Unalakleet

During Thanksgiving week, I had the opportunity to travel to the village of Unalakleet on the Western Coast of Alaska to first help with the Youth Worker Training put on by CYAK, and then to stay and experience a little of village life through the rest of the week. I had a wonderful time getting to know some of the people from Unalakleet, playing lots of card games, learning how to drive a 4-wheeler, trying not to slip on the slippery slippery ice, eating a delicious Thanksgiving Dinner, playing basketball, and getting out into the hills nearby for an awesome view of the village. It was a great trip!

Such a beautiful flight!

Such a great coffee shop!

Thanksgiving Day Stroll

Cards!

And Basketball, of course.

Looking out over Unalakleet and the Berin Sea.

Mr. and Mrs. Healy

About a week and a half ago, I was able to go to Kansas City for my dear cousin Heather's wedding. It was so good to be able to be with family, and to see one of my best friends in the world get married to such a worthy guy :o) Some highlights from the weekend:

-Seeing family from mom and dad's side of the family
-Staying with my grandma
-Going from snow to bright fall colors!
-Eating delicious food at the bachelorette party, the rehearsal dinner, and the wedding.
-Spending the night with some fun girls at the Embassy Suites on the plaza.
-The rehearsal at the Community
-The rehearsal Dinner at Lidias
-Bridal Party brunch
-Pictures on the big day
-Watching Heather walk through Union Station in her wedding dress–she was IN her element :)
-The wedding: it was so beautiful
-Dancing!
-"Thanksgiving dinner" the day after with family
-Multiple coffee stops at the Roasterie

There is so much more, but overall, it was a wonderful weekend! I was so thankful to be a part of it. Here are a few pics!

Grandmas house!

Bachelorette Party at Axiois.

Deddens Family

Such a gorgeous bride!

Beautiful.

So happy!

First dance as a married couple.

Saturday

This past Saturday was such a relaxing day. It reminded me of how important it is take time to just enjoy the small things and chill out. Brittany and I slept in, enjoyed coffee and a pumpkin scone, went on a walk in the Palmer Hay Flats Refuge, and went thrifting. It was a simple and wonderful day!

Delicious!

Just like Narnia!

Lazy Mountain

On Saturday, Brittany and I decided to hike Lazy Mountain. I had hiked it once during my second week in Alaska with Nikki and Matthew, and have been wanting to do it again since. Brittany had heard quite a bit about it from me and Nikki, and wanted to give it a try as well. Plus we want to try and climb it throughout the winter, so we figured now would be a good time to start.

Late last week, the snow came and left a nice blanket over the mountain, so we knew it would be different hiking in the snow, but we were excited nonetheless. It turns out, the day was gorgeous, and we had a great time!

Brittany at the trailhead preparing to head UP!

Gorgeous views. While we were hiking up the mountain, I was thinking about how exactly a year ago, I was playing in my last collegiate soccer game, and how I had no idea that in a year I would be hiking a mountain in Alaska. How sweet is that?

Brittany, Osa and I at the top!

View from the top looking out over the Matanuska River and at Pioneer Peak.

Osa (our friend Mary's dog), was the HAPPIEST dog alive on the way back down the mountain. She was definitely in her element, and was leaping and bounding all over the place the whole way down. She's a lucky pup!

Catch Up!

Dear friends,

I have to start by apologizing for not writing for such a long time! I have been thinking about it, but just haven’t found the time to sit down and update you all! However, the good thing about putting it off for so long means that there is lots to update everyone on! So I have tried to summarize the last month or so as best I can below…

Lets see. What has happened since I last wrote?

Well, fall has come and gone. We had about a week of gorgeous weather with sunshine and golden leaves before they were all blown away. Though it was fast, it was absolutely gorgeous. I wish I would have found more time to get out and hike a bit more while it was still so beautiful, but there is always the winter for hiking (and snowshoeing!)

I now have a roommate. Her name is Brittany and she has been here just under two weeks. She is really sweet and fun, and I think that we are going to get along really well! She will be working part time with CYAK, and part time as a substitute teacher. I know we are both looking forward to keeping ourselves occupied with all that Alaska has to offer while we are here. We have lots of ideas!

I now feel fairly comfortable around Anchorage. I am not sure if this is a good or a bad thing, but I have been to Anchorage many times in the past month for various reasons. I now know where to go for good winter gear, where First Covenant Church is, where to find coffee shops, as well as craft and yarn stores (I am considering trying to take up knitting…gotta find something for the winter!) annnnd, where to get the cheapest gas!  Now I just have to get to know my way around the REST of Alaska! :o)

It now does not get light until about 9:00am, and gets dark at about 7:00pm, so the light is definitely dwindling. But at least for now (since I am new to this), it is kind of fascinating! Hopefully I will still be thinking that come January :o) 

Ok, well I could continue on, but instead I will include a few pics for you to enjoy!

Fall Colors out my front window.

Woods walk.

Foggy drive on the way to work.

BEAUTIFUL day!

If only air miles were the same as road miles!

Getting ready to hike the Butte.

Mary and her pups at the top :o)

Oh man it is GORGEOUS here.

The CYAK team!

The Gathering

Hello all!

First of all, I am sorry it has been so long since my last post! I have been quite busy, and then my internet went out for a few days due to a wind storm...but I am back! I wanted to share a little about my past weekend in big Lake, Alaska.

As some of you might already know, as part of its ministry, Covenant Youth of Alaska plans and organizes different youth retreats for various age groups of Native Alaskans throughout the year. The Gathering is a semi-annual retreat for the campus ministries throughout the state. There were students from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, the University of Alaska-Anchorage, Alaska Christian College, Amundsen Educational Center, and Job Corps. It was so great to be able to get to know some of the students and enjoy a peaceful weekend in the beauty of Alaska. I hope you enjoy the pictures!!

The whole group! Camp Maranatha, Big Lake, AK.

Morning glory.

Morning Worship.

Shooting guns! I tried three times and missed every one!

Brave souls taking the polar plunge! Brrrr.

NINJA!

Beautiful!

While the Sun is Still Shining

The last week has been unusually sunny. Not only is it unusual to have multiple days of clear blue skies in a row, but the fall is fast approaching, and we all know that the long days are soon to be gone. So, in order to take full advantage of the good weather and long days, we have been doing lots of activities outside.

One of the things I have loved the most about living in the valley so far is the fresh produce. Last week, my friend Nikki and I went to a U-pick farm where we pulled (straight from the ground!) fresh carrots, lettuce, kale, red potatoes, and snap peas. I got so much, and it was all under $5! I also have had the opportunity to go berry picking several times. I have picked currants, rose hips, lingonberries, blackberries (not the kind we have at home, but more like black-colored blue berries) and blueberries. They are all delicious! I am excited to find things to make with them :o)

Not only have I done a lot of berry picking, but I have had the opportunity to go on a few hikes as well. There is a small mountain (more like a very large hill, but small mountain sounds better!) called the Butte that I have hiked a couple of times. The first time was with my coworker James and students from the job corps ministry. Then, this morning, I went on a hike with two other CYAK workers, Nikki and Matt, up Lazy Mountain. We got up when it was still dark, and hiked to the top to see the sun rise above the mountains. We came to the conclusion that the hike was far from lazy (it was straight up the majority of the time!), but it was absolutely gorgeous, and a great way to start the day!

The leaves have been turning from green to gold faster than anyone would prefer, but I am going to make sure I take full advantage of the beautiful weather and fall colors while they last! Enjoy the pictures!

Until next time,

Lauren

Fresh veggies from Pyrah's U-Pick Farm in Palmer.

Currants and Rose Hips from the backyard!

Lingon Berries!

Blueberries!

View of Matanuska Glacier from the Butte.

Half way up Lazy Mountain.

Looking back at the Valley from the top of Lazy.

  

Made it!

After seven long days of driving, my dad and I pulled into Wasilla on Friday afternoon. Although I think it is safe to say that a long road trip at this point sounds less than appealing, I am happy to report that the trek was easier than expected. The roads were in good condition, we had fairly good weather, and there were lots of beautiful sights along the way. Our day to day schedule is below, and I have added some pictures of the highlights of the trip as well!

Night one: Shelby, Montana.
Night two: Banff, Alberta.
Night three: Grand Cache, Alberta.
Night four: Liard Hot Springs, British Columbia.
Night five: Whitehorse, Yukon Territories.
Night six: Tok, Alaska.

On the glass at the top of the Calgary Tower!

Downtown Banff.

Lake Moraine.

Dawson City, BC.

Herd of Buffalo near Liar Hot Springs!

The "world famous" sign post forest in Watson Lake, YT.

Met up with a friend, Vanessa, (who I met in Sweden) in Whitehorse, of all places!

Made it to ALASKA!

Beautiful fall colors just past Tok.