Ready for Winter?

Canned Goods

Lots of Frozen Meat!

It's been like Christmas around here...in September!  Unfortunately, I've been funding it all.  Oh well, it'll be well worth it in a few months.  I've been busy ordering and receiving things I'll need for the winter.  My first big purchase was food!  Kind of important for survival, I would say.  I spent a little over $1800 ordering food online through Span Alaska.  I also had my mom do a lot of shopping for me down in the lower-48, getting mostly canned goods, sugar, spices, baking products, etc.  She spent a little over $300 and then shipped it all flat-rate (I actually paid for it, she just did the work for me).  So what do I have to show for it now, two weeks after I ordered all that stuff?  Mostly full cupboards!  I'm still waiting on a few things that were back-ordered, but most of it has come in.

My New Coat!

I also ordered my big winter coat, gloves, and winter gear.  Thanks to my wonderful SHR staff this summer, I got some of it from REI using my $100 gift card!  I also did some shopping from Cabela's and through the Under Armour website.  I'm now the happy owner of a micro-down coat with coyote ruff, big thick gloves, tons of Under Armour Cold Gear (long underwear, gloves, hat), and wool socks.  My friend who also teaches in Alaska is sending me her boots because she bought new ones this year.  My dad gave me his thick bib-converalls that he didn't like for hunting, because they were "too hot."  I'm pretty excited for the snow now...well, as soon as those boots get here.

And now for the toys.  I ordered a MacBook Pro through my school district.  We get an educator's discount, as well as the offer to have it split and taken directly out of our check over the course of the rest of the year.  It's like an interest-free loan.  We can order anything off the Apple website.  I got my Mac, a new iPod touch, and a Time Capsule (it's the wireless internet device, but also a backup device.  It has 1 TB of memory, which is a ridiculous amount of memory!).  I also ordered my Wii.  The Wii was part of my weight loss self-bribery awhile ago, but after I signed my contract to move to Alaska, I post-poned buying it.  (If I lost 20 pounds, I could buy a Wii and the Wii Fit).  Now that I'm here, I bought the Wii, the WiiFit, and the Wii Active.  I'm still waiting on my WiiFit and Wii Active to come it, but I love my Wii so far!  It's so much fun!  I even got it connected to my internet!  I'm not sure if that's a good idea or not, or if it will just mean that I will not be able to save any money!  HaHa!  It'll provide some good entertainment, I'm sure!