Permission to obsess please?
OK, I am ready to confess that I am obsessed with Alaska. I really can't put my finger on exactly WHY either. Most of a half hour car ride to Olympia yesterday was devoted to trying to convince Paul to move there. I got on craigslist this morning to look at real estate in Alaska (not as cheap as one might expect). I don't know what God has in store for us. I continue to teach this year with considerably less fervor than in years past (for many reasons). I have books checked out from the library on Alaska, and I am currently finishing this one, about life in small town Alaska. I am also in the middle of another one, Looking for Alaska, by Peter Jenkins (the man who wrote A Walk Across America). There is a chapter in this book about Unalakleet, the village we spent most of our time in last year. I even have Paul reading books about Alaska. He is more attracted to the ruggedness of it, but is still very skeptical about the feasability of a venture like this.
In other news, a Saturday stretches out before me! I love this feeling. There's nothing like working all week to really make you enjoy your weekends. I am really loving the personality of my new little crop of kindergarteners. I won't have to put as much effort in this year for many reasons, only one grade, only 11 students, an aid all morning. It took until my third year of teaching to finally feel like "this is doable". I have to say, I am in a very unique situation that most people would give thier right arm to be in. Class size and environment can make a huge difference. This year we are doing a "reading buddies" program, which I have been pulling for for a while. Older children are paired with younger, reading together and building relationships. I get to have contact with some of the rest of the kids, not just the littlest ones, which is really nice. My kids from last year have moved on, which is a little sad, but I still get hugs in the hallway.
Last night Paul and I went to Olympia, walked on the waterfront, went out to dinner at Ramblin' Jacks (we met my parents there) (Ramblin' Jacks is where we went out to dinner late at night after our wedding, we love it for sentimental and tasty reasons) After that we went to Barnes and Nobles to look at books. Sidenote: I was in the browsing in the parenting section of the store and my eye caught a book called something like "diaper free parenting". This involves holding your baby over a little bowl when you FEEL LIKE THEY ARE READY TO ELIMINATE. No thanks! What scares me is when I told Paul about this he thought it was cool. Anyway, we love B&N for the big chairs and coffee and the fact that you can stay there and read a whole book and no one would look at you twice. I fell asleep on the way home, it's been a long week.
I really should stop not because the laundry is actually piling up over the hamper and onto the floor, and I want to go to the gym too. If you've made it this far in today's blog, WOW, thanks for listening.
