May 29, 2016: Jo meets her first sea star.

Haha! I love this.  Jo wasn't freaked out at all.  ;).   Today I got to show her a typical Sunday in Kodiak.  We went to church in the morning then headed to Abercrombie for a potluck with my friends.  We walked down to the water at low tide and hunted for tidepool creatures.  This was my first time tidepooling at Abercrombie and I was a little disappointed.  We didn't see much, but we did find a few sea stars and a ton of snails.  

After that, we headed to Old Woman for a hike with my family.  Arthur taught her about pushki, and showed off his hiking skills.  It was a gorgeous day to be outside.  

Jo had barely slept, so we stopped quick at crabfest, got some dinner, and headed home.  Just one more day to show her Kodiak before we head to the mainland for our vacation! 

May 28, 2016: crab fest!

Crab fest.  Where do I even begin?!  The floats in the parade were filled with kiddos in felt crab hats and full grown adults dancing in bear or crab costumes. Unlike the Homer 4th of July parade, however, there were no outhouses on any of the floats.  That was different.  

I heard that the seafood at the festival was amazing.  I couldn't eat most of it because of my allergy, but I can tell you the crab smelled awesome.  The crepes... Well I had 4 if that tells you anything. 

The events:  -Coast Guard rescue demonstration where a stellar sea lion swam within 6 feet of the rescue swimmer.  Crazy!   -A survival suit race where teams had to run down the dock, put the suits on, swim out into the harbor, and get into these giant, floating things.  - A fish toss competition (see the picture of Alanna below).  She and Tim did pretty well! 

I didn't make it to a lot of the other events that I would like to next year.  The blessing of the fleets, the fishermen's memorial where they remember all men who died at sea in the last year, the arm wrestling competition or the hot dog eating competition.  I am looking forward to next year! 

May 27, 2016: staff party

I already ranted and raved about how much I love my coworkers this year.  So, I don't really want to go into it again.  They are some of the funniest, kindest, most accepting and motivating people I have worked with.  Celebrating the end of the year at the staff party was a blast.  So many good people, terrible karaoke choices, and hilarious moments.  Great night! 

May 26, 2016: Jimpanzee bought a bus!

...and it is so awesome!!  We spent a couple hours cruising around back roads and practicing parking skills before he brought it on the main roads.  His plan is to fix it up and live in it. 

I can't wait to see what he does with it!! 

May 25, 2016: field day!

Greatest Field Day ever!  The teachers who planned this day did an amazing job! We split k-2 kids into mixed groups, so I had kiddos from each grade and class in my group for the day.  I loved having a mixed group for the day!  The kids had fun making new friends and playing the goofy games.  Obviously I had some fun too.  Michelle killed it in the scooter/plunger race, but you can tell by my face I didn't give up! :).  

One thing I love the most about Peterson is how much spirit there is.  The teachers are so dedicated to creating a positive, fun atmosphere for the students.  And the teachers!  For as many tough moments I had this year, I had twice as many moments where I felt so supported, encouraged, celebrated, and loved on by this staff.  And if I feel it, I know these kids are feeling it too.  Way to go, Peterson! 

Seriously, what a blast and awesome way to spend the second to last day of school! 

May 24, 2016: sorry but kind of not about this picture

The end of the school year is busy.  Exhausting.  I didn't even think about taking a picture today. I fell into bed, drained and brain dead at about 10:30.  I then remembered I hadn't taken a picture.  So... You get this today.  No effort.  No regret.  But hey, you get to see how light it is here at 10:30 PM.  I had all my lights off and my shades drawn.  The upside to being completely exhausted is that I can usually still fall asleep without my sleeping mask.  Which is perfect for those nights when I lost it in the covers, or in the crack between the wall, or under the bed.  Which is most every night. 

May 23: vacuum nirvana

This thing is amazing.  It's a vacuum that is built into the house! You lift a little flap in the wall and the suction power is in the wall!  You attach the hose to the wall and it stretches to every room in the apartment.  Mind blown.  I had never seen anything like this until moving to this apartment!