An excerpt from my journal February 23rd, 2009:
A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. So it began for me this morning, stepping outside my front door into the mild Seattle air.
I leave what is familiar to go to what is unfamiliar.
This will be an adventure - I am excited. But I am also a bit anxious because I'm not sure what will transpire.
Here at SeaTac [airport] - watching the sun come up.
Goodbye Seattle... Hello to adventure.
________
I returned to Seattle April 9th, 2009, early morning, after about 6 weeks on the North Slope of Alaska working as a construction inspector on a bridge construction project in the Prudhoe Bay area. During my time there, I worked each day, seven days a week, covering a shift from 6am to 6pm, except for a few days that I traveled to Anchorage for more training.
It's kind of funny to think about, but 6 weeks roughly correlates to 40 days - kind of like Jesus' 40 days in the desert - only it was 40 days for me in a frozen desert. The correlation doesn't end there; I think it was also a time of testing for me on several levels.
Am I glad I did it? Yes. But would I do it again? Well... not in the near future at least. It was hard - challenging and draining physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Initially, the trip was only supposed to be a week and a half. Thru a series of events, it turned into a solid six weeks away from home.
Home. I am glad, very thankful, to be home. But I am also thankful for the opportunity to taste life up there and thankful for the experience.
