It's so Close I can Taste it... Literally!

It's 1:30 a.m., my MacBook crashed and I'm in hell week of Fall Welcome.  Today's been a rough day and I just needed to write.

I made my final trip to Kawkawlin before leaving for Anchorage this last weekend.  AND I HAD THE MOST AMAZING MEAL EVER PREPARED IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND!  This is not a joke.  Mama and Papa Braman, G.Rider (Grandma), and Aunt Sally have got some mad skills in the kitchen.  There was not one thing that was not perfect.

M-Jizzle and Daddy-o teamed up on the main dish, ALASKAN SALMON, fresh caught by a friend from church- prepared as the Alaskans prepare their Salmon (recipe from Issa)!  Mama made twice baked potatoes, fruit salad, homemade rye bread, and mud pie.  G. Rider brought over some fresh cole slaw, and Aunt Sally brought her famous beans.  I mean, this dinner was perfect.  All of us ate so much we could barely move!  It beat any holiday dinner we've ever had and even Daddy-o ate some salmon! (of course this was followed by a couple hot dogs, but props to the guy for going out of his comfort zone.)

This was followed by a night out with some of my favorites: Laurel Denay, Lauren Beggs, Jenny Marter, and Katie MacMillan.  We had a blast on Midland Street.  It's sad knowing that was my last bar crawl in Michigan for quite some time.  But, I was with my favorites, we caught up, shared memories, talked about our dreams for the future, and laughed and danced more than you could ever comprehend!  Thank you ladies for a perfect night out!

Forgot to mention, when I first got in to Bay City, I got to see Kelsey Satkowiak.  That girl knows how to make a guy feel special!  I value every chance I get to sit down with her and just catch up, reflect, and laugh.  I'm surrounded by love everywhere I turn!

Well, the visit wasn't very long lived, but luckily I got to grab lunch with Tiffster, my BFF, before I headed back to Kalamazoo.  Again, more catching up, more memories, more laughs... and then even MORE LAUGHS!  She is a blessing to everyone she meets, especially our family.  And now I can't wait for her visit to ALASKA in July!

So, I'm back in the Zoo now, with my last 2 weeks filled with work for Fall Welcome, office hours with my amazing team, and doing my favorite thing in the world- welcoming people to WMU!  It's crazy to think I'm so close to Alaska, the cold, moose, and ISSA & JAIME (!!!!!!), but at the same time I'm just trying to focus and value every second left on this amazing campus in this beautiful city.

Well, I need to head home and catch some sleep before I am back in here at 9am.  Wish us luck with this Fall Welcome- it's promised to be among the best in WMU's history!

Did I mention I had to get rabies shots because of BATS in my house?!

Alaskan Fun Fact: Kodiak Bears, which are native to Alaska, can grow to be 1,400 lbs and 11 ft tall.