running in heaven

I am pretty sure that I write a "blob" (my grandfathers word for blog) on the topic of running regularly, though this is not entirely a blob about running, you will know this if you read the title.

I am also pretty sure that I have included these photos (above) on previous blobs, hopefully my audience, whoever you are out there in cyberland will either a) forgive b) not notice or remember or c) never have read those blobs.

So to explain a little about the photos:

The first of these photos is of me and Geoff Roes, the number one hundred miler in the nation, the day a group of us ran the Chilkoot trail. The second is of me and my closet friend here Emily Buck one beautiful spring day when she asked me if I wanted to run to Medivijie lake and go for a swim. Because the lake was frozen the so called "swim" ended up just being a quick dip in a small hole in the ice!

Needless to say running is by far on the top of the list of things I love to do. I enjoy most all things, especially involving the outdoors, but running is still number one. Truely I think it always has been. I have been doing it constantly since age 7, nearly 21 years to the day. In elementary school I did it because my parents signed me up for it after I quit gymnastics on the notion that I could sign up for YMCA track. In junior high and high school I did it because I was good at it. In college I did it because it was what I knew. Post college I ran to debrief work, plus I typically had something on the race calendar. Now I do it for all of those reasons, well that and the numerous beautiful trails which engulf my home.

Just this past week I bumped into my neighbor who asked me how long I wnet out each day. I didn't have an answer. I just go. Somedays that means putting along feeling as if I am barely moving, other days I run an out and back checking my watch trying to outrun the day before. On pretty days I take trails that take me up, so I can overlook the ocean and the colors on the water. When it is raining I go deep into the woods to hide under the trees, but always I run.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about Emily who has been unable to run for the past 9 months due to a obscure injury, with only one surgeon in the country who even attempts the surgery. I miss heading out on the trails with her as we share life and laughter as we twist along the trail. However I know she misses it much more, like an old friend. I wish I had the right words to share to ease the hurt from that missing piece in her life, sometimes I feel as if I am the only person that truly understands the size of her loss and because of it I am reminded of the fragileness of a life which comes no guarantees.

Knowing and trying to understand her suffering brings me closer to my humainity and makes me long for heaven, a place where we will never have to suffer anymore. A place we will feast with our King, and a place where if we want we will always have beautiful trails to go running on with our friends.

ice skating on swan lake

According to my husbands fancy new weather station that his dad got him for Christmas it is 21 degrees outside. Despite what you might think about southeast Alaskan living this is NOT NORMAL. Normally it is 43 degrees and raining. So today when we saw the lake frozen for the second time of the winter off to the lake we went. In hand our fancy White E $5 dollar ice skates not easily confused with the comfort skates from L.L. Bean.

The learning curve for ice skating is a lot like skiing, easy to learn but difficult to master. I've got a lot of learning to do!

the moon

Here is a photo Aaron took of the lunar eclipse that took place on Dec. 21st

How often do you think of the moon? For me, recently, quite often. It all began a few weeks ago during the much discussed winter solstice lunar eclipse which according my many sources was the first in hundreds of years. This lunar eclipse also happened to take place one of the 3 nights of the year that Swan lake was frozen. And since I was in Alaska, unlike the rest of the country, I didn't have to stay up too late to watch it. Needless to say I was one of 100s of people out skating on the lake when it happened. Some people set up bonfires, video cameras, and even laid out bed mattresses to watch. It was okay, the moon turned orange, then red and finally it disappeared... I went to bed and when I woke up again at 1am it was back to normal.

Then this weekend at church my pastor brought up the moon. He showed us photos and quoted various astronauts. It was the illustration he chose to use to put humankind into perspective and then to put Jesus, the creator of the moon and the Earth into perspective. It was a lovely sermon.

Last night was my most recent moon episode. It was in my dream. My husband and one of his friends (I can't remember who) decided they were going to take a space shuttle into outer space. They wanted me to come with them. I told them over and over that I didn't want to go to the moon, that I wasn't courageous like them, I was too afraid. I am not going to try to interpret that dream, but if it happens again where my husband hops on a space shuttle headed toward the moon, I am going with him!

An Alaskan Freezer

In the above photo you see my freezer. I wish I would have done a better job with the photo. All you can see is the berries, bananas and ice cream (Tillamook Chocolate Peanut Butter rules around here). On the top shelf you find King salmon all sealed and vacuum packed and the door is loaded down with vension.)

This summer something happened that hasn't happened in my 3+ years here in Sitka, I now have a true Alaskan freezer! This means the contents of my freezer is overflowing with foods locally caught, shot or picked. Currently I have 3 king salmon, (each about 15ish pounds of meat) caught by yours truly (okay my husband caught two of them) venison (not as much of this because we don't have a riffle yet) so we rely on others good will and finally lots of lots of berries.

Late summer early fall every year berries come. A few years ago there were tons of salmonberries, last year there were lots of huckleberries, this year the berry of choice has been blueberries. We had blueberries everywhere!!! Sitka had more blueberries than we knew what to do with, many of the berries were never picked many of this seasons berries ended up unpicked and rotted on the vine.

After picking pounds upon pounds of berries came the question what was I going to do with them all??

I made my share of muffins and crisps, but I discovered my love: blueberry banana smoothies!!!

Here my 2 most delicious of recipes (they don't have to be handpicked berries) but if they are look out for the worms... blueberries are notorious!

Recipe #1 (my first discovery)
1/4 c. of blueberries
1 frozen banana (this must be frozen it brings out the sweetness!)
soy milk or almond milk - regular milk is just okay
a few sprinkles of ground ginger

Recipe #2 (I think this is a really good one for cold season, plus just stinking delicious)
1/4 c. of blueberries
1 frozen banana
orange juice
vanilla yogurt

Recipes for salmon and venison upon request, though I still don't feel like an expert in this field.

a blog about a wedding

This summer, as most of you know, I was married. I guess I always knew that I would get married, but never did I EVER imagine getting married in Alaska. But nor did I ever envision myself living here!? However, now I find that both have taken place.

At first the location of the wedding seemed impossible to decide. If married here I would compromise who could come, loved ones near and dear to me would not be able to attend. But South Carolina still didn't make sense. I hadn't lived there in 10 years, Aaron knew no one, minus my parents, grandparents and brother, and the remainder of my friends and family were spread out all over the country. But did Sitka make sense? It was so far away for both of our families, not to mention expensive. Plus Sitka doesn't even have a venue for the occasion?

However, in everyway Sitka was the perfect marriage spot for us. It was perfect in everyway but one which is impossible: that EVERYONE we know and love couldn't be there with us. Though that imperfection makes me excited about Heaven, where we will all be together!

Thanks to all those who helped make it happen! Thanks to those who sent cards and came to parties. Thanks to those who gave gifts and bought plane tickets. Thanks to those who thought about us on our special day. It was special and the memories live on... Now onto the adventures of marriage!

Photos to come...

Bear Lake

October is not typically the perfect month for hiking. Just this Tuesday we were getting 100 mile and hour wind gusts and roofs were being blown off houses, yes, I saw this! At work I was radioed to come and look at the kayaks that had been blown off the rack and had big dents knocked in them. However fortunately this week I found some wonderful windows of hiking opportunities. These are the photos from yesterday's hike, Bear Lake which I had not climbed since April 28th, 2009! My previous hike on this mountain snow covered the alpine and ice covered the lake. This time, fall colors were out in all their Alaskan glory!

Birthday hike