Thanksgiving on the tundra

So I know it's been over a week since Thanksgiving but I've been busy.

Thanksgiving is the first holiday I've been away from my family and it was pretty hard...but thanks to the internet and the wonderful FaceTime I spent most of Thanksgiving talking to people in Ohio. Thank god for technology.  I had actual Thanksgiving dinner at my principals. No we did not eat moose. We had turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes and some gross veggies and stuff.

On Tuesday before everyone went home we had a school/community wide Thanksgiving feast. I got to eat with my kids and they made fun of me for mixing all my food together but it was fun. Now the countdown is going til Christmas!!

Busy, busy, BUSYYY!

Its been over two weeks since my last post. But hey! I've been busy.  And plus my last post was just so adorable I didn't think I could top it.

Not a lot of exciting things have happened since the last post but there have been a few.

1. WOOOOO BETHEL! We had yet another new teacher inservice but this time I got sushi and it was delicious! Plus I got to see people. And draw a zoo on post its (seriously don't give me paper and markers at the same time)

2. BOOOO FLUUUUU! I got a flu shot on Friday (on the run!! I was at the clinic and the school needed the car so one health aide was getting the band aid while another was getting the shot ready, no 1-2-3 just a stab while I was pulling on my boots and then I was running out the door to the Suburban so we could get back to the school to take the wrestlers to the airport) Unfortunately the shot made me sick (or a kid with the flu. who knows.) and I was sick for almost 4 days. I pretty much slept all the time but I missed four days of school.  Thank god I was supposed to go to Bethel because my sub plans were already written.  I didn't go to Bethel but writing sub plans as sick as I was would have been hell.

3. I had something else. But I forgot it. Oops.

Happy Halloween from K/1!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

We had most of a regular school day and then had a party after the fire people talked to us about staying safe. I made my kids spider cupcakes and my aide made jello. HELLO SUGAR!!

We started our party with our snack and finished up the snack while watching a Halloween Disney special I found online. After watching some of that we started our games. Musical chairs and when the kids were out they color Halloween pictures.  The winner got a reflector thing from the State troopers. After they colored a little bit we played "pin the smile on the jack-o-lantern" which is pretty much the same and "pin the tail on the donkey" It was pretty funny. I gave a prize to the person who was the closest and the person who ended up the farthest away.

Then it was time for the kindergarten kids to leave. They went home with no homework (it is a holiday after all) and the 10 first graders were the only ones left. They were coloring and got some popcorn and then I let them use my camera...

This was hilarious. They would tell the kids (and me) where to go and then take pictures of us. Some of the pictures are so funny and random! 

At the end of the day I was exhausted. The sugar high I had been on crashed and I was ready for a nap. It was like they killed me.

Napakiak is feeling a little more like home...

BECAUSE IT IS FLOODING!! Just like Valley View in the spring time. The slough started flooding early this morning. And then the river started flooding too. FLOODING ON BOTH SIDES!! When I walked to school at 8:20 there was some water on the ground outside my house, but really just puddles.  After making phone calls about a delayed start to school we looked outside again and uh oh! The water was now up to the second step of my stairs and up to the bottom of Kelly's house.

Long story short school was cancelled today and it became a teacher work day.  NYO here was cancelled here too. The Halloween Carnival (run by yours truly) is still on for tomorrow as of right now! 

HALFWAY THERE!!

Today marked the halfway point from when I came to Alaska to when I am coming home for Christmas. (well until I am done with school for Christmas but details...)  YAYYYYY!

I cannot wait to be home! There are so many things I want to do and people that I want to see!! I made a list but it has already been mailed to Dan in Cleveland.  The list is long but important to me. So many things to do and not nearly enough time. But WHO NEEDS SLEEP! SLEEP IS FOR LOSERS! And my internal clock will be all out of whack anyway.

Some things include:
     -go on a casino date with the lovely Jen <3
     -watch lots of movies
     -eat at Melt in January (its my favorite)
     -CHIPOTLE!!!! (burritooooooooooo)
     -consume adult beverages
     -snuggle with Remi
     -watch countless of episodes of Netflix in a row (not on the original list but being added)
     -and of course see everyone that I miss! (family, friends, etc.) **added**
     -so many more that I can't think of right now!

For some reasons it seems like I've been here way longer than I have left to go. I mean it's already halfway through October people!! That is just crazy to me. But there you have it.

I know that the countless hours on a plane will be terrible and I'll be antsy the entire time. But it will all be ok when my feet touch good ol' Ohio soil.

I've been busy...

...which isn't really an excuse but oh well.  I know I haven't updated in a while but it's been a little busy around here.

First off in case you didn't know I obviously take after my mother and cannot say no when asked to volunteer for something. Which is how I ended up being the advisor for student council.  This means that I was in charge of a dance from 7-midnight one Friday night, helping with everything from concessions to the door to filling out incident reports (thank you Hasting Water Works for the practice). It was a long night but it was fun.  Some of the student council kids "did" my hair.

We had a good time and all the proceeds from the door went towards student travel (which is a lot more expensive up here because you don't take a bus...you take a plane)  I am actually traveling with two students tomorrow to Bethel for two days! (yay sleeping on a gym floor)

We've also been busy in the classroom between AIMs Web testing and working hard on our letters and words first quarter has flown by! It ends Friday! crazy that the year is already 25% over. 

I had my latest new teacher inservice in Bethel this weekend (4 plane rides in less than 7 days) and it was great to see people again! Sleeping on a cot at District Office, not at fun but staying up ti 1am was! (thank god for Dr. Pepper in the morning.) And I got ice cream!! yummy! and a salad (never thought I would be that excited for fresh veggies) and of course a hamburger. and SUBWAYYY! gah food that I didn't have to cook!

On the way back to Napakiak I got to sit in the little seat in the back of the plane. Right next to all the stuff we were taking back. It was bumpy but we made it back just fine!

Alaskan State Troopers

I'm sure you've seen the TV show. (I know my dad probably DVR's the entire season). Alaska State Troopers. You think it's cool to watch the show and see what it is like in Alaska. Well did you know that where I live there are no cops? None what so ever.

There are the troopers.

My village has one that come in about once every two weeks but is in Bethel most of the time.  We are lucky and only live about 10 miles away from Bethel so he can come quickly if he is called but still.  Our trooper is very nice and spends a lot of his time at the school when he is here, visiting with the kids and making sure they are on track.  (He's told me his name like 4 times but I forgot). It's always a lot quieter around the village when he is here and I don't mind.  I know that if anything ever happens I can give him a call. (Yes mom, his number is saved in my phone)

The trooper and me!

(No mom. I am not going to marry him)

K & 1 FUN!

People always say that my job is coloring all day. It's a lot more than that but being an elementary teacher does mean that I can take advantages of certain "holidays" and incorporate them into my classroom.  This past Monday (916/13) was National Playdoh Day!! Since I have 30 min of art/music at the end of the day I took advantage of it.

It was complete playdoh free time (well actually it was Crayola Model Magic but shhhhh).  The kids were allowed to make whatever they wanted, absolutely anything and at the end of the 30 minutes whatever they had would dry overnight and they would get to take it home.  This half hour is at the end of the day right before kindergarten leaves so they're always silly and crazy and today was no different but today they were creative too.  We had hot dogs, mustaches, phones, snakes, cats, dogs, pancakes, glasses, letter etc. SO MANY THING!  Of course I took pictures :)

 Our silly 'staches

 more mustaches

 Mustaches were a big hit

 Creative jewelry 

 And glasses too!

 Everyone needs a good phone

 So fashionable

 HOT DOG!

Showing off what we made

Today is National Talk Like A Pirate Day. I thought it would be a good day to review the letter R. We made pirate hats and walked the plank and said RRRRRRR all day long. First grade also did pirate writings about what they would do if they were a pirate. It was pretty fun. And he high schoolers think I'm crazy for walking around in a pirate hat (but really I just think they were jealous)

 Reading on our pirate ship.

Walking the plank to take a bathroom break

Pirates say "RRRRRRRRR"

My little bunch of pirates (one girl lost her hat somehow so I made her an eyepatch with my hand)