A Perfect Place

The sun shone down on me this morning as I sat on the rocks in front of the house watching and waiting with the fire as I burned our garbage. It struck me that garbage is just one of those household chores that people have to do, however on days like today it doesn't seem so much like a chore. Granted, the way we have to do "garbage" is now very different than most people that I know.

I sat there longer than I needed to, watching as the embers died away and staring out across the bay at the mountains beyond. The thought occurred to me as I sat there that I'm in a perfect place right now. I had never thought before about living in the perfect place or if one even existed. If I had thought about it, I don't know that I would have even thought that the perfect place to live even existed. I knew that there are some very cool places that are beautiful, relaxing, and wonderful to vacation. But, the perfect place to live? Not only would you have to find a job within driving distance of that place, but then you'd still have the daily/ weekly chores that come with living somewhere. Everything that goes along with living somewhere often taints your perceptions of it.

However, what I realized as I was sitting there this morning is that daily life hasn't tainted my perceptions on Port Alexander. And living here isn't always easy. This is a place where I can just sit and relax, enjoy living and breathing -- not always worry about work or getting something done. That is pretty huge for me, because I have always been the type of person who must be doing something at all times. I always had to be busy. If it was a nice day and the boys wanted to play outside, I would take work out with me to work on while I watched them, or I'd work on something outside, mow the lawn or work in the garage. Now, I find myself going outside just to sit and watch the birds or look out at the water. I'm still able to get the things done that need to be done, but I can relax also. I have to think that it has to do with the place itself.

To sit and listen to the people at the front dock, to watch from afar as they interact. I see the women working as hard as the men, getting fuel and cutting fire wood, cutting up fish and hauling buckets and boxes. It's a life style totally unlike others, a place different from anywhere else. It's my idea of perfect, at least right now. Because what I'm realizing is that there might be many versions of perfect for each person. It's about what you make of where you're at and finding the place where you feel comfortable. Finding your own fit. I've found my "fit" here, but that doesn't mean there isn't an equally comfortable "fit" somewhere else as well. It saddens me that I will have to leave here in less than a month, however I've come to know that leaving doesn't have to mean saying goodbye. I will forever hold this place in my heart and can come back to it anytime I wish. Vacation doesn't have to mean just taking a week or two in one place and going back home, it can mean having another place you call home and staying for a few months. I don't want to just visit here when I come again, it's the life I enjoy.

Battle of the Books

The Jedi’s were the team to watch… at least for me.  I was the nervous parent as Xavier and Zeke competed with their classmates in the District Battle of the Books Competition.  Xavier was the team’s speaker and I couldn’t help but fret throughout the entire competition.  Not only did he have to get the title of the book correct, but he also had to name the author and some of the author’s names on the K-2nd grade book list were really tough to pronounce.  This truly was a group effort and the team had 30 seconds to discuss the answer and author prior to him saying the answer, but some of the questions were so vague and some were the most minor details, from illustrations even.  The kids had all worked hard and knew the books and authors really well, better even then Juliet (their coach) or I did.  I was amazed by how well they had these books and 15 different authors memorized.  The nervousness I felt extended beyond that of a parent due to the fact that I am also the teacher (although it was primarily due to being a parent).             It helps to know a bit about the competition and the history of it in Port Alexander.  Battle of the Books is an academic competition in which a team of students read selected books (12- 15 total on the reading list) and answer questions during competition in which they have to name the title and author of the book in which a particular “event” took place.  I’ve heard of Battle of the Books before, however I do not think that I’ve ever been in a district that competed in Battle of the Books.  I do not think that it is something that is very big in Michigan.  However, from the time that I started interviewing for the job in Alaska it was obvious to me that Battle of the Books was a very big deal here.  From the sounds of it Battle of the Books is pretty popular in Alaska in general, however it is definitely a big deal within the Southeast Island School District and in particular in Port Alexander.             It’s a competition they’ve done for years and it was made known to me on multiple occasions that it’s a competition that Port Alexander students rarely lose.  I’m pretty sure I’d been told that PA has gone undefeated for multiple years in the District battle.  It has been a lot of pressure to live up to all year with PA’s Battle of the Books status.  There was some trash talk going on at in-service even with one of PA’s previous teachers, who is now the principal in Thorne Bay.  It’s all in fun of course, however I am a very competitive person and I definitely wanted to live up to expectations in my first year.              There are a couple of different age groups that students get divided into and books are sorted into reading levels. The age groups for District competition are K-2nd, 3rd/4th, 5th/6th, 7th/8th, and High School.  Teams are made up of three students (reader, writer, and runner) with a 4th student as an alternate.  The grade levels in Port Alexander worked out really well this year and we had a 4 student team for grades K-2nd (including Xavier and Zeke), a 5th/6thgrade team with 3 students, and a High School team with 2 students.  Teams, other than K-2nd (no States), that win their district battle advance to compete at the State level against other districts.              So, back to The Jedi’s (the kids’ team name)…  There were five other teams, six total, participating at the district level.  The competition is in two rounds of 8 questions, with a short break between rounds.  Any teams within one question of each other at the end of the two rounds will continue on to a challenge round with another 8 questions.  At the end of two rounds the team from Coffman Cove was in the lead with Port Alexander’s Jedi one question behind. The first sixteen questions were so close between the two teams and included two challenges to the given question/ answer, which were won by Port Alexander students.  So, after another 5- minute break and switching in the alternate for Zeke, the kids continued for 8 more questions.  During the Challenge Round, The Jedi got every question and author correct and the team from Coffman Cove had missed one question.  Final result – Port Alexander WINS!!!  Total relief and celebration followed.             Even better yet, the other two teams from PA also won their district battles.  This provided some relief to know that I didn’t break PA’s winning streak.  And, the middle school and high school teams are on to the State battles. Next on the list, an intense cram session for Battle of the Books during a school lock-in!

The Beauty of Nature

  Of course there's beauty in nature.  I don't think that anyone could deny that fact, especially anyone who's ever been to Southeast Alaska.  From the first day we arrived in Alaska both Zac and I were in awe of the beauty of our natural surroundings.  It's breathtaking.  However, some days the beauty of nature is more obvious than others.  This morning I was absolutely amazed by my surroundings.  The morning was calm and clear.  It seemed lighter than most mornings when the boys and I left the house to walk to school.  Although it was a little earlier than usual even so I could have been imagining that it was lighter than usual.  Or perhaps I was more aware this morning for some unknown reason.  The boys and I had a lot on our minds actually and were already discussing the coming events for the day as they had a Battle of the Books competition first thing in the morning.  Yet, for whatever reason, as I stepped from the ramp to our house to the main boardwalk, I was caught by the beauty of the backdrop of scenery in front of me.  The snow- capped mountain in the far background was slightly shaded by a light morning haze and from where I was standing the trees framed it to the right and left.  

    I glanced towards the house as I was remarking to the boys that it was a beautiful morning.  Xavier and Zeke both started to tell me that there was a bald eagle in the tree by our house, just as I myself was noticing him as well.  A single tree sits to the south side of our house with it's branches reaching up and over our rooftop.  All of the leaves have long ago fallen and there perched on a barren branch, just left of the center of our rooftop, was a bald eagle.  He was hardly noticeable at all.  The branches of the tree made the eagle fairly inconspicuous, due especially to the gray and brown hues of the bark and the houses rooftop which formed a monochromatic color scheme with the feathers on the body of the great bird.  Just the bright white head of our country's national bird stood apart from the backdrop in which it sat.  The way in which the eagle was perched he gave a protective appearance, as if watching over something of great value.  He did not move the entire time that we watched him.  He simply stared forward toward the picturesque mountain view in the north.  As the boys and I watched this amazing creature I couldn't help but think how aptly this scene captured the meaning of the word regal and represented true majestic beauty.

    More astounding yet, so much so that I had to wonder at first if it was a figment of my imagination (which it wasn't), was what awaited us when we began up the ramp leading to the school.  In front of us, high above the school, soared a bald eagle.  Whether it was the same eagle or a different one I do not know.  However, the ease and simplicity with which he glided effortlessly through the air took my breath away yet again.  Photographs of bald eagles soaring high above the treetops are always so beautiful, yet sometimes look fake, due to the calm and serenity with which the bird glides with it's outstretched wings.  To see one of these great birds soaring however, you realize why the pictures always portray peacefulness and ease.  It is because this is what you see when you view it in nature as well.  There are no photography tricks that need to be done to such portrayals, it is the reality of the animal.

    

New Year's Resolution

In recent years I have not really made any New Year’s Resolutions, however I do reflect upon things within my life that I may want to change or improve.  I do set out things for myself that I think I need to work on, but I don’t know if it really constitutes a “resolution” or not.  I just think that this seems to be an obvious time for reflection, but the things which I think I need to work on or be more proactive about are things that I should always be doing or have thought about doing just hadn’t gotten around to or the like.  So, in affect this is similar to a resolution – I just don’t necessarily title it as such.

            Part of my personal reflection for this year came from a discussion with a friend regarding reading the Bible.  I have tried in the past to read the Bible.  I have tried different approaches to this.  I started once with the New Testament and didn’t even get through an entire Book.  I’ve started with the Old Testament at one time and I think that I made it all the way through Genesis, or at least close.  I’ve thought about skipping around and tried reading through Psalms. I’ve always ended up getting overwhelmed, became uninterested, gotten wrapped up in a daily hectic life, or whatnot. There has always been some reason to stop. 

I’ve had multiple discussions with a friend that had made it her goal last year to read the entire Bible in one year.  She researched it online and found a plan that she liked for reading through the Bible in the course of a year. She accomplished her goal and finished reading the Bible (chronologically) in a year’s time.  There are multiple sites online devoted to this.  You can choose the version of the Bible that you want to use, you can choose whether you want to read from beginning to end, chronological order, etc…  These plans break up the Bible into sections that are not terribly overwhelming to read on a daily basis, which to me should be helpful in making it through.

So, I have chosen to try reading the Bible in a year.  I chose a plan using the version I am used to and receive daily emails with the selection as well as being able to go onto the site itself to get the reading (or of course in a Bible). I do not tend to like reading text online.  However, along with reading online or via email I also have the option to print the selection.  I am hoping that this will work out for me, especially considering the fact that there will likely be times that I am away from home, potentially for a week at a time or longer, but I should have my laptop with me whenever I am gone somewhere and it is usually fairly easy to get internet access for long enough to at least load the selection and put it into a word document to read from.  So, we’ll see how it goes.  I started a day late because I didn’t sign up for the email notifications, etc… until about 8 p.m. (Alaskan time) on January 1, 2010.  This meant that I the “program” which is set up on a calendar on the site with my login info began from January 2, 2010.  Unfortunately, I’m already a bit behind.  I did the reading for January 2 on time and then didn’t do the reading for the 3^rd until today (January 4).  However, I have saved what I need to read so that I can get to it and double up on one day (hopefully tomorrow).  At this point I’ve also been taking my time going through and I’m even keeping a little journal and writing notations to myself along the way.  I’m not so concerned if I don’t get it done in exactly a year, but if I can keep focus and work through it in sections and not fall too far off the schedule.  I’m hoping this might be helpful to me also for the fact that I do not have a church available that I can attend on a regular basis here.  I have attended a Lutheran Church in Sitka and will probably attend there again if I’m in town on a Sunday, but normally I’m on my own.  So, I guess I’ll see how this goes!

A New Year

   So, it's now officially a new year - January 1, 2010.  The start of the new year brings upon me a time of reflection, as it does for many people.  It seems hard to believe that it's been a full decade since the start of the new millennium.  Ten years ago when everyone was paranoid about what the year 2000 would bring, whether the world's computer systems would crash, some people going to extremes of stashing cash in mattresses, stocking pantries, and filling up gallons of water "just in case."  It's also been a decade since I did my student teaching at Genesee High School and graduated from the University of Michigan- Flint, which means it's been 14 years since graduating high school.  It just seems strange to think of it that way.  It's also been 10 years since Zac and I met and began dating, and now here we are with two boys who are six and seven years of age.  It's interesting to look back and reflect on the question, "Where will you be 10 years from now?"  In 2000, ten years ago, I never would have answered that question by thinking that I would be married to Zac, the boys, living and teaching in Alaska in a small community, etc...  Actually, a year ago I never would have imagined living and working in Alaska, let alone in such a small community and area.  I actually had never even imagined that a place such as Port Alexander, AK even existed now a days.  A city like Port Alexander is definitely not the norm.  There are so many things that don't exist here: no cars, no city power, no cell phone service, only way in or out by plane or boat, no grocery store...  But, the things that we do have here you can't find just anywhere: a close knit community where everyone helps each other, simplicity while still having all of the necessities, children growing up without worrying about strangers or other external dangers, a school with a staff to student ratio of 3:1, the beauty of nature that is beyond what I knew existed, kids who care about their community and are kind, polite, and helpful at all times, a place in which all members of the community (even those without children) support education and the school in every way they can, etc...  I'm not sure that it's where I want my children to grow up for there entire lives, we have yet to see what will happen... but, it's so nice to have a simplicity and ease of life that we never knew before and family time is never an issue here.  I miss my family and friends desperately at times though and it's so hard to be here and feel like I'm hurting my family and friends at home in Michigan by not being there.  But, I had to make some decisions based on what was good for my children and my immediate family.  Most times I think I made the right decision, but I very much take other peoples feelings to heart and it breaks every time I think about how much I feel I am hurting some by being here.