Belated Happy Thanksgiving...

Belated Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours….


Thanksgiving was a wonderfully lazy day. We all slept in and for breakfast, Steve made “crepes” (pronounced with a strong German accent) filled with compote and topped with whip cream. We watched a little bit of the Macy’s day parade and started a game of monopoly. When it warmed up to 42 degrees, we bundled up and went to the park. We played frisbee golf, football and baseball. I tried to get a picture of a bald eagle perched in a nearby tree…but the result was a brown blob on a branch. Baseball and football proved to be a slippery mess. After Andrew had taken a few slides in the mud, he was ready to go home and get warm. In dry clothes, he snuggled up on the coach and watched a video on Squanto, the Native American that helped the Pilgrims on the first Thanksgiving.

Our Thanksgiving dinner was a little quirky. Stephanie, the school’s English and my voice student, invited us to Thanksgiving dinner two weeks prior to the day. I eagerly accepted and asked her to let me know what I could bring. Over the next two weeks I got sick, Steve was gone and play rehearsals were in full swing. When Steve returned, an intense school board meeting left everybody whirling. I was so preoccupied that I didn’t have time to over think Thanksgiving. I just assumed it would all fit my mental expectations. (that was the first mistake) The day before Thanksgiving at four o’clock in the afternoon, Stephanie approached Steve and I in the main office with the hopes of brainstorming of what to do and eat for Thanksgiving. We passed some kid friendly ideas around and then she said that she needed to fill her husband, Ben, the Science teacher, in on all of it and get his opinion. It was six o’clock and still no call from Stephanie. We had no groceries in the house; the grocery store closed at seven and was not open the next day and had declined to other invitations. I was feeling pretty bummed. I really wanted to be out of the house for the holidays. But being sick, the play rehearsals, intense school board meetings, and not wanting to be presumptuous…I let the days go by and I wasn’t prepared. So, I suggested that we call them and ask them if we could just come for dessert. No matter how badly I wanted to be aprt of someone’s family chaos, we couldn’t, in good faith, at accept the other invitations we had received. We scavenged through our frig and freezer and came up with some “prize” dishes. Our Thanksgiving dinner was a simple meal of cabbage salad (Tricia’s pick), scalloped potatoes (Andrew’s pick) and chicken (Steve’s pick, by default.) We walked up to Ben, Stephanie and Jordon’s (their 11 year-old daughter) house with warm brownies, ice cream, chocolate sauce and the “toxic-red-dye” maraschino cherries that Grandma sent Andrew in the mail. They had made a delicious berry and kiwi cobbler. We indulged in dessert, tea and interesting conversation and Andrew’s bonus was playing with Jordon’s cool Lego collection.

It turned out to be a beautifully full day and helped me to appreciate the simplicity of just being together.

I have included some pictures from Andrew’s “Author’s Tea” that Mrs. Bidiman held for her students. Andrew and his classmate read out loud the stories they wrote for the school children in Belize. After their presentation, they served us baked apples and hot cocoa.

We are most grateful for our friends and family. We hope you had a beautiful holiday and may the next few weeks until Christmas be filled with a God’s comforting peace and love.

Saturday Joy!

Steve comes home today! Andrew and I are so excited. I haven't had a good night's sleep in 2 1/2 weeks. Andrew misses visiting the Principal's office for hugs and peanut M & M's and then ambushing him when he comes home. (How many kids get to hide in a secret spot and shoot their Principal with a Stars War Clone Nerf gun when he gets home.) The house is clean from top to bottom and we even made him his favorite double chocolate brownies. Only an hour until his plane arrives :)

Quick note on the pictures in this blog post.
I am still having problems downloading pictures into the blog. I emailed them to Steve, while he was in Anchorage, and he posted them for me. When I dropped in the text today, I can't see the pictures, but I know they are there because of the empty boxes that show up. This also means I wasn't able to configure them to match the storyline. So if the pictures don't follow the story, I'm sorry. If they do...it was a lucky guess.

Andrew, Steve and I wish you and your families a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving. We miss you and thanks again for reading our blog. Have a beautiful day!

Hibernation

The season has come that bears are tucked safely away in their sound slumber. High and low temperatures of 32-27 degrees cause all pulses to slow. Even the Hoonah sky never appears fully roused awake. The days start out grey and move to darker grey. The “evening” street lights flicker on around 3:30 pm, man’s feeble attempt at evolution.

The first part of the week we were lucky enough to have the clouds clear after-dark to reveal the night sky. Although we haven’t seen any Northern Lights, the Alaskan canopy is gloriously bedecked with stars. Andrew and I walk to and from rehearsal, gawking upward. After reading this month’s National Geographic cover story, I am grateful for such a view.

It snowed, a wet snow, all day Thursday, outlining the thick pine trees, behind our house in heavy wonder. Andrew munched and threw snowballs on the way to school. Lagging playfully behind, he “ice-skated” down the frothy streets in his boots. My backside was a constant snowball target. With his baseball background, he rarely missed.

We are gracefully embracing winter, outfitted with warm coats, gloves, long johns, hats, fleece and boots…like an artist…the right tools create the masterpiece…and I appreciate that we are able to have the gear to allow us to enjoy this work of art we are experiencing.

I believe my soul’s tools are also being forged and refined, and at rapid pace. Over the last two months, as my inside landscape has quaked and then settled with new valleys, glorious mountain peaks and soft grassy meadows, I have gained invaluable insights that have deepened my life and strengthen my connection to my Maker. With life’s highlights, shadows, focal points, blending and unimaginable colors of character, God is using bold strokes and gifting us all lessons of a rich and humbling perspective.

Birthday, Sunday and Bunco-day

This week’s highlights include: Andrew going to a new friend, Ethan Grey’s, 7th birthday party. Complete with home made chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, Oreo cookie ice-cream, and general chaos that comes with 15 children of all ages confined to a small area after eating sugar. The main activity, aside from opening presents was dodging a multitude of Nerf gun “bullets” and bouncing on an exercise ball. Needless to say, they were all having a great time!

Ethan’s family will be moving to Washington State in January. His Mom, Rene is the Hoonah 5/6th grade teacher. She was raised on “The Farm,” (last week’s post) and apart from getting her teaching credential in Fairbanks, has lived her entire life on this island. Their family: Rene, her husband (who was Mayor last year), Ethan and his older brother Truman are all excited for their new adventure…especially Ethan, who gets to spend the $70 he got for his birthday at Toy-R-Us in Seattle.

Sunday was the only sun day of the week. Andrew and I reveled in the light with a long walk along the coast. We made a short visit to the tiny, local cemetery. Andrew likes to go there, not only to read the names on the unkempt grave markers, but also to do the math of how old they were when the people died. He got really excited when he found one that died on his 3rd birthday. It may sound like a morbid outing…but it is fodder for thoughtful conversation.

Andrew and I, along with 35 other adults and kids, learned how to play Bunco at the Boy and Girl’s Club. It was a joint effort of the Big Brother, Big Sister program and the Boy Scouts. We headed across the street after school on Wednesday. They explained the rules, enough for all the ages to understand. The pace was great; fun and fast. Andrew ended up with five Buncos. I only had one. We both ended up taking home a prize; his, a stuffed animal rattle snake and I, a small pottery vase.

Andrew's goin' coco-nutty!

On Friday, he presented a thorough speech on coconuts. From research, to presentation, he did a great job. He was most proud of the fact that he typed his entire report by himself. The speech was a breeze and the chewy coconut cookies were a hit!


Fun facts about coconuts! Did you know....?
There is so much “water” in a coconut that it could fill a liter bottle.

Indonesia is the largest producer coconuts.

Coconuts can be used to make rugs, walls, brooms and ice cream holders.

What appear to be different types of coconuts, is actually the same fruit in different stages of maturity.

Our Neighborhood

Since I have arrived in Hoonah, I have sought to share with you the true beauty and mystique of this place. Here is another side of Hoonah. Let me introduce you to our neighborhood. I have yet to comprehend this demonstration, but I am trying…

Perhaps, you may see why it crucial for me to keep my eyes fixed on nature and the journey of my soul, for the view of the unskilled human hand is glaring and disturbing. While I do contemplate the whole reality of my surroundings, I know I will never fully understand. Nature does what it does best…it grounds me, lifts me and keeps my soul from sinking to the state of dishevelment that is manifest in our neighborhood.

This is what we see everyday… next door, across the street and on our walk to school.

Another great week...

We are so fortunate…the good times just keep on coming. This week it was the school carnival, Thanksgiving dinner at “The Farm,” the Veterans assembly, parent/teacher conferences, the first and only home volleyball game of the year, (Yes, we won!) and our major purchase of Alaskan tennis shoes, a rainy weather must.

The rain and wind has been awful. This week is the only time I really wish we had our car up here. When ever we go out of the house our jeans get drenched from top to bottom. I am going to have to break out the rain pants. The clouds cleared on Thursday morning, just in time for me steal a picture of the setting full moon. It is moments like that, that I wish I had a really good camera, perhaps I could have ended up with something much better than a dot on the horizon.


Steve is biding his time in Anchorage with all-day in meetings. As sad as that sounds, he unabashedly tells me about all the restaurant food he is eating and about feeling obligated to go see a movie with the staff…he tries to make it sound very “ho-hum,” but I don’t buy it for a minute. Andrew and I, both miss him terribly…thankfully, he will be home the 22nd :)

Speaking of home….It won’t be long before we are in Medford for a visit. Andrew and I are coming back December 12th. This will give us week to spend with family and friends before Andrew’s dad picks him up for the holidays on the 19th. Steve is done with school on the 19th and will fly in on the 20th. We are so looking forward to getting back to the “big city.”

Thanks again for reading…we wish you all a beautiful week!