anthropologie

mmm... my favorite place on my list of stores to stop in to. My pea pod friend loves this store as much as I do, I believe. She's lucky enough to live in the same states as one, though. I live vicariously through her and her savvy purchases. So when I go, instead of purchasing a ton, I just take pictures to look at later: 

It's so easy to make their set ups look like out of a magazine... see above. I love the pink hot-air-balloon-esque light. Paired with the aged secretary below, it's plain adorable. 

They even had fresh flowers on display. Yes, of course, I touched the flowers to see. I really need a hutch. I think if I had one, I might put a chair upside down on it like this one, above. I might not, but I might. I would need a hutch in order to find out!! The possibilities are endless. I found out that each of their stores has a designer assigned to that particular store, and they are the ones who come up with the fun designs. The light bulbs were pretty fun. I love the farm ladders, underneath them. It's almost like they wanted it to look like they were still hanging the strands of light bulbs. 

The best part was when we left the store and I looked in the window as we were passing and saw "ark" I thought to myself, "wouldn't that be funny if it said 'Mark'?" IT DID! Then Mark noticed the "J &" next to the Mark. I HAD to take a picture. We were made for this store... or the other way around. 
*the A in 'MARK' is the same A you see in the video clip from Ask Aida. Yep! Her set designer shops at Anthropologie. Now I just need to find out where they bought her pepper mill and salt dish. Any tips? I've looked many, many places.

pirate o's

never heard of this place? neither had I! But my in-laws love this place, and they have my favorite red Australian licorice, so I grew to like this place. Though, the owner didn't like me much! because after I snapped this little photo, he told me to put my camera away. how rude. I thought about not posting it, but I thought I'd do him the favor of giving him some publicity. .. or maybe that's what he he might be a real pirate? naah... anyway, here is a cute little aisle of goodies: 

tai pan trading co.

Store stop #1 in Utah was to Tai Pan Trading, Co. When we were on a rush around with all of the family in St. George, my sister in law wanted to see if they had something she was looking for. I don't think they did, but she did come out with three cute yarn balls. 

When we went back to SLC, Stacey satisfied my curiosity and took me to browse: 

I like that quote! Cute. Below are what was in a big part of the clearance section. I was on an orange kick that day, because these looked glorious. I still love the color: 
Yes, I love horses. Yes, I love books. Horse-head book ends? PERFECT! They were too heavy to get back home in my suitcase... I still need to check online. 
More orange. They had cute little set ups like this all over the place. I would love to throw in these accent colors around my house. So far I have yellow, and a little orange. When I finish working, I really want to get down to business and put out a lot of paintings for us to hang around our house. Then I can add colors and change it up whenever I'd like!
Oh, and these lovely little plates caught my attention. Again, I just had too many things to take back with me to AK. So ... I'll just have to wait. 
They also had a LOT of cute spring stuff out already, but I'm going to hold out on you until Spring shows herself up here. 

ask aida about haircuts!

Between now and the time my hair is long enough to be styled like Lena's from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants II, I have found an in-between hair style. 

While being lazy on the couch one Saturday morning with my mother in law this past New Year's, we stumbled upon a Food Network show, called "Ask Aida." It was actually her hair that caught Stacey's attention, and she called me in to see how I liked it. I LOVED it. Since looking at her hair for the whole show, I decided she is the perfect host of a cooking show. Her show is more like an actual cooking class rather then 'look at me, I'm a better cook than you.' She is cute, sweet, stylish, cooks with a lot of ginger, and she takes questions that you send in, and she makes cooking look like a breeze; a FUN breeze, at that. I have a new love for the kitchen. Check out this little video of a recent show (yes, I now DVR her show... and save them to watch again to get the tips down pat). 

Here's a little hair-teaser. In some episodes she has her bangs more forward.. but this coming week, I will no longer be blonde! Hope you like the little clip; start watching her show if you don't already.. you might like it!!

oh yea! ha how do you like her side-kick, Noah? little dweeby, and he gets all the food!! I think he should keep that job forever. 

pleasant

I met a dentist in our clinic two days ago, and with him 'recommending me' to his clinic, I got an appointment two days later!! It was a nice visit, no x-rays since I'm pregnant, so I never even saw the dentist himself. I just got a nice, painless cleaning, and nice compliments from the hygienist. Of course, without fail, I was reminded to floss more. But it's a nice trade. Reminders for polished whites. 

While there, they had all their tvs hooked up to a central dvd player. While I was filling out paperwork in the waiting room, there was a boy enraptured with the movie. It was one of my all-time favorites. The Black Stallion. I may have blogged about it before, but it is always worth a note. 

Wow!! That was just the hardest movie ever to find good photos of! on a google search there wasn't even one good one from the movie - just three reproduced ones.. it must be like a good, rare stake. ha

Tonight I took it easy while watching the latest episode of Lost, online, and painting my fingernails and letting Buckwheat 'outside' while the snow is coming down gently. Pleasant night. Poor Mark, it's his last night in the frozen outdoors. A post on that to come.. maybe! I still have to do my little store-outings 'next.'

next

I fell asleep on the couch shortly after I completed the last post because I was beginning to feel a little ... sick. I woke up at 11:00 and now it is 11:50. I'm all ready for bed, and it is looking very soft right now. Ah! So in a rush to lay in the pillowy softness, I had to post what was coming up next! The stores!! 

The stores, my stores... the stores I have missed since being in the Frozen North. So good night, and sweet dreams. 

Oh! And Aubrey - Joeseppi's actually might be in Tacoma (on the side closer to Point Defiance than Seattle). It is a VERY good restaurante/bistro though! If you are ever in the area, I recommend it! My folk's favorites in that area are Anthony's (I ordered the Kalbi Chicken with jasmine rice and it was d-licious!!), Joeseppi's (a lot bigger inside that it looks from the street), and a mexican restaurant called El Toro, with apparently very delicious salsa verde. 

good eats

Since being pregnant, it is a good excuse to give into my spicy food cravings. I don't use it as an excuse to gorge - because I don't want to gain more weight than I have to!! But hello yummy little restaurants!

1. Rubio's: I thought these little rubies were only in Las Vegas! But as my lovely sister informed me, they are ALSO in Utah now! If you are in the area of Rubios - go enjoy. on me. but don't send me the bill. ha!

2. Cafe Rio: Another yummy mexican grill. Not as yummy (don't throw eggs!), but I can blame that on myself. While my meal is yummy, I just don't think I order the right thing. I like medium salsa, but green salsa is just not my favorite. Let me know what your favorite Cafe Rio menu item is! Maybe I'll try it my next time in Utah. 

In Seattle, when my mom and dad took me and Mark to Joeseppi's, we finished our dinner and my dad insisted on ordering us the chocolate cake. When the waitress rounded the corner, and we all spotted this monster (picture actually is at an angle that makes it look smaller), my dad was the one that probably laughed the loudest! It was about 7 inches tall!! 

On the way to Seattle, I was already not feeling well. So I browsed the selections of breakfast foods, all that smelled sugary and yummy, but I wanted substance, not sugar. So instead of a breakfast something or another, I wandered into a little gourmet bistro-express. It hit the spot, this little sandwich. That and an Odwalla fruit drink (strawberry and banana is my favorite). 

reunited

The week after Christmas, the week of New Year's, Mark and I were reunited with his brothers and sisters and parents for an immediate Reeder-Family Reunion. After flying to Salt Lake on Monday morning, we drove to St. George for 4 days. I didn't realize how much I had missed the south west. So warm and sunny! 

I still wore my coat because I was pretty sick, and didn't want to make matters worse. 

The house that we stayed at was the Reeder's neighbors'. It must have been one of the development's model homes because it had everything picture-perfect. All the fun sort of trinkets to make it feel like a picture.  
We got to see the sights of St. George, including roots that have grown too far out: 
But more importantly, the temple in which I was sealed to my wonderful family: 
When we went to the original Pizza Factory, I called my dad to see if the owner, Bill still worked there. Dad said he did, so I asked the hostess if he was in. He and my dad went to high school together, back in the day. He was on vacation with his family, so here's the note I left for him. I took a picture for you, Dad:  
Mark might be a tad embarrassed that I chose to put THIS picture up, instead of just sending it to Mike, his brother, who will get this joke. Outside of the Pizza Factory, there is a place called Jake's Old House. When Mark says the name "Jake," unless it's to a friend named Jake, he says it like he's about to spit some tobacco. I think it started with the John Wayne movie. Here is what it looks like when he says the name, "Jake": 

We also got a little tour of Brigham Young's Winter Home. This was my favorite little place in the house. I love the yellow, and look! the drawers are numbered: 

and a little close-up:

It was a fun little trip!! Thank you Stacey, and Marty!

present

Jayci Reeder? Present! I'm still here, and still haven't uploaded any pictures ... unheard of! I have been spending time after work sitting down with my sore feet up. Walking 10+ miles a day is what keeps me feeling good, but also feeling tired! 

Some things I have been enjoying lately: 

1. spicy, spicy food (thai, mexican, chinese with spicy sczechuan sauce, you name it!)

2. movies 

This has hit my favorites list.

I love the friendships, and just girl time.

The sense of culture and adventure while still having roots. 

I rented it on itunes and watched it twice in the 24 hours.

Again, I liked Lena's character the best, and

would love to style my hair like hers sometime

in the near future... dot dot dot.

(I will soon share pictures of my favorite movie hairdos)

interesting movie, I liked Meg Ryan's character a lot, 

even though what a situation she was put in, and 

I forgot to realize that I hadn't seen one male

in the whole film until the very last 

scene.. and even then, 

it was a baby.

I know, I'm a little late.

But I loved it as much as everyone said I would.

The aesthetics they let the music have were fantastical.

The way they portrayed the little boy being able to play his instruments

was beautiful, and inspirational.

Sorry if you think I'm a corny movie-lover. 

I am. I know.

I don't think I've already mentioned this one yet.

Beautifully made film. It is a hard movie, but very well done. 

With every horrible situation she is put in, 

she does the commendable act... almost every situation.

Georgiana is portrayed as a woman of strong character and drive, 

with maternal instincts stronger than everything else.

If you're up for the tears, I recommend this film!

This was a difficult movie to stomach.

The entire time, you know how the real ending goes, 

and it makes you sick 

thinking of how brave these men must have been.

What a scary time this was for the Germans who did not agree, 

and for those who were not thought of as agreeable.

*no, I haven't watched all these movies in the last week, 

more like in the past 3 months! But enjoyed nevertheless. 

3. walking. Walking at work, about 11-13 miles a day have really helped me not feel sick. Though I am always nibbling and taking 3-minute breaks every now and then, I have been feeling so much better since walking so much all day, every day. Nights are still difficult, but not too bad.

4. sleep. ah! it's 8:30 already? I'm off to get ready for some more sleep. Oh, and the dreams are insane. I already dreamt abnormal amounts, but now it's just crazy.

Thanks for everyone's comments my last couple posts. I appreciate all the tips and clues. I had my first appt last week and got to see the "little wiggler" on the monitor. So crazy! Heart rate is 180 - strong and fast! This is such a surreal experience. D-Day: August 17th, the day after Mark's birthday. He's pretty thrilled. 

home again

I flew back in to Anchorage yesterday afternoon and jumped back onto the work horse today. I survived the work day and just finished getting sick.. for your information. 

Morning sickness hit me about the same time that flu and cold did. Around week 8... isn't that a little late? I'm up for your stories, information, and other sorts of tidbits you might have. 

It is minimal, and if I snack it is better. But around lunch time and afternoon night... it is discomfort, hunger, and just plain ick-ness. 

In the morning when I get ready, I have to eat at least a piece of toast to not fall over and hug the white bowl in the bathroom. So if I get ready at night, I'm better off in the morning. 

Tips? Info? Breezy advice? do two year old prenatal vitamins still do you any good? Comment away! :o) 

far and away

I'm in Utah and have been for the last several days. It is so nice to see the warm sun and enjoy the wet snow (in Alaska it is very dry snow as it doesn't melt!) with Mark's family. We left after a full week of being really sick. I had been sick with two different bugs, and one is still plaguing me. Yes, plaguing. I had the stomach flu for four days, while struggling through a cold (nasal congestion and no sleep and now it is a cough) and then food poisoning on New Year's Eve. It really has been a plague. You see, I haven't been able to take much medicine for it because... well...

I'm EXPECTING!

I feel far and away looking at my situation and feel lightheaded and wonderful. It is exciting and terrifying. We are so excited and have been hoping for this news for a very long time.

This lack of blogging was because of how sick I had been, but thankfully, it is only minimally due to morning sickness. I am almost 10 weeks along and have my first (a little slow, eh?) doctor's appt in 2 weeks. I have been taking a lot of pictures so I have things to blog about upon my return to the Alaskan wilderness.

Hope everyone enjoyed some sort of Christmas Miracle, as I certainly did. Happy New Year, as well!

life lately

... has been miraculous - really! Full of Christmas Miracles. But it has also been very crazy!! That is why tonight I decided to update the blog. It was over due. Tonight I went from having 3 measly posts for the month of December to having 8!! I hope you have some time to browse, you never know what you'll find!

And no.. the Winnebago isn't ours, but it was kinda fun looking sitting in the snow a couple of weeks ago. It probably has a fun history tied to some hippies up here. 

winter

Before running our errands this afternoon, Mark and I drove Buckwheat down to the end of the street. Remember what this looks like in the summer? yep.. so different!! You can tell where the fog lies low in the valley because the trees are all white and iced over. The sun doesn't even touch down here anymore. And tomorrow is the shortest day of the year. Since we're inside the Arctic Circle up here, it is a huge deal! We can start adding on minutes of sunshine every day. Bring on the sun! 

Squadron's Christmas Party

Friday night was Mark's squadron Christmas Party at the Captain Cook hotel in downtown Anchorage. It was a great party!! Lots of funny people, a live band, yummy food - steak and salmon! - Door prizes, we won 2 tickets to the Symphony in January (thanks to a pair of friends). I forgot that so many people still hadn't seen me with blonde hair - it was fun to see people's faces change from normal to ultimate surprise. It's just hair, right?? ha!

Festival of the Nativities

At one of our chapels in Wasilla (near where Sarah Palin lives, actually!), the community brought many of their nativity scenes together. These scenes and set ups combined with live music, and our church art, it was quite event. They closed off the chapel, but as to not let it remain a mystery room, they opened the accordion doors to peek in. It was nice, I thought.

In each of the classrooms around the church, there were elaborate set ups and themes; many themed around other countries and cultures. Entire rooms were swathed in cloth, ornaments and lights. Below is a Chinese Paper umbrella from one of the prettiest rooms. 

Here is a really interesting nativity from Germany:

And my very favorite nativity is below. It is so elaborate. The wise men were riding a horse, elephant, and camel. Everything about it screams 'don't touch.' The person who allowed this to be on display was very trusting:
They also had cute ones where the entire scene was portrayed by families of black bear, moose, or little mice. The animal families even had little angels. Here is one of the black bears.. notice the bear-mule? The little bear-angel on the right, looks like he's straining so hard not to slip, and then the little bear-sheep? I couldn't get enough. 

I'm glad I went this year! I don't remember the ones from when I lived in Las Vegas, by my mom said they do this in lots of areas. It was great!

Christmas from WA

When Mark went on my 'special trip' to hand-deliver my parent's Christmas present, they gave him something for him to hand deliver to me!  How splendid! This is a lot of my own things from when I was growing up; dolls, blankets, clothes, books (lots of books), and other keepsakes. When Mark said how much stuff it was, and that the other members of his crew kept laughing, I was so embarrassed!! They said that Mark has the new record of bringing things home for his wife. AH! 

Unloading all of this, Mark had to ask the help of our friend Josh Q. It wouldn't even fit in our suv - and we have moved a lot of things with that car. Goodness!

strange

We are under 6 hours of daylight now, so it is dark when I drive to work and home from work. But I actually have been enjoying it; it's really relaxing and it makes things seem extra Christmas-y. 

What's weird has been that the last several weeks it has been snowy and foggy, but the last couple of days, the snow and ice have been melting! The Chinook winds have blown in from Hawaii and it has been raining in Alaska, in December! It's just too strange, but it happens every year, so I guess it's nothing out of the norm. 
Though winter is still looming, it hasn't been as biting as it has been the last couple of months. 

*the snowflake-picture were snowflakes that had fallen on my windshield before the glass warmed up. The car is freezing after work. So much so I have to wear gloves and touch the steering wheel as little as possible (just like a hot steering wheel in Las Vegas). 

gifts

The first of the gifts are wrapped, shipped (hand delivered, by my hubba-husband, a pilot-perk I suppose!), opened, and eaten! I sent some of the best caramels to my mom and pop. 

With the little black bear ornament for their down-sized tree. Happy Christmas, Mom and Dad!

who's got it?

The button(s)? I have them! And I used them...To make this cute little guy, today! At quilting, Jodi C. (C standing for the Creative genius that she is) came up with this 'mystery'. She gave us the measurements and the fabric, we just brought the embellishments. Little buttons and ribbons. I didn't use the ribbon, but I sure used the buttons! Most people doing this snowman did an entire face of small buttons or x-stitches. Jodi found these two antique buttons for me; they didn't even have holes for the needle. I just poked it through the fabric to stitch to the fabric. I LOVED their Wallace & Gromet effect they had when I put them on just a little crooked. So that's how they stayed. I skipped the nose and smile because they were just too charming by themselves. 

More buttons are on our tree! This year we skipped the shiny balls and only hung our shiny bells and all our cute, comely ornaments. It is so cozy...

Who's got the button? Yours truly!

a mighty change of hair

Yesterday, I went here: 

To do this to myself: 

After moments of panic, laughter, more panic, relief (when Mark saw it and said he loved it), then sobbing (after scary thoughts of showing up for church and work) and then finally acceptance... here is the proof that I did away with my brown trusses and exchanged them for some very golden locks. And oh my goodness, are they gold. 

 

What? you want a closer look? here you are... be nice: 

Then we went to see the Nutcracker in downtown Anchorage, featuring the Oregon Ballet Theatre: 

It was beautiful. I would have taken pictures during the performance (no flash, of course), but it was not allowed. All the costumes and stage pieces have strict copyrights, unfortunately. I love the names given to the different sequences of dancers in the Palace of the Land of Sweets. Here are the cute little candy-land names: Spanish Hot Chocolate (my favorite), Arabian Coffee, and Tea from China. These cute and 'magical' numbers were followed by the Candy Canes, Marzipan Shepherdesses, the mighty Mother Ginger with her Polichinelles, and the beautiful Dewdrop and her flowers (Mark's favorite). The ballet company were guests from Oregon, and my friend's daughter was one of the little angel fairies (too adorable for words). 

mother nature

is freezing: 

After running out of room in our refrigerator for 2 liter sodas, we had to resort to alternative options. Thank you, Mother Nature. 

Sidenotes: 

1. This magnificently dynamic and artistically advanced photograph is the first one to be posted on my blog from The Beastly Camera! Good to know that it's living up to it's potential, right? 

2. It has snowed almost 9 more inches since this picture was taken on thanksgiving day. I love it!

NPR

Breakthrough: I FINALLY found National Public Radio up here in Alaska. It took me a ridiculous amount of time and searching, asking and googling. Even when I'd ask someone up here what station it is, they would never be able to give me a straight answer. When I looked it up online, the station was not what it said it was. When I searched through the lower digit stations, I found lots of Christian Talk Radio, and even a Celtic channel, but no NPR. It was uncanny the way I could never find the station. I thought I found the station once a few weeks ago, but when it completely faded to static as soon as I reached the city limits, I didn't know what to do. 

Turns out I was just a couple of clicks too shy. What a joke. Maybe it really is only for smart people. Because I think I must have been going through IQ deprivations for the last long while. But now I am feeling intelligent again; filling my mind with current news updates and Car Talk hysterics. hurray for strange patients who give straight answers and love radio. Hallelujah!