Outdoor Fridge

We made a quick stop at the grocery store during our lunch break and get this... WE LEFT THE GROCERIES IN THE CAR ALL AFTERNOON!! Yep. Our groceries included all the perishable stuff like milk, yogurt, ground beef, lunch meat etc, but when you live in a place that is 5 degrees, your car might as well be the fridge.   Just another one of the perks of living in Alaska :) You get sunlight and I get an outdoor fridge.

Sadly, we left our favorite grocery store chain behind when we left Texas. Goodbye HEB. We will miss you greatly.  Up here, the major chains are Fred Meyers and Carrs, which is owned by Safeway. Overall, we've been pleasantly surprised at the selection-- peppers AND tomatillos! But the prices make me wanna scream--every time I'm at the checkout. Hopefully, it will get easier to pay $6 for a 10 oz box of cereal. Right? $3 for a gallon of milk? No? What about $8 for some asparagus? I'm starting to get the message...

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Ice Ice Baby

We went for a short drive just south of Anchorage over the weekend. It was amazing. We caught the tail end of the sunset over the icy ocean water.

Anchorage is famous for it's Bore Tides. Here's the quick Wikipedia definition:
A tidal bore (or just bore, or aegir) is a tidal phenomenon in which the leading edge of the incoming tide forms a wave (or waves) of water that travel up a river or narrow bay against the direction of the current. As such, it is a true tidal wave (not to be confused with a tsunami).

Read more about Bore Tides and see pictures here. I'll have to get some pictures in the summer!

Basically like National Geographic.

Basically...

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New Boots

Roma's new snow boots came in today. I was laughing hysterically when she first put 'em on. So glad we got this video... (be sure and pause music at the bottom of the blog for the full video experience)

 Looks like she's walking on sticky peanut butter. so funny.

Mom reminded me of my first pair of shoes. I think I was more confused than Roma. And it ended in tears. So all in all I think Roma did stellar.

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Princess

Isn't Roma cute all dressed in black and white...

Now let's do a brief flashback to this afternoon. This very pup had an upset tummy... in the CAR. I'm going to leave most of this to your imagination. However, I will be having nightmares about it for many nights to come. Many, many nights. But I will spare ya the details.

Her parents love her very much. EVEN when...

Love.

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Holly Jolly

Merry Christmas AND Happy Holidays!

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Mountain Sunset

Looks like it's going to be a VERY white christmas :)

It's been awhile since I've had cold and snow on christmas. Just one of the perks of Alaska. Make'in you want to come visit?

Maybe next year... :)

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Lunar Eclipse

Ross and I went up to Flattop Mountain here in Anchorage to watch the Lunar Eclipse last night. The thermometer read 8 degrees and I think it adversely affected my photographs (ie freezing fingers). I also needed my tripod, but failed to think of this as we ran out the door, "Ahhh, we're going to miss it!!!"

It's not too often that you see a RED moon. There were so many people on the mountain top with telescopes, cameras, and binoculars. Pretty neat. So glad we stayed up to see it!

Our (very cold) moon-watching group.

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Medium-Large?

Roma is about to be the most fashionable girl on the block with these Neoprene High Performance Boots...

Ross had to measure her paws with a tape measure. Pretty funny.

In the move to Alaska, we've had to get Roma quite a few new things...jacket, boots, earmuffs, airplane kennel, medicine, etc and she's been a size Large in everything. I'm starting to think that Roma might be a Large dog, rather than the medium dog that Ross assured me we were getting 3.5 years ago. Hmmm....

"I am stuck on band-aids because band-aids stuck on me!"

Just a little bo bo.

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Spikes or Bust

We went out for our first hike on Friday! We braved the 6 degree weather and got outside for some much needed exercise. We got Miss Roma some Paw Protectors (dog boots) and bundled her up. She kept sinking down in the snow. Now you see her, now you don't. 

Ross and I bought some spikes for our shoes, but I recognize most people haven't seen these before. Here's a picture...

You strap the spikes onto your hiking boots or running shoes and they provide some added grip. Notice, I didn't say that they prevent you from falling. We can attest to that.

We met some friends for dinner on Friday and I ate it in the parking lot. Uggs don't work the best on ice, but I didn't think wearing my spikes at the bar would help me make friends either.

We got auto start installed on the 4-runner before the big move, and it has been worth it many times over. Studded tires is the next endeavor...

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More Huebel Family Pictures...

 

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Huebel Family Picture

We had to combine some holidays this year while the Huebel family was altogether in the great state of TEXAS. We went to the park across the street to get some family pictures. I lugged the tripod with us, but it was worth it...

Here's my favorite one, post photoshop...

I'll post the others soon :)

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Back to Basics

Normally the Huebel Hammock is filled with cooking, baking, recipes, yummy pictures, etc. However, with the move we've not been cooking much. Well, I take that back. We've been cooking, but only quick simple meals. I am also going to need to get better at nighttime photography since it is dark here in Anchorage for the majority of the day. We're in a furnished corporate rental house until we find a house of our own. The kitchen is pretty nice, but it's not stocked with some of the essentials. When you move, you don't really think about having to buy all new fridge items. But, you do. Grocery items are more expensive here, mostly because it's harder to get things to AK. For example, a bag of Tostido Tortilla chips was $5.19. What??? Guess I'll be making my own chips by hand.. just joking. But really? Hopefully, the food recipes will start flowing again soon.

Roma had her first play date with another dog named Chloe tonight. We had a little pep talk with Roma before we knocked on the door, but she couldn't hide her excitement. She promptly inspected the whole house and then said hello to her new friend.  We very carefully hid all the dog toys, balls, etc so Roma wouldn't get distracted with fetch BUT she tried to grab a cue ball from the pool table to make do. Ohh, silly puppy.

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Heart to Heart

This picture makes me laugh...

"Hush ROMA!!!"

I can hear it now.

Well actually I hear them both snoring right now (yep, simultaneously) :)

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iPhone Pictures

I plugged my iPhone into the computer for the first time in awhile to download the latest software update... An added benefit was that a whole bunch of pictures were downloaded onto my computer. Iphone photos aren't the highest quality, but I thought I'd share them anyway- I also tried to keep 'em in chronological order.

Lap Dog(s), Sonny and Roma

Texans beat the Titans!

A lonely, empty house.

All our stuff loaded up, ready for the cargo ship.

Roma's first walk in the snow.

Cross Country Ski Lesson

Sleepy time. Roma's not sure why it's dark all the time...

6 degrees outside!

Work Holiday Party (we got a free 5x7)

A Roma Pillow.

Hopefully our new house (under contract now!)

Coastal Trail- no instructor!

 Ross, after our first legitimate cross country ski endeavor!

We've officially been in Anchorage for a week now. As I was strapping on my ski boots this afternoon, I was thinking about how many things I've done in the last week that I never thought I'd do or see. Let's recap:

*Running outside in sub-10 degree weather
*Buying metal spikes to strap onto the bottom of running shoes
*Having a moose run out of the woods, crossing the path about 5 feet ahead of me
*Pricing out studded tires for the 4-runner
*Buying a humidifier and having to refill it 2 times a day because its so dry
*Worried about a vitamin D deficiency because it's dark outside. Daily vitamin!
*Taking Roma for a potty outside at 6AM in the cold. I miss our backyard.
*Importance of finding a parking spot below the office window, so we can click the auto-start just before heading down the elevator.
*Sharing a single TV with Ross (our rental only has 1. Ross doesn't like Real Housewives of Atlanta and I'm not into video games)
*Trudging 2 blocks through the snow in high heels to a formal work Holiday Party

Never a dull moment!

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WAX

We are under contract on a house and today is the home INSPECTION. We're keeping our fingers crossed. The house is 27 years old and needs some renovations, mainly on the kitchen and bathrooms. I've always wanted double ovens, so it might be time :)

The Anchorage REI offers lots of classes and information sessions. Ross and I went to a Cross Country Ski class called "Get your Skis On!" last night in preparation for our lesson this saturday. Anchorage has groomed ski paths and parks everywhere. We learned where to go as a beginner. We also got an hour lesson on waxing. That's right, WAXING. It's an art unto itself. The guy showed us the "kick" section of the ski where you use a higher friction wax and the glide part of the ski where you use a really slick wax. There's a different wax based on the temperature and weather conditions. On the kick section you apply/remove the wax about 8 times to create thin thin layers on the ski. On the glide section of the ski you actually use an iron to melt the wax and press it into the ski. Crazy. I agree.

I never imagined I'd be waxing cross country skis.

But now I can, and it sounds fun :)

Internet is down at our house so I gotta keep it short. Hoping to get it resolved soon.

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New Office, New jobs, New people

We had our first day at the new office. My experience was akin to a reunion, one in which you don't know ANYONE. It was pretty overwhelming. I think I met over 40 people in the span of 2 hours. It seems to be a pretty tight knit group here. That sounds fun to me.

I've already got a pup play date set up for Roma next week. We're doing our best to get her outside, but she's got extra energy. She needs friends.

We are signed up for cross country skiing lessons on Saturday! We've learned that there are 2 forms of cross country skiing: classic and skate. Classic resembles running more and skate kinda looks like a speed skater. We're starting out with Classic. I'll try and snap some pictures.

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Roma's First Snow

Here's the video! (Be sure and pause the normal music- scroll all the way down all the way to the bottom and hit Pause or stop)

Roma's all bundled up in her new arctic gear! She kept trying to pull off the earmuffs inside, but the minute we went outside Roma stopped trying to pull it off becuase it's so COLD.

Love her.

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Alaska is a little Grey-er

Roma arrived safely today!

We showed up at the cargo terminal, just as we saw a forklift coming around the corner with a GIANT crate on it. ROOOOOOOMA!! They didn't let us behind the caged fence for a couple minutes while they went to get the other animals (Roma's the prettiest so she came first). All we could do is talk to her through the wire. Roma was whimpering and crying, "Mommy I've been in here for 11 hours. I even had to go potty on my bed and I NEVER do that. Let me out... NOW!"

Reunited at last! So happy!

Our little family is now complete... just a little colder :)

We bundled ourselves up and took Roma for her first walk in the snow. It was pretty funny. I have a cute video, but not the bandwidth to upload it right now.. Soon.

Roma was really confused where the grass was when it was potty time, but she finally got it. Pretty funny indeed.

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Special Delivery!

Our air shipment is supposed to arrive on Tuesday! We'll be able to add some shirts to the tired rotation. Ross also won't have to wear cowboy boots out in the snow anymore. And I get my mixer :)

We are getting a very VERY special delivery at 4pm...

...

Roma!!!!!


We're so excited... things just aren't the same without her. I so wish I could video her first snow experience. It no doubt will be hilarious. Hopefully she will have her very own backyard with heated garage soon, but until then she's going to be a mostly inside pup. Yes, an indoor Wiemaraner. Crazy. I know.

There's a great path right behind our rental, with lights and everything. Miss Roma is going to love it. We've already tested it out...

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House Search

So we've been trudging through the snow to go look at houses this weekend. It's a much different market than Houston and the prices can be daunting, but we found one we like! We put an offer on the house this morning. Nothing's final yet, but I'll post pictures when we know :)

I got some snow boots today and I had to break 'em in so we went for a walk outside. It was 8 degrees. BRRR. Ross and I got in a snow ball fight, mainly because we could, however we were really really cold after the excitement wore off. Ross was wearing cowboy boots (his warm boots will be coming with our ground shipment). We both decided those probably aren't the best shoes for an Anchorage winter.

A couple other random thoughts...

* Everything at the grocery store is more expensive
* We are going to be at REI a lot while we are here... ski boots, snowboard, goggles, ski shoes, .... the list goes on and on and on.
* People start skiing/snowboarding at the age of 3 or 4. I'm slightly intimidated. I'm going to be the oldest in the beginners class.
* You must always take your shoes off at the front door. It's an unwritten rule.
* Coffee "booths" are everywhere. Little huts just off the road for you to walk up and get your java fix.
* Anchorage turned out to be a WAY bigger town than I thought it was
* You must drive SLOW or you'll slide into a ditch
* It doesn't matter that it's cold here, I'm still eating ice cream for dessert :)

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We're HERE!!

We've arrived safely in Anchorage Alaska!

The last couple days have been a real whirlwind. Our Houston house was packed-up and the next day all our belongings were loaded into a freight container on the back of an 18-wheeler. So long stuff... See you in a couple months.. Hopefully we'll find a house for you soon!

We got into Anchorage Thursday night. Now, you know it's cold when the native ALASKANS are complaining about the cold. Yep the temperature was about 7 degrees that day. Welcome to Anchorage! At the airport we had to wait outside in the taxi line for about half an hour. I was having trouble forming words by the time we got into the warm taxi. The sun comes out about 9:30 and sets about 3:30, so it was pitch black by the time we got some dinner, but beer will really warm you up :)

We've started our house search and plan to continue looking today. We haven't found a winner yet.

The phase, "We're not in Kansas anymore" keeps popping into my head.

Everything is foreign to us, but we are enjoying it!

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Leaving on a Jet Plane...

We had a great weekend with the Huebel's celebrating birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the big upcoming relocations within the family. Pictures to come!

The time has come. WE MOVE TO ANCHORAGE ALASKA THIS WEEK!!! I can hardly believe the moving trucks are coming and it's time for us to actually be there. It's one of those things that all the talking and preparing for the main event, don't really make it real. It's the physical change... I can hear the stewardess on the airplane now, "You've just touched down in Anchorage Alaska. The high today is 27, the low is 5. Snow expected till March. Please come back again to visit us soon." 

Except we're moving there NOT visiting. Wait, we've never even been there before!

It's such an adrenaline rush. You should try it. 

Well, check back in with me next week...

Needless to say, blog posts may be spotty for the next couple weeks. Hang in there. I will have so much to write about from the far North!

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Happy Thanksgiving

SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR!! HOPE YOU ALL HAD A GREAT THANKSGIVING DAY!!

Forget the turkey, we had braised beef short ribs over goat cheese polenta with lemon-pancetta brussel sprouts...

Bobby Flay's Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Spiced Apple Bourbon Caramel Sauce.

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Cluck Gobble Quack

Do you know what a Turducken is? Have you ever had one?

During Thanksgiving, I'm reminded of the first time I heard about a Turducken--- surprisingly, it was featured on a test in my Unit Operations: Transport Processes class. It went something like this...
If you put the refrigerated 40 deg F  Turducken in a a 350 degF oven, how long will it take for the chicken inside to reach 160 deg? The problem also listed several heat transfer coefficients.

Now the point of this story is not to reminisce about my chemical engineering days, nor is it to point out things I no longer remember how to do. Rather, it's to call attention to the fact that I thought a Turducken was a completely made up thing, created solely for the purpose of the problem. A mythical bird only meant to wreck havoc on some poor engineering students. When I was telling my parents about the test problem afterwards, mom told me that you could buy a Turducken at the store. Imagine that?? Crazy right?

I have yet to eat a Turducken.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

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Christmas in November

We've been having some good 'ole family time this week. Have you ever celebrated christmas during Thanksgiving? Now I can say we have... Yep. The tree has been decorated and there was even a gift exchange. And of course lots of over indulging in the food department.

A couple reflections:

*Ross got a Kindle for an early Christmas present. He should have gotten one a long time ago. It's pretty awesome.
*The Chase pup had to get some teeth pulled last month due to gingivitis and now Ross calls him Snaggle Tooth. You know what they say, what goes around comes around. We'll see what Ross's teeth look like when he's 90 years old!
* Moist turkey is delicious
* The best way to eat turkey is cold, in a sandwich. Bliss.
* Starting your morning with a latte is a smart thing, like taking a daily vitamin
* As farther proof that my Dad and I have a similar sweet tooth, we choose the EXACT same recipe to make on Thanksgiving-- while in different states. Yep, we just happen to both be watching the same food network show and it looked MANDATORY to both of us.  It must be genetic.
* I got some gloves for christmas... a RE-gift with a story.
On my first (and last) ski trip, I lost the sleeve of my jacket on the slopes. Perhaps because I was rolling down? After this traumatic experience, Dad bought be a pair of uber warm gloves at the ski lodge to make me feel better. While they didn't improve my skiing, my hands sure stayed warm. I'm sure I threw these very gloves into some dark recess of my room, long to be forgotten-- until now. They're gonna be great for Alaska.
* Roma got a new stocking. It's in the shape of a bone. Expect to see pictures next month.
* If you're looking for a christmas gift idea, look no farther. The new generation of digital picture frames is awesome. Get a frame with Wi-Fi and you can send pictures directly via email (the frame gets its own email address), wirelessly sent from your computer or smart phone. GREAT gift.

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Goodbye Office

It's my last day of work in Houston.
Weird.

The high in Houston is 82 deg F and in Anchorage it is 27 deg F.
Brrr.

Roma's bed has already been shipped, so she's been allowed to sleep in the bed.
Lucky puppy.

I wonder if I'm still going to love ice cream when it's really cold all the time?
Of course.

I'm tired of saying goodbye to people.
Blah.

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Goodbyes

I really don't like goodbyes. REALLY. DON'T. LIKE. But, they're inevitable when you're moving away. And they've started...

Here is a picture from Ross's goodbye lunch with his work group. They were kind enough to invite me too!

They gave us some warm BP gear... some for Roma too!

Ross chose to get some good TexMex at Pappasito's one last time. After some awesome fajitas the Atlantis team did a little "Roast" on Ross. Their Alaska survival guide included this photo:

I basically love this photo. 

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Battle of the Sexes

Today I saw a guy use an extra corn tortilla as a napkin even though there were extra napkins within reach. Seriously?? It got me thinking about the differences between men and women. Specifically, an email I received a while back...

Disclaimer: The posting of this email does not necessarily reflect my views or opinions, it is merely to provide you with a chuckle...!

The Real Definition of Words When Used By Women  

1. Fine - I am right. This argument is over. You need to shut up.  
2. That's Okay - One of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. "That's okay" means she wants to think hard and long before deciding when and how you'll pay for your mistake.  
3. Nothing - The calm before the storm. This means "Something" and you better be on your toes. Note: Arguments that start with "Nothing" usually end with "Fine" (See #1).
4. Five Minutes - If getting dressed, this means half an hour. (Don't be mad about this. It's the same definition for you when it's your turn to do some chores around the house.)
5. Thanks - A woman is thanking you. Do not question this or faint. Just say, "You're welcome," and let it go.
6. Loud Sigh - Not actually a word but rather a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. It means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is standing here wasting her time arguing with you about "Nothing." (See #3)  
7. Go Ahead - This is a dare, not permission. (Don't Do It!)  
8. Don't worry about it, I got it - The second most dangerous statement a woman can make. It means that a woman has asked a man several times to do something and is now doing it herself. (This will result in you asking at a later date, "What's wrong?" For the woman's response, see #3.)

Differences Between Man and Women

Names

If Mary, Susan, Claire and Barbara go out for lunch, they will call each other Mary, Susan, Claire and Barbara.

If John, Brad, Tony and Daniel go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Bruno, Scrappy, Peanut-Head and Godzilla.

Eating Out

When the bill arrives, John, Brad, Tony and Daniel will each throw in $20, even though the total is only $34.25. None of them will have any smaller bills and none will admit they want change back.

When Mary, Susan, Claire and Barbara get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.

Money

A man will pay $10 for a $5 item he needs.

A woman will pay $5 for a $10 item that she doesn't need, because it's on sale.

Bathrooms

A man has five items in his bathroom: a toothbrush, razor, shaving cream, a bar of soap, and a towel from the Motel 6.

The average number of items in a woman's bathroom is 328. The average man would not be able to identify most of them.

Arguments

Women always have the last word in an argument. Anything a man adds after that is the beginning of a new argument.

Cats

Women love cats.

Men may say they love cats, but when women are not looking, men kick cats.

Future

A woman worries about the future -- until she gets a husband.

A man never worries about the future -- until he gets a wife.

Success

A successful man is one who makes more money than can be spent by his wife.

A successful woman is one who can find that a man.

Marriage

A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.

A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, and she does.

Dressing Up

A woman will dress up when she goes shopping, empties the garbage, answers the phone, waters the plants, gets the mail and reads a book.

A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.

Natural

Men wake up looking as good as when they went to bed.

Women will somehow deteriorate during the night.

Children

A woman knows all about her children. She knows about their best friends, romances, secret hopes and dreams, favorite foods, fears and dental appointments.

A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

Thought for the Day

Married men should forget their mistakes. There is no need for two people to remember the same thing.

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Pig Tales

Roma is playing a game with me. I'm convinced...

I have a stuffed animal in one of the guest rooms upstairs. It's a pink pig. Roma seems to have an uncanny fascination with this pig. When we leave Roma home alone, she will go get that pig and take it to a new place around the house for her mommy to find. What's so funny is that Roma can devour a dog toy made for "extreme chewers" in a half hour, but she doesn't chew up the pig. Maybe it's too easy of a target?

Oh look, I get out of the shower and poof there's the pig. Just looking at me in the doorway!

The look of innocence.

I'm pretty sure my job in this game is to keep putting the pig back in the room upstairs. Check!

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The Ranch

Ross went out to our ranch last weekend and took my camera to get some wide angle landscape shots before we leave for Alaska.  He took the pictures and I did the photoshopping :) There's nothing like the Texas hill country...

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