Under the Weather

So much has been happening, changing, and influencing our life these past few months. There is way too much to say. So that's why I'm going to talk about the weather.

* * *

I don't know exactly when the cold snap started, but I do remember the frigid evening of our 3rd anniversary, so I think it started around December 28th or so and lasted through last weekend. I do remember that my car wouldn't start on December 30, and I haven't driven it since. On December 31st, James brought home a beautiful red rose and the ingredients to the meal he made for me the night that he proposed: chicken fettuccine Alfredo. After dinner, we joined families at the church building to play games. The next day, we packed up our car, Titus, and food for three days and drove to Talkeetna (a little town just this side of Mt. McKinley) to stay at a friend's cabin for a few days.

Now, up until this point, our winter had been reasonable: no dramatic thaws or deep freezes, just the right temperatures for snow to accumulate and stick around and look beautiful for Christmas. But then the temperatures dropped down below zero, then WAY below zero. Out at the cabin, the thermometer read -30. When we arrived at the cabin, we discovered that the driveway had not been plowed, so we had to park on the road and scale the huge snow berm that had been shoveled from the street over the base of the driveway and make our way through the 2 feet of heavy snow accumulated on the driveway. Honestly, the 8-months-pregnant lady had to crawl over parts of it. In the house, we discovered heat and electricity (thankfully) but no running water. So we melted snow to wash dishes with and saved our dishwater to flush the toilet with, etc. It was actually kind of fun, roughing it, as long as we were warm and had food to eat. Unfortunately, about an hour before we planned to leave, the sewage pipes backed up. Then, while trying to run around and get that fixed, our car refused to start. After that, when we did what little we could to rescue the cabin and FINALLY our poor frozen car started, we had to drive straight to James' parent's house for Drake's first birthday party--unshowered, tired, and frustrated though we were. The Smiths were kind enough to let us use their showers. Hot, running water never felt so good!

Later that night, my ear started feeling odd. A few hours later, my ear started hurting, and by one AM I had a full fledged ear ache that had me groaning in agony with no way to find relief. I finally took a Tylenol that gave me enough peace to sleep for a few hours. When I awoke, the pain had abated and only pressure remained. I sent James to church without me. His plan was to spend the afternoon finding tools to get my car going again, since I had to start my last week of work the next morning. Too bad HIS car didn't start either when he left church! No amount of battery jumping or heating with his dad's airplane thawing equipment worked. So, his parents loaned him his mom's car for the week which left both James and me AND his parents carpooling with one barely working car in sub-zero temps.

Our week only got more complicated. I felt sicker and sicker each day that went by as I developed a head cold that prevented me from sleeping and settled in my ears, eyes, nose, throat, and chest, even though I felt obligated to continue to work my last week and finish all of the important tasks that I had been forced to put off until the end. Ugh. Then, James dropped me off (much earlier than he normally went to work), and I had to thumb rides home from my co-workers while carrying boxes of pictures and office supplies. Thankfully, their cars always worked, even though we had a few close calls. James and I decided that since my parents were out of town, we would take up their offer to move into their home for a few days and use the garage to prevent his mother's car from quitting on us too. Let's just say that house sitting has NEVER been a stress free option for us!

Finally, we got James' car towed to a shop where they fixed his alternator (huh?). I finished my week of work (yay!), we moved out and my parents came home (whew!), and my head cold gradually abated (Thank You, God!).

Meanwhile, all of Alaska was also suffering this cold. We went to the store to buy a car battery, but they were sold out. Mechanics shops were booked solid because so many cars were out of commission. Plumbers had non-stop work to do. Whole neighborhoods lost water due to frozen pipes. Several fires broke out because of people trying to keep their homes warm. A world wide Nordic Ski competition held in Anchorage was postponed due to dangerous temperatures. Yes, Alaska is used to cold, but not THIS cold, up north, people were suffering from even more extreme temperatures: -80! Everyone was grumbling about the stupidity of global warming! [Here's a neat slide show if you're interested]

Then THIS week hit! The icy cold that had gripped our state for so long, suddenly went away, and we woke up to warm weather (50 degrees!). THEN we had more serious trouble. The roads layered with ice and water became instantly slick and dangerous sending hundreds of cars careening out of control into the ditches. School was canceled because buses couldn't trust the much thicker and more dangerous ice of side roads. People fell down their ice covered driveways and seriously hurt themselves. The wind blew too and anything on an ice covered surface turned into an instant sail and skated out of control. One night James came home and told me to look out the window down our street as car after car had slid down our hill and into an icy ditch. Yikes! Then we had rain and then flooding (from all the rain and melting snow), more wind, and electricity outages. Now there is NO SNOW [Sorry for shouting, this is just too dramatic]! The sled dog races scheduled for this week have been canceled. The landscape just looks strange without the snow or the thick hoarfrost that had coated every twig during our hard freeze. Still, it's so nice to go out without a coat, start our cars without a fight, and smell the odd smell of spring on the air (don't worry, we don't expect it to last).

School was canceled for THREE DAYS due to the consequences of warm weather. There is such irony in this for me! I worked 3 years without experiencing a SINGLE snow day, until the week after I quit--Oh, except for the one MY FIRST DAY OF WORK, when no one knew to call me and let me know that I could stay home! It's hard not to feel slightly frustrated because, of course, I could have been paid for staying home those three days (and next Monday, MLK Jr. day), if only I had organized these things differently. And why oh why did my last week of work have to be so cold, miserable, and sick for me when the following week would have been a huge holiday for me? All I have to say is that God has a sense of humor, and I'm STILL glad to officially be a full time homemaker now.

So that is why Alaskans never find it boring to talk about the weather. It made headline news most days of this month! We're just praying for safe, livable weather for the rest of the winter and especially for when the baby decides to come! Just three weeks until the due date!

* Update: my little Subaru is driving (Thanks, Dad!). I'm no longer housebound, and I'm able to run "baby errands" now. : )

Broken Record

Note that this man is in short sleeves (probably most people did not have hats or gloves--the snow started mid morning) and some poor soul planned to ride their bike home.

Okay, so you're going to think that all we talk about is the weather here--and you might be right (why not? It's so interesting)! But after a week of gorgeous weather, temperatures in the 60's (at least on sunny afternoons), total snow melt off, a few brief uses of AC in our hot cars, and jacket less walks with Titus--15.5 inches of snow fell in Anchorage yesterday, April 25, officially breaking our record for snow in April in Anchorage at 29.7 inches. If you don't think that's nuts--you're nuts! It's SPRING, People! Officially and unofficially! Hey, we celebrated Easter over a month ago!

This morning, I gaped when I came into the living room and looked out our huge windows at trees outlined with snow on every limb, branch, and twig, all the cars covered with snow, an overcast white sky, and lots of snow everywhere. I went back into the bedroom and shouted, "Merry Christmas, James!" We're pretty sure that there is more snow now than there was in December. It's nuts. It's not global warming, it's global reversing--we're becoming the southern hemisphere! Walking Titus through the thick wet slushy white stuff was not pleasant, though, like walking through the powdery or crunchy stuff of cold winter days. It's obvious that this isn't here to stay, but still, the inclement weather took a man's life in a car accident in Anchorage yesterday. It seems a silly, frivolous snow to be so life changing.

My little tomato sprouts in the windowsill don't much care how cold or snowy it is outside. In fact the bright white snow might just reflect MORE light in here than before. It was depressing though to turn on the heat again after such a beautiful week. However, my darling little tomato seedlings are not what my heart goes out to. What I am thinking of are the little lettuce, radish, and cabbage babies trying to grow at Spring Creek Farm up the road. This year is our first experience with a CSA box. We pledged to give the farm $550 in exchange for a box of fresh seasonal veggies every week starting mid May for as long as the season lasts (usually until late October). I am excited about the challenge of using the vegetables we are given in the seasons God made them grow, supporting a local farm, and getting fresh, healthy, organic vegetables. We will be sharing our box with the Cannons, from church, so that we won't waste any of the precious greens. If we don't have enough while sharing, then next year we'll have to just each get our own! Still, this spring is turning into a lousy growing season, and I feel pain for farmers who are working to bring young vegetables to fruition in this crazy weather! Well, I'll shop the farmer's markets this summer and probably make it up to them *gulp* from my wallet!

Photos (other than the mailman) were taken by James who risked his life to show you how things looked outside yesterday!

One Fine Day

Well, it's a gorgeous, if a bit chilly, day in Chugiak/Eagle River/Peterscreek, Alaska (Where in the world do we live anyway? We take the Peterscreek exit to get to our home, have a Chugiak address, pick up our mail in Eagle River, go to church in Wasilla, and work, shop, and fly out of Anchorage. It's not like they all run into each other either. Wasilla is 50 miles from Anchorage!). Well anyway, since I last wrote about the snow, we've accumulated about six more inches! Of course, during the day it melts away. It's like having break-up on a stuck record (or skipping CD). We get it over and over and over again! Every day walking Titus we discover new patches of mud that are then covered in snow that then become mud again. I can't wait for green grass! When I was donning gloves Wednesday morning, so that I could sweep and scrape off the three inches of snow and ice crusted all over my car, it seemed a little unfair for April 15. Other people in America are harvesting salad greens and asparagus, and we're still wearing snow gear and the snow plows are running! I guess it gives us something to talk about when standing in line at the post office to mail in our tax forms!

Last Saturday, James took his 8 hour FE exam and somehow survived the grueling, brain numbing experience (his brain was so numb afterwards that he picked up the movie Tron for us to watch when he came home that evening!). James spent Friday night at an elder’s house in Anchorage so that he would be closer to the test location in the morning. He was given a very specific list of suggested items to bring for the test including headache medicine, a cushion for the chair, and a hand towel! James went to Wal-Mart and bought a watch for the occasion. I packed homemade granola bars, fruit, trail mix, water, and food for the five meals he would have while away from home. At 6:30 Saturday morning, I called him to make sure he was awake. He was already pulling up to the testing place (more than an hour early), so I went back to sleep. At noon, he called me to tell me that the morning session went really well. He felt great about his answers and had plenty of time left over to check them again. The afternoon turned out to be a little more taxing, although he still had enough time to complete everything. Since we would not know his specific scores on each section unless he failed the test (the information would help him study for retesting), we are hoping that we never find out how he did specifically on each section, but overall, James feels confident that he was well prepared and did his best and that his best was good enough to pass. We are not worried. Thank you, God!




Now with a little over two weeks until James’ graduation, we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. One more week of classes and then a week of finals and special events and James will burst out on the other side blinking in the sunlight. It’s a very dynamic time for us. James is deciding on which job offer to accept, where we should live, what to do with our finances, and how to spend our summer. I am getting to the end of another school year with a summer of promise and possibility in front of me. James is getting to the end of an era for him (did you know that he has spent every winter in school for the last 20 years?). God has been good to us. He has brought us to this point even when there were many times we thought we’d never see it happen. May all of our decisions for the days to come be in His will.

April Showers

Just to remind you (and us) that we live in Alaska, this is what we woke up to today. These are pictures from the Anchorage Daily News. Although I didn't see or hear any weather reports, I actually dreamed of feet of snow piled up rather than the dusting and accumulating inches that we did experience. Recently temperatures outside have been mild enough and sunny enough for me to walk Titus for a few minutes without a jacket, and we've had our windows open in our apartment every afternoon for a few weeks now. We also have seen pussy willow buds. But today the weather conditions were severe enough for schools to cancel all afternoon activities, news reports to issue warnings, lots of cars to get into accidents or slide into ditches, and our Wednesday evening church service to be canceled. We are supposed to get a few more inches tonight and part of me is hoping for our one last chance of a snow day!

While I might get a free day off of work, James is studying hard for his big FE (Fundamentals of Engineering) exam this Saturday. It is going to be an eight hour exam covering every engineering and math course he has ever taken. He has been studying night and day, talking FE exam, thinking FE exam, and dreaming FE exam. His favorite method of studying involves teaching someone else, so I'm learning all kinds of abstract, unrelated information from this too, although don't ask me to try to reproduce it on a test! Too bad I'm such a lousy aural learner! Please pray for him on Saturday (he starts at 7 AM) to do great on the test and then have a really good feeling about it afterwards so he won't worry about it anymore! He has an uncanny ability to predict his grade down to the tenth of a percent on regular tests, and I want him to be able to walk away from this and enjoy the celebrations and events of the next couple of weeks without feeling like he has something hanging over his head.

This test marks the beginning of the end as over the next three weeks James' classes will culminate with his final finals of his engineering school career. Graduation is May 4th. Although I have been dreaming and planning and praying and hoping for this, I can scarcely believe it's here. I am sluggishly waking up to the fact that in three weeks and five days, we will wake up and not have to worry about homework, class schedules, ordering books, exam weeks, buying notebooks, and so on for a long, long time. Good bye College, and Hello Life!

I wish you all could be here with us to celebrate this happy time. I will try to post updates and pictures of our special events as they come up so that you can share in part of the experience. James would love to hear from you too, and a note or email would be so appreciated.

In The Dark

Yesterday was an eventful day. I had to maneuver through the day key-less, wallet-less, and phone-less after leaving my purse in Wasilla the night before. James had his first day of his last semester, but was late to his 8:30 class (and 1st day quiz--engineering school is so fun!) due to snowy, icy roads and traffic. After work, I drove to Wasilla (on those same snowy, icy roads) to go to a Bible study with Mom Kuenning and Kiana (and get my purse). Then James called having been sent on a work errand to a commercial neighborhood . . . and run out of gas miles from a station! He was rescued by Dad Smith (Thank you!).

Finally, I came home to James and Titus in quiet domestic tranquility and set about preparing a hot ham dinner (with steamed veggies, baked potatoes, and cranberry sauce, yum!). Then the lights flickered and went out, came on, went out, came on, and went out one last time. While the lights were going out each time, I looked out the window down the street and saw blue and red fireworks (or so it seemed) sparking in time with weird grumbles that either came from our confused printer or the electric meters mounted on the wall below our window. It scared me so badly, that I quickly opened up the electric bill that just happened to have come in the mail that day, took the paper over to the candle that I had just lit, and dialed the electric company to report the problem.

Our hot ham dinner turned into a cold ham dinner with cheese, crackers, and Craisins, but it was a romantic candle-lit dinner (James said he felt Medieval eating cold ham and hunks of cheese by candle light. Pepsi = Ale?). With no computer, music, or even extra light to distract us, we were focused on each other and our simple meal. After dinner and a waterless clean-up, we took Titus out. We were half convinced that the southern part of our street was on fire, but all we saw was darkened apartment windows, black streetlights, and snow. We walked until the deep snow filled our shoes, and then we turned around and followed our footsteps home. We really settled in then. I lit all the candles I could find and cleared the table for a game of Settlers. About half way through, my phone rang with an automated message asking if our power had been restored. It had not. As we were putting the game away, a brilliant light and noise filled our apartment. After nearly three hours of blackness, the electricity was on again. We got both an automated message AND a personalized message then. It's nice to live in America!

The quiet evening was suddenly full of the hum of the refrigerator, the rush of hot water through the pipes, and the hiss of air in the water spigot. The softly glowing lights disappeared in the harsh glare of the overhead bulbs. The reminiscing of by-gone days and exploring Ukrainian sewer pipes with candles seemed pointless now. I thankfully brushed my teeth with fresh cold water and showered in fresh hot water, all to the friendly light of a bathroom vanity bulb, but I could not help but think how helpless and dependant we have become upon modern amenities. If the electricity was out for good, what would we do for water, heat, cooking, refrigeration, hygiene?

Thankfully, de-cluttering the front closet allowed us to find our other flashlights and batteries for just this time. Candles and matches were just within reach as well. Our pitcher of water in the fridge didn't take us that long to go through, though. I think my next steps in our emergency kit making will be to put an extra gallon or two of water away for us and Titus, buy a decent sized bottle of waterless hand wash, and post all emergency contact numbers where I can find them in the dark!

We've got snow!

Titus did not enjoy this photo session. He only looked at me because I said, "Treat!"


Don't ask why semi trucks park on our road. They just do.

When it rains, it pours. When it snows, it really snows . . . or something like that. Parent-Teacher conferences made Friday a half-day in-service, so I decided to just go ahead and take the other four hours off. What bliss to not have to wake at six and scurry around in the dark to dress and drive the icy roads to work. What joy to sleep until my eyes woke up with the sun. What fun to spend the day tooling around Anchorage with James checking things off our Christmas list, while listening to music, and catching up on each other’s lives.

Then Saturday we woke to whiteness. Inches and inches of it. The powdery flakes made Titus go wild, bounding through the cold stuff (which easily came to his knees) and snuffing around for tracks to follow. We just stayed home, thankful for the luxury of a warm apartment, hot chocolate with marshmallows, and tea with lemon. We played our new Russian Rails game and watched “To Kill a Mockingbird” with Gregory Peck.


Here is the entrance to our little apartment. The top window is ours.

Sunday, we tried to leave early, but we didn’t quite take into account the snow and ice build up on the little black Saturn. Thankfully, we had the highway to ourselves as few others were crazy enough to brave the deep snow and ice patches covering the roads. Monday we learned that both a snow record and an accident record had been broken for the area on Sunday. Thankfully, we stayed safe.

The white blanket of snow, the stomping of feet at the door, the bundling of warm winter gear, the talk of Thanksgiving plans, the checking off of the Christmas list, and especially my day off were just what was needed. It’s winter now. Beautiful, crisp, clean winter. And barring El Niño or some other catastrophe, it’s here to stay for a long time—long enough to get really, really tired of it. ; )


Titus is a homebody and a snuggle bunny, just like me, I guess.