Well, I'm finally caught up. I'm doing real well, loving school, and missing the heck out of Ryan as he's in Los Angeles for his four-month internship with the biggest PR firm in the world {I am so, so proud of him}. I'm getting into the swing of Spring term. Mostly it means everyone's working and no one's going to school, so I'm a minority. I'm trying to keep a balance between class and the summer stuff. Bonfires, parties, movie nights, hikes, roadtrips, etc. Spring term is a warm, sunny, non-stop party, and I love it.
     I recently was extended an offer to be a research assistant with one of my professors, and am starting training with that soon. Paid internship - check! I'm STOKED. Still working at Outdoors Unlimited and loving the way I learn new things every day, even if it sometimes means looking utterly stupid. {I did learn how to change a bike tube the other day though! Small victories, my friends.} I'm fixing up a bike I was given by a friend too. Just a plug for bikes: HAVING A BIKE IS SO GREAT. Especially in Provo, where everything you really need is within a few miles of you. I can get to a lot of places faster than my friends with cars do. Plus, no $60 per tank of gas that poor car owners shell out every week or so. I pity them. I grocery shop, I get to work, I go to the mall, FOR FREE. I'm unstoppable. I'm truly dreading the day I have to get a car...
     I'm also helping out at BYU's weather station, which is really pretty cool. Going to the temple every week with my roommate Katie and appreciating the way she gets me out the door to do fun things when I'm bemoaning the absence of my man. Keeping busy with a calling in charge of all the teachers in the ward. Writing my best friends on their missions and missing them like crazy. Playing on an intramural frisbee team. {SO fun.} Going to institute, getting together with friends for weekly scripture study, getting Katie to teach me to be domestic and kitchen-competent so I can impress Ryan when he gets back...
     I'm happy and very, very blessed. Life is good here in Provo.

A weekend in the best place.

Home. 

 This past weekend, I went home. Why? Well let me tell you. My brother is a stud. He runs on the varsity cross-country team. He's an awesome soccer player. He woos the ladies with his incredible piano skills and dashing smile. He was just accepted to BYU with a sweet scholarship. And as if that wasn't enough, he decided the day before tryouts ended that he would audition for our high school's production of Les Miserables. So he did. And what was he casted as? Marius. 

Modern day Renaissance man, that kid. 

My phone was blowing up on opening night, with current friends, family members, and old friends I hadn't talked to in YEARS all raving about his performance. And in a few days, I was home and watching it for myself. Merritt ROCKED it; gave me chills, tears, laughs, the whole shebang. It was the perfect weekend.

 We were Merritt's biggest fans {Not including the girl whose friends had to walk her over to Merr to get her to ask for his autograph, and who almost lost consciousness when she got a picture with him. And the little girl who hid behind her mom's skirt and held out a shaking program and pen to get his autograph. Oh and that one girl who openly flushed bright red when he put his arm around her for a picture.} 

Okay. So maybe we were kinda beat out by a few others. We did a few other things too, though.

 We hiked.

We were weird together.

We watched the Sounders beat one of the best teams
in the Western conference 4 - 0. 

 We potted flowers for Mama's Day.

We ate deliciousness.

And now I'm back in Provo trying to get back into my classes before midterms hit, but
with a noggin full of happy memories to help me through 'em. My life is good. [: 

I fell in love again.

With yet another place on this planet. Some know it as the Last Frontier. The Land of the Midnight Sun.
Maybe Seward's Folly if you're a history buff. I personally like to call it a Pacific Northwesterner's Dream Come True.  

But to most it's called Alaska.

Back in February, Ryan & his parents began concocting a plan to get him and me up to Ketchikan before he would have to leave for his summer-long internship. Slowly it all came together - I would cram my finals into the first three days of exam week, and then we'd move out stuff as needed, pack our bags, and get the heck out of Provo to spend four days in the chilly, green, wet north. 

So, after beasting my finals and struggling through a crazy day of final cleaning checks {Ryan did mine while I was at work. He's a keeper}, moving both of our stuff, an afternoon shift at work for me, and frantic last minute packing, we hit the hay at 3:30 in the morning and got up early to catch our flight. The only thing that got me out of bed was knowing that I was going to Alaska. Just the word was magic to me. I had been there once on a family cruise a couple years ago {I never blogged about that. Oops.} and was so ready to go back as less of a tourist and more of a local.

The change in geography was incredible, and I was literally bouncing in my seat as we descended through thick clouds and I finally got my first glimpse of Alaska. It was rugged and green; so different from the dry, brown Utah I'd just left. I was in love.

We took a ferry {A FERRY. How awesome is it to have to take a FERRY. TO YOUR HOUSE.} from the tiny airport over to Revillagigedo Island, where Ketchikan is. The smell of the ocean and the wind and the rain and the trees had me smiling like a weirdie from the moment we walked out of the airport. I got a quick tour of Ketchikan as we drove through {their church building looks like a wood-beam ski lodge. It's gorgeous}. Ryan's parents live in a gorgeous lodge-style home overlooking the ocean. I couldn't get enough of the view. And I couldn't have asked for better hosts for the week: The guy I love and his hilarious, incredibly generous parents. 

Couldn't get much better.

With only four days to show me the best of the best, and considering the weather (it rained the entire time. Ketchikan gets 13 feet of rain a year, so I wasn't surprised, or perturbed for that matter being the Seattle girl I am.} Ryan had to do some narrowing down of our bucket list. And yet, our days were still packed! It was AWESOME. My five most favorite things we did are as follows:

1) Hiked to Lower Silvis Lake. Despite pouring rain, we donned our rain gear, daypacks, and boots and puddle jumped/snowball fought/laughed/photographed/birdwatched/rock collected our way up the trail to the beautiful lake. 

I took the top picture, but I can't help but show this summer season picture I found online when I was finding out more about the place. Heart attack. I can't handle beauty of this magnitude. Anyways, during the hike, Ryan took us off the main trail to a TUNNEL that ran THROUGH the mountain. It was so. cool. SO COOL. He knows the way to this girl's heart.

See?? SO COOL.

My rain-soaked man.

Upon arriving home we promptly changed into dry clothes, hunted down every blanket in the 

house, and sat as close to the space heater as we could without spontaneously combusting. 

And looked through old photo albums. Perfect day. 

2) We spent almost an entire day in our pajamas playing Rummikub, snacking, talking, and finally

 deciding we should get out of the house and take advantage of the break in the weather to wander

 around downtown. 

 

I love this little seaside town. 

3) Ryan took me to the almost-a-century-old cannery that he worked at doing summer

tours when he was a highschooler. It was old, rusty, and absolutely fascinating.

Old records from when the cannery was in operation. You can see how many chum, pink, coho, etc. they caught that day.

And of course hot cocoa afterwards.

On our way back to the car we saw a bear! That black smudge in the center of the photograph... yeah that's it. 

It's the best my camera could do in the almost-night time.

Turns out he went into the woods right where the forest trail we were taking home was. So we 

waited a bit and then continued on, singing Beatles songs at the top of our lungs to avoid a 

surprise encounter with the little guy. 

4) We went on a date to Cape Fox, a fancy restaurant overlooking the city. Look it up next time you're in Alaska - I highly recommend it. Not only was the food great, but we got to take a lift all the way up the mountain to the lodge. SO COOL. The place is situated so that you're eye-level with the midstory of the forest, looking through the trees at the islands and ocean below. It was beautiful, peaceful, and cozy.

5) We rented a skiff and explored islands. 

Keywords: skiff, explore, islands. ALL DAY.

I was sold from the moment Ryan told me.

We got to wear super sexy lifejackets. 

Eventually we stopped at a particularly beautiful cove, tied up our dinghy and set off on foot. 

Absolutely every surface was covered in squashy moss and mini ferns. It was like walking on a trampoline. 

{As you can probably tell, this was my favorite day of the trip.}

PS: Those boots you see Ryan wearing? They're called Xtra Tuffs. Ketchikanians swear by them. 

I lost track of how many people I saw wearing them.

Skippin rocks.

My man is the best exploring buddy ever.

Had to get a picture of the rocks.

And so, I rest my case. After a trip like this, who wouldn't fall in love with this place? I miss the green,

 wet forests, the ocean, the wildlife, and the gorgeous black rock beaches. I even miss the cold. But now 

I can safely say I've got four days-worth of amazing memories banked up to help me get 

through an entire summer without Ryan... We'll see how it goes.

I'm in love with Alaska.