The Vagabond has Returned

It's been a while.... I was down in the Lower 48 for much of May and part of June, without a computer, hence the obvious lack of blog posts. But never fear, I am alive and well. And working on getting back into a routine, so hopefully you will be hearing from me soon with a real post. Though I had thought of taking a break from blogging... since there's only 3 or so faithful readers, that I am aware of. Maybe if there were more, I'd be more faithful in writing..... If I could be convinced there are more than 3 of you reading my boring, ahem, interesting posts...... 

Is it over yet?

Lately, I've been swimming the ocean of Melville. Traveling in space with C. S. Lewis and through time with A. Huxley. Meeting the Bayou people of old Louisiana, courtesy of Kate Chopin. And just finished exploring the world of philology with Webster and Murray. 

Meanwhile, I'm also anticipating three exams next week, all while writing, revising, rewriting and editing papers on all the above topics. Yeah, I'm ready for the semester to be OVER! 

That's when the fun will begin..... only fifteen more days!!!! 

Breath of Fresh Air

We all have times when we wonder what others think of us.

What do people think when I leave the room? Is there a smile on their face that wasn't there before? Or do they breathe a sign of relief that she's finally gone? Do I leave them happier or more irritated and tense? 

I know what I'd want them to say, but is that really what they're thinking? 

Been pondering about this a lot lately... 
God's given me several opportunities recently to be His hands and feet. It's easy to live life for yourself and forget about all the people surrounding you that need a friend. God's been redirecting my attention and opening doors into people's lives. (for which I am very grateful!) I want those people to feel better when I leave... not because they are glad I'm gone, but because they could sense true joy from God and that has spilled over to bless them. 

My desire is to be a conduit of grace, truth and joy. That can only happen if I am truly filled with the Word of God and his grace and joy has penetrated my soul. Only then can it flow over into the lives of those around me. 

I want even strangers to feel as if they inhaled a breath of fresh air after my departure. They may not know my name but hopefully they know my sincerity and joy. My name is not important, but the name of my Saviour is. And that's who I want them to know. 

Are you fresh air? or stale, stuffy air? 

Quick Trip to the States

At the beginning of the semester, I had planned on using my week of Spring Break to work more and spent a chunk of time on homework. I have several large papers coming due in April, so figured I could spend some valuable time researching for those papers. However, those plans changed. For some time now, God has been reminding me over and over that people/relationships are more important that school and good grades. Not that good grades should just be thrust completely aside, but in the grand scheme of life, it doesn't really matter if I earn my B.A. with a 3.5 or a 3.2 or even a 2.8, does it? 

The end of January I got word that my dear friend, Trina was battling Lymphoma. She isn't just a dear friend, but practically family. I've lived with her family, taught her kids, made precious memories with them all, went to her oldest son's wedding, worked in the ministry with them, etc. and etc. As we have told people, we are family, just not blood related. :) 

Anyways, I used my Spring Break to spend a few days with Trina and her family in CO, where she is undergoing Chemo treatments. It was a blessed time. I was able just to relax and spend time talking with each of the family. I love this family immensely. They have been with me in some of my hardest days and I'm glad I was able to return the blessing. God is good. 

hanging out with my "siblings" 

our #epicfail of making a heart :)

On my way home, I stopped in Seattle for breakfast with my brother, sis-in-law and new niece! My bro and his wife made a fabulous breakfast, thanks guys! and I just got to sit and hold Lanie. After a few hours with them, Zeb dropped me back off at the airport. But I was flying standby and wasn't able to get on the afternoon flight. Next flights weren't until hours later and the next one was already oversold. So Zeb came back to pick me back up. We spent hours in traffic to go a friends house for dinner. But it was worth the time on the road. I got to meet some awesome people and have an amazing dinner! Side note: my new contacts/place to stay in Seattle, since my brother is moving. 

Then back to the airport I went. Went through airport security three times in one day for two flights... yeah, some people call me crazy. :) 

Lanie Rae

chilling with Aunt Barrie 

Governor's Cup x6

Earlier this month, my sisters and I went down to Anchorage for another weekend of hockey. Okay, so we might be a little crazy about our hockey obsession.... maybe. 

All week long we talked about the road conditions. We heard so many mixed reports about the weather and roads. My dad wasn't going to tell us no, but he said make sure you take enough winter clothing, shovels, etc. Friday morning, it sounded pretty bad, but my sister said, let's just try it. We'll drive to Nenana and if it's horrible, we can turn around. Of course, we didn't turn around. 

To be honest, in the back of my mind, I didn't want to go if we weren't going to win. I know that sounds horrible, but there was a lot of things I was putting aside in order to go. (you know, homework and important stuff) After all, our team had won the Governor's Cup the previous 5 years, was it possible to win a sixth? 

Even though, hands down our team was way better than UAA this year. But they did beat us twice here in Fairbanks back in January. Two out of only 10 wins or so they had the entire year. So no matter how good we were or how bad they were, when it comes to the GovCup, anything can happen..... 

We had to win both Friday and Saturday night. And then win the shootout. We did our part in cheering the team on. Its fun to be at home games, but it's awesome cheering for your team at an away game. There were a lot of other Nanook fans there. Pretty sure we were just as loud as the UAA fans, if not louder. 

Well, they did it! When it came time for the shootout Saturday night, we were all so excited and with the adrenaline pumping, I could hardly stand it. After Cahill saved their 3rd shot, our section of the arena went wild!! I've never see our players so happy and excited to win! This was a pretty big game for them. With the NCAA sanctions this year, it was the last game of the season, no postseason for us. 

We waited around to get a picture with the Cup. Finally got someone to stop and take the picture. But some people don't know how to properly take a picture and then make sure its good before handing the phone back.... Even with editing it, the picture below is as good as it gets. :) oh well, we still won!!

Randomness. Again.

Sunshine and warming days. The thought of spring lingers in the air. Currently, we are up to 13+ hours of sunlight each day and I am thankful for each one. Even on cold days, the sunshine gives me energy. This winter was a mild one, but Alaskan winters still last a loooonnnnnggggg time, so I'm thankful we are headed into April. There's a good chance we will have one more cold snap/snow, but still the nearness of summer is at hand. 

This semester started out well and I felt like I had more free time than last semester, even though I'm taking 5 classes instead of just 4 along with working more hours. But that has vanished. Perhaps because the end is drawing nigh, the assignments keep piling up and I can barely keep up with my reading. Now it's time to buckle down and start writing those 10 page papers... of which I have 4! Whew. 

Some days I truly hate school, well the homework at least. And some of our topics/books. Going to a secular university can be taxing on a born-again Christian. But the end is in sight. Lord willing, if all works out, I will be graduating in December of this year!! Then it's on to more exciting things. :)