49th and 50th bound!!

Much to catch up on as last I blogged we were planning our next big adventure...St. Kitts and Nevis! I've moved more in the last few years than I'd like to admit and THANK GOODNESS we don't have much stuff. That being said, moving is still such a pain. Especially when you're moving packing up your life in a truck with two dogs to drive across the country. The last little bit in Alaska seemed like a blur as we dealt with the stress of figuring out logistics for St. Kitts and getting the pups down there all while trying to soak up every bit of Alaska that we could. Looking back I wish I had had more time with friends but I have a sneaking suspicion it would never feel like enough. To ease the pain of saying "goodbye" to good friends you're reminded it's only a "see you later".

Cliff and Kathy were able to make it for one last AK visit. The girls! On our way to Hope, AK

Scott and I's "St. Kitts or bust" dollar at the Salty Dawg Saloon

Unfortunately I can't claim that this was Cliff and Scott's catch from their charter ; )

View of the harbor on the spit

Modest Mouse at the Moose's Tooth w/ Aubs! Scott is showing off our VIP backstage pass

A couple of great people I wish I had had more time with. We were able to meet up at the Milky Chance concert. Ashley and Matt lived in St. Kitts as Ashley went to Ross. She's is an inspiration and role model and I couldn't have gotten here without her.

Last few shifts at Jack Sprat! I was lucky enough to be able to work the beer garden summer series with Sioux which was always a blast. And of course since it's Sioux and I we had to coordinate some sort of outfit haha

FOREST FAIR 2016!!

Crow Pass

Definitely missing the Bake Shop!!

Fireweed

Alyeska hikes Alyeska!! Aly and I conquered the North Face trail and rode the tram down. We were definitely huffing and puffing up the mountain, but it was well worth it for the views.

Taking a break.

Onwards!

We made it!!

Had the chance to pet sit my favorite critters again! Love this big island dog Mongo

Chili, Mongo, and Folly....always entertaining.

Chili <3

Scott and I ventured out to Caribou Creek cabin in Hope for an overnight with the pups. Love the views on this hike.

The queen bee.

Of course I dropped the bear spray right after this picture...at least it didn't explode!

We had a couple of really great goodbye parties before we left. We are blessed to have such good friends in Alaska. Thank you to everyone at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and our buddies for the great send off!!

Danelle brought this cake with these toppers (future me and Patron! haha) I even brought the bear figure to St. Kitts with me for good luck and to remind me of my end goal when things get tough.

My two favorite Alaska old-timers. Rick (our Portage neighbor and AWCC co-worker) and Henry our landlord.

Dancing the night away with Henry

In typical Scott and Kate fashion we had our going away party the day before our last full day in AK...which means we found ourselves scrambling to pack up all our things and somehow fit our belongings, two dogs, and us for the long drive. Somehow Scott managed to fit everything!! I don't think you would have been able to fit a fart in that truck after all was said and done. And just when I thought things couldn't have been more hectic this happened...

Scott proposed!! While I was stressing and running around the house thinking of all the work we had left to get done he managed to stop me for a minute to get down on one knee. Though I had ruined "the plan" that morning, refusing to head over to the wildlife center where we met because I wanted to pack, it was perfectly imperfect for us. And the best part was we could share it with our Alaska family and then head out for the long drive with no signal to bask in the excitement of our new future together.

All packed up and ready to go...

time to hit the road!

The road trip was by far the best vacation I've ever had. If you ever get a chance to make the drive I highly recommend it. Scott and I saw a ton of wildlife and gorgeous view and view. To save money we loaded up on snacks and would tent camp along the highway. We chose to make a stop in Calgary for the night in a hotel to spoil ourselves with showers, a comfy bed, and a night out. Though it was much needed, it made the rest of the trip's routine a bit harder haha. We only managed to get lost once (while Scott was sleeping I drove the wrong way for two hours!!) and once we hit the flat land of North Dakota decided to drive through the night to get to Scott's hometown after making a stop in Thief River Falls to meet his grandparents. The dogs (and us) were so excited to have a fenced in yard to run around in when we reached our destination and relief from the car.

A typical sight.

Yep...that's the highway.

Beautiful British Columbia. We fell in love with Canada, in particular Whitehorse, Yukon.

Photographing caribou.

Mama and her calf

Scott chopping up word for our campfire.

We made it to three national parks on our trip, Jasper, Banff, and Glacier. Jasper (pictured) was our favorite.

Bull elk.

It was SO hard to get a picture with these two in the parks with all the tourists around. We heard many different languages but one word that always stuck out was "husky" or "wolf" which always made us laugh.

Athabasca falls

The animal version of the Beatles crossing Abbey Road ; )

Lake Louise

Johnston Canyon

We made it to Glacier!

One of the best parts of the trip was being able to meet up with Jonathan (our fellow former-AWCC intern)

A couple of stand up men and I.

Haystack Falls

Sadly the only dog friendly trail was closed due to brown bears but we were able to make some stops along the way.

Aly taking in the views on the Going to the Sun Road

Yahtzee fun while camping!

After 3200 miles Bear is ready to play catch with Cliff in the yard

After a quick couple of weeks in Shakopee visiting with family and friends I headed out to St. Kitts to start veterinary school. Scott followed about a week after me to join us for the end of orientation. It was so stressful getting everyone down here but once all four of us were together again we focused on settling in. Life is definitely different here in St. Kitts, but we've loved our time here thus far and look forward to adventuring more and diving into the culture. My first semester was a whirlwind and I never felt like I caught up, but such is the vet school curriculum. It's hard to believe I'm already on break and have one semester under my belt. I was able to reach all my personal academic goals and really enjoy the new challenges and knowledge along the way.

My orientation group on our catamaran trip! My "ross family"

Showtime! Our driver for the week of orientation.

Romney Manor gardens. There is a beautiful Saman tree (not pictured) that is 350 years old!

Our stop at Black Rock on our island tour.

Campus during a sunset. I often find myself at Ross for most of the day and sometimes into the evening between TA sessions, tutoring, or studying. It makes it worth it with a view like this.

White Coat Ceremony

The feeling of wearing this white coat to signify the start of a dream I've worked hard towards was great. To be able to share it with Scott was even better. Thanks to our friend Ben for capturing this moment!

Beachfest at Reggae!

Study buddies/family/future colleagues

One of our usual neighbors. Instead of moose and bears, we have monkeys aplenty. With the mango, guava, lime, and tamarind trees in our yard we've gotten used to seeing these characters around.

A typical Saturday or Sunday morning during the semester for us. Scott and the dogs lounging on our porch while I study. In the last few weeks we've been getting some killer breezes.

My vet school partner in crime. AMANDA!

I'm not the only one who was eyeing Manda's pizza...

Scott and I's regular weekend activity is going to market. This woman let me take a picture of her and her stand. I love the old scales they use.

Riding the penny train! When we need a little taste of America we play the penny slots at the Marriot casino. Fun and cheap entertainment. I even won $12!