i'll be safe..

four tequila shots, three beers and the world's greatest
drinking partner at the Rendezvous.

Well Juneau, I couldn't have had a better welcome back! I started it the same way that I left it, at the Rendezvous, with the best drinking partner anyone could ask for. I can't wait to spend spring break with Anna Gutschi and I'm sure our drinking endeavors will continue through the semester, and hopefully carry out for a lifetime of crazy and sometimes messy adventures. Although, Anna and I are very different, she's a wonderful companion in every aspect of life. She is so supportive and very encouraging and super laid-back and I'm sure that this year would have been very different if she weren't here to spend it with me. :)

Right now I feel like so much is happening. This semester I'm taking roughly 20 credits, which is only 2 credits more than normal, but the 15 books I just purchased for school will definitely keep me more than preoccupied. A lot has happened over the past 5 months and I know that even more will in the following 6 months to come. I'm starting to plan a capstone trip in May with my friends (fellow ODS students) and this trip will definitely set me up for everything I want to do later in life, and that scares me. This trip will be huge, bigger than I could ever imagine and a lot can happen, a lot can go wrong. Last semester I felt that I was really pushed out of my comfort zone and I am starting to realize that, that wasn't even half of it. I'm so excited for what is to come and I am also very worried. I've struggled with my anxiety in the past, but this is a different type of anxiety, I think this is the good type of anxiety that people are meant to feel.

There are a few people (other than my drinking partner) that I'd like to mention. People that have stood by my side through every step of this. Of course, I have my parents to thank. They have listened to me bitch and complain, they have helped me financially and they have also pushed me when I needed a good shove. But, as usual, parents don't know everything. I want to thank the people who have listened to me frantically worry and maybe even got the chance to see that crazy woman living inside of my brain.

Mercede is definitely a good friend, I don't mind crying in front of her and apparently neither does she. She is one of the few people that I've become close with here in Juneau. Coming to Juneau was kind of my opportunity to start off fresh and leave the past behind. Most people know me as who I am now and not everything I've gone through to get to where I am. Although, Mercede and I decided long ago that we didn't like that part of it all, that we wanted someone who knew more about us. It has worked out for us quite well every since.

Douglas, we've only been friends for a little over a year, but man he knows me so well. I've shared so many stories that I'm sure he wished he never would have to hear, but he's been there for me every step of the way. I've done a lot, changed a lot since coming to Alaska and I think it only made our relationship stronger. I can't wait to see him, to hug him and tell him how much it means to me that he has been so supportive. 

Mendenhall Glacier and surrounding mountains caught in the fog.