ME ME ME...

What's new with me?

~ Well first and most important, I will be in Illinois in less than 45 DAYS! I am Super Excited  :)

~ I have been having bad headaches for awhile now. Not really migraines, just bad headaches, I cant wait until they stop. 

~ I am working on my resume and references. - Never have liked working on resumes and I don't like to ask people if they will be a reference for me.

~ I am job searching in Charleston/Mattoon/Newton/Olney area for 2009-2010 school year.  If I don't find a full time job I think substituting will be pretty cool.  

~ I gave also thought about babysitting 2nd and 3rd shift, I know parents are always looking for babysitters during odd hours of the day.

~ We only have around 30 days of school left. I can not believe the school year is almost over.

~ Kierstyn will be 13 years old tomorrow.  That is just crazy to me. I can not believe she is that grown up.

~ Speaking of Kierstyn, I miss her and Aaron so much!  I can not believe I have went so long without seeing them.  I have a feeling when I am living in Newton they will be at my house all the time...  Which is perfectly fine with me  :)

~ Well, it is after midnight here, so I better get off here and head to bed.

Can't wait to see everyone when I get home.

Have a great weekend in Illinois and enjoy the nice weather.

lots of love from Ashley Marie  :)

Change in Plans!!!

Hey everyone,

Just wanted you to hear it from me, and not the cool kids on the playground...

I am moving back to ILLINOIS for good.  I will not be returning to Alaska next school year!  I have decided I want to put family and friends first.  I am also making this decision without having a full time job in IL, but I am job searching.  

So watch out, I am coming back to STAY!!!

I have enjoyed my almost year in Alaska... but I feel it is right for me to return home.

Lots of love from Ashley Marie

My life in short...

I thought I would give the run down of my life... Just so everyone in blog world can keep up with me.

- I am so excited to be coming back to Illinois for the summer.  53 DAYS and I will be in Illinois.

- My niece is going to be turing 13 on the 18th of April. I am really having a hard time with the fact I will have a niece who is a teenager...  It is really hitting me.  The fact she emails me and is so grown up also really gets to me.  I love you with all my heart Kierstyn.  :)

- I am so excited to be living in Newton this summer.  I dont know why, but for once everything is going great for me!  Thanks to my family and friends!  I will have a place to live, a job, a car, and be with my family and friends!

- I am missing another wedding in IL this weekend... by the end of the school year that will make at least 4.

- I am also going to miss a couple people having babies...  But that is ok, I will see the babies when I get home!  I will be home with Mandy Sharp has her baby, even if he is nameless!!  LOL

- I miss the animals in my life almost as much as I miss my family and friends.  I can not wait to see my dog King.. ok, ok well he is my mom's dog, but I claim him!  I just hope it works out to bring him up to Alaska next year.  He will LOVE it!

- I am so excited to be coming back to Illinois for the summer.  53 DAYS and I will be in Illinois.

- I am still procrastinating on planning for my summer Personal Achievement class I am teaching.  I really need to get motivated for that.

-  I only have one more major assignment for my ECE college class, then I am done with college classes for awhile.

- I am getting my bills paid and it feels GREAT!

- I am so excited we are getting a fresh fruit, meat and vegetable order from Fred Meyer on the plane Saturday.  We had the order and hoped to get it last Saturday, but the store was to busy to get the order to us.  So it will be here Saturday.  YEY, apples, oranges, carrots, bananas, peppers, chicken, and hamburger... super excited!  

- The weather has been above ZERO for several days in a row now!  It is great.  OK, so the windchill has still been in the negatives, but it is nice to say the weather is above zero.  There has been a lot of sun too.

- Along with seeing my family and friends I am looking forward to camping, 4-wheeler riding, swimming, baseball games, and going shopping in stores instead of on line.

- There is a job opening at the store here in town... Debating on applying.. for the next 50 days... $16 an hour.. that would really add up!  But its just a thought.  Probably wont happen.

- I am so excited to be coming back to Illinois for the summer.  53 DAYS and I will be in Illinois.

- Kitta, Kerri's puppy is getting really big.  She is so smart too.  She already knows how to sit and lay down. 

- My hair is getting longer, and I really like it.

- We still have several feet of snow on the ground. It is amazing!

- The pool is back open, so I will be swimming and life guarding again soon.  Excited!  :)

- I have had a headache for about 3 days now.  Not sure why.  Hope it goes away soon!! 

- I am super addicted to Facebook. I have had it for like 6 years now, but I am just  now really addicted...  

- I am so excited to be coming back to Illinois for the summer.  53 DAYS and I will be in Illinois.

Thats about all I can think of now.  Hope all is going well in IL.  

Lots of Love from Alaska  :)

ITS OFFICIAL!!!

I booked my flight tickets home!  I am so excited.  I will actually be in Chicago the evening of the 31 of MAY!!!

I can not wait!  I will get more info to everyone as soon as I know it.  But look for me to be in your neighborhood around the beginning of JUNE!!!!

SO EXCITED!!

lots of love from Alaska!! :)

Happy Birthday Mom

I wanted to take this chance to wish my mom the best birthday she could ever want.  She does so much for our family and sometimes I know it goes unnoticed... 

So I want to say mom you are the best and I thank you for all you do for me.  I really dont think I would be in Alaska and living my dream if it was not for you!  You give me the support I need and you know when I need an encouraging word here and there.  So thank you for that.  I know it is hard to be apart, but it it totally worth it, and it will make the time I am home even better.

I can not wait to see you in like 62 DAYS!!!

I miss you so much, and love you so much.

Have a great day, wish I was there to celebrate with you.  But we will make up for it in JUNE.

Love you best daughter... haha just had to add that  :)

SUPER DUPER EXCITED

Well as most of you know, ok, all of you know… I am very very excited to be coming HOME, to Illinois in June. I do love it up here, and I love my job, but I miss my family and friends more than I can express.  They can never be replaced by the beauty of Alaska and the life I have up here.  So I am looking forward to being home this summer so much.

I found out earlier today I should be able to purchase my plane tickets HOME this week.  I am so excited.  I know my sister Amber is planning to take the day off work when I arrive home, which will be AWESOME!!!  So, as soon as I know my date of arrive I will let everyone know.  I am sure I will spend one night in Mattoon, so I can see my family an

d friends there before I head south to Jasper/Richland county to see family and friends there. Since I start my job soon after arriving home, I will only a few days to make my rounds to see everyone and get settled in my summerhouse.  I know Lisa and Sarah will have everything ready for me… which is awesome, I will have little to do!

Now, traveling home is such an experience...

1^st a bush plan out of the village to Fairbanks...  A bush plane for those of you who have not heard me describe it is like the Ron White joke…  The pilot uses the microphone system to say they lost and engine when really he could just turn around and say, hey we lost and engine… RIGHT heard ya…. 

A bush plane holds 8 passengers, a pilot and a co-pilot. But I have never been on a plane when there has been a co-pilot, sometimes a passenger will sit in the seat or it will be empty.  Most of the plane holds cargo, like mail, stuff for the store and passengers luggage.  I usually try to take some motion sickness pills and get a good nap in during this flight.

Then probably a night or two stay in Fairbanks, which is nice, I can go shopping,(for Alaskan souvenirs) go out to eat, and enjoy what Alaska has to offer out of the village!  Then from Fairbanks, I get on a big plane... yes, that is what we call them.... we even call 19 hundreds big planes, (a 19 hundred is a 19 passenger plane) but I will get on a big plane in Fairbanks, which will take me to either Anchorage or Seattle...

From there, I get the long, long flight to Chicago... This flight is so long, I am not really all that found of flying anyway, but when I have to be on a plane for 6 hours, it makes it even worse....  BUT TOTALLY WORTH IT!  OK, so after I arrive in Chicago, I will probably take the amtrak from Chicago to Mattoon.  I really like to travel on the train, it is very relaxing.  As most of you know I took the train from Chicago to Seattle back in August, it was a very interesting 49 hour trip. I plan to make that trip again sometime too.

After I arrive in Mattoon hopefully Amber or Jason will be able to pick me up at the train station!!!  I know it is still 63 days away, but I am just so excited to get HOME!!!  I will keep my blog updated on my trip home.. and yes, I will still blog about Alaska... I am just so excited to get home it is kind of the only think I have been thinking about lately...

Hope everyone has a great week.

lots of LOVE from Alaska..

The Search is over! Thanks to Sarah!!

YEY, I found a place to live, its official.  Thank you so much Sarah! you are a life saver!  

I will be living in a house in Newton.  This is the first time in my life I can say I will actually be living in Newton.  Kind of cool.  

I know Kierstyn and Aaron are very very excited.  I am excited to. I can walk to their house and go swimming anytime I want!!!  YEY!!  Watch out Lisa and Scott, I am sure I will be over LOTS! But when I am not over at Lisa's, I am sure the kids will be at my house!

I am so excited I will be a Newton resident, even if is only for 2 months.  It will be a GREAT summer.  

SO what out Newton, here comes another GROVES!!

Lots of Love from Alaska!  :)

Photos as promised!!!

Well you no longer have to wait!!!  Here are some pictures of the Puppy.  

Her name is Kiita, which in English is means hurry up... I think.  LOL

She is Kerri's puppy, but I had her all spring break, she is so cute!!!

Coming back inside from her first or second trip to the post office.  She was not too sure of the outside, but she loves the snow now!
We didnt lease her, she just follows us or Zoey.
She was being good and chewing on Zoey's toy.
This was taken the first day Kerri brought her home.  She has grown so much already.  Zoey was not too sure of her, but they get along great now!!!  Well they have their moments...
She was so little, she is getting much bigger now.

hope you enjoy the puppy pictures!!

lots of love from Alaska  :)

SPRING BREAK

My spring break is fastly coming to a close...  :(  Is fastly a word?  I don't really know if it is or now, but I used it anyway.

I have had fun, pretty much doing nothing.  Which is what I had planned for my break.  Now I have to get back in a regular sleep schedule.  I am almost upside down with my sleeping now.  

I am going to do a run down of the things I have done over break, and what I still have left to do.

*DONE*

~ Cleaned and rearranged my living room

~ Cleaned my kitchen

~ Organized my storage table thingy...  (the table in my living room opens like a hope chest and I keep my dvd's pictures, bills, junk in there) Anyway, I cleaned and organized it

~ Wash laundry, and put it all away

~ Tried on clothes for this summer, and got a summer tote started

~ Took out trash

~ Picked up way toooo much puppy poop and pee.... GRRR

~ Cleaned Kerri's kitchen

~ Did some of my ECE homework

~ Found the materials I need to finish my UAA homework

~ Updated my blog, LOL, ok, just had to add that one

*STILL TO DO

~ Clean the rest of my apartment

~ Clean up puppy mess in Kerri's apartment

~ Do school work and paperwork

~ Finish ECE and UAA homework

~ Make some phone calls!!

~ ENJOY WHAT IS LEFT OF MY BREAK! 

Well I hope that the rest of my break goes as well as this week has.  I have not been to school all week, which is so nice!!!  Just to take a break from that place is nice, even if I didn't get out of the village.

I am not sure if I will get out of the village before the end of May or not.  I was supposed to go to the doctor, but it is just so expensive and its only 73 DAYS until I arrive in Illinois, so I think I can wait to go to the doctor when I get out to come home.

Well I hope all is well in Illinois.  I plan to post pictures of the puppy soon.  So check back.

Lots of love from Alaska!  :)

-62 degrees

WOW, who can truly say they spent their Spring Break in -62 degrees weather?  

Well, thats another first I can add to my list.  It is very chilly here today, no no, let me change that, its freakin cold here today.

The temperature is around -31 but with the wind it is -62 degrees.  It is just very hard to get motivated to leave my apartment when there is no where I have to be.  I just want to stay inside and keep warm.  I should go to school and do some school work, but with this chilly weather I am just not motivated.  On Sunday it was so chilly and the wind was blowing so hard against my apartment that my apartment could not stay warm. I woke up to 60 degrees in my apartment, which it usually around 75.  But I just cracked up my electric oven and stayed toasty...  My apartment is much warmer now, without having the oven on.

I hope everyone in Illinois is staying nice and warm.  Enjoy your spring like weather, I am going to enjoy my wind chilly advisory and stay warm within my apartment.  Please dont think I am complaining, I still love love love Alaska, but I just wanted to share how COOL my spring break is.

Here is a great website to check the weather in Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska.

http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=99721

I believe it has been as low as -80 with the wind, but I did not check the weather day day... I will keep you posted...

Lots of Love from Alaska  :)   STAYING COOL  :)