It's funny how someone can change your life, by just enriching it. I have a "new" friend. He's not a new friend...but he's kinda new to me...or rather we used to live together at one point, but now I'm getting to know him better....
Okay, he's a friend of my baby brother. At one point, my friend, Pretty Bird, lived with us during one summer when I was maybe a teenager. We did not get along. I remember one specific screaming match. He told me to clean the house and I told him to get off our couch. Good times. Anyways, we reconnected on Facebook, but I never gave it much thought.
I don't even remember how we started chatting but we did and he's really into music. So he would share different songs with me. And he introduced me to dubstep. It's a kind of electronic music. I used to love techno but got away from it. I had never heard of dubstep, but now, I love it. And I find myself playing music a lot more. I've actually gotten away from watching movies all the time. Which is nice cause I'm dancing around my house a lot more. So, Pretty Bird has really brought some fun music into my life. He's not a coffee-house guy. But he's a good guy and I've been enjoying getting to know him better. I mean, the guy really is adorable...and a lot funnier than I remembered. All of my brother's friends are pretty witty come to think of it, but I didn't remember Pretty Bird being so funny. But then again, who's really at their best as a teenager?
So teenagers, take heart! The guy you hate today may become someone you really value in the future!
Another event that happened was my 36th birthday. And it was a very good birthday. I baked a bunch of cookies and invited some kids over to wish me a happy birthday. Five girls ended up coming to my house. Two girls were from my class last year and then the other girls were older, say middle school. We ate cookies, they tried on my jewelry, played on my kindles, and laid on my bed. Oh! And they lavished attention on Dakota and my cats. It was fun.
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| Dakota getting some love |
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| Trying on my jewelry |
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| Dakota @ 1 1/2 years old |
I was invited to spend the day in Bethel for a girl's trip last weekend with a friend of mine from another village. I didn't tell anyone I was going, in case the trip fell through. I got a seat through seat fare, which is cheaper but then you are at the mercy of the bush airline.....and it's risky.
Oh, but I made it to Bethel. No problem. In fact, I wish I had brought my camera, because the flight over was one of the loveliest flights I have ever had. It was still dark but the full moon was yellow and so large, it illuminated the tundra and the frozen river. It was such a beautiful sight. So I made it just fine. My friend, on the other hand...eh...not so lucky. The plane that was supposed to get her had some maintenance issues. So it never showed up in her village. She waited out on her airstrip in well below zero with the wind chill for a couple of hours. She started feeling ill from the cold and called it a day.
So there I was in Bethel. By myself. With really nothing to do. I didn't really need to shop and I really went to just hang out with my friend for the day. I had started texting my friend, Pretty Bird, while I was waiting for my friend. So I just kept texting him. I went to one store (working ATM), where I bought a book to read, and then I went out to lunch (yummy club sandwich), and then did a little shopping at another store. And I just kept talking to Pretty Bird the whole day. I took him step by step with me.....and it was almost like I spent the day in Bethel with Pretty Bird. I would explain things about Bethel and my day as they came up.
There was one hairy moment though. I did not have my ice cleats and the ground was pretty icy. I took a cab (which the heat was turned on to 90 degrees) to the restaurant. From the restaurant, I just had to cross a busy street to go to the store. So I'm reading my book, texting Pretty Bird, and enjoying my lunch when a nagging feeling starts to hit me.....how dangerous would it be for me to walk across the street? If I fell, it would hurt....but I was also about to cross a busy street. Did I want to chance falling in front of a car?
I could take a cab across the street. I was starting to consider the $5 cab fare as a "safe passage" fee. Pretty Bird was no help by the way...."be safe" can mean so many things. So I asked the lady running the restaurant (possibly the "Connie" at Connie's Place?) if she thought I could make it. She thought I could, as long as I hugged the edges. By the way, if you cross a street, there aren't any edges.
But I thought, "Alright, I can do this." And you know what? Yeah, not a big deal. I took my time, but after 3 years, I have learned how to walk on ice. If you've never walked on ice before, you can't take normal steps. You have to place your foot on the ice with your weight evenly dispersed. So I walk slowly (and prefer wearing cleats or stabilizers) but I can walk it now. Geez, I remember trying to cross the street in Anchorage fearing for my life that first year I was here. Life is funny.
So, after my last shopping trip, I arrived at the bush airline a couple hours early. I had my book (Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult about a school shooting in a small town) and became engrossed in my book. Before I knew it, they were announcing my flight back to Akiak (an hour early mind you, but I wasn't going to complain) and I was on my way home. It was certainly one of my weirder adventures but I never really felt lonely. I had my friend, my book, and my wallet....I was fine.
That is one of the key things for living out in the Bush. Nothing goes according to the plan. EVER. Weather will change things in the blink of an eye. And sometimes, there is no reason why something doesn't happen. The best thing anyone can do, is enjoy the moment and find the fun. You have to roll with the punches or you will hate it out here.
And it really helps if you can surround yourself with fun people who help remind you of the comedy that is life.....I have several good friends who make me laugh. And those are the people I turn to at the end of a hard day. And when all else fails, I can always crank up the music and dance it out! I have friends for that too.....
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| Dakota Cuddles |
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| A Gift From One of My Girls |
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| A New Qespeq Made By Me!! |
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