Break

Attempting to teach children anything in the last week was completely pointless. They all know that Santa is coming and that presents are appearing at their houses and that is all they want to talk about. If the words Santa or Christmas didn't come out of my mouth they were definitely not listening. We did a lot of crafts in the last week for the blessed holiday that gets them so amped up. We had our holiday musical program that went surprisingly well considering they are a rowdy bunch of 5 year olds this year. We saw the production of How the Grinch Stole Christmas that is put on each year by the older grades at school which was also precious. Friday was PJ day at school thanks to my wonderful idea. Santa also came to school on Friday and we were released at 12:30 for the holiday break. A much needed holiday break. The week was horrendous. The children were like a bunch of wild animals. I think at one point during the week I witnessed them playing something closely resembling rugby in our classroom. They formed a huddle, a scrum if you will, and were just pushing each other back and forth and not gaining any ground in either direction. The oddest thing to witness but no one got hurt and there was no crying so that was good! I slept the long afternoon of free time away on Friday and didn't do much yesterday either. I cleaned the tub and took a nice long soak with aromatherapy bath salts to clear up my stuffy nose and relax my muscles. I took another bath today and lounged around with Olive all afternoon. The day seemed horribly long and never ending and now it is 2:22am and I am sleepless and restless. I may need to take a hot shower to get myself to sleep. Nome sweet Nome, let me sleep through the night please!

White out

After a delightful weekend of sunshine and good weather, the blizzard has hit. I have been told this is nothing compared to the possibilities that may soon come upon us here in Nome, but there is definitely some thick snow blowing through town. This is some blizzard of 91' kind of snow! I live a block from school and I couldn't see school this morning. It is icy wind and big flakes of snow. We have school though! The plows were running all night and I turned on our faucets in the middle of the night to make sure our plumbing didn't freeze. My bedroom window is frozen with the latch unlocked so I am hoping I go home and my window is still closed and my room isn't full of snow. Our entry this morning was full of snow. I never feel air seeping in under the door but the snow sure found a way overnight! The kids had a great time at recess of course and I am thinking I might snowshoe with Kamik later :) I will be wearing my full length down parka to keep my bottom warm! 

Last night was the glorious cheerleader dinner at our house. I made some tastey treats and the girls loved everything. Even the picky eater (worse than me picky) ate my food! They said it was delicious and I know I made my mama proud. They ate all my cookies, most of my buffalo chicken dip, and almost all of my chicken. As usual I made a lot a lot of pasta salad so there is plenty left over to eat for a while. Yum yum! Nothing was burnt and everything came out on time to feed these hungry girls!

 Crazy cheer girls eating my lemon pepper chicken

 I think that is a cookie in her mouth

 Pasta salad before I added the pasta

 Before the baking began. Cream of chicken soup with water and lemon juice. Sprinkle in coarse ground black pepper. Add chicken breast with lemon zest. Lemons placed on top.

Making cookies with Kamik

School spirit

As a former dancer (I still consider myself to be a dancer even though I haven't danced in three years) I pride myself in my strong dislike of cheerleaders. Somehow I am living with a former cheerleader who is also the new cheer coach for highschool and have been forced to partake in cheer things. I have watched painful hours of cheer routines and been involved with many cheer conversations. UGH. This weekend was the first basketball game of the season. The mighty Nanooks played Friday and Saturday night. First basketball game means first appearance of the cheerleaders. I showed my support for my roomie and her team. I went to a basketball game and watched cheerleading. The two sports I loathe most, even though I do not consider cheering a sport! I put a smile on my face, packed my knitting, and went to the game. I have not been to a basketball game since high school when I danced at them during half time. 3 hours of basketball was way to much for me to handle. I was nice and sat through it all. I even video taped some of the cheer routines and took some photos of the girls with their coach. I wore blue and white to support the Nanooks too. Between all the "excitement" I finished my knitting project. I successfully knit purl a washcloth and I think it turned out pretty good! No added stitches this time :) The Nanook varsity basketball team won their first game even though it was a little rough. Literally, I thought that maybe I was watching rugby or wrestling for a little bit. The boys were all over the floor fighting for the ball. Craziness! I have never seen a highschool basketball game so packed either. Everyone lines up on the court for the team to come out and they get high fives like they are celebrities. The entire bleachers were full of screaming fans that stand until the Nanooks score for the first time, which took a painful 5 minutes. It was definitely the event of the season. I suppose since they don't have hockey in Nome basketball is their only chance to get rowdy in public for sports. 

Tomorrow we are hosting a dinner for the cheerleaders. Since my roomie doesn't exactly cook anything except pizza rolls and macaroni I agreed to cook the meal. 10 cheerleaders and me...it is going to be a long night. I am making buffalo chicken dip for an appetizer, pasta salad, lemon pepper baked chicken breast, and white rice. I baked chocolate chip cookies tonight for desert tomorrow. Don't worry mom, I didn't burn anything! I'll let you all know how it goes! Wish me luck :) 

Be jolly

We have 6 full days of school left and one half day of school until Christmas break! Then I have two glorious weeks off and I am excited. I am thinking that the last Friday we have at school should be a pajama day since my mommy just sent me some sweet new pj pants! But which ones should I wear? Kitty cat pants or monkey pants? Difficult choice. Before our holiday break however we have a holiday concert at school for kindergarten. Oh my goodness if we can get through the concert that would be fantastic. We have a rowdy bunch of kindergarteners this year. They hardly stand still long enough to sing the songs and really do not follow along as a group. It is chaotic. We are making these big banners to hang from the gym ceiling to decorate for the holidays. I have decided that I want Paul Bunyon on our banner so I drew a fabulous picture of him today. I think my kids will each make a decorated pine tree to add to the banner as well since I made Paul all by myself. I was pretty proud of myself for sketching him out this afternoon.

Pretty awesome right?! 
Here are my pretty fabulous gifts from my mommy and daddy

It has also been snowing in Nome the last few days! I am so excited. I actually have a reason to wear my boots and snowpants! I might even be able to snowshoe soon :D 

Snow? Maybe...

I am still anxiously awaiting snow in Nome. There is just a small frosting on the ground. There is plenty  out on the frozen sea, but we want more in town! I want snow out on the playground and in my yard. I want to snowshoe! If I have to go home for snow that is just crazy. I am in Alaska! There better be snow coming my way. It has been cold and windy for the last few days. A winter storm would make me so happy!

Tonight is our work Christmas party. I am excited for tastey food! I will be having halibut, shrimp, rice, and soup. I wonder how long the gathering will last? There are only a few people that I would prefer to sit with all night and talk with. Christmas, as many of you know, is not exactly my thing so I am hoping for just a good meal and some funny conversation and an early ending to the night. 2 1/2 weeks till Santa comes and I can no longer use him as a motivator for my kindergarteners. I'll have to find something else to motivate my kiddos into good behavior! 

Hope all is well in MN and I hope you have snow!

Grandma turns 90

My Great Grandma Schultz is turning 90 this week! Holy moly that is amazing. I am so lucky to have a great grandma. I know so many do not have great grandmas in their lives. I had two until I was 16. Grandma Schultz makes the best chicken kluski soup, the best monkey bread, and the best jellies. Grandma Schultz used to make a nest at the foot of her bed for me to sleep in on overnights and she would make bunny shaped pancakes in the morning. She had a sewing area in her basement and a drawer full of bells that I loved to play with. Grandma Schultz is everything polar bear and I adore her collection. I was sad that I missed her 90th surprise birthday party this last weekend, but I know she was thinking of me while they partied! I sent her a birthday postcard and soon I will be sending her a disposable camera full of pictures from Nome. My class even took part in saying happy birthday.

3 months in

I've been in Nome for a little over three months now! It is going by really fast. Only three weeks until winter break and that is crazy! I have been able to do so many new things and see new places I can hardly believe it. There is still little to no snow here. We got a dusting last night and it is sticking around, but I am waiting for the first big snow storm. I hope it doesn't all wait for the week of Christmas. So many people are trying to go home and it would be sad to see everyone here stranded. I just want snow! I want to snowshoe the tundra all day long! Our house has been decorated for the holiday thanks to the wonderful principal and his wife who picked up extra decorations for us. We have tinsel garland handing from our windows with blue and icicle lights. There are christmas ornaments dangling too. After a uplifting chat with my Aunty tonight I got the idea to make a fireplace and mantel to "hang" up stockings in our living room. I think I will make one for my classroom too. I am going to make a tree also for at school. It is definitely cold enough for Christmas, but it doesn't quite look like it outside. Even the ocean is frozen, but still no snow. 

Dreams

I often have dreams about being back home in Minnesota. I dream about teaching preschool again and working with everyone I used to know. I dream about all the places I used to go and things I used to do. In each dream it is as if I had left Nome to go home without finishing the year here. Every ending is the same in that I feel misplaced in Minnesota. I feel like I do not belong there and I regret coming home and leaving Nome. I obviously am in the right place here in Nome teaching Kindergarten with all these wonderful people. I love where I am every day even when it gets difficult and the kids are being mischievous. I definitely do not regret coming here and taking this opportunity for myself. The one thing that hurts most is being so far from Kevin. I can handle being away from my family because I get to talk to them often and I am still connected to them. Kevin is different, I cannot call him. I do not hear his voice here. I see him out of the corner of my eye and I imagine him here with me. He would have loved this place. He loved Grand Marais and being this close to the ocean feels very similar to that small great lakes town. I cannot visit him here. I cannot talk to him here. That is the hardest part of this adventure. I am so far away from him and I have never felt further. My heart is aching for him to be here in this new place with me. 

The next holiday on my list...

So Christmas is coming up super fast already this year! Sadly I do not have a super awesome teacher supply store up here to get my kids fun gifts like I did last year. It is a complete bummer. Maybe they will just have to wait for their presents until after I get a chance to come home and get them things. That might be exciting for them, but they will also be bummed not to get something before Christmas, don't you think? If someone gets a chance please send candy canes for my kids! I would also love to share a bucket of popcorn with my kids! I also need cotton balls for art projects. While you are out I also need a few cans of shaving cream, not for my legs but for art projects so it doesn't matter if it is the super cheap kind from the dollar store or not because it will still work! It needs to be the cream kind, not the gel that turns into foam. If you happen to visit Jo-Ann's take a peek if they have any cute little crafty kind of things we (or just me) could do. They usually have buckets of foam sticker pieces that can be made into something or foam snowflakes that we can glitter glue. My class loves art projects and they are really very good so we can use anything! Oh and jumbo popsicle sticks and yarn. Mom I know you have tubs of yarn in the basement so send some my way if you get a chance :) Thanks everyone!! My kids will love you for these artsy gifts :) 

If you are shopping for me for the holidays here's my list :D
*Subway giftcard
*Walmart giftcard
*Amazon giftcard
*Barnes and Noble giftcard or Half Price Books giftcard
*Wool socks
*Knee high socks
*Scary movies-a lot have come out on DVD and I haven't seen them because the theater up here is waaaay behind and only shows 2 movies a month
*Camelback backpack with a water pouch inside that I can use when I go snowshoeing or hiking on the beach
*small desk that I can assemble in my bedroom at my nome home
*Down vest (they are all the rage here and I don't have any)
*Cotton long sleeve shirts in any color (preferably not striped) 
*sweater dresses
*thick tights (preferably footless)
*leggings

thanks for loving me enough to let me venture out into the world!

Survival of the Alaskan Woman

I have officially made it a whole week without Kayla being here to take care of her own dog. 7 days with a puppy and only two more to go. Tuesday he bit me and I had to go to the ER. They could have given me stitches but decided to wait it out and see if it started to close on its own. I also got antibiotics that made me throw up at school in front of my kids. AWESOME! Not. He refuses to walk with me and sits on the frozen street. I have tried dragging him but he doesn't give in so I give up and walk back home. He pees outside and I bring him in and he pees on the carpet. He tore a leg off our living room coffee table, ate the garbage, ripped down a shower curtain, ate a shampoo bottle, ate my mail I was going to send to my mom, attacked my cat, ate a kitchen chair and lazy boy chair. Such a menace! While taking care of him I have been taking care of the 3 large dogs that live downstairs while my landlord is out of town. Too many animals to take care of! All by myself in this big old house and so many animals that always need attention. Children I can handle. 17 children I can handle. 3 dogs and a puppy, I cannot. 

My thanksgiving was pretty good regardless of the animals that have taken over my life lately. I talked to a bunch of my wonderful family home in MN that I haven't talked to in a while. Then I went to a friends house with a bunch of other teachers and local people. We had turkey, moose, collard greens and bacon, garlic baby reds, yukon golds mashed with goat cheese, pumpkin cream cheese and gingersnaps, corn bread, stuffing, and my homemade cinnamon honey bisquits. It was a lot of tastey food and I was very happily full. I left before dessert because I had dogs to feed and let out but I socialized for 4 hours. It was great to leave the house, meet new people, and share a delicious meal. I was much to full to eat dessert anyway. My mile walk home freed up some room so I had a little bit of chocolate fudge ice cream :) I was still in my food coma until 10 this morning though. I went for two long walks today to make up for my full tummy. Got my sweat on all bundled up in a dozen layers! The temperature is definitely dropping daily. I find it odd that it is warmer at 6 in the morning than it is when the sun comes up. Today was a whopping 4 degrees. Still no snow. It has been in the forecast for the last few days but there is nothing floating down from the sky. Very disappointing. 

More notes to come soon :) xoxox

Happy Thanksgiving

Hey everyone! I hope you all have a good holiday! I will be having party moose with a  bunch of other teachers and people from town. I hope you all eat chocolate cake and delicious buttered bisquits for me!

Fare thee well

She came. She ate. She's flying home! Kimmy was here for 5 long days. We slept all day Thursday because she was exhausted from flying overnight and I was exhausted from not sleeping Wednesday night because I was so excited to see her. Friday we went to school and checked out the town. We went out to eat and had a delicious meal together at Bering Sea Restaurant. I had the chili cheese burger and she had chicken fingers of course. We sat and we watched tv together for a little bit and she went to bed at like 8. Saturday we power shopped a rummage sale and a few other local hot spots. I got a ton of great new native pieces I am very excited about. Sunday we took a drive to Council. Kimmy got to see musk ox in real life! I saw a whole lot of Alaska I haven't seen before. I am glad to have great friends like Leonard and Jess to take me on these adventures! My kids absolutely loved having Kimmy in our classroom. They crawled all over her for two days and she even got invited to some sleep overs by some of the little rugrats! Too funny. They piled on her when it was time for them to go home and gave her hugs and kisses. We went for a great beach walk after school and went to dinner. She arrived safely to the airport and made it through the security and everything fine. Her plane is flying over my house right now at approx. 9:06 so she should be on time to Anchorage and Denver and be in Minnesota early tomorrow morning. Watch out MN Kimmy the ginormous is returning! I was so happy to have a part of my family here with me in my Nome Home. It felt like normal life all over again. It was a great 5 days :)

Taking over Nome

Kimmy is coming! I am beyond excited and smiling ear to ear. I don't think that I will be sleeping tonight because I am so anxious. She is at the airport right now waiting with my cat. Minneapolis to Seattle to Anchorage to Kotz to Nome!! She will be here right away in the morning and I am taking the day off so I can pick her and my kitty at the airport. Then we will be going home so kimmy can sleep and then we are going to explore. My toes are tingling with anticipation! AHHH 

Pamyua

Saturday was very exciting! I went to a concert at the NES (Nome Elementary School) and watched the most entertaining show I've seen so far being in Nome. A Yupik band was in town for their last stop on their tour. Yupik is a native eskimo language that is similar to Inupiaq which is spoken most often in Nome. Yupik comes from a bit more south of here but the band was amazing! I have no idea what they were singing but it was so good! A lot of the songs have dances and such that go along with them and these people were great. Pamyua has 4 singers and then a few instrument players. Some songs are acapella and others have guitar, drums, and piano to go along. They are definitely worth looking up on youtube to watch and listen to. The music gets in your bones even if you have no idea what they are saying. Check them out!

Baby beluga

The word throughout Nome is that Beluga whales are hanging around Cape Nome and making their way Westward to Nome. My roomie and I walked a few miles down toward where the whales should be, but we did not see them. No whales for me to see and I was so disappointed. However, the sea is freezing and we were able to walk out on the Bering! It was so cool. The waves literally froze in their wave so the ice and snow looks amazing. I only walked out 10 feet (if that) because I do not want to fall into the super cold Bering Sea water. There were some natives out about 100 yards drilling holes in the ice and looking for artifacts below in the dark cold water. I don't know what kind of artifacts they are hoping to find, but they were pulling out some little things. There has also been 5 really large ships off the coast of Nome and I don't know what they are or what they are doing. Usually it is just a Coast Guard ship or a research vessel but now there are 5 and they have been out there for three days. Makes me curious! For those of you wondering, the temperature this morning was a balmy 3*F and it is slowly climbing and now it feels about 25*. The wind is non existent today though so it feels amazing! The wind is what makes it unbearably cold and I get wind burned cheeks and nosey. Today is delightful though! 


9 more days till Kimmy comes!

Mission accomplished

A mission was bestowed upon me. I was supposed to go out for a night on the town in fantastic Nome. My roomie and I went strolling through town Saturday night. We saw a costume contest and the first bar and it was hilarious. People are completely ridiculous all the time and when they are dressed up and drinking it gets even better. We made our way to three different fabulous nome establishments. We picked the right person to sit by at the second place. He kept dropping $50 and buying everyone around us drinks. I have so many left over drink tokens because they don't give you a drink if you have one in front of you and I'm smart and keep a full drink in front of me so I don't get crazy. So I basically have free drinks for the next month or so! We met some super funny guys that we went dancing with and laughed so hard. If you ever thought people are strange looking, come to Nome and watch them dance while dressed up in halloween costumes. LAUGH OUT LOUD. It was a successful evening though. We went out, we laughed, we walked home safely just me and my roomie. It was great. 

I also carved a pumpkin at home and at school with my kids. You all know how much I love pumpkins! The pumpkins were ridiculously expensive but I just couldn't say no to a cute little orange ball of beauty. I am excited for my first holiday in Nome and the most important holiday to me! I am going to wear my black tutu to school on Wednesday and face paint to be a kitty cat :) 

Fire Safety month

October is Fire Safety month in case you didn't know. The amazing volunteer firemen of Nome came to Kindergarten to teach us some safety tips and what to do in an emergency. They came fully dressed in their fire gear and crawled around on the floor with the kids and even did stop drop and roll with them. It was the cutest thing I've ever seen. We even got to go on the firetruck! The kids were so excited except for two little girls; I held one quivering little girl the whole time. These girls didn't even want the fire hats at the end of the trip! It was an experience though and I'm glad we got the opportunity to see the truck and all of its glory!

Rambunctious

Our house full of animals! We have two cats (Topper and Kigiyuk) and we have a new little pup! He is something like a german shepherd, rotweiler, lab, husky mix. He is a little mutt and adorable! My roomie from school got him for free from someone who had gotten him right before his wife had a baby. They soon found out that a puppy and an infant was way too much work so we got the puppy. He is black with brown feet and eyebrows. He has a white spot on his chest and on his little butt. He is almost potty trained already and loves his new mommy. I am of course the aunty and he likes to bite me  all the time. He eats hair and licks up noses and nibbles on hands. I have little puppy bite marks all over my hands but he is getting a little better since I grab his nose and say NO! every time he bites. His name is Kamik (come-eeek). It means boots in Inupiaq :) And of course my Olive is coming in November with Kimmy! Two cats are leaving November 3 and my baby is coming November 15. I am excited for my baby to come. I miss her lots and seeing my roomie with her new baby pup makes me miss her more.

Daily life

Hello Minnesota! I have in fact moved into a new place. I am living with another teacher from school and another woman named Jenny! The other Jenny is actually moving home to the lower 48 in a couple weeks so we are already looking for a new roommate to fill her spot which is harder than we thought. Most people that respond are either men, women with children escaping a man, and/or women who are looking for a place to bring drunk natives home to. So, we are trying to talk some teachers into bailing on their current leases to move in with us. I am getting Olive in November when Kimmy comes up and my current roomie is looking for a pup to get to live with us too!

I have gotten a box from Forest Lake! Thank you for all the special treats. I am so happy to have rice and soup to make! It is hard to go to the grocery store because I don't know what I want, need, should have. I try and make lists but all I come up with is milk and cereal. I still cannot get used to how much food costs so I don't get things I want, just what I need. Milk and cereal. I still have crackers, apples, granola bars, noodles, mac n cheese and potatoes. I go out to eat once a week to have "real food" so I am getting enough Iron which I guess is important. I promise I am happy and healthy though! I keep spraying everything with lysol and bleach and wash my hands enough to make them dry and need lotion badly. I've got a smile on though! Ear to ear! Someone here even calls me perma-smile :D

Love from Alaska!

I am going to start ordering food from walmart.com but until then: 

If you could please send:
Hangers
Whole wheat pasta
Intense moisture lotion
Chocolate!
Ramen or easy mac
Vitamins
Sticky wall hook things
Pasta side mixes
Dish soap
Cinnamon rice cakes
Chunky Peanut butter (it costs like $10 a jar!)
Canned corn
Pickles
Banana peppers
Jalepeno peppers
Bagel thins
Cleaning supplies
Kitchen towels/rags
Hand/Face towels for in the bathroom

The last few days...

What a busy last few days! 

My tooth extravaganza: I'll start with last Thursday. Sometime after school part of my back molar broke off. It hurt like hell afterward and is still super tender. I tried calling a dentist on Thursday and Friday but apparently the white people dentist is only open Monday-Wednesday, sometimes when the dentist feels like coming to work. I called the hospital dentist because it hurt and I figured I should get it fixed before it got infected. They told me I couldn't come in because I am not a native. So I went all weekend with half a molar hurting like crazy and eating mostly noodles and mashed potatoes. Saturday night I couldn't sleep because it hurt so much and I had to take some tylenol codeine to fall asleep finally around 7:30 am. Today I went to school after taking tylenol gel caps, took three ibuprofen at lunch and was ready to pull my teeth before school was over. The principals wife (my alaska mom) took me to the hospital ER after school to get some pain meds and hopefully move up my dentist appointment from Wednesday Oct 17 to sometime this week. I got the meds and an antibiotic because now it looks infected. Now I am drugged and feeling better. 

So fresh and clean: Friday I cleaned and organized my room and stayed in all night watching movies on tv. It was great and relaxing. I did my laundry and made my bed with clean sheets again. I got a great new bed topper on Sunday to help fix my super lumpy bed. It is 4 inches of magnificent foam that molds to my body making it so much easier to sleep. I was so happy last night and it was hard to get out of bed this morning. Clean sheets and a comfy bed :) yahoo Today Kayla and I moved all the living room furniture to one side, put down baking soda, vacuumed, moved all the furniture to the other side, baking soda, vacuumed, and moved it all back. We dusted like crazy and washed the walls and heaters. We took the random nails and screws out of the wall. It smells fantastic in our place now and it looks amazing. NO more pet smells and dust everywhere. My mom would have been appalled by all the pet hair and dust. I emptied the vacuum container three times! It is amazing in here though. 

Strange new experiences: Saturday I was super lazy until I went to the NRA fundraiser dinner in town. I have never seen so many Nomites in one place! I think the whole town was there. My ticket was paid for by my superintendent and so I got free entry and dinner. Steak, shrimp, baby red potatoes, dinner roll, salad, veggie medly, and cheese cake. It was hard and slightly painful to eat but I couldn't pass up a delicious dinner like that! It was hilarious to see so many people going crazy over so many guns under one roof. I don't think I've ever seen so many guns being handed out like cotton candy at a circus. I didn't buy any raffle tickets because it was $50 for 15 for the cheapest "package" to win prizes. I did bid on some beautiful handmade that I was hoping to share with my mama but some jerk ass out bid me with 3 minutes left. I've learned not to go to the bathroom at the end of an auction. Had I known it was ending I would have waited and peed my pants. I did get a bunch of door gifts though for my daddy :)

I'll keep you all updated on my dentist adventures in Nome!

Love and happiness from AK

Nome Sweet Home

I have successfully moved into my house up here in Nome. My new friend moved with me and we are so thrilled to be in town! She is a special education speech teacher at the elementary school where I work. It is a delightful 3 minute walk to and from school. We live on the second floor of a house. We have our own entry separate from the downstairs. We have free laundry too!! And a great big tub :) Yesterday we walked all over town signing up for cable and internet and paying our bills. Ugh...but we officially have a place of our own. It feels fantastic to have somewhere to call home in Nome. However, the bed I have been sleeping on for the last week is super crappy. It is thin and lumpy and squeaky. I put two sheets and a comforter under my fitted sheet to try and give it a little more cushion...no such luck. I might need to visit the arctic chiropractic soon. 

Since my boxes still haven't arrived that have my blankets in them I am in desperate need of blankets. I have two with me, but let me tell you, it gets cold at night. I am going to walk back across town today to go to the quilt shop "Whimsy Shop" and get some fleece to make a blanket. On my way I suppose I will be brave and get a flu shot at the hospital. There have been quite a few people out this week with the flu. Nome Public Schools needs substitute teachers! If you have a hankering to move to Nome, come on up! You don't need a degree or anything to sub for a day and you still get paid. 

Roller coaster

What an interesting week I have had this week. My classroom behavior was all over the place. One day they are cooperative little angels and the next day they wreak havoc and tear apart the room. Someone colored the inside of our toilet with crayon and pencil. They could not keep themselves from throwing rice all over from the rice table so smart teacher that I am I emptied the rice during recess. Then the devious little minions filled the table with water and were throwing water at people and putting all my board erasers in the water. I cannot win. I have 18 little needy bodies and I cannot keep up with the naughty ones that misbehave constantly. One little boy got sent home early twice this week and now has officially dropped out. I lost the battle and the war with him after wrestling him and being punched and kicked instead of letting him do the same to another child. His violent tendencies towards other people only occur when other people or children are in the room so I just did not understand him. No matter how much attention I gave him and one on one special time, he could not would not behave. I feel a loss in my teaching heart. It tastes bitter. 

On a brighter note that may surprise all of you who venture to read my stories, I went to a bible study group on Wednesday. ha! I went for the food, which probably makes me even more of a heathen or something terrible, but I went. I met people from Nome, all young people because the group is 39 and under, and I had some super good homemade food that made me miss my mama even more (even though my mama never made me a moose hotdish before). I don't know if my heart is healed enough to be up for the challenge of actually joining the group in prayer and bible discussions so I may not go back, but I took that leap and had dinner with all those bible thumpers! It wasn't that bad and I mostly talked about where I come from and how I say the word bag wrong. Apparently I sound like I say beg instead of bag. I hear  a difference in my voice when I say beg and bag but no one else does. How odd? I am working on saying bag "correctly" to fit in up here. It is just weird! I do hear my voice changing though, I know my accent is changing and it is getting a bit southern because I am hanging out with so many southern folks. Oh my oh my...

On the move

So my new Alaska bff and I have successfully found a new place of residence! We are moving from out in the boondocks to town. We will be living on 4th and L if you look at a map of Nome. It is a whole 2 blocks from school. I get to sleep in and walk to school :) It is a 2 story home, not a temporary or moveable home like most of the other houses in Nome, and we will live on the second floor. Heat rises you know! I get to have my Olive come up here to be with me and that is enough to win me over. There is a super big kitchen and living room with 13 foot ceilings, a bathroom with a jacuzzi tub and shower, washer and dryer (FREE unlike where I live now), and my room is about 10x10 with a closet, dresser, full size bed, and new window. It is the nicest house we have seen in Nome and the tub was what won over my new roomie. We get to be in town! yay Hopefully we will be moving in this weekend. I have to wait for my new bed to arrive. I am not buying it but the landlord is providing a new one for me. Pretty sweet deal! I'll add pictures once I am settled...

Happiness and bitterness

I don't think I've been quite this happy in a very long time. I smile and laugh every day and even when my kids are crazy and uncooperative, I love every day at school. It must be the fresh air and vast openness of Alaska and I am loving it. Every day is relaxing and peaceful. I admit that I was scared to come here, but I am proud to have made the leap. These kids are definitely changing who I am and I like it! 

On the bitter side of things, the guy that I was buying a 4 wheeler from sold it 24 hours before we had agreed that I could pick it up. "I hope you understand", I'm sorry but NO I do not understand. UGH...frustration overwhelmed me yesterday afternoon. I am feeling better today though so that is good. Every day is a new day and a new adventure here in Nome. Bring on the new! 

Jack Frost

The snow has arrived in the great state of Alaska! On Sunday night I saw snow falling on our side of the mountains just in my backyard. Last night it was actually snowing little flurries outside my door! I got out of the shower at about 8:30 last night and went to close my window and there were flakes blowing about in the wind! I was so excited I ran out of my room in my towel and down the hall of our building telling all the other teachers that it was indeed snowing for the first time in Nome :) I also apologized for catching anyone off guard by being in my towel. Today during our 10:30 recess at school there were again snowflakes blowing around. It was so exciting. The kids were running around with their tongues hanging out and I couldn't help but smile ear to ear. Snow in September, I never would have thought! I am in love with Alaska. Send me my boots and snowshoes Minnesota because winter is here.

Fresh from the boat

We were treated last night with a very delicious dinner. The people in my building and my principal and his wife came over for a crab feast. The superintendent bought 4 crab, a bunch of shrimp, and some moose for us to savor. It was the most delicious meal I've had in a long time. The crab was so juicy and sweet, I didn't want to eat too much and get sick from the richness, but I had two legs. I had some jumbo jumbo shrimp fresh from the Bering Sea too. Potatoes and corn and rice were also on the table. I filled up and was so sleepy afterward. The most delicious seafood I've had since Hawaii. I also got a jar of kippered sockeye salmon from the amazing high school principal. I don't know if I want to eat it myself or send it home to share with my family :) check the box daddy! It'll be coming home soon! 

Miss and love you from AK

Sour puss

In science this week we have been talking about our five senses. We talked about how many eyes, ears, fingers, noses, and mouths we have. We compared to some different types of animals. We used our senses to observe and examine sea shells, sea stars, rocks, and our classmates. We smelled old sea shells  and listened to see if we could hear the ocean. The best was using our senses to describe food. I brought in bananas, carrots, lemons, and limes. We described the color, texture in your hand and in your mouth, taste, smell, and what it sounded like when we bit into the different snacks. My favorite was giving these kindergarteners lemons and limes. Most had never seen a lime or tasted a lime. Most had never tasted a lemon. Their faces were hilarious! So cute to watch them scrunch up their little faces and squeal and make silly ooooo noises. It was a great day in our classroom! I also liked hearing them tell me that the lemons taste like melonlade or lelonade or nemolade. Too funny :) 

Taking the plunge

 Getting ready to plunge

 Director of personnel giving his speech about how it isn't cold

 Getting undressed

 Testing the waters for us

 I'm so excited!!

 Before

 Before

 The race in!

 The race in!

 Principal soaking it all up

 Superintendent is the first one back out of the water

 Me and the colonel in

 Yay teachers!

 Trying to get out

 The after

 The after

 gonna go back in?

 Two trips in and still smiling

 In the waves!

Fearless leaders