Still Settling

I'm sorry I have been fairly inconsistent with the blogging, I really do need to get better, and I will. We are still working on getting settled in the new house, though things are definitely progressing. We have filled the kitchen a bit more which I think makes a very big difference--we are not where we want to be with it, but time and jobs/money will get us there at some point. Other than that not much has really changed around the house, we have so many things we want to add and do to improve the personal feel but right now is not the right time for us. Everyone went to Homer, AK for a long weekend to camp on the beach and see a Greg Brown concert, but Eric and I decided that in our current situation, we should not be going on vacation. So we spent the weekend here in Anchorage with Finn and Allie, doing a little exploring and a lot of relaxing and job searching. We went to the dog park daily, and wandered downtown a bit exploring some of the many great art galleries and coffee shops. On Saturday we went to the Saturday market downtown, looked at booths and daydreamed about things we would love to have--mostly artwork and handmade organic soap in so many fabulous scents. We spent a LOT of time watching movies since they were free and relaxing. We were both feeling a little frustrated about not having any good job leads despite our best efforts in the past week looking. Sunday we went hiking-- we did the Bear Valley hike with a friend Brian, and he says usually you can see bears down in the valley but we did not see any. We did however, encounter some very strong winds! Not the same, but it made the hike eventful! Probably the windiest I have experienced in a long time, and it was an odd sensation being blown like that while you are standing on the peak of a mountain. The dogs had so much fun, and it was wonderful to see them out exploring something so new and enjoying it so much. They loved all of the smells, the patches of snow here and there, and all of the open spaces for running and playing. It was wonderful. When another week began so did the job searching. We are still looking, applying, interviewing hoping the right thing comes along. The job offer I did get does not feel like a job I could handle doing for however long, so though it felt weird to turn down a job with full time hours, I did because I know I can do better. I am waiting to hear from some places that I am very interested in, but you all know how the waiting game goes. Eric also had a good interview and has some good leads but we are still not there quite yet. Last night was a lot of fun because we got to try a different dog park-- less mosquitos, and more fun walking for the humans! The one we usually go to is a long stretch with trees and a lake, but this one was who knows how much area of wood, with winding trails, bright green, and multiple bodies of water to swim in. Every corner you turn there is something else fun to do or see.
Eric and I took his niece Annika to the zoo today, and I must say we laughed because every animal at the zoo here, other than polar bears, is something you could find right outside. I understand why of course... obviously there aren't going to be camels and girrafes trying to live in a zoo up in Alaska, but it was still a weird realization that we could see each animal outside. It was still very fun to look at them all, and the setup of the zoo was really fun. Also windy trails and lots of trees. We saw wolves, polar bears (I forgot how huge they are!) fox, moose, wolverines, eagles/hawks/ravens, etc. After that I decided it was time that Finn and I both got some exercise so I took him for his first bike ride a bit ago. I didn't get much exercise because he was just learning and I was nervous he would knock me off the bike. He was a little afraid to get near it at first but we got the flow down so I think with some daily practice he and I could be in for some good rides! He really enjoyed it at the end and was well exercised so that is what counts. I hope you are well, I think that is all I have to report for now! I'll write again in a few days, my goal is every 3 days or whenever something noteworthy happens, I did not mean to go so long without a post.
Lots of love!