There are such things as Dumb Questions

A lot of my friends are, or in a very short time will be, new mothers. Consequently, I've been pondering that transitional phase of going from being an independent being responsible for self and partner only, to being the bearer of another being into the world for whom you are very much responsible. That phase in which your sleep goes from being an uninterrupted nightly given to a coveted periodic possibility. That phase in which thoughts of how well an outfit coordinates with shoes and accessories are replaced by thoughts of how to cover up spit-up stains and breast-milk leaks.

There are a lot of glorified aspects of pregnancy and motherhood, and a lot of known challenges as well, like whether you'll be the pickle and vanilla ice cream type, or the frozen meatloaf and rhubarb pie type; whether you'll have an easy pregnancy, one with forty straight weeks of endless nausea, or one of being laid up in bed with gestational diabetes and anemia. Of course, the question of whether I will be one of those who can pull off wearing skinny jeans at week 38 is a superficial question, but one I entertain nonetheless. I weigh it as heavily as I do the question of whether I'll look lean and toned in the face, or if I'll look like Will Smith in Hitch after he eats the seafood to which he's allergic.These, though, are truly stupid things to think about in terms of being with child.

During the holidays, many songs and Nativity stories highlight how the mother of Jesus must have handled her pregnancy. I imagine no amount of prior preparation could have made that child-bearing event one of normalcy. Two of my favorite Christmas songs of all time, Mary Did You Know? and Breath of Heaven, both examine closely the intimate feelings and questions she must have had. Her questions would, no doubt, have been tied to the divinity of her progeny and the knowledge of his significance to the world around her, and the future of mankind. Those are questions worth asking.

I have never even wondered how the raising of my child will affect the future of all mankind. Do you suppose that Luis Palau's mother or Billy Graham's mother asked the same kinds of questions that Elizabeth asked about John or Mary asked about Jesus when they were pregnant? Is investing in Baby Einstein materials, or playing Mozart against my belly able to bring as much positive good for my future child and the world as investing in the Scriptures and praying over my belly will be? Seems worth dwelling on for a second.

In light of recent events my close friends have experienced, I have had to consider if I'll praise God for giving and taking away should that situation arise; if I'll still rejoice and consider perfect a child with a chromosomal disorder. These questions are certainly worth pondering, and I hope that, should they ever arise with immediate relevance in my own life, I will respond in the most God-glorifying way possible.

I'm not pregnant for any of you who may be wondering. I've just been observing the monthly postings of baby belly protrusion progression and thinking about silly things like the loss of independence, toned tummies, and control of life that comes with a baby and thought that those three things are truly the least of my worries. How could I possibly think that "Will I still be hot with stretchmarks?" might be a valid inquiry in light of the many more profound answers I might seek?

not Haha, but Hmmm

Isn’t it funny how things trigger memories? Not haha funny, but hmm funny. I’m sitting at work doing pretty typical admin tasks, some of them rather repetitive and difficult to engage with, so I created a playlist of my favorite Classical-Pop crossover artists—Michael Buble, Jackie Evancho, Susan Boyle, Andrea Bocelli, Charlotte Church and Josh Groban type music.

When the song Wild Horses by Susan Boyle came one, I almost started crying!

This one time, my ma-in-law and I spent a solid half an hour on YouTube listening to renditions of this song by various artists past and present and determined that Susan Boyle’s version far surpasses all the other covers and even the original itself. Funny how a 30-minute segment of time could so affect me. It’s really only (1/1508472) of my life if I live as long as a Japanese woman is expected to live (86.1) these days, or (1/1415616) of my life if I live as long as an American woman is expected to live (80.8) these days.

That portion of time is not really a percentage of my life worth considering from any sort of quantitative standpoint. Numerically, it’s insignificant. But qualitatively, it was clearly impactful. Relationally, completely significant.

I miss you, in-laws. <3

Asparagi and Mongeese

Dear Friends,
Thank you for your prayers, love and support!

Today was my interview at Volunteers of America Alaska (VOAAK). When I was called yesterday about interviewing today, I realized I had not packed any business attire in my suitcase, only skinny jeans and sweaters and one pair of short slacks that I couldn't wear with my heeled boots. So Nate and I walked to 5th Ave. Mall after he got off work. We left for the 2ish mile walk around 7, so the sun had long since set and it was pretty cold, but I didn't want to pay for a taxi. It turns out it only would have cost about $6 one way so we totally should have done it! I found a blazer at Bebe for 30% off the clearance price and a pair of slacks at JC Penney for 40% off the regular price. Apparently Cyber Monday deals can apply to department stores and clothing, too!

The interview was fantastic! I interviewed with the CFO and Director of HR for the Admin position that supports both their positions, as well as the CEO's. I was offered the job on the spot, PRAISE THE LORD, and I start tomorrow at 9am! I was so ebullient I decided to trek my way home while in my new work clothes and 2 1/2" heeled boots. Not my smartest idea. VOAAK's building is 11 city blocks from the mall. After a few blocks I decided to try to calculate the distance of my pedestrian adventure and counted 150 strides at a steady pace between 14th St. and 13th St., gauging approximately one foot between my front heel and back toe each stride. I don't know how heel height factors in, or if streets are equidistant between city blocks, but if each stride is around 2 feet in length, then I traversed almost exactly 1km? Anyhow, I was an icicle when I reached the mall and felt immense compassion for the homeless facing this long winter in Anchorage. After setting up a Wells Fargo account at the mall and downing a Kaladi Brother's White Chocolate Mocha to warm up and fuel up because I forgot to eat breakfast and it was past noon at this point, I walked home.

The guard at the gate hoped someone would pick me up once on base, but 16 cars passed me without a glance. When I got home, I couldn't feel my feet because they hurt and I couldn't feel my legs because slacks are a terrible shield from the wind! LESSON LEARNED. I will take a taxi tomorrow.

For a date night tonight, Nate and I baked up some gourmet (that's facetiousness, folks) Tombstone pizzas, propped the macbook up and sat on the floor to watch Bunraku on his computer :) It was dark outside so we thought it was late but it was only 5pm. Go figure. So he's reading Brisingr and I have been studying Kanji out of my recently purchased Japanese Kanji Power workbook because I have forgotten most of my linguistic abilities in this most beloved language and that is a shame.

We are looking forward to this Friday, the 2nd of December, with great anticipation:

• We will be reunited with our precious fully adult puppy dog when my parents bring her.
• ...oh yeah, my parents are coming!
• Our stuff is scheduled to arrive
• We have to rent a car to get our dog from the airport, which means we can drive places and replenish the pantry with groceries! 

Basically, Santa's comin' early this year :)  
And I know, I know, he doesn't exist. Because if he did, more people would be eating spaghetti with syrup, candy, candy corn, and candy canes. Did I cover all my food groups?

Oh yeah. About the title: I wish the plural of Asparagus was Asparagi but it's not. And many think the plural of Mongoose should be Mongeese, but it's not. After all, the plural of Goose is Geese so monGOOSE should become monGEESE. But, as is the case with so many words in the English lexicon, this is an exception to the rule! Goose and Mongoose are etymologically unrelated. But the reason I put that there is that I was a major exception to VOAAK's hiring practices today in being offered the job during the interview and I'm so grateful to have been. In the CFO's 24-year tenure with the company, it's only happened one other time. Thank God for exceptions to the rule!

Tickled with Excitement

Local Careers
I have been looking at hundreds of jobs for the past few months and have applied to dozens. I recently found out that one has not been filled because the department recently let go of all of their part time workers to cut costs and won't be filling the position I applied for at all; another that I interviewed for 3 times has been reposted because no suitable applicants were found; another has been reposted because I was the only applicant (it apparently then, that falls into the category of the previously listed job.) The rest I know nothing about and I don't really care because I think I found the perfect one today!!

A gentleman at Dimond Grace Fellowship where Nate and I have attended the past two Sundays (pastored by our friend Chris Ball), put me in contact with the Director of HR for VOAAK - Volunteers of America Alaska - and notified her that I would contact her regarding Administrative Position open directly beneath her. After a great talk on the phone with her today, I drafted a cover letter and sent her my resume with a professional email grovelling at her feet to consider me for it. The gentleman who put us in touch, a Mr. Goldie Icantrememberhislastname is personable and kind, as is the lady with whom I spoke. They've been in their jobs a long time and enjoy working to impact the lives of the less fortunate, thereby projecting an impression of the ideal work environment for me. The job description encompasses most aspects of my previous job, and includes some room for growth as Madame HR Director Lady indicated she enjoys teaching new skills like Grant Writing! (Hoorah for me, because that is literally on my bucket list! No sarcasm, either. I want to learn Grant Writing.) On the surface, this sounds like occupational paradise to me and I really hope that she decides I'm as suited for the position as it seems to be for me. I'm also praying that this is what God wants for me, because that's the only thing that actually counts.

In other news, I really like topical steroids. Somehow my entire face broke out in eczema so I plastered it with my prescribed steroid ointment and today it's almost completely better! I'm not actually supposed to use it on my face but I'm not dead so I think it's fine. If I never blog again, maybe you should be worried about a delayed lethal reaction.

Alaska 101:

• Moosen literally eat trees. We had our first wildlife sighting Sunday (the bunny we saw on the first day doesn't count) with a pair of moose babies munching on some branches. When I say babies, I do, in fact, mean six foot high at the shoulder mammoth furballs.
• Drinking water all day is not enough to keep your skin supple, nor is applying lotion once after you shower. If you don't want your skin to be taut and grey, hydrate like it's going out of style AND apply lotion frequently. Also, Burt's Bees lip balm is the best thing since sliced bread.
• If there is cloud coverage, you'll have a warmer day like yesterday and you don't actually need gloves. 2 degrees Fahrenheit, baby! WOOT! On clear days, it is brutally cold. Imagine being slapped in the face with a glove of sandpaper and rubbing your ears along the frost in the frozen foods lockers of the grocery store and that's how it feels when the air hits you at negative eleven. Not pleasant!
• The water here is pure, pristine and perfect! Don't hate me because I like to alliterate. It's such a nice change of pace from the iron-rich waters of Indiana that left shower curtains and hair stained orange, and also from softened water which left skin and hair feeling slimy in the shower. It is the best tasting water I've had since we stumbled on a springhead during Stress Camp in 2005.
• People with curly hair should move here. The air is not at all humid so curls don't get out of control and if you style your hair, it stays! Gotta love it.

Now, I NEVER condone strict adherence to the letter of the law to avoid following the spirit of the law. But honestly I am going crazy being restricted to our house without a car or any of our stuff. I began researching if I could file with the local Social Security office to replace my "lost" SSN card. Without it I am ineligible for employment, and I am going to be without it until our shipment arrives  in about 75 days or so.

Some definitions of lost include Missing, Stray or Gone. All of those are perfectly legitimate descriptions of my card: I am missing it; it has strayed from my immediate possession; it has gone away with my stuff. Another definition is that the item in question is no longer visible or possessed, and is beyond reach. All those are true!! I can't see it, I'm not holding it, and it's more than an arm's reach away. Technically I don't know its whereabouts, either, though if I keyed in the number given us by the shipping company I COULD, in fact, track the shipment and ascertain its approximate geographical location.

All my scheming is, in the end, for naught. According to the government's Social Security website, in order to obtain a replacement copy of the card I have to prove my date of birth, identity, and citizenship. Of course, all the documents I need to do that are WITH my Social Security card. *Sigh* I will die of boredom.

I should really become resigned to my fate of house-boundedness, pull a Bronte and write prolific works of literature! Simple.

Or perhaps I am resisting God as he attempts to teach me contentedness, stillness and appreciation of every moment and every circumstance in which he chooses to place me. Maybe if I could wrap my hands around Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline I could read a chapter on Solitude or Silence and be motivated and inspired.

I have gotten through the first hundred pages of Jules Verne's The Mysterious Island, but knowing that I will just be sitting for long periods to read it makes me languid. I also picked up a 1000 piece puzzle of what appears to be some colorful apartments in the Mediterranean. Knowing that I'll just be devoting hours of silent boredom to that also renders it unappealing as a potential distraction. I have never considered myself to be a murderer, but if I could kill the time until I have mobility and things to do, I think I might gladly do so. Maybe it's twisted, but I would rather crash from the overspent exhaustion of being really busy and productive than lazily lounge with nothing better to do than blog every day about my boredom.

General Life Update

This morning I am proud to say that I made Nathan breakfast in bed to inaugurate our first night spent in our new home! I am sad to say I didn't let him eat it in bed because we only have the one set of sheets that we just purchased yesterday and I don't want to sully them with sausage grease or muffin crumbs.

If I could do over the PCS (Permanent Change of Station) move to Anchorage, I would have packed up a separate box of checked baggage that included a set of sheets, pillows and pillow cases, two of each type of towel that we needed, the shower curtain, bath mat and a comforter. We were misinformed that such items would be loaned to us as we await the arrival of our TMO (which indicates "our stuff", but the original phrase of which is unbeknownst to all whom we ask) which can take up to 90 days because we are at an OCONUS (Outside the Continental US) base. Other HHG (Household Goods) items that have been loaned to us by the FMO (Furnishing Management Office), though, are a dining set and full bed, box springs and mattress pad. God has been very gracious to us in allowing our mattress pad to be brand new so we can sleep easy not wondering about bed bugs, dandruff and other particulates undoubtedly left behind on a used one. A separate office on base also loaned us some basic cutlery and food preparation items so that we can use the pre-furnished kitchen appliances in our house!

The Chris and Marsha Ball family and their excellent daughter Sharine have made our transition much smoother and have aided us invaluably with the use of their guest bedroom for a night, Sharine's car for a day, and loads of frozen salmon for our freezer. This is what it looks like to be the hands and feet of Christ. We will not forget their blessing of generosity, their outpouring of love, or their eagerness to help. It has been most humbling and simultaneously uplifting to be served by them.

Nathan was given the entire week off of work because of an exercise in which his squadron is required to participate! Praise God for his mercies, they are new every morning. It's amazing how many errands can be accomplished with three days off work and a rental car! We have discovered a few important things about shopping here in Alaska. Local advice is to check dry goods' expiration dates before purchase because the long shipping time can make foods nearly expired by the time of arrival. Our own discoveries:

• Fred Meyer is Kroger which makes it Anchorage's equivalent of Owen's which makes me nostalgic. Groceries are cheapest here, though it's off base and a ways away out of Government Hill gate (the closest gate to our house)
• Target is outside Muldoon gate (the farthest gate from our house) but has the cheapest cleaning supplies
• Home Depot has great sales on appliances and rugs and is slightly closer than Target
• The BX/PX/Commissary Mall offers the most convenient shopping (being on the joint base) but is pretty expensive. It is just inside Boniface Gate (the main gate to JBER - Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson)

We are adjusting well to life here and have been learning a lot. I was instructed to memorize the AMH (Aurora Military Housing) rental housing manual because we will get fined hundreds or thousands of dollars for any damage they perceive we inflicted on the house. Trivia: Grass may not exceed 3" in height, nor may it be trimmed below 2" on base. Because of the steep penalties, we are going to meticulously comb through the house today and copiously record all discrepancies (anything wrong with the house or perceptibly flawed in any way, shape or form) on our 15 Day Discrepancy Form. Our motivation is decently strong, as one acquaintance was fined $4000 for carpet replacement due to a single discrepancy and another was fined $900 for not having her windows properly cleaned.

And for all our hard work, tonight we will be rewarded by the midnight showing of the next installment of the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn Part 1. Needless to say, I am pretty excited, though not enough of a fanatic to be wearing the franchise attire to the theatre as many Twilight crazies will be.

To everyone out there with whom I used to live, eat, work, hang and go to church, I ardently miss you.

Micro-Malnutrition and Job Applications

Happy Veterans, Day! And welcome to the last binary day of the century! For those of you who don't really care, today's date translates to 63 in binary. Congratulations, you have officially learned nothing important.

I have learned that cup ramen, easy mac (even if it's Velveeta), and tea is not all that nutritious.

I think I may have applied to a dozen jobs yesterday. It could have been a baker's dozen, but who's counting. For only 1 am I truly qualified, for about 3 I am underqualified but intrigued by the opportunities, and for the remainder I'm overqualified but hoping that will work in my favor and result in at least A job offer. I have ceased to be selective about what I'm looking for and have become reconciled to the truth that with the current economy, I have no real right to be particularly selective.

In the event anyone may be looking for hard-working and highly adaptable employees, though, this is my work environment wishlist:

• A non-profit organization seeking to improve the quality of life for locals, preferrably those of Native Alaskan descent
• The intimacy of a small-business with a large corporation's sensibility about professionalism
• A combination of focused desk work, internal cooperation and presentation, and external outreach and interaction
• Clear cut expectations with room for creativity and personal application
• Opportunity to improve job skills through continual learning
• Honest assessment of employees to 1) prevent stagnancy and inappropriate tenure of uncommitted individuals and 2) allow for internal mobility, whether horizontal or vertical

...although I'm open to flipping burgers,
waiting tables,
teaching at a pre-school,
shelving books at the library
...or feeding the local moosen.

Suffering A Little While

Today is a very I Peter 5:10 kind of a day. The verse, for those who are unfamiliar, is, "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."

So I'm in the "suffering a little while" phase of that verse right now, which means I have an awesome promise to look forward to: in the short term, steadfastness; in the long term, glorifying God. But this is why I'm a little flustered.

1. We need to register our car within 30 days of its purchase, which puts us at Nov. 16th, next Wednesday. In order to do that, we need an emissions test on the car. The car won't arrive until December 5th. For those who are unfamiliar, December 5th is after November 16th.  
2. Because we'll be here long term, we have to get our licenses within 30 days of arrival, which puts us at December 8th, but we have no idea when our stuff will get here. I realized that I put our safe and all it's contents (Social Security cards, passports, marriage license) in the shipping container and that was VERY STUPID of me to do, because those are all the things that prove who I am for DMV related activities. Apparently, "I promise I'm telling the truth" doesn't cut it. 

Really,  I'm just mentally suffering in a minor panic that things won't work out and we'll get fined/in trouble with the DMV regarding our car/licenses.

But I do know that I should rejoice in my sufferings because I know that "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (Romans 5: 3-5) And that Holy Spirit which he caused to live in us envies intensely, yet in spite of all our screw-ups and flirtations with the world and being caught up in it, James 4:6 still holds that ever beautiful promise: "But he gives us more grace." I love that verse because it inherently implies that we are doing things which make the grace even more undeserved, and yet it flows freely nonetheless from our generous and merciful God. Because it is so readily available to us, we just need to turn our backs on temptations, flirtations with the world, and the deceptions of the devil and sprint unhindered towards God so he will lift us up.

Personal application: STOP FREAKING OUT. Trust God, know that everything will be fine in the end. It's like that Jason Mraz song Details in the Fabric
Everything will be fine.

On a SUPER positive note, Nate and I will be moving into our new home on Monday, November 14th! Our new mailing address 4120 Bullard Avenue Unit A, JBER-E, AK 99506. Because our stuff's arrival date is unknown, we will be provided with free loaner furniture for 90 days. Thanks, Aurora Military Housing!

First Impressions

Many factors have pulled together to make this a superb 1st day in Anchorage, AK.

1. I didn't get constipated while travelling over the past 2 days driving 6 hours from Indiana to St. Louis to have our car shipped, then flyin from St. Louis through Minneapolis for 6 hours of layover and onto Anchorage after a 6 hour flight. Constipation renders travel so unpleasant and that was simply not my experience this time.
2. The city is blanketed in white from the two feet of early snowfall last weekend. The sky is clear and brilliant and the mountains seem close enough to reach out and touch. With such views, the 3 degree Fahrenheit weather we arrived to could not diminish the astonishing beauty which greeted us.
3. Jet lag allowed us to finish our nearly 18-hour travel day Tuesday exhausted, so we went to sleep at 10:30 pm local time and awakened at 7 am perfectly rested. Such a blessing.
4. I've been sitting in polka dotted fleecy pajamas all morning listening to Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain" on repeat while drinking Lyon's Gold blend. How could I not have a great day with that powerhouse combination of relaxation?

Summarily, I am incredibly grateful to God for the smooth transition thus far. Nathan has gone off to visit his work place with his sponsor whom we met last night. He will be visiting Housing to find out more about what houses are available and should be able to inform me later of when we'll be moving in to our new home.

My only sustenance at the base hotel room is a box of crazy expensive cereal ($5) and a half gallon of milk ($4) from the Shoppette and some airport candy. Because our car will not arrive until December 5th I am grounded. This particular military installment is expansive so walking anywhere is completely impossible. Gas is $3.91 so I imagine taxis are rather pricey as well. Subsequently, I am luxuriating in laziness with my reading material and the Disney Princess coloring book I picked up at Walmart.

Actually, I'm super bored already. Knowing I can't go anywhere has led to premature onset of cabin fever. God help me.