Bis dann, Lower 48

Today I graduated from NTP. We had a small ceremony to conclude my 'tech school'. I'm now officially a member of the Air Force Nurse Corps.

And here's the video to prove it...

It's been a hectic couple of days. We had lots of paperwork to complete, BLS class to do, not to mention all the packing. (I'm hoping my three free checked bags won't be overweight). I'm headed to the airport shortly, in order to catch my 7:20pm flight. From there, I will arrive in Anchorage at 2:24am. I am scheduled to meet my sponsor on base at 8:30am tomorrow. From there, I'll start in-processing to the base. Hopefully I will make my 2:00pm appointment to pick up my car. From there, I should have the weekend off, and I'm hoping to get a few house hunting days off, before I continue working on my in-processing. Should be a busy few days, but I'm looking forward to meeting up with Cody, and actually living in the same time zone!

Below are a few pictures from the last week:

Sarah made me climb Camelback Mt

And I survived. But only because we agreed on an XLarge Dunkin coffee afterwards

Artsy view of the Valley

This one's for you, Erin

My last Dunkin' Donuts :(

Yep, we're ready to graduate

No touching!

Erica, Sarah and I, USAF NC

I'll miss you, Sarah and Ercia! :( Please stay in touch.

Will post once I get settled in Alaska...

Alaska!

Hello from Alaska... I arrived early Saturday afternoon in hopes of catching a meeting with the Alaska Golf Association, but wasn't able to make it: alas. The only thing I am waiting for now is for Emlyn to arrive.

I was able to make it to church on Sunday and met the RCIA director. I'm anxious and excited about this Saturday and the fact that Emlyn will be able to experience it with me. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton's is a very nice, but smaller church with a great community feel.

Today was my first day at work, talk about an overwhelming experience. The manager there before me left without cleaning out anything. Half my day was spent organizing my desk and throwing out old paperwork. I finally started to make a dent though and really felt like I made some progress. I also conducted an interview today for a position to help me oversee the starter and cartbarn personnel.

All has been going well, especially with the view I have from the shop window. Everything is so beautiful up here, from the mountain ranges to the city skyline, and even Cook Inlet. I have been able to snap a few photos which I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing... Enjoy the pictures!

The Package is En Route

And of what package am I referring?

Kia is in Seattle.

Household goods are in Anchorage.

Fiance and cat are in Orlando, ready to board the 6:25 am flight to Anchorage.

Cody finished his last day of work at Mountain Lake today, with many a guest sending their well wishes. He and his family enjoyed dinner tonight before getting to bed early for their 4:00am wake-up call. He will be arriving in Anchorage mid-afternoon tomorrow, prayers for safe travel would be much appreciated.

Flowers to brighten a day

I came back to the hotel after working on the final project for NTP to find a delivery of flowers. What a nice fiance, huh?

I'm enjoying another day off, but I return to work tomorrow and Friday. Cody's family is flying into Orlando tonight in order to drive Cody's car back to Iowa. Safe travels to them, as they enjoy a final few days with Cody before he flies up on Saturday!

San Diego

I made the trek to San Diego yesterday to take the Kia to be shipped. I left Scottsdale at 3:45am just so I
could see some of the city before heading back. I've never seen the Pacific from the California coast, and frankly, yesterday felt more like the Oregon coast. It was a windy, rainy day until the sun finally peeked through. I headed to Mission beach first, priority here was to get my penny. Then I drove up the coast through La Jolla where I discovered the rocky beach: my favorite. It was gorgeous to be that close to the waves and see them crash up and into the rocks, whilst getting splashed. I lunched at a deli before heading downtown. I found the USS Midway and the memorials at the Harbor. I then had to find a car wash before heading to the vehicle processing center. Letme just say, there's a steep learning curve on self-serve car washes.

I got a cab to the airport, another first for me. Then sped through security with my backpack and A25 boarding pass only to find I was facing a 7 hour wait because my flight was delayed. boo. I was able to get on the standby list for the 6:35 pm flight and got a ticket. I arrived back in Phoenix (safely... thanks, Southwest) at 7:45pm. Long day, but it was nice to cross another 'to-do' off the list.

Cody's starting to wind things down at the course. A week from today is his last day, but they're right in the thick of a big tournament this weekend, so he's been busy at work all day. Caillat got the all-clear from the vet for travel, so now he just needs to start organizing and packing. His family will arrive on the 13th in order to spend a little time with him before starting the drive back to Iowa with his car. All these big plans are now falling into place!

A foggy look on the mountain range just before San Diego

It was quite the climb up the mountain... something like 17 radiator water pull-offs to avoid over heating

Mission Bay, San Diego

Mission Beach

This one's for you, Cody!

It was just me and the seagulls on the beach

My favorite beach

My attempt at an artsy pic... along La Jolla beach

Self timer!

It reminded me a bit of the Devil's Punchbowl

Beautiful beach, but no seals

Another view along La Jolla

Prairie dog? Ground squirrel? Tree squirrel?

The water was a beautiful blue

Downtown San Diego

WWII memorial

WWII memorial

USS Midway

USS Midway

Add caption

The Big Bay with Midway in the background

Happy April, Happy Weekend

Sarah, Erica and I celebrated Friday by going back to Oregano's for a pizzookie. They were both thoroughly impressed and it was just as good as I remember from 4 years ago. I'm looking forward to my weekend off, although I have lots to do since this is my last weekend with a car.

Cody's working all weekend with the tournament, dinner, and socials, so if you have a hard time getting in touch with him, that's why. He only has 2 weeks left in Florida, which means only 3 weeks left before he joins the church. He has another scrutiny at Mass this weekend as well. Prayers for Cody as he transitions...

And below are a couple pictures from tonight:

Warm chocolate chip cookie served with homemade ice cream... delicious!

Update

Cody and I continue to make progress toward our relocation. Our household goods were picked up from the house last week, we're looking into apartments, and making arrangements for when we arrive. It's been a bit frustrating to get everything arranged, but hopefully it'll all fall together. We've been trying to narrow down apartments and unfortunately it's looking like we'll have to spend more on rent than we had originally wanted to.

I'm still busy with work, something between 44-48 hrs/wk. I only have 3 more weeks here, and the girls and I have a few more things we wanted to do. Below are some hiking pictures from awhile back. Cody's been busy giving lessons and preparing for the club tournament this weekend (topped off with dinner, social hours galore!). He only has 2 weeks left down in Florida so he's beginning to pack and sort his things (I hope).

Sarah, Erica and I have taken turns cooking for each other on our days off (how nice it is to come home to dinner already made!). Below is a recipe Erica made last night (straight out of the Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2011). It's very easy and has great flavor (I'd rate it about 3.25 stars).

Chicken Dinner Packets
Prep: 15 min       Bake: 25 min
1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 small red potatoes, thinly sliced
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 small sweet red pepper, julienned
1/2 small green pepper, julienned
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
1 green onion
salt & pepper

Divide the chicken breast strips between two pieces of heavy-duty foil (about 12 in square). In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; spoon over the chicken strips. Fold the foil around the mixture and seal tightly. Place the packets on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 25-35 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear and potatoes are tender. Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape. Serve over rice if desired. Enjoy!

Finally finding the National Trail marker: Day 1 at South Mt trying to find Fat Man's Pass

We found Hidden Valley Trail: Day 2 trying to find Fat Man's Pass

And then the trail pretty much disappeared after that

Scenery in 'the valley'

We found Fat Man's Pass!