Adventures of Jen

Today has been overcast and about 60 degrees F. It kept wanting to rain, but not quite having the guts. This morning I set off for my run with Jack, expecting greatness due to the sea level altitude (not attitude) I've recently found myself in. I jogged at my gentle pace and made it all the way to the park across the street before I had to stop to catch my breath. Progress, yes, but not necessarily greatness. After starting off again I was able to make it about 4 more blocks before my heavily congested lungs decided they needed another break. I kept up this break-neck pace for about 15 more minutes before returning to the house, actually proud of myself for "exercising." That's when the fun began.

The sky was spitting just a little, and the mosquitoes were hovering voraciously, and I was thinking, "thank goodness I'm home!" I turned the knob of my front door to discover . . . it was locked! Fine if I'd brought the key, but I hadn't. So I paced a little, and tried to climb up to my front porch where, of course, I had actually left the door unlocked. No dice. I used to climb when I was younger, but those days are long over. In my classroom, whenever I can't reach something, I call for my monstrously tall student, Trent, who gladly helps us short people of the world (especially if he gets to make fun of us), but there was no way he could answer my call today! At this point I realize, of course, that my phone is nice and warm inside, so I can't call Matt. My landlady Joy, who only lives down the block, is on a road trip with her daughter for the next few weeks. She can't save me either. I pace some more, and decide I'm going to have to walk to Matt's work. It's only about 2 miles away, but he's the only person I know here who can help me! He's basically the only person I know here at all.

Just at that moment a truck pulls into our driveway. I'm thinking, "no way! A savior!" It turns out to be my land lady's daughter in-law, Kelly. She calls Joy and goes to get the spare key. While I'm waiting for her my neighbor comes over to mow our lawn. I'm a little surprised to see him, but I figure at least I don't have to mow it! I also hope he hasn't seen me lamely trying to climb the balcony and failing. He stops mowing to introduce himself, despite the swarm of mosquitoes around his head. His name is Luis, and he has a son who lives in Colorado Springs. He offers a ladder or a phone if I need one.

Kelly returns, and of course the key doesn't work. She then goes up into the unit next door and climbs over the connected balcony to our unit and tries a key on the back door. No luck. She comes back down and offers to go look again for the right spare key, but I tell here Luis has offered me a ladder so I can climb up to my balcony and get in. She replies, "Oh! I have a ladder!" And proceeds to extract the longest (thank goodness) ladder I've seen in a long long while. I help her maneuver it, and it's almost as easy as trying to walk a cat. Kelly, Luis, and I get the ladder up against my porch and I climb up. As I walk across the porch I hold my breath just hoping the door won't be locked up here too. I turn the handle, and hooray! I have access to my warm, lovely home.

I come back down through the front door to help Kelly maneuver the ladder back into place, and thank her profusely. She mentions that if I need anything else while Joy's away she's lives just down the street.

So I made an idiot of myself, and met two helpful friends while doing it. Aren't I lucky?

It's now drizzling slowly here and reminding me very much of Oregon: so green and wet. I know most days will be overcast like this here, but I'm hoping the sun comes out tomorrow anyway.

It's Jen's Turn Now!

So I finally get to take the leap. I leave Colorado in four more days to join Matt--and I can't wait! The trucking company came to pick up our car today, and it finally felt real. I'm moving to Alaska! I'm excited to see the northern lights, I want to see the belugas in Cook Inlet, I can't wait to experience my first midnight sun, and I want to hike, run, snowshoe, and ski my uhhhhhhh . . . . . thighs off. I'm really looking to experiencing this unique place with Matt.

Matt says the sun is now setting at about 11 pm and rising just before 5 am. I (and the two cats) will arrive (if all goes as planned) at 1 am in Anchorage on Memorial Day. That means the sun will rise only 4 hours after I arrive! He also says the sun has been shining every day, but that the air is still crisp. No sweltering Colorado summer for us! I'm looking forward to standing on our porch with him, and . . . I was going to say watch a sunset, but it's more likely we'll see our neighbor pee in his yard because the sun is setting so late.

It's definitely been a move with many stages, after it's all said and done it will have taken about seven weeks total to get everything and everybody up there. It'll be nice to finally be an official resident of Alaska! Now if I could just get that job . . .