The Days are Getting Longer...

And when the sun is shining, that means there is a LOT to do around here and plenty of time to do it in (as long as you don't mind sacrificing a bit of sleep). It seems like just days ago I was walking to school at 8 a.m. in pitch black night, gazing at the stars, the same stars that would shine above me when I walked home at 4 in the afternoon. Now I wake up at 6:30 and think I've overslept-- the sun is already high in the sky!

Speaking of sun, we have had 4 straight days of sunshine!!! The weather is even "warm"... might get into the 50s today! I'll be rid of this pale Alaskan skin in no time. Last weekend, friends Shannon and Randy took me, Kelly and Todd out on their new boat. It was chilly, but the sun made up for it. We couldn't go too far out due to the winds and high seas, but Randy took us to the ship graveyard on Hemlock Island and we toured around Chester Bay enjoying the ocean with friends.

Kids...

As much as I would love to post pictures of all my lovely kids, I can't. But I can post their artwork! This mobile was made by a second grader. The lesson was around the concept of balance and they were free to decorate their mobiles anyway they wanted. Most kids chose to decorate them with cute little stars, hearts and rainbows, colorful, pretty things. This kid had something else in mind. I didn't notice it until after they had left and I was hanging them up from the ceiling... and it made me laugh so hard I just had to hang this one right over my desk. Quite a sense of humor and an imagination... and you don't even want to know what he drew on the backside!

Only 27 more school days... I am so ready for summer.

Nothing Says Spring in Alaska Like Snow in April

I woke up this morning to snow falling outside my window. Keep in mind I live on the ocean, and it's April, so this was quite a suprise... Then again, Southeast Alaska is all about surprises and unpredictability.
On Friday I actually got to use the expression, "I'm hot!" (and I wasn't referring to my looks either). It sounded so nice coming out of my mouth I had to repeat it a few times, adding gestures like placing a cold water bottle against my forehead, taking my socks off and wiggling my toes in the sunshine. Yes, folks, it was a warm day... 50 degrees and sunny. I wasn't the only Alaskan doing the sunshine dance... I went over to Ketchikan afterschool with 3 of my girlfriends for a night out on the town and it felt like summer. All over town people were walking around in tank tops and shorts, sandals, sunglasses. In a town famous for its liquid sunshine, it was quite the celebration.
Oh, but back to today... and the snow. I have to admit, I love suprises (and weather).