SNOW

Before you read this post, I have to say: If any of you have been in person with me when we've talked about snow, you know that this song has been, or has at least attempted to be sung by me. :) Just replace the word Vermont with Alaska, and the word Christmas with winter, and you'll have the perfect set up for this blog post. ENJOY! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AToEzwZSfk

As many of you may have heard or seen on the news, Alaska has had quite a snowy winter. As of a few weeks ago, Anchorage and the MatSu Valley had accumulated over 80 inches of snow, the most snow from July 1 to mid January since records have been kept. And if it continues, we'll be on track to have the snowiest winter yet - the last being in the winter of '54 -'55, when Anchorage got 133 inches of snow from July to June. Our neighbor to the southeast, Cordova, has gotten a whopping 172 inches. That's almost 15 feet! Hello SNOW!

Needless to say, Alaska would be a hard place to live if you aren't a fan of the white fluffy stuff, especially this winter. Fortunately, I love it. I do have to admit that I daydream from time to time of warm beaches and sunshine strong enough to give you freckles. But summer will be here soon enough, and for now, I am going to enjoy this!

A few things I like to do in the SNOW.

Cross Country Skiing. Thanks to some Christmas moola, a donated pair of xc skis, and a willing and cheerful cross country skiing friend, I've taken on a new hobby! I couldn't believe how much fun I had xc skiing with Shelley. (It was probably largely because of the fact that we had just gotten 6 inches of fresh snow, there were perfect tracks in place, I had an encouraging teacher, we went slow, AND the trail was flat. But I like to think I would have loved it regardless of those factors) :)

Hiking! I've also had the chance to go winter hiking recently with my friend/mentor/running buddy Julie (if you're reading this Julie, you know we've got quite a number of ways we could categorize our relationship - but these are a few at least!) We actually were able to go up Lazy Mountain on our lunch break one day. As usual, the hike up was tiring, but it was all made up for with the beautiful view up top, fresh mountain air, and the sheer fun that was sliding nearly the entire way down (Not to mention the fact that I had more energy that afternoon than I have had in a long time!)

Downhill skiing. To many of you, it is obvious that the first thing that always comes to mind when I think winter and fresh powder is downhill skiing. I guess that's just part of what happens when you grow up skiing in Colorado. As I mentioned a few posts back, I was excited to have the chance to go skiing at Breck when I was home in December, but I still have yet to go downhill skiing this winter in Alaska...which has been killing me knowing how much snow there has been at Alyeska! Fortunately though, I'll be going soon! A friend will be up in Alaska in March and we already have tickets. I. Can't. Wait. It'll be a blast for certain.

Snowmachining. Yes. Machine. Not Mobile. One of my best memories from last winter was from one afternoon when my friend and neighbor Nikki came over to my apartment and said, "I just really need to get outside. Wanna go snowmachining with me?" Something that is important to note is the fact that Nikki is from Unalakleet and GREW UP snowmachining. Basically, she is a total pro. So, despite the fact that I was a bit nervous about the whole ordeal, I geared up and we headed out. We had to stop to move the snowmachine by hand a few times (it may have had some trouble turning. ha), but I'll never forget it because we were back in the woods and it was snowy and beautiful. It was a winter wonderland. Well, I hadn't been out on a snowmachine again since that day, until a few weeks ago when some friends from church invited me over to go for a ride! It was -18 that day before wind chill, so not exactly the warmest day, but I had so much fun taking it out for a while!

See? Snow is fun. And I didn't even mention snowshoeing or sledding or winter trail running or dogsledding!

All of that being said, I do realize that winter would not be winter without some good indoor activities as well. I may have mentioned before, but I am playing on a co-ed indoor soccer team, and I am loving it. It's my second season with this team - and it is so much fun. We still are undefeated (woohoo!), we play once a week, and its good soccer. After every game, I leave so happy that I decided to join their team.

I've also been doing some good reading. A couple of my most recent reads: Crazy Love by Francis Chan, and Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross. Both great.

I went into Anchorage for CYAK's Arigaa ministry and hung out with some of the UAA students and friends in Anchorage last week - always a great time. This upcoming weekend is the Arigaa Retreat in Big Lake (only about 30 minutes outside of Wasilla). We'll have students coming from UAA (University of Alaska - Anchorage), UAF (Univerisyt of Alaska - Fairbanks), Alaska Christian College, and Amundsen Educational Center. I can't wait! (Keep an eye out for a post about that come next week). To learn more about what we do at CYAK, visit our website! www.cyak.org.

Lastly (or at least I'll make it lastly since this is getting long), I am house/dog sitting for a woman from church for two months. I know it's long, but after giving it some thought, I am excited! She lives in a beautiful house with incredible views of the mountains, is 5 minutes from church (hooray for saving on gas money!), has internet, annnnnnd (most importantly) has a great big cuddly, though somewhat intimidating dog named Lily. She is a great dane/mastif mix so she is....big. But I've only been here since Friday and we're already pals, so I'm thinking it will be a fun time.

Wow, well how's that for an update? I better sign off before it gets any longer. Sending much love from this great big snowy place I live - otherwise known as ALASKA! Enjoy some pics :)

Oh. One more thing! I've been hearing some exceptionally good music lately. If you're feeling like hearing some good tunes, click these links, lay down, and soak in the amazing-ness that is this music. (I'll just share two for now. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have!)

Bon Iver at AIR Studios: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9Tp5fl18Ho
Blind Pilot - Half Moon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCuGBYirFQw

~ Lauren

Feeling pretty excited about this cross country skiing stuff.

My friend and coach Shelley!

This pic is from last winter, but it's on Lazy Mountain. Pretty beautiful, eh?

Woohoo Arctic Cat! Sooooo cold that day.

This pic is from Alyeska last year - looking forward to this in a month!

A pic from the Anchorage Daily News. If you can tell, it is of a moose on top of a car. Ha! The moose have been EVERYWHERE this year (seriously, I have been seeing over 5 a day), and supposedly it's because the snow is too deep in the woods where they usually hang out. So they've been joining the rest of us on the roads. Or on our cars!

Arigaa - Anchorage!

Sledding at the MatSu Cov Church Retreat at North Star Bible Camp in Willow. So fun!

Winters in Alaska provide MANY beautiful sunrises and sunsets. This is taken from the driveway at my apartment looking south.

Meet Lily. Haha, this picture cracks me up. I wasn't kidding when I said she was big.

And I also wasn't kidding when I said the house I am staying in for the next two months has incredible views!

Nostalgia

This post doesn't really have to do with Alaska, but I'm going to mention it nonetheless. Just about three years ago I arrived in Karlstad, Sweden to study for five months. It feels so long ago, and yet at the same time I can close my eyes and be there in an instant, as if it were yesterday.Those five months were such a gift, and I know I wouldn't be who I am today without them. Sometimes when I sit down and think about my time there and all the friends I made, the places I saw, the experiences I had and the things I learned, it makes me really nostalgic, and sometimes sad because of how much I miss it. But in the end I am just so incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to do something as cool and rewarding as studying abroad! So here is a tribute to those five months. And with that, I will leave the address of my blog in Sweden for lots of reminiscing (on my part)! www.laureninsweden.blogspot.com

Dear friends: Kam Pui from Hong Kong, Anja from Magdeburg, Germany, Antje from Berlin, Germany, me, and Keilin from San Francisco. 

Back in Alaska

Well, I've already been back in Alaska for almost two weeks, but it feels like I never left. The sun has been shining bright, which has been WONDERFUL, even with the consistent sub zero temps, and even though its still January, the change in daylight is significant, and very noticeable - thank goodness! It's only uphill from here :)

As I mentioned in my last post, my camera started acting up, and so I sent it in to Nikon to get some work done. Fortunately, it looks like I'll be getting it back in a about a week, so I won't have to go too much longer without it! That being said, I do have friends with cameras, and so Julie, I am borrowing your pictures for this blog post. Hope you don't mind!

I'd have to say the best day back so far was last Saturday when Julie, Matthew and I went snowshoeing on the Palmer hay flats. It was cold, but calm, and absolutely beautiful. If you ever come visit me, we will go there, that is a promise - its only 10 minutes from where I live - so it really is a must.  I love finding ways to get outside and get some fresh air no matter the time of year - and am so thankful for friends who feel the same way! I'll include some pics from that afternoon, and hope to have some of my own to share with you soon!

Heading down the hill to the flats.

Running into the abyss! (The flats stretch for miiiiiles).

Before we got too frosty: me, Matthew (CYAK youth worker in Mekoryuk, AK) and Julie (CYAK worker in Anchorage)

Moose tracks into the setting sun.

Home Sweet Colorado

Well, today was the last day of my trip home to Colorado for the holidays. It was wonderful to rest and spend time with family over the past couple of weeks, and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to do so. During my time home, I spent lots of time with family, visited old friends, went skiing, hiking, and running, caught up on some much needed vitamin D, had friends over to tell them more about my work with CYAK in Alaska, and just plain enjoyed myself. It was g.r.e.a.t.

The only bad part of my trip home was about half way through, my camera decided to start acting up. Sad day! It is currently en route to Nikon to be examined and (hopefully) fixed - I don't know how long I can go without it! Fortunately, I was able to get a few pics in this break before it went kaput, and I was able to use the family camera to document the rest of my time home. However, starting tomorrow, I will be camera-less for a while, which I am not to excited about. Hopefully it will be fixed soon so I can continue to take pictures and share them with you all! Until then, these will have to suffice :) I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!

Lovely fluffy snow welcomed me home!

Home!

Favorite trail through the GOG with the fam on Christmas Eve.

So many blue sky days!

Oh Christmastree, oh Christmastree!

Morning walk through Red Rock Canyon.

Lovely winter sunset from the front yard.

Drove to Boulder to see these two - Luke and Heather Healy! - at the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse.

Cousin love. So good to see this girl!

My last picture before my camera stopped working, and the only one to document skiing at Breck! Haha! Brian, trying to stay warm with his Ramen Noodles in the freezing wind on Peak 9.

Skyping with Ester and Erik - happy engagement!

Please note the outside temp: 92 degrees. It wasn't actually 92 degrees, but this shows you how wonderfully warm the Colorado sunshine really is!

Reindeer Farm!

Today, Robyn and I went to....THE REINDEER FARM! I've been wanting to go there for a while - especially considering the fact that I have driven by it many many times, and what better time to go than Christmas?! We saw ALL of Santa's reindeer, and some of their friends :) Tomorrow - back to Colorado!

Hello, cute Christmas cabin.

Robyn and some of the reindeer!

I guess they liked Robyn better.

Dasher is dancing.

There were horses too!

Volleyball Time!

Over the last few days, high school volleyball players from all over the state have flown into Anchorage for the State Mixed 6 Tournament. I had the chance to drive yesterday for a few games with a friend - and I am so glad we did. We were there to see the Unalakleet v. Marshall, Glacier View v. Noorvik, and part of the Scammon Bay v. Aniak games.

Watching the games was a blast, though my favorite part of being there was seeing so many familiar faces! Even though I haven't been to the majority of these villages, many of the players on the teams have been to Bible Camp, and so I was able to see some youth who I haven't seen since June! Plus - to make it even better - a friend from college who is now a teacher in Scammon Bay is a volleyball coach this year, and so we were able to catch up and see each other. Then you add in friends and family who came to see the games and it just felt like a great big reunion :)

Before I even moved to Alaska, people told me how tight-knit the community is, and how everyone is connected like a giant web - and I am reminded of that so often with experiences like yesterday's. I am so thankful for it! Below are a few pics from last night. There are two games left: Tomorrow at 2:15, Unalakleet plays Aniak for 3rd, and at 4:30, Noatak plays Glacier View for the championship. You can watch them online here: www.bssd.org !

Unalakleet vs. Marshall

Donald got player of the game and was interviewed! Faaaaaamous.

Scammon Bay vs. Aniak

Wintery Gatherings

Now that winter is in full-swing, a lot of my activities have switched from spending every free moment outside (not to say I don't get outside as often as possible!) to gathering with friends for visiting indoors. Plus, the Christmas season brings lots of gatherings and parties, and so I've been quite busy spending most of my free time with friends - not too bad! A couple of weeks ago, a few friends drove up from Anchorage to the valley, and I made cranberry apple cider with some of the cranberries I picked this fall. The best part was the way it filled my entire apartment with an incredible aroma. YUM. Last weekend, I went to an Ugly Sweater and White Elephant Gift Exchange Christmas Party at a friend's house in Anchorage - so fun! We all looked pretty ugly, and got some pretty ugly gifts - a successful night, to say the least :) This weekend is a cardamom bread baking night with friends, and then a cookie exchange the following day. And the weekend after that - a trip to the reindeer farm in Palmer! (I am sure that will get its own blog post). Lots of fun happenings!

Work is going well - I've been working on the website lately - I'd love to hear any suggestions you might have! www.cyak.org - and have been getting ready for upcoming winter retreats after the first of the year. Soccer is going well too. I am officially on Christ United's Coed A League Team now, so I am looking forward to playing with them year-round. Maybe one day I'll bring my camera to a game so I can share with you all that way! Ok, that's my little update for now. Sorry its so sporadic!

The White Elephant Gifts....and a little tree!

Some of the Ugly Christmas Sweater contestants.

Blurry - but necessary photo to show Nate's FOOTED PJs. hahaha.

Beautiful friends! Robyn, Julie, Amy and Ingrid. Robyn's sweater had LIGHTS.

Nathan and Ingrid recently rescued Pierre the pup. This is from a few weeks ago, but it is so cute that I had to include it! Ingrid is feeding him raspberries. They love each other :)