I Take It Back.

Let me preface this by saying that I am in no way claiming to know a lot of things- but I am claiming to know one thing. I used to say that I preferred cold weather to hot weather. I hate sweating, I think it's gross. I used to say, "You can always put more layers on, but there's only so many you can take off." Well, that was flat out not true. I guess you can technically put on an indefinite amount of layers, but let me tell you something right now- there comes a time (or, more accurately, there comes a temperature) when it no longer matters how many layers you wear. There also comes a time when I refuse to put any more clothes on. My limit is three pairs of pants. If I am wearing three pairs of pants and I'm still cold, it's no longer my responsibility to regulate my body temperature. If I'm wearing three pairs of pants and die of hypothermia, I refuse to believe it's my fault. It's not my fault. It's NATURE'S fault, and Nature can be a jerk. Sometimes Nature says to herself, "Let's make it negative five degrees today...with forty mile an hour winds!" That's not cute, and it's not funny. Why would anyone do that?? Also, Alaska messes with your mind. I'm not kidding. Allow me to explain winter weather to you: If it's cloudy and raining, it might be cold, but it's a sweatshirt kind of cold- very tolerable. If it's cloudy and snowing or sleeting, it might look really nasty outside, but it won't be super cold feeling. You can still breathe and feel all of your appendages at this point. HOWEVER, if you look outside from December to February and the sun is shining, not a cloud in the sky? Do not fool yourself into thinking you will live for more than thirty seconds if you go out in anything less than 37 layers, because you won't. You will die, and you will be happy to die, because no one wants to live more than thirty seconds when you're that cold.

So, in short, the summary of this post is this: If you are one of those people down south who have been wishing for winter weather lately (snow, cold, wind, etc.), we can no longer be friends, and I feel bad for you. You just don't know. You just don't.

(Disclaimer: There were many, many exaggerations in this post. For example, if you want snow, we can probably still be friends. We just can't talk about weather. Ever.)

EMPLOYMENT!!!!

There are pros and cons to the subject of employment, but I have found in the last few weeks that the pro called "Getting a Paycheck" outweighs pretty much any con I can think of. I got a job! I am now a Patient Access Representative at the clinic on my island. Yay me!
There are some cons though. I have to drive over an hour every day to get there over this beast of a mountain, and sometimes the roads are too bad to get home and I have to spend the night in town. That part is not so fun, because I don't get to see my brand-spankin' new husband as much as I want to. And cooking dinner every night is a goner. I'm lucky though, because my brand-spankin' new husband is amazing, and does most of the cooking through the week, since I get home a lot later than he does.

Anyways, what else has been going on lately...oh, Christmas! It was amazing!! Although spending Christmas away from my family for the first time was super weird and kind of sad, it was still really good. I got Randy a hatchet, which, believe it or not, is "completely different from an axe." I said, "You could've fooled me." But anyways, he loved it, and that's a great feeling (just fyi, there is also a thing called a maul, which is completely different from both of them). I got him a knife too, but I'm thinking now it's not a super great one, because there was no "oohing" and "aahing". Also, I let the guy behind the counter pick it out because they all looked the same to me, so something might have been fishy, but oh well. All in all, it was a great Christmas weekend. I got three days off from work, which was amazing, and we spent Monday outside- the way Alaskans are supposed to. We walked down to our property, and imagined the way our house will look on it someday. It was kind of a nasty day outside, but it was beautiful in it's own way. The wind was blowing about 75 mph at one point, and it was raining off and on, but it made the coastline absolutely gorgeous. I got a little too close to the edge at one point, and almost every single wave was splashing up onto the grass. I turned around once to tell Randy that all this salt water was going to be on our porch if we weren't careful, and as soon as I turned around, a huge one hit, and splashed me from the top of my head down to my toes. I don't think I've ever seen Randy laugh so hard in my life. Hahaha, it was fun though, after I got warmed up again.

Hmm...what else...New Years? It's one of my favorites, for sure. I love that almost everyone in the country is staying up late at one time and thinking the same things and watching the ball drop together. It's exciting! I think 2012 sounds like something from the future. I know that sounds weird. Randy said, "It is in the future." He thinks he's clever. Hahahaha, but I mean that it sounds like something someone would've put in a movie back in the day, or a book maybe...(imagine a deep masculine voice saying this)..."Far in the distant future...beyond what anyone can possibly imagine...in the year 2012"...and then they show space ships blasting around taking everyone to work and stuff. Maybe I've just watched the Jetsons too much. Anyways, I'm excited. I think we might go to town and watch the ball drop with some friends of ours, or we might stay here, I don't think we've decided yet. I'll keep ya posted.

And on that note, I really am sorry for not writing for so long. I could give you my list of excuses, but I won't. I will just say that I will try to get back on schedule, writing once a week or so, and I'll try to make them more exciting than this one. Ooh, by the way, to get back on your good graces: Randy and I are thinking about getting a camera. That way, when the waves are splashing up onto our property, I don't have to write three paragraphs to describe it to you. I can just say, "It was neat. Here, look---------->" And then you will look and see and enjoy. So go ahead and prepare yourselves for lots of pictures. Actually, maybe don't prepare yourself just yet. It wasn't so much that we decided to get one, just that we decided we want one, so we'll see. It'll probably be a while. So maybe this didn't help so much. Okay, I'm sorry, good bye!!! Happy New Years!!!

Cliche, but Important

'Twas the night before Thanksgiving, when all through the house,
Every creature was stirring- especially the mouse
The belts have been loosened in anticipation
We are praying for turkeys with no complications

The diets are ending, the holiday's begun
But soon after Christmas it will cease to be fun.
Now we think of God's blessings and the good things, perhaps-
But after the meal all we'll think of is NAPS!

Hahaha, that was written by Yours Truly, in case you were wondering what famous author I was plagiarizing, as I will pretend you were. But in all seriousness, it is very, very close to being Thanksgiving (it is probably already Thanksgiving for most of you on the East Coast), and I have a lot to be thankful for. I am thankful for my family, old and new, I am thankful for my home, which is nice and toasty warm, I am thankful for my husband and best friend who puts up with and loves me through all my craziness, and I'm just thankful for my life in general. I'm thankful for those who took the time and effort to invest in my life, and make me into a better person, or at least turn me towards the One who can make us better....which brings me to what I'm most thankful for. I'm thankful to the One who gave me the wonderful life I have. I'm thankful to my Creator and my Savior. My Father and Redeemer. What do I have now that is not from Him? All good and perfect things are what He's given me, and all the bad things that I encounter are in His hands, so there's nothing for me to worry about. I owe Him everything, and yet He's the one who gave everything for me. I love Him, and I hope to love Him more and more everyday.

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the heights above.
Praise Him, all his angels, praise Him all his heavenly hosts.
Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all you shining stars.
Praise Him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the skies.
Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created.
He set them in place for ever and ever; He gave a decree that will never pass away.
Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightening and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds.
Kings of the earth and all rulers on earth-
You princes and all nations-
Young men and women-
Old men and children-
Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted.
-Psalm 148

It's WARM!!!

Okay okay...so it's not what it sounds like. It's still really cold and snowy here, but we got a woodstove today!!! Let me just take this opportunity to say how amazing my husband is. He got our water heater all insulated today and made it so the pipes won't freeze over anymore. AND he put a woodstove in our wannagan today, so it's super warm in the house now! Yay. For those of you that don't know, a "wannagan" is just a rought kind of add-on to your house, and a woodstove is just like a fireplace without a chimney. For the first time this winter, I'm not wearing three layers of clothes and two pairs of socks, plus slippers. It makes it much easier to enjoy the wintery weather through the window when I can't FEEL the wintery weather through the window. So the next step to fixing up our little humble abode will be to finish insulating and sheetrocking the wannagan, then painting (my job!), then flooring it. It's a process, but we figure it's just practice for when we start building our dream house this spring. I can't wait for that to begin!! I draw floorplans for that house almost everyday, and I daydream about the floorplans even when I don't have an opportunity to draw them out. I love our little piece of property- a little because of the view, a little because of the garden, a little because of the location, but mostly because it's ours. I would love to keep writing to all of you right now, but there's a lot of work to do! So I'll leave you with a pretty picture, and you'll probably forgive me.

Finally...some pictures!!!

Okay, everybody, I know I am horrible about getting pictures on here, but I have no camera, so you'll have to be patient with me. Randy has quite a few on his computer, but I'm pacing myself with those so I don't run out. However, Chris and Maureen, new friends of mine from Ketchican, sent me a few that they have taken in various parts of the state, so I'll share those with you today. Prepare to be amazed!!!

This is a picture of the sound in Juneau



This is Nome, AK

This is the lake in front of Mendenhall Glacier

And finally, the only place of these I've actually been to...

Ward Lake, in Ketchikan, AK



Pros and Cons of Involvement

Today I spent a lot of my time getting ready for my first trip without Randy since we've been together. I make that sound like a really big deal, but it's just two days in Ketchikan. For those of you who don't know, Ketchikan is like the metropolis of my area of Alaska. It's a three hour ferry ride (can we say "spendy???") but in return for cashing out and enduring the trek, you get McDonald's and Walmart!!! Yay!!! I heard there's a movie theater there too, and I'm about ready to sell a kidney to go to one of those. I miss those kinds of things, but not enough to regret where I am now. It's funny to think about, and I think it would be difficult to explain, but I'll try because I love you guys. :) When people ask me why I love it here, the first thing I think about is how beautiful it is, but I think what I love even more than that is the culture. The mindset of the people here is comepletely different than any I have ever experienced, and the way of life is refreshing in it's simplicity. It really does feel like I've gone back in time. But I digress.
I'm heading to Ketchikan for a Sunday School Teacher's seminar. Ha! You didn't know I taught Sunday School, did you?? Well, guess what? I didn't know I did either. The other day Randy and I started talking about how our lives just seemed to be focused on us and how unfulfilling that kind of lifestyle is. We are both incredible happy with the way our lives are going, and we just think it seems selfish not to spread that happiness around a little bit. Teaching Sunday School was not our idea of fixing this, don't get me wrong. I think I can safely say I would never have volunteered myself for a position like that- I don't know the first thing about teaching, and I don't know very much more about kids. However, it's turned out to be one of the best decisions we've made. We make a pretty good team, and the kids here are awesome. We're still getting the hang of things, and candy/bribery is used pretty frequently, but we love it. So tomorrow I set sail for some kind of seminar that I honestly don't know anything about, but I'm going to show up anyways, and you know why? Because life is just more fun when it's not about me all the time. I'm not saying all this to try to guilt you into cleaning trash off the highway or something (but go for it if you feel like it), but maybe consider the way your life looks through God's eyes: is He in control of it, or are you? The Bible says you can identify the people who follow the Lord by their actions, and your actions are something you can control. So give it up! You'll be a lot happier if you do.

Back to the Future...part two

I could start writing to you all about current things going on right now, but I think a lot of you need to catch up on how this all came to be in the first place, so we'll start with how Randy and I met. I went to Clear Creek Baptist Bible College, and I firmly believe that God not only called me there to learn more about Himself, but also because it would turn out to be how I would meet my future husband...in kind of a round-a-bout sort of way. My first roommate and one of my very best friends in the world was from Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, which I thought was completely awesome (and it IS!!!). She showed me pictures and told me stories, and my desire to see it for myself began to grow. At her graduation, I was blessed to meet a whole crew of people from Alaska who had come to celebrate with and support her new adventure she would begin, as she is now a missionary in Southeast Asia. I got to meet her parents (who are now the pastor/pastor's wife of my current church), and some close friends of the family (who are now my most excellant in-laws!). I later learned that my roommate's father went back to Alaska, and told Randy that there was a girl down south he needed to meet. Isn't it funny how the Lord works? But wait...there's more! The next year I was so lonely because practically everyone I was close to had graduated and left me, but thankfully, I met Melissa (who is now my best friend and sister). Well, I shouldn't say I just met her, because I knew her before, but this was when we really became friends. Hey, and guess where she's from? Yep. Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. She and I actually began to plan a trip up for an entire summer, and I couldn't wait. Meanwhile, she's telling me about her entire family, and let me tell you something- they are outstanding. I never thought anyone could  live up to the way she talked about them, but I've met most of them now, and they honestly do. I could never have dreamed of being so fortunate as to be a part of a family as wonderful as this one...but that's another story for another time. Anyways, Melissa got it into her head that her brother and I should meet because, "You guys are perfect for each other!!! I'm going to make him call you, and I'm going to make you talk to him, and you guys are going to get married." I knew that it would never work out, because for one, I wasn't all that interested in dating at the time. I thought I knew the way my life was going, and I thought I knew that I would never be with a guy from Alaska. I mean, how crazy is that? I honestly don't think it could have been anymore opposite of the plan I already had layed out for myself. Regardless of the way I thought, when we started talking, that little sucker pulled me in somehow. We talked for hours, everyday, and it never got boring. My mom would ask me every couple weeks, "So Taylor...you're not bored yet??" And everytime, it surprised me, because he was by far the most interesting person I had ever talked to, and BELIEVE ME, it is extremely difficult for me not to get bored on the phone. I hate phones. They're so awkward. We started talking in September of 2010, and he flew down to meet me in March 2011. We got married on September 23rd, 2011. Who would've thought?? I certainly wouldn't have, but isn't it comforting to know that, when you belong to the Lord and you put your life in His hands, it always turns out perfect? I guess I shouldn't be that surprised...after all, He flat out tells you, "I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you- plans to give you hope and a future." And that goes for all of you too. He has a most excellant plan for your life, and He's just waiting for you to stop trying to control it yourself. His plan is what you were created for- he made you with a specific purpose in mind, and nothing else can bring you the same satisfaction as following that plan. And I don't mean that in a "He's the boss, do what He says kind of way," even though He so is the boss. I mean, how on earth do you plan on finding something that can be anywhere near as fulfilling as what you were created to do? That's like a watch wanting to try to be an oven and bake a cake. Maybe there is someway that could happen, but it would be so much more fulfilling to tell the time. Don't you think? There's something wonderful about living like you have a purpose in life...I'm not exactly sure what mine is yet, but I am sure that meeting Randy brought me one step closer to it.