September 7, 2016: training. Kind of.

I'm running a half marathon in November.  I'm in week 3 of training.  I think.  I have run once before today.  ONCE! It's been beautiful outside, so of course I'd rather play than run.  I've also been in crazy school mode, so I haven't made running a priority.  To punish myself for my laziness, I made myself run up Pillar Mountain today.  I ran for 3 minutes and walked for 1 all the way up this beast.  The view was a great reward.  Maybe I'll be more diligent from here on out.  Probably not though :)

September 6, 2016: nailed it

Today we began our writing workshop time.  We talked about how some of the best stories we can write are true stories about things that have happened to us.  In the beginning of first grade, we are all about sketching and labeling before we write sentences.  Yes, I know how to spell rainbow and kayak.  We model phonetic spelling in the beginning so that the kids are comfortable trying spelling on their own without being afraid to use big words they don't know how to spell.  I modeled how to sketch and label a story about something that happened to me.  I chose to write about yesterday's adventure on the kayaks with my two friends.  It's really hard to tell which picture is the real thing and which one is my sketch.  

September 5, 2016: day off!!

Happy Labor Day! We have such a short school year in Kodiak that we don't get many of the federal holidays off (which I am not complaining about.  I love getting out at the end of May!) We do get Labor Day off, which is so nice! The beginning of the school year is CRAZY so it's so helpful to have a long weekend right after the first week to rest up, (I slept for 13 hours on Friday), get caught up, and go have fun with friends.  I spent the morning with Kayla hiking Termination.  That's where this picture came from.  Termination itself is not my favorite hike to do, but the views are my favorite on the island.  I just love coming through mossy, enchanted looking forests onto beautiful beaches with mountains in the background.  I get really sappy when I hike out here.  

September 4, 2016: fog. Man, I'm struggling with creative titles...

It's hard to catch how cool something looks when you're driving down the road and hanging your phone out the window of your car.  It was incredibly foggy this afternoon and looked incredibly cool coming around Dead Man's Curve.  Take my word for it. 

September 3, 2016: first place!

Congratulations to Alanna for a first place prize at the Kodiak fair for her pickled fiddlehead ferns! She won first place in the "pickles and others" category and her ferns were a contender in the merit award for overall best canned item.  She's a rockstar. 

This was the first fair I have been to here in Kodiak.  We watched the rodeo, and it was also my first rodeo experience.  You know I enjoy any activity that involves country music, boots, and belt buckles. Fun times! 

September 1, 2016: chillin

He was totally pulling his weight tonight :)

August 31, 2016: maybe birds aren't that bad...

Can you see this crazy looking bird? It has a blackish brown body and a long, bright red beak. They are called black oystercatchers.  This was the first time I have ever seen them.  Yes, I hate birds, but they are very cool to look at from a distance- and Kodiak has some very cool looking ones!