June 11, 2016: Love Ludington

Today's Love Ludington festival was the best.  This morning I ran the Lakestride half marathon with my two cousins.  It was HOT compared to Kodiak temps, so I struggled.  I also didn't train much in the last month, so it was a great recipe for half marathon disaster.  We all finished though, so that's what matters.  This evening, my family headed downtown to help Ludington break the record for the longest ice cream sundae.  House of Flavors built a sundae that was 2,970 feet long! It consisted of 18,000 scoops of ice cream, 800 pounds of hot fudge, 600 cans of whipped cream, and 2,000 cherries.  Around 15,000 people ate the sundae.  We were excited to be part of it.  The event was documented, t-shirts were made, and "proof" was sent to Guiness World Records to be officially reviewed.  Unofficially, we set the record but we have to wait to hear the official decision.  Either way, it was fun to be part of.  Go Ludington! 

June 10, 2016: beach babe

I got to meet Lucy!!  We hung out at the beach today.  I am really hoping that her cuteness distracted everyone else from my white, Alaskan body.  :) 

June 9, 2016: puppies!!

Meet Mack and Millie.  They are adorable. And wild.  And a tiny bit cuddly.  And wild.  Mack has bitten me in the butt and completely pulled my sweatpants down, exposing my underwear to everyone in the back yard (thankfully just mom and dad, and they probably couldn't see much through the laughter tears pouring out of their eyes).  Millie bit my pony tail holder right out of my head.  Just when you think you've escaped the clutches of one pup, the other one sneak attacks you.  I am in love with them. 

June 8, 2016: a sunset!

You know you're leaving Alaska in the summer when the sky starts looking like a sunset. 

June 7, 2016: Superbaby!

One last day to spend time with my goofy family before I am away from them for a month.  It's hard to remember the times when I only got to see them every 3 months or so.  I feel so spoiled living a few miles down the road for them.  I don't even want to think about what it will be like when we don't live in the same place anymore.  Living it up while we can!  

June 6, 2016: buttercups (?)

I am back in Kodiak for 2 and a half days before I fly to Michigan for a month.  I am running a half marathon in less than a week, and I have only run about 5 times in the last month.  This evening I decided to go for a 3 mile run to see how I would feel.  I had to walk 3 times.  My half marathon is going to kill me!  But every time I walked, I saw something beautiful.  Like these buttercups! (At least I think they are buttercups).  

June 5, 2016: ferry ride

I did this entire 1,000 piece puzzle on my ferry ride back from Homer to Kodiak.  I am a puzzle beast.  I also did not throw up from seasickness.  Ferry ride success. 

June 4, 2016: FlatTop the Mountain, not the grill

Today was Jo's last day in Alaska.  Before she flew out, we hiked to the top of FlatTop Mountain.  This hike was awesome!  We had to crawl on our hands and knees for the last 20 mins before reaching the top.  The view was spectacular, and from one side of the mountain you could see the entire city of Anchorage.  It is said that on clear days you can see all the way to Denali.  Unfortunately, it was a bit cloudy, so we didn't get to see the tallest mountain in Alaska.  That will hopefully be my next summer's trip (anyone want to join me?!) 

After the hike, we showered and headed to Moose's Tooth.  I have heard from nearly everyone in Kodiak that Moose's Tooth is the best restaurant in Anchorage, so I was really excited to try it.  Their pizza was just as good as everyone said it would be.  And we even ran into our glacier guide there too!  After we ate, I dropped Jo off at the airport and headed back to Homer.  The last time I left Jo, it was right before I moved to Kodiak.  Our final goodbyes that night consisted of us sobbing while we ate Taco Bell on my empty living room floor.  I am happy to say that when we said goodbye at the airport today, there were no tears.  We get to hang out again in a few short weeks when I head back to Chicago!  

June 3, 2016: whale watching

Seward: I love you.  Today Jo and I ate huge crepes at this Belgian barn, went on a whale watching tour, and bummed around the harbor area.  This picture was taken from the boat we were on.  The cliffs are covered in birds and bird poo.  DISGUSTING!! If you didn't know, I am terrified of birds.  I actually love living in Kodiak because the birds here seem to stay away from you, unlike the pigeons in Chicago.  Even though the birds completely grossed me out, it was really awesome to see so many of them nestled into one cliff.  I hadn't seen anything like that before. 

We saw an adolescent humpback whale.  I was shocked at how close to the shore he was swimming.  Jo and I were the only two people on our boat tour, so we got to ask all of our questions about humpbacks, orcas, sea lions, homesteaders, and all sorts of other random Alaskan wonders.  

After we left Seward, we headed to Anchorage.  That drive is gorgeous because it takes you right along the shore.  There are mountains, wildlife, and water the whole drive.  This trip has been one beautiful scene after another.  

June 2, 2016: Exit Glacier

Obama hiked here with Bear Grylls.  That is awesome. 

I loved this hike.  We went with guides onto the glacier.  Our group was funny.  We spent a portion of our time remembering all of the great 90s songs that have wilderness references in them.  We witnessed a man get airlifted off the mountain next to the glacier.  He had fallen down part of the mountain and thought that he broke his back.  He ended up being ok.  We learned about the insane rate that the glacier is melting. We heard countless stories of adventure from our two guides.  

On the glacier, I fell in love with the deep blue color of the ice.  Most of the glacier was a brownish white color (the sand sediment mixed with the ice) but in certain parts, the deep, toothpaste blue color brilliantly pops through.  I love it. 

As you can imagine, there are no ladies' rooms on a glacier.  Really difficult to pee in a barren ice field without men being able to see you.  So I held it.  We were out there a lot longer than anticipated because we had to wait to make sure the guy who fell was being taken care of.  So by the time I got back to the ranger station, I was in pain from holding my pee for so long. I had to unclip my backpack from around my waist because it was pushing up against my bladder.  I started power walking when I saw the restroom ahead of me, only to be stopped by a few rangers.  A moose and her calf were blocking the bathroom!  While this was a majestic thing to witness, I was weighing my options: death by moose mauling if I attempted to get to the bathroom, or death by public humiliation if I waited it out.  Luckily the moose got out of the way after a few seconds and I was able to get to the bathroom before my bladder burst. 

June 1, 2016: Seward

Day 2 on the mainland: Jo is pissed and ready to go home.  

In all seriousness, she was having a good time.  Today we spent the morning in Kenai.  We toured the oldest part of the town and got to see the five oldest cabins in Kenai.  My mind was blown when our guide told us that Kenai got its first doctor in 1960!!! The same time that the Beatles were making it big.  Talk about Alaksa being the "Last Frontier!"  Makes me feel a tiny bit better about the fact that we don't get movies in our theater until a month or so after it comes out in the lower 48.  

After touring Kenai, we drove to Seward, stopping along the way at various places along the road to soak in the scenery.  Gorgeous!!! 

Once we made it to Seward, we set up our campsite and made dinner.  Then we went to bed.   I promise, this girl is having fun, despite her mean mugging. 

May 31, 2016: MOOSE!!

I really, really wanted to see a moose this week.  We don't have them in Kodiak, and I have wanted to see one in the wild for years.  Last summer, we caught a glimpse of one's butt on our way to Kodiak.  I didn't count that as a moose sighting.  On our first day in Homer we saw these two guys (well, gals I guess) grazing in the field.  Matchbox 20 was playing on the radio and we were mid jam when Jo spotted them.  I may have said a bad word out of excitement.  

Other trip highlights today: 

We saw a beautiful Russian Orthodox Church.  We tasted delicious beer at the Homer brewery.  We met our good friend Kathy's cousin and cousin's husband and stayed with them for the evening. It was a great first day on the mainland! 

May 30, 2016: best place on the island...

Alanna and I took Jo for a hike along Termination Point.  This is my favorite view on the entire island.  The water is always so many different colors, and the mountains so lush and green. 

As we ended our hike, we walked into what must have been some bear spray.  I am guessing someone in the woods sprayed some and it drifted down to where we parked. I thought I was going to die.  I immediately began choking and dry heaving into the bushes.  I could barely see because tears were streaming out of my eyes.  Soon after, Jo had the same thing happen to her.  I now get it when the bear spray can tells you to make sure that the bear is downwind from you when you spray it.  I'm still not sure what you do if the bear is upwind from you when it charges you...  Dodge it then spray? Jump over it? Barrel roll under it?  Just die?   Thankfully, most bears aren't going to charge a person.  They leave you alone as long as you aren't threatening them.  But every once in a while you hear those stories about the aggressive ones who just won't leave someone alone.   

I haven't thought about this too much, I swear ;).  

Tonight, Jo and I jump on the ferry and head to the mainland!  

May 29, 2016: Jo meets her first sea star.

Haha! I love this.  Jo wasn't freaked out at all.  ;).   Today I got to show her a typical Sunday in Kodiak.  We went to church in the morning then headed to Abercrombie for a potluck with my friends.  We walked down to the water at low tide and hunted for tidepool creatures.  This was my first time tidepooling at Abercrombie and I was a little disappointed.  We didn't see much, but we did find a few sea stars and a ton of snails.  

After that, we headed to Old Woman for a hike with my family.  Arthur taught her about pushki, and showed off his hiking skills.  It was a gorgeous day to be outside.  

Jo had barely slept, so we stopped quick at crabfest, got some dinner, and headed home.  Just one more day to show her Kodiak before we head to the mainland for our vacation! 

May 28, 2016: crab fest!

Crab fest.  Where do I even begin?!  The floats in the parade were filled with kiddos in felt crab hats and full grown adults dancing in bear or crab costumes. Unlike the Homer 4th of July parade, however, there were no outhouses on any of the floats.  That was different.  

I heard that the seafood at the festival was amazing.  I couldn't eat most of it because of my allergy, but I can tell you the crab smelled awesome.  The crepes... Well I had 4 if that tells you anything. 

The events:  -Coast Guard rescue demonstration where a stellar sea lion swam within 6 feet of the rescue swimmer.  Crazy!   -A survival suit race where teams had to run down the dock, put the suits on, swim out into the harbor, and get into these giant, floating things.  - A fish toss competition (see the picture of Alanna below).  She and Tim did pretty well! 

I didn't make it to a lot of the other events that I would like to next year.  The blessing of the fleets, the fishermen's memorial where they remember all men who died at sea in the last year, the arm wrestling competition or the hot dog eating competition.  I am looking forward to next year! 

May 27, 2016: staff party

I already ranted and raved about how much I love my coworkers this year.  So, I don't really want to go into it again.  They are some of the funniest, kindest, most accepting and motivating people I have worked with.  Celebrating the end of the year at the staff party was a blast.  So many good people, terrible karaoke choices, and hilarious moments.  Great night! 

May 26, 2016: Jimpanzee bought a bus!

...and it is so awesome!!  We spent a couple hours cruising around back roads and practicing parking skills before he brought it on the main roads.  His plan is to fix it up and live in it. 

I can't wait to see what he does with it!! 

May 25, 2016: field day!

Greatest Field Day ever!  The teachers who planned this day did an amazing job! We split k-2 kids into mixed groups, so I had kiddos from each grade and class in my group for the day.  I loved having a mixed group for the day!  The kids had fun making new friends and playing the goofy games.  Obviously I had some fun too.  Michelle killed it in the scooter/plunger race, but you can tell by my face I didn't give up! :).  

One thing I love the most about Peterson is how much spirit there is.  The teachers are so dedicated to creating a positive, fun atmosphere for the students.  And the teachers!  For as many tough moments I had this year, I had twice as many moments where I felt so supported, encouraged, celebrated, and loved on by this staff.  And if I feel it, I know these kids are feeling it too.  Way to go, Peterson! 

Seriously, what a blast and awesome way to spend the second to last day of school! 

May 24, 2016: sorry but kind of not about this picture

The end of the school year is busy.  Exhausting.  I didn't even think about taking a picture today. I fell into bed, drained and brain dead at about 10:30.  I then remembered I hadn't taken a picture.  So... You get this today.  No effort.  No regret.  But hey, you get to see how light it is here at 10:30 PM.  I had all my lights off and my shades drawn.  The upside to being completely exhausted is that I can usually still fall asleep without my sleeping mask.  Which is perfect for those nights when I lost it in the covers, or in the crack between the wall, or under the bed.  Which is most every night. 

May 23: vacuum nirvana

This thing is amazing.  It's a vacuum that is built into the house! You lift a little flap in the wall and the suction power is in the wall!  You attach the hose to the wall and it stretches to every room in the apartment.  Mind blown.  I had never seen anything like this until moving to this apartment!