Surprise

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Michelle

I debated long and hard about running inside vs. outside this morning.

Pros to running inside: I would have a TV to distract me, the weather would be a comfortable 68*, but I really dislike the treadmill.

Or my other option: running outside in the fresh air, no treadmill monotony, and in the sunshine with clear skies and 58*!!!

Surprise!! I’m not in Alaska anymore!!

I’m in North Carolina!!

On Wednesday night, right after work, I bolted out of school, drove straight to the airport and caught a plane out of Alaska. Fifteen hours later I arrived in Raliegh, NC to spend Thanksgiving with my sister!!

(Oh, and by the way this picture was taken at 4:45 p.m.)

My sister and I spent Thursday and Friday running, shopping, touring the area, and spending as much time as possible OUTSIDE!!

Then, on Saturday, I had a second surprise. My parents flew into Raleigh, but they had NO idea I was going to be in North Caolina at the same time they were!

Surprise, Mom and Dad!!

They were so shocked; it was great to see their reaction!!

I can’t get over how beautiful it has been here!! I never want to leave!!

Sunday Fun

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Michelle

I love weekends!

I especially love weekend when I have time to enjoy my weekend and do fun things—not just run errands, clean, do laundry, etc.

Saturday was my work day so that I could have fun on Sunday!

After church on Sunday morning, I went to a Deep Stretch class at Anchorage Yoga.

This is the third time I’ve gone to this class and every time I go hoping for a really good stretch session for my hips/legs, but we always end up doing some other part of the body: shoulders or spine.

It still felt good though, but I think I’d be better going off to a different class at the studio for my tight hips/legs.

After yoga, I ran a few errands, and then Craig and I went to Artistic Nail and Spa for pedicures. I also got a manicure with the Groupon I used.

This was our first time to Artistic Nail and Spa, and I was very impressed. It was very clean, well decorated, and not overly crowded like some of the other places I’ve been.

We even got a free beverage to enjoy during our pedicure.

I felt so bad for the guy giving me my pedicure because my runner’s feet were awful!

This is Craig’s expression when they are scrubbing the bottoms of his feet because it tickles so much! (I’m the same way.)

I picked a rich red color for my toes and a deep purple for my fingers.

I was going to go with my traditional light pink for my fingernails, but I decided to step outside my comfort zone and go a little more bold. I really like both of them!

When I got home, it was time to start making dinner: Sweet Dumpling Squash Stuffed with Lemon-Herb Rice.

The sweet dumpling squash came in my Full Circle box las week. I had never heard or seen this type of squash before, so I Googled a recipe to make with them.

I can’t remember if I’ve ever had a stuffed squash before, but I now I know that I’m crazy about them.

It was good—the flavors were delicious, but I didn’t know (didn’t remember?) how dry squash is. I reminded me of a plain baked potato. I added some butter to the squash, which helped.

All weekend long Craig and I kept making plans to get frozen yogurt.

First we planned to go on Friday night, but then Craig had to work until midnight. Saturday got away from us before we knew it, so finally Sunday it was!

We prefer going to Yogurt Lounge over Yogurtland simply because we can sit inside and eat our frozen yogurt since Yogurtland is at the airport and you have to pay for parking.

I enjoyed 4 different flavors (plain tart, vanilla, chocolate, and coconut) but none of them were that great. I really wanted pumpkin, but they were out.

Craig made a gummy bear parfait.

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Blogging might be a little irregular from here until the end of the year.

I’ve got quite a bit on my plate these days with two classes I am taking to renew my teaching certificate.

Plus. . . .

- I do not like taking pictures when it is dark; currently it is dark from 4:00 p.m. – 9:00 a.m., so it is really hard for me to get decent pictures of food.

- I don’t feel like I’ve had much to blog about lately.

- I don’t want to bore you with pointless blog posts; I want them to be interesting for you, and I to be proud of them.

I’ll pop in when I feel like I have something worthwhile to post about, but until then . . . . .

Alaskan Fashion

Posted on November 19, 2011 by Michelle

I was optimistic I would be able to do a fairly long run today but when my legs froze and then went numb after 3 miles, I knew that was out of the question. (I was hoping to be able to run about 10 miles.)

Shortly after 3 miles, I turned around and headed back home. There was no way I was going to be able to go much further.

My legs were bright red and numb when I got back. They looked like I had just finished an ice bath. I wonder if subjecting my legs to these cold temperatures could cause adverse long-term effects?

Distance: 7 miles

Time: 1:02

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I don’t consider myself a fashionista, but I am always intrigued with the current fashion trends.

Here are some of the current fashion trends I have been seeing around Alaska—well just Anchorage.

Boggs

Most people swear by these -40* boots, so I bought a pair for Craig last Christmas because he has a hard time keeping his feet warm.

Maybe he is an exception, but they did not keep his feet warm—at all. I’ve had a couple other friends tell me they had the same problem. Despite their lack of warmth for some individuals, I hear they are a great rain boot.

(Source)

Crocheted Headbands

I’m seeing these headbands pop up all over this winter. I think there may be a local business selling them??

UGGS

It seems as though UGGs have only recently come into style here. (It usually takes a while until the trends come up here.)

(Source)

Skoop Down Skirt

I get it: it’s cute plus it help keep you warm. . . yet, I don’t get it. I think they look kind of weird. I don’t think I’ve seen too many people be able to pull them off.