First off, I need to apologize for all of you wonderful people out there who follow my blog, because I haven't given you any updates in a few months. (Shame on me!)
So without further ado....here's something for your inquiring minds:
I arrived safely back in Minnesota on Sept. 26th (a day late due to bad weather in Ketchikan, but that only meant an extra day with Dewey, so it worked out great.) My entire family surprised me by picking me up at the airport and then I got to visit my cousin Leah, in the hospital and have dinner with my aunt and uncle.
For those of you who haven't heard, my cousin, Leah was diagnosed with AML, a type of Leukemia back in July. She was in the hospital until mid October and is home now. Leah is 28 years old and has an 11 month old son, Gavin. She will have several more rounds of chemo, where she will have to be re-admitted to the hospital for a week+ each time, which will stretch through April of 2010.
I spent the next few weeks home with mom and dad, (mostly doing nothing but sleeping and being lazy) and traveling all around the midwest to see and catch up with family and friends. I was able to visit my brother Lance, and see his new house he bought this summer. He's in Huron, SD. As well as my sister's new apartment in Omaha, NE, where she is in school. I made it up to Alexandria, back to Iowa, and around the twin cities too! Oh how I've missed all of you!
As for my next adventure, as it turns out, you don't have to be millions of miles from home to experience something new and wonderful or to learn more about yourself. Currently, I'm in Bloomington living with Leah, her husband, Aaron, and Gavin. (More specifically, in the guest room in their basement!) In exchange for a place to live, I'm taking care of Gavin and helping out around the house. The first lesson was that this "stay at home mom" stuff was WAY harder than it looks! So, I humbly apologize and eat any negative words I may have ever muttered on the subject! Gavin is a wonderful little boy though. Very happy, and for the most part, fun to take care of. He's just starting to walk now, and can say a few words...were still working on "Sharon".
It's also been fun for me to hang out with Leah again. We were very close growing up, and it's been a great experience to get to know her again. I haven't even mentioned yet how great she looks with no hair - she's beautiful!
At this point, I'm not working, nor am I looking for work. I'm pretty content to just help out my family and spend time with friends. Life is so short and so precious, it needs to be cherished every day - even the days that seem like they suck, so that's what I'm trying to do.
It has been a change for me, "Mrs. Planner" to sit back and not have a "plan", but I think that's been a good experience for me too. We all need to step out of our comfort zones every once in awhile.
Now that I say I have no plans, I should mention, that I have been offered (and I accepted) my position back next summer at Yes Bay. Plus, an opportunity to return to Ketchikan/Yes Bay early to get more involved with the lodge bookings. I'm very excited about this opportunity, as I feel I still have a lot to learn from the lodge, Kevin, and the industry as a whole. Not to mention, the novelty of working in Alaska has yet to wear off....and yes, Dewey is going to be there again too! (He's the fudge and oreo center on my double layer chocolate ice cream cake. I would say icing, but those of you who know me, know I don't like icing.) LOL!
Guess that's all for now.
Thanks for reading!
