Update:

Well I've made it home safe and sound and only have 7 days left in Utah before I leave for Paris.
My summer flew by in Alaska but I had a lot of fun. I made some incredible friends that I love and miss already. It was bittersweet to close that chapter of my life and get ready for the next but I'm looking forward to all the new experiences that await me.
Here are some misc pictures from my summer in Alaska.

Fresh Salmon!

Last night I was invited to enjoy a home cooked meal with fresh salmon! It was so amazing and was truly made with love. Such a difference! It was like a salmon buffet of goodness: salmon sushi rolls, breaded salmon, salmon quesadillas, and a great salmon chip dip. It was such a beautiful meal and I feel very grateful to have been a part of it. Fantastic food and company!
So thanks to all of those who prepared the delicious food and made it such a great night!
Since I had to switch schedules with a co-worker for the week, I was off yesterday and today is my "Sunday" and I'll have to work this weekend for the 4th of July. But the weather is so beautiful right now that I can't wait to take advantage of it. Yesterday Allison and I went for a small hike and laid out in the sun next to Riley Creek for three hours. It was so nice and surprisingly I didn't get burnt at all! So I think I'm going to do it again today. Why not!?

Scholarship - 2nd Place

Yesterday morning while I was getting ready for work I got an email from a woman who works in UVU's International Center. She said she had received notification that I was awarded a scholarship in France through another program and congratulated me on the scholarship and asked for information as to why I chose the program I did. I was so surprised by this email because I had no idea that I won second place for the scholarship I applied for! I would be lying if I didn't admit I started squealing like a little girl and jumping around my room. I now have $2000 for my study abroad program and feel so blessed to have this extra help. If you're interested in reading my paper, I'll attach the link.
http://www.gowithcea.com/services/financing/scholarships/scholarship_essays.html?Item=Scholarship_Fall_FinacialNeed2
Thanks to all for your love and support. I look forward to sharing this journey with all of you.

Moose Chase!

So lately I've decided to stop taking the shuttle to work completely and walk every day now. This morning when I woke up and it was still raining I was less than enthusiastic about the walk, but I grabbed my umbrella and set off for work at 6:25 a.m. I put in my skullcandy earphones (love them) and listened to my shuffle as I enjoyed the scenery around me. Then just as I was nearing work, I saw a moose crossing the Park Road ahead of me. It was far enough ahead that I didn't worry about it and continued walking on the trail. Just seconds later the moose came running back, recrossing the street with a grizzly bear at its heels! I quickly yanked my earphones out in astonishment, as if my sight had been impaired by sound. I mumbled some choice words to myself, in shock by what I'd seen. It's crazy living in the wild like this! And I have to say that I'm grateful that I didn't leave for work a minute earlier because I would have been on the path where the bear came from. That would have been really scary!!!

Hiking to the Healy Overlook

Wednesday I got off work at 3:30 and decided I would take a nap and skip out on yoga because I was just too tired. After I woke up and grabbed some dinner my friend Julie invited me to hike Healy with her. Since I didn't have anything else going on, I jumped at the opportunity. I've been wanting to hike Healy since I've been here and still hadn't gotten around to it. It was probably the hardest hike I did last summer so I guess I've been procrastinating it this year. So we grabbed our cameras and set up the trail. As I mentioned in my last post - hiking with boys and girls is completely different. This hike is a strenuous hike and I think we worked even harder trying to talk the entire time. :-)
It was a really fun hike and was so rewarding when we made it to the top of the overlook. Some day I would really love to continue on the trail and hike all the way to Healy and just hitchhike back but we'll see! Anyway, thanks to Julie for inviting me! It was the perfect weather and such a great time!


On the way back down we were so busy talking we nearly walked into two moose. They just looked at us and we slowly backed up and then just sat in the grass waiting for them to leave to we could continue down. It was really fun and they eventually headed off the trail so we could head home. My hips and butt were sore yesterday from the great work out. I need to do it more often!

Horseshoe Lake

A few nights ago, I went on a little hike with my two friends David and Jeff. Something I learned last summer up here, going on hikes with girls and guys are two completely different things. In general, when girls go on hikes we tend to stick with trails and go at a slower pace. Hiking with guys is a whole other story, it's much more adventurous.. trails aren't really involved. If they see a rock that they want to climb, they will climb it. So what usually is a relaxing hike around Horseshoe Lake was a little more vigorous for me, but I had a blast. We went late at night so keep in mind that these pictures were taken around 11:00 pm to midnight. I love Alaskan daylight!

First time in the park this year...

The other night my friend Jason and I drove out into the park together. It was a fun drive, very relaxing and we saw a few animals along the way. Here are some of the photos I snapped.