Just because your husband leaves, doesn't mean you can't have fun!

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 11am. The sun was already warm and high in the sky, and I was looking forward to a lazy afternoon by the water. I had no agenda, which was so therapeutic. Spending time with Nicole and her family was fun too, especially since there was time to chit chat and exchange stories and laughs. There just isn't a lot of time for that during the week when we're so busy. I enjoyed going out on the water on their single-person pontoon and laughing at my lack of rowing skills. I think I should stick with kayaks. :) Sitting on the beach and soaking up Vitamin D was awesome. My goal was to get some color on my super white skin, which I did, even though it was more of a pink rather than a tan. The joys of being white. *Embrace it*

Look closely and you can see a pink hue to my skin.
That, my friends, is sun. And it feels good to have gotten some!

I had packed some running clothes in case I felt inclined to run after the barbecue. At around 4pm I changed and went on a run along the bike path around the lake, in efforts to get ready for the Midnight Sun Run in two weeks. After my 8-month intentional break from consistent running (other than occasional runs here and there and small interval sprints at the gym), I am feeling a teensie bit nervous for this 10km run. But it will be all good and I know I will survive. Today's run was good---but difficult, given the 80 degree sunshine. My tired legs were rewarded afterwards by a wade in the lake. Mmmmm---that was nice!

Seriously, it was a gorgeous and perfect Saturday. Sure would have been nice to have the husband around, but he would be proud of me for getting out and relaxing and enjoying my day off, rather than doing chores or something silly like that. Who would want to do that anyways? Chores are for rainy days :) and when it is -40 degrees F. Not when it is everlasting sunlight and 75 degrees. Go me for relaxing and enjoying a weekend for what it is meant to be. Even when plans change!

Hoping for a Rainbow

I'm really not sure if I ever thought this day would come. The day that I made it past 13 weeks pregnant without losing the baby. #miracle. I know I am not out of the woods yet, and honestly, when are we really? I am just trying to live every day with gratitude for the life inside of me, living with hope for the future. Part of me wanted to wait until next week, when I was past 14 weeks and officially in the 2nd trimester, but I couldn't wait any longer. I've been getting a little thick in the middle, which is getting more difficult to hide, and I feel like I haven't been able to be completely honest with friends when they would ask, "how are you doing?" All I wanted to talk about was how nauseous I was or how nervous I felt. So now, the news is out, whether or not you already suspected something was up. Seriously though, the 1st trimester is not for the faint of heart! There were many instances when I thought I would lose the baby, but dee...

The Love of a Cousin

Swimming Babes-2006 " What do I do when I get pregnant again?" I asked. My sweet cousin was on the other end of the phone call when I sought out her wisdom and support. 3 years younger than me, she is in her 3rd pregnancy and ready to deliver her first baby in less than 2 months. She was the first person I wanted to talk to when I miscarried the first time, just 2 months after her ectopic pregnancy back in the spring of 2015. For some reason, I just had this connection to her, like maybe because she was born in the same generation as me and going through similar circumstances, that she would understand. Now, 13 months after my first miscarriage, I find myself going through mental exercises every day to prepare myself to trust my body for my 4th and hopefully successful pregnancy; part of that exercise today was to call my cousin up and have a nice chat about our lives and try to get some insights. We were both strong-headed children growing up--often getting ups...

The Day I was a Fisherman!

Oh my, that is a lot of fish! Valdez, Alaska, how you amaze me. First of all, you are absolutely gorgeous. Take a look: Here is the fish hatchery in Valdez. There are often a lot of bears here, though we didn't see any this trip. Lots of salmon! There are SO many waterfalls along the highway right outside of Valdez. Here is one of the many: My lovely husband, conquering Horsetail Falls! Thompson Pass in the Chugach Mountain Range. It is the snowiest place in Alaska in the winter ( according to this site ). So I really love scenery pictures more when there are people in them. Here is my attempt. The sun was so bright in my eyes and I was feeling pretty sick (it honestly hurt to smile), but I made it through nonetheless! And this is just us being cute, with Valdez in ...

Tender Mercies

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