Saturday, April 6, 2013
Spring Skiing
You know you live in an awesome place when you can take a couple of hours out of your day to go downhill skiing. On Thursday I made my way down to Alyeska in Girwood to use a late day ski pass. I only had one hour to kill, but I made the most of it! Nine runs, zero liftlines, and pure joy. Everyone needs a couple soul-refreshing, sun-soaking, nature-loving hours from time to time!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Catching Up!
The spring has come, and with it - sunlight, and lots of fun happenings. In late February, CYAK hosted its annual winter Young Adult Retreat in Big Lake. It was a fun time, as it always is - lots of hanging out, snow machining, singing, eating (especially some tasty smoked salmon - SO good), learning about the Hope we can find in Christ, and so much more. It was an awesome weekend!
The day following the retreat, Kara (my pal and fellow CYAK worker) and I packed our bags full of salmon and headed out on a CYAK fundraising trip to Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. We had a grand time visiting with supporters and churches, cooking up some tasty silvers, and sharing about CYAK's ministry to youth and young adults in Alaska. It was such an encouragement to see and experience the excitement so many people have about what's happening with the ministry, and we truly enjoyed our time with them.
Not only was it a good trip for CYAK, but it was a good trip for us! Lots of road-tripping, late night laughing, a visit the Omaha Zoo (If you are ever in Omaha, go to the zoo. It is incredible!), and multiple stops to the one and only Trader Joe's. In short, we had a blast. Plus, as an added bonus, we were able to visit with some of my family while we were in Kansas City - which was such a treat. I love them :)
Since being back, things have settled into their normal rhythm once again. Alaska is still convinced that it is winter, which I am ok with for now - though I will say that lately I have been daydreaming about the deep greens of summer grass and freckles and evening BBQs. Nevertheless, I am so incredibly thankful for the sun that has been streaming into my windows more and more the past few weeks. It really is a gift that we Alaskans (or I guess I should only speak for myself) forget how wonderful the sun really is while it is away in the winter time. It makes me wonder, "How did I ever go without?!"
Regardless, it has come back, and I am quite happy about the fact! Now, I plan to embrace the celebration of Easter, and all of the joys of Spring. I hope you do too!
The day following the retreat, Kara (my pal and fellow CYAK worker) and I packed our bags full of salmon and headed out on a CYAK fundraising trip to Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. We had a grand time visiting with supporters and churches, cooking up some tasty silvers, and sharing about CYAK's ministry to youth and young adults in Alaska. It was such an encouragement to see and experience the excitement so many people have about what's happening with the ministry, and we truly enjoyed our time with them.
Not only was it a good trip for CYAK, but it was a good trip for us! Lots of road-tripping, late night laughing, a visit the Omaha Zoo (If you are ever in Omaha, go to the zoo. It is incredible!), and multiple stops to the one and only Trader Joe's. In short, we had a blast. Plus, as an added bonus, we were able to visit with some of my family while we were in Kansas City - which was such a treat. I love them :)
Since being back, things have settled into their normal rhythm once again. Alaska is still convinced that it is winter, which I am ok with for now - though I will say that lately I have been daydreaming about the deep greens of summer grass and freckles and evening BBQs. Nevertheless, I am so incredibly thankful for the sun that has been streaming into my windows more and more the past few weeks. It really is a gift that we Alaskans (or I guess I should only speak for myself) forget how wonderful the sun really is while it is away in the winter time. It makes me wonder, "How did I ever go without?!"
Regardless, it has come back, and I am quite happy about the fact! Now, I plan to embrace the celebration of Easter, and all of the joys of Spring. I hope you do too!
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| Boarding behind the snowmachine. |
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| Frybread, smoked salmon (yummmmm), and herring eggs. They didn't last long. |
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| Alaska communities represented...sweet! |
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| Dawn, Nuya, and Alyssa. See more pictures from the Retreat on the CYAK Website: CYAK Young Adult Retreat |
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| A little drawing of our trip: Kansas City, KS, to Clyde, KS to Aurora, NE to Lanyon, IA, to Omaha, NE, and back to the lowly KC. Great trip! |
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| Early morning Kansas sunrise. We love Kansas. |
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| Small town Kansas. |
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| Yummy salmon - lemon pepper and onion. I wish I had more pictures from the trip to share, but we were too busy talking to people! You'll just have to use your imagination :) |
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Frostbite 5K
As many of you may know...I like to run. I like it because it's good for me physically, I like it because it's good for me mentally, I like it because it's good for me emotionally, spiritually, relationally (I could keep going, but I think you get the picture). Many of you may also know that I don't love running inside. Tracks are ok, but treadmills? No thank you. I like to be in the outdoors, breathing in the fresh air, seeing the beautiful sights, jumping over roots and dodging under trees. That's my kind of running.
So, all that to say I was quite excited to have the opportunity to run the annual 'Frostbite 5K' at the Willow Carnival last Saturday (Ok, maybe I wasn't completely sold until I knew it was going to be abnormally balmy in Willow that day...think 20 degrees verses the typical -15.) I was looking forward to it because a)it was short, which equals low commitment. :), b) it was outside in the snow, which equals fresh air and that is always a good thing, and c) it started where the Iditarod starts and that is just plain fun!
Points b) and c) turned out to be true - it was absolutely gorgeous running through the trees covered in a thick blanket of white snow, and running along the beginning of the Iditarod trail was fun and exhilarating for certain. But point a) - the low commitment motivator - turned out to be completely FALSE. This race was not for the light of heart! Not because it was long. Not because it was hilly. But because we ran in snow. And I mean snowy snow. We're talkin' mashed potatoes. Let's just say it felt much more like a difficult 12K run than an easy 5K fun run. But in the end, I was happy to have done it - and as a fun bonus, I got second for women, woohoo! (I won't tell you that there were only ten or so women total..shhh!)
So here's to winter trail running - it's the best!
So, all that to say I was quite excited to have the opportunity to run the annual 'Frostbite 5K' at the Willow Carnival last Saturday (Ok, maybe I wasn't completely sold until I knew it was going to be abnormally balmy in Willow that day...think 20 degrees verses the typical -15.) I was looking forward to it because a)it was short, which equals low commitment. :), b) it was outside in the snow, which equals fresh air and that is always a good thing, and c) it started where the Iditarod starts and that is just plain fun!
Points b) and c) turned out to be true - it was absolutely gorgeous running through the trees covered in a thick blanket of white snow, and running along the beginning of the Iditarod trail was fun and exhilarating for certain. But point a) - the low commitment motivator - turned out to be completely FALSE. This race was not for the light of heart! Not because it was long. Not because it was hilly. But because we ran in snow. And I mean snowy snow. We're talkin' mashed potatoes. Let's just say it felt much more like a difficult 12K run than an easy 5K fun run. But in the end, I was happy to have done it - and as a fun bonus, I got second for women, woohoo! (I won't tell you that there were only ten or so women total..shhh!)
So here's to winter trail running - it's the best!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Home and Back Again
December and the first half of January have been a whirlwind, as they usually are. But they were a whirlwind of the best sort. I was able to....
spend some time celebrating Advent season here in Alaska with close friends,
fly home to Colorado and soak in it's general splendor for a few days,
drive to Kansas City with my family to celebrate Christmas with all of my 20+ cousins,
head back to Colorado to celebrate Christmas with my parents and brother,
pick up David and do a bit of exploring Colorado/ 'lets introduce you to ALL of my people' (he took it like a champ),
enjoy skiing at Breckenridge and Copper Mountain,
fly back to Washington with David to spend a few days with his family - including a fun trip to Portland to see his brother and sis-in-law,
and finally fly back in the wee hours of the morning to the one and only Alaska...
Going home for Christmas is always wonderful, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to do so. But I will say, it certainly can be an emotional roller coaster. It's one I am happy and excited to ride, but the transition back and forth and here and there can be rough at times. Seeing people you deeply care for is such a gift...but it definitely reminds you of many of the reasons why you deeply care for them - making it that much harder to leave. That being said, I wouldn't have traded my time at home with my family and friends and David for anything. Now that I've been back for a while, I have slowly gotten into the rhythm of life here once again and am happy to be where I am. There really is no place like Alaska in the winter. And, the light is coming back! Oh the joy! So here is to another wonderful trip home for Christmas, and to making my way back to Alaska to enjoy yet another winter on the Last Frontier!
spend some time celebrating Advent season here in Alaska with close friends,
fly home to Colorado and soak in it's general splendor for a few days,
drive to Kansas City with my family to celebrate Christmas with all of my 20+ cousins,
head back to Colorado to celebrate Christmas with my parents and brother,
pick up David and do a bit of exploring Colorado/ 'lets introduce you to ALL of my people' (he took it like a champ),
enjoy skiing at Breckenridge and Copper Mountain,
fly back to Washington with David to spend a few days with his family - including a fun trip to Portland to see his brother and sis-in-law,
and finally fly back in the wee hours of the morning to the one and only Alaska...
Going home for Christmas is always wonderful, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to do so. But I will say, it certainly can be an emotional roller coaster. It's one I am happy and excited to ride, but the transition back and forth and here and there can be rough at times. Seeing people you deeply care for is such a gift...but it definitely reminds you of many of the reasons why you deeply care for them - making it that much harder to leave. That being said, I wouldn't have traded my time at home with my family and friends and David for anything. Now that I've been back for a while, I have slowly gotten into the rhythm of life here once again and am happy to be where I am. There really is no place like Alaska in the winter. And, the light is coming back! Oh the joy! So here is to another wonderful trip home for Christmas, and to making my way back to Alaska to enjoy yet another winter on the Last Frontier!
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| Home sweet Colorado. |
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| Deddens cousins! |
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| Peaceful Christmas morning - Santa came to visit allll of the cousins! |
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| A taste of the fun! |
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| My dear Heather. |
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| David in CO! Scrambling at Red Rocks Open Space. |
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| Boulder! |
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| Family! Pure joy. |
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| More exploring at Red Rocks Open Space in Colorado. |
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| Gig Harbor, WA! |
Monday, November 12, 2012
Winter Sun
I realize it is only November 12, which to many of you means peak 'fall' season, or at least the end of it. But here in Alaska, it's feeling pretty wintery as of late. Now that we've had daylight savings, the sun appears much later in the morning, and bids us adieu much earlier as well. Though the sun's departure isn't my favorite thing, winter in Alaska has it's perks. And one of them is the absolutely beautiful sunrises and sunsets that we get to see EVERY day. No waking up at dawn. No staying up till the wee hours of the morning (as fun as that can be come summertime). Nope. We get to see all of that glory when we're already up and going for the day. See? Isn't Alaska sweet? I think so. This is a pic from Saturday's sunrise. This doesn't do it justice seeing as its taken through the window of my apartment, but you get the picture ;)
Sunday, October 7, 2012
CYAK Young Adult Retreat Reflections
It's that time of year again - the time of the CYAK Young Adult Retreat!
Its hard to believe that I have now gone to the CYAK Young Adult Retreat FIVE times. Eek! Sure makes it sound like I've been up here a while! But it has proven to be such a blessing to me. This time around, instead of going through what the retreat looks like (since I have before, and since you can read about it by clicking here), I just want to do a little reflecting on what the retreat has come to mean to me over the past couple of years.
There are many things I could say about the way this annual gathering has impacted my time serving with CYAK in Alaska, but I am going to stick to three things that I find this retreat to be - and I think that I am not alone in feeling this way - in fact it is my prayer that everyone who comes to this retreat shares some of the same sentiments.
It is life-giving. This one is pretty straight forward. Every time I leave this retreat, I feel full of life. The Lord has and continues to use this retreat as a way to bring clarity and perspective to life. I always feel re-centered and reminded of the Lord's presence in my life. It can be easy at times to let my focus become fuzzy and begin thinking on the things that don't bring me joy and excitement about being alive. But that is not how we are intended to be! And whenever I come to this retreat, I am reminded of that. I find myself leaving feeling so joyful every time :)
It is reassuring. Every time I go to this retreat I leave feeling so thankful to be a part of CYAK's ministry, and excited about counting to serve with CYAK. I think this due to a lot of factors, but is in part because it is a time during the year that I am able to see the fruit of our labor. It is awesome to witness the way that the Lord works in the lives of young people form all over Alaska, and to see students leave feeling encouraged and excited about their faith. It's pretty awesome, and reminds me that good work is being done through this ministry!
It is comforting. This retreat is one of the few times during the year that brings many of the people who I have grown close to in Alaska together in one place. Both staff and students that I have developed relationships with come, and I feel at home. Living thousands of miles away from my Colorado home and family means that I miss them a lot! And so I am thankful to have people in Alaska who make me feel home too. As we left, I just kept thinking, 'Man. These are my people!' I am so thankful to have that!
More could be said, as always. But for now, I will leave you with a few pictures from the weekend. To see more pics, visit the CYAK website here: http://www.cyak.org/young-adult-retreat---september-2012.html
Its hard to believe that I have now gone to the CYAK Young Adult Retreat FIVE times. Eek! Sure makes it sound like I've been up here a while! But it has proven to be such a blessing to me. This time around, instead of going through what the retreat looks like (since I have before, and since you can read about it by clicking here), I just want to do a little reflecting on what the retreat has come to mean to me over the past couple of years.
There are many things I could say about the way this annual gathering has impacted my time serving with CYAK in Alaska, but I am going to stick to three things that I find this retreat to be - and I think that I am not alone in feeling this way - in fact it is my prayer that everyone who comes to this retreat shares some of the same sentiments.
It is life-giving. This one is pretty straight forward. Every time I leave this retreat, I feel full of life. The Lord has and continues to use this retreat as a way to bring clarity and perspective to life. I always feel re-centered and reminded of the Lord's presence in my life. It can be easy at times to let my focus become fuzzy and begin thinking on the things that don't bring me joy and excitement about being alive. But that is not how we are intended to be! And whenever I come to this retreat, I am reminded of that. I find myself leaving feeling so joyful every time :)
It is reassuring. Every time I go to this retreat I leave feeling so thankful to be a part of CYAK's ministry, and excited about counting to serve with CYAK. I think this due to a lot of factors, but is in part because it is a time during the year that I am able to see the fruit of our labor. It is awesome to witness the way that the Lord works in the lives of young people form all over Alaska, and to see students leave feeling encouraged and excited about their faith. It's pretty awesome, and reminds me that good work is being done through this ministry!
It is comforting. This retreat is one of the few times during the year that brings many of the people who I have grown close to in Alaska together in one place. Both staff and students that I have developed relationships with come, and I feel at home. Living thousands of miles away from my Colorado home and family means that I miss them a lot! And so I am thankful to have people in Alaska who make me feel home too. As we left, I just kept thinking, 'Man. These are my people!' I am so thankful to have that!
More could be said, as always. But for now, I will leave you with a few pictures from the weekend. To see more pics, visit the CYAK website here: http://www.cyak.org/young-adult-retreat---september-2012.html
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| The group! We had the largest number of students in 10 years! |
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| Playing a little football. |
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| Tom Mute leading worship. |
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| Beauties: Robyn, Willow and Julie. |
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| Woohooo! |
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| Hanging around the fire pit. |
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| Simply gorgeous day. |
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| Soaking up the deep deep blue. |
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| Beauty. |
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| Hanging out inside... |
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| Ruth and sweet Parker! It's blurry, but so cute nonetheless! |
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| A little treat for the ride home...that is Denali. SWEEEET! |
Sunday, September 23, 2012
From Summer to Winter.
I realize its been a while since I have added something to this little page known as my blog. I really have no good excuse. But in thinking about it, I have come to the conclusion that there tends to be a dip in my blog writing every year around this time. Why you ask? Because it is the time of year where the 'Great Alaska Transition' happens, of course! As much as I would like that to be a real phrase, it is not. But I think that many Alaskans would agree it definitely could be!
Every year between the summer and winter, us Alaska residents go through some pretty significant transition. We go from hiking, biking, fishing, berry picking, staying up late and getting up early to ... winter. And that's not to say that there isn't a lot of fun outdoor winter activities in Alaska (in fact, there are endless outdoor winter activities here if you're willing to brave the cold - and do it during the couple of hours of daylight each day!), but it has more to say that there is a sort of rhythm in Alaska where in the summer we go, and in the winter slow down. At least some.
This rhythm of life has become something that I really appreciate and love about Alaska, and I am quite thankful for it. It's just one reason why sometimes at this time of year I don't blog a whole bunch because I just don't feel like there is a whole bunch to blog about! Or maybe I should say, there are things to blog about, but they are a bit different. So with that, please accept my apology for being gone so long. I will do my best to continue to blog - even during the slower pace of winter.
With that...I'll get to this post. You may know that it has been raining a lot here lately. Like a lot a lot. Think two weeks of nonstop rain. I know for some of you, that's just a drop in the bucket (ha!), but for this Colorado sunshine lover, two weeks without a ray of sunshine is a long time. A really long time. Fortunately, a couple of days ago, the clouds cleared, and we were greeted with a gorgeous fall day. Thank goodness! So we decided on the way to work that we needed to take a quick stop at the Palmer Hayflats and enjoy the rays for a bit. And I am so glad we did. Hopefully we'll have a few more of these days before the winter really sets in!
Every year between the summer and winter, us Alaska residents go through some pretty significant transition. We go from hiking, biking, fishing, berry picking, staying up late and getting up early to ... winter. And that's not to say that there isn't a lot of fun outdoor winter activities in Alaska (in fact, there are endless outdoor winter activities here if you're willing to brave the cold - and do it during the couple of hours of daylight each day!), but it has more to say that there is a sort of rhythm in Alaska where in the summer we go, and in the winter slow down. At least some.
This rhythm of life has become something that I really appreciate and love about Alaska, and I am quite thankful for it. It's just one reason why sometimes at this time of year I don't blog a whole bunch because I just don't feel like there is a whole bunch to blog about! Or maybe I should say, there are things to blog about, but they are a bit different. So with that, please accept my apology for being gone so long. I will do my best to continue to blog - even during the slower pace of winter.
With that...I'll get to this post. You may know that it has been raining a lot here lately. Like a lot a lot. Think two weeks of nonstop rain. I know for some of you, that's just a drop in the bucket (ha!), but for this Colorado sunshine lover, two weeks without a ray of sunshine is a long time. A really long time. Fortunately, a couple of days ago, the clouds cleared, and we were greeted with a gorgeous fall day. Thank goodness! So we decided on the way to work that we needed to take a quick stop at the Palmer Hayflats and enjoy the rays for a bit. And I am so glad we did. Hopefully we'll have a few more of these days before the winter really sets in!
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| Oh the beauty! |
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| Fall is my favorite. |
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| Happy rain-free friends! |
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