If you can't change your circumstances, change your attitude.

I stole this picture from my supervisor. It's the snow capped Icefield and I think it represents much of Alaska to me. Alaska is so free of human impact. It is full of mystery and has the ability to make you feel small in a world that all too often seems to be shrinking. I think that is why I love my job sooo much. People can come to our base and be in the worst mood possible but once they come back from seeing the Juneau Icefield, they can't help but be happy, emotional, or touched in some way. Most people say it is life changing. Most people claim it's the highlight of their trip, if not their life. I am glad I can share in the experience. I thought I would share a few stories that have left an impact on me.
Story 1: A few days ago I was giving a safety briefing on the bus, heading towards the helicopter base. These briefings are boring and similar to what you hear on an airplane, except longer. Most of the time the people will sit smiling just to appease the employee. When I was finished, a few ladies in the front row were asking about my degree and where I want to end up teaching. This happens a lot. One of my favorite things is meeting the tourists, seeing what line of work they are in where they are from. I guess they like getting to know our workers too because I often get asked about my life. "How long have you lived up here?" "Where are you from?" "Are you in college?" What's your major and will you stay in Alaska when you graduate?" Anyways, I told the ladies I was hoping to get to the east coast and warm up a bit. I could use a good tan and let's face it. Once you have lived in the Virgin Islands, everywhere else seems downright freezing! In the back of the bus was a sour looking man who never smiled during my briefing and seemed annoyed and my cheerful personality. After everyone was off the bus the man approached me and smiled. He said he was a superintendent in Florida and would like to give me his contact information after his tour. I was thrilled. I know how had it is to get a job right now. However, I knew that when the tour was over, he would probably forget and I would be out picking up more tourists. To my surprise, he left his information with a pilot. He even remembered my name.

Story 2: I remember a year back when a family came in to take our Dog Sledding Tour. A mother and her adult daughters and son. They were extremely emotional when they returned. Every member of the family was crying and the daughter came up to me and my coworker and said her mother had only been given a short amount of time to live. Cancer. They were so happy the entire tour that no one would have guessed this was the case. They were making the most of the time that they had and this is a family I will never forget.

Last Story: Yesterday, we had a group of folks come in. One gentleman was in a wheelchair and another had difficulty getting around because of his muscular dystrophy. We have several "wheelchair bound" people that come in because we are the only company with a handicap lift fit for our helicopters. However, when we hear that we have people that are handicapped coming in, we get a bit nervous. Some people can be very nice when you try to help them. Some seem very bitter and everything you do aggravates them. These people were amazing. They were so high on life and ready to have a good time. The guy in the wheelchair was extremely grateful to be able to take our tour and kept thanking us. He was inspiring and made me realize that the things I complain about are small matters compared to the hand this man has been dealt. Also, I noticed a yellow jacket on his beanie and you know I love my Georgia Tech. We had a great conversation about GT sports and he told me that he is coming back next year and will bring me a hat. Haha. He made my day.

It's people like these that your mind will never let you forget. They make you appreciate the life that you have and remind you that, while you may not be able to change your circumstances, you can always change your attitude. They surprise you, like the first man. Or they brighten your soul, like the last.
So, I am going to take my own advice. It is rainy and cold here today. However, the rain seems to make the green grass and trees sparkle. The plants have been without rain for a few days and seem to have perked up with the showers. I have the day off and while I would love to e out hiking on a nice sunny day, I will take this time to knock out some homework and maybe catch up on some casual reading. Plus, I have been a bit under the weather lately and it will do me good to stay indoors and eat some hot soup. Haha.

"Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."

My life suddenly became very crazy.
This job at the helicopter company is taking up a lot of my time and I am finding it hard to finish off the tiny bit of my Political Economy class that I have left (that, and I just hate the class so much that the last few chapters feel like death). I have been arriving at work early and not finishing up until late. I can't really complain because I know that I can use the extra money. I would love to treat myself to a nice little vacation before my student teaching begins. We'll just have to wait and see.
As of right now, I have only two lessons left in my class before I can take the final and be done with it. Unfortunately, on May 23rd I have another class starting up. A class that involves a lot of reading. You can skim a book on the economy and get the gist. It's hard to skim a novel...and, according to the syllabus, we are planning on reading anywhere from 2-6 books a week. This class lasts until August and I just hope that I can find the down time at work to get in some extra reading. Again, we'll see....
It seems like a lot of my life is up in the air right now. I like to plan things out. I like to make lists before I go to the store and I enjoy having an organized agenda. It makes life easier. However, lately, I feel a bit lost. I have about a year until I need to know what school I will be teaching in. I have no idea where I will end up and that completely frightens me. I don't know what my financial situation will be for this next year or even the summer after. I may have to work at this helicopter company again before I am able to get a job teaching. It all depends on the economy. I have no idea whether I will even be able to go home for my nieces birthday. I have managed to make it home eary year on her birthday since she was born. I hope I can do it again this year but we'll see....
Overall, I am doing well. The weather has been wonderful the last two days. It has been about 65 with blue skies. If I weren't working, I would probably be hiking one of the awesome trails around here. I have met some new people at work and the season is off with a bang. I even met a tourist today from Atlanta who is a Georgia Tech Women's Bball fan. Kinda cool, right? This job is constantly reminding me of how small the word has become.

I managed to snap a couple pictures of the helicopters early in the morning a few days ago. The fog was heavy and we were waiting for it to lift before we could fly.
For taking them with my tiny camera phone, I thought they turned out great. It's beautiful days at work that make my life easier. Most of the past summers I have struggled to keep up with this blog. Hopefully, I can find the time to update it better throughout this summer. BUT we'll just have to wait and see...

Happy Mother's Day!

I think it's Sunday, right? The days and weeks have been running together lately. Most of the time I have no idea what the date is. However, I went to church today so I KNOW it is Sunday.
This past week started off with me running a few errands. I sent Mother's Day cards out and a baby shower gift to a close friend, all back in Missouri. I ran by the school to scan and fax a few pieces of homework. Then ran to the gym where I (literally) ran some more. The day was devoted to getting everything caught up before starting work.
That's right, work started for me on Tuesday. I work at a helicopter company, as most that read this blog know. We are seasonal and fly tourists to the middle of the Juneau Ice Field to walk on glaciers or go dog sledding. Anyways, I showed up and was greeted by the base manager. For some reason this guy intimidates me. He is slightly awkward and doesn't smile often. He also does this weird eyebrow twitch when he talks to you and his eyes never seem to blink. All that combined makes me want to avoid conversing with him, if possible. But there I was walking towards the helipad when I noticed he was heading my way, his eyes seemingly glued open. He stopped me to ask if I wanted to take a different position at the base. A little bit later we sat and spoke in the dispatch area about two options. I was offered two different positions, one which I would be inside tracking helicopters by GPS, answering phones, updating the tour schedule, and listening for emergencies. The other was just a step up from my current job. Instead of fueling helicopters, loading passengers, and doing manifests, I would be supervising it all. I enjoy being outside, so I took the latter.
My new title is Assistant Supervisor (AKA Lead Ground Crew). My new uniform consists of a glaringly bright orange (construction like) coat or jacket, and a headset with a microphone (I don't do this job to look pretty lol). I have to stand on the helipad and tell the pilots where or where not to land. I also do fuel inspections now, every morning. Besides a ton of odd jobs, I am just in charge of making sure everyone below me is doing a good job. We have some great workers this year and I am excited for the season.
My training has already started. Just yesterday the President of Disney Cruises came through. This is Disney's first year coming through Alaska and we are the only company they are flying with. On the flip side, they are really picky and I thought there would be more children. Maybe later in the season.
So, here I am on my one day off this week, writing this blog about my promotion, when I should probably be doing homework. YES I am still doing homework. Graduation was last weekend but my classes are lingering on a bit. Hopefully I can finish them up this week. At the end of May, I have another class beginning. I know that in the future I will look back and miss college but right now, that seems unlikely. For now, I'm going to keep plugging away at my final projects and keep working as much overtime as my body allows. What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger, right?


"Go ahead and land 188. Pad three and shutdown."

As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. - James 4:16

I had just finished my Political Economy homework and was making a 'to do' list for tomorrow (Monday) when I noticed a twitter comment. All it said was "Anyone know why Obama is suddenly giving a speech?" I don't have a TV and was tempted to just ignore the comment. I figured it had something to do with the tornadoes in the south and the damage they left behind, or the rising gas prices (which are $4.20 at the cheapest places here). Curiosity got to me though and I clicked on the twitter comment to open it, which showed the various replies that had been made. One said that it was about national security. One said that President Obama just wanted to interrupt Donald Trumps show. One said that Osama Bin Laden had been killed.
My mind stopped for a moment before flashing back to September 11th, 2001. I was in school (8th grade) and the teachers had been advised over an intercom not to turn on the TV. Every teacher,except mine, turned on the footage of the attacks. Class was let out shortly after and everyone was talking about what they had seen...some were crying...some laughing. I was confused. It wasn't until I returned home and sat down in front of the TV that I realized what had happened. The news channel kept playing shot after shot of the airplanes hitting the towers and the pentagon. I didn't know what the Twin Towers were or the Pentagon at that time. However, I did know that an attack had happened on the Unstoppable, Unbreakable, All Mighty American soil... My thoughts about security changed at the moment. During the day I would wonder what would happen if bombs hit the neighboring towns. Would it blow down our schools? Would they be writing books about the poor American children like they did about the Japanese kids after we dropped the atomic bomb? I remember wondering if we should move out of the country, but what other country is safer than the United States?
My mind came rushing back as I dialed my family members to ask what their TVs were saying. It was true. President Obama was scheduled to speak about the death a few moments later. Then I rushed to the campus housing lodge. There I sat, alone in the dark, staring up at the anchors debating about how Osama Bin Laden was killed. Debating how President Obama would look when he gave his speech. I was waiting for them to start pointing fingers as to which political party should get credit for this historic event. Finally, Obama made his way to the podium and gave his speech. I was happy to hear the way it ended.
"Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America."

I didn't want to cheer. I didn't want to dance. It seems weird to celebrate someone dieing. I know this person was responsible for killing innocent people but it was hard to watch the anchors smile as if the war is over and as if WE were finally going to also stop killing innocent people in the name of justice. I have a sinking feeling in my stomach that this could just be the beginning. You know, that feeling after you have just pulled off the best prank ever but now you have to watch your back because the returning prank is bound to be twice as grand.
I love my troops. I love my country. But I cannot sit around cheering about someone who was just killed. Instead, I am going to pray for our country, our troops, our leaders and for ALL the families that have lost loved ones in this war...Not just Americans.

"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring." -Proverbs 27:1