Tender Mercies

We are finally on vacation!! Yay!! This past week has been so unreal, with the move and getting ready for our trip to America. We have now caught up on our sleep and are loving every minute of our time off.  On Saturday we decided to be tourists and we went on the 5-hour, 26 Glacier Cruise out of Whittier, Alaska, into the Prince William Sound. We were able to enjoy some perks from being Alaskan Residents (discount tickets, free drink refills), but most importantly we enjoyed the uncharacteristic sunny day and the gorgeous scenery. I hope you enjoy the pictures :) Shortly after we departed, we saw two breaching humpback whales. They put on a great show for quite some time. I decided to enjoy the show in real life, rather than obsess over getting the "perfect" picture.  This is a great picture to show how windy it is on the boat. Just look at the poofiness of my jacket.  The water in Prince William Sound is some of the most beautiful water I ...

Post race smiles. I made sure to wear my good luck running t-shirt. This explains why you've seen it so often. I don't know any other place where the summer solstice gets more people together and out of the house than in Fairbanks, Alaska. It is almost easy to say that if you didn't have any plans on the 21st, you either just moved here or you really didn't want any plans. On New Year's Eve 2013 I went to bed at 12:01 am. On the Summer Solstice 2014 I went to bed at 2:30 am. It was still so bright outside.   With Cami and Michael Crutcher after our awesome finishes. Marshall and I ran in the Midnight Sun Run 10 K last night. It began at 10 pm at the University and ended at Pioneer Park.   I ran it two years ago alone , but Marshall was not there to run it with me and we were out of town last year, so this was out last year to do it together! I have taken a break from running so I was pretty nervous going into the race, hoping I had prepared enough over ...

I seem to blog more when my husband is away. Must be the extra free time. But guess what I did today?! I was spontaneous! And had fun on my day off!! It feels so good. There was no ice today, so I did not have to go into coach and my body thanked me for it. In all fairness, I haven't had a vacation since Christmas, and with Marshall having been gone for nearly three months since the new year, I just need. to. stop. Don't think I don't love  my job. But I am realizing more as I get older that the mind is just as important to rest as the physical body. I had been noticing that my emotional state had been in need of serious TLC this week, especially when I realized that it was Wednesday and I had not seen any of my friends since Saturday. It is so important for me to see girlfriends on a regular basis, especially when my husband is out of town. So on Wednesday evening, after a super emotional private breakdown in my living room, I drove over unannounced to see anothe...

On my last post, I mentioned that my husband was leaving me again... because the Army was calling him away on a two week field exercise where they are going to help control the wild fires in Alaska. Even though that is a pretty cool job to do, we had plans  together this weekend. Ugh. But seriously, that's enough. I decided I wasn't going to mope around, and I WASN'T going to stay inside all weekend. Not with it being so gorgeous outside. Last night I spent downtown at the First Friday Art Walk with another lovely Army wife, and we had a super time. Today I went to the lake! Earlier in the week, my friend Nicole invited us to go to Chena Lakes for a BBQ, an invitation I had to decline because of our Arctic Circle weekend getaway. Well, the moment I heard our plans were going to be canceled, I texted her back and "re-invited" myself. I hope she didn't mind.  After a relaxing morning of sleeping in and my yoga practice, I headed out to Chena Lakes at...

Ahh sometimes I feel like my brain and emotions are going to go crazy. I keep reminding myself of our vacation planned for this summer, and the long-awaited break and relaxation I will enjoy. Until then, it is just enjoying the crazy and uncertainty of Army and coaching life, and the beautiful Alaskan summer. A random & last minute decision to go floating on Chena Lake this past Memorial Day. It was a good decision. I am learning to take advantage of the time we do have together! This has been such a long a faith-building year for me. Many know of Marshall's application to the Green-to-Gold Army Scholarship program, and many, many of you have inquired as to its status. Well, I would like to know the status too!  This journey, for all intents and purposes, began last June when we decided he would apply for this year and begin school in August 2014, provided he wins the scholarship. Last year, no one applied for the scholarship in Alaska, so we were optimistic about this ye...