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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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Review of Year 2012

Posted on December 31, 2012
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The past year has been very good for us. We have had several awesome adventures – actually so many awesome moments that it is almost hard to keep track all of them. But let’s take a look at our 2012 before diving into 2013.

January

Our good friends, Steve & Jeanna got married.

I started to work on my research with living animals – worked with hamsters in the lab. That was a blast, and the research work resulted a paper to be submitted for publication.

I got back into knitting, and tried crocheting with not-so-much-luck.

February

I spent lots of time in California. Gotta love the work travel! Seriously, it is such a blessing, couldn’t be happier with whatI do.

March

We photographed Iditarod sled dog race, again. And my photo agencies loved the pictures.

During the Spring Break we traveled to Arizona: hiked in and around Grand Canyon, as well as I was playing golf with the best of the best. What a great trip it was!

April

I traveld around Alaska: Kodiak, Juneau, Ketchikan….

I had two papers in a Behavioral Science Conference of North, did my presentations, looked sharp and had a blast!

Ready for presentations.

Ready for presentations.

April was a pretty miserable weather-wise, lots of rainy, gray days but we got out for some nice hikes.

IMG_4209

May

I got yet another degree….. getting closer to my ultimate goal of PhD.

We went to an Army Ball, and had a great time.

Traveled to Denver, CO, and went to Rockies game, hiked, enjoyed the outdoors.

On Memorial Day weekend we headed out to McCarthy, AK, and Kennecott mine.

June

The highlight of our June was the trip to McNeil River’s Bear Sanctuary.

July

We celebrated a lot: 4th of July, our Anniversary, my birthday

Our friends Collin&Nicole said “I do”

My soccer coaching season started – and I truly had a blast!

On the same week I fell and got a giant bruise on my thigh, and lost a toenail thanks to excessive running.

I was on business trips in California again.

Jason and I did some super cool hikes in Southcentral Alaska

August

Lots of photography assignments: homecomings, R&R’s…. love was in the air for sure!

We had a blast at the State Fair in Palmer, AK!

We traveled to Washington D.C., and I became a happy owner of library card for The Library of Congress.

September

Our friends Brian&Kati got married in Virginia.

We won in Denali Road Lottery, and had a great weekend in the National Park.

I went to Chuck-E-Cheese first time ever to my friend’s son’s birthday party.

More hikes in Alaska….

I started Cheerleading coaching.

More travels to California.

October

Hubby was in Korea for half of the month, as well as half of November.

I was super busy with the Grad school, teaching and Cheerleading.

Jason was promoted to Captain – he got pinned after his return from Korea.

November

Traveled to Texas for work stuff.

Traveled to Chicago and Hawaii for fun – together with the hubby.

Made a day trip to Seattle, just to get my hair done.

Sunrise on O'ahu

Sunrise on O’ahu

December

Traveled to San Diego, CA: running on the beach, loving the sunshine, and Californian life.

Traveled to Boston, MA: stayed at Liberty Hotel, visited MIT and Harvard, ate well, and enjoyed the city life.

Baked, cooked and baked some more for Christmas.

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December 25: Christmas Day

Posted on December 25, 2012
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Time flew by extremely fast once again, and Christmas arrived way faster than we expected. I start to believe that time will actually speed up toward the holidays, especially when I’m planning to make handmade presents and cards.

Our Christmas was wonderful. While we both missed our families, we still had a great time together – and with the dog of course! We cooked traditional Scandinavian Christmas delicacies such as potato, carrot and pasta casseroles, Swedish Finnish meatballs, vegetable salad of onions, carrots, red beets and pickles… We also had pot roasted beef. And a variety of cookies as desserts.

Obviously we also made it to Santa’s Nice list also this year….. We got some lovely gift cards, Jason got me cadence/speed sensor that talks to my Garmin heart rate monitor, waterproof Pelican cases for CF memory cards, PhotoShop CS 6 book, tickets to a ballet. And my gifts to him included a Jambox Speaker that works over Bluetooth – now he can be jamming in his office, a new Leatherman multitool, and a Snowpeak lantern for our his backpacking adventures, in addition to some small stocking stuffers. Our trip to Boston, MA, later this week is our shared Christmas present.

christmas_presents2012 copy

 

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December 23: I Love Gift Wrapping

Posted on December 23, 2012
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Christmas is the most beautiful time of the year. And time of giving and caring. And gift wrapping. I absolutely enjoy gift wrapping – choosing the wrapping papers, bows, gift tags and ribbons. I have spend a past couple of weeks by wrapping and mailing. In addition to being together with the loved ones, I love to see their excitement and big smiles on their faces when opening the presents.

Gift wrapping

Gift wrapping

To My Husband

To My Husband

 

This Christmas I also over exceeded my Christmas present making skills. While I didn’t get everything done that I planned, and due to some problems with getting certain fabrics, some presents will have to be delivered after Christmas, I – first time ever – crocheted a present. We got a Nancy Drew book for our friend’s daughter, and as a last minute addition I figured I could make a bookmark her as well. After a quick search at Ravelry, I found a pattern for crocheted Shell Bookmark at This And That. And voilà – got it done, on the first try!

Crocheted Bookmark

Crocheted Bookmark

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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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