After a lot of hard work, we are finally done moving everything to the bookstore's new building. It was very disorienting and dizzying walking in yesterday and seeing this:

So empty!! Workers had to use some kind of tool to cut into the shelves, and the smell of the burning wood smelled SO good haha. We're so grateful we've had so many people help us move, it would have been super hard without them! Today we went to the landfill to get rid of stuff, and Vicki was SO happy haha, she took lots of pictures of trash, fridges, etc. It was fun throwing the stuff into the piles and breaking stuff haha

This is what it looked like after moving mostly everything:

Wowww. There's a lot of history and memories in that building..floods, big sales, Christmas parties, etc. Goodbye, faithful building! There is SO much stuff in the new building though, yikes! We had to push the opening day later because there's just too much to do. We started organizing today, which is one of Vicki's strong points..she can look at something and barely hesitate and have a plan ready. I'd just stare at the boxes or whatever for like 20 minutes haha. Everyone's glad we have everything moved over now, phew! I'll miss being able to walk to work, but there's a bus stop very close to the new building, which is nice lol. I was thinking about getting a bike too..guess I'll figure it out when I get back from Santa Fe!

Tomorrow mom and I are going to Santa Fe, yay! After that big move, I'm glad I have a few days to relax before working more at the new building (Vicki said I definitely earned this vacation haha). The birch pollen started a couple days ago (my nose has NOT been happy), so I'm even more glad to go somewhere else lol. Hopefully Drew Lynch will put on a good show! I checked the weather, and it's supposed to be sunny and in the 60s while there..nice!!

( may 12-13 )

On Sunday, I flew to Kansas City..I watched Bohemian Rhapsody on the second flight, and got Queen songs stuck in my head all day haha. Cindy and mom picked me up, and I *think* we hung out at Julie's house before getting our hotel room (there would be WAY too many people at Julie's house if everyone stayed there). I also got informed on this MASSIVE drama going on between Gina, Julie and Joelle. It seems that Gina has built up resentment and hurt over the years and is choosing now to air it. There was a long Facetime discussion where Gina was just nasty and had Joelle in tears more than once, and Julie said she had been punched in the gut. Ugh, how awful. I went to bed later and slept HARD, I was so tired!!

The next day mom and the others went to the cemetery to pick out a spot in the mausoleum for grandma..I was far too tired to wake up early enough for that, but I did go to the meeting at the funeral home (what kind of casket we wanted, flowers, etc. The funeral is on Friday), which took forever, and then went to a restaurant because we were all hungry after that haha. When we told the hostess we had seven people in our party, she said "uh..ok..let me see if there's a waiter who'd be willing to serve you." Wha..what?? We were all stunned because we'd never had anyone say that to us before! I think covid killed good customer service. D: Mom and I had to change hotel rooms because there were too many things wrong with it, and went to bed

These last couple days we've been cleaning out grandma's room at the retirement home she lived in, going through pictures and stuff to see who wants to keep them, and trying to manage Gina's drama!! She sent REALLY nasty messages yesterday, saying she couldn't trust "the family" anymore and interpreted Joelle returning something to her as a "sign" she wasn't wanted in the family anymore (Joelle hadn't known it was a gift and she texted Gina saying so, but Gina wouldn't listen to her). She said she would not be going to grandma's funeral and was basically estranging herself from the family. Everyone was hurt and very confused. It's hard to focus to work on grandma's place when getting messages like that! Cindy actually called Gina later to ask if she wanted anything from grandma's place, and also started talking about the drama. She said she hadn't slept and felt better after a day (she works nights) of sleep, but still felt hurt. Me and mom and Cindy all told her we really wanted to see her, and maybe have a healing conversation with Julie and Joelle?? We told her she could stay at the hotel with us. We said she'd feel guilty the rest of her life if she didn't come! She thought about it and then said she'd at least try to make it to the funeral. We're not sure if she really will, but I guess we'll see on Friday (for a minute there I wasn't sure if being here with drama or being stuck in the crazy ice/snow storm in Fairbanks was preferable haha). Cousin Jordan arrived yesterday, who I hadn't seen since his wedding in 2020! It's so weird seeing him grown up haha

Today was thankfully drama-free, so I'm not too drained to write here tonight haha. I *definitely* left Fairbanks at the right time, the ice/snow storm sounded CRAZY..many inches of snow, icy roads, wind, downed power lines, etc. Work was closed for a couple days..wow. I hope things aren't too bad when I fly back on Sunday! Today cousin Jessalyn arrived, who I also hadn't seen in person since 2020. We went through a lot of pictures and mementos and stuff..grandma was so gorgeous when she was younger! We might be doing the same thing tomorrow, and making last-minutes preparations for the funeral. Hopefully it'll stay drama-free!

( a few pics )

20. Would You Like to Live in Another Country? It would be interesting, it was hard enough just moving to another state though. Maybe one like Iceland though..

21. What’s the Coolest Thing You’ve Ever Seen in a Museum? The penguin eggs Cherry brought back from Antarctica, a stagecoach, artifacts from the Erebus and Terror, etc

22. Are You a Good Listener? I definitely try to be!

23. Do We Still Need Libraries? Sure, not everyone can afford to buy books. A building full of books is cool anyway :P (the New York Public Library was pretty cool, super fancy!)

Here's a super cute picture of Abby sleeping on my arm!

Awwww, such a nice kitty <3

Mom and I are driving to Anchorage tomorrow..she has an appointment there on Friday, and mom asked if I wanted to come for a long weekend..of course! The whole time we're going to be there, it's supposed to be in the 50s and sunny or partly cloudy..the day after we leave it's supposed to rain..we're bringing the sun with us again!! Bookstores, yummy food, geocaching, a hotel room with curtains..oh yay!! Hopefully we'll see Denali too!

( sept 11-13 )

For the past few weeks, grandma has declined rapidly..she became too weak to stand and forgetful. She's now under the care of hospice. Aunt Cindy is there right now, and either her or Julie called mom this morning saying that hospice told her to call family right away. She's so weak now she can barely speak. No one knows how long she has (hours? A few days?), but hospice wanted to make sure everyone was able to see her before she died. Mom and I are leaving tonight..Ryan has been in San Francisco with Jo and they were supposed to fly back home today, but Ryan's now just flying straight to Kansas City. I'm glad I've been able to see her these past few years since she moved back to the States. She's gone through a lot, but now her body's exhausted. We've been expecting this, but it's still sad. Weirdly enough, she wants to be buried at the graveyard I went to earlier in the year, where the sycamore trees sent me an image of their roots cradling the dead, protecting them. She'll be safe there! I hope she'll be able to recognize everyone when we get there tomorrow, and that it won't be too late (I did read somewhere that hearing is the last sense to go before you die, so even if she can't respond, hopefully she can still hear us, so we can say "I love you" and things like that). It'll definitely be hard watching her "actively dying" (what hospice calls it), but hopefully it'll be peacefully in her sleep. We're not sure how long we're going to be visiting, but work understands. I'm glad she'll be surrounded by family in her last days (it's supposed to be in the 90s and 100s in Topeka this week..ugh D:)

( aug 24-25 )

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!

( a couple more pics )

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

On Friday, grandma went to the hospital because she had a fever, was vomiting, and her leg was really red. Aunt Julie texted mom saying something like "I'm no doctor, but I think this is 'it.'" They gave her antibiotics and that seemed to perk her up some, but yesterday morning got worse again. She was diagnosed with sepsis and given more antibiotics. Aunt Gina (who is a nurse) drove up and looked at her chart, and she said it looked like she had had a heart attack, and wasn't sure she was going to make it. Aunt Cindy, mom, me and Ryan bought plane tickets last night, fearing the worst (of course Vicki understood). Amazingly, grandma is feeling better this morning, and turned out she hadn't had a heart attack after all. Mom was talking to her and she seemed pretty cheerful! We're still going to visit (mom and I are leaving tonight, and Ryan will leave on Monday. He hasn't seen grandma in person since 2007!!)..things could always take a turn for the worse again (I didn't see my paternal grandma before she died, and have regretted it ever since). Grandma's health is awful, so I'm amazed at how her body keeps fighting! Hopefully having many people around who love her will help her heal too lol. Ryan and I are staying a week, mom more if needed. I hope she continues to improve!

Not the best picture of me, but Abby loves being held like a baby haha

I love how she always sticks her paws up when I hold her like that haha

( may 11-12 )

On Saturday, dad drove us to the airport. I guess in June United sent mom an itinerary change (Dulles instead of Newark) and she told the ticket agent..their system still showed Newark and she couldn't change another company's itinerary, so mom had to call United. The guy on the phone tried to fix it, but couldn't, so we had to check our bags just to Seattle and pick them up there. I saw a couple glaciers on the flight to Seattle, but the wing was right across from me, so it was hard to see them. We picked up our bags in Seattle and then went to United to check them the rest of the way (I'm glad we all have TSA Pre-Check, it makes going through security much easier! The Seattle flight left at 11 something (yaay, redeyes :/) and got to Dulles at 7 something. I got a tiny bit of sleep, but it's just so hard sleeping sitting up! On one of these flights I was reading a sci-fi book I brought, and suddenly it mentioned Puerto Rico, and how a character went to Caja de Muertos (literally "box of death," but it's usually translated as "Coffin Island," because it looks like someone in a coffin). I was like "huh, what are the chances of that??" When I landed, I Googled the island, which, incredibly, is off the coast of Ponce!!! What are the chances the book I've been reading (which mostly takes place in space) just HAPPENS to mention a place near Jo's hometown?!? Wow. The flight to San Juan took about four hours..we were definitely all tired of being stuffed on planes all day! On the flights I watched Murder on the Nile (I'd been wanting to watch it, since I recently read the book), Elemental and a good portion of Luca

After we landed, I walked outside and was completely overpowered by how HUMID it was! It felt like I was eating it! Crazy. Jo picked us up and drove us the hour and a half to Ponce. We drove through a crazy storm, with cloud-to-ground lightning and crazy loud thunder (maybe part of Hurricane Tammy?). I asked Jo if he had been to Caja de Muertos, and he said that he had! It's a nature reserve and has an abandoned lighthouse. As we neared Ponce, he pointed to the left and said "there is is!" OMG I can't get over that coincidence haha! It indeed looks like someone laying in a coffin. Guess I brought the right book to read. :P There are giant red letters saying "PONCE" right before you drive in. We got to Jo's mom's (Carmen) house, and Carmen and Jo's brother Jonathan greeted us (they visited Alaska a few years ago). When I walked into the house, I was surpised at how WHITE it was..the walls, floor, curtains, etc..blinding haha. It also looked spotless, which made me terrified to touch anything haha (Jo wasn't kidding when he said his mom loved order and cleans the house a lot :P). There are actually marks on the floor from when they killed centipedes with machetes haha! Jo's cousin was also over, and I showed her a pic of Abby and said "mi gato Abby!" At first mom was too scared to try to speak any Spanish..I attributed my confidence to Prozac (best medicine ever!!). It's weird though..when you try to speak Spanish to people here they look at you funny and are generally uncomfortable. After we settled in, a couple of Jo's aunts and more cousins came over (most of the family lives nearby). Only Jo and Jonathan speak English fluently..Carmen can read English, but only can say a few words. Still cool to see the people Jo talks about though! We had dinner, relaxed more, and mom and I were so tired we went to bed at 8 something haha. I fell asleep alright, but then woke up at 11 or 12 something feeling like I had been beaten up..my body ached (especially my back and butt), and my nerves felt like they were shocking me. I knew I wasn't sick though, because I've experienced similar things when traveling and being overstimulated. I laid awake miserable for a couple hours, but finally I knew I had to take Clonazepam and Motrin. I hadn't taken any Clonazepam since July and felt proud of my record, but this was one of those times I just knew I had to take some. I was able to go back to sleep after the meds kicked in (imagine how I would have felt if I hadn't been on Prozac!)

This morning I was half-awake, and all of a sudden felt an earthquake! It was funny, because yesterday mom was like "NO hurricanes or earthquakes while we're here!" The earth said "challenge accepted" LOL. I went back to sleep, woke up at 10 something, said "NOPE," and finally got up around 11:30..I definitely needed the sleep though. After breakfast we decided to check out a bookstore..on the way, it started POURING rain! The streets were like rivers, and my feet got soaked walking to the bookstore haha. The store had some books in English, but most were in Spanish..it was interesting seeing the Spanish translation of popular titles though. We also explored downtown, got some ice cream, and went to a gift shop. In certain places, you can still see the damage from Hurricane Maria (2017)..sad. There are cool old colorful historical buildings downtown. After that we went to the store..it was interesting seeing food unique to Puerto Rico (tamarinds, for one). After that we went back to the house, relaxed (I felt achy again, and took more Motrin, which helped some), and then went with Carmen to Hard Rock Cafe! A local band performed when we were there, they were actually pretty good! I got a shirt and pin for my backpack, yay! There were really cool frog sounds in the trees near the restaurant. Then we drove home. I'll probably go to bed soon after posting this lol, traveling is tiring :P

( some pics! )

21 – International Walk to School Month: Did you walk to school as a child? Are parents today too over-protective to let their children walk to school? I did when I was in 1st to 3rd grade, but then they rezoned me to a school further away..made no sense, but I guess "they" do what they want :P

22 – Colour Day: National Colour Day focuses on the impact colour has on each of us. Beyond having a favourite colour, are there colours that evoke specific feelings or memories in you? Colours you avoid or dislike because they remind you of something you'd rather forget, or give off "bad vibes"? Is there a colour that immediately brightens your mood, or calms you? Do you decorate your home with lots of bright colours? How important is colour in your life? OMG too many questions haha. Blue reminds me of glaciers. Hmm..I don't think so?? I mean I don't like pink, but that's just a preference lol. Blue and purple can make me happy Not really. It's definitely a nice thing to have!

23 – iPod Day: Have you ever owned an iPod (or other portable media player)? Do you remember those first songs? Do you still listen to them? What have you become in the days that have past, and do you smile with nostalgia or cringe with embarrassment as you remember your favorites from ages gone by? I did in high school..there were a bunch of metal songs on it. Not really. I smile and cringe at the same time LOL

1. Besides work, what takes up the biggest portion of your day? Sleep, going online..
2. If you could do anything as a career, what would it be? Maybe owning a bookstore..
3. Do you feel too much emphasis is placed on having a career? Maybe, but it's important for a lot of people to think about at least
4. If you have a college/university degree, are you working in your field? I don't
5. What would be the most boring job to have and why? Finance, accounting stuff, for one..not interesting and too many numbers haha

I'm going back to work on Thursday (June 1)! I'm definitely not 100% better, but still better than I was before (I'm still working on the sleep issue..I had an at-home sleep study done a couple nights ago, though I only slept for like 1.5 seconds haha..they're going to call me when a follow-up appointment becomes available). I'm going to work for a couple hours to see how I do, and go from there. I DEFINITELY needed that break though..I was an exhausted depressed mess haha. I suddenly felt ready to go back just recently though..like sitting around for five months was more than enough lol, and I was feeling guilty about not working when other people (like Jo) have been working so hard..I didn't want them to judge me. Denise said the customers will be so happy to see me again..they still ask when I'm coming back! There are a couple new people who started after I left, and even though I only met them a couple times when I've come in during a sale or whatever, THEY even said they missed me, even though I've never worked with them! Wow, I must have built a reputation haha. Even though money isn't everything, it'll still be nice to get paid again. :P I'm kinda nervous, but I hope I do well!

In October mom and I are going with Ryan and Jo to Puerto Rico to visit Jo's family! Mom and I met his mom and brother when they came to Alaska a few years ago, but they're the only ones we've met. It'll be cool to meet the rest of the family and see a new place! I hope it's not too hot though :P

( may 20-26 )

Yesterday we went downtown to the New Mexico History Museum..it was pretty interesting. There were Native American artifacts, Spanish artifacts, history about both world wars, railroad history, etc. There were a lot of things, and we didn't get to see everything (like the inside of the Palace of the Governors, built in 1610, the oldest public building in continuous use constructed by European settlers in the continental United States) because we had dinner reservations at 5..we'll have to go back next time we visit. We had dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant. I really love downtown Santa Fe..there are SO MANY shops and a lot of times there's music playing (this time there was a Native American dancing), the bells of the nearby chapel ring regularly, and just feels cultural and has a nice atmosphere. Santa Fe is just unique in general. Then we went home and played our last games of Catan for this trip..Dean is going to have withdrawals LOL

( a couple pics from the museum )

Well, the long vacation has come to an end..mom and I fly back to Alaska later today. It's been tiring, but a nice change too. I'll miss Santa Fe and Cindy and Dean! I miss Abby and it'll be nice to see her again! I hope she remembers me LOL. I'll have a lot of mail to catch up on..hopefully nothing too urgent lol. One reason mom and I stayed this long was to avoid all the pollen, but I guess Fairbanks was colder than normal and the pollen has just now started..that's going to be fun to go back to. D: My suitcase is STUFFED haha. Hopefully I'll see some cool glaciers on the flight to Alaska :D

13 – World Fair Trade Day: Do you try to buy certified fair trade products? No..oops lol

14 – World Migratory Bird Day: World Migratory Bird Day is observed twice a year during the second Saturday in May and again on the second Saturday in October. The goal is to raise awareness of issues affecting migratory birds and to inspire action around the world to take measures for their conservation. Do you live in a region that sees bird migrations in the spring and fall? Light pollution is a major threat to migratory birds. Does your municipality have any "Dim the Lights" policies in place to protect migratory birds? Yes, one reason we have Creamer's Field..to keep the birds away from the airport. I don't think so..

On Saturday mom and I flew to Florida..we had a layover at DFW, which is always SO WEIRD. That airport has completely changed..it's plush and modern now! I didn't recognize much flying in, except the general Texas feel haha. Teresa and Ron picked us up in Tampa and drove us to grandpa's house in Crystal River (80 some miles away). Grandpa goes to bed super early (it used to be 9, but it's between 7-7:30 now!!), so we didn't see him that night. Mom and I just wanted to go to bed after traveling anyway :P

Yesterday after everyone was gathered we took Theresa and Ron's dog Reece for a walk..it was pretty hot, even though it was relatively early. Grandpa came down the street on his 1929 Model A and gave me a ride back to his house! So cool!

After that we drove down to the ocean and stood on the boardwalk for awhile, and found a geocache on the way back, which had a $2 bill in it!! Cool! I love that Teresa and Ron like geocaching, because none of my other family members really do. I love how easygoing they've always been..if their daughter Stephanie was like "can we go to McDonald's?" Teresa would say "absolutely!" with no hesitation. We took a selfie after we found the cache:

Mom, Teresa, me, Ron

Then we went back to grandpa's house, had dinner, and went to Teresa and Ron's motorhome to hang out after grandpa went to bed (they're staying at a campground a few miles from grandpa's house). They have a pretty nice setup! After that mom and I went back to grandpa's house and went to bed

Today Ron took us to a trail that led to the Withlacoochee River (and found a couple geocaches in the area). It was SO, SO hot (high 80s) and wasn't enjoying myself at all. We only got halfway before we had to turn around, because I was completely miserable and overheating. We did find a place to park to see the river, which was clear and beautiful. I REALLY needed something cool to drink, so we went to Wal-Mart and I got a lemonade and some cooler pants. Ron drove me back to grandpa's house because I was tired and hot and DONE (everyone else went back to Ron's motorhome for a couple hours). I laid in bed under the fan and rested. I could never live in Florida, the heat and humidity are AWFUL, and I keep seeing "Trump 2024" flags and stuff..blech. Seeing family is nice, but I can't wait get out of this state on Wednesday. We had dinner after everyone got back, hung out, and then Teresa and Ron left for the night. Amazingly, grandpa stayed up until after 10 tonight!! Having people around probably helps lol..I hope he's not tired tomorrow though :P

( may 6-8 )