God Loves You and Me, etc.

So we're back from Denali National Park and had to return to real life today. But boy oh boy what a trip. Carol ended up offering for Mk and I to stay up in the park an extra day, so we didn't get home until yesterday evening around 9:30. Everyday was packed from dawn until dusk...or I guess from lowest sun point to lowest sun point...? We were exhausted and hardly ever stopped giggling (for lack of sleep) and most likely got on everyones nerves. But we had the time of our lives.
We tagged along with the Central Reservations crew for ARAMARK from Phoenix, Arizona. This was their first time coming to the park and doing/seeing the things they were selling on the phone. Therefore, they were treated as Kings and Queens. Carpets were rolled out and there were small robed children fanning them and feeding them grapes along the way. Somehow Mk and I were able to sneak into the fringes of the group and convince everyone that we were indeed Princesses, just from another Kingdom . The small robed children fell for it. So did every other ruler that we came in contact with. We were treated extremely well by everyone up in the park. We got all of the free gift packets and were told to order whatever we wanted at most meals. The only thing that I spent money on was ibprofen and water to wash it down with. This was due to sinus pressure that thought that it would be funny if it attacked me in the middle of the trip of my life. To counteract, I pulled my "extreme fun" card, and the sinus pressure would cower during the day while that card was in play until nighttime and morning time when he would retaliate with a vengeance. Nevertheless, I won out in the end because I enjoyed my trip to the fullest.

My favorite part of the trip was the flightseeing over Denali (or what most of you non-locals would call Mount McKinley). The grandeur of God's creation was stunning and absolutely breath-taking. It caused me to give praise to the God that is greater than even the towering mountain that displayed such power and might. We also had crazy awesome views of Denali riding in on the train. The mountain is only out thirty percent of the summer, and it just so happened that we caught it on a perfect day. It truly was a once in a lifetime experience. There are so many more things that we did that I want to share with you all, but if I talked about all of them my fingers would fall off. So, I'll leave you with this:
Trains, salads, puppy dogs
Alaskan huskies, that is.
ATVs and air-o-planes

all of this we did.
I gazed upon the mountainside,
I hiked upon the rocks.
I rafted on the swirling river,
this made me wet my socks.
I spotted rooting grizzly bears
I rangled caribou
The last line was a bold-face lie
I couldn't lie to you.
In all of this I learned a thing
Or four or two or three.
But the most important thing I learned
this trip is that God loves you and me.

P.S. Because he gave us this beautiful earth to live on and have wonderful experiences in and breathe the fresh air of his glorious nature. Amen.

As Cute as Can Be

Yesterday afternoon Aunt Lyn, Ben, Mk and I hiked next to the Turnagain arm. We hiked for probably about 5 miles and some of the views were absolutely incredible! Luckily we weren't attacked by any moose, bears or mountain goats, but the shifting gravel was another story. I regularly struggle keeping my balance on solid ground. When it comes to slippery rocks and/or ground that doesn't stay in one place I'm a goner. At some points during this hike, we were required to climb or descend steep slopes made of 100% gravel. "Oh dear," I thought to myself. This was bound to turn out badly. I didn't want to show any weakness to my fellow adventurers, though, because I'm in Alaska for goodness sakes. Question: Who comes to Alaska and doesn't know how to ascend steep hills of shifting gravel? Answer: No one. Yes, maybe I should have worn hiking boots instead of sneakers and yes I did acquire a bit of balancing skills from 14 years of dance. But, at the top of that sliding hill, all I could think was "Fall right, Katherine, fall right," seeing as how there was a sharp drop off to the left. I knew that there was no turning back now. You may or may not be surprised to find that gravel actually makes for a very soft landing. I would know since I fell on it twice and neither time did my bum cry out in pain. Rather it cried out in victory that it was not tumbling down the side of the mountain. Overall, I would say that the hike was a major victory.

As far as the job goes, today marks the beginning of our second week working for ARAMARK and I'm learning many new things working in an office. For example, I've learned how one entertains himself when his computer is frozen or is just working extremely slow (as our computers tend to do). One makes himself a paperclip family, of course. So what if they have to stand on their heads? They're still as cute as can be.

Just Livin the Local Life

Starting next week our office will switch to four 10 hour work days instead of five 8 hour work days. This will enable us to have more time to play. "Work hard, play hard," my boss Carol says. And oh does she mean it. The other day she came over to our set of cubicles and asked the two male manifest agents if they would like to go up to the Denali National Park the weekend of the 28th. Their answers consisted of sighs and checking of schedules. Meanwhile, Mk and I were near squealing with excitement just thinking about seeing the park. After too many sighs from the guys I said, "I'll go!" (just to throw it out there, you know). And Carol said,"Oh yeah! Why don't we let the girls go on this trip boys and you guys can go the next weekend." And Mk and I said, "WEEEEEHOHAHAOHMYGOODNESSREALLYHOHA!!!" Carol laughs at us and says that she's going to print our itinerary. The sheet she brings back looks something like the following:

Friday morning--Ride on the Alaska Railroad (First Class) up to the park

Friday evening--Extreme White Water Rafting

Stay at the McKinley Village Hotel

Saturday morning--Tundra Wilderness Tour

Saturday afternoon--Airplane Tour of the park

Saturday Evening--Cabin Night Theater

Stay at the McKinley Village again

Sunday--Come home.

All expenses paid for.

As I read this sheet of paper, my mouth gaped larger and larger until you could probably fit a small watermelon into it. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity and I can't wait to leave next Friday!

Mk and I have gotten really good at riding the PM by now. We have even picked a local coffee shop, the Midnight Moon, to stop at a couple times a week for coffee on our morning commute. Our goal is to become "regulars" at the Midnight Moon. We'll see how that goes. We hope to go on a hike and another bike ride or two this weekend. Between weekend getaways, morning commutes and local coffee, we're just livin the local life. 

And I Like That

Last night Aunt Lyn, Mk and I took a 10 mile bike ride on the trail that we could ride to work. It is a beautiful trail that goes by a winding creek and a calm lagoon. We saw birch trees and magpies and heard children laughing in the distance. Wonderful, right? But you must keep in mind that riding bikes for a while is not for the faint of...rump. So while all these beautiful things were around, the pain in the behind was a tad distracting. But never fear, I've invested in some bike shorts. So not only will I be more comfortable, I'll also look cool while getting exercise to and from work. Mk and I hope to ride to work a couple times a week when the weather gets a little warmer. For the rest of the month, though, it's the bus system also affectionately known as the People Mover for us. The good old PM will get us to and from work for the rest of the month. There are a myriad of people who ride the PM so it should be interesting to see what kind of experiences we have.

So, two days of work down. New friends made. Success. "What else do you need?" You may ask. I'll tell you: you may need special glasses that don't make you feel like your head is floating off your shoulders when you stare at a computer screen for too long (anyone with me on that phenomenon?) Mk and my job involves a lot of computer work. We each have our own cubical, and for 8 hours a day we've learned how to decipher a screen that looks kinda like the picture above. We've learned how to put reservations for hotels and tours into the system and how to bill, scan and file those reservations, to name a few new things. "How could you possibly find joy in a place like that?" You may ask. I'll tell you: the new friends referred to at the beginning of this paragraph make this job a success. All of the people who work in reservations with us are wonderful. They are nice, funny, and extremely patient, especially to us newcomers. When I start a new job I like to do everything perfectly right. This isn't really possible, I realize, so I usually end up just asking a million questions. So, I've been asking a million questions at my new job and never once have the more experienced heaved a sigh and given me the stink eye. Instead they give me nods and smiles. I look forward to spending time with them and working with them. And I like that.

Between the Turnagain and Knik Arms

We made it! I am finally in Anchorage after eleven hours of flights yesterday. My main goal at this point is to get used to the four hour time difference. So far, so good. The mountains are phenomenal! My poor Aunt and Uncle had to listen to me rant and rave for awhile: "But did you see the mountains, guys??" "Yes, Katherine, we live here." Right. But did you see the mountains?
Today Mk and I became educated in Anchorage geography. I was especially worried when we started this lesson because, as any of my family and close friends will readily tell you, my geography skills are...slim. So slim that getting anywhere new by myself quickly becomes what I like to call an "adventure" purely for the sake of keeping my self esteem fire burning. Nevertheless, my Aunt Lyn took us on a morning tour and I think that I followed most of the pointing and name calling well for the most part. We started with a tour around the city including the bus transit center (we most likely use the bus to get to work) and our summer office. We also got to see an eagle's eye view of the city from the Flattop Mountain overlook (where it was snowing, no big). We saw how Anchorage is wrapped in a big hug between the Turnagain and the Knik Arms coming off of Cook Inlet which branches from the Pacific Ocean. I thought that was cool. I also think that the mountains are cool.
We start work tomorrow and I am pumped. I can't wait to see exactly what I will be doing all summer long. Well, that's it for now. If anyone needs me, just tell them that they can find me between the Turnagain and the Knik arms.

Here We Go...Again?

Alright team, so it seems as if Blogger hates me and deleted my old blog all together so I'm going to do this first post thing again. Thanks to all of you who read my first one before it got tossed in the trash. Also sorry to all of you who are having to read some of the same stuff over again, but I want everyone to be on the same page here, including myself.
So, here I am in the Hampton Inn in Greenville, SC with Nan and Pop (my grandparents). Tomorrow at 10:16AM I take off from the Greenville airport for Atlanta which then chucks me straight on up to Anchorage. My roommate Mk and I are going up there to work for Aramark in their reservations office in Anchorage. We will be living with my Aunt Lyn and Uncle Stuart who live about 3 miles from the office. My older brother, Ben, will also be heading up to Alaska and working for Aramark, but he will be in Denali State Park which is about 5 hours north of Anchorage. Mk and I plan to work hard, but what we're really looking forward to is playing hard. Aramark owns a lot of the tourism in Alaska, so we'll see where the benefits of working for them lead!
For those of you who read the last (and now deceased) blog that I posted yesterday, I checked on Patrick (my beloved stuffed puppy) today, and he's still as squished as ever, but he said it was okay as long as I hurried up and got there. I told him I couldn't make any promises. I attached the picture again just so everyone could remember his discomfort and my forlorness due to his discomfort.
I can't believe that the big day is tomorrow! Let the Alaskan Adventures commence. Here we go...again?