Friday afternoon we drove in three cars from Fairbanks to Anchorage (which takes roughly 7 ~ 7 1/2 hours). During the Anchorage trips we stay at St Johns United Methodist Church.
On Saturday, we helped with Empty Bowl. Artists donate bowls which people can buy. The proceeds go to Bean's Cafe, which provides food for homeless people. Many people volunteer to help things run smoothly, and many many more patrons come to support the cause.
Bowls. Last year, I stood in in the rectangle taking people's tickets which were redeemed for a bowl of their choosing. This year, however, for the first part of the event I stood by the door and greeted and directed people. For the other half, I went around taking plates and cups from people once they were done. There were so many people there wasn't enough space, so we had to gently encourage people to get up and keep browsing. Also, we were at the Dena'ina center this year.
Art demonstrating Native Alaskans.
Paintings
Some were ceramic, some wooden, some fabric.
Bowl of buttons
Fish bowl
So many people. Possibly over a thousand people came in the expo throughout the day.
They asked we wear a white top, so I thought I'd go all the way and be fancy. For about half an hour before we left Fairbanks I watched YouTube videos detailing how to tie a tie. Out of all my friends, I was the best dressed, but I'm still glad I got to dress up a bit.
That's where we were at, with a poster presenting what Bean's Cafe is.
This year there was a bouncy obstacle course for kids. Beyond that on the far right there was a face painting station for them too.
That night we ate pizza and salad with some former UCMers and parents. Then some of us played Munchkins, some of us Phase 10.
Then on Sunday morning, we attended two services of SJUMC. The second service was a more traditional service. The third service was more modern. In that one a friend and I read some scripture, while two different friends helped with music. After the third service, we went to IHOP with former UCMers who were Peace Corp volunteers. I ate pancakes. That night we got to eat dinner with even more former UCMers (and their kids).
Monday we split up a bit. Two of us went skiing at Alyeska. The rest of us went on an Anchorage adventure.
Our first stop on Monday was Cabela's. Some of us came to actually buy things, but most of us just windowshopped.
Moose and Jonathon. After Cabela's, we went to a comic shop for a bit. Again, some shopped, some looked. Then we met a friend for burgers at Tommy's Burger Stop. They are the kind of burgers that taste really good but make you feel like a slug afterwords. I got a really tasty blue cheese burger. Yummy! But not healthful.
Then we went to Kincaid park to see the shore which faces the bay.
Most of the roads/pathways were like this still: snowy or icy. For those with boots, this wasn't too much of an issue. For those with tennis shoes, a bit more so.
View of the beech.
Gene the tree climber.
On the way to the shore, we saw a yearling bull grazing on grass. Most of us stood at a good distance, taking pictures. Two of us got danger close, which our Biology major strongly warned against. It wasn't happy, but didn't really react to us. We took a different path since he was right next to the pavement there.
After going around the bull and cutting through some devil's club, we came to the beech.
Really beautiful view of the water.
We stood up on the sand banks because down there was icy mud (not good to stand on).
Jeremiah and the mountains.
More view. To the upper right there is apparently Fire Island. No not that one.
Shore.
On the way back we came across the bull again.
After leaving Kincaid park we went to another comic shop. Then we went to the mall. I bought Mr. Penguino there. Then we went to a chocolate store (shown above). I got a chocolate mocha there.
I can turn him inside out to make a neck rest.
Then we went to Moose's Tooth.
Top: Buffalo chicken with ranch and carrots
Bottom: Pesto with tomatoes and raisins
Top: I completely forgot
Bottom: Gyro pizza
Then we went back to church and watched Megamind.
Tuesday we packed up, cleaned up, and headed back. The scary part was that it was snowing. For folks down in the lower 48, snow makes driving real hard. On the way we got to help some Chinese tourists get their car towed out of a bank.
Life updates:
I'm going to need to put some work into being able to pay for my senior year. I have several scholarships I know about that I will pursue this break. But I will need plenty more. I also hope to take out more loans or increase my current loan. For those who are curious, I don't know what I'm doing this summer, and I don't know when I'll know. I was really hoping to go to the linguistics conference on campus, but for one, I wasn't awarded the fellowship I wrote, and for two, I need to make money this summer. It may be that I do some kind of summer or tourism job up here, or it may be that I come back home and work wherever I can find a job. I'd definitely prefer something related to libraries, teaching, or linguistics, but I'm probably going to have to take what I can get.
Prayers for opportunities would be greatly appreciated. Also tips or heads up about jobs or scholarships or whatever helpful would be great.
:)
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