Want I want for Christmas...

I miss my friends. This has been a common theme in my life. Whenever I have moved, I never really miss the place I left, but I always miss the people. Even living in Ohio, I often missed my friends back in Las Vegas, but I never really missed Vegas. Now, living in Alaska, I cannot say that I miss Ohio, but I do miss having my friends around. I have made some new friends here in Bethel, but your new friends can never know you quite like your old friends.

So, what I would REALLY like for Christmas is pictures. Please send me a picture of you with your family or whatever you want. I would like to get framed pictures of all my friends to put up. I'm not going to hang them on the wall in the living room for everyone to see...no. I've got a little spot already going on top of my dresser in my bedroom where I will see them. I went out and bought some frames. Mostly 5x7 and 4x6. You can send the pics either framed or unframed, but I would like to have a little something to remind me of all the people who are important to me. It can be a snapshot or something professional...I'm not picky. Just a little something to look at so I dont forget about everyone that I love! If you dont have my address, just let me know.

In other news...

I just finished reading the book Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. It was a memoir about growing up in a poor, disfunctional family and becoming a great person because of it. I did not like the book very much at all(sorry Dan). It was just another version of the same story that has been told time and time again. It was very poorly written. It sounded as though it was written by a high school kid. It was told like a "and then this happened, and then this happened" sequence of events. The authors vocabulary seemed limited and her descriptions were plain and drab. I did not feel the pull to find out what happened next like I do when I am reading what I would call a good book. I could probably write a better book than this. This book put me to sleep on more than one occasion. Would not recommend.

Only 8 days of school left before Christmas break. It's hard to believe half the school year is over already. It's amazing how time flies. I am really looking forward to the break. It is much needed..for me and the students, I think. The funny thing is that it just doesnt seem like Christmas is around the corner. I didnt bring any of my Christmas decorations with me, so we dont have any decoration at all up. I havent seen many lights around town either, but, then again, I havent gone looking. Shhhh, dont tell....I'm getting Avery a puppy for Christmas. It's a blonde lab mix. A little girl. She's so sweet. She will be ready just in time for Christmas. We have been talking about getting a puppy for well over a year now and Avery is doing so well with taking care of his responsibilities, so I thought it was time to go ahead and do it! I'm so excited!

There's something wrong with my knee. It's been bothering my ever since the robotics tourny last week when I stood on the gym floor for 12 hours straight. I thought it was just sore from that and that it would be fine after awhile, but it's not. It's stiff and sore and has started spasming. I think something might seriously be wrong with it, but i dont know. I think i'll try to make an appt to get it checked out.

Now that wrestling is over...Avery's bored again. There just isnt a whole lot to do here. I am hoping to get involved with a dog sled team. Some friends of ours have a dog team and have said that we would be welcome to help them with it. The big race in this area, the Kuskokwim 300, will be coming up in January and there is already a buzz in the air about it. It is a qualifying race for the Iditarod. I'm looking forward to it! Should be fun...it's a pretty big deal with all kinds of thing happening and fireworks and everything.