Haircut, House and Stovepop

Well, it's been a week out of the ordinary, and it's only Tuesday. But living in Alaska, wouldn't you say every week is out of the ordinary? I suppose that's only when you're a lower-48er.

For every rough day I've had, I've had a dozen good ones, which is an accomplishment in and of itself. I've had my moments where I've wondered what in the hell we're doing out here. I've had moments where I've wondered why I'd ever leave comfortable for formidable, when feelings, relationships and senses in general seem to be magnified by a million, overshadowing the awesome views and similar paychecks. The highs are really high out here, but the lows are really low. And while it seems as though I'm struggling to fit the mold of a native Alaskan, I'd say I've quickly gone from a siding nail to a twisty tie in a matter of weeks. With that said, I'm thankful for the gravitational force my husband posesses when I'm feeling like an exaggerated version of myself that needs some momentary grounding.

The last few days have been exceptional. Sunday, I gave Brandon his first homemade haircut in the bush. Although Brandon didn't find any humor in the situation at all, I was hysterically laughing at my unsteadied hand and the new racing stripes I placed in the side of his head...and new bald spot placed above the nape of his neck. Luckily for him, I had a shy start and didn't cut as much off in the first pass as I'd end up needing to, and by the time I was finished, they'd blended well into his new do. Even if I had a slow start, I had one hell of a finish. Sport's Clips aint got nothin' on me!

School this week seems to be a dream. Last week I had doubts about my choice in career, and this week I couldn't think of doing anything else, or anywhere else for that matter. I've had good parent feedback, and felt the support from my colleagues and administrators I felt I was lacking. I feel like a child in saying this, but it seems that the smallest drop of positive feedback works wonders on my confidence. Tonight we had Open House, and the turn out was surprising. I had parents in my room, students in my room and Brandon there introducing himself to the community members as they entered. It was so nice to meet people. They've all been so welcoming and supportive. Some of them were too supportive. I found it funny how many of them wanted their children to "join" special ed. as if it were an afterschool club. One of the parents that stopped in invited me to steam, a native tradition they use as not only a cleaning ritual but a social gathering. I told them I'd love to do it, but that I had my reservations as I was a sensitive being to heat and have passed out numerous times as a result, but they said they'd be nice to me. I didn't tell them about my other reservation: nakedness. Bathing with others is not something I think I'll ever be comfortable with. Hopefully I'll find the courage to join them, or the perfect excuse to decline their offer without offending them.

I feel like I'm really beginning to develop relationships with the people around me. I feel the students are starting to understand my teaching style and personality, and they're giving me good feedback to become more effective in their learning. It's taken a lot of prep time and planning, but I feel like I'm getting into a routine...finally.

Tonight, Brandon and I are watching the third of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. We had barbecue chicken salads, compliments of the produce that came in on the plane to the P-Store. We spent $28 on two heads of lettuce, four tomatoes, an onion, a bag of grapes and a jar of dill pickles. That should hold us over until the $1300 + we spent Sunday on our order from SpanAlaska arrives via bypass mail. It might seem like a lot of money, but we purchased bulk everything. Between three apartments, we managed to buy 748 pounds of food, most of that coming to only two couples. Hopefully, we won't have to "grocery shop" until December.

I've made some "stovepop" or panned popcorn, mixed with peanut M&Ms. I'm feeling fulfilled after a successful couple of days at work, a meal that didn't consist of a canned or boxed item, and an evening snack that reminds me of high school ball games with my dad.

Love and miss you all,

Brie

Not planning to quit my day job!!

Last night it was cold and rainy so a few of the guys decided it would be fun to go fishing. I am fighting a cold and haven't really felt well for a little over a week now so naturally I thought it would be a good idea to join them on their fishing adventure. This was going to be my third attempt at salmon fishing since moving here and I didn't think it could possibly get any worse than the 2nd trip out when I didn't get one bite in the 2 hours we were out there.

So I dug out my new rain pants that Brie bought me in Dillingham along with my rubber boots and rain coat and a stocking hat. Maybe you are asking yourself why I would wear a stocking hat when its raining outside; well I have no solid answer for you. It kept my ears warm and my head warm for the most part but I think it was my hooded sweatshirt that did most of the work. We headed down to the beach to load up the boat and Ron and I got stuck down there while Kyle and Ben had to come back up to get some eye protection for Ben. Standing on the beach is not fun at all because we get destroyed by mosquitoes. I have never doubted that I am made of sugar but sometimes its ridiculous.

We ventured out to our normal shore fishing spot. You cant really fish along the banks here because the shore is not easily accessible unless you have waist high water proof pants which I don't and do not intend on buying any. They look like rubber long underwear!! Way to form fitting for my liking. So we get to our location and my night starts out great. My first cast went all the way across the river and got stuck on the other bank. It was fun trying to get that unsnagged. My 2nd cast got snagged with one of the other guys, so unless you cant count, I am not 2 for 2 on snagging the hook. My third cast floated out into the river, obviously I thought things were good until I tried to reel it back in and it was stuck. Oh yes I got it snagged in the middle of the river. I wasn't so lucky this time around getting it unsnagged. I pulled and pulled and eventually it came loose but when I reeled it in I noticed I was missing half of my setup. The hook and part of the line decided to stay in the water. I felt really bad because it looked brand new or at least just hadn't been used before but Kyle wasn't upset because didn't really care for that spinner.

After getting snagged three times in a row I decided to move and fish where I was less likely to snag something. Once again I did not have any lucky with the bites. Everyone around me was catching fish and I was the one catching seaweed and junk. After about an hour or so of getting nothing I decided to move back to where I was originally; I cast the line out a few times with no snags or bites but at this point I was happy to just not have any snags. During this one particular cast I noticed more than just the line went flying into the river; the top half of my pole decided to come apart and fly into the river as well. I didn't freak out but quietly tried to get someones attention and it all worked out. I just had to reel in the line and the pole came with it. I got everyone all reset and ready to cast out again and when I did I noticed the spinner flew a bit further than normal and so I just started to reel everything in like normal and then I noticed my spinner hand flown off during the cast!! I couldn't believe it. I nearly lose the pole the cast before and now the spinner breaks off in mid flight. Why did I go fishing again?? At this point I cannot answer that question and I am sure Kyle will not be inviting me go to fishing again since the equipment I was using was his.

Anyways, Kyle and Ben decided to stop fishing and clean/cut the salmon they got. Kyle said I could use his other pole until they were done and we were ready to head home. I hesitated but grabbed it anyway and started fishing again. I wasn't getting any bites once again so the frustration started to mount. I decided to give it a few more attempts before hanging up the pole and to my startled surprise I hooked a decent sized salmon. They put up quite the fight sometimes but its very enjoyable reeling them in.

All-in-all it was a frustrating and cold evening of fishing. I caught one fish which made it all worth while though. I will go out fishing again but I might wait until my pole and other equipment get here. I wouldn't have felt so bad about losing the equipment had it been mine.

Brandon

Berries and Bugs

We went berry picking tonight. We thought it was the perfect evening for blueberries and blackberries, as the skies were clear and the evening was cool enough to wear a light jacket and enjoy the dusky breezes. We had learned on previous outings that the bugs enjoy new blood around here, so we doused ourselves in our eight dollar can of Off, suited up and headed out. We remembered the camera this time, but I was in no state to be captured by it, so the requested picture of us as a couple in beautiful Alaska will have to wait for another perfect evening.

We headed toward the airport on the gravel road behind the school, then onto a four-wheeler path towards the tundra. The further we distanced ourselves from our apartment, the more thankful we were for the Off we applied so generously. But the longer we walked, the more we began to wonder if the lady at the P-Store hadn't sold us an expensive bottle of simple syrup. Bugs were flying in our mouths, eyes, hair; pretty much any imaginable place they had access to. We finally found the berry patches we stumbled over last night and began to pick away. While we only gathered enough for a small jar of syrup or jam, the silver lining was that I didn't see a single spider amidst the berry bushes (although with the rest of the bugs out tonight, it would have been an optimal time for them to eat).

We were pleased with the blueberries and blackberries, but we’re really excited for the cranberries we found. We’ll have to patiently await the first frost to pick those. We’re not going to tell anyone where we spotted them tonight, though. They were so abundant we had to walk delicately through the brush to make sure we didn’t smash them. They’re good and tart right now, so it tempts us to pick what we find when we find them, but we’ve been told that they’re so much better when they’ve ripened a little more. So we’ll practice patience for a couple more weeks.

After we got tired of collecting more bugs than berries and waving our arms like crazy people, we decided we would head home. The walk home was thick with insects, comparable to Mayflies in Dubuque mid-summer. We were glad others weren’t out to hear us cuss and dance our way out of the buggy haze; however as we reflect about our evening, we’re realizing there’s probably a reason we were the only nuts to be berry-picking tonight.

We like emails and phone calls so keep them coming! As we develop a routine out here, we’ve found that the times we sit down to make phone calls, it’s past eight for us, and most likely pushing 11 for those of you we’d want to call. Familiar voices and faces are so nice to hear from and see when we’re surrounded by a landscape and people we’re so unaccustomed to, so call, Skype, email, etc. We look forward to hearing from you!

Love and miss you all,

Brie

Granny-Gopher-Guts Wannabe

Well, it's a rainy, 46 degree day out here in the bush. It's literally put a damper on our plans to go down and fish with Dani and Ron, as Brandon and I both have had sore throats for a few days and don't want to push them with cold, wet weather. So, we're cleaning and baking and listening to Songza with the new speakers we bought. I've learned I'm at my peak of productivity when I have some noise motivating me, so Brandon ran upstairs and grabbed the new speakers so I'd make him some homemade cinnamon rolls. I'm watching them bake as we speak and I can't help but think of my mother as I do so. She's always been the queen in the kitchen, and with any luck at all, I hope to be half as good at multi-tasking as a homemaker and mother as she's been. The cinnamon rolls look good, but part of me worries they'll never measure up to her recipe. I'll stay optimistic though. I've had some success in the kitchen out here, with the exception of the time I attempted to make tatertots out of mashed potato flakes for a greenbean casserole. Needless to say, you can form mashed potatoes into any shape you want them, but ones you try to fry them, they struggle to maintain that shape.

Our apartment smelled like a fast-food joint for a couple of days, so I thought to use the apples we had that were rapidly ripening in the cupboard, for that homemade apple pie scent. Brandon peeled the apples and cubed them, while I made the crisp mixture. We were pleasantly surprised at our homemade dessert we took over to Dani and Ron's for game night. Thankfully, so were they. We topped it with a homemade frosting that I thought was a little too sweet, but feedback overall was that it was really stinkin' good. I feel so proud that Brandon and I are able to survive on what I make in the kitchen. No one's died yet, so I feel like I'm accomplishing things out here.

Brandon's becoming a home-brewer. He ordered a brewing kit on Tuesday, and promptly Thursday, we had a priority package sitting in our entry-way. Ben, our neighbor friend, came over and helped Brandon begin the process. Hopefully, in a week or two, we'll get to see what it's like to have our own home-brew. We have eight gallons to share with our neighbors and can't wait to host game night.

Well, I'm off to shower and do some cleaning around this place. I have a little work to do, but thought I'd blog and show off our baking skills.

Love and miss you all.

Brie

Apartment

I have been getting many requests for us to post photos of where we are living. Our apartment is a two bedroom w/one bath. We have a fully furnished apartment which includes a nice couch, chair, kitchen table with chairs, fridge, washer/dryer and large deep freezer. We have some really nice storage space which is great because I need some space for my beer making stuff.

Here are some pictures of our living room and kitchen...

Poor Tree!!

Yesterday was a really fun day here New Stu. The wind died down finally and the sun came out which made it feel a lot warmer out than it probably was. Brie and I slept in and then made some Waffles for breakfast!! Yummy! After breakfast we headed down to the "P" store (not sure what the "p" stands for) and picked up a few things that we have been missing. We got destroyed by mosquitoes on the way down so we picked up a bottle of bug spray and of course wasn't bothered by any on the way back (we didn't even get to use the bug spray).

When we got back Brie decided she wanted to make some homemade tortillas so we can have taco's for dinner. I was pretty impressed with her ability to make tortillas; the taco's were amazing!! One of the guys that Brie works with stopped by and wanted us to go mushroom hunting with him but Brie was busy and so him and I decided to go sight in his gun instead. I liked this idea because I was able to take my gun out and shoot it finally! I hopped on the side of Ben's 4 wheeler and we headed off somewhere that I had not been to before and couldn't get back to on my own if I tried. I guess the trail we took was about 3-4 miles outside of New Stuyahok; its trail you can take to get to another village. Since its been raining a lot lately the trail was nice and muddy. I chose to not wear my rubber boots which turned out to be quite the mistake on my part. Never again will i venture out without my rubber boots. We had to part the 4 wheeler and walk to our spot because the path was covered with water and we were sure how deep it was. One we got to the area that we wanted to shoot, both of us realized that we didn't have any target to shoot at. Ben found a couple old gift cards in his wallet and stepped off about 75 yards. It was a tough shot for me because I don't have a scope on my gun. Ben started to sight in his scope and took a few shots with not much luck so he told me to fire when ready. I took aim with my gun and knocked the top of the tree clear off; Ben was floored. It was a sweet shot and not one that I could probably do again if I tired. I hit the upper trunk of the small pine tree dead center!! After I finished signing autographs and such Ben let me shoot his 12 gauge shot gun. He said there were only 3 shots left and for me to just finish them out. I took the first two shots and it definitely puts more force on my shoulder than my .44 cal but not horrible. Before I took the 3rd shot Ben asked of I wanted to shoot a bear shot; I had no idea what he was talking about and I asked if it would put my shoulder out of socket and he said "well i guess we will see". I took aim at the tree again and fired; my shoulder did not feel good at that moment but I did knock off another section of the tree. I told him that I would just stick with my gun and he can do the bear shots.

When we were done shooting we decided to go out to the tundra and get Ben's kite out. This is not an ordinary kite by any means. If you want to know more of what I am referring to then google "Kiting in Alaska" and you will see. This kite kicked my butt. I am a big guy and figured I wouldn't have any problems controlling it but I was wrong. I stumbled the first couple times that I had it up and it quickly came crashing down. The third time I wasn't so lucky because I ended up flat on the ground with my face in the tundra. I think I looked like a beached Whale or something out there!! Ben was laughing hysterically until he took the kite again and ended up flat on the ground as well so all ended well!! We both got some good laughs out of it.

Once we got back I got home to find that the rest of our stuff had safely arrived. I opened the fridge to find three bottles of Diet Dew; I thought I had died and gone to heaven!! Brie was making peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and we had tacos for dinner. I would have to say it was a pretty darn good day!!

We both figured out that the key to happiness out here is embracing the area and just doing things you wouldn't normally do. I promise to get pictures up soon. Brie had the camera in Dillingham so I wasn't able to update anything.

Brandon

Finally Home

After a long Friday of Peak Training, I found myself yawning and willing to do almost anything to get my bags on the plane and head home. Unfortunately, I was scolded for the size of my bag when I began to load the air-taxi van that was shuttling us from the school building to the landing strip. While we had a chartered flight by the district, and we were told to pack in as much as we possibly could grocery-wise as it'd be the last time we'd be at a grocery store for a while, the air-taxi company had a different idea in mind. You'd think that a chartered flight for four would allow for at least an additional four to five hundred pounds of luggage to stay well below the 15oo max capacity, but the air-taxi company wanted to resituate to make room for additional people on our flight. On the way out to the landing strip, though the lady was fairly rude about the size of my bag, she was very nice to pull in and let us see the recovered tail-end of the plane that carried former-Senator Ted Stevens on his last flight with his friends. The small classic plane was missing the entire front end. It was such an unexpressable feeling to be so close to something in such a remote part of Alaska that made national news. It was a good reminder that history is happening all the time, everywhere, even when you're in the middle of nowhere.

After taking a moment to view the dismembered aircraft, we drove to our little 8 seater plane and began to transfer bags and boxes from the van to the plane. As we unloaded, we began to understand just how much we had and just how much we would not be able to take on the plane. Being the person I am, I found myself doing the same thing I always do. After being told to narrow down your items to what we'd absolutely need and to load it onto the plane, I grabbed my frozen food and two laptop bags and headed aboard, leaving my suitcase, books (including the binder that contains Brandon's passport, our birth certificates and banking information), and a box of bread and other food items I'd purchased throughout the week in Dillingham. The lady assured us that anyone who left items behind would have them dropped off on a latter flight, but of course, they didn't show last night, and we haven't seen them today, either. I wasn't so upset until I started to think about the contents of the bags. On that list are my: raincoat; rubber boots; a number of undergarments; two life jackets; gloves; canned goods; and last but most importantly, my glasses. And while I don't wear them often, when I do wear them, I really need them. I awoke with the beginnings of a cold and the drowsy feeling swelling in my eyes. All I wanted to do was throw on my glasses, and they're not here. We're hoping that once the wind dies down, a flight in will be carrying my bags, and I'll once again be a happy camper.

It's been nice to be home with Brandon once again. There will be a few times a year that I'll be required to attend some conferences regarding my job, but if we plan it out right, Brandon should be able to join me for at least one of the conferences in Anchorage in February. We've decided we're not fans of spending extended periods of time apart, especially when we're so far from family or a lifestyle we've grown accustomed to, but it's sure made us appreciate eachother when we are together. Brandon, being the Betty Crocker that he is, made homemade bread today, and even went as far as making homemade tomato soup to sooth my sore throat. We had grilled cheese sandwiches with his homemade bread, and Brandon, shockingly, ate a bowl of the tomato soup he made and liked it! He's surprised me with what he's willingly tried since our big move. Rumor has it he was eating salmon strips and salmon chowder with Lida and Kyle, and he even tasted an oatmeal raisin cookie that Ben shared with us. I'm telling you, at this rate, you're not going to recognize us by Christmas with all of the things we're trying and the lifestyle we're starting to live. We're loving it out here, loving the people, the landscape, and the sheer craziness of living outside of our comfort zone. I think everyone should try it at least every once in a while.

Signing out, here. I'm going to relax before heading back into work tomorrow. I have a lot to prepare for as my students start shuffling back into school on Tuesday. As always, we love and miss you all! Please, stay in touch. And when you call or text, PLEASE leave your number in the voice mail or text. None of our numbers register as numbers or names. They register as unknown and we don't have anyone's numbers from our old phone to return the call. Again, love you guys!

Brie

Dillingham

So it's been a while that we've posted, so I took it as my cue to start sharing how our professional development is going. Dillingham is great, but it's had its downfalls too. I love that there's a store, which we've visited almost every day since we flew in. It's also nice that everything is within walking distance. We have had opportunities to walk to the Neqleq store, which is an outdoorsy-type store offering rain and winter apparel. We've gotten to go out to eat on a number of occasions, and on most of them we've had good experiences. The district has fed us well, including a salmon bake on the grill, and the best salmon spread I've ever had. On the flip side, I've realized that I will never be much of the type that enjoys travel weeks at a time, whether someone else is paying for it or not. I could never be a flight attendant, especially considering the last three weeks of flight in this area.

We've been given a ton of information in the last week, all very pertinent to our success as teachers to students with full laptop access. We've been given an opportunity to take professional development courses which introduce us to life in rural Alaska and the native Yup'ik culture we'll be interacting with. That'll include field trips at our respective villages, berry-picking, fishing, preparing and subsistence living. What an opportunity to submerge ourselves into the landscape and culture?! I'll also be taking a three-credit course called RTP, a discipline program that our school implements. I'll be fulfilling my 6 credits for a standard teaching license over the course of the year. The school district is very good about preparing us as educators and ensuring that we're highly qualified. Highly-qualified is determined state by state, and therefore there are Praxis 2 tests we all have to take to be HQ in our respective areas. Being a special education teacher, my student needs will determine the need for me to be certified in a number of different areas. I am excited to learn more about my students so I can work on the process of becoming highly qualified.

The last two days have been quite overwhelming as we've had Apple educators in, teaching us about the applications we can use with our students. I love that we're having some in depth technology education, but I am shocked at how much my coworkers utilize these programs. It's a little intimidating and definitely a jolt to my confidence. I have always thought I was technologically savvy, but it's clear I have quite a bit to learn.

On the social front, we've gotten to meet a number of different people, some natives, some foreigners, some coworkers. We've had a lot of fun staying up late to play cards or just talk about what brought us out to the bush. Most people have been very kind and welcoming.

Well, I have so much more to share, but I can't seem to stay on one thought right now. I think my brain might explode. I miss my husband and can't wait to get home. I'm also excited to do some work in my classroom. My schedule is still fuzzy, so I'm nervous for our first day of school (Tuesday). Hopefully my coworkers are patient with me as I transition into new kids, new paperwork and new routines.

River WIld

It was raining again today and the rain had kept us from heading out onto the river since last Wednesday. Today we decided that rain or shine we were going to go fishing. 3:00 rolled around and we were ready to go. The weather was not cooperating with us, it was windy, cold and raining so you can imagine how excited I was to be heading out. I don't really have any quality rain gear. I had jeans on for a while then decided that they might not be the best choice since they would just soak up the water so I changed into a pair of my athletic pants, hooded sweatshirt and Columbia coat, gloves and two hats; my Iowa hat and my winter hat as well. I was still a bit cold. The rain was coming down pretty good and my glasses were getting nailed so I couldn't see much unfortunately for the first 30 minutes or so of the trip. I was having fun none the less.

Lida mentioned that she had just bought her fishing license and Kyle asked if I had one and of course I had to say no. Well that would have stopped most people from fishing or letting me fish but Kyle's response was "Well 2 out of 3 isn't bad", i felt better after that. We took off up the river a while and then decided to anchor down and see what we could get. It wasn't very exciting at first because nothing was biting. I had never fished for Salmon before so I was clueless on what to do and not to do. Kyle said I could grab one of the poles and fish if I felt like it. He didn't want to push me into doing it since I didn't have a license and at first I was a little hesitant but then I said screw it ill just put the pole down if we see anyone coming. We fished for a while at this location before moving again up river to another spot. We weren't there for very long and I had something hooked to the end of my pole....Yes ladies and gentleman I had a fish on the end of my pole and so the excitement began to get the fish from the water into the boat without making a fool of myself, mission accomplished.

Once I got the fish in the net and inside the boat Kyle handed me this little bat looking thing and proceeded to tell me I had to whack the fish to send it off to sleepy land so he could "bleed out" the fish. I didn't know what to think so I just grabbed the club and gave the fish a couple whacks; it must have worked because it stopped moving. Kyle then showed me how to cut the gills to release the blood. He said by doing that it makes the Salmon taste better. Well a few minutes into the bleeding process I guess the fish had one last nerve still operational because it flopped and the fish got loose in the river. We tried to find it thinking it would be floating somewhere but it must have sunk to the bottom or something because it was nowhere to be found. Kyle felt really bad but I didn't mind because I actually had to witnesses to me catching that stinking thing. I think Brie would have liked having fresh salmon in the freezer though. Maybe next time ill get it back to shore and eventually in the freezer.

All and all today was a really fun day. The rain stopped about halfway into our trip and the sun actually came out; i was able to get dry. I hadn't had many opportunities to venture outside of the village since arriving a week ago. It was great to be on the river and seeing everything up close that I can see from our window. This is truly a beautiful area and I was able to see a lot of it up close and personal. The only thing that would have made today better was if I was able to see some wildlife which I didn't. I was hoping to see a moose or caribou but no such luck. The great part about living out here is there are always another chances to go somewhere and see something different and amazing.

Not crazy about the Canadian

Well, tonight for me (Brie) was an interesting one. Today was day two in Dillingham for district inservice. I found out we get a per diem check that is $448 for the nine days we're here. Things are Alaskan expensive, meaning there's no such thing as a $5 footlong at Subway, nor is there a dollar coke from a vending machine. Things are anywhere from 2 to 5 times more expensive up here in rural Alaska, but the school district has been wonderful about compensating us.

Upon receiving our checks, a few of us wanted to venture out on the town to meet some of the locals, and meeting them we did. Not only did we meet a man named Bruce Johnson, a native in Dillingham who makes a living on the fishing boats in Nushagak Bay, but we also met his friend Shannon, a man who's been in the fishing business and worked for the late captain from Deadliest Catch when he was new to the business. He talked about how well the captain (I'm unsure of his name at this time) treated his shipmates, and spoke of how it was nothing to receive a $10,000 bonus for a little extra elbow grease. Apparently Nushagak Bay was where the captain began his fishing career and is a local legacy. At the same establishment we ran into a Canadian from British Columbia who went out of his way to remind me I was a white girl trying to fit into a culture I would never be accepted into. Luckily, Bruce and Shannon, both natives to the bush, befriended us and began to explain what a drunkard the man was who was trying to intimidate us. It was nice to be reassured. While the natives were very nice and welcoming to us, they did warn us of the natives in our respective villages and said that sometimes people there won't be as accepting of us. Luckily, the teachers I was with and I are going into this experience with eyes wide open to the possibilities of those we serve not understanding or accepting our efforts to educate their children to be successful in the environments in which they live. Regardless, it won't deter me from doing the best I can to understand the culture in which I live in order to make the biggest impact I can on the students I serve.

We ended our evening out at a restaurant called the Eagle here in Dillingham. I ordered a chicken dinner for $16.95 and began to count my blessings for the money the district gave us to eat on. Thank God.

I'm missing Brandon, but each phone call home he's indicated to me that Kyle, a coworker of mine that lives a few doors down, has kept him company. He even got Brandon to try salmon, which is nothing short of a miracle for my picky-eating husband. Brandon said it wasn't too bad and said he imagined I'd love the jerkey textured fish when I had the chance to taste it. I miss Brandon and hope he fares well while we're gone until next Friday. Until then, hotel living and restaurant eating will have to do. Luckily, we have grocery stores here and we'll be able to pick up some of the essentials before heading back to Stu.

Quiet Surroundings!!

Today was a pretty quiet day here in the Stu. It was my first full day alone; first of 9 days alone in the wilderness, aka our house. A person doesn't realize how lucky they are to have luxuries such as Wal-Mart or Best Buy. I am sitting here bored out of my mind wondering what I could possibly do for the next 3 hours before I go to bed. Speaking of going to bed, I had to laugh at myself last night when I headed to bed because the sun was still shinning bright and the sky was full of light. (I did not mean for that to rhyme) l felt like a little kid having a 7:00 bedtime. I am still not used to this sunlight stuff until 11 or 12 at night. The only good thing about it is that I put my watch on the window ledge last night and it was charged this morning when I woke up!!



I was supposed to go fishing with one of the guy teachers here in the village last night but it got to be to late so we planned for this afternoon but weather kind of kept us inland. It has been raining off and on all day so I wasn't all that upset about not going, I didn't feel like getting rained on while I sit in a boat trying to catch something I most likely wont eat!! I keep asking people where I would fish for the best fish sticks but they all just look at me like I am stupid or something. I know they exist because I buy them at the store. I am looking forward to eventually getting out on the river though because I want to see what is outside of New Stuyahok. I look around and see nothing but amazing views but they are all so far away.



I helped Kyle with some of the mail today. He stopped by and asked if I was free to help and of course I jumped at the idea because I didn't have anything else to do at that particular moment. It was almost like Christmas because one of the bins that Brie and I shipped finally arrived. I have been waiting on a pair of shoes and some shirts. Luckily I can wear basically the same stuff every day and no one really pays attention or cares. I change the important items daily. (I.E. Socks) I must have this look of boredom on my face because Kyle stopped by again this evening and asked if I wanted to tag along to the airport to pick up Bob and Leda. I again jumped at the idea because I wanted a change of scenery. I hadn't been out that way since Brie and I flew in 6 days ago. Obviously at that time everything looked the same and I really didn't have much of a chance to take it all in.



To end the blog tonight I will share some very exciting news with all of you readers....When kyle and I picked up Bob and Leda at the airport I was given a very important box. The contents of this box are priceless in my opinion. Inside this box was a wireless keyboard and mouse for my work computer. I am beyond thrilled to have these because I was about to go insane using the laptop keyboard and mouse. Now I know most of you or actually all of you were thinking the contents were something a lot more exciting than a keyboard and mouse but out here that's a sweet combo!!



Until next time!! Good night!

Betty Crocker in the Bush

I've never been much of a cook, at least as far as Brandon knows. I cooked a lot before we met, only because I was cooking for one, or sometimes one and a half (just kidding) when Jeannie was home. Honestly, how often does one go out to eat with themselves? Anyway, I love getting back into cooking mode. So far, we haven't had the same thing twice, and the ingredients we don't have yet or won't have, I've been pretty good about googling to find a replacement for. I made tuna and noodles last night, with no cream of mushroom soup. So, with the dried mushrooms Jim bought for us at the Tone's store, and the other spices we had in the cupboard, I followed a recipe for a mushroom sauce, that thickened into a homemade cream of mushroom soup. We had no garlic and no onions, but we had garlic and onion powder. Brandon was impressed with me in the kitchen for once, and was the other night, too. Apparently homemade brownies and cream of mushroom soup can capture even the pickiest eaters in rural Alaska.

Life out here is simple. Dad called this morning and was asking us about a plane crash we knew nothing about. While there's a definite need to keep up on current events, we didn't even realize how little we missed getting bad news on a daily basis from the media. I know Brandon frequents Fox News via the internet, but I haven't been so motivated to keep up with the times. I guess I'm just enjoying the fact that when I turn on the tv, it's intentional and not something done subconsciously out of sheer boredom. It takes more work to figure out the cords connected to our tv than it does to slide on our shoes and go for a walk.

I've worn make-up one day out of six out here, and I'd have to say it's a pretty liberating feeling to know that no one cares or notices whether I have eyeliner on or not. I'll probably still wear it from time to time, but I haven't hesitated leaving without a full-face of make-up or a wet ponytail. Anyway, that's about all she wrote for today. I thought my sisters would enjoy this last paragraph.

Life is Good

The last 24 hours have been a roller-coaster of emotions, ranging from tears and "what ifs" to game-playing and laughter. And in spite of the what-ifs, Brandon and I were still able to look around us and feel extremely blessed by the beautiful landscape and people surrounding us. The last post gleamed with optimism, far before we were handed some harsh blows of reality that there were circumstances that might prevent him from completing the tasks for his day-to-day job. Upon hitting "submit" Brandon received a phonecall saying that nothing short of a miracle would change the satellite speeds, and a change to the VPN number would be the most viable option to make things work. Now neither Brandon nor I have any idea what a VPN is, but we do know that our Hughesnet man said he'd be shocked, unless Brandon were the president at Principal, if they'd change a VPN for us. That would be changing security features that would impact many, many people that were working remotely. We spent the day crying, wondering if we could swing it in Alaska on one salary, or if I could manage exploring this unknown world without my husband. After weighing the options and looking back on the lonely summer, I told Brandon I'd rather starve with him than eat without him out here. Our hearts sank, but we began making phonecalls to my bosses to start figuring our finances, checking retirement balances and seeing if there was anything Brandon could do for some spare change. My superintendent invited Brandon to sub if he were interested, and my principal said he'd be able to find work for Brandon around the school. He couldn't promise 40 hours a week, and he wasn't sure what he'd have him doing, but he said he'd do whatever he could to help if things didn't work with Principal. This "do-whatever-we-can" attitude in rural Alaska was just reinforcement for us to make a tough decision, come hell or high water, to stick it out together in Alaska.

Just as everything else works itself out in this wonderful world, so too did the technical difficulties regarding Brandon's work. This morning, after a few more hours on the phone with IT, and a few jokes exchanged between Brandon and me to lighten the mood in our two bedroom apartment, one genius of a man managed to find a detour for Brandon that led him right to all the files he couldn't seem to upload before. I don't think there was a neighbor around us that didn't hear me scream in excitement as Brandon's arms flew in the air and he told me he'd be staying with me WITH a job! We'll have to be creative and find a way to celebrate our good news tonight.

Although out of chronological order, I thought I'd share that we had a great time last night with Dani and Ron, playing Sequence after a wonderful chicken dinner that Dani made. I made homemade brownies for the first time, and attempted to make chocolate frosting without confectioners sugar. While the brownies turned out alright, the frosting was more like a hot fudge for ice cream. So we took the only thing we could think of, a picnic mustard squeeze bottle, and filled it to the brim with hot chocolate syrup. And as we ate the brownies, one by one, we drizzled the chocolate like you would honey on a biscuit. We weren't surprised at all to come home with only one brownie left in the pan after a stressful day. It sure was nice to distract ourselves from the waiting game we knew we'd be waking up to. We found that Dani and Ron are almost as competitive as Brandon and I are, and therefore decided that partners would be comprised of one from each couple. Ron and I were partners, and although we played well together, we got spanked four out of six of the games we played. Maybe we'll get some Mariokart or Marioworld going tonight. It's bittersweet, though; it makes us miss Mike and Amy, a lot.

Anyway, good news all around. We're loving it here. Kids from the village want to "visit" all the time, and although we enjoy their company, we've found ourselves becoming more and more stand-offish. They ring the doorbell or knock at least once a day, hoping to come in and sit for a while, but we've learned that having a little privacy in a village this size won't be a bad thing, and we can do all the visiting they want on a trip to the P-store. I'm excited to learn more about their culture and get to know their families.

For now, I'm off to school and Brandon's working away up in the spare bedroom. I leave for Dillingham tomorrow afternoon, where they've told us chartered flights we can have as much luggage as we want, without being charged for it. So we're going to pack a suitcase and a cooler to stock up on fresh produce and bagged bread. Slowly but surely, we're learning that you take any and every opportunity you can to grocery shop. We're also realizing what it is we're going through the most of to gage what it is we'll need in a couple of weeks. We don't have it down to a science quite yet, but hopefully as we become more acclimated, we'll have a better idea of how much to order and when to order it, once we've done it a few times. Take care and love all around!

Brie

Problems with the Principal

This morning, I awoke to find Brandon at the peak of frustration sitting in the spare bedroom, head in his hands with a frozen computer screen ahead of him. When I asked what was wrong, he began to relay to me the reality of one of our biggest fears with the move we've made: his inability to connect to Principal's network. Without that network connection, Brandon wouldn't be able to do his job. Now some of you that know me well, know that I tend to overanalyze situations to the point of exhaustion, but I'd have to say I held my composure extremely well, considering the circumstances. Without a quick fix, Brandon was either moving home, or unemployed. And being in a village smaller than Beetown, the opportunities for Brandon to find work would be slim to none. For some reason, despite the huge ramifications that would result in things not working out, we found the sense to make a few phone calls and see what it was we could do to fix the problem. Come to find out, Principal sent Brandon a computer that was not mapping correctly with the system's network. All morning, we were worried it was our satellite connection through Hughesnet, preventing network access. Thankfully, it's something on Principal's end, that has been given elevated priority within Principal's technical support system, and things should be up and running in no time.

While this has been an emotional morning, we feel we've been extremely lucky with how life has played out so far in America's last frontier. From shipping to travel, we've only found a few snags along the way. In the midst of the hustle and bustle, we're almost certain we left our Garmin in the rental car. We haven't heard from Hertz, so it's obvious we won't be getting that back. The beauty is we won't need it for at least a year, and by that time, there'll probably be a better version to buy anyway. Although paying for a new one won't be fun, we figured we'd find the silver lining. After all, that's about all one can do, right? I'm excited about this laid back lifestyle. It's really forced some optimism on us that a crazy-busy lifestyle in the city didn't always allow. We're getting back to the basics here. I had forgotten how much fun Brandon and I have in the kitchen cooking together, and as we plan meals and do dishes together, we're enjoying the tasks we were able to avoid when we had Chili's down the street. Our entertainment has consisted of talking, hooking our computers up to our tv to listen to Pandora, and interacting with the people around us. Another one of our favorite things to do has been to take walks down the hill to the P-store and the river. While the trip down is easy, the hikes back up the hill have us winded before we've hit the top, but I'd have to say it feels good. The first time we climbed the hill, we had to stop half-way up to "take pictures" and catch our breath, but every time since, it's gotten easier. We're determined to make that walk every day, even if it kills us. Eventually, I know we'll encounter bigger hills and be happy that we mastered the small ones to prepare us. It's funny how similar a simple walk is to marriage.

We've made friends that we've spent the evenings with comparing our experiences so far. We'll be having a dinner and game night with them this evening, something Brandon and I were hoping we'd find once we got out here. The irony in it is that the two we've seemed to attach ourselves to are Pitt State Alums, dreaded enemies to any Bearcat. Fortunately, none of us have cable, let alone a sports package to watch the college football rivalry to instigate any heated discussions. Dani and Ron are similar to us in the sense that they've moved here with little experience interacting with the great outdoors. Dani, like Brandon, hates fish which might make for an interesting year for them in one of the best regions in the world for salmon fishing. It's been nice sharing down-time with them, and items we've forgotten. Dani brought us a pot to boil water and cook with, since we somehow forgot to pack some of those essential items. Hopefully we'll be sharing the costs of some bulk orders in the near future, too, as Brandon and I decided we'll never have a need for 12 canisters of oatmeal in any given year, and 100 tortillas might make for more taco nights than we'll be able to handle.

Anyway, we'll keep posting as situations allow. We, by no means, have life in the Bush figured out yet, but I think we've got a good handle on it so far. Our landline will be activated today and phone numbers will be sent via email once they're up and running. Keep in touch and know we invite any communication with loved ones. Things are new and exciting right now for us, but the more acclimated we get, the more we might need a message from home about how things are going.