Unexpected Roadtrip

The end of October I was attempting to leave Alaska for a several week trip. The complicated factor was that I was flying standby, courtesy of my airport job. But flying standby can be frustrating, to say the least. I flew down to Anchorage with no issues, but that night I waited at the gate to see if I would make the flight to Denver to start my adventure..... but alas, I was the next person on the list and no more seats were available. sigh. Well, my adventure did begin, just not the one I was hoping for. I never leave home now without a blanket.... cause when you sleep in the airport terminal, it comes in handy. I don't understand why some airports keep it so chilly.... that and I don't understand why their announcements are played so loudly! there are no flights from 2-6am, but still the announcements jolt you from sleep every hour or so... therefore, a restless night. 

The next day I had hours to kill until the next flight left and I had no desire to stick around Anchorage. So for $20 I rented a car and set off. First stopped for a yummy breakfast and coffee and then drove south. I have never been to Kenai before, so figured that was a good time. It was a clear, sunny, winter day. Which meant the sun was shining and reflecting off the freshly snow capped mountains. Spectacular! It was a bit chilly outside, but in my warm car, I could enjoy the beauty from warmth and safety. 

All I did was drive to Kenai, ate lunch and drove on some side roads for a bit looking for a bluff I was told about. Never did find that bluff. Then drove back to Anchorage. Tho it was completely unplanned, it was a marvelous roadtrip. 

To finish my standby saga.... made it back to Anchorage, once again waited at the gate for the flight I wanted to get on. This time, even one of the paying customers didn't get a seat, let alone us standby passengers. One lady I talked to, it was her 3rd night trying to make it out. :/ We laughed about sleeping in airports. She had a son to stay with, but she had done her fair share of spending nights in airports. I think I've slept 5 nights in an airport in the past two months. 

Anyways, I slept at the airport, then caught an early flight back to Fairbanks. Came home and slept for real. Tried getting out of Fairbanks that night with no success.... but the next day, after three days of trying I made it on a flight!! I almost canceled my trip, but glad I stuck with it!!! Made it to the U.K. and met some pretty awesome people and even ran into some old friends I didn't know were there! More about that to come.... 

Fall Time in Interior Alaska

Went for a hike yesterday. Actually, it was more of a walk, than a hike, as it was pretty level ground, but it was beautiful. I missed about two weeks of our fall time since I was traveling in the states. Down in the Lower 48, it was still very much summer weather, with lots of sunshine, hot temps and rain. Meanwhile I was missing the majority of our autumn, as it is a very short season. Monday night when I stepped out of the airport terminal to walk the short distance to my car, I could smell the rich, loamy scent of Alaskan fall. It is like no other smell I've ever encountered, uniquely all its own. I knew I had to get out in the woods before it gets too cold. 

So, my plan was to go out Friday morning, but I woke to pouring rain. Grrr, while I like rain, this is not pleasant, warm rain, but miserably cold rain. But by 2pm, the skies had cleared and I thought I'd better go instead of waiting until the next day, since there was no guarantee it wouldn't rain again. (we've had so much rain this year!!)

I drove about 40 miles from my house and set out. It was a bit mucky and muddy in places, but was so amazing to be out in the quiet of the forest/tundra. The trail I went on had a rough boardwalk for most of the way. And believe me it was necessary! I could have worn water boots, then I could have set out on my own path through the tundra, but one step off the boardwalk with my sneakers and I quickly jumped back. The ground was pretty waterlogged. 

I was on the lookout for bears, but didn't see any wildlife while walking. Though I did see a baby moose on the drive home later. The brilliant fall colors are pretty dull by this point, but it was still beautiful. My God sure is an amazing artist! Maybe not this year, but I will be going back to that particular trail, as I only did the 3 mile loop and there is a 15 mile one. 

Always refreshing to be out in the quiet, alone. No cell phone, no music, no talking, just me and the Lord. Though I wouldn't mind a hiking partner sometimes. Anyone want to come visit and go hiking with me!?

Trapline Beauty

Last week I fulfilled a long time wish to accompany my father on his trapline. Previously, it never worked out with my work/school schedule. So, I determined after I finished school back in December, I would make it happen sometime this winter before the season is over. 

We hit the trail Friday once the sun came up and away we went- into a Winter Wonderland. It was a bit overcast, but very light, making it truly a silvery fairyland. Many times the trail narrowed to a single track, fully lined with frosted crystal willows or spruce trees. It was amazing to behold and I was ever reminded of my Creator and his stupendous designs. Both days on the trail were filled with glorious beauty. 

The trapline provides ample opportunity to think. Being on a snowmachine for 3-4 hours at a time leaves a lot of time to think, pray and reflect. And of course, there is no cell phone reception. It was refreshing to disengage from the fast-paced world for a couple days. 

And we did get a few animals. Which is what we wanted, after all it is a trapline. :) We didn't have any big animals, but it was still exciting to see our catch. After 20+ years of trapping, I've finally saw what my dad did for all those years. It's hard work, not a job for the faint of heart. It was 15-20 degrees above zero this trip, but even at those warm temps, you get cold after hours, upon hours outside in the elements. And he's gone out many times at sub-zero temps, even 40 below at times. 

Bachelor Degree- check!

Well, I did it. In a few weeks, my Bachelor diploma will arrive in the mail. 

It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears.... figuratively speaking at least. It was a ton of work including many late nights, long days, and mental stretching. Probably the hardest part of earning my degree was the fact that I worked a regular job (and sometimes 2 or 3 jobs) throughout the process. And as hard as it is to admit, I'm not as young as I once was. When I worked on my Associate degree just five years ago, I consistently stayed up to 1 o'clock in the morning doing homework. But this past year and half, that was a lot harder to do. There were nights I stayed up late for sure, but my body craved sleep way more than it did years ago. But nonetheless, I survived. Some semesters I felt that I had no life outside of school; even when I was working or driving, or trying to relax, my brain was already thinking of the next assignment. But its all over now! Praise the Lord, for his strength and grace that saw me through this process. 

Many people have asked me what's next...well for one, I plan on catching up on sleep. (though this week, that's not really happening, since I'm working nights, as well as days) I have been enjoying the Christmas season with my family and just relaxing for change. I've been able to read some books, of my own choosing, :) and work on some projects I've put off for a long time. As for what's next. Well, guess you'll just have to wait and see. I'm sure it'll be an adventure whatever happens.... :D

Here's a few random pictures from the past almost two years of school. These may represent some of the motivating factors that kept me persevering-

teaching my nephew about AK hockey :) 

Enjoying sunshine despite sub-zero temps

doing homework by oil lantern - no electricity for days

hosting friends breaks up those long nights of study

nothing like sushi and free dessert to renew the spirit

sunrise!

facetiming a very dear friend half a world away

Once in a Blue Moon

I don't know how many times I've used the phrase "once in a blue moon." This July there was an actual blue moon. Though I don't know why it is called that, since the moon isn't actually a different color, it just means that there are two full moons in one month. Guess it doesn't happen very often. Well the day of the blue moon, I actually had a once in a blue moon time. :) 

A coworker of mine has his pilot's license and we've talked for a couple years now about him taking me flying. We almost went last year, but something broke on his aircraft, so we had to postpone it. Every time he would text me, I had other plans and couldn't go. But one evening in July, he texted me and I was able to go! I met him at his plane and we took off into sunny skies. It was a perfect evening for a flight. He asked if I wanted to fly over my house or go south across the river looking for moose. Of course I choose the latter. I lost count how many moose we saw. It so amazing to see these amazing animals in their own environment. After the first couple moose, I started praying that we would see a bear. Moose are cool and all, but a bear would be so much more awesome! Not long after my silent prayer, we came upon a black bear. We swooped down to have a closer look and he stared up at us and watched as we flew by. So awesome! It was a perfect ending to a hectic week. 

two bull moose watching a cow

the Super Cub we flew

Tanana River

Tutoring Makes Friends

Last fall semester, I took a class about 2nd Language Teaching. Part of the requirement was to tutor an ESL student currently at UAF for 5 hours during the semester. Because they had surplus of ESL students who wanted a tutor, I was assigned two! Mine were both from Japan, though they had never met until arriving at UAF. Mika, Tsukino and I had a great time together and we spent more than the required 5 hours together. 

We spent a lot of time just working on pronunciation, talking, reviewing their homework, writing essays and having a good time. They were glad to have an American friend they could talk freely with. Mika decided to come back to UAF for the spring semester as well, so we got to spend even more time together. She came to church with me a couple times and I was able to share the Gospel with her as well. 

I am so glad for the opportunity to meet and become friends with Mika and Tsukino! Even though it was part of school assignment, we became good friends. We are still in contact and Mika can't wait until I come visit her in Japan. :) 

Don't overlook opportunities to help someone! You may become great friends, all from investing a little of your time. 

our last evening together before Mika left Alaska

Downtown Fairbanks

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!!

Merry Christmas

Christmas Time! 

It didn't really seem like Christmas season leading up to December 25th.... maybe because I was working so much and also I've been housesitting. I didn't get to enjoy the decorated tree and secrecy of wrapping presents that goes on at my house. But it still was a good time. For one thing, I am thoroughly enjoying the break from school. The last couple weeks of the semester were rough; I had several large projects due, plus studying for finals and work was a little hectic at the same time. Hence the lack of blogging, BUT it is now finished! (for another few weeks)

This Christmas my older brother, his wife and son spent the day with us! It has been so much fun having my brother and his family back in Alaska. They come over frequently for dinner and Christmas spent most of the day at our house. 

dad modeling his new googles

Nanook jersey from my awesome bro

Dinosaur puzzle from Aunt Lacey

Hope your Christmas was peaceful and wonderful. May we never forget what Christmas is really about. Thank you, Jesus, for coming to that manger bed so many years ago, so we could have a Saviour and be reconciled to God.

Mornings

On my way to work the other day, these random thoughts flooded my mind.... "I have so much energy! I am not tired! It's 7:30 in the morning and I'm wide awake!" 

You know how nice it was to have those thoughts!? It's easy to forget what it's like to not be tired when you live tired all the time. I enjoyed everything this summer, but the lack of sleep does get to a person after a while. Now that things have slowed down some and sleep is a regular part of my schedule again (a full night's sleep), I feel like myself again! And it is a wonderful thing!! I'm not going to make any ridiculous promises like - it will always be like this.... or I'll never have such a crazy schedule again.... cause we all know, those promises wouldn't last. But for now, I'm going to enjoy it! 

Another morning this week, I looked out the window when I first got up. Wow. Looked frantically for a camera, but couldn't find one, so I'll do my best to describe what I saw.... 

The firmament was shrouded with a dark blanket of cloud that ended abruptly just above the visible mountains on the far southeastern horizon. The sun was rising, but was yet unseen from my location; however his rays were cast on the distant mountains, causing it's snowy tops to flaunt their crystal clear details. What were previously dull orange birch leaves encircling my view of the mountains were now illuminated by the sunlight. Brilliant, florescent yellow and orange leaves glowed against the dark gray sky as a forest fire's blaze. Truly amazing morning view. 

Hard to understand how people can look at our world and deny there is a Great Creator. My God is an Amazing artist! 

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork." Psalm 19:1

Camping in Denali

After returning from Selawik and working feverishly for two days, I took time off to show my friends more of Alaska. I was extremely glad for some mornings to sleep in. We got a late start Thursday, but it was a nice day for a drive and we were just enjoying each other's company. Had intended to camp at Hatcher Pass, but we didn't make it that far. So we camped closer to home - in Denali! 

Road Trip!

For sixteen years, I had dreamed of eating at Lynx Creek Pizza in Denali. I had been there that long ago when my Grandma and two cousins visited. The memory of that delicious pizza stayed with me. Well, I visited again and was not disappointed! We were famished by the time we arrived in the Park, but even if we weren't it still would have been amazing! 
We joked about how no one in the Park is from Alaska. Even the majority of the workers are from out of state or out of country. We met people from Bulgaria, Serbia, Utah, Arizona, Maine, North Carolina, Louisiana and Michigan. And every once in a while you'd meet an Alaskan. 

We got our camp put it in a short amount of time. It was fun setting up the tents and getting all cozy. Tim made us a fire in no time and we cooked up some grub before hitting the sack. It was cold, but we were all toasty in our sleeping bags. The next morning was wet and drizzly, but we still had a grand time.

setting up camp

the Master Fire-Maker

I love cooking and even though over the campfire is a bit more challenging, it's still fun. Well, except for when the wind changes direction abruptly and sends smoke in my eyes. We had scrambled eggs, bacon, fried potatoes and coffee that morning. My sister told me an old cowboy trick about making the coffee and it worked. Thanks, Nan!

cooking

"washing" dishes

Our second night was supposed to get really cold and since Levi was developing a bit of a cold, it was decided it would be best if we got a hotel room for the night. No one likes being sick, but it's pretty miserable for a two month old. So, we had a good night's rest and then still cooked our breakfast over the fire the next morning. Steak with our eggs this time! Yum! 

Saturday morning was super clear. A bit windy and cool at first, but was a gorgeous day to continue our drive. We stopped several times to take pictures and just enjoy God's creation. I felt like a tourist at one point, when we saw two baby moose on the side of the road and the rest of the people in the van wanted to turn around and take pictures. They got their photos. 

in the Park

awesome travel companions

taking it all in

Since it was such a clear day, Mt. McKinley was clear as day. As we rounded one curve on the Parks Hwy, Bam! there it was. Standing tall and proud, miles above the surrounding mountains. Such a pretty mountain. We stopped a couple times to get pictures and just soak in the awesomeness. At one of our stops, Tim even got to meet an Alaskan State Trooper. 

I sure live in a beautiful state, don't I!?

Weekend in Selawik

This past weekend, God worked it out that my friends visiting from the states, myself and two others from Fairbanks were all were able to fly up to Selawik for a few days. I've talked to our missionary there for the past couple years about coming up for a visit, but it's always so expensive to fly there commercially. But God worked it out that we were all able to go on a private plane for the price it would normally cost for one person commercially. 

It was a beautiful, sunny day. Only bit a little bit of cloud cover during the approach into Selawik. It was a lot warmer there than I had anticipated. We had a good couple days there, exploring the town, visiting with friends, making new friends, tramping all over the boardwalks, having church activities and fellowshipping late into the night. 

our littlest traveler, Levi

Welcome to Selawik! This a village located among the tundra, rivers and lakes. It's pretty much a swampland. There are no large vehicles there; everyone travels by 4x4s or boats in the summer and snowmachines in the winter. Their road system is made up of a series of boardwalks, complete even with Stop signs and Speed-limit signs. Flights come in a couple times a day from Kotzebue, that is when the weather is good. It's a small town, but still 3rd largest in the North Slope with a population of 1000. It boasts of one of the largest ATV bridge which spans across the Selawik River. 

The Rainbow Bridge

In the center of town stands a Beacon of Truth, the Selawik Baptist Church. Our missionaries the Comptons have been a witness in this village for 18 years! They know everyone in town and everyone knows them. While Satan does have a strong hold on this area, God is still at work. The Comptons have been faithful and have remained strong in the work of the Lord. It's a hard area. While English is the spoken language and all are Americans, it can feel like you are in a different country when you visit. Pray for strength and grace for the Comptons and those who are striving to fight against the peer/family pressure to live for Christ.

the Lighthouse of Truth

Saturday night we held a teen activity at the church. I was in charge of games, though some others also introduced other games as well. We had a good group of almost twenty teens, including those of us visiting and the missionaries, we had about 30 people in the building. It can get quite loud very fast when you play an animal matching game.... Also had fun with a new game called "Mingle." It could lend to some awkward moments if one doesn't pronounce words correctly. :)

playing Assassin

the Teen group (minus the photographer, me)

One of the things I love most about Alaska is it's beauty. It's not a refined or cultured beauty, but a raw, wild, rugged beauty. Probably because I'm an Alaskan/country girl at heart, I love the wilderness. We reached Selawik after two hours of flying over just a handful of villages and mile after mile of nothing but wilderness. Lakes, streams, mountains, rivers, gorges, tundra - it's all beautiful to me. Coupled with a blue sky dotted with big, fluffy white clouds, it's breath-taking. 

Sunday was a full day with morning services, Sunday School for the kids in the afternoon and then an evening service. I enjoyed seeing some of the teens that have come to camp during the weekend. Several came to the teen activity and/or church Sunday. A couple really have a heart for the Lord, but it's a challenging place to stay true and faithful to God's Word. If you would, please pray for the teens that want to live right in a world of evil and darkness. Several asked why I wasn't at camp this summer. Really going to try to go next summer. 

hanging out on the Big bridge

crossing the "scary bridge"

Even in remote Alaska, Everts has a junkyard. :) 

old Evert's plane

We had a blast with the Comptons; with Gayle's good cooking, Warren's crazy (long) stories, Bethany's sweet spirit and Caleb's goofiness. It's a blessing to see a family so committed to where God has called them and who have stayed faithful for so many years. And even with all the trials and struggles they've been through there, they still love the Lord, love the people and want to see them come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We were on Village Time while there, so staying up late and sleeping in was the norm. I was just grateful for sleep. :) 

The Selawik Seven

our transportation

Goodbye Selawik! Until next time, which I hope won't be forever in the future. 

Selawik from the air