Adjustment

HELLO to all of my family and friends that are going to be reading this.

(The picture to the left was taken around 9 a.m. from the porch of the house we're staying in)

I've successfully survived my first couple of days here in the chilly north, and I gotta say, it ain't half-bad. Sure, we've had consistent temperatures below -10, but being that it is what's expected, it's really not half-bad (famous last words). Dressing warm and bundling up is just how it goes here, so being dressed correctly really keeps the blood from freezing (unlike in Pittsburgh where you can half dress warmly because there's always a chance it may warm up during the day). Also, it has been nice to hear that stretches of days this cold is pretty rare in Anchorage.

One more note on the cold. It's different than in Pittsburgh. It could be that I've never felt temperatures of -15 or colder without the help of a wind chill paired with the fact that the air is really dry - it definitely is an interesting sensation. I think I've been lucky though that it hasn't been blustery because that probably would have made me cry. A lot.

Here's another interesting tidbit that I wasn't expecting. Yes, we get daylight everyday, but the sun doesn't start to rise until about 8:30. I kind of like it though; for whatever reason it's really peaceful and relaxing to wake up around 7 or so (still fighting jet lag) and having it be as dark as when you went to bed, and about an hour later getting to watch the sunrise every morning. It's beautiful here.

Here's some final thoughts for this post:
Hoarfrost
If you don't plug your car in, it won't work.