I made it to Maui!!  But first I should tell you about my amazing last few days at the wildlife center.  Andrew made it with Jillian.  I took them around the center and they got to see the babes, do a musk ox bottle feeding, and meet Jewelie and Snickers.  Unfortunately it was cold, rainy, and super windy but at least they got to see most of the animals.  J.B. even stood up and opened his mouth for them.  That night us interns all went to karaoke in Girdwood.  It was a blast.  The next day Sarah, Scott, Jeremy, and I headed off to Palmer to go to the Alaska State Fair and see Big n Rich and camp at Sarah's Aunt's campground.  I finally saw belugas on the way headed to the point on the Seward Highway.  Once we got to Palmer we set up camp and headed off to the fair since the traffic was so bad.  The concert was so fun but really short.  After we walked the fair a little and the sun set with Pioneer Peak in the background was gorgeous.  When we got back to the campground Aunt Jenny and Uncle Ron were still up so we got to spend some time with them in their awesome camper.  After a bonfire we hit the sack only to wake up to a rainy day.

I also got a chance to take Andrew and Jillian to Virgin Creek Falls (Jillian wanted to see a waterfall) after work and get some dinner in Girdwood.  We walked through the Alyeska Ski Resort and a bit of Winner Creek trail but Andrew was being a big baby about walking through this upper class resort when we weren't staying there...just kidding Andrew ; ) checking to make sure you read this still haha. 

I couldn't have asked for better weather my last three days in Alaska.  Gorgeous and sunny.  My last two intern days were spent with Christina and Ian and just Erin and I my very last day.  Talk about relaxing!  Jeremy also made me a brownie cake with cream cheese frosting that Marcie, Pat, Scott, Christina and I ate right out of the pan.  It was a hard good bye thats for sure.

Today I arrived in Kula, Maui at the Surfing Goat Dairy.  Thomas the owner picked me up at the airport and gave me a beautiful fresh flowered lei (my first one!).  I can't believe I'm here.  He talked about the sugar cane fields and irrigation for Maui on the way and we arrived at the beautiful surfing goat dairy complete with palm trees and lovely pastures.  It's been a VERY dry summer I guess with only 2.5 inches of rain since November.  Quite the opposite of Alaska.  I came in around 11 am so Angela showed me around and I met a bunch of people I won't remember already haha then I settled in and moved into my new home for the next year.  I'm living in a rubbermaid shed next to two other interns/apprentices and get the shed all to myself.  It's pretty nice!  I can open both ends to get a good breeze at night as well.  It's definitely that awkward first day of me settling in and reading my manual trying not to pass out while everyone around me is busy working.  I'm looking forward to getting started and learning the ropes.  I hate the first week of a job...especially when it's so foreign.  But I'm staying optimistic...I can tell this will be a great place to work where I can really gain experience in the ag field.  Reading up on goats and health procedures is already getting me really excited to apprentice.  Another nice perk is communal dinners (one of which we'll be having tonight) and you can use the company vehicle for whatever as long as your communicate.  I'm anxious to see more of Maui.  So I have tomorrow off and then Saturday I'll start at 9 am by going on a Grand Tour with some visitors and learning the basics.  Below is a pic of a couple of goats who just loved to stare at me while I was in my shed reading.  Goats are so funny.  Tonight we all had dinner together as a "farmily" as Erin (one of the apprentices) calls it.  There's also Alicia (an intern) and Dan (head apprentice).  I think I'm really gonna like having dinners together, it was relaxing.  We also have 5 barn cats and 4 dogs.  I wanted to keep my shed open tonight but there's flying roaches haha.  The lei Thomas made me smells so sweet and amazing I wish I could just bottle it up.  Hopefully it dries out nice and I'll be able to keep it.  Off to bed!  It's only 9:30 but I'm exhausted...everyone else is going to bed too.  From my first impression and talking to the others this job isn't going to be easy but I'm looking forward to the hard work...and learning to drive the tractor ; )