- I cannot function until my classroom is laid out. My desk needs to be in its spot, the student's desks need to be in their spots.
- Face masks and eye protection are essential when riding ATV's in the AK Bush.
- Sometimes the best thing to do is to stop what you are doing and bake some bread!
- Internet is so nice.
- Keep your happy place happy.
- Make new happy places and keep them all happy too.
- Cellphones are still valuable in the AK Bush. (Who's going to call the pilot when you're stranded?)
- Steams are a bit scary at first for us Westerners, but oh do they feel so good.
- Sunrises are that much more beautiful when riding towards them in an open air ATV.
- Fur is awesome!
- Lesson planning never ends.
- Aha moments are super gratifying.
- Relationships with students are way cooler when you get past the just Teacher-Student phase.
- Shopping for nine months at Costco is really fun.
- Shipping for nine months at the Post Office is not fun.
- Family is so important.
- Always carry gloves and a beanie.
- Rain jackets seem useless when riding an ATV in the rain.
- -30℉ + wind chill on an ATV = Frostbite
- Church over the phone is so cool.
- Socializing over the phone at church is....difficult.
- Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing at all.
- Leave work at work. When you come home, be home.
- Be responsible for your actions.
- Be respectful of others and where you live.
- Listen before you speak.
- Toasters with a built in sandwich maker are really neat.
- Do your best to take care of yourself and your family and try not to rely on others. If you must rely on others, be respectful and grateful for their help.
- A little bit of preparation can make a whole lot of difference.
- Grocery store deli really isn't that good, but boy does it satisfy.
- Ice Cream in the fall is not a good idea.
- Planning time before school is worth its weight in gold.
- Netflix is a lifesaver.
- Amazon.com is my new best friend.
- Always pack an extra day's clothes. Always.
- I really like smoked salmon strips.
- Moose is really good too.
- Not a huge fan of sweet-and-sour walrus.
- A new appreciation for ATV mechanics.
- Just don't look at the prices, it'll make you cry. (If you want it, get it...bad life motto)
- Working six to seven days a week isn't healthy. Sometimes its just better to be less prepared. (I hope future employers don't see this) :)
- Dress up for Spirit days, even if you're the only one.
- Mr. Roger sweaters are pretty cool (warm).
- Don't fret about things you cannot control. Be happy with what you have been given.
- Smiling and laughter are great remedies to life's silly problems.
Kaitlyn had this great idea a few weeks ago about writing down what she thought was important points about her time in Togiak. I too thought this was a good idea; so here is my list of things Togiak taught me.
Togiak taught me (Version Tim): I wanted to write a post about Togiak, something reflective and comprehensive of our three years there. I wanted to think about where we began and where we ended up, what we learned and what we appreciate now that we once took for granted. Some of the things I have learned may seem vague or broad and others very specific. Some are important and some are trivial. Some are easy to express and others are impossible to express. The purpose of this post is to give the reader (whoever you are), but mostly myself and my family, insight and remembrance of our time in Togiak. Togiak taught me:
Kaylee with her twin cousins Abigail & Saylor
As my dad would say, Kaylee is still doesn't have any parents. Our court hearing to finalize Kaylee's adoption was on Monday. Tim and I attended court over the phone. Our attorney and our case worker were physically in court. Tim and I testified and then the judge asked our attorney some questions. The result was that Kaylee's adoption was NOT finalized due to lack of correct paperwork. Instead, court was recessed. In the birth parents' consent to relinquish their parental rights there is supposed to be a paragraph that states the birth parent also relinquishes the right to be notified of the hearing for finalization. If this isn't included in the consent then the birth parent must be notified of the hearing. The judge asked our attorney where in the consent he could find this relinquishment or if the birth parents had been notified of the hearing. Our attorney stated that the birthparents hadn't been informed of the hearing and that he did not know if/where the consent talked about their relinquishment to be notified. After court, our case worker looked through the paperwork and pointed out to the attorney that this relinquishment was included. That was a relief, because Kaylee's birth father is unreachable and I'm not sure how we would ever find him again. Unfortunately, this wasn't the only thing wrong with the paperwork. Our attorney had crossed out some of Kaylee's birth mother's consent. There is a portion of the paperwork that states the birthmother has the right to reverse her consent by contacting the attorney, the agency, or the court before the hearing. For some reason our attorney crossed out "the court". This opened up the possibility of Kaylee's adoption being contested in the future. The judge said he wanted to make sure there weren't any holes in our adoption before he approved the finalization. Kaylee in her new helmet. Needless to say, Tim and I are not very happy with our attorney. Tim and I don't have to appear in court again. Our attorney just have to fix his mistakes and present the corrected paperwork to the court. I'm a bit upset that we have to drag Kaylee's birth mother into this again. It's hard enough to sign a consent to relinquish parental rights the first time and now she has to relive that. She was a good sport about it, but I still feel like it is pretty unfair to her. As of Friday, the addendum was signed and the attorney was going to file it with the court. We'll see how things play out from here. On Monday Kaylee got her helmet. She has plagiocephaly (flat head), so Tim and I decided since our insurance would pay for it, we might as well get a helmet for her. (She'll probably appreciate it when she's 15.) She is not fond of the helmet. She has been working up to wearing it 23 hours a day. Yesterday was the first day that she was wearing it full time. Her head gets so hot and sweaty in it. I'm sure she'll be relieved to get back to cooler Alaska. Kaylee with Grandma Joyce. On Friday, Tim and I sold our car, packed our bags, and left Rexburg. Tim's parents were kind enough to drive up to Rexburg and get us since we sold our car. We will be spending the next few days with them before we head back up to Alaska. We have really enjoyed spending the last couple of months with family and friends. We are also excited to get back to Dillingham and move into our new apartment.
Getting a kiss from cousin Rigdon.
The first few days of this week were spent playing with the Andersons. Rigdon sure likes Kaylee and she likes him too. It's been so fun to watch him sit by her, show her toys, make faces at her, and give her hugs and kisses. All of the Anderson kids have taken several times holding "it". Yvonne can't seem to convince them that Kaylee is a her not an it. They do know her name though. I was able to pull Tim away from his homework for a couple hours on Thursday afternoon so we could go on a date. We went to the movie theater to see Star Trek. Go to the movies might not seem like that big of a deal to most people, but keep in mind that the nearest movie theater to our house in 400 miles away and requires air travel to reach it. This kid loves oatmeal! The Blacks came up on Friday so that they could do the Hurdle for Hope race with us on Saturday. Matt, Yvonne, Spencer, the entire Black family, and I ran in the race. I think the idea was to all stay together, but that only last about 1.2 seconds. Jay and Ethan stayed together and Yvonne, Lisa, and Alex stayed together but other than that we were pretty spread out. Anthony ended up doing the 3K race instead of the 5K, but he came in third place. The race involved climbing over hay pales, running through a river, jumping through tires, climbing walls, jumping over hurdles, trudging through mud, and jumping over fire. It was a pretty fun race. I'll do it again next year if I'm around for it. Saturday afternoon the Blacks, Andersons, Spencer, Kaylee, and I just hung out at the Andersons. Matt got out is 4-wheeler and the adults took turns giving the kids rides around the field. I felt like I was back in Togiak riding on a 4-wheeler with 4 kids on there with me. Tomorrow is a big day for Kaylee. She gets her helmet in the morning and then we attend her court hearing to finalize her adoption. Wish us luck! After tomorrow she's stuck with us for good.
7 months old and camping
This past week has been filled with more traveling, more family, and more fun. Tim worked diligently on his homework for the first half of the week in preparation for our upcoming family reunion. I probably could have worked harder to be more organized and prepared for our reunion, but managed to keep pretty busy with seeing more friends, car appointments, and other errands. Mom, Tim, Kaylee, and I left Rexburg on the morning of the July 4th to head down to Utah. Our ultimate stop was American Fork canyon for the Lee Family reunion, but we took a few stops before that. I was a little sad to be missing the 4th of July celebrations especially as we saw everyone gathering for the Rexburg parade as we left town. We stopped at the Black’s house for a brief visit and then went to the Wadman’s house (Tim’s cousins) for lunch and to see the rest of his family. We were able to stay for a couple hours before we headed to the campground. Tim and I offered to let my mom stay in our tent and we camped in the van. I think we got the better end of the deal. Both nights we were there it rained and, unlike some of the other campers, Tim and I stayed very dry. It was good to see so many of our Lee relatives again and spend time with them. Kaylee did pretty well on her first camping trip. I wasn’t really sure how naptime would work, but she did great in her car seat under a shady tree. Happy traveler Saturday night we were able to join a bunch of my siblings for dinner at the Bombay House to celebrate my mom’s birthday. It is fun having all adult siblings. I enjoy their company. We spent the might at Gus’ house and then in the morning headed to the Salt Lake airport to pick up my sister, Yvonne, and her family. They are moving back to the United States after living in the Middle East for 3 years. It was really good to see them again. Tim and I are now down to the last two weeks of our vacation. It has gone by extremely quickly. I hope we’re able to fit in all sorts of fun in our last few days.
Getting prepped to be plastered
There really isn't too much exciting to report about this last week. Tim spent about 80% of his time locked up in the bedroom working on homework. I think he's starting to feel a little burnt out, but I don't believe that he's even made it to midterms yet, so he'll just have to keep plugging away. This week we took Kaylee to a couple appointments to get her head checked out. She has plagiocephaly (a flat head). The pediatrician we took her to a couple weeks ago recommended that we get her a helmet. I appreciated his and the other doctor's honesty in telling us that the treatment of plagiocephaly is largely cosmetic. The only medical problem that they foresaw Kaylee might have is possible difficulty with balance (since her ears are a little assymetrical). Normally I like to be minimalistic with medical intervention, especially when the problem at hand is cosmetic or self correcting. However, our insurance will pay for the helmet and I don't think having her in a helmet can do her any harm. Tim and I both figured that by the time she reaches about age 15 she would really appreciate having a round head. I guess a helmet for a couple months is worth a lifetime of a symmetrical head. The doctor said that most babies cry the whole time that he plasters her head, but Kaylee didn't even whine until the very end. She was completely satisfied with sucking on the cloth she was wearing and her plastered-covered hands. *As a side note: Bumbos are pretty cool. Kaylee had never sat in one before. However, her thighs are a bit too chunky for them. We had to force them in and then when I pulled her out, her thighs just kept hanging onto the bumbo. Tim and I went to the annual Beehive picnic at Porter Park. I like it because it feels like a whole town party. I love just walking around and running into people that I know and haven't seen for awhile. It didn't disappoint. We ran into all sorts of people we knew. It was fun to chat with so many friends. It was really hot though. When we came home we gave Kaylee a bottle with just water in it because we were worried that the heat had probably dehydrated her a bunch. It has been in the 90s in Rexburg the last few days and we all feel like we're melting. Most days I just want to sit right next to the air conditioner. I hope that it cools down soon! Check out videos and pictures from throughout the month of June.
Kaylee with her second cousin Grace
So Tim and I have slacked quite a bit on writing our posts the last few weeks. It’s easy to forget about them when you’re traveling and immersed in civilization! I’ll just give a brief recap of the past few weeks. On Saturday, June 1st we drove to Zillah Washington from Mapleton, Utah. Kaylee did pretty well for the first 8 hours or so, but after that she just wanted to be finished. We made a few extra stops during the last few hours to let her get out of her car seat and be carried around a bit. We rested up for a day and a half in Zillah and then headed to Seattle for 5 days. I think that is the longest period of time we’ve ever spent there. We were able to spend time with Sarah and Jimi (Tim’s cousin and husband), Sarah and Edgar (my friends from college), Tawnia and Marci (our adoption caseworker and her daughter who is my visiting teachee) and Carmen and Jeremy (my sister and brother-in-law). It was so fun to see everyone. It was especially fun to see Gracie and my nieces interact with Kaylee. Liv was a rock star older cousin. I didn’t need to worry about entertaining Kaylee for one minute while we were at the Jensen household. Kaylee reading with her cousins While in Seattle we also had to do a few chores. We got some winter tires for our car and did some shopping to finish filling up our car with groceries and other items. We then took it down to the barge and handed it over to be shipped up to Dillingham. It was nice to get that big chore out of the way and I’m excited to be able to pick it up again once we get to Dillingham. Friday, June 7th we headed back to Zillah. We arrived just in time to have lunch with Hal on his very last day of work. I’m sure that he’s excited to retire after 41 years of teaching. We spent the next week in Zillah. It was nice to be back in in Tim’s parent’s home. I’ve really enjoyed their home. Hal built it with his own hands and they have lived there for 20 years. I’m sure it was really hard for them to leave. They sold their home and were preparing to move to Utah. I spent each day we were there helping to pack, clean, and load moving trucks. It’s amazing how sore moving can make your body. It was a lot of work, but we packed up two moving trucks, the cars, and the trailer and were on our way by Friday evening on June 14th. We made it to Ogden, Utah on Saturday evening and by 11:30 pm we had everything unloaded and in the storage units. It’s too bad that Tim’s parents weren’t able to move directly into their new home, but they’re still waiting for it to close. I feel bad that they still have to move everything again. Now that's a bowl of ice cream! Sunday, June 16th Tim and I headed to Idaho. It was a bit of an eventful trip with a stop at the Blacks to check out a leak of some sorts and then an hour at the side of the road on Malad pass waiting for roadside assistance, but we made it. It feels good to be back in Rexburg. Both Tim and I really enjoyed living in Rexburg for the first three years of our marriage and we wouldn’t mind coming back permanently. I’m glad my parents still live here so we have an excuse to come back. We spent the past week trying to get caught up on all our appointments: eye doctors, dentists, pediatrician, hair dresser, etc. We always do all of our appointments in Rexburg. We've also enjoyed a daily (if not twice daily) bowl of ice cream. Thanks Mom and Dad! This past weekend Valerie and Brad came up to Rexburg too, so we were able to spend some time with them and their baby Lydia. We even took a day trip to South Weber to see Greg and Dani. Tim had to stay back and work on his homework, but I took Kaylee and went with my parents, the Dolls, and Spencer. It was a fun day and the 6 hours in the car wasn’t too painful. The summer is going by quickly. We only have four more weekends in the lower 48. I’m sad to see it passing by, but also looking forward to moving into our new apartment and having our own space and our routine once again. It’s hard to keep up good habits (or aspiring habits) when you’re traveling on living with other people. I love seeing family and friends though so we'll make the most out of the next 4 weeks!
Our last day with Heather :(
These past two weeks have been anything but typical. Tim left Togiak for good the Sunday after school got out in order to be to work in Dillingham on Monday morning. Kaylee and I stayed behind in Togiak for an extra day. We were going to fly out with a bunch of other teachers on a chartered flight in order to take advantage of a cheaper price. Since Tim was gone on Sunday evening, I finished the last few things in our apartment and went to spend the night with Heather. Monday we hung out, made a last trip to the post office, and finished packing up Heather’s apartment. Because of erupting volcanoes, ash in the air, and cancelled charters, we ended up paying about twice as much as we originally planned to fly out of Togiak, but we did make it out. Tim, Kaylee, and I spent the next 5 days in Dillingham. Tim went to work each day at district office while Kaylee and I hung out at the hotel and did some random errands around town. We got our new post office box, registered our car, and looked at apartments. We decided on an apartment and put down a deposit. We have a furnished 2-bedroom apartment about 6 miles from downtown and Tim’s work. We’re excited about it. The high rent costs will take some getting used to, but that was inevitable in Dillingham. Kaylee and her birth mother Jessika A week ago last Friday evening we left Dillingham and flew to Anchorage. We spent the night in Anchorage and were able to visit with Kaylee’s birth mother. It was so good to see her and her sister. Saturday we flew from Anchorage to Seattle to Salt Lake. It was a long day of flying, especially with a baby, but Kaylee did really well. My brother, Gus, met us at the airport with our new car (thanks Gus!). He was the first Uncle that Kaylee has met yet. The past week has been filled with Kaylee meeting family. Last weekend Kaylee finally got to meet her Grandma Joyce and Grandpa Phillips. It’s been a long awaited meeting and I’m glad that it has finally arrived. It’s been so much fun to see them all interact with one other. Kaylee also met three of her Phillips aunts, her cousins once removed, and her second cousins. I was touched by how invested all of our Phillips & Wadman family members were in Kaylee. Everyone seemed so excited to meet her and Kaylee received many gifts. Thanks Aunties & cousins! Kaylee meets her Black cousins We were able to spend time with the Wadmans and Phillips until this Monday when we headed to see some of my side of the family. We spent time with the Blacks in South Weber, the Dolls in Provo, and the Gharts in Mapleton. Once again Kaylee had many family members to meet. She has been a little overwhelmed at times, but overall she has done an amazing job of traveling and meeting people. Yesterday, we made a 12-hour drive to Zillah, Washington. Kaylee did awesome for the first 2/3 of the ride. She definitely was getting sick of her car seat the last few hours. It’s nice to be back at Tim’s parent’s house once again. They are moving to Utah in a couple of weeks. We will miss visiting them in their Zillah house, but we won’t miss the drive. We are really excited for them to be located closer to the rest of our family. Click here to see pictures of Kaylee throughout the month of May.
Salutatorian, Kendall Wassillie
This was the last week of school for Togiak. For the most part, the last week was about wrapping up remaining final exams, cleaning and packing up rooms, and sending the senior class to graduate. It always seems that there is so much happening on the last week that everything happens in the blink of an eye. This was the case for me this week. I had so much to do that I nearly forgot to relax and enjoy the graduation. Graduation was great. It’s always fun to see the students as little kids during the graduation slide show. Graduation is always the biggest event in Togiak each year. Thursday was the last day of school. We cleaned out lockers, checked in books, and had an awards assembly. The awards assembly was normal as usual, except that at the very end some students got up and gave an appreciation award to me. This was a complete shock, as no other teacher received an award from students this year or any other year we’ve been here. This was just a super surprise. Additionally, after the assembly I also received a healthy dose of water poured over my head, that no other teacher received either. :) It was all in good fun. Leaving Togiak is bittersweet. Bitter because we have made so many good memories here, and sweet because we are excited to start the next phase our lives. We’ve spent the last few days cleaning, packing, and spending time with friends. We will be in Dillingham for the next week as I prepare for my new position this fall. We’ll be in Utah at the end of this week. We look forward to seeing you all soon!
The Girls Out for a Ride.
One Year Down It’s finally here. My first full year of a Masters in Educational Technology is on the books! I couldn’t be happier. This semester I took two classes relating to my emphasis of Network Administration. They were Network Administration and Leadership in Technology. I really liked the Leadership in Technology class. Its focus wasn’t just on leadership, however, but dabbled in real life situations that might be placed before a Technology Director. The other class I took focused on network communication, or basically, how information gets where it’s going and why it chooses to do it in that manner. The purpose of the class is to prepare students to take their CISCO® certified network associate exam (CCNA). It covers all the technical know-how about how computers talk to each other. I must say that it was by far the most challenging course I’ve taken in this program. I can honestly say that after completing the course, I only feel slightly more knowledgeable about computer networks than I did when I first started. No biggie, I’m done and I can move on. Next on the list is theory of something and online course design. Packing & Moving Sale Kaylee and Frederica (we call her Soy) Kaitlyn has been very dedicated at packing up our house and selling off the stuff we don’t really need anymore. Who knew that you could still make money on old iPods and old cell phones? I have no idea why people want them, but they’re buying them. Thanks eBay! For the most part we’ve sold just about everything we have listed, either here in town or on the Internet. People in Togiak aren’t really buying our clothes though. Funny, button up shirts aren't too popular here, go figure. :) On Saturday, Kaitlyn and Kaylee joined the Crabtrees for their moving sale. They allowed us to put up our leftover stuff. Kaitlyn and Kaylee hung out there all day. The Crabtrees have two small children, ages 7-3, and they love Kaylee. Surprisingly, Kaylee didn’t mind being there either. I was busy working on college homework most of the day at the school, but was able to pop my head in for a few minutes a couple of times. Prom This past Saturday was Togiak’s Prom. This year it was open to the community, so we saw quite a crowd, 50-75. I was asked to take pictures again, so I set up shop in the band room and everyone filtered through when they felt like it. I saw most people at least 2-3 times (if not 5-6), because who can resist having their picture taken? I took about 200 photos and have already spent a few extra hours processing them. Kaitlyn came down with Kaylee; however, Kaylee still doesn’t do that well in large crowds. She was quite shy around most and was up way past her bedtime. Unfortunately, we were too busy to get pictures of the three of us, however, Kaylee got her picture taken with some of the girls in the school. Everybody loves Kaylee, even the boys ask about her. Kaitlyn came by last week for something and I got to teach class and hold Kaylee for about 20 minutes. Everyone was enthralled. But seriously, who could blame them? |
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