Live, Laugh Love in Alaska!

Rednecks don't just live in the country... It can happen in a Walmart parking lot in Alaska too! ;) We bought a kyak and really our only option was to tie to the top of our work van.

I haven't tried it out yet, but I'm hoping to tomorrow. Alaska keeps getting better and better. Getting more familiar with my jobs and I'm loving it! My last tour on Tuesday was probably one of my best's aside from a few things. I had a gentleman holding a big crab and the claws were HUGE so he reached back and pinched behind the hand. I was so scared, I apologized over and over. Thankfully the guy was not mad he joked about it and said "It's only fair that I get the biggest crab to eat then. He bit me, I'll bite him back." We saw porpoises on that tour and eagles. Confidence in my job is apparent and still improving. It's nice to finally feel myself feeling comfortable and my personality coming out.

The knee is even getting better, Yay! Priesthood is real (: So blessed.

Everyone knows I'm very giving and I love to make food and do things for people. I miss my friends and family but am grateful I can still be there for them and help them when in need. Sure do miss my best friend, Hanna, but even on a tough day a flower delivery from Alaska can brighten her day. Dinner and breakfast for my co-workers this week has been fun thing to do. Those who know me know making food for people among other things will always be one of my favorite things to do for others.

I wasn't scheduled for any day off this week, but was told last minute yesterday I had today off. The day started early for everyone else 3:45 and 5:45 for some, 6:30, 7 or so for others. With a busy day of 5 cruise ships I made a crepe breakfast for everyone. I then went into town to explore and went on another adventure on a float plane to Misty Fjords National Monument.

I got to be co-pilot. :)

Yeah, saw this awesomeness!

landed on the water for more awesomeness (:

and got my picture taken with the sweet plane, flown by a cute pilot haha.

Explored downtown Ketchikan and ate some delicious s'mores popcorn from the Popcorn Emporium!

I think it can't get better but then it does (:

Running No More

Not too much excitement this week besides busy days full of cruise ships coming through. Learning the dos and don'ts of how to serve peeps. I have been off from the boat tours since my first one, but I will be back on them again next week! Yay! Today was my first day off since Sunday, which was great to catch up on a few personal things.

The biggest disappointment came on Wednesday. I decided I wanted to get back and shape and start running again. I had tried to start running back in Cedar City, but I pulled my hamstring a lil and had to rest it for a while. This time didn't prove much better. I ran about 4 miles up the island in the lovely rain, and when I got back I noticed my knee was really tight. I had stretched before and after, but the next couple days it got really tight and bending down doing the crab dance with folks proved that I had clearly done something to it. It got a lil puffy so I started icing it and elevating it.. Today I rested it more and it has improved. Hoping in the next few weeks it will recover. Hoping I won't be one of those needing a knee replacement before I'm 30! I'm just wanting to exercise!

Getting to know my co-workers a lot this week. They all have a great story and are all unique. I always love getting to know new people as my close friends and family know. I hope things stay good between us all through till October. We got a new addition to our crew this week from Utah. So there are three of us (including me) from Utah.

It's also amazing its only been a few weeks since I've been here but it feels like it has been longer, but I'm sure it will speed up soon. I do miss Utah and Montana both. Definitely have my heart in both those places. I am grateful for this experience and I know God wants me here. I love you all and I send you all that love! Hoping my family is well as they will be at my Aunt Theresa's funeral tomorrow. She was an amazing woman and I am sad we lost her. I am also excited to meet my new nephew Ryker Kade Coombs when I return home.

Happy Mother's Day!

It's a Happy Mother's Day in Alaska. Today was a day off for me. Three of us braved the rain and went to church this morning. The church of course is just as true in Utah as it is here in Alaska. The building is beautiful. It is built like a log cabin. I was super impressed at the amount of children in the ward here. There was at least 20. It was great to hear them sing. They took the passage from Alma 56:48  about the stripling warriors and narrated the portion "They did not doubt they're mothers knew it." They then sang "Armies of Helaman" It was a special mother's day. We all know how special mother's are especially in God's kingdom. One sister quoted Elaine S. Dalton talking about how mother's are the lionesses at the gate of the home. Women protect the home and take great care of their children. That is no greater truth. Such a powerful message.

I met a Wayne Alvey who is related to Fay Alvey in Escalante, at church here. Small world to find him up here! Everyone is so kinda. It's also a relief to find out that for those who have to work Sundays there will be evening sacrament meetings on three sundays of the month. After work I was able to call and wish my mom a Happy Mother's Day!! I feel like I am on my mission again only because since I got here my phone died on me in the fact it won't let me call or anything so I got to borrow a phone to call. Was great to talk to the family and find out that I have a new nephew, Ryker Coombs, son of Kade and Amber Coombs.. He was born Friday and is a little more than 8 pounds. Also was sad to hear the loss of our dear Aunt Theresa who went to Heaven earlier this week. Life still moves on when away from home.

I am truly grateful for my mom and all she has done for me and the rest of my family. She raised eight children and we were a crazy bunch. I love her very much. She has always been there for me in all I've done in my life and even supported me on this adventure. I sure do love and miss her. I also love my other mom, Jula Fisher. She is my mission mom. I know I wouldn't be the person I am today without the influence and love she has brought in my life also. Love you both!

We had a whale sighting on our way back to the lodge and our one cruise ship that came in. Tomorrow will be my first day working in the dining room. It should be another fun time. Life is good.

I'm Holly The Tour Guide

My morning started early, 4 a.m. or more like 6 a.m. for those in Mountain Time, but I'm starting to adapt to the time change. I was informed yesterday with the four groups we had coming to the lodge today I would be narrating my first tour to the third group of the day. My co-workers, Nick and Sara quizzed me through the facts and helped me get all prepared for the day. I tagged a long with Nick and Capt. Ryan Sinkey (our boat captain) in the morning out 5 miles into the Inlet where we drop crab pots with bait so we can show the crabs to the people that we take on a tour. We re-baited the pots and pulled out whatever remained inside. This big guy below, a star fish and a few crabs were found in the pots. This, if you don't know is a sun star. I held him in both my hands coz he was about 6 pounds!

After we re-baited the pots and came back in we prepped and got ready for the first tour at 8:15. This one was Nick's so I was able to tag along and observe his technique, the second was Evie, but hers was at the same time as Nick's on our second boat. The next tour  I tagged along on was Sara's (it was her first tour by herself also). Then it was my turn. On the tour we stand on the boat in front of everyone and tell them(over a mic system)  about Alaska, Ketchikan, the wildlife and area around us. We take them out to our crab pots, pull them up and tell them about the crab, letting them handle them and ask questions. The whole tour is about 90 minutes. You all know I can talk a lot, but the tours can be tough when you breeze through things quickly or don't have all the facts you think you have. The first two tours were lucky to have a sighting of a whale, seals and eagles. My tour had one eagle sighting, but Sara had a rough time with no real wildlife to stop and look at.  After the tours we cleaned the boats and the dining rooms. After the groups go on the tour they go to our dining rooms and eat crab and cheesecake. I am also a server, but today my job was just narrator. My serving time will come later.  My tour went well for the first time. No one died and we got tips! Yay! Everyone seemed to enjoy their day on the boat. We had people from Australia, U.K. Texas, Washington and Canada. 

On our way back this morning we checked Nick's pot near the lodge in which he caught 6 shrimp. While I've been here he has shared his flounder with us and planning on getting more. I'm going on the next fishing trip for sure. Just don't plan on leaving it hanging in the water because he did that and a seal came and ate it up! Gotta love living off the ocean! I know I do :) 

Life has been good the past few days. We went into town to watch Iron Man 3 last night and just been cleaning up the lodge for guests. Blueberry Festival is coming up soon and we will get to go enjoy pie eating contests and more! Can't always say this can't get better because it has. The next two days I have off but there's always adventure.

Living at Zero, No Not Degrees ;)

It's only my third day, but it feels like its been weeks sometimes. I feel very comfortable. Everyone is like family. Our George Inlet Lodge Family are awesome. We all get along and have a lot of fun together, working or otherwise. It's very chill and laid back. We've only had one cruise ship stop in since I've been here so we haven't had a lot of work to do, but we'll have four in on Friday. That means I have boat tours to do! Ahh still trying to get a lot of that down so I will have things to talk about when I show people around. We take them out to view the Inlet, look at wildlife and catch crabs as you have seen in my previous post of what I got to do.

Today and yesterday we cleaned around the lodge and did some painting, We had a bonfire after work last night and took a trip in to town to get groceries. It's such a neat town and is all around the shore of the ocean.

We went for a walk the other day and I've been running up and down the road a lil bit. We're at Sea Level here so what a difference it is from 6,000 feet and higher when I was back home. I can breathe!! haha. The view is gorgeous and there are so many places we can hike. We all have Saturday off so we will be taking the skiff out to another part of the ocean shoreline and hiking up to Mahoney Lake which is about 4 or 5 miles up Mahoney Mountain around us.

Each of us are from different parts of the country. Annette and Christine are in their 40's and older are from Seattle area as well as Jordan, who is from down near Tacoma. He brought his bike on the ferry so he rides it lots. He said his farthest bike ride is about 35-40 miles. I told him I was pretty sure my brother, Ashley has him beat ;) but he's a neat guy. We've got Sara from Utah, Russell from Rexburg, Regina from New Jersey, Ben from Ohio, Peter from Iowa City, Iowa, Angie from Kansas City and Nick and Adrianna from Texas. Most of us are in our mid-twenties but we have a few who are in their 40's. So proud to be apart of this group. I made everyone my Oreo cheesecake today and they loved it of course. Brian-one of our other co-workers (not sure where he said he was from), said I will get friends quick with the baker I am.. All you back home know this to be true haha.. Everyone loves my baking :D

We also have our wonderful but kind of onry swan, Millie. I guess beauty doesn't always mean you're a humble creature haha. This is the case for her. She doesn't like it when we try to fix her pond. She started tearing out the rocks after we placed them in the rightful spots yesterday.

The weather has been fabulous. No rain since I got here. A little windy the first day, but very sunny and warm the rest of the week. Life is great at 0 sea level. Love you all and remember you can e-mail me, write me, or keep in touch on facebook. I should be able to have my phone up and working soon. I can get service in town and I will be able to do wi-fi calling as well as google voice my phone is having issues right now tho. I'll send out some post cards soon!

A Whole New World

My life has changed all in a matter of a couple days. Graduation from Southern Utah University, finding out I'll have two nieces or nephews by the time I return to Utah in October and the new adventure of life in Ketchikan, Alaska. I was a lil homesick when I got here last night, but after today that is starting to diminish a little. Everyone is really nice and the view is GORGEOUS. One of my co-workers is also from Utah and is LDS so if I get to go to church I will have a friend to go with me. I know I'm next to the ocean, but driving around it to get to the Lodge from Ketchikan (which is 12 miles away from town) reminds me of driving around Flathead Lake in Montana. It is gorgeous. This is definitely a NEW adventure as well. So many different people from different parts of the world and country I get to work with and get to know.  After a long two flights to Ketchikan and riding my first ferry across from the airport I made it in last night. We had one cruise ship come in today and I observed those who I will be working with. Met some people who know one of the sister missionaries I served with in Montana and another couple who have a love for southern Utah. It's a small world on the last frontier as well!

There's a reason why I didn't live in dorms in college but I guess I can't avoid it altogether coz that's pretty much what I'm in here ;) Good thing I am a people person!  Below is a picture of how we store our food. We have bins and four fridges in the kitchen.

 This is our lounge area. We have a tv, couches and we also have a pool table and treadmill.

 This is the sign on my door. They are all names of fish and crab. I share my room with a woman named Annette from Washington state, who is very nice.

 Here is the deck outside the lodge.

 Another view from the dock and the gorgeous ocean

 This waterfall is outside the lodge. Annette and I can hear it from outside of our bathroom. It can easily be mistaken for a fan in our bathroom because of how much water flows out of it.

 Here's the dining room in the lodge for guests

Here is "The Miss Patricia." One of the boats I will give tours on. We went out on one today and I got to observe and see the Ocean and its life for the first time. We saw many porpoises, bald eagles (which are very common here) and crab.

          
 Sara, who will also be a narrator(aka tour guide) on the boats.

The beautiful view of the rain forest, ocean and mountains from the boat

Below is Mahoney Mountain and if you look closely you can see the water flowing down the mountain. It looks like snow, but you have to get binoculars to notice it is water.

Buoy's are set out  to catch the crabs and while on the tour we pull them up to show the guests and let them touch them.

Evie, tour guide of the day. She has lived in Ketchikan for 9 years. The crab on the right is prego and the one on the left is a male.

Don't worry he didn't  pinch me.

First nervous, but I am now excited for all the adventures I will have with my job here. I can't wait to go running around the island. There are some great places to run. I don't need bear spray yet ;) but my boss said later on when bears might be around to have someone run with me so if I get eaten the other can run and report it jk haha.. I am definitely in a secluded area. Cell phone service is extinct out at the lodge so if you want to communicate with me you can facebook, or e-mail me at krazyredhead04@gmail.com. Mailing address is also 11728 South Tongass Highway Ketchikan, Alaska 99901. I sure do miss all my friends and family out here, but I know the Lord had a reason for me to be here. I look forward to the next five months here.