Trust Me

You have to get used to not having access to certain things when you live in rural Alaska. I got my last hair cut and dye in June when I was home visiting family. I've been letting my hair grow long for the last few years, but this weekend I had an idea. I wanted to get a hair cut, but there wasn't any place or any body to cut my hair. I had to improvise. I cut all the girls' hair when they need a trim, but who was going to cut mine? Then it hit me. Would I trust my husband to cut my hair? Could I trust my husband to cut my hair? And importantly, should I trust my husband to cut my hair? 

I lost 9 inches of my hair. Its frizzy in the picture due to a hoodie issue. I like it and it dries quickly now. I guess I can trust my hubby to cut my hair. Best Hubby ever!

Volleyball Games

I volunteered to referee a volleyball game. For the record, I have never refereed a game beyond a wicked game of matball. I was given a rule book and a whistle a few hours before the game and it was on! I was nervous beyond. Emily was in and out of the game, but I had no idea what she was doing because my job was net judge or second referee (?). I got into a groove by the 5th game. The Saturday games were better, but I need to be quicker with my calls and whistles. I think I'm going to keep learning the rules and watching videos about volleyball. I might just volunteer again....

Abi was my camera person for the games. She did a good job. I was able to go home and watch Emily in action. It also gave me the opportunity to see what I was missing as a ref. 

Selfie of the jersey. She's a triple threat: smart, sporty and beautiful. 

This is Emily's first year playing. She gets subbed in and out several times. Below is the introduction video. 

And in case you were wondering, Friday night it was a 5 set match with King Cove winning 3 sets. We won Saturday - 3 sets. 

Talent Show

The volleyball team held a talent show fundraiser. Emily and Georgia participated in it. Abi decided to sit this one out and will do it next time. There has been some talk about putting together a teacher act for the next talent show. It was all for a good cause and we had a great time listening to the singing and watching the dancing. Georgia dressed in her finest attire and recited a poem. Emily performed her favorite song with a cup. In the end, Emily received 3rd prize and Georgia came in at a respectable 5th place. Enjoy the videos. 

Playing catch up with pictures

I love living here!

I'm learning to not be so clumsy when I'm fishing. 

We bought a set of rabbit ears so we could get the 1 over the air channel. Its sitting on top of the future strawberry patch. My favorite organic farmer in Barrow, Laura sold me on the idea of starting an indoor garden. 

We were so happy that it worked. We were able to watch the Bengals win!

During the game, I gathered the left over veggies for a soup. I did not put all three zucchinis in my soup. I chopped and froze some for bread and muffins. 

It looks so yummy!

I put my soup in pint jars and place them in the freezer to keep. I take one jar out for lunch. I add a sandwich or crackers. 

Its such a healthy way to get all the vitamins you need. 

I started Georgia's Halloween costume - Maleficent. 

I thought I could make the horns using cardboard. 

I didn't want crappy horns. I wanted round ones. 

I glued a board on it to give it a 3D look. 

I wasn't sure which side I liked better. I think I should have made the shorter side a bit taller. I help get that round look. 

I wrapped duct tape around it. It seemed to work. 

I added a foam head piece to the horns. At this point, I got frustrated by it not laying right on Georgia's head. I put it aside for a week or two. I'll come back to it later. 

I focused my attention to fixing the tv. I ran a cable across the room and was to relocate the rabbit ears. It made the picture better and we got to watch the Steelers play. 

This is the last ferry of the year pulling into port. 

I made Georgia wear a lighted button so I could find her in the dark. 

The ferry is big and will return in the spring. I'm looking forward to taking it back to Homer and Kodiak for some fishing and hunting. 

Tuesday I took a break from cleaning my classroom and grading papers. I went fishing. 

I normally catch fish here, but I couldn't seem to snag anything beyond a pogie. 

I took pictures of things around me. You can see the windmills in the background. 

I love having paved roads. 

We drove by the hatchery to take a look at the fish. Hatchery is a great class to take. I highly recommend every kid take this class at least once in their high school career. 

After the hatchery, we drove to the pond across the road. 

Did I mention how much I love it here?

There's an eagle at the end of the walk way. 

just a little humor...

What a weekend!

Most of the school left on the ferry on Thursday night to play basketball or volleyball. Friday was school as normal for me. I taught all of my lessons to the students that were present and was able to give one-to-one attention at times. It didn't hit me until Friday night that I was missing 2/3 of my children. It was so strange to only have one child at home! It was like a preview about what was going to happen in a few years with Emily and Abi going off to college. Yikes! I can't wait until they return on Sunday night. 

One very positive thing happened on Saturday.... the freezers broke at the AC! Yes! Its our favorite time to shop! Everything was 50% off! Sorry about all the exclamation points, but we stocked up on groceries. We got lots of frozen orange juice, which is a luxury item in our house because its very expensive. We didn't buy much red meat because our tastes are starting to change again. We are eating lots of chicken and fish now that we live here. Sadly, I was not able to get any brussel sprouts. Oh, well next time.....

Spirit Week/King Cove Trip

Spirit Week was so much fun! Tuesday was Pajama Day. I need to buy a cute set of footie pj’s or a snuggie to wear for this. Wednesday was Fake an Injury Day. I had some help on this one. Toby and I took a carrot and split it in half. We then drilled a screw through the carrot to secure it to a headband. It scared the elementary kids. Thursday was school pride day. As you can see I went full on tutu. There were so many fun games. The new teachers challenged each other to an eating contest. We were given pie plates with whip cream. There was a tic-tac hidden inside. After several moments, we realized that there wasn’t any tic-tacs in there. I was smart and brought my raincoat. My clothes were protected! I missed fancy Friday because I was a chaperone on a basketball trip. You’ll have to read up on King Cove.

Sand Point is an island. You have to take the ferry or fly to King Cove. We took about 2/3 of the school on the ferry. Abi and her pal chose a booth to sleep on. It was an overnight trip. We left at midnight and we arrived around 6 am.

This is the view of King Cove at 5 am. I can see the lights. 

I wanted to sleep on the coach at the school, but Middle School girls slept in the Kindergarten room. Hey we had bean bags!

Views from the school

They have a wonderful hydroponics garden started in the atrium. I'm hoping to start one here. 

This is the mascot of King Cove. There are so many bears in the area. Most people don't walk around. Rumor is that if you are outside and see a bear, run to the nearest house. The door will always be unlocked. 

Beautiful mountains... and our transportation to the AC store. 

More mountains. 

Shopping! I think the kids bought the town out of pizza rolls, hot pockets and mini pizzas. 

I found a coffee shop!

Scary picture, but quite common in Alaska. 

Abi is 21. Her team won twice! 

This is where I was sleeping. Yep, I forgot to bring an air mattress. 

It's like one giant slumber party!

The teams take a moment to celebrate the game. 

King Cove School is beautiful inside and out. The design company did a wonderful job of incorporating function and beauty. 

The ferry back seemed very quick. We left at 2:30 and arrived around 8:30 on Sunday. Everyone was sleepy and some were sick. I still had to do my lesson plans and set up a lab. I rushed to school and worked until about 11:30 before calling it a night. 

I think I want to take the ferry all the way to Dutch Harbour next summer. I think it would be a fun trip... if Georgia doesn't get seasick again.