Next Assignment: Greenville, NC

Hello all!

Hello From Greenville, NC! I'm gearing to start my new assignment as a NICU therapist at Pitt County Hoapital. Thankfully the drive down was relitively uneventful, except that I got lost in downtown Raleigh. Somehow I had skipped a direction and ended up in the middle of downtown near the historic courthouse and the State museums...I thought about it for a while and I still can't figure out how that happened. Thankfully Matthew was able to get me back to I-440 over the phone and get me back on the right road. I swear I can find the scenic route anywhere, lol.
So I got here Sunday night and unpacked and settled in. My poor pups are a little confused and Prissy is NOT happy. She confined herself to the linin closet all night but braved up enough this morning to sneak around the living room a bit before slinking and hiding under the bed, lol. Poor thing.

This apartment is SO nice. I love the interior design work. Someone has excellent taste. The tub in the bathroom is HUGE and the the bed is so super soft! Plus I love the comforter set they chose to use! The complex also has a beautiful pool, tennis courts and some small gated areas for dog yards (pictures for the pol, tennis courts, and dog walks to come soon).

The hospital is enormous! I decided to do come exporing around the hospital so I could get aqainted to where I need to go tomorrow morning and I was shocked by how massive the place was. It's like the hospital engulfed the majority of the city. It took me nearly 15 minutes to find where the police center was (for my badge and parking pass information I will get tomorrow) and the parking area I will need to go to is behind a Food Lion! Thankfully the Women's and Children's center is much closer to the main entrance so I think I'll have nearly as much trouble finding my way. More on that tomorrow.

So here are some pictures of the apartment so you can have a better idea of my abode now:

(This is the "hallway" when you first enter the apartment. If you turn to the right you'll enter the kitchen)

(This is the kitchen. It's small but has a fairly good amount of counter space. Plus it has a dishwasher!)


(Entering the main living area I was very impressed. To the Right is the dining room table which is an elevated syle. Mom gave me some sunflower placemats which look fantastic!)

(Another veiw of the living area from the backdoor. Someone is a fantastic decorator!)

(welcome to the bedroom. I love the bedroom suite!)

(Another view from the bathroom entrance)

(Not the best picture but this is the bathroom...the tub is REALLY big!)

(Here is the office. I think it's big enough for a blow-up mattress or a pack-n-play)

Trip to Seward

This past week Matthew ans I went to Seward which is the port city you want to visit to go see the Kenai Fjords National Park. Unfortunately it was a rather dreary day but the sun came out a little for us. The city is still pretty shut down since it is not quite tourist season but a lot of the locals said that if we cam back mid-april to may we would get some REALLY neat views of the fjords and wild animals, galore. It's still to cold for much site-seeing but we had fun. We walked along a but of the historical section and they spent about 5 hours in the Wildlife Center. That was the neatest place! The Seabirds in the hatchery had not fear and even the other sealife seemed almost fealess. Matthew even bought me a pearl necklace kit where we harvested the pearl and put it in thei reallt pretting whale tail setting. I'm not sure if we had more fun getting into the oyster or setting the pearl into the necklace (I'll try to have pics of that later). Anyway, Here's some pictures of that journey:

(Of course we saw moose along the way, lol)

(We stopped along the way and had some fun with the camera. Mostly we were between highway 1 to Anchorage and the Seward high which breaks off hwy 1)

(We tried to get some good pics with both of us but it can be difficult with just the 2 of us!)

(More Alaskan mountains along hwy 1) (We found some flowing waterslong the way to Seward!)

(The train runs right through Moose Pass so we were able to get some pics)

(We stopped by Moose Pass on the way to get drinks. We loved the water wheel and this sign!)

(One of several Welcome to Sewards" signs)

(we went to the visitor center and they had this HUGE stuffed bear which was so wild to see so we had to get a picture with it!)

(Look, Grisley Adams!!!)

(Matthew goofing around)

(Me, TOO!!)

(Downtown Seward main strip)

(An old dog sled....thought it was pretty cool to see)

(Matthew standing in front of the old Seward train station)

(Welcome to the Alaska Sealife Center, one of Seward's main attractions)

(I think he could make it out on the water. He certainly looks the part!)

(Matthew was fascinated by the Walrus bones)

(That's a sperm whale tooth I'm stretched out in front of... Just giving it persective)

(One of the birds in the Hatchery...We liked this guy. He just kept swimming against the glass. We think he was a little addled, lol)

(Matthew and I in the bird hatchery- I'm burning that shirt)

(Introducing the sea lions!- the loved the show off!)

(Yes, they had lots of photo op pleaces and we took advantage of them!)

(Matthew and I on the Sealife Center balcony)

(The seals were very curious that day. He also loves to pose of the camera!)

(Very curious sea lions. The gentleman said it as because they came from a center where people couldn't watch them from an underwater perpective so they were confused of "how people people could be in their pool with them")

(YAY, sea lions...I also saw my first alaskan wild one but it was so quick to catch on camera)

(Ww saw this and thought it was the cutest graffiti we'd ever seen!)

(A view of the Kenai Fjords National park from across the waterway)

(This is one of the runoff waterfalls that occur during the breakup season- kind of like our spring but with MUCH more water!)

(Our first visit to a boat graveyard- never seen a ship run aground before)

(Matthew standing in the foreground with the Kenai Fjords standing majesticly behind him. The park is closed now because the snow makes it much more dangerous to visit- plus it is WAY to cold to go there, lolol!)

(this is just another snapshot of Seward's shoreline. It's much more beautiful when the sun is out!)

(this is a memorial to the child who created Alaska's state flag the plaque states that the blue is for alask'a blue sky, the north star is for the northern most state- or something like that- and the big dipper is for alaska's state bear- since the constillation is names after a bear)

Our relaxing week.

So Matthew and I decided (or maybe I decided for us both, lol) that we would spend the this week just relaxing and soaking in the (rather cloudy and snowy) days of the week so We've just been laying low, knitting, watching tv and just general lazing about. This past thursday we were invited to have dinner our new friends', Hal and Susie Smalley, house for a wonderful spaghetti dinner. We met the Smalleys at the local methodist church we've been attending. Soldotna United Methodist Church is a small church but the people are very nice and they incorperate a new-age style service which is a lot of fun. The preacher this past Sunday, Richard, was VERY good and we really enjoyed the message. It's comforting to have a familiar base snce we cannot attend East Bend UMC right now (we miss you Cathy and Ted, and, of course, My family too!). So now I'm here at work and enjoying a quiet moment because the you-know-what could hit the fan at any moment. Yesterday we had a Code Blue (CPR in progress) hit the ER at 6:30 and I didn't leave the hoaspital to 9:30pm. It was so crazy and I couldn't get to bed fast enough. So I"m praying the night is calm, if even steady, so that I can get through my first night alone relitively unscathed. We were invited out to lunch by Peggy and John Dodd, some more new friends we met at church. They moved up here a year ago from Arkansas so it was fun to talk with some poepl from "our neck of the woods." They took us to this little sandwich shop within a book store and, let me tell you, those sandwiches were delicious! Plus we tried some of the best chocolate turtle cake I've ever had. It was so relaxing to sit and talk about touring to reenacting (they've been to Gettysburg and some western theatre events as spectator---Matthew, correct me if I'm wrong---and John's son even worked as a powder monkey at one event! so cool to find some kindred pirits up here!). Tonight I decided to cook a down-home favorite and made Piccadio for dinner. It wasn't as good as my dad's version but it did the trick. I think I forgot an ingrediant or two but I had the Adobo and thats what counts. If anyone has ever made piccadio, try the adobo with the cumin with it. SOOOO good...gave it a real kick without being over-bearing. My schedule for the wee is as follows: Monday- off Tuesday- 12 hr day Wednesday- off Thursday- 12 hr day Friday- off Saturday-off Sunday- 12 hr nights I'm hoping Matthew and I can go up to Seward to check things out up there. I understand we may be able to see the Kenai Fjords up there so hopefully I will have some really cool pics to share. Plus I am hoping to scope up some possible charter boats so Matthew and I can go Halibut fishing. I'm not 100% I don't want to go with Homer because I think they have charters that offer fishing/ whale watching tours. The Humpback whales and orcas SHOULD be returning up here as the waters get warmer. I would LOVE to see some whales while I'm up here. No word on whether my contract will get extended up here. I probably won'ty know till last april early may but I'll keep everyone updated. Love ya'll!

Our first visit to Homer

To celebrate the end of my first full week at CPH, Matthew and I decided to visit the small city of Homer. This is a cute little town known for being at the southern most point on the Kenai Peninsula. This coastal city is nestled between the waters of the Cook Inlet and the mountains of the Alaskan mountain chain. It’s well-known here for its marina which offers water-taxis to the Kenai Fjord National Park and surrounding areas as well as charters to the local fishing attractions (which Matthew and I are planning on enjoying!). The views entering into Homer are indescribable and took my breath away. Below are some of the best pics of the trip. Enjoy!

(Check out these chunks of ice!)

(The beach on the Cooke Inlet half way between Soldotna and Homer. Yes we're entering into the "mushy" season!)

(Of course a picture of me near the water!)

(I was loving the racky beaches but these beaches weren't nearly as rocky as the beaches the the Homer Spit)

(Yes, I have to stand on the big beach rocks!)

(Can you see me?)

(the first view of the Kenai Mountains and the Kachemak Bay near Homer...they were unbelievably breathtaking)

(The sun came out right before we reached the mountain views)

(There were bald eagles flying all around the bay.)

(Matthew in some native spruce pines trees)

(Another Kenai Mountains view)

(Welcome to Homer!)

(We're now entering the Homer Spit...literally a spit of land projecting from the mainland and where we can go see the harbour, walk the beaches, and eat some really good food!)

(We splurged and ate a little up-scale at the Chart Room at the Lands End Resort. SOOO YUMMY!!!)

(On the balcony overlook at the restaurant...It wasSURROUNDED by seagulls)

(The splendid rocky beaches of the Spit (black rocks and natural coal with black sand underneath)

(Barnicles grew naturally on the larger rocks. So neat!)

(there was a wonderful monument the the men lost at sea. It was beautiful)

(Another view of the mtns)

(There are several water creeks like pools along the beach banks)