packing in the adventures

Alaska is an amazing place to live and that was so evident this weekend. We had some amazing 73-78 degree weather that provided ample opportunity for outdoor adventure.
Anita and I climbed part of the Pioneer Peak trail on Saturday. After the climb we headed over to our friends' house to top the day off by the lake. I am going to miss this place!

the beginning of the end

Tonight was my last youth group. Not nearly as emotional as yesterday or Sunday, but it is sad. If you had told me 6 years ago when I was beginning this job that it would be this hard to leave, I don't think I would have believed you. But this job has been a large part of my identity here.

So this week has been the beginning of the end of a season of my life. A very rich, amazing season and I will mourn its passing. It is facinating to me to look back on the journey of my life and see the path that God has chosen for me. And to look forward and wonder where the next bend will take me. I have my moments of panic when I wonder what in the world I am doing by leaving all that I have here. But then I rest in that knowledge that God has the next season under control and I have only to be willing and available to what he places in my life.

Thus the beginning of the end has begun... with its emotions and turmoil. But I see the new beginning and I am excited about what it will bring.

goodbyes are hard

I am tired of crying. I am not normally an emotional person but the fact that I am leaving soon really struck me this morning. It was Senior Sunday, when we honor the graduating seniors and they are apart of worship. I basically cried for 2 hours this morning. I think it freaked a lot of people out because I don't usually cry in public.

I feel the tidal wave of emotion coming. I don't really like being that out of control... but one of these days I am just going to be standing somewhere sobbing. Something fun to look forward to.

Family...

I came across this adorable picture of my older brother and I the spring of 1976. Aren't we cute?! Two things were quite amusing to me about this picture. The first one is that my mom still has the afghan and curtains in the picture and could find them at a moments notice if needed. The second one is that my brother in the picture has two kids and sits them on his couch exactly the same way for pictures. Family...

Nothing much new in my life these days. I have been trying to purge my stuff and that is where I came across the picture. But I am mostly trying to do my normal everyday work and prepare to hand my job over to someone else. There have been a couple of people interested in my job, but no one hired yet. It is interesting to think about someone else doing my job because I am the only one who has ever done it. I made up a lot of what my job is and have it organized to my way of thinking. It will probably drive someone else nuts.

It helps to know that my neice Elizabeth is quite smitten with me and talks to her mom about me every day. It is fun to know that An-tairwy(Aunt Carrie) is still on her mind. We are going to have a lot of fun this summer.