Cama-i Weekend

So, we had a pretty fun weekend here in Bethel. We said goodbye to some friends, we sang karaoke, we gave bread away, some of us kicked butt singing Disney songs, some of us fell down stairs, one of us had fruit and veggie salad in their sleep... etc. Overall, it was great. We didn't have a giant snowball fight this year, but we did play a monster game of Apples to Apples. It's going to be sad next year when a bunch of us will be missing from our little clique. Maybe we'll find some new grasshoppers to train and be our friends. We'll see. I'll post some pic's from Cama-i weekend later (appropriate pictures... we promised Kale).

Iditarod

The Iditarod was one of the greatest experiences to date. It was so exciting watching all of the dogs jumping around, barking at eat other, ready to start the race. We volunteered as dog handlers and had to take a class before we were allowed to handle. I was able to handle for my favorite musher: Sebastian Schnuelle :) I got his autograph on my arm band and we got our picture taken together. I'm so obsessive because that picture is now sitting on my desk at school... but, ah well. As soon as i get a digital copy of the picture, I'll post it here. I would volunteer again. It would have been nice to see the real start in Willow, but I had to catch a plane that evening to go back home. My friends Jess and Kara had fun too. They were able to handle dogs for Mitch Seavey's son Dallas. They like Sebastian, but they've decided that their musher was younger and cuter, so now I think he is their favorite. Overall, what a cool experience and I recommend everyone to try it.

Seward Cruise

We went on a nice trip to Seward for spring break (Kara, Jess, Angie and I). On this cruise, we saw a pod of orcas, a humpback whale, a couple of sea otters, and some mountain sheep (dall?). The orca's were so close to the boat! I was hoping to see some sea lions on the beach, but we didn't. We did see, however, some seals and a sea lion at the Sea Life Center in downtown Seward. Now that was cool. We got to touch sea urchins, sea cucumbers, star fish, some mollusk things, and a bunch of other under water creatures. And, I saw my favorite fish to eat- halibut! These fish are so weird when they swim around because it looks like they swim horizontally rather than vertically. Look up a video on Youtube 'cause it's hard to describe. But, they are yummy fish to eat ;) I would love to take my class there; it is a great hands-on center. Overall, it was an awesome trip and the cruise people baked us cookies before we left the boat, so we had some warm yummies in our tummies when we left. Warm cookies just make you feel happier.

Reindeer Run

During Fur Rondy in Anchorage, they had a reindeer run down a main street. Well, not "a reindeer" but several male reindeer who spent several hours getting to know a female reindeer. People were allowed to run with them down the street towards a female in heat. I don't think anyone got hurt... It was crowed and cold, so I didn't see much. I wussed out on the second heat and had to go into a store to warm up. Then, we just left to go get coffee and take a ride south towards Girwood. It's a funny comparison to running of the bulls in Spain... running of the reindeer in Anchorage. A nice tradition!

Moose in Anchorage

While we were driving back to our hotel from our trip to Girwood (after seeing a moose in a parking lot there), a moose was right outside of our hotel! So, we sat there for a while to take some pictures. We could see the moose from out hotel door. That's pretty darn neat, seeing two moose in one hour! He was just standing there eating branches from a tree. My friend Kara actually got out of the car to get a picture with it. I told her I don't think moose are friendly. Think about it: a moose in the winter time searching for food :)

Catch Up

Yeah, it's been a while, but let me do some catching up. I'm still in Bethel, Alaska teaching Kindergarten. We still live in the same apartment. School has been keeping me busy. Right now I'm trying to teach my kids about nursery rhymes. It's surprising that so many kids up here are not taught these simple rhymes: Jack and Jill, Humpty Dumpty, Little Bo Peep, or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. So, my plan is to have kids start learning these rhymes so it can improve their language and rhyming skills. Enough about work though. My roommates and I have joined dance classes. I've joined the jitterbug class and my roommates are doing salsa dancing. So, nights after practicing we practice in our living room :) Aerobics has also started back up so I'll be doing that MWF and dancing on TH. It's good to keep busy through the winter though because the cold will drive you crazy here! So now, I am counting down the days until spring break. My two friends, Kara and Jess are visiting me from Michigan. We're spending a week in Anchorage :) And, I've made them sign up to be dog handlers for the Iditarod! I can't wait, we might be on tv :) Neat things happen in Alaska :) Well, I'm typing this on my lunch break and I kinda want to finish lunch. We'll see how long it takes me to make another blog:)

March

There are so many things to do in March. St. Patrick's Day, Dr. Seuss' Birthday, Easter, spring, the Iditarod, and Camai. It's great that there is so much to do because it makes March go by so much faster. It's starting to get warmer outside- in the 20's I think. So hopefully, I won't have to wear snow pants to work every morning. The down side is that my trail across the tundra will be impossible to go through because all the snow will melt soon and the slough will be flooded with water. I also heard that Alligator Acres will probably flood when all the snow melts. So, that means I need to buy another pair of rubber boots or a boat to get to school. Ah, life in Alaska can be interesting.