December 21, 2016: morning stroll

I got to go for a quick walk with Meagan this morning before she headed to work.  These are some of my favorite moments on this island!  Sister time is the greatest.

December 20, 2016: Christmas Saga, part 3

This is me and Alanna.  Doing something festive that spreads Christmas cheer and that may or may not get us in trouble with the authorities.  Therefore I can't post the entire story on my blog.   The short version of the story is that we started up our Tuesday winter walks again and were inspired to bring Christmas spirit to Joel's house no matter what the cost.  Merry Christmas, Joel!

December 19, 2016: Winter hikes

Staying here for Christmas rather than going home has been tougher than I thought it would be.  Having places like this to hike all break makes it a tad bit easier.

December 18, 2016: Kevin!

I've always thought that Arthur looked like Kevin McCallister from Home Alone.  He loves that movie and calls it the movie with the funny boy.  When he put his robe on tonight, I couldn't help but make him do the funny boy face.

December 17, 2016: Frozen Old Woman

I haven't hiked Old Woman with this much ice before!  I'm thankful for my ice cleats, because there was a frozen waterfall we had to scale.  Thankful for a roommate to motivate me to do hikes like this!

December 16, 2016: cookie decorating

When you decorate cookies in first grade, a little drummer boy is bound to drown in sprinkles.

December 15, 2016: Ornaments

I know many teachers who hate the week before Christmas break, but I happen to love it.  I love the crafts, the music, the stories each morning about the newest elf in the shelf mischief.  This year we tried making popsicle stick ornaments.  They turned out really cute!

December 14, 2016: Christmas Concert

Tonight was our Christmas concert.  The kiddos did an amazing job, and Father Christmas made a special appearance for the kids at the end of the show.  Father Christmas makes special appearances at a lot of events this time of year.  His specialty is reciting "Twas the Night Before Christmas."  This was the fourth time I have seen him at an event, and the third time I have heard his recitation.  I am starting to think I could recite it myself...

"And momma in her kerchief and I in my hat, had just settled down for a long winter's nap..."

December 13, 2016: Running the USA

I got an incredibly thoughtful gift from Katie in the mail today.  She sent me a journal that allows you to keep track of each of the 50 states you have visited.  I am using it to track which of the states I have run in.  There is a big map in the front where I can write the date when I did each run.  Inside the journal, there is a map of each state and pages to record the details of your trip.  On each of the maps of the states where Katie and I have traveled together, she wrote little notes about memories of the trips.  So sweet!  I stayed up late tonight, reminiscing about all the trips and runs I have done in the USA.  I can't wait to add more to my list.  Next run:  Hawaii!!

December 12, 2016: Creepy Olaf

I have a bin of stuffed animals in my classroom.  Kids read to them or play math games with them.  Today I looked up during my planning period and saw Olaf just staring at me.  I couldn't help but be creeped out.  

December 11, 2016: Eagle's perch

You can't beat Kodiak's summer, but the winter is great for a couple reasons:

1.  Sleeping in on weekends in AMAZING since the sun doesn't come up until 9:30

2.  The snow is magical. 

3.  EAGLES!!  They come in to town more frequently in the winter.  There have been times when I drive past the cannery and see 15 of them at a time lining the roof.  This guy was perched right above the main entrance of the church.  He kept peering over the edge at the group of kids that had gathered to watch him.  

December 10: Dancing in Kodiak

Only in Kodiak do you see a sign like this on a bar's dance floor!

You may not see ice cleats, but you will see people showing up at all hours of the night dancing the night away in Xtra Tuffs, hiking boots, sweatshirts, and rain gear.  A slightly different vibe than when we went out in Chicago; this is why I love it here.

December 9, 2016: Staff Christmas Party

This is Heather as a Christmas tree.  This is also why I love being a teacher.  Only here do you have a staff party with games like this... 

December 8, 2016: Santa Claws

We have our staff Christmas party tomorrow.   The winner of the festive Christmas sweater contest gets to have his/her own spray painted, festive parking space.   Game on.

Not bad for a homemade shirt.  I made it in honor of my one student who acts like a velociraptor every day.  There is literally at least one time a day when I have to remind him that only young humans, not raptors, get to participate in certain activities.  I thought he'd love the shirt.  Turns out he didn't really care.  I forgot that 6 year olds don't really appreciate the wit behind claws/Clause.

Also, I ended up getting second place in the sweater contest.  My winning coworker was wearing a shirt with a Christmas unicorn barfing up candy canes.  Tough to beat!

December 7, 2016: Love me some Jesse

Happy birthday, Jesse!  My youngest sister turns 26 today!  I can't begin to express what a blessing she is.  She is the most forgiving, patient, selfless, humble, and kind hearted woman I know.  She also happens to be the most ridiculous human I know.  I love that she lets me laugh at her, both when she's trying to be a weirdo, and when it just happens naturally.

I miss her deeply.

Jesse, thank you for challenging me to love other people more completely, to take risks in life, and to have fun!  I love that you bring out the inner cheeseball in me.  I really hope that at some point life brings us back to the same place, but I am so thankful that even if it doesn't, we know the distance won't keep us from being close.   Love you!!

December 6, 2016: This is me.

Am I not the cutest teacher you have ever seen?  In the initial version of this "art" my head was all scribbled in and I had even crazier eyes.  My favorite part of this creation is that the small yellow band with the orange scribbles is my gold fanny pack that I wear every day.  I'm still not sure why this kid drew me with monster claws and orange chest hair.  I feel less confident about how much my kids like me as their teacher...

December 5, 2016: nailed it

When you put first graders in charge of decorating the class Christmas tree...

And this was AFTER I made some kids move their ornaments because we had SIX of them clinging to the very top pokey branch of the tree.  Once we add our homemade ornaments, I am sure it will balance out, but for now, this is what we have.  Merry Christmas!

December 4, 2016: Oh Christmas Tree

Please look at our gigantic, lopsided, Christmas bush we brought home today.  I love it.  Almost as much as I love the fact that Alanna and Joel let me put reindeer antlers on their heads for our Christmas photo.  They didn't even fight me.   (Insert the emoji with the hearts for eyes).  

December 3, 2016: Thai food extraveganza

Anyone who knows me knows I don't really like to cook.  I think it's because nobody ever let me toss sticky rice in a hot steamer basket thing before.  Game changer.  When you have a friend who grew up in Thailand and wants to take a trip down memory lane by cooking up the most delicious Thai food imaginable, you join that party.  I still kind of hate cooking, but it's really fun to bust out a giant mortar and pestle and try something new once in a while.

December 2, 2016: Nutcracker

This is the Rat King.  In the Nutcracker.  He is wearing Adidas pants.  

I can't stop laughing at how amazing this is.  

The Nutcracker was truly a beautiful performance.  I have seen in done in Chicago, and I liked it a lot there, but there is something about seeing your friends, your coworkers' kids, students from your school, girls you work with during Awana, and people you recognize from church all dancing in the production together that makes it that much more magical.

December 1, 2016: Intervention

SWF searching for a man, child, dog or something to keep her from staying at school long after the rest of her coworkers have gone home to their families.  Give me a reason to stop this madness...

November 30, 2016: My dirty little blog

Alanna came into my room tonight and I was updating my blog.  After a nice life discussion, I was showing her how I recently started looking at my blog "stats" to see where some people who read my blog live, how people stumble across this blog online, and who (other than my few friends and family) actually look at this thing.  It's really fun to see that people from Russia, France, Portugal, Poland, China, and the Ukraine have looked at my little blog before.   I'm sure they never come back to read about the random happenings in some weird girl's life, but thanks for popping over for a quick look!  Anyway, we started looking at the section of the stats that tell me how people find my blog.  This site came up as one of the feeder sites for my blog.   It all makes perfect sense.  Most of my  blog entries detail the true, filthy tales of lust and evil in my own life.  :)  

November 29, 2016: Advent Calendar

Alanna's mom sent me an advent calendar in the mail!!  It's my very first one ever!!  I can't believe I have lived 33 years without at least buying one of these for myself before.  Chocolate every day for 25 days before Christmas?  How have I not done this before?  Alanna's mom has also sent me a pair of socks with Kale on them before.  She's pretty great.  Just one of the many perks of living with Alanna :)

November 28, 2016: CAAAARL

This original picture is from the murder mystery dinner party we had with my staff a few weeks ago.   There is a large group photo, and I hung a copy of it up above my desk.  One of my students was talking to me today and he saw me in the picture.  He asked me if I was dressed up like Rick from the Walking Dead.  Then out of nowhere, he did the BEST impression of Rick's scratchy voice.  "CAAARL..."  I died.  And then I got my crap together and reminded him we shouldn't talk about The Walking Dead in first grade. 

November 27, 2016: I AM CHUCKING IT!

I am dog sitting Raylan while my friend Catie has her baby!  She is Meg and Kyle's next door neighbor which works out well when I need a dog walking buddy.  We taught Arthur how to use the Chuckit today, and it was hilarious.  I think we got hit with the ball more times than we needed to, and he kept yelling, "I am CHUCKING it."  I have been dreaming about getting a dog for the last couple of years, and more so the past few months.  I don't know where I am headed after Kodiak, or how long I plan to be here, so I am not sure that getting a dog is the most responsible decision.  But I don't want to keep putting it off "just in case" and miss out on so much joy in the mean time.   I have been thinking more about being open to teaching overseas when I leave Kodiak, and I'm not sure that bring a pooch with me is going to be possible.  But I know of a sister or two that would be willing to help me out if that became the case.  :)

Did I just officially decide to get a dog? 

November 26, 2016: Peterson SAT

Meet the Mutha Puffas, Peterson Elementary's most fiercely competitive and outrageously genius trivia team.

Actually we came in last place.  We were the youngest team, and an entire round was about parenthood.  'Aint none of us got any kids. 

November 25, 2016: #optoutside

It finally happened!  I have been wanting to hike Kashevaroff since moving to Kodiak and just haven't been able to make it work.  It's a pretty substantial mountain, so the hike takes a while.  And I have been scolded for even thinking of hiking it alone since there tends to be bears on it.  So, finding the perfect combination of a sunny day and friends with free time who wouldn't rather hike something else has proven difficult.  Today, we conquered it.   What a beautiful hike!  It was icy and slippery for a majority of the hike.  Everyone except Kinsey wiped out at some point, some of us more frequently and a bit harder than others :).  The top was ridiculously cold and windy, but the views were worth it.  Snow covered mountains in all directions.  Absolutely gorgeous.  At the top, the snow was knee deep, with a nice crust of ice over the top.  Looking back, I can't believe we didn't slide right off the mountain.  At one point, on the way down, I saw Kinsey successfully sit on her feet and slide down a steep face of the mountain because it looked too slippery to handle while standing.  I tried the same method, and for a few feet I slid successfully, but I wiped out and kind of rolled down the last couple feet of the hill.

The picture below was taken about half of the way up the mountain.  I can't get over how much I love this picture.  Joel decided this should be a jumping shot without letting the rest of us know, Kinsey looks like she invested in a pair of old school hammer pants, and as Joel put it, I look like I am pushing out a fart.   Way to keep it normal, Marcus.

November 24, 2016: Thanksgiving Shenanigans

I taught Arthur how to play Heads Up.  The kid is hilarious and has the best facial expressions when he is trying to figure something out.  His guesses don't always make sense, but he does a pretty good job for being three.  I can honestly say that I love being on kid duty Thanksgiving morning while Meg and Kyle prep the food and clean the house.  Playing around with this yahoo sure beats baking pies! 

November 23, 2016: snaggle tooth

This kid is so gross and adorable.  I'd hug him more if he wasn't always covered in food. 

November 22, 2016: Love this

This is why teachers make the best coworkers...

November 21, 2016: Alutiiq Dancers

Every year we have the Alutiiq dancers come to Peterson.  I love them!  They tell stories through their songs and dances.  Last year, the banya song was my absolute favorite.  At that point, I had never been in a banya before, but the song was very energetic and happy, so I was excited to try it out.  I went in a banya when I was on Woody Island for the women's retreat.  It was so uncomfortably hot in there I almost died.  I literally laid on the bench and thought about death.  Today, when the dancers did the banya song again, I was really confused.  This dance was nothing like my experience.   Was I banya-ing incorrectly?  During lunch, one of my coworkers explained to me more about the banya.  Her son is one of the dancers (and he did a fantastic job!) and she was explaining that hunters who have been out for a long period of time would be excited to be back in and to wash up in the banya.  Made a lot more sense :) 

November 20, 2016: Stormy boat ride

This is Jolene and me, praying for our lives on our boat ride back from Woody Island.  A storm began brewing, and we were thankful we made it off the island.  I was soaked from rain and ocean water, but I didn't get tossed into the sea, so I couldn't complain!

November 19, 2016: Woody Island

I joined some of my friends from church this weekend on a retreat to Woody Island.  This was good for my heart.  The first night we were here, people shared testimonies and stories of what God was teaching them.  It was a good reminder to me that God is so big and loves us so deeply, that He meets us exactly where we are.  I was really encouraged, remembering that sometimes God pushes us to do huge, scary, grandiose things, and sometimes God reminds us that it's ok that we need Him just to be able to get out of bed in the morning.  He's in the big and the small.  He's there when we're terrified and when we're overjoyed.  I needed these reminders this weekend.   He is more than enough, and for that, I praise Him.

That alone was worth the trip here, but there also happened to be this net deep in the woods that was suspended two stories high in the trees.  Like one, gigantic hammock.  We hiked out to it, and I took a 2 hour nap in my sleeping bag, swaying in the treetops while listening to the ocean crash on the nearby shore.

AHHH-Mazing.

November 18, 2016: Pajama Par-tay!

I love teaching.  Don't get me wrong, there are days that I wonder what the heck I am doing.  I want to die.  I want to sleep.  I want to cry or do that crazy person laugh that freaks everyone out because it feels like I lost my mind.  But there are too many other days when I love my job.  I'm in a list mood, so here's why teaching is the best.  In no particular order:

-Kids are funny.  Hysterical, make me cry funny.
-I learn all sorts of random, most likely useless facts about holidays, wolf spiders, and penguins.
-I am forced to remember I can't do things with my own strength.
-I get to swing on swings, play with play dough, and paint, and I get paid to do it.
-Random hugs at a moment's notice... they're surprising and awesome.
-I get to see that incredible moment when a kiddo finally understands something that was really difficult before.  Seriously, the excitement is unexplainable.
-My teaching wardrobe includes a sparkly fanny pack
-kid art.  pages and pages of kid art. With hilarious pictures of me drawn in the center.
-I get to love on kids.  I get to be someone who tells them how awesome they are, helps them work through whatever it is that stresses their 6 year old selves out, and helps them refine the parts of themselves that might need a little work :).  I get the incredible privilege and responsibility of being a huge part of their lives for a year.  To help them figure out how to be good friends, how to handle tough situations, how to figure out what's appropriate to share with the entire class and what shouldn't be shared at all, how to make mistakes and keep going, and how to eat snack without smashing a gazillion crumbs into the floor.
-I have an excuse to order lots of post it notes.  In lots of colors.
-I get to work alongside some of the most inspirational people
-Pajama parties.  If this was an ordered list, pajama parties would definitely be near the top.  That's today's picture.  I got to wear a Finding Dory onesie to school all day today.  And that, my friends, is why I teach.

November 17, 2016: love hate relationship

Jim left us this puzzle before he went underway.  We have been working on it for a solid couple of months.  I never want to see a stupid puzzle made up of stupid small images ever again.

November 16, 2016: Friendsgiving

Walking in the house and seeing this makes my heart happy.  First Friendsgiving in Kodiak in the books.  There were around 20 people in our house, and I still don't think I met some of them before they left.  :)

November 15, 2016: Home

When I got back from California, I came home to this box of amazingness.  Kistlercrest Honeycrisp apples.  This was going to be the first year since we began growing apples that I wasn't going to be able to eat one.  One of the things I miss the most being in Kodiak is visiting my parents' farm in the fall time.  I miss the brisk walks at the State Park, I miss camping with my friends, I miss apple picking and the way the garage smells when it's full of apple boxes.  I miss spooning on the couch with Jesse, random runs with Sydney, and there's even a small part of me that misses screaming at Sadie after she rolls in something nasty out in the orchard .  I miss mom's pasta bake, dad's malts, and grandma's apple bars.   If I can't be there, this was the next best thing.  Thanks, mom!!

November 14, 2016: San Francisco, here we come!

This picture seems to sum up our time in San Francisco.  We were so excited to just be out of Kodiak, that we got a little over zealous about the little things.  We screamed for joy when we saw a sign that said we could buy 5 avocados for $1.00.  We screamed in panic when I tried to drive up those steep streets and the car rolled backwards as soon as I took my foot off the break.  I screamed in my head every time a stupid pigeon walked under our table searching for food scraps.  We seemed to have forgotten how to drive in real traffic, and we spent a lot of time either waiting for google maps to reroute us after taking a wrong turn (ahem... me driving) or we just stopped the car in the middle of the off ramp, waited for traffic to clear, and drove over the median until we got back into the lane we wanted (ahem...steph driving).  In this particular picture, we had discovered our flight was delayed by 2 hours, so we had time to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge.  If you can't tell, we screamed tourists, and we didn't really care.  

From touring Alcatraz, to eating at Fisherman's Wharf, to dessert at Ghiradelli Square, to riding the trolley just 4 blocks so we could walk down Crooked Street, to crossing the Golden Gate Bridge just to turn around and come back in time to see the House from Full House, we took advantage of everything San Francisco had to offer today.  It's not every day you get off the island!

November 13, 2016: Race Day

This race was awesome.  I mean, it also really, really sucked, but it was awesome.  Here's the deal:

Why it sucked:

-My body refused to move in even a remotely fast way.  I blame it all on the fact that the weather was warm, thanks to a terribly cold Seattle airport I didn't sleep very much two nights before the race, my breakfast everything bagel kept coming up in weird burps, and that there must have been something weird in my dinner the night before.  My body's sucking had NOTHING to do with the fact that I only trained 1-3 days a week prior to the race.  :)

Why it was awesome:

-We were in California. 

-I ran to the sound of the ocean crashing on the beach, and the sight of huge foamy waves spraying water over cliffs. 

-I was WARM!!!

-There was a bagpiper and other musicians.  And a lights show in a tunnel. 

-After the race, there was a tent where you could sit with the other finishers and massage your muscles with all sorts of expensive, fancy muscle rollers.  There's something beautiful about runners bonding over pain. 

-They gave us beer and fruit at the finish line. 

-It was an out and back run, so I got to see Stephanie after she turned around.  She was booking it, but sacrificed a few precious breaths to scream to me.  I tried to take her picture but got some random guy instead.  I got her arm.  The sun was in my eyes. 

-After the race we got to do awesome stuff like go to a candy store, drive around and look at the beach, watch seals scoot across the sand, and buy FRESH PRODUCE at a farmer's market.  

Plus, this became my 24th state I have run in!  I'm almost half way there!!

November 12, 2016: Monterrey, here we come!

It's race weekend!!  Stephanie and I successfully made it to Monterrey and were ready for the half marathon.  On our flight over, a man sitting next to me asked if we were a mother/daughter team.  So...for the rest of the weekend we tried to figure out which one of us looks either really old or really young.  I'm pretty sure he thought I was the mom.  Once in Monterrey we went to the Expo, I spent way too much money on flip belts and running hats and arm warmers and flip belt water bottles because obviously I need all that stuff to make me a better runner.   And obviously I don't get to shop too often, so I go a little nuts when I do.  We ate some incredible sea food and went to bed early so we would be refreshed for our race the next morning!

November 11, 2016: Happy Veteran's Day

We had an assembly at school today to honor our Veterans.  The students made cards to send to Veterans in VA hospitals around the country.  We gathered in the gym and sang patriotic songs together.  I cried when we all sang the National Anthem.  After this heated political election, it was a much needed moment to be in a room with innocent kids singing about our country's beauty and freedom.  I've been really blessed to get to know so many people in the past year who serve in the Coast Guard.  I have seen the sacrifice that my friends, family, and students' parents go through in order to protect other people and serve our country.  I am grateful for that sacrifice!

November 10, 2016: Are you limping?

That's what my coworker asked me on my way in to the classroom this morning.  I wasn't hurt, so I was a little nervous that I was developing some weird gate that I hadn't noticed.  (Side note:  One time in Chicago a random man on the street stopped me and asked if he could ask me a serious question.  When I said sure, he said, "I've been watching you for a bit and I need to know- are you bow-legged or pigeon-toed?"  So, I am a little sensitive about my walk  :)  ).   When I got to my classroom, I opened my closet and saw my reflection in the mirror, realizing it may have been the extra hundred pounds of teaching crap I was carrying around with me that gave me an odd walk.  Maybe I should invest in a rolling cart.  Or better yet!  One of those suitcases that are motorized and you can ride around on top of them!  It's totally happening.

November 9, 2016: lost crap

Calling all friends who have ridden in my car with me:  I found this pair of gloves, a water bottle, and a pair of safety goggles in my back seat.  If they're yours, let me know.  I will also try to take more interesting pictures from here on out, so that ones like this aren't the only ones I have to choose from when it comes down to blog time.  I guess somedays the most interesting part of your day is finding weird stuff in your car. 

November 8, 2016: Election Results

I'm slightly disappointed that I didn't get a single vote this year.   Especially considering my competition!  Guess I won't be quitting my day job...

November 7, 2016: Alaska Tuff

Alaskan kids are seriously resilient to crazy weather.  We go outside for recess in the rain, snow, wind, or ice.  I've seen kids rip off their jackets and try to run around in a tshirt when it's raining and 40 degrees outside.  I've seen kids completely wipe out on icy blacktop, pick themselves up, and sprint across it again.  The other day I was trying to get a kid to not play on this huge, slippery patch of ice.  He asked me, "Don't you believe in Santa?  Because if you do, then you know that Jack Frost works with him.  And Jack Frost brings us the snow and ice because he wants us to be kids and have fun."  It's very hard to argue with that. 

November 6, 2016: secret stash

I came into work today.  I've been proud of myself because I haven't had to come in to work during the weekend too many times this year.  Woop woop!  I was in the workroom making copies and needed some white out.  One of my biggest pet peeves is when you walk down to the workroom and forget to bring your scissors or glue stick.  Last year I secretly stashed this white-out in one of the drawers in the workroom.  Every time I use it, I shove it all the way in the back so it's less likely to be found.  It's still here.  I'm not completely sure why I found that so funny today but I did.

November 5, 2016: Silly boys

Yep, this just about sums up what it's like to spend time with these yahoos. 

November 4, 2016: Birthday celebration for Hankie Pank!

I can't believe this little guy is almost one!  He turns one tomorrow, but Kyle is on duty all day tomorrow so we are celebrating tonight.  I'm so thankful I have been able to live near my family and have gotten to experience every day life with them.   Here are some of my favorite things about Henry:

*He loves carrying around a wooden knife.  Sometimes Meg plays around with him and pretends to cut him with it, and he cracks up.  It's morbid and hilarious.

*His head is enormous and his neck fat is out of control.  I have come to love this.

*He loves his brother.  Even when Arthur is beating up on him, Henry can't get enough of it.

*He loves when I shake my ponytail at him.  He laughs and tries to grab it.

*He has the most distinct wail I have ever heard.  It goes, "waaa-aa-aa-aa-aaaa. (take a deep breath)..EHHHHH-HHH.....EHHHH-HHHHHH"

*He's a mini walker.   He walks and makes sounds like a zombie.

*His smile is contagious.  Maybe it's the big blue eyes and snaggle teeth combination...

Happy birthday, Hen Hen.  I love you, and am excited for this next year with you!!

November 3, 2016: Near Island

Sorry if you're sick of sunset pictures of the island.  It's all I've got today.  But look at that cloud!

Thankful for another run with Stephanie!  (Even though this time it was a bit slippery and she may have ended up in the mud...)  :)

November 2, 2016: Western Murder

Our staff participated in a murder mystery dinner party tonight.  Heather and I had no idea what was happening the entire night.  All I know is that I got to duel someone in the middle of the party and I shot him dead.