Goodbye 2010

Well it's New Year's Eve and I don't think I'm going to miss this year. It had a lot of ups and downs, too many tears, and lots of smiles. Lots of laughs and plenty of frustration. I've lost a job, moved, got a new job, bought a house, and had plenty of confusion. I have no regrets.
It's been a fun two weeks having my parents visit. My mom finally saw a moose today, she's thrilled. We've gotten a lot of good things done.
I don't have much to write right now but I will later.
Happy New Years. xoxo

grilling in the snow

cause that's how I roll.
And I wanted steak

Sitting in the quiet, enjoying the peace

Although I live alone, there doesn't seem like there are a lot of times that I just enjoy the peace and quiet of my house in the morning. Perhaps it's because so often I'm getting ready for work or to go somewhere. It's so peaceful here this morning, just like a Sunday morning should be.
The past couple of weeks have had a lot of ups and downs. Beth came to visit, Anthony moved, Maz and Seth left for the holidays, and work has been a new adventure everyday. Not to mention every other aspect of life. This past week seemed a little rougher than usual. I'm not sure totally why but it was. A lot of long days. The upside is that I spent some time with Bryan, who in an attempt to cheer me up after a really rough day on Monday gave me my Christmas present. I feel awful that I wasn't more excited about it on Monday but I just felt so emotionally drained that it was hard to do anything other than be blah and occasionally cry. Of course since then I have told him about a zillion times how much I've liked it. Every time I go into my garage I smile, I'm still so excited about it.
In other news we've had tons of snow. I'm not a huge fan of the shoveling part but I still enjoy the snow. I've lost track of how much snow has fallen.
Well I'm off to make breakfast and have a great day.

Happy Thanksgiving and other things

It's turkey day and I can say that my turkey is in the oven. I baked pecan pies last night along with a carrot cake. Today I need to finish cleaning, make mashed potatoes, stuffing, and green bean casserole. It will be a nice small gathering at my house. I'm excited for my first Thanksgiving in my house. I'm glad that Beth got to come up here to spend time. I'm thankful that Anthony, Mazio, and Seth are going to be here too. Sadly Bryan has to work. I'm not sure if anyone else is coming. I invited some people from church to come but we'll see if that happens. I'm not worried either way. I'm very thankful for my many blessings and for all the wonderful people in my life.
The weather has been a little weird this week. I woke up Monday to freezing rain and icy roads. School was still on, it was a scary drive to work. Beth flew in on Monday so thankfully Anthony went to get her. Monday night I got a phone call that school was canceled on Tuesday. I spent the day picking up and hanging out. I didn't really go anywhere. Tuesday afternoon I got a call that school had been called off for Wednesday too. 6 day weekend. The main roads were fine but the side streets were pretty icy. I wasn't quite as productive yesterday as I had been Thursday. I guess that's why there is this morning.
I have to admit that I miss my family and friends that aren't near me. I love all of you and wish you the best this holiday season. I'm very thankful for all of the wonderful people in my life. It's wonderful to have friends and family. I'm grateful for the wonderful people in my life here in Anchorage.
Sometimes life takes us down some interesting roads and sometimes we just have to sit back and enjoy the ride. Life isn't always easy but it's worth it. Just remember to take the bad in with the good. It makes us who we are. Live through the rough times and learn something and embrace all the good times and cherish them. Cherish the people who mean the most to you. Remember that you're not perfect and neither is anyone else. Forgive the mistakes and others short comings. Find peace in your soul. Love with all your heart. Be an example.
I may not be perfect but I try my best. I'm learning here too.

Happy Halloween

It's been a never ending amount of chaos it seems. Work has kept me crazy busy which is fine but it leaves me exhausted. I still have boxes to unpack among other things. I've been shooting fairly regularly. I'm getting pretty good. I've had more and more bull's eyes, both with my .44 and my 12 gauge. Anthony has challenged me to shoot at 50 yards with the shotgun. I'm doing pretty well. Yesterday I hit a bull's eye. I'm getting better. One of the guys at the gun range (Eric) is pretty good looking. What can I say.

I've been in my house about a month and in that time I've replaced the garbage disposal, the washer and dryer, and the dishwasher. Not really the cheapest things to replace but clean dishes and clean clothes are important. I've enjoyed my fireplace a lot.
I see a lot of Bryan and Anthony. I'm not complaining. They come over to do laundry, cook on the grill, and just hang out. I appreciate them keeping me company. I can't complain.
This morning I sewed pants and a hat for Bryan for his papa smurf costume. I also gave Anthony a mohawk. It's been a fun adventure. Bryan asked me if he can come over Wednesday to hem some pants. At least it's Wednesday and not Thursday. I have a meeting on Thursday.
This last week I had parent teacher conferences on Wednesday and Thursday. It made for long days. I survived and I saw about 100 parents. Not too bad.
In other news, life has been kinda weird but this isn't really the place for that. If you wanna know more or can give some good advice give me a call.

Happy October

I finally have internet in my house. The fall here has been pretty nice so far. I definitely missed the fall colors when I lived in Southeast. I'm slowly but surely getting unpacked. Friday we replaced the garbage disposal. Anthony put his finger through the trap under the sink, which was rusting out. Of course then we had to replace that too. Friday night I did a load of laundry to find that my dryer had seen better days. Saturday I went to Sears to look at a new one. I ended up buying a new washer and a new dryer. Now all I need is a new dishwasher and I know all my appliances will work well.
It's been interesting unpacking. I can't find the hardware to my futon. Angry face. That means I can't find one of my allen wrenches either. I ordered new futon hardware. I'm a little annoyed that it cost $20 for shipping. It's not like Alaska is a foreign country. Why does shipping have to be so much. Just put the stuff in a priority mail envelope. Oh well.
My parents got me a grill (and a table saw) for my birthday (which is in a couple days). So Saturday Anthony and I grilled steaks. Amazing!!
I have about 15 boxes still in my living room that need to be unpacked. Several of them though I think can go in the garage, because they are empty canning jars.
I believe that Anthony and Bryan are going with me somewhere for my birthday. I have no idea where we are going. I have birthday coupons to several places. I don't know what time Bryan gets off of work and Anthony gets off at 7pm. So we'll see what happens. I'd spend a quiet evening at home, but I was told I wasn't allowed to.
Anywho, it's that wonderful time where I finish getting ready for work.

I think I'm crazy

This week has been a little crazy. It seems that my run of one more thing with the bank finally ended (Wednesday). Then I was scheduled to close on Thursday. The bank was having telecommunication issues. Lame. Finally Friday I closed on my house. It seemed like that took forever. We closed a week late and it was a frustrating experience leading up to closing. I've been moving in this weekend. It took us a large part of yesterday and several hours today to get everything moved to the house. Now it's time to unpack. Yuck!! Why do I own so much stuff?
I've debating if I want a roommate. I'm not sure yet. I figure after I get settled I'll have a better handle on it. It's so weird having my own room (let alone my own house) after sleeping on a couch for months. I don't know what to do with myself. I currently don't have tv or internet in my house, but I'll get there (eventually). My tv and blueray player are still at Bryan and Anthony's apartment. It will be there for a little bit. I figure I can always go watch tv there and borrow their internet. Now I just need to finish unpacking, grocery shop, buy curtains, and get settled, on top of working my full time job. Joy. It'll be great.

Apparenlty I'm bad at keeping up at this

Happy Sunday Morning!!

Sorry it's been so long since I updated this. Here is the run down.

August 12th was the first day of inservice. The 18th was the first day with students. It's been a wild ride. I teach 5 periods of band. 3 of those are beginning band. There are times that it is less stressful than my last job. Probably a lot of times. It's been fun. There are times it is very trying but we are getting through it. Overall I'm enjoying it a lot.

I'm buying a house. That has been an insane process. I was supposed to sign on Thursday but there was some last thing that the bank needed, which seems to be the norm. Now it looks like I'm signing tomorrow. That means it gets recorded on Tuesday and I can officially move in. I'm excited. It will be great. I'm excited to be in my own place and paint and all the other things that go with it. It's an 1100 square foot house. 3 bedrooms, 2 bath.

I've done some work on both of the boys cars. We done spark plugs and wires on Anthony and Bryan's cars. I'm a little banged up and scraped up but that comes with the territory. I really have missed working on cars.

Life is good. I wish I had more exciting adventures but life has been a little stressful between the house and everything else. I can't complain though it's all looking good.

Where did the summer go

The bull moose I was calling.
My classroom.


Seriously where did the summer go. Registration is this week for school and teacher inservice starts next week. I have new teacher orientation (for 8 hours) on the 11th and then inservice the 12th through the 17th. First day with kids is the 18th. My schedule right now looks like I have 3 periods of beginning band, team time, prep, advanced band, and intermediate band. It should be fun. I need to finish up my project, finish organizing my classroom, and find a place to live. I should probably pick out band music too.
I'm still looking for a place to live. I've toyed with the idea of buying a house. I even got prequalified for a home loan. At times I think I'm a little nuts. Oh well.
Let's see what else is going on. Bryan got his car back from the mechanic. There are a few more things that need to be done to his car, like the suspension but the car works and that's what counts. He and I have both been driven a little crazy recently but I think that's what happens when you have 3 people in a 2 bedroom apartment. It's a long story and it's not really worth getting into.
I've spent some time in my classroom and that's been good. The other night I decided I hadn't been out moose watching in a while so I went and did that. I've started calling moose too. Anthony was too happy when the moose started walking towards the car. It wasn't so bad when it was a cow but he wasn't too happy with the idea when it was a full grown bull moose. It was hilarious. I'll admit, it's never a dull moment in my life. I wonder if I can call bear too. I doubt that I'm going to try it. I haven't seen any bear since I've been in town but I don't go looking for them either.
Last weekend I went and saw Everclear in concert. It was fun.
That might be all that I can think of right now. Well besides that all of Bryan's coworkers seem to have some opinion about the fact that he and I should be together. I just laugh. I find it funny that they all tell him. I stopped in to his work last night and one of the other customers teased him about me. I about died laughing. I find the whole thing amusing. A few of his coworkers want to hang out with me because they think I'm a good fit for him. It makes no sense to me but whatever. I'm just going to enjoy chuckling over the whole thing. I find it particularly funny that if I show up they all feel the need to tell him his girlfriend is there. Oh the things that amuse me.
Well I'm sure that's it.

This is sad....

....It's been a month since the last time I posted.
Here's the recap..(in no particular order)
I drove the Alcan Highway. It was amazing, some of the road was in terrible condition but the scenery was fantastic. On the drive I saw 1 moose, 3 bear, 4 buffalo, 1 caribou, 1 deer, 2 sheep, 6 elk,....and a partridge in a pear tree. Just kidding about the partridge. I would say the best part of the drive is from Fort Nelson, BC to Whitehorse, YT. I met some really friendly people. I was in awe of the beauty of everything. That drive should be on everyone's bucket list, seriously I mean it. On that drive I also drove on the scariest bridge I've ever been on and remembered that I dislike driving down steep, curvy downgrades behind people that ride their brakes. I made it back to Anchorage in one piece and I was ready to be back in Alaska.
Recently I drove down to Seward, which is about 130 miles from Anchorage, just for the heck of it. I got to Seward, filled the tank, and drove back. Another beautiful drive but sadly I didn't have my camera. I was very annoyed with myself that I didn't take it but I guess that just means I'm going to have to drive it again.
Going backwards a little to between the Alcan and the Seward highway excursions. I've hiked up Flat top mountain to the 2nd saddle, which isn't all the way to the top but there is always next time. I've walked from Pluto to Neptune and back on the Coastal trail. On that trail we saw a Bull Moose several feet from the trail, thankfully enjoying whatever he was eating and ignoring us. I've seen more than a dozen moose in a span of 3 days, including the smallest calf I've ever seen. Anthony figures that it was about 2-3 weeks old. It was so cute. That reminds me Anthony and I were at Village Inn the other day for lunch and a moose and her two calves walked right past the restaurant. It never ceases to amaze me when we see moose. Megan came up for the 4th and we went hiking up Flat top but the wind was gusting so bad that we only hiked Blueberry trail. It was still a 2 mile hike.
I bought a gun. I bought a Smith & Wesson .44 magnum revolver. I went shooting the other day with Anthony. I know, I know that's big gun. I've always wanted a gun and honestly I've always wanted a S&W .357 magnum double action revolver. I went to several guns stores and looked at lots of guns. I discussed what I was going to do with a gun and they recommended a .44. I'll admit it is a little much for home defense (or self defense) but it's a good size against bear. I have no intention on ever having to defend myself against a bear, but who really does plan on it. I can tell you one thing, that gun kicks like a mule. I wasn't sure what to expect the first time I fired it. It's really fun to shoot though. The same day I bought my gun, the gun store was selling a 12 gauge shot gun for $140 so....I also bought the shotgun. What can I say.
Other than all my outdoorsy adventures, I signed my contract with the Anchorage School District. I've been less than successful on finding a place to live, so I'm still sleeping on the couch at Bryan and Anthony's apartment. I've spent time in my classroom. I got a Costco membership. I've been to the restaurant supply store. And....I've spent time on my homework. I have also be the household taxi cab. While I was visiting Tasha in Wrangell (and catching the smallest halibut) Bryan's car broke down. The transmission is toast. So, it's a good thing I've got my car. I have to say running two guys to and from work and trying to get things done in my own life is exhausting. There are days that it's hard to get anything done for myself because of the shifts they work.
As of right now my life as I know it....Living out of a suitcase in a closet, sleeping on an uncomfortable futon in the living room, being exhausted all the time, but enjoying Anchorage.
I even got a box out of my storage unit yesterday because I wanted something of mine. I grabbed the box of spices. I know that sounds weird and it's an odd security blanket but it works.
Well I'm off to be the taxi driver and go to church.

On the road...still

Good Morning Fort Nelson.

I left Edmonton yesterday morning and drove through a lot of area that was kinda the middle of nowhere. After about 700 miles I made it into Fort Nelson. It's not a big town and it in the Northern Rockies. Today will be a day of mostly driving in the mountains. The plan is to drive the 600 miles to Whitehorse and stop there for the night. 600 miles is the shortest amount of driving I have done on this trip. I have to drive through the Northern Rockies, so it will be lots of mountains today. Yesterday I drove down several steep grades and over one of the scariest bridges ever. It's a metal bridge so you don't get the same kind of traction you do on a regular bridge. It didn't help that I also was going up an incline. I could feel the car fish tail around a little bit...not a fun feeling. Well I made it through and then I saw a moose on the side of the road doing moosey things. I would've stopped to take a picture but there wasn't really anywhere and it was hard to get a good shot. Oh well. Today and part of tomorrow I will have no cell phone reception, doesn't that sound exciting. I'm ready to be back in Alaska. I'm enjoying my road trip but after 2400 miles I'm ready to be home. I have about 1300 miles left to go. Time to eat breakfast and hit the road.

Hello June

Crazy month alert!!

When I last left you on my blog adventure, I was getting on a ferry to go to Haines. Well 25 hours on the ferry later we arrived in Haines. We drove to Tok. It was a beautiful drive, the road was interesting (hello road construction needed). We stopped in Tok for the night. The next morning (june 1st) we drove to Anchorage. What a great drive. The mountains were beautiful, the Matanuska glacier was cool and huge, and the road was windy. After we got to Anchorage it was unloading the Uhaul into the storage unit. Thanks Michael for all the help. Yay Moose's Tooth.
Wednesday was Michael's birthday and we went and saw Iron Man 2 and went to dinner. Thursday I had an interview with Clark Middle School in Anchorage. I also got on a plane to go visit my parents and pick up my car. The plane was delayed for 1 1/2 hours. Lame. I got in Friday morning. Saturday was Mr. Cox's retirement party, that was fun.
Tuesday (June 8th) I got a phone call as I was sitting at Bill's apartment. It was Anchorage....I got the middle school band job!!! Super excited. Bill and I went to see Prince of Persia after that...I wasn't exactly focused. The rest of that week was pretty melo..thank goodness.
I've made a trip to IKEA for a chair and a dresser.
Tuesday we loaded up my car and I got on the road. I drove around North Dakota for awhile as my parents called places to see if anyone had a room...Finally we found one (in the middle of nowhere). So after 14 or so hours and 1000 miles later, I was in for the night. This morning I got on the road and drove about 700 miles to Edmonton. I'm currently sitting in my hotel room. Tomorrow I drive to Fort Nelson then Friday it's Whitehorse, with me getting into Anchorage Saturday. It'll be about 3600 miles by the time I get in but it'll be great. Heigh ho, heigh ho it's off to bed I go...gotta get on the road in the morning.

Aufweidersehen Metlakatla

As I sit here debating what time I should start waking up the boys, I reflect on my time here in Metlakatla. I've met some amazing people and had some good times. Granted there have been plenty of hard times too but that's part of life.
We got the truck all packed up Friday evening and spent part of Saturday cleaning. It's really clean. We relaxed and hung out the rest of the day. I know that no one got to bed too early, I was the earliest to bed and I didn't get there until a little after 11PM. Of course I woke up sometime around 4:30AM.
Today I get on the ferry from Metlakatla to Ketchikan and then immediately get on the next ferry bound for Haines. I get into Haines Monday morning and get on the road bound for Anchorage. I should arrive in Anchorage Tuesday in the early afternoon. It should be a beautiful drive. Joyce, the middle school math teacher, is coming with me. We are both excited about this trip. We should have a great time.
It's been great to have Bill here even though at times he has kinda driven me crazy. We went out the road on Thursday and had a great time. We also hiked up Yellow Hill. I took some fun pictures. The best pictures are the ones of Bill with a slug. It's the biggest slug Bill has ever seen and it's about average size here. It was about 3 1/2 inches long.
I better get the boys up and have breakfast. We have the suitcases to put into the truck along with a few things to drop off in Ketchikan.

What more can happen

I'm not sure where to start. It's been a bit of a crazy week. I had to go to the doctor last Friday (5/14) because my eyelid was huge. The doctor said I had a hordeolum, it's a sty inside the eyelid. I got eye drops and was instructed to use a hot compress 5-10 times a day. It's been just over a week and it looks a million times better, it's not completely gone though. So I'm still wearing my glasses, which bugs me a bit. I prefer to wear my contacts, oh well. Work has been....well work. Not too much to report. I went to graduation Friday night. Then I went to several graduation parties. It was fun.
I have spent quite a bit of time packing and I have 2 rooms completely finished. I've moved almost all the boxes into one room. My dad said it will make it easier and then I can appreciate all of the stuff I have done. I'm not sure if it has done any of that but oh well. I have a little bit to do in the bathroom, some odds and ends in the spare room, all of the living room and kitchen till I'm totally packed. I need to pick up the Uhaul tomorrow. It feels like I still have a lot to do, but I'm not sure that I totally do.
Bill got into town yesterday. It's great to see him. I showed him around the island a little bit yesterday. He was very fascinated by skunk cabbage and by the small crabs on the beach. It was pretty funny. At times I forget how hilarious he is. He fell asleep on the couch last night and when I got home from Nicole's I woke him up to go to bed. Right now he's asleep in a chair. Same old Bill.
Today has been a bit of an odd day. I woke up at about 7:30AM and called my parents to tell them about the skunk cabbage and beach with Bill. A few minutes into the call my phone died. I tried turning it back on, nothing. I went and plugged it in (even though I had plenty of battery life before it shut off) Nothing. I grabbed Bill's phone and called my parents and explained what happened. I then called Verizon and spent quite a bit of time trying to get something sorted out. What a frustrating experience. They are shipping me a new phone but they are sending it to my parents. The ship via FedEx, which doesn't deliver here. The option was UPS, I can't guarantee that I'd get it that way either. Well after I finished going rounds with Verizon and was incredibly fed up, I was trying to find an old phone and Bill's phone rang. It was my phone. Bill was calling to ask if I had his phone. Apparently Bill had woken up and come down stairs and tried to look for his phone but found mine. He tried to turn mine on but it wouldn't. After a few minutes, my phone turned back on by itself. We talked to my dad, who called Verizon. He told us Verizon was going to call me. They called, weren't a lot of help. I'm still stuck with a phone that isn't really working. I won't get my "new" phone for almost two weeks. It will probably get to my parents on Tuesday but there isn't really anyway to get here before I move. I'm not impressed with my cell phone carrier at this moment. Well we'll see how long my phone works, but I bet it's not going to be for long. When I get this other phone, it will be the 3rd LG EnV2 I've had in a year. The screens died on the first one in less than a month of having it. I'm not impressed. We'll see how this all works. I can tell you though it's hard to have job interviews if your phone doesn't work. Also driving over 700 miles while moving with no phone.....not exactly the safest thing. I can do it but I'm not thrilled. I'm sure this will all work but it seems like it's always one more thing. AAAAHHHH!!!!
I think I might go back to packing, which I hate doing on Sunday but it has to get done. I am really happy to have Bill here.

And the craziness continues...

Another week down since my last post. What a week. Work has kept me busy and so has packing. Neither of which are really fun right now. Most of my classes are going rather well. Lots of singing and music.
Last Sunday I went for a bike ride. It was nice to get my bike out. The sun was shining, the weather was great. It was a beautiful day to be outside. I also made a pork roast in the crock pot and had dinner with the Longs and Alveys. I'm going to miss them. I'm grateful for the friends I've made here.
I've spent a good deal of time packing. Not my favorite activity. Oh well it has to be done. Bill is coming up to help me on Saturday. It'll be great to see him and it's nice that he's coming. I think he's excited to come to Alaska even if it is to help me pack.
Not much on the job end of things. I'm still looking for a job. We'll see what happens. I did get a lead on a possible job today. We'll see what comes of it.

What's next....

Packing is probably the most physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting activity ever. There is nothing like putting your whole life into a box, or lots of boxes. I really dislike packing. I don't have nearly enough done but it's hard to live in your house and pack it. Thankfully, I'll be house-sitting for my friends (and neighbors), the Longs, starting Monday. I'm going to take care of their dogs and fish while they are gone and I'm still in town. I'm grateful for friends.
The experience of getting ready to move without knowing exactly where one is moving is a little terrifying. As of right now, I'm moving my things to Anchorage and putting them into storage. I'm ok with that. I still don't have a job for next school year, but I'm not totally worried about that either. I'm sure I've said that statement several times, including on here. I will admit that I'm at times completely terrified of the unknown in respects to this. I have faith that it will all work and I'm going to trust that things will turn out the way that they should.
I think I have 14 boxes packed. This doesn't count the tubs that I already had "packed." Including those, I think I have about 20. I'm leaving some of the furniture I brought. The only furniture I'm taking is my bed, futon, 2 coffee tables, kitchen table and chairs, 3 bookcases, and the tv stand. I'm getting rid of my dresser, couch, and a coffee table. As I look around my house I ponder about what needs to be put in boxes and what can go into the Uhaul as is. I don't see any reason to put most of my tools into boxes or some of my instruments. I'm trying to think of all the things I need to pack, but not be overwhelmed by it. I'm almost done packing the spare room and the bathroom. The other spare room has very little in it. There are only clothes in my bedroom that need to be packed, and some stuffed animals. That leaves the kitchen and the living room that really need to be packed. Maybe it isn't as overwhelming as I think it is but still it seems like a lot. I just need to do some everyday. I also need to work on my final project for my Multicultural education class.
I guess I have a good bit to keep me busy.

Trying not to countdown

Happy Mothers Day to everyone out there. I hope you have a wonderful day. I'm loving the sunshine here in Metlakatla, this makes 3 days of sunshine in a row. Yesterday was spent doing packing and waiting for an interview. I also fell asleep on my couch at one point. Today it will be church and then maybe a walk. Friday afternoon Megan and I went and hiked up Yellow Hill, then I drove out the road with some friends. It's been a pleasant weekend, but I still don't like packing. I know that I need to pack, but it's the process that bugs me.
Last Tuesday was the Spring Concert. It was my last concert here in Metlakatla. I might have lost my mind when I planned it, it was a K-12 program. The whole concert was a little over an hour long. The kids did a great job. It's all down hill from here. We have about 3 weeks of school left.
I can't believe I move in 3 weeks. I still don't have my next job yet, but I'm not worried. I know something will work out. I have lots of faith. My plan right now is to move my things to storage in Anchorage, then fly home and get my car. I then plan to travel for part of the summer (and sleep on friends' couches). We'll see how it all works.

Sunshine and Blue Skies

The title should say enough. Holy cow what a gorgeous day. The sun is shining, the tank is clean.. Sorry movie line. Can you name that movie? I'll give you a hint...it's finding Nemo.
Anyway. Last night Megan, Jacob, Taelyn and I went out the road. I let Megan do some driving. Then we went out to Point D. I took tons of pictures. We had a great time. It's been a great weekend. I can't wait to get outside and spend more time in it. Oh and deep fry snickers.

Happy May Day!! I can't believe it's May. 29 days till I move....somewhere. Tuesday night is my last concert in Metlakatla. A small part of me is going to miss it here, but it's only cause I will miss the friends I've made and my students. I need to do some packing but it's hard to figure out what to take and what to throw away. When you pack it feels like you're going through everything in your life and deciding if some part of it has value. I'm probably not the first person that thinks packing is not only physically draining but mental draining as well. There are so many moments that I just want to scream. I just want all of this to be over. In ways I wish I knew where I was going next. I feel so discombobulated. I have faith that everything will work out and I will end up where I need to be, but it's hard to just take that leap of faith sometimes. I packing up and leaving without knowing exactly where I'm going to work next year. It's an odd feeling. Everyone says it takes a lot of guts to just leave without anything certain in the future. I know that I can find a job. I know I'm employable, especially since I turned down two jobs. At times I wonder if I did the right thing but then I feel like there is something better waiting for me. I don't know what but I'm excited to find out.
This week has been a rough week at school too. I got back from Music Fest and things just kinda hit the fan. Oh well. 4 more weeks.

April crazyness

I don't even know where to begin so I guess I'll start with Do (sorry music joke).
April has been a little bit of a crazy month. April started with the high school principal leaving. We then had testing. I had my performance review with Anchorage. I passed that. The next step from there was to have an HR screening interview. Meanwhile, I had an interview with Copper River School District. I also received an email from the Northwest Arctic Borough School District about a job in Kotzebue.
I went up and saw a foot doctor and went to the job fair. I had 4 interviews that day. To not drag all the details out. I passed my HR screening interview. I got offered the job in Kotzebue, which I declined. I had an interview with Copper River School District while at the job fair. Later I had a final interview with Copper River School District. I got offered that job, which I also declined. I also interviewed for a job in Tok. The job fair was an intense experience.
Tuesday we left for Music Fest. This year it's in Juneau. We took the ferry for 36 hours from Ketchikan. My students did well and I'm proud of them. My choir of 6 sang on the big stage Friday evening. Earlier in the day I had one student do a solo on the clarinet and my twins did a duet. I wore a bright orange shirt and styled my hair in a faux hawk. It was awesome.
After that I flirted a little with Tyree (the orchestra director at Thunder Mountain). I flirted with him quite a bit on Saturday too. It was so fun. It is great talking with him, and as a bonus he's cute and gives good hugs.
In about 10 hours I get on a ferry for 36 hours. It's going to be another long ride. I'll survive. At least I have had a great time. Everyone said bye to me and I told them all to keep in touch. The directors here are a great group. I got a lot of hugs. If I get a job outside of Southeast Alaska, I'm going to really miss them. Tyree and I talked for awhile after the meeting, that was fun.
We'll see what life has in store for me next. :)

Last quarter of the 2009/2010 school year

Where has the school year gone? I can't believe there are only 8 1/2 weeks left to the school year. I have so much to get done. I have Music Fest, the Spring Concert, my multicultural education class, packing, finding a job, finishing out the rest of the school year, etc. All in about two months.
March has been a busy month. I've traveled most of it. It's nice to spend some time at home. April is going to be the last big push to get things ready. Music Fest is the 22nd-24th and then it's about a week till the Spring Concert. It should all work.....I hope.
There continues to be way too much drama at school. Last week tenure teachers finally got their contracts. Non-tenure still haven't. The rumor I've heard is that they will offer them after the next board meeting which is I think the 3rd week in April. I'm really hoping to have found a new job by then. This school year has really left a bad taste in my mouth. I'm ready for the end of May. (well sort of).
I've applied for a job in Anchorage. They called me this week. I have a performance review to pass before they continue with the application process. I need to prepare a tuba piece, a vocal piece, and then practice some piano. It's going to be interesting. I get to do this all over the phone. They will email me the piano thing right before I have to play it. The piano part of this is the only part that actually makes some sense to me. I don't totally see how my own performance skills on my main instrument and voice actually shows what kind of teacher I am. I have no problem going through this hoop, I can play my instrument and sing a song. My piano skills are getting better, I just need to practice more. So much to do.
Well off to have a couple really long days. Today and tomorrow are parent teacher conferences. There isn't really anytime to go home between either. We'll see how these go.
I'm off to get ready for the day.

It's been too long

So, I apologize for neglecting my blog this past month but I've been busier than can be. I've spent 2 days home so far for the entire month of March. I'm finally home from some of my travels. It's been a wild ride but fun. We had the regional basketball tournament at the beginning of the month up in Sitka. I was then home for about 2 days and then left for spring break. I got home today. It feels like all I've been is busy. I have about a month until Music Festival and then about a week after that is the spring concert. Crazy. Time flies.
I'm trying to think what is worth recapping. The pep band rocked out at Regionals. I think we played at about 13 games. (This is what I get for having my kids play for 3 schools including our own). Heck there would've been 2 more games to that list but I took pity on them. The day we left John, the Sitka director, made breakfast for the directors. Four of us showed up. It was fun and the food was good.
Spring break was nice. It was great to see my family. Lots of good food. I went and talked to my cousin Mackay's class. She's in 4th grade. I talked about Alaska. It was really fun. I finally saw Avatar and the Princess and the Frog. I did some shopping and shipped stuff up to me. I had a good time but it felt kinda hectic. I enjoyed going up to the spice store and going grocery shopping with my dad. I dislike the clothes shopping I did but I needed some clothes that fit so it was more out of necessity. I got to see my little brother's new dog. He got a basset hound named Missy. She's adorable. He adores her and she really likes him. It's a good fit.
I've applied for some jobs for next school year, all in Alaska. I'm just going to go where I'm supposed to go.
Well, the time changes are still messing with me so I think I'm going to get some shut eye. Happy spring!!

Wait, it's February?

When did that happen? Now hopefully February goes as quickly as January did. I can't believe how busy I've seemed to be and I still have so much to do. I better get cracking.
This last week has been a great week for food. I've made enchiladas, baked ziti, homemade pizza, sweet and sour chicken, and spare ribs. Tonight it's breakfast for dinner, mmmmmm biscuits and gravy. I've also done my fair of kid watching the last couple weeks. It's been fun.
Work is still there and keeping my occupied. I wish I had a great story, but I don't. I have the next two weekends off from basketball. Then it's two more weekends of games and then Regionals. After that it's like a week of school and then spring break. Wow that's soon.
This school year has gone by quickly. Now I just need to finish up some homework and I'll be good.

Semester 2

Yesterday marked the start of the second semester. It went pretty well. I have a few more students in my classes. I'm not complaining. The high school remodel seems to be right on schedule, it should be finished about Spring break. There is a music room in the high school that is getting purposed as being a music room. I turned in an equipment list for basic equipment that I need in the new classroom, i.e. chairs, stands, etc. It looks like they are pretty set on there being two music classrooms, now if only they can be convinced that they need two music teachers. With the new semester, I also now have a TA (teacher assistant) during my first hour. Hopefully I will get a little more organized. We also had the new phone system installed yesterday, I once again have a phone in my classroom.
In other news, my heater finally got fixed. That's a good thing. I also made a poppy seed cake from a recipe that I got from a friend. It is awesome. I plan on taking the rest of it to school today. The last thing I need is a whole cake sitting around my house.
I wish I knew something more exciting but sadly work is about all I have right now. Just a side note though, yesterday was sunny and 48 for more than half the day, it was amazing.

First week back done

Well this week went by pretty well I guess. Monday didn't feel like a Monday, but man Tuesday did. The rest of the week went pretty well. Friday was crazy just cause the kids were nuts. I'm glad today is Saturday. I've spent sometime today finding all the paperwork I need to mail in with my PFD application. I still need to find my W2 from 2008. What a hassle but luckily after this it should be pretty easy.
It's that time of year again to fill out residency and work permits on the island. Apparently a memo with the applications went out this week, but I didn't get one. I received an email about the memo and responded saying, 'what memo?' Well I went to the district office for mine. (Apparently I'm the only one that didn't get the memo.) Oh well.
It's nice to have a weekend off with no basketball games. Next week we have games Thursday and Friday. It's going to be a busy two months with basketball.
We are officially on the IFA ferry schedule as ours has gone in for regular maintenance. I'm not really excited about the ferry situation but oh well. It's not like I go over to town very often. It just means that I'll be going less. I guess we are going to be having the IFA service until about April. We'll see what happens. I'll be glad when we have our ferry back.
I don't think there is too much else to report. I better get back to looking for my W2.

Back to the daily grind

I'm not sure that my life is really exciting, or at least that I make it sound that way, but sometimes some interesting things happen to me. Sunday, in the early morning, I got on the ferry to head back from Wrangell. I got on the ferry and went to sleep (woohoo 3AM). I woke up about 8:30 so that I could get ready and everything for our 9:30 arrival. I doesn't take me an hour to get ready in the morning, I just like being up and ready to go. Well about 9:15 they make an announcement that it's probably going to be 10AM before we dock. There was another ferry docked that was having mechanical problems so it couldn't leave. At 10 we were still out in the channel but starting to go around in circles. It was announced that it was going to be another 15-30 minutes. There were several more announcements made that sounded exactly like that. I finally stepped off the ferry at 11:15AM. The rest of my travel Sunday was very uneventful. I got home and walked into my house and my oil heater wasn't working. I checked all the usual things....nothing. I called Siri to see if I could borrow an electric heater since it was 44 degrees in my house. Her son Anthony dropped it off and tried to see if there was anything he could do to make the heater start. We checked the oil tank, I have plenty of oil. We tried a variety of things with the heater, still nothing. I called my landlord. 'I'll come look at in the morning.' I think it was about 50 degrees when I went to bed. Luckily I have electric heaters in my bedroom so it wasn't too cold in there.
I got up and went to work yesterday, during lunch I got a phone call from my landlord. 'I think you're out of heating oil.' Not possible. I told him that I had checked it the night before and had quite a bit. So they checked to see if there was water in the filter. Well they drained the water and cleaned the filter. Still no heat. When I got home my landlord and someone else were working on the heater. I guess it was leaking some oil and maybe the pump isn't working right. I don't know what else is wrong with it. Basically as long as the exhaust to a different heater is the same, I'm getting a new(er) heater. Thankfully my landlord brought over another electric heater to run in my house. This morning when I woke up it was about 60 degrees, that a lot warmer than the 45 degrees on Monday. I hope that they can get the whole heater thing figured out. Till then my house smells like heating oil.
School yesterday went surprisingly well. It is nice to be back in the swing of things. I don't think anything really exciting happened. Two weeks until the first semester is over, not that the second semester is going to bring any real changes. I guess someone counted up the days of school that were left and as of today there are 143 days. That seems like a lot and the next break isn't until spring break. It's going to be a long haul getting through January and February but that's how it goes. The kids have the 19th of this month off for teacher inservice.
We also got the reminder notice that our regular ferry will be getting serviced starting next Monday. Mumble, mumble, mumble. The Inter-Island ferry, or IFA ferry, will be running "in it's place." Our ferry runs twice a day Thursday through Monday. So it makes two runs to Ketchikan and two runs back to Metlakatla. When we have the IFA ferry it makes one run from Ketchikan to Metlakatla at 11AM and goes from Metlakatla to Ketchikan at 2PM. Simply put, it's not possible to get to Ketchikan and back on the same day via the IFA ferry. We are going to have to do this for at least the next 3 months. I guess I'm not going anywhere. I'll deal with the ferry thing for spring break when I go somewhere but that will probably be the only time I'm going to leave the island, unless I float plane it. The joys of living on an island in Southeast Alaska.
Well I'm off to start another day.

Happy New Year 2010

Happy 2010!!! I'm still up in Wrangell. Last night Tasha and I went and did karaoke. Woohoo!!! We had so much fun. We were pretty much the only ones that could really sing. It was fun. Today has been pretty laid back. I didn't get out of bed till after 10AM. I like sleep. Tomorrow is my last day in Wrangell. I get on the ferry at 3:30AM on Sunday, well that's what time it leaves, I'll be on it earlier than that. Then it's back to work Monday.

We'll see what the new year brings.