Just Another Day

You can read a little article about the broadcasting team HERE. Way to go, Bill! 🙂

The last thing I need is another TV show to get into. Sigh. That said, I just watched episode two of October Road and I think I’m hooked. Shameless.

I made it safely back to Unalakleet yesterday afternoon. I felt so blessed to have a little welcoming committee to meet me at the airport. Stacie, Josh, James and Carrie were there with a truck to pick me up and save me from a long cold walk home. The Johnson’s then fed me a tasty dinner and we gabbed about all the good stuff I’d missed over the past month. What a fantastic evening – and how fortunate I feel to be so well taken care of! I must also mention that Bill had done a fantastic job of cleaning the house up, so I did not arrive to an empty mess. I will look forward to sharing our space again when he gets here tomorrow afternoon. 🙂

Our friend, Terrence, will be joining us tomorrow night – though I doubt we’ll see much of him. He’ll be busy in facilitator meetings until he leaves on Saturday. Still, it’s always nice to catch up with friends around the area – even briefly. This is a fun time of year, as we get to hear about everyone’s plan for the upcoming year.

Speaking of which… the job hunt is on. I’ve been checking a teacher listing website daily in search for the right job, and I’ve even got a few applications out there. It’s hard to be patient sometimes, but we’ve got faith that we’ll land where we’re meant to. And so, I continue to pray for that patience as well as knowledge and flexibility. (I don’t ask for much, huh?) We’ve so appreciated the encouraging words from (up here and back home!) as well as leads to job openings.

Tomorrow promises to be another wonderful day. What will you do with your weekend?

You are intelligent, witty,

a bit geeky and have great

power and responsibility.

I was finally able to take the superhero personality test from the Holts site, and guess what – I’m spiderman!  To find out what superhero you are take the Superhero Personality Test.

I’ve never experienced a bad trip home. I love hanging out with my family, looking out on the lake, stopping in town and chatting with familiar faces. The time flies by, and I end up where I am now… at the end of my trip, wondering where the time went and looking forward to my return. The difference this time, however, is that my next return will be permanent! It makes preparing for my plane ride(s!) tomorrow much easier.

This winter has had it’s challenges for my family… most recently our water stopped. Yep, it just stopped. The theory is that the water table is low, so hopefully with the Spring thaw and some good rainy days, indoor plumbing will again be a reality. In the meantime… well, you develop a new angle!

Today I bought a camping shower – hopefully this will prove sufficient for the next few days, weeks, or months! I was extremely excited to see the bonus item that came with it… a very cool shower cap! Looking forward to testing it all out early tomorrow morning!

Aside from a few comical conditions around the place, things have been normal. Everyone’s been working hard and trying to play just as hard. A few lessons that I’ve been reminded of this trip home that I want to share with you all…

*New and more are not synonymous with better.

* If you’re not trying to have a little fun, you’re not living life to its fullest.

* Work is what you do – not who you are.

I feel so fortunate to have had the chance to catch up with so many of my family members and even some friends these past weeks. We’re looking forward to plans to do more of that this summer! And in the meantime, I look forward to the remaining time with my wonderful friends up North and, of course, my sweet hubby!

I don’t normally use my blog as a political soap box, but I am sometimes in awe of the number of folks who stumble across my entries! I guess today, I will set my journaling site aside to send you my thoughts on responsibilities… and hopefully reach more people than I would with just e-mail.

I’ve been listening to Jack Johnson and Ben Harper sing “With My Own Two Hands” as I look for jobs to apply for and take each day’s events as they come. It, along with the big leap of leaving financial security to persue the dream of settling near family, has left me to do some soul searching during many of my recent quiet hours. The truth is, I know that something in the world has to change, and I know that people like you and I are responsible for making it happen.

When I received a link to sign Al Gore’s petition that he will present to Congress on global warming, I knew this was just one small way that I could help work for change. Please, get educated on what’s happening around you, and decide for yourself what your position is! If you would like to be included in Mr. Gore’s presentation to congress, click HERE and sign on.

Well, every year on March 15 we get to treat April like a princess. Here she is… back when she was cooler than cool and more recently with Jesse. (Still, awfully cool!)

I decided that this morning’s beautiful sunrise will be birthday gift enough for her… so I will keep the card I made. 🙂

The days always seem to move faster and faster the longer I’m home! It’s been another great few days.

Lunch with Mom and visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Poderzay was very nice. It was one of the few times that I’ve had Grandpa all to myself and got to catch up on all of the excitement. It was just good to see them all.

Saturday was spent in Virginia. Uncle Bill and Mark drove over from Door County, Wisconsin, so we all had a good visit with Gram and Gramp. April and I spent some more time with Stacy and Dylan later on in the week and were treated to yummy lunch and an afternoon of shopping.

Sunday Dad got home and gave me a few choices for the days activities. He suggested snowmobiling, a drive out to the shack, or hauling fire wood. I decided it’d be fun to get out in the woods and grab some firewood for next winter. Dad cut while I piled it all into the back of the pick-up. It was a beautiful day out and nice to get some fresh air. Plus, I felt like a lumberjack. 🙂

On Monday I woke up early enough to get a run on Raps Road in before driving over to Bemdiji to meet Andrea and Laura. We enjoyed lunch at one of my favorite college restaraunts and then a little desert over at a coffee house. It’s always nice to catch up with old friends.

The weather has been so incredible the past few days. I’ve been taking advantage and trying to get outside daily. Yesterday I was soaking in the hot tub around 11:30 a.m. when my dad and a co-worker showed up at home for a lunch break. I couldn’t help but feel fortunate to have the luxury of relaxing and enjoying Spring! (Of course, this comes at the expense of getting my class work and job applications done!)

Bill made his way back from Nome to Unalakleet yesterday. He sounds like a tired guy! He’s been extremely busy with the Iditaproject stuff. Now he’s preparing to take a crew of students into Anchorage beginning Sunday to broadcast the state basketball tournaments. I imagine he’s ready for a rest. It will be nice for the two of us to have some time together!

Alright, in honor of the Spring days… What is your favorite flower? I’m going to have to go with tulips… I just love them. They’re one of the first to bloom in the spring and they’re so beautiful – all colors!

I hope your days have been a nice kind of busy!

Congratulations to the Harrings, Wallestads, and Wests who all welcomed their first born into the world in the past couple of weeks – all beautiful baby boys! We’re so happy for you all!

Here’s Ryer Scott – born February 27th to Mollie and Trevor.

Evan Joshua – Born March 8 to Melissa and Josh

Benjamin Joseph – born to Christy and Chad

The days have been a little gray and slushy… exactly what you’d expect from early March. I do love this time of year – I know the vibrant colors of Spring are around the corner! I’ve also noticed the increase in daylight, and with daylight savings changes happening this weekend, there’ll be even more to celebrate! 🙂

I am keeping busy here in Minnesota. Yesterday I did some work at home before heading to the Wednesday night church service. I’ve always enjoyed Lent services, but last night was especially exceptional because Dad gave the sermon. He did a wonderful job!

Lo and I headed to Virginia today and enjoyed lunch at Grandma’s (the restaurant) and a little shopping at Bath & Body Works. I also got my passport stuff sent in and paid to expedite the processing. I suppose this means Bill and I will HAVE to take a trip this summer. 🙂

This afternoon Laura visited with Grandma while Gramp and I headed to Pep’s Bakery for coffee and a doughnut. I’ve decided that the world needs more bakeries. Life just seems simpler when drinking a cup of coffee out of an old mug and snacking on a maple covered long john. It’s always fun to sit with Gramp, as he’s sure to tell a story or two about when he and Gram owned L & L’s (for Lawrence & Lorraine’s) Bakery in Cook. I never get tired of hearing about the days of the bakery… it’s makes me imagine life as a scene out of Pleasantville.

Let’s see… Bill is busy with Iditarod stuff. Do check out the coverage on the district website of the big race. (mushing.bssd.org) Aside from work, life sounds pretty mild up in Unalakleet. I did talk to Stacie, though, and learn that we will be busy selling what we can upon my return to town. She’s super organized, so I will have to render her services for the sell vs. move piling process. 🙂

April headed south to the cities after work tonight, and Lo will be taking off after lunch with Mom tomorrow. I imagine the weekend will be quiet – but nice just the same. Perhaps I can actually get some class work done!

And finally – most of you know my obsession with People magaine, so this entry’s survey is connected to a picture I saw in the latest issue… Which celebrity(ies) would you choose to hang out with for an afternoon? My answer – Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Garner. Don’t they just seem like nice girls? 😉

Tonight I spent nearly an hour at the first type of keyboard I was ever introduced to… the piano. I started a fire over at Gram and Gramp’s place, and I wanted to be sure it started up. It was a perfect opportunity to pull out some music and plunk out a few songs. Listening to me play the piano is pretty painful, I think, but in my mind I’m Beethoven. 😉 I’d forgotten how much I do enjoy playing – but I need a space to practice, because the beginning is not pretty.

It’s been a wonderful weekend. Stacy and Dylan joined me on a Target run before we headed to Gram and Gramp’s yesterday. The three of us spent this afternoon there as well; this time Lo and Uncle Glenn were there too! Dylan keeps us all smiling… and busy! He is an active little guy!

Laura and I headed to Dairy Queen before I came back to the lake. Can I just tell you that ice cream is nature’s perfect food? I used to spend so much time in the ice cream isle trying to decide which one to buy that the store workers would actually come to ask me if they could help! (Sad, but true!)

Dad and I watched Andy Griffith (amazingly, it was an episode I’d never seen!) and then I got to catch up on the lives of my friends on “Wysteria Lane”. 🙂

It will be another quiet day as Ape and Dad head back to work tomorrow. I’m certain I’ll find something fun to do. Can’t help but wish Bill were here with me, but soon enough we’ll be out jumping off the boat and tubing around the lake!

… Which brings me to my “semi-forgotten” survey question. Which season do you look forward to the most? My answer: Certainly Summer (that sounds like a stampin’ up color, girls!) – because I love barbecues, boating, swimming, and just being carefree!