Dude, We're Here.

I've been sitting here staring at the screen for the past 10 minutes, not knowing where to start! The past 48 hours have been so new and so exciting -- I'm not sure how to verbalize everything that's happened because it's been such a whirlwind.

Our original C-17 flight from Christchurch to McMurdo was delayed 24 hours because of fog on the ice runway. The flight that had gone out the night before us ended up boomeranging -- aka, got all the way to the station, circled around, and then decided conditions weren't safe to land and flew all the way back to Christchurch. After our flight got delayed, I was really worried that the same thing would happen to us, since this whole fog issue seemed to be going on for days. I heard about a smaller C-130 that was flying out about 8 hours before the C-17 was, and decided I was going to try to weasel my way onto that flight so that I could get there sooner! (C-130's land in pretty much any condition). So Phillip the firefighter, my travel buddy, and I hauled all our stuff out to the Clothing Distribution Center (CDC) in the hopes of getting onto the flight. Even if we didn't make it on, we figured we'd just go ahead and get our gear issued so that we wouldn't have to do it later.

Once we got there, we were told that there was a slim chance we'd get on, simply because of weight. But about halfway through my gear issue, someone poked their head in and said, "Alright, you're leaving in 40 minutes!" So, we threw on our ECW (extreme cold weather) gear and boarded! It was really interesting flying in a military plane -- it's not quite as cushy as a commerical flight, what with the noise-reducing earplugs you have to wear and the cargo nets you have to sit on. But, I did get to go up into the cockpit which was pretty awesome.

Once we landed, a shuttle took us into town, which is about a 40-minute drive. About halfway there, we pulled over because there were 2 Adelie penguins right next to the road! They were SO CUTE. And absolutely hilarious. Emperor penguins are majestic, but they just kind of stand there. Adelies are wild and crazy and run around and have a ton of personality. They were awesome.

So now I'm settling into my surroundings, trying to get acquainted with the environment and the station! This post is getting long, so I'll be heading out, but check back for updates!

Peace, love & penguins!!

Christchurch.

Hello from Christchurch, New Zealand!
I'll have to keep this post quick because I'm using the free internet that I technically should be paying for. :)

My flight(s) to New Zealand went as well as they possibly could have gone, which was a huge blessing. No major delays and very smooth rides. I slept EIGHT hours on the one from L.A. to Auckland, which is amazing, given that I wake up at the smallest noise (or aftershock, which is what I woke up to in Christchurch this morning!).

I absolutely love New Zealand -- Kiwis are great people. I was called "dear" like ten times today, and everyone seems so chipper, saying "cheers" all the time. I love it! Also, their coffee is amazing.

This photo was this afternoon at the Botanic Gardens near the city center. The hydrangea were beautiful! Enjoy the photo because it took like 10 minutes to load on this computer. :)

Peace, love & Kiwis!

Uber.

It is 11 days before I deploy, and I have a sinus infection. Awesome.

So I spent the afternoon at home. I suddenly realized that I was leaving the country in 11 days, and got the itch to do something uber-creative with my free time, since my time on the Ice will most likely be devoid of uber-creative activities.

I've been trying to come up with a way to display my jewelry collection (if you can call it that) for the past few months. I'm not a fan of traditional jewelry storage, so I was waiting for the right idea to hit me....

....Boom. Happened today.

We'll start with the earring holder. I've seen some cute ideas on Pinterest for these -- you know, the frame-the-mesh-wire-and-hang-your-earrings-on-it ideas. They're cute but just not quite my style. I also didn't feel like cutting wire because I didn't feel like going out and buying wire cutters.

So I opted for a plastic canvas from Hobby Lobby! 59 cents and way easier to cut. Hot glued the corners to some scrap fabric, stuffed it in an Ikea frame (glass and backing removed, obviously), and viola! An earring holder. The whole thing cost me about $3.

Next up: my necklace display.

I found the wooden box/crate thing at Goodwill for $2.99. I should have taken a "before" photo, but once I get my mind set on something, I waste no time. :) Ask my mom. 

First thing I did was spray paint it white with some leftover paint I had laying around the house. After it dried, I measured the inside and cut out cardboard pieces to fit. I glued scrapbook paper (30 cents) to the cardboard, and fit them into the box. The great thing? I can easily change the paper if I get bored with it! 

Next, I took some little white hooks that we had and screwed them into the box...

...And I was done! It was so easy! 

I picked up the little rosebud vase at Goodwill too - for 99 cents! It was a nasty cream color with gold around the top, but after some primer and spray paint, it's as good as new! I think it adds a nice touch to the whole display. Also, the little bowl was a gift from when my best friend Amber went to Israel. It holds the stud earrings I wear on a weekly basis. :)

Sorry if the pictures aren't the best...I was just clicking and wasn't too worried about the lighting. A few are a little blurry...oops.

Peace, Love, & Creativity. 

Party Like It's 1999.

So, I was thinking today.

Per my last blog post, you're probably shocked. I understand that.

So when January 1, 2012 rolls around, I will be two days into my "On Ice" experience. Given that I will probably be doing more scrambling/dashing/scurrying (read: trying to make sense of my new surroundings far away from all civilization) than actual rational thinking, I figured I should go ahead and write up my New Year's resolutions.

So, here we go.

• Crochet an afghan
• Read 52 books, one for each week of the year:
1. The Help (Kathryn Stockett)
2. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Child Soldier (Ishmael Beah)
3. Island of the Blue Dolphins (Scott O'Dell)
4. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Mark Haddan)
5. Animal Farm (George Orwell)
6. Halfway to Heaven: My White-Knuckled--and Knuckleheaded--Quest for the Rocky Mountain High  (Mark Obmascik)
7. Play It As It Lays (Joan Didion)
8. Crazy Love (Francis Chan)
9. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
10. Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)
11. Cry, the Beloved Country (Alan Paton)
12. Water for Elephants (Sara Gruen)
13. Traveling Mercies (Anne Lammott)
14. Schindler's List (Thomas Keneally)
15. The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)...a little bit embarrassed to say I read it. A little bit proud to say that having read it, I don't understand the hype and I kind of thought it was silly.
16. Daniel (Henning Mankell)
17. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Alan Bradley)
18. The Great Divorce (CS Lewis)
19. Bossypants (Tina Fey)
20. Even Silence Has an End (Ingrid Bentancourt)
21. Love Wins (Rob Bell)
22. Girl with a Pearl Earring (Tracy Chevalier)
23. The Kitchen House (Kathleen Grissom)
• Hike five more 14ers
1. Mt. Evans (6/24/12)
2. Grays Peak (7/4/12)
3. Torreys Peak (7/4/12)
4. Missouri Mountain (7/29/12)
5. Mt. Democrat (8/4/12)
6. Mt. Lincoln (8/4/12)
7. Mt. Bross (8/4/12)
• Run two 5ks and one 10k
• 10k: McMurdo Station Scott Hut Run
• Travel New Zealand...... :) 

That's all I can think of for now. Maybe I'll post more as I think of them.

Peace, Love, & StickingToMyGoals.

Losing It.

Pardon my lack of blog activity. I have been too busy losing my mind to write.

Here's what my past week has consisted of.

The first thing I did was lose my driver's license in St. Louis. Since we had to drive back to Denver, and I didn't want to subject Mike to going solo through the entire state of Kansas, I had to file a police report in the event that I got pulled over or in an accident. Did you know that police stations are not open the day after Thanksgiving? Yeah, we didn't either. But, we managed to track down a not-so-friendly Ballwin cop, who decided it would be hilarious to tell me there was a warrant out for my arrest. You sir, are not funny, and you need to stop shaving your arms because it makes you look like a girl.

Next up: You know that Raytheon corporate credit card I've been waiting on for 2 weeks? The one I need so that I can get down to Antarctica? It finally came!!
.........And then I accidentally threw it away. *Cue panic and frantic conversation with Raytheon corporate employee to rush new card to apartment*

And last but not least: My friend Gretchen is generously letting me raid her personal library for some books to take on my trip. We scheduled a date and time for me to come check out her books. Want to know what I did instead? I went to a hair appointment and put up my Christmas tree. I didn't even realize that I had forgotten until today.

Guys, I AM NOT THIS PERSON. I am the person whose planner is filled in with every detail of my schedule. I am the person who arrives early to friend dates. I am the person WHO DOES NOT THROW AWAY CORPORATE CREDIT CARDS THAT I HAVE BEEN WAITING ON FOR WEEKS.

I need to slow down. Maybe then I'll find my sanity again.

In other news, here is a picture of Mike, Stacy and I in Breck on Saturday. I did invent this rad new style of snowboarding: it's called "The Paranoid" -- you ride really carefully and slowly so that you don't break a wrist or tear an ACL, which would cause you to lose all chances of deploying to Antarctica. Your friends have to wait for you at the bottom of the run, but the main point is to make it down the mountain without dismemberment, decapitation, or any other form of severe injury. I highly recommend it.

Peace, Love, and Insanity.

Morning.

When it is 5am and we are getting ready to drive across 2 states to get to St. Louis...this is my motto.

My Life is Complete

Mike and I made a deal.

I could buy this...

...if I would spend $100 to buy him video games for when I'm in Antarctica.

DEAL.

And now I own a fancy camera.

And my husband is a nerd.

Peace, love & expensive cameras.

Oh Geez.

Talk about a slacker. Life has been crazy the past few weeks, to say the least. With me working overtime, catching up on my new job, trying to make it to all of our commitments, and ...snowboarding...I've totally neglected my blog!

I can't believe my Antarctica deployment is less than 7 weeks away! I've got my airline itinerary, so it's officially official. It's a little sad that I have to leave on Christmas night, but I cannot wait to get down to the Ice and have an incredible experience, both professionally and personally. And I can't wait to celebrate our one year anniversary (a month early) in New Zealand! The bar has been set really high now for future anniversaries...so maybe we'll celebrate year No. 2 in Bora Bora? :)

Mike has also officially presented his Christmas list to me: it is entirely video games. I'm not a fan at all of video games, but I did promise to grant him his wishes. I just couldn't resist the puppy eyes and the "...but I'll be so lonely while you're gone..." Denver friends, will you please make sure my hubby doesn't turn into a Zelda hermit while I'm gone? Also, I'm going to need someone to check in weekly to see what he's broken/ruined, and if it's repairable. Example: he dropped my (scalding hot) cute lime green iron the other day and burned carpet onto the sides of it. Permanently damaged? No. Repairable? Eh, basically. But that may not always be the case...

Love you, Mike :) Forever. Even when you damage things.

Peace, love & BurnedCarpet.

Happy Flight!

Cardinals win an epic World Series. How do I feel about it?

I now want to marry this man (so does Mike, so it's totally cool)

I now want to punch this man (on the right), and then after I punch him, I'd like to steal the millions of dollars that he makes for looking like an idiot. 

I'm sorry, Matt Holliday. Your good looks do not make up for your stupidity and inability to hit the ball. It's just how I feel.

And last but not least, I now want a squirrel as a pet. 

Peace, love & RallySquirrels. :)

Fear.

"It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, 'Always do what you are afraid to do.' "
Ralph Waldo Emerson






So I guess that includes going to Antarctica, huh? I was feeling nervous about it today: nervous about being away from Mike, from my home, from my own bed, from everything that's familiar to me. I'm trying to trust that the Lord will give both Mike and I strength and courage in this season of life...but man. Antarctica is far. And 7 weeks is almost 2 months.

But, I'm locked in and there's no turning back now!

I can do this. I can do this.

Simple.

Two words can describe my weekend: thankful & joyful. 

On Saturday morning, when I had to be at work at 7am, Mike got up with me and made me a cup of coffee. So simple, but so sweet. He didn't need to get up early on his day off!

On Saturday afternoon, I got the sudden urge to bake cupcakes. (Like, a LOT of cupcakes. So many that I had to give a lot away.) The recipe was awesome and they turned out great even at altitude, and I really did enjoy giving them out to friends. Being thankful for something as simple as cupcakes might seem odd, but delicious food is something I take for granted. There are so many people in the world who don't have the luxury of being able to bake or eat yummy food, so I'm thankful for never knowing the pain of hunger. (Click here to read about a project that our church took part in to help feed those in need. I couldn't go because I had to work -- see above -- but it's an awesome organization!)

On Saturday evening, when I was sleepy and cranky after working and baking absurd amounts of cupcakes, Mike made me get up and go on a walk at Castlewood Canyon State Park. There were no dramatic peaks, but it was so peaceful, and it made me so glad to live in Colorado. Thanks, hubs, for getting me off the couch! 

On Sunday afternoon, we hung out with friends from church, and I was so grateful for and excited about the community we've built and the relationships we've developed. The people of Denver Pres are awesome, and have blessed us in so many ways.

And last but not least....it looks like the Cards are going to the World Series. :) 

Peace, love, & LotsOfCupcakes!

Oh! The Places You'll Go.

I haven't even left for Antarctica and I already have been bitten by a travel bug of epic proportion. We bought Mike's ticket to New Zealand this morning, and ever since then I have been day dreaming far into the future about all the wonderful places I want to go...

I want to eat really, really spicy Thai food in Phuket. And shred the gnar in the Swiss Alps. And come within reach of a lion on an African safari. And read in the gardens at Versailles, while munching on cheese and sipping on a light Sauvignon Blanc. And get lost in Renaissance history in Florence. And go flying through the rain forest in Costa Rica next to a giant active volcano (oh, wait. CHECK).

I know I can't do it all, but I'm confident that some of it will happen. Mike and I are already talking about our next trip (which includes the aforementioned Versailles daydream, and an English Premier League soccer game for Mike in London). Fortunately, we can get TWO tickets to Europe for the price of one to New Zealand. :)

But for now, I am very content that our upcoming vacation includes these sights:

Cathedral Cove, The Coromandel

Sky Tower in Auckland

Ahhh. Can't wait. 

Peace, Love, & TravelBugs.

Yellow.

Going to the Maroon Bells during the fall has been *starred*, underlined, and bolded on my Colorado bucket list for quite some time now. Like, I've REALLY wanted to go.

So I've been keeping tabs on the aspens and watching for the peak of their color so that we could maximize the spectacular-ness of the Bells. We decided that this weekend would be perfect, that we'd set out Friday night, car camp somewhere along the way to Aspen, and get to the Bells early in the morning before the throngs of tourists arrived. 

Usually I'm an excellent trip planner (it's in the genes I think), so I had no worries about the overnight trip. Until I did something very stupid, which I didn't realize until we were about 45 minutes outside of Denver.

I. Left. My. Camera. 

I immediately started bawling in the car, because it had already been a long week, and I had asked Mike to go running around Denver grabbing the extra things we needed for the trip (gallon of water, Everything bagels, fill up the car, etc.). So I felt terrible for inflicting such annoyances on Mike in a rush to get to the Bells, when in the end I was the dumb one. And I knew I couldn't go to the Bells without my camera, with it being the most photographed place in Colorado! Mike was super sweet though, somehow managed to stop the tears, and convinced me that it would be much better if we just left early in the morning and grabbed some delicious Winchell's donuts and coffee for the car ride to Aspen. 

He was right :) 

We woke up at 4am, were out the door by 5, with deep-fried apple fritters, donut holes, and coffee in hand. We arrived at the Maroon Bells at 8:30, and the rest of the day was history. The aspens were indescribably yellow -- one of my favorite parts of the day was just walking on the path through the trees, feeling like I was drenched in yellow. The Bells were spectacular, majestic, incredible, and every other synonym of those words I can think of. It was definitely worth the starring, underlining, and bolding I did on my list. :) 

Crater Lake

The ghost town of Ashcroft. This was one of 20 saloons in a town of only 2,500! (only two are still standing)

The post office

A sign in Aspen that had my full name on, spelled correctly and everything!

Peace, Love, & Yellow. 

Thankful.

Today was a long day.

A very, very long day. 

So, to counteract the negativity surrounding my day, I'm going to list 12 things I am thankful for (one for every hour that I worked). 

1. I'm thankful that I am finally starting to enjoy my morning cup of joe.

2. I'm thankful for my an incredible husband who showers me with love and grace.

3. I'm thankful that I have a roof over my head. 

4. I'm thankful for my job and the opportunity to go to the bottom of the world.

5. I'm thankful that someone invented wine.

6. I'm thankful for my family and all of their support, even from miles away.

7. I'm thankful that snowboard season is almost here. I'm ready to shred.

8. I'm thankful for deliciously fattening queso dip.

9. I'm thankful that I'm finally getting used to my new last name.

10. I'm thankful for the simple fact that I don't have to save myself.

11. I'm thankful that one of two high altitude baking attempts actually worked this week.

12. I'm thankful for my new green yoga mat.

Mt. Sherman

It looks like our first 14er season has come to a close. We ended it this weekend by climbing Mt. Sherman with our friends Nicole and Eric. We originally intended to climb Mt. Democrat, but had to shuffle plans around when we discovered the road to the mountain was closed for the day. Luckily, Mt. Sherman wasn't too far away, so we still managed to summit well before noon (and avoided any potential bad weather). It was a fabulous fall day in the mountains, and the aspens were an incredible vibrant yellow! (Thanks Nicole, for insisting that we stop to snap some cute couples shots by the trees!) :) 

Mt. Sherman is littered with old mining buildings and railroad tracks. Very cool.

Summit #5

No photoshop here! The colors were really that awesome.

Peace, Love & Aspens.

The Ice.

Well, I recently made it known via facebook that I am going to Antarctica.

It's true, folks. On January 6 (or thereabouts), I will be arriving on the Ice and will begin my 6-week deployment! I will be living at McMurdo Station, the U.S. Antarctic Program's largest station. The U.S. has 3 stations -- McMurdo, South Pole, and Palmer. McMurdo is located on the southern tip of Ross Island, and hosts approximately 1,200 people during the austral summer (a.k.a our winter).

McMurdo Station, Ross Island, Antarctica

For those of you not aware, I work in Human Resoures for Raytheon Polar Services, which is the primary government contractor for the NSF's U.S. Antarctic Program. Our main function is to provide support personnel to manage the stations and keep the program running while the scientists do their work. I'll be working in HR on the station as well -- taking care of paperwork on the Ice and helping transition into the new government contractor that will be taking over the USAP contract on April 1. 

It's going to be a crazy awesome experience, and I am SO excited to be able to go. I'm currently working on getting "PQ'd", meaning that I have to get stuck with a bunch of needles and have doctors look at me to make sure I am physically qualified to go. I don't foresee this to be a problem, but I won't be able to officially go until I've passed all the medical requirements. I'm not looking forward to the needles though. There's a reason I work in HR and not in a hospital, people.

I'll be coming off the Ice on February 20 (Pending good weather! Cross your fingers!) and will make my way to Auckland, New Zealand to hang out for a week and see some good friends who live there (that's you, Brooke Scott!). Mike will be flying out to meet me in Auckland a few days after I get done with Antarctica, too, and we will have the most awesome-est vacation EVER. That's the plan, anyway. Things can sometimes get a little hairy with catching flights off the Ice, and I'm praying that all of this works out, logistically-speaking. But there will never be another time where we have the opportunity to do this, so we have to at least try to make it work! :) 

If you're the praying type, Mike and I would both greatly appreciate some prayers surrounding all this. Right now, it's incredibly exciting, but there's a lot to plan and a lot to work out (and a lot to trust God with). There are a lot of firsts that we're dealing with (both exciting and scary): we've both never been off the continent, and I'm going to the furthest one away; we've been away from each other for 6 weeks before, but never THAT far away; we both have to navigate serious worldwide travel logistics; I'll have a lot on my plate once I get back to the States; Mike will have to learn to cook more than just macaroni.......etc. etc. 

I will be keeping you posted on updates, and I'd love to answer any questions anyone has about the USAP, Antarctica, traveling down there, etc! It's a fascinating operation that I had no idea even existed until I started working for Raytheon. I will also be posting photos once I'm down there, especially when (if) I get to see these guys: 

Peace, love, & Ice.