What I like about camp is the schedule. Once things really get rolling, days will be distinguished by what's for lunch. Meals are all at a specific times so I know where to be and when. I start work tomorrow at 10am learning how to cook for an army. Dad and I are spending the day together in town, getting things done and ready for his departure tomorrow morning and my life up here. Made a SWEET connection at the bank today - a gal standing behind me in line made note of my Canadian money and we struck up a conversation about where I'm from and what I am doing here and such and she mentioned that the schools here are in great need of substitute teachers, especially in the exceptional needs classrooms!!! No teaching certificate needed, no experience needed. She gave me her contact information, info for applying. GUYS!! God is so good, it's unreal. Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to keep you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" and Philippians 4:19 "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." It may not amount to anything but it's something to pray about and apply for! Who knows, it may lead me to come back to Bozeman next year to attend more school to get a teaching degree!
I don't know if it's the jolt of Kaladi Brother's coffee in my system or the excitement of possibilities that has be shaking so badly right now. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! :)
Much Love,
Rachel
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Driving: Day 5
After 2,777 miles through prairie, woods, mountains, city, deserted towns this girl has reached her destination! And as much fun as I have had riding the waves of frost heaves, enjoying free back rubs via loose gravel roads, and seeing more trees than I can count in a life time - I will gladly never drive that road again. :) Actually, dad said when I am ready to come home - he's shipping me back on the fairie and I can drive home from Seattle! Straight out of Tok we saw some of the most gorgeous mountain terrain capped with snow and many glaciers to boot, unfortunately my computer won't be hooked up to internet until tomorrow so pictures will have to come later, my apologies. Most of the pictures you have seen have been taken on the move - literally dad and I would sit with phones, camera and tablet in our laps ready to shoot anything that may appear. Today though was by far the best (10 hrs of driving = 10 hrs of picture taking) as dad would be driving my arms would be crossing his with tablet in hand snapping photos out his window, or my arms stretched out in front of me taking pictures in various angles out the windshield. Not the safest strategy but more time efficient than stopping at every turn out. I wish we would have had someone to take pictures of us. As I write, dad is editing the hundreds of photos from today so be excited!
Arriving at camp today was like arriving at my home away from home - there is a level of comfort here. I walked through the doors of the cafeteria as everybody was getting food and was ambushed by friends I made 2 yrs ago. I was also rushed by 4 of my favorite children ever who I will be living with after camp ends. Meals go like this: the camp director decides who gets to eat when, by birthday, gender, age, clothing color, etc. And tonight: "if you just arrived from Montana - go eat!" THANK YOU CRAIG!! I'll talk more about camp later. As I'm not sure if this post will go through with my 3G and 1 bar of cell service.
Much Love, Rachel.
*the strangest thing*
~ a man had his very own gas station set up in the bed of his truck #prepared #AlaskaHwySurvival101
~ Those learning to drive a semi are shammed with toting the "student driver" sign
~ I have a poll for you which I EXPECT responses to....while sitting at DQ in Palmer dad and I got into a discussion about how DQ cakes are made. One case stated that these tastey treats are made on location with soft serve ice cream while the other stated they where shipped in on the delivery truck...thoughts?
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Driving: Day 4
Is it Tuesday? I just can’t keep my days straight with all the mileage and trees I have crossed these days. Today’s drive was a rather boring one, and while it was the shortest by far….it was rather dull. At least until we got to Burwash and encountered the dreaded frost heaves, then it was turbulence which if played out right you could imagine yourself on either an airplane (which is terrifying) or a roller coaster (equally terrifying but accepted as fun) so my friends, I encourage you to throw your hands up and ride the “coaster” as your car is thrown up and down, being tossed side to side, darting pot holes, climbing hills, curving left and right with the road….this is certainly not for the weak stomach.
The sites, when there were sites to see, were quite gorgeous. We drove alongside enormous mountains and a 35 mile long glacier fed lake, few animals were spotted – sadly, wild horses were not captured yet again – the only animals on the road today. Dad was praying for Caribou but nothing of the sort materialized. At this point, all the wishing in the world for critters to appear and seeing all the trees flash by in a blur caused me on many occasions to imagine them up in the trees, yesterday I even saw a Squatch!
We have found that radio signals are few and far between in no man’s land, and unless you prefer listening to your tires cruise down the blacktop (which at times I think my dad does) you best be having cassettes, CDs, mp3 or satellite radio to keep you bopping along. My iPod battery life only lasts a few hours so THANK GOODNESS that my Jeep (Cheryl) is equipped with an outlet! That’s right! Plugged in my docking station and the tunes kept on rockin’!
Many of the places we passed along the way were abandoned towns and the ones that had “civilization” were run down and fairly desolate.
One of these places was Burwash Landing, the last place to get fuel before the border. The kid at the register was about my age, early 20s. As we pulled away leaving Burwash in dust I wondered about the quality of life kids have in these towns. Locally owned and operated, kids are raised with the expectation I’m sure of taking over one day. But I wonder: do they have the opportunity to leave, to go to college or the freedom to follow their dreams? The social and economic pressures to stay in these Podunk towns, in my mind are heavy. Anyways, I hope they aren't oppressed and burdened with living in a rural area.
*The Strangest Things*
~ Canadians do in fact say “aye” – but not as often as I thought
~ “We will drive through fire and water but we are not driving 600 miles to Fairbanks” (I was laying down the lay in regards to a potential "detour" as Tok was flooded and warning of wild fires)
~ “55! I’m so excited.” “But dad, it’s so slow!” “But it’s a REAL speed!”
Here’s to Tok’s self-flushing toilets!!!!
Much Love.
Did I mention that I am now on American soil??? No?! Well, I am OFFICIALLY IN ALASKA!!! Tok, AK to be exact. Tomorrow I will be sleeping in my room/bed for the summer in Soldotna and will be reunited with my best friend whom I haven't seen in over a year. I can't handle the excitement..
The sites, when there were sites to see, were quite gorgeous. We drove alongside enormous mountains and a 35 mile long glacier fed lake, few animals were spotted – sadly, wild horses were not captured yet again – the only animals on the road today. Dad was praying for Caribou but nothing of the sort materialized. At this point, all the wishing in the world for critters to appear and seeing all the trees flash by in a blur caused me on many occasions to imagine them up in the trees, yesterday I even saw a Squatch!
We have found that radio signals are few and far between in no man’s land, and unless you prefer listening to your tires cruise down the blacktop (which at times I think my dad does) you best be having cassettes, CDs, mp3 or satellite radio to keep you bopping along. My iPod battery life only lasts a few hours so THANK GOODNESS that my Jeep (Cheryl) is equipped with an outlet! That’s right! Plugged in my docking station and the tunes kept on rockin’!
Many of the places we passed along the way were abandoned towns and the ones that had “civilization” were run down and fairly desolate.
One of these places was Burwash Landing, the last place to get fuel before the border. The kid at the register was about my age, early 20s. As we pulled away leaving Burwash in dust I wondered about the quality of life kids have in these towns. Locally owned and operated, kids are raised with the expectation I’m sure of taking over one day. But I wonder: do they have the opportunity to leave, to go to college or the freedom to follow their dreams? The social and economic pressures to stay in these Podunk towns, in my mind are heavy. Anyways, I hope they aren't oppressed and burdened with living in a rural area.*The Strangest Things*
~ Canadians do in fact say “aye” – but not as often as I thought
~ “We will drive through fire and water but we are not driving 600 miles to Fairbanks” (I was laying down the lay in regards to a potential "detour" as Tok was flooded and warning of wild fires)
~ “55! I’m so excited.” “But dad, it’s so slow!” “But it’s a REAL speed!”
Here’s to Tok’s self-flushing toilets!!!!
Much Love.
Did I mention that I am now on American soil??? No?! Well, I am OFFICIALLY IN ALASKA!!! Tok, AK to be exact. Tomorrow I will be sleeping in my room/bed for the summer in Soldotna and will be reunited with my best friend whom I haven't seen in over a year. I can't handle the excitement..
Monday, June 3, 2013
Driving: Day 3
My inclination is to just go to bed tonight, skip the writing. But then I look at the clock and it shows 8:30pm and the light outside my window misleads my brain into thinking that it could be 2 in the afternoon at the latest. Dinner tonight was at a quaint 50's style diner with murals of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis, the waitresses dressed in poodle skirts and....sneakers? I wanted to complain that skater shoes were ruining the ambiance of the place that instead they should be sporting roller skates but that would have been the weary traveler mindset taking over, instead I sat quietly and inhaled my food.
Today by far was the most gorgeous drive yet, still surrounded by ceaseless trees, with grandiose mountains shooting up to the skies, capped with snow. The day started with thick fog with very poor visibility driving along narrow highway roads up and down 6-9% grades.....if only I had the Misty Mountains song on my iPod, the moment would have been like my own little Hobbit adventure!
After we drove out of the haze, we saw some pretty rad sites and animals....most of which are documented on my father's tablet. Speaking of which, I should introduce you to the man who I co-pilot for.
There he is, on the right...being a goof. The woman on the left is his wonderful wife, my mom! HI MOM!!! Anyways, dad's name is Joe - car salesman at Billion Dodge in Bozeman (hint hint wink wink) He's a pretty serious guy, until he cracks a joke or says something witty then all bets are off! It was so hard to leave Bozeman because of these two folks. They are my security net and I dread having to say goodbye to my Dad in a few days, but this is a growth opportunity and it's time to cut the umbilical chord.
Back to the drive.
We saw large lakes, big rivers, huge mountains and a fair number of animals - including a squirrel!! Animals spotted: Black Bear, Buffalo, Fox, Wild Horses (sadly, no image was catpured), possibly a grizzly, deer, big horn sheep, questionably elk,caribou or moose (of the cow variety), roadkill porcupine and most regrettably I saw a little red bird bouncing on the road in my rear view mirror after I drove over it. moment of silence please.
I almost forgot to mention that I am now at Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada.
*The Strangest Things*
~I honor the "don't put this on your blog" request so sadly, one of the funniest comments made today will not be appearing here. :(
~"They are the equivalent of a barnicle on the bottom of a boat....they just wont let go" - radio dj describing the number 1 band for the 3rd week in a row
I'll post more pics as dad emails them to me, Much Love!
Rachel
Today by far was the most gorgeous drive yet, still surrounded by ceaseless trees, with grandiose mountains shooting up to the skies, capped with snow. The day started with thick fog with very poor visibility driving along narrow highway roads up and down 6-9% grades.....if only I had the Misty Mountains song on my iPod, the moment would have been like my own little Hobbit adventure!
After we drove out of the haze, we saw some pretty rad sites and animals....most of which are documented on my father's tablet. Speaking of which, I should introduce you to the man who I co-pilot for.
There he is, on the right...being a goof. The woman on the left is his wonderful wife, my mom! Back to the drive.
We saw large lakes, big rivers, huge mountains and a fair number of animals - including a squirrel!! Animals spotted: Black Bear, Buffalo, Fox, Wild Horses (sadly, no image was catpured), possibly a grizzly, deer, big horn sheep, questionably elk,caribou or moose (of the cow variety), roadkill porcupine and most regrettably I saw a little red bird bouncing on the road in my rear view mirror after I drove over it. moment of silence please.
I almost forgot to mention that I am now at Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada.
*The Strangest Things*
~I honor the "don't put this on your blog" request so sadly, one of the funniest comments made today will not be appearing here. :(
~"They are the equivalent of a barnicle on the bottom of a boat....they just wont let go" - radio dj describing the number 1 band for the 3rd week in a row
I'll post more pics as dad emails them to me, Much Love!
Rachel
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Driving: Day 2
The road again was straight and long today and rumored to be covered with frost heaves which are dents or bumps in the road from ice over the winter. Look it up if you want a more scientific explanation! Anyways, dad drove the majority of the way from Edmonton to Fort Nelson. As such, I was left with ample time to day dream, and mentally write this blog, which as of now - I can't remember a thing.
It rained most of the day, on and off which is more of a random tidbit that I am adding in because of my love for the weather!
As you can see from these photos the trees were thick for hundreds and hundreds of miles, which got me thinking and feeling rather insignificant. I am one person, standing at 6' surrounded by countless trees hovering over me. and I think: why am I important? Why I am here? What is my purpose? I always enjoy feeling little, it's a good ego check. There is security in it. When standing next to my brother's or anyone who is taller than I, there is a sense of protection that I feel. Anyways, so I mentioned this to my dad and asked him if he feels insignificant surrounded by the mass of trees and his response was "no, I feel very significant - I'm a child of God" to which I completely agree with. So contemplating all of this reminded me of Psalm 139:1-14 and Matthew 6:25-34. I'm important because the God who created all these trees, created me. I am here for the purpose of being a reflection of Love to all. Let that resonate.
*the strangest things:part 1* This is a section dedicated to the ramblings of my father and I and our interactions with people and the observations noted along the way.
~"There are a lot of foreigners in Canada" - Dad
"Um, dad.......we are foreigners...."
~Dad will have driven an entire years worth of miles in this trip alone!
~Rest stops are an American thing apparently because of the 1k miles we have driven, we have only passed 8....maybe.
~Golf courses on the other hand are EVERYWHERE with dad making note that "if we played a round at every course we have passed, it would take us 2 months to make this trip"
~it took nearly 1,100 miles for us to see our first fellow U.S. vehicle.
~Roundabout intersections are referred to as "Traffic Circles"
~Toast is called "Browned Bread"
and for the encore! PICTURES!!
Runners running a marathon on the Interstate!!! 26 miles of poking along at inching speeds. And the only Police we have see since the boarder.
Beaverlodge
Railroads without road blocks running straight through the interstate, streets frequently do this too. SKETCH!
Washington Plates!!!!
rustic toilets....Maybe I will have to write a poem and send it to Bob Ross!
bear
I will try to work on formatting these better. Much Love.
As you can see from these photos the trees were thick for hundreds and hundreds of miles, which got me thinking and feeling rather insignificant. I am one person, standing at 6' surrounded by countless trees hovering over me. and I think: why am I important? Why I am here? What is my purpose? I always enjoy feeling little, it's a good ego check. There is security in it. When standing next to my brother's or anyone who is taller than I, there is a sense of protection that I feel. Anyways, so I mentioned this to my dad and asked him if he feels insignificant surrounded by the mass of trees and his response was "no, I feel very significant - I'm a child of God" to which I completely agree with. So contemplating all of this reminded me of Psalm 139:1-14 and Matthew 6:25-34. I'm important because the God who created all these trees, created me. I am here for the purpose of being a reflection of Love to all. Let that resonate.
*the strangest things:part 1* This is a section dedicated to the ramblings of my father and I and our interactions with people and the observations noted along the way.
~"There are a lot of foreigners in Canada" - Dad
"Um, dad.......we are foreigners...."
~Dad will have driven an entire years worth of miles in this trip alone!
~Rest stops are an American thing apparently because of the 1k miles we have driven, we have only passed 8....maybe.
~Golf courses on the other hand are EVERYWHERE with dad making note that "if we played a round at every course we have passed, it would take us 2 months to make this trip"
~it took nearly 1,100 miles for us to see our first fellow U.S. vehicle.
~Roundabout intersections are referred to as "Traffic Circles"
~Toast is called "Browned Bread"
and for the encore! PICTURES!!
Runners running a marathon on the Interstate!!! 26 miles of poking along at inching speeds. And the only Police we have see since the boarder.
Beaverlodge
Railroads without road blocks running straight through the interstate, streets frequently do this too. SKETCH!
Washington Plates!!!!
rustic toilets....Maybe I will have to write a poem and send it to Bob Ross!
bear
I will try to work on formatting these better. Much Love.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Driving: Day 1
I started the day off in excellent spirits, rocking out to whatever song came into my mind but now after being in the car for 12 hours, I am POOPED! My mind isn't firing sharp anymore, more mushy like mashed potatoes, so God help us as we have 4 more days of driving before I dive into work at camp. I drove from Bozeman to Shelby, MT which for me is the longest time behind the wheel on the highway, sadly. From Shelby through much of Canada thus far has been flat straight road with slow speed. The signs read: Maximum 110 and much to my dismay, it wasn't mph but kph which translates to about 68ish mhp. On we went, slowly on a flat straight road with nothing to look at besides farm land.
Highlights: Because the drive was rather boring I began counting how many prairie dogs darted in front of the Jeep. Sadly, though they risked their lives, they were all spared. So: Prairie Dogs - 5 Jeep - 0.
Dad and I surely were not and are not made for the city. The scene: Driving down the highway, which has now become 3 lanes instead of our comfortable 2. 4:30pm and 7:30pm traffic on a Saturday is probably to them "light" but oh no my friends, drivers were weaving in and out like mad men, clearly violating the "maximum" limit. We drove looking for the correct exit or any sign that said we were still headed in the right direction. This was the scene both entering and leaving Calgary and Edmonton. At one point I looked at dad and said, "Adventure Times"
At dinner tonight, when I received the change for our bill, I asked for singles instead of a 5 and the poor cashier looked at me and said: "do you mean loonies?" - I'M NOT FROM HERE!!!!
Anyways, as I turn in for the night enjoy these quick pics I took of the journey. There may not be much to look at, but it is still easy on the eyes. Much Love, Rachel
Oilmont,MT "They farm Oil, how fitting to name the town as such"
Upon our arrival into Canada, "Big Brother" frequently reminded us that our location is not hidden....
I never realized how humongous the blades are for windmills
Entering Calgary
Edmonton at 8:30pm it is now 9:30 and still light outside.
Oilmont,MT "They farm Oil, how fitting to name the town as such"
Upon our arrival into Canada, "Big Brother" frequently reminded us that our location is not hidden....
I never realized how humongous the blades are for windmills
Entering Calgary
Edmonton at 8:30pm it is now 9:30 and still light outside.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Scrambled Eggs and Schedules
I sit here in my "bowl" chair with my feet up in a relaxed reclined posture as my dog has sprawled out on my bed and is now snoring quite loudly. Seems peaceful right? Well, you should see the rest of my house as my whole wardrobe is sitting in bags waiting to be vacuum sealed. A suitcase in the hallway with books/dvds and other random things in and around it awaiting bubble wrap. The kitchen table is cluttered with my jewelry being carefully wrapped so my necklaces don't tangle together in the 3,000 mile drive ahead of me. My bathroom has exploded into the cosmos of cosmetics and other beautifying things. Then there is my little brother's room, which has boxes of my art supplies, and other larger items. It should be easy enough to just get everything accomplished until my brain gets distracted with what mess is awaiting me in another room. At this rate, I'm bound to forget something.
I LEAVE THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW!!!
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