Just Another Day

Thank Heavens!

The auditorium was packed with HUNDREDS of teachers, administrators, and support staff! We were there to “kick off” the school year – and seriously, it was the best rally I’ve ever been to. The highlight, I thought, was the 7 man band formed by teachers throughout the district. They played favorites like “Brown Eyed Girl”, “Teach Your Children Well”, and “Takin’ Care of Business”. They were fantastic – and I believe they must’ve felt like rock stars in front of that crowd of cheering teachers! And then there was the local senator and representative dressed up as Sonny and Cher to talk about the quality of the schools and community. Very entertaining. They ended their speech with a little “I Got You Babe”. There was also the video – “7 Highly Ineffective Practices of Educators” poking fun at the everyday things we come across in this line of work.

The afternoon was spent back in our building just trying to get things in order. And tonight we had a new teacher reception dinner. It was very nice, but I’ll admit I was happy to get back to the apartment at 7:30 tonight… and ready to crawl into bed shortly!

Today ranks amongs the 5 greatest days I’ve had since I began teaching – and not just because it was a blast. I got a real look at the energy and enthusiasm of the people I’m joining this year. Who knows how long we’ll be in Brainerd – maybe just a year, maybe the rest of our lives. Either way, I can tell I’m going to learn a lot from this experience.

Last night I went to the wedding of a childhood friend, Mark. It was a very nice service and a beautiful reception. The bride looked absolutely gorgeous, and the two looked incredibly in love. It is fun to watch as old friends begin new stages of their lives. Of course there were a few other old classmates there, and so many of them have children. It always makes me wonder when we got so old, and why I still feel so young!

I’ve been feeling spoiled by nature today! I decided on a walk half way down “our” road this morning for a couple of reasons… a) I just didn’t feel like running, and b) it would give me more time and concentration for enjoying the beautiful colors of the leaves and the deer waiting at the top of the hill upon my return.

Just a bit later, the sun was beating down on Dad, Uncle Glenn and I as we worked to remove yet another pile of debris from the re-roofing project. Of course, we decided to reward ourselves with a jump in the lake. The water was brisk but certainly swimmable, and the three of us floated around for a nice chunk of time. We were in the perfect spot to catch an osprey drive into the water ahead of us and come back with it’s lunch – a sunfish. These birds are incredible to watch. They make a huge splash as they crash into the water, and it’s a wonder how they’re able to be so precise with their “fishing”. Following the osprey was a bald eagle… it was a bit like being right in the middle of the nature channel. Take that, High Def! 😉

Anyway, next up on the list was a trip out to the hunting shack to pick some hazelnuts. This is the first time I’ve really done it, and the actual nuts themselves are pretty small. The picking was easy, though.

Here is what the nuts look like right off the tree.

We filled this big bucket as well as two ice cream pails.

Now we will spread them out to dry in the sun before removing the “husks”. (I’m not sure if that’s the right terminology, but it makes sense to me!) Once we’ve got only the nuts remaining we will likely just set them in a dish with a nut cracker. They don’t yield a whole lot of “meat”, so this project is definitely more about the process than the product. I like it!

We also came across some high bush cranberries. They’re not quite ripe, though – and therefore awfully bitter. Perhaps we’ll have to go grab some later this fall to replace the bag that always sat in our freezer in Unalakleet. I’m thinking cranberry orange scones! 🙂

I was fortunate to be able to connect with yet another old friend this week. Amy was another victim of my late night sleep over homesickness. 🙂 But – she stuck it out and we’ve remained friends over the years. Though we haven’t been great at phone calls or even many visits since high school, it seems we can always pick up where we last left off.

Of course, most of our lunch conversation revolved around mommy-hood… Amy became a new mother to Kayla Lynn about 4 1/2 weeks ago. What a beautiful baby – and she’s so good! I am so thankful for the chance to get to see Amy in her new role, and look forward to our future visits.

I am so happy to be near my family and to have more opportunities with Minnesota friends. And I am only more and more excited by the prospect of the next chance we have to get together with our far-away friends & family… I miss you guys!

My dear friend, Jenny (yes, I get to call you that!), was home this past weekend, which meant I got an evening out on the town. 🙂 My earliest memory of Jen is having to call home at one of her sleep overs in elementary because I was homesick. I’m sure I ended up getting picked up in the middle of the night (as so often happened in those days), but that didn’t stop us from remaining friends to this day. And so, we went out… and the evening wasn’t as blury for me as this picture is! It was a blast, though – as time always seems to be with the Lindgren girls. Thanks so much!

Saturday brought a semi-early morning breakfast in Tower with Lo and Mom. We met at the Tower Cafe before heading over to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Poderzay. It’s always nice to get some time together.

Saturday afternoon was wonderfully lazy. Stacy and Dylan came out, so we enjoyed a little boating, and of course a trip to Moosebirds. Sunday morning April and I dove into the card making supplies and created a few semi-masterpieces. 🙂 After the creativity had left us, it was time for me to get packed up and head toward Baxter.

It’d been a while since I’d seen the Svirs, so they graciously let me drop in on them. Of course I was amazed at how big Axton is getting. After a little fix of baby time and catching up with Mike and Amanda I headed to the apartment to get ready for my inservice today.

All was well in 6th grade land. I think I have a fairly clear idea of what my curriculum looks like and which pieces I’ll be able to use. After the scheduled day I met two more students and their parents. I am so excited about my class! Of course, it was a long day – and such a day should be rewarded somehow. Lucky for me, I got a chance to visit with a couple other new teachers and a couple of veteran teachers over dinner at a local mexican restaraunt. What a blessing to feel so welcomed.

I decided to drive back home tonight as opposed to tomorrow morning. I’m going to head to April’s classroom with her tomorrow to reciprocate the favor. And now, I’m quickly learning that the iced coffee I consumed to keep me awake on the drive home has lasting effects… curse caffeine!

April helped me transform the room that was quite institutional (and formerly a computer lab) into a full-blown classroom. I am not very creative when it comes to setting up a classroom (or decorating any space, for that matter!) so it was a true blessing to have her help this week.

It was also nice to have Ape here in Brainerd with me because I would’ve gotten pretty lonely otherwise. We spent a couple of evenings eating out (because cooking a frozen pizza was just too much work!) and watching TV shows online (because we don’t have cable). I must say, abc.com has done a good thing by broadcasting online. They’ve hooked me and Ape into the new show Fat March.  Hmmm… 🙂

Bill is in Unalakleet right now. He’s enjoying the chance to see some friends from “Up North” and of course to dive back into the technology-rich world. We’re hoping he leaves the district office with a plan for the consulting work he’ll be doing – that way we’ll have a better idea of how much time he’ll be traveling, etc. Of course, a business trip should always mix in a little pleasure – so he’ll be heading off to Valdez next week to go hunting with his dad. Hopefully he’ll get a little time with his mom, too. I know it’ll be a fast trip.

For me, it’s back to the lake after a couple of meetings tomorrow.

I can’t shake the feeling that I’m not old enough for this job. For the first time in my professional career I am not the youngest or least experienced. But I don’t feel any different. My Mitchell experience is a blur–  But I do remember my first inservice in Bering Straits… Rick Holt stood in front of all the teachers in the district with such ease – clearly an incredible educator – and left me wondering if I would measure up to the quality that would be demanded. Fast forward to the times of drinking coffee with his wife in my jammies, after a night of learning about the “baked ziti pot” on their wood stove, and realizing that we’re all just humans – each capable of extraordinary things.

I’m a firm believer that a job should be only part of your life – that it should never define you. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in work. Sometimes I worry that I will lose myself to this job. There is a need for balance between personal and professional life.

And so, while I sit here between conferences, taking in my classroom, and thinking about the students and parents I’ve already met today, I’m overwhelmed – in the best of ways. I can’t wait to get to know my students. I am thankful to be employed in a beautiful place with incredible people. I am excited to know that trips home can be more frequent. And I want this job to help me grow both as a teacher and as a human being.

This winter was a rough one at my grandparent’s place. The pipes froze and the roof leaked… Dad had issues of his own without water and then the transmission on his truck went out. I was amazed that there was never the sound of defeat when I’d call home. He managed, and as always, taught me a lesson about life – sometimes it’s enough to just get by.  And wouldn’t you know, summer came and life’s been good.

Of course, at some point you’ve got to tackle the projects. Our family pulled together a couple of weekends ago to do just that.

Bill and Uncle Glenn spent a couple of days tearing down the old “Tom Sawyer” room. This room was a fun little nook added to my grandparent’s place when it was a cabin and belonged to my Great Grandpa Holombo. Apparently, the roof started  leaking and instead of fixing it he decided to build a bed room.  It wasn’t a big space – there was no entry from inside… just a staircase off the deck, and eventually a vent from the utility room to warm it up a bit when my cousin Mark stayed there one winter.

Apparently Grandpa Holombo liked to use nails, which added to the extra fun of the demolition process.  Here’s a picture of the guys hard at work on a hot day!

Of course, tearing it all down was just the beginning. That weekend Dad, Jesse, Matt, Mark, and Uncle Rick joined Bill and Uncle Glenn to build a new roof.

You can see the structure in the back, though I haven’t taken a picture of the final project… there are still shingles to put on

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And so, our front yard has been transformed into some piles of demolition matter. Dad’s truck finally came back this week (!!), and a couple of the loads have been removed since this picture.

I couldn’t help but feel fortunate for a couple of reasons… a) I am not construction savy, therefore my only job was to make some pizzas and peanut butter twists. 🙂 b) My family continues to pull together and make things work.

Thanks, everyone, for all of your hard work!

Ahhh… the fresh air, the sunshine, the sound of animals all around AND the absence of internet! We had a GREAT trip into the BWCA, more specifically into Big Moose Lake.

Bill, Dad, and I left home around 6:30 Tuesday morning and drove up the Echo trail until we reached the entry point for Big Moose. The drive takes about an hour from home on winding dirt roads. From there we hopped into our canoe to paddle the first of two rivers on our journey. We’d been worried about low water hindering our entry, but the first river went smoothly. We got over the first portage (160 rods) and found that the second river was not going to be as easy.

Dad and Bill had to get out of the canoe several times (often sinking deep into the muck) to get past rocks, logs, and beaver dams.

Eventually we arrived on to the beautiful lake.

And we got set up on a beautiful camp site.

We canoed to the bottom of the lake on Wednesday and walked the portage over to Cummings Lake. On the paddle back, we decided to try our luck fishing before reaching the sandy beach to take a swim. I did the paddling while the guys tried to catch dinner.

Here’s how they did:

(That’s Bill’s fish… not bait.) 🙂

The sun woke us up in the mornings and Dad cooked us muffins in the bake packer for breakfast. (Yum!)

I’ll leave more the story telling to Bill, but wrap up by noting we stopped in Ely at the Canoe Country Outfitters to see if Terrence (who taught in Golovin, AK) happened to be working. He wasn’t, but his buddy was and gave him a call for us. So, we got to catch up and learn that he’s going to be just a half hour or so away from us this year. How exciting to have an Alaska friend near by!

We had a great camping trip and already have plans to make another next year. The guys want to do more moving around, which will be fine by me as long as I can have the middle spot in the canoe again. 🙂

My sister, April, is off celebrating at her 10 year reunion tonight. I saw the pictures of her class living it up last night… it’s almost as though 10 years haven’t gone by! I love that about coming from a small town. It is almost certain that you won’t be in touch with all of your high school friends after 10 years, and those numbers will keep dropping as the years go by. Still, most people are still very connected to this small town and have family in the area. If, for a couple of evenings every 10 years, folks can appreciate the people they were as much as they appreciate the people they’ve become – I’ll look forward to our chance for reconnecting.

That said, I ran into a couple of old friends yesterday. Though I only got a few minutes with each, I was so happy to have the chance to reconnect! If I have been blessed with anything in life it is having family and friends who keep me grounded… not to mention these people who inspire me to see the good in life and strive towards an existence full of kindness, compassion, and love.

Tonight I got an evening out with my hubby after he spent a long day working on re-roofing my grandparent’s house. (Pictures to come soon!) Bill and I took off to see the Bourne Ultimatum. I’d certainly recommend it, as it’s quite probably my favorite of the three in the series.

Tommorow will bring more building for the guys. Bill has plans to get to Brainerd to pick up his work clothes and camping/hunting attire for the trip to Alaska he’ll make next Saturday. He’s heading up to Unalakleet to do some planning for a project the district is contracting him for. Then he’ll jet down to Valdez to head out moose hunting with his dad. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he’ll come back down south with a couple coolers full of tasty stuff to fill our freezer with!

Of course, before all this, we’ll be heading into the BWCA. This’ll be the first trip I’ve made up there since high school! We’re looking forward to it… provided the black flies aren’t as bad there as they’ve been here lately!

As always.. more to come! 🙂

There’s not a whole lot to say on the topic of the catostrophic bridge collapse in the Twin Cities. But like most of you, my thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of those affected.

Tragedies like this always remind me what a gift life is and how we must treat every moment as such. My goal is to be able to remember that daily, and not only in times of sadness.