The Last....Before I Fly Home

I have a knack for counting down the "last times" until I go thru a major event or change. For instance, when thinking about a cross country race, I would acknowledge to myself that the next time I had such and such class or the next time i went home, I would have finished the race and have ran my hardest. So....Today is my last day in Bethel,Ak. I also just finished my last 8 hour work day at the district office - so I returned and checked out my last keys to someone, I wrote the schedule up on the whiteboard for the last time, I went to the high school and helped shelf books for the last time, I made copies of checks, invoices, and a fuel receipt for the last time, I answered the phone saying, "Plant Facilities, this is Emily." for the last time; and now, I am picking up Ben from his classroom for the last time (unless God decides otherwise). I was truly impressed though with the people here - extremely friendly and kind. Even though I would have chosen to spend the 40 hours a week with my brother-in-law or sister instead of work, my job ended up being a great job with nice people and regular hours and I am assuming good pay ( i never was told how much I was making per hour - and didn't feel like say, "So...How much are you paying me to do this???" I guess i'll be surprised no matter what when i see the check finally. Anyways, it worked out perfectly, because I was able to fill in the slot of time Mary (the regular secretary) would be gone on maternity leave - She should be coming back this monday or tuesday - so the staff was very happy that i could fill in and wished me the best at going back to college. The past couple of weeks....I've been working (obviously), Kimber has worked her nursing shifts at the hospital, and Ben has worked around the house and been going to teacher meetings at the school in prep for school which starts this monday. He has been working a lot on his classroom - i never imagined how much work it takes to prepare on the teachers part - students just get the supplies they need and show up :o) I'm sure he is an awesome teacher though - his previous students come up and say hi to Mr. T whenever they see him in town -he seems to be a favorite. Last week, mom got to come up and visit - she and kimber hung out a lot - knitting, reading, baking cinnamon rolls - yummy! She had a great visit and I know Kimber and Ben were sad to see her go. Last friday night, we decided to be adventurous and go to the "fidler dance" - there was only two other white ladies besides us - they did "two step" dancing - it was cute to watch - I personally did not join in, but did enjoy seeing my mom dance with Ben as well as Kimber and Ben trying to figure out the rhythm. There were a couple of birthdays - so they made the girls go out on the floor dance one at a time - and then males would come up and pay to dance with her - weird....I was actually embarrassed for them - I would have died if it was me in their shoes. Most of the time that I have been in Bethel, the weather has been overcast and rainy -but a couple of days this week, we have seen some blue sky and it has warmed up above 50 degrees (i think i am going to go into shock when i get to texas with 90s and 100s degree weather plus humidity). Ben and I got to go kayaking again at hangar lake - I got some great pics of an army seaplane taking off - i guess the pilot picks up fishermen and hunters - we paddled up super close - the pilot even waved to us - i thought it was funny how he was wearing long rubber boots - but I guess it makes sense being a bush pilot. Tonight is my Last night - we will probably hang out and watch a movie - Kimber will get off work around 7:30pm. I haven't started packing - kimber wants me to take some stuff home with me - so that is on the To Do List for tomorrow - which i fly out at 8pm - and I get to spend the night again in Anchorage airport :o) (don't worry or feel bad mom :o) Pictures are coming soon - hopefully :o)

Exit Glacier in the Rain

Two days later, we hiked exit glacier outside of Seward on the Kenai Peninsula. Again, we chose the most challenging trail - this one was around 7 miles round trip - but over halfway up, it began to rain and the clouds hid the view. We met the park trooper who was surprised we were still climbing up when it was still raining - we said we would turn around soon - he agreed that was wise since we were wearing some cotton and had no jackets. However, we had a fun time running the trail down, catching others who turned around sooner. We met a Chinese couple coming down on our way up - the lady said, "Hardest part. Right here. Whole trail." She was really cute. When we reached the paved part of trail on the way back - most people had on ponchos or umbrellas and were looking at us weird as we were smiling and running. We were wet but warm by the time we got back. It brought back memories of running cross country in Oregon and made me want to go back to high school again.

Hiking Flattop

Can you belief that its almost 11pm and we still have about an hour hike back down the mountain. The extra hours of light that extend to 1 or 2 am make an evening hike possible. The elevation on top was only 3,500' - about 1 and 1/2 miles to the top form the parking lot. We chose the most difficult path, sometimes even making our own path - trying to save time. Its only about 15 miles outside of Anchorage - so you could see the city lights, water, and other moutains. We had just flown into Anchorage that afternoon - it was a nice workout to end the day. I think I'm out of shape though -sad :o( The moutains were awesome though - i want to take them with me!

The Tichenor's Titanic

So I guess, ben has been hiding the truth about how much moola he has been making as a first year teacher....Just kidding....Maybe one day though. Everyday in Seward a cruise ship came in and docked for the day - they were HUGE! But compared to the mountains, a mere toy.

The Last Frontier --ALASKA

Well, I am nearing the end of my second week in the remote place of Bethel, AK. My first week, I had the pleasure of sleeping in and spending quality time with my brother-in-law, Ben. We went kayaking on Hangar lake - float planes use it to land and dock at -we actually saw two seaplanes land right in front of us! I hadn't kayaked in a long time - we kayaked across and then explored the edge. We even saw a beaver house :o) We have also played many, many games - Go FISH, Panick, Golf, Zigity, Phase 10, Egyptian Ratscrew, Catch Phrase....We have watched mucho movies (and are planning a scary movie marathon this saturday while kimber works - she doesn't enjoy the scary movies - so Ben and I are bonding :o) - We have watched A River Runs Through It, Hitch, I, Robot, Hotel Rowanda, Murder 8y the Numb3rs, So I Married an Axe Murderer, Ice Age, Rat Race, The War, Eight Below.....Ben hasn't seen The Village - so it is on our hit list. Bethel can be related to a college community - people come and go quite frequently, some are just staying for certain training or a time period before moving on, and you feel away from the "real world." There is lots of tundra/grass. The land is kind of swampy with water/oil. There are lots of birds and mosquitos - mucho, persistant mosquitos! A lot of the structures uneven because the land moves so frequently - therefore, driving the short distance to work can be an adventure with the many bumps and pot holes - you don't even go 30 mph. A small amount of the roads are paved - most dirt or gravel - so it is very dusty or muddy. We have went on a couple of walks after kimber gets off of her nursing shift - the boardwalks are funny because they are also uneven. One of the most popular place is the one and only store to purchase food or clothes or supplies at. Prices are quite expensive - doritos are $9. Gas is $4.50 per gal. Another favorite place is the post office - its actually newer and larger than the one in Lebanon because everyone has their own PO BOX to receive mail. Bethel, however, is interesting because of its rare location - most people travel by boat, snow machine, (depending on the season) and airplane. One of my favorite parts of Bethel is the Dillon Park - located outside the police department - it is smaller than the average apartment, probably smaller than a dorm room. It has a nice sign, one bench, one tree - I laugh when I see it - I'll have to get a pic! I've never seen anyone at it - i think its more like a joke.....In the summer it gets up to 70 degrees and in the winter - a chilling -40 degrees. I guess they had gotten one of the worst high pressure systems ever recorded and the planes couldn't even take off. Compared to college life, the pace is slow. The people are super nice and friendly - interested to know who you are and why you came to Bethel and how are you liking it. Everyone who knows my sister, Kimber, either mistakes me for kimber or sees very close similarities between us. People assume that I am Ben's wife or girlfriend - I'm just happy enough to have him as my bro. Last weekend, we went to Anchorage and then drove to Seward and went camping and hiking and fishing - lots of fun. I'll blog pics later :o) I absolutely fell in love with the magnificient mountains though! Their beauty glorifies God. I'm jealous of the Alaskans who get to wake up every morning to that awesome view! Well, starting tuesday, I began my full time job at the school district office in Bethel. I am working as a secretary - weird and crazy - They basically hired me on ben's word. Luckily, I am catching on to what exactly I can do besides wait around for the phone to ring. The other employees are great and everyone introduced themself and showed interest in me. It makes for a long day though - waking up at 7am, at work by 8am, lunch from 12-1pm, and I get off at 5pm. Tonight, we may go berry picking, depending on the weather - if so, we would travel by boat up the river to another village. So, i have two more weeks left here. Next week, mom will be visiting for one week as well - I am glad she gets to see it as well. I promise to blog pics soon! God bless everyone! Have fun with the rest of your summer!