Just Another Day

The week has been nothing short of fantastic. Ape took Monday off and we got to hang out. Dad took Tuesday off and we went out to the “White Tail Highway”. This is a little spot at the hunting shack… the deer have trampled down a nice trail – very highwayish. 🙂 Anyway, we hiked through the woods and canoed on the Little Fork river. I did more fishing than paddling and never even got a bite. It was still nice. We ate lunch in Trisha’s deer stand and then stopped back by Steve’s cabin to see how he and Uncle Glenn were coming along. It’s a beautiful place.

Wednesday I got an appointment with Trisha and she trimmed my hair. I hadn’t had a haircut since January, so that was a good stop! I ended up spending the evening with Trish, Ape, and some other gals as we headed to the “Chick Flick”. It’s an actual event to raise money for the W.C. Heim Foundation. It’s a ladies only night, and they try to pick a good girl movie. We watched “Take the Lead”. I hadn’t wanted to see it, but I’ll give it a thumbs up.

Yesterday I went up to Orr and had lunch in Ape’s classroom. Her little ones are so darn cute! I got to sing some songs and dance with them as well as listen to a couple read for me. They must have a great teacher!

Dad and Uncle Rick and I headed out in the boat to catch our limit of Walleyes. I caught the first and biggest fish of the night. Unfortunately, it fell within the “slot limit”, so I wasn’t able to keep it! It was one of the biggest fish I’ve ever caught. (Well, on Vermilion, anyway.)

Today I met Lo for lunch in Virginia. I got to pick, so we went to Pizza Hut for the lunch buffet. I love that place. 🙂 (Have no fear, Bill… we’ll go several times this summer when you get down!) 😉 Anyway, we wandered around Target after lunch and ended up running into Tina. How fun!

Mom’s got next week off, so I’m hoping we get to hang out a bit. I don’t know what we’ll do, but it’ll be great, ’cause I’m home and she’s mom! 🙂

I just finished up sending some e-mails and faxes for work, and since my clock says 5:30, I think I’ll be done for the work week. (Probably not the best idea considering my clients are all 3 hours behind!) We’ll see.

Hope you’ve all had a wonderful week!

I love being back on Lake Vermilion in the same bedroom that I’ve claimed as mine since I can remember. I had a great night’s sleep last night – the best in a very long time. (It probably has something to do with the overnight flight and a lack of sleep – but I will give credit to my extra comfort!)

Mom and April picked me up from the Duluth airport around noon yesterday. Mom didn’t know I was flying in, so it was fun to surprise her! We shopped a little and went for a Mother’s Day lunch, but I was worried about the halibut thawing, so we didn’t stay in Duluth that long. It was nice, none the less!

My flights were decent. I was in an exit row from Anchorage to Chicago – so that meant extra leg room. Unfortunately, the row behind me was also an exit row, so my chair did not recline. Oh well. The flight over to Minneapolis was near empty, and I had a whole row to nap in. The Duluth flight was pretty empty, too, but the guy next to me decided to keep his seat, and I thought it might be rude of me to move to another row.

Ape and I spent the morning tidying things up around here and took a ride to the dump. (I couldn’t not go to the dump on my first day home!) We also headed out to her apartment and picked up some chicken and extras for dinner tonight. Stacy brought Dylan out. What a big boy he’s getting to be! And a good boy – it was fun to see them! Kerissa came out, too – it feels like summer! Jimbo took us out for a boat ride. How can you beat a day like today?

I’m working a little late tonight so I can do some goofing off again tomorrow. 🙂 I think this will be the plan for the summer – as long as there are people around it’s going to be hard to stay focused on work. So, I’ll just have to do what I can after hours.

April’s got to go back to work tomorrow. 🙁 I’m excited for her to finish this school year up. Dad’s taking the day off, so we’ll probably head out to the shack. Should be good!

Hope you’re all enjoying your time!

I did not do so well as a halibut fisherman. I caught the smallest fish of the day on our boat – and only one, at that! I plan to redeem myself by catching some big walleyes this summer! 🙂 We still ended up with a good 45 pounds of fillets, so that’ll be tasty!

Work here in Homer went well. I got to work with the Project GRAD coaches – 7 of them. They’re a very nice bunch of folks. Since it was a training day for them, it was more relaxed – which basically means we got to go out for an hour long lunch. 😉 It’s nice to get to visit with these people about things other than just their schools. You end up spending so much time with the same people, but you could very easily never really get to know them.

Anyway… after work, I went and picked Bill up from the hotel, and we headed to the Bear Creek Winery. It’s a fun little place here in town that does wine tasting. We tasted their whole list (because the gal pouring said it wasn’t’ that extensive!). I think it was just to loosen us up to buy a couple of bottles of over-priced wine. 😉 It absolutely worked. I’ll chalk that one up to the experience of it all – plus, I got to see how they make the wine. Pretty neat.

We got to the charter company by 7:00 yesterday morning, and we didn’t roll back into the docks until about 5:00. At that point our guide, Joe, cleaned all the fish caught (we each came back with our limit – 2), and then we headed up to the place that flash freezes and packs them. Pretty nifty. As much as I enjoyed being out in the fresh air, I’ve decided I’ll put my money into just purchasing the halibut next time. It’s HARD WORK to real those things in, and you have to stand around holding a big heavy fishing pole while you wait for them to bite. So, I think I’ll stick to Lake Vermilion fish and salmon from now on.

Finally, I’ll have to end this entry by wishing my mom a very happy Mother’s Day!

I had a really good couple of days with my Anchorage school. One of the obstacles I encounter in my job is people who want to make excuses and blame the program for their kids not making as much progress as we want. Not at this school. The facilitator and reading coach are very aware of what’s happening in their building, and they’re totally on board for trying to change the things that aren’t working. A big part of what research says about our program is that when it’s implemented correctly – it works. A problem with it, is that it’s a very rigid schedule, and teachers often feel like their creativity is being stiffled. That’s when we get a “hybrid” version of the program and the results don’t show. At any rate, the two ladies I work primarily with at this school are amazing – there are over 30 nationalities and languages represented in their school. Many of the students are mono-lingual… so not only are they learning to read, they’re learning to speak English. It is a lot of work, and there are some very dedicated teachers there. It’s a rougher part of town, but you wouldn’t know it, because the culture of the school has been set up as a safe, learning environment. I feel really fortunate to be a part of it.

I left the school feeling really good about the visit and prepared for next fall. They actually decided to contract for an additional day next year – which is something of a boost to my ego. (Many of you are thinking… “she doesn’t need that!”) It is difficult to gauge how I’m doing, though, because I spend most of my working time alone. I’ve had one observation and a few visits with other trainers. Otherwise, it’s up to me to just do what I think I’m supposed to. Yikes!

I’m sitting in the board room now, waiting for my flight to Homer. I’m just ready for tomorrow to be over and the halibut fishing to begin on Friday. 🙂

Hope you’ve all had a great middle of the week!

I’m out of Unalakleet for the summer. I can’t believe how quickly the time went. I hope the summer slows down a bit! I have to feel fortunate that this year went along as smoothly as it did and that I met some amazing people in the process. I’m so happy that most of them will be in Unalakleet again next year, so I will have that to look forward to going back for in the fall – as I kick and scream my way back.

I went and saw Friends with Money this evening. I thought it was kind of cute. I also enjoyed my popcorn, pop, and peanutbutter M&Ms – so much for the 30 minutes on the treadmill earlier this evening. If it’s not gummy bears it’s something else… ahh, what kind of life would it be without chocolate?

I’m staying at a different hotel than I normally do here, because the one I’m usually at was booked. It’s odd how I’ve learned to feel a little bit at home there, and this feels foreign. They’re basically the same room! Oh well! One more gripe is about the stupid key cards you have to use to unlock the doors. Mine never work! I don’t know how many times I have to go and have the front desk re-code mine. Maybe my polarity throws it off. 😉

So, when the magnetic strip on the back of your hotel card doesn’t work is the worst part of your day, I think you’re having a pretty good day. Such is the truth for me.

Love to you all!

I think I spent this year’s salary on stamping stuff today. Well, it wasn’t quite that bad, but close. It was a nice party – just a good afternoon.

I started my day with a phone call home. That usually makes things nicer! I then decided it was too beautiful to waste the time indoors. I got a nice jog in before finally sitting down to try to finish up some work for this week. I’ve got so much to do before I head to Anchorage on Monday. I don’t feel like doing it! Spring fever, anyone?

I headed down to Tiff and Rick’s this evening for a little visiting. I don’t know when the last time I laughed so hard was… I love it when your stomach hurts so bad from laughing that you don’t think you can stand it. That was tonight. I continue to feel so fortunate that we’ve been blessed with such amazing friends here and back home!

I got to hear more about the Holt’s yurt, and I’m more and more intrigued. I’m really hoping to have an opportunity to get to Talketna (however you spell it!) next year to visit. They’re off on another leg of their adventure!

I suppose it’s time to hit the sack. I’m not tired, though. I just walked home about 15 minutes ago (12:45 a.m.) and it was still dusk outside. Love it!

I took an unplanned trip into Anchorage with Bill yesterday. It was a quick over-nighter for me, but he’s there for the weekend. We ended up going to see United 93, which is a good movie, but it’s obviously not going to lift any spirits. So, we got back to the hotel around 12:30, and we were both wiped out. I must’ve fallen asleep right away, but was disturbingly awoken by the couple in the room above us fighting. It was worse than fighting, and I believe the cops eventually made their way to the scene. It was very scary and depressing to hear such abuse and… well, whatever it was! I can’t imagine what must go through couples minds to allow that hatred into their lives. Though the cops broke things up last night, it wouldn’t surprise me if the same two are at it again this weekend.

I also read, yesterday, about the effects of Chernobyl on children that are still being born. Sometimes I forget how removed I am from much of the world’s evil. It’s so sad, and I’d desperately like to feel like I was somehow making a difference. I guess that’s what I hope to do through education.

On a much brighter note, I did have the opportunity to chat up Tiff all yesterday morning. It sounds like their trip was fantastic! I also got to hear about their upcoming move, and I am now thoroughly intrigued by yurts! I’ve been talking non-stop about the possibility of someday skipping over a house and moving into a yurt. If you don’t know what they are, look one up. It’s incredible to me that life could really be that simple.

Tomorrow is the Stampin’ Up extravaganza. 😉 I’m quite looking forward to a little social time down at Carries and then possibly an extended evening down at the Holts. Of course, before then I’ll have to get my stuff all packed up and ready for next week. It’s coming quickly.

In my bags, I’ll be packing my brand new skirt. 🙂 I had to get a little shopping in as long as I was in Anchorage today. Happily, I found a skirt that’s almost as beautiful as the one I passed up in New York. What makes it even more beautiful, however, is the fact that I was able to buy a top and shoes to go with it for less than I’d have spent on the skirt in NY. I’m pleased.

April and Trish are out keeping Dad company… and maybe sane! I’m looking forward to being able to join them all soon.

So, this post isn’t all nonsense, like mine usually are. I’m going to work on a good night’s rest and a plan to save the world. Let me know if you’ve got any ideas! We’ll do it together.

Lots of love!

I’m feeling spoiled by this weather… knock on wood! I’ll admit I didn’t take advantage of it today. Just enjoyed it from our “picture window”. I thought about another jog outside, but I’m a little gun shy after yesterday. Perhaps my talents are best left for the treadmill. 😉

It’s my cousin Mark’s 40th birthday today. I remember him staying at Grandma and Grandpa’s while he finished out high school up North. I was only 5 then, but sometimes that all feels like it just happened. I’ve very much taken my dad’s advice and decided I might have no choice in getting older, but I don’t plan to grow up!

Josh joined us for tacos and margaritas tonight. Stacie and the kids are still down south, so there’s no real need for him to cook a big meal. It was good to catch up.

Tiff and I are going to get together tomorrow morning and do some coffee drinking, stamping, or walking, or whatever… but there’ll definitely be coffee. 🙂 It’s been way too long! I can’t believe I’ll be heading out soon and the mornings of visiting over coffee will be done for the year. That’s really been a highlight this year!

I spent today getting an agenda and materials together for a professional development day in Homer next week. I think my agenda is a bit over-zealous, but I’d much rather be overprepared than end up with hours of time to “fill”. I’m working with the Project GRAD coaches on wrapping up this school year (as far as SFA goes) and getting prepared for next. They’re a good bunch to work with, and I love visiting Homer, so it should be a good trip.

The cute little puppy I named Snowball (that lives outside our livingroom window) is now a nearly full grown huskie. It’s amazing to watch animals and babies grow! 😉 Little James learned to walk since I met him, and I’ll bet he’ll be talking when I see him next fall. That means that all the little ones back home are getting big, too! I can’t wait to see everyone!

19 hours and 20 minutes of visible light up here now… you can imagine what that’s doing to my sleep patterns. Time to go read and let my body know it’s beddy-by time. Sweet dreams, all!

I started this beautiful day by switching out my run on the treadmill for a jog outdoors. It was gorgeous, sunny weather – though a bit windy. Things were going smoothly, and I was on my way back… about a mile out of town, when somehow I got my foot caught in my pant leg and I hit the gravel. OUCH! I took a big chunk out of my knee and I’ve still got gravel digging into my hands.

Next week I head to Anchorage for 2 days and then to Homer. Bill is going to join me in Homer and we’re going to do a little Halibut fishing on Friday. I’ve never been, and it promises to be a full day charter. I’m anxious to have some tasty fish to bring back to Minnesota with me. Plus I get an extra couple of days with Bill that I didn’t expect.

I talked to AJ tonight – it’s been nearly a year since we’ve talked, and since he’s graduating from med-school on Friday, I figured it was time to catch up. He’s doing well – it was good to talk. It’s so nice to have those friends from home that you end up picking up where you left off – no matter how much time has gone by.

Bill and I went for another ride on the four-wheeler tonight. It is just too gorgeous to not get out. You can see more scenery and my skinned up knee in the gallery.

Hope your May is off to a great start!

Well, another birthday was celebrated back home today. I’m sure it was a good one. We’ll have to pick up a Dairy Queen cake when I get home and celebrate it all over! 🙂

Bill had his birthday on Friday… the big 26. He’s not much for birthday parties, so we celebrated with some lousy lasagna (I’m not sure what went wrong!), and some yummy chocolate cake. We spent this weekend pretty much just being lazy and enjoying some time to hang out. He’ll be on the road this upcoming weekend, and I’ll take off on Monday. I am certainly looking forward to some time where we can spend an exteneded period of time in the same city. 🙂

Last night we headed over to the “sea-side” Johnsons for a little visiting. It was a nice evening… broke up our movie watching! Today we decided to try to get our 4-wheeler up and running again – since the cold is (hopefully) finally done with. We took a short ride out of town, and I drove the machine for the first time. You can check out the gallery (click here) for today’s pictures.

Speaking of the gallery… you’ll notice that it looks a little different. We’re playing around to try to make picture sharing a bit easier. Hope it shows nicely on your computer.

The big game for me right now is getting a ticket to Minnesota. I called and disrupted my boss’s weekend today in hopes of getting a “completion” date for this school year. I’ve only got a few more on-site days for the year, and the rest can be done by telephone and e-mail. So, I plan to finish that all up down south. Hopefully by tomorrow I’ll know when I can fly to Minnesota. I can’t wait to get home!

April and Amy are still busy looking for a destination for our little vacation this summer. I know wherever we end up it’ll be a blast.

That’s about it right now. Spring finally seems to be rolling in here… the piles of snow are slowly shrinking. Time is moving quickly – before you know it I’ll be riding on the tube behind the boat. That is, if we can afford the gas!

Happy May Everyone!