Merry Christmas!!

I hope everyone is having a fabulous Holiday Season!

Yesterday I stayed over with the Cavan's and it was great! Albert was checking on Santa's location about every 30 seconds. Once he was in Oregon, Albert was off like a shot and in bed. (Normally, he fights it and finds every excuse to stay up.....it was so cute!) He was so excited...this morning, he ran in and was wide-eyed with awe. Both Thomas and Albert were great to watch opening their gifts!

We actually had Christmas Dinner on Christmas Eve and it was both very yummy and very nice. Sylvia's Mom is visiting, a surprise for the boys, and she made rolls that reminded me of Sarah's. For a minute I was home at Mom's and 14 again ;)

This week, I got to to play Chrsitams Carols in a small winds group. It was a lot of fun. We played twice at the grocery store and then did for Christmas Eve. A couple of the high school students joined us. We even got gold coins (chocolate) from Father Christmas.

I hope you all have a fabulous Holiday Season!!

Schools Out!!! (Almost...hehehe)

I am so excited I can't sleep.....oh, we are going to have a planning meeting for choir for fundraisers. We are going to make cheeseboats!!! I am so excited.

Today we caroled through the halls for choir....I had to laugh. It is a 15 min "normal person" walk. We did it in 7. It was great. Tomorrow is the t'ninkling performance and it will be amazing to see all 130 kids together. (Today the teachers learned our dance. It was quite and interesting experience even the admin participated....Needless to say, the music teachers caught on really quick. Eventually everyone had enough of a grasp on it to be prepared for tomorrow.)

Weather report....warm and rainy. (In the 40's hehehehe)

Eternal Humor

So, last week I was called in to talk to one of the members of the Bishopric. They started into a full blown interview (so I got nervous) then he extended the calling of second counselor in the Primary Presidency. (I laughed) He waited. I accepted and then got really excited. He let me know the change would happen in January. Today I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a truck. I did make it in for ward choir practice (Christmas performance is next week and we have only met twice.) As I greeted members of the choir they congratulated me....the change had been made today.

I am honestly excited about it. We have a lot of great kids in this area and I am glad to be working with them. The President and I are a lot a like, fortunately the first counselor is also a strong one that can distill and direct our excitements and strong wills in the correct manner. As always, there us a lot of work and it scares me to think of that level of responsibility to help teach and train those who were more valient than I. It is all vary exciting...Anne get ready for a lt of phone calls (I am over music)

Facebook is the place to stay connected!!

So I checked out facebook for the first time today....ya I know... Oh my gosh! Everyone is on there. The school actually encourages the teachers to have a facebook account and doesn't block it on the school server. (My space, not so lucky.) It was really cool to see some people from a lifetime ago. It was way fun to see who was on and where they are.

So, the snow is gone. It has been in the fourties for the last few days. We've had cloud cover, but no rain so there were a couple of days that I didn't bother with a coat or even a jacket...(I can hear Mom gasping now....yep, there was my entire name escaping her lips....wonder when I'll get a phone call.) The wind has been pretty uptempo which has cut off a lot of phone calls....ya, that's the story I'm going with...the wind. ;) Today brought a bit of sleet and tonight it is clearer so there will be lovely ice tomorrow...so much fun!!! Hopefully we will be able to see the Aurora Borealis (northern lights) this season.
K, enough with the weather. Had our Holiday Concert last Tuesday and It went really well... My band and choir both went well and our actor was fabulous. We had a song called The Chritmas Present and we had one of the 6th grade choir kids unwrap gifts with the vocal cues...one of the gifts was my empty Wii box. When he unwrapped it you could hear the kids in the audience ohh and ahh, it was great. Both groups are growing and I am excited for their progress.

The last day of school for the calendar year includes dancing performances for the kids that they learned during pe. the 7th and 8th grade students are doing line dancing and the pe teacher in the 6th grade was informed he had to come up with something different. So, we're tininkling. It is fabulous!! (6th grade pe only meets every other day when the 7th and 9th have it every day.) We decided to combine forces (poor kids) so the kids go during their general music slot from Wednesday on. I am so excited about this. (We are using a Bob Marley Christmas song.)

Talked to Clint this week a couple of times...he finally got a phone for his birthday. (An envy.) Today the phone called me all on it's own...smart phone. Reece really sounds like he is growing up, I can't wait to get pictures...hint, hint. I am sad to miss Clint's first time passing the sacrament, I can't believe how much both Reece and Clint are growing up.

Back Friday....Alaska Style!!

Black Friday was amazing on so many levels!! It was our huge open house, so I ended up staying late Thursday, finishing that up. The report I had on Wal-Mart was so packed and everything was gone in about an hour. (There were no towels left by 5:10 am.....I don't think anyone does a sale like islanders!!!) Forget the electronics department it was nuts! Fortunately no one brought any children that weren't old enought to fend for themselves. No, I didn't brave it. Why? Amazon.com had the same deals and free shipping....hehehe

I did go to Mack's sporting goods and it was great!! It was so packed and the lady had a hard time unlocking one of the entrance doors. People were not happy but patient. I got socks and a hat that is kinda like Sarah's. It is so warm and fun and the whole rack was gone in less than 10 minutes! I cannot tell you how much I love my socks!! They were all wool and one is called smart wool. (One of my collegues told me how great they are and they are so right!!!) I almost didn't get a pair. They are kind pricey but they are so great. They are thin in texture but are so warm and have so much support!!!

I also went to the True Value and spent $10!! I got a tool set, nails and a heavy duty Flashlight.... I was so excited! Yes, I didn't splurge and in no way can I compete with Beth, but I was proud of myself and it was great to be a part of it. Next year I will brave Wal-Mart or maybe even fly into Anchorage (they have a mall there.....crazy stuff!!)

Driving around was amazing, so many people were out!! That has been the most traffic I have seen since I got here. I was told that the Day after Thanksgiving is much bigger here than the day after Christmas since that sale doesn't happen until January because the Russian Orthodox Christmas is in the first part of January.

It had been raining all day but the snow was so thick that it left everything very icy. It was great walking down the road to the stores at 5:30 in the morning after parking a couple blocks away. We had our open house and it was great!! It was the first one of the season and with no tax and free shipping my little stock went like hotcakes! (New one coming in next week....hehehe) We are going to have another one on the 12th for all the last minute shopping. It was so much fun hanging around with all the different groups. I am totally hooked on Princess House dishes they are gorgeous and so heavy duty! At Home America has some of the cutest stuff and Party Lite has some great decorative things too!! I was so good though and didn't spend anything!! (It was very hard!! Demarle's silicone bakeware and Pampered Chefs 20% off stones were so tempting!!)

Well, I gotta run to a Birthday Bash. Hope everyone had a great time!!

Thanksgiving....yum, yum, yum!!

Oh, the food.....I was so full after the yummy turkey, stuffing, potatoes, veggies, sluice (part sluch and part juice) and pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin turtle pie that I really could have rolled home! We had it at the Cavan's and we got to write a little card on what we were thankful card and read it to everyone. It was so nice! The feasting lasted approximately 45 min and the recovery time of 15 min before anyone moved from the table. :)

It was really a nice time. It was the first time I haven't been around family at Thanksgiving and When I smelled the turkey I also expected the smell of Mom's house too. I missed it, but it was still very nice. I am very glad that I have been able to have all the experiences I have had. I am so grateful for my family and for their unending support. As you get older you think back on the things you remember and though I can remember some thing I wish I had done differently I cannot remember anything come from my family that is not wonderfully great. My sisters and my Mother have been marvelous examples and I would not be me without me.

I can honestly say that I would not have chosen some of the experiences in my life but I am very grateful that they happened. I don't think I would have the faith, confidence and knowledge I have now if things had not turned out this way. Sometimes, I admit, I am driven by some of my memories but that is a fabulous thing too. I am glad that we have the knowledge of life and how everything is interconnected, that alone can be a huge strength when thinks seem to hit us on all sides.

I have always been blessed with good friends. Proximity my not always be what I wish it was, but they have definitely been a positive, driving force in my life. I do look forward to the time when we can all "hangout." (That feel very high schoolish...hehehe)

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!!

Welcome to Alaska

Thursday, I woke up and steped out into calf-deep snow. Wedesday it had started snowing, the wind had already been blowing pretty hard. (The snow would dance on the roadway, almost looked ghost-like.) The snow stopped, but he wind would kick things up a bit. Tonight it started again....it is very pretty. On the windows the snow sticks as the wind blows it and the frost around it reminds me of the times we would spray the door to create that "look."


The snow from Wednesday/Thursday was like powder sugar on the ground. One of the teachers said that it was a very "light" snow and that usually it is very heavy and thick with water. At night, when the moon hits the mountains just right, they give off a blue glow and they say it is because of the water. (It sounds and feels different than the snow in Flagstaff.) They plow the main roads and have a blower for the sidewalks too.












We are going to have avalanche training soon at the Middle School. The drills here are a bit different, more realistic. When we have a fire drill, some exits are closed off as if the fire were there so that teachers and students practice on how to deal with those ccircumstances. I haven't been through an earthquake drill yet, they have had them though (usually I am at the opposite school). The middle school went through a lot of retro fitting this summer for earthquakes. Kids are kids, but they seem to take the drill a bit more seriously.

Earth, Wind and Snow

The weather around here is more than amazing!

Yesterday I experienced my first earthquake. They are fairly common and usually very small. (The last time we had a Tsunami from an earthquake was in 1964. It destroyed one villiage's watertable, did a lot of property damage, lost one boat with crew and one person who decided to go down to the chanel.) The one yesterday was like a big shove with a really loud clap, like thunder but different. There was no damage that I have heard of. Those who I knew who were driving at the time actually didn't feel it.

The wind is really something else. Of course, as you get closer to the water it is more formidable. It is really interesting as I come from my elementary school, which is more imbedded to the middle school which is close to the channel. It can be a dramatic difference. I have not yet seen sideways rain like the people here talk of, but I have seen some sharp diagonal rain. (And I do mean sharp...between the wind and the cold, it can be quite biting.)

I actually am liking the snow. We had three days of snow. Yesterday it snowed in the afternoon and has been raining ever since. (Go figure.) The landscape was beautiful. They actually called the snow yesterday, hail. It wasn't tight like the hail in Arizona and not violent at all so I am not quite sure. (That kind of hail would never ruin a crop.)

So, I have pictures of the island and of the snow when it first started falling, but for some reason the photo editor button is not showing up for me to add them. I am not sure why. I will post them when I can.

First Concert

I am still exausted. The concert went very well, I am so proud of the students. the 6th graders were amazing and the 5th graders did very well. The winds really supported their playing and the violins were very focused. I don't know who was more nervous, them or me. One thing I always love about 1st concerts is that once it is over, you are never that nervous again.

We are working on opening up choir to the 6th grade and we will end up with a class close to 40 kids. I am really excited about it. (No pressure, right....)

Friday we had a lot of Halloween activities. The students wore costumes and the last half of the day was spent with cake walks, craft activites, Wii sports, tech activities, board games and gym activities. It was great! A couple of students posed for pics for me to post. It was fun!! Honestly, the whole week was touched with Halloween celebrations. I didn't have any trick or treaters, my apt is kinda out of the way, but the kids were out in full force all around the town. (Wal-mart had a thing there where the kids could go trick or treating in the store. It was really neat.)

The prep for the Christmas concert is in full swing. We will actually start working on a couple of songs for the spring concert next week as well. It blows my mind that time has flown by that fast.

Well, gotta run. Have a Mary Kay party tonight, first one on the island...to much fun!!

Playing Mom

So, until Wednesday I am an instant Mom for two very active, very different boys and two dogs. So of course, got to church late and all those fun things. The younger one wants to be like his older brother which, of course, annoys the older one then it all starts. One starts something and the other wants to be a part of it (and do it better, of course.) It is quite an interesting situation. I was watching something and a line in it said something like babies come that way because parents are babies in ability and as the children grow, so does the ablilities of the parents. Don't get me wrong, they are great kids but it is definitely a different world.

I am not sure how tomorrow morning is going to go. The clothes are all laid out and bookbags are all prepped but you never know. My biggest worry is that the dogs are not used to being in the house all day, so I do not know what surprises will be waiting when we get home. (I am going to stop by on my lunch break and I hope that will be enough :)

This weekend was Stake conference which is held in Soldotna. The general session was going to be broadcasted this year to us. Usually it is recorded and sent later. Unfortunately, we were called on Friday night that the broadcasting equiptment from the HS was not compatible with the equiptment at our building. Everyone was so disappointed, they were so excited when it was announced that we would have stake conference in real time. We were able to see the adult session and it was so good. One thing about being on an island, you cannot just load up a van and drive over the miles in order to save the cost of the travel. Some of the lifers here have only been to one live session of stake conference. Even if you took the ferry instead of the jet, the cost to go is very high. (And that is assuming that the weather is cooperative.) It's definitely a huge change. I don't feel that removed from everything....I don't know if it just because it hasn't hit me yet or what.

The sun was out today, from inside it looked so warm, but then you went outside and it was freezing. I have a new appreciation for Satin Lips and my skin hydrator. The other day one of my students skin was so dry and cracked I just wanted to load him up with sample.

We are in hunting season. The island has black-tailed deer, mountain goats and of course the Kodiak Bear. Students are going out with their parents and there is a lot of side talking on what they hope to get and what they look forward to having.

Alaska Weather

So all week, I have been looking outside when I first get up to see what has happened through the night. Snow has been reported all over but not for the island. Well, this morning that all changed.... It was a warm 32 degrees around lunch time and the sunny areas have already melted. I have yet to get back up to Pillar, was going to go today but it is inservice day with several meetings this afternoon so tomorrow is another day.....sorry, Beth. (The pic above is at the school when it started snowing last week. That one only lasted about 5 min and nothing stuck.)

The temperature dropped dramatically about 6 pm tonight and I got my first experience with the ice here. There is no arguing, winter is definitely here! The storm is supposed to swing back through tomorrow and Saturday. I am glad the truck has 4 wheel drive. (This is looking out the door during a break of our inservice....)

As promised, I took a picture of the moon last week, it is so huge! (Just glad I did it before the temp dropped.) I don't know if it because we are so close but it seems like you could just reach out and touch it. Words can't describe it well, and the pic really doesn't do it justice, guess ya'all are goin' to have to just come up and see for yourself :0)

We start playing instruments next week, as the reeds come in....hopefully tomorrow. 100 kids on instruments for the first time, guess it's time to stock up on asprin... Actually, I don't know who is more excited about it. It will definitely be.................interesting.

Crazy Week

This has been one of the craziest weeks since I got here!

I have been taking courses at the college here, the district brokers the classes, so that the teachers can take certain graduate level courses for $40! It is a great support. Normally, they are on Tuesday and Thursday, but this week, the elementary school I service had an open house on Tuesday so I went to the Wednesday session. Every night this week, I didn't get home until about 8 pm. It was crazy, but next week we only have students for three days and then inservice for the remaining two.

The grading period ended on Friday, it was the short one for the year. (The next one is longer, so the length of both the semesters are the same.) It is definitely flying by.....leaves me with that "I'm always behind feeling." I am sure though, no amount of time would ever get me caught up since I am always thinking of something new I could do. Just like my theory on Christmas break, no matter how much time you have before to prepare for it, there is always something you will think of to add so it isn't restful. Time after the Holidays, however is spent cleaning and putting things back "in order" much slower paced.

Sarah, you will be happy to hear that people here are very fashion forward and they are looking forward to helping me re-establish my wardrobe. The second-hand stores here are fabulous and this weekend I received some donations as the yearly closet clean-out is in full swing. I have found a color specialist, and a hairdresser too....now to just go :0)

I received three of the boxes this week that were sent in late September (Thank-you , Mom!) It was quite and interesting feeling, on one hand I was very glad to have my stuff here with me, but it also brought a feeling of homesickness too. Nothing overwhelming, but it was an unexpected aftertaste. The blanket Beth gave me has not been delivered yet, and I will be so excited when it gets here.

It has been very stormy the last two days, with some ice on the road as well. The middle of this week also saw motorists on the side of the road on the way out to the base. The leaves have mostly all fallen, except of course on the evergreens, and the grasses have turned brown. The differences int he colors is amazing and beautiful, you can see the contour of the land better, in my opinion and the difference between the evergreens and the rest of the foliage is gorgeous. I went up to Pillar Point today, but forgot the camera. It was very windy, I could fill it rocking the truck a little bit so it was probably a good thing I forgot it, the wind was probably a bit more powerful than I would have been prepared for....and it was cold. I'll head up on a less stormy day and take some pics. Jason, you would definitely think we had mountains here. Often, you cannot see the peaks as they disappear into the fog or clouds (there is a difference of opinion on which it actually is at times.)

My neighbor is doing well, the rain and cold don't deter him much and he is so good. He never tries to come in the apartment, which is good since the carpet is white! The other day there were some other dogs on the street that come over to say hi as I checked my mail and Toby ran down the lane barking. (He was faster than I gave hm credit for.) He stood between me and the other dogs until he had sniffed them all out and deemed them good enough to associate with. It is nice being so well defended!

Well, I am picking up my neighbor and her son from the 10:30 jet and want to take my time on the road so I better get. Have a great week!

Things I Miss

So, the biggest question I am asked is what do I miss about Arizona. So, here it is. Yes, I miss the heat. I miss the warmth of the sun that goes to your very core at times. But to be out of the dry air is amazing as well. Ya, it's cold but there are some amazing coats, gloves and hats as well :)

I miss my gentlemen. Clint and Reece, I miss having someone to hang out with, go out to eat with and open my doors. I really miss my cats. Sometimes I come in and forget that they aren't here. It also hits me from time to time how far away everyone else is, I can't just pop in on Mom, Anne or most of the people I am used to. I am very glad for the phone and e-mail.

But it is really worth it...Everybody here is really great. I can't tell you how nice it is to be in a totally different enviroment. It really is an adventure. It is also nice to see how things are done in another state. All I have really ever known is Arizona, for the most part. It is really great to expand my horizons.

Besides the beautiful landscape, the great students and the wonderful people, coming to Alaska has given me a lot of intangibles that would be to hard to put into words. I can't tell you how glad I am that I did it and how I am looking forward to being here for quite a while. I am equally glad for all the experiences that I have had in the "lower 48" and I must tell you all how you need to come and see this place! Needs to be at the top of your to-do list! Well, got some work to do before bed...hope ths answered the question well enough... :)

Lovely Weekend

This weekend has seen a bit of rain, but also has had quite a bit of sun. It was gorgeous. While, I admit I am more used to the sun, I have always liked cloudy days and still like them. (So, for me, it is gorgeous all the time..hehehe)

Didn't do a ton this weekend, just kicked back and relaxed. Quite a habit I am getting into, seperating school time and my time. I did go over to some friends of mine for dinner...haystacks! How fun was that! They are really great people and tons of fun!

It is getting to the time of year where the Bald Eagles are very thick in trees, I am told. I am looking forward to that. (While I never wanted to see bears, I am excited about the Eagles.) I have a lot of trees outside my windows, so I am hoping for some really great pictures!

There is a flower here called the fire flower and it blooms from the bottom up. People on the island say they know it is time for school to start when the top flowers bloom. (I took this the week before school started.) We also have ravens here that are huge! I saw one at Safeway the other day and was completely impressed with it's size. (And a little intimidated about whipping out my camera and taking a pic...sorry) It perched right on a tailgate of a truck in the thick of the weekend shopping. I wonder one has ever flown in before??

It's Friday and Sunny!

I love Fridays, they really are great! (Means I get to sleep in a bit tomorrow...maybe.) And the sun is out in full force, or at least as forceful as it gets here. It should be in the mid 50's today...quite warm....ha!

Work is going really well, I think. My schedule is a bit crazy every other day and then wonderful every other day. The kids are really talented. I would really love, someday, to get all the students I have ever worked with together. It would be very interesting, in a very good way. Our first concert here is on October 30th. The elementary school I work with has only had instruments for a couple of weeks but they are doing really well. They know two of their songs and only one more to go. 6th Band played for the school board meeting (which is broadcast across the island to all the villages.) It was fun and different, the kids did well. (Magma is their fav in the 6th grade so far...)

So coming home today was kind of sweet. My next door neighbor was outside waiting for me. He is so cute and comes out everytime I come home lately. I sneaked a picture of him on my steps for Beth, since I know that she would never find my discription good enough.




His name is Toby.

Beth Wins...Again

You would think, after all this time, I would have something up on my youngest sister, but again, she wins....

The flight up here was quite interesting...We landed in Anchorage at 12:30 am and above the city, you could see the sun on the horizon. After a 5 hour layover, we were in the air again on the way to the island...once we got through the clouds, you could see the sun again. It was an interesting feeling to go to bed at 9:30 at night and it being a while until sundown. It really is gorgeous up here! When I got on island, it was rainy (so a regular day) but it was so green. The guy in front of me on the plane was taking it all in as much as I did. Come to find out that he was my counterpart for my job here....go figure. The mountains are amazing, especially on a coudy day, it looks like the disappear right into the sky. There is even a Shrek forest -(as my neighbor called it) tall trees covered in moss.



(I didn't take this, but it's exactly like the island!)














Yes, I have seen bears. Yes, they are huge!! Yes, they took off as soon as they saw the vehicle. Yes, I was freaked out. I have also seen salmon so thick in the streams that their fins stick out it was amazing! And yes, I have eaten fish...and liked it. First night here I had Halibut green chili enchilladas!! The best thing I have had was steak and ribs though. They were BBQed and amazing!

So I am heading into the first winter up here and it snowed two days ago. Just a dusting and it didn't stay - in fact it was sunny yesterday. Today it rained and was cold. It may snow this weekend....it is a wet snow and the main problem is ice. Fortunately studded tires are allowed here.