apple cider beef stew

I got some stew meat a while back*, and decided that it was well past time to use it, especially considering how good hot stew tastes when its cold out. So I was looking around online for a good stew recipe that consisted of things that I have in my kitchen. I noticed a trend as I pawed through different recipe sites: using apple in a beef stew. I thought, "Well, that sounds interesting! Couldn't hurt to try, right?" The great thing about being single is that I am the only one to disappoint if something doesn't turn out.

Because I was using my slow cooker, I figured it would be best to find a recipe that is specifically for the slow cooker. Crockpot.com away! Here http://www.crock-pot.com/Recipe.aspx?rid=1025 is where to find the original recipe; I will share what I actually ended up doing.

1. Finely chop 8 carrots, 4 sticks of celery, 6 medium potatoes, 1 medium onion, and 2 apples.
2. Layer 2 pounds beef stew meat, and all the chopped veggies in the crockpot.

3. Pour 36 oz. apple juice over the ingredients in the crockpot.

4. Add (at least) 2 teaspoons salt and a teaspoon or so of thyme (I didn't measure either of these...)

5. Cook for 12 hours on low, then keep warm until time to serve!

Reading over the recipe again, I realize that I forgot the vinegar. that might have taken the edge off the sweetness. I ended up having to add more salt, and it was fine. The thing that I didn't like about the timing of this recipe is how long it takes to cook. I made it for lunch, so I ended up staying up really late just to start it. I guess the other option would have been to cook it on high for dinner. But that would have involved starting it around noon to have it between 5-6.

It also makes a ginormous thing of soup. Great for big families, but I am going to be eating it for a week!

*Don't worry, I put it in the freezer!

Twas the Night Before Christmas: Aviation Style!

I found this on Facebook. I honestly wish I could credit the author, cause its awesome!

Twas the night before Christmas, and out on the ramp,
Not an airplane was stirring, not even a Champ.
The aircraft were fastened to tiedowns with care,
In hopes that come morning, they all would be there.
The fuel trucks were nestled, all snug in their spots,
With gusts from two-forty at 39 knots.
I slumped at the fuel desk, now finally caught up,
And settled down comfortably, resting my butt.
When the radio lit up with noise and with chatter,
I turned up the scanner to see what was the matter.
A voice clearly heard over static and snow,
Called for clearance to land at the airport below.
He barked his transmission so lively and quick,
I'd have sworn that the call sign he used was "St. Nick".
I ran to the panel to turn up the lights,
The better to welcome this magical flight.
He called his position, no room for denial,
St. Nicholas One, turnin' left onto final.
And what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a Rutan-built sleigh, with eight Rotax Reindeer!
With vectors to final, down the glideslope he came,
As he passed all fixes, he called them by name:
"Now Ringo! Now Tolga! Now Trini and Bacun!
On Comet! On Cupid!" What pills was he takin'?
While controllers were sittin', and scratchin' their head,
They phoned to my office, and I heard it with dread,
The message they left was both urgent and dour
"When Santa pulls in, have him please call the tower.
He landed like silk, with the sled runners sparking,
Then I heard "Left at Charlie," and "Taxi to parking.
He slowed to a taxi, turned off of three-oh
And stopped on the ramp with a "Ho, ho-ho-ho...
He stepped out of the sleigh, but before he could talk,
I ran out to meet him with my best set of chocks.
His red helmet and goggles were covered with frost
And his beard was all blackened from Reindeer exhaust.
His breath smelled like peppermint, gone slightly stale,
And he puffed on a pipe, but he didn't inhale.
His cheeks were all rosy and jiggled like jelly,
His boots were as black as a cropduster's belly.
He was chubby and plump, in his suit of bright red,
And he asked me to "fill it, with hundred low-lead.
He came dashing in from the snow-covered pump,
I knew he was anxious for drainin' the sump.
I spoke not a word, but went straight to my work,
And I filled up the sleigh, but I spilled like a jerk.
He came out of the restroom, and sighed in relief,
Then he picked up a phone for a Flight Service brief.
And I thought as he silently scribed in his log,
These reindeer could land in an eighth-mile fog.
He completed his pre-flight, from the front to the rear,
Then he put on his headset, and I heard him yell, "Clear!"
And laying a finger on his push-to-talk,
He called up the tower for clearance and squawk.
"Take taxiway Charlie, the southbound direction,
Turn right three-two-zero at pilot's discretion"
He sped down the runway, the best of the best,
"Your traffic's a Grumman, inbound from the west."
Then I heard him proclaim, as he climbed through the night,
"Merry Christmas to all! I have traffic in sight."

-Author unknown

civilization!

Well, its been 2 months since I have been anywhere with roads. And now I get 2 glorious weeks of Christmas holiday. Lots of shopping, friends, and tons of fun!! I will try to get Christmas gifts in the mail right away, then get ready for shopping. I don't plan on going into Anchorage again until the end of February, so I want to make sure I have everything I need.

As much as I like the freedom to drive somewhere, I am really beginning to appreciate the beauty of where I live. Everywhere I look, there are mountains. Its especially pretty in the winter, with white snow everywhere reflecting the low sun's light. The town sits right on a big lake, with a peaceful bay defining the northeast side of town. Yes, it would be nice if it was easier to get in and out. But for what its worth, its beautiful here.

So the plans for the next two weeks involve dancing, sledding, snow machining, gingerbread parties, christmas eve, christmas day, shopping, hanging out with friends, more shopping, and grocery shopping. Looking forward to it!

fresh fruit

How often do you buy fresh fruit and veggies at the grocery store? Well, there is no grocery store here. The most convenient shopping center is 200 air miles away. I am very blessed to have a friend in Anchorage that will pick up a list at costco for me every once in a while, but its not the same as the weekly grocery store trip where one picks out their favorite (and maybe a little more of what is on sale) produce. So on this last list, I got a case of oranges, bananas, pomegranates, a and pineapple. What is one supposed to do with all this, other than make a glorious fruit salad? I decided to give some to my neighbors, who are avid fruit lovers. I know this means that I will probably be without fruit at some point, but I would rather them have some as well than me hoarding it all and watching it go bad.

So next time you are wandering through the produce section, think about how you would buy if you knew you wouldn't be shopping for the next 2 months.

hangar happenings

A lot of what happens in the hangar is work. While expected, work tends toward the boring side. So last week, when things other than work happened, we were all really amused.

1) During break, a conversation happened between two of my co-workers. I wasn't listening too closely, but I heard something mentioned about 5 dollars, then one of the guys headed over to the 206 and started crawling into the belly pod. This guy is over 6 feet tall, and I wasn't sure that he could get all of his legs in there.

JAARS 206 in Waxhaw

Apparently he did, because the other guy snuck up and closed the door behind him. Next thing I know, our director of maintenance is headed over to the plane, saying, "You aren't doing it right!" before he hops on the tail and starts rocking the whole plane up and down. Eventually they unlock the door, and the guy begins asking about his 5 bucks as he crawls out.

2) The 99 was in for maintenance this week. Aside from the scheduled inspection, one of the antennas on top had vibrated enough to crack the metal surrounding it. One of my co-workers spent 3 days cowboy style on top of the plane, working on the fix. Its not a normal place to see a person, so it was kind of funny to have someone up there for 3 days. I wish we would have gotten a picture!

thanksgiving in the bush

Yes, Thanksgiving was a week ago. Better late than never? Sure, works for me.

The festivities started the night before, with a spaghetti feed at the church. During this event, one of the local mid-high girls found me and stayed by my side most of the night. The only time I wasn't attached to her, I had various kids, age 3-8, climbing all over me and otherwise enjoying a grown up playing with them. Lesson 1: Don't swing a kid around when there are other kids present. They will all want rides, and will say, "Again!" as soon as you set them down. I am just thankful that all the spaghetti stayed in their tummies.

After the meal was cleaned up, we headed upstairs for a prayer and worship service. From little boys being mutually thankful for their best friend sitting next to them to adults being grateful for the way God blesses this community, we shared from the heart.

The aforementioned mid-high girl, her sister, and two other friends from the community, were headed over to my place. Why? A sleepover, of course. I taught them how to play skip-bo, we had some soda, watched a movie, and stayed up till 2 am giggling.

The next morning, the phone rang. It wasn't even 7 am yet. I rolled out of bed, aware that the girls were waking up, and tried to piece together some consciousness. First step: make coffee. "Oh, my mom lets me have coffee! Can I have some?" One of the girls pipes up. Well naturally, if I give her coffee, I have to give ALL the girls coffee, even if some of them dont get it very often. Whatever, it can be a treat, I think to myself as I serve them all small cups of coffee.

The big happening out here was the turkey bowl. We had a couple inches of fresh snow to cover the week's mud, which was a perfect setting for the first annual turkey bowl. What, you don't have turkey bowls where you come from? Well, let me enlighten you. Its an epic battle, from one side to the other. Passing, catching, running, tackling... ok, you are SUPPOSED to pull flags. But we found the most effective way to grab a flag was when the opponent was pinned to the ground. Thats right, its flag football in the bush! Complete with a hand carved trophy for the winning team. My team didn't win, but we had fun playing.

The big meal happened at my boss's house. They open their house to members of the community who can't go home for Thanksgiving, in addition to their large family. This year, the crowd numbered about 50 people. I am told that it was a small quiet crowd for a holiday meal at their place. I looked at all the tables set up, wondering where anyone else would sit.

All in all, it was a great holiday!

Church

I like Church. I like worship, I like preaching, I like Sunday school, I like fellowship (that should be obvious for anyone who knows I like to talk), I like the experience of a Sunday morning. I really liked this spring when we would eat lunch together and fellowship even more. The early church model is my favorite for the Christian Church lifestyle.
Not only do I like Church, I feel that I need Church. I think many would agree with me on this topic, here are a few standpoints for that agreement:
-from a Biblical standpoint, knowing that we are instructed to gather with fellow believers.
-from a Spiritual standpoint, hoping that more time with Jesus will make me less, well, troublesome.
-from an intellectual standpoint, knowing that I learn a lot when I go to church.
-from a social standpoint, as its the only time we know we will see each other.
Feel free to list others, I am sure there are a lot of reasons people think I (and you yourself) need church. I oftentimes feel that I need a weekly sanctuary to come, properly prepare my heart through worship, and hear biblical preaching.

But do I really need Church? Does fellowship with other believers make me a better Christian? Do I need Biblical teaching to grow in Christ? Do I need to sing five songs led by another person to feel like I have properly worshipped? Why do I feel that I need to go to a place on Sunday morning to have a complete week?

Take a look around at other Christians around the world. Do they all have the luxury of going to Church every week? Some people are the only Christians they know. Do they wither and fade away because they aren’t going to Church every week? Especially missionaries, who are living amongst a people group for the very purpose of leading them to Christ. Its highly doubtful that they will find an awesome church to weekly fulfill that need in their lives.

Church is good. Anytime I can, I make Church a priority. But Church should not be depended on. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Church is an excellent place to find, fellowship, and grow in Jesus. But its not the only place to accomplish these things.

hunting/trapping

This is not a post advocating fin and feather.* For the most part, they make our lives miserable. I understand that they are there for a reason. Moving on...

Some friends and I were hanging out the other night watching a movie, and all the sudden Danny shouts, "Fox! Gotta get my gun!" I look over at the sliding glass window, and there was an orange ball of fur with black beady eyes. Right on the porch. I had never seen a live fox before that night. Danny comes racing back through the living room, opens up the sliding glass door, and points. The fox slides through the rails on the porch, but sits down just out of range of the light. BAM! The orange ball of fur quickly becomes the first fox I have ever seen shot.

He will claim it under his trapping tag. According to the slightly more liberal trapping law, he can shoot. As opposed to hunting... No, I guess it's not supposed to make sense.

*Also known as Alaska Department of Fish and Game

mind the socks

Church: One of my favorite weekly events. While its a good Christian thing to say that I like Church, the reason isn't entirely Godly. Yes, I enjoy hearing the preaching. Yes, prayer time is crucial. Yes, worship brings our hearts into the right place. Yes, its the only time in the week I am guaranteed to see several friends. But there is another reason I enjoy going to church.

Socks.

Since there is so much mud around here, (nothing is paved) the best way to control the amount of dirt inside buildings is by leaving shoes at the door. Even at church. The entry way is lined with benches and hooks to hang jackets and remove shoes. From children to grandparents, we all attend services in our stocking feet.

If you come for a visit, make sure you have at least one pair of wild socks with no holes in them. You will need to wear them to church.

Clear winter night

Winters are dark in Alaska. However, when the moon is near full, its hard to fear the darkness of night. I walked over to a friend's house last night, and I didn't need my flashlight at all. The moon was so bright I had a clear shadow following me in the snow. The mountains were clearly visible in the darkness, with the snow reflecting the bright moonlight.

Somewhat eerie, but absolutely beautiful.

homelessness

I feel homeless right now. I understand that its a part of transitions. I have been through enough of them recently! Port Alsworth doesn't feel like home yet. I am getting used to the daily life of walking everywhere, being able to go home for lunch, and only worrying about wildlife on the commute instead of wild drivers. I am getting to know people in the community a little better. I just get to the point where I miss having people around me who have experienced life with me.

When I went to Anchorage last month, I had to prepare myself. I had just begun to feel settled and established in Anchorage when I left. I had to tell myself that the city I was visiting is no longer home. It was great to spend some time with friends, and I can only imagine how easy it would be to be absorbed back into the city lifestyle. At the same time, I often found myself looking around and feeling out of place.

We went to see a movie at Bear's Tooth Friday night. Bear's tooth has two dining areas and a one screen movie theatre. They show movies that have mostly cycled out of the main theatres, as well as some classics and documentaries. The theatre is set up with booths and tables, and food is brought to you during the movie. A fun, and very popular, experience in Anchorage. I looked around at the crowd as we were leaving our movie. The line was all the way around the building for the next movie, and every seat was full from our movie. I think there were more people there at that point than live in my entire burough.

Anchorage, with all its entertainment and crowds, is not home. I am ok with that. But Port Alsworth isn't home yet either. When I am frustrated, I long for home. But where is home? Its a good way to remember that I was not created to be on earth forever. It can be my dwelling for now, but its never going to be a place to settle down.

NaNoBloMo.... whatever it is

Well, there's a thing in November dedicated to writing. From blogging every day, to writing a rough draft of a novel in a month, everyone from the novice blogger to the published author have an excuse to ignore responsibilities and write write write. As much as I dislike responsibility, I thought it would be a great excuse. Until it got to be a third of the way into November and I hadn't written anything. Oh well, there's always next year, right?

mail

Getting mail here is a little different. Of course, everything is different, so its really not surprising, right?

The most exciting thing is UPS and FedEx. I was actually kind of curious how that works, until someone explained it to me. I don't know if you have an idea of what the runway looks like here, but I just can't see a big Boeing jet landing on our humble 3000 ft dirt runway. FedEx has several Caravans, which wouldn't have a problem landing here, but I can't imagine it would be terribly ecenomic to stop off at EVERY village in this state with a few little packages on a regular basis.

First off, the packages check in to Anchorage. They sit at their respective facilities until someone takes them to the mail carrier (Illiamna Air Taxi for us). Everything, from FedEx to US mail piles onto the mail plane and lands here every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Well, unless the weather is bad. Usually it comes the next day.

So, things get here... eventually. It takes a little extra time, but nothing has gotten lost yet!

quick trip to town

Problem: Bridesmaid dresses take a long time to order.
Solution: Order as early as possible.

Problem: No David's bridal in the bush.
Solution: Go to town!

My lovely friend and former college roommate Laura is getting married in February, and has lovingly requested my presence as a bridesmaid. OF COURSE I agreed, and not just because San Diego sounds like a lovely escape from an Alaskan winter!

So I flew in Thursday, landed a bit after 1, and will be here till Sunday afternoon, depending on flights. In addition to running a list full of errands, I will also be enjoying several friends' company, as well as a few local eateries that I have missed while being away!

what makes the cold colder?

Its getting cold here. Expected, as its trudging through the middle of October. I love coming home to a warm home, maybe taking a nice hot shower, putting on comfy clothes, and grabbing a hot cup of tea. Wednesday was no exception to my desire to finish a good day’s work and relax in the usual comforts.

The first problem was apparent upon walking in my door. It was a bit chilly. As I later discovered, the building was out of heating oil. I remember noticing a slight chill in the air when I was home for lunch. Considering the building is not insulated for winter living, a bit of the “barely above freezing” weather we have started settling into my home.

So what does one do when its cold in their living environment? A few solutions come to mind, but the top one on my mind was a nice hot shower. So I turn on the shower water, and wait for it to warm up. Well, it warms up, but not near as warm as I like it to be. Especially not hot enough to take off the chill that is setting in. I hop in the shower, hoping that it would warm a little more. Wrong. It got cooler, and cooler, and cooler, till it was barely lukewarm. I sighed, shut off the shower, and headed out to make a hot cup of tea.

I turned the stove knob to “lite” and waited. Nothing happened. Its an old stove, so I try again. Still nothing. No smell of gas, no whooshing of gas going to the burner... the gas must be out.
What a great night to crank up the electric blanket, curl up, and go to sleep!

a week later

Well, I can't say this is the longest I have survived in the bush, as I spent a week and a half in the brooks range last summer. Give it another 5 days. That record will be gone. Unless I don't survive that long...

Speaking of survival, there has been a brown bear mulling around town recently. One of my neighbors informed me that they tend to cause trouble in the town right before they go into hibernation. One of my coworkers shot at it with a 22 (cause a 22 is going to take down a bear...) at around 11:30. Later in the night, some friends reported their trash being strewn around their yard. The dog started howling at around 3 in the morning, so they checked out the door, and it was in their yard. And to think that the only thing waking me up is my stupid heater rattling. I guess its better than a bear on my porch... Shh, don't tell my grandmother!! She would probably worry. Come to think of it, my mother might be pretty worried at this point as well. Don't worry, mom, I have a can of bear spray right outside my door.

Speaking of bear spray, have you ever read the instructions on the can? You are supposed to spray downwind. And after the situation is under control, you are supposed to immediately vacate the area, as other bears will be attracted to the dilluted spray. You are only out of range after two miles of running like a large dangerous mammal is chasing you. And you need to run directly upwind, as the wind is carrying the peppery fragrance the other way. This is all something *I* plan on taking into careful consideration when trying to fend off an angry bear. Or maybe I just need to get a gun.

Speaking of guns... sorry, I don't have anything to say about guns. Just following suit with the rest of this post.

a new chapter

Someday, a book may be written about me. Not saying that I think my life is any more significant than anyone elses, just saying that it could happen. In the event that it does happen, I believe september of 2010 will mark a new chapter in that book. Not just because I turned another year older. Though I am young to most people, I have had several birthdays. Not just because I moved. I didn't move till I left for college... but I have done quite a bit of moving since then.

This new page, this new adventure in my life, is marked by a different culture. I no longer have cell service. While I still have my cell phone, it functions as an alarm clock, not a constant connection to friends. I don't live close to a grocery store. Everything is flown in, about an hour long flight. I no longer drive to work. My commute involves walking about 100 yards. There is no pavement here. 4 wheelers on the local dirt paths are the favored mode of transportation. I am still in the US postal service, but my address is simply general delivery. No street number, no road name, just "general delivery"

Yes, I am still in the United States. Just living in the last frontier: the bush of Alaksa. And here is where the adventure begins.

a promise of winter...

All of the sudden, I look around and it is September. Summer went fast. I knew it would. Now the leaves are starting to change, and the mornings and evenings are getting colder. And darker. But I am looking forward to winter. I love snow. I am so glad to finally be living somewhere that gets snow in the winter! Last winter was decent, but I didn't do terribly much because I didnt know very many people. Now that my friend list is expanding, I am looking forward to the wild and crazy things we will do this winter. Several of my friends have indicating they want to take me snowboarding. Sounds fun! My roommates want to build an igloo in the back yard, which will make for the best winter camp out ever. Also on the list is lots of ice skating, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, and a couple snow machine trips. can you tell I am excited?

Rain rain rain rain...

They say that records are meant to be broken. I guess that is what this summer had in store for us as it poured. And rained. And drizzled. And rained again. For 30 days in a row. We saw little spots of sun in the process, but we didn't have a single day without rain for a whole month.

Considering my company relies on good weather to fly our singles, this didn't help business/planning too much. We got really good at loading and unloading stuff in the rain, as well as using wet tarps to cover wet stuff in attempt to keep them from getting even more wet. I got into the habit of bringing a change or two of clothes to work, since there is no choice but to get completely soaked every time we have a plane come in.

But the past couple days, we have had sunshine, and even some warmth! I am enjoying it, and find myself anticipating the coming summer. But then I realize that we are well past solstice, and the days are getting noticeably shorter. So I enjoyed my three days of summer, and am looking forward to fall, and all the good things that brings.

they caught up!

All of my post dated posts have been posted! Wow, does that make any sense whatsoever? What it really means is that I need to get back into blogging. So, here goes...

-Its August. Summer is going entirely too quickly.

-It hasn't stopped raining. Actually, what is really annoying is the past couple days rotating between pouring down rain and hot and sunny. Which makes for a lot of humidity. Which makes my job miserable.

-I started moving into my new room! When I moved into the house, I temporarily located (and piled a lot of stuff) into one of the smaller bedrooms downstairs. Now that the other roommate is off and getting married on Saturday, I get to move into her old room! Happy tall windows and bigger room, ahoy!

-I have been missing Africa alot these days. Maybe its reading everyone's comments and prayer requests for the election. Maybe its just little things that remind me of life over there. Its just been on my mind a lot recently.

-I have been working a lot. Its not uncommon for me to be at work more hours than I am at home. Not a bad thing necessarily. The hardest part about it is not having energy to cook when I get home. I have so many things that I plan on making, but something about walking through the front door zaps any energy and motivation I thought I had.

Yep, thats about it.

My big brother

Who is that fine looking fellow? Why, my brother of course. He's kind of a big deal. At least he is to me. He studied audio engineering in college, and he does his musical genius thing all over the Portland area and beyond. He even looks a bit like the guy from scooby doo.


I love him, cause he's my big brother. We laugh at the dumbest things when we are tired. We are completely crazy when we want to be. And in terms of centuries, he's this old:
It's true that we live a long ways apart. I wish I could spend more time with him. But when we are together, its a force to be reckoned with.

Happy 25th, Josh!

Goals

My (mostly realistic) goals for the near future...

-CSEL: It will only take a few flights and a check ride. But I have been long awaiting this one, and its about time I get it done

-CFI: this one is going to take a lot of work, but I think its the next step in my aviation career. I will be working on this one throughout the Fall

-Worship ministry at church: A friend and I have been working on this since the spring, and I really want to see it up and running soon.

-More ministry opportunities at Church/seeking the Lord's leading in this area: Always a lofty and very important goal.

-Setting up my new room: I don't know when exactly I will be moving into the new room, but I have some grand visions of what it will be like. Who knows if it will work out according to plans, or not!

-Chemistry: I would like to take a college level Chemistry class for various reasons.

-Opportunities to expand my income: I need to be paying off bills and establishing a little more financial stability. I want to find some ways to make a little money using my skills and gifts.


prayers/encouragement in these areas always welcome! And if you have anything else to add to the list, feel free to suggest it!

Picnic on a Glacier

The Matanuska glacier (or however you spell it) is about 100 miles out of Anchorage. To spare you all the details you could probably find on Wikipedia involving the formation, location, and all sorts of other completely unnecessary, yet pretty cool, facts on glaciers, I will just tell you about why I love the Mat. And try to use shorter sentences in the process!

Its really not that far away. And its not like you are driving 2 hours down a long straight road. The scenery is gorgeous once you get past Palmer. Though I did have trouble with that, as I would rather look around than concentrate on avoiding the back end of the slow camper in front of me.

Its not too bad of a hike to get to the actual glacier. My parents are not the most decorated gold metal athletes in the world, and I felt confident that they would be able to make it to the glacier and back at a pace that suited them. It gets a little muddy and/or slick at times, but if you are careful, its not a problem!

Its a blast to explore! Once on the Glacier, we carefully picked a path to explore a little bit as well. We found some cool features, and no one fell or got stuck in a crevasse. The only reason my whole backside got wet is because I sat down on a ice ledge with dad for a picture.

Bring an empty water bottle to fill. Man, I love glacier water! nothing like drinking ice cold water right from the source. Is it perfectly purified? I dunno. Do I care? Not really. If it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger, right?

Wear shoes with good traction. Preferably hiking boots, not indoor soccer shoes. It wasn't too bad this trip, as we didn't do too much adventuring. But I would definitely have loved a little more traction.

Wear gloves! You might look like a whimpy popsicle walking out to the glacier with a hat, scarf and gloves, but the gloves really give you more mobility on the ice. Its not light and fluffy like snow if you want to grab on to something for stability. It keeps you from tearing up your hands, and everyone else will wish they were cool like you with gloves.



After picnicing on the ice, perching on the edge of a glacial water fall, and prancing around on the ancient ice formation (gee, aren't you glad I stopped with the "p" activities there??), we headed to my friends' house for dinner. They are around 70mile, so it gave a perfect break in the drive back. We stayed till around 10, and headed back to town with an hour or so of daylight left to guide us. When we were close to Anchorage, I spotted two different momma moose leading their calves (one single, two twins for a total of 5 moose) in the dusk, all within a quarter mile. It was a very nice ending to the day!

Medevac

For most things medical, my company is the preferred air carrier out of the villages we fly to. Everything from regular doctors appointments to emergencies, we fly patients in and out. When it is a regular appointment, the pilot has to treat them as a normal passenger. But when its a medevac, the pilot can call himself "lifeguard" and get priority landing wherever they are going.

It was really a regular day. My supervisor and I were waiting for the next flight to come in, which would be at least another hour. Everything was cleaned, all the freight was organized, and we were out of busy work. Just when we were to the point of being really bored, the phone rang. One of the clinics needs a medevac for a stretcher, and the 99 is the only plane that can handle that. We flew into action, making a dozen phone calls and re-arranging the passengers so the plane could get there as quickly as possible. Thankfully we didn't have too many passengers moving that evening. After the dust settled a little, we got a better idea of what happened requiring this emergency flight. Too much alcohol. Someone fell off her porch. At least it wouldn't be blood and gore coming off the plane, right?

Just another day!

Girdwood in the Rain

Dearest darling Mumsie and Popsicle got in last night. After settling in and a not so restful night's sleep (they arent used to all the light), we planned an easy day to Girdwood. My roommate drove us about a 40 miles south of town to the local ski resort and hippie haven. We found wildflowers about everywhere we went, which was pretty cool.

First stop: The Alaska Candle Company.
- super cute hand made candles (various Alaskan wildlife)
- quick stop
- Feautured in Northern Lights coupon book
- recycling at its best: old shoes used as planters (I dont know that they were ever functional shoes, they were just really cute)
- samples of how candles look through the dipping process
- seal oil apparently allows for longer burning
- wish there were more color options (there were only white and brown)
- Located: left side of the road when driving up toward Alyeska

Next up: Kobuk Valley Jade
- Big selection of pretty jade and other pieces to look at
- Huge jade boulder that they are in the process of cutting through (will take them weeks to cut once)
- Local artifacts (sleds, snowshoes, baleen, etc.)
- I bought a new ring
- Dad bought a box of rocks :) Pieces of unpolished jade
- Located: take a left at the big Alyeska resort sign. It will be on the right after that.

Lunch time: The Bake Shop
- Soup of the day: Barley Beef and Veggie
- Alaska's famous sourdough bread
- Ginormous cinnamon rolls
- various sandwich offers
- really crowded, but hit the spot on a cold rainy day

After lunch, we drove down to the main building of the Alyeska resort. Because of the bad weather, we decided to skip the tram ride to the top. On a good day, its supposed to be a great ride. We headed back to town, and stopped at the Indian Valley Gold Mine. They offered a demonstration of gold mining, and a giftshop with more Alaskan wares. Amongst other things, dad bought a bucket of dirt (with Gold and other minerals in it).

Once we got back into town, we went to Wild Berry, a anchorage based chocolate factory, complete with a huge chocolate fountain. They let us sample some different pieces of chocolate, and we walked away with a big box of Wild Berry jelly filled chocolates. I highly recommend it for finding Alaskan gifts, even if they are a bit more aimed at tourists. There are several local companies represented in their wares.

Life as a 135

Sec. 135.1 - Applicability.

(a) This part prescribes rules governing --

(1) The commuter or on-demand operations of each person who holds or is required to hold an Air Carrier Certificate or Operating Certificate under part 119 of this chapter.

(2) Each person employed or used by a certificate holder conducting operations under this part including the maintenance, preventative maintenance and alteration of an aircraft.

Blah blah blah blah blah.... FARs get boring pretty quick, but that gives you an idea of what type of company I work for.

Based on the fact that we don't have a set schedule, its all of our job to figure out the most efficient way to operate: getting all the people and their stuff with the least flight hours and gas burned. Some days its easy. 6 or 7 people will go on one of the big planes, leaving enough room for a few people's groceries to go out as well. Some days its not so easy. The planes will be stuffed full both ways, and we have to send some smaller planes on freight runs the whole day. Still other days we will have a reasonable plan lined up, and the weather will be bad so we can't go anywhere.

Once the day's plan is lined up, its still subject to change. All it takes is one phone call asking for a charter, one piece of haz-mat that cannot fly with passengers, and everything changes.

Thats why I love working in the 135 world: two days will never be the same! Its all about learning to adapt to changes, and figuring out how to make everything as efficient as possible.

Flattop

looking south at the Turnagin Arm and the Kenai Peninsula

-The most popular hike in Alaska.
-Never go without cell coverage
-In fact, you hardly lose sight of Anchorage
-"easy to moderate" hike
-GORGEOUS view: Mt. Redoubt, McKinley, Susitna, the inlet, Fire Island, etc.
-1.5 miles up, 1500 ft (same distance/height down obviously)
-3510 ft. at the summit
-perfect place to build a castle, as it is already flat

incoming!

T minus 11 hours till mom and dad get here! So excited to see them :)

The last goodbye

It was a quiet afternoon. I fueled the Navajo after its last flight to prepare it for the next day's adventure. A single 150 made laps around the pattern, some touch downs worse than others as a student learned the art of landing smoothly.

Though the afternoon seemed routine, the events earlier that day were anything but normal. We had a charter scheduled to a village out the chain. On the schedule written next to the number traveling was "+stretcher." Now, keep in mind that we get some pretty crazy things in the back of that plane. From 500 pound outboard motors to refrigerators to living room furniture, we load anything into that plane that people want to move.

But this one was different. A woman. A mother, sister, daughter, grandmother. She was returning to her home for the last part of her life. I could feel the pain in the air as the family bid a final farewell to this loved one.

After watching the family, I couldn't help but keep this song on repeat in my head for most of the day:

Yesterday we were laughing
Today I'm left here asking
Where has all the time gone now
I'm left alone somehow
Growing up and getting older
I don't want to believe it's over

Don't say goodbye

off to camp

Kingdom Air Corps is off again. Last night, a friend and I drove up to 80something mile to see everyone off for camp. 2 150s, a 152, a 170, a 175, a 182, a 206, and a 15 pax van are all in route to Bible camp, at a gold mine between Bettles and Anuktuvuk Pass.

Things are different this year. There is a lot of organization. There are a lot more people going. Several young husband and wife teams are going. My prayer is that it will be blessed. From their efforts to the kids hearts to mechanical safety in flying, that God would bless them abundantly.

I am really sad that I wont be able to spend time with the kids this year. But as I was talking to Uncle Tom, I remembered that its not about who is going, its about God's work.

I can't wait to hear stories on the other end!

the dark hole that was once my blog...

Phew. Life has been crazy here. from working 10+ hour days to moving and getting to know new roommates, I havent had much time to stop and breathe. And when I do, I am usually off on another hike. Its a crazy lifestyle, but its the only way to survive in the summer!

People ask me how we survive the summer with all the daylight. My answer is twofold:
-Alaskans need to recharge our solar batteries. When we hit winter, we aren't getting a ton of sunlight, so we take advantage of it and enjoy every second we can!
-We work and play so hard during the day that, out of sheer exhaustion, we fall dead asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows.

Ok, I am going to write several short blogs and schedule there posting, so it doesn't appear so abandoned around here!

Liz

obedience

I was listening to the radio while driving home today. Usually, I have my iPod plugged in, but the battery is running low, so I am listening to the radio until I remember to bring it in and charge it. Redeemer, by Nichole C. Mullen came on. Which is kind of odd, considering it was on this morning when I was driving to work. I sang along, and thought about the words:

Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning
Who told the ocean you an only come this far?
Who showed the moon where to hide 'til evening
Whose words alone can catch a falling star?

I know its not the main point of the song. But it got me thinking. God is really really powerful. He made all of nature subject to Him. Why didn't He make humans, His greatest creation, with that same attribute? Why did He give us the choice to be subject to Him? I feel honored that He grants me that choice, when He could so easily control me. I mean, He speaks, and the universe goes into motion. No complaining or dragging of feet, it just goes. So why do I struggle with obeying Him? You would think I could learn a lesson from the ocean's waves, constantly falling where He instructs, no questioning or doubts. Why is it so hard to obey?

He gives and takes away

Last Tuesday was a big day. I had to be at the airport at 6:30 in the morning, which is kind of a strech for me, considering my lack of morning motivation. But it was great. We help the UPS every once in a while when they get behind, so we took a load of packages to Fairbanks. Here is a little bit of what I experienced:

-hearing taps at 7 from elmendorf while getting the 99 ready
-buzzing all the 747s at international
-cool canadian water bombers stationed at fairbanks
-180 knots and 10,000 feet in the 99

I also got to log some twin turbine time, even if it was second in command.

That afternoon, we watched a 206 taxi by for takeoff. Not an uncommon feature, as I work at one of the world's busiest general aviation airports. However, this particular 206 was very heavy laden. I shrugged my shoulders, and attributed it to another crazy bush pilot, just doing his thing. After all, this is Alaska.

Not too long after that, we started to hear the sirens. Looking west down past the runway, giant plumes of smoke were rising. I got off work about a half hour later, and went to investigate. It wasn't till I saw the accident scene that I realized it was the same overloaded 206. One of my co-workers called me that evening to inform me that the people in the plane were from the bush village (Port Alsworth) where our main office and maintenance hangar is based. Please pray for the family. I can't imagine what they are going through. They lost their oldest boy (4) in the wreck, and all the others are in the Northwest for the next few months recieving serious medical treatment.

its been too quiet...

Sorry for the lack of posting. As much as there is to say about my new life, there isn't much time to think about it, let alone write. Since I don't have much time to think, I really don't have much to say. However, I will still try to say a few things. Try not to get too bored.

-work is difficult. It is a physical challenge. I am getting stronger, and I am going to have the worlds best farmer's tan by the end of the summer. I will be getting lots of overtime, as I only get one day off per week. I have been averaging 55 hour weeks.

- My Bible study at church is almost finished. We did a 13 week course, but took a week off here and there, so we drug it out into a little over 4 months. Its called Experiencing God: knowing and doing the will of God. I have REALLY enjoyed it. There are things about it that aren't perfect, but it is an excellent study tool and guide to doing God's will

-I am moving! I found a place where I can rent a room for about 300 dollars less a month than my current location. I am pretty excited about that! Its a great house, really cool roommates, and a really safe neighborhood. Its on the east side of town, which is away from everything I am used to, but I guess change is good, right?

-I had a really good talk with my boss today about my future and life plans. Its so refreshing to talk to someone who talks ideas as ideas, not making fantasies out to be realities, as someone I used to listen to frequently portrays. I have some ideas in my head now, I just have to bite the bullet to get them done.

-I feel that I have gotten a pretty clear assignment from God for this fall. Please pray with me that I will have the stamina to go through the application process so I can obey Him. Details when plans firm up!

Goodbyes... and hellos

I worked my last shift at the kitchen store today. It was bittersweet. I am excited for the next chapter of my life, but am really glad that this chapter happened. I didn't plan on this 6 month stint. I hated most of it. But looking back, I learned some valuable things, made some great friends, and proved myself to be a valuable person.

Some lessons:
-Don't try to get ahead by cheating others. Even if you do get ahead, those you cheated will dislike you. I watched a co-worker do this. It hasn't gotten her fired... yet.
-Learn how to deal with crazy. It comes in all shapes and sizes. The ability to take it, then deal with it later, is invaluable.
-Always be gracious. No matter how horribly the person has treated you in the past.
-Listen to stories, even when you have heard them already. Even though the Portuguese accent grates on the nerves sometimes.
-Always do thorough, correct work. two reasons... A) no one else has to go back and fix it, B) everyone will miss your work when you are gone.

Saying goodbye was hard. My boss almost cried. My manager tried to blow it off as not important, but based on the number of times she tried to convince me not to leave, combined with the number of times she said she was going to really miss me, i think she was at least sad.

Less than an hour after clocking out for the last time, my new job (scheduled to start Monday) called and asked if I could come in tomorrow to help. So I am ready to say hello. To a new world, a new life, and new opportunities.

national day of prayer

A friend posted on facebook, asking what all her friends are praying for on the National Day of Prayer. Here's what I am praying for:

-obedience: As I read Bible story favorites about God working mightily, I realized something. While He doesn't need a specific person to do His work, the specific people He used had one thing in common: they OBEY. They weren't perfect (David). They weren't in their prime (Abraham). They weren't always the most wholesome in their decisions (Samson). They weren't popular (Joseph). They didn't get it right the first time (Jonah). And the list goes on.
I pray that God's people will OBEY Him, so He can do mighty works through us.

-faith: Tying in with obedience, we have to have incredible faith. So often, I hear Christians say that "God could do this if He wants to, but I doubt He will." It strikes me as so passive, to be said with shoulders shrugged, sitting on a favorite couch, watching to see if my doubts will win out. Ok, Thomas, its time to change that attitude.
Instead of having a passive faith, Christians need to practice an active, aggressive faith. Something more along the lines of, "God, I have faith that You will do this." Notice the period? No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Even reading it over, it is hard for me to claim that. An addendum feels so natural and necessary. So I will add this on: Christian's cannot command God to do anything. He will do what He wills. Christians need to have faith in His will alone.
God, I pray that your people will exercise great FAITH in Your will.

-To tie them together: You can't have one without the other. As mentioned above, faith has to be active. I can't claim to have faith that God will work, and not be willing to be used in His work. I have to obey him. I can't obey God without having faith that He will provide all that I need to accomplish what He has asked of me. He is never going to ask me to do something that I can do on my own strength. He is going to ask me to do SO MUCH MORE! I can only obey when I have faith that He will be working in me and through me.

What are you praying for this national day of prayer?

This week I...

followed a recipe for banana bread
made up a stromboli type meal with a friend
threw chicken, veggies, and marinade in the crockpot
made my usual foccacia
experimented with my usual amazing cinnamon roll recipe


And that is just the kitchen stuff that I did!


this week I also...
went running several times
went to the dog park
went to the beach
went hiking
GOT A JOB!
told my boss about my new job
went to dinner with my new boss and his family

Its been a GREAT week! I love that we have so much more daylight these days. It helps me get up earlier, and just gives me more motivation to go outside and enjoy it. As you can see with the aforementioned activities.

My current boss was really gracious. That is a HUGE answer to prayer. I wanted to make sure I was leaving there on good terms, as I would A) need her as a reference in the future, and B) wouldn't mind picking up a few shifts there at some point, just to get my discount back :) She was really excited for me, and even gave me a hug. There have been ups and downs working for her, but it couldn't be a more gracious parting.

Oh, the job! I will be working for a part 135 operation. The main "hub" is out in the bush, at a fishing lodge (owned by the same person). Also there is an awesome Bible camp, with volunteers from all over the lower 48 coming up to work for a couple weeks at a time. While the main hangar and everything is in the bush, a large number of summer passengers come up through anchorage to go either to the lodge, or the Bible Camp. Up to 120 passengers a day come through Anchorage in the summer. With the biggest plane seating 9, that creates a lot of work.

During the summer, I will be working here in town doing everything from customer service, answering phones, and scheduling to fueling planes, loading baggage, and maybe even an oil change every once in a while.
In the fall, the plan is to head out to the bush to do some maintenance and ground crew work. From there, we see where the Lord takes me. I am REALLY excited about this whole new path the Lord has taken me on.

The owner and family are all really strong Christians. I went out to dinner with them last night, and was able to share about my aspirations to return to Africa. It was great to be able to be open and honest about who I am and what I want to do with my life with my employer. He knows several of the missionaries I worked with in Africa, and even mentioned that he is trying to get one of the mechanics up here, as soon as paperwork works out. Did I mention that God is AMAZING to put this all together??

busy busy busy...

who would have thought working 6 days in one week would be so crazy? Well, I guess I didn't really think before offering to take a co-worker's shift. In light of not having anything else exciting to share about this week, I will leave you with a few things to do:

-be adventurous in the kitchen
Find a meal you have never made before, find a recipe, and make it. It is liberating. I find myself not making things because I have never made it before. But the recipes tell you what to do.
Or, if you have conquered all the meals you care to eat, go without a recipe. Throw random vegetables in a pasta sauce. It won't alter the flavor enough to keep the family from eating it. Or if it does, its only one meal.
Make something from scratch. Sure I like to buy things all made up in a jar. The best foods come from you controlling what goes into it. If I can't pronounce something on the list of ingredients, I don't know that I want to put it in my body.

-shake up the old 'do
Part your hair differently. Let it air dry instead of blow drying. Find a different product to put in it. Let it go all natural. Or for the truly radical, get it cut. Just find something a little different to do with it.

-pray purposefully and dangerously
A lot of people don't really know what they are asking for when they pray for a virtue, such as patience. God generally gives the petitioner an opportunity to stretch their current level of that virtue. I jokingly say that I don't pray for patience anymore, cause I don't want to have to practice it. Or maybe someone asks for guidance, but doesn't like the direction that they are given. Prayer isn't effective unless you know that it will be answered and you seek the fulfillment of that request. A couple friends of mine have requested prayers for boldness. That is a dangerous request, asking God for an opportunity for them to exhibit their boldness. And I am excited to pray that for them. My current request is for discernment. A line has been drawn with some of my friends, a very clear line between those who are living a life in love with Jesus, and those who are not. I want to know how to encourage the former, and witness to the latter. It's a bold prayer. It's a dangerous prayer. And it's a fulfilling prayer.

Its definitely spring!! Spring is the season of new growth, of things changing. Maybe that's why I feel the need to shake things up a bit!

breaking bread: enchilada casserole

I have been participating in a Bible study called "Experiencing God" with my Sunday school class at church. It has been a great study so far, and I look forward to getting deeper into it. Because the weekly meetings take longer than the allotted hour and a half of sunday school time, we came up with the idea to "break bread together." So the eight of us meet for Sunday school at 9:30, go to the main service at 11, and come back together to make lunch, finish the study, eat, and fellowship together. I am blessed with the opportunity to coordinate the food efforts. One week, we made an enchilada casserole. in addition to tasting amazing, it is one of the easiest things in the world to throw together.

Here's what you do:
before hand, someone makes up taco meat. I did two pounds. Have someone grate cheese, someone else chop up onions, while the assembler starts the assembly process. Fill a pie pan with enchilada sauce. Dip tortillas one at a time in enchilada sauce and line the bottom of dish (5 qt rectangular baker in my case). Cover with a layer of cheese. Have someone open a can of black beans, as assembler's hands will be very messy at this point. Mix half the meat, onions, and can of black beans on the next layer. Add another layer of tortillas dipped in enchilada sauce. At some point, the assembler will probably need another can of enchilada sauce opened and dumped in the pie dish. Add another layer each of cheese and meat/beans/onion mix, and tortillas dipped in the sauce. Top with remaining cheese, cover with foil, and bake in the oven. Since there is no meat that has to cook, the whole baking process is just to get the cheese to melt and really blend the filling together.
I love this dish because you can assemble the casserole any time, and pull it out of the fridge and throw it in the oven. 30 minutes later you have a really yummy meal. But in this instance, we assembled it together. The point was to do something together, and enjoy each other's company in the process of making the meal.

Usually when I prepare this dish, I just do meat, cheese, tortillas, and enchilada sauce. One of the others had the idea to add the fresh chopped onion and black beans. And it tasted really really good. That's the biggest blessing for me in coordinating this. I get the ball rolling. Gather ideas from the rest of the group, find a recipe, and get a shopping list. Everyone volunteers to bring a couple things, and we cook it together. It always comes out great-better than I could make it on my own.

I will not give up

Its written in big letters across my journal from several weeks ago. I had to remind myself of that fact today. I admire so many characters in the Bible for there perseverance. Through impossible circumstances, they remained faithful. Even when they didn't know what to do, even when their circumstances were not their fault, they got through whatever came to them.

Maybe my problem is that I picture them with a bubble around them. Because I know the end, I know that they should have hope. No matter how tough, how rotten, how unfair their troubles may be, I know that they are going to be ok because the end was already decided. Why should they fret? Anything is easier to handle when you know the end result.

Because of this, I didn't feel like I could relate. As to-do lists grow longer, work schedule continues to be unpredictable/unsteady at best, and more nightmares crop up, I feel pretty hopeless. And I get to thinking about the lucky characters in the Bible who had it so much better, with their story already written.

Are you getting the foolishness of my thought process? There are two big flaws that I see here. Feel free to point out more. Number one: the Bible characters didn't know the ending. The only thing they knew was what had already happened and what was currently happening. They didn't know the whole story like I do. And that leads to number two: The end of my story HAS been written. It doesn't make the trials that I face any different. I still have to face them. But the end is in place, and the battle is already won.

I will NOT give up.

home again

I had a great time in Texas. It might have been more work than play getting ready for the wedding, but the time I got to spend in LeTourneau land certainly made up for that. All in all, it was entirely refreshing for several reasons:

-it wasn't the normal work I do to pay rent
-Sunshine!
-A really pretty storm came through, complete with torrential downpour and a brilliant lightening display
-I was around people just about 24/7
-I wasn't doing any of the wedding stuff (4 LONG days of prep) for me
-I got about a million hugs from LeTourneau people
-The reactions from people that didn't know I was coming
-Several friends who dropped all their weekend plans just to hang out with me
-The new Aviation facility, or airport campus as they call it
-When it was all said and done, I had a home in Anchorage to come back to

I never realized how awesome it is to have a real home to come back to. When I moved around every two weeks last year, living out of suitcases, I didn't have a definite home to return to, I was always moving on to somewhere new. When I returned to school, my apartment had been taken over. Even though I lived there four months, someone else had taken up my space, and it was no longer home to me. I hadn't lived in my room in my parents house for 4 years. Even though its where I grew up, it felt like I was visiting. And I had huge piles of re-organization to do, as most of my stuff was in some stage of moving back from college. It was a weird time, because I didn't have anywhere I was rooted. It is definitely a good feeling to be able to return to my home, the place I have established as my own. I can only imagine how much more exciting it will be to move to my eternal home someday.

week in Texas

Oh wow, this week has been crazy. All I can say is, yes, I will enjoy creatively expanding the tales of being a bridesmaid. I explained to Shelli that I did plan on writing about it, overly exaggerating it, and that it is not at all a reflection of how I felt the week went. And the end of the day (Friday) I was very glad to be there with my two friends, Erik and Shelli, as they joined together as husband and wife. All the sleepless nights and foodless days were totally worth it. Then I made a trip up to longview to see some friends that I have been missing. Just a weekend trip, and it is amazing to see people. If you are amongst the people here *cough* Kate *cough* give me a shout, cause I want to see you!!

new news

ITS SPRING!!!!!!

Thats right, it is officially spring now! I am so excited. I can't wait for all the snow to melt, and a little warmer weather. I never really appreciated the hope that spring brings before I experienced the depth of an Alaska winter. Ok, so Anchorage is wimpy compared to Fairbanks and the North Slope area. And they told me this was a really mild winter. So maybe I didn't experience the worst of winters. But still, it was more than I am used to.

Apparently though, Longview (Texas) missed the memo, as they got snow this morning.

I am preparing to go outside for the first time since going home in September. A college classmate is marrying one of my really close friends, and I am really excited to be a part of this event in their lives. And the locale certainly makes it even more bearable!!

I would write more, but it is 11:30, and frankly, I am worried about saying something I could possibly regret, or that just didn't make sense. My flight boards in about 45 minutes, and lands in Seattle at 5:15. We don't switch planes there, but we do have an hour on the ground before going further south. Hopefully I will get sleep somewhere in there. But I have an aisle seat on a full flight, so we will see.

feeling green

Happy St. Patrick's day!

Seeing that it IS still the glorious Irish holiday for another hour or so here in the AK, I thought I would share some exciting happenings.

Morning coffee~
while reading a friend's blog, I was reminded to reflect on my own unique Irish heritage, as today is the day to squeeze enjoyment out of whatever drops of Irish blood you may have, even if you are 100% Hawaiian. Despite the fact that my Dad is Flemish (that means he is from Belgium. No, there is no country called Flem. Stop laughing, is not funny!) and my mom is Dutch and German, we have some little hairline of Irish in there. Yeah, my dad's mom's grandmother, or something like that. But it IS Irish, so I have the same right to this holiday as every other green-donned American out there.

lunchtime soda~
I show up to work at noon to find about half my coworkers decked out in green, and the other half ranging from subtle attempts at green to not trying at all. I thought about it, and we are grown up. Pinching people for not wearing a big splash of secondary color does seems to be a bit childish, yeah? I asked one of my co-workers (who hails from The Azors, Portugal) where her green was. She responded with "Come here, I show you my green!" If she has to show it to me that close and personal, maybe I dont really want to see it. Turned out fine, the frames of her glasses had green.

Afternoon tea~
Turns out that about half (not all the same half boasting the Irish hue) were making corned beef and cabbage for dinner. Pressure cooker, slow cooker, all methods of preparing the traditional meal were being discussed around me. At one point, a co-worker asked what I was having. I explained to her that I would be pursuing the "potato famine" portion of Irish history. (as it turned out, I skipped the potato for a bowl of popcorn) Hooray for being single.
As the afternoon wore on, I felt a different green than the springy polo shirt I was wearing and the bright ribbon in my hair. As I was making lunch earlier, I discovered that my milk had gone bad. Now, I think milk smells bad to begin with, so of course I had to TASTE it to see if it really was bad or not. It was. It was only a sip, but I was feeling pretty queasy in the afternoon. Later, I found that the milk cooler for the coffee machine was never turned on. What happens to milk when it sits at room temperature all day? Yep, more gross smelling milk for Liz to clean up.

Evening decaf~
As much fun as the Irish pub would be on such a momentous night, after the threat of the expired milk, I decided an evening at home would be best, even skipping coffee with a friend. I ate my Irish popcorn (butter and salt is Irish, right?), listened to some Irish tunes on Pandora, and generally pursued my normal evening activities.

Definitely an interesting day.

if looks could kill...

... I would choose an icy stare. And the death would feel similar to this icy mass falling on your head.

Remember last week, when we had a day off and sunshine? Well, this is what I woke up to the next morning:
There is about 6 inches of fresh snow. The wind was blowing from the right all night, leaving fun drifts and sideways snow accumulation. I didn't know snow could accumulate like that.

the problem with being still...

... Is God usually starts talking. And its not always things that i want to hear. (But then again, how often am I going to hear God saying, "Good job! YOU are doing an excellent job, look at YOU go!") I have made pros and cons lists, tried to argue it in my head, and otherwise convince myself one way or the other. But that reasoning method still has an awful lot to do with me. I think I need to take a step back and put God at the center of my reasoning instead of me.

I have been thinking a lot about Moses recently, and comparing my life to some lessons learned from him.

He tried to liberate one Israelite doing his own thing, by killing the Egyptian. And what happened? He spent the next 40 years in the desert tending sheep.
Parallel one: I tried to go to college on my own. Am I going to be paying off my school bills until I am 40?

Fast forward 40 years. He settled into his life when all the sudden God calls him to lead. Moses hits this crisis of belief. To ignore it would be disobedience. To follow it would mean a total, radical change of life. Of course, Moses shows his self-centeredness with the excuses he starts throwing out. "I can't speak, how will they know I am from you? Me, me, me, me me...." Moses would have to forget about all the things that make up Moses, and go out as a servant of God.

Parallel two: No, God is not calling me to lead (not yet anyways). But I keep getting pushed toward a possible job opportunity. Its out in the middle of nowhere (accessible only by air). It's not exactly the hopping location for a single 20 something to launch her thrilling social life. Grocery shopping is a little different out there... I dont even know how it works. I just know they have powdered milk and tang. I know a bunch of people that are coming up this way this summer, and I was REALLY looking forward to spending some weekends with them. Do you hear my excuses rooted in the same selfish motives as Moses?
One nice piece is that it won't be a "rest of my life" sort of move. It would definitely be career building, and I could see where I go from there.

I think it really comes down to giving up myself and my selfish motives for something that would be a couple years of my life. It would be a career building opportunity, and a big networking opportunity. If this is even God's will. Which, I get the feeling that it is. But lots of prayer will be going into this. I would appreciate you adding to it!

of sunshine and days off

The past week, we have had scattered snow showers. Its great for a little while. But grey skies and slick roads are only fun for so long. But I woke up Sunday morning to sunshine and imaginary warmth. After church, a friend called and invited me to Beluga point. Save the belugas! The news makes it sound like they are near endangered. But apparently all the locals know thats just a load of hooey.

regardless of the maritime wildlife that resides in that area, I wanted to share a few pics from the (very cold) windy stop!

somewhere between being still and accomplishing the to do list

I have so many things to do. Constantly swirling around my head is a list of things I need to accomplish, things I want to accomplish, and things I dont need to do, but would make me much happier. Then I start stressing about such things, and try to remember to let God be priority in my life. Then comes the voice that says "Be still and know that I AM God." Well, how is that supposed to help with the things I am trying to accomplish? In addition to all the things stressing me out, God is vying for my time. He shouldn't be in the same dimension as my to do lists.

But unlike everything else, He is not one to be multi-tasked. I can make a meal and do dishes at the same time. But I can't be still and vacuum at the same time. I try to put His time into the category of things that I do for enjoyment. I can be still and play cello, right? No. When I am playing cello, it takes a lot of brain power to read music, translate it into fingerings and bowings, and make it sound decent. Not a lot of being still.

So what am I doing when I should be either working on the to do list or being still? Blogging. Hopefully that falls under the category of "dont need to do but makes me much happier."

la chaim!

La Chaim is hebrew for "to life!" Yes, I learned that from fiddler on the roof. Only because we played the music in high school, not from having actually seen the musical.

I think the more time I live in Alaska, the more this time of year will be my favorite. Sure, I love the long summer days, the golden leaves in september, and the promise of snow as the temperature plummets. But right now, as the days are getting longer, we have piles of snow everywhere, and more has been falling the past couple of days. I know that its about to get really gross as it warms up just enough to melt everything, resulting in grimy roads and fithy cars. But right now, its white, and pretty.

As the days are getting longer, i can feel the pain of darkness melting away. We are getting more than 10 of daylight, nearly twice as much as we got in the deepest of winter. I can really start to feel the sunlight. Hopefully soon, I will feel its warmth. As the sun shows its face more an more every day, i feel life being breathed into the frozen northland. La Chaim--to life.

airplanes

A couple weeks ago, I got a call, inviting me to come out and help work on a few planes. Happily, I accepted. Not to be paid, but to get the experience of turning wrenches. (I may forget how)

I worked on a Trubine Otter. My jobs included pulling panels, putting them back on, and wheel bearings. on the tailwheel. I was working with a guy who used to maintain the plane, so he had a lot of knowledge as far as things likely to go wrong with this plane.

Turbine otter, from the back, with a supercub in the foreground

The otter, from DeHavilland, is really versatile. Some models were military, and the civilian side has been through many modifications, including sticking a Garrett TPE-331 under the cowling.

TPE-331 in the nose of the otter, standing above a second cub

As I was working on the tailwheel, the mechanic working with me explained the poor ability of the bearings to seal in the tailwheel. Considering the sandy beaches that he often lands on, the tailwheel is subject to a lot of foreign matter entering. As we pulled the wheel off, I realzied that it was a familiar sized tire. Most cessnas have 6x600s on the main gear, and the otter puts that wheel on the tail. The wheel popped off with no problems, and as I began looking at the bearings, i noticed some rollers missing on one side. this is a problem... I thought, pulling the bearing out. The only rollers that didnt fall out were the ones that had melted to the cage. The other mechanic said he had never seen them THAT bad.

bearings from each side of the wheel. the one of the left is just full of sand, while the one on the right is all that remains. The pile of black stuff in the upper left corner is where most of the rollers fell out.

So not only did I get to turn wrenches again, I learned a little something about otter maintenance. And what to expect if the plane lands on beaches frequently.

maps

I was given a destination. So what do I do? Usually, I turn to Google maps, where I can get a detailed view of the roads leading to my destination, the satellite view, and a topographical representation of the terrain. I can even get traffic reports, webcams, and street views along the majority of the route. It’s safe to say I have a pretty good idea of what is coming.

Paul, the first missionary, went on extensive trips detailed in Acts. He didn’t have the advantage of Google maps to tell him when each wave would crash against his vessel’s hull. The travel was a big part of Paul’s life, but it just gets glossed over in Acts. In three verses, weeks of travel are covered.

As I try to scrutinize the map, pick the best course, and prepare myself for the trip, I wonder if I am I focusing too much on the details? Is it just going to be a part of my life that will be covered by less than three sentences? It sure doesn’t seem like it as I set out. But this adventure may be reduced to a brief mention in the tale of my life.

new schedule

Last week, I started working a schedule from noon to 8. As nice as it is not to have to be there till noon, its really wreaking havoc on my schedule. I have been eating dinner around 9, staying up past 1, sleeping in, and just kind of lazing around in the morning. I've been fighting a migraine the past few days, and i largely blame it on the schedule change. In addition to just being aggrivating, I know its not healthy.

So... here's what I need from you: ideas on how to make this schedule work. I really hope this is temporary. But if its not, I need to figure out a way to make the most of it. Ideas, please!

homework assignment and moms

In light of something rather disappointing that happened at work, one of my co-workers* gave me some homework. Here's the assignment:
1. What you want to do in 1yr, 3 yrs, 5 yrs, 10 yrs. and what you need to do to achieve those goals... build hours, etc.
2. Make a list of at least 10 aviation networking resources related to your goals.....ANC 99's, Alaska Alaska Airmen's Association, etc.....
3. List of 15 aviation businesses for potential jobs, maybe not your dream job, but a step in the right direction and resume building experience.

My mother** went to Montana this weekend to visit some friends that used to live in Salem. I hope she is enjoying the Montana mountains and snow.

I went up the Glenn highway to stay with some friends up there. Friday night, with snow falling heavier in some spots than others, I drove. En route, The snow leopard decided it was tired of running. So it slowed down. And slowed down. No matter how much gas I gave it or how fast I could rev the engine. Around Sutton, we were down to about 10 mph, still slowing down. I decided it was time to call my friends to be rescued. They show up with a big truck and a tow rope. "Have you ever been towed before?" M asked. "Yes... once," I responded truthfully. I didn't have time to explain that the once was less than a mile from walmart to campus in Longview, a very flat city. So off we went. Did I mention it was snowing? And that part of the glenn highway, the wind blows pretty strong, resulting in not being able to see anything. Which is really exciting when you are a tow rope's length away from the car in front of you going 50 down the hills and around the corners. Oh, and this 15 mile joy ride is all in the dark too. I think that serves as another notch in my BMW belt! Needless to say, it was good to finally get to the house and get a hug from J***

The next day (I would say morning, but I dont think I had drank an entire cup of coffee before it changed from morning to afternoon) P and I went to dig out the saturn from the snow. It took me a couple minutes to actually find the saturn. I probably would still be looking if P didn't know exactly where to find it. I was standing on the snow, and was level with the roof of the car when we started. It would have been real work if it had been anything heavier than super dry snow.

Oops, I guess I should get to that homework...

*Also stars as Anchorage mother
**this role of original birth mother is played by "mumsie"
***a synonym for Chickaloon mom

update for... January?

I haven't posted in a while. I know. Maybe it's cause I have been in hiding. or just not sure enough of what to post. Or maybe there is too much to say, and I don't know if you really want to hear about it. So for the big news...

I got a car. An awesome car. A car that, while not being built specifically for Alaska, is meant for a place like this.
Meet Rafiki the Snow Leopard. Raf is a 1995 Nissan Pathfinder with 92,000 miles when i got him. He has a manual transmission and 4 wheel drive. The kind of 4 wheel drive with locking hubcaps. Which I know nothing about. Anyone want to give me lessons on when to lock it, and when to drive 4x4 versus 2x4? Its all new to me!

Yes, I realize that rafiki was not a snow leopard, but a baboon in the Lion King. Lucky for me, the name doesn't come from the popular Disney movie. The word Rafiki means friend in swahili. I found him through a friend, after months of scouring through craigslist postings, I realized that this friend runs an auto broker business, and was able to get me wheels. For the snow leopard, a friend pointed out that snow leopards are really rare, kind of like finding a good not worn out car here in Anchorage. That, and he starts well in the snow and cold.



More big news is regarding work. I did not get the flying job I was really hoping for, but it all worked out. My current job offered me a promotion of sorts, increasing my pay a bit, and moving me into a full time M-F schedule. My boss asked me to work in that position through december. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a good plan. As much as I like adventure, its time for me to settle down, have some stability, and enjoy a set schedule. Watch out Anchorage, Liz is here to stay for a while!

An Alaskan Christmas

Jody and Miranda came into town on the 23rd to pick me up. I had Christmas eve and Christmas day off, so I packed my things and headed out of town for a few days. Though I was tired and rather used to going to bed at 11 or earlier, Miranda's family does things a little differently, and thus we were up until around 1:30 in the morning. No big deal, I slept in past 10 the next morning. Mike needed help clearing some bush, so Miranda and I were enlisted to join in that operation. After donning winter gear, we set out in the truck, chain saw in the back, plow hooked onto the front, ready to go. The operation was pretty simple: Mike would cut down branches, and Miranda and I would throw them deeper into the woods so they weren't in the driveway. Only we did all this BEFORE driving the plow down the road, so we were wading through almost knee deep snow. Well, it probably was knee deep on Miranda, but that's because she is short.

Feeling rather Alaskan for trudging through that much snow, I piled back into the truck with Miranda and Mike. On the way home, Mike planned to clear some of the lower hanging branches over the road. But to get to them, he needed to stand on the truck bed. (Miranda got her short genes from somewhere) The first few times, Mike would stop the truck, get out, get standing up in the bed of the truck, fire up the chain saw, and cut down a few branches before driving on to the next one. To shorten this process, he decided it would be better if Miranda drove, saving a few steps of the process. To further save steps, he kept the chainsaw running. Then he didn't really have her stop the truck, just kind of slow down when necessary. Thus we came up with the sport of "drive-by chain saw-ing." Trust me, I wish I had pictures as much as you wish you could see them.

We took the snow machines out to Fish Lake that afternoon. We drove them around for a while, had a blast, and I only fell off once. When I was going in a straight line. Go figure. Miranda and I cuddled up with a good movie until dinner, an excellent selection of prime rib and lamb. While Mike and Jody were visiting with the other grown ups (two other couples) that were there, Miranda and I got impatient for Christmas, and sorted out presents according to who was going to open them. We ended up waiting until after midnight Oregon time, so I could open presents from my family on Christmas. I kept opening tools from my parents, (thanks mom and dad, looking forward to using them!) and Mike kept peeking over at my pile, checking out the goods.

We hit the hot tub that night before going to bed, again in the region of 1:30. Their hot tub is really cool, cause it is heated with a wood stove. Nothing like the smell of wood smoke while relaxing. Oh, and we jumped out to play in the snow a couple times. Again, feeling very Alaskan.

Christmas morning, we slept in, cause we had already opened presents. Thats a pretty good tradition, if you ask me. We went sledding after breakfast, down their sledding hill, the driveway, and any other somewhat straight stretch we could find. Yeah, we bailed out to avoid hitting stuff frequently... We had a notion to build a snow fort, but it was a lot more work than we were willing to put forth.

We headed into town to try to catch a movie that evening. Did you know that everyone and their mother tries to go see movies on Christmas? It was kind of ridiculous. We went to look at Christmas lights for a while instead, and ended up stopping at Burger King. On Christmas. I guess there is a first time for everything! Oh, and I was wearing a short sleeve shirt. It was 25, plenty warm enough for that. Yep, feeling Alaskan.

Jody and Miranda crashed in my living room so they could do a little after Christmas shopping before heading back home.

All in all, it was a great Christmas. It was kinda hard being away from family, but it was definitely memorable in a lot of good ways. Next up: 2010!

2010 is here!

The holidays are over! It shocked me how fast they came and went. Of course I was working a lot, so that helped. So for January, the plan is:
-complete CSEL FINALLY. That's commercial single engine land, for those of you who dont speak aviation :)
-get a car.
-get a flying job.

well, its going to be busy here soon! Can't wait till I have a little time to share my awesome Christmas in Chickaloon with you.