Just Another Day

I’ve come to the realization that I have at least two personalities. There’s real world Erin and then there’s airport Erin. I don’t really care for the airport version of myself. It’s 4:47 AM, and Frank Sinatra’s voice fills gate B6 waiting area. Let it snow is on, but thankfully there’s no snow falling today. In fact, it’s a beautiful 30-something degrees outside. Earlier I was sitting near a family who was quite loudly (and annoyingly) “critiquing” the rest of the people in the area. It was completely annoying, but airport Erin knows they were pretty much dead on. I wonder who I’ll have to sit by.

I had a crazy cab lady drive me over. Maybe it was just that it wasn’t even 4 in the morning, or maybe she was really crazy. Aren’t taxis sort of funny? We allow complete strangers to drive us around. Who’s to say the crazies won’t drive right off with us in the back?

Bill was sleeping soundly when I left, despite my best efforts to maneuver loudly around the hotel room. He’s had a busy couple of weeks and is due some rest time.

The beauty of the time difference between here and MN is that I was able to talk to Ape already this morning. She and Trish finished the purchases for Lo’s shower last night. I can’t believe that’s already this weekend. Where has the time gone?

Yesterday was very low-key. Bill took me out for lunch, but had to rush back to work pretty much as soon as the food came. It was still nice to go out for lunch together. I walked down to the mall and got my gift exchange gift picked out for the work meeting. I also spent some time sitting at Starbucks – wrote a few Christmas cards and made a few phone calls. We ended the evening with at trip with Randy to Fred Meyers where we got some ice cream and a People magazine for today. Then Bill and I finished a stupid movie.

Bill and I have this ongoing joke about a goat. It started when a friend mentioned you can purchase a children’s book and the proceeds go to buy a goat for an African family. But to make a long story short, I spent Sunday morning putting the finishing touches on the apartment – complete with framed 8 x 10 and 5 x 7 pictures of “our” goat, Ernesto. Bill also “received” a holiday greeting card from the goat, a personalized mug with pictures of the goat, and Ernesto’s Alaskan driver’s license. While I was busy wasting my time, Bill was doing the same and created a photoshop picture of me reading “The Goat Book” to our Ernesto. This was the highlight of my weekend… do you think it’s a good thing we’re heading out of the village this evening?

Anyway, last night we stayed up late and watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I kind of enjoyed it, despite the fact that I’m not crazy about Brad and Angelina being together. 😉

Today I’ve been trying to tidy things up around the apartment and get packed for the next month. Packing is a close second to cleaning the fridge when it comes to chores. I broke the zipper on one of my suit cases! Ugh. I keep getting distracted, though, with Christmas shopping (I ordered my “girl gift” for christmas eve’s exchange), knitting, and confirming I have everything I need for work.

I talked to Mom yesterday. She had to do the kid’s day yesterday. Sounds like there were tons of kids. We’re going to take a day and go dress shopping between Christmas and New Year’s, as she needs another mother-of-the-bride dress for January. I talked to Lo, Ape, and Dad today. Everyone’s good, though Dad had to watch M.A.S.H. tonight so Lo was going to miss Rachel Ray. Ape didn’t get any sleep last night. Those are the worst nights and make for the worst days! I bet she’ll rest soundly tonight.

It’s pretty windy out, so there’s a chance the plane won’t get in tonight. I’m betting it will, though. I just have a feeling about these things. Anyway, I’m glad I’m not traveling the first leg of the trip by myself. I get tired of plane rides by myself. I do have my bright pink travel pillow packed this time, though. It’s going to come in handy as I make the trip across the country in the upcoming week.

Well, it’s 4:20 and it’ll be dark as night shortly. That means we’re getting about 6 1/2 hours of daylight right now… it’s considerably more than I remember last year in Brevig. We’re just a bit south, but I think it makes a big difference. I may be wrong, but I think we’ll start gaining light already next month. Can’t wait!

Hey – here’s an idea. If you have good gift ideas post them in the comments section. Anything that could be good for a mom, dad, sister, or husbad would help me out!

Okay, time to finish packing… for good this time!

I’ve decided 7 1/2 hours is my optimum number for sleep. I know, I’m a little obsessed with the sleep right now. But, I woke up feeling awake and not so groggy today. I need to keep a sleep journal. After conversation tonight, though, I’m considering my sugar intake to be a possible cause of grogginess. If that’s the case, I’ll learn to like groggy. 😀

Had a very low-key day. I walked some more trash down to the baler. You may be asking why I’ve got so much trash when it’s just me here. It was a result of cleaning the fridge out. I believe that has to be one of the worst chores! First you have to go through all the disgusting stuff you should’ve thrown out earlier. Then you have to take the trash out. Then you have to wash the containers. So – I did all that.

I also finished up getting my “problem solving” school data together for next week’s meeting, and I re-vamped my powerpoint presentation just a little bit.

Lo’s Christmas stocking is now done. While the heel and foot of this one is much better than my first, it still looks kind of weird. I wish I had the original pattern – or even the original stocking to get some ideas from.

Talked to April and Stacy while they were in Duluth. Dylan got his pictures taken today. I can’t wait to see him! I bet he’s gotten to be such a big boy. April claims she was teaching him different words today. I also chatted with Lo today. She had a busy day of work and visiting. I think we’ve decided on Dad’s Christmas present, so that’s a good thing. I also chatted with Barb a bit this evening. Hope she got her project figured out.

I just got back from the Holt boys’ birthday party. It was a great chance to visit with people I rarely see since I’m often traveling during get-togethers. It’s also nice to go to a place that feels like a real house. They’ve got real decorations, Christmas lights, pictures, toys… our place is quite sterile.

Sounds like Bill had the opportunity to hang out at the dance that was being held for the volleyball players tournament. I’m sure he was out there busting a move – as is so typical of Bill. 😉 It’ll be nice to have him back tomorrow… fingers crossed that the weather will clear up and planes will fly!

All for now – time for my 7 1/2 hours!

I spent the first few hours of my day consuming Tiffany’s morning. Time got away from me, and before I knew it her husband, Rick, was home for lunch. Oops. It was good coffee and great conversation. Unfortunately, Stacie wasn’t feeling well and didn’t make it this morning. She takes off for home on Sunday already. We won’t see her, Abby, or James until after the new year. Josh and Bill will be living the bachelor life style starting next week. I know our apartment will be going through plenty of paper plates. 😉

I spent some time on work this afternoon. Nothing exciting or urgent showed up in my e-mail, so I put some finishing touches on my presentation for next week’s team meeting. It’s nothing big, but I do want to do a good job. I’m the youngest and newest member of the team… I’ve got to work a little harder.

I also got some Christmas shopping done today. That was fun. I’m certainly not done, but being a little closer makes me feel good! I’ve yet to make my Christmas list. My mom always starts asking for the list about 11 months in advance, but I just can’t seem to come up with a good one. Funny, I never get a list from her. Hmmmm.

I missed Lo’s call today, and April didn’t call me back after she hung up on me to talk to Amy. No new updates from home. 🙁

I did a little sale shopping down at the AC (Alaska Commercial) store today. I nearly bought a Christmas tree, but it wasn’t on my list. That wasn’t the main reason I didn’t buy it, however. I figured since I’ll be leaving in 3 days it probably wasn’t a practical purchase. I suppose Bill could’ve enjoyed it while I was away. Something tells me, though, that he’s not as in to the season’s festivities as I am!

We got a bunch of movies that Josh S. sent in the mail today. That was sweet. So, I watched one tonight while I worked on Lo’s stocking. Intermittently I turned on a little Bing Crosby and “thought Christmas”. Unfortunately, the heel on this stocking isn’t turning out as I’d imagined. Hrmph!

I researched sleep this morning. I’ve been awfully groggy lately, so I wanted to be sure I don’t have some strange disorder. I don’t. (Well, sleep wise, anyway!) But I got to thinking… isn’t it kind of fun to research stuff? I used to hate researching and writing papers. Now I find myself captivated by professional journals and different topics. Granted, I don’t have to turn in essays. I think I’ll remember that when I get back into the classroom. Learning really is fun if you approach it the right way.

Oh yes, our dear friend Paul stopped over tonight. It’s always so good to catch up with “old” friends. Paul is chaperoning the wrestler from Brevig who made it into this weekend’s tournament here in Unalakleet. I sent Elf with him and Sharosha for the night. – I feel it’s my duty to spread the cheer!

So, with the place to myself again, I’m quietly winding down for the evening. All in all… today was a good day.

Well, sharing my blog address yielded a number of replys, so perhaps this wasn’t such a bad idea.

Today was, otherwise, uneventful. I slept in – again! I felt like I was coming down with something, so I figured some extra sleep wouldn’t hurt. I spent a bit of time working. I chatted it up with my sisters and dad today. All’s quiet on the homefront. I can’t wait to get there and just hang out!

I continued knitting on Lo’s stocking. The santa looks kind of silly, again. I don’t know how to fix it, though. The real test will be when I get down to the heel.

Bill left for Stebbins this morning. I hope the broadcasting goes well for him and the kids the next couple of days. It gets warying working the long hours and sleeping on the school floors. I’m thinking of watching Elf tonight. Since I’ve got the place to myself, I can sneek in a viewing tonight and still make Bill watch it with me before we take off Monday! 🙂

Originally, I had written about my disbelieve of Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey splitting up. So, then I had to go research it. It’s true! I also learned that Joey is going to be pulled from the NBC line up in January and that Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck had a baby girl today. I’ve been so out of touch with these important celebrity gossip topics! Happy to keep you all in the loop, though!

Alright, perhaps I’ll have some more interesting events to write about tomorrow. I’m sure you’re all crossing your fingers!

Today I learned that Kindergarteners believe that snowflakes house small beings – the argument is only over whether there are people or bugs living in the snowflakes. Also, all penguins live in igloos. My sister is a saint for molding those young minds.

Woke up feeling good today – probably because I got several hours more sleep than the rest of the world. It’s so hard to wake up and be motivated when it still looks like the middle of the night at 9:00 am. Anyway, I went through the morning ritual – checked my work e-mail. (That’s always a little bit scary, because I’m still fairly uncomfortable with my job. It’s so random) Anyway, then I hit the treadmill for a half hour of “intervals”. I was still feeling good until after my shower… then I fought off grogginess the rest of the day. I did get my video watched for work, though. And I got my assignments graded for the participants receiving credit back during conference. … am I really writing about this? Boring.

I did walk to the baler today. Not unlike home, I love going to the dump here. 😉 It’s only a couple of blocks away, but it’s a good few minutes outside anyway. I later walked down to the post office with a bunch of business stuff / bills.

Talked to Ape and Lo. Ape and Trish were heading over to Steve F’s for pizza tonight. That sounds like a good night! Lo shared some tips courtesy of Rachel Rae. Not unlike myself, Rachel believes you should never buy canned spaghetti sauce as making your own is much cheaper and better.

I got busy working on a Christmas present for the girls. One part of it is creative, the other part needs to be purchased. I’m just praying the store I’m heading to in Anchorage next week will have what I’m looking for – otherwise the plan is foiled. Oh yeah, I found out TODAY that I have to have a “white elephant” gift for my team meeting in California next week. The point is to pick something from your house that you don’t want anymore – hey, we’re pretty much down to the bare minimum here as it is! Whatever.

I think tomorrow I will post my “Christmas List” blog. I can’t even believe how quickly the season is approaching OR how difficult it is for me to come up with things I want!!!! Let’s hear it for world peace.

I’m obviously getting a little jumpy. Probably a good time to go see if Bill has packed the right stuff for his trip tomorrow. (He’s actually a much better packer than I am… I will be leaving with 2 full suitcases next Monday!)

Bill’s off at work – again. He brought Kevin and Leonard home for dinner. It’s always nice to meet some new and interesting people. I prepared my own, homemade spaghetti sauce for the occasion. (This translates in to the fact that I refused to go back to the store and spend more money today!) Anyway, it turned out pretty darn good, I think. I’m going to make it again.

Prior to dinner I finished my Christmas Stocking. It looks like an elf shoe. I decreased the stitches too fast – or something. I guess mine will be unique. I think I’ll be working on Lo’s next, and I’m confident that hers will be better.

I started my day off with coffee with Stacie and Tiffany. It’s so nice to visit with them; it’s such a good start to the day. I’m looking forward to another round at Tiffany’s Friday morning.

I talked to Ape and Lo today. Ape is looking for a charity or project for her students to contribute a portion of their Christmas exchange allowance to. I think it’s a great idea. I love the idea of kids learning to help other people. Laura was hanging out at home again. She and I solved the world’s problems during our call. – – Sounds like the weather has cleared up there.

Now I’m watching The Biggest Loser. Hmmph. It must be the finale or something… kinda wish I’d watched the rest of the season. 😉

Well, Monday night has fallen upon us. Bill has asked, again, that I make an entry. After plenty of kicking and screaming, here it is.

We’re getting ready to watch last week’s episode of Desperate Houswives. I’ve started to get into it… sadly.

Sounds like there’s some wild weather back home. April had a short day of school today and Dad had a long day of work. Lo, Gram, Gramp, and Uncle Bill were all stranded out on Raps Road; the plows didn’t make it there today. I got to talk to the crew, though. That’s one nice thing about them all being held hostage by the weather.

Weather here in Unalakleet is cold and windy. I did brave the elements for a walk to the post office and the store – not before donning my snowpants, bunny boots, and parka. I look ridiculous up here.

Am excited for some nice sunny weather that awaits me in California next week! The time is moving so quickly. Lo’s bridal shower is only a week and a half a way – then off to Boston. I’ll be happy to set up camp at home come the 16th.

Time to go spend some time with my hubby. I finally get a break from the travel and he gets scheduled off to Stebbins at the end of this week and Anchorage at the beginning of next! What a strange newlywed year! All for now.

We’re back in Unalakleet. Will write more when I have more to write.