Christmas Morning Hike

I woke up at 9am and took a hike out on the ridge and watched the sunrise at 10:28. I was planning on singing carols and reading the birth story but the view and sunrise captured my attention. It was a miracle to watch the colors shift in all directions.

It's been a relaxing three day break, even with the latest incident. We're planning on a Christmas dinner with the staff and the countdown to coming home has started..

Christmas Program Dancing

This is the girls performing the "Seal" Dance - notice the little girl in the audience.

Christmas Program

The Program went off without a hitch. Planning and being the defacto director was a pain in the tush but it was well worth it. Yes, a few kids forgot their lines, a coworker of mine got unprofessional and we couldn't find the lid to the coffee pot but those things happen. What does matter is that the kids had a good time and the town was there to bask in it.

The program also serves as the major Christmas gift exchange. The presents are put under the tree and the kids run back and forth giving out gifts. For the Blind Santa, I selected one boy and had the pleasure of giving him his first legos.

In Class Native Dancing

All a Part of the Season

I just have to sit back and laugh when I think of all the trouble I would be in if I was in the MVSD as I have a Christmas Tree in my classroom. Suckers.

Birthday Party Dance

One of my students celebrated her 16th birthday in the Community Building tonight. Her mom got the mayor and his sons to blast the night away and I had to fight back calls for me to sing. It's bad enough that they hear me in the classroom.

One of the differences from here and "back home" is that everyone dances. The typical teenage behavior of having one large group of boys on one end and on the other giggling girls is nonexistant; everyone dances.

Movie from Christmas Trees

Just copy & paste this address into your address bar and hit enter:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIBkLlEBVmQ

Christmas Trees

Today my ADD boss had all of us on Hondas and snowmobiles out to find the Christmas tree for the school. It really wasn't a fight to get us to go. I'm used to driving to Big Lake, walking around for a few hours then finding *that* tree. On the return, you make special attention to ensure you don't drag the tree through dog poo. Here, in Clark Griswald fashion, you not only took the chainsaw but also a gun.

We eventually found one for the school, another for Ed's family and even one for my classroom!

It was my first time actually driving on a frozen lake ( little spooky ) but I got to do a broodie. We returned to the cabins and we're making plans to get that wood heated hot tub working.

On the way back, I came across a fox in the middle of the road. I stopped, and he walked past me within kicking distance and wandered up a tree.

Frostbite will give you the Blues

After a rather stressful day, Ed, his herd, the Boss and I went off on a snowmobile ride. Because of the size of the crew, Amber, seen in the Eskimo food post, was jostled between Boss & I. We went full speed unto lakes and through trees at a very "Return of the Jedi" speed ( nerds, you'll get the reference ). Yes, Mom, that is a frozen lake with 1300pds of weight on it.

When we got back I discovered I had a touch of frostbite above my eyebrow.

Damn cool.

No Headphones but Drums are OK

My students today starting practicing the Reindeer, Seal & Peek-A-Boo Dances for the upcoming Christmas Program. I was amazed at how fast they went into the movements and it gave me a moment to sit back and watch them as they needed no instruction.

This is them doing the Seal Dance. I'm going to make an attempt to upload a video later tonight.

Snowed In & Amazing Deeds

Over the weekend, we got close to two feet of snow. Since I'm the second floor - with the best view in the district - I could see out unto the lake which had a light dusting of snow as well as periodically watching snow "thumpff" off the upper roof. The snowmachines were brought out and now the top speed in Kokhanok has gone from 40 to 80. Being half husky, Mitzy was loving every-single-minute of being outside. She'd go bury herself, pop out somewhere else and run top speed into another snow drift.

Today was also an amazing day as I helped a student write the word "spider"for the first time. Yes-Yes, no small deed for everyone reading this but this kid is SPED, loves to go into a rant using only the word "F*#ker" and just last week wrote his first word, his name, for the first time. Amazing deeds indeed.