October 16, 2016: Monashka runners

Steph and I had an 11 mile run today.  We began at her house and ran through town and out toward White Sands beach.  When we got to the halfway point, we realized there was no part of us that wanted to turn around and run what we just ran.  So we called all of our friends and tried to find someone who would pick us up if we just kept going and ran all the way to the beach.  Dav to the rescue!!! Thanks to him, we were able to keep going all the way to the end of the road, putting in our eleven miles and seeing lots of beautiful views along the way.   This run made me so excited for our half in Big Sur in just 4 weeks!   I'm so pumped to explore Monterrey and San Fransisco, see the crazy beautiful views, get a new running hat at the expo, take a break from Kodiak for a couple days and as Stephanie said, "We get to run in shorts!"  Love the little things :) 

October 15, 2016: huge moon

I wish my phone could do the moon justice tonight.  It was the biggest, most beautiful moon I had ever seen.  I was on my way home tonight and actually took a detour to go gaze at it.  Gorgeous!  A few weeks ago I mentioned that I had been really emotional for a while.   I have been feeling a lot better lately,  but tonight when I saw the moon, I just started sobbing.  Alone in my car, in the dark, at the beach.  For no reason other than the moon was so beautiful.  Maybe I was feeling far away from friends and family.  Or from God.  Or both.  Or I felt relieved that I hadn't cried like that in a while.  I usually hate the moments when I am upset with no actual reason, but tonight felt different.  It was a good cry.  A more poetic cry? I'm totally stretching- I'm sure it was still awkward for the poor woman who pulled up next to my car and witnessed the whole thing.  

October 14, 2016: TGIF. When you can't have Urkle or Cory Matthews, real friends are the next best thing

No better way to unwind after working an eleven hour day than the brewery, live music, and a dance party.  I'm sure Kayla would be so mad if she knew I put this picture on my blog.  That's what she gets for taking my phone without permission and for not reading my blog frequently enough to check for awkward pictures of herself :). It's your own fault, Kayla.   

October 13, 2016: don't be jelly about my sqord

Check out my sqord.  It's a Fitbit for kids! There is an organization that gives them to Kodiak students free of charge to use in the schools.  They track student activity and you can log on to a website, create an avatar, challenge your friends and teachers, and earn cool rewards.  I refused to join the Fitbit craze, but I am all about my sqord.  I created my avatar and everything.  She has long hair (a girl can dream.  Plus all the short hair options were ugly) and a puffy coat.  The only lame thing about my sqord is that it doesn't tell time, so I have to wear it next to my watch, which looks a little ridiculous :) 

The kids get theirs on Monday, and then we begin our challenges! They are so excited.  Obviously I am too! 

October 12, 2016: rubber band artist

One of my students created this today on the geo boards app on our iPads.  I must be easily amused because I thought it was amazing.  

October 11, 2016: minor flooding

Our playground flooded today.  I looked outside during lunch to see this man in shorts trying to unplug the drain.  This is Kodiak, the land of waders.  It's 50 degrees outside.  What is this man doing? 

October 10, 2016: withdrawals

Starbucks is closed.  Our Starbucks is inside Safeway, and our entire Safeway has been in the process of being remodeled. It was inevitable that Starbucks was next.  I never anticipated that it would be closed for THREE WEEKS!  I was never a coffee shop goer until I moved to Kodiak.  I became hooked on iced chai tea lattes.  Last year I started going to Starbucks once a week.  By the beginning of this school year, I was going 4 days a week.  I can't stop.  For the first time in my life, the Starbucks people know me.  They call me Amanda instead of Mandy, but I let it slide.  I'm pretty sure the McDonalds people know me too,  but that's another story.  After I saw that Starbucks would be closed for a while, I decided this could save me some money, so I have been mixing my own happiness each morning.  It's not even remotely close to being as good as the real thing, but I get to use this cute cup a student gave me.  

October 8, 2016: Sheraton

Alanna and I hiked up Sheraton Mt today! Well, we don't think we actually made it to the peak, but we got pretty close.  There are 3 different peaks all on the same ridge, and friends have told me that they don't think they would have know if they were on the true peak either if it weren't for their GPS.  By the time we got to the ridge, it had turned pretty nasty.  It was raining and the wind was blowing pretty hard.  We found a lake and waterfall that had been on my Kodiak bucket list, so I was a happy hiker.  I am coming back on a nice day to see the actual peak, swim in the lake, and jump into the waterfall.  Until then, Sheraton! 

October 7, 2016: Women of the World

I bought season tickets to the Kodiak Art Council concert series.   Tonight's show was a group called "Women of the World."  The members are from Italy, India,  Japan, and Haiti.  Collectively they speak about ten languages fluently and sing in almost thirty.  They were full of life, energy, and good stories.  I love how much respect and admiration they have for one another's cultures.  They were inspiring.  I was so challenged tonight, and I am still processing my thoughts so I don't want to share too much before I have actually sorted out my thinking.  I am so overwhelmed and saddened by the racial injustices that happen- by the profiling, the blaming, the lack of respect, the huge systematic problems, and by my own lack of response some days.  I don't know what to do other than pray, so I pray a lot.  I  think about the journey these women have had together- I can't imagine it has been perfect but I admire the humbleness that goes into listening and learning about other cultures and backgrounds with no judgement.  I think about my own friends and am so thankful for the grace I received from them when I asked a stupid question or said something ignorant.  Today I was reminded of how beautiful it can be to live in community with people who are different than you.  I was reminded that I should feel heavy hearted about the racial hurt that is happening.  I should be committed to praying and listening and learning as much as I can.  I was thinking about heaven and all the languages in which praises will be sung and how amazing that will be to hear.  

I also loved that at the end of their show, they finish with a traditional rain song from somewhere and it's supposed to bring rain to the community the next day.  Well, tomorrow is supposed to be our last sunny day for the next 10 days or so, so you can imagine the response the crowd had to this idea.  The group laughed and came up with an Italian song about something completely unrelated to rain for us instead :) 

October 6, 2016: loving fall

Last year, I was convinced that fall didn't exist in Kodiak.  It had snowed by the end of September, and the crazy rainstorms knocked all the leaves off the trees before we really got to enjoy them.  This year, fall has been beautiful! I still can't begin to compare it with a Michigan fall, but I have enjoyed the sunny, 50 degree days here.  The leaves have turned and are still on the trees, and I get to run on stunning, amber cliffs like this.   

October 5, 2016: winter walks!

Bring out the reflective vests and the headlamps, and let the weekly winter walks begin! I can't believe we are back to the time of year when it gets dark this early.  We were blessed with an amazing summer and fall, so I definitely can't complain! 

October 4, 2016: ATV!

I went on my first ATV ride since living in Kodiak!  Joel, my birthday buddy and pseudo little brother on the island, just bought an ATV and we went riding tonight.  We got soaked from tearing through the mud and rivers, and my arms feel like I did push-ups for hours from trying to stay on the back seat.  When we got back we found out we just missed a bear on the trail, but I didn't mind not seeing that guy in the dark on a trail in the middle of nowhere.  No thanks! 

October 3, 2016: windy kayak trip

It's been colder and windier here, so I haven't taken the kayak out for a while.  Steph and I were planning to go yesterday, but there was an insane rainstorm, so we headed out today instead.  It didn't feel that windy throughout the day, but when we got out in the boat, the waters were rough!!  There were some pretty intense waves and we definitely got wet! My arms got an intense workout, and poor Steph lifted weights the day before so she was pretty exhausted.  We gave some float pilots a pretty awesome show when it was time for us to lift the kayak back onto my car.  Absolutely exhausted, it took everything we had to get this beast of a boat over our heads and onto the rack.  At one point I had tried lifting it on my back and was just pinned down by it, laughing hysterically, unable to move.  Adventures.  All the time.  

October 2, 2016: rainy run

This is me, getting ready to run 10 miles.  In a monsoon.  With crazy winds.  

Ten.  Miles.  Rainstorm.  Got all that?   Luckily I have this one of a kind rain jacket that has magnetic, removable sleeves.  When I get into the woods and am more sheltered from the rain, I can take the sleeves off and it becomes a vest, allowing me to cool off a bit until I get back in the rain.  It's the most amazing idea for a running jacket.   It helps me get more excited about these rainy runs.  That are ten miles long.  

October 1, 2016: date with my favorite guy

I got to take this little man on an auntie date today.  Since it was a monsoon outside today, we spent a couple hours at my school playing.  His favorite game was letting me pull him around the gym on the scooter while we knocked over bowling pins with his body.  He makes me happy.  I am constantly thanking God that I get these couple of years here with this part of my family.  It has been such a blessing to be able to see them as often as I want.  I am soaking these moments in as much as I can, because I know they won't last forever!! 

September 30, 2016: galley tables

Galley Tables is one of my favorite things in Kodiak.  I love people and their stories.  If you haven't heard me rave about Galley Tables yet, get ready.  It's a once a month event where 7 people share 7 minute stories about their lives focused on a specific theme.  Tonight's theme was "Xtratuf."  One lady walked on stage carrying a really wonky looking map of Michigan with two signs reading "paradise" and "hell."  Her story was about a bike journey that she took starting from Hell, MI and ending in Paradise, MI.  This made me so happy because I have run through Hell, MI and have a tshirt that says "I ran through Hell."  I have yet to make it to Paradise, but I might need to check it out the next time I go home! 

September 29, 2016: northern lights!!

This was my attempt at catching the northern lights tonight.  I swear we saw them.  At 2am.  In our pajamas.  In the driveway.  It was awesome!!!!! 

And this is a picture someone took in the same location with a real camera: 

It has been on my bucket list for a long time, so I am thankful for Alanna, who woke up multiple times to check on the status of the lights before waking me up when they were finally bright enough to be noteworthy.  

I really want to travel to the mainland this winter to watch the lights.  They are much brighter and clearer than they are here in Kodiak.  Maybe I could actually pick them up with an iPhone.  :)