The Life Aquatic

Life has changed quite a bit since I was last here.  I am now living on a ship and have been for a week!  It’s everything I thought it would be and nothing I thought it would be at the same time. 

I got on my ship a week ago Saturday and already I’m amazed at what I’ve seen.  I’ve seen massive schools of salmon spawning at the base of a pristine waterfall from my kayak.

 I’ve seen a family pod of Orcas breeching in the crisp, early morning air.  I’ve seen the mist from countless Humpbacks and their massive and majestic flukes slamming into the water both mightily and gracefully at the same time.

 I’ve heard the sharp cracking and seen a mountain of luminescent blue ice tumble from the face of a glacier into the unbelievably blue-green water below.

Home Sweet Home

Last Week

Last week I spent the week travelling to see all of my family before I get on the boat!  I'll be missing the holidays and my birthday so it was really important to me to see my loved ones now!

First stop was Coarsegold, California for a quick overnight to visit my wonderful Grandma and darling Aunties...

Next stop was Redding, California to see my parents for three days...

Last stop was sunny Seattle, Washington to spend four days with my best friend in the entire world, my sister!

Now it's back to Flagstaff for my last night in my sweet little home.

The House That Built Me

Sitting here in my room, looking at the blank, bright orange walls that the 19 year old version of myself picked out, it feels a little like the last days of school (which, in a way, I guess it is).  I accepted a job on a cruise ship two and a half weeks before it disembarks, I'm giving myself a week and a day to visit family that I won't be seeing for the next 6 months, meaning that packing up the house that I've lived in for nearly 6 years has to be a fast and furious job- which is probably best for someone as sentimental as I am.

I am a sentimental fool.  To the extreme - anyone who knows me will tell you that.  So I can't really help but to get just a little bit nostalgic about leaving this home, although I am so ready and beyond excited to do it.

But this house is special, it probably changed my life, in fact. 

In 2004 I was an 18 year old dragged kicking and screaming in to the next phase of my life.  Flagstaff is a mere 100 miles from my hometown of Prescott, Arizona and not very different in size.  I didn't have to get used to 'big city' life, I didn't have to get used to a new climate, or even meet all new people (several of my friends already lived in Flagstaff), but I was still clinging to my old life- it had been such a great life, after all.  I spent the last half of 2004 and the first half of 2005 miserable in a dorm room and speeding down to Prescott every Friday after my last class ended.  I was a homesick mess.

My parents, savvy investors that they are, decided to buy a house in Flagstaff.  Their plan was that I would live in the house with roommates and pay them rent.  Great plan.  The problem?  I was desperate to move back home, quit college, go back to my old life (impossible right? once childhood is over it's over- try telling 18 year old Sarah that), and my old home.

My parents swear that they didn't do it to pressure me into staying, but having them spend the money and the time on the house was just enough pressure to get me to stay in Flagstaff, and stay in school.  Of course once I finally let myself get into the swing of things I fell into a new life that was just as wonderful as my life at home - but I've always felt greatful to the house for holding me here long enough to let me figure that out.  The whole course of my life could have been different without it.   

I have had six different roommates come and go in the time that I've lived here.  This house has seen me through the changing of so many seasons - I'll always be able to see it covered in the first snow of the year, or with baby green leaves on the tree in the backyard, covered in the yellow and orange of fall, or standing moodily and dark in the middle of an Arizona monsoon.  This house has been the site of two surprise birthday parties, several Cinco de Mayo (or Cinco de Drinko to my silly friends) parties, Christmases, Thanksgivings, Halloweens (even though we never got any Trick-or-Treaters) and then finally, Graduation parties.  This house has seen me through 3 boyfriends and 3 break-ups, countless heartaches and happinesses.  I hardly recognize the newly turned 20 year-old I was when I moved in.

But I love this house and I'll miss it very, very much.  It's the home my parents made for me when they knew theirs just wasn't an option anymore.  Everyone has to grow up and move on - this was once the place I had to move on to and has now become a place I have to move on from.  

Well, House - it's been great! 

Big, Big News

After 7 (SEVEN!) months of job hunting, I... have ...finally... landed... a... job!  It's not the great paying desk job in Phoenix that I had originally pictured for myself.  On further relfection it's actually probably something even better for me at this point in my life. 
As I had mentioned in an earlier post, my focus within the job search had been on any one of three options; a desk job, an "adventure" job or even the military- for now it looks like it's going to be a life of adventure for me.  Yesterday I was offered a job on a small, adventure/expedition based cruise ship.  This ship spends summers in Alaska and winters in Panama and Costa Rica, places I've never been but have always wanted to go!
The contract is for 6 months, during which I'll be working loooong days cleaning cabins, serving food and basically doing anything else that no one else on the crew wants to do.  I may only set foot on land a few times in 6 months and I'll be sharing a very small cabin with a complete stranger.  I could not be more excited!
There is every chance in the world that I may love this and there is every chance in the world that I may absolutely hate this.  Either way, this will be the greatest adventure of my life so far and maybe the first time that I've done something big and bold and completely on my own. 
As I mentioned I got the offer yesterday and the ship disembarks in 2 and 1/2 weeks!  Needless to say I am a little overwhellmed at the moment!  More on the process soon!

In These Shoes? I Don't Think So.

In a post a few weeks ago I documented my hike up Mt Elden and my interest in the Arizona 20-20 Challenge.  Since that time I seem to have abandoned the other few dozen peaks and canyons and gone straight for the gold... the top of Mt Humphreys!

 My somewhat unorthodox pose here was due to extremely windy conditions at the top

 

After my world wide (okay, California wide) travels over the past few weeks, I took two days to recover and then decided to get my booty up to the highest point in Arizona (and 26th highest peak in the lower 48 states).

My boy-bff and wonderful travel buddy, Matt and I took a scenic 4 hour hike from an Aspen lined meadow all the way up to a barren, volcanic mountain top.  Once we were out of the protection of the trees, the wind was overwhelming.  All of the hikers we met coming down looked a little harried and used charming words like "heinous" and "brutal" to describe the wind conditions near the summit, but Matt and I persevered.  Althoug the wind was a little scary at the top (almost to the point of hands-and-knees crawling at some points) it was one of the most rewarding hikes I've ever done. 

 About a mile from the summit... before things got really ugly

 Matthew

 This gorgeous vista is of the highest point in Arizona

 View from the top

A Solo Ten Hour Road Trip, Family and the Great Outdoors!

Here comes Part-Two of my travel stories from the past few weeks. 

After leaving Disneyland on Monday and arriving back in Flagstaff at 3 am on Tuesday, I worked a 12 hour day, slept a solid 8 hours and took off again.  This time to head over the river and through the woods (okay over the Mojave Desert and through Bakersfield...) to my Grandma's house for a visit with my darling Grandma and Aunties.  It was my first very long road trip alone and, although I was kind of dreading the 10 hour drive alone, I listened to some old cds (I know, how old fashioned- actual cds!) and gave myself over to the lure of the open road.

After a few days with Grandma, my parents met me and we spent two, wonderful days in Yosemite, sleeping in a tent cabin and hiking around one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

I've got at least 2 more trips planned for this summer, more on those later...

A Train Voyage, The Beach and The Happiest Place on Earth

You may have noted that this blog has been a little quiet for the last several weeks and that is because, as promised, I have been taking advantage of the fact that a.) it is summer and b.) I have yet to find a job that would require a set-in-stone schedule. 
I have lived in a place where there is a train running right through the middle of town for almost 8 years now and have yet to take advantage of that fact!  So, when I made plans to spend some time in Southern California with my friend Matthew, I decided to take the train from Flagstaff, AZ to San Diego, CA.  It was a 15 hour trip and an experience but I actually had fun!  Here are a few pictures of the trip...

 The train arrives!  (11 pm)

Relaxing in the huge Amtrak seats (waaaay more roomy than airplane seats)

Arizona scenery from the train

Train Station in LA

California scenery

After that long train ride we spent a few days basking in the perfect Southern California weather.

And then it was on to one of my all time favorite places in the world- DISNEYLAND!

After this great trip I was home for a day and then was off again- I'll be back with that trip later!