Runnin' Wild

WHAT?!? A POST?!?!?

2008-05-26T15:25:00.003-08:00

No, this is not a mirage. You are not just extremely dehydrated and seeing things you wish to see that are not actually there. This is, in fact, a new post on my blog. *collective gasp* I know, I know. If no one even checks this anymore (except you, Ryan, and I love you for it), I understand and it’ll just be for my own gratification. But I couldn’t RESIST because have I got a STORY FOR YOU!
Well, friends, I will be honest. I was not exactly thrilled to the core about returning to Haines. Of course I love Haines, but being home for two weeks kinda got be back in the Seattle groove of all- night grocery stores and the ability to buy clothes that aren’t designed for Woodstock (though I never got used to the traffic- UGH). However, coming back to gorgeous weather, and I mean GORGEOUS, has made getting back into the swing of things a little bit easier. It’s the time of year where it doesn’t get dark and the cruise ships are in, two things I’ve had to get used to, and the town is hoppin’. We even had Beerfest this past weekend and the nightlife in Haines was at its best.
With all of this lovely weather, we’ve had several campfires, Frisbee, picnics, gardening, and last Friday we went out on Mike’s boat to Chilkoot Lake. We packed sandwiches for dinner and headed out to the beautiful lake surrounded by mountains. After just riding around and even trying some fishing, we headed to Mike’s bait site. Bears are waking up here in AK and it’s about that time to start attracting our furry friends to kill them.  Mike does this. I don’t. I had no idea what we were getting into when we got there- I thought we were just going to look at it and he might set some stuff up for when he wanted to attract bears in the future. No…after pouring old cooking grease, dog food, and instant potatoes into a hole and climbing up into the bear stand not too far away, I began to understand that we were inviting bears very near to us to we could watch them. HEH HEH! Mike got busy bringing more grease to a boil on his camp stove and slowing adding molasses to waft towards the hungry bears out there…no joke. Two and a half hours later, still no bears. But Mike could "feel them out there." We decided it was late and time to head back, so we climbed down and headed toward the boat, all the while keeping an eye out (especially toward a particularly dark area of trees). Once Lori and I were in the boat, Kenny was taking out the knot, and Mike was packing away his bow, a group of bears charged toward us then headed for the bait. I've never seen Kenny lunge so fast for anything then when he went for that knot and all I had time to do was sit and say, "holy crap." Two huge grizzlies and three smaller ones went after that bait just yards away, our hearts pounding, Mike still outside the boat with his bow, and Lori saying, "so how do I start this boat?" HEH HEH. It was amazing. Let's just say that as much as we were disappointed that they clearly waited until we were out of there to go after the bait and we didn't see them from our formerly nearby perch, at least Lori and I both agreed that if we had see them from the bait stand, we never would have LEFT the bait stand out of fear for our lives. Better they waited until we were in the boat...thanks, grizzlies.
I had some pictures for you, but as usual I can't get them to upload (darn APT Alaska and its lame internet connection). But maybe somehow I'll figure out how to get them on here. Well, summer is upon us here- the crazy cruise ship people are out and it's fun being a "local" of sorts.
I'll try to post here more. LOVE YOU

Part 2

2008-03-07T11:32:00.010-09:00

I'm stressed out beyond my capacity right now, with moving and trying to create a small group and my work schedule is getting crazy and people are vising, BUT- I have to finish my blog. Priorities are priorities. :)

Less than a week before the Lock-In, I was invited to chaperone the Girl Scouts to Juneau for a weekend. At first this sounded like a great idea. Time with the girls, time in Juneau, and I love the ferry. Great. I would need to switch my Saturday shift at Mt. Market, but that shouldn't be a big deal. However, in the couple of days it took to work the switching out with another coworker, the Lock-In happened. I'm sorry, what I meant to say was the Kids to the Max and Thourough Exhaustion happened. So I walk into work the Monday morning, having come from the church after the Lock- In and cleaning up and such, quite the zombie, and Nelle tells me she can switch and to have fun in Juneau. Uhhhhh....I call Crystal to tell her I can come and only then do I learn the schedule: leave Friday night on the 10:45pm ferry, get to Juneau around 3:15am, drive to the Council office, sleep a few hours, wake up early for Thinking Day (the event we were there for), run around Juneau all day (including the MALL), get up 6:30am Sunday morning to be on the ferry and back at church by 10:30am. Upon hearing this, I started to cry. Crystal doesn't know it, but as she was talking, Leche was sitting in her warm bathroom, crying. I was just so tired...I called Kenny BAWLING at another sleep-deprived weekend ( was just so TIRED), but took a few days to catch up on sleep and headed to Juneau. I had a great time. The girls were hilarious and we got to go BOWLING! One of the girls had a cast on her good arm which made her disinclined to bowl, but I promised to bowl left handed or granny-style and it worked out great (I SUCKED). Kelly, pictured with the bowling ball, decided to name it Old Reliable, which I thought was hilarious. We hit the mall, where all the girls spent their money on earrings and shoes and headbands and bangles and oh my word, were they decked out. I bought comfortable shoes in lieu of my hiking boots and COFFEE, finally. Thinking Day was a whole 'nother story, but the trip was a fun whirlwind.

Last Friday, Lori, Kenny, Mike, and I went ice fishing at Mosquito Lake. Not kidding, folks, there were, in fact, mosquitoes flying around us as we were ICE fishing. Weird phenomenon. Lori and I made it competetive, boys against girls, but I soon realized my standards were too high and I modified my goal to just three fish, tops, even as the guys were catching nine, ten, eleven...The picture on the left is of my first fish caught, displayed morbidly with the weapon which expedited its demise. I'm proud to say that I actually caught four fish (the last one by accident as I was walking away to do something else while still holding the pole) and even caught the final fish, making our total catch THIRTY fish (but we only kept sixteen). Kenny and Snoopy can be seen posing by the catch we kept.
The weather was beautiful and let me tell ya- by the fourth fish I was taking the hook out and beating it over the head multiple times with a screwdriver all by myself. Papa would be proud. :) It's even on video, as Mike recorded the event for posterity. Don't worry- we watched it later that night. A few times. :) We had a fish fry and I cleaned my own fish, but not without much girly hesitation. *shudder* I'll go ahead and admit that three of the fish cleanings did involve plastic bags tied around my hands so I didn't actually have to TOUCH them. Heh heh. Don't judge.

Well, I'm outta steam. Phew. Thanks for hanging in there. I tried to include as many pictures as possible for those of you who require visual stimulation to stay interested (Jennifer?).
I'll try to post more often in order to prevent any future bombardment of posts.
Honest. :)
<3

Catch up, wouldya?

2008-03-04T21:30:00.011-09:00

Phew. Hold on. Give a girl a minute to catch her breath.
Okay. I’m good. Thanks for that.
SO MUCH has happened in the last few weeks- I mean MONTH since I just noticed that it has been that long since my last post. It seems like just yesterday I wrote an update, but apparently that is not the case (duh). As a brief overview, we have gone from MAD FREEZING temperatures to crazy balmy (33 degrees), which has made me very unhappy. If I wanted a rainy winter with slush and drizzle, guess where I would still be living? But I digress. There has been snowshoeing at the golf course in 55 degrees-below-zero winds, game nights with desserts lit on fire (Banana’s Foster, of course), Valentine’s Day parties with fondue and tattoos, trailblazing, all-nighters with 35 youngsters, a whirlwind of Girl Scouts in Juneau,a Star Wars Marathon, and most recently- ICE FISHING.
Pretty daunting list of activities to report on, not to mention the amount of pictures that accompany said activities. I'll try this in chunks.

Trailblazing wasn’t exactly part of the plan when Lori and I went to hike Mt. Riley. The couple-a-mile walk to the Battery Point trailhead was fun enough, then 0.9 miles to the Mt. Riley trailhead…that wasn’t really there. Surely someone else must have hiked from this side of the mountain to set the trail…heh. Apparently not. But we were feeling optomisitic and Boy Scout-like (hey- I have some experience with orienteering), but gut feelings and your inner compass only take you so far. After only four arrows in the beginning, an hour and a half of climbing, falling, guessing, losing a glove (me), we hit a roadblock---absolutely NO IDEA where to go next. No clues, no nothing. Sigh. So, resigned and starving, we headed back down (which only took us twenty minutes) to eat our sandwiches on the beach. The picture of Lori and the tree was the result of never knowing if we would see another arrow, which made finding this one (and validating that we were on any trail at all, even if we were actually pretty far off) pretty exciting. I like to call the close up of me "I Actually Have No Clue" Face, which I didn't let Lori see until it really was time to call it quits. Finally, the last shot is us on the beach with Mountain Market sandwiches on a beautiful sunny day with quite a front row seat of the mountains. After chowing down, we trekked the mile or so back to town and collapsed into Mountain Market to dry off and not move for a while. :) Trailblazers, we are not. :)

It began as a simple movie night. Our big outreach for the month, held after youth group for any kid and every kid. Then it evolved into an overnight. In the end (and The End was a glorious happening) it was an ALL NIGHTER. I remember exactly when it happened...the walls began to close in around me and my world suddenly seemed doomed once the competition began- "I'm not sleeping AT ALL tonight!" "Neither am I!" "I bet you can't!" "Leche, you can't be tired! You have to STAY UP!" Dun dun DUN!!!! Thirty-eight kids in little ol' Haines Presbyterian, eating junk food and watching movies and playing games ALL NIGHT LONG with YeaYea, Zazu, and I, though several other blessed souls came for a while to join in the fun and help with the pandemonium. The gutter sundae was a hit (in a real gutter that fell off someone's house from the church) and we wouldn't have made it without 4 a.m. Mac n' Cheese and brownies (the making of which is shown here). Unfortunately, after 3 a.m. it was less "what game can we play next" and "what fun can we have" Leche and more "if you bounce that ball against the wall one more time I might kill you" Leche, but such is lock-in life. I never thought the church would be clean again, but we got it spotless even with enough time for me to run off to work that day! Exhausted? Well, yes, as a matter of fact I was. And I think that the parents hated us a little, but the kids had a great time it seemed. And it only took us several days to recover. Man, I can't stay up all night like I used to. I must be getting old.

Well, stay tuned, friends. More to come. I'm breaking it up into installations. I like to keep 'em guessing. :)

Coffee Shop Barbie

2008-02-06T12:11:00.000-09:00

Apparently that is what I am called behind my back at Mountain Market. One of our bakers, Jennie, confessed this to me yesterday after telling me to "promise not to get mad." She's the culprit, claiming it's just because I'm the only young blonde one who runs around acting, well, the way I do. I'm not offended, I don't think. I guess I should be, but she's really cute and no one could be offended by her. She sneaks me warm Snickerdoodles. However, I think Barista Barbie flows a bit better. :)
This news was also delivered to me on the day I received a raise for my "sunny disposition" and for the fact that "people enjoy working with me" and "I deserve it." I almost cried. I swear. The two head ladies conferred and decided I should have one. :) It still makes me smile. Needless to say, Mountain Market is going well.
A lot of fun stuff has been going on in Haines, like the Family Game Night at Haines Presbyterian, the Dance Dance Revolution tournament at the Library, Taco Tuesday at the Elk's, and so on. Haines can be hoppin'. Kenny and I actually found ourselves torn between two places to go last Friday night (crazy, I know). We did, in fact, end up at the Dance Dance Revolution tourney at the library because Zack, a camper, asked us to go. He has crazy DDR skills and it was admittedly hilarious watching him go up against Kenny. I, on the other hand, did my best but only ended up hurting my foot by the last song and got really hot.

Another fun night was had when we visited another camper, Nicole. Nic's blind and hard of hearing, along with other challenges, but loves to play games. We played Go Fish and listened to a bunch of her jokes and had a great dinner with her parents. It was a pretty great time and we're hoping to make that a more regular thing.

Our Thursday night Game Nights are explanding, which is pretty cool. It's evolved into a dinner/dessert night, too. This week I think someone suggested Banana's Foster, to which I think I reacted excitedly, to say the least. In the coming weeks, there have been requests for Creme Brule and sloppy joes (not even by me!). Basically we have a good time hanging out over food and playing some game for a few hours. Finally, a little place for young adults in Haines. Not exactly the way we first imagined it, definitely less stucture, but God seemed to have other plans, I guess. :)
Alright, time to wrap it up. Everything is pretty normal. I'm catching up on my Gilmore Girls, reading whenever I can, attempting to get on the radio, and trying to circulate. Lots of ideas for the kids are in the works (Bible studies, movie nights, sledding days, etc.) and will be planned as early as tomorrow when we meet with several pastors in the community. YAY and FINALLY! The ball is officially rolling.
Keep up the prayers. LOVE YOU
Over and out.

For all updating purposes

2008-01-22T14:33:00.000-09:00

For your enjoyment (and mine, too, I suppose), I have compiled a fun list of facts/observations/accounts courtesy of the beloved Haines.
"Hit on Nat Day"
This, I was unaware of, is a Haines holiday. To my surprise, I learned that January 19 is recognized among most either rugged locals or awkward newbies-in-town as the day to hit on me while I'm minding my own business at the fine establishment, Mountain Market. Of course, this realization is received well by me, who woke up feeling nauseous and is just trying to make it through the day and just recently vented to Lori about how there are too many young adult MALES in Haines. No, I do not want to run, walk, or "hang out sometime" with you. If you wanna talk Jesus, great. But I doubt that's what you're looking for. I should just pass out a business card when I introduce myself to people that says, "Let's just be friends" or "I'll platonically hang out with you any day. Can I bring my boyfriend?" After third said-fellow-in-one-day(two the other day)proposed quality time, even my co-worker Sam decided, "That was even awkward for me." I'm friendly, guys. I'm a barista. It's in the job description.
In other Mountain Market news, I received my review yesterday. It was over two months late, but who's counting. Apparently I'm "doing great" and those things I'm not quite good at "will just come with time." I'm "really appreciated" and "a good worker." Well. Yay. :) This coming from Deborah who sometimes looks at me like why I'm still there is a mystery, but hey- I could just be seeing things and I'll just take her word for it. It's nicer.
I work with a woman names Nelle who is probably in her forties and precious. She was reminiscing yesterday to the 70's station that was going on the XM stereo. I will never again be able to hear The Carpenters without thinking of Nelle and her Catillion. She's so good-natured (very Haines) that she doesn't mind that we make fun of the fact she almost named her daughter Fanny ("As in 'pack,' Nelle? How would she ever get through customs with a name like that?') and just admits, "These things are always in the way" when she sticks her boob in mayo while preparing a turkey sandwich. What a doll.

"In other news..."
I've taken up knitting again. It's what they do here. Heh. We'll see. Let's just say that at least now I have something to do while I'm composing emails, as there is about a 45-second delay from when I type to when it actually shows up on the email.
I am now a Haines Burough Public Library volunteer. It's awesome, considering it's known as "the biggest small town library in the nation" (or something like that) in the Library Journal. I just love being there. I just started and am going there tonight, but now I have my very own library number (free of the normal $20 charge, which rocks) and am very excited.
Last Sunday, was quite the busy Sunday for me at Haines Presbyterian Church. I lead worship, performed in the choir, read the scripture, and helped with Sunday school. As I told the new guy in town (who comes into Mt. Market all the time and was one of said males who recognized January 19th), "you know it's a small church when you're up and down from the front so much." It was fun.
My bathroom is the warmest room in the house. I keep the door closed so it will stay that way. The rest of the house is set at about 53 degrees. Heating the whole place is too expensive, thus I am required to wear long underwear and a hat just to go from my room to the bathroom and not freeze.
I finally made the trek into town, backpack ready, to buy milk and bread the other night. I'd been avoiding it for a couple of weeks now, as I just wasn't interested in carrying a gallon of cold milk all the way home in 15-degree weather. Hence the backpack. Of course, when I arrived at Howser's at 7:03pm Sunday night, I was greeted with locked doors, as they close at 7pm on Sundays. Of course. I finally went there after work yesterday and bought a half-gallon of 1%, all they had. The whole town's out of milk. Again. I dare you to remember the last time you said that about anywhere else. :) Now having milk helps me maintain my all Top Ramen-all Cream of Wheat diet (the picture is me facing the dilema of having to clean TR/COW pots just to make more TR/COW).
There was an eagle sitting in the tree outside my dining room window the other day. It was comforting.
That's about all for me, folks. Exciting news from Haines, I tell ya.
I miss you all. It'd be funnier if you were here with me.

Everything snow

2008-01-11T12:44:00.000-09:00

Back again!I have to tell you, the last few days spent in Haines have been interesting, good and bad, and very full. This picture was taken on the ferry up to Haines from Juneau on a GORGEOUS day- wonderful day to be on a boat. Believe it or not, many pictures like this one were taken but due to operator error, this one turned out the best. :)
In just one week, we have: gone sledding on snow shovels, gone back to youth group, made a fancy halibut dinner, gone sledding on actual sleds and nearly killed ourselves (it's okay mom- we laugh about it now), met a new friend Sam who I now work with at Mountain Market, made banana and chocolate chip pancakes (my dream REALIZED), gone snowshoeing out to camp, watched Indiana Jones, had a fun time at choir, driven out the highway on the pastor's whim on a BEAUTIFUL day to see eagles and swans, then only a few hours later driven out to Letnikof Cove on the pastor's whim to see a pod of killer whales super close up, finally changed out of snow clothes after three days, had wonderful homemade baked potato soup and played games. Whew. Granted, most of these happenings have been due to our friend Ben's visit- we don't normally pack in this much fun to one week, but who knows...maybe we do now because of ALL OF THE SNOW. This picture is from our banana-and-chocolate-chip pancake breakfast before snowshoweing, the there's a pic or Kenny walking into camp. Then there is Bromley Hall, covered in snow, which is just a little bit different than when we're there in the summer. Kenny, Lori, Ben, and I flipped around in the snow outside my house, so there's Kenny and I submerged just beyond my front porch, which is the norm as far as snow level goes. The last few pictures are from our drive out the highway to see eagles and swans...breathtaking.
I realize that this post hasn't really told you much about anything except some adventures, or really even elaborated on them, but I'm just getting back into this and I at least wanted to share some pictures with you. There are plenty more where that came from, trust me. I've been realizing that being here is full of picture opportunities...all the time...everyday...and i wish you were all here to see everything.
Beware: this post is full of fun, which is how I wanted to get back into the blogging swing of things, but there is some other stuff going on in the meantime up here in Haines that I will share soon. While Ben is here we've been trying to pack in the sights and we're avoiding reality at the same time, which isn't bad, but there's some music Kenny and I are going to have to face pretty soon.
I hope you like the pictures- I'll be hopefully making a Facebook album of them all soon- and I miss you all. Very much. No amount of snow or sledding can compete with you. :)

Get Out of Life Free card?

2007-12-07T22:08:00.000-09:00

I feel like I have slightly retreated into this shell of my former self. Quite the statemtnt with which to begin a post, but why not just jump right in and be real? This is a safe space and we're all friends here. You can take it.
I'm supposed to be identifying to Alaska, immersed in and committed to Haines, adjusting to life up there. Being in Seattle is supposed to just be a nice visit, icing on the cake, not the refuge and protector due to its distance that it's turned into. It now contains all that is familiar and loving to me, so why return to someplace where a tornado ripped through any preconceived notions I moved there under? I like it here. I wanna stay here.
But Alaska is a mess. I was thankfully able to leave and take a break from that mess. However, that mess is on pause. It will still be there, if not intensified, when I return. Therefore, this is not the real Natalie standing before you in Seattle. She wishes it were, but it's not. Let's be honest- the real Natalie is sitting back up in Alaska, arms crossed and foot tapping, impatiently waiting for this faux Seattle Natalie to come back up and fix it. She's saying, "get real. You can't stay there. Don't get too attached- it'll just be harder to leave." Only, that's all I want to do- stay. Thus I am in limbo. And can't make any sudden movements.
I'm just tired. Thinking about it all makes me claustrophobic.
Oh and it's Christmas. You know that? I have to remind myself every day.
(Don't worry- it'll all work out. God doesn't exactly dissappoint.) ;)
Pray Pray Pray
Thanks

I solemnly swear...

2007-11-29T11:53:00.000-09:00

...that I will be more diligent in updating my blog. Lately, my zeal has been quelched by certain circumstances, but I was told that I should even write the bad stuff. So I will. In the future.
I just wanted to let you know not to give up on me. I have not abandoned our dera blog. I have just been on a little hiatus for a few weeks and will get back on track. It's really very important to me that you check it and enjoy it and care what I'm up to. It means a lot.
Now I'm back in Sea-town and it's weird. Very, very weird. I'm bumping along, but if I really think about it, it's craziness. I almost feel like the past two and a half months never happened since I'm back to the same life I was leading in August before I left- sleeping in, no real agenda...but I guess that's okay. Lying low will do me good. It'll be nice to be a little annonymous for awhile. I can leave the house and not gear up and expect to know everyone I bump into everywhere I go. Ya know? I actually get to go the bank today and be done in just a few minutes, not 30 because I was chatting with the teller who goes to my church. :) We'll see.
I don't even know if anyone will check this now that they know I'm home and haven't been keeping up with it even while I was gone, let alone now that I'm home and am seeing people in person. But I thought I'd give it a shot.
Don't give up on me.
<3

The Weens of Hallows

2007-11-02T16:59:00.000-08:00

Halloween in Haines...what a treat. (get it? Treat? haha just a little Haines humor)

Kenny and I were invited over to the St. Clair's for some pumpkin carving last Monday night, which was amazing since I can't remember having carved a pumpkin in MANY years. The St. Clair's are an awesome family, with the youngest of the three kids being Gabby who is seven, but is TINY with this hilariously husky voice and a surprisingly advanced vocabulary. They're just all great. Jackie carved Medusa into her pumpkin (very inspired), Casey/Kenny carved Bart Simpson into his pumkin, I carved Phillipe (he's French) into my pumpkin, and Gabby created the job of "replacer," where she would replace all the pieces we had carved out. Very helpful. Jean Claude was on the other side of Phillipe, but unfortunately never finished, but he seemed fine with it.

The Salvation Army in town put on a Harvest Party at the school and I did, in fact, bake a cake for the Cake Walk. I was then advised that I should want it to be The Cake that everyone would want. So I put a leaf on it. And peanut butter M&M's around it because they were all I had. And it was a lemon cake with lemon frosting. Delightful. :) At least it wasn't the last cake left, which was my biggest fear. At least I don't think it was... I was also asked to be a lion for the "Daniel in the Lion's Den" part of the evening, put on by the pastor's wife. It mainly involved sitting at the end of a long, dark tube wearing a lion's mane and mask with a CD player playing a roaring lion soundtrack while "Daniel" (a.k.a. Scotty Hansen) told the kids that "God closed the mouth of the lion and so I am safe." Some of the kids were terrified and the looks on their faces...especially this one little girl whose feathers from her boa were flying everywhere while she couldn't get out of there fast enough. I probably would have reacted the same way upon crawling in a dark tunnel and being met by a lion. Shoot.
Later on I was able to dress in 50's wear curtesy of RGC's costume closet (the poodle skirt) and my own Converse (not pictured). Here I am stuffing my face with a fantastic chocolate cupcake right before Kenny and I took Polly, our sole trick-or-treater, around town. Let's just say that little escapade involved a man with a weird accent and a chainsaw and an unexpected haunted house visit where Leche shielded herself from the horror by clutching little Polly. What an adventure. Oh- and I couldn't feel my legs or hands by the end of the evening since we were trick-or-treating IN ALASKA.
We topped the evening off by the most hilarious late-night viewing of "Spiderman 3" with Lori, High 5, Kenny and some cookie dough. It was amazing.
It was all good fun and in just a day or two, I shall update on a visit from Ms. Jamie Higbee (A SURPRISE) and some other pretty pictures. For now, I am spent.
Stay tuned...

Characters Welcome

2007-10-27T15:17:00.000-08:00

There once was a man named Byrne. He is a large man with shoulder-length silver hair and a big grin who Leche meets at church last Sunday. Byrne enjoys puppets. Byrne strikes up conversation with Leche at Mountain Market one afternoon, which is nice, only to invite her over the next afternoon to continue the chat. Leche mentions Byrne to YeaYea, only to get an unexpected reaction and warning that Byrne likes to invite people over to his dimmly-lit and odd-looking house. Leche is advised to bring someone, so Leche makes High 5 go with her. Upon arriving at Byrne's, Leche and High 5 are welcomed with creepy French music and a huge mannequin in the corner. High 5 refuses to take off her coat. The two girls gaze about the room, noticing Byrne's 8,000 records and 3,000 CD's (they asked Byrne), with a complete library of books and movies taboot. After much chitchat, Leche agrees to try Byrne's Hibiscus flower tea with raw sugar, which actually tastes good- kinda like a melted fruit leather. Having visited for what they think is the appropriate amount of time to be considered "intentional," the girls make to leave, only to be faced with Byrne's excited realization that they have yet to talk about puppets!!! Well! Of course! How could they all have forgotten! Thus commences the showing of Byrne's video which documents his three month trip through Europe to visit all kinds of puppet theatres. Turns out the Czech Repubic is quite the hub for puppet entertainment! An hour QUICKLY flies by and Leche and High 5 must depart to go to dinner. Shame. That concludes their visit with Byrne, but not without High 5 committing to a future puppet show possibly involving Christ's crucifixion. Byrne would like them to visit again.

There once was a man named Jeff. Jeff considers himself an old friend of Natalie's, who has just begun her new job at the Mountain Market. Jeff has gone to the Mountain Market every morning for breakfast since he was sixteen. He is now an age Natalie can't even guess. Jeff asks Natalie's new co-worker, whom she has yet to really talk to, to say good things about him to her. Natalie pretends the handwashing sink needs special attention and that she doesn't actually hear this comment. The next day, Jeff chats with Natalie as she wipes down the tables and he is nice enough. Later, he is insulted that Natalie doesn't sit with him when she goes on her break. He proceeds to join her. Natalie leaves her book open as a signal to Jeff that she is not actually going to commit herself to this conversation, but she still wants to be "intentional." After all, people like Jeff are exactly the people in the community she knew she was going to get to know when she took the job at the Mountain Market, thus its appeal. Jeff asks Natalie questions and Natalie is polite, including an inquiry as to what she is doing even as she is still clutching her open book so she replies, "reading," but once Jeff finds out that Natalie knows Amy Junkin, who also used to work at Mountain Market, Jeff decides that, "ahh...so you're a good girl, too." Natalie says, "well, I guess I am." Jeff says that his bark is bigger than his bite. Natalie doesn't know quite what to say to this. Natalie is very excited when YeaYea comes to join her and Jeff leaves the table. Two days later, Natalie walks into Mountain Market just for a moment to see if the schedule is up. She notices Jeff is there, but she is wearing a hat so maybe he won't notice her. She chats with her new co-worker, is only there for a minute, and walks out quickly as Jeff is chatting at a table full of other men. She is halfway across the parking lot when she hears, "HEY!" She turns to see Jeff, saying he is hurt that she didn't say hi to him. The conversation unfortunately does not last, as Natalie says she is on her way to a meeting (partially true). They part.

The End.

Home, Sweet Home

2007-10-22T12:06:00.000-08:00

'Bout time, I'd say. Isn't it pretty? Pretty soon it will be covered in snow and that'll be awesome. I would have taken pictures of the inside, but not only would that have taken me FOREVER to do and download, but now there's mystery and incentive for people to come and visit!
I would also like to direct your attention to this pretty picture.
It's Rainbow Glacier and a beautiful fall tree. I took it a few weeks ago, but due to picture complications, am only able to post it now. But it's worth it. I also took another pretty fall picture when we drove out to 33 Mile (as I reported a couple of posts ago) and thought I'd throw it in, too.Beautiful fall, yes, but now we're already into winter!! I will soon be taking pretty pictures of snow-covered mountains and snowy Haines. It's just kinda tough to capture, so you'll have to bear with me. :)

I'm employed!!! I know, I know- a house to live in AND a job. Overwhelming, but awesome. I'm going in today to see when I train and I would appreciate prayers for my nerves. For some reason I just get to anxious and intimidated about new jobs, especially when going into a coffee community of hardcore Alaskans. Also, we're putting on our very first Young Adults service this Thursday night. There has never been anything in Haines geared toward the young adult community, so we're kind of winging it. A glimpse into living in a small town- I heard nothing but comments for using the word "alas" incorrectly on the flyer I made and put all over town. EVERYONE was talking about it...I tried to remain lighthearted and unaffected, consoling myself with the fact that the over-70 crowd who were complaining about it weren't invited anyway. :) All of the young adults I've talked to and who have seen the poster didn't have a problem with it and are ready to come. Hooray for the "word travels fast" philosophy coming true! We'll see how Thursday looks!
I'm off to the Mountain Market (eek!)- I'll let you know how it goes.

FYI

2007-10-19T11:17:00.000-08:00

It is a GORGEOUS day in Haines...sun is shining, mountains are glowing with snow, and I rode a bike into town just to enjoy it. Threw on the fleece, some gloves, and a beanie and I was off. Couldn't resist on a day like today.
Got some snow yesterday and that was a thrill. Too early, I say, but it's Alaska. It was actually really fun and very surreal. :)
One more quick note- YeaYea and I were driving to camp the other day when along the road there was a dog running with a HUGE dead salmon flopping around in its mouth. When we slowed to get a better look, it just stopped and looked at us like, "what." and kept running into the woods. YeaYea was dying and said, "it's Alaska."
That's all for now, but have no fear- I picked up our DSL yesterday and will hook it up tonight or tomorrow. Then I'll have internet at HOME! Did I say home?? I think so...we moved in on Monday. Me into the room with dead butterflies on the wall and animal skins, plus one antler-looking thing hanging from the ceiling; Kate into the room with a huge fish above the closet, a huge wooden rabbit by the door, and another antler-looking thing hanging from the ceiling. Needless to say, we have some redecorating to do. :) Oh- and there are boxes of food EVERYWHERE- from Costco, the camp, the cabin, food we brought up with us...sigh. You have to dig through four boxes just to make toast.
love you all!

Schizo's and Bruises

2007-10-11T21:21:00.000-08:00

**DISCLAIMER: Posting pictures has been rough. I can't even describe the frustration when it comes to lack of consistency of where pictures are, who's computer, internet connections...my word. Here are a few, but others will be on their way in another post. For now, enjoy what I can give.
Welcome, welcome everyone. Nice to see you again. I have much to report, so kick off your shoes, put up your feet, knock back a nice tall glass of milk and read on.

Here’s an entertaining image for ya: over forty kids, three counselors, one director, and four hours to cram in a “mini-camp.” Who's the schmuck who came up with that crazy idea? Last Saturday we decided to gather the kids in Haines for one last hoorah at camp before we close it up and it was a whirlwind. Kenny lost his voice within the first hour while leading a huge group game in very bright pants, I lost a bit of mine while leading a bobbing for apples Interest Group (ew, btw), and only one kid cried after getting a ball in the face. It was madness! We’re in Juneau this week and putting on a similar shindig for the Juneau campers, only this time it’ll be an overnight on Friday ‘til Saturday (happy birthday to me). And we’re down to just the three counselors…hee hee hee. We visited the high school the other day to put the word out, but let’s be honest- we’re really praying the group isn’t too huge to the point where we give each other Kayak Face across the room while fifty kids run rampant around the church we have so graciously be allowed to use. Let's just hope the paranoid schizophrenic who's been known to break into and wander the church doesn't decide to stop in and say hello... :) We were also able to meet the dearest woman in the world lastnight at a potluck...her name is Ellen and if I could adopt her I would. Southern, rock solid in faith, 85 years old and calls me "lovely." She made sure we came to a Bible study lastnight and she called us today at the church to invite us to a Bible study at her house. I just love her, precious lamb. I wanna be like her when I grow up.

I’d also like to report that I went for a run the other day. Ahem. No, I didn’t say “I chewed gum and hay.” Yeah sure, I’ll say it again. I WENT FOR A RUN THE OTHER DAY. You get it that time? That’s right- I got a bee in my bonnet and took off running on a gorgeous day in Haines. You will see a picture to your left of my view from the road I ran on, near the cannery by camp. And no, this picture does not do the view justice, but that’s pretty much true of any picture I take in Alaska. The mountains spread far beyond to the left and right and beautiful fall trees line the other side of the road. Glorious. With Relient K as my soundtrack and no one else around for miles, I ran my little heart out and it felt GOOD. Afterward I helped out with the volleyball team at the high school, then went on to play volleyball at the Open Gym that night- my body was totally confused by all of the activity and rebelled…after receiving one-too-many spikes from a very large man, I noticed that my arm had swelled up and it looked like I had half of a tennis ball growing next to my wrist by the end of the game. It was sweet. Don’t worry mom- my host mom (Bonnie) put some frozen corn on it when I got home and all was well. Now I’m just bruised up and down the inside of my forearms. Hardcore.

The snow line is creeping down the mountains and just may be to Haines by the time we get back from Juneau (Monday). This picture is of Mt. Ripinsky, the mountain in town that acts as the weather channel: once there's snow on Mt. Ripinsky, the first snofall is two weeks away. Let the knitting and hot chocolate drinking begin!! Also when we get back to town, we're getting a young adult service started, getting the Friday Night Flix rolling, continuing with the youth group, and moving into our new house. Phew. In fact, I'd like to point out that I have, in fact, been living out of hefty bags since the end of July and a hiking backpack since the end of May. WHAT??? I haven't unpacked my toiletries bag since leaving for Alaska the first time...talk about nomadic. This girl's gotta settle down, for pete's sake. Hang some pictures. Have her socks in a drawer. You know, little things like that. :)

Some prayer requests: I'm interviewing for a job at the local coffee mecca, Mountain Market, when I get back into town. I just pray that I will be hired (which would be AMAZING) and that the scheduling isn't too complicated. They aren't known for their flexibility and with that I'm doing, I'm going to need it. Also, just for Friday night and Saturday- let us not lose our minds.
LOVE LOVE LOVE to all!

No pictures, please

2007-10-01T11:47:00.001-08:00

I regret to begin this post with some unfortunate news- due to the vagabond lifestyle (i.e. no internet at the cabin, of course, and no camera cord to be found anyway), I am unable to include pictures with this post. SO I have been toiling and losing sleep trying to come up with the most colorful language that may just be enough of a visual for you all. Ha. Work with me here.
The past week has contained quite a bit actually and I'm excited to report. I have been keeping a list. What a faithful little blogger I am. First of all, WE HAVE A HOUSE. Well, we don't actually live in it yet and won't move in until the middle of October (probably on the 15th exactly), but it's ours to live in until May! No more nomadic Natalie, digging through Hefty bags in the back of the 4Runner, unable to find different pants. It's a great huge house, blue with white shudders and a big porch, and supposedly an area behind the house that we can use to ice skate on. The best part? We're housesitting, therefore only paying utilities which is AWESOME. Huge answer to prayer, as it is owned by a family who wanted to know how they could be praying for us...God is good. It'll be hard to leave the one-room cabin, especially after we recently hung up huge Christmas lights all around and it's quite cozy, but I think we'll be able to tear ourselves away.
Another God Funny? Remember the wood we "stole?" Hee hee AND RETURNED, I might add....well a family from the church we're growing closer to, the Sharnbroichs, had given us their huge Blaze King wood stove a month back since they didn't need it anymore. It can heat Bromley hall in no time. Along with that, they are giving us their entire wood shed full of wood to take out to camp since they no longer have a stove to burn it in. We have about six truckloads of wood we're still working on transporting out to camp...set for next summer, that's for sure!! We may be theives, but thieves still need wood. :)
Snow is falling on the mountains and it's beautiful. We drove out to 33 Mile (which has a little diner with the best burgers ever) and it was a GORGEOUS drive...I've never seen colors so magnificent...marigold, plum, peach, bring orange...it was wonderful. Then to look out at the mountains with snow gracing their peaks...are you kidding? I have a couple of pictures that don't do it justice, but I'll try to get them posted next time.
We also got a taste of the Northern Lights the other night around 11:30p.m. We stood out at Paradise Cove and watching the green light dance across the sky. The full moon lit up the camp and the glacier, confirming this place really is heaven on earth.
"La-la-laaaaaa" Choir has begun! The team and I (yes, even High 5, though begrudgingly) have joined Haines Presbyterian's choir and even performed with them this past Sunday. What a thrill! Tom Jackson can never remember the words, Matt Davis sings louder than the building can handle, and the pastor's wife doesn't understand half-notes and it's great.
Another bear spotted at camp! This time I was not alone and it was little, just walking along the rocks past Snoopy. However, High 5 and YeaYea thought it a good idea to throw old salmon out onto the field...hmm... the next day we notice the huge impression in the grass where the bear lounged and ate, then tracked its prints around camp. We learned two things that day: 1.) we need to cut the grass and 2.) 5 and Yea are cut off from wild animal interaction. You all thought I was bad... :)
Haines resident update: Bonnie Sharnbroichs can make pancakes in the shape of anything you want- moose, bicycle with rider, Rainbow Glacier, even one of her making pancakes!- and she took the pictures to prove it. It truly is an art. And this past weekend's auction at the firehouse brought out the characters in town, proving the adage "one man's junk is another man's treasure." A great refrigerator sold for $2 while our pastor bought two tusks for the grand total of $640 has no idea what he's going to do with them.
This brings you all up to date, friends, and I hope it's been entertaining enough! Seems as though I'm at the mercy of when I can get to a computer instead of when I'm feeling creative, I feel this post may be lacking in some humorous tone, but thanks for sticking with me! Keep praying for adjustment, as we've gotten more involved in youth groups and Sunday schools and may be living with families from the church for a few days until we move into our new house. We're off to Juneau on possibly the 9th for the Presbytery meeting and to hang out with kids. Pray for the retreat we're going to put on for them and our time with them. I'll try to post again soon!
Good enough, Jennifer? ;)

Da bears

2007-09-24T17:14:00.001-08:00

Alas, my inagural post on the new blog! Even though I've only been here a week, so much has already happened that can fill an entry and provide some pictures. This whole moving-to-Alaska-for-a-year-how-crazy thing shows some promise, my friends.

First, travelling two days by car and 33 hours by ferry proved to be quite enjoyable, actually, with many card games played and a nice time listening to "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" in its entirety...twice. Having recently driven most of the route we took this time turned out to be fun- who else is that familiar with the backroads of northern Canada? The colors were beautiful, but nothing compared to Haines. *sigh* This place gets prettier every time I come back. The trees are on fire (figuratively) and the mountains are already being kissed with snow.

BUT (beautiful scenery aside) I must announce that I am certifiably Alaskan for a reason honored more highly than a driver's license- I helped butcher a moose. Well, "helped" is a term used loosely in this situation, but we'll just go with it. Turns out a moose was shot illegally and when that happens, the hunter must turn it over to Fish & Game, where they give it to next on the list of non-profit organizations. Guess who was next?? Aw, you're all so smart. Yes, it was Rainbow Glacier Camp. Yay! With the help of several vetran hunters in the communtiy (aren't they all?), the moose was skinned and hung in a shed until we could line up a time to properly butcher it. On that special day, it was quartered and transported to the town butcher, after hours, where is was properly sliced and diced. I am proud to say that I helped inspect and remove every hair from every piece of carcass (am I grossing you out yet?). A few days later, it was ground into burger- with the necessary amount of beef fat added to it to hold it together since moose meat is so lean; we had to get it from the town firefighter, Al- and the four of us packaged appropriately (saran wrap, ziploc bag, then wrapped in paper to prevent freezer burn, with a moose head drawn onto it of course) over 270 lbs. of burger. We also have many pounds of choice steaks and roasts, too. Our freezer is FULL and we have meat for camp next summer! The whole ordeal was pretty sweet. :) By the way, the picture to the left features our four shining faces holding up the side of the moose- the dark red section is where the bullet passed through the ribs. Oh, and don't worry- we kept the bullet. ;) We also think the head of our moose graced the pages of the local newspaper- tongue sticking out and all. Hee hee.

While we're on the subject of wild animals Natalie has encountered intimately in the past week, I shall mention the big brown bear I had a stare-down with the other morning. I was just walking along, admiring the gorgeous Alaskan sunshine and colors, thinking, "I love Alaska...lalala" when my eyes focused in on a bear 100 ft. away, chillin' by the camp swings. It had clearly spotted me first, frozen in its tracks and sizing me up and I followed suit. No fear here- I just wished someone had been with me to witness the great event. I was SO EXCITED. Backing away slowly then running as soon as I was out of sight, it was gone by the time I found Kenny. Bummer. I just think that Mr. Bear and I had a little connection and he was welcoming me to Alaska properly. I'm honored. :)

The only other anecdote of note (yep, there's more) is that we also made it onto the local radio station. All we did was accidentally steal some poor woman's wood off of her property in the dead of night (I blame Kenny- just kidding), only to have "whoever took the wood off my property on Rainbow Glacier Camp Road, I was planning on using it" announced on the radio for several days. We returned it immediately after having gone to the effort of sawing it up and chopping it for fire wood for ourselves. :) Small towns are great.

Enough for now, friends, but I'm hoping to post regularly. We're still working on finding a place to live, so prayers for that are more than appreciated. The four of us living in a one-bedroom cabin is cozy, but I'm sure on some days we're all thinking separate rooms would be wonderful. On the plus side, running water was restored to camp a few days ago by dear Kenny, so there's that.

Love to you all!