A few days we’ve gotten snow, but now we’re just waiting for it to stick. Audrey is getting antsy for it and so am I! Life has been great... the Eskimos have been really good about giving us lots of moose, which we really enjoy. It’s the only meat we have. It’s getting pretty cold... it drops below freezing most nights but not cold enough during the day for the weather we want. It’s been raining a lot lately and I’m ready for winter! 

I haven’t traveled this year yet for NYO or cross country and I’m pretty thankful. It was fun in the beginning because it was a new experience, but now I want to stay in my own village! I still like traveling some, but I think I’ve served my time. I remember my first year I went someone every weekend it seemed!

Brandi, Kevin, and the kids will come back in just under a couple of weeks. We are all so excited to see them! Halloween carnival and red ribbon week is coming up and they are pretty fun. Naomi is filling in as student council sponsor while Brandi is gone, and they are in Anchorage right now doing some kind of leadership conference. So me and Audrey have the house to ourselves, and it’s been sweet! :) 

Next week we have a teacher work day on Saturday. We always have Saturday school with the kids for a couple of hours, but next time we’re working 8-4, and each teacher is suppose to give a 15 minute presentation on some kind of educational article. I’m planning on interviewing Paula and doing some fun games for mine, because otherwise I imagine it will be extremely boring!

Because I don’t have cable or internet at the house, I usually come to the school to read the play-by-play for the Rangers games. I’m pretty excited about this year, and when they get deeper into the playoffs, Paula will have the games on and I’ll go watch at her house. Today they will be on the TV, though, so Paula invited me over for that. I’m pretty excited about it! Go Rangers!

Lately

Sorry for taking so long to post an update! Life is super busy but incredibly awesome. I’m more comfortable than ever before, and I’m loving every second of it. I’m sure having Audrey here contributes to that, but even still, it’s just home now.

Here’s some of what I’ve been up to in the past few weeks:

Audrey celebrated her 23rd birthday on Wednesday. Early that morning, soon after midnight, Grant called and said the Northern Lights were out! So we stumbled out of bed, into our boots, grabbed our jackets, and took off into the freezing night.

They were beautiful! A white light ran all the way across the sky, and the bright lights in the distance danced for us. It couldn’t have been a better start to her birthday. The sky was so clear we could see every star. Consumed by the moment, we plopped down on the boardwalk and just gazed up in the Last Frontier’s massive expanse. It was incredible. :)

My cross country team went to district - no one placed, but they did really well. Immediately after that ended, speech began, and we have practices 3 times a week for that. Last week the school hosted a market (like a garage sell without the garage), and me, Audrey, and Paula ran that. The teachers gather whatever they don’t want or need from their houses and bring them to the school, and the villagers come and shop. We sold every bit of it! You can see the appeal, I guess, seeing as there isn’t a “goody” store here. We raised over $1100 dollars, including concession stand profit.

Every now and then I go out on hikes, but recently I’ve had back problems so I haven’t had lots of opportunity for physical activity. When I did, though, I would inevitably push my limits too far and find myself facedown in a waist-deep pond, stumbling through tundra grass, crawling through mud, wading through swamps, and trying unsuccessfully to walk through what I call “Alaskan quicksand.” I cherish my adventures outside - there’s never a dull moment! 

Academically, things couldn’t be going better. There is now a reason for kids to do their work, and do it well. If they don’t, they can’t graduate. In the past they knew they could just come to school, take a few tests, and phase up. But with our new reading program, everything they do counts. Even though I have tons more papers to grade now, it’s all worth it and things are just plain easier. 

This is the first year that Brandi, Kevin, and Thane haven’t started with us. Brandi just had her new baby girl so they are all still in Louisiana. They will come back the end of October, and I can’t wait to see them. We’ve missed them so much! 

We’re expecting snow this weekend, and I’m so ready for it. More snow means frozen tundra, which means I can hike further and go anywhere I want to. 

Hope yall aren’t burning up too bad. :)