Rest of week off 07/05-07/10.

Monday- Most of Monday I spent relaxing but I got asked if I would go down to Anchorage and help with the luggage run for a team coming in. I agreed so that night I drove down to Anchorage and picked up all the teams luggage with only one little snag. I forgot to check the back of the car we just picked up and when we opened it up in front of the team, it turned out that the back had a bunch of hay everywhere. After we scooped out as much hay as possible I drove the team's luggage back to the hotel they were staying that night that was super fancy in technology but at the same time looked and smelled like a place you would stay at for cheap and went to sleep.

Tuesday- Once I woke up I had to get the luggage up to the Willow where they would be staying which is an almost two hour drive from Anchorage. The Willow is a former hotel that has been used as a place for abused women or women trying to get clean of drugs used to stay at while they got help. Before I started my trip up to the Willow, I stopped and got a Goat Kicker from the Kaladi Brothers Coffee and let me tell you that thing tasted amazing. Red bull mixed with Italian soda and different shots of others things woke me straight up for the drive. Once I dropped off the luggage I got to meet Herkimer, a big mountain dog that lives at the Willow. On my way back to where I was staying I passed Millers Ice cream, which is the main office where amazing ice cream shop Little Millers comes from; so you know I had to stop there and try their ice cream too, which was also quite delicious.

Wednesday and Thursday- Both days I set aside as rest and work days but my body decided that they would mostly be used for rest. I was able to get some work done to get ahead with my school work but it seemed like all I wanted to do was sleep or lay in bed, which is quite reasonable after spending three weeks doing 16-18 hour days everyday. Thursday night I did go out and got some pizza from a really great pizza place called Kniks Pizza and went to a really small park that was right on the water and ate my food while looking out into the breathtaking water.

Friday- I got asked Friday to head over to the staff house to help clean and make beds for an upcoming team that was coming that night so my day consisted of that. I of course tried to make it as fun as possible, one way by trying to be a twin sized mattress cover on to a queen mattress and it did not go too well. I also had my first call with Kole, the foster kid I was partnered with on my first trip who I gave my number to and had an interesting call with him which was definitely a new experience since he basically wanted me to keep promising things I could not promise and I had to watch my wording very carefully to not give him false hope. I also had a really great conversation with our director who reminded me that as I was getting ready for this next trip working with Reach 907 again that no matter how many researched and helpful techniques to help the team deal with the information they are being told, the first and best thing we can do is pray about it.

Saturday- Saturday Diana (the other trip leader on this trip) and I got the cars cleaned and ready to use for the team this week. Then we went on the Reeds Lake trail, which is one of the most popular trails to go on in Alaska. It is 4.5 miles to the top and back and it was a trip full of amazing views. At the end of the trip is supposed to be a crashed bomber from the 1950's but we could not find it no matter how much we looked, yet we had a really good time talking about our upcoming trip and just getting to know each other a little more. On the hike down I struggled hard due to rain we experienced while there that made the trails super slippery and I basically slid down the whole mountain (or on my butt every few seconds).