A week of EXCITEMENT!

Holy cow! A whole week full of awesomeness to fill you in on. :) I think my last post was about the girls finishing the basketball season up, right? So, we made it back from Chevak just fine. I was the unlucky character who got to bring back 8 of the boys team. However, I must say the boys are entirely more entertaining than the girls are on plane trips. At one point I heard a loud chuckle so I turned around and see one of the high school boys holding his ball shoes up to the air vents. I laughed and asked what the heck he was doing. He just giggled and said he was drying out his shoes.

Sunday was a fun day of relaxation and sub plans. I was obviously excited for my birthday, but got plenty of work done. I was supposed to leave on my birthday for Mountain for the district science fair. However, as it goes in this area of Alaska, the weather was bad so we were postponed until the next day. So, Jana and I did our class then took off on our Ski Doos. I decided that even though the post office ruined my afternoon, apparently God still loved me because we got some fresh powder. We played until probably 9 PM and finally decided it was time to eat some birthday dinner.

You know you're in Alaska when your birthday dinner consists of moose, fake mashed potatoes and canned vegetables. :) At home I would've taken myself out for some Mexican or Italian food. In the bush, I have tasty home cooked meals. :)

We headed out to Mountain on Tuesday morning. I was excited to see my MOU friends. The kids were great during the presentations and were easy to handle. However, basketball coaches are MUCH better at keeping kids quiet than these chaperones were. Holy moly, I was awake until after 2 in the morning because some kids were running through the halls and sumo wrestling next door. Sure makes for a grumpy Sammy Jo! However, it wasn't a completely terrible time in MOU. I was able to go have dinner with Jamie--she made DELICIOUS chicken taco soup. Then we got to go watch part of a movie with Sam and Joshua. Good company and a good movie make for a good evening.

Wednesday we had the awards ceremony for the science fair... My 3 cups of coffee really multiplied my normal ADHD tendencies. I couldn't sit still for the life of me. We have one student going to the state science fair in Anchorage. So excited for her!! I got back from the science fair just in time to take my kids out for recess and early release. They were not too happy that I was leaving them again last week. It seems as if I haven't been with my kiddos at all for 2 weeks! Holy cow.

Thursday we had inservice and I was able to handle my exhaustion decently. Nope, I take that back. I was delirious all day long. I was singing and dancing through breaks and put my heart and soul into a respect song the IL wanted our staff to practice...

Thursday afternoon Jana and I talked a friend John into showing us how to get to Mountain. However, the MOU crew didn't know we were coming. After a 3 hour rough ride over hard pack bumps and ice chunks we made it to MOU. We were hungry and it was getting dark. The surprised looks on the faces of our dear friends was awesome. :) It was fun to hang out for a day and a half with them.

While in MOU we had all sorts of adventures. We saw some sweet Northern Lights... Shared some laughter... BSed with the human resources guy about hunting, basketball and guns... Climed the "mountain" which really is more like a hill-- Think Devil's hill in Paisley... Rode ski doo's down to the spring for water... Rode ski doo's up the hill... More movies and laughter...

Surprise visits are awesome, but sometimes a little bit of local knowledge is needed... The gas station in MOU has apparently been closed for a while... Pump isn't working. Oopsie, should've looked into that Thursday! But the tapped the line today. It was like the new clips from big cities when there are gas shortages... We pulled up to the station at 1015 this morning. I counted and there were 2 pickups and 18 snow machines ahead of us. And the pump wasn't working... Great.... Our plan B would be to drive 20 miles to St. Mary's with gas cans until we've got enough in the machines to get the machines to St. Mary's then head home from there... However, we waited it out and by 11:30 we were at the pump. It took us about 4 hours to get home today. We took a different route coming back and it was awesome. The majority of the trip was awesome powder. There was also some rough ground to cover--some bumps that cause a girl to catch some sweet air! I thought to myself probably 100 times that it felt like I was driving on clouds. I realized today that there is nothing more peaceful than cruising through fresh powder at 45 MPH and talking with God. What a calming feeling.

Now I sit here at midnight--time to change clocks. I'm hoping my phone and computer will automatically update because I am not sure if I jump forward or go backward... I am looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow--likely the first night of sleep that lasts longer than 5 hours all week. I've got a busy week ahead of teaching, report cards and sub plans.

HOLY COW, didn't realize I hadn't mentioned that I finally made the decision to stay in Lower Yukon School District for another year. I signed my contract on Tuesday and turned it in. While it should feel like a complete weight lifted off my shoulders, I just still don't know how I feel about it. I also put in for a transfer to other schools within the district. Right now my worst case scenario is returning to Alakanuk, and having that as my "worst" option isn't all that bad. :) I should hear from HR this week about any positions open in the district. Jana and I are going to try to stick together regardless of where we teach next year. That makes the decision to transfer much easier knowing that I will have one person I know and trust with me from the beginning.

I think that sums up this week. I'll keep you posted throughout this week on new developments in my life like where I'll be next year, my awesome summer plans, etc.

There are more pictures on facebook. I just don't have the patience to download them then upload them to my blog. Maybe tonight I'll find the time. :)

23 years 364 days...

There are some things I understand... And others that make NO sense to me at all... Tomorrow is my 24th birthday--even though I may try to tell you it'll be my 25th. I have spent most my my birthdays away from my sisters since I went to college... However, we always are able to come home and have the weekend together. This year is gonna suck. I'm in Bush Alaska. Hannah is in Paisley and Laura is in American Falls. There is no way we'll be able to all get together at Mom and Dad's house with the whole family for dinner, birthday cake and a little Guitar Hero. :)

I have so many things to be thankful for. I am grateful for two very loving, compassionate parents who have taught us kids the value of honesty, respect, hard work, a giving spirit, and most important the importance of unconditional love.

I am lucky to have all four grandparents who are my go-to's when I don't like what Mom or Dad say. :) They've always been right there to support us and hug us when we needed it most.

I was lucky to have my sassy great grandma until I was 22 years old. She taught me many tricks in the kitchen, showed me that life is supposed to be fun, laughed with me and always had room in her bed for her great-grandkids.

I have 4 best friends--Ash, Hannah, Laura and Joe. Regardless of the issue I know that they'll always be on my side in the end. They've seen me at my best and at my worst and somehow still talk to me through it all.

I am thankful for my many many aunts and uncles, great-aunts, great-uncles, third cousins we call uncle, etc. They've always been there for a laugh, a cry, a piece of advice or to tell me that I've made a poor choice. I love getting to spend a few minutes talking to each of them in the random times they happen to call or I catch them. They've housed me for basketball camps, long weekends, and summer vacations. They have supported me in every life choice I've made from my goal to become a teacher to my summer teaching in Italy to my big move to the Bush.

I am thankful for some awesome friends, both old and new, who've always had a smile for me when I needed it most. Some of them are my drinking buddies, others my study buddies, some my co-workers, others my awesome cousins. Regardless of how we met, I am so blessed to have so many awesome people surrounding me.

I guess I am just in a bit of a reflecting mood this mornings. Perhaps its because I'm putting off the sub plans I need to create for tomorrow and Tuesday... Perhaps its because I haven't caught up on sleep yet. In any case, days like today--the last day of my 23rd year--I know I am blessed.

End of Ball Season

Girls played Scammon Bay last night... Lost 70-17.

This morning we played Kotlik. The first quarter was close--and we ended the half down by 15. The 3rd quarter the girls decided something needed to change and dominated. They finished the 3rd quarter within 2 points of Kotlik. The girls continued to play hard, but Kotlik picked up the pressure as well. After some poor passes and lazy rebounding the game ended with Kotlik 52-Alakanuk 41.


Its been a season of ups and downs. The girls seemed to have had lots of fun. They've worked hard and had great success. I've learned alot about myself, coaching, frustration and Bush basketball over the past 4 months. Its been quite the ride.

Night One of Five in Chevak

So here we are back in Chevak (che-vack). The girls were the number 9 seed (out of 10). We faced our rival Emmonak again. I told the girls that Emo would be gunning for them because we'd beat them twice and all that jazz.

The game started out close, within a basket or two either way. However, by the end of the first quarter we had built a solid 10 point lead. The girls were playing well, not fully to their potential but they were starting to find a rhythm.

Long story short... We won 43-33. Tomorrow we play number one seed Scammon Bay. We are guaranteed 2 more games because it is a double elimination tournament, but if we lose one game we won't be getting the berth for the state tournament.

For a little inspiration and Cinderella story we're watching Hoosiers as we wind down tonight... :)

Basketball.... Snow.... Wind....

Wow, with that title its almost as if I'm back in Lake County again. :) Haha. We're headed into our last weekend of basketball, most likely. Tomorrow around noon we'll leave for Chevak for the regional basketball tournament. The wind has been crazy here though, so I don't know if we'll get out.

Basketball has been very frustrating for me. I have a hard time understanding how many kids here aren't completely dedicated and focused on something they supposedly love so much. Its been a struggle getting girls to come to practice or at least call before practice to let me know if they'll be missing practice. We started in November with 16 girls. Now we're down to 7 girls and at one point we were at 3. The other super frustrating part is that my assistant coach Jana and I have tried to set guidelines for the girls regarding missing practices and being respectful letting one of us know if they'll miss practice. After many signed a contract and failed to live up to their part of the deal I was forced to "give them one more chance"... Its frustrating because 1. I was completely undermined in my position as a coach. My boss completely went over my head to the girls and told them "I'll beg for her to give you one more chance." and 2. thats only teaching the girls that they can do whatever they want and still get another chance.

Oh well, off my soap box. We've got a team and we're off to do the best we can! :)

It hasn't snowed a ton since Christmas break. We've had a bit here and there, but nothing outrageous. This weekend, particularly yesterday and today the wind has been awesome. Yesterday I came to school for a few hours. Sarah had left the house about 11 she said. When I went home at 3 I couldn't tell if she'd been out the front door or not... The wind whips the snow into a nice peak right at my front door. I spent about an hour shoveling mostly just the steps and also stomping back and forth to pack down the snow a bit. I was expecting to have the same peak to shovel this morning on my way to school but was pleasantly surprised that my steps still looked good. :)

Last week I also was without my other half, Jana Mae. She had the awesome opportunity to go to Juneau for a week for Alaska Close-Up with a group of high school students.  She got to work with lots of kids and with state government officials in our state capital. Needless to say, she had an awesome time. I was bored for the majority of the week, but I was able to get plenty of sleep and get all rested up from our ridiculous idea last friday... I'll post another blog about that later. Ha!

I was invited to go moose hunting with Paul last monday after inservice. We took off and planned to be gone not terribly long because we had school the next day. We headed out toward Lamont Slough and Sunshine Bay. It was a beautiful day for riding. We didn't see any moose but we did get Paul stuck and unstuck in some pretty deep powder. I didn't get any pictures of being stuck, but I do have a few I'll throw in here showing the beauty of this place I live... And the beauty that Sammy Jo is too. Ha!

I'll try to post this week while at Chevak and keep you updated on our games. Looking forward to catching up with many of you this summer!!!

What is love?

Love is...


Snow machines!!

Finding snow tunnels and carving our own cups.

Marinating steaks with your friend who left you for a week.

Full circle farm radishes...

Delicious salads...

Happy Birthday to Sarah Bear!!!-and an update for the last 2 months...

Happy 28th birthday to my sweet sweet cousin Sarah Beth!!! I love you, Sar-Bear!! :) I hope you're having a fantastic time at Disneyland!!!

Its been 2 months since I've posted.... Phew!!! I'm not so good at this whole blogging thing. January seemed to whiz by. I stayed plenty busy between coaching and teaching first grade and after school program. It was the first of February before I knew it.

In January we traveled first to Kotlik for a weekend of games. We only had 6 eligible players, but they worked hard and won one out of three games against Kotlik and Scammon.

Emo is the rival here, much like North Lake and Paisley are rivals. There are many people who are good friends, even some family (up here EVERYONE is related), but when it come to basketball they're serious. The first night in Chevak we played Emo and lost by 3 points. The girls weren't used to Emo's aggressive playing. As they were settling down for the evening I heard talk of revenge and working harder to beat them in the morning. We played them again and the girls were awesome. We beat Emo by 7 in overtime.

The first weekend in February we held home basketball games. We hosted Mountain Village, Kotlik and Emmonak. The girls had an awesome time playing their hearts out in front of their friends and family. I never realized how important those home crowds were when I was playing ball, but the girls sure played at a different level for their home crowd.

After the home games, I got really frustrated. Of the 11 girls on my team prior to home games, only 2 or 3 came to practice the week after those games. Holy moly, Batman! At the end of that week we had a conversation and 6 girls signed a contract saying they wouldn't miss any more practices unexcused.

That weekend we went to Emo for a visit to Marta and Cody and to watch Emo's potlach. The following Monday I was back down to 4 girls at practice. Holy anger happening. So we're at 5 or maybe 6 because a few were gone for being sick and not coming to school.

This weekend was our home Potlach. Friday was a vacation day for our school because of Potlach. So Jana and I took off toward Emo to play a little bit and meet up with Sam and Joshua and Marta and Cody for dinner. ON the way back to AUK for Potlach we stopped along the bank of the river and shot the 44 mag. So fun... Videos will be posted when Jana gets home and I steal them from her. :) We made it home about 9 and headed to Potlach. We watched many friends do their first dance and laughed with some natives until 2:30 in the morning. By that time we were STARVING!!! So we came home and made tacos. Then it was time for Jana to start packing--she had to leave at 9 in the morning, so packing began about 3:30. I helped her iron and pack and the joint effort stopped around 5. At that point we had a short discussion on the perks of whether to sleep or just stay up for the remaining 3 hours until we'd be getting up anyway... We stayed up.

That night was complete and total ridiculousness. The 4 hours between finishing packing and her leaving for the plane we got lots done... By lots I mean lots of laughing and ridiculousness... We had a nerf gun war, taught ourselves how to juggle with a youtube video, talk and laughed at the dumb things we were saying because we were so delirious. At 7:30 we might have been having second thoughts about not going to sleep, but we survived the ordeal. And I'm currently working on a video of my life in Alaska, so more clips from the ridiculousness of Friday night will be added.

Yesterday, the day I started this post, I went to Nunam to pick up a friend, Brittnay. Prior to leaving I really thought "maybe I should find someone who knows how to get there to show me the way." But then I figured, "I have my GPS and it can't be that hard... There is a trail and lots of people came over for Potlach last night, it'll be okay." So off I went... And boy oh boy was I lost....

On the picture--The light blue line is where I drove... You can see the beginning and end- its pretty much a straight shot on a trail that I just missed the whole time... Ooopsie. :) Good thing I'm adventuresome and stubborn as heck.

But since I had my GPS and my brain turned on, I was able to find my way to Nunam okay. :) Picked Britt up, headed to AUK to get gas then off to Emo to say hi to Sam and Joshua and Marta and Cody. Seems like there was a bit of a trend this week. haha!! We came back to AUK and surprised Michael and Sarah with Brittnay's presence... Had an eventful night of karaoke and playing cards. It was a great little break.

Today is a lazy day... Laundry,  taking my friend's dog for a walk, making sure I am ready for work to start again tomorrow. :) Haha.

Now that I'm caught up to date I will put it on my weekly to do list so I remember to post occassionally. :) Hope you are all well.

XOXO
Sammy Jo