The Road Less Traveled

Jesse and I are currently driving on the Alaska Highway towards Liard hotsprings. The fall colors are amazing right now. After being in Anchorage (the city) for a full day it reminded me of how much I love the empty road surrounded only by mountains, trees, animals and every so often small towns. Being on this two lane road, sitting next to my love, reading out loud to him, telling stories with eachother, listening to music or sometimes sitting in silence with our own thoughts; is one of the best things in this world to me. Last night we camped at Watson Lake Campground in the Yukon. We made it to the town before dark (which is our goal the rest of this roadtrip after our moose accident) but after we got dinner and took showers at the local rec center it was very dark driving out to the campground. Which was closed for the season so it was free camping (awesome) but that also meant that it felt deserted (not so awesome). It was pitch black with nothing but the moon light shining down. We found a campsite, set up our tent, Jesse got a fire going...

Side note: We just now came across a bison on the side of the road and it was HUGE! Like I said before, part of the reason I love being out here so much! You never know what you are going to come across:)

Anyways, while we were sitting next to the campfire we kept hearing this little kids voice calling out "mom" at first it was comforting because I was thinking "oh thank goodness, there is another family out here with us" but then the noise kept happening every five to ten minutes and it very quickly became creepy sounding. I'm sure it was just a child across the campground somewhere but with being a little on edge last night, those are the moments I regret ever watching scary movies! My imagination ran and let me tell ya, it's pretty creative when it wants to be! After relaxing a little, I began to enjoy the night more. It was a perfectly clear sky and there were so many stars out it was amazing. Picture this; Sitting in my chair, next to a big warm fire, staring up at the many stars and big moon while listening to the fire crackle and wolves howling in the distance. Perfect.

Another side note: Just came across a heard of bison right off the road! :)

We are now about 40 miles away from soaking in the all natural liard hot springs!! If roadtripping was a career, I could totally do it! Of course with the proper car aka truck and buddy!

It's The Little Things

Monday September 8th 2014 

As I sit here in the office I've worked in all summer; I think back on the past 90 days and cannot believe that the end is here. It feels like just yesterday I walked into this a bit unorganized office terrified and unsure of what I had just walked into. While it was a rough transition from the "known" back at home, it was good for me. I have learned so much this summer. Alaska has changed the way I view life, my job has changed the way I view people and taught me many, many things, while I grew to be a stronger person all at the same time and not giving up and going home when things got rough. It has all been more than worth it. I have met some of the most amazing people and seen by far the most incredible breath-taking scenery. The kind of scenery that makes you sit there and contemplate your life; and can't help but make you feel like the most blessed person on this earth. 90 days ago I had days where I was saying I can't wait for this summer to be over and now as I walk out of this office I am so happy I didn't leave early. It has been a whirlwind of a summer but so amazing. I truly am going to miss it all. As all things have a season though, this one is almost over and that is okay. I will be back again someday :) On that note, I am soooooo excited to begin our roadtrip home and see BUDDY!!!!! He's going to go on so many walks and get new toys and treats and everything! I can't wait to spoil my baby when I am finally home! And I can't wait to see my family and friends! I will forever be grateful for this summer but I will continue to look forward because the best is always yet to come.

Here is a list I made of the little things I felt I might have taken for granted before this summer... You never realize how blessed you are until the little things you had aren't there anymore. 

• Brushing my teeth outside my tent or walking outside to the bathrooms a few hundred feet away; instead of walking down the WARM hall to the bathroom in my house
• Having to walk outside to get to a bathroom or shower and 90% of the time it was not warm out... 
• Not having a kitchen to cook in... I'm not the best cook already so back at home I never really appreciate my kitchen... But let me tell ya, even the worst cook in the world would appreciate it if it was gone. Eating out every night is not as fun as it may sound.
• Not having a sink to wash dishes in... Which is just like camping (Awesome right!) Well, yes. Until you have been doing it for a couple weeks and then months... 
• Sharing a mini fridge with three people... 
• Nearest grocery store being 45 miles away... So even when I did go to the stuffed full mini fridge and walk to the community kitchen, I first had to go to the grocery store a good 45 minutes’ drive just to get there. 
• Gas costing $4.50 because you're in a small town... I will never again complain about gas being in the high $3 range. The whole trip I can probably count on one hand how many times we paid less than $4 for gas. 
• Nothing being concrete... Such is life. Living in a tent all summer always going between Jesse's work and mine and always on adventures is just a couple of my favorite things this summer. However, there were a couple days where I was just exhausted and wanted a warm couch to snuggle up on or a bath tub to soak in and that was nowhere to be found. 
• Having filtered water. 
• Having clean private bathrooms. In the beginning of the summer the bathrooms were brand new and stayed relatively clean but as the season went on they began to get so dirty and gross I would leave my shoes on in the shower and try not to touch anything I didn't have to. It got pretty bad right before I left. 
• Being able to take bubble baths.. Enough said. ;)

Now please don't get me wrong. This IS NOT a list of complaints. Not even close. All of these things are what made the memories I have from this summer. They are some of my favorite things. This list is simply just a reminder for me to remember the things that I missed about my house so when I get home, I will never take any of them for granted again. It's easy to do but I can try :) 

Ocean Fishing in Alaska

Sunday September 7th 2014

Today I had the opportunity to go Ocean Fishing with some awesome people. It was THE perfect weather. With the sun shining, and the clearest skies, you could see for miles and miles :) 

A little Halibut :) 

Being in the middle of the ocean looking at what looks like the edge of the earth is one of the most awesome things in life ♥

Bear Glacier

Seward, Alaksa♥

The Wahoo! The beauty that took us out to sea for a while :)