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.