End of this 1st School Year/Beginning summer adventure

    Well, The close of my 1st year teacher came on May 17, 2012.  The last week of teaching was capped off with an indor picnic (was suppose to be at the beach, but there was just too much snow still and it was also raining), Wacky Olympics and an awesome teacher work day :).  It was bitter sweet because there were three teachers and an assistant site administrator that will not be returning to us next year.  The couple that is retiring (Marsha and Dennis Seaton) really helped me through this school year.  I am pretty sure I wouldn't of made it without my classroom neighbor Marsha or the down to earth Dennis.  Allison Kirchoff is also leaving us (she's moving to Homer), she will be greatly missed.  News of Allison was also bitter sweet.  Bitter because it was nice to get to know her and it was nice to have someone next door I could talk to if need be.  Sweet because I get to move into the house she is leaving.  Speaking of which, I GET MY OWN HOUSE NEXT YEAR!  I'm really excited about this because that means there will be more personal space :).  Not that I don't like Felicia or Kona, but the house on stilts is a little cramped with two grown women and an Alaskan huskie puppy.
    Now, I know It has been a REALLY long time since I wrote and I have many a story from the almost boyfriend to the verteran teaching status, however it is so much to write in one blog that I think I will slowly let it seep in to my summer blogs.  so the above story about end of the year will be the first story :). 
    I kicked started my summer by getting Insanity.  I konw I know, I definetly do not look like someone who would be doing Insanity.  Not to mention, even my older brother Thomas doubted my ability of stick-to-it-ness.  But I will make this one different.  I mean I stuck to p90x until I went to Jamaica which was the goal anyways, so if I make the goal to stick to Insanity until I go back to Alaska, and then make another goal to do it again I should be good.  Or we will hope.  I mean If i start now (I say now because I did the fit test today) then that means I can be done before I go back to alaska in August (it's only a 60 day program).  I think if I went back to Quinhagak after completing Insanity, I might not be recognized, but I will take that chance :).  So today was fit test day.  I got through half of it.  Thats right I said half, then I had to quit because I really felt like my head was going to explode, and let me tell you I feel the burn in my abs and upper thighs.  But I also got the post workout high that I loved after p90x.  I wrote down on my card what I was capable of doing: 30 Switch Kicks, 20 Power Jacks, 62 Power Knees, and 16 Power jumps.  After the power jumps I had to give it up.  I will use this blog to keep you posted on my progress through Insanity.
Have a fantastic awesome magical day :) :)

These are the baby booties I purchased for Myka :)

Made of seal fur and has beading on it and another kind of fur

dancers at Cama-i

The best is the older guy in front

and more Cama-i Dancing

Almost got me one of those headdresses hahaha

The drummers from all the different groups came together and surrounded the whole audience at one point

This was the group from clinton, Texas that was brought in

This guy was great!

Cama-i was definetly interesting

Yes, that's Felicia...outside..with an icecream cone in her hand....with no coat...don't worry I had on short sleeves! :)

and of course...this is now Seahawk Territory

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely

I realize it's been a couple weeks since I have updated my blog.  In the last blog, I stated that pictures would have to wait to be uploaded, so I will post them later today in a different post.  First I want to talk a little about what my classes have been up to these first 2 weeks of second semester.  

When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace. ~ Jimi Hendrix

Oh no she didn't?!! yup I'm gona.  My government class will be hearing not only Jimi Hendrix quote, but quotes from Gandhi, JFK, Lord Acton, MLK Jr., Aung San Suu Kyi to name a few.  The reason we are going all quote like in government class is because the students are learning about power.  We played a chips game on thursday January 19, which involved handing out different colored pieces of paper and telling the students they had 2 minutes to make as many trades as they could or wanted.  Some students didn't want to trade because they weren't told the value of their colored chips and wanted to hold on to the many different colors they had.  Others, made guesses and tried their best to get a hold of that color.  Turns out that the most valuable color was the one no one thought would be, pink.  I think they enjoyed the game and moving around.  After one round, the person with the highest points made the rules, after the second round, this person made a new rule and other people were allowed to make alliances to try and overthrow the one in power.  This is where they really had their fun.  Two of our high points earners got overthrown.

The cold in Quinhagak isn't so unbearable at first.  Key word: at first.  When I go to school in the morning I ride the school bus, which saves me from having to walk the 10 minutes in the cold and gives me a false hope that the walk home after school wont be that bad.  My classroom is like a sauna because the high school side gets all the heat so that gives me false hope that the walk home after school wont be bad.  Then I start the walk home.  It isn't so unbearable until I get halfway home, which is about around the post office.  Then my face starts to freeze and I just feel like curling up in my electric blanket when I get home.  Not to mention the extra weight all my carharts add to me.  the bibs alone weight 6 pounds (seriously!).  I  know, your saying "but isn't that what you expected when you moved to Alaska?"  Yes and no.  I knew it would be cold yes, but when even the natives are complaining about the cold you kind of realize it hasn't been this cold in almost ever.  Not to mention when I do get home, my bedroom is the same temp as outside because the door has been shut and no heat gets to it.  So, I just make sure I plug in and turn on the electric blanket (only when supervised) so the bed can warm up for me.  oh and on that note, THANKS GRANDMA JACKSON FOR GETTING ME THE ELECTRIC BLANKET :)

New Year, New me

So I've been home for about 2 weeks on Christmas break, and it's been an o.k. couple weeks.  I'll be the first to admit, I didn't do half of what I had planned.  At least I got to spend a lot of time with the family though.  The trip started off iffy with a weather hold on our charter, and then when we finally got the green light, Tim J had to take a later flight because our pilot only had 7 seats and we had 8 people.  Then our flight from Anchorage was late (which worked to Tim's advantage).  The flight to Chicago was on-time though and actually got to Chi-town like an hour early!  Definitely could have done without the dude sitting next to me spilling his drink on my leg though.  And it wasn't even early on when it would have had time to dry, it was at the end!!!  At least I got to travel with Amy, that was an unexpected surprise.  It was good to see everyone at the Paris clinic too, specially since they all told me I lost weight! hahahahah (what it's good to hear once in a while and I did lose weight! bout 20 pounds since the last time I saw them!).  Oh, and to add to the break from Alaska, my GCI phone did not work at home.  I could get it to work when I was in Chi-town and Indiana, but not downstate Illinois.  Go figure.

With the beginning of a new year, comes a time to reinvent yourself.  At least that's what I'm telling myself.  This time of year is a time when most create new year's resolutions.  I'm going to steer clear of that because lets be honest, new years resolutions never get accomplished.  Well mine don't anyways.  So instead, I just plan on being me.  Yup that's right I'm just going to be me.  Look out world! How is this different from 2011 you ask?  Well I held myself back from doing things that I wanted to because I was too shy or to nervous or too scared, but not this year!  2012 is going to be an amazing, awesome, fun, scary, and adventurous year!!

Well 2 days left on this break/vacation and I'm itching to get back to AK.  Don't get me wrong, I love to spend time with my family, but I just feel like I need to get back.  I belong there.

Below are some pictures from vacation/break :)






I lied....picture to come in a later post........the internet here at the house wont let me upload fast enough.

On another note It's been a week since I've been back and I'm itching to get started on this weight loss challenge.  I am looking at the Insanity program by beachbody.com thinking it might be good to do.  I have done p90x before (before I went to Jamaica) and lost a ton of weight on that (which I obviously gained back), so I'm thinking beachbody has good products.  Insanity is much harder though so I'm not sure how that will work out and what not.  I will keep you all posted on my weight loss journey though, and I do promise pictures!!!!!!

:) until next time

One semester down

The end of the semester is near my friends.  Only today, Tomorrow and half of Wednesday left to go.  The kids are restless and so am I :).  Christmas is only 6 days away and wow so much Christmas cheer in the air!!  The drama club is setting up/getting ready for the Christmas program tomorrow, which means that Christmas music is blaring from the gym into my room this morning.  Not too horrible.  I did happen to come down with the worst case of a head cold I could though.  Totally sucks right before my big 20 hour travel.  That's right folks it's going to take me a total of 20 hours to begin and finish my travel home.  It so does not seem like I'm that far away from my family/friends back in Illinois/Indiana.

Speaking of end of semester, Grades snap shots will be taken on January 11th, that means I have until then to get all of my grades done.  That seems like a good thing right?  Wrong!  that means I either have to get ALL grades done before I go on Christmas break, or do them while on Christmas break.  I have been slowly milking the students for all of the late work they owe me and in the process getting all those grades caught up, but some students just don't turn in their work!  It's actually very frustrating.  I'll tell them I have an assignment missing and they will be all "but I did that" and I'll have to say, well then please turn it in because I am missing a grade on it.  ugh...high school students should know to turn in work they complete right?  Is it asking too much???  I thought so.

Then there is the little matter of the puppy.  No I did not get a puppy.  I wanted to though.  Those pictures in the last couple blogs of the really cute puppy, no not the one with the shield like patch of hair on it's head the cuter one, I wanted her, but then I came to my senses and decided the first year or two in Alaska I didn't want anything tying me down.  I want to be able to explore!!!  It's not like  I wouldn't be able to explore with a puppy, but the chances are less and the places I could go and the length I could be gone would not be as diverse.  Yes, I know it sounds a little self-centered, but haven't I earned the right to be a little self-centered my first year of teaching.  Besides there will be a puppy in the house I can play with, just not own.  Felicia is getting the one with the shield like patch of hair on it's head (yes the cute one referred to earlier), and so I'll be able to play with him when he gets big enough to stay at our house.

Guess who came home sick from work today....yup that's right me.  ugh so bad timing!!!!  I tried to make it work too but I ended up going home at lunch.  I decided when students started telling me my face was red and I looked horrible I should probably stop trying to tough it out and just go home.  I have this horrible guilt every time I call in sick.  Doesn't matter the job.  So of course coupled with my ever present need to be in control of my classroom, I definitely did not want to throw in the towel.  But sometimes ya just gotta do what you gotta do.  So here I am about ready to go to bed so I can rest up for tomorrow...hopefully I'll be able to go to work tomorrow anyways.

Baby Shower and Walk in Carharts

Felicia smelling the poopie diaper (a.k.a. melted candy bar)

Everyone trying to figure out what is in the diapers!!!  That's Alison in the middle on the couch :)

We all made her bibs!!!  don't worry, mines the one that is very unartistic that says I heart mommy

Aunt Mary..you'll never believe it....Marsha makes holy smoke too!!!

Alison with all of her treats....doesn't she look lovely :)

This is how I walk....My glass kept steaming up from my breath so I put them over the neck gator and i looked like a total dork, but it worked :)

That's the tundra...oh...and the windmills

That's not tundra out there, it's the ocean!!!  All those black things are chuncks of ice

More Ocean

This one just looked cool

Felicia perched on top the huge ice chunk we found

that's the huge ice chunk..it was washed ashore during one of the storms

There are huge gaps between the ice chunks...this picture does not do it justice to show how far down it is

yup...ocean

me, next to the ocean (a.k.a. ice chunks)

at this point we were just being silly

Felicia trying not to fall into the water on the walk home (don't worry mom it wasnt even an inch deep)

that's the town all the way back there

our christmas tree (thanks mom!) Felicia and her new puppy!

And me standing next to the huge ice chunk!! hahaha

This was when the snow had let up sometime either Monday tuesday or wednesday...it was the day we had the blizzard

The entrance to our arctic entryway....yes that's snow inside! and yes we close our door

Two of the cutest puppie!!!  the darker one is the one I want

Felicia and her puppy!

me and my puppy!

Isn't she just cute!!!

all 8 of the puppies :)