A New Year Already?!

Sheesh! Where has the time gone? Tomorrow's New Year's Eve already. That is so hard to believe.

Do you make New Year's Resolutions? I don't. I'm too hard on myself when I don't follow through. There are things I want to change and do differently, but the end of the calendar year has nothing to do with that.

I just recently became reconnected to one of my classmates from childhood. She's having a tough time as of late and on top of all the other things she's dealing with, her doctor is concerned she may have cervical cancer. She reached out to me and for that I'm grateful, but I feel so helpless. All I can do is pray and I ask that you do the same if it is in you to do so.

Our high school basketball teams are in Town participating in a tournament. The boys lost their first 2 games but won their third by almost 20 points. They took 7th place out of 8 teams but at least they ended with a win. The girls lost their first game but won the next 2. They took 4th. I was beaming with pride listening last night because the radio announcer had so many good things to say about Alexys. "I can't believe #34 is only a freshman. She's playing like a veteran." She scored 10 points in the 2nd quarter to help pull her team ahead by 12. She didn't score in the 2nd half, but was able to keep the other team's top shooter (who had 17 points up to that point) scoreless. They played a bigger school with more depth to their bench and they won by 10 points!

Michael's only home for 3 more days after today. I apologize for not posting, but I've been trying to enjoy him while he's here. I've had a cold and a sore back but he's taken care of me and I'm as good as ever now. :o) We have been enjoying the sattelite radio I gave him for Christmas, watching movies, and just spending as much time together as possible. I have a feeling that I'm going to take his leaving pretty hard this time because we've settled into a routine over the past couple weeks and I'm going to have to readjust all over again to being alone.

But that's not till Tuesday. Right now it's lunch time and we're having left-over Chop Suey. I'm not going to think about Tuesday until I have to.

Holiday Wrap-Up

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas. Michael and I had a wonderful holiday.

I got a bit worried in Christmas Eve because after tagging the bread and cookies, I started to feel warm. I took me temperature and it was at 100.3 degrees. I thought for sure my Christmas would be ruined. I didn't tell Michael because he would have pumped me full of medicine and I would have slept till New Years Eve. Instead, I quietly snuck off to the bedroom and nodded off. For 2 hours. I hate taking naps because I always wake up feeling more tired than before I slept. But this time was different. I must have needed it because I felt better and my temperature went down to 98.8 degrees.

By then it was time for dinner at my in-laws. We were the last to arrive but were just in time to eat. Perfect timing, I must say. :o) My mother-in-law was commenting on how quiet things were now that her grandkids were grown up. Her great-grandkids are not as rambunctious as their parents were; at least not until provoked. I took my mother's comment as my cue to do a little "provoking" haha!

Craig and Mikayla are the 2 youngest. They're normally very well behaved and know when it's time to be quiet. They thought this was one of those times but I made sure they changed their minds rather quickly. Every time Craig walked by me, I'd reach out and tickle him. He finally caught on and started just walking back and forth saying, "Please, don't tickle me!" Which, of course, means he wants to be tickled and as his aunt, I couldn't ignore him. hehe Then his Uncle Mike got ahold of him and started tickling him. So he started yelling at me, "Please, don't help!" So I helped. We got him all riled up and moved on to his sister Mikayla.

She likes to be tickled, too. But not as much as she likes to be thrown up in the air. I wish I had a camera to get her face. She looks terrified when it feels like she's been let go, but she squeals and laughs and demands, "Again! Again!"

Once the kids were all wound up, I said, "Well, my job here is done. Ready to go, Michael?"

We took Lindsey, Lucione, and Stephanie Dawn with us. They were my elves. We told them who got bread or cookies or both and they delivered. Poor Stephanie Dawn came here with no shoes. She lives in Town and was wearing slippers when her mother rushed her out of the house to catch a ferry over here. She went all week with no shoes because both of her parents, who came on different days, forgot to bring her some. I don't know why, but I didn't think to bring her to our clothing to buy her some new shoes until AFTER she had delivered all my gifts. We did find her some she liked, though, and she was extremely happy and couldn't wait to go back to Gigi's and Yaya's to show them off.

Once our deliveries were made, we cruised around and watched everyone else trying to rush and finish. It wasn't even 9PM yet. We were done a lot earlier than usual. We always save Michael's parents for last so we can say goodnight before they go to bed. We had planned on going over there around 10:30 but my mom and sister called. They open their gifts on Christmas Eve and called to thank us. Then they turned on the karaoke machine and took turns singing to us. It was almost Midnight before I finally was able to hang up the phone.

We sat and visited with Michael's dad until about 1AM and came home to get ready for bed. I was already in bed when I heard a knock at the door. Our last gift was delivered to us at 1:30 AM!

We slept until about 9AM and then opened our gifts. I gave Michael a satellite radio and some Cheech and Chong movies he likes. He gave me a DVD player for the truck and a stereo. I also got some Eeyore sheets, a Mickey sweatshirt, a Lexor collectible Mickey, and a Mickey Monopoly game. I don't even know how to play Monopoly, but it's cool that it's Mickey. :o)

After we opened our gifts, Lucione and Lindsey came by. They always have a present or two under my tree to open. I gave them games and little digital cameras. They hung out with me for a while and then went on their way to find their friends. It was gorgeous day with clear blue skies and a slight chill in the air.

Michael cooked prime rib for dinner. It was too much for us to eat so we had steak and eggs for breakfast today. We had crab cakes for lunch and will be going to my dad's house for a salmon dinner.

I can't think of anything else right now. If I remember anything else, I guess it will have to be part of another post. I'm too stuffed to think and still have dinner at my dad's to look forward to.

And So It Begins

The holiday rush, I mean. We had a nice 2 night get-away in Town and now we're right back in the hustle and bustle that is Christmas in our small little community.

The thing I love about Christmas around here, is everyone knows each other. Everywhere you turn there is someone ready with a hug and warm wishes.

The thing I hate about Christmas around here, is everyone knows each other. It's hard to know when to stop shopping or baking! I'm always afraid of leaving someone out.

We've already got gifts under the tree and our first plate of goodies was just delivered. Michael's cousin makes really fancy looking plates. If there's a Christmas list I would choose to be on, it would be hers. She makes the best little cheese-cake tarts, pumpkin rolls, and so many more yummy treats. Hers is the only plate we don't leave out in the open because if we do, everyone who stops by eats it. haha We're not normally selfish, these treats are THAT good.

I've got fudge to cut up and cookies to plate and wrap. Then we can do some last minute wrapping and we'll be ready. Our little trip to Town slowed us down a bit, but I'll not complain.

It was nice to have time with just the two of us before the mad rush. We caught a couple movies (Narnia and Kong...the only 2 playing), cruised around and looked at the gorgeous Christmas light displays, and just enjoyed each other.

I have a cold, but I'm thinking it may pass quickly. I'm already coughing and haven't had a fever, so should be better soon. *crossing fingers*

I'm going to get my cookie plates ready. If I don't have time to come back before Christmas, I wish all of you a happy and blessed Christmas. May your holiday be filled with love, joy, and plenty of good food! :o)

More Answers to More Questions

Jayleigh wanted to see more decorations and baking so here ya go!

This is my hallway. Michael strung these lights and the colors are nice. They all look white in the picture, though.
These lights are moving so it may be hard to read. It's Santa with Merry Christmas. It's the only decoration in my kitchen, which is in plain view from my living room.
I only have 3 non-Disney decorations on display this year. This first one is a Coca-Cola bear playing a medley of "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke and Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." This is the snowman from the Hallmark commercials. He's cute and plays a medley of 3 Christmas songs. He's got lights strung on his piano that light up when he sings.
This is Frosty. He swings a snowflake and tips his hat while wiggling his hips and singing "Frosty the Snowman."
My sister gave me this Pinnochio. He sings a Christmas song and dances as well as one can dance when being held up by strings.
These next few pictures are of the characters belonging to my Mickey's Marching Band. They play the bells by swinging their mallets back and forth. It sounds kinda neat. There are a whole bunch of Christmas carols on their list. Here's Mickey:
Minnie:
Pluto:
Goofy, oh good...thought I forgot him!
Donald, a bit blurry, but the best one I had of him. Taking pictures made me dizzy for some reason and by the time I got to him, I thought I'd finally know what it was like to faint. Luckily, I still have no idea!
And Daisy:
I know I talk a lot about my nieces and nephews coming to visit, but believe it or not, I don't just get visited by kids! We heard some scratching at our door the other night and when we opened the door, look what we found! The one on the right is my father-in-law's dog Theodore (named after my nephew). The dog on the right is my nephew Michael Richard's dog, Manny. We kept trying to let them back out and they kept scratching to come back in. By the time they finally left, it was Midnight and by then their owners thought they had run away.

Here's Michael getting started on his bread. He calls this a "half-batch".
Once the dough is ready and has had time to raise, this is what a "half-batch" looks like.
When left to raise for too long, it looks like this:
We bake 5 at a time. Here is the first load ready to go in.
This is what they looked like after baking. We ended up with 29 in all and still have more to bake.
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Stationery Queen asked about tribal dances. We do have several groups here who dance. I am not a part of one, but I used to be all through my childhood. We even had the opportunity to compete at the World Eskimo Indian Olympics and took first place the first time we participated. We dance for tourists during the summer, but more traditionally, we dance at potlatches. A potlatch is put on when there is a cause to celebrate or as a memorial for someone. I have my very first dance dress. I'll take a picture of it some day and post it. Until then, in my archives are some photos of others dancing. The most recent ones, I think, are in August 2005.
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Sandy, aka Rudolph, asked about a million questions! haha Most of them can be answered by reading my 100 Things linked in my sidebar, I think. But here goes:

1. I'm 34.
2. I was born right here in southeast Alaska on the next island.
3. I have one biological sister (older than me), 2 older step-sisters, 2 older step-brothers, 1 youngers step-sister, and 1 younger step-brother.
4. My cousin introduced Michael to me at a friends house while I was home from college during Christmas Vacation in 1990.
5. I knew he was the one because we got along so well and I never had to worry about who I was around him. He made me feel comfortable to just "be". He still does and I have never been happier.
6. I have been married 13 years.
7. My favorite color is GREEN.
8. My favorite movie is a bit harder. I have a huge collection...I'll say "It's a Wonderful Life" since it's Christmas time and I've been wanting to watch it for days.
9. My favorite song is Evergreen by Barbara Streisand. My cousin sang it at my wedding.
10. My favorite food is any of our native dishes. Seaweed and rice (especially with salmon eggs), smoked salmon, boiled fish, etc.

I'm almost scared to ask...but are there any more questions?

Concerts and Cookies

It’s 9:00 and I’m trying to decide if I should wake my little “elf” or not. I call her my elf now, because last weekend when she came to visit I asked her, “Who’s my light plugger-inner?” My mom used to use silly words like that all the time when I was small. Hehe, guess I really do take after her.

Anyway, when I asked that, Lindsey laughed and said, “Gah, Aunty! Light plugger-inner?”

“Well, what else am I supposed to call you?”

“Elf.”

She said it so matter-of-factly without even the hint of a smile. So now she’s my elf. A tired elf because I let her get online last night and she was up till around 11:30.

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Michael comes home today. I am so excited! He called me 3 times last night. I think he’s a bit excited, too. :o) I’m glad I didn’t try to change my ferry reservations. They’re booked solid today so I couldn’t have made it over, anyway. At least not with the truck.

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The school concerts were great. It was kind of sad to think that it was Lindsey’s last elementary Christmas program. She’ll be in Junior High next year! She tries to tell me she hated it, but I think she really enjoyed it and is too “cool” to admit it.

Craig had a blast. He really got into it this year. His little sister Mikayla enjoyed herself, too. She actually surprised me and behaved quite well.

James was a little harder to read. He’s been really self-conscious lately, but I think he had a little fun on stage.

I’ll post some pictures, but haven’t had time to do any editing. I wanted to get them posted before Michael comes home (tonight! Yay!) and I get busy.

Elementary Concert:

Here’s Craig (in the blue shirt in front) with his class singing We Three Kings. I thought this was the sweetest picture. I’m glad I caught it.

Mikayla is normally quite active and not able to be still or quiet. She behaved quite well and is actually looking a little robotic in this picture. She's the curly-headed one in the front row wearing a black dress with a red ribbon around her waist. It's weird that she looks like she's looking right at my camera. I was waaaaayyyy in the back of a dark gym in the top row of the bleachers.

James was a little harder to read. He said he hated it but he looks like he's having fun. He's the taller boy in the back wtih a blue shirt. The girl in the pink is my niece Autumn. I don't think I've ever mentioned her before.

Lindsey tried really hard to convince me she hated the whole ordeal. I don't know, what do you think? She's in the vertical striped shirt in the back row. The tallest girl, with the glasses, is my niece Tawny.

Here is the entire elementary school, kindergarten through 6th grade, singing the finale. They sang Yankee Doodle Santa and We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

Junior High/High School Concert:

My nephew Adam sang "Oh, Holy Night' as a solo. I was extremely proud of him. He did great.

Alexys played "Silent Night".

Lucione played "We Three Kings of Orient Are".

The tiny band...7th through 12th grade.

Cookies:

Here's Lindsey learning how to roll dough. She's concentrating so hard she had to stand up! hehe

Decorating with popsicle sticks is not easy as evidenced by the intense look of concentration on Lucione. haha

Once they got the hang of it, they came up with some really neat designs.

Forgive the weird camera angle. haha I was trying to just get the cookies. When Lucione spots a camera THIS is what happens:

I better get back to the kitchen. Maybe more baking will keep my mind off of Michael for a while. This has already turned into a really long day. hehe

Good News!

I’ve spent so much time attending concerts and…ahem…sleeping late(ly) that I have neglected to tell you my good news! Michael was supposed to come home on Tuesday the 20th but he will actually be home TOMORROW evening! I’m so excited!

My original plan was to meet up with him in Town when he came in. We’ve decided that instead of going through the hassle of changing ferry and hotel reservations again, we would just keep it as is. So he’ll come home on the ferry tomorrow evening and I cannot wait.

I still haven’t figured out why we’re going to Town because he’s been busy shopping in Fresno. I’ve decided to just enjoy our time and not worry about “why”.

I plan to start baking tonight if I’m not too tired. I woke up extra early today probably in fear of sleeping in again. I’m also thinking of having my girls stay with me this weekend. They enjoyed baking so much I want to give them another chance. They don’t usually get to be in the kitchen at home.

If/when I find some time to use my computer at home, I’ll post pictures. School concerts, baking cookies, and who knows what else. :o)

At Least It's Wednesday

Sheesh! What a crazy, bizarre start to my day!

Michael has me turn the hot water heater off when I'm not using it so save on electricy. I get up every morning at 5AM and turn it on so that I will have plenty of hot water in plenty of time to shower for work. I have an alarm set for 6AM that ALWAYS wakes me up should I fall back to sleep after turning on the water.

Have you figured out where this is going?

It was chilly in here this morning so after turning on the water, I got back under my cozy blankets to warm up. It didn't feel like I was laying there very long so when I opened my eyes once again, I went straight to the shower.

I hadn't looked at the clock so I was thinking it was somewhere near 6:00 because I hadn't heard my alarm come on yet. I took my time in the shower and got dressed. I walked out of the bathroom and heard the phone ringing.

"Who would call this early?" I thought to mysef. I pick up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi, good morning." It was Space Cadet. I got panicky because yesterday my father-in-law was brought to the clinic with chest pains. I figured the only reason she'd call me this early (in my head it's still around 6:00) was if something bad happened. "How are you?" she asked.

Then I really got confused. Nothing's wrong with Dad...why is she calling so early and acting so non-chalant? "I'm good," I said.

"Oh, ummm...did ya sleep in?"

Then I looked at the clock. 8:11AM. 8:11!!!

"Yeah, I guess so." Then my mind went totally blank. "I can't remember when my first class is. Is today Wednesday?"

She said, "Yes, it is. You have 5th grade at 10:00."

"Okay, I'll be there before then. I'm sorry." I was SO embarrassed!

"That's okay, there's a first time for everything!"

"Yeah, I guess so." I said goodbye and hung up.

I have never over-slept for work before. In all the years I've worked there, if I'm not going to be at work, I always let them know ahead of time. If I wake up feeling sick, I always call by 7:00. I cannot believe I did this. I took cold medicine last night because I had been sneezing all day. I figured it would be okay because I hadn't reacted too poorly to medicine lately and it wasn't Nyquil. I can only assume the medicine played a part in my sleeping so hard. I must have slept through my alarm. I checked it and it was set.

I can't change the fact that I slept in. I'll have to live with the embarrassment. But as far as work goes, at least it's a Wednesday. My only day of the week that I don't have a computer class until 10:00.

Sheesh.

Finally Some Answers!

Before I forget, there were a couple questions asked of me in comments the past few days that I haven’t answered yet.

I had mentioned that alcohol was illegal here and Tee asked if it was in the entire state of Alaska or just my community. Alcohol is not illegal in the entire state. There are a lot of social issues that arise from the over-use of alcohol, such as fetal alcohol syndrome and suicide, so many rural communities in Alaska choose to “attempt” to regulate the import of alcohol. There are communities who decide to be dry (having alcohol and its consumption completely illegal), damp (allowing alcohol to be imported but not sold), or wet (having the sale and consumption of alcohol legal).

I put attempt in quotes because regulation doesn’t always work. We are a dry community. We have been from day one. So even if you are of legal drinking age, you are still breaking the law by consuming alcohol while on the island. Yet we have a bootlegger almost on every block, people getting arrested every weekend for driving while intoxicated, and paranoid people “throwing away the cap” and trying to drink before getting caught. People don’t know how to drink socially here because they’re always in a rush to get rid of the evidence. I don’t know that I’m for legalizing alcohol, but outlawing it hasn’t worked.

On a totally unrelated subject, I mentioned that Mt. Edgecumbe was coming here for basketball and Connie Marie asked if we had to go to high school at boarding schools back in the day. I don’t remember the year our high school was built, but there was a time when the schools here only went up to 8th grade. If you wanted to continue on, not every one did, you had to leave home and go to boarding school.

A lot of people, my dad included, went to Mt. Edgecumbe. It used to be a strictly native school where students from rural communities throughout Alaska went to school. It is still predominantly native, but I don’t know if the policies are as strict as they once were. My dad went to Mt. Edgecumbe for his freshman, sophomore, and junior years of high school. By the time he was a senior, they had built a school here so he was able to move back home. When the school year started, however, most of his friends were juniors. I guess schools weren’t as quick back then at transferring records and such. My dad told the school here that he was a junior. He got through the whole first quarter before the school realized that he should have been a senior. By then they figured he was too far in to the year to catch up with his classmates so he was allowed to repeat his entire junior year. My dad had 5 years of high school and it was totally his own choice!

Well ladies, I’m sorry it took so long for me to answer your questions. Does anyone else have a question for me?

My Favorite Twins

These two little angels belong to my niece Erin. That's Hope on the right and Sabrina on the left. They were the first set of girl/girl twins in our family (besides these twins, our family has 2 sets of boy/boy twins and 1 set of girl/boy twins).

If you remember my post back in September about my Mouse, Mouse and Erin are sisters. Erin has been living in Dutch Harbor for a couple years and I miss her and her girls terribly. Looking at that picture reminds me of when Erin and Mouse were that age. They used to love to model and lip sync to their favorite songs.

During the summer, it would take ages to get them into their pool because they'd strut around modeling their bathing suits. They were such big hams and it looks like Hope and Sabrina are, too.

They look like they'd be so much fun to spend time with. They were still little babies when they left. I was their babysitter, just as I was their mother's. I was one of the few who could tell them apart. Distinguising the difference between twins was never a problem for me. Once I figure out what's different, they no longer look the same to me.

Lucione and Lindsey used to like to help me take care of them and the babies liked them, too. They each had their favorite. Sabrina would just laugh and laugh when Lindsey played with her. Hope cried every time Lucione left the room.

Last year, Erin was in town for a couple days and decided to throw an early birthday party for her girls to get the family together. It happened to be on my birthday so I got to celebrate with them. That was a lot of fun. Especially sneaking them hershey bars behind their mother's back. hehe They were the huge bars. I didn't buy them for them, but kept breaking pieces off for them to eat because they were heartbroken when their mother let them have a bite and then took them away.

This time of year I find myself getting quite lonesome for those who can't be home for Christmas. I cling to my memories and am so thankful for telephones, computers, and the postal service.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

Michael and I will see each other again in 12 days! I can’t say he’ll be home because I’ll be meeting up with him in Town and we’ll spend a night or 2 over there before we come home and get busy with the family. This was all his idea, of course, but it will be nice to have some alone time.

This weekend I’m going to make fudge and cookies for my coworkers. I was going to just do the cookies but I’ve had a request for fudge so I’ll do both. Lucione and Lindsey will help me decorate the cookies. That should be a lot of fun if I can keep them from fighting over the icing and sprinkles.

The weather is starting to turn on us again. We have wind and rain again today. It wasn’t really blowing all that hard this morning, about 45mph, but my dad insisted on driving me to work. That meant I got here a whole 30 minutes early. I sat in Space Cadet’s office and kept her company for a while before making my way to my classroom.

I’m administering 2 math tests today and I am done until February. I’m so happy. Testing is stressful for me because I never know if the software is going to work or not. This time around, the Early Literacy software didn’t work, but the principal let me off the hook and said I didn’t have to run that test this time.

Next week is our last week before Christmas Vacation and it’s a short week, at that. We won’t be in school on Friday. The kids are already getting antsy. Who am I kidding? So am I! I’ll be very busy that weekend because I’ll need to have all of my cookies and fudge done before I head to Town. Michael will need the kitchen when we come home to bake his bread. Too many people look forward to his bread, he’s decided he can’t skip a year.

Tomorrow is a big day for our little community. It will be our first basketball home game this season. Mt. Edgecumbe boys will be here. Basketball is a big thing here. Everyone is either a player or has been one at one time. I even played in high school. This year is especially exciting to me because my niece Alexys not only made the team, but she’s a starter on varsity. Unfortunately, the girls team only has 3 home games this year. I don’t know if any of her games coincide with Michael’s trips home, but he’ll be able to see her at the Regional Tournament in March. He’s going to take his vacation during that week so we can go watch her play. The tournament is in Town so it will be a nice little getaway for us.

I’ve got test scores to print out. I better get to that. I hope you all are having a good day (or night – whatever the case may be).

I Have a Headache

We had a minor catastrophe in our building on Sunday. Well, it’s minor to me. I suppose it was quite major to the people it affected directly.

The water pipes in the ceilings of two of our classrooms burst open and flooded the classrooms. Lindsey’s classroom and the science lab are now off limits. In order to be able to continue on, they’ve moved the science classes into the tutoring room and Lindsey’s class into the Reading room.

That means that the Reading teacher is without a classroom. Now she holds her reading classes in the library in the morning and here in the computer lab in the afternoon.

That leaves me with no place to be in the afternoons.

I guess I can maybe ask around to see if any classrooms need a volunteer 3 afternoons a week. Best case scenario is the classrooms will be repaired and able to be used by the time we return from our Christmas holiday. Worst case scenario…the end of February.

I don’t really mind sharing my room. I feel bad for the reading teacher, though. She’s got what she considers her most important things here in my classroom, but most of her stuff has just been shoved into the corners of her classroom so that Lindsey’s class could move in. Poor thing.

As if work wasn’t stressful enough, I just found out that one of my nieces was caught drinking last night and after being returned home, she snuck back out. She’s going to be 21 next month, but alcohol is illegal here. Had she been caught, she would have ended up in jail; where one of my nephews found himself last night. He can’t be released until 2PM today and the truck he was driving (my father-in-laws) is impounded until the 12th.

Michael was in a mood last night so we didn’t have a very good conversation. I really hope he’s in better spirits today. I won’t tell him about our niece and nephew. Not until I know he’s gotten a handle on whatever it is he’s dealing with down there. I think being away from home so much is finally having an effect on him. Now that the novelty of having restaurants, movie theaters, and shopping have slightly worn off, he’s become more moody. Normally I can tell him a story about Lindsey or Lucione and get him laughing again but last night it didn’t work. Hopefully, his upcoming visit will be long enough to recharge him.

I have a class coming in a few minutes. I’ve got to give them a test so I better start preparing. I hope you all are having a wonderful day.

Happy Birthday, Akeskileut!

Happy Birthday, Akeskileut!

Thank you so much for being a wonderful friend. You listen when I need to vent, cheer me up when I'm sad, and are always ready with encouragement when I need it. You deserve to have a very special day. I hope they treat you like a queen! :o) God bless, and may you have many, many more!

Michael said I had to sing to you but I'll link to my birthday post from last year, instead. Click here to hear me sing to you all over again!

More Christmassy Things

(Is Chrismassy a word?)

These two are the latest additions to my Christmas bear collection. The collection is becoming insanely huge but I just can't find a good point to stop. I find myself "needing" to buy a new set every year. I think I need to build a house big enough to house all my bears! hehe

Some years the bears are fancier than usual but they're all adorable. The one on the right (in the black top hat) is actually a New Year bear who counts down the last 10 seconds to the year 2000.

One year, the week before Christmas, every time I stepped out of the shower in the morning, there was something waiting for me on the floor of the hallway. Four of those days, I found these Disney characters. Tigger, Pooh, Dumbo, and Eeyore. I love them!

Akeskileut, the only cats I do not believe are evil are those in Disney movies! hehe Dutchess is one of a few cats who made it on to my tree this year. Somewhere in there is Oliver, and Thomas O'Malley. :o)

I think these Disney Christmas balls are so cool!

This is my all time favorite scene from a Disney movie.

Cute, no?

This is my newest ornament. When you press the button, the Mickey Mouse Club song plays and the member badge flashes.

This is the tree top that Lucione made for me. She was only about 7 years old. Maybe even 6. She worked on it all day and what you can't see from the picture is that it is actually 2-sided. If you look at the back, you see the back of her dress and her hair. Up to this year, it is the only thing that is not Disney on my tree. This year we bought a star but I didn't have the heart to not use the angel.

Finally, here is the Christmas inflatable Michael bought for me. I haven't set it up yet. I won't until he comes home. When I do, I'll make sure I take a picture. It has to go outdoors. It's way too large for my living room.

Christmas Cards

I love sending and receiving mail. Especially Christmas cards. I don't know what it is...but getting a Christmas card in the mail is always enough to brighten my mood.

I received my first Christmas card of the year the other day! I was so excited when I pulled the envelope out of my mail box. It didn't have a return address on it, but I knew immediately who it was from without having to open it. I could tell by the USA in the address that it was from Fizzy. Thank you, Fizzy. You made my day!

I'm Sorry!

I know, I promised a post days ago. I'm so sorry it's taken so long! I'd list my long list of excuses, but I think I should just get on with business. :o)

This has been a busy, but non-eventful week. It seemed to take me a bit longer to get back into the swing of living alone after Michael left this time.

What I've loved about this week is the weather. It's been getting colder every day. This morning before I left for work, it was 17 degrees! I'm loving it. It's a nice dry cold with a slight breeze. The sky has been clear and beautiful.

It's been so nice walking to work under the stars and enjoying the cold.

Those of you who shared your address with me have Christmas cards coming in the mail. I hope they find you happy and well. :o)

When we came back from Town on Sunday, it was snowing. I tried to take some pictures of our small town as we passed. They're not retouched or edited in any way. I wanted to get them up here since Connie and Akeskileut pretty much insisted I post "something"!

I plan to get pictures of my tree ornaments up soon. Sorry, k8, I didn't use Aladdin this year. :o(

A Long Post About a Long Weekend

Michael was supposed to get home on Tuesday but due to circumstances that should NOT have been beyond his control, he didn’t quite make it. The weather was atrocious so he may not have made it, anyway. He came in on Wednesday afternoon and is leaving any minute now.

We spent Wednesday evening baking pie. We only did pumpkin because we knew it would be just the two of us and that he’d be leaving soon. We still ended up with too much pie.

Thursday we started out watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and then proceeded to prepare Thanksgiving dinner. Again…way too much food for just the two of us. We knew we were going to have dessert with his sisters so we had a piece of pie for lunch. Hehe The wind was howling the entire day and I kept finding myself praying that the lights would not go out. The house was literally shaking from the strong gusts of wind.

We had a nice visit with his sisters. Mikayla was playing with Michael for over an hour before she came over to me and asked, “Aunty Kerri, who’s that guy behind you?”  We watched the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving program with them before we left. It seemed to be Craig’s first time seeing Peanuts on TV. He said, “Wow! This is even funnier than the comic!”

Friday we spent the entire day decorating. We put lights up in the windows, around the roof, around the living room ceiling, and all down the hallway. We also put the tree up, but didn’t decorate it until last night. I set out a few of my musical figures but still need to put out my bears.

Saturday we were supposed to go to Town for the day. We ended up spending a night over there. We bought the ingredients I’ll need to make cookies and fudge, my 2005 Christmas bears, a few Christmas gifts, and went to see Harry Potter.

Yesterday after returning from Town, we decorated the tree. Space Cadet brought Lucione and Lindsey over to visit their uncle. They played I Spy with my Christmas tree ornaments. They’ve been doing that ever since they were old enough to recognize the characters. My tree only has Disney ornaments and balls. The only items on the tree that are not Disney are the tree tops.

Yes, that’s tree topS, as in more than one. When Lucione was about 7 years old, she made an angel tree top for us. She drew it, cut it out, put it together, and wrapped it all by herself. It took her almost an entire day. When we bought the star for the tree this weekend, I hadn’t intended to use the angel this year. But after I looked at it, I didn’t have to heart to keep her packed away. Now she sits on top of the star.

Michael just called. There are no planes flying today so he’ll have to get on the ferry. That will get him to Town too late for his flight. I hope they can put him on a different flight. He’s never been late returning to work. I’m not sure what they’ll do.

Now that I’m back at work, I’ve got to start testing again because the semester is over in 3 weeks. I’ve just administered the first of a total of 19. If all goes as planned (it never does), I’ll have it all complete by December 13th. December 16th is our last day before Winter Break and Michael comes home on the 20th.

This will be his longest trip away, but when he comes back he’ll be here for 2 weeks. I was wanting to go down and visit him in January, but now I’m not so sure that’s going to work out. He already has his tickets home. We’ll have to see if the company will be willing to change it.

I’ve got 2nd grade now, they need my attention so I better get going. I’ll post some pictures soon. If I have your address, be on the look-out for a card from me soon. :o)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Michael heads home today. He won't make it all the way home because the boat we were relying on isn't going over until tomorrow. Their check didn't come so they have no money to get fuel. That was their whole purpose of going over today so now that's not going to happen. I didn't know that until after I got to work so he doesn't know yet.

I called him this morning to say hello. He was busy getting ready. I said, “But your plane doesn’t leave until 11:00. It’s only 6:00.”

He said, “Yeah, I know. But Wal-Mart opens at 7:00 and we want to stop there before we go to the airport.”

It’s an addiction, I tell ya. The guy just loves to shop! I’m sure he’ll also have to stop at IHOP for some pancakes, too. That seems to be turning into a travel day tradition for them. That’s so not fair! Hehe

The first bell hasn’t rung yet and already the kids are all hyped up. Short weeks do it to them every time. Tomorrow morning is going to be even worse because it’s not only the last day of the week, but it’s a short day.

I was going to take tomorrow off, but I took a personal day last week so I’ll be one of the lucky ones left behind to deal with the rambunctious rugrats. I think tomorrow we’ll have more subs than regular staff. Even the kitchen will be covered by subs.

Tomorrow night, I’ll be baking pumpkin pies. Thursday, of course, we’ll be busy making the rest of the dinner, Friday we’ll decorate for Christmas (if I wait till he comes home again, it will be too late), and Saturday we’re going to Town to get the ingredients for my Christmas cookies. So I guess Jayleigh was right. I will be busy this week! That’s okay, though. It’s a good kind of busy and I’m looking forward to it.

Rick’s wife was trying to order a cell phone online last night. I had written a page full of step-by-step instructions so she could get through it without problems. She must have called me at least 3 times to ask questions. Some of the questions, though, were just totally off the wall. One time she called and asked what a chargeable cover was. I told her I didn’t know. It wasn’t until about 5 minutes after we hung up that I realized she was reading it wrong and the phone had a CHANGEABLE cover!

The bells about to ring so I better get busy. I have science first thing this morning. If I don’t have time to update over the weekend, I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families!

Rainy Days and Mondays

Ya know, I’m getting so sick of these storms; especially when they interfere with Michael’s travel home.  He’s due in tomorrow. He arrives at the airport too late to fly home and there is no ferry on Tuesdays. So now I’m back to searching for a boat.

Speaking of searching, one of our community members is lost in the woods so please keep him in your prayers. He went hunting on another island, alone, and didn’t return. There is a search party out looking for him. I’m worried because he just lost his re-election campaign and has a history of suicide attempts. Granted, he was drinking and using drugs at the time and he doesn’t do that anymore, but it’s still a part of who he is.

My weekend was pretty good. I wasn’t as busy as I had anticipated because I managed to give Lindsey back to her mother on Friday night. We did not go to the carnival. I couldn’t talk her into it. I tried up until the last minute. We watched the Disney Channel until it was time for her to go home.

We had a nice potluck yesterday. I didn’t bring my camera, though. It was a good sized crowd even though there were a lot with conflicting plans. I let Lindsey talk me into making mini-meatloaves and I must say she was right. I was embarrassed to admit they were mine after people started commenting on them.

I had a nice visit with my Aunt Laurena. She’s actually Michael’s aunt, too. She is my father-in-law’s sister who happened to marry my Uncle Buster. Michael and I fight over her now. Whenever one of us mentions Aunt Laurena, the other one will say, “You mean MY Aunt Laurena?” She makes the best Mexican Jam and we get a jar every Christmas.

I think I have Michael talked into taking me to Town this weekend. I want to buy the ingredients I’ll need for my Christmas cookies and fudge. That way, I can have my cookies all done by the time he gets here and he can make his bread. He doesn’t come home for Christmas until the 22nd so he’ll have to bake all day on the 23rd.

I better get this posted so I can concentrate on these kids. It’s 3rd grade and for some reason, they need a lot of attention today.

Busy Weekend

This is going to be a busy weekend. Lindsey followed me home. We've got dinner in the oven (mini-meatloaves). There's a carnival tonight that I can't seem to convince her to go to (and it's right next door!). If I do, I'm sure I'll have to go with her as her sister is out of town and she hates to do anything alone. Saturday I have to do grocery shopping because Sunday I have a family potluck to attend. I've got 5 mintues till I have to take our dinner out of the oven so this will have to be short. I'll update if I can find the time. I'm not sure yet if I'll let her, but I know Lindsey is going to try and talk me into letting her sleep here.

Have a good weekend!

Back to Work

It wasn’t easy, but I came to work today. It’s storming again and my dad decided I shouldn’t be allowed to walk to school today. Nice of him to think of me, except that it meant I got here 30 minutes too early. Needless to say, this can end up feeling like a really long day.

Michael moves to Fresno today. They should be on the road now. If he plans things right, he should be able to see my mom on his way up.

The weather is supposed to be fairly good the day he comes back to Alaska, so hopefully, we’ll be able to find a boat to pick them up and bring them home.

Speaking of weather, I cannot believe how some of the kids are dressed today. Its fall people; time to start dressing your kids in warm clothing. There are still kids wearing short pants and pretty little sun dresses. It makes me wonder if the parents even pay attention to what the kids are wearing. It would be different if the kids were being driven to school. But the majority of them are the ones who walk or stand out in the weather waiting for the bus.

Space Cadet is moping today. Lucione is leaving for a basketball trip. Space Cadet thinks she has to go everywhere her daughter goes so is being a little bratty today with the whining and complaining. I have absolutely no sympathy for her. If you ask her, Lucione is “fine with having her mother along” all the time. But when Lucione and I are alone, she tells me it’s embarrassing for her to always have her mom with her. She feels as if her mother doesn’t trust her to be responsible. I’ve tried telling Space Cadet, but she doesn’t hear me. Today she asked if I could tape her up in a box and ship her to Petersburg. I said, ‘Find the box. I’ll tape you up but I won’t send you anywhere!”

I better get some work done.

Personal Day

I took a Personal Day today. I got up, got ready for work, and decided not to go. My heart just wasn't in it today. I'm not sick or sad. I just wasn't motivated and rather than go to work and do a half-hearted job, I decided to stay home.

The weather today is beautiful. The skies are blue and the wind is calm. My only complaint is the temperature. It's 45 degrees and I'd much rather have it 15 to 20 degrees colder.

I finally got those birthdays straight. My step-mom's birthday is tomorrow...so the 14th is my cousin's birthday. Hopefully I'll remember next year because I hate forgetting. I've got some sort of mental block around these two dates for some reason and it irritates me. haha

Lucione is going on her first basketball trip of the year this weekend. I hope they do alright. They're going up to Petersburg. They'll be playing against bigger schools with tough competition but that's always the case for our kids. Even our high school competes with schools twice our size. It'll be a good experience for them, win or lose, but it would be nice if they could get a win or two in! :o)

Not being a soap opera or talk-show fan, I don't know what I'm going to do with the rest of my day, but I'll think of something. I hope all of you are having a good day.

My Father in Me

I'm seein' my father in me
I guess that's how it's meant to be
And I find I'm more and more like him each day
I notice I walk the way he walks
I notice I talk the way he talks
I'm startin' to see my father in me
Chorus from “Seein My Father in Me” by Paul Overstreet

All through my life, I’ve been compared to my mother. I’ve been told I look like her. I’ve been told I sing like her. I’ve been told I’m strong like her. The list goes on. Even my mom compares me to herself. I can’t even count the number of times she’s said something like, “Hey, look! We both {do whatever} the same!”

I have been noticing lately, though, that I have inherited a lot of my dad’s traits as well.

He’s an extremely patient man. You need patience to have a job like mine and I believe I got my patience from my dad. I definitely inherited my dad’s sense of humor! I’ve often been told “You’re just like your dad!” when I tease or make a joke. I’ve always taken that as a compliment.

Yesterday, I even noticed that some of my habits are just like my dad. We both write with our right hands but eat with our left. When seated at a table or desk, I lean on my arms just like him (That trait I wish I hadn’t inherited because now I’ve got cubital tunnel syndrome in BOTH arms!). Sometimes when I laugh, I sound just like him.

It’s comforting to know that I’ve got the best of both my parents in me and others can see that.

I need to live my life in such a way that people can not only see my parents in me, but God as well. I need to treat others with love and respect. I need to spread joy. I need to be compassionate. If I live my life correctly, people should be able to see God within me.

And on that day when we will pay for all the deeds we have done,
Good and bad they'll all be had to see by everyone.
And when you're called to stand and tell just what you saw in me,
More than anything I know, I want your words to be
She had her father's eyes,
Her father's eyes;
Eyes that found the good in things,When good was not around;
Eyes that found the source of help,When help would not be found;
Eyes full of compassion,Seeing every pain;
Knowing what you're going through,And feeling it the same.
Just like my father's eyes…
From “My Father’s Eyes” by Amy Grant

Ups and Downs

I think our one small window of opportunity for snow has come and gone. It started to fall this morning, but changed to rain rather quickly and there’s rain and more heavy winds in store for us tonight. So, at least for now, and the next week or so, it seems we won’t be getting any snow.

I hope that everyone had a nice weekend. Mine was uneventful. I stayed at home; cleaned house a bit, watched more TV than I normally do (and now remember why that is) and just tried to keep myself busy.

My cousin’s daughter is in the hospital in Anchorage. She has some sort of birthmark on her brain that has been bleeding and causing her massive headaches.  They are trying to decide whether or not to do surgery. Please keep her in your prayers.

Another cousin of mine became a grandmother yesterday. Her son and his girlfriend had a baby girl. She is 7lbs 7oz with strawberry blonde hair.

Yet another cousin of mine became a grandmother on Saturday but, sadly, her granddaughter died immediately following her birth. She was 10 days overdue, 13 lbs at birth, but didn’t make it. Prayers for that family would be appreciated, also.

Michael will be home in 8 or 9 days. He’ll make it as far as Ketchikan in 8 days and hopefully find a way to get home that night. It’s not a ferry day so we’ll have to find a boat. He’ll be home for 6 or 7 days. His longest visit yet!

By Thursday, he should be moving up north to Fresno. They’ve got one small project to finish before they pack up and start their drive. If they plan things right, they should be able to stop and see my mom on their way up. That will be good since she hasn’t seen either one of us in about 4 years. Come to think of it, it’s been about as long since she’s seen Rick.

Today is somebody’s birthday and it is killing me that I don’t remember whose. It’s either my cousin’s or my step-mom’s. Whoever doesn’t have a birthday today has one on Thursday. For some reason, I’ve never been able to keep these 2 straight. When I’m positive it’s one of them, I end up wrong. I’m normally pretty good at remembering dates so this really annoys me.

Okay, enough rambling out of me.

Thank God For Friends

Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Thanks to a very special friend of mine for sending me that scripture in e-mail today. I don’t know if she meant to, but she helped me immensely and I love her for that. Her sister, too, who also helped in her own special way. ;o)

We should be back to regular programming here on my humble little blog soon. Thanks for the e-mails and instant messages. The thoughtfulness of all of you means a lot to me. Hugs to all of you!