Incandescence

The other day I was perusing the internet and stumbled upon an article about the White Cliffs of Dover in England. I was immediately intrigued. I'm not an adventurer--I like to stay within my sphere of comfort. But every now and then I get tired of staying still, being in one place. Not seeing things, doing things. I want to go spend time in England. I want to come back with stories and memories. The White Cliffs are just the beginning ( See the cliffs here ) I also want to go to  The Lake District . Also, if I'm going to go all that way, I might as well hop around a little...here is a list of places to visit in  Scotland . I could go on and on. I don't want to just dream and never actually go. I am going to go. Sometime soon hopefully. Any suggestions of places to see over there? Any places you would love to go see? Don't wait. Go.

September 23rd -  a very sad, sad Monday And then I remember why I love AK...

Whenever I sit down to write a blog post I tend to sit and stare at a blank screen for 30 seconds, realize I have no wisdom, no radical ideas, no brilliant blog topic to ramble about. So I open a new tab and browse the web, or I go to iTunes and find some music to 'inspire me', or in most cases I close the blog screen and think 'another day when I have my thoughts in order'. My problem is that that day will never come if I wait for the perfect idea, the brilliant subject; the important things, the things that really matter, do not come easily. This is something that we discussed (albeit briefly) at bible study--that relationships do not progress without work. I feel like this has been a recurring theme recently. I had lunch with a friend and we were talking about all the friends that we do not keep in touch with anymore. People that we thought would be 'friends for life'. It is hard though, when your lives drift in different directions. But what is even more...

I apologize if there are any typos or if some of my sentences don't make sense--I'm writing this on my phone and it's just not the same as a computer keyboard and a large screen. I always say I don't like flying, and that is mostly true. I mostly don't like the barefoot shuffle through security, the cramped seating on the plane ( for those of us who don't fly first class), but mostly it's the lack of sleep and the zombieish state in which I shuffle from one flight to another. Tonight my flight is delayed so I have plenty of time to hang out and try to do things online with the turtle-slow Internet. What I do enjoy is the expectation and excitement that awaits you at the end of your trip, whether it's visiting family, exploring a new place, moving, or any number of reasons. I realize that the end of the trip does not always mean something good, but I'm generalizing. I wait in anticipation for that first glimpse of the person (or people) waiting to...

Small buds, On a gray tree, Stark reminder of spring, Fragrant perfection and beauty, Light pink. Pink and White buds of spring, Coated in drizzling Drops of cool rain filmy with dew Fragrant. Fragrant Saucer petals, Velvet smooth and perfect, Magnolia soulangeana flowering                                                            Brightly.

Over the last few months I wasn't writing much. I was either having serious writers block or a major lack of motivation. This is kind of what it felt like: You can find the original post here at San Diego Professional Writer's Group I would rather blame it on writer's block than procrastination. It sounds better. But recently I have been feeling the writing bug coming on. Instead of hanging out on the back deck with family and friends I want to curl up in a dark room with a cup of tea (actually, probably coffee) and start scribbling (or maybe typing)  everything . I want to write a 1500 page novel just to see if anybody would actually be ridiculous enough to read through it. I want to chronicle my daily life, because it is just so epic (by the way, when I say chronicle I do mean write in my journal, which means personal and private and not posted on my blog) no worries, I won't subject you to something that uninteresting.  After months of blockage I think I m...

I've wanted to write this post for a while but life intervened. I've been struggling with what to say and how to say it.  Are there really words that describe the emotions and the thoughts that have been playing havoc with me recently? Maybe somebody wiser and more eloquent could, but not me. Mainly I just wanted to yet again say how thankful I am for all of you that have been praying for my family and I. Hugs and prayers go a long way. Bible verses have been flitting through my head, the Psalms have comforted me. I have really been coming back to this verse in Psalms 34. "The  Lord  is near to  the brokenhearted      and saves  the crushed in spirit." --Psalms 34:18 Normally I would skip over a verse like this without giving it much thought. But after everything that has happened, it takes on meaning.  He saves the crushed in spirit. There are songs that I listen to over and over again. Cornerstone by Hillsong United, and this ...

In Whittier. And Girdwood. Today I went adventuring with family and friends. We drove down and went through the tunnel to Whittier.  After walking around for a little bit (Whittier is really small, there isn't much to see) we had our lunch and then went back through the tunnel and stopped at Girdwood on our way back to Anchorage. We walked some skiing trails (the snow was mostly melted off) and I managed to get a few shots of the trail and some of the creeks. Here are a few shots during our walk around Girdwood:

The last time I went to McDonalds was last year when I was taking a class in Hawaii.  Ah...even the name evokes a warm, sunny feeling that instantly makes me smile. I miss places like  this .  I was so blessed to spend almost a month there.  But I don't feel quite so jealous of warm-weather states anymore, because Alaska is getting warm and green! This is a time of year that I love around here--the mountains are still capped in white, and everything is turning green, it is a stunning contrast. But summer in Alaska also means tourists--more traffic...trains.  Maybe a little hiking. Some fishing. Biking.  Someone recently asked me what there is to do in Anchorage.  That's the list that I came up with.  As I mentioned earlier, there are trains.  Like this one that I had to stop for on my way to work the other morning.  And waited. And waited some more...they always seem to take forever when you are watching the minutes slip away when you ...

I was planning on a quiet Friday evening. But then I found out that my family was chasing the northern lights up on the Parks Highway. So, instead of my quiet evening I ended up going for a drive with friends at 10 pm. We didn't really see any northern lights, but the stars out in the middle of nowhere are amazing. I didn't get any pictures last night but I found some amazing pictures of the night sky  here , and some northern lights pictures here .  Oh, and I found out that my idea of what Hot Tamales are is very influenced by this show. See what I mean here . Sis mentioned that when she and her friend went northern lights hunting together last winter they usually had hot tamales for sustenance. So, then it was mentioned that maybe we should get some when we stopped at the gas station on the way back to Anchorage. I was a little skeptical that they would find hot tamales at a gas station. This is what I was picturing: Image credit: Mexicansocietyuob.wordpress This ...

Instead of me blabbering on and on about my boring life, I thought I would compile some things I am currently obsessing over, listening to, watching, etc. To start with,  here are some gorgeous pictures of spring flowers. I wish we had flowers like this here in Alaska. I am really going to miss not seeing and savoring the Magnolia trees on campus this spring. And I am super obsessed with this song right now. I literally play it multiple time a day, along with some of these songs: Speak Up - POP ETC (I 'discovered' this song on the Breaking Dawn pt. 2 soundtrack--the only good thing that I can say about the Twilight series is that it has introduced me to some really good music/artists) Two Black Cadillacs - Carrie Underwood If I Knew - Bruno Mars Hold You in My Arms - Ray LaMontagne Also, Amazon has some super deals on music, like these . You usually have to search but generally can find a few gems that are worth buying. Amazon also has free music from ri...

The smell of granola is wafting through the kitchen. The dogs are clamoring for another walk. I've consumed too much caffeine. This calls for contemplation. Sipping more coffee, or maybe some tea.  Every now and then I have the desire to talk politics, current events, delve into divisive topics.  But not today. Not here, in this forum. If I am going to display views, I want to do it in person so that I can explain why. This has been a lesson I have learned over time.

It's been a little over a month since my last post. Last time I was watching (sort of) the Superbowl as I typed up some thoughts. Tonight it's just me, my sis, and two dogs. Hagar is looking mournfully at sis with his big puppy eyes, begging for a few morsels of her fresh-out-of-the-oven pumpkin muffin. Moki, the old grandma of a dog, is lying on her bed--sometimes she is so quiet that for a split second (sorry for the cliche) I think she has finally kicked the bucket. But no--her abdomen moves, and my fear that sis and I will have to bury her scrawny carcass cease. For a while. I thought that life after college would be different than it is. I'm starting to think about going on an adventure--England perhaps? But am I really cut out for adventuring on my own? I have security here, a life. People I love, things I enjoy. Do I really want to pull up all of the little roots I'm putting down. Not yet. I finally went to some of the Fur Rondy events here in Anchorage. I...

*Disclaimer: Please realize as you read this that my sense of humor colors much of it. I leave it to you to figure out what I mean.* I think I am running out of inspiration. My blog lacks pizazz. Isn't that such a cool word? Pizazz--according to Google it is " An attractive combination of vitality and glamour." I have no real direction...this blog merely records the ramblings of a woman who doesn't know much and doesn't live a very glamorous life. But really, does that matter? I guess it depends on you--my readers. I'm getting back to the things I love--reading. Writing. Or at least, trying to. Making coffee--I am, after all, barista trained. I can pull a mean shot. Just sayin'. But back to the writing. I realized recently that I have been very remiss in this area of my life. I did go to school and earn a degree in Technical Writing after all. Don't know what exactly technical writing is? Yeah...neither do I... But reading books reminds me of ...