Forever Playing Catch-Up

One of 10 moose
 seen in Anchorage!

It is a quiet, snowy Saturday and here I sit, on my couch, with an episode of Grey’s Anatomy (that I’ve seen at least 7 times) playing to give me some background noise. As I laze here, I realize that this is the first time in almost two months that I have been able to just “be”. Granted, I keep glancing at my always growing “to-do” list, thinking about what I can get crossed off today. However, I think all my tasks can wait for a few hours so that I can just binge on some Grey’s re-runs, write this blog post, and finish the book that I have been working on for about five weeks. I will admit that “blog” is an item on the list for today, but it is also something that relaxes me. While a lot has happened since I have returned from winter break, I will try to stick to discussing the big ticket items in an effort not to put anyone to sleep. Then again, maybe my parents are the only ones reading this and they have parental obligations to read the whole thing...so I know at least a few people will stick with this post until the end. Without further ado, let’s get caught up on the happenings in bush Alaska! 

Kuspuk Monday! 

While school is always busy and sometimes hectic, my kiddos and I are in a good swing and cruising through our work. In January, due to weather, I had a quick trip to Pilot Point and I am looking forward to getting more time “on the ground” when I head down for my visit this week. Mother Nature sure does have a way of changing a lot of plans, especially out here where travel is all dependent on our little planes being able to fly. We were scheduled to have a basketball Jamboree the last week of January, and everyone was bummed when it got delayed by a day due to strong winds. However, the next day it was  calm and planes were able to safely shuttle students from villages all over the district to play some ball. While I have been to plenty of jamborees, it was a new experience to host one in Nondalton. We all had a great, busy, week and many people from the community came to watch the games that went from about 9am-10pm for two and a half days. I enjoyed catching up with some of the teacher-coaches and students, but I was also glad for the quiet that came once all the teams had flown out. When you are used to seeing and talking with the same 20-30 people every day and then your school is flooded with many more moving bodies and chatty mouths, it is easy to get overwhelmed. All in all, it was a fun week for our school site! 

A student teaching
me how to fish:)

My favorite adventure partner<3

The day after the jamboree ended, we were able to have a whole school reward “field trip” to the lake to do some ice fishing. Though this is my third year living here, I had never been. The kids loved teaching me how to do something that they all love to do. I didn’t get to stay the whole time though, as I flew out to Anchorage that afternoon for a special education conference. A few of my Sp.Ed. co-workers and I were able to have a girl’s weekend in Anchorage before the conference began and it was just what I needed. While it took us a bit of time to grow our “town legs” again (bush life to city life takes some major adjustment time!), we were thrilled to be in a city again. We ate out, had Starbucks, went to the movies, shopped in a mall and at Target, and so much more. The conference itself was a mixture of information overload, great breakout sessions, and much needed collaboration time with the Sp.Ed. teachers in my district. By the end of the week, with my belly full of all the noms and my mind full of so many new strategies to try, I was ready to be off the road system and get back home to Nondalton. 

A beautiful day for flying!

Our trip home was uneventful for the most part and I had to laugh when we landed in Kokhanok and our pilot was unable to open the door because it had frozen shut during our flight. We then had to play charades to get the attention of some people on the runway and have them open the door from the outside. Some things you just can’t make up! We all had a good laugh when it happened again when we landed in Iliamna. Once there, I was transferred to a smaller plane and since it had been windy in Nondalton that day, I was given the choice of staying or trying to make it home. Knowing that I would be flying with a very experienced pilot, and just wanting to be home, I hopped on the plane and said some prayers. While mentally prepared for a bumpy fifteen minute flight, I was grateful to find that the wind had almost completely died down and provided us with a super smooth flight. I even got to see a wolf running across one of the many lakes that surrounds my village! 

All aboard the "Honda Express"!

After getting home, I didn’t have too much down time as the following morning, we were heading down to Newhalen for their annual carnival. We woke up early, put on every layer we owned, and made the trek in the -25 degree weather. It was an especially fun trip to make because we had some teacher friends coming down with us for the weekend. We made the thirty minute drive as a "honda train" with our three four-wheelers and six excited passengers. The weekend was an eventful and fun one as we watched a lot of basketball and volleyball games, attended a talent show, participated in "Minute to Win It” events, and socialized with people from Port Alsworth and Kokhanok. We are experiencing a “real” Alaskan winter which includes seeing many new faces at big events because the lakes have frozen and allowed for ice roads to form. It is so fun to know that people are able to travel to and from the six or seven (I think) surrounding villages! We are hoping it will continue to stay cold so that we can make a trip up to Port Alsworth soon and then get to Kokhanok’s carnival in a few weeks. The Kokhanok trip will require almost an hour of driving on just ice as we cross over Lake Iliamna, which is the largest lake in Alaska! 

Had to do something "crazy"
in Anchorage, right?<3

What a blurry whirlwind the past few weeks have been. In addition to all these events, we celebrated four birthdays just this week! After seeing it all written down, it’s no wonder I have not been able to shake the cold I have had for the past few weeks. I am even more grateful now for the two days of quiet that I have been awarded and will not take them for granted. This life is such an incredible adventure and I am reminded every day what it truly means to live. The only thing missing now is a puppy and a tiny house;)