Get 'Er Done.

February did not start off on the right foot. In fact, it felt like it started off on two left feet.

With my imminent move approaching (quicker than I can keep up with), I not only have to worry about packing up my whole life and heading southward, but I have a pre-move trip to plan. And it has been absolutely and unnecessarily exhausting.

To the point that I can't sleep at night. Mix that in with the fact that I open most mornings at the coffee shop and have to be there at 6:30am, my poor eyes have developed a permanent redness and my body moves along at an especially sluggish pace.

I'm also having the worst time communicating. Asking for help, reaching out to those I know can answer a few questions for me, or simply standing up and saying I need a break from the madness.

The worst part of it all is that most of it is in my head. I'm perpetually finding myself taking a task I need to complete, obsessing over it, then rolling with said task down a mountain at top speed. So my seedling of a task has snowballed into a problem I eventually give up on.

It's far too exhausting and I have reached the point where enough is enough.

So on my one day off this week, after a night spent crying myself to sleep over-thinking all the things I need to do and all the money I have to spend, I woke up and told myself:

Just get 'er done.

Enough of the excuses, enough of the (many) pity parties, let's woman up and get some of those things checked off. It is unnecessary to let simple tasks consume me, especially when there are people out there just a phone call away and willing to help. 

With that being said, I do what I always do in times when I need cheering up: I had a date with my closet. On came my "sass" playlist (lots of Kelly Clarkson, Beyoncé, Pussycat Dolls, and even the Cheetah Girls), off came my robe, and within fifteen minutes, I had a solid outfit and a fierce lip that boosted my energy and inspired me to be productive.

As a woman who now looks ready to get 'er done, I got 'er done. 

What's even better was that after weeks of cold and droopy weather, we were blessed with a fresh snowfall. 

This new change of scenery was a welcome accompaniment to my new attitude. And the getting done got done.

nICE Hike.

There's not much that stops a true Alaskan from enjoying the outdoors.

6 degrees out? Not a problem. Ever hear of layers?

Trails saturated in snow? Blaze your own path, wear a tall pair of boots, and bring ice cleats and poles, just in case.

Hair have a propensity to freeze around your face? Honey, it's the most natural way to look like Elsa! A gift.

Anyhow, yesterday was one of my rare days off, as well as one of Anton's few days back in town (having just returned from Italy- life is a drag), and per his suggestion, we skipped town and went in search of adventure.

*cue Bilbo dancing out of Hobbiton

With the sun out and Alaska's mountains slowly taking us out of cell service, we were once again reminded of the beauty that lays in our backyard.

And boy is it beautiful.

We ended up at the Byron Glacier Trailhead, located just before Portage Glacier. It's a semi-popular hiking spot, and after seeing beautiful pictures of rich aqua ice caves on Instagram, my interest was piqued and I knew I had to take a look for myself.

Heated gloves on, hat on my head, seven or eight layers wrapped around my goosebumply body, and ice cleats on my feet, we plowed through the snow and made our way up.

For the first two miles or so, the trail was evidently carved out, but once we got to the clearing leading up to the glacier, we ran into an ominous sign that read:

DANGER Hazardous Snow & Ice Conditions: Trail not maintained beyond this point. Travel is not recommended without glacier travel skills and the proper rescue gear. Falling into a glacial crevasse could result in injury, or death!

So what did we do?

We walked on.

Now I certainly don't recommend you do so without the proper gear because although we followed a designated trail that someone obviously walked on with expertise (pole marks in the snow made it apparent), it was still bloody terrifying to think that one wrong step could land you head first in a deep snowy crevasse.

Luckily, we made it safe and sound.

And while my heart was pounding and my feet followed my brother's footsteps to the point of precision, I felt this incredible thrill of having blazed our own path, so to speak. 

We're both the type of adventurers to make our own trail!

Thinking ice caves were in the distance, we carefully walked on, and about halfway through walking over the snow, we realized that we were actually walking on the ice caves we had previously seen in photos, now buried in a most recent snowfall.

Well that explains a lot!

While it was unfortunate that we were unable to explore the ice caves like all the other Instagrammers who had just visited weeks before the snow, it was nonetheless an adventure, and we were one of the few brave (or stupid) souls to venture into unmarked territory, explorers going out into the unknown.

It was, to say the least, a nICE hike.