Shopping Spree Tuesday

It seems that I've been spending the first part of my day... sleeping in. =) Since I'm not meeting anyone and don't have a particular schedule to keep, that works fine for me. It's been a little disconcerting for the hotel staff - they keep trying to clean the room around 9am (when I'm still in bed), and again around 11am (I'm still there, but usually dressed and lounging around by then).

Yesterday was a day for shopping. Monday I located one of the outlet malls, so Tuesday was time to see what's there. On my list of things to get: new sunglasses, clothes for work, and new sandals that hopefully won't kill my feel when we're wandering around Universal on Saturday. Oh - and anything else that catches my eye. =)

I did lunch at the mall - thinking it'd be close so I could get shopping as soon as I was done, and they'd have something unique to try. I got as unique as A&W... but I don't go there at home, and I had the corndog bites. They were good, but could have been better if they were jalapeño cheese corndog bites. And I had the fountain rootbeer - it'd be a shame to go to A&W and have a Diet Coke... =) Today's lunch will be someplace truly unique - at least, not in Alaska.

I found most of what I was looking for - which means that while I *can* go shopping today, there's not lots of motivation to go. I'm not sure what I'll do, but I have to get out and about - at least for lunch...

An M&M Vending Machine

In addition to the "list" items, I went looking for a beverage - and found a fudge shop. Free samples... Yum! So I got one slice - and then they told me that if I bought another, I'd get a third free. What am I going to do with my three slices of fudge?!? Hopefully Chad & Angie like maple nut, dark chocolate w/ nuts, or rocky road fudge... =)

Todd's Shop - I didn't go in
since it was men's clothing

I took my booty back to the hotel, and decided to finish reading my travel book: Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz. I know several people who've read the book and really enjoyed it. I have to say it was very entertaining, and I'll be picking up the sequels sometime. My next travel book is The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. I saw the previews and thought it'd be a very interesting movie - so when Greg found the book at the airport book shop, I figured it would work for travel entertainment.

And then it was time for the evening entertainment. Tonight, the conference was hosting a John Mayer concert. This also included dinner, Cirque USA performances (jugglers, contortionists, aerial performances, a cube spinner, fire jugglers, and more), a band (Mechanical Soul), and a DJ (Soul Kitchen). The room was set up almost like a lounge area - very relaxed - with huge displays to show what was happening on stage (or the dance floor, where most of the Cirque performances happened), but most people gravitated towards the live performance, so there was always a wall of people wherever things were happening. It was still an amazing night of performances.

Mechanical Soul

Igor the Cube Spinner

Stilt Walker

John Mayer
(picture by Vicki - thanks!!)

It was an enjoyable evening. I met some of the people that Greg is attending the conference with. Vicki braved the crowds to get us some great pictures of John Mayer. Eric was disappointed that no one was going to be tasered (because John Mayer music is just not conducive to taser-deserving behavior), and Paul performed the dyslexic version of YMCA. Plus, the DJ at the end was fantastic! The dance floor was packed and he kept the crowd enthralled - which meant there were plenty of people for me to watch. =)

The Fun Group: Paul, Greg, & Vicki
(Eric was called away before I could get the picture)

Lazy Day

Today was Greg's first day at the conference he's here to attend. So he had to get up early, and I think he missed lunch. (But they made up for it by serving free dinner...) I, on the other hand, continued on my vacation. In some ways, it was like being home *and* on vacation - the best of both worlds. No, I did not feel my cats sleeping at my knees... but I did sleep in until around 10am - like home, since on holiday we're running around seeing & doing things, but like vacation because I don't get to sleep in until 10am on a weekday (unless I forgot to set my alarm...).

By the time I was finally ready to leave the room, it was past lunch. The first thing I did was make sure I knew how to find the convention center, since I was meeting Greg there for dinner. After that, I was looking for some outlet malls that are supposed to be around here - I figured they'd have some food joints nearby... I ended up getting a bit lost. I usually try to eat local food when I'm traveling - something we don't have at home. Lunch was McDonald's today, but I justified that because I went to the coolest Mickey D's I've ever seen. It was either right next to or inside the Disney compound, which might explain some of the features. The outside was 3-D; the inside has one wall that's almost entirely TV screens where they're playing Mickey Mouse shows; above the condiments and by the soda is a revolving Mickey Mouse hand that's pouring a bottle of cola; the floor has a McDonald's timeline; the ceiling is decorated with all kinds of black & white pictures of Disney & McDonald's related things. It was crazy! I'm guessing that Mickey D's & Mickey Mouse have some kind of relationship, since they sell nuggets & french fries inside the park - they don't have the official arches, but the packaging and the food is there.

After lunch, I got un-lost - at least in the sense that I knew my location. Still hadn't found the outlet stores. When I finally pulled into a Walgreen's to get some supplies (I only forgot a couple things at home... like my hair pick!), I asked for directions. Turns out that at least one set of outlet malls is on the other side of my hotel. I hadn't been down that road, but it's easy to get to! So I headed out that way, and what did I find? A place that sells sunglasses (which is on my list of things to get) and a day spa. The clincher for the spa was a sign that said foot massage. Oh, my poor dawgs have been barkin'!! So I treated myself to a pedicure - and today's special was a free manicure with the purchase of a hot rocks pedicure. My feet love me now. =) And my nails are pretty too. (Don't you just love the hotel carpet?!?)

I was late to meet Greg (for a good cause!), but got to the convention center by about 6:30pm. Called to let him know I was on my way, was there, was waiting, was waiting, was waiting... I figured he couldn't hear his phone because of the noise, but eventually he'd wonder where I was at and call me... And I decided I'd wait about 45 minutes, then head out to get my own dinner. Just under the time limit, he called and we finally hooked up. Since this portion ended at 8pm, that gave me about 45 minutes to wander around with him and grab some food. I've never been to a convention, and this one is a no-holds-barred kind. This was the "meet & greet" dinner - so there were booths everywhere, food everywhere, and even entertainment. There was a band playing Jimmy Buffet at one end, African drummers, a stilt walker, and of course the patrons.

Now I'm going to read some and relax before I pick Greg up at midnight. He'll be starting early again tomorrow, poor guy. I, on the other hand, will be sleeping in, then shopping, then hooking up with him to go to a John Mayer concert put on by this convention. No-holds-barred. It should be another fun day!!

Mother's Day Meander

Yesterday was a long but enjoyable day. We were up early - at least earlier than normal for me on a weekend day. Up by about 7:30am, dressed and headed down to breakfast. The hotel here has a really good breakfast buffet - my favorite part is the Mickey waffle maker. Yummy - and cool! =)

Spaceship Earth

We didn't make it to Epcot right as it opened (9am), but we were there shortly after. And the fun (and walking) begins. If you're going expecting lots of rides, Epcot will be disappointing. But if you're going for interesting exhibits, activities (especially for the kids!!), and food you'll be highly satisfied. Since we went on Mother's Day, they gave out carnations to the moms and adjusted some of the skits - we watched a street skit about Queen Arthur and the Holy Grail that was very entertaining. =)

The Seas with Nemo & Friends

We started in the section called Future World - it opens and closes earlier than the other section, the World Showcase. Although we spent a little more time in line that I would have liked, most of the lines were indoors (read: air conditioned) and had lots of things to see while we were waiting. The longest wait for a ride was about 45 minutes for Soarin', but it was a fantastic ride and I'm glad we did it (altho I wouldn't wait in line to do it twice). We saw ourselves in the future, rode the test track, and went under the sea. It's absolutely amazing to think of how many people Disney employs. Not only the parking guys, ticket takers, and shop sellers, but the marine biologists, and scientists - and let's not forget the landscapers and fireworks guys too...

Peter Pan Play Area

We waited to eat lunch until we got to the World Showcase. When we talked to Chad, he said the last time they were there, they tried to eat at each world location. Sounded like a worthy goal... unfortunately, that meant I didn't get lunch until around 4pm - which means I was getting a little cranky. My fault, as there were plenty of places to grab some food or snacks to tide me over until the real deal. Once I took the edge off, the wait was worth it! We started in Canada, but didn't eat there. We ate first in the UK - fish & chips. In France, we had pastries (three of them - we were a bit greedy and didn't pace ourselves well); Morocco was a falafel wrap; skipped Japan, America, and Italy since we were really full; ate again in Germany: brat w/ sauerkraut & a pretzel; and just visited (no food) China, Norway, & Mexico. It was late and we only had an hour left by the time we got to China, so we wandered through the rest without worrying about trying the "local" fare. There were also a couple adventures that we missed because there just wasn't enough time. It was a great adventure!

O Canada!

Norwegian Troll

The finale was the fireworks over the lake - what an amazing display! By the time we were done, I had to hobble back to the car - I didn't wear the best shoes for a day full of walking and standing - but it was a great day. To top it off, we were able to call both our moms when we got back to the hotel. One of the benefits for being in an early time zone is that we could wait to call until after 11pm and it wasn't waking anyone up or seem like an emergency. =)

On tap for today: shopping. Greg starts his conferencing today, so I'll be doing some shopping and then we'll hook up for dinner.

Saturday in Sunny Floriday

Today we didn't plan a particular adventure. Just figured we'd recuperate from travelling and see if we couldn't get the lay of the land a bit. We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel - and after, found the first cache for the day. Did some more caching, then went to find the hotel. We were still a little early, but they let us check in anyway. Which was nice for me, since I was in long sleeves & jeans. We changed into shorts and a new top for me, then headed out again.

Wildlife while on Walk-About

Little Parks Everywhere

Caching by the Palms

One of the big differences I've noticed is the little parks, green areas, and water features that are everywhere in this environment. I realize it's because it's more tropical here, but it's still enchanting to me. Some of the trees are absolutely gargantuan - and they've been growing for hundreds of years. In fact, one tree we saw had branches big enough to be individual trees. Those branches have grown up, then bent & touched the earth, and become roots for additional new branches & leaves. Absolutely amazing!

200+ year old tree, whose branches are also roots

There was a Flash Mob event (another geocaching thing) that Greg wanted to hit, so we headed out that way. Took a nice walk and found a few more caches, then headed out again. Another area for caches - and then I was hungry. Thanks to the maps in Greg's GPS, we found an Olive Garden that was just around the corner. That served us for lunch/dinner - and then we headed out again. Yup. More caching. We spent some time in the Orlando Loch Haven Park. I think it's associated with a university or school - but we got to see some nice artwork.

Art Sculptures at Loch Haven Park

Flash Mob Event

It was a long day. I am a bit sunburned, my legs are a little swollen (always happens when I travel - I expect it'll be better tomorrow), I was swarmed by ants and now my ankles itch, and most of the day I was a sweating puddle of goo. But it was still enjoyable. I'm looking forward to relaxing for the rest of the evening, then getting back to the adventures tomorrow: Epcot Center, here we come!! =)

Flordia Trip - Travel

We're in Sunny Florida - as of this morning at 7am (3am AK time). I was late leaving work yesterday and had most of my packing yet to do, but we made the flight with plenty of time. I snagged a little lunch while I was working - good thing, because dinner was a bit sparce. Greg had an ice cream sandwich and a chocolate bar. I supplemented the plane food (below) with cheddar & peanut butter crackers, nibs, and chocolate covered peanuts. =)

All the bags made the trip - wahoo! And we met Billy at the airport to transfer some fish. One leg of the journey completed successfully. Yay!

After we collected the bags, we got our rental car and headed out. First stop - breakfast! Directly after breakfast? The first cache. We got 15 of them today. Could have done more, but I'm still learning to work the equipment.

I've got lots of pictures from today - but I'll put them in the next post. Suffice it to say we're here, we're safe, we're staying busy... On tap for tomorrow: Epcot Center.

Family Visit

Dave is done trucking!! He stopped for a bit on his way from Seattle to Dillingham, where he'll be working for the summer. We had a chance to visit over lunch and do some shopping before I took him back to the airport to catch his flight.

I hope his summer goes well - we should have a chance to catch up for a bit on his way down South in August...

April Showers May Bring Flowers?

After a week of absolutely gorgeous weather - sunshine and in the 50's for the most part - we were warned that we were in for some rain, and maybe some snow. An unfortunate forecast, since the Heart Run was this weekend. Greg was signed up to run, and I signed up to walk. I was looking forward to the walking - for exercise, and because I was going to walk with a group of friends.

The Run was canceled. Too much snow - creating safety concerns, since runners & walkers wouldn't be able to see the terrain and might twist an ankle or fall. So we didn't get any rain - it was all wet, heavy snow. I didn't measure, but I got some good pictures.

If I still had my Geo Metro, I would've had to leave it at work for the weekend. By 5:30pm, the snow was deeper than the floorboard of the Geo. Thank goodness I have a taller car now - and I'm extremely grateful for 4-wheel drive. We burrowed in for the evening - watching movies and the snow. Glad I didn't have to do any more running around than what I already did. =)

Most of the snow will be gone within a day or two. Then I hope we're done with it for the summer!! Makes me wonder how Dillingham & Valdez are faring...??

Homey!

I got a call last night from one of my college roommates. She's in town - can we get together? Of course!! I haven't seen my Homey for *years* now... in fact, the last time we got together was the last time she was in town for training. It's comforting to know that even though we don't communicate very often, we can still connect once in a while and it's as if we haven't been apart for more than 10 years. =)

I gave her the Christmas card that I hadn't mailed out yet (my deadline for the remaining ones is the end of May), and I got updated pictures of the kids. We spent a fantastic evening visiting and reconnecting. Someday I'll make it to Ketchikan for a visit...

M's Birthday

Last week was warming up - as Spring should. I mean, we were in the mid-40's during the day, and night stayed above freezing. It looked like we were well on our way to thawing... until this morning. More snow. And tonight it's below freezing, so the roads are icy. Oh well. It'll get warm eventually...

Today is also M's birthday - O Happy Day! She had to work, so ate her birthday cake yesterday. I had some ice cream for you yesterday, M! Sara & I went shopping today - and to prove that she was here (and to show the snow on M's birthday), I took some pictures.

It's lovely packing snow...

Office Views

I was industriously working when a co-worker came over excitedly pointing out the window... and I was lucky I had my camera. =)

The moose was lucky too... we watched it cross the road one way, then turn around and head back across the 4-lane busy road. There was one fender-bender - a really smashed up hood because someone wasn't paying attention to the slowing traffic... and several close calls before the moose made it across the road and down the hill. He's luckier than he knows... there are several people in the office that enjoy a good moose burger or steak once in a while. =)

Winter Festivities

When your "winter" lasts almost 6 months, you have to find things to do to break up the monotony. So we party. Every February, we celebrate... whatever... at the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous. It started as a gathering of hunters & trappers to trade furs and get supplies. Now, we spend the time with parades, races, food, ice sculptures, sled dog races, snowshoe softball, ice bowling, fireworks and many other events. I know people who spent all day Saturday downtown for Rondy. They got up early enough to go to the pancake feed, visited shops, attended events, and just enjoyed the party atmosphere.

Fur Rondy

It's been a long time since I've been downtown for any of the Fur Rondy events, but this year Greg was part of a team running in the Outhouse Race. While I was too comfortable in bed to get up for pancakes, I did make it down for some shopping, food, and the race. No way I could miss that!

Outhouse Royalty

It started with the Outhouse Royalty walking the "prizes" down the course so the crowd could see what was up for grabs. Then each team took a run for the time trial - and so the onlookers could see the participants. Apparently, this year there were more entries than ever before, and a larger crowd too. One outhouse was done in a Mardi Gras theme, another like a rocket, a third in a mexican theme. There are specific rules about how many runners and requirements for construction - the outhouse has to have a seat, a roll of toilet paper, a rider, and reading material. Some were short, some tall, one decked out like a salmon... people were very creative.

GeoCache Express Racers

Our team created the GeoCache Express - a short outhouse in the style of an ammo can (?!?). I don't know how they did in the time trial, but they were quick and aggressive. Which netted them 2nd place in the open class, and 3rd place overall. Way to go!! Prizes are decorated toilet paper rolls, and the 1st place team got one of those Ed McMahon huge cardboard checks... for $5.00 (that they had to give back after the pictures were taken). They're already making plans on what to do differently for next year.

Time Trials

Competition

Rondy is a week-long smorgasbord of events. Yesterday will probably be most of my involvement - but it was fun. If I weren't content to be at home with things to do, I'd go down for the Running of the Reindeer. I heard that people dress up and act wacky to get the reindeer to run... like putting on a costume with carrots all over so (hopefully?) they'll be motivated to chase you. That might be worth seeing. =)

Valentine's Toses

Heather & I went to a real SPA today to get pedicures. If you haven't had one before, I highly recommend them. And while I won't be going back to the spa we went to today, I'll be frequenting spas more often and mall shops less. The whole experience was nicer and definitely higher quality - on the products used and the overall "pampering" feeling. My feet even got their own mask today. Of course, the spa was more expensive than the mall shops are, but we had gift certificates, so it wasn't too bad.

Mall Toes

The mall shops are okay - quick in, quick out. They've used a razor-type implement to get off dead skin - which, according to the gal at the spa, is very bad for my feet and even illegal in some states. Who knew?!? But the mall shops can give me a french pedicure with green instead of white and paint pretty little pictures on my toes. Apparently the spa is a little too high-brow for the pictures. And they didn't have lime green for the toes either. One color seemed close (and it had sparkles!) - but I was told that was sheer, so no one would see the color. I wanted something a little wild - since it's winter and only me and one or *maybe* two other people ever see my toes anyway... Oh well. I got a nice, respectable red for valentine's. That'll have to do.

Spa Toes

Office Politics

We're in the process of "organizing" the office. This entails removing the flotsam and jetsam of the office into the living room so we can determine what will be replaced and what is refuse. It's much more time consuming to put things back than to take them out. That's always the case, but sometimes it seems rather daunting. I'm half tempted to just open up a (sturdy) garbage bag and pitch things in. Unfortunately, as soon as it's gone for good I'm sure I'll find that we're missing something important and life will not go on as it should... so I'll take the time to investigate the eviscerated guts..

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Super Bowl

Superbowl Sunday is just another reason to get together with friends and eat. At least, that's what I think it's for... oh! and watching the commercials to see what's new and clever. Since our house is currently non-visitor friendly, we went to visit at some friends' house. My contribution was chili. Since I watched a Superbowl episode of Emeril (while I was exercising), I decided to try making Emeril's Chili. I normally use ground beef, but the recommendation from this show was stew meat. I figured that'd dress things up a bit...

Raw Chili Fixin's

I started cooking in our big stock pot, since I planned on doubling the recipe. Once it got pretty full, I was going to move everything over to our largest crock pot and finish adding ingredients there. Turns out my stock pot is bigger than my crock pot. Which was bad news, since I still needed to add three cans of beans and 6 cups of water. Fortunately, Big Blue is still in residence. I borrow Blue from a friend (quite some time ago) to make a large batch of chili. It's gargantuan - and heavy - and everything fit. Whew!

Almost Chili

Transferring to Big Blue

We also brought corn chips (Fritos) and shredded cheese for toppings. It was yummy. I only had two bowls - that covered lunch & dinner. The rest of the time I spent eating pesto, stuffed mushrooms, baked brie, boneless buffalo wings, and some cinnabon coffee cake. I really am going to need to exercise this next week, just to make up for all the eating I've done over the weekend.

Heather Eating Chili

I normally pick my team based on the color of the jerseys, so I would have gone with the blue team (Patriots). But this year I decided to go with the underdogs in the white jerseys - go Giants! An exciting ending to the only game of football I've (mostly) watched all year. But I *definitely* enjoyed the company and the food!!

Winter Snow

A few days ago I was thinking that we haven't had much snow this winter. So I spoke a little too soon. It seems that Mother Nature is working on making up for the previous lack (or just little bit) of snow by dumping. I also heard we're in for snow for the next few days. Looks like I'll become good friends with the shovel... Don't know how many inches we've accumulated so far, but it's a bunch. Fortunately it's a light, powdery snow so shoveling isn't too grueling.

The cold before the snow

Pic taken Thursday morning - snow is all from Wednesday evening & over night

As I was catching up on family news, I read an entry on my cousin's blog. (Shout out to Chad, Angie, & Abby!!) It seems they had a cold spell and had to bundle up. (You can see the FL winter report here: Florida winter) There are some days that I'd trade Alaska winters for Florida winters in a heartbeat. Okay - that's most winter days... =)

Frier in the Snow