Busy Busy

The last 2 weeks have been crazy.  The first weekend we had Mikes Dad, step mom, sister and nephew at our house.  I through a baby shower for Tasha, Mikes Sister.  She is due right around Thanksgiving with a little boy named Ayden.  It was a great time with a few games, a mashed potato bar, and of course gifts.  She got a ton of cute outfits, a bunch of bath stuff and a cute diaper changing thingy.

The day after the shower, Sunday, I took of for Bismarck.  Where I still am.  I am taking a Bridge Inspectors Class so I will be qualified to inspect bridges as required by federal law!! CRAZY!  There is so much information that I have been learning.  I have my final exam tomorrow!  Last weekend Mike came down to Bismarck for the weekend thanks to his Aunt for watching Java and Grandma O for watching Cora.  We had a great awesome weekend.  We went out to eat, registered at Target, and bought the tile, vanity, counter top and light for the bathroom remodel.  We also went and saw the movie Courageous, so good.  And had  a couple meals with our friends Sara and Adam. 

Today marks 21 weeks!! for blueberry.  Half way through.  I am finally starting to show a little.  I can feel him or her moving around in me.  Mike even felt the baby move as we were going to bed last weekend, which was way cool.  I have been feeling great too.  A little tired and stressed with the class but I can not complain.

I promise to post some pictures once I get back Home!     

Construction Season

So for the next 90 days I am in Construction Mode. I am an Inspector/Engineer on a 20 mile road project in Western North Dakota.  It is a 25 miles drive from our office.  Tuesday started our Project.  This week I worked an average of 12 hours a day! Tuesday to Saturday.  I start on Monday morning.  We work 6 days a week and if the Contractor had it his way it would be 7 days.

What it boils down to is ZERO Free time.  And a TON of Over Time pay or Comp Time coming.

On a house update we have our appraisal date set for July 7th.  That is only a week before our Closing Date, YIKES!!  I hope and pray that everything goes O.K.  Our Realtor said the seller is still working on fixing the leak in the Master Bedroom.  Mike and I have been looking at ideas for our Bathroom and Kitchen!!  I plan on using some OT Money and Comp Time for some DIY improvement projects on our house!!    

Hello

Well I have been I bit busy lately so the blog is seriously slacking, and I do not see it getting much better in the next couple of weeks.  Mike and Dad left here on Friday morning with 14' uhual, with my car towed behind it.  They made it to Whitehorse the first night, then Fort Nelson, then Llyodminister AB, and finally Williston, ND!   They made it through the boarders with no problems... can I hear and Amen!!  Today they unloaded the uhual and then Mike drove my dad to Minot.  Where he rented a car to drive to Minneapolis.

My last day of work was also on Friday!!  And I start my new job with the North Dakota DOT on March 21st.  I have been cleaning, organizing and getting out "accounts" in order here in Alaska.  On Sunday I sold our Couch!!  Made $50 dollars on it, and used it for 2.5 years... I <3 Craig's list.  I also went to a couple of Aces Hockey games with Samantha, Hans and Jacob.  The last game we lost in a shoot out and I was a very mean auntie.  Samantha had left the seats to go get something and Jacob had a melt down.  I was holding him trying to calm him down as he was flailing.  I sat down (as the period was about to begin) and the arched his back, threw back his head and smack... hit his head, right by his eye on the seat next to me.  I feel so bad he has a nice red spot and shiner on his left eye.  Bad auntie Megan... 

Any who My mom is flying up either tomorrow or Wednesday to drive down with me, we plan to leave on Thursday. But have yet to decide where our stops will be, it depends on the road and how the animals take the drive.  Tomorrow I am taking the Veracruz in for an oil change and check over.  Walking the Dog.  Bringing our extra TP, dish washed detergent, food, ect. to the food bank.  Going to a yoga class.  Going to the salon to use up a gift card.  And the finishing cleaning and starting to pack the car.  I am really going to miss our friends in up here.  The scenery.  And the wild life.  North Dakota will be a BIG change but I am embracing it with an open heart and open arms.     

Research

Can I just say I highly dislike research!!!  I am in the Arctic Engineering Class through UAA this semester.  I have to write a 4 page paper on an Arctic Engineering Topic, I choose Water System Design in Arctic Regions.  Easy Peasy.... except the research.  I know the information but I need to have 5 references.  including 3 journal articles or specialty conference papers, what ever that is.  I have one reference, it is a book and I have spent the last 2 hours looking at the UAA library's web page and ASCE's (American Society of Civil Engineers) web page looking for journal articles.  I have found a few that might work... except ASCE wants me to pay $30 dollars for the full text! Are you kidding me, I thought that is why I had a membership with you....

I emailed my professor about it so hopefully she can point me in the right direction.  Seriously this paper should take like 4 hours total to write, if I could just get the references to include.  Ugh... not what I want to be doing on my Sunday off but, I need to get this finished before I leave for vacation.

Update:  When Mike went to work I went to the library at UAA.  I found 4 articles in three hours and now all I have to do is write the paper.  No problem...

Pillar Mountain...what not to do...

First pretty view from the top of Pillar Mountain

why are the construction workers walking down the mountain?

Look next to the middle orange vester..

Oh that is why they are walking down the hill.

One of them got their truck stuck...

Thankfully I left after taking a few pictures and they came back down the ROAD on the mountain in one piece.

So what not to do:

When there are signs all over the mountain saying "NO OFF ROAD VEHICLES" and "STAY ON THE ROAD" do not go off roading because the rules do not apply to you and your cool SUV... boys.

Well hello there

Sorry I have been neglecting my blog this past week. Mike left Kodiak on Thursday and is now back in Anchorage working. Work has been kicking my butt. I leave the apartment at 6:50 am and get done on the job site normally between 5:30 and 6. I come "home" eat and then go to the office to write a report which takes between 1 and 2 hours depending on how much was done at work that day. Then Friday night I had to inspect a 2nd project. So I went to my normally project until 6pm and then went to another site form 6:30 until 11 PM. Which means I did not write my report. So last night Saturday, yes they/I work Saturday too, after work I went to the office for 3.5 hours. I wanted to get everything done so I did not have to go in today but my brain died at about 10:30. So I have to go in again today.

In other news MIKE SOLD THE VAN!!! We have had it posted on Craig's list since before I left Anchorage. Mike had met with a few people before he came out here but no one serious. Yesterday he met a couple at REI at 3. By 3:15 he called and said they had countered and we sold it for $1,800! Way more than any dealer would have given us for a trade in!

Now when I get back from Kodiak we can go car shopping for real! I already know it is going to be crazy when I get back between trying to get the new condo put together, getting the new car and of course work. I will try to post some pictures tonight.

Wordless Wednesday..

(Carpet on the walls of the rental in Kodiak, yep it is special)

A few pictures

My sweet Ride

Apartment Building... pictures of the inside to come later View across the street from Apartment

Down the Street (yep it is a crab pot)

After 14 hours of work and still smiling

Yep I am a little pink today, it was nice and sunny

In Kodiak

I made it to Kodiak...Tonight I went to a friend house for dinner, it was yummy. Have to be up at 6 tomorrow... will up date more tomorrow.

Today

It is beautiful out today. I slept in until 10 and then packed and did some running around. Then Samantha, Jacob and I went to the Market, had some lunch and walked around in the sunshine.
Well I am 95% packed and ready to go. My flight leaves tomorrow at 2:55 in the afternoon and I am supposed to be to Kodiak by 4. I have to say good bye to Mike around 10-10:30 because he has to work tomorrow, so I am going to go see him on his break. But He will be out to see me on Thursday so I think I can handle 4 days with out him, when he leave Kodiak.... well that is another story.
I would say our Condo right now is about 50% packed. The upstairs is 95% and the down stairs maybe 20%. We have lots of boxes stacked up in the guest room and in the corner of the living room. Mike will be moving everything the end of June before he leaves for MN. It is kinda sad that the next time I am "home" it will be 3 condos Down... but I am so excited for the new place , we just need to have it organized before Mom and Dad come up the 22nd of July.
Tonight my last night in our First Apartment together Mike is cooking the Kabobs I made, and we are having them with rice... Yummy! Then we will pack some more, watch a little TV, and go to bed at a decent time. Next time I post I will be on Kodiak Island.

Leaving

I leave for Kodiak in one month.
I am not going to lie, I have mixed emotions about being out there by myself.
I am super excited to get out of the office and get some more construction experience.
I am sad to not see Mike for 5 weeks but excited that he is coming out for Memorial Day Weekend.
I am excited to do work in the field but worried that I will not know the answers to the questions.
I am thrilled to see Kodiak and hope to see tons of wild life... at a distance.
I am praying for nice weather when I am out there but have bought $200+ worth of rain gear and boots.
It will be difficult working long hours, but I need to make up the time for the 3 weeks I have taken off this year.
I know I will learn a ton out there but will be ready to get back to my home after 6 weeks.

Happy April Fools Day

I cannot believe that it is already April. Where has this year gone? Callen was always the best story teller, especially when he was younger. He could be so convincing and enthusiastic about his stories that everyone would believe them, well most everyone. I remember stories of people coming up to my parents asking then about this or that; my parents had no idea what the other person was talking about. They would say oh Callen told us Bla Bla Bla. Yeah he was cool like that. I miss him more and more everyday that goes by. I have been going to Yoga, last night was my 3rd week. During the Meditation time I always get tears in my eyes because going through my head is "I cannot believe my brother died. I cannot believe he is gone." I am sure the other students in the class this I am crazy but whatever.

So I have decided that I am getting the circle tattoo that was on the stone necklace Callen always wore. I am going to get it on my right foot on the side kinda. I am going to wait to get it until July, when I am back from Kodiak. That will be the perfect time because I can wear sandals and do not have to put it in a work boot for 6 weeks! By the way I leave for Kodiak in 7 weeks!! I don't quite know what I am going to do without Mike for 6 weeks but he is going to fly down for a week around Memorial Day. Kodiak has their Crab Festival that weekend so it should be lots of fun. For more info on Kodiak along with some amazing pictures and a video look here http://www.kodiak.org/

FRIDAY!

I am so happy that it is Friday! A couple of reasons. Mike came and took me out to lunch today, to my favorite place, Great Harvest Bread for sandwiches. It is seriously so so good.

Wednesday night I went to my 1st ever yoga class. There were probably 20-25 people in the class, with a lead instructor and 2 helpers to make sure we were all in the correct form. It was fun, and I think I will enjoy it in the future. The one issue I had was that my hands and feet were slipping on my mat. The instructor said to wash it with some dish soap in the bath tub, let it dry and see if that helps otherwise she will have some other ideas for me next week.

Last night Mike and I were going to go to the gym... but that did not happen... we instead decided to play the wii. Mike hooked ours up to the Internet, so now we can play against people all over the world. Last night we played Mario Cart against people from Japan, Europe, and New York to name a few. Mike and I were not so good at the game, as I came in last place both rounds but it was fun.

Tonight Mike and I went on a walk (pictures above of mountains and moose). We were with in 10-15' of the moose! Then to a volleyball game for some of the youth at our church. They are in a co-ed league here in Anchorage. It should be fun.

In other news I am going to Kodiak for sure for sure. I took a Nuclear Gauge Class online yesterday at work and got 100% on my test. Thank you very much! The date are still a little up in the air but most likely I will be going May 19th through the 9th of July. I could shift a week or two later, depending on if the construction company gets everything on a barge the 25th of March. So I will be out there for Memorial Day and July 4th. My Company will be renting a apartment for the inspectors to live in for the summer with a kitchen and 2 bed rooms! So that will be much better than a hotel room. I will most likely be working 10+ hours a day 5 or 6 days a week. Mike plans on coming out for a week, along with his planned trip to MN when I am gone. Poor Java will be lonely ...again.

Busy

We have been busy this week... with what? good question?? Yesterday Mike came to my office at lunch and we went Ice Skating at the oval outside. We went to the Aces game last night with Hans, it was a good game, but we lost in a shoot out. Tuesday night I went with Mike to an Oh so Exciting presentation on his retirement benefits and what the state does blah blah blah. It was really good information but it was long (almost 2 hours) and they provided NO snacks or drinks.

Mike goes back to work tonight... I am not so excited about that. Tonight after he leaves and I clean up dinner dishes I plan to go to the gym and attempt a run, but we will see. I also plan on uploading and ordering some pictures online for scrapbooking. I have two events coming up for Scapbooking, a night on the 27th and then a 12 hours Crop on the 10 of April called Crop for Cancer. I mentioned it before but if anyone would like to donate let me know.

I miss Callen so much. I was at the hockey game last night and about the 3rd period, normally when things get exciting, I crashed (emotionally). I was just over come with sorrow and missing him. I hate that it comes and goes as it pleases. I wish I could make and appointment with grief hash out our problems and get on our way... but I know that is not how it works. Grief is showing up when it wants to, saying "ready or not here I come."

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Mike is working tonight, gets off 3.5 hours before we leave. I ran after work (Week 6 day 2 of the C25k!!), went to Youth Group where we played indoor soccer, and the ran to pick up some last minute snacks at the store.

I "think" we are all packed. We have all our clothes, bathroom stuff, and extra shoes in one ONE BAG!! (However the bag is very full, but we got it all in so we do not have to use all our vacation money on luggage fee's which are ridiculous! OK stepping off my soap box) Then Mike has a backpack and the laptop bag to carry-on, and I have my purse and a carry-on bag. The carry-on's are pretty empty other than book, our swimsuits and a extra pair of clothes, so we will have room to bring a few things home.

Friday the forecast is a high of 80, low of 69, with a 0% chance on rain!!! We are going to go to Pearl Harbor, The Missouri Battleship and explore the Island of Oahu. We may go to the Dole Pineapple Plantation if we have time. Saturday we plan on hanging at Waikiki before jumping on a hopper plane to Maui, where we will be picked up by my Mom and Dad! From there we have no plans. My parents are bringing their snorkel gear and extra equipment for us too. Oh and Mike HAS to watch the vikings play on Sunday!

Kodiak

I have gotten an opportunity at work to travel to Kodiak, Alaska. I will be inspecting a new housing development that is under construction for about 6 weeks. I will be out there from Mid-June to the end of July. Mike is excited to come out for a week and do some Salmon fishing. Since he has every other week off he will come out at least once, maybe twice. He could either fly out there or take a ferry from Homer. This is an amazing opportunity both personally and career wise. Getting out of the office, learning some testing for soils, and exploring the Island of Kodiak. So if you are planning a trip to visit us you will have to come to if you come between June and July.

Merry Christmas

Here is our Christmas Letter

This past year and a half has brought lots of changes for us. Obviously we got married in September 2008 and started out adventure in Alaska. WE have been exploring the state and making friends. Last winter Mike and Megan went to lots of Aces Hockey games with out friends. The Aces are a ECHL Hockey team who is affiliated with the NHL st. Lewis Blues. We also ventured down the Kenai Peninsula in March. In Homer we went to the home of the Eagle Lady, we saw the eagle feeding and over 200 Eagles. You can see some of them in the picture above. We did a lot of hiking and camping this summer in many state and national parks.

Mike has taken a job with the Department of Corrections, State of Alaska. He graduated the academy in November and is working in the Jail downtown Anchorage. He has enjoyed learning how to fish the Alaskan way called Dip Netting. Where you literally place a net in the river and pull out fish, this year he caught 12 salmon which are currently in our freezer. Along with dip betting Mike went Halibut fishing down in Homer with our friend Hans. There they pulled out a total of eight Halibut ranging for 30-80 pounds. They ended up with a cooler full of fish and split the fillets. His Grandma came to visit us is August and we went on a glacier cruise out of Whittier (the other picture above). He is now looking forward to the winter activities of skiing, snow shoeing and maybe some snow machining (snowmobiling for you in the lower 48).

Megan is working at DOWL HKM, as a Civil Engineer. She has been sewing, scrap booking, reading and working out. For her birthday Mike bought her a Kayak, so she has been cruising around the lakes and pongs of Alaska. She has been enjoying the campgrounds and hiking trails in the area. This summer Megan's parents came up and we went to Denali. Where we saw bear, moose, dall sheep, and caribou; along with a lot of hiking! The weather this summer was amazing, great weather for the softball team that we joined. Grandma and Grandpa Bjerke came up for Thanksgiving this year. It was such a blessing to have family here for the holidays.

Our Cat Java keeps us on our toes. She runs around the condo chasing her favorite toy mouse. She is also our alarm clock in the morning, demanding we feed her. Java brings us lots of joy.

We hope everyone's Christmas is full of snow, friends and family. Come visit us in Alaska

Love

Megan and Mike

Merry Christmas from DOWL HKM

Here is a link to my Company's E-Christmas Card... 10 points to who ever can find me :)

http://www.dowlhkm.com/christmas09/index.html

Here is a hint: I am wearing a blue shirt under my Maroon Coat :)

Monday... Again

Seriously where does the time go? Anyone want to help me out on this one? Mike and I had a great weekend. We went to my work Christmas Party on Thursday night. It is always fun to get dressed up and see my coworkers out side of our normal office routine. They gave away a ton of awesome prizes, but sadly I disappointed Mike the 2nd year in a row and did not win anything.
Friday night we went to a retirement party for Mike coworker. It was at Lone Star. The food was good, the drinks were good and we sat at a table full of Mikes. Out of the 5 other coworkers at the table 4 of their names were Mike, needless to say learning everyones names was pretty easy!
Saturday we went and worked out together and finally went grocery shopping. We had been living out of the pantry and freezer for a good week. We also finished up our Christmas Shopping and will be sending the boxes out tomorrow! ( I forgot to bring them today...)
Sunday after church we finally went and got our Christmas tree. First we went to a out door place that we heard had beautiful trees. The trees were gorgeous... but the price tag matched it. I could not justify spending $75-100 on a 3-4 foot tree. So then we went to Lows and they really did not have any that "spoke" to use. We ended up at Home Depot and got a Nobel Fir Tree that looks beautiful in our condo. We planned on decorating it tonight (Monday), but Mike got called in to work overtime!!! So we will decorate it tomorrow. After getting the tree situated I started baking... I made a batch of puppy chow, a triple batch Cranberry white chocolate cookies, and some Christmas gift, (which I am not able to fully disclose until after Christmas). Then I went to Bible Study. Then Last night we went out to eat with Samantha, Hans, Jacob, and Hans Parents (Mark and Diane) to the Brew House. Samantha Finished her last class of College yesterday so we went out to celebrate her freedom!
Congratulations Samantha!

Graduation

Mike Graduated from the Academy on Friday. I am so proud of him. Here are some pictures.

The Anchorage Crew

All 31 graduates from around the state

The Badges