SO LONG TO THE HOLIDAYS

Well, it's officially 2009 and the new year resolutions are in the making. Besides having the continued goal of losing weight and getting in shape I've been thinking about what I want out of this year. I've pondered about where I want to see myself a year from now, and what it will take to get me there. I've decided my main goal for this year is to travel and visit western Europe. Ideally, I would love to fly to Ireland, backpack my way across to Scotland, down to England, over to the Netherlands, down France and over to Italy. But I know this would take a lot of time and money, so I'm not sure if it's a realistic goal yet. So to be broad and general, I want to see Europe and finally get a stamp in my passport.
Another thing that I hope to achieve is passing all my classes with a B or higher. I'm enrolled at UVU as a full time student, majoring in English. I've decided to take French for my foreign language and am hoping to learn enough that when I visit France I'll be able to get around okay. Everyone asks why French? Why not Spanish? Well, to be honest... French is the language of love, and who doesn't love love? So while I'm sure learning a new language will be a great challenge for me, I'm looking forward to it and hope it's something that will benefit me in the future.
But the most pressing goal at the moment is to find a job. With the economy thinking we're in such bad shape, everything seems to be closing down. I've never had such a hard time finding a job before. No one is hiring, and the few that are seem to have all the choices they could want. I applied for a position for Alpine School District to be a Teachers Aid and when I went in for the interview, the principal told me that there were 30 people who applied for the one position. Times are tough. It makes it hard too, when you're looking for a part-time job that will work with a full school schedule. Seems like my options are so limited. I'm crossing my fingers something comes along soon to keep me afloat.
But as we all know, life is a journey. Every day will be different but I hope to enjoy them all the same!

Long time away...

It has been nearly six months since my last entry, and a lot has happened!
Alaska was everything I was hoping for.. and more!! I already miss the beautiful majestic mountains, the friends I made, and the memories of it all. If it's a possibility for me, I'd like to go back and do it again next summer. But if I'm unable to, I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to go and experience a different side of life.
Since being home, I've been enjoying spending time with friends and family. Every one has been keeping busy working/playing. But it's been really fun spending time with my nephews! I cannot believe how fast they grow! Crew is such a big boy now, he continues to amaze me with how smart he is and how well he understands things. He loves playing with his tractors and trucks and watching over Drake. It's such a special thing to see the love he has for his baby brother. As for Drake, he seems to be growing every day and his personality is really shining through. While Crew is running in circles, with more energy than I've ever had, Drake is as mellow as can be. He just loves being held and being able to watch his big brother play. I'm so blessed to have these boys in my life!

Across the tracks..

Tonight after dinner my friend Allison and I decided it was a good night to go for a little hike. She knew of a great trail that led to a creek where the water is great for wading. So off we went and after crossing the railroad bridge we found the trail and worked our way to the spot she loves. The water was freezing cold but it didn't stop us from taking off our socks and shoes and rolling up our pants to walk around in it. It couldn't have been better!
I've been very lucky since I've been here in meeting some fantastic people who I've bonded with and hope to be friends with long after this summer is over. It seems so silly, but it definitely feels like I'm at an Adult Summer Camp sometimes. There seems to be a lot of drama here, and people love to be in each other's business. So it's very refreshing when you meet people that are drama free and you get along so well. I've had my instances where I've wondered if all the drama is worth being here, but the friends that I've made have made me glad to be here.

Hiking on my day off

After a week of being sick with a miserable cold that seems to be spreading like wildfire through all the employees here, I finally felt good enough to get out and do something. So on Wednesday I went with a friend from work and we did some hiking. We left around 11:30 and got back a little after 5:00. It was a great day, not only were the trails pretty easy but it was just so amazing to take in the scenery that is all around. At one point we were hiking along side the Riley Creek and heard a huge splash of water and we stopped and saw a Moose crossing the Creek. Then we got close to the train tracks and heard a train coming so we were able to get some pictures of the train going across the bridge. I couldn't have asked for a better day off. The weather was beautiful and I was able to get out and hike three different trails and just soak up Alaska. The only downfall to Alaska that I have discovered thus far is definitely the mesquitos. I cannot believe how bad they are, and from what I'm told it's not even bad yet. I guess July and August are the worst. I'm not looking forward to experiencing that. Just the other night before I left the room I sprayed my feet with my mesquito spray because I was wearing sandals. But it didn't help too much, when I got back at the end of the evening I had six bites on one foot. Its not pleasant.

The Climb to Healy

The fact that it's always light here is something that takes getting used to. When I first got here I couldn't believe it would be midnight and still light out, I thought I was going to have a hard time sleeping, and I did for a little bit. But then you reach this point where it seems wrong to not take advantage of all this daylight! It feels like you're wasting your day if you're not out doing something, even if it is 11:00 at night. So the other night I got off work and decided that I wasn't ready to go to bed, but I wanted to go for a hike. So I got ahold of my friend Pat to see if he was interested in going with me. Soon we were off to do the Mt Healy trail - which is one of the more strenuous trails near-by. I was so excited to get out and finally do a real hike! But within the first thirty minutes my excitement had died down. I was completely out of breath and kept feeling like my ears needed to pop. I finally had to take off both my jackets, leaving me in just a t-shirt because I was getting too hot. But by the miracle of Pat, we made it to the top by 10:30 and sat and enjoyed the view for a bit then headed back down. And just so you can understand that it really is ALWAYS light out, keep in mind that the pictures I took on this hike range from 10:00 - midnight. It really is something else to experience.
It was also something else when I woke up the following morning with a sore throat and realized that I was coming down with the Denali cold.

Beginners Luck

Last week I was able to catch a shuttle into the DNP. There's only the one road in/out, It's 91 miles long and as of last week was only opened to mile 53. So I was able to go as far as Toklat and all in all it was a 7 hour adventure. I was able to see 12 Grizzly Bears, 1 Wolf, 1 Moose, a bunch of caribou and sheep. So I was lucky enough my first time in to see the Big 5. It was honestly such a great experience, the only downfall was the weather. It went from raining to snowing the entire day, so I never did any hiking or anything. But it was still great to see so many animals. I was able to get a few pictures, not the greatest but its proof I saw some bears!

Pictures say a thousand words..

Me, Pat and Christina. The bears are sure friendly here! :)
The rest of the pictures are from our hike to Horseshoe Lake. It's so beautiful and peaceful here. The last picture is the trail that I take to work and home. You have to be alert when you walk because the moose like to hang around the area.