds had moved in and you would never guess a mountain was even back there.

Yup. Mt.McKinley is back there under all those clouds. Better go buy the postcard.

Here fishy fishy fishy!

Do you remember that from Bert and Ernie? If not check it out here.






Well we went salmon fishing with JaDee's parents who are here from Wyoming. And it was almost as good as Bert and Ernie.

Things that must go

My favorite radio station in UT (X96) has a segment titled Things that Must Go. Here's one of mine.

When you are entering a store that has specifically marked exit and Entrance signs and as you approach the entrance out comes a cart laden mommy causing you to step out of her way as she and her brood narrowly miss your toes. Oh and she is talking on her cell phone and doesn't even see you. Apparently she doesn't know how to read either.

This also applies to exiting the store with your own cart/small freight train and Grandma Lady comes tottering into the exit side. She usually has big sunglasses and a rain bonnet on.

Short lived dream

Remember how JaDee always wanted to be a counselor in the Sunday School presidency? Well he got released from that to be the Priest Quorum advisor. Which is a cool calling for him since he gets to plan the Varsity Scout activities and high adventures. And in Alaska the adventures can be really high!

I on the other hand am still struggling through cub scouts. I am now the Cub Scout Committee Chair person. I must say I thought I could be a little more useful here in Alaska. My mother in law just laughs every time she hears I am in cubs. Seriously, she says, do they think you belong there?

I guess someone must.

In the mean time not having a permanent Sunday obligation leaves me free to substitute in Primary, Gospel Doctrine and Relief Society. I always seem to go through periods of low profile callings that allow me to step in wherever there is a need.

So I guess that must be where I can be of the most use.

one week to go

I don't usually go all political in this blog, because I find political blogs annoying. But as many of you have heard, Sarah Palin is resigning as my governor on July 25. I have been asked what I think about it, since living here for 7 months make me local, I thought I would comment.

I am sad about it. You see many Alaskans thought she was an excellent governor. I thought she did a good job on the state level in the months that I have been here. I was glad she went over the bail-out package offered to Alaska with a fine tooth comb and did not accept money that would lead our state to become dependent on federal dollars for programs the state can do better. I thought Governor Palin was a fresh break from any "good ole boys" or "blue blood" family that often become elected officials around the country.

But the vice presidential campaign left its mark. Alaskans became disgruntled with all the ridiculous and even frivolous press about the Governor. Paparazzi stalked her daughter and new baby outside their home. Rumors were spread and accusations were made. It cluttered the gubernatorial desk and gave Palin opponents more fuel to fight her in legislation. Through the course of events, and the price of fame, whether it was sought after or not, Alaska's objectives got lost.

I watched Governor Palin grow almost gaunt on TV as she seemed to be losing a fair amount of weight. I saw the tabloids have a hay day with feuds between her and national TV personalities. Her family's faces became bounties for photogs to sell. Ethics charges were trumped up and exaggerated.

Her job was eating her life.

I know she accepted the nomination for VP and "brought this on herself" or "sought after the attention" she is now getting. But I don;t think for a minute if Sarah saw what that acceptance would have brought on her or her family she would have. As someone born and raised in rural Wasilla Alaska, I don't think she had a clue what sharks would begin circling her once her name was thrown in the pool.

She was thought to be the one to save the Republican party. But that was never her intention. She was a mom who first wanted to better her school for her children. Then a woman who saw a need for her town. And finally she had an agenda for her state which could only have benefited from a local in the White House.

So yes, Sarah Palin is stepping down as governor. And while we don't know the concrete reason for her resignation, we do know the Leutenant Governor to step in has said he will carry on the Palin agenda without any of the outside distractions.

I hope Sarah goes home and watches that one year old of her run in the grass. And holds that new grandbaby of hers on her lap. I hope she is there when her young daughters come home from school this fall ready to hear how their day went. I hope she gets care packages together for her son in Iraq and goes fishing with her husband when he is not up working on the North Slope.

Because that is where her roots are. And that is what matter.

Just another day in AK

While out and about fulfilling my and Olivia's activities of the week (ie. shopping) we turned a corner in the Borders parking lot on the way to the bank to see a distressed woman on a cell phone (remember her for later on in this gripping narration). Then a few yards down we saw what is sadly not an uncommon sight in Anchorage: a homeless man asleep under a fire hydrant.

I do not know how the homeless survive here. I mean even this winter we saw at least 3 every time we were out and about. There are a lot of churches and several charity organizations that must take care of them, but man, I would be saving my spare change for a one way ticket to California and pick a beach to be homeless on if it ever came down to that.

Anyway, after making our way out of the bank, Olivia and I turned the corner by the fire hydrant to see a fire truck pull up with his lights next to the poor homeless man. I stopped, not to rubber neck, but to figure out how to make it around him and the oncoming police with his lights on.

While waiting for the commotion to die down I see (right out my passenger window not 10 feet from me) the firemen try to rouse the homeless man. No success. Then they lift him by his jacket and I see his arm stuck in the bent position under his head. I immediately realise this man is probably dead and stiff. And promptly make my way around the truck before I see anymore.

As I get past the fire truck I see the distressed phone call lady standing with her hand over her mouth, a look of shock and sadness on her face. I realize she must have made the call and is overcome by what she stumbled on.

Olivia and I run into Borders to pick up Jennifer Weiner's new book and Tess of the d'Ubervilles still distracted by my tragic encounter. I don't even stop to browse, but make my purchases quickly and we leave the store.

And who should we see on the edge of the Borders parking lot in the evergreens taking a leak?

The dead homeless chap was feeling better apparently.

I hurry Olivia into the car before she can see anything. Or so I thought. Because when I say, "We need to hurry and leave," she says:

"Is it because that man was peeing in the trees?"

Yes, my observant child. That and the fact that I once got chased by a homeless guy dragging a vacuum cleaner (I guess he likes his dumpsters neat) begging for change I did not have and he thought I was lying, is exactly why we are hurrying away.

This is what we bought today:

like it or not

Since we have been back from our trip to UT and WY and since it is has been a perfect 70 degrees and sunny for about 2 weeks, I have been so happy to be here! So here are the pros and cons of living in Alaska.

Pros:
- the land is amazing. I love to drive around and just look out the window. There are trees everywhere and rivers and mountains. The wildflowers are amazing and even the scrubby yards look good with wild daisies and yarrow and purple fireweed.

- the wildlife. Even though I have only seen one bear and I can't find any more moose this summer, I love that they are here.

- the people are while quirky at times, very nice. We have great friends who have immediately taken us in as one of their own. Without them this would be so much harder

- My house. It has been a great place to have people over. Despite it being smaller square footage than our home in UT it is laid out very well and we have a bigger kitchen and dining room. We can spontaneously have 3 families for a total of 11 children and 6 adults in our house without a problem.

- the opportunities to enjoy something different. JaDee's mom is coming on July 22 for Carter's birthday and so I have been looking at day cruises out of Seward. I am so excited to get out on the water and hopefully see a whale. A whale!! I am trying to figure out if Olivia can handle 9 hours on one of the longer rides or if we should go for a half day cruise instead. A longer ride means a better chance to see more wildlife and glaciers so I have to think this one through.

- The diversity. Seasons, people, scenery, everything. We have become quite the fan of Japanese food and sushi. Even the kids love it!

- No sales tax. while it is expensive to live here, not having to pay an extra 6-8% on everything is nice.

-JaDee's job. We are so blessed to have one!! and the opportunities here are endless for him while in UT there was no room for advancement at his office. He is having a great time with everyone he works with and that too, makes all the difference.

THE CONS

- Being far away from all of YOU!!! We will miss having a big ole family get together for Carter's birthday and for all the other fun things we do. We wish you could all just come here with us and then we can all move back together.

- The radio stations suck. I miss my X96!!!

- I am trying not to think about winter. While once we got in our house and had a garage to make getting into car at -20 a lot more bearable, it is still, well, -20. And very very white outside.

- While I love my house, I hate my yard. It is tiny and not fenced and close to a major residential thoroughfare. It is not a highway, but a main artery for our neighborhood in my backyard and I hate the road noise. There is no real room for a garden or raspberries and I miss that.

- Food is expensive. I have been shopping the adds to the local stores and then buying coupons off of e-bay to cut my food costs. For example, Ball Park hot dogs were 1.49 last week. I bought 20 coupons for like $1.79 that saved me another $1 off of 2 packages and I bought 20 coupons for $1 off Digiorno frozen pizzas that were $6.49. Deals like this and several others have saved me over $300 in groceries this month... but you better like hot dogs and pizza and Special K, because that is what I stocked up on. There are no deals on produce and I regularly pay $2 a pound for apples. And the tomatoes and corn on the cob suck no matter how much you pay. They do not grow well here and have to be shipped. Bleh.

- The time difference... being 2 hours behind UT and WY is hard, but then you figure all my family and friends on the Central and Eastern time zones and by the time we are up and moving, you guys are done with lunch and thinking about heading home for dinner soon. Weird. Sometimes I feel like I am on a different planet.

So there you have it.

Carter is off to Scout Camp this week with JaDee spending every night up there with him since he is still only 11 for another 10 days. Ethan has Cub Scout Day Camp everyday this week so Olivia and I are on our own for a good part of the day. I told her we are going shopping and she wants to find princess jammies with pants to go with the princess nightgowns Grandma bought.

I want these:

But since they are only found in the Sundance Catalog I will have to order them anyway.

Maybe they have princess jammies in my size?

Say what?

I am not very good at acronyms. You know like BYOB, or ATM. Those actually stand for something? So when I started on Facebook and I kept coming across letters like "ttyl" and "btw" I was confused.

So I Googled it (a phrase I have to explain to my mother every time I use it).

And came up with this handy website. http://www.abbreviations.com/

When I got to what ttyl actually stands for I was then left to guess what it was intended to mean. For example, it can me "totally," "talk to ya later," "ta ta ya loser" or the most baffling of all "through the yawning lounge." What the heck is the yawning lounge? Anyone younger than me who knows what this is referring to (and I hope I did not just post something pornographic) please uh, "school" me.

Another acronym that I run across a lot is SAHM. Which I first read with mild dyslexia as SHAM (great someone who is a big fat fake, but at least honest). It took me an embarrassingly long time to finally figured out it meant "stay at home mom." Yes, I can describe in 30 pages or less the cause and effects of the Plague in 1349 Italy, but I cannot derive what 4 letters stand for. Book smart. Not street smart.

SAHM does not have any other meanings but stay at home mom, at least according to my handy website, which I did not consult in trying to decipher this particular abbreviation (book smart, remember). So I move for a second definition:

"STILL A HOT MOMMA"

Because I have seen my sister in a bathing suit, my sis in law in a tank top on a boat, posted friends who run a 5k with me, seen new moms with beautiful babies, a girl survive a plane crash, friends at their children's weddings, friends planning weddings, and ladies who save dogs, mothers who are fighting cancer, raising chickens, and moving across the country/to another country.

I'd say there is a lot more to being a stay at home mom than four simple letters can sum up.

And it is hot.

Pushing up daisies (almost)

I must have been predestined to live in Alaska. All of the wild flowers are my wedding colors: purple and yellow. And everywhere we look there are daisies. Wild daisies. The kind that I grew in my Utah yard and that I also had in my wedding bouquet. Olivia loves them too. We went and picked these last week.



They were at the bank of this hill leading into a wooded area up the street from us. So we were enjoying a leisurely afternoon of picking daisies when our neighbor drove by.

"Hey, there is a momma moose and a baby in those woods. My wife couldn't load the trailer this morning [they were camping for the 4th] because she was with her baby in our yard drinking out of the sprinkler. Just thought I would give you a heads up."

Aren't Alaskans nice? I mean he could have left me and Olivia to our fate as we made our way up the hill in the quest for a full bouquet to garnish our table. We could have been trampled to death! But we were saved from certain peril by our good neighbor.

Over the years we have had great neighbors. We have helped each other out countless times. I once had mastitis so bad I could barely stand it, and a neighbor brought me dinner. After a devastating miscarriage another brought my family another meal. Another neighbor picked up a bloody nosed boy from school for me when I could not be reached.

I have no doubt they would have warned of a moose too.


Check out these wild flower pictures I stole from Sarah's blog.

Seriously so eavesdropping

At the fireworks the other night I was sitting very close to 3 young  newlyweds. The 3 girls had grown up knowing each other and were back in town visiting family and hadn't seen each other for a long time. I got to hear their catching up and couldn't help but think about Seriously So Blessed.

Girl #1: (plops down practically on top of Ethan, what is it about personal space when a group gathers for fireworks?) I saw a diamond! Let me see! It has been soooooo long since I saw you!

Girl #2: (Flashes the diamond with a flick of the hand)

Girl #1: "Oh I love it! I just got mine cleaned. See!" (pulls out her own diamond which is what she really wanted to show off anyway but had to pretend to be interested in Girl #2's.)

Girl # 3: "Oh I love it! Where is your baby? I heard you had a baby!"

Girl #2: I'm pregnant. Did you know? I'm having a girl.

Girl #1: "Oh I have a girl. It is soooo fun. I love being a mom. I love doing all the mom things. I love dressing my little girl up." (when the baby finally made an appearance she was dressed in blanket sleepers. OK it was midnight, but seriously, I was expecting a big patriotic bundle of ruffles)

Girl #3: Do you have any creative ideas? I need some creative ideas for when I have my kids.

Girl #2: I heard you were teaching dance?

Girl #1: Yeah, I did until I was like 8 months pregnant. And I was like, doing things that none of my students could do and they were like, WHAT! you are 8 months pregnant and you can do that. And I was like, yeah, its called a lifetime of practice.

Girl #3: Do you have any names?

Girl #2: I am thinking about Esmee. And for a middle name Renee. (OK did she really just reverse the names of Bella's baby in Twilight 4? And why am I the only one gagging?)

Girl #3: Do you have any creative ideas for kids? (What is up with her? I swear she said this a million times while I was eavesdropping)

It went on and on for a while. Then finally the fireworks started and the little newly marrieds scattered.

I could not have possibly ever been that bad. EVER!!

Happy 4th from AK

Did you think we have fireworks in Alaska? Well we do. It was all but totally daylight out and we were freezing, but yes at midnight on July 3 we had fireworks making Eagle River the first official "July 4th" fireworks display in the nation. It was loud and fun and now it is 1 AM and time for bed.

Happy Birthday America!

A bear hunt

Olivia and I went driving tonight in search of 2 things: a bear siting and a sleeping pre-schooler. We got both.

After 15 minutes of driving we came upon a black bear walking down the road. I stopped and he crossed in front of me, got right next to the passenger side and hopped over the guardrail into the woods.

I was most excited. Now I do not have to leave fish guts in my backyard to attract them.

15 more minutes got me that sleeping child. It was 11:30 PM. And still day light BTW.


PS- Little Kitty is in isolation after what we think was a run in with a car. She was favoring her back right leg and then stopped eating and got really lethargic. So $350 later I found out she has "soft tissue trauma" and was sent home with pain killers and strict orders to keep her quiet and inside until she feels better.

pps- do you like the new layout? I love it!