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!!