"Just call me Julius...Orange Julius."

After cutting carrots until I turned orange on Friday night, we awoke on Saturday morning to dive into a pile of Granny Smiths. We peeled and cut about 35 apples, and as we began a pot of applesauce, I realized we had no collinder to finish the job. So I called my friend Tara to raid her cupboards. On the walk over, I was trying to think of ways to juice the apples, oranges and carrots that we'd never eat before they went bad. When I got to Tara's, I was explaining that I was going to find a way to juice our extra veggies to use everything we'd paid for. Low and behold, Tara pulled out an Omega 1000! We had a juicer, a very FINE juicer to be exact, in the village for our use.

Excitedly, I took the juicer home and began making every combination of carrot, orange, apple and blackberry juice I could think of. It seemed no matter what combination we came up with, we all loved the juice, even Brandon! I didn't know the best way to store the juice, so I emptied the ice cube trays and began freezing everything we juiced. After they froze, I transfered them to a freezer bag. Then I moved onto the orange juice. We juiced about a dozen oranges, transfered them to baggies and stuck them in the freezer.

Tonight, I took the juice cubes and put them in the blender with powdered milk, a tablespoon of sugar, a little water, a teaspoon of vanilla and about a tablespoon of lemon juice. It came out milkshake thick, with the fruit juice kick! When you don't have McD's down the street or even ice cream in the freezer, this drink is heavenly! It was definitely a nice way to end our weekend

I'm proud of us for all of the food we've "put up" for the winter. It's nice to know that if the rest of our Span order never shows up, we're not going starve to death.

The Things You Said You'd Never Do...

Life is full of surprises. The irony in that is, in general, I think people end up surprising themselves more than they ever let others do the surprising to them. Tonight happened to be one of those nights for me. I was always known as the Whitty girl that never took chances or risks, pinched pennies and rarely ever relied on others for much. But the tables have turned, and here we are thousands of miles away. My family found it comical to think about us "roughing it" out here...but boy if they could see us now.

Never in a million years did anyone think I'd initiate a move like this, much less thrive here. Brandon and I received our first shipments for our SpanAlaska order. In it included: 50 pounds of onions; 25 pounds of carrots; 36 pounds of butter; 88 Granny Smith apples; and 113 oranges. In addition to that, we received 12 pounds of ham to share with the neighbors and their twelve packages of turkey bacon. So we rolled up our sleeves, divvied out our shares, and got to business. With "Finding Nemo," blaring in the background, Brandon and I peeled and chopped about 10 pounds of carrots, blanched them and bagged them for the freezer. For those of you thinking that that's not much, recalculate and get back to me. We had carrots from hell to breakfast. Unfortunately, after breakfast tomorrow morning, we'll be doing the same with 20-30 Granny Smith apples for apple sauce and crisps we can make with the apples we preserve in the freezer. When that's done, we'll move onto chopping some onions, and possibly even try to batter the rings for an evening in the future where we'll need a fried food fix. We made another two gallons of homemade laundry detergent last night, but I must be doing something wrong with my mother's recipe. The gelatinous molds we've created with the tubs we've filled leave me to wonder whether or not the washer will be able to handle breaking down what I'd describe best as flubber for our clothes.


Tonight we had our first field trip for the Rural Teachers class I'm taking. Brandon came with us in the skiff that took us about 10 minutes down river. There, we were shown how to shave birch bark off of the birch trees that lined the Nushagak. With an axe and a few with pocket knives, we shaved back the top layer until we reached the white, meaty center of the tree. Between this white center and the rough surface lies a brown, spongy material that when boiled, is a native remedy for the common cold. We'll be boiling this next week as a class, and hopefully will collect tundra tea in the future for other home remedies in the bush. I loved this experience, and sit here punching numbers wondering if maybe Bran and I will be able to tuck away enough for a skiff next year. We'll see...

Now that we're here, we've found ourselves clinging to the people around us for support in experiences outside of our comfort zones. The things we thought we'd never do would be moving to Alaska and living in the middle of absolutely nowhere with few modern luxuries. The things we said we'd never do, both Brandon and I did within the last few weeks. I said I'd never shoot a gun, and last Saturday shot two. I said I'd never maqii, as a result of my self-consciousness and worries to be so uncomfortably hot I'd melt. Brandon, too, for the same reasons, had expressed his disinterest in "bathing with a bunch of dudes." But after invitations and support from our friends, we've both now attended the amazing traditional maqii. Tonight, Dani and Lily showed up to invite me to maqii. Caught off guard with no excuse, and two friendly, encouraging faces at my door, I accepted. Minutes later, my bag was packed with oversized tubs of shampoo and conditioner, a new bar of soap, a washcloth, hand towel and bath towel in tote. I had a hair-tie around my wrist and sockless-shoed feet beneath me. A kiss from Brandon and I was off to my first experience to maqii.

Maqii, also referred to as steaming, is a Yup'ik tradition where men or women sit in a small hut with stones, stoves and water and steam out toxins and gossip and joke about daily life. People are completely naked, and ironically, completely comfortable in these steams. While the heat at points can exceed 300 degrees Fahrenheit in really hot steams, it's a nice and relaxing social time. You begin in the steam by sweating like you've never sweat before. As they "splash" or put water on the hot stones, the heat hits you in palpable waves. My lips burned and nose felt as though it was on fire. My skin peeled in response to the exfoliating heat. After a while, we sat outside of the steam and chatted. In all, we went in three times: the first to sweat; the second to scrub; and the third to rinse. While many men and women go in frequently over long periods of time, we stuck to three visits in an hour and a half. After the third time, we sat around and chatted about school and steaming in general. The ladies love Bath and Body Works body splash, and talk about how expensive it is out here. Dani and I agreed that the after Christmas sales would be receiving a visit from us when we're home, to purchase some lotions and mists for our new Yup'ik friends.

This is one thing I said I'd never do, and here I am, pleased with the experience enough to do it again. While I don't think I'd steam with just anyone, I'm thankful for Dani, a great friend to me out here, to show me the ropes and help me gain confidence in myself and others around me. I'm excited for Claire to come and experience New Stu next weekend. Maybe she'll maqii, too!

Love you all and hope you enjoy reading about our experiences as much as we enjoy sharing them with you.


Brie

Shooting

Saturday, September 18th, we went shooting out in the tundra with Ben, Dani, Ron and Peter. Brandon took his 44 caliber lever action rifle, and Ben took his 12 gauge shot gun and 22caliber rifle. I was the first girl to grab the gun, Ben's 22, and upon lifting it into sight, I was nervous as all get-out to shoot. There's just something so final about holding one of those things in your hand. With a little coaxing, I mustered up the guts to pull the trigger and--nothing. I forgot to release the safety. "Better safe than sorry..." I shook and flicked it off. I pulled it up again, and needing another pat on the back, finally pulled the trigger. I didn't get that adrenaline rush that everyone else seems to get. By the third shot, I hit the coffee can about fifty yards away. But by the fourth shot, my arm was getting tired. Everyone else shot for a while and right before leaving, Brandon wanted me to shoot his 44. Reluctantly, knowing full-well he wouldn't let us leave until I agreed to, I grabbed his gun. I aimed, shot and felt like I'd been punched with a thick charlie horse to my right shoulder. Once was enough! And while I didn't do so bad for my first time shooting, I didn't do so well to feel like I needed to head out to do it again any time soon. I must be my mother's daughter. I'll keep to cooking and leave the shooting to Brandon.

Puzzle Pieces

The boys are proud of the new table they made out of a cable wheel. You should have seen the chairs they made out of oil drums and saw horses. After they had the chairs around the table, they had beers and Pringles passed around.

Tonight I had a revelation about life in comparison to a jigsaw puzzle. While I thought I had everything figured out when I graduated high school, college, first heart-break, etc., slowly but surely, I've gained another piece to change the few pieces I had accumulated from a single tone to somewhat of a pointalismic (not sure if that's even a word) masterpiece, with the current product a pixilated version of what it might become. And although I believe I have about a million pieces left to fulfill what most would consider a lifetime, I can honestly say if tomorrow were to never come, I'd die a happy girl with the beautiful picture life has pieced together for me.

This lifestyle seems to highlight the good parts of life; at least to me anyway. When you'd think we'd have time to think about all of the things we're missing out on in terms of a social life or even grocery stores, we're usually busy relaxing, fishing, hiking, walking, hunting or mapping out what we might want for dinner based on what's in the cupboard. And while most dread the idea of cooking from scratch, ironically we've saved time by being creative instead of hauling to Wal-mart for the quick dinner fix from the frozen food section. We've been careful about what we have and what we use, as we now know that ordering groceries in is about a month-long process. But even that kind of frugality and patience has had its pay off. There's a sense of accomplishment I get out here over the littlest things, whether it's making pot-pies from scratch, or feeling like I could feed an army at the drop of a dime, and still have food left in the cupboard. It makes me feel like I'm at least near the same wavelength of my mother, and she, herself, is someone I strive to be like on a daily basis.

I'm proud that Brandon and I have been here just shy of two months, and we have yet to eat canned soup or Chef-Boyardee for one meal. And most nights, start to finish, I've made most things from scratch. I never knew how willing Brandon would be to try some of the experiments I've pieced together, but that may be the result of us having no canned meals in the pantry, too. Last night, in hopes to use up the bread crumb and egg batter we used for the chicken, I pulled out some leftover macaroni and cheese and made one of our favorite appetizers at any bar and grill: fried mac and cheese bites. Even though Brandon was skeptical, he tried them anyway and ended up sharing with the neighbors his delight in our "New" Stu bar food. One of my coworkers was telling us she thinks Brandon and I are so cute in how we always cook together and have such a homemade meal. I was beaming with that compliment, considering we were never really considered the iron chefs back in the lower 48.

We went to the post office today and picked up what we thought was our Bass Pro Shop package. Sadly, it was our neighbor’s package so we’ll have to wait until Monday to check again. While waiting for service, a number of little kids were gallivanting up and down the ramp playing tag. Amidst the commotion, they thought Brandon and I should play, too. A slap on the butt, and I was “it” by a little 5 or 6 year old girl. We played a little bit with them and remembered how much we love little kids and are missing our nieces and nephews. We’re excited to play more with the little ones out here, as they seem to have enough spunk to make up for the high schoolers that loathe the sight of us “kassaks” who make them work in the classroom.

People in town continue to be welcoming and interested in getting to know us. That acceptance is crucial to me, as I’ve always been somewhat of a people pleaser. And if I can’t win over some of the high schoolers, at least I feel like there’s hope with their parents. The people here love Bingo which is where I’ve met a few of them passing through; and while I love the game too, I want to stay within their good-graces by leaving the pot for them to win. They get into the games and in one night alone, the fundraising event can bring in over a thousand dollars. Scratch the magazine and pizza sales, this fundraiser, paired with a cake walk or two is where the money really is. My assistant principal asked if I’d be interested in calling numbers, but I also left that task to the professionals. I’m enjoying the spectator view from here.

I’m starting to realize what distance does to the heart, despite its ineffectiveness on me in past circumstances. While I miss and love everyone at home and my heart has truly grown fonder of those of you in the lower 48, I haven’t hit the homesick stage where I feel like I need to be there to enjoy the relationships of those I care about. The phone calls, emails and Skype sessions have been a God-send in making me feel like I’m in the loop in spite of our being what seems like a million miles away. A special thanks to Annie H. for the beautiful picture she sent me. I have it posted on my filing cabinet at work and think of her every time I look at it!

We’re going to be getting our grocery supply on Friday, with any hope in the Bypass Mail Service functioning on schedule. We’ve noticed it’s taking about a week for priority boxes and mail from the lower forty-eight to reach our doorstep, but that’s weather dependent. And as for parcel post, that can be anywhere from two weeks, to two months, depending upon how much room is on the plane that comes out. Amazon.com has become our best friend, being one of the only websites that offers free shipping to all 50 states with most items. And Alaska Air has come in a close second with the bonuses it offers with its credit card. We’ll be flying home for Christmas at half the cost of what it’d typically cost us without those bonus miles and companion fare and every dollar we spend is a mile we accumulate; three miles per dollar if it’s a flight purchased through Alaska Air. I have a feeling we’ll be flying more with incentives like those. If you have the slightest interest in visiting Alaska in the future, I highly recommend you signing up. Right now, signature members get 25,000 bonus miles, which equals a round-trip flight from the lower-forty-eight to Alaska depending upon when you fly.

Anyway, before I begin sounding like a walking billboard, I’ll close with this: we’re doing fine and enjoying life up here. And while we miss you all very much, it’s beginning to feel more and more like home as we settle in. Routines have developed both at school and at home, and our ability to get involved with the people around us increases on a daily basis. We might be purchasing a snow-mobile or 4-wheeler soon if we find the right deal, so that’s something we’re looking forward to. We’re also looking forward to visiting any and everyone interested in seeing us over Christmas.

Keep in touch.

Love,

Brie

Volleyball and Rainbows

Tonight, we had a wonderful time with our neighbors playing a few exciting games of volleyball. Peter, Tara, Dani, Ron, Brandon, Wass and I played a few games. Wass is our janitor and a native to New Stu. He was entertained by our lack of talent and his ease to whip us with his hops, but we had fun watching him laugh at us. An especially entertaining part of our game was when Tara, after a few less than spectacular shots, announced, "Hey, I'll have you all know that while you were all playing ball, I was milking goats!" We laughed for about 10 minutes, and automatically named her "The Angry Goat". Every time we've gotten together, we've learned a little more about each other. We're really enjoying our friends and colleagues out here. By the time Wass left, he had invited all the guys over for a muqii, or steam. Despite Brandon's apprehensive feelings towards attending the muqii, he packed his bags to join "only all the people we hang out with all the time". The man amazes me every day. God, I love him.

Before the boys headed down the hill to muqii, I headed to Dani's to watch another chick flick. We hadn't even started the movie when the door flung open and Ben was hollaring for us to come outside. We had no idea what the excitement was all about, but headed out anyway. By the time we had our shoes on and stepped out into the misting sunset, I saw something I'd never seen before. There before us, was a double rainbow, one with a full arc from one hillcrest to the other. I'd never seen such a thing, but Ben and I agreed that if we had the chance see the rainbow in its entirety, we'd surely find gold at the end of it, too; there was just no way we were risking the bears to obtain it.

Anyway, the pictures and video clips won't cooperate with me on here, but I'd be delighted to share them with those that'd like me to email them. I never thought I'd see my first full rainbow in Alaska.

Celebrating Small Successes

We went fishing tonight, after a nice afternoon packing moose meat into Kyle's freezer. He and Mickia, our tech guy at school, shot a bull on Thursday night and Kyle had half a moose
to butcher in a hurry. He and Lida did pounds upon pounds of it on their own, and finally in the early afternoon decided that a little help with the grinder and wrapping might not be such a bad idea. So Brandon and I helped out for a little while. It was nice to feel helpful and useful. Brandon and Kyle ground the moose, while Lida plastic-wrapped and I did the final package job with the butcher paper, masking tape and a Sharpy labeling system. I had a lot of fun helping and while we weren't expecting anything in return, they gave us a generous bag to stock our freezer. We now have a handful of pounds of ground moose, some stew meat and a roast. I'm excited to see how it tastes!

After that, Brandon and I sat down for some homemade chili we had started in the crockpot a few hours earlier and eventually made our way to the couch where we thought some quality time with the Wii was necessary. It was fun, but because it had been raining all morning, Brandon was itching for some outdoor fun. So we decided to go fishing. Brandon packed up his gear and we headed down the hill to the river. We saw Gusty and Man II fishing, with a total of four silvers sitting on the beach. With that, we thought we'd have similar luck. We thought wrong. We walked downriver along the bank and found a fallen tree to put our pack on and began to douse ourselves with bug spray. It worked momentarily, but not to the degree we had been hoping for it to. We didn't catch a thing, but mid-trip the skies opened up and began pouring on us. Most of the time you'd think rain would be a downer on an outdoorsy trip, but it was just what we needed to drive the bugs away.

About twenty minutes in, Dani and Ron decided to join us. We liked the company, but with one pole and no fish, we weren't down there for long. Man II had three silvers sitting on the bank, and the boy that was no more than ten offered us one of his since we didn't have any luck. What a sweetheart?! We thanked him for the offer, but said we had a fish in the freezer we'd eat before we took his. He must have felt proud for outfishing four adults. Or, he felt sorry for the kasaks (gus-aks=white people/visitors/new to town in Yup'ik) that couldn't catch their own dinner. We finally gave into darkness and headed back up the hill. The hill has gotten loads easier since the first time we walked it. With any luck, it'll be a breeze by October, when we'll have a whole new mess to deal with in the walk: snow. But we'll focus on baby steps for now. Out here I've learned to celebrate small successes...after all, success is success and the way I see it, small things tend to be overlooked, but are what ultimately determine the success of the bigger matters at hand. I know it's just a walk up a hill, but as I referenced in an earlier post, life has a lot in common with a short simple walk.

Love you all,

Brie