Just some tidbits. . .

I just uploaded some pictures from my camera and thought I'd share a few with you. My family has wanted to hear/see things about my recent trip to Cali/Mexico in December, so I'll start with that. In a nutshell, my two week break was perfect. I attended a conference for a week, stayed in a comfy hotel, visited with highschool girlfriends and all their kids (this is Jamie, her youngest daughter Isabella, as well as Joelle, and her newest baby, Jesse), spent some time with Erik, and even spent a day at Knott's Berry Farm. I haven't been there since I was pretty young and it brought back some fun memories, especially with my brothers. It was a good mix of city and quiet beach retreat. I relaxed and revived and was happy to be heading home.



Here are a couple of photos from Erendira, Mexico, where I stayed for a few days. It was a small fishing/farming community a few hours past the border. Erik and I just sort of stumbled upon it as we were looking for some place out of the hustle and bustle. It was a great find and I hope to go back again. We found a great cabin on the beach, a friendly little restaurant, plenty of cheap avocados (my one required luxury item when I am out of Nome. . . I eat them as or with every meal), great beaches, nice people, cool weather (I was a little bummed that it wasn't warmer, but it was nice nonetheless), and my fav, the clapping/singing seals that played on the rocks at night.


I decided to get another Christmas willow this year and found the perfect one while standing in snow up to my thighs. Although it was only up for a week or so, I was really glad I did it, because it made all the difference in the energy of the house. Here is a pic of Cherie, Henry, and the willow.


This next pic is one of my girlfriend Kirsten and I on, yep, you guessed it, New Year's Eve. I had a great time this year with lots of friends, a dance party in the snow, and fireworks.


A Christmas present to myself this year was a pair of traditional Mukluks, made by my dear friend and co-worker, Sherry Kulukhon. They are made with bearded seal skin as the hard sole, spotted seal skin/fur as the majority of the boot, and beaver around the top. She lined it inside with sheepskin and fleece and they are oh so warm! As you can see the smooth sole worked well as my bowling shoes.



I'm leaving for Honduras in a week and a half and I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. I'll still be checking email, so say hello if you get the chance by sending me an email.

Peace. . .

I haven't completely forgotten. . .

I was really pretty excited for Dillon to start this blog for me back in October, however, after a few technical difficulties and only 4 posts, I was feeling a little stifled. . . and annoyed. But, I don't want to completely forget and I do still think that this is a good idea to stay connected. I also think it will be interesting to have a place to look back on moments that I thought were worth sharing. So, here's another try. My goal is to post at least twice a month. Your input will help keep me motivated I'm sure. . . so, leave me comments when the mood strikes.

I'm recovering from the intoxication of the holidays. It seems that the time between Thanksgiving and New Year's becomes one big cloud of people, parties, presents, cooking, cleaning, sleep deprivation, lazing around, and being too busy to think straight. . . all at once. My friends have really become my family here in Nome and I'm grateful to say that I had lots of wonderful people to celebrate the season with. I must say that despite the good times I've had this past couple of months, I'm ready to get on with my life so to speak. I'm relieved to be in the new year at last and I feel good things ahead.

Despite the cold and dark days, I've still been enjoying some time outside. December 21st was the turning point and we've been gaining seconds of light each day since then. This weekend was beautiful and I had a great snowshoe with friends, Buford, Kirsten, Carrie, and Dustin. The sun was shining in a blue sky and we had an awsome view of the ocean most of the way.

Since writing last, I welcomed a new roommate, Cherie. She moved in at the end of November and we've had a lot of fun together since (as some of you may have heard slightly represented in our ridiculous answering machine messages. . . we get bored and get silly). We met through a mutual friend a couple of years ago here in Nome and have been buds since. She's on a little break from school, but will be returning in the fall to finish her degree in business. I've only had a handful of roommates in my days, and never a female one, so I've really been enjoying having her energy in the house. She's a dog lover too and has been a real help with my boys when I need her.


I'll be home just 4 more weeks before heading off again for another trip. I'll be leaving for Honduras on Feb. 3rd and will be attending a Spanish Immersion program for one month in a small town called Tela. It doesn't hurt a bit that I will be staying on a beautiful beach, with one of the largest reefs in the world where I can enjoy some more diving experience. There is also a class IV river to run and National Parks nearby to explore. My spanish instruction will be 5 hrs./day, 5 days/week and I'm hopeful that I'll leave with some basic speaking and writing skills. I'm going to attempt to start a conversational spanish group in Nome once I return in March. I'm really looking forward to the experience.

Well, that is the basic news from me for now. . . I'll end with a picture of Cherie and I taken this past August at Dorothy Falls. The smiles may be a bit deceiving, but that water was like lying in ice. I'm a sucker for water, no matter what the temp., but Cherie really braved it to get in there with me. I suppose lying there on the rock after going under the waterfall was actually a relief. Good times. . .