Skip to main content

It's Springtime!!


Out in Creamer's Field at about 5:30pm. The sun is still up!

I cannot believe I am writing about this.  I have just been noticing that people in Fairbanks have been acting a little bit different as of late, and I think I have a hunch about what it is.

1. I got a notice on my door the other day, reminding us about the
annual "hard pack snow removal" in our apartment's parking lot
next week.
This is Marshall's Parking spot. Notice the large build-up
 of snow and the dip where he parks his truck. It just gives an
idea of how much snow and ice is packed on our parking lot.
My car below is not even parked on a flat surface because of this.
And parking spots are pointless in the winter.

2. It was starting to get light when I walked out of the house this
 morning at 6:45am
3. There is still light outside at 7pm
4. We are gaining 7 minutes of sunlight PER DAY!!
5. I wore shorts last night on my way to yoga because it was
a warm 20 degrees F
6. The trails behind my apartment are busy with people running, 
skijoring, skiing, and walking their dogs
7. There are snowmachine trails all over the open fields around town
8.  Racing season is starting back up!!!
9.  I don't have to start my car for 15 minutes before going anywhere
10.  I don't have to plug my car in at night (which translates to
 us saving $50/month on our electric bill)
11. I am starting to see little glimpses of the road again...which means I 
will need to start following the lines on the road,
instead of the snow tracks.
People here are acting more excited and cheerful because the days are getting longer and the sun is actually doing its job by warming up our city!
I never appreciated springtime when I was living in California.  Springtime really didn't mean anyting there.  But after five months of dark and cold, springtime is such a welcome feeling.  Yesterday evening I went skiing out in the "backyard" and couldn't help but feel grateful for the beautiful place I call home.  Yes, it is still chilly outside.  I still wear a coat and gloves, but I don't have to layer or wear scarves, or even zip my coat up all the way.  It is so refreshing to go skiing out on the trails and pass by 7 other people within thirty minutes of being out.  People in Fairbanks love the outdoors. We love the sunshine.  While there is still going to be snow on the ground for a couple more months, springtime is definitely on its way to town.


Labels

Labels:

Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 6, 2013 at 9:30 PM

    And that makes me really happy that it is the first week in March, and you can actually feel it :) !!!!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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...
17 comments
Read more

Grandpa is Always Right | Gender Reveal |

I was hanging out in our rental apartment in Salzburg, Austria with my sister when my dad walked out of his bedroom and announced that I was having a girl. I was only 11 weeks along at that point and while I was wishfully hoping for a girl, I was preparing myself for a boy. His strong conviction of the gender of our child without any hints from an ultrasound surprised me. My dad seems to always be right about things, so I secretly hoped he was right this time too. Today during my scan, my favorite sonographer announced that we were having a girl. Grandpa is always right. I never imagined our family starting with a baby boy. I don't know why, but a baby girl seems to fit just perfectly. Now I just have to keep calm and stay healthy for 19 more weeks.
12 comments
Read more

Learning to Speak Like an Alaskan

Denali in the background No one wants to feel like a newbie, so a common practice before traveling to a new city or country is to learn the language of that particular place.  Well, when my Aunt Joan picked me up from the airport last December when I first arrived in Alaska, one of the first things she told me was if I didn't want to sound like a tourist, I needed to refer to Mt. Mckinley (the tallest mountain in North America, located some 120 miles south of Fairbanks) as Denali .  Denali is the native Athabaskan name for the mountain, and means "The High One."  So, from day number one in Alaska, I refered to that majestic mountain as Denali instead of the name I had learned growing up.  This is just about what it looked like yesterday morning! Another thing I learned recently is how to say the temperature.  I was saying "Gosh it's cold outside because it's negative 30 degrees."  But luckily, a kind skating mom...
4 comments
Read more