Outdoor Excursions

After school on Friday and taking the kids skiing, I was exhausted but I went skiing with Mandy. It was super warm out, 10-20 degrees. I dressed way to warm because when I got home I was so sweaty and wet. It felt nice to take a warm bubble bath afterwards. It felt great to get exercise and it actually woke me up. Someday we are going to ski to the reindeer corale.

Then on Saturday, I finally did not have to work and I got so much home chores done. I applied for my Dividend Check, mop, sweep, and then went snowshoeing up to Igurik. It's a large mountain past the airport. Snowshoeing is sure harder work than skiing. It was great exercise. I love the scenery up there also!

Job Prospect Update: After some encouraging from a friend, I decided to send a resume and cover/interest letter to Galena Public School and the Early Learning Center. I'm currently in the process of writing a letter for an extension for my contract, writing my resume, and cover letter. Please keep this process in your prayers. I'm praying that God will give me the words to communicate clearly, close or open the doors, guide and lead. Please also pray that God will allow the administration to give me about a month extension. He knows what is best and I'm trusting in Him to show me. I like Galena a lot: variety if food, trails, Christian fellowship, closer to Anchorage and Fairbanks, making it cheaper to fly. I love Koyuk dearly but it is also exciting to be thinking of moving to another place for new adventures. Thanks for your prayers.

Until next week.

First Time for Kids

Well, the kids were so patient in waiting to skiing when the next warm day came. I was so impressed and proud of them. I think I told everyone that at least once. It was Karen and I getting skis on all 9 kids. They were so patient, waiting for me to come to them to get them into the skis. After about falling for the entire half an hour, they were pros! When they were falling they would just get back up, laugh, and try again! It was so great to see their positive attitudes. I took many more pictures than these, but these are the best ones. They hardly fell after a while because they learned that bending their knees helped prevent falling. Some were learning how to get up hills by stepping sideways on the their ski, a couple of kids were able to put their skis in a V and go up the hill. They sure caught on quick. It was also amazing to see their kindness in helping their friends get their skis off, going down the hill while holding hands, and eventually becoming the teachers to the other students in the classroom. They had such perseverance in learning how to ski well. The famous question while we were skiing, "Can we get those sticks?" They wanted so badly to ski with poles. I told them, "When you get to first grade, you will get them." It was a fun and memorable experience.

Caring

Hello! Here are the kiddos hanging up caring sheets. Our focus this month is caring and oh my have the kids caught on well to the concept. They do an awesome job thinking of others. They are helping each other in the classroom, sharing, letting others first in line, and a whole lot of other encouraging things. So our principal wanted us to write down how someone showed they cared for us. All my kids said something about their family members and their responses were so darn cute. Here they are:

"MY DAD SHOWS HE CARES BY SAYING LOVE YOU WHEN I GO TO SCHOOL" -BENJAMIN


"MY DAD SHOWS HE CARES BY ASKING ME, YOU WANT CEREAL?" EUGENIA

"MY DAD SHOWS HE CARES SAYING LOVE YOU WHEN I GO TO SCHOOL," MEGAN

"MY DAD SHOWS HE CARES FOR ME BY SAYING LOVE YOU." TERRIAN

MY MOM SHOWS SHE CARES BY WAKING ME UP ON TIME TO GO TO SCHOOL." CLARISSA

"MY MOM SHOWS she CAREs BY HUGGING ME WHEN I GO OUTSIDE." Kylie

"MY MOM SHOWS SHE CARES BY RIDING ME TO STORE." ANNETTE

"MY MOM SHOWS SHE CARES BY WAKING ME UP TO GO TO SCHOOL." WESLEY

I've had amazing weeks with my kids. This last week we finished our pen pal letters and took a trip to mail them. It was great fun! On the way back we had a snowball fight. Just imagine 9 kids pelting me with snowballs. I accidently got boy in the face and then he tried. It was all fun and games. They all had smiles while coming into the school.

Berry continues to show her maturity. She has made two weeks without being in the kennel all day. She is just content to be home even when we don't get to go for walk either because of weather or just because I am exhausted. She just waits until the next time. God's been teaching that to me also. To wait for him to act, be patient. It's neat how God shows you lessons through animals. He is good and faithful!

Well, until next week.

Jeni's Art Museum

Here are the pieces of art I have.

Bald Eagle, Tok
Sawet Owl, bought in OR
Australian Art-dotted. The U's represent women, the gold balls represent honeyant. The women are digging for honey ants.
African Art
Local Alaskan Art, Don Henry
Cottonwood Trees (Photo), Neil Peterson
Face, with Ptarmigan Feathers

Hmmmm....I'm getting an itch to buy some baleen with scrimshaw! Maybe this summer when I go through Nome.

I hate making New Years Resoltuion, but here it goes. Updating my blog every Sunday. Keep me accountable!

Berry...says goodbye.

Doesn't she look cute! It took me a while to coax her by the kennel. She talked back to me and finally came over.



Berry seriously grows up more when I leave her for about 10 days. I decided to leave her out of the kennel all day for the entire week. She did AMAZING! I didn't find any chewed up surprises and she has been so calm, content, and happy even though she hasn't been for a walk in about 4 days since the weather has been too cold. -30 and -40 with wind is just to cold for me and plus I've been feeling fatigued that last 5 days! I feel so much better today so we went for a walk when it was -20. That was warm and doable for me. So Berry is super excited to say goobye to her enemy of 3 years, the kennel. I'm sure she's ready to burn it in a woodstove and never see it again. She'll need if for summer!

Speaking of summer. I'm super excited to go home. I can't wait to see everyone and meet the puppy! I plan to go to Twin Cities, MN to see Johanna, Betty, and Heather S and visit with a few more friends! My Nanna, Gramps, and I are planning a trip to visit the State Parks of WI. Then a few days up at the Grandparents house on the lake, visit more family, and then stay in Belleville. There might be a trip to Galena again! I need to see and help with Jason and Myra's house, visit some new friends I made, and see my 2nd favorite dog...Kemper.

I had an amazing short week back with the kiddos! They've grown in two weeks! The are able to do things they haven't been able to do before the break. It's time to get ready for first grade! That is what I'm telling them and expecting a little more out of them. They are rising to the challenge! Here is a pic of us making hot chocolate! We had to stay warm.

Like two peas in a pod....sometimes