The Golden Days

It's all over...back to work :(

gotta say this was definitely a birthday to remember. i think mostly because it was spent with awesome people who i love and have taught me to live a little. it was a birthday weekend not just a day:

this week i ate the freshest salmon possible. it was amazing. tuesday night my buddy cooked up salmon he had just went out and caught that day and made really good sauces to go with it. had to contribute to the dinner somehow so what's better then a $1 bag of 10 min rice. and tastycakes for dessert :)

wednesday after work some of us girls grilled up some more salmon given to me by a friend in the perfect tin foil boat filled with butter. a little fresh lemon squeezed over top and enjoy. we also had homemade mac n cheese and i brought bread and butter..haha. for some reason i totally got made fun of for the bread and butter. and again tastycakes for dessert :)

Wednesday night...about to grill up dinner

thursday (my birthday eve) a group of my close friends took me out to dinner at our fancy restaurant at the lodge. it's normally closed on thursday nights but they made an exception and set a table and private service just for us. we laughed loud, drank wine and even danced.



Kelly, Greg, Christine, Erin, Tiffany and Me

and for even more of a surprise greg bake me a super yummy cake. lemon cake with a fresh blueberry icing. fresh as in he went out and picked the berries the day before. so soo good. and of course they sang and i followed by an alaskan birthday speech.

that night we headed into town watching another beautiful alaska sunset behind the mountains. it's party time. onward to our favorite town bar to drink and dance the night away.




Me and Christine

friday afternoon ( my birthday) i woke up around 12noon and took a walk with christine and enjoyed another perfect day of sunshine. the fireweed is everywhere and slowly dying....fall is upon us. it's already getting chilly, the sun sets by 11:30pm and i saw my first few stars and a satellite last night.

Walking some trails behind the lodge

today, my last day before another work week, was awesome. went out to brunch with a good friend, spent time by the river and came home and devoured ANOTHER birthday cake. i tell u, i never get tired of sweet stuff. i'll be eating cake for the next couple days but i'm ok with that.

Me and Bobby

Best birthday cake anyone has ever made me. Layers of chocolate cake and icing with hand whipped cream on top.

as it all winds down and the gifts get put away, i look back on it all and know this weekend was a memory i will keep forever. alaska and the people here have changed me. i try so hard to soak up everyday and make strong long lasting bonds with friends that will keep even after we leave each other.

no better way to end the party with a giant basket of chili cheese fries



no better then this

there is nothing better then sitting outside on a perfect night with some awesome people grilling some freshly caught salmon. and it tastes fantastic

alaska is a simpler way of life.

less drama free.

more free in general.

so u must understand that when i come home (which i will, for a short time) i may not be the same person.

i glow up here.

i glow cause i freakin happy.

i fear i may be addicted to the seasonal life.

and i love that everyone up here that i'm surrounded by feeds off my virgin energy.

rainbow around the sun

moral of the story.....i guess i don't really have one.

i just add to my bucket list every day...and what better way to live then that.

isn't it guns and roses who sing "live and let die" or something like that...

and why must i feel that i've progressed so much as a person only to regress when i go back home.

i don't have to feel that way. it is what u make of it. like i always say " to each his own "

u r ur own boss, the master of ur fate. the choices u make are half chance

Not in PA

i love this!!!

i'm not gonna want to leave.

i love how i feel good and free

when can u say that u:

flew up to mt. mckinley

jet boated up to a class 6 rapid

white water rafted down class 4 and 5

drove to denali

drove WAY into denali

had an entire island to yourself for a night

look out ur window and have ur breath taken away every morn

skinny dipped in a crystal clear lake

canoed out to an island and camped watching the sunrise and sunset

ride your bike everywhere

dance ur ass of on thursday nights

play drunk kickball on wednesdays

waste the day away at the river

stay out till 5am

meet some amazing people who teach u so much everyday

take a boat up right to a glacier

...and so much more

ramble on..sing my song

there is a feeling that is growing inside me. knew there was a chance it could happen and maybe i don't want to admit it out loud for some odd reason but.....  i'm gonna miss this place when i'm gone.

alaska is pretty awesome. even though i haven't done much in exploring since i've been here i love it. the weather is great. we've only had three days of 80 degrees and that was in may. since then it hasn't gotten above 75. some days have been a little overcast but there hasn't been any downpouring of rain since i've been here. just a little shower here and there.

between the weather, flowers, animals, scenery and great people not sure how it could get much better. i haven't even thought about watching tv or the radio since i've gotten here. not because i'm non stop go just because i'd much rather just sit and relax outside.

and since there is time to kill i've picked up a hobby or two. with every new flower that comes into bloom i pick a few good ones and press them. my goal is to have as many different flowers as i can. i've also taken up drawing again and am in my glory.

along with my new hobbies..an awesome new friend. someone who i feel totally at ease with and can have fun. for the past few nights we've been coloring, picking flowers and doing hair wraps. u know the kind that we would do in elementary school. she is making me go to kickball wednesday night then thursday night it is on...dancing our butts off at hip hop night. if only we had bonded sooner before she has to leave. but we will meet again...one day.

it is just so nice to have someone to chill with like i would back home and still have fun without having a drink. plus it saves money.

long pause....



so this blog post really has no point. just to say these past few days have been great. i also have a gallon and a half of milk to drink by the 20th so onward ho with chocolate milk. reminds me of my dad. when we were growing up after dinner sometimes he'd make a big glass of chocolate milk and put soooo much syrup in it. i can't drink it quite that dark but i still love my chocolate.  also speaking of my parents they sent 7 boxes of tastykakes. one for each roommate. they loved them!!! and it was fun to share some east coast treats. no one knows of tastykake. what!!!!! u don't know what a peanut butter tandy cake is!!!!!

oh and tomorrow, monday, marks only 70 days left of my great alaskan adventure. but remember i count for two reasons. 1. cause i miss home   2. to be aware and make every day count

Every Man Needs A Dog

I should write about my parents visit or my rafting trip but instead i'm feeling something else. it's such a nice day out and i haven't been on my bike in a while so i just went for a ride. i ended up in the woods along the beach just sitting on a rock relaxing.

there have been only a hand full of times since i've been here that i feel TOTALLY myself and relaxed. it doesn't happen often and not for a long time. only brief moments that make me feel amazing. it's really having the feeling of not giving a crap about what anyone says. i mean we all "say" we don't care what anyone says but i think it's rare to find someone who TRULY doesn't care and is so free.

i want to be totally comfortable with myself. to not put forth ANY effort to try to impress someone the least bit. i was feeling that today on my bike journey. ex.. when is the last time u rode a bike. when is the last time u rode just for fun, and stood up and weave while u ride. not only the riding but the surroundings too.  it gives u such a carefree feeling. like a child would have. then u realize how awesome it is to be a child..

so then this all leads into another goal...

when i get home i want to put some serious effort into spending real time with my nephews and nieces. i want to do things with them that they don't get to very often. i want them to have a real good time. i really want to take them camping. i remember growing up all the camping we did as a family and how much fun i had. looking back on all that stuff now i really value it. and i want to give the kids something to look back on.

on the way home i stopped at the viewpoint for a while. the mountain is just coming out. she had her peak up out of the clouds, and for some reason today it struck me to be even more beautiful then before. i realized i  had missed the mountain. it's been cloudy and hidden for almost two weeks. i had forgotten what it looked like. i want this image to be burned into my brain so that when i leave here i never forget what is was like. i'm going to miss it here.

how often do u see a man driving down the side of the road on a 4 wheeler holding his dog on his lap. or even better try riding a bike and holding your dog that way. this is a dog town. everyone loves their dogs.

every man needs a dog. it's a companionship that cannot be compared.

one more thing. we have small earthquakes here all the time apparently. but the other morning early like 4:30am i felt my first quake. i was laying in bed and at first thought it was my drunk roommate coming in but then realized my entire bed was shaking and things on my dresser. it wasn't anything big at all and only lasted a few seconds but still, it was kinda cool..

u don't get that in pennsylvania. and while everyone is back home sweating it out in the heat wave i'm relaxing away at a nice 71 degrees with my favorite jeans, t shirt and flip flops...ahh the life

even though this blog is all over the place and jumps all around i have one more thing to offer. since i've been here and gotten more comfortable i often ask one important question to every wise older person i meet. and believe me i've met my share since i've been here. like Carvin Marvin, and Kitchen Hippie Cary and Fairview Lori. all these people are amazing and i love to hear their stories.

I always ask : "What is your advice on life. What have you experienced that has taught you a life lesson you can pass onto me."

and one answer I got is "Start your bucket list now. Don't wait till you're older to do it. Make sure you live your life and do what YOU want."

so here is mine so far:

1. Bungee Jump

2. Own a motorcycle and ride

3. Get a camper and just go...OFTEN

4. Drive from PA to AK

Give It Five Minutes

 happy fourth of july. so i spent my day:
working in the morning tyill 12:30 then headed downtown to the moose dropping festival. it's basically they haul a bag of moose turds up a rope then release to see how close a turd comes to the bullseye and u win money. yea...so i went.

then wandered on to the company picnic where i hot some free grub (nothing great but hte goodies) great just what i need. more sweets esp wjen i start eating them at 6am. oh believe me i do. i had choc cake scraps and strawberry sorbet by 6:30am.

but my evening was the best. it makes me feel like "so this is why i'm in alaska".... 
so i'm walking into town when i see this beatup blue truck roll by with the coolest wood carvings i've seen on it. so i ditch my friends and go after the truck. i followed it till it parked then went right over to the man and introduced myself. his name : Carvin' Marvin.

well i sat with Marv on the bed of his truck for over and hour and a half just gabbing away about our lives while he carved an indian and a cabin out of a treee branch. i gotta say i enjoyed every min of it. it was so cool to sit and talk with someone about their life. you learn a lot. but most of all u learn how to live a little more.

turns our marv is a great grandfather and has moved all over making a living by selling his artwork and carvings. and u would have no idea just by looking at him. 

long story short (its' late i gotta sleep)...left marv after my peice was done and got caught in a rain storm...it's alaska..give it five mintues. it'll change. so i ducked into the local bar..cause where else is there to hide from the rain?.  got talking to a local named lori.

turns out she is 65 and one hell of a woman. i sat with her for and hour and just listened to all her stories she had to tell. how she was camping and came face to face with a griz and a few other close to death stories.

...man i'm tired. u know i thought about this blog and what i was going to say the entire 50 min. walk home from town. but once u sit down after walking so far and sippin on a few...i just want to sleep.

moral of the story. today i saw myself here...like living here in the future...we shall see. only time will tell. i'm in no rush. and another word of advice i got today. start working on ur bucket list NOW. don't wait till i'm 60 to start living.

i want to be able to say i went out and lived a little