Sunshine, chaos, and toodle-loo!

I know it has been a very long time since my last post.  In the interim a little explanation of our life.  Fisherman and I have been working our hardest to try to make sense out of the chaos that is life here at the Sand Point School.  I have highlighted many of the unique tales, but a full expose would not be appropriate to blast all over the web.  Suffice it to say that Fisherman have dedicated a large amount of time in the last month job searching - with all that it entails.

We attended the Alaska teacher job fair in the middle of April and felt as if we made some good contacts, but like most states, the legislature determines the fiscal future of the districts in Alaska.  We thoroughly enjoyed our escape from this rock and had some fun staying in a very nice hotel...but as of yet, still nothing from an Alaskan school district.

We have also been filling out applications and sending resumes/CV's in hopes of possibly returning to the southwest, or possibly moving to Wyoming (the pay for educators is very good), maybe Washington...or wherever we would have gainful employment.  I will not shy away from saying that I am disheartened by the underwhelming response.  I think if one would ever like to know their worth try applying (over and over again) for a teaching position - a person MUST be made of stern stuff; it is brutal out here, peeps!

Insert segue here.  On a different note, our escape from this rock is 5 days away...F-I-V-E! 30-second happy dance followed by a shimmy!  My beloved Fisherman and I will be making our getaway via the Tustamena, the ferry up the inland passage.

I have never traveled by ferry so this will be an epoch in my life and one I am very much looking forward to.  I am not gonna lie...after the ferry in Japan I was a little nervous.

Advice we have received prior to our travel.

1. Make sure to book a cabin so you will not have to sleep on deck in a sleeping bag.  One of our favorite colleagues said that is how she and her husband came out to Sand Point, but they didn't have a cabin and they "toughed it out" camping on the deck.  My thoughts were "THAT'S CRAY CRAY, wrapped in a whole lotta NUTS!"  I love camping and outdoorsey stuff, but seriously, this is the Aleutian Island chain peeps, the weather out here is NO JOKE.  Long story short, WE DEFINITELY HAVE A CABIN!
2. Have your cameras ready.  The sea really is a living-breathing entity and we should have ample opportunity to see a wide variety of sea life - whales, sea lions, otters, seals, etc.  I cannot wait!
3. There have been many who have weighed in on the motion sickness aspect of our trip.  To medicate, or not to medicate, that is the real question.
4. Lastly, the littles have been telling me all about the cuisine on the ferry.  Needless to say, I cannot get an accurate report.  Therefore, I will be making a dearth of breakfast burritos, chocolate chip cookies, and stocking up on apples before we board.

I will post as we travel, but for those who would like to "track" us...here you go.

http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/map.shtml

Sending much love as we approach our departure from this ROCK...

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