once upon a time in Alaska

 Going to Alaska was an item on my 30 before 30 list.  So in February, I packed my bags and flew with my friend Kristin and her infant daughter to Anchorage to visit friends.

My friend Alison drove me to the airport and on the way she asked what I thought Alaska would be like.  I told her I wasn't sure, but that in my mind's eye there were polar bears and moose all over the place and people cross country skied everywhere because of all of the snow.  Well,  this giant polar bear was waiting for me outside out gate in the Anchorage airport.

 Then, after piling in Sheri's car, we see this  after being in Alaska less than 30 minutes.

Sheri's husband (and Kristin's brother) is a hunter, so naturally this was hanging above my bed.

 Then we went to Costco and I found this treasure.

While visiting the fine city of Anchorage, there just so happened to be a fur festival going on called the Fur Rendezvous or Fur Rondy for those in the know.  Fur Rondy was kicked off by a grand parade featuring these wonders.

 

 

It was about 8 degrees during the parade, and we were in the shade...I'm pretty sure that my fingers got frostbite and there is a chance little Hugo and Ivan here also got a little too cold. 

Then we drove down Cook Inlet.

Then we went to the fur auction and found this man.

Alaska may be the funniest place I've ever been.  The people were unconventional, but so kind, good, honest and hard working.  I laughed and I learned a ton about this unique part of our country. 

Thank you Alaska for being interesting and comical.  I will be back to see you someday...

my constant companion

It's Saturday.  I have been home for 1 week and I am packing again.  I leave tomorrow for a week long meeting @ Washington Family Ranch and a day or 2 in Portland.  Sometimes it seems that I live more out of my suitcase than not.  This little brown carry-on has been a constant companion of mine.

Whenever I fly I carry-on.  In October I flew to Virginia for a work meeting.  I carried-on and flew from Seattle to Atlanta and then to Roanoke.  When I boarded the plane in Seattle, there wasn't enough overhead room for all the bags, so they gate checked my carry-on.  The only problem was that they gate checked my bag to Marilyn Reynolds, who was headed from Seattle to Orlando via Atlanta.  When I arrived in Roanoke, my bag was on its way to sunny Orlando with my surname twin, Marilyn.  Delta rectified the situation and my bag arrived @ Rockbridge 24 hours later, about half way through my 2 day trip.  Many people asked me why I didn't just carry my luggage on-assuming a checked bag to be the reason for the mix up.  Some travel advice: Be flexible & patient, the airline can still lose your bag, even when you carry-on!

Together this bag and I have gone to:

• Malibu, BC
• Olympia, WA
• Atlanta, GA
• Denver, CO
• Colorado Springs, CO
• Buena Vista, CO
• Phoenix, AZ
• Roanoke, VA
• New York, NY
• Porland, OR
• Corvallis, OR
• Antelope, OR
• Anchorage, AK
• San Diego, CA

All of these trips have occurred in the last 16-18 months.   It's a little overwhelming, but mostly I am grateful.  Grateful to have visited the places and people in each of these locations.  To have the means an opportunities to travel.  Grateful to be on this adventure with God never knowing who or how or when I will experience an opportunity to know and make known my true Constant Companion.

home and known by name

The new year is here.  In fact it's been here for a while.  I have been in Florida and the Bahamas for the last 3 weeks and the triumphant arrival of 2012 was overshadowed by the amount of things that needed to be done in preparation to be gone for that amount of time.

Long story short, I spent a week in Florida taking an intensive seminary class, best I've ever taken actually.  Then I spent a day @ our YL camp in Ocala and then headed off to Orlando for the Young Life All Staff Celebration.  ASC was a relationally intense and exceptionally fun and encouraging week chock full of surprises, fireworks and 4,000 of the most loving people on the planet.  Immediately following ASC, I headed to the Bahamas with 19 friends for some vacation time in the sun.

We flew into Seattle last night @ 9pm.  On our way back north from the airport, I commented to Nick & Stacy, who picked me up, that I was dreading how cold it would be in my house when I got home since my heat was turned down and it was 30 degrees outside.  It was after midnight when I pulled into our driveway and I was blessed immensely when, as I struggled up the stairs with all my stuff (you see I am the queen of trying, at all costs, to get everything into the house in 1 trip...) I discovered that my lights had been turned on and heat turned up by my lovely neighbors.  I was elated to finally be home, in my own space.  I showered the travel day off of me and melted into my own bed where I slept soundly for the next 9 and a half hours.

I awoke this morning groggy and not fully sure of what time zone I was in.  With no food in the house, I ventured out to grab coffee and groceries.  On my way to the store, I called in an order for Thai take-out, my usual: drunken noodle with chicken, 4 stars and brown rice.  I arrived @ Haggen and immediately made my way to the Starbucks inside.  My friend Ron was working-I was happy to see a friendly, familiar face.  He gave me a warm greeting and commented on how he envies my international-traveling lifestyle.  I assured him that though it is lovely, and I am grateful for my life and job, that the best part of traveling for me is returning home.  It felt good to see a friend and to be known by name.

After I gathered my supplies that consisted mostly of fresh fruits and vegetables, I headed to pick up my take-out.  Leslie was working and she pulled out my order as I walked in.  She said, "I knew you were the Jen that called this order in, so I put in some extra spice for you".  When I eat in the restaurant for dinner, I order my drunken noodle with 4 stars of spice and then request the spice rack.  I love spicy food.  I also love that Leslie knew my voice, order and spice preferences-even over the phone.

I drove home, feeling a). jet lagged and b). overwhelmed by the power of being home and known by name.  It made me think of how this is what we all long for-to belong and to be known. 

I have been with my Young Life family for 3 intense weeks and I am reminded that this is what we offer kids, whether we work with them in the field or host them @ camp, we offer them a place where they belong and we learn to know them.  When I first went to Young Life club @ my friend Jenne's house as a sophomore in high school, the thing that amazed me most was that my then soon-to-be-YL-leader remembered my name as I left.  She said it was so great to meet me and that she looked forward to seeing me next week.  She had only met me an hour or so before and as I left she called me by name.  I was known.  I belonged.

There is great power in calling someone by name.  There is great power in being home.  I am full, I am tired, I am home and I am thankful to be known.  Not just by my friends and community, but by my Jesus who calls me to my eternal home with him.  And when he calls me, he calls me by name.

I feel like 2012 is just now beginning for me, now that my big trip is over and I am excited to get to work on the things that I have been dreaming of and scheming over the last few weeks and months.  I have some things to build in the next few months before our camping season begins.  I have teams to build-interns and assignment teams.  And then I have some actual construction to do-a carnival re-build and some Tableau props to create.

There is much to do and many adventures ahead and my hope is that as I go I can create spaces and places where people feel they belong and know they are known.