He is Risen!!!

He is risen indeed! Maybe that phrase has something to do with how much I have always liked (and perhaps periodically overused) the word indeed...It's a thought at least.
So I still don't have the picture adding thing totally figured out, but I'm working on it :) We had a nice little Easter here. On Saturday we had several families over to color eggs. When we were finished we threw the leftover dye out in the snow. Later on the girls had a grand old time making snowballs in every color of the rainbow. What a strange place Alaska is! Tim was on call and had to leave, which pretty much ended the party since the people who had come were from his work. He ended up being out all night, so Cheryl and I headed out to church bright and early all alone. I even wore a skirt! Sorry, no pictures of that :) We had fresh rolls at the church before the service, so it felt a little like the usual sunrise routine, only a little later in the day.

Maundy Thursday

I just went to my first ever Maundy Thursday service. It's sort of like Good Friday only not really. It was mostly just a time to be still and reflect on all that Jesus did when he died on the cross. It got me to thinking a lot about the kids I'm with every day. They are really in such a sad state. So many of them are raising themselves and doing a terrible job of it. They have lost their innocence. What has become of the little children that Jesus gathered to himself to bless? Where have all these corrupted little monsters, so to speak, come from? They are brought up in homes with no morals, and they bring their parents bitterness with them into the classrooms. In a sense, children are a representation of the most basic emotions. They don't yet know how to hide the things they are thinking and feeling. They lash out at others from their inability to navigate their own emotions. And what I see scares me. They have no sense of right and wrong. They epitomize how much we think of ourselves, rather than being aware of others. They have no compassion, no mercy, no grace. There is no awareness of their need of a savior. It really just makes me sad. I have no idea how to relate to them either. Even trying to have fun with them turns into a nightmare with attitudes flaring up and noise levels soaring to unbearable heights.
So as I reflect on what Jesus has done for me, as I seek repentance for my own self-centeredness, I wonder what can be done for the children of our morally bankrupted culture. Pretty heavy, I know, but it's what's on my mind.

Back in Alaska

Well, my spring break didn't turn out quite as planned. After spending a long night in the SeaTac airport I got a phone call from my mom informing me that she was taking Dad - which I had to clarify as being my dad and not my grandpa - into the emergency room. Several hours later I learned that his right carotid artery was severely blocked and he would need to have emergency surgery. My mind was reeling, but I was thankful that I would be able to be there for my family. The surgery took place on Sunday and was very successful. Dad was able to come home by Monday, and has been slowly regaining strength ever since. Being a very active person, it has been hard for him to accept the fact that the recovery process is a slow one. He still gets worn out easily and has to rest a lot, but he is getting better every day. Many thanks to all who have been praying for him and the rest of the family. Please continue to keep my parents in your prayers, not only for Dad's continued healing, but also as they are in the frightening process of becoming home owners. I had a chance to go up and visit Julie for a few days so I got to see the house. There is definitely a lot of work that needs to be done to make it livable. The roof needs replacing and there is some serious mold damage in the basement, but I think there is a lot of potential as well. Being right next door to Julie and Brian and the kids is also a huge bonus. All the same, I know this is a very stressful time for my parents, and that they need all the support they can get.
I had a great time visiting both family and friends. I spent several days at Julie and Janet's houses so I got to hang out with lots of family. I was also in and out of Mom and Dad's, and was able to attend to wedding of one of my old Sunday School students. What a blessing to see how well the girls I once worked with have turned out :) I got to spend a few days with Jessie as well. Overall, I'm very pleased with how things went, and now I'm ready to relax a bit. Holidays really aren't as relaxing as people try to make them out to be!
I wasn't able to get a job today, so I'm taking it easy and trying to catch up on things a bit. I'm sure I'll be up and running again soon with this crazy substitute life.

And the winner is...

For anyone who reads both of my blogs, yes this is a repeat from Bebo. Scary how easy it was to plagiarize myself. Just hope no one else gets any brilliant ideas. Anyhow, here's the post:
Lance Mackey is the winner of the 35th Iditarod. Just thought I would share that with you all He is actually making dog racing history as he also won another 1,000 mile sled race earlier this year. Pretty impressive. Another curious little fact: his father won the Iditarod on his 6th try in 1978 wearing the number 13, his brother won the Iditarod in 1983 on his 6th try wearing the number 13, this was Lance's 6th try and he wore the #13. Interesting...
My high five friend, Jon Korta #24, is currently in 34th place I think. I'm still cheering him on though, just because. I'm sure you've all been on the edge of your seats waiting for this data.
Oh, and Sherry asked me a few days ago if I would come up with some story starters for her. She mentioned posting them here, so I decided to open them up to anyone who needs a little kick to get them writing. I put them up at the top of the page in the section that's supposed to be facts about me. Having already written my own post about bathrooms I thought I'd start off with that one. I'll try to add more every now and then. If you feel like writing to one, be sure to put it up on your page so we can all check it out.
Also, Becky, if you read this, add me as one of your friends so I can visit your page! Every time I try it just tells me "Oooo, sorry this isn't allowed. She has to be your friend first!" At least they pretend to be polite about it.
Two more days 'til I fly away! Yipee!!!
And that's about it. Mush on!

Three more days!

Well, I must admit I'm starting to think that if I want people to comment I just have to take a REALLLY long time to put up new posts. At least that's how it appears when I check on other people's pages. (sigh) Just a shout out to anyone who reads this, I always like to get comments. So far I've managed to get at least one every time, so I try to hold out at least that long.
Anyhow, this note is mostly to let people know that I'll probably be a pretty pathetic slacker over the next couple of weeks as I will be flying southward come Thursday. I have a rather hideous 11 1/2 hour layover in Seattle, so I won't actually arrive in Oregon until Friday, but it's not exactly my first time in an airport, so I guess I can't complain too much. I use the word "so" a lot. Some habits are so hard to break. Ha ha. Don't bother counting up how many times I write "well" and "anyhow" either. It's rather horrific, but everyone has to have catch words, right?
Now, I'll try to finish this up without using any of those words again. It's definitely going to be a struggle. They're just such amazing filler/transition words.
While I have passed my initial 6 week deadline for getting in my support, they haven't kicked me off the team yet. I just got an e-mail encouraging me and all other team players to keep working hard to get the finances in, which goes to show I'm not the only one in this position. As of yet I don't know a whole lot about what the team situation is going to look like, but will fill people in as I gain more understanding myself.
On that note, let me add that I am positively ecstatic to have only two days of teaching left before I get to go on Holiday!
Wow, I actually managed not to use any of those words in the last few paragraphs. Go me! :)

Mush on you Malamutes!

Well, the Iditarod is on! It was great fun to go out and nearly freeze to death yesterday, watching the beginning of the race. Hard to believe those crazy people (and dogs) are now somewhere out in the wilds trying desperately to stay warm. I can safely say I'm not likely to join them anytime in the near future! You can see the starting line in the background here. With me are my sister Cheryl, her husband Tim, and their three daughters: Haley, Tekla, and Naomi.
These dogs running are the first ones in the race. The dogs all just looked so excited to be out there in all that insane coldness. I've decided to cheer for Musher #24 because he gave me a high five as he went by. Every now and then it's fun to get into the whole crowd mentality. Brings back those old Cheer leader days...yeah, never mind.
I finally got my newsletter sent out today so hopefully you're all feeling updated on all that's going on with me these days. I'll be sure to update again soon.

All things Alaskan

Just thought I'd share a couple Alaska things here and put up some pictures. The Iditarod starts on Sunday, so we went last night and checked out some of the ice sculptures. It was pretty cool, and when I say cool what I mean is so cold that I thought my fingers were going to fall off! I still managed to snap a few pictures while wearing massive gloves.
I also got to see the Northern Lights on Tuesday night. It wasn't a very large display, but they were definitely drifting specter-like across the northern skyline. Obviously I don't have a fancy enough camera to do them justice so no photos this time. I always tried to take skyline photos at night in Hong Kong and that never worked out very well either. (sigh) Someday I'll take that photography course, but until then, you'll just have to make due with what my lovely little digi can do. I really thought the ones of Godzilla attacking the city were cool!