Taking on Alaska: Round Two!

November.

If you’ve followed my blog for awhile now you know I am much better at telling stories by pictures. So here it goes. Today we took a walk. At sunset. 3:30 pm.

The Ocean Freezing…

There were people out hooking, this was the catch of the day!

mmmm

Holding the sun!

-8 freezes your lashes and scarf!

Signing off! Enjoy :)

Happy Halloween from McQueen School Staff!

It has been quite awhile since I updated you all, I will make it short and simple. Life. Is. Crazy. School has been really busy lately (school pictures, Red Dog mine visiting, Halloween, and many visitors in and out of the school for different reasons). But, I am still here—thanks goodness! 

Last week was Halloween, I’m sure some of you remember last year and how we has our “hammer pants”, well this year for our black and yellow school colors we all dressed up as….

Bumble Bees. This photo is only missing Fonger, he was in Anchorage for a conference. 

The kids LOVED it, laughed at us and the wings got annoying….

From now until Thanksgiving is just a crazy time at school and in Kivalina. 

We also have had our back to school pot luck, another success! 

We are all counting down until Thanksgiving now!! 

This morning I was working out and had to press pause to go out and capture our beautiful sunrise…

The ocean had a thin lawyer of ice on it this morning, the ravens were perched on it! Had to share this picture, absolutely breath taking!

Thank you again and again for the continued prayers, thoughts and packages! Thank you to my TUMC ladies who are so sweet to be sending up supplies for our kiddos, AND the teachers! 

Thank you Tony, for posting sermons on the webpage, was so relaxing last night being able to hear last weeks message. 

49 short days until I will be home for the Holidays, please continue to pray for a delay free travel day on December 21st! 

xoxox from the cold Arctic air! 

adventures

Last week I ended up on airport pick up, yes, that exists in the arctic….it just means that someone needs to go to the air strip with the ‘honda’ to get an incoming teacher. 

This was a grand adventure for the weekend. This past Thursday we had another adventure, Ice Fishing! We didn’t catch anything, but our maintence man at school, Gary and his wife who is our pre-k teacher, Rojo, were nice enough to adopt us and take us out fishing. Again, instead of telling you about our adventure, let me show you….

Breaking the ice (it was about 5 inches thick)

The pole is a stick, with fishing twine and a hook on the end of it!

Despite us not catching anything, we had SO much fun! Great family to be adopted in to… :)

Birthdays & Introductions

First of all, Happy Birthday Mr. Fonger! We celebrated with our family and a gluten free raspberry cake…

Meet: Scott (MS/HS English), Andie (counselor) and you all remember Mr. Fonger

Today after school we took a walk and had a little fun with our shadows. This is my Kivalina family, Scott, Emma and Fonger!!

And….our annual jumping picture :)

The lagoon is freezing over already!!

Soctt checking out the beach for the first time! 

Thank you for the continued thoughts and prayers. School is going along wonderfully! Back in the full swing & so happy to be with my kiddos again. Its an indescribable feelings to be “home” again.

Feels so good…

Well—The first week of school is over with! I didn’t escape without getting sick (of course)!  Our new staff is a wonderful team, the first week ran very smoothly and I can predict this year will be even better than last year! 

Wednesdays as a staff we all dress in our Youth Leaders shirts and sweatshirts. Youth leaders is a program that runs here in our district and is a great deal like Student Council. Our kiddos that participate in youth leaders also come to school wearing their shirts, this week we captured a picture that is appearing our our district webpage!

Some of you have never seen a picture of my principal, well, that is Zoe standing next to me! We are starting the year off on the right food and I couldn’t be more excited!

Tonight we are having a family dinner, I made a delicious gluten free chocolate cake with strawberries and cool whip! 

We are also taking a family walk after dinner so I will take some pictures.

For those of you who are wondering what to send me in care packages this year over the summer I got news that I have a whole bunch of food allergies so my eating is limited.

Starbucks found coffee is always welcomed

Gluten free pasta noodles 

and Love :)

Prayers are even better than care packages! Again, Thank you Thank you Thank you for all the well wishes! It feels so good to be home…again :)

I want to wish a Happy birthday to my Uncle Gary today, and to tell my little cousin Jackson to have a wonderful birthday party tomorrow—wish I could be apart of all these family events! Love you all very much!

Day 1, Year 2

The day has FINALLY come, day one of year two! I can’t believe today is already over with. As any first day of school today was….crazy; busy, hectic, and a bit stressful! But…all in all it was a great day! I got to see my kiddos, and use our beautiful remodeled school!

Yes, always a first day of school photo—even as a teacher!

Here is my beautiful new room ….

Home Sweet Sweet Home

Tuesday I got back to Kivalina. Let me tell you..I haven’t realized how much I LOVE this place, or how it really is, home until I am away for 4 months. 

I spent last night unpacking, cleaning my house and cooking some clam chowder and home made french bread for Fonger (you all now his name) and Chad (new 5/6th grade teacher) and his lovely wife Chiraphorn. 

Today I spend the day at school organizing my room, cleaning, hanging posters, creating files, and simply getting ready for Monday. Emma and Dana (you know those names too) got home today as well! The only one missing is Scott, he spend this past weekend collaring caribou with some of our kiddos and fish and game so he was not on the charter out of Kiana with me yesterday. He was supposed to get to Kivalina today but the shooter is back in Kiana and the village was under lockdown again today. Sounds like (fingers crossed) he will be able to return to Kivalina tomorrow (yay! we can’t wait Scott). 

The next two days will be filled with school school and more school until we are all ready to open the doors on Monday morning. I have gotten to see many of my kiddos—they have all grown so much over summer! 

I appericiate all the prayers and positive thoughts you have all sent my way. This has been MORE than a trying time for my co-workers and myself…BUT we have no lived through yet another Kivalina Disaster!! I have learned a lot through all of this and if anything I have now been shown how much Kivalina means to me!

Weather update: It has been snowing in much of the region lately, Kivalina has had rain and been in the low forties. But, it is predicted to be an early, harsh winter. 

The sun is rising later and later each morning..at about 8:15am as of today and not fully setting until around 10pm. 

I am off to do some relaxing before another day spend in the school tomorrow! 

Kiana

Since Monday I have been in the beautiful village of Kiana! If you haven’t googled this place yet you all should. Of course I get sent here and don’t have my camera with me! But I have gotten some great news…this up coming week I will be going home to KIVALINA!!!! Yes, finally…home! I have yet to receive travel plans but it should either be Tuesday evening or Wednesday. School is now scheduled to start on the 24th!

Again—thank you for all the prayers!