Adventures of Tim & Kaitlyn
  • Welcome
  • Photos & Videos
    • 2022 >
      • January 2022
      • February 2022 & Beacon Flip
      • March 2022 & Hooper Flip
      • April 2022
      • May 2022
      • June 2022
      • July 2022 - Alaska & Hart Reunion
      • August 2022
      • September 2022 - Tyler & Jungle Flips
      • October 2022 & West Point Flip
      • November 2022
      • December 2022
    • 2021 >
      • January 2021
      • February 2021
      • March 2021
      • April 2021
      • May 2021
      • June 2021
      • July 2021
      • August 2021
      • September 2021
      • October 2021
      • November 2021
      • December 2021
    • 2020 >
      • January 2020
      • February 2020
      • March 2020
      • April 2020
      • May 2020
      • June 2020
      • Liberty House June 2020
      • July 2020
      • August 2020
      • September 2020
      • October 2020
      • November 2020
      • December 2020
    • 2019 >
      • January 2019
      • February 2019
      • March 2019
      • April 2019
      • May 2019
      • June 2019
      • July 2019
      • August 2019
      • September 2019
      • October 2019
      • November 2019
      • December 2019
    • 2018 >
      • January 2018
      • February 2018
      • March 2018
      • April 2018
      • May 2018
      • June 2018
      • July 2018
      • August 2018
      • September 2018
      • October 2018
      • November 2018
      • December 2018
    • 2017 >
      • January 2017
      • February 2017
      • March 2017
      • April 2017
      • May 2017
      • June 2017
      • July 2017-Ohio & Michigan
      • August 2017
      • September 2017
      • October 2017
      • November 2017
      • December 2017
    • 2016 >
      • January 2016
      • February 2016
      • March 2016
      • April 2016
      • May 2016
      • Africa 2016
      • June 2016
      • July 2016
      • August 2016
      • September 2016
      • October 2016
      • November 2016
      • December 2016
    • 2015 >
      • January 2015
      • February 2015
      • March 2015
      • Regional Jump Rope Competition
      • April 2015
      • May 2015
      • June 2015 - Juneau
      • July 2015 - Juneau & Anchorage
      • August 2015
      • Sept 2015
      • Oct 2015
      • Nov 2015
      • Dec 2015
    • 2014 >
      • December 2014
      • November 2014
      • October 2014
      • September 2014
      • August 2014
      • Sealing July 2014
      • July 2014
      • June 2014
      • May 2014
      • April 2014
      • March 2014
      • February 2014
      • January 2014
    • Jun-Dec 2013 >
      • December 2013
      • November 2013
      • October 2013
      • September 2013
      • August 2013
      • July 2013
      • June 2013
    • Jan-May 2013 >
      • Kaylee May 2013
      • Kaylee Apr 2013
      • Kaylee Mar 2013
      • Kaylee Feb 2013
      • Kaylee Jan 2013
    • Welcome Kaylee >
      • Kaylee Dec 2012
      • Kaylee's Placement Ceremony 2012
    • 2012 >
      • Fall AASG Conference 2012
      • Layton Triathlon 2012
      • Stansbury Triathlon 2012
      • Bahamas Cruise
    • Summer 2011 >
      • Hurdle for Hope 2011
      • Echo Triathlon 2011
      • New York & Seattle 2011
      • Alaska RV Road Trip
    • Togiak 2010-2011
    • Washington D.C. 2010
    • Tim's College Graduation 2010
    • Chilkoot Trail 2008
    • Wedding Pictures
  • Help Us Adopt
  • Blog
  • Link Page

Week LXXXVII: Spring Break

3/18/2012

 
Picture
The view from our kitchen window on the last day of spring break.
What’s in a name?
    We were lucky to have an unusually long spring break.  We had this entire week off of school.  Although, I’m not sure if spring break is really an appropriate name for this time off of school.  It is true that we have had sunny, clear days.  I have even heard that many of you in the lower 48 have been enjoying temperatures in the 60s and 70s.  My sister mentioned to me that her kids have been riding their bicycles to school this week.  However, in Togiak, the temperature has ranged from -10 to +10 Fahrenheit this entire week and the ground is still completely covered in snow.  I’m not sure when spring will be coming, but I’m not going to start looking for it until May.

Picture
Tim's ivory carvings
Ivory Carving
    Tim and I were lucky enough to spend Monday-Wednesday this week at an ivory carving class.  The class was open to anyone in the community; however, 8 of the 10 students in the class were teachers.  It was nice to have the class fall during spring break and even nicer that the local tribal council offered scholarships to take the class so it didn’t cost us anything.  Twilly was our teacher.  I have taken an ivory carving class and a soap stone carving class from him in the past.  It’s kind of nice having the same teacher because he knows what I have carved in the past and can teach me to do new things or play off my strengths.  We spent 5 hours each day at the boys and girls club dremmeling, drilling, sanding, and shaping.  I wish I would have taken a picture of us in the process.  You would have seen a room full of people wearing hats, safety goggles, and face masks, all covered in ivory dust.  The floor was also covered in ivory dust and the noise of all the dremmels, drills, saws, and belt sanders should have prompted us to use ear plugs.  We smelled of burning ivory as well and the smell followed us home.  (I do enjoy carving ivory, but I do not enjoy the smell of carving ivory.) 
    Tim started out carving a ring.  He was working quickly and it looked really good.  Unfortunately, right as he was finishing, he noticed a crack that went all the way through his ring.  When carving fossilized ivory you always have to be mindful of cracks.  Tim then started on a kayak to use as a zipper pull.  His piece kept getting smaller and smaller as he shaped it, so he made another, bigger kayak.  Unfortunately, this piece of ivory also had a crack.  Tim was able to work around it and adjust it a bit in order to still use the piece.  He finished up his ivory carving by making a second ring, which also looks really good.

Picture
Kaitlyn's Ivory Carvings
    I started out making a ring, but wanted to get onto bigger and better things.  So, I started on a bracelet.  Man, are they time consuming!  I will never take another ivory bracelet for granted again.  Each bead must be shaped, sanded, and polished, as well as have holes drilled through it without breaking them.  My bracelet ended up being quite a bit chunkier than I would have liked, but it made working with the ivory a lot easier than it would have been with smaller, slimmer beads.  From now on when I see an ivory bracelet for sell for $250, instead of being surprised at the high price, I will be surprised at the low price.  After finishing my bracelet there was only about an hour left of class.  So I quickly started a pair of earrings.  I used the natural shape of the ivory, so that I wouldn’t have to spend a long time shaping.  I wasn’t able to complete sanding and polishing the earrings before class was over, but I can finish that on my own.

College Courses
    Last spring Tim and I started taking a class called “The Art and Science of Teaching”.  Both of us were close to having 18 credits after our bachelor degrees.  When we get 18 credits, we get a pay raise.  So, we thought, why not finish up one more class during the summer and qualify for more pay?  We signed up for and started the class, but didn’t quite have it finished by the time we returned to Togiak last fall.  (Okay, we weren’t even close.)  I had attempted to work on it on the weekends this fall, but I finally came to the realization that completing the course before the pay raise deadline was hopeless; so I set it aside.  It was my goal to finish the class during spring break, which I accomplished by Tuesday evening!  I was so excited and relieved to have it finished.  Tim still has a little work to do on his, but he’s closer.  Three things are good about finishing this course.  Firstly, I don’t have to worry about it anymore.  Secondly, I can finally get that pay raise.  Thirdly, now I can get reimbursed for the cost of the class. 

I Don’t Own a Car . . . Or Do I?
    It’s really difficult to make phone calls and take care of business during the school week.  Most places in the lower 48 are closed by the time the school day is over here.  So this spring break gave me a chance to call on some things that have been waiting to be taken care of.  About a month ago I received a bill in the mail from New Mexico State University for two parking tickets.  At first, I found this really humorous.  I don’t own a car and I have never been to New Mexico.  How in the world did someone send a parking ticket all the way to bush Alaska?  I thought I’d call the university just to let them know they made a mistake.  Come to find out, I do own a car and it was parked in New Mexico.  The Altima that Tim and I sold two years ago was still registered to us.  After making several phone calls and doing some research, I discovered that the buyer never registered the car, (in fact, the registration had been expired for a year and a half) never changed the license plates (side note: make sure that you always take your license plates off you car when you sell it . . . at least in Idaho), and never changed the title to her name.  I legally still owned the car, which also meant I was liable for everything connected to the car.  Not cool!  I couldn’t find the bill of sale anywhere and Tim and I didn’t turn in a release of liability.  Advice for car sellers: ALWAYS fill out a release of liability.  So after calling the police department and parking department at New Mexico State University, the dmv in Rexburg, the department of transportation in Boise, and our old insurance company, I finally gathered enough information to fill out a release of liability.  Luckily, the state will let you turn in a release of liability even two years after the sale.   I never got a hold of the buyer, but I was impressed with myself that I was able to discover her name, phone number, address, and email address without having any documentation of the sell and without ever meeting her.  I kind of felt like a stalker. I’m glad to finally not own my car.  (Thanks Dad for turning in all the paperwork for us!)

Picture
Freezing bell peppers
Homemaking
    I won’t try to convince you that my house stayed particularly clean or that amazing meals were made this week, but I was able to take care of a few things more than I usually do.  I finally paid some bills, made phone calls, solved mysteries concerning double charges, and finished the mending.  I’m sure Tim is glad to have a little boost in his wardrobe.  I also took care of our bell peppers. 
    Did you know that bell peppers freeze really well?  One of the foods I miss the most since moving to Togiak is bell peppers.  We can buy them here sometimes, but they’re very expensive and usually don’t look that appealing.  If you find one that does look okay, you have to eat it very quickly before it goes bad.  At Christmas time, Tim and I bought 6 bell peppers while we were in Anchorage.  I knew it was a bit foolish to buy so many for only two people, but they just looked so good.  Not wanting any to go to waste, I started researching freezing peppers.  According to several sites on the internet, bell peppers freeze very well and keep their flavor and most of their texture when you thaw them.  I gave it a try and it worked wonderfully.  You slice them up, spread them on a cookie sheet, and put them in the freezer for about one hour.  Once they’ve frozen enough that they won’t freeze together, you can put them in freezer bags.  Whenever you want to cook with them you can dump them straight from the freezer bag into your dish you’re cooking and they taste almost as good as fresh peppers.  While Tim was in Anchorage at the end of February for ASTE, he picked up 12 more bell peppers.  (We had long since eaten all the peppers from Christmas.)  I finally cut and froze the peppers this week.  I’m glad they didn’t go bad while they waited for me to find time to take care of them.

Picture
Kaitlyn's newly finished kuspuq
Another Kuspuq
    I will admit, that I’m totally thrilled with my productivity this spring break.  I didn’t want to plan on finishing a bunch of school work, but I did want to get a lot of projects finished.  I made myself a list of things I wanted to accomplish, some school related, some personal business related, some just plain fun related.  By Saturday afternoon I had accomplished everything on the list except one: sew kuspuq.  I didn’t expect to finish the entire kuspuq last night, but I just started working and before I knew it I was done.  (Okay, it was 10:00 pm before I knew it, but that’s okay.)  I now am the proud owner of two kuspuqs.  The first kuspuq I made I had help from Fanny Parker every step of the way.  (Thank you Fanny!) This second one I did completely by myself using my memory and my first kuspuq as a pattern.  It didn’t turn out perfectly or exactly the same as the first, but it turned out well.  I decided to make one without a skirt this time.  (It’s common to have kuspuqs with or without skirts.)  Now I have one of each.  I’m excited to wear it to school next week and “try it out”.  I know they don’t look very fashionable, but in the village there is no such thing as fashion and people wear them all the time.  They are actually quite comfortable and warm and I like showing my appreciation/acceptance/interest/whatever-you-want-to-call-it of the culture.

Tomorrow starts the beginning of the end. Only 8 weeks of school left.  Time has really flown by. 

Oh, and one more thing.  It's official. Tim and I will be returning to Togiak next year.  We signed our contracts and turned them in last week.  Who knows how long we will live in bush Alaska, but at least until 2013.

heather
3/18/2012 01:56:51 pm

8 weeks of school left? WHAT?! I have 10... Are you swinging past Juneau this summer? If so, stop on in and see me. glad you got lots accomplished. we have spring break this week. i hope o get lots accomplished and a trip to Petersburg in. Love the blog, EXCELLENT looking ivory carvings. I think you have the skill Kaitlyn. Timmy,... well,... j/k. Kuspuq looks awesome. good job.

Kaitlyn
3/18/2012 02:47:33 pm

Heather,
Tim and I won't be coming through southeast this summer. One day we'll find an excuse to come that way. It turns out Valerie is getting married at the end of May, so we have to get back to Idaho! Feel free to come visit us in Togiak though! You can stay at our house and eat our food. I'll even give you rides on the 4-wheeler.


Comments are closed.

    Tim & Kaitlyn

    A blog is where you talk about stuff....we do that here.

    Picture
    Tim & Kaitlyn
    Daisypath Anniversary tickers
    See 10-Day Forecast
    © HotelsCombined.com

    Friends & Family

    Alicia
    Brady & Taryn
    Karen & Brad

    Kaylin
    Melissa
    Mike & Alyse
    Sarah & Jimi
    Scott & Sharon
    Hartlings
    Crazi Beautiful
    Tracy and Matt
    Marshall & Jani
    Tyler & Crystal
    Rachel Hatch
    Nic 
    Carmen & Jeremy
    Edgar & Sarah
    Gus & Cynthia
    Matt & Yvonne

    Steve & Angie

    Archives

    April 2015
    August 2014
    July 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010

    Categories

    All
    4th Of July
    4 Wheeler
    4wheeler051470c8ac
    4wheelere567169646
    Aasg
    Accident
    Adoption
    Afghan
    Akutaq
    Alaska
    Anchorage
    Andersons
    Anniversary
    Apartment
    Aste
    Baby
    Baby Sitting
    Baptism
    Basketball
    Basketball Tournament
    Bbq
    Bears
    Bill Nye
    Birthday
    Blacks
    Blog
    Bodies
    Camcorder
    Car
    Carnival
    Carving
    Cheeseburger
    Christmas
    Church
    Classes
    Conferences
    Contracts
    Cross Country
    Culture
    Daylight
    Death
    Denali
    Dillingham
    Dingy
    Eskimo Food
    Eyes
    Fairbanks
    Family
    Family Reunion
    Fights
    Finals
    Fireworks
    First Snow
    Fish
    Flat Iron
    Flight
    Flights
    Flooding
    Framing
    Frostbite
    Funeral
    Games
    Gas Station
    General Conference
    Gilmore Girls
    Graduation
    Halloween
    Hiking
    Homer
    Home Study
    Home Visit
    Hopin To Adopt
    Hotel
    Ice
    Ice Cream
    Ice Fishing
    Ice Skating
    Inservice
    Inservicef950ee9f89
    Ipad
    Itsaboutloveorg040d050fe4
    Ivory
    Jiu Jitsu
    Kansas City
    Kaylee
    Keyboard
    Kodiak
    Kuspuq
    Last Day
    Lds Family Services
    Leadership Substitutes Students7fda13d870
    Lockinbc83f421de
    Manokotak
    Mascot
    Mcdonalds00dd1ec757
    Meltoff69e1f3bf55
    Moose
    Moose Hoof
    Moving
    Mukluks
    Muktuq
    Netting
    New Semester
    New Stu
    New York
    Niagara Falls
    Palmyra
    Parentteacher Conference69b31a4a0f
    Parentteacher Conferencef8c4da4bae
    Pe
    Piano
    Potatoes
    Potluck
    Prank
    Praxis
    Principal
    Prom
    Pushpin
    Quiliting
    Quilt
    Qwirkle
    Retreat
    Rexburg
    Risotto
    Rtp
    Rv
    Salmon
    Saturday School
    School
    Science
    Sealskin
    Seattle
    Sewing
    Shopping
    Sick
    Smelting
    Smoothies
    Snowshoeing
    Spirit Week
    Spring Break
    Student Council
    Student Teacher
    Substitutes
    Summer
    Sunrise
    Super Storm
    Taxi
    Teeth
    Temple
    Thanksgiving
    Ticket To Ride
    Togiak
    Tournament
    Traveling
    Triathlon
    Tundra
    Twohillc75938e63c
    Valentine
    Vegetables
    Visiting Teaching
    Volleyball
    Washington Dc92ca0b9177
    Water Fight
    Weather
    Weathered In
    Website
    Wedding
    White Collar
    Wind
    Wrestling
    Zillah

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.