Our Wedding Story

On an early April morning in southeast Alaska, my fiancé became my husband.  Cody and I had been engaged for almost three years when we finally decided to get married.  The ceremony, dress, and everything else were haphazardly planned within ten days of the ceremony occurring.  Despite the quick planning, the ceremony was perfect.  The rain held off for the duration of the day and we were married in the shadow of the mountains and a breathtaking glacier.  Low clouds hanging over the beach created the perfect wedding atmosphere. Words can't describe how wonderful it was, but I think the pictures do a pretty good job at conveying the mood of the day.

Our witnesses and best friends, Claudia and Suzette. 

Cody holding the bouquet.

Claudia and I trying to figure out how to work my new camera. 

Danel, our good friend, marrying us at Skater's Cabin.

Listening to the officiant.

It's official and Claudia is excited!

Standing with my bouquet of flowers. 

Suzette, Cody, and Claudia goofing around.  Glacier in the background. 

Cody, Danel, and I after the ceremony. 

Mr. and Mrs. Middleton! 

Matching XtraTuff boots on the beach. 

Boots on the beach and low clouds on the mountains. 

I had to bring a big sweater to keep warm before and after the ceremony. 

We're married! 

Your turn…Where did you get married at?
Currently listening to…Home - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Why We Decided to Get Married

Almost three years ago, Cody drove me out to Pine Hills in Southern Illinois and purposed to me.  I accepted almost before he got the words out of his mouth.  Pine Hills was the perfect place and I was there with the perfect person.  

View from the top of a bluff in Pine Hills.

Fast forward, after such a long engagement we were getting a bit antsy about finally tying the knot.  We had tried to plan a wedding a few different times, each attempt was more unsuccessful than the last.  Time, money, location, lack of vacation days saved up at work.  Take your pick and we've probably dealt with it. 

Hiking trail near the top of the bluff.

Two weeks before I flew up to see Cody I was chatting with my grandmother.  We started talking about the wedding, or lack thereof, and she suggested we just go the courthouse route.  Save the money and put it towards a big reception that we could plan at a much more leisurely pace.  That night, when I talked to Cody on the phone, I put the suggestion to him.  He took to the idea wonderfully.  

Revisiting the spot where we got engaged!

The planning started ASAP.  I didn't have anything.  No marriage license. No dress, No shoes. No minister.  No witnesses.  It all came together in the end.  The license, minister, and witnesses all fell into place.  Our minister was a good friend of ours and two of our BFF's agreed to be the witnesses/paparazzi. The dress ended up being a $40 cutes-y number (that I fell in love with) from Urban Outfitters.  I wore my Xtratuff rainboots as footwear.  It was perfect. 

Your turn...How much planning went into your wedding?

Currently listening to...Dearly Departed- Shakey Graves feat. Esme Patterson

Birthdays

This is a big week in my household.  All three of its occupants celebrate their birthdays.  Specks is the first to get to celebrate.  His birthday was Sunday (3/15) and he turned six! We celebrated by going for a very long, fun walk and then climbing a 700ft sand dune.  Specks is all about the adventure.  He also ate way too many treats and napped with me on the couch.  Perfection :)

Today, we celebrate another exciting birthday.  Cody officially enters his mid-twenties today...such a youngster! I wish more than anything that he was here to celebrate with me.  We will be spending lots of time on FaceTime today.  I will most likely sing to him, which he will pretend to hate.  He will spend the day working and staying busy.  Luckily, he is in Juneau with all of our friends so they will treat him to a fun birthday celebration this evening. More than anything, I hope this year brings him love and happiness.  I hope he gets to go back to college this year.  I hope he climbs a few mountains this year.  And I hope he enjoys every minute of time with Specks and I this year.

Finally, we will wrap-up the birthday extravaganza on Wednesday with my birthday. This year will be odd for me.  I've never spent a birthday alone, much less hundreds of miles from family or Cody.  I may venture out for dinner with a few of my local friends.  It should be a very low key affair. I'll go home to Specks and get in some cuddle-time.  Not altogether a bad thing.  I'm happy to be a year older and I am happy to have a new year to work on goals and aspirations that I have for myself.

All in all, it should be a pretty nice week.

Your turn...How do you celebrate the birthdays of your furry friends?

Currently listening to...Thinking Out Loud- Ed Sheeran 

He's Off!

I put Cody on an airplane on Thursday morning. That airplane would lead him to a car and then a train...eventually it will lead him straight to Juneau.  It's crazy how fast all of our life changes are happening. Cody will be back living in Juneau by this time next week.

The next few months will be lonely for me.  I'm allowing myself the weekend to wallow about a bit.  I plan to throw myself into things starting on Monday.  Spending time with friends, cooking, playing guitar, writing, exercising.  All of these things will keep me sane, hopefully.

Your turn...How do you stay sane during stressful times?

Currently listening to...Blueside- Rooney

Quality Time

Cody is going to be leaving for Alaska sooner than I am.  We've been trying to make the most of our time together before he leaves.  This means that all of our free time is being spent trying to squeeze in a little quality time.  We've been cooking meals (breakfast, lunch, AND dinner), hiking, snowshoeing, snuggling on the couch.  All of our time is spent together these days.

It's been bittersweet.  I love spending so much time together.  I don't love that it means we will be spending the next several months apart.  I know that it is a means to an end.  Cody going to Juneau early means that we have the financial stability to move back to Alaska.  It means we will have a house secured.  It means that we will be settled.  It means things will be easier in the long run.

Until he leaves we will continue to pack in as much fun as possible together.  Enjoy the pictures while they last.  I have a feeling that Netflix binges will rule my life once he leaves…and nobody needs to see a picture of that.  Hah.

Your turn…Have you ever spent any significant time away from your spouse?

Currently listening to…Midnight City- M83

Our Journey in Minimalist Living

Q: Why be a minimalist?

A: It’s a way to escape the excesses of the world around us — the excesses of consumerism, material possessions, clutter, having too much to do, too much debt, too many distractions, too much noise. But too little meaning. Minimalism is a way of eschewing the non-essential in order to focus on what’s truly important, what gives our lives meaning, what gives us joy and value.

Minimalism is something that I posted about here a few weeks ago.  It is a lifestyle that Cody and I became very interested in, specifically after moving to Alaska.  We had WAY too many things in our lives and not enough adventure.  As all things in life though, it is a work in progress.

We are still in the process of de-cluttering our lives and it has been difficult at times. There are books, furniture, movies, and frankly just lots of stuff that we have accumulated. Personally, getting rid of clothes has been a difficulty.  I gave away three entire trash-bags of summer clothes when we moved to Alaska (seriously).  This was super difficult for me because I have always loved clothes and enjoyed an interest in fashion.  Even after giving away those bags I still had an incredible amount of clothing to take with on our move...and what I would consider a bit of a shopping habit.  So, quitting the shopping and cutting back to the basics has been tough.  I am doing fairly well (and haven't bought ANY clothes lately) but it is still a struggle every time I see someone with a new pair of Tom's or a new shirt from UO. But….

There are still LOTS of clothes to go through! 

Guess what?? It feels so good once you finally do it! I struggled to give away certain items (books, clothes, etc) but none of them were items that held any sentimental value! Anything that is "special" I have kept and held onto dearly.  But, a shirt I bought three years ago at the mall (and have worn maybe 10x) is NOT important.  This has been difficult to grasp but I honestly don't feel like I am missing out one bit.  I feel more free and less dependent on my things every day.

Enjoying the "little things" in life. 

Cody and I want to focus more on human experiences.  We want to find more things that we enjoy doing together as a couple.  This weekend we are doing yoga together for the first time and we hope to find many more activities to do together that we love.  It is still something that we are striving for and occasionally struggling to enforce in our daily lives, but when we follow-through with it we feel so accomplished! It is so important just to focus on our experiences and our lives without stuff.

Waking up to see the sunrise, a beautiful experience. 

I hope to focus more on this topic in the future and expand as we expand it into our lifestyles more and more. If this is a lifestyle you are interested in pursuing check out the links in my original post (listed above) or feel free to ask me any questions about our own personal journey!

Questions: 
Would you ever consider a minimalist lifestyle?
What are three things you could easily give up? 

Smoked Salmon Pizza

Today I thought that I would post a very "Alaska-ish" recipe that will appease my meat-eating friends and family.  While I do not eat meat, Cody does (only organic and mostly local).  I came home from work on Wednesday night to find him cooking this tasty-looking pizza.  It isn't necessarily the most healthy (unless you count the fish) because of the gobs of cheese but it was apparently VERY tasty.  So, here is the recipe for Smoked Salmon Pizza.

Ingredients
1 smoked salmon fillet
1 pizza crust (pre-made, homemade, any kind works)
Marinara or Tomato Sauce
Alfredo Sauce
Mozzarella Medallions (natural, old-school mozzarella chunks)
Any additional cheese (Cody used a mix of cheddar and parmesan)
Spices (of your choosing)

Directions: Pre-heat oven per crust directions.  Shred the salmon fillet.  Mix the two sauces together and spread on the crust.  Top with shredded salmon, spices, and cheeses.  Cook per crust directions (ours took about 15minutes). Enjoy!

Cody gave the pizza great reviews! He used locally caught Sockeye Salmon for the pizza but I am sure that any kind would work well.  Let me know if anybody tries it out with other fish/salmon types!


Next up in my "Recipe's to Post Queue" are…

Potato Soup Bread Bowls

Homemade (Healthy) Mozzarella Sticks

Questions:
Do you LOVE pizza? If not, why????? 
Would you ever try Smoked Salmon Pizza?
What is a recipe that you are loving right now? 

Do Vegetarians Go Fishing?

Today's post is about my adventures fishing in Alaska.  Before I start though, I thought I should address that fact that I AM a vegetarian.  Let's rewind…my veggie beliefs began at an early age.  I began refusing meat when my parents first tried giving it to me in my toddler years.  They were supportive of the no-meat attitude I had somehow developed by the age of two.  So, I just never ate meat and I was always actively against it.  As I grew older I was mainly against factory farming and big business controlling our food (I hate Monsanto too but that's a conversation for another day). I marched in parades to support vegetarian/vegan lifestyles, I handed out pamphlets, and generally supported my fellow veg-lovers and animals!

Activism, 2006. 

Then, I moved to Alaska in 2010 and saw the lack of resources.  It was impossible for me to be a vegetarian living in the Bush.  There was no milk of any kind (powdered-only), no vegetables, no fruit, and generally not a whole lot to choose from.  It took up 4-6 weeks for mail to arrive so ordering fresh food online wasn't even an option.  If food wasn't at the general store (and it almost never was), I didn't eat it.  So, while living in the Bush I ate fish, but only fish that I, or another villager, caught.  I chose to only eat locally caught fish by people that I knew because it allowed me to know who/what/when/where and that the person respected the animal.

Catching Dinner, 2010. 

So, while I am still not a meat-eater, my views have evolved after living in such a remote area of the world.  I learned that my lifestyle is actually impossible in some corners of the world (at least I found no other alternative).  In Juneau the vegetarian options are readily available (thankfully).  But, I still believe that Alaskans as a whole are a subsistence people who rely on hunting, fishing, and trapping to sustain themselves throughout the year.  They respect animals, they recognize that they are not the top of the food chain, and they hunt for survival.  This is simply their way of life and I respect them so much for this.

The Dolly that I caught under JD Bridge. 

Do vegetarians go fishing? This one did! I decided that I would try it out as long as we wasted none of the meat…and that is exactly what we did.  Cody plans to catch enough fish and other game to sustain himself this winter without store bought meat.  If I can contribute to the decline of factory farming through this route than I have decided that I will try it.  So, here are some pictures of my fishing adventures (as a vegetarian).  Enjoy:)

Fish Creek. 

Juneau-Douglas Bridge. 

Questions:
Are you a vegetarian? Why or why not? 
What choice would you have made in my position?
Do you enjoy fishing, hunting, trapping, or gathering? 

Accidental Trails

Cody and I went exploring last weekend and stumbled upon some truly wonderful trails.  We intended to hike Perseverance Trail but got distracted by Mt. Roberts, Flume Trail, and about 100 other little off-shoot trails that the area had to offer.  Whoops!  Oh well, we ended up having an amazing time and spending some much needed one-on-one time together :)

It was a pretty toasty day for SE Alaska (75ish) so we even kicked off our shoes and took a dip (legs only) in the freezing waters. The water temperature was probably in the 40's where we stuck our legs in.  It was so invigorating!  We splashed around a bit in the water, gave directions to various tourists (they were out like flies last weekend), and then sunned ourselves for a bit on some old tree stumps. Relaxation at its finest.

There were so many amazing  views to see on the trails, I wish I could capture them better to share with everyone.  Cody and I spent a lot of time talking about our love for Juneau and the entire state of Alaska.  I think we are both feeling truly at home here.  If only we could share it with everyone!

Questions:
What are your feelings on hiking? Do you enjoy it for pleasure or exercise? 
Would you ever try climbing a mountain? Why or why not? 
Are tourists a HUGE part of life where you live?

**Happy 4th of July! Sadly, I do not have any pictures from the 4th to share.  Juneau does their fireworks at midnight (the only time the sky is semi-dark) but it was so foggy we couldn't see them :( Oh well, we still had fun cooking out and celebrating at home.  Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!!

While You Were Out...

While I was away from the blogging world this week I was….

Drinking coffee in the beautiful weather…..

Hiking with girlfriends…..

Spending some quality time with Specks…..

And, missing my fiancée!!

Cody has been out of town for EIGHT days.  He finally comes home tonight and I couldn't be more ecstatic. It's been pretty rough being 3,000miles away from Cody (and every one of my family members) for the last week.  I tried to fill my time with friends and some substitute teaching at a local preschool. But, Saturday evening the flu hit me like a ton of bricks.  So, for the last four days I have been confined to the couch.  Finally, I am feeling a little bit better today but still not 100%.  I think I can muster up enough energy to tackle Cody in the airport though :)

Questions: 
How do you kill time when your spouse is out of town? 
Getting the flu in the summertime, awful or what? Ugh. 

Reviewing My 2013 Resolutions

In 2013 I made some lofty New Year's Resolutions.  Maybe a bit too lofty?  You can check out the link  here and see exactly what my reasonings were behind choosing these specific goals.  Since it is June, the halfway point, I wanted to review my goals and evaluate if I had/had not completed any of them. So, here is the list.

1.) Re-Start Couch to 5k: I have been doing this program again!  However, I have been doing it only about 2x per week, which isn't how the program was intended.  I am doing it with a mix of yoga, hiking, and walking though so I feel like my exercising goal is happening, just in a different way.

Cooling down after a jog on the beach. 

2.) Recycle: Check! Cody and I are now recycling glass, cardboard, and aluminum (basically Cody's soda cans and our group effort collection of adult beverages).  Our next goal will be to take on plastic and paper :)

Our new bins! 

3.) Plant a Garden: Check! Well, sort of.  It snowed until the beginning of May this year so my garden got started a little bit later than intended and is much smaller than my original plan.  But, it did get started! Pictures to come at a later date :)

4.) Give Back To The Community: FAIL! I haven't done much giving back to my community.  During Family Night's at my school I was on standby for childcare, which really is part of my job, so I don't think it counts but at least it is something (kind of).

5.) Plan My Wedding: Umm…I think we decided on July 2014 as opposed to June 2014. Does that count? I did find a couple dresses that I liked and looked at a couple venues too.  But, not much progress has occurred. Then again, I am not much of a wedding person.

6.) Spend More Quality Time With Cody: Check! Ever since Cody switched jobs we have spent a lot of real quality (out having fun/one-on-one) time together! Since we both work in the school district and work the same schedule/hours this has naturally improved without a ton of effort on our part. Basically, we have tons of time to goof off and do things like this….

Umm….need a little help? 

7.) Write Letters to My Family: I have sent TWO rounds of postcards.  Not a huge amount of progress but at least I have made the effort.  I probably would have sent more but my mail gets returned to me all them time and it is a huge hassle.  The Alaska mail system totally blows.

So, there you have it! A wrap-up of my goals for 2013.  Not a huge amount of triumph but I have at least made some progress. I think I have decided that instead of doing yearly goals I am going to switch to doing monthly goals for myself.  I got the idea from the blog Peace Love & Oats (check it out!).  Doing monthly goals is just WAY more realistic.  I am more of a short-term planner and year-long goals never seem to pan out for me. Check in on July 1st for my first set of monthly goals!

Questions: 
Do you make yearly goals? 
If so, do you stick with them? 
If not, do you make monthly goals?

Blogger's Block

Friends, I have developed Blogger's Block. I can't think, I can't sit down, and I can't even imagine spending time at the computer.  I think I may pull through this difficult time with some effort.  Thankfully, I know what the catalyst behind this illness is…..NICE WEATHER!!

Here is a picture of my boys just taking a little nap on a rock in the ocean during low tide. We have had spectacular weather in Juneau (and most of Alaska) this week.  I just can't bring myself to spend more than five minutes indoors.  Don't worry, I am sure it will rain soon and I will go back to blogging more regularly.  Until then, go outside and enjoy :)

Snowy Saturdays

After a week of beautiful weather and decent temperatures I had high hopes that spring had arrived.  I was wrong. So, terribly wrong….

We got about 4inches of snow last night out of the blue.  Specks is thrilled, Cody and I not so much.


Anyways, I tucked into this delicious breakfast this morning.  I mushed the recipe together from a few different blogs that I read.  It was AMAZING.  Seriously.  If you are a breakfast person, you need to try this out.  Check out the recipe.

Ingredients
1/2cup oats
1cup water
1tbs chunky peanut butter

Directions:  Cook oats to package directions on the stove top.  Cooke until almost done (2-3minutes).  Then, remove from heat an stir in peanut butter.  Top with fruit :)

After that we spent most of our day being lazy.  We ran some errands, checked out a local bookstore, and then headed back home.  We bought Les Miserables, which we are planning on watching after dinner.  I am excited to watch it because I loooooved the book.


For dinner we enjoyed a little Warm Quinoa Salad. I will post the recipe later this week because it was truly delish :)

**We woke up Sunday to some serious spring weather and we are headed out on a big hike this afternoon.  Pictures to come!