First day on the new Job!!!

I started my new job today!  Ahem...you are now reading the blog of the Office Manager for a small subcontracting company in south Anchorage.  Yep, that's me!  The office is very laid back, t-shirts and jeans, snacks provided, a little fitness room, bathrooms that need my attention, and a few very cool dudes that are eager to have my computer skills put to work! 

I have my own desk, and a large corner of an open office!  It reminds me a lot of GDI, as all the office doors are open, the partners wear jeans, allegedly comb their hair, and are just cool to be around.  I got to listen to music all day long as I worked.  I did some of my favorite things!  I organized drawers full of supplies in a way that actually made sense!  Next time, Wade will go looking for triple A batteries in the drawer with batteries!  I also got to doctor up an Excel document that needed some attention!

Ahhh....to be working again!  I am so glad to be working there!  Sure, I missed my first bus this morning, but the day was awesome.  One of the many blessings that came with my nearly 3 months of being unemployed in Alaska, was the amount of time I have had to learn the bus system.  Despite missing the bus that would have allowed for an optimum commuting experience, I was able to nearly without fuss determine an alternate plan.  In fact, I had two plans to choose from.  I love transit!  Tomorrow, I take the bike and that will make my trip home more exciting!  More than that, I can even take my bike and have a lunch time adventure in south Anchorage!  The Dimond center is not even half a mile away!

They were so great!  They encouraged me to make my office space my own and told me if I needed anything, to just ask and they will go and buy it!  I am certain, I can make do with what we have, but it is cool just the same.  Off I got to get some decent sleep!  Good night, World!

ej

Finally left Anchorage, up past Eagle River!

Loving Alaska!  Finally made it out of Anchorage to outside Wasilla (yes, that is where Sarah Palin is from and I think lives).

On our way out of Anchorage

my camera doesn't do it justice

it's so friggin' gorgeous

Chelsea taking aim

Chris picking a target

side by side at "the range"

about half "the range" it was a whopping $2.50 to get a range this awesome.  Thrift store cookie tins and their lids!!!  So much fun!

It was starting to get late...closing in on 9 o'clock

I love the trees and the mountains in the background

working on my gun skills

lots of clouds lately.  I love it!

just posing here...

Gave a talk at Church

I was asked to give a talk at Church on Sunday for the YSA ward.  It was cool, but I was so nervous.  I am still pretty new to the Anchorage scene.  I have only  been officially in Anchorage proper since the beginning of the month and I technically attend the family ward, so you can imagine my surprise when I was asked to speak in a young single's ward.  Two reasons:  one, I am not technically a young single anymore, and two, my records are somewhere else.  Just in case anyone is interested, here is basically my talk.

Enduring to the End

What does it mean to endure to the end?  This is a broad topic, and in the interest in time, I plan to focus on a small aspect.  President Ucthdorf has mentioned on a number of occasions the war filled childhood he experienced as a refugee.  He has said that during this time of despondency, his family came to learn and know of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  He says “This message made all the difference; it lifted us above our daily misery. Life was still thorny and the circumstances still horrible, but the gospel brought light, hope, and joy into our lives.”

As a convert, I have dedicated time to introspection of my life as it is, as it was and as it could have been.  I recall having three “tools” for coping with life without the gospel.  I called them “my gut,” the conviction of the idea about “light at the end of the tunnel,” and the “Jordan Side.”  Quickly, the “Jordan Side” I remember telling my friend in the 7^th grade went something like this “Vince, there is the saying that there are 3 sides to every experience.  The dark side, the bright side, and the Jordan side.”  It wasn’t just the bright side, since my logic based processor needed more than just an idea to see the good.  I always had to find more than the bright side, it had to serve a greater purpose to every experience, providing it was logical.  My “gut” I now call “the spirit.”  The convictions that there would be light at the end of the tunnel even though I couldn’t see it, I now call “hope.” And that Jordan side of things I call finding “Joy” in all things.

President Ucthdorf said “The plain and simple truths of the gospel warmed our hearts and enlightened our minds. They helped us look at ourselves and the world around us with different eyes and from an elevated viewpoint.” AS he spoke of joy, light, and hope, I’d like to spend a few moments that I have to center my comments on “HOPE” and finding our own way to see the world from that “elevated viewpoint.”

I remember challenging times in my life and working hard to convince myself that there would be light at the end of the tunnel, even though I couldn’t see it.  I wanted to see it.  I hoped to see it.  The “hope” that I would inevitably see or find that light, was my driving force.  When we lose hope, we lose desire to push onward towards the destination we have been seeking.  Without that intestinal fortitude to move forward in our temporal and spiritual lives, we will cease to engage in forward progress and in a sense cease to exist as the glorious children our Heavenly Father wants us to be.  I love this quote “Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness. Its absence—when this desire of our heart is delayed—can make “the heart sick.”

President Uchtdorf also refers to hope as part of a three-legged stool and with Hope, faith, and Charity, we can have stability in our lives regardless of what surface we find ourselves upon.  We find examples in the scriptures with The Apostle Paul that scriptures were written to the end that we “might have hope.”  We can all have hope, as it is a wonderful gift of the Spirit.  With a hope that through the Atonement of our Savior, power of His Resurrection, we will also be resurrected and through faith in our Savior.   I would like to echo President Uchtdorf's words “we have the responsibility to make it an active part of our lives and overcome the temptation to lose hope. Hope in our Heavenly Father’s merciful plan of happiness leads to peace, mercy, rejoicing, and gladness. The hope of salvation is like a protective helmet; it is the foundation of our faith and an anchor to our souls. ^{" -Amen.}

^ej

"Weclome to Alaska!"

2046 alaska standard time :)

And so it begins!  On Thursday evening I stayed home and enjoyed some time alone.  I watched "The Switch" and after it ended I felt sleepy like it was nearing my bedtime, but judging by the light coming through the windows I knew it was too early.  Or was it?

I checked my phone for messages and noticed that the time read as 2046 or 8:46 pm.  I looked at my phone, then looked out the window.  I looked at my phone, then out the window.  I walked to the front door and opened it, then looked at my phone.  I checked the time on the microwave, then on the stove.  Back to the front door, and looked at my phone.  Feeling out of sorts, and needing proof of it, I snapped a photo with my phone and sent it to my friend Grace (HI, GRACE!!!). 

2104 alaska standard time

 I just couldn't wrap my head around it!  LOL!  I mean, I knew that there was more light in the summer, but since there is still snow I didn't think that the extended daylight had begun so soon!!!  I was so excited, confused, and eager to share that I ran up to my room and decided to take another picture from my window.  The lights had come on by that time and I could still see pretty well.  In fact, I could see the mountains over the tops of the units across from my window.  It was after nine o'clock and still pretty light out.  As soon as I get a job and save up for a nice bike, I plan to be out on the trails and exploring the city by way of bicycle riding!!!

The weekend was quite nice.  It was General Conference and I was able to watch all the sessions!  Yay!  I also finished a book, and started and finished two others.  They were easy reads and fun.  Aunt Carolyn sent them to me shortly after arriving to Alaska.  Thanks, Aunt Carolyn!!!

My roommate is awesome by the way, and the friends I have made here are amazing!  I went to dinner with two girls I have made friends with and it was super fun.  We had Thai food, went to Baskin Robins, and talked until I couldn't stay awake any longer.  Good times, good times.  Here's to gaining lots of daylight!!!

ej