Goldfish in view

This is my view out of my main front window in the living room. I was given this goldfish plant by a friend who moved away from Bethel in the fall (Miss you, Christy!) I really didnt think the plant was anything great until it started blooming a couple months ago. Now, it seems everyday when I get home and see this plant in the window, it has more and more little goldfish flowers jumping from it. Pretty neat, eh?

In other news...
I've been talking about the weather alot again lately. That's because it's crazy weather. This morning I went out to a truck that was covered in marbled ice about a quarter inch thick. It was raining as I walked into school and it is almost above freezing. Just yesterday, it was -30 ambient and -48 with windchill. The day before it was 30 above. We just keep flipflopping between really cold and really warm...it's just weird. Both types of weather present their own problems. This morning it was slippery and the truck had to be scraped before we could go anywhere. If you live anywhere where you get freezing rain sometimes, you know how hard it is to scrape off a quarter inch of ice. Taboo frequently runs away when it is warm like this because he gets sick of being couped up in the house. The upside is that it is warm and that is nice, but the sun doesnt shine when it is warm like this because the clouds are what keep the warmth in. I dont have to plug the truck in when it's warm which is another added bonus because it is expensive to use that energy. And we are forecast to get 3-9 inches of snow, which is fun, but also a hassle.

On the flip side...yesterday when it was so cold, my truck ran like crap and my check engine light is back on. Everything is stiff because it is so cold and I had to stand outside of my classroom door for a minute while I waited for my keys to thaw because they were frozen together. Not to mention that it is just plain dangerous to spend any amount of time outside when it is that cold. I walked out to my truck yesterday without my gloves on and for about 30 minutes after that, I felt like my pinky finger was going to fall off. Then I have to plug the truck in which is expensive. Taboo's leash freezes closed so that we cant hook him up, but he usually will come right back when it is that cold. And then he limps because it hurts his bones and he gets ice up inside his paws. The upside to it being so cold is that it is gloriously sunny so I had the curtains open yesterday and the sun was shining in which means I dont have to use the lights so much and saves energy.

Also, we are up to 9hours and 26minutes of daylight and 10hours and 55minutes of visible light. We are gaining 5minutes and 36seconds per day, which is an insane amount. That means it will only take about 10days to gain over an hour, which is AWESOME! It is sooooo nice to have all the extra sunlight. It is actually still light out when I get home from school!

I've been working on numbers 1, 2, 4, 11, 12, 15, 16, 19 on my birthday list.

I've been really tired lately even though I've been getting to bed early and sleeping well at night. Not sure why.

We're going to the recycle center with the Boy Scouts tonight, but if the freezing rain keeps up, we might not be able to go. Who knows...in Alaska EVERYTHING depends on the weather.

Avery is doing really good lately. Good grades in school and getting involved. He seems to have many more friends this year and hangs out with them more often which is good.

I have to go to another stupid, waste of time teacher inservice provided by the district on saturday...my favorite thing to do! NOT! Hopefully it will be worthwhile, but they very seldom are when they are put on by the district. On the upside, I will get to see some of the other teachers from villages that i dont get to see much.

I have my taxes pretty much done. I tried Turbotax this year just to compare what I got to what they got and my numbers where WAY higher. Good thing I do my taxes by hand. I would have gotten screwed if I used Turbotax!

Well, I think that's all for now. TTFN...ta ta for now! :)