Hello everyone!
We've had a few requests to keep family and friends more up to date since our wedding, so we've created this blogspot. Without further ado, here are some of the things we've been up to lately. This past week Edwin has been training for MCMAP (The Marine Corp's version of martial arts) so he can be a brown belt instructor. Edwin has also been volunteering for rifle details at funerals. He looks so handsome in his Marine Corps dress blues. We're also trying to decide on an apartment for when we move down to BYU-Idaho for school. We've found a few promising places and our goal is to have an apartment finalized this week. We are taking a few classes at the local community college, and midterms are this week (wish us luck)! We're not super fond of our classes (mostly just general credits), but we're glad to be getting back in the 'swing of things'. We bought gym passes to a local gym as well, because Edwin has been complaining about his muscle depletion ever since he came home from Iraq :) The winters up here can be hard for me, so I'm hoping this will help keep me active, and keep my seratonin levels up. We just got our PFD's (Permanent Fund Dividends), which we will be putting to good use. For those of you who don't know, the PFD is basically money Alaskan residents receive, just for living in Alaska (jealous?). Actually, most of our PFD money will be going towards paying off school loans, yippee!
We have been having a WONDERFUL autumn - one of the best we've seen up here in a long while. It's still sunny out, with the temperatures near 50 degrees yesterday and today. All the leaves are finally out of the trees though, so snow is probably on its way. I am so excited about Halloween. I just love this time of year! I'm showing Edwin all the joys of some of my favorite Halloween movies. Here is (part of) the list of movies we have already watched or will be watching this month: The Blob, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Hocus Pocus, Watcher in the Woods, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Labrynth, The Worst Witch, The Witches, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, some of the x-files series, Monsters Vs. Aliens, Signs, War of the Worlds, etc. (Ok, so I know some of those are sci-fi, but those are the ones that scare Edwin the most!) Anyway, now you have some ideas if you're looking for good old fashioned Halloween movies! We don't really know what we'll be for Halloween yet, but I do know where we'll be. We'll be house sitting for two families Oct 31-December 4. I hope it doesn't make things too hectic, but I think it may be kind of nice to be "out on our own".
Edwin and I had the opportunity last week to see Lion King: the musical when the broadway tour was up here. WOW! If any of you have the chance to see it, definitely try to. The songs were so powerful, the message applicable, the costumes so creative, and it was just so neat to see a family favorite on stage. They were very talented displaying the traits of the animals; many of the voices even sounded the same as the movie! We got all dressed up for the musical, and we ate at Orso's after (a slightly more ritzy place in Anchorage). Edwin ordered an amazing lamb roast and, although I'm not a huge meat eater myself, it was mighty good!
For those of you who don't know, Edwin and I were called to teach a Sunday School class at our church. We teach the 15-16 year olds, which is interesting because the class is just a few years younger than myself, and consists of my brother and all of his friends! We love it though, and I think the kids like it too, because we're able to relate to them in ways "older" people may not be able to. When we go to BYU we're planning to take a class to become seminary teachers. Edwin thinks that he really wants to be a teacher now, instead of a pilot. He has been taking a ground school course here at the college and he keeps leaning more towards teaching. I would love it if we worked at the same school together one day - him as a teacher and myself as the school nurse. Edwin and I are also now volunteering a night or two a week to babysit for couples in our church who need a date night or want to go to the temple. I'm hoping this will satiate some of Edwin's (and my) baby-hungry-ness, for now, anyway.
This coming week we're going to the A Capella Festivella, a yearly A Capella concert at UAA campus. My sister Aimee took me to one before, it was awesome! It takes a lot of talent to use for voice for singing and making the sounds of instruments as well. Also, an early shout out to Carleen and Ruth - birthdays on the 14th and 16th - no, we haven't forgotten! I hope your card gets to you on time, Ruth! Our church is also having a talent show this Saturday night. Edwin and I are going to try to recite a poem or something for it. I'm thinking something silly, like one of Shel Silverstein's.
Anyway, sorry this is so long. It's been a long time since we've sent out an update email. We love you all and hope you're having a great October so far!
-The Arctic Andersons
We've had a few requests to keep family and friends more up to date since our wedding, so we've created this blogspot. Without further ado, here are some of the things we've been up to lately. This past week Edwin has been training for MCMAP (The Marine Corp's version of martial arts) so he can be a brown belt instructor. Edwin has also been volunteering for rifle details at funerals. He looks so handsome in his Marine Corps dress blues. We're also trying to decide on an apartment for when we move down to BYU-Idaho for school. We've found a few promising places and our goal is to have an apartment finalized this week. We are taking a few classes at the local community college, and midterms are this week (wish us luck)! We're not super fond of our classes (mostly just general credits), but we're glad to be getting back in the 'swing of things'. We bought gym passes to a local gym as well, because Edwin has been complaining about his muscle depletion ever since he came home from Iraq :) The winters up here can be hard for me, so I'm hoping this will help keep me active, and keep my seratonin levels up. We just got our PFD's (Permanent Fund Dividends), which we will be putting to good use. For those of you who don't know, the PFD is basically money Alaskan residents receive, just for living in Alaska (jealous?). Actually, most of our PFD money will be going towards paying off school loans, yippee!
We have been having a WONDERFUL autumn - one of the best we've seen up here in a long while. It's still sunny out, with the temperatures near 50 degrees yesterday and today. All the leaves are finally out of the trees though, so snow is probably on its way. I am so excited about Halloween. I just love this time of year! I'm showing Edwin all the joys of some of my favorite Halloween movies. Here is (part of) the list of movies we have already watched or will be watching this month: The Blob, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Hocus Pocus, Watcher in the Woods, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Labrynth, The Worst Witch, The Witches, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, some of the x-files series, Monsters Vs. Aliens, Signs, War of the Worlds, etc. (Ok, so I know some of those are sci-fi, but those are the ones that scare Edwin the most!) Anyway, now you have some ideas if you're looking for good old fashioned Halloween movies! We don't really know what we'll be for Halloween yet, but I do know where we'll be. We'll be house sitting for two families Oct 31-December 4. I hope it doesn't make things too hectic, but I think it may be kind of nice to be "out on our own".
Edwin and I had the opportunity last week to see Lion King: the musical when the broadway tour was up here. WOW! If any of you have the chance to see it, definitely try to. The songs were so powerful, the message applicable, the costumes so creative, and it was just so neat to see a family favorite on stage. They were very talented displaying the traits of the animals; many of the voices even sounded the same as the movie! We got all dressed up for the musical, and we ate at Orso's after (a slightly more ritzy place in Anchorage). Edwin ordered an amazing lamb roast and, although I'm not a huge meat eater myself, it was mighty good!
For those of you who don't know, Edwin and I were called to teach a Sunday School class at our church. We teach the 15-16 year olds, which is interesting because the class is just a few years younger than myself, and consists of my brother and all of his friends! We love it though, and I think the kids like it too, because we're able to relate to them in ways "older" people may not be able to. When we go to BYU we're planning to take a class to become seminary teachers. Edwin thinks that he really wants to be a teacher now, instead of a pilot. He has been taking a ground school course here at the college and he keeps leaning more towards teaching. I would love it if we worked at the same school together one day - him as a teacher and myself as the school nurse. Edwin and I are also now volunteering a night or two a week to babysit for couples in our church who need a date night or want to go to the temple. I'm hoping this will satiate some of Edwin's (and my) baby-hungry-ness, for now, anyway.
This coming week we're going to the A Capella Festivella, a yearly A Capella concert at UAA campus. My sister Aimee took me to one before, it was awesome! It takes a lot of talent to use for voice for singing and making the sounds of instruments as well. Also, an early shout out to Carleen and Ruth - birthdays on the 14th and 16th - no, we haven't forgotten! I hope your card gets to you on time, Ruth! Our church is also having a talent show this Saturday night. Edwin and I are going to try to recite a poem or something for it. I'm thinking something silly, like one of Shel Silverstein's.
Anyway, sorry this is so long. It's been a long time since we've sent out an update email. We love you all and hope you're having a great October so far!
-The Arctic Andersons
welcome to the world of blogging! I love it!
ReplyDelete