1. Do you like your birth name? Why? Sure, it's fine lol..being named after nature is cool :P
2. If you could change your name to anything else, what would it be? Morgan..I've loved it ever since I was a kid
3. What names would you consider giving your children? I don't want kids, but if I did, maybe Morgan or Freya or something like that
4) If you had a band, what would you name it, and why? Glacier Kitty, because that's the best nickname I've thought of for myself..too perfect!
5) Is there a name that you completely hate? Why? Bertha..it just doesn't sound nice to me. I also had a bully named "Kenneth/Kenny," so I'm not fond of that one either

I don't usually talk about politics, but.."Red, White and Blueland"?? Are you kidding me?! I can't believe that is an ACTUAL bill and not a joke..pretty much the most ridiculous bill ever. Ugh! Glad to see his priority is renaming everything :/ (and the Oval Office curtains are still hideous D:)

Mom is going to Mexico with Cindy and Gina tomorrow! They're going to do food stuff, like cooking and touring some factory, I think. Hopefully they'll have nice weather and good food! (I hope there are no plane crashes too..that's freaking me out this year O_o)

( feb 2-7 )

Yesterday was grandma's funeral. The night before, we found a bunch of pictures and taped them to a couple poster boards to display by her casket, which looked great! The girls all wore blue and one or two of grandma's necklaces (and in my case, one of her curtains haha!). We gathered 30 minutes before the funeral to look at grandma one last time and to say our goodbyes. The chapel it was held in was GORGEOUS, the stained glass was so pretty! It took me a few minutes to be able to go up and look at grandma laying there, and could only look for a couple seconds at once. That's only the second time I've ever seen a (human) dead body. *shivers* A few of grandma and Julie's friends came, a couple who I met a couple years ago when grandma lived in the other nursing home (we had lunch together). The reverend's service was nice..mom and I wrote him a little something in honor of grandma so we wouldn't have to go up and speak haha. Gina went up to speak (she arrived the day before, and is staying at the same hotel we are), and said things like "Jordan, grandma will be with you when you find another job. Joelle and Jessalyn, she'll be there at your wedding. Heather, she'll be there when you're choosing what book you want to read, and when you pick out new curtains!" OMG haha! Nicee. :P After the service, the funeral professionals (undertakers??) closed the casket and we walked behind them while they led the casket through the mausoleum to her last resting spot. I'd never been in a mausoleum before (that I know of), and always pictured them as dark, but it was the complete opposite! It was pretty nice. Grandma's spot is outside and overlooks the trees. They had to use a lift since the spot was at the top. I hope her spirit is happy there!
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Tomorrow, I fly back to Fairbanks. I'm always sad to leave family, but we'll make sure to still have reunions! It'll be great seeing Abby again, and going back to work lol. Hopefully the roads aren't still messed up from the storm. I'll post the rest of the pictures when I get back home, but here's the video of the "Do You Hear the People Sing?" karaoke!

Super fun! I love Julie's "microphone" haha

24. How Do You Celebrate Your Birthday? I go out to eat with my family and eat cake!

25. When Have You Failed? What Did You Learn From It? Many times..math tests in school for one. I had to study hard so I could barely pass LOL

26. What Activities Make You Feel Most Alive? Being in front of glaciers, being able to let loose like last night, etc

On Sunday, I was really short of breath, even just from walking across the room. I tried taking a shower..BIG mistake. I could hardly breathe at all, and the edges of my vision were kind of going black. I somehow got dressed again and then went back downstairs to mom, where I was completely freaking out (which didn't help breathing either lol) and mom rushed me to the ER. They were pretty quick seeing me this time..when they put that oxygen clip thing on my finger, it was 91! They did a breathing treatment, which brought my oxygen up a little, but it didn't do much else. They tested me again for covid and flu (still negative) and did another chest x-ray, which definitely looked worse. The doctor talked to another doctor and asked if I needed to be admitted, but since I'm otherwise healthy, my oxygen stayed kind of steady (though still kind of low), and my lab work looked good, they gave me an inhaler and an oxygen monitor I could take home..they said if my oxygen got to around 88, I should go back to the ER. That was pretty terrifying though, I thought I was dying! I was definitely reading the appropriate book though:

Les Miserables! Probably the longest book I've ever read. It didn't NEED to be that long, but I think Victor Hugo challenged himself to write the longest book possible, with whole chapters not even related to the plot. It'll definitely be an accomplishment when I finish it!

Since then, I've felt a little better each day (I took my last antibiotic today). I've been way too tired to write here! My breathing is a lot better today..I can probably take a shower now without feeling like I'm dying haha. It's hard to stay positive when you've been sick for so long and not able to do much..I'm hoping by next week I can go back to work again, even for a couple hours. Pneumonia is definitely one of the worst sicknesses I've had..it's exhausting and I never want it again!! Abby's been a good nurse!

So cuddly!

Awwww <3

Aunt Gina had to put her cat to sleep this week. :( She video called mom and Julie and Cindy, and I had to come over when I heard sobbing. I think her cat got a blood clot in his leg, which collapsed and he was meowing in pain. She took him to the vet and they said he was too old to have his leg removed, so all they could do was put him to sleep. It was HARD watching that, but everyone was there for her (Joelle came on too). It was so sad seeing her hold her cat in his last moments, omg. :( Losing a pet is always hard, especially when it's sudden like that. I'm glad everyone was able to be there for her, it would have been awful to do something like that alone :(

( may 25-30 )

The night before last, I tried one of those paranormal apps for myself..I was like "does this REALLY work?" and it came back with "reject!" Ok I'm sorry!! Haha. I asked if Cherry was there and a male British voice answered me, though I couldn't understand what he said. It was when a voice said "hurt you" and "die" that I was like "NOPE," and deleted the app haha. Still kind of interesting though..

Yesterday Gina said we should do something fun, and Ryan was like "let's go to a cemetery!" Ok then LOL. Ryan found one with a statue of a little girl that an anonymous person (or people) that has been dressing the statue for the seasons..they've been doing it for decades! This time she had on a hat and there was a basket of Easter eggs next to her grave. Gina opened her paranormal app, and when I said it was really sad some of the people died so young, it came back with "free!" Well, I suppose that's true lol. When we were next to the statue, a young voice was "talking" the whole time we were there, though we couldn't understand what she was trying to say. When we were about to walk under an oak tree, it said "nuts!" Wow. O_o I liked all the sycamore trees around the cemetery lol

After that, we went to Barnes and Noble, ate dinner, and went to visit grandma..she was in a terrible mood, and really upset because she was getting another med instead of Amitriptyline, and was worried she wouldn't be able to sleep. We also think it was because she had been off her depression meds for a few days. She just wanted to go home too. Poor grandma, she looked so miserable. :( We stayed until visiting hours were over, got some cookies from Crumbl, then went home. Tiring day!

Today Joelle wanted to take us to a cliff with a creek 20 minutes away..Gina said she was going to check on grandma, then come to the cliff with us. We kept waiting and waiting, but the "quick trip" was full of drama..they wanted to release grandma to go back home (she's able to stand now), but the place she lives it won't let her go back without a physical or something, so she has to stay at the rehab place for the weekend. Gina said to go without her..I had been sitting lazily for too long haha, and didn't really want to go, so Ryan, mom and Joelle went to the cliff and Julie and I went to visit grandma. She was definitely in a better mood today! We then went to Red Robin for dinner (mom and the others met us there too). I had the Southern Charm burger..brown-sugar-glazed patty, hardwood-smoked bacon, Whiskey River BBQ Sauce, cheddar, caramelized onion, and mayo. OMG SO GOOOOD. *drools* We then went back to say goodbye to grandma, since we're leaving tomorrow (mom was going to stay, but she woke up feeling like she was getting sick, so she's coming back with me and Ryan..we don't want grandma to get sick again!!). I said I'd see her next time, at her nice apartment. I think having family around her definitely helped her recovery. We're all amazed at how her unhealthy body keeps fighting! Mom and Joelle showed me cool rocks and shells from the cliff..I'll have to go there next time!

Ryan and I have middle seats on the flight to Seattle tomorrow, ugh. At least I can do it on Prozac. I remember the last time I was here Julie's squeaky kitchen chairs drove me CRAZY, this time I barely noticed it! It's definitely an amazing med!

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16. What Do You Want More From a Career: Happiness or Wealth? Happiness!

17. Have You Ever Had to Make a Sacrifice to Help Someone You Care About? Sure..I actually helped grandma when she had her garage sale on my 18th birthday haha

Merry Christmas!! Ryan made everyone a fancy breakfast and then we opened presents! Here are pics!


Mom made this bowl out of pine needles!! Too bad I didn't get the crafty gene mom and grandma have :P


Mom and Abby, who of course had to join us lol

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We got tired of pics by the end, but I also got a sweater thing from grandma, a digital picture frame you can sync with others and share pics from Aunt Gina, treats from Aunt Cindy (coffee cake, scones, etc), lip balm, and $200 from dad yesterday, and immediately went to spend it at Barnes and Noble haha. There's going to be turkey for dinner, and we might play a board game after that..nice! Hope your holidays have been good too!

23 – Roots Day: How much do you know about your own family history? Do you know the names of your great grandparents? Have any of your ancestors been a part of any significant historical events? I did a family tree a few years ago and discovered I'm directly descended from a bunch of people on the Mayflower (William Brewster, Stephen Hopkins, etc)! I also got something from grandpa that showed info about relatives fighting in the Revolutionary (I think?) War and getting scalped by Native Americans. D: On mom's side (grandpa), their names were Earl Hopkins (he died before I was born) and Elsie Hopkins (I do remember her, she would send me typewritten letters and I visited her in Maine!). I don't remember anyone else's names though..

24 – Christmas Eve: Christmas Eve is filled with both religious and nonreligious traditions and a variety of foods. What are some of your holiday traditions? How did they begin? Opening presents, having good food, maybe playing a video and board game..they just did over the years lol

25 – Pumpkin Pie Day: Pumpkin pie, yes or no? Sure, with whipped cream!

1. What is the brightest article of clothing in your wardrobe? A pink shirt maybe..
2. When did you last attend a live musical performance? The last concert I saw was HammerFall in 2010, but I've heard random people play live music in public since then..
3. When were you last in a bar, and what did you consume? *shrugs* I don't really go to bars..
4. When did you last bleed from a bodily injury? Recently
5. Who’s waiting far away for you to come and visit? Grandpa in Florida..I think mom and I are still going to try to visit him in May..

A couple days ago we played Cards Against Humanity with grandma, which was..VERY interesting LOL, but fun too! She was very happy when she won :P

Aunt Gina is driving up from Wichita tonight (a couple hours' drive)! Since she wasn't able to be here for grandma's birthday, we're going to order cupcakes tomorrow and eat them with grandma. Julie's house is going to be full this weekend haha

( april 25-28 )

On Wednesday, I woke up to a clear blue day! My Weather Wizardry strikes again. :P I saw Denali in the distance (when you fly direct to Seattle, you skirt around the Alaska Range) and the mountains just looked so nice. <3 I did see some pretty cool glaciers too! On the flights I watched Underwater and Mary Queen of Scots (I was four-poster bed hunting LOL). It was 11 something I think when I landed at Kansas City, and mom and Aunt Cindy picked us up..it usually only takes like an hour to get to Topeka, but it took longer because it was pretty foggy. Even though it was like 1 AM when I got to the house, I took a shower anyway, because flying is gross :P

Thursday I saw Julie and Dean, and their pets..Julie has two cats (Yoda and Beano) and two dogs (Teddy and Lucy). Cindy and Dean have a dog named Blanca (I met her before though). Lots of animals to pet!! Haha. Yoda is a beautiful tuxedo cat..it took her a few moments to warm up to me, which surprised Julie because it usually takes her longer (for mom it took like a day or two). Beano was much more skittish, so I was very surprised when later that night he jumped up onto the couch and demanded me to pet her haha, and was kneading a blanket next to me. Cats know I love them LOL. I visited grandma at the assisted care facility she lives at, which is a really nice place! Her room is spacious (she has a little four-poster bed, though without the top part..I joked that we should get her tiny curtains LOL) and the people who work there are really nice. Grandma said she's very happy being in the US again lol, and was happy to see me too. I think this was the day we went to Olive Garden, yummm

Yesterday we visited grandma again, but didn't do much else that was exciting. It was pretty windy though. Today we went downtown and went to a bookstore and a couple thrift shops (I got a cool lamp with ships on the lampshade!). Mom and I found a geocache, and almost got blown away by the wind!! It literally pushed you around if you weren't standing firmly! We went to Chipotle for lunch, then got supplies and food and stuff for grandma's party (her birthday is tomorrow, but Julie has to go to Colorado tomorrow, so we did the party today) and decorated a room at the care home. Aunt Gina drove up from Wichita, and then it was time to party! We had sandwiches, cupcakes, mimosas, and a LOT of laughter haha. There was also a thunderstorm that came by! It was fun, but tiring. It was great seeing grandma having so much fun though :D

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20. What do a lot of people have very strong opinions about, even though they know very little about it? Politics?

21. Who in your life is the worst at using technology? Dad, grandma, etc

22. What was the biggest realization you had about yourself? Learning I was asexual, for one

23. What memory of yours feels real but is most likely false? I've wondered if my memory of me swinging and one of my parents telling me to comb my hair and me saying "no!" was actually a dream..

Dec. 31: Mom and I boarded the plane to Anchorage at 5 something..even though the flight was less than an hour, I still felt gross. We had a few hours to kill in Anchorage, so we hung out at the lounge upstairs (mom and Dana both have slept there lol) and had dinner. Even though it was dark when we landed, I could see there was no snow on the ground. A couple hours later we looked out the window and it was snowing like crazy haha..wow. Eventually we boarded the plane to Seattle at 9 or 10 something..I tried sleeping for like an hour, but it's just too hard and uncomfortable, so I gave up and watched Into the Storm instead. The flight attendants didn't do anything special for the New Year, but I'm sure they didn't want to bother the other people who were trying to rest

Jan. 1: We got to Seattle at 3 something in the morning..ewww. There were people everywhere just sacked out on the floor and chairs and stuff..unless I was in a secluded quiet place, I don't think I could do that. We had another long layover there, but we just had to hang out until everything opened (I felt SO bad for the poor people that had to be there at 4:30 D:). At the place we had breakfast (I felt like I was constantly eating haha) they played modern songs like "Umbrella" and "Can't Feel My Face"..and then they played "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" by Celine Dion?!? Oh my goodness, that was one of my favorite songs of hers when I was a kid! I don't know if I've ever heard that song in public (if so, it was in the 90s LOL), but it made me really happy and nostalgic! We left for Denver at maybe 6 or 7 something..I had a whole row to myself, so I could actually lay down and sleep somewhat better! I tried watching the rest of Into the Storm, but I couldn't find it! Maybe that flight didn't have it?? Weird. We finally got into Denver a couple hours later, but we still had to drive the 40 or so miles to where we're staying, Loveland. We were so tired lol. Even though we traveled the farthest, we were still the first ones at the house we're staying at. We needed a nap anyway lol. Eventually Aunt Cindy, Uncle Dean, Aunt Gina, Aunt Julie, her husband Kerry (I'd never met him before!) and her kids Joelle and Jessalyn showed up (Jordan actually has a house in a nearby town, so he's not staying with us). It was so nice to see everybody again! We stayed up late talking and then went to bed, which was awesome LOL

Jan. 2: Happy birthday, Apsley Cherry-Garrard!! <3 The bridal party were doing a bunch of fun things, so the rest of us hung out and were lazy haha. We had told everyone about geocaching, so eventually mom and I went to find some caches with Gina. She'd never done it before, and she LOVED it haha. We found five, yay! After that we went to a used bookstore, where of course I found too many books, and Gina payed for all of them as a Christmas present! Aww, how nice lol. After that we went back to the house, and hung out more and ordered Thai food..yumm. Julie and the others eventually came home..they were talking about the prayer things they were going to say, and someone suggested that she should rap them..and she DID, with Joelle tapping out a beat on the table. It was AWESOME and SO funny. I love that even though she's pretty religious, she has a great sense of humor about it as well (that's something I liked about Paulette too). We also watched this hilarious video of this Irish kid trying to convince her mom to let her go to the pub ("but I'm SIX!!!" *holds fingers up*) And then it was time for bed..yay :P

Today, Jan. 3: Wedding day! We Facetimed grandma for a little bit..I bet she was sad she couldn't come. :( When mom and I saw how nicely dressed and gorgeous everyone else looked, we just looked at each other and cringed. We weren't casual or anything, just..Plain Old Alaskans LOL. The wedding was at a church (Julie and her kids are Catholic)..I finally got to see Jordan, yay! I'm glad he remembered me. :P His bride Sara was absolutely gorgeous. They did Mass (I think that's what it was) as part of the wedding, which was a little tedious, but interesting (I didn't know they bowed as much as they did!). Julie's ex-husband and Jordan's birth father was there, which must have been really awkward..he's not really a nice person, and showed up to rehearsals yesterday drunk..eesh. Jordan and Sara looked completely shocked when they were pronounced man and wife haha. The other people stood around in the church and talked, but me and the others had to drive the 30 minutes back to Loveland (the wedding was in Longmont) to go to the venue and set up everything. We had like an hour and a half, which was just enough time, phew. By this time me and the others were starving haha. I finally got to meet Sara..I couldn't have said something normal like "hi, I'm Heather, nice to meet you!"..noo, I said "I've been waiting to meet you for hours!" *cringe* She was nice though, and Jordan thanked us for coming so far from home. We had food and cake and then it was time for dancing. Mom and I were just like "mehh" haha (especially since mom wasn't feeling well), but I had to go up when the Macarena came on! (The glass of champagne I had helped too LOL.) I had to teach Gina how to do it haha. I didn't know the moves to the other songs though, and I feel like I'd look stupid compared to everyone else, so I didn't go back, even though it looked kinda fun. After an hour or two of that mom and I were bored and tired of the loud craziness, so we left..yeah, we're lame LOL. I'd much rather be sitting here in my PJs (sorry Jordan :P). It's nice to relax after a long day. :) I took a couple pics, but my phone's battery is lame and died early, so maybe the others can send me theirs, so I'll wait to post them

Tomorrow we're going to Denver to see an exhibition of Monet's art..Cindy is very into art, otherwise I wouldn't really care lol. Maybe we'll go out to eat at a nice restaurant too ;)

( a shiny new 366 day meme, yay! )

Tomorrow mom and Ryan and I are flying to Arizona for our vacation! (The flight leaves at 7 something AM, so we have to get up early..ughhh. D:) While we're there we'll also go to Santa Fe to visit Aunt Cindy and Uncle Dean..Aunt Julie and Gina are going to meet us there too! I saw Cindy and Dean a couple years ago, but I haven't seen the other two (and Julie's children) in years! It'll be cool to see them again. I'll also see Dana again, since we'll be there at the same time! I so love that we can see each other in person more often than once every few years lol (how did dad manage to buy a house in the same town her husband's parents live in?! We'll never get over that lol). One of my favorite things about going to Payson is looking at old pics I haven't seen in years (it's weird though..my life is so completely different now that it feels like my Texas life happened to another person, in another lifetime haha). Dad said there's lots to look through, yay! We have Internet at the house now (we can turn it off when we leave and pay like $10 a month, so that's nice). Looking forward to nice weather and more sunlight too lol. It shall be fun :D

Today's trivia: Yakutsk, Russia, is the biggest city built on continuous permafrost. Its population is almost 300,000 and its average winter temperature is (−30 °F), which makes Yakutsk the coldest city of its size or greater in the world

Today I turned 25..wow, I'm old haha. Crazy how fast time goes by. I got an Amazon gift card from Dana, $50 from grandpa, Barnes and Noble gift cards from Aunt Gina and Nina, geocaching stuff from mom, a call from Aunt Julie and lots of love haha. The weather seems to be nice so far..maybe we'll go caching again. Mom said she was 25 when she met dad..that's weird to think about haha

Mom and I signed up for summer BOW (Becoming an Outdoor Woman) in August. We haven't been in like 3 years (and only once at the summer one) so it was time to go again haha. I'm taking Wild Edibles, Survival, Track & Sign and Birding in Alaska. One of our geocaching friends is going too..should be fun!

( DAY 4: Favorite pizza place )