So this is me...curling. It's a little out of focus, and I'm sure this photo hasn't captured the complete funness and joy of it all, but let me say if I had $180 I would be part of the Anchorage Curling Club. :)

In other news, I have completely fallen in the keeping in touch with my friends and family (or at least I feel that way) via blog, e-mail, phone, or other means of communication with all of the stuff we've been doing the past few weeks. We had our first retreat this past weekend out at Birchwood in Chugiak, which was great!

Aside from feeling like we're going a mile a minute, things are good. It STILL hasn't snowed, but is supposed to next week. Next Tuesday, the low will be 21...which is BRRRRRR!

I'm looking forward to this weekend as well. Tonight, I'm going to 4A's production of a play to spread awareness of HIV among teenagers out at APU (AK Pacific University). Tomorrow night, we're going as a house to a sweat lodge with a bunch of homeless inebriates for Spirituality night and also hang out with an FJV from 2003-2004 who's moving to Wisconsin on Saturday. Saturday, we are going to clean the house and fridge (they're both grody) and get our Halloween costumes (we're going to be foosball players) for our Halloween Party next Friday. And then, on Sunday, we're invited to our neighbors' house...a couple who's wife is cr@zy fun!

So, yeah, simple life is hard sometimes in AK when all these great things are going on, but I still think I should value it all because it's getting darker and darker and colder and colder, which means I'll want to stay in and bundle up.

I miss home and my friends a bit. I miss my mom. She did sent me this awesome Halloween package consisting of two skull shot glasses, tons of chocolate, stationary, and cookies (Milanos and such...mmm...). Shouts to the moms. And, I'm still serious about people coming up...word on the street is Andy Ward might be coming up...and I know at one point Nick wanted to come up (what's up with that, kiddo???), and hopefully, more will want to next spring and summer...

I don't know if I'm coming home this year or not. It actually looks like not. For a number of reasons: 1. Flights are expensive...like over 700 bucks to Mobile. 2. I'm going to L.A. the first part of December for my brother's wedding celebration so I'll see my fam, and hopefully, see Clare. 3. I think it'll be nice to commit to staying away from home for a year, even though it might get hard. I'm already set on staying for Thanksgiving and Christmas (our entire house is), which will be weird, but good, hopefully. We're all either working or volunteering on Thanksgiving. So, that'll be good.

I know tickets are expensive, but please please think about visiting me. I'd love it! Whether it's in the summer or winter, there's TONS of outdoorsy things to do. I can't wait to snow shoe and cross country ski and downhill ski and ice skate and play hockey and have snowball fights and make snow angels and watch the snow flakes fall on me. And then warm up with hot chocolate or hot tea. MMMM...

Okay. That's enough advertising AK.

More to come later...I've been bad at blogging...so more to come soon!