Thanks for a laugh Becky Jo

My sister-in-law sent me this in an email today. There were more but this one made me laugh out loud.

Remembering Mike Jones

Picture taken with my cell phone soon after he joined my family.

I found out Saturday that my beloved Russian Dwarf Hamster, Mike Jones, passed away. It was very upsetting to have this happen while I am away in Alaska but after shedding lots of tears I realized that he was well taken care of and had a very happy life.

Mike Jones was more than just a pet. I remember the day I got him, two and a half years ago, like it was yesterday. I had been living alone in my first apartment for about two months when I decided I needed some company. So I went to Pet Smart and looked at all the small animals. When I saw Mike Jones I knew it was fate. He was the cutest hamster in the bunch. I immediately bought him, and brought him home. The rest is history.

Thanks Mike Jones for all the times you listened and sympathized with me.
Thanks for always being my running partner, you on the wheel me on the treadmill.
Thanks for running around in your ball and leaving little poop pellets all over my floor, making me have to vacuum.

Thanks for keeping me up at night with all your running on that squeaky wheel.

Thanks for being so darn cute.

So here's to you Mike Jones, my confidante, my pet, my friend. I will always cherish our short time together and I will miss you!

xoxo.

These are pictures from the funeral. My brother sent them to me since I couldn't be there. I couldn't imagine it being any more beautiful. Thanks to my mom and dad, brothers and sister-in-law for all they did during this difficult time.

Aurora Borealis

I stole this picture from the internet. You have to have a really good camera to capture the northern lights, with all sorts of fancy things like awesome zooming capabilities and other stuff that I know nothing about.

Around 3:00 last night I woke up for my nightly (sometimes several) bathroom break(s). I always just get up and go without getting my glasses because I know the way so why do I need to see? It's not until I get back in bed that I remember that I was supposed to check and see if the northern lights are out, but then I am usually too cold and tired to get back up. I have seen them only once and it was just a faint green streak across the sky. It didn't make it any less awesome though! Anyway back to last night, I was walking back to my room and just happened to glance out the window. Mind you with no glasses, I saw this bright green streak in the sky. I was so excited I ran and woke up Annelisa's mother-in-law (who had said she didn't care what time of night, but to wake her if we ever saw the lights) then I ran to my room and got my glasses and we gathered back at the window to watch the lights. They only lasted about 5 minutes but in that five minutes they dimmed, got brighter, and they moved around the sky. It was amazing! It is one thing I will never get tired of looking at and hope to see it many times more while I am in Alaska. I just hope next time there will be more colors and they will dance around the sky as I heard they do!

Stolen from the internet, below is a picture of what I hope to see!

On another note. One night I did remember to take my glasses with me to the bathroom. When I looked out the window the northern lights weren't out, but I did have an up close and personal view of the big dipper. Now, I have a hard time picking out any of the constellations in a star filled night but this was different. I couldn't see ANY other stars in the sky and it was like it was right above the the house, it was so close. It was just as amazing as seeing the northern lights, so I wasn't disappointed at all. I did not get to see the little dipper though. Maybe some other time!

Also stolen from the internet...

P.S. It is already all snowy here in Fairbanks! Pictures to come soon!!

llama llama red pajama

This is my new favorite childrens book. My nieces love it, and I think I have read it about a million times to them since I have been here. It is such a fun book and I think every little kid should own it!

Here is another book by the same author about my favorite llama. I can't wait to read it and see if it is as good as the first.