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MilSpouse (first) Friday Fill-In #78

Posted on January 9, 2013
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MilSpouse Friday Fill-In is here again! Happy New Year to all of you who are coming here through the link-up on Wife of A Sailor‘s Friday page! And if you are hanging out here, check her page, grab the questions, and join the fun!

And then to the questions….!

1. What’s one thing in the past month you would have changed? The month of December wasn’t too bad, just terribly busy with all the work and pleasure travels, holidays preparations and grad school finals. So a few extra days wouldn’t have been a bad thing! And I wish I hadn’t gotten sick on New Year’s Eve. That was a misery. I first thought I got cold after my trail run in ice cold water here in Alaska but afterwards I have started to believe I got a real flu. I don’t usually get sick and I don’t believe in flu shots, at all. This time my body was achy from head to toe, and I was seriously tired. Actually I was seriously considering of taking a sick day after New Year’s but eventually just sucked it up and handled my meetings. Well, five days later I started to feel a lot better, and by now I am annoying myself again.

2. What was your favorite thing that happened in December? Jason and I did quite a few trips in December, and I have a bit hard time to decide between San Diego, CA, and Boston, MA, which was our favorite. We also had a really, really nice Christmas although it was just two of us. We cooked traditional Scandinavian Christmas delicacies, I baked too many cookies – baking is fun but I don’t really like cookies a whole lot.

3. What are you looking forward to in January? The spring semester! I can’t wait it to start! I have been appointed as Adjunct Professor teaching at the Computer Science department, so I am excited beyond excitement this year.

4. What did you do for New Year’s Eve? Nothing. I was sick as a dog so I spent a good part of the New Year’s Eve on the couch until blankets and kept whining about my misery. I got up to cook and eat but was back to bed well beyond midnight…. Hopefully I am not getting old.

5. What are your hopes and wishes for 2013? This year will bring lots of changes. Teaching at the university, new home, hopefully I will become a horse owner, some travels and adventures, Ironman race(s) …… so I am truly looking forward to 2013 and all the exciting opportunities and memorable moments that it will bring. I am sure this will be another awesome year for Jason and I.

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December 7: MilSpouse (first) Friday Fill-In #77

Posted on December 7, 2012
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It has been forever since my previous MilSpouse Friday Fill-In. Obviously life happens…. so much that I can’t even keep up to date with a frequent, monthly posting. But here I am again, and since the questions are related to the holidays, this posting serves also as the 7th door on my virtual Christmas calendar. If you want to join the Military Spouse Friday Fill-in, check out the Wife of A Sailor‘s Friday page, grab the questions, get your answers together and link up!

1. What’s one thing in the past month you would have changed? The truth to be told, I wouldn’t change a single thing in the past month. Except that it flew by way too quickly!

2. What was your favorite thing that happened in November? Our vacation to Hawaii and Chicago. Spending time with the in-laws outside of Chicago. I have said it already about thousand times, and still repeat myself but I do have the most awesome in-laws in the world. Jason’s promotion also one of the biggest highlights in November. Oops, that is more than one favorite thing…. maybe the whole month of November was my favorite :-)

3. What is your favorite holiday memory? It must be those many wonderful childhood Christmases that I have celebrated with my family, including my Grandma and Grandpa. Getting my first pair of skis when I was probably 3 or 4 years old was another highlight of mine!

4. What are your plans for New Year’s Eve? I have no idea yet! We are probably homebodies and do nothing. Or if it is not super cold, we may head out to Anchorage downtown to shoot some fireworks photos. Time will tell…

5. What are you looking forward to in December? Christmas, hands down! I love this time of the year although I can feel the “oh-my-gosh-i-have-to-get-so many-things-done” panic approaching already. Our Christmas cards are still work in progress, I have hardly started gift shopping although I am planning to make quite a few presents myself… And I do look forward to our travels. We are going to visit San Diego, CA, and Boston, MA, before the year is over.

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Sunday Social: Week 8

Posted on July 31, 2012
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1. What is your dream job? I currently do engineering at a very awesome, wonderful corporation. And I absolutely love my job. However, I am daydreaming of completing my PhD and becoming a full-time university professor. I used to teach cryptography and computer science at the university years ago, and greatly enjoyed it….

2. If you had just won the lottery and didn’t need to work for money, what would you do with your time? At least I wouldn’t quit working. There is nothing more rewarding than having a successful, fulfilling career and being able establish oneself professionally. I would, however, take risky projects, maybe being a business angel, or doing more consulting.

3. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? I was always interested in scientific work and engineering. At some point I wanted to be a journalist, and have always loved writing.

4. What piece career advice would you give to someone just starting out in your field? Be ready to work very hard, always raise the bar for yourself and meet and exceed the goals you are setting for yourself. Most importantly, choose your career field based on the passion. If you don’t love, live and breath what you do, you will never be successful and the best.

5. Biggest Pet Peeves either in life or in blogging or at work? In the professional life have very little understanding for unmotivated people as well as I can’t stand people who can’t get things done. Generally in life, slow walkers are my huge pet peeve – especially when they wander in front of me. As well as people who read magazines on the strength training equipment at the gym. Also, people who are constantly late annoy me, just like the ones who frequently change the plans at very last minute. And even worse, email or text about cancellations: if you need to change the plans, have a courtesy to call.

6. Biggest Fears? I don’t really have fears but I live the life to the fullest – every, single day.

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MilSpouse (First) Friday Fill-In #73

Posted on July 7, 2012
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The first week of July is pretty much behind us…. time is definitely moving fast.  And it’s time for another MilSpouse Friday Fill-In. So far the summer days have been few and far between: few warm, sunny days here and there, and more gray, overcasted days. But at least it is not raining nonstop like last year. I have been lucky to keep my running and biking miles up (read: Ironman training is progressing), as well as have been playing golf quite a bit. Earlier in the spring I made a decision to get my golf handicap down to where it used to be before moving to Alaska, around 2. Right now I am closer to 20 than 10 but direction looks good.

But let’s check out this month’s questions! Thank you to Wife of A Sailor  for hosting this lovely tradition of getting to know fellow MilSpouses.

1. What’s one thing in the past month you would have changed? Nothing. Not a single thing. June was a great month, even though work was crazy busy, and I was running behind on my research stuff, including the IRB paperwork.

2. What was your favorite thing that happened in June? Super awesome bear photography excursion on McNeil River. We were incredibly lucky to get a spot to go there, and furthermore the weather truly cooperated. Even a little bit too much based on my sunburns. Photos turned out great, and my photo agencies’ editors have been praising them. I also started two new blogs. While Adventures of The K Family is not going away or anything, I wanted to have a separate blog for my professional writing in the field of behavioral sciences: Action Potentials, and From Rough To Green, covering my golf adventures.

3. What did you do to celebrate Independence Day? Not a whole lot. We went to see the parade in downtown Anchorage, as well as saw the flag ceremony and reading of the Declaration of Independence. After that we were just hanging out at home, cooked steaks with steamed vegetables. And of course had corn on the cob! Jason had Thursday off but I was working, and since the Independence Day was (awkwardly) in the middle of the week, it was hard to get into any longer adventures. But nevertheless, we had a great 4th of July!

4. When you PCS, what items do you take with you and not let the movers pack, and if you do a DITY, what do you take with you and not box up (thanks to Sespi at And You Never Did Think for inspiring this question)? Important papers, some clothes, all the external hard disks and data storage system, laptops, iPads…. Everything else I can usually find along the way or at the destination if the HHG are taking for a while.

5. What are you looking forward to in July? Getting the IRB approved for my research, keeping on track with Ironman training, ….. and we have our Anniversary on Monday, July 9, as well as my birthday is coming up in about 20 days, followed by my husband’s birthday a few days later (in August though). So lots of celebrations in this month. I will also head out to California for a business trip, which is always a blast!

And I am also coaching kids’ soccer on post this summer. I can’t wait to get the practices started – that should be fun!

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MilSpouse (first) Friday Fill-In #72

Posted on June 1, 2012
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Hello June! It’s time for a new MilSpouse Friday Fill-In… Hard to believe that it really is summer now. At least if you look at the calendar. We have had a few chilly days here in Alaska lately, and I am truly hoping June comes with sunny, warm days…

But let’s check out this month’s questions! Thank you to Wife of A Sailor - once again – for hosting this lovely tradition of getting to know fellow MilSpouses.

1. What’s one thing in the past month you would have changed? The weather… while we had a bunch of nice, sunny days, there were too many gray and rainy rays. After such a long, snowy winter it would be great to have looooong summer!

2. What was your favorite thing that happened in May? Last month was another wonderful month in our life. I had my university commencement, we had a great Memorial Day weekend in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, a fun trip to Colorado ….

3. June includes the first day of summer… what are your plans for the summer? Quite a few Alaskan adventures: long backpacking trips, bear photography at McNeil River…. maybe a few trips to Lower 48 as well, in addition to my business trips.

4. Do you use the services on base (gym, financial planning, family services, daycare)? And if so, what’s your favorite one? Yep, I do, and love them! I am a real gym rat and work out on post once, sometimes twice a day. I also stop by at the library every once in a while, eat at DFAC when I am too lazy to cook lunch or breakfast at home… We also use the veterinary clinic on post for minor stuff such as vaccinations and dental cleanings.

5. What are you looking forward to in June? Sunshine! And our McNeil trip. I am also hoping that my schedule slows down a bit: recently it has felt like I am working 24/7, and at the same time I am running out of hours all the time. That being said, I also look forward to getting back on track with my Ironman training. I have been slacking like no tomorrow for past 2-3 weeks, thanks to all travels and about a million deadlines that hit me like a steam train. I hope to get my weekly biking miles over 200 miles/week, and running miles to 60-80 miles/week in June, and if not adding, at least keeping them there.

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