About Me
A fiesty redhead, previous office worker, total computer dork, personal trainer, yoga instructor, beginner gardener, and lifelong student. Currently working on a doctorate in Occupational Therapy.
I need music and good times to keep my spirits up, travel to relieve boredom, good friends to keep my company, and my husband to keep my head on straight. Obsessed with wine, cheese, and good food. Check out the highlights below:
August 82011
Creighton University Welcome Week
It all begins here. A week of technical training, orientation to the program, and meeting the faculty and students who I will be spending the next 4 years with. 10 students total get accepted into the program each year, so we will be getting to know each other pretty well!
July 72011
The Family Comes to Alaska
Two weeks of travelling around the Kenai Peninsula taking photographs with my mom and brother! We started in Anchorage and roadtripped to Seward, Cooper Landing, and Homer searching out the perfect lighting, good angles, and elements that help to make the perfect picture.
April 162011
The last visit with Nana
I was lucky enough to make it to Arkansas for one more visit with my Grandma. She was diagnosed with luekemia awhile back, and her health was beginning to fail. My family headed out for a week to say goodbye and spend time with her.May 112003
Cubicles by day, Bars by Night
Living the life of a rock star is tough sometimes when you are stuck in cubicle land all day. Fielding phone calls and resetting passwords can really get some people excited, but I live for happy hour. A great group of friends and live music are probably the two most important aspects of a happy life, and I've got it all. Is is 5:00 yet?
November 192003
A greener pasture...or just some new scenery.
The whole being responsible and having a job thing just isn't feeling right. Starting to think about moving to a new state. I haven't been anywhere. Threw a dart at my map and ended up on Montana. Searched google for the largest towns...Missoula looks good. Maybe I can get a job there and head out!
February 082004
Horsebacking Riding on a Frozen Lake in Alaska!
While February isn't always the best time to visit Alaska, tickets were cheap and the hotel was paid for. I mooched a bed in my fathers hotel room when he was sent to Anchorage for work. Wandering the city by day, we sampled the city's finest eating establishments by night. With the weekend upon us, we drove south to Cooper Landing for a chilly, yet beautiful horseback ride over the frozen Kenai Lake. In my downtime, I managed to meet a boy.
March 312004
Finally Made it to Montana
The job search: not going so well. Resume after resume was sent to the few companies in Missoula that had jobs I could potentially do. An interview or two...but no luck. So I decided to take myself there for my birthday and continue the job search in person. However, that boy I met in Alaska - he came too. We had fun. I didn't find a job, but then again, I didn't look.
July 042004
Back to Alaska
Couldn't stay away. I went back to visit Eric.
September 152004
Hatteras in a Pickup Truck
A sure sign a relationship is getting serious: vacations in Hatteras. Despite a recent hurricane, Eric and I made it to the outerbanks and toured around in my brother's pickup truck.
February 112005
Quit My Job at Sallie Mae in exchange for a Plane Ticket to New Zealand
Sometimes an offer is just too hard to refuse. Eric spent the winter in Antarctica and bought me a ticket to meet him in New Zealand when he was done with his contract in the spring. I happily quit my job and ran off to the land of sheep!
May 192005
Summer in Alaska
When you aren't attached to a pager, you are free to drive as slowly as you like....all the way from Virginia to Alaska. You can wait tables instead of answer phones or play on the computer. Instead of work calling during the middle of the night, you run into grizzly bears on the hunt for food. The first summer in Alaska was amazing, and really hard. DC girl in a town of 300...
August 272005
Antarctica
Stepping off the plane was unreal. I never in my life wanted to be in Antarctica, or even knew it was possible. Here I was, freezing my ass off and having an awesome time doing it. After the first season, I was hooked.April 132006
Returning to the States
It is so strange to come back to the US after spending half a year or more away. We lived without advertisement, cable, cell phone service, and many of the other things we take for granted here in the US. It's very overwhelming to come back!
May 132006
Summer in Moab, Utah
Eric found a little house for rent in Moab. We were just biding our time until the next Antarctic contract began, so the summer was one of unemployment, enjoyment, and WINE! We taught ourselves to cook, hiked the national parks, visited with friends and family, and relaxed. A summer like this is what everyone needs at least once in their lives.
August 212006
Back to Antarctica
The excitement was high as I returned for my second season 'on ice'. This time around, I felt like an old pro. I knew my way around Christchurch, New Zealand...I knew a bunch of people on station in Antarctica. It was sort of like returning home.January 112007
Bad News
Found out a family member was ill while in Antarctica this time around - cancer. I couldn't wait to get back home just to help out with things and see how everyone was doing, but the diagnosis and treatment plan take a long time to formulate, so my family and I decided I should finish out my time in Antarctica and then come home for the summer.
February 092007
New Zealand Proposal
After the plane lands and you are back in 'civilization', the 6 months in Antarctica starts to seem like a distant memory. The sun is shining, people are dressed in things other than carhartts, and it is time for some decompression. Eric and I rented a little cottage in Akaroa, New Zealand to spend a few days together before I flew home. It was here that he proposed to me...after a wonderful day of dolphin watching and some of the BEST wasabi soup I have ever tasted. I still dream about that soup. I wasn't ready or expecting this proposal at all. In fact, my mind was usually on my family back home...so this threw me for a loop. I said 'eventually' instead of yes. I wil never live that one down!
August 292007
Summer at Home
Ahh, summer in Virginia. Nothing is quite as hot and sticky. It was wonderful to spend time with family and my pets though! The beauty of seasonal work is that you have quality time off to spend with your loved ones!
September 112007
"The Ice" Round 3: Lost that Lovin' Feeling
This time around, something was different. I had spent the summer with my family, and with no other job prospects or ideas of what to do, I went back again. The excitement of being in Antarctica was wearing off. I felt like I had mastered my job and now was just having the same conversation with people over and over. Don't get me wrong...it still wasn't a bad experience. Some of my best friends were there with me. Plus, I was there for winfly, and would soon be debt free. However, I started thinking it might be time for a change. Eric and I decided it would be our last season.
March 242008
The Islands
Knowing that we were going to try and move back to Alaska, we wanted to take advantage of our location in the world and head to the Pacific Islands after our contract was up in Antarctica. We planned a trip through Tonga and Samoa, and enjoyed some much needed heat, sushine, and humidity! The people were wonderful, the scenery beautiful, and the kayaking - out of this world!
August 132008
Anchorage Bound with Yoga Teacher Training
Yet another road trip to Alaska - with a puppy. This time, after spending a few months with my family back in VA, I made a pit stop in Rollinsville, Colorado to complete a month-long yoga teacher certification. Shoshoni was the name of the ashram, and it was hands down one of the most difficult things I have ever completed. I lived in a tent, and woke up nightly to the bear breaking into the dumpster. The morning firepit bell would ring around 5 am. Meditation, personal practice, anatomy lessons, theory, and practice took up most of our days. By the end, we were worn down, but we were officially ready to be sent out into the world to teach! I continued the roadtrip with Eric and we ended up at our new home August 15th. Officially Anchorage residents.
December 122007
Financial Aid Nightmares & Personal Training
The yoga teacher training had sparked an interest in the human body as a whole. I decided to go back to school and take some classes that would qualify me to become a personal trainer. Halfway through the yearlong program, my financial aid was revoked - supposedly the school made an error in giving it to me for a non-degree program. First, I was crushed. Then, I figured I would continue studying on my own and take the national certification exam to see where I was. I passed!!
January 112009
Internship & Teaching
A question about how to train people with osteoporosis was what led to me being referred to Bonnie Murphy of bfit and well, a private fitness studio for mature women. Instead of just answering my question, she offered me an internship which eventually led to my employment. This studio was where I taught my first yoga class - January 24th.
March 192009
My First Summer Alone, Doggy Style
Eric got an opportunity to go back to Antarctica - Palmer Station this time. The only station he'd never been to, and the hardest to get a job at. He didn't apply, but someone offered to him and he couldn't turn down the opportunity. We decided to plan a wedding for when he got back, and a honeymoon in South America. In the meantime, it was my first summer in Anchorage, with a young crazy dog. I became a certified dog trainer, and did that along with personal training at the other studio. It was a busy, and somewhat lonely time, as I didn't know many people in Alaska.
August 272009
The Birth of a Studio
Summer is hard for fitness studios. People travel, or think they'll workout in the outdoors. The high cost of training at my place of work was also prohibitive for some people. I started getting offers to train peole out of their homes. After a few clients became regulars, I entertained the idea of going into business for myself. A bit of luck found me with a cheap rent on a small studio and a few clients. I was now a business owner.
October 252009
Getting Hitched
Eric got out of Antarctica in October and flew me down to Santiago, Chile to meet him. We travelled South America for 5 weeks, hitting Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. Bad spanish, huge cuts of meat, long bus trips, and SUPER wine. What an awesome experience it was!
November252009
"I do" & Other Near Disasters
Ah, the wedding. We planned a very losely organized wedding on the beach in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. 4 beach houses were rented, and friends and family came. The outsid wedding didn't happen - it rained at just the moment the ceremony was scheduled for! Other happenings that week were my mother's birthday and Thanksgiving. The extras included a flood and a pelican in the pool. It was a whirlwind week of ups and downs, but we ended up husband and wife! We also extended our stay 4 days after everyone left to just unwind!
April 102010
Business As Usual, and Turning 30
I owned my own business by the age of 30. That was always a dream of mine. Its a simple little business, but it's all mine. Speaking of 30...what a strange age. I never thought things would change just due to a number. I was wrong.
October 132010
Formulating a Plan
Our plan for staying in Alaska for just a year...out the window. We tried to move various different times, but something is keeping us here. My interest in the human body led me to think I'd like to become a physical therapist. Recently, Eric found an Occupational Therapy doctorate program at UAA. So, I'm applying.
December 212010
Christmas with the Family
It is always sooooo good to get back to Virginia and see my family for the holidays. This time around was a lot of fun. We set up our lab in the dining room, goofed around with the animals, and enjoyed each other's company. A Merry Christmas it was.