My Phenomenal Alaska Trip: Part One: A Post by Conservative Girl with a Voice

Many of my regular readers may be wondering why I have not been blogging in recent days. For the past year, I have been planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Alaska, and I am very excited to write that I am typing this post from a hotel room in beautiful Anchorage, Alaska. My sister, Krisha, and Kristina Lazzaro, a fellow organizer for the 2012 Draft Sarah Committee, and I have had an amazing trip so far. We have been going non-stop since arriving in town. My good friend Eddie Burke, who's running for Alaska's lieutenant governor, and his amazing wife, Linda, were there to meet us at the airport, which was so sweet of them. After meeting us, they took us to the trendy Anchorage restaurant The Brewhouse where I had a great halibut dinner. I highly recommend this restaurant for anyone who is looking to experience true, Alaskan flair.

There are so many memories that I have already made, and I cannot wait to experience more great sights. We have gotten together with so many great people and had a lot of fun and, oh yes, crazy experiences. Everything from spending the day going to the local flea market, souvenir shopping and visiting the world's largest chocolate fountain with great friend Tracey Porrecca to hanging out with Alaska State House Candidate Jason Cline on his birthday. The people here are real people, and I could totally see myself living here.

One of my favorite days so far was spent attending some Memorial Day Veteran events. I have been privileged to assist Eddie Burke in his campaign for lieutenant governor. As the only veteran in the race for lieutenant governor, Eddie knows firsthand what our military men and women experience when they leave their homes and families in order to keep us safe. The veteran events were very special and personal to him for several reasons. Our military men and women need to be thanked everyday, not just a couple of times a year. The events I attended yesterday in Anchorage and the valley reiterated just how important it is that we support our military and do everything in our power to support them. I had the privilege of speaking to many members in the crowd as well as some of the speakers, including Congressman Don Young, Senator Mark Begich, Senator Lisa Murkowski, as well as a couple other state leaders. All of these individuals were very friendly and I enjoyed speaking with them. I have photos that I will be posting soon.

I also finally got the chance to meet Rishi. Many of you may know Rishi as my favorite liberal. Politics aside, he is a pretty cool and let's just say unique guy, even if he likes to tease me and call me a "sorority girl" - Ha ha. That is not the only liberal I had the chance to meet. Right after I wrapped up talking to Senator Lisa Murkowski, I was approached by blogger Linda Kellen-Biegal. You may all know her as "Celtic Diva." At first, I did not recognize her, but she knew exactly who I was and even pronounced my name right. I think she was a little shocked that I reached out my hand to shake hers, but she agreed. Let's just say we had an interesting, yet very civil conversation. I even asked to have my photo taken with her, and she agreed. Click here to read her account of our meeting each other face-to-face for the very first time.

Our final Memorial Day event out in the Valley was a very memorable stop for me. As my sister took photographs of the event, Eddie introduced me to another Lieutenant Governor Candidate, a guy we palinistas all know very well: Jay Ramras. I also saw the other candidate in the running, Mead Treadwell, in attendance. I also got the chance to speak with Joe Miller, who is running for the Senate against Lisa Murkowski. He and his wife, Kathleen are great people. This was a great event, and I can definitely see why so many individuals love living in the great state of Alaska!

I have been to quite a few beautiful places, but after arriving at my latest stop in Wasilla, I do not think there is a state that is more beautiful than Alaska the last frontier. There is just something very special about its majestic beauty that seems to continually call my name. After staying in the Anchorage for the past four days, my sister, Kristina Lazzaro and I just arrived at a beautiful, undisclosed part of Wasilla. The place we are staying at is phenomenal and top notch. Not only is this place peaceful, but the people are so friendly and welcoming. I wrote this portion of my blog post while sitting outside in daylight, and it was just after 12 a.m. Since it does not get truly dark for another hour or so, I thought I would come down and sit by the lake and continue this blog post, which I am finally posting today. As I listen to the sounds of the birds and the jumping of the fish, I am reminded just how amazingly good God has been to me. I prayed long and hard about this trip, and I knew that if God wanted me to travel to Alaska, he would open the door. I have already experienced so many great and wonderful memories, and I know I have many more great memories to come. Eddie and Linda Burke and their amazing family (great friends), Tracey Porreca (our wonderful friend, Alaskan mom and tour guide), J and Bev Perdew (who took us on an amazing drive around Palmer and Wasilla), Jason Cline and Danny McDonald (our crazy, fun guys) have been so welcoming, and it has been so fun to experience their Alaska. It was also real special to go over to Chuck and Sally Heath's house last night for desert and coffee. Chuck is such a cool guy and even gave us the whole tour of the house. It is so amazing and has an awesome museum feel to it. It is because of all of these individuals that I have met the wonderful people I mentioned above. It is true when you hear how kind and welcoming the people of Alaska are. They are the real deal. I am signing off for now because Kristina, Krisha and I are getting ready to attend Eddie Burke's daughter, Ericka"s, wedding today in Anchorage. Stay tuned because I will be back again soon to blog and post lots of photos. And, oh by the way, for those of you who keep asking: Yes, I have seen Joe McGinniss' house, and I must write that Todd did a pretty good damn job constructing that fence!!! Way to go, Todd!!!

(Make sure to spread the word and follow my blog Conservative Girl with a Voice as well as my twitter account @rachellefriberg for my Alaska-trip shenanigans.)

Giving Back: A Post by Conservative Girl with a Voice

Our veterans deserve the best America has to offer for all the sacrifices they have made in serving our great country. When I heard Sarah was going to be a part of a benefit auction on eBay to aid wounded veterans, I was so excited because I knew this charity would greatly benefit from Sarah's star power. I am so happy that a great woman, Cathy Maples, from Huntsville, Alabama, won the chance to have dinner with Sarah and Todd with a winning bid of $63,500.





As a great supporter of our men and women in uniform, as well as an ardent supporter of Sarah, there is no doubt in my mind that Cathy is going to get to experience the chance of a lifetime in meeting Sarah. As I was watching the news (Fox News Channel) this morning and drinking a cup of coffee, I was thinking about what an awesome experience Cathy would have in meeting Sarah when I saw a story that truly touched my heart. It is stories like the one I am about to describe that makes me truly thankful to be living in a country where so many great individuals and organizations do so much for our great men and women in uniform. It is this story, fellow readers, that inspired today's random thought post.





The inspiring Fox New's story focused on the outstanding work of The Lakeshore Foundation, a non profit organization that serves people with disabilities. The foundation's motto is: "healthy, active, independent." According to the foundation's website, Lakeshore serves more than 3000 people with physical disabilities each year. The individuals they help range in age- from six months to those in their 90's. According to the Foundation's website:

"Lakeshore meets their critical needs for access to exercise and recreation opportunities--needs that can't be met elsewhere. We are setting a standard in this country and changing the perception of people with disabilities."

Not only does the foundation allow disabled individuals the chance to experience many of the things we may take for granted, it also allows them to experience the fun with their families.





This weekend, the foundation has invited 30 injured veterans and their families to take part in activities they normally otherwise would not be able to partake in part of what the foundation calls "Operation Rise and Conquer." Think of your own life- think of all the outdoor activities you do without so much as a thought. Now, think about how hard participating in these same activities would be for an injured veteran. This puts life into perspective, doesn't it?





This weekend, brave men and women from across the country, who have given and sacrificed so much, are finally going to be able to experience the joys many of us get to experience on a daily basis. For injured veteran Orlando Pettis, this means the world:

"It (waterskiing) was amazing! Just to know that I'm able to do stuff that other people take for granted that I can do. It's just amazing."





Fox New's Channel's Marianne Silba asked Orlando what being able to participate this weekend means to him as an injured veteran to which he replied:

"Coming here is amazing because it not only brings together the injured military from all across the country, it also brings the family members. It shows us that it's not only competition, it's not only just going and leaving with a disability. We can do this other stuff and have fun with our families and our service members, just get together and be together."

For men and women like Orlando, they will get to participate in amazing activities such as waterskiing, target shooting and archery. This organization adapts these experiences to fit the needs of the veterans. For example, when waterskiing, veterans can sit or stand- how amazing!




For many of the 30 veterans and their families, this may be the first time they have been able to experience sports activities together since being injured; therefore, this weekend will allow them to re-connect with their loved ones, which is crucially important.





There are over 34,000 injured veterans living in America today, and The Lakeshore Foundation will continue to be a service to these brave men and women as they have been to so many since beginning "Operation Rise and Conquer" four years ago. It is so important that we have organizations like The Lakeshore Foundation. Many of us forget the important fact that just because a service member comes home, does not mean that the rough times are over. Our disabled men and women in uniform are so important and need to feel as if they are no different than anyone else just because they are disabled. The Lakeshore Foundation is setting the bar for this and making sure our disabled vets are not forgotten, but instead built up and made to feel that there are no limits, only limitless possibilities.



To learn more about The Lakeshore Foundation or to contribute, visit the foundation's website: http://www.lakeshore.org.




(I'm a Conservative Girl with a Voice!!! Visit my blog and become a follower: http://www.conservativegirlwithavoice.com. I'm on Twitter too @rachellefriberg.)