an amalgam...

I don't have any one specific thing to post about. I lost my journal entry for the thoughts on prosperity post I was going to do so I am having to start over. So, since I don't have collective thoughts on any one subject, I now present you a post with many subjects - an amalgam. My weekend was incredible. It started at Veronica's on Saturday, about which you already read. The only thing that's different is that now my camera is back from vacation and has resumed work. I went back and recaptured the scene that I had posted about, minus the Bible and the journal, etc... You'll get the general idea though.

Saturday night Lisa and I decided that it had been too long since we had Taco Bell so we went, followed by a trip to the beach and then a spontaneous drive to Cooper Landing where we hiked around for a bit and then headed back into town around 11pm. Sunday morning I slept in and went to Bedside Baptist for church that morning. It was blissful. Then I decided to drive to Anchorage. I took my friend Cheryl along with me. We stopped at Portage Glacier on the way up and were blown away, yet again, by God's marvelous and magnificent creation.

We had tentative plans to stay with these incredible people there in Anchorage that night. But after trying all day I still couldn't get hold of them. Late that evening, when we stopped by Tom's on the off-chance that he'd be home, he informed us that the Hjelms' were out of town. No wonder I couldn't get hold of them. With a lack of a back-up plan, we spent the night in the car - a little, red Daewoo - parked in the church parking lot there in Anchorage. Cheryl slept and I tried. I just couldn't. But it was an adventure. My first time ever spending the night in a car and Cheryl's first time also. Like I said, it was certainly an adventure.

At 6am there was a group of high school boys running through the church parking lot making all kinds of noise. Cheryl woke up unwillingly. I decided it was time for breakfast so we drove to McDonald's where we brushed our teeth and made ourselves more presentable for the world. At 7:30 we were back in the car and on the road back to Soldotna. What should have taken 2 1/2 hours, we turned into a 7-hour trip, stopping where we wanted, taking pictures, relaxing, watching bears swim and other wildlife, taking detours (which there's only one "detour" you can take), etc...

We took the road to Hope, AK, a little village that we see from across the inlet every time we go to Anchorage. I have always wanted to go and so... we did. It was glorious! The entire 16-mile road was amazing and once again, I was blessed by what God had created. I was actually moved to tears that time. I saw some of the greenest greens and bluest blues and a tree that defied gravity.

We had lunch at a little cafe there in Hope where I had the BLT and homemade Hungarian Mushroom soup that was outta this world. Phenomenal! Back on the road and Cheryl settled in for a nap. I was exhausted by the time we got back home. I ate dinner and chilled out a little bit and then went to bed. I had some things I knew I wanted to do the next day so I made it an early night.

Tuesday, the 4th, I slept until about 2pm - much later than I wanted. Four years ago when my dad was living here and I came up to visit we had gone to Seward, AK on the 4th for their festivities. There was a marathon - up a mountain no less, street vendors, native arts and crafts, yummy food, and scenery like you wouldn't believe. It was tons of fun! So I wanted to go back again and watch everything happen again. But I slept in late that day and decided that since no one I had asked wanted to go with me I would just not go. Well, I wasn't having that. About 5:30 I was at some friends' house and decided what the heck, I'm not gonna let everyone else determine what I do or don't do. I'm gonna go anyways. So I got in the car and went, which for anyone can be a big deal and for me was a huge deal. I usually am so afraid I will miss something so I'll go along with everyone else and put my own desires aside. Or I would be so afraid or anxious of feeling awkward by myself. But that day was completely different. Hour and a half there and an hour and a half back. Again, the scenery was gorgeous and the time with God in the car without a radio was just as beautiful. I got there and walked around the town getting pictures and just people-watching. There was an Air Force band playing live there and they were really good. They did all cover stuff but still, very good. While I was listening to them I started a conversation with someone and when the band was done playing he said "Hey, let's go have dinner!" So we went to Ray's Waterfront Seafood and kept talking. He's a fisherman named Mike, originally from Seattle and was there by himself also. He was great company and the best part was that it was a completely harmless, no expectations kinda thing. We didn't exchange numbers or anything. We just had dinner and parted ways. It was perfect and it was exactly what I wanted to do on the 4th. So at 11:30 I decided I should head back home. Completely content and my tummy satisfied with yummy seafood and ice cream from Harbor Street Creamery. And I wasn't anxious at all about being alone; I was the best me I could be and it was incredibly freeing. The only thing I missed on the 4th were the fireworks. It doesn't get dark enough here.

Today I got to hang out with 10 fine young men from Alaska Military Youth Academy. There were 120 od them that were down from Anchorage doing community service stuff in the area and 10 of them came to the college to help out and serve. So a few of them helped me burn up huge wood piles while the others did other things on campus. They were so polite saying, "Ma'am, yes ma'am," and "No thank you ma'am" all the time. My favorite part was after we had all the wood on the fire we got to just sit around and talk. I got to know them pretty well the last couple hours or so. They were good kids and hard workers. Hanging out with them was such a blessing and hearing their dreams for the future and everything. There was only 1 or 2 Christians out of the bunch and to have some of them ask me questions about my faith and the college was such a cool thing. I was fed, really spiritually fed by all of it. And my desire to be a youth pastor resurfaced full-force when a few of them hugged me as they got on the bus. It was a good day.