Men, take notes.

Yes, I am actually sitting down at the computer and writing a blog post.  Don't get too excited, and please don't send the news crews.  I look like trash as I have been home sick all day in my very much unbearably warm apartment.  I've got all the windows open and it's just roasting.  I never thought that on May 1st at home in Alaska I would ever complain about being too warm. Six days ago last year there was a mondo blizzard that dumped well too much snow.  If you do some digging in my archives you'll see a post all about it, and a food drive that very night if I remember correctly.

Anyway, for those of you not blessed to be up North at the moment, the weather here has been purely amazing for the last week or so.  Our sunlight has been increasing each day by leaps and bounds and it's actually delivering HEAT.  That's a big deal up here. 

Increased sunlight brings about cheery and jovial moods in people, especially when following a long, dark, and cold winter.  Something else that helps bring about those happy moods is a new friend who drops into one's life at just the right moment.

Oh no, I'm not speaking from experience at all.  Never.  

Have I mentioned lately that I lie? [Insert one of those smiley-face things here.]

That said, there's this great guy that just walked into my life path recently.  He's super, and we've been having fun the last couple weeks.  What really bites is that he leaves for Iraq with the Air Force sometime in June and will be gone for at least 6 months.  

I could wonder why the heck we didn't mesh so instantly a few months back when we initially met, or why this, or why that... but it's fruitless to dwell on anything that nothing can be done about so I'm merely going to make the best of the whole situation.  

Do you ever think that sometimes every event in one's life is amazingly correlated?

I do.  And that's why I'm ready for whatever life has to hand me.  Maybe.  Perhaps I shouldn't speak so boldly.  It has a tendency to get me in trouble. 

Oh!  Speaking of speaking boldly (that was definitely an interesting use of verbage), I completed a dating survey for one of my Institute of Religion teachers who was gathering opinions in preparation to speak to a group of youth in the church.  Keep in mind that the questions are geared toward teens and the dating lifestyle of that age group.  Regardless, I enjoyed myself and am more than happy to share my answers with the world (daring, I know).

Everyone have an excellent weekend and enjoy reading my crazy answers!  (Men, take notes.)

1. List the top three characteristics of the perfect boy.

Characteristic #1: Caring and Compassionate

Characteristic #2: Honorable and Trustworthy

Characteristic #3: Motivated and Driven

2. List three things that make a group date good. Please list them with the most important one first.

#1: Good company 

#2: Planned and organized (yet flexible)

#3: Sincere fun

3. List three things that attract you to a boy, with the most important thing listed first.

#1: Personality is a major thing.  A pretty face can hide a real jerk.

#2: Knows what he wants in life and goes for it.

#3: Sees me when other people don't.

4. List the top three things that you look for in a boy when you consider dating him. List your most important criteria first.

#1: Treats his family well (especially his mother)

#2: Stability (in personality and life situations)

#3: How he has handled past relationships (know his history)

5. List three things that you would like a boy to do on a date.

#1: Open doors (chivalry is not dead, I have yet to see it in the obits)

#2: Exhibit natural humor (just make me laugh, don't TRY to make me laugh)

#3: Talk with me (conversations aren't binding, they’re just nice)

6. List the three things that you would most like a boy NOT to do on a date.

#1: Answer phone calls, make phone calls, text, etc.  You know those pre-movie warnings to turn off the cell phones?  Yeah, girls need to have those at the door as the guys walk in to pick them up for the date.

#2: Talk about other girls, gossip, and put down past dates.  That all spells LOSER.  If he talks about them, he'll talk about you.

#3: No bodily functions (picking nose, belching, breaking wind, spitting, etc.)

7. List three things that boys do that turn you off.

#1: Talking about video games (provided that the gal is not a fellow gamer). Come on people, really? Do we have to?

#2: Not washing hands after using the restroom.  Self explanatory.  Very disgusting.  This is worth calling a cab to get home.

#3: Clipping nails in public.  If I've typed it, I've witnessed it.  Ick.  That's it, just ick.

8. How should a boy dress? Here is your chance to tell the boys what you do and don't like about the way they dress. Feel free to tell them what makes you comfortable and/or uncomfortable.

Your pants should fit well.  Not too tight, and not falling off.  If you need help purchasing the right pair of pants, ask one of the women in your family (especially your grandmother) to help you.  Don't wear more jewelry than your date.  What are you wearing jewelry for anyway?  The CTR ring is cool, sport it bro'.  A few other funky things, sure.  But please, if you look like a disco ball, bring me the flowers and go home.  Don't sport the drug/alcohol t-shirts.  Just because Uncle Ned gave it to you for Christmas doesn't mean you should wear it.  Wear a nice shirt; that and a non-holy pair of jeans/slacks can go a long way.  Please wear socks unless you're going on a date that includes sand or water (we're in Alaska, this is not one that happens often).   

How would you like a boy to treat you at this point in your life?

Treat me well.  I'm a friend so be a friend.  Have fun with me, play along with a good joke for the heck of it.  If you like me as more than a best buddy, drop proper hints that clearly let it be known.  If you don't, make it clear but with kindness.  Leave modern ways at the door.  If you want a date, ask for it.  Don't wait for me to be feminist and forward.

10. How important is it to you for a boy you wish to date to be an active member of the LDS Church?

Extremely Important!!!!  <------ That’s my answer!

Somewhat Important

Doesn't Matter

Not Very Important

Not Important At ALL

No promises

Yes, I know.  

I've been silent.  

Excuse me for being busy, sometimes too much so for my own good.

Life is.... well, it just IS.

I do not promise a major update, it's a little late for that.  I do not promise a photo walk through of the last few months, I'm too swamped.  I do not promise you a rose garden, just 'cause that's a reference to an old song that just popped up in my head.  

You know you love me and my randomness.  Admit it, you do.

It snowed today.  Not that snowing is anything unusual for Anchorage, Alaska in November.  I just wanted to throw that in there, it snowed again.  I sometimes feel like I live in a snow globe and God has fun picking it up and shaking it.  Mind you, that's not just in reference to the weather.

I borrowed two books from the Institute of Religion's library today.  The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey and The Power Within Us by Russell M. Nelson.

Thanksgiving is in a couple days.  Tomorrow night I am making 2 cheesecakes to bring to the family gathering.  One will be sugar-free, I'm experimenting with Splenda.  

Along with cheesecake, also present at Thanksgiving dinner will by my cousin's fiance.  I haven't met him yet, but everyone seems to like him thus far.  Crazy, I didn't even get a phone call about the engagement - I found out through Facebook.  Meh.  I don't know why, but I feel like an inadequate older cousin because I'm not married first.   It's as if I haven't fulfilled my duties. Dude, I rarely even date.  Toss me to the curb, I'm broken.

And yes, I used the word "dude" in my blog post.  Get over it.

I have....

I have been negligent. I have not written in.... forever. I have been busy. I have had other things taking up my time. I have dedicated most of my time to other people and am now taking a moment for myself. So there.

In addition to my condensed version of updates below, I changed my cellular plan to AT&T and upgraded to a good phone. My plan allows unlimited net usage which means I can take photos during my crazy days and when I figure out how, I can post them straight to the blog from my phone. I'll do my first test ones after I'm done with this post.

Yay for blogging-on-the-run.

The first update missed was the much celebrated arrival of my dearest friends pictured below. They lived up here in Alaska for 4 years, their first year being my last year before I bailed out of the state. I didn't meet them till I was in Maryland. We had instant connections which grew into a great friendship and I ended up living in their basement for a while even... and then on base in temporary housing with them for a few weeks as they shipped out to Idaho (my heart broke that day). Well... One year after they left Maryland, and 6 months after I left Maryland... guess who just moved back to Alaska and bought house!?!?!? Yuppers, THEY'RE HERE!!! Life is now complete.




Next came disc golf. April 19th I got suckered into playing disc golf with two good friends of mine. I had played (hacked at it) once before in my life and that was in Provo, Utah. I thought it was some funny backwards Utah sport. Turns out we have 2 courses here in Anchorage and they've actually been here for quite a while. The day was beautiful and the company I kept was wonderful. There was snow here, mud there, frozen water that way, and running water this-a-way. The day was superb with a much needed sanity-saving outing followed by strawberry smoothies and a chic flick.

Next was April 25th, 2008. Save the date, it made history. Not only did the young and older single adults in my church get together for a food drive complete with driving themed light-hearted activities (it was fun, and great to entertain the two kids that came), but we did so amidst a record-breaking...........

SNOW STORM!!!! It snowed and snowed and snowed and snowed. Welcome home to Alaska. One minute it's great, the next it's covered in white stuff so deep you don't park your car... you drive until you bottom-out. But I have to say, we had a nice little snowball fight after the food drive.... it was perfect (and boy do I mean PERFECT) snowball and snowman snow... as you can see Shad demonstrated below with his handiwork.

More fun to come, the snow is gone now and the weather is t-shirt friendly... at least for Alaska standards it is.

'Tis This Special Season

'Tis that special part of the year in Alaska when summer is over yet it's not yet white and bitter outside. The time when wearing a short sleeved shirt after 7pm is just not a good idea. The time when an umbrella is used not for keeping off the rain, but to defer the tsunami-like waves created by passing motorists as they -VROOM! SPLOOSH!- drive by as one waits for the People Mover (city bus). Welcome to Anchorage, the city of 4 seasons: Almost Winter (when we're rained on every other day), Winter (self explanatory), Breakup (when everything is melting), and Construction (it's so bad our city mascot ought to be an orange traffic cone).

As you can see in the photo, almost winter resembles what those in the Lower 48 refer to as "fall" or "autumn". Key word: RESEMBLES. That means it's not the same, but it seems similar. Yes, our leaves change color. -Ding!- One point for similarity. And they fall off the trees. -Ding!- And the weather gets rainy, windy, and hurricane-y. -Ding!-

HOWEVER.

Almost winter is not conducive to running around barefoot in fallen leaves. It doesn't quite make my spine tingle like red maple tree leaves do (we can't grow maples up here). It doesn't smell like fall. It smells like dust until someone mows their grass, then it smells dang good. Almost winter doesn't allow one to comfortably spend extended time outside to take a nap, study, or read a book (I was very good at this in Utah and Maryland... well the nap part). Outdoor projector movies are out of the question. So are outdoor dances. I put on a sweatshirt to check the mail in case a neighbor passes by and wants to talk, keeping me out there longer than a quick sprint to the mailbox. Early morning walks have changed from pleasant and relaxing to frigid and too dark to walk without the accompaniment of a rottweiler. Our electrical storms are- wait, we don't have electrical storms (well, unless you include the kamikaze squirrels who chomp on the power lines).

Not that I'm bitter or anything, I love it here in Alaska. It's just that this time of the year has presented a small problem inside me.

I miss fall.