Alaska: Land of the Midnight Sun?

I can count on one hand the number of warm, sunny days we've had up here in Anchorage for the month of July. I've decided that summer doesn't really seem to exist in Alaska. Either that or global warming is having the opposite effect up here in the northern regions of the world. In fact, it has been so overcast and rainy here all month that the rivers are flooding and the train I work on is only running up to Denali, instead of all the way to Fairbanks because of it. Crazy. Several times I have rebelled and worn shorts just because I wanted to pull them off the shelf and not feel like their space in my suitcase was totally wasted. The nickname "Land of the midnight sun" just doesn't have the same effect when the clouds are always covering it.

Despite the dreary weather, I have been trying to keep myself busy and make the most of my time here in "The Last Frontier." A couple of hiking excursions and camping trips are always the best cure, no matter what the weather. Some friends and I hiked Flat Top (a mountain close to Anchorage) and it truly rejuvenated my senses. I always think clearer at higher altitudes and we even saw the full arch of a rainbow! My most memorable moment so far is probably watching all the Alaskans going dip netting down in Kenai during a camping trip. As a "non-resident," I wasn't allowed to actually do the dip netting, but it was fascinating to just observe. They did let me gut the fish, of course, and I thoroughly enjoyed that. I even ate some raw fish eggs straight out of a red salmon!

The most important accomplishment this month, at least in my eyes, was turning in my mission application and finishing all my interviews and doctor's appointments. It's official now! Wahoo! Now I just get to play the waiting game. I'm guessing it will take about 2-3 weeks or so to find out where I am being sent and when. Everyone keeps asking where I want to go and are annoyed when I tell them "I really don't care." I've decided that wherever I go is where I'm suppose to be, so there's no use in setting up some sort of expectation when i probably won't get sent there. I'm planning on Provo, Utah or Temple Square in Salt Lake City...:) Anyways, I will let everyone know as soon as I know.

In the meantime, enjoy the sun wherever you may be and don't take it for granted! There's one thing to be said for all these clouds and rain - I am ten times more grateful than I use to be for just pure sunshine, vitamin-D happiness. It truly lifts my spirits.

All it takes is ALL you got!...

…My new slogan for my Alaskan adventures. After running the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon here in Anchorage on the 21st, I definitely felt the effects of giving it all I got. However, the soreness was a small price to pay for the amazingness of runner's euphoria and realizing afterward that I had just run 26.2 miles the fastest I had ever run and that my body was still in one piece. At 3 hours and 49 minutes I was only 4 minutes off from qualifying for the Boston Marathon. (But I will be on my mission anyways by next April, so I'll just have to focus on that goal when I get back...:) My roommate Erika ran with me and we both placed much better than we had planned. Out of 700 females, we took 38th and 42nd! We were shocked, since we only had 1 month to train. I took 7^th in my age group (20-25) and Erika took 1^st in hers (15-19)! It was overall an incredibly difficult trail, but I think that made me run faster because I felt like I was going to get a bad time with all those hills! The trail was absolutely beautiful and green, winding through forested areas and we even saw a baby moose (calf) on the trail as we were running…only in Alaska...:)

I recently learned that there is a club for people who run 50 marathons in all of the 50 states. Erika and I have decided that before we turn 50, we will have joined that club. So, that being said, I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I can’t wait! There is just something so exhilarating about races that I can’t get enough of. Although this is my 3^rd marathon, 2 of them were in Utah, so it looks like as of right now I have 2 down and only 48 left to go! Yahoo!