- Laura Karr

An Extended Stay

       Did you ever think that a trip when you were fourteen would change the way you live for the rest of your life? 25-year-old Morgan Peters knew right away that when she came to Alaska with the Alaska Great lakes Project in eighth grade that she would eventually end up living in one of her favorite stops on the trip, Homer. “After going on the trip in 1996, I knew that Homer was a place I would like to return to. When I went to college I met a good friend who was from here and after college, she convinced me to come up for a summer and I never left,” Morgan said.
       Morgan has lived in Homer for three years and enjoys everything that the town has to offer. “ I love the view. I love the people. I love that it takes a little something extra to live here, and in respect, most of the people who do live here live without running water and wood heat,” said Morgan. “I’m one who thinks that life shouldn’t be all easy.” In the summer, Homer has a population of about five thousand people, but in the winter, the population is only about fifteen hundred. Homer is a town that thrives on fishing and tourism. “A lot of people come up here in the summer because they have summer houses here, but in the winter, you know who is in it for the long hall and the people here really form a bond.”
       Morgan is currently working at the Two Sister’s Bakery, close by the Homer Spit. She used to work at a local veterinary office were she discovered her love for animals, dog in particular. “ This last year I volunteered on the Iditarod dog sled race. It was hard because we were out there sleeping in gyms or anywhere we could but I would do it again in a heartbeat and I hope that I get to help again next year. Who knows? Maybe someday I will have my own team to run,” Morgan said.
       Morgan also dreams to one day be a pilot at the local airport. “ I can never stay at one job too long,” Morgan said. “There are just so many things I want to do, so many things I want to experience. Even though I love everything that I have done, I still want a new adventure.”