"A mind once stretched by a new idea can never regain its original dimensions." ~Oliver Wendall Holmes

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Sunday, January 31, 2010

FINALLY!

We got the snowmachine back yesterday! Then a couple friends invited me to ride down to a village called Tuntutuliak. We rode about 120 miles today. It took about three hours down and three hours back. It was a great day for riding. Nice and warm (about 20 degrees ABOVE zero). I'm so sore I can hardly move now...I can only imagine how sore I'm going to be tomorrow!

I'll post pics from the trip soon!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Number 26

The birthday list goal was to read the Bible. Did I read it? Yes, some of it. No, not all of it. I definitely started it with the intent to read the whole thing, but it is going to take some time. I am on track to read it all and have made it farther than ever before. I am going to call this birthday goal complete in the spirit of having made it far enough through and having made reading it a habit, that I know I will make it through the whole thing eventually, but maybe not even this year. It's just too big of a project. I am enjoying my journey through the book and have been journaling as I go as well to record my thoughts as I read through.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Number 16

Number 16 on the birthday list is complete. This Monday we had baked potatoes and stuffing. This monday will be cheese quesadillas, mexican rice, and beans. This has turned out to be a really great goal for me and much easier than I had originally thought it would be. I have enjoyed it very much. I dont think I ate vegetarian once EVERY single week (especially when I was on vacation or travelling), but I know there were weeks when I ate vegetarian twice in one week. If there are 52 weeks in the year, I think I am safe in saying that I ate vegetarian for at least 52 days out of the year. I am hoping to expand on that in the coming months...I would like to get up to two vegetarian days per week...or at least vegetarian dinners(which usually lead to lunch, because most of the dinner leftovers are what I eat for lunch).

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Number 10

Number 10 on the birthday list is complete. I started an indoor herb garden a few days after we got back from Christmas vacation. I dont know if the little ones are going to be able to grow well with how little light we are getting right now, but they're trying. If it doesnt work, I'll buy some seeds and try again over the summer when there's more light.

Number 12

Number 12 on the birthday list is a hard one. The goal was to SIOP my lesson plans. Have I done that? hmmmm....yes and no. Yes, I have SIOPed my lesson plans, but at the same time I will be continually working toward and looking at new ways to incorporate SIOP into my teaching/lesson planning. I have learned alot about SIOP in the last year and have seen the results of using it in my classroom. My students test score are up and more students are passing and at higher percentages. It's been wonderful and I will keep it up through my entire career.

I have done alot with SIOP this year, so I am declaring it complete! But there is still so much more I want to do. A little at a time. Right now I'm taking a 2 credit book study class on the SIOP book called Making Content Comprehensible. Tomorrow is my book study groups first meeting and I've already double booked my self. I am also supposed to do tutoring tomorrow for a couple of JH kids. Oooops!

Monday, January 25, 2010

Number 2

Number 2 on my birthday list is complete. I read a book per month and then some. Here's the list...

February: Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
March: Hawaii by James Michener
Obedience by Will Lavender
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
April: Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
False Impression by Jeffery Archer
May: Cider House Rules by John Irving
June: Paths of Glory by Jeffery Archer
July: Wednesday Letters by Jason Wright
August: Alaska by James Michener
September: Winkie by Who cares cause it was terrible
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson
October: Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
November: Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys by Dan Kindlon and Michael Thompson
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
December: The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester
Tales of Beetle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
January: A Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank
Dreamweaver: Diary of the Fallen by DeMaster Thomas

I think there are a few in here that I'm missing or forgetting. Although, I do know that both of the Michener books took me three month each to read(Hawaii in Jan, Feb, March and Alaska in June, July, Aug), so they kept me busy. I also read a textbook about child development (the chapters on adolescents) and I read several books for an Alaska History course. I also spent some time working toward Number 26 reading the Bible. I have new reading goals for my next birthday list and have already started working on Anthem by Ayn Rand.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Growing up

We finally got Avery's school pictures in the mail the other day. There was a problem with the picture company. They came and took pictures in early September and then the disk that had all the pictures on it was damaged/corrupt. So they had to come out and take all the pictures again in November. They assured us that they would put a rush on the pics so that people could have them before Christmas. Most of the pictures came, but there were many kids who didnt get theirs, including Avery. I called the company and they had absolutely no record of Avery whatsoever, even though they had cashed my check way back in October. I explained this to the customer service rep that I was talking to and she was completely understanding and easy to work with. She sent me their biggest package of pictures including magnets and a disk, even though I had originally ordered only one of the small packages. She even threw in retouching and his name and date on the picture. All in all, it worked out well for us. Although, the only reason I got his pics is because I called the company to track them down. I know there will be many parents who paid for pictures and never got them, but wont call or remember to track them down. The school is working on figuring out how they want to go about getting this cleared up with the company and parents.

He's soooooooooo grown up these days and very handsome. The basketball kids always dress up on the Friday's when Varsity has a home game. Avery dressed up in and even wore his tie and dress shoes. He was so handsome, one teacher said he looked like he had just stepped out of a catalog. When he came home, he said that he got alot of compliments and, more importantly, attention from the ladies :)

He's been doing very well in all aspects of his life. He really is starting to grow up and act more maturely everyday. He's doing well in school, although already looking forward to a greater challenge in High School. He has been very busy with basketball. He has practice Mon-Thursday and then games on the weekend. And he always stays to watch the other games, so he pretty much spends Friday and all day Saturday at the school for basketball. He is taking responsiblity for his schooling, home chores, and activities. He is learning how to balance everything and fit in some fun too.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

It's been a few days...

This is Avery sitting on the edge of the ice where the river meets the beach(the fog in the picture is from my breath). I'm not sure why the ice gets pushed up like that. It wasnt like that last year or the year before. I think it may have something to do with the tides. the Kuskokwim river is a tidal river, at least this section of it is. so, my understanding of the ice is this...the river freezes, then the tide goes out. when the tide comes back in it pushes the ice up and out. This happens over and over until you get a huge layer of ice rising up from the beach. Anybody reading know if this explanation is true or if it is something else?

In other news...
I think this is the first time in a long time that I've gone more than a day without blogging. things have been hectic these last few days.

Last friday was the end of the semester and final exam week. Grades were due today. Mine are all done and most of my students did very well in my classes. Kids are generally more succesful in my classes than they were two year ago when I started teaching here. I think there are many reasons for this some of which are that I'm a better teacher, the district starting using SIOP and i have been implementing it to a relatively high degree, education becomes more and more important to the culture/community with each passing year, the students are learning how to be successful student and putting more work and time into school, we have implemented many solid programs school wide and district wide to help bring all students up to proficient levels. these are just some things i can think of, but whatever the reason (or combination of reasons), I'm happy that my students are doing so well.

There's some sort of stomach flu going around and, sure enough, Avery and I both picked it up. Avery got it first starting on Monday. Then I got it tuesday and we were both home from school on tuesday. My stomach hasnt felt right since. There were a couple times today I had to take deep breaths and count to ten to keep from hurling. gross!

we FINALLY got some snow. Just a few inches, not much, but it's something. and it would be enough to ride the snowmachine, if we could just get the dang thing started. Avery and I tried to get it to start after school today, but couldnt. hopefully the shop kids can look at it tomorrow.

well, i'm nodding off on the couch...time for bed. Happy Friday!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Number 17

This is the last batch of pictures that I want to post about the K300. It is over. I went to the mushers banquet and awards ceremony tonight. It was long, but fun. The mushers always have funny stories to tell about things that went down out on the trail. The picture above shows the start of the k300 from a distance. All the vehicles parked out on the ice always amazes me.
Here is the start of a couple of the teams. The teams start in pairs every two minutes and their times are adjusted accordingly later down the trail when they take their layovers. They are required to stop and rest twice through the race. A mandatory 6 hour layover on the way there and a mandatory 4 hour layover on the way home. Aside from that, they can stop whenever they like to rest either in a village or just out on the trail.
Here is what the trail looked like as I was waiting to check in the last Bogus Creek 150 musher on Saturday. You can see that there is hardly any snow at all on the river and the ice is showing through in big patches. The mushers told stories of how this was one of the worst year's for trail conditions that they've ever seen. There just is NO SNOW out there. Many of them told stories about sand blowing in their faces.
Here is the finish line from the opposite angle. With the setting sun in the background, it was very pretty. And since I was just about the only person out there at that time, it was very quiet and serene.
The dogs that came through the finish line all looked really good. For the most part, the mushers said that they had relatively few problems with their dogs. It was mostly the wind and ice that caused the problems.
You can see how the frost from their breath accumulates on their snouts. Most sled dogs are fairly small, not like the big, bulky, furry huskies that you see on TV. The kids and the people in the crowd enjoyed greeting the dogs back in the finish line.
Here are the dogs all loaded in the truck for the ride home after their long race. They get bedded down with straw for warmth.
Here is me working my shift at the K300 headquarters. The K300 definitely kept me busy this year. I went down friday night for the start of the race and the fireworks. Then I checked in a Bogus Creek 150 musher at the finish line. Checking in a racer at the finish line means you have to get their time. The clock stops as soon as the first dogs nose crosses the finish line. Then you have to give them a bottle of water and collect their bib number. You have to count their dogs. They have to have at least 5 dogs in harness at the end of the race. Then you have to check to make sure they have their ax and sleeping bag. Those are the only two pieces of gear they are required to take with them.
Then on saturday night, I worked the headquarters from 10pm to 3am. It was pretty dull at that time for the most part except for some guy that came in and stole a jacket from the merchandise table and we had to call the police. Most of what you do at headquarters is just answer the phone and try to answer peoples questions. As each musher goes through the checkpoints in the villages, the checkers there call in to give you their times. You also have to update the leader board and input new information about the mushers into the website.

Then on Sunday, Avery and I went down for the finish of the winner of the K300 and I got to help handle the lead dogs for the winner. I also stopped by headquarters periodically throughout the weekend. It was fun!

So, I think I've met Number 17 on the birthday list. I have also volunteered and made all of the arrangements to be a dog handler at the iditarod in March. One of these days I really would like to actually ride on a dog sled...that would be awesome.

In other news...
Avery is sick. He called me in the middle of the day today (we had an inservice so I was at work and he was home) asking when I was going to be home. He's got a fever, diarrhea, body aches, headache, and feels sick to his stomach. Sounds like the flu...I hope not.

Avery's team won their basketball game on Saturday. This is two in a row they've won. He's really enjoying playing basketball. I didnt get any good pictures.

We are scheduled to get some snow tonight and the temps have warmed up to only -5 below zero so that's promising.

I've already started working on my next birthday list. It has been really fun this year to keep track of all of the things I've accomplished. And putting them on a list really makes me focus on getting them done. Any ideas for the new birthday list... 30 things to do before I turn 31?

Finish line


Here is the video of John Baker crossing the finish line. You can see his dogs from the ones near the sled (the wheel dogs) to the ones at the front (the lead dogs).

Sunday, January 17, 2010

2010 K300 winner!

John Baker won the 2010 K300 tonight at about 6:30 with 10 dogs in his harness (which is a good number, usually mushers have to drop more dogs than that before making it to the finish. He started the race with 14). His total race time was just under 48 hours. Can you imagine 48 hours out on a frozen river in temps anywhere from -30 to -70 with a howling wind coming straight from the north trying to get a bunch of dogs to follow a tiny trail in the middle of a huge, white, barren land?

The finish line was pumped up. There were tons of people screaming and cheering. It was so much fun. The lead dogs stopped right in front of me and I got to help handle one of them to keep it from getting tangled in the lines. I helped remove booties and take the dog to the musher for his photo with his lead dogs. I got to keep one of the lead dog's booties! I wish I could remember the dogs name. Anyone know?

2010 K300 start



This video shows the start of two of the K300 mushers. I love how anxious the dogs are to leave...the way that they howl and whine to get going. They love mushing.

I barely made it down to the river to see the start of the race on Friday night, but I did stay for the fireworks afterward. The K300 is in full swing...I just got home from my 10pm-3am shift at the K300 race headquarters. Most of the racers on are there way back toward bethel. We have only 1 musher that had to scratch (take himself out of the race) because his eyes were frozen shut due to frostbite caused by the wind. The musher that scratched int eh one that has won the K300 for the past two years (the two racers I've been here for). So this year we will have a new winner. Right now Martin Buser is in the lead with Lance Mackey right behind him. It has been a fun and exciting race weekend, even with the temperatures so cold.

You can follow all of the exciting dog sled racing at the K300 website, click here.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

My layers

It just continues to get colder and colder outside. Right now it is -14 with wind at 28mph. That's well within the dark blue get-frostbite-in-less-than-10-minutes range according to the windchill chart. This is definitely a cold weekend to be standing out on the frozen river watching dog sled races....but that's what I'm doing just the same. So, how do I dress to go brave the harsh elements? I'll show you...

The first layer consists of thermal underwear (shirt and pants) and wool socks.
The next layer is another pair of really super duper thick socks, fleece pj pants, a long sleeved K300 shirt, and a face mask.
See my face mask...it's one of those with the holes that direct the breath out and down so as to fog up your googles or helmet or whatever as little as possible. I love it!
Next layer is jeans and a hoodie.
Then a scarf (GB Packers, of course), some wool mittens, an extra pair of thick protective mittens in my pocket just in case, my snowpants, and my -40 rated boots.
Then comes the big thick coat with the insulated hood and another pair of gloves.
Yes, this will pretty much be my outfit for most of the weekend while I'm out watching and helping with the races. And you know what? I stood outside for about 1.5 hours tonight watching the K300 and then the fireworks afterward and was not one bit cold. My camera would not take a pictures and my cell phone battery died because it was so cold, but I was fine. Next time I'll put those things in an inside pocket to keep them warm so that I can get some pics (I was able to snap a few tonight before my camera froze up and I'll post those soon).

Hope it's warmer wherever you are! Have a great weekend!

Friday, January 15, 2010

I'm going out in this to stand on a frozen river?




Wind Chill Advisory

Statement as of 3:57 PM AKST on January 15, 2010


... Wind Chill Advisory in effect from 6 PM this evening to noon
akst Sunday...

The National Weather Service in Anchorage has issued a Wind Chill
Advisory... which is in effect from 6 PM this evening to noon akst
Sunday.

A cold airmass and north winds of 20 to 35 mph will produce wind
chills as cold as 40 to 50 below through Sunday afternoon. The
coldest windchills are expected overnight as temperatures fall to
a minimum and will recover above advisory criteria tomorrow
afternoon. Similar conditions are expected again tomorrow evening
and through Sunday.

Precautionary/preparedness actions...

A Wind Chill Advisory means that very cold air and strong winds
will combine to generate low wind chills. This will result in
frostbite and lead to hypothermia if precautions are not taken.



Updated: 17 min 46 sec ago
Partly Cloudy
-10 °F
Partly Cloudy
Windchill: -38 °F
Humidity: 61%
Dew Point: -20 °F
Wind: 25 mph from the NNE
Wind Gust: 32 mph



Thursday, January 14, 2010

K300 benefit concert


Wednesday night was the benefit concert for the K300, which is running tonight. For those of you who dont remember or werent reading the blog when I wrote this post, the K300 is a mid-distance dog sled race that is a qualifier for the Iditarod. It is considered Alaska's premier mid-distance race and we get alot of big names in the mushing world out here in Bethel to run this race. The K300 is a 300 mile race that starts in Bethel and goes to Aniak and then comes back to Bethel for the finish. We also have the Bogus Creek 150 and the Akiak dash races happening this weekend as well.There's alot going on with the race this weekend and I'm happy to be here. Last year I missed the race because I was in Anchorage with my robotics team. I will be helping a local team with their dog handling at the start line for the K300 tonight. I will also be the checker at the finish line for the winners of the Akiak dash. AND I will be working at headquarters from 10pm-2am on Saturday night. It should be fun! Although it is really cold outside and I will have to put on about 50 pounds of clothes and gear in order to stay warm out on the river tonight. Right now it is -7ambient and -33 with windchill. Brrrrrr!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Windchill

This is the windchill chart that is used by the school (by whoever at the school district makes the decision) to decide if school will be cancelled based on cold. My understanding of the way that it works (which may or may not be completely accurate), is that if it falls within the dark blue area or lower then school may potentially be cancelled. I'm fairly certain that some of it also has to do with whether or not it is a sustained wind or if it is just gusty. But basically the idea is that if a kid can get frostbite in 10 minutes or less, then that puts them at risk when traveling to school.

So Monday the temp in the morning was at around -4 and the wind was pretty consistently around 40mph with gusts up to 50mph. School was cancelled. It was crazy outside. FREEZING COLD. really. Even in the house it was pretty cold. When the wind blows like that it gets into every nook and cranny, making it drafty and cold. Tuesday the temps have been around -7 all day and the wind has died down a bit to around 30mph. you can see that that means we were just outside of the dark blue range. So, we went to school, but MAN is it miserable! The school is absolutely freezing. I had to wear my coat just to tolerate to sit there and work after school (during the school day it was fine). And when walking to and from the school to my truck it pretty much feels like you dont even have any pants on, the wind just whips right through them. When I walked out of school today, it literally took my breath away. I think tomorrow if it is still this windy I will start wearing my snow pants as well. (It's Wednesday morning, the temp is -9 and the wind is at 20mph, which you can see just barely keeps us out of the dark blue range again today.)

Now, if we could just get some snow....
and I could ride my fixed snowmachine...
I'd be happy.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

I got 10 pounds for Christmas

Before I left Texas, I was telling my cousin that I thought I probably gained 10 pounds while I was there and unfortunately I was spot on. When I stepped on the Wii the day after we got back, I had gained 10.1 pounds. Blah. I knew it would happen. I basically ate whenever and whatever I wanted the whole time we were there. Fast food, sweets, late night snacks...everything. Add that in with the 5 that I had gained back over Thanksgiving and that means that I've gained back 15 of the 30 pounds that I had lost.

Well, I've shed 3 of those pounds in just the last few days and I am on a mission to get rid of the rest of it and then some. I'm back to cooking all of my own meals and trying to fit in lots of fresh fruit and veggies. I'm drinking upwards of 10 glasses of water everyday. I'm back to doing Meatless Monday (or, if not Monday, at least one meatless day per week). I've been working out 1-1.5 hours on most days. I'm keeping busy to help keep me from snacking.

My weakness is sweets...it always has been. I love cake, ice cream, brownies, chocolate...basically anything with sugar. My other downfall is that I dont have any accountablity. It's easy for me to slack off because no one is watching. I need someone checking on me, asking me how I'm doing, and giving me encouragement to keep it up. Avery does do some of that. He offered to do the dishes tonight so that I could work out and then told me that I was doing a good job :) But I could use a bit more accountability. So, next time you talk to me...ask me how its going and tell me to get on the ball and get rid of the extra pounds already. I'm sick of being fat!

Monday, January 11, 2010

BUSY(productive) three day weekend!


Friday
went to Avery's basketball game
got my indoor herb garden started
cook a healthy meal for myself
Avery stayed at a friends=peaceful night of rest and relaxation for me
worked out 1.5 hours
read a magazine
wrote letters to a couple of friends

Saturday
morning yoga 1hour
finally put away ALL of the stuff from our christmas trip
errands...post office and grocery store
cook and clean while jamming to music
worked at school for a few hours writing final exam
wine and good conversations with some friends
stayed up really late reading my friends bookSunday
slept in... and it felt good
watched packer game (basically three hours of TORTURE)
yes, I'm still a packer fan
put up new curtains in the living room (they have a special backing that blocks out the COLD and drafts)
Avery made some money giving a friends dog a bath
cleaned the bathroom (it needed it before the dog bath)
laundry and other house cleaning
lasagna dinner, wine, and more good conversation at a friends house
let avery stay up too late watching a movie with meMonday
school was cancelled because of windchill (-40 with windchill)
made phone calls (this is hard to get done on a normal day)
made appt with podiatrist(my big toe hurts) and checked insurance
bought anchorage flights for spring break (going to see podiatrist and Iditarod)
reserved hotel for 4 nights in anchorage over spring break
registered to be a dog handler for the Iditarod in anchorage (see #17 on the birthday list)
also signed up for the K300 finish line here in Bethel next weekend (also #17)
and volunteered to work headquarters during K300 in bethel next weekend
talked to a friend on the phone for a couple of hours
ran a couple of errands
got Avery his meningitis vaccine (he didnt even cry :)
played a round of scrabble with avery
avery cooked meatloaf, corn, and brownies for dinner
got halfway through my friends manuscript
wrote this blog post :)
Now it's time for bed...and hope we will have school tomorrow because everyday that we cancel, we have to add on a day to the end of the year(although I may feel otherwise come morning). On a night like tonight, curling up in my bed is really enticing. Getting out of it in the morning...not so much. Good night!
Wind Chill Advisory

Statement as of 4:31 AM AKST on January 11, 2010


... Wind Chill Advisory now in effect until 11 am akst Tuesday...

Northeast wind 25 to 40 mph and the combination of decreasing
temperatures are resulting in wind chills of 40 to 50 below in
some areas through Tuesday morning.

Precautionary/preparedness actions...

A Wind Chill Advisory means that very cold air and strong winds
will combine to generate low wind chills. This will result in
frostbite and lead to hypothermia if precautions are not taken.


Saturday, January 09, 2010

He scores!



Avery joined JH basketball this year and so far he's has really been enjoying himself. While we were on break down in Texas, we got him new basketball shoes and shorts. His first game was last night. There are enough kids in JH basketball to have two teams. Avery is on the blue team. He scored this three pointer and another two pointer in the first half. The blue team won! Go Avery!

The whole game was like one big bloopers show though. It was pretty funny. There were kids falling down, throwing shots that missed by a mile, fighting over the ball, getting hit in the head. All in all, it was pretty hilarious, but I'm proud of Avery, he seems to be doing well and seems to like it. Watching him play made me think back to when he was in basketball when he was about kindergarten age. He could stand that there was a kid defending him and Avery would just run away from the kid at full speed. He ended up spending the whole game just doing laps around the court to get away from his defender. I dont think he ever touched the ball. Ah...the memories...makes me laugh :)

Thursday, January 07, 2010

Wild West

While Avery and I were at the 6 Flags amusement park in Texas, we got these photos done. I've always wanted to get one of these done. I figured what better place than Texas. And since we got into the park for free, I used the extra cash I had to get these pics done.
I am going to try to make a boarder/mat for the bottom pic that says something like...Brother and sister duel. Fun!

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Mustard fan

I found out something new about myself over this holiday season. I like mustard. I never used to like mustard very much, but I think that is because I had never really tried the different kinds of good mustards. I was stuck in a yellow mustard rut. I still needed to experience all of the opportunities the mustard world had to offer. I had to broaden my mustard horizons.

For Christmas, my grandmother sent me a meat and cheese basket. It has like 10 different cheeses and about 5 different kinds of sausage. It was very good and we are still working on eating it all. But the thing that I liked the MOST about the basket? There were two small jars of mustard. One was champagne mustard and the other was called Sweet 'n Hot mustard. And they were sooooooo good. Tonight I made sandwiches on our panini grill and put some of the mustard on them. Oh, so good!

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

HOME!

We made it home last night on the evening flight. It was nice to be home, but I had so much to do that it never occurred to me to sit down and blog to let you all know.

Sorry to keep you in suspense :)

Gotta go get ready for those kiddos (Can you ever really be ready?)

Monday, January 04, 2010

Wonderful Discovery!

We are stuck at the Anchorage Airport. Our afternoon flight to Bethel was cancelled due to mechanical issues. We have been here in this airport since 2am...it is now 2pm. Our new flight is scheduled to leave at 6pm. Ugh!
I need a shower so bad, I could scream. There is a good chance that our flight tonight could be cancelled as well because there is a big storm coming in to Bethel as I type this. They are supposed to get freezing rain. If we get stuck in Anchorage, then we will both miss the first day back to school tomorrow. I dont know how that works for me. I've never missed school because of a cancelled flight. I think I would have to take a personal day. Hopefully I wont find out how it works. I want to be home sooooooo bad.
A friend of mine from one of the villages is staying at my place tonight because he is stuck in Bethel because all of the village flights are cancelled as well. So, he is there, warming the place back up and getting my truck plugged in.
Looking on the bright side, at least the Anchorage airport has a great view. And as I was walking around a part of the airport that I've never been in before, I made a great discovery....a martini bar! Who knew?
On a funnier note, I woke up in the middle of the night last night at about 5am and in my deliriousness, walked right into the men's bathroom instead of the women's. Thankfully, no one was in there.

Saturday, January 02, 2010

The birds

The only thing I can think of is that Arlington must be an in between stop for the migration of these birds from the north to the south.
They were everywhere on this one corner. They would fly as a group from one side of the road to the other whenever they got startled.
It was like a big black cloud. It was pretty freaky.
You can click on the pictures to make them bigger if you want to see how many there are.

Avery and I are in Seattle. We were able to get our flight changed so that we are going to fly straight from Seattle to Anchorage with no stop in Juneau, which is great. I was not too thrilled about spending the night in Juneau, because the airport closes and a room was crazy expensive and we were only going to be there long enough to sleep for like 5 hours and that's it. I love Alaska Air. They are so great about accommodating peoples needs. They didnt charge me a change fee or baggage fees or anything. Awesome! So now we have a direct flight, but we still wont be home for about 20 hours. blah. We've got a 5 hour layover here and then a 10 hour layover in Anchorage. Too bad I dont have a car, I could go grocery shopping.

Titan

Number 20 on my birthday list in complete. Avery and I went to Six Flags Over Texas today. We rode many roller coasters, but this one was my favorite. It was the tallest and the smoothest that we rode. We had a great time and could have spent several more hours riding and walking around. Our day started out pretty good when we were given free tickets to get in! I was standing in line for tickets and this lady comes up to me and gives me two tickets. She said that they had bought group tickets and that two people in their group could not make it, so she gave them to me. Awesome! I do things like that all the time...give people extra tickets or discount coupons if I cant use them.

My good deeds came back to me, in a big way. Those tickets would have cost me $70. I used the money that I saved to have one of those wild west photos done of Avery and I. You know, the ones wear you dress up in old time clothes and they do the black and white photo with the props and the "WANTED" border. It was fun. I've already got the photos packed for our trip home tomorrow, but as soon as I get a chance I'll post the pics.

I dont know how much access to internet I'll have in the next couple days. We're on our way home tomorrow. Also, this is my 600th blog post. wow! That's alot of blogging.

Friday, January 01, 2010

Happy New Year! Texas style

I dont know how many of you remember, but I have a collection of photos of (animal) crossing signs. I have ducks, Spanish bulls, snowmachine, tractor, moose, mule, etc. And now I have a Texas bull crossing sign. It's fun to have this weird little hobby.

Avery and I went to the rodeo on New Year's Eve! It was fun. I'll post pics and video later because there is actually quite alot that I want to say about the rodeo. For right now, I just wanted to say Happy New Year and Happy New Decade to everyone. Right now I'm exhausted and am headed to bed. We've got a fun filled day of roller coaster riding planned for tomorrow.