Teach a kid to cook...

And he'll invite 8 of his friends over for a stir fry dinner.
And leave a huge mess in the kitchen for his sister to clean up.And then all of his friends will raid his underwear drawer and run around posing and taking pictures in his clothes. So goofy! Every single girl in the picture is wearing Avery's clothes.

Since we moved here almost three years ago, Avery has been cooking dinner one night each week. Over time, he has become fairly comfortable in the kitchen. Thursday is his night to cook dinner. Yesterday he asked me if he could cook stir fry for dinner and invite a few friends over. SURE! Today, he came to me after school and said that 8 people were planning to come over. WHAT! Ok, sure.

Avery went home right after school and started working on getting dinner around. He made lemonade and cut up the chicken breasts. I stopped by the store on my way home and picked up some eggrolls for him to make with his stirfry and a few extra veggies since he was cooking for 10 people (8 friends plus him and I). He did a chicken teriyaki stir fry with rice and tons of veggies...carrots, bean sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, eggplant, and tomatoes. I made three desserts and they ate all three!

Right now they are upstairs acting like a bunch of crazy teenagers. They are taking a bunch of crazy pictures with my camera because the batteries died on the one camera they had. They are listening to music and talking about crazy stuff. Avery's bedroom door is open (of course), so I can pretty much hear every word they say. It's fun to listen to. This is the first time Avery has had girls come over and hang out. It'll be fun to see their pictures.

Ok...everyone went home at around 8:30. Here are the pics I got off my camera....
Everyone said thank you and told Avery what a good time they had! They all want to do it again! They are planning a movie night...when the new TV gets here.

The Iditarod

Here are some of the pictures that I promised from the Iditarod. Above is my dog handling class learning from a former Iditarod musher how to handle dogs at the starting line. Below is a busy 4th avenue, where the Iditarod is held in downtown Anchorage. The city brings in tons of snow to cover the streets so that the sleds can start their race.
Advertising is everywhere, even on the dogs backs. At least it is advertising for something good.
A dog team lines up at the starting line. When the dogs get to this point, they are pretty wound up and ready to run. It takes alot of strength to keep the dogs from getting a head start of the line.
Avery and I had a front row seat to the race. Here we are with a dog team running right behind us.
Here is the musher whose dog I handled for getting geared up for the start of the race. Jim Lanier is the oldest musher in the race at 69 years old. He has raced in the Iditarod in each of the 5 decades that it has existed. He is in 23rd position in the race standing right now.
Here is the dog truck with the dog all tied up, harnessed, bootied, and ready to go! They are all beautiful dogs and so friendly and lovable.
These were the two dogs that I helped to handle for.
Avery and I standing near the starting line with a team coming through the chute. You like my new coat? I love it!
This was Avery's spot during the entire raced. They had so many volunteers that we didnt really have much to do, so for most of the race Avery and I just sat and watched.

Iditarod start videos

Here are a couple of videos from the ceremonial starting line of the Iditarod. Avery and I had front row seats since we were volunteers we were allowed to stay inside of the fence the entire time. In the video below you get a good view of the dogs coming off the starting line.


In this video, you see John Baker's team. He was the winner of our local K300 race this year. During the ceremonial start, the mushers have two sleds attached to the dogs...one for their Iditarider and then their actual sled that they will use in the race. The Iditarider is a person that gets to ride for fun during the Anchorage ceremonial start. I'm not sure how the Iditarider are chosen...I wonder if they are connected with sponsors or do they pay for it or is it like an award or something...I dont know.

What we're reading

Someone asked what books we got while we were at Barnes and Noble, so rather than list them, I thought I would just show you. You can click on the picture to make it larger if you cant read the titles. I think I'm going to start reading The Hobbit first and Avery has already started his new Chronicles of Vladmir Todd, it's the 4th book in the series.

In other news...
We made it home. All the baggage worked out and I've got most of it put away already. I'm tired, but I really have so much to get done to get ready to go back to school tomorrow. I should go over to school and do some work, but I just dont feel like it.

I bought a new workout game for the Wii. I got The Biggest Loser game. I've been totally into the show lately, so I thought I'd check out the game. I'm scared to get on the Wii and see how much I gained over our 5 days in Anchorage. About 5 pounds, I'm guessing. Well, I suppose I'll go check out my new game, do a workout, and maybe get motivated to go over to school and work there for awhile. I'll let you know how I like the new game.

That's all for now...

Baggage

our last day in Anchorage. We volunteered with the Iditarod this morning. There were so many volunteers that we didnt really get to do much, but we got front row seats to the last great race on Earth. It was very cool. I will post some pics when I get home. After the race, we had lunch at the Golden Corral buffet. We got free coupons for volunteering, which was cool. After lunch, I took a nap for awhile, then we went bowling and grocery shopping. Now everything is packed and ready for our flight home in the morning. Have to be at the airport at around 10am. Flight leaves at noon. I have 6 pieces of "luggage" to be checked, then Avery and I both have a carry item and a "personal" item. To give you an idea of what a job it is to pack everything, here is a run down of my baggage...

6 checked bags, each can be up to 50 pounds and cannot be more than 62 linear inches (that means that when you add the length, width, and height, it has to be 62 or less)...
Bag #1...box of pots/pans, box of pyrex cookware, and 24 pack of TP all strapped together (it may be pushing the 62 linear inch rule..I guess we'll find out if they take it)
Bag#2...rubbermaid tote with various items such as laundry detergent, cleaning products, bathroom products, etc
Bag #3...rubbermaid tote with 50 pounds of various kinds of meat and cheeses
Bag #4...50 pounds of choice adult beverages packaged and strapped by the liquor store
Bag #5...my big suitcase packed with all the other odds and ends that didnt fit in other bags including some groceries and some walmart type stuff and some of our winter gear
Bag #6...Avery's suitcase (dufflebag) with both of our clothes in it and our personal stuff like bathroom products, this also includes all the new clothes we got since arriving here

2 carry ons, 1 mine and 1 Avery's (carry-ons dont get weighed so I usually put some of the heavier stuff in them) ...
Avery carries a smaller duffle as a carry on...it is FULL of fresh fruits and veggies
My carry on suitcase...is full of books and shoes

2 personal items, 1 mine and 1 Avery's (these are suppose to be smaller things like a purse or computer bag, but noone every pays attention)...
avery has his backpack...full of his random odds and ends and his dirty clothes
I has a shoulder bag...which has my computer, my purse, and some other odds and ends in it

Hopefully everything will weigh in correctly and I wont have to do much rearranging at the airport. Tomorrow I'll post some pics from our trip.

Another day

Being in Anchorage is kind of like an unvacation vacation. We always have so much to accomplish when we are in town that we never really get to do much fun or see much of the city. Today I was hoping to go to the Anchorage Zoo, but we never got around to it. I got into my dentist at the last minute because they had a cancellation this morning (score...I love getting my teeth cleaned). Then I had my dog handling class for the Iditarod. It was fun.

We did get to do one fun thing today. Avery and I went to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D. It was pretty good, but I feel asleep a couple of times. BTW, there was no shooting at the movie theatre last night, I guess my paranoia was unwarranted. That's ok cause while I was there today I went in and watched the end of that movie that I missed.

Tonight I did some packing to get ready to leave. I've got about 2 suitcases to fill up still. That will be groceries, but I'll wait until Sunday morning to that. Tomorrow morning we have to get up crazy early to go run around with dogs all day. I cant wait to be part of all of the excitement. I would upload some pics, but the internet in the hotel is too slow, so you'll have to wait until we get home!

Weirded out!

Avery and I had another long, busy, fun filled day full of shopping yesterday. We had breakfast in the morning, then I went and picked out my new coat. I love it and I got a great deal too, but the store I tried it on at didnt have one in my size in the color that I wanted so I had to drive down to South Anchorage to pick one up at their other store. I had never been that far south in Anchorage before, so that was a little adventure.

I met up with a friend that I havent seen since High School. Jon is originally from Anchorage, but moved to Vegas back in 1995 with some of his buddies to try to start a career in music. He lived in Vegas for 12 years, but is back in Anchorage now. He was around when Avery was first born and got a kick out of seeing Avery all grown up. He hung out with Avery and I most of the day while we did our shopping.

We shopped at Kohl's and Target. I found my new pots and pans, along with a whole slew of other things that we needed. Then we went to lunch at my favorite restaurant, Humpy's. They have the best asian ginger flavored wings. Yum! After that we went to Barnes and Noble to pick out books. We bought way too many...but I dont mind when it comes to books.

Then we went to the movies. We saw Shutter Island first, which was a good movie, but a completely different movie than the previews portrayed. Next we saw Wolfman, which seemed like a good, but low budget movie. The effects seemed very 80's. In fact, it reminded me of Micheal Jackson's Thriller...at least how much I saw of it because we ended up leaving about halfway through it. There was this guy sitting up in the front row that was totally weirding me out. He was sitting in the first row, right on the aisle. Before the movie started, I had gone to the bathroom and when I came back I walked up the stairs next to him and he watched me walk up and was mumbling weird things to me. Throughout the movie, he kept talking to himself and to the screen, fidgeting nervously, and talking to other people as they walked buy him. I couldnt concentrate on the movie because I kept having visions of him standing up, whipping out a gun, and killing everybody. Eventually, he turned around and eyed the crowd, and I had to get up and leave. I just had a really weird feeling about him. Maybe i was on a sugar high from the Dr. Pepper and candy I had eaten, but I couldnt stand it anymore. I ended up telling the managers about how he was acting strange and they gave us free tickets to come back and said that they'd go check him out. I know it was very paranoid of me, but he really weirded me out. Better safe than sorry.

Made it...

We were up early today to fly into Anchorage and begin our little mini vacation. We got alot done today, but it felt more like work than a vacation. We were on a plane by 8:30, in Anchorage by 10, and driving down the road by 11am.

I did have to spend some of that time fooling with the rental car rep who was trying to sell me every amenity that they had on the books. I politely declined them all, but then when I got to the car and it smelled so bad my stomach did a flipflop, I had to change my tone a bit. The car smelled like someone had smoked (heavily) in it, then they had used a number of chemicals to try to get rid of the smoke smell, but only made it worse so it smelled like both smoke and chemicals. When I asked if there was some other car I could drive the guy at the desk absolutely refused to help with anything. If I wanted a different car, it would cost me another $20 per day plus taxes and fees. Forget that. So, I told him that the return agent said another car in my price category would be returned in a few hours. I asked if they could they call me when it got there and I would drive back over (pain in my a**) and trade out. He said no, he would not be willing to call me! I couldnt believe it. So, I drove the stinky car for a few hours, waited until the unhelpful guy got off his shift, then called back and easily resolved it with the new person on duty. ugggg.

Anyhow, we ate breakfast at IHOP, got Avery a haircut (while he got his haircut, I went across the parking lot and picked up a few adult beverages to bring home), and I had my appt with the podiatrist (I'll tell you about that in a different post). Then we went to the mall, picked out our new TV, did some bargain clothes shopping (Avery found some great deals and Edije is proud of us for shopping the clearance rack at Old Navy), browsed the craft tables set up for Fur Rondy (more on that later too), and checked in at our hotel. I took a LONG, leisurely bath in clear, not yellow water, and gave myself a facial. I'm happy to report that the towels are actually the size of real people, not leprechauns.

Now...I need sleep.

LCD it is

So, the LCD or plasma question has been answered for me. Plasma's only come in 42 inch or bigger and that size will not fit in the space that I will be putting it in. I was really leaning toward plasma too, so that's kind of a bummer, but LCD is good too and a bit cheaper. We have this nook under the stairs where the tv cable cords and stuff are, so this is where the tv will go. I would be possible, i suppose, to run a cord around the room and put the tv somewhere else, but really this nook under the stairs is the best place for the tv anyway. Really it's not an option to put anything else in that space. And the set up of the living room just lends itself to having the tv in that space. So, the biggest I would be able to fit in that space is a 37 inch, which only come in lcd, no plasma. I did some browsing on the bestbuy website and the tv's are actually much less expensive than I had anticipated, so I really think I'll be getting one while we are in anchorage. Fun!

Out with the old

I have owned the same pots and pans since my freshman year of college. 1998. I've never needed to replace them because, for many years, they didnt get used all that much. Since moving to Bethel I have cooked 99.9% of our meals. They have gotten heavy use since moving here. They are old and beat up and in desperate need of retirement. I have decided that I am going to buy all new pots and pans when we go to Anchorage. It's about time!

I also have all of the same dinnerware/dishes as I have had since college. They are ceramic and heavy duty, so they have handled all of the use with stride. The pattern is not the best and they are certainly not modern, but they do the job and have held up nicely, so I see no reason to replace them.

My winter coat, however, is also considering retirement. I have also had it since my freshman year in college. 12 years! Really? How can that be? It was already a bit worn when we moved here, but now it really is just ragged. It needs replaced in a bad way. So, the plan is to wear it to Anchorage, buy a new one while I'm there, and leave the old one behind. Is it crazy that I still have the hat that goes with it and I just lost the scarf last year?

I am also considering buying a new TV while in Anchorage. This would be a major purchase. I'm think about a flat screen that is fairly large. I'm ready to invest in one now that I spend a part of my day in front of the screen doing my workouts on the Wii and, sometimes, watching tv while I workout. I never really cared to have a large/nice tv before because I never used it. I dont know...I have to shop around a bit while we are there, but I just might do it. More than likely I'll be shopping at bestbuy because they have a bush mailing department so I can have it shipped out here. Anyone have any tips or recommendations on LCD or plasma? Or a specific brand? To buy or not to buy?