From Fashion Boutique to Steer Manure!

On April 11th, Grandpa Tim brought out lots of treats for us in his fancy pilatus airplane.  Once again he donated his time and plane towards Young Life's outreach here in Galena.  This time he brought out a group that our Young Life leader had organized to help put on a fashion boutique and to do some outreach in the community and at the dorms.  He also brought out some more dresses that different people donated for the girls to wear to prom and at the fashion boutique.

Here is the Big Lake crew that came out to help.

Our wonderful helpers for the weekend posing with Tim and his plane.

The plane arrived around noon so only Marina and I were able to run out to say hi to Grandpa Tim before he took off again and to welcome the group along with some other local Young Life volunteers. 

Marina enjoying some fresh produce that Grandpa Tim brought out.  Thank you Grandpa Tim!

After Grandpa Tim and the plane left, the group ate lunch and then went to the church to decorate and set up the dresses and the tuxes.  Some of you may be wondering what this Fashion Boutique is all about?  A few years ago, there was a lady at the dorms who had a little collection of dresses for the dorm girls to try on and see if they would fit for prom, but four years ago, the Young Life leader here had an idea of organizing something similar on a larger scale.  Now you have to understand that there are no clothing stores here and really no chances for these girls to try on dresses unless they were to spend over $400 to fly into Fairbanks to try them on.  Therefore most girls either wouldn't get prom dresses or they would order them if they had enough money, not knowing if the dress would fit for sure or not.  Therefore, Kim the Young Life leader called a gal who had been out here before on a few mission trips and asked if she would like to organize a prom dress drive for these girls that live in the bush.  She said yes, and that first year of the Young Life Fashion Boutique, Tim flew out 160 beautiful dresses that people had donated for these girls to wear to prom.  Through the past four years since it started, there have been tuxes donated for the guys to try on and wear to prom as well.  The fashion boutique is a girls/ladies only (sorry no boys/men allowed) event held after the girls have tried on their dresses and a chance for the girls to model the dresses they have chosen to the ladies of the community.  Beforehand, there is a time for the girls to come to the church to get their hair and makeup done.  A speaker is usually brought out who talks with the girls about inner beauty and how yes it is fun to dress up, but what is really important is our inner beauty and asking Jesus to live in our hearts and guide us.  This year a wonderful Christian lady who has quite the testimony talked about her addiction to alcohol and how Jesus brought her out of that addiction and changed her life.  After the boutique the dresses that the girls have chosen for prom are reserved in order for them to wear to prom in a couple of weeks.  

Last year was my first year here, so I went to help the girls out with trying on dresses and to see what this fashion boutique was all about.  I then got suckered in to being IN the fashion boutique.  I wasn't too excited about it as I am NOT the model type or a person who likes to get up in front of people, but realized it was something fun to do with the high school and junior high girls and a chance to get to know them more.  This year I decided to do it again since Tabitha, my friend was going to be in it as well.  It is fun to see the girls get all dressed up and feel pampered and special, but it is a stretch for me to model a dress in front of a crowd, but hey at least I did it! 

The sign on the outside of the church.

The church turned into a dress shop!

They even made chalk board signs for each dressing room.

Local ladies who are seamstresses volunteer to alter the dresses.

More beautiful dresses!

I didn't put pictures of the gals modeling their dresses in this post because I didn't know how comfortable they would feel with that, so you just get to see pictures of me.  Sorry.

I thought this was a beautiful dress with all the sequins and bead work.  It is quite wrinkly though.  That's what happens when a dress sits in a box for a year.  I didn't have time or the means to get the wrinkles out but that's ok as it was just for fun!

After wearing long sleeve shirts and lots of layers since August, I felt strange 

having my arms exposed.  Burr, I was still cold even though the church was warm.

All the beautiful ladies who modeled dresses!

Tabitha, who talked me in to modeling again this year.  Tabitha had just played in a basketball game that I was suppose to play in but decided not to since I had all our girls with me.  Ross was out getting wood.  She had a busy day from basketball to modeling!

Aubrey and Mackenzie came with me to watch and decided they wanted to get dressed up as well.  Aubrey kept saying she wished she could get up on the stage and model.  I guess she didn't get her Mother's dislike of being up in front of a crowd.

A cute picture that a lovely new friend that came out with the Big Lake crew took of Aubrey.

My beautiful girls minus one.  Marina decided to stay with Dad because Grandpa Tim was flying in to spend the night with us before flying the Big Lake crew back.  She wanted to make sure she was there when Grandpa Tim landed his plane, but he ended up not landing till after the Boutique was over.

After the Fashion Boutique we came home and got changed and then went to meet the plane.  Some of you may be wondering why I titled this post "From Fashion Boutique to Steer Manure!".  Well here is why!  The plane was coming out empty so our Young Life leader told us we could put some things on Tim's plane.  So when Grandpa Tim landed, we unloaded the plane and one of the things that our German "redneck" friend put on the plane was sacks of steer manure!  You see the dirt isn't very good here.  In fact it is mostly sand, so people have to make up their own dirt mixtures and this steer manure will greatly help the production of his future garden.  Martin was trying to think of something quick to send out on the plane so it wouldn't be coming out empty so he grabbed some steer manure as he only had about a half hour to get it to the plane and it was something heavy he would have to pay for the shipping on later when the barge would come.  All the guys that were helping unload were saying they were going to give Martin a hard time about being tired of putting up with his CR*#!  I was thinking I have been around a lot of manure in my life time with growing up on a ranch, but I never thought I would be unloading a load of it from and airplane all the way up in Galena, Alaska!  That's ok...we are willing to put up with Martin's steer manure because he  was nice enough to run around Anchorage and pick groceries up for us to send out on the flight and because they are our friend and that is what friends do.  Martin and Silke were out for a SEND missionary conference and spent some of their time running around getting stuff for some of us back in Galena.  Thanks Martin and Silke for taking the time to do this and for being our awesome friends, even though we give you a hard time!  And also thanks to Grandpa Tim for being willing to haul out whatever is helpful to those that reach out to the kids here!

There were many things that came off the plane that day, but the best thing was Grandpa Tim!  We were blessed with the opportunity to host Tim for the evening.  Seeing the girls with their "new" Grandpa sure made me miss having Grandparent figures around.  I see that the girls really are attracted to Grandparent figures.  So Grandparents, you want to move up to Alaska???  I don't think it will happen, but we sure miss all of you!

The girls with Grandpa Tim, standing in the cargo compartment of his plane.  

The sun was blaring in their eyes so sorry Tim and Aubrey who didn't have sunglasses!

After church we went out to the airport to say goodbye to the Big Lake crew that came out and Grandpa Tim.  As we drove up and while everyone was getting loaded, five Black Hawk helicopters landed.  The girls enjoyed watching them hover above the ground all the while sending the snow on the ground flying everywhere.  I don't know what they were doing as the air force base is no longer here.  Maybe out practicing some routine things...I don't know, but it was a treat to get to see them.

The plane is almost loaded.  I think Marina would have snuck on the plane if she could have.  After the plane and Grandpa Tim took off, she had a melt down.  She kept saying, "Why did we ever have to leave town?  I wish we could have stayed in town with Grandpa Tim (referring to the last time we flew to town with Tim).  I wish we lived in town."  I told her we can't live in town because Daddy's job is in Galena.  She then proceeded to say, "Well you could come live in town with me."  I asked her if she would miss Daddy and her sisters?  She said, "No, because my sisters boss me around all the time!"  She also said she wanted to go some place warm and she wanted the snow to melt away and she wanted to get on a plane and go to her cousins house.  So many opinions for such a little girl!!!  I do think she really enjoyed our time in town because she got lots of one on one attention from friends and Mom and she really loved that time with Grandpa Tim, however it looks like we need to have some talks about contentment! :)

Speaking of contentment...I am ready for Spring, so I am having a hard time being content with it still being Winter outside, especially when my parents are branding and I see all these pictures of everything budding out down in Montana!  I keep thinking the snow is going to melt away and then it snows again.  It is getting warmer (27 degrees right now) and the days are nice and long (sunrise 6:11 A.M. and sunset 10:41 P.M.)  I am thankful for the longer days and the warmer weather for sure, but I am ready for the snow to melt away.  My husband however wants the snow to stay.  When the snow is gone, he feels hemmed in because he can't get out on his snogo and explore plus he is trying to get as much wood as possible right now before he can't haul it with the snogo and sled.  The girls keep hoping the snow will melt away so they can ride their bikes.  When the snow first melted away a little from the road (that is where it always melts off first) the girls were so excited that they could see dirt and not just white everywhere.  In fact Marina asked me what that dark stuff was?  Then every time after that, that we went outside she would get all excited when a little bit of dirt was showing through where the snow had melted away!  Sorry Dad, I guess you are outnumbered by all of us girls, but it looks like your wishes are coming true as I look outside right now and see snow falling and falling.  Well the other day the girls got tired of waiting and pleaded and pleaded to ride their bikes.  I told them the road was slick and it might be hard to ride them, but they didn't care.  We went for a walk and yes it was hard to ride them with Aubrey's tires constantly slipping out from under her on the snow packed road, but they had fun and enjoyed the sun!

Aubrey

Marina on the trike, Mackenzie on her bike

Enjoying that beautiful sun and the warmer weather!

A good song to remind all of us, especially myself about contentment.

“Be Thankful for what you have, Have an Attitude of Gratitude,
Being Thankful in all you do, Will bring contentment to you!
Appreciate the gifts you see – Your home, Your school [work], Your family;
Be generous in all you do, So others can be thankful too!”