This Memorial Day...

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.”
Meister Eckhart

For all those who serve or have given their life in service to our country: Thank You



The Finial Inspection

The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

“Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?”

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
“No, Lord, I guess I ain’t.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can’t always be a saint.

I’ve had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I’ve been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,
That wasn’t mine to keep…
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I’ve wept unmanly tears.

I know I don’t deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you’ve a place for me here, Lord,
It needn’t be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don’t, I’ll understand.”

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

“Step forward now, you soldier,
You’ve borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven’s streets,
You’ve done your time in Hell.”

-Author Unknown

Friday, May 27th:
Well, after counting down the days, I’m finally back at the Lodge in Alaska. I arrived in Ketchikan on Tuesday morning and worked in the office in town for the day. Then, on Wednesday, I boated out to the lodge with Kevin as he was on his way to the lodge as well.

It’s nice to be back here and away from the hustle and bustle again. Not to mention, having a job again! (I wonder if I’m getting paid? I should ask tomorrow.)

Today was my first day at the office. I spent the entire time cleaning, organizing and getting my files ready for the season. I’m not even half way there, so it will take me a few more days to feel ready.
In the meantime, I’m busy studying up on Water Treatment Systems so that I can take a test and get certified for the lodge this year. Next week, when I go into town, I will need to go to the local college and take the exam. I’m beyond nervous about it – there are entire sections on plumbing and water valves! Suffice it to say that I’m beyond my comfort zone – okay, I’m completely clueless – even after reading the chapter! Wish me luck!

In other news, for those of you wondering how I spent the last 8 months of my life, here is a short recap:

In October, I moved in with my cousin, Leah, and her family (husband, Aaron, and son, Gavin (he’s 16 months old already!)) to help take care of Gavin, run errands, and do whatever else needed to be done as she went through her cancer/chemo treatments. It was a lot of fun to hang out with Leah again – by March we could complete each other’s sentences and it was just like old times! Gavin was so much fun as well – what a sweetie! I am really going to miss him, his little hugs and his “Eskimo” kisses (which I taught him!) While staying there, my Aunt, Cindy, taught Leah and I to knit and I managed to make several scarves and baby blankets! Leah tried to help me with my cooking skills as well, but I think the knitting went better!

In late March I moved back home with mom and dad so that I could spend some quality father-daughter time with Dad before he’s deployed to Afghanistan. We had a lot of fun going to the fitness center together, and I think mom and dad enjoyed the extra help around the house, my mowing, and all of the dinners I would create. (Even if some of them didn’t turn out exactly as planned!)

Throughout the fall, winter and spring I would spend my weekends driving all over to see and visit friends and family that I hadn’t had the opportunity to see since coming to Alaska last summer, and had a blast reconnecting and catching up! I loved meeting all of the new additions to families, and spending time with all of you. Thanks to everyone who let me come to stay and visit, or who came to see me – Miss you and Love you all!

I’ve attached a few photos - One of Leah, Aaron, and Gavin; One of my family at Christmas time with our 185th Air Guard shirts on (in support of Dad of course!);
Talk to you all soon - Sharon

A January Get-Away

Well, it's been awhile since my last entry, but I am excited to finally have some new photos and stories to share. The following photos are from my trip to Alaska and Yes Bay Lodge on January 10th-21st. I had a wonderful 10 days, very relaxing and, of course, it was so great to see and hang out with Dewey again. It's been hard to be so far away from him from so long.
As you've probably heard on the news, or from my facebook posts, to my great disappointment, there was no snow! In fact we had warmer temperatures of higher 30s and 40's, but I guess that's okay since wood stove is the only source of heat in the cabins. However, the Ketchikan weather didn't disappoint, and it rained almost every day. On the few days we had nicer weather we did get out for a few adventures, and those stories are coming up in a few more posts!

Now, for the photos: the first two are of the scenery surrounding the lodge - looks a lot like it did in September!
The other photos are of Dewey and I just hanging out at the cabin.

Enjoy!
~Sharon

In the meantime...back in Minnesota

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!