tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-309274532024-03-19T09:31:03.025-08:00Drink the Blue Kool-AideI make stuff. Crafty stuff. Good stuff? Well -- that is subjective. <br>
Here is my blog about my crafty and crazy adventures.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-4904398136542636682009-08-19T11:16:00.004-08:002009-08-19T11:19:31.901-08:00Jamie + Spray Paint + Blondie PosterSo after all that traveling, I finally got a few days at home. I finally got to decorate my bathroom and my bedroom the way I have wanted to for months now. Here is how it turned out:<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjamie.cupples%2Falbumid%2F5371608615036942929%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCP680tXb-8C-8QE%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br />I re-did the dresser, painted a bunch of $1.00 wooden frames in which I put my cross-country pictures in, I got some new towels and a new duvet cover. It feels a lot more homey now. Not bad for >$300 bucks and two days :)<br /><br />Until next time, Savor the Flavor and Drink the Blue Kool-Aide.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-84223628430274949702009-08-19T11:06:00.005-08:002009-08-19T11:15:38.776-08:00The Great OneThe third and final park in my tour-de-alaska was Denali National Park and Preserve. I was up there doing some business related to my job. It was a heavy work week; however, we kicked so much butt on Monday and Tuesday we got to go out all day on Wednesday on the park road. We made it all the way to Wonder Lake. We saw the big five - wolves, moose, dall sheep, caribou and bears. We also saw one crazy lynx trying to stalk a caribou. This is my second lynx in two weeks! They are really hard to spot. <br /><br />Another miracles of miracles -- the mountain was clear and out all day long! This doesn't happen often. In fact, only an average of three days in August! We were very very fortunate. Thursday and Friday it rained and rained -- if we didn't take the mid-week break we would have missed it!<br /><br />On Friday, we ventured to Talkeenta where the climbing is staged. <br /><br />Over all it was a hard week, but very productive. I am extremely happy with the work that was done and our little adventure. If you would like to learn more about Denali National Park and Preserve click here:<a href="http://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm">Tallest Peaks in North America and With Some Explain' the World!</a><br /><br />Again, here are my uncut uncaptioned photo and work photos included for your added bonus!<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjamie.cupples%2Falbumid%2F5370867340164420369%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCKqj6_3ErJzs4wE%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br /><br />Until Next time- Savor the Flavor and Drink the Blue Kool-Aide.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-38798489828639558572009-08-19T10:47:00.004-08:002009-08-19T11:05:09.245-08:00"Fly Me Away on an Aero-plane..."I wanted to get my pictures of my trip to Wrangle-St.Elias up for y'all to see. I haven't edited the pictures or captioned them --- so you will see a bunch of blurry pictures and some work related pictures. No - I don't think trail counters and rutted roads are note worthy outside of my job ;)<br /><br />The first day we went to Kennecott National Landmark to a scoping meeting. I am trying to learn more about contracting. We got to tour the mill building. It was awesome. To learn more about Kennecott click here: <a href="http://www.nps.gov/wrst/historyculture/kennecott.htm">A 14 stories of Awesome!</a><br /><br />The next day we went down the Nabesna Road to look out some future projects. Super neat.<br /><br />The final day we went up in a itty bitty plane. We had some weather issues, so at one point we had to work as a "team" to find the landing strip! We went to May Creek and back to Kennecott. We had a lot more on our agenda, but the weather plus a forest fire made the skies not such a friendly place.<br /><br />If you would like to learn more about Wrangle-St.Elias National Park and Preserve click here: <a href="http://www.nps.gov/wrst/index.htm">The park is as big as Switzerland!</a><br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjamie.cupples%2Falbumid%2F5367754747485957393%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCN6FhaePieLJkAE%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br /><br /><br />Until next time- Savor the Flavor and Drink the Blue Kool-Aide.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-51617055493322058792009-08-03T14:23:00.003-08:002009-08-03T14:34:19.974-08:00Bugs, Lynx and Bears! OH MY!So I did not update my blog as promised because I had a better thing to update the blog about, but had to wait a few days -- KATMAI NATIONAL PARK. The slide show below really tells the story. Hope everyone is well. I will be going to Wrangle St. Elias tomorrow and Denali next week so I should have a bunch more pictures to share. <br /><br />Love you all.<br /><br />Savior the Flavor and Drink the Blue Kool-Aide.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="800" height="533" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjamie.cupples%2Falbumid%2F5365859192745801329%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCPWWtMXj7Ki6ywE%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-46397770549985317702009-07-07T10:11:00.002-08:002009-07-07T10:17:11.519-08:00Hey There Long Time!Hi there. I know I haven't update this blog in a loooooooong time! I have been mostly updating my facebook page and I just started twittering. These two mediums seem to compliment my short attention span.<br /><br />Dadd -- Aunt Peggy, Aunt GG, Aunt Kim, Ms. Buckley, Leslie, and Betty ALL have facebook pages. I can set one up for you if you want :o) <br /><br />Michele- You can facebook too :)<br /><br />Also, if you are into twittering my name is JamieInTheAK.<br /><br />For those completely against technology, I will post a summary blog this weekend with pictures and stories from the past 5 months.<br /><br />Just wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten about Drink the Blue Kool-Aide, but once the sun starts shinning and the weather warms up in the AK it's hard to sit down and write a blog.<br /><br />Love you all!<br />-Jamie.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-15759286848416703142009-02-18T20:51:00.010-09:002009-02-26T21:27:17.989-09:00Where in the World is Jamie San Digeo?<p align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">Well she sneaks around the world from Kiev to Carolina, She's a sticky-fingered filcher from Berlin down to Belize, She'll take you for a ride on a slow boat to China, Tell me where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Steal their Seoul in South Korea, make Antarctica cry Uncle, From the Red Sea to Greenland they'll be singing the blues, Well they never Arkansas her steal the Mekong from the jungle, Tell me where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? She go from Nashville to Norway, Bonaire to Zimbabwe, Chicago to Czechoslovakia and back! Well she'll ransack Pakistan and run a scam in Scandinavia, Then she'll stick 'em up Down Under and go pick-pocket Perth, She put the Miss in misdemeanor when she stole the beans from Lima, Tell me where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Oh tell me where in the world is... Oh tell me where can she be? Ooh, Botswana to Thailand, Milan via Amsterdam, Mali to Bali, Ohio, Oahu...! Well she glides around the globe and she'll flimflam every nation, She's a double-dealing diva with a taste for thievery, Her itinerary's loaded up with moving violations, Tell me where in the world is Jamie Sandiego?</span></p><p align="center"><br /></p><p align="left">So for the past four weeks I have been traveling around the United States. It was a mix of business and personal travel. My first stop was Washington, DC. I spent the weekend with my friend Gina. We went to Georgia Brown's for dinner (yummy) with Hope, Amy, Eric and Matt. Then we traveled to my favorite bar in DC -- Kelly's Irish Times. I didn't know it but my old kickball crew was there! It was like being at Cheers -- everyone new my name! The weekend was so cool and hanging out with Gina was super cool.<br /><br />I then went to work for a few days in my old office helping train the cool girl that took my place. It was neat to see everyone again. It kind of felt like I cam home from college. It was awesome. I really miss my old co-workers. They watched me grow up kinda like my family. I owe all my professional success to those back at PFMD.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the evening that I had planned to visit with my family, it snowed! It hadn't really snowed in DC this winter, so though I felt confident driving in the snow -- I wasn't so confident about the rest of the DC area. I did get to have lunch with my dad which was great. I really miss my family.<br /><br />Then from there I was on Operations Kate Marries Mario! First event was Kate and Mario's Jack and Jill party. The wedding party went to Lucky Strike to bowl. It was really a lot of fun! Then it was on! I spent a lot of time with Kate and her sister Margaret getting last minute preparations done. Margaret and I made a lean mean getting our girl married machine. Our motto for the week was "We got this shit" and you know what -- we totally did! The wedding ceremony was beautiful - I cried. The rehearsal was beautiful -- I cried. When I had to leave my family and friends in DC -- I cried once more. In the slide show there are some pictures. The wedding truly rocked!<br /><br />From Washington, DC I flew FIRST CLASSY (upgraded myself so I could get some sleep) to Palm Springs, CA and then drove to Joshua Tree National Park. I was there to shadow the Pacific West Regional Fee Manager. She holds the same job I do here in Alaska. It was a great learning experience! I met some great gals from Yosemite and Lake Mead. And of course everyone at Joshua Tree was really amazing. It was neat to be in the desert in the middle of the winter. When the temp dropped to 65 everyone in the park was chilly -- I WAS IN HEAVEN. I would stand outside in the sunshine and just absorb the rays and make vitamin D.<br /><br />From Joshua Tree, CA I flew in to Denver, CO for a two day meeting. I flew in on Friday so I got to spend the weekend with some friends I have in Denver. Marissa and Jimmy have lived in Denver for a while, but my friend Val had just moved to Denver that weekend so I got to see her as well. It was fun to hang out, go out to eat and just basically chill. I even went to a MMA (boxing type thing) fight. It was neat. As for work, I learned SO MUCH from the Fee Managers in Denver. It really was an invaluable experience.<br /><br />While in Denver, I got a call from home letting me know my Granny had passed away. It was heartbreaking. I know that she is in a better place, but I know I will miss her every day for the rest of my life. I was very lucky to be surrounded by good friends and close to Jackson, TN so I could fly and join my family.<br /><br />Though we gathered for a very sad occasion, it was very cool to reconnect with my cousins and extended family. My cousins are old enough now to talk too. I am very excited to be able to count them among my friends.<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGpFEgEIz74qc_oYeGQP-USImk7CuyGfqojHMq5G4XCNwvftsvKl-6GjH2dk-Yj05NnTgtt-tVXEvs30X0EwPOAYQ-fxmfdrvZRh5FLg1LB64u-OuZ8ZuHKvyaiY3tZSqW_rX/s1600-h/Pictures+from+Granny%27s+006.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307341844984798306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 255px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGpFEgEIz74qc_oYeGQP-USImk7CuyGfqojHMq5G4XCNwvftsvKl-6GjH2dk-Yj05NnTgtt-tVXEvs30X0EwPOAYQ-fxmfdrvZRh5FLg1LB64u-OuZ8ZuHKvyaiY3tZSqW_rX/s320/Pictures+from+Granny%27s+006.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>Martha Evelyn Cupples</p><p align="center">September 29, 1931 - February 8, 2009<br /></p><p align="left"><br /><br /></p><br /><br />After my family obligations were done and my parents started the long drive back to West Virgina. My best friend Amanda who lives in Memphis came and picked me up from Jackson -- she also picked me up at the airport days before and drove 80 miles to drop me off in Jackson. True friendship is very hard to find.<br /><br />Anyway, Amanda and I got to spend the weekend together hanging out and catching up. It was great to see her. I am forever grateful to her and RJ for putting me up for the weekend on such short notice.<br /><br />From Memphis, I had to fly back to Denver to pick up my government ticket. But because I wasn't on government travel anymore...I was homeless as I had to wait to fly to Anchorage overnight. However, again true friendship is hard to find. My friends Jimmy and Marissa came and picked me up from the airport...brought me to what could be the best burger joint in Denver...and allowed me to crash at there place. There place is studio apartment, so this was a BIG deal. Jimmy and Marissa rock. I am again forever grateful to them for being there for me when I needed.<br /><br />I finally flew back to Alaska. On the plane from Seattle to Anchorage, I sat next to another NPS employee. We chatted which made the whole trip go faster. Once I landed in Anchorage and got my stuff up the stairs!!! (Elevator was out of order), I realized...ohhhh no. I am getting sick. AND BOY DID I GET SICK! SO last week was mainly sleeping and sneezing and coughing. Today is the first day I have felt 100% and I still have a sinus infection! Yeah...I was pretty bad sick. SO sorry about the delay in the blogging...but I could hardly get my eyes open let alone sit in front of the computer when I wasn't getting paid. haha.<br /><br />Check out the pictures from my little adventure! My next entry will be about FUR RONDY!<br /><br />YAY!<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="600" height="400" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjamie.cupples%2Falbumid%2F5307349125494326161%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCKSjkf-xzsng9AE" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br /><br /><br />Until then....Savor the flavor and Drink the Blue Kool-AideUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-59182435698440392162009-01-16T11:34:00.002-09:002009-01-16T11:37:16.505-09:00FREEZE!Here are some better pictures of the FREEZE installation. It's a link to an ADN artical, but if you look to the right there is the link to the slide show.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.adn.com/626/story/649786.html">FREEZE!</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-5802352854319425682009-01-15T15:30:00.005-09:002009-01-15T18:46:09.090-09:00Land of ExtremesHappy New Year All!<br /><br />Well since my last blog, I got cross country skis! I am so very excited. I have yet to go out on them since we had 12 days of sub zero temps! With the very coldest getting down to about -25 degrees. It was definitely a test of what I was made of! Even the Alaskan were cold. However, we have had a rapid turn of events weather wise. Today it's 45 degrees! It was raining yesterday! It is approximately 60 degrees warmer today than it was last week! It's like Alaska is giving me a present for being so brave for the last few weeks :)<br /><br />The kids actually got out of school today. This fact I find hilarious on the surface because -- Do they get out of school for -25? NOPE! Do they get out of school for a literal foot of snow? NOPE! They get out of school because it's warm and raining!!! Actually, the fact of the matter is that because we always have an snow pack on the streets of a few inches (meaning there is always snow on the roads -- never really clean pavement) the rain on top of that turns the whole city in to an ice rink! So with today's warm temps a lot of the snow is melting -- yet we live in Alaska - so it's going to freeze again and instead of being snow -- its going to be slick as crap ice.<br /><br />I purchased some ice survival gear yesterday. They are ice cleats. You put them on your feet and they make all the difference in terms of not falling on your butt!<br /><br />OH I almost forgot. The change in temp only got highlighted in the weather report. No special reporting from main street by a class B reporter or anything. I also liked the fact that today we are having 85 - 105 wind gusts. Does this make anyone raise an eyebrow -- NOPE. It's what happens here. <br /><br />In non weather related events. I have been going to pub quiz on Tuesday nights. It has really been a lot of fun. And I am meeting more and more people. This weekend there is a Brewfest in town. I am volunteering to work the door on Saturday night, so I get to go for Free on Friday. It should be a good time.<br /><br />I think the biggest news is my impending trip home! I am very excited to see everyone again. I have missed you. I am going into the WASO office (where I used to work) for two days to help out, seeing my friends and family then going to what shall be one of the funniest weddings ever! It's going to be great.<br /><br />After DC, I am flying to Palm Springs to go to Joshua Tree National Park. I am shadowing the Pacific West Regional Fee Manager as she does an audit. I have never been to this park, so I am of course SUPA excited. From there I am flying into Denver for a few days to go to a meeting then flying back home. I am home for four days then I am going up to Denali for some more meetings. Needless to say, the packing for these trips is insane. I will blog as I crisscross the country.<br /><br />I am not exactly sure, but I think I am kicking butt at my new job. People seem to be responsive....hmmm. It feels like I am anyway ;)<br /><br />Also, there has been some pretty neat ice art around town. For New Years, they had a bunch of ice sculptures down at town square. And just last week the opened an art installation on Park Strip called "FREEZE" OH and it was freezing when the put it up. They were having hard time sculpting because the snow and air were too cold! . They had to kinda sorta warm the snow and ice up so they could make the exhibits. Unfortunately, with the weather getting warm, I think that they had to remove some of the exhibits before I went to go see it. So around the office we have been calling it the freeze/melt exhibit. ha ha ha. I have included pictures of both below.<br /><br />I think I have a new reader out there -- Hi Dale! I actually moved to Alaska! Can you believe it? We miss you a lot! Hope all is well.<br /><br /><br />Well that is all I have to say right now. Everyone stay warm out there! <br /><br />Until next time...savor the flavor and drink the blue kool-aide.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="600" height="400" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjamie.cupples%2Falbumid%2F5291677928356959169%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss%26authkey%3DOgDr-zZnuGM" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br />PS. Little did I realize in the previous post what REAL cold was like!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-27053129900198926752008-12-29T16:35:00.003-09:002008-12-29T16:48:45.491-09:00Happy Happy Joy JoySo it's the end of 2008. Thank goodness! What a rough year -- come on 2009! There are lots of pictures this post...more of my house decorated, Christmas cookies, pies, craftiness and MOOSE! The only thing I didn't get to document by photo was my first time cross country skiing or XC Ski for those who are cool. I really dug XC skiing. It felt really good -- it was very meditative, great exercise and cheap! Once I get my own ski's ;) <br /><br />PS-- IT IS SO GOSH DARN COLD HERE!<br /><br />The forecast:<br />Monday HIGH 9°F LOW -9°F<br />Tuesday HIGH 0°F LOW -9°F<br />Wednesday HIGH 4°F LOW -8°F<br />Thursday HIGH 5°F LOW -7°F<br />Friday HIGH 6°F LOW -4°F<br /><br />Why why why for the love of god why can I count all the degrees for highs on two hands?????<br /><br />Anyways, I hope everyone is having a great end of the year and holidays. I will see all y'all in DC in a mere 25 days! WOOhoo.<br /><br />Here are some pictures:<br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="600" height="400" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjamie.cupples%2Falbumid%2F5285386839931603361%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss%26authkey%3DLVwqnuxJwgI" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br />Until 2009 -- Savor the Flavor and drink the blue kool-aide!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-26780719859596635642008-12-11T15:40:00.002-09:002008-12-11T16:13:25.616-09:00Iammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Thirty!I don't know if that translates, but it supposed to be read like Molly Shannon does the "Iammmm Fifty" Lady with the movements and everything.<br /><br />ANYWAYS- SO last week I turned 30. On December 3, I had a chill day. I went to work. The ladies here at work took me to lunch and I had a dessert with a candle in it. It was nice :) I went home and fell asleep on my couch. Ordered greasy food with not consideration of calories (I have been dieting), ate and went back to sleep. Not the most crazy day, but it was the day I wanted. Before you call lame on my day, please note that I had a CRAZY AWESOME birthday party before I left DC that included lots of booze, djs and many friends in attendance.<br /><br />On Friday, my friend Kristina flew up from Colorado Springs, CO. I know Kristina from kickball in DC and I was in her wedding this past spring. She only came up for the weekend which we found out is WAAAY to short for a trip to Alaska! However, It was a truly great weekend! We went to some great restaurants - Bears Tooth, Snow City Cafe and Oros. We also went to Benihannas which is kind of a birthday tradition for me. Our chief though was kinda lame. We walked around downtown Anchorage and went shopping on Saturday. Saturday night, Kristina helped me hang my shelves level and decorate the apartment. She really helped me get over those last couple of boxes :)<br /><br />Sunday, we woke up early and went snow boarding! It was so much fun (except some parts -- more to come)! My friend Ross and his friend Evan joined us. We stuck to the bunny slope while Ross and Evan went down the big hill. The place we went is where all the little kids in Anchorage go to learn how to ski and snowboard. It was adorable and amazing to see these little kids, with equally little skis FLYING down the mountain! Because I didn't know how to stop (going to sign up for lessons next week) I did not want to go up the chair lift. SO Ross and Evan did that while Kristina and I tried to find our snow legs. K and I got tired pretty quick so we took a break in the lodge. I kept waiting to see the boys come down the hill, but they never did. Finally, Ross came in the lodge and told us the Evan had tripped up on a root and broke his arm! The Ski Patrol had to bring him down. They gave him a temp brace then I drove him to the hospital. It was the most nerve racking drive EVER! Worse than when I was in the Yukon. AND unfortunately, Kristina had to cancel her snowboarding lesson which really sucked.<br /><br />On Tuesday, I quit smoking. Who knows if it will stick, but I am giving it my best shot! I am trying to do some more healthful things for myself -- diet, exercise and no smoking. This isn't a new years thing -- it's totally a 30 thing. LOL.<br /><br />Here are some pictures taken by one Kristina Cecere!<br /><br /><embed pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjamie.cupples%2Falbumid%2F5278702452026899809%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss%26authkey%3DnZZQVP38H1U"></embed><br /><br />Ross took some pictures too. If I can ever get him to send them to me, I will put them up too.<br /><br />So in closing, I had a great and eventful birthday!<br /><br />SHOUT OUTS!<br />Thanks to everyone who called, wrote and social networked birthday wishes to me!<br /><br />Gina - you know.<br /><br />Thanks to Michele for my beautiful presents. They made my day.<br /><br />Kristina -- many thanks for visiting and helping me out this weekend!<br /><br />Happy Birthday to my sister Mindy!<br /><br />Congrats to Karen and Chuck on their baby when she decides to make her appearance!<br /><br />Thanks to Karen G! And congrats on the move.<br /><br />Kate and Traycee I hope y'all feel better soon.<br /><br />Until next time...Savor the Flavor and Drink the Blue Kool-AideUnknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-69598173939327997372008-12-01T10:37:00.005-09:002008-12-01T10:53:20.099-09:00Seward Day, Turkey Day and Snow DayHi there! Last week was crazy! I went to Seward (Kenai Fjords NP)for two days, then Thanksgiving and then super snow! I have figured two things out though...snow is good because it has to be warm to snow...and I need a watch because I depend too much on the light outside to tell me what time of day it is!<br /><br />I spent Thanksgiving with my boss's family. Vickie and John were very kind to have me over. The food was AWESOME and their boys are great kids. It was a nice evening.<br /><br />My birthday is in two days. I don't know how I feel about it. I go back and forth between -- this is cool and this is crazy! I am excited because Kristina is coming to visit this weekend and celebrate!<br /><br />After MUCH trials and some crying, I got my wireless network up and running, so now I have the interweb at home. I think my computer is sick though...there are pop-ups and the Microsoft Update won't turn on. Any thoughts out there?<br /><br />The unpacking is coming along. I really need to kick it into gear because of my house guest this weekend! <br /><br />Anyways, I have captioned my pictures which really tell the story. I hope you enjoy them! My last post of my twenties....see you on the other side of thirty! Until then....<br /><br />Savor the Flavor and Drink the Blue Kool-Aide.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="600" height="467" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjamie.cupples%2Falbumid%2F5274903515606691345%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss%26authkey%3DzA9E7RlxtF4" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-91596192760088801392008-11-20T16:53:00.004-09:002008-11-20T16:59:37.591-09:00"To hell with politics. Just do what's right for Alaska."<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-R10NBVmMAFvhoqR_bqJeKFnMGXOIpdmEhYCLxuRIucJ1njotUVL5hUf1Y5svCcEkX6uS4Z1QwEJY2uWv7UvJ932S7_xHuxuin20nrC5rE00zj_YcI7iC5dkx_KbVNpAHfkSy/s1600-h/DSCN0735.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-R10NBVmMAFvhoqR_bqJeKFnMGXOIpdmEhYCLxuRIucJ1njotUVL5hUf1Y5svCcEkX6uS4Z1QwEJY2uWv7UvJ932S7_xHuxuin20nrC5rE00zj_YcI7iC5dkx_KbVNpAHfkSy/s320/DSCN0735.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270923983724110370" /></a><br />The title is a quote from my friend Ted. My friend Ted gave his farewell speech today in the Senate. He lost his election and gave his concession as well. I was hard on my friend Ted in a previous post, so I decided to post his speech here -- because hell - he worked 40 years for a state that is only 50 years old! I think most of the Alaskans are going to miss the stability of having "Uncle Ted" at the wheel.<br /><br />Thanks for your hard work Ted -- tough break with the felony thing.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.adn.com/news/politics/fbi/stevens/story/596138.html">http://www.adn.com/news/politics/fbi/stevens/story/596138.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-13174031736728545772008-11-18T10:12:00.002-09:002008-11-18T10:24:44.581-09:00My Digs - Part Two Unpacking<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjamie.cupples%2Falbumid%2F5270073191319849457%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss%26authkey%3DQBQ3Yt28DTk" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br />Here is the mess I am living in ;) A few cool things happened this morning. There was an ice fog..which kinda makes the trees all frosty and white -- like a fake Christmas tree that has that white stuff on it...but only for real here ;) Then the sun came out and it snowed a little and there was an ice rainbow! It was super duper cool.<br /><br />That is all for now. Savor the flavor and drink the blue kool-aide.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-4639711572553145472008-11-17T15:40:00.000-09:002008-11-17T15:43:30.893-09:00WashPost Horoscopehmmmm interesting...very interesting indeed:<br /><br />Sagittarius November 22 - December 21<br />For Monday, November 17 -Today, you need to revel in all of your greatness -- especially if you are going through a phase when you don't feel so great. Take a minute early in the day to remember all of the successes you've achieved and all of the challenges you have overcome. Reach around and pat yourself on the back. Admit that not everyone could do what you have done! Keep going down this path -- it might not be fun all of the time, but it's the right direction for you, and you know it.<br /><br />© Astrology.com 1996-2008Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-7200412379768592432008-11-17T12:55:00.001-09:002008-11-17T13:17:25.241-09:00My New Digs -- Part One<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjamie.cupples%2Falbumid%2F5269751553721619409%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss%26authkey%3DcQBIaM2RH_o" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />On Friday, I moved into my new place. Having movers is an odd and awesome experience. It's cool that you don't have to lift anything, but weird because I felt like I wasn't helping or contributing to the effort except to mark off box numbers as they entered the apartment. I was really excited for the week prior to moving in...then once I got there and the movers left...I kinda flipped out and felt really sad. I really live in Alaska now. My bed is here, my sewing machine, my pictures...and me...we are all in Alaska. My friends and family are not in Alaska...and it's Thanksgiving...and my birthday...and Christmas...and New Years.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong, the people here at work have been super amazing. My boss invited me to have dinner with his family on Friday since he knew I was in box-hell. He also let me have a dresser one of his kids were no longer using. Another co worker has invited me over for Christmas. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">NPS</span> is really a family and I have a lot of support here...I guess sometimes I am still mourning the life I left. I know once I get my hold here my emotions will change. In fact, I was at Fred Meyers last night (I will have to do a <em><strong>whole blog</strong></em> about Fred Meyers) and was loading my groceries into my car and it felt normal. I know the roads now...I know how to get places...things are getting better. I just have to own it!<br /><br />ANYWAYS! On a not so depressing note, I have decided to do a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">series</span> of blogs <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">entitled</span>: My New Digs. It's mostly going to be a pictorial. Part one is my apartment empty. Tonight I will take pictures of it <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">partially</span> unpacked and then the final installment will be when I get everything put together.<br /><br />I have to go get something to eat then get back to work.....sooooo Savor the Flavor and Drink the Blue-Kool Aide. <div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-62122457207532534822008-11-13T13:57:00.001-09:002008-11-13T14:53:12.598-09:00Snow Shoes at Target<div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg57lRnc3BVbY4owv3BXuS3Vrek4fYyOG9xNk5_DsY975BvabvOlF_5ksBxyak2NcxgU4pTcOeb0U8yy7C3HGu4ivyLWJLVH80EroBC-BCdRSJ6HKHDuczYr3vle43Sxn3wj32S/s1600-h/DSCN0743.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg57lRnc3BVbY4owv3BXuS3Vrek4fYyOG9xNk5_DsY975BvabvOlF_5ksBxyak2NcxgU4pTcOeb0U8yy7C3HGu4ivyLWJLVH80EroBC-BCdRSJ6HKHDuczYr3vle43Sxn3wj32S/s160/DSCN0743.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Cm9Ljhx6bp7RDOwIWlp7KpJISJ8IOjOCXJzbXyF85fj-Gq0U7Vmmmwgj9qWqRnUQTkJXpJV5ZtiAOjtTT0AAZw9pYg8wl2wJ_ZfYxLXuvPiq5s6-xiwEvRyJ0OBrHNrIncJX/s1600-h/DSCN0744.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Cm9Ljhx6bp7RDOwIWlp7KpJISJ8IOjOCXJzbXyF85fj-Gq0U7Vmmmwgj9qWqRnUQTkJXpJV5ZtiAOjtTT0AAZw9pYg8wl2wJ_ZfYxLXuvPiq5s6-xiwEvRyJ0OBrHNrIncJX/s160/DSCN0744.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"></div><p>I live in a place where snow shoes are sold at Target. A WHOLE ISLE DEVOTED TO SNOW SHOES!!! I asked an Alaskan -- ummm are these necessary everyday???? And they assured me that they are in the category of "sports equipment" not footware. This made me stop hyperventaliating!</p><p>Anyway, I went to Target to get a TV stand for my apartment which I move into TOMORROW! YAY! The target in Anchorage is super nice and new. It felt familar and comforting to be there since everthing here is so new and different. </p><p>Did I mention I am super excited about moving into MY APARTMENT! I went and got my cable, phone and interweb set up at lunch, so all I have to do is go tomorrow and pick up the equipment tomorrow. </p><p>I am going to keep this short because I am going to post a bunch of pictures of the new place this weekend. </p><p>Special Birthday Shout Out to Gina!!! Happy Birthday!</p><p> </p><p>Until then....savor the flavor and drink the blue kool-aide</p><p> </p><div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-29749343439028236922008-11-04T11:25:00.007-09:002008-11-04T14:19:23.661-09:00T'was the Night Before the Election and All Through the PubPeople were shouting and cheering and eating some grub. The Redskins were down the Stealers in control...and I was happily licking the bottom of a brownie bowl.<br /><br />All the patrons were hoping the raffle tickets would bring them luck...I was going to have a smoke when the blinding light struck!<br /><br />From the doorway arose such a clatter, I stood on my bar stool to see what was the matter. Away from the door way the news reporter moved, to reveal a living legend and his happy little brood.<br /><br />Okay..I can't do this anymore...you got three stanza's out of me :o)<br /><br />So last night at Humpy's, Sen. Ted Stevens came into watch a little of the game and to shake hands! As you may or may not know Sen. Stevens is the one just found guilty of 7 felony charges...yes, he is still running for re-election. For more on Sen. Steven click here: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Stevens">The Marion Barry of Alaska</a><br /><br /><br />After the smoke cleared, I heard the lady next to me say holy crap! Apparently, the other Senator from Alaska, Lisa Murkowski came into the bar too! It was like the Senate floor in there! Lisa was appointed by her father to the Senate after her father left office to become the Governor! For more about Sen. Murkowski click here: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Murkowski">Nepotism Worked For Me!</a><br /><br /><br />And to finish of the night with a bang....no not another member of Congress...a guy bought me a beer and we had a great conversation....guess where he lives...NOT IN ALASKA! In D.C. <sigh>I can't win. LOL.<br /><br />Here is my pavarazzi picture of Sen. Ted Stevens:<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4iAqOX02nG1VoXhYfFXY5NgLR6bT5jo-106TMOEgeJEmvNTF8VQI_tnFJnnMUChLwiI_lDijdrYB6WFE4Umz1mpTF6-pVWcYv6zP0umgR0SPU1_qNsmITJ5Y70CWPDb-k95iz/s1600-h/DSCN0735.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264915512525576786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4iAqOX02nG1VoXhYfFXY5NgLR6bT5jo-106TMOEgeJEmvNTF8VQI_tnFJnnMUChLwiI_lDijdrYB6WFE4Umz1mpTF6-pVWcYv6zP0umgR0SPU1_qNsmITJ5Y70CWPDb-k95iz/s400/DSCN0735.JPG" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-26155170726867023472008-11-03T12:55:00.008-09:002008-11-03T14:50:07.780-09:00Last Month of My TwentiesI just realized today marks the start of the last month of my twenties! So to commemorate this event, here is a list of things I have done in my twenties:<br /><br />1. I have lived in 5 states - Maryland, Tennessee, Virgina, DC and Alaska.<br />2. I have moved 7 times (this is counting back and forth from college as one).<br />3. I have had 11 roommates.<br />4. I have had 2 cars.<br />5. I have driven across country once.<br />6. I have had 10 different jobs/titles.<br />7. I have had 2 serious boyfriends and a few not so serious.<br />8. I got a degree in Anthropology.<br />9. I have been to 3 weddings and in 2 of them. More to come on the way!<br />10. I have downloaded 3,000 songs and have over 100 cds.<br />11. I have more hair colors than one can count -mostly red - but have included stripes of blonde, pink, purple and maroon.<br />12. I went to Disney World for Spring Break on $5.15 a hour salary.<br />13. I have been to the Grand Canyon and to Channel Islands.<br />14. I have been to over 200concerts. (A gross under approximation)<br />15. I got my nose pierced and two tattoos.<br />16. I have been white water rafting.<br />17. I went skiing once.<br />18. I have gone from no credit, to c-r-a-p-p-y credit, to alright credit.<br />19. I have swam in the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans in the same year.<br />20. I have camped with Ravers, Girl Scouts and friends.<br />21. I played 5 seasons of kickball.<br />22. I played on 2 different volleyball teams.<br />23. I have made many crafty things.<br />24. I have had 2 different cell phone numbers.<br />25. I have gone from hotmail, to yahoo, to gmail.<br />26. I have started this blog twice.<br />27. I have payed THOUSANDS of dollars in parking tickets, but only one speeding ticket.<br />28. I learned how to drink, then stopped, then started again, then learned that drinking hurts when you get older so I learned the most important lesson of all - moderation.<br />29. I have dressed up as a paper doll for Halloween.<br />And Finally-<br />30. I moved to a place I had never been before!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-46867107255419831082008-11-03T10:22:00.000-09:002008-11-03T10:23:27.244-09:00Happy Halloween!The last week has been kinda slow. I was really really sick most of the week, but today I am feeling a 100% better! I have a move in date for my apartment -- November 15! YAY and I am really really excited about it. I went out for dinner on Friday night though I was sick just to get some warm food and to get a taste of how Anchorage does Halloween. It's amazing -- it was 17 degrees at 8 PM and women were still in little short outfits. I was not. Below are pictures of some of my favorite customs I saw. The best of course being Barf from Space balls. The others below are Slash from G'N'R, Prince and Michael Phelps. Hilarious.<br /><br />I also talked to my friend Kristina this weekend. She is bought a ticket to come see me the weekend after my birthday. I did warn her that it would be cold and dark, but she still wanted to come up! YAY. I am pretty excited about that :)<br /><br />Today, I have a bunch of things to do at work. I am planning a big meeting, so I have a bunch of stuff running through my head I need to talk about. I guess that means back to the grind.<br /><br />Hope everyones Halloween was fun!<br /><br />Until next time...Savor the Flavor and Drink the Blue Kool-Aide.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BtcdBeZFjlqOvCfHhHKGlS0U1451WugV7Ld7vo4Up78UtyQMpTsOWqFXPTcc3BeZVxA_h9tEBMI-6ASIaKlLkGU3GNIFE-_g1FPESFNuKUzJ4qtmR01NsvQCm2qXuIaVTEap/s1600-h/DSCN0729.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BtcdBeZFjlqOvCfHhHKGlS0U1451WugV7Ld7vo4Up78UtyQMpTsOWqFXPTcc3BeZVxA_h9tEBMI-6ASIaKlLkGU3GNIFE-_g1FPESFNuKUzJ4qtmR01NsvQCm2qXuIaVTEap/s320/DSCN0729.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxEnAXRsu6RqeS0u2oPJqQsn76vOWjflDJMekt6wohASiHCHmtXQqXej37i8FsRXtHzknInNXJrz0DE9VboCvsDPDsb6cqviW71iOc2vpGsj9C7l0p6I1r_rduzNjr_UOz5aoE/s1600-h/DSCN0730.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxEnAXRsu6RqeS0u2oPJqQsn76vOWjflDJMekt6wohASiHCHmtXQqXej37i8FsRXtHzknInNXJrz0DE9VboCvsDPDsb6cqviW71iOc2vpGsj9C7l0p6I1r_rduzNjr_UOz5aoE/s320/DSCN0730.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVaIJfQDcFW1rjEn8VBrN17fd32_GIgTtg2QTFKbfyl596gBV1rNuz4PCtyxibF2YRKKioJRNpMuN-k786XofVZWMVmYwf8AQAVGH0qahW5OUuOrc-NXQmk3UfjzNupntEL68/s1600-h/DSCN0732.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVaIJfQDcFW1rjEn8VBrN17fd32_GIgTtg2QTFKbfyl596gBV1rNuz4PCtyxibF2YRKKioJRNpMuN-k786XofVZWMVmYwf8AQAVGH0qahW5OUuOrc-NXQmk3UfjzNupntEL68/s320/DSCN0732.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYVlDPRvE6LcXfLNlbJmHhPIlKGzTrMcNejXx9BXAdGPwNaCme6dLGTmQRHOeVSWKlGKpqfBQgm_k8mEmFlG1WxiUCvFzvNv-QaKEYHGfg9FFdwABNvMWoyQoWyUYZ_QIeExg/s1600-h/DSCN0733.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYVlDPRvE6LcXfLNlbJmHhPIlKGzTrMcNejXx9BXAdGPwNaCme6dLGTmQRHOeVSWKlGKpqfBQgm_k8mEmFlG1WxiUCvFzvNv-QaKEYHGfg9FFdwABNvMWoyQoWyUYZ_QIeExg/s320/DSCN0733.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-46745763186723259972008-10-29T15:48:00.003-08:002008-10-29T16:03:33.749-08:00Some pics of Anchorage<div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuIF0MMWdVjDrxOyXnMahMoksyyR0PoRYnU_CvtHTtHvHagrXBZPng59UT6ZYPbNqyyMU0fuIZUXiMJn0PIN47G8gpF0zaEMVbo8hX_TqzFOM_XSC3TaIAn_zctqGe_3R-Kwd/s1600-h/DSCN0718.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuIF0MMWdVjDrxOyXnMahMoksyyR0PoRYnU_CvtHTtHvHagrXBZPng59UT6ZYPbNqyyMU0fuIZUXiMJn0PIN47G8gpF0zaEMVbo8hX_TqzFOM_XSC3TaIAn_zctqGe_3R-Kwd/s400/DSCN0718.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><br />This is a picture of Denali 400 miles from Anchorage. It's the highest peak in North America. It takes approximately 6 hours to drive there. AND YOU CAN SEE IT FROM ANCHORAGE -- its the white peak in the middle of the shot.<br /><br />The pictures below are from the parking garage next to my office where I park every day. The pics are of Anchorage at 5 PM yesterday. The last pic is of my office. <br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95vkQ8IqRi-1pHUdZkRAf7ZowKKY-jGJJNrgdIBlkZuR6h91mr1rvkldDDrTFxeLdgV7irHEOX5Ef0x4perD5LGkMup5i5cUxrkb2G150NRnfSsN8boDMd72OldhCJ0gu7PjM/s1600-h/DSCN0719.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95vkQ8IqRi-1pHUdZkRAf7ZowKKY-jGJJNrgdIBlkZuR6h91mr1rvkldDDrTFxeLdgV7irHEOX5Ef0x4perD5LGkMup5i5cUxrkb2G150NRnfSsN8boDMd72OldhCJ0gu7PjM/s400/DSCN0719.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZIkQ9OELX7yBBGyib8zCrSmIR58SZP58mCrvtF2SA-epxe0kli-1JVfIBW2rjOD-dPrkW0bXz0-LQv_bcbruX_oRFd4vz-uLGGGFFQnINkZTAM6IG1wkFzOkq3tTRxzzJ0im/s1600-h/DSCN0720.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZIkQ9OELX7yBBGyib8zCrSmIR58SZP58mCrvtF2SA-epxe0kli-1JVfIBW2rjOD-dPrkW0bXz0-LQv_bcbruX_oRFd4vz-uLGGGFFQnINkZTAM6IG1wkFzOkq3tTRxzzJ0im/s400/DSCN0720.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cdMFUEbbsw5zrFIVZsfDOGMdb48vnh1Dp4dz5EXxh2cFrh_F-MclmJn0bX-AE8O82R0jD43rcFoehiq9X5mQVeCovqqy1SI_oc2GWJ5WZTpQeIN8HvRhzsoUXe6zU96xaheZ/s1600-h/DSCN0721.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cdMFUEbbsw5zrFIVZsfDOGMdb48vnh1Dp4dz5EXxh2cFrh_F-MclmJn0bX-AE8O82R0jD43rcFoehiq9X5mQVeCovqqy1SI_oc2GWJ5WZTpQeIN8HvRhzsoUXe6zU96xaheZ/s400/DSCN0721.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div><br /><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPPNpE4xHAyGXNB0-k6MB9_9kWwIZQznkJTTL2ecQzVECW4Wk_P4UnjAjeGctMkc5vljgkfpUFdpb68KVtltZlYhct8ePLGj-Svek23WnQW5GiiKP8FVP0KUetYPbgpXv3YAE/s1600-h/DSCN0724.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPPNpE4xHAyGXNB0-k6MB9_9kWwIZQznkJTTL2ecQzVECW4Wk_P4UnjAjeGctMkc5vljgkfpUFdpb68KVtltZlYhct8ePLGj-Svek23WnQW5GiiKP8FVP0KUetYPbgpXv3YAE/s400/DSCN0724.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-24115682669523869472008-10-28T13:27:00.007-08:002008-10-28T16:02:05.294-08:00First Venture Out -- First Sick Day<div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbnDQPdVUlG1jtozbuGPTLZ8J0NijfajdoaTFqsRKKNjgpn1pRHSuLRP52ocVyrMXxWLJTaQgMnwDQDDgyZjA4lhPhW0YiKwYhwtuBecDROfsw8VR9HJimptjlyqU_95NW1bsT/s1600-h/DSCN0717.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbnDQPdVUlG1jtozbuGPTLZ8J0NijfajdoaTFqsRKKNjgpn1pRHSuLRP52ocVyrMXxWLJTaQgMnwDQDDgyZjA4lhPhW0YiKwYhwtuBecDROfsw8VR9HJimptjlyqU_95NW1bsT/s400/DSCN0717.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ma6Yq4a695IauyJprCtc4Co8ma4cke6u3VQ6M05nr-Rt5DN7Qer3ELLjWgJjbSPsXdGwUTYqgQGIt6VNY6_y5g99SDFhR5GerieoawFd2bGeRU5HwuJg6xuUHqpmYsbcMBxT/s1600-h/DSCN0714.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ma6Yq4a695IauyJprCtc4Co8ma4cke6u3VQ6M05nr-Rt5DN7Qer3ELLjWgJjbSPsXdGwUTYqgQGIt6VNY6_y5g99SDFhR5GerieoawFd2bGeRU5HwuJg6xuUHqpmYsbcMBxT/s400/DSCN0714.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div><br /><br />Ha ha. Yes, in my past this would have been directly correlated, but alas it wasn't. Friday, I went out on the town for the first time. I was really scared and super nervous, but with a little help and encouragement from some friends everything ended up okay. I went to a bar down on 5th Street called Humpy's. No, it's not what you think -- it's not named after hump back whales either -- it's named after a type of salmon. Anyways, I walk in and there are no seats at the bar so I just hover for a while downing a beer quickly. I felt like a complete dork! Just when I was about to go home, Traycee T calls me from DC, so I go outside to hear her and smoke. And right after I hang up the phone with her-- bam -- I meet some people. YAY. Anyways, they were really fun people and I had a great time. <br /><br />The next day I thought - oh no I had WAY too good of a time. So I did the hang over thing, drank lots of water, eat greasy food etc. It wasn't really adding up -- a few drinks -- don't make someone this sick. When I wasn't getting any better I started to get worried. The next day same thing sick. Monday - same -- and my first sick day here. Now, I know I am getting older, but one night and a few beers does not make a 3 day hang over. I went to the doctors and they said I had a cold that has been going around, I was dehydrated and exhausted. Woohooo! How super diva of me..right? I only thought famous hollywood starlets got sick from dehydration and exhaustion. I am a SUPA STAR! ;)<br /><br />Anyways, I came in for a half a day of work today. I am feeling a bit better. If I feel better this evening, I might go to pub quiz. I don't know though. I am not trying to push my luck. Anyways, the pictures above are of my office and me right before I went out for the first time.<br /><br />Hope all is well with everyone.<br /><br />Oh I almost forgot -- Congratulation shout outs!<br /><br />Congrats to Joy and Justin on their engagement! Rawk!<br /><br />Congrats to Amy and Erik on their engagement! Rawk Rawk!<br /><br />Congrats to Karen on moving to the Hole! I am coming to visit girl!<br /><br />Current high temp in Anchorage: 25 degrees F<br /><br />CRAP! <Edit by Jamie> I also forgot to say -- I found an apartment! It's a two bedroom so people have a place to stay when the visit. I won't get to move in until the middle of November, but I am super excited! YAY!<br /><br />Until next week...Savor the Flavor and Drink the Blue Kool-Aide.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-57390668576576265512008-10-20T12:44:00.000-08:002008-10-20T12:44:41.209-08:00Just Trippin' with My GnomiesHere is Pacer! <br /><br /><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjym6eqIuA2PiCD58DWpKRuo6wXNzlwEFCfPaP6d7XxWaHhvdmtfqlsg-JDmBdd4lb8bDMkAQ2sx1uY9huC0H3woXXrajCmuIwbp2u3_yEM-QXRPvjh0Qz3GCYR_GyjWRzzsuye/s1600-h/Cross+Country+Trip.jpg'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjym6eqIuA2PiCD58DWpKRuo6wXNzlwEFCfPaP6d7XxWaHhvdmtfqlsg-JDmBdd4lb8bDMkAQ2sx1uY9huC0H3woXXrajCmuIwbp2u3_yEM-QXRPvjh0Qz3GCYR_GyjWRzzsuye/s400/Cross+Country+Trip.jpg' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-86378301005102350182008-10-20T11:42:00.001-08:002008-10-20T11:43:30.215-08:00Anchorage to Denver and BackSince my last post, I have been to Denver and back. I had a really great training class in Denver. There are two sides to my new job - Collections and Expeditures. I was pretty strong in expeditures, but weak in collections. This class introduced me to the collections side of the program. Now I feel really confident that if I don't know the answer off the top of my head - at least I know where to find the answer. I also meet up with some good friends in Denver. I saw James and Kristina, whom I love dearly. I was in there wedding the past spring. I also got to see Jimmy and Marissa whom I also love dearly! It was a great trip.<br /><br />I came home to a very snowy Anchorage. People assure me the snow is early, but I am dubious. I spent the weekend hanging out with Kirsten and Nancy. We did some shopping and checked out some local places in Anchorage. When y'all visit I have a GREAT place for brefeast! John, my boss, also invited us to see his son play hockey. It was my first hockey game. It was pretty cool!<br /><br />Most of last week was spent getting my barings and looking for an apartment. I got my hair dyed and cut. It feels good to at least have a hair dresser! Now I just need a place to live!<br /><br />I went on Friday to get my temp plates for my car and ended up getting real plates. It's a long story. The DMVs were closed for Alaska day execept for one location. I spent most of my afternoon waiting in line - 5 hours of waiting actually. But at least my plates are up-to-date and on my car. <br /><br />This week I want to get a down payment put on a place and maybe explore some of the social scene. I will report back next week.<br /><br />Here are pictures from the last two weeks:<br /><br /><br /><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQG61mv1opBTmxAc6gELWWgVwySkt5ieA9GmBnBsY71AHjKVATgMGaVBd1XLp9pytSv2lrJzM-i4A2pl09bCoQaagJ_o0auAg5-nTR4zMM7DrZRDbb0VND-HsJoY4CwJs_Kzk/s1600-h/Denver+and+Anchorage.jpg'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQG61mv1opBTmxAc6gELWWgVwySkt5ieA9GmBnBsY71AHjKVATgMGaVBd1XLp9pytSv2lrJzM-i4A2pl09bCoQaagJ_o0auAg5-nTR4zMM7DrZRDbb0VND-HsJoY4CwJs_Kzk/s400/Denver+and+Anchorage.jpg' border='0' alt=''style='clear:both;float:left; margin:0px 10px 10px 0;' /></a> <div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Until then...Savor the Flavor and Drink the Blue Kool-Aide.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-19425646358147006502008-10-09T15:57:00.002-08:002008-10-09T15:59:36.115-08:00Anchorage October 9, 2008 -- Yup, Its going to be a looooooong winter.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJKMgXfrunZaZYg768hQqVOTyw1lJuj9WsUnARrll2sFPgnmGSWHLzYWJ6DKJRpi38WgNkjk0VvjFPEubfhydEOsuNKuuj20aNOw10eIyjfwUklrJOhK_7lucp0AVDu_ll0B0/s1600-h/CamImage.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJKMgXfrunZaZYg768hQqVOTyw1lJuj9WsUnARrll2sFPgnmGSWHLzYWJ6DKJRpi38WgNkjk0VvjFPEubfhydEOsuNKuuj20aNOw10eIyjfwUklrJOhK_7lucp0AVDu_ll0B0/s320/CamImage.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255308032971020802" /></a><br />Still in Denver, going out tonight with friends HOWEVER when packing my stuff to leave....I check the weather and see this! Yes, it's going to be a long winter. This is Anchorage TODAY!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30927453.post-21711225399472044012008-10-05T21:12:00.002-08:002008-10-05T21:22:12.136-08:00Sunday Funday? NOT!I woke up at 5:00 AM to check out of my hotel in Anchorage. I then got lost driving to my bosses house so I could leave my car in his drive way while I was way for the week in Denver BECAUSE all my stuff is in my car. I am living out of my car!<br /><br />Then I get to the airport and hour before my flight but because there was a BLUE million teenagers from Sika (spelling) in front of me, security took FOREVER and I missed my flight by one minute. Booo. I got on the next flight an hour later, but then had to sit in Seattle for 3 hours instead of 45 minutes.<br /><br />HOWEVER, the Seattle airport is RAD! I got a mani while I waited for my flight and it was only 20 bucks!!! They also have a massage bar that I might check out on the way back. Now thats the way to kill time during a lay over.<br /><br />I am now in Denver, CO chillaxin in my hotel room. It's super nice! So much nicer than my hotel in Anchorage. I might need to change the place I am staying! <br /><br />Marissa and Jimmy texted me today. I am really looking forward to seeing them this week. I also hope to catch up with James and Kristina. <br /><br />Anyways, I have to be downstairs at 730 (530 Alaska) for class tomorrow.<br /><br />Until next time...Savor the flavor and drink the blue kool-aide.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0