Our second day in Kodiak with my family

We woke up early on Friday morning for a damp but fun trip to Fort Abercombie State Park.  We put on all of our layers and loaded up in the 15 seater van. (Can you tell that my grandmother, Tootie, did not want her picture taken?) Of course, I took lots of pictures while hiking around the beaches. 

 I love taking pictures with my sisters! Mr. F and I enjoyed the rocky beaches too.The main beach was surrounded by lush, mossy evergreen trees that were strikingly and brilliantly green. My sisters hung on trees and pretended to be monkeys!It was chilly, but we had so much fun we didn't notice. 

We went to the Old Powerhouse for sushi for lunch. This is probably the best restaurant in town!All of our rolls were awesome and the miso soup was a perfect way to warm us up! There was a juvenile Bald Eagle that hung out on the patio, about four feet away from the window, so we took lots of pictures!It liked watching us and even seemed to pose sometimes!I think it was waiting for us to feed it.

After a leisurely lunch, we walked through town with our sisters and their boyfriends. We went by many crab pots and the Star of Kodiak.We stopped at the Kodiak Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center and checked out their life-sized Kodiak Bear sculptures.We were super impressed by the 80 foot grey whale skeleton. I really wanted a stuffed animal from the gift shop, like this sea otter. Katie pretended to be a crab or a frog outside!

We walked past the Crab Fest and saw boats in the harbor.We saw boats called the Emily Rose and the Katie Lynn.We also loved posingnext to the awesome octopus sculpture before going to the Kodiak Island Brewing Co.Tomorrow, I'll post more pictures from our third day in Kodiak, Alaska!

From Chicago to Kodiak

Last week, we left the sweltering 90 degree weather in Chicago for the long Memorial day weekend. We flew from O'Hare, across Canada, over the snow capped mountain tops, through Anchorage and to our family reunion in Kodiak, Alaska. It was sunny but in the 50s when we arrived in Kodiak.My parents had arrived earlier in the day, so they picked us up in a 15 seater van. My grandparents, uncle, youngest sister and her boyfriend were all on the same plane from Anchorage with us.Immediately, I was impressed by and started taking pictures of all the majestic mountains!Thursday afternoon, my mom, aunt, uncle and grandmother met up with old family friends. My mom's family lived in Kodiak in the 1960s.We also had time to visit the harbor before dinner. At this time of year, it stays light until after 11:30pm at night!It was great to see my sisters!

Something's Coming

Could be! Who knows? There's something due any day; I will know right away, Soon as it shows. It may come cannonballing down through the sky, Gleam in its eye, Bright as a rose! 

 Who knows? It's only just out of reach, Down the block, on a beach, Under a tree. I got a feeling there's a miracle due, Gonna come true, Coming to me! 

 Could it be? Yes, it could. Something's coming, something good, If I can wait! Something's coming, I don't know what it is, But it is Gonna be great! 

 With a click, with a shock, Phone'll jingle, door'll knock, Open the latch! Something's coming, don't know when, but it's soon; Catch the moon, One-handed catch! 

 Around the corner, Or whistling down the river, Come on, deliver To me! Will it be? Yes, it will. Maybe just by holding still, It'll be there! 

 Come on, something, come on in, don't be shy, Meet a guy, Pull up a chair! The air is humming, And something great is coming! Who knows? It's only just out of reach, Down the block, on a beach, Maybe tonight . . .

I like the West Side Story original but the Glee version is also quite fun. Check out both versions of the song You Tube!

Here's the West Side Story scene: 

Here's the song from Glee, sung by Blaine:

Which version do you like best?

 

Kodiak trip planning

Mr. F and I are going on vacation next week! We're going to Kodiak, Alaska over Memorial Day Weekend.

Source: flickr.com via Emily on Pinterest

I'm excited to go hiking in Fort Abercrombie and possibly Barometer Mountain! Fort Abercrombie is three and a half miles away from our hotel and is known for whale watching. Apparently there are World War II bunkers and cannons there, too! Barometer Mountain is six and a half miles away and has spectacular views of the ocean.

Source: flickr.com via Emily on Pinterest

Source: alaskaphotographyblog.com via Emily on Pinterest

We may even go on a float plane.

Source: kariinkodiak.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

It would be great to see Women's Bay and Kodiak bears from the air.

Source: flickr.com via Emily on Pinterest

I'm looking forward to exploring the beaches and tidepools.

Source: kariinkodiak.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

I hope we see some sea otters!

Source: flickr.com via Emily on Pinterest

I hope our furry landlubber kittens don't miss us too much.

What my twenties have taught me....

Some of my favorite blogs, Fairy Tales are True and Em = Me, have inspired me to write about what my twenties have taught me. This especially resonates with me, because this is the first year I turn 29. (I'm kidding, but I'm not sure what to do when I turn 30. Big party? Small shindig? Celebrate in a foreign country?)

At 20, I had already met the love of my life and future husband. We met our first week of college. We fell in love at a sorority dance. You may hear a lot of negative things about sororities but I learned it is also a wonderful way to network. My first job in healthcare was through a good friend and sorority connection. My next job in research was also through a college connection.

Mr. F and I got married at 25 on the beach in Seattle. I had no idea that your wedding could be the best party that you've ever attended.

I'm a total ENFJ (Extrovert iNtuitive Feeling Judging). As I progressed through my twenties, I've really noticed that my husband is a INTJ (Introvert iNtuitive Thinking Judging). We really have strived to be good listeners and communicate a lot. Sometimes it's good to butt heads. It stimulates good conversation.

While I enjoy being social but I can overload easily. As my best friend from high school reminded me recently, it's good to decompress away from everyone occasionally.

Running can be relaxing. This surprised me. When we moved to Chicago last year, we really explored the North Side and the shores of Lake Michigan on foot, at approximately 6-8 miles per hour. For me, exercising really helps to combat high stress levels and to decompress. When I don't run, I do kettlebell exercises.

After college, I've really learned that I'm a creature of comfort. Make up is nice but not necessary. I really enjoy food. I love traveling but I'm no longer a hostel traveler. I do not like wearing high heels even if they look really pretty.


:) to be continued....

Last weekend, Denver, this weekend, St. Louis!

This week has flown by so fast!  Mr. F and I went to Denver for a conference last weekend. We stayed at the lovely Brown Palace Hotel.The first night, we visited Mr. F's cousin in Boulder, and met her new puppy. Dexter is a 6 month old King Shepard and he's huge! He's also really well trained. We saw Consuelo chilling on the table with bonsai trees. We walked along Pearl Street in Boulder and had fun Latin food.After dinner, we played with both of the puppies for a little while longer before going back to Denver.Maya is a sweetheart and loved wrestling with Dexter. My, what big teeth you have, Dexter!

Mr. F and I wandered around Denver, Friday morning, before the conference started.We saw lots of neat sculptures around the Denver Art Museum. After my training sessions, we walked along the Cherry Creek  to enjoy oysters at a cute place in LoDo (Lower Downtown) called, the Kitchen. We also met up with Mr. F's other cousin!Denver was so gorgeous and sunny! We quickly realized that in the "mile high" city that you need to wear more sunscreen than at sea level! We also noticed a lot of griffins around the Brown Palace, it reminded us of Gryffindor! This definitely inspired me to join Pottermore. Have you tried it?

This weekend, we're celebrating Mother's Day in St. Louis! I'm excited to take pictures at the Botanic Gardens!