Winter Break: Chapter 7 & Conclusion

CHAPTER 7: Everything at the Last Minute
Anchorage - Thursday 1/3

Our flight from Anchorage to Unalakleet was to leave at 2:30pm.

We began our day in Talkeetna, where we spent the night at the Holts' place. After some morning conversation and saying some goodbyes and see-you-laters, Carrie and I loaded up the car one last time to make the final trek, the last leg to Anchorage. It was only a two-hour drive. I was still tired. Carrie drove, and I took pictures.





Our time of departure was about 8:40/9:00am. We got into Anchorage at about 11:00ish. We had a couple of errands to run before making our way to the airport, one of which included a Fred Meyers stop (Fred Meyers is comparable to Wegman's in the northeast, or Meijer in Indiana - they have everything), so I got some fresh produce, since I had SO much room in my bags. I made it work. Anyway, we went to a couple of other places, and our last errand, well, that was very important.

We actually tried to do this very significant thing in Fairbanks, but there were only 2 places to do it, and both places failed us. We had to do it that day, or wait even longer than the 6 years I had already been waiting. We looked in the phone book and got the address of the first place we would try. Neither place was open until noon, so even after driving around the block a couple of times (silly one way streets...), we still ended up sitting in the parking lot for about 10 minutes for the place to open. And then we walked around the building a couple times. haha. That just made me laugh, walking by the same windows twice.

Finally, a young woman unlocked the door and we went inside, and we waited some more. I paid my tab, got all the information I needed, and then we waited some more. And then our lovely piercer got there.

That's right, I got a piercing. Nothing dramatic, just, you know - and really, I think it's quite classy. I like it. Carrie likes it. No one has told me they hate it, so if they do hate it, they aren't telling me, which is nice, although I don't care too much really, because I like it a lot. I waited 6 years, and since after 6 years I still wanted it, I decided that I should just do it. And so I did.


This is me waiting in the very very safe and clean hospital-like room where the deed was to be done. Obviously I am very excited.


She put a clamp on my eyebrow to mark the path of the needle. It didn't really hurt as bad as I thought it was going to. It was alright. The worst part was when she was cleaning it, and she just kept cleaning it and messing with it, and I was like, are you done already??? Because, you know, it was tender.


So this is kind of a bad picture of me. My hair is dirty, so it's up, and my face is washed out by the flash, but there you go. This is my new piercing. This is it. And I like it. So go ahead, comment, tell me what you think. I really do want to know. :) But I'm not taking it out. I like it.

Alright, so, you think the day is over, right? We just get in the car and go to the airport and fly home, no big deal, right?? That's the way it is supposed to be, right??? Of course!!

But you know, of course it would happen that...

When we got back to the car after this significant event in my life (January 3, 2008 around 12:30pm), we decided that I should drive to the airport since I was the only authorized driver, officially, of the rented car. And so I drove, very carefully as always, especially in the city. And this is how it happened.

I was driving down the road towards the airport. In fact, we could see the airport. We were less than a mile away from the airport, the place we so much wanted to get to. I was in the right lane going a fair speed, probably somewhere around 35 or 40. There were no cars around me, no cars in the left lane. I was very alert, we weren't even talking at that point. Carrie was using my phone to try and call someone, so we were both just busy doing our thing. As I approached a street, a car turned in front of me, way way to close in front of me, so I moved into the left lane to give him space. Apparently he had the same thought, to move into the left lane to give me space, either that or he just turned too wide. And then there was nothing I could do.

My car moving too quickly to stop on the icy road - everything seemed to move in slow motion. I thought, this can't be happening right now, really, this is not going to happen. Carrie looked up when I hit the brakes and she screamed (though she doesn't remember, but she also tells me that I yelled out also, but I don't remember doing that, either - odd), and then we collided. The right front corner of my car banged into the side of his car and sort of skidded across it as my car went bumpety bump up onto the median (thank GOD there was a median!!). All four of my tires were on the snowy median (tires that were not, as it were, snow tires), and the other guy's car had the two left wheels propped up on the curb. Fortunately, no tires popped. I think that was mostly due to the snow build up.

We stopped well before moving into the other side of the road. My first words were, "Crap, this is a rental!! What am I going to do??" (among other words). And now I feel bad because Carrie's first words were, "Are you okay??" I was, of course, thanks to the seat belt. I asked her if she was okay, and she was just fine. And then, of course, being the amazing person that she is (especially during that time and the time following), she got out to ask if the other guy was okay. He was also okay, though his dog was really really shaken up, as was I. In fact, I believe I was shaking.


This is the rental car I was driving, where we hit.


This is the other guy's car. You can see where our car ran into his - I'm glad it hit the back door instead of the driver's door, although he still couldn't open his door; he had to crawl out the passenger side.

I didn't know what to do for a moment, though I'd been here before in another Ford Taurus, as it were - this was the 3rd on-the-road car incident I've been in, and the 3rd Ford Taurus that was involved on my end; twice I was driving. This is the last Ford Taurus I will drive, ever. So it wasn't your car luck, C, it was actually the bad luck of the Ford Taurus.

Anyway, I called the rental place for the insurance information, and they told me to call the police, and so I called the police, who frankly took their sweet time in getting to us. But the guy who came was very nice. He listened to our side of the story first, and then to the other guy's (who is really a nice guy, I think - he felt aweful). It was determined that it was not my fault, that the other guy turned in front of me, and this was proven by the close distance between the accident and the intersection. I had to sit in the back of the police car and fill out information, radda radda ra, but in the end, the other guy was sited. Whew. Good thing I was driving! And I was so glad that I was not alone for this!!!

The accident was at 1:05ish. By the time we were released, it was nearing 2:00, well past our 1:30 check-in time. We had until 2:15. I dropped Carrie off with all of our luggage who took it to the Hageland gate to check us both in (fortunately nothing was too heavy). I then went to return the car. I was kind of in a rush, but I was a little nervous, of course, returning a broken car, pieces of which were still on the road and median at the place of the accident. We went through the whole thing of insurance and all that, but because I had wisely purchased the insurance via Enterprise, I was waived of all fees involving car repairs. And since it was the other guy's fault, I was told that they would be going after the other guy and his insurance, and so I was free and clear with Enterprise. This was very good news. With that, I ran off to the other end of the airport (again) to Hageland's gate (that sounds like the name of a bar, or something in a fantasy). I arrived with minutes to spare, greeted by Carrie and the new SpEd teacher at our school, Rita. She is very nice. And I was glad to be going home.

What a day!!!

CONCLUSION
Unalakleet

The rest of my break will be spent working (grading, planning, preparing my classroom), skiing on my cool new skis with my happy-to-see-me dog, and fundraising for the seniors at the Jamboree, which is a 3-day basketball tournament for community teams in the area. Should be kind of fun. :) I am glad to be home, even just to relax in my own apartment, though I definitely have a lot to do. I'm not ready to be back to work yet. I still want to be on break, because it was so good!! But alas, this is life, and life will go on. I need to get my head back in the game here at school.

This was a much needed vacation, and I am grateful to have been able to travel around so much, meet new people, experience new and amazing things (though I could have done without the car accident...). I'm so glad I was able to see so many old friends and family!!! Thanks to everyone, again, for making my vacation so wonderful!! :)

Winter Break: Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6: Talkeetna and Dogsleds
Talkeetna - Wednesday 1/2

On Wednesday morning Carrie and I ran a few errands in town before heading south. Once we were on the road is was really beautiful, and the sun was up.

My eyes were on the road at all times.


And this was what I was looking at.


If you look to your right (or left, but Carrie took this one), you will see beauty.


If you drive far enough you will see trees leaning sideways because of erosion in the river bank.

And if you drive long enough you will see a beautiful sunset.

Carrie and I arrived at the home of the Holts at a time nearing 4:00pm. They live in a yurt in the woods - the cutest house you'll ever ever see. Tiff and Rick are extremely welcoming, and their boys take after them. Doug and Michelle, two other teachers in the district, were also visiting, so it was a full house. After the drive I was a little tired, and I had gotten sick somehow in Fairbanks (probably partly because I hadn't been taking my vitamins), so my cold was also making me a bit out of sorts. Anyway, Rick and Doug were out blazing trail, cutting down trees, etc. When they returned, Rick was quickly and easily talked into taking me on a dogsled ride. No one had to twist my arm!! Carrie acted as my advocate, and I was soon enough dressed and out the door. The only cotton I wore was on my feet, which is now a statement for all winter activities I will ever do.

I stood back and watched the pros set up the sled and hook up the dogs. They were rearing to run, those pups, and so cute. They all wanted to say hello before their run. It was dark, so my pictures didn't turn out totally clear, but hopefully you get the idea.


This is Carrie and Rick setting up for the team. Yes, we went for a night time dog mushing ride. It was pretty sweet.


This is one of the lead dogs, Snowman. The other one was Mitts. They both did very well. It was cool. At one point Rick said out loud, "Wait, this is a different trail." He wasn't exactly sure where we were, so he went to tell the dogs to turn around, but they kept on going. So he said, "Do you know where you're going? Alright." And we just kept on going, and we ended up right back on the trail. Like horseback riding, there are times when you just have to trust your animal. Lead dogs are lead dogs because they are just that good.


This is the team that pulled us. Aren't they so cool???


This is the dog yard where they all live.


These are the dogs being excited during one of our 45 second breaks. Rick likes to go out and give them all some love and encouragement, check on their harnesses, make sure they're all doing alright. Good dogs.


Although you can't see a whole lot, this is a video of me riding in the sled while being pulled by 10 dogs, guided by Rick Holt. It was pretty sweet. It wasn't this quiet the whole time. I wish you could distinguish in this video the sound of the dogs' feet hitting the snow. Also, Rick and I talked most of the way.

Well, it was a really fun trip. We went about 27 miles or so, so it took us about 2 hours or so. My toes were going in and out of being really cold to being just fine. I tried to move them around a lot. Now remember, my socks were the only thing I wore that was cotton, and my shoes, though good for walking, they are not good for mushing. And so eventually I lost feeling in my toes. Rick let me dog mush for a bit, which meant I was actually standing on the runners and telling the dogs what to do, more less. I was kind of afraid I was going to fall off, but I did alright. However by that point my hands were also very very cold, and it hurt to grip the handles. And so after only a couple minutes of mushing I had to give the reins back to Rick. This made me very sad, but I was also in a lot of pain. By the time we got back to the house, I was huddled deep under the sled blanket and I was very quiet. Rick knew by this that I was really cold. So I jumped out and ran immediately to the fire, which is pretty much all I thought about for the last 15 minutes of the trip.



I stripped to my skin layer of clothes and put my poor bare feet in front of the fire. It really hurt as they thawed out, like biting my thumb hurt.


You can't tell, but my toenail was a grayish blueish color.

Rick says I probably got nipped a bit by the cold. But I still have my toes, so we're doing just fine. It was all worth it, I swear.

Tiff says I was just being a baby when I said my toes were a different color. And then she stuck her tongue out at me, and I was like, what the heck? But I like this picture. :)


But whatever. They were red and the skin felt a little raw and dry. And they were really cold. Anyway, it was a very nice evening with very nice people. I felt bad that I wasn't quite myself, getting over a cold, and I was very tired. But I enjoyed the good company. It was a very very good day. :) Thanks to everyone who made it so wonderful!!

Winter Break: Chapters 4 & 5

CHAPTER 4: Getting to Anchorage, Leaving Anchorage
Mostly Anchorage - Sunday 12/30 to Monday 12/31

My original flight itinerary from Indianapolis looked something like this:

Leave IND 9:30am (Indy time)
Arrive MSP (Minneapolis/St. Paul) 10:30am (Minneapolis time)

Leave MSP 11:30am (Minneapolis time)
Arrive ANC 2:30pm (Alaska time)

Bad news was awaiting us at the Northwest check-in. The flight was to be delayed one hour, and they were saying that anyone with connections in Minneapolis before 12:30 would not make it. Holy cow, I just wanted to get to Anchorage (for reasons that will be obvious later). The lady behind us (my mom and I) was very helpful. After changing her daughter's flight plans, she gave the phone to me and I was able to re-book my flights to get to Anchorage. The bad part was that I would not get to Anchorage until 8:40 in the evening. I would fly from IND to MSP, then on to Seattle, and then finally to ANC. That did not sound fun.

Side Note: While I was sitting at the gate waiting for my flight to MSP, I noticed that the sign above the desk showed our destination to be "Miniapolis" - Where is this place, I wondered.

Back on Track: Well, it turns out that the 12:30 arrival plans to MSP were in Indiana time, so I actually arrived in the airport at 11:30am on Minneapolis time, which was the scheduled departure for my flight to Anchorage. I quickly ran to that gate, which was fortunately only a few gates down. I saw that the plane was still there and still connected to the walkway. I asked the lady at the desk if there was any way for me to get on that plane, explaining that I was on it originally, but because of delayed flights they re-booked me because they believed I would not make it. She kindly gave me the last seat on the ginormous aircraft, which was being held back for mechanical check-up things anyway. I got on the plane just in time! Although my luggage was not going to be in Anchorage until around 9, at least I could run all of my errands!

The flight was long, about 5.5 hours, but I was so thrilled to have gotten on that flight, I didn't mind it so much. The lady next to me was very nice, and we chatted for a bit. I got to ANC at just about 2:30pm. I went immediately to the car rental place, which turned out to be another heck of a mess. For whatever reason I don't even remember, I needed to have a copy of my return flight itinerary. This meant I had to walk all the way to the other end of the airport (quite literally) to Hageland where they had to write on a receipt for me a copy of my itinerary, which I carried all the way back to the other end of the airport. Then they upgraded my car to a Ford Taurus (some of you may know my track record with Ford Tauruses...) for the trouble. At first I was not going to buy the insurance because it was a whole $100. The guy told me that since I don't have my own car insurance it would be a good idea for me to get it. And so I did. This information you will need to remember. You should also remember that, since I rented the car, I was the only authorized driver of the vehicle. Details, details.

I went over to my hostel, the Qupqugiaq Inn, which was quite cute. :) After checking in I went immediately to the REI store where I picked up my cross country skis and got them mounted. This was a very significant moment. I am very pleased with this spenditure of my hard-earned funds. And now I am an REI lifetime member. This is fine with me, since I will most likely be buying from them in the future. I am only 23, of course. This is a fact of my life, my youngness that is, of which I was continuosly reminded this week. I think I had the conversation about 4 times with 4 different groups just this week. Or maybe just 3. But it seemed like a lot. Anyway, yes, I was born in 1984, and my birthday is also Earth Day, and I still have extra fees when I rent a car because I am not yet 25. Just so you know.

I ran a few more errands before having to pick up my luggage at the airport. I didn't sleep wonderfully, but I think it was a mix of being in a strange place with people I didn't really know, and plus I was a little anxious to get on the road the next morning.

I was glad to be back in Alaska, and Anchorage was warm - like, in the teens and 20s, so I didn't have to wear much, just a sweatshirt. The next morning I was on the road a little before 7am. I was headed north to Fairbanks. The drive was - fine. It was fine. You have nothing to worry about. Once the fog lifted in Denali Park and the sun was out for a bit, the drive was gorgeous. I was driving right between mountains. It was beautiful. And I was happy, even though the radio didn't work for much of the trip, and neither did my cell phone, so I was quite alone, which was just fine with me.

I arrived in Fairbanks about 6.5 hours later safe and sound.

CHAPTER 5: New Acquaintances, Old Friends
Fairbanks - Monday 12/31 to Tuesday 1/1

You may be wondering what in the world I was doing in Fairbanks, AK. It's a fair question. Carrie was kind enough to invite me up to visit, since I was going to be in Alaska a week before school began again. I stayed two nights at her sister and brother-in-law's house (her other home). Monday afternoon we hung out at the house, not doing a whole lot, preparing for our evening activities. I enjoyed the company of Onan, the smartest 4.5 year old I've ever met anywhere ever (literally). He also likes to play with blocks.



Monday evening, being New Year's Eve, I was taken along to a women's night out of making our own pizzas, board games, and making new acquaintances. Frankly, I enjoyed myself. And there were some pretty funny people, and some really funny moments. And Apples to Apples is a fun game. I recommend it.

Tuesday I met up with an old friend, Antonio, from the old youth group days at Calvary Temple. I hadn't seen him since we graduated from high school, but he joined the Air Force and just recently returned from Iraq. He is based in Fairbanks, so lucky me, I got to see him while I was there. :) We had lunch and walked around a few places just chatting, not doing much. It was great. And he is doing well, although he hates the cold. Fairbanks is much colder than Anchorage, just so you know.

After Antonio dropped me off, Carrie and I eventually made our way to Kramer's Field to go for a little ski, so I could try out my cool new stuff.



I was a little wobbly at first, of course, and I fell, of course, but last year's practice all started coming back, and I was able to pick up a lot what I remembered. It involves a lot of balance and concentration (for me anyway, right now) and stamina, all good things to have, which is why I love it so much. Anyway, it was a good time.


This is me at the opening of the pretty tree tunnel.


This is Carrie at the other end.


And I just think this looks pretty, minus the giant white blotch there on the right. Oh well. It really wasn't this dark for most of the ski. But when it did get dark there was enough light from the sky and the city combined to make it just fine. It was actually kind of nice.


Anyway, these are my super cool BC (Back Country) skis. I like them. :)

That night we had a delicious dinner that I just absolutely scarfed. Skiing is hard work. (This is another reason I like it so much.) Carrie had made this amazing mosaic table top for her sister for Christmas, and all that was missing was the edging (which a guy gave her for free!!) and the grout. So Tuesday night we all three helped her get the grout off the daisies and the other glass pieces before it dried completely. And in the end it was incredible.



Michelle (her sister) loved it, of course. It's way cool, isn't it?? It's okay if you just want to sit and look at it. We sort of did the same thing. It turned out very beautifully. It's crazy because when we went to a glass shop we saw a table the exact same size and thickness that was mosaic with bigger pieces (it was really cool, black with a turquoise river and salmon jumping out... hard to explain). It was being sold for $360!!!! We wondered what Carrie's would be worth... but it is not for sale.



This concludes my Tuesday, New Year's Day in Fairbanks. I was kind of sick, but whatever. I enjoyed the time that I spent with good people. :)

Winter Break: Chapters 2 and 3

CHAPTER 2: Naptown - A Visit to the Midwest
Indianapolis - Wednesday 12/26 to Friday 12/28

The next day, Wednesday, after sleeping for about 11 or 12 hours, I went grocery shopping. I bought lots and lots of food to ship up (cheaper than buying the same stuff here, and I have more options, such as organic). I also bought food to make dinner that evening. Perry and Melissa (Church 52 pastors, known them since I was small, went to their church this summer) came over for dinner, along with Sara Britt, my longest friend in the world. I made a deluctable dinner; no, you cannot have the recipe. :) But it was very tasty, at least I thought. We also exchanged gift items, and I showed them my beaver hat (which they also laughed at) and my super cool Eskimo yo-yo, which none of them could do, except for Sara there at the end. I am on duty to find her a pair so she can master this skill like me.


Left to Right: Sara, Melissa, Perry, and Mom (Nina)



I spent the night at Sara's house on Wednesday night, where we stayed up until we didn't even want to look at the clock, just talking. I got a text message at one point that said, "hey breanna" - just like that. So we thought it would be funny to carry on a conversation with whatever middle school world we had just been invited into. I'm pretty sure we were messing with some bizarre delicate balance. Finally we went to sleep... the next day I got another text message that said, "call me" - just like that, only 3 times the text message came. So I said something like, "This is not breanna, you have the wrong number, my friend and I were just messing around last night. Please stop texting me." The response made me laugh, mostly because, why would she respond to me?? She texted back and said, "Fine." And then she texted AGAIN and said, "Actually, my name is breanna. I thought you were my ex-boyfriend nate." I'm like, really, I don't care. It was funny at the time, though.

Thursday my cousin Kevin wanted to hang out, so he came and got me from Sara's, and the three of us went to Hobby Lobby. On my quest for a hobby I have been asking everyone else what their hobby is. When I asked Sara, she realized that she also didn't have a hobby, so she joined me on this quest. I believe my brother is also now on a similar quest due to my questioning. Anyway, Kevin got dragged in, even though he has a few hobbies, which include working on cars, working on his motorcycle, watching movies, and coloring those felt pictures. (When I related this, along with my other research, to a friend, she said this: "Wow, now he is ecclectic.") At Hobby Lobby I bought 10 skeins of yarn (I hope that's enough...) and a crochet book, which now I don't know that I'll use, with the intent of crocheting an afghan, which I can't start until my yarn gets here, which is in the mail right now, along with my food and other things from home. I hope it gets here... We ate at Steak 'n' Shake for lunch. It was very good; they have the best burgers (steakburgers, that is) and fries and shakes anywhere ever, although Dog 'n' Suds put up a pretty good match. But they didn't last. Steak 'n' Shake, however, will never die.

Sara departed from us, and Kevin and I drove back to the house of my aunt, uncle, and father. I hung out with my Dad for a while doing the crossword, watching the news, chatting about nothing in particular, eating thin mints (a favorite that the two of us share). Then I took his car and met up with Kelli and Shane. But I didn't get a picture of Shane, just of Kelli and her dog Buttermilk.



We ate at Denny's, because they have the best breakfast food (except for Bob Evans), and then we went to see Beowulf at the Imax theatre downtown. THAT was freakin' cool. It was digital animation, but it was 3-D and very realistic. It put a different kind of twist on the story that I really didn't expect, but it was very good, I thought. I enjoyed it, anyway. In fact, we all did. We went back to their house, and then Kelli and I talked until 4:30 in the morning. When I got home, my mom was already awake for the day. I just went to bed for a few hours.

The Britt family has been a part of my life for pretty much as long as I can remember. Sara and I grew up together, and her parents, Mike and Pam, have been my 2nd parents. They came over for an early dinner on Friday, but I forgot to take pictures. But my mom made roast and potatos and carrots in the crock-pot, which is one of my favorite meals. We ate and enjoyed thoroughly. Towards the end of the visit, my friend Kristin, with whom I graduated college (she was one of my first friends at Houghton, and consequently one of my longest college friends) arrived at my mom's house from Louisville. That's right. She drove all the way up to Indy just to see me. :) So we left, and we went to the mall where I tried to find a black dress for the wedding reception I was to be a part of (as in a bridesmaid) the next day in Lafayette. But I digress. I didn't find a dress on Friday, but we did have a great great time catching up, chatting, sharing stories, sharing memories, and just being ourselves together again. It was too bad she could only stay for the evening! But I am so glad she was able to come up. I also got to catch up with another friend from Indy, Kelsey, with whom I also grew up. Long time friends are always good to see. :)


Trying on dresses and celebrating our failure with wings, time with Kristin is never ever ever wasted. :)

Later on that evening I went out again with Kelli, Shane, and my mom and we saw the movie "I Am Legend" with Wil Smith. It was good. I recommend it. :)

CHAPTER 3: Wedding Dresses and Funny Faces
Lafayette - Saturday 12/29

Like I mentioned earlier, I failed to buy a dress on Friday evening, which meant one aweful thing: I HAD to buy a black dress for Erin and JP's wedding celebration on Saturday morning before arriving at the banquet hall by 12noon that very same day. What was I to do? I got up early, ate a lovely breakfast made by mother dear, headed first to the post office to mail off my million pounds of boxes to Unalakleet, and scurried to the mall. I wandered for a bit, since I was a little early for most stores, and ended up in Von Maur (the most expensive, but most service oriented of the department stores in Castleton Square Mall). I started looking at black gowns, and then a nice woman came over and asked me if I needed any help. I spilled all in total desperation, "I need a long black dress, and I only have one hour!!" She said with a surprised and somewhat what-were-you-thinking tone, "Just an hour?" And I, half laughing, half totally stressed out, "Yes! I'm so sorry!" But she was very good, and calmed me. "It's okay, alright, what size are you, let's start looking at what we have." And so she brought me dresses, and I tried them on, and I finally picked on that was cheapER than the other ones, though not exactly what I wanted. Anyway, I got it all figured out, somehow, and was soon on my way up to Lafayette, just one hour's drive.

It was fantastic to see Erin, good friend who worked with me at Camp Tecumseh for two years, and her husband JP, who just returned recently from Iraq. They were their usual selves - fantabulous and so much fun!!



Erin, by the way, looked unbelievable in her dress. If I was a dress wearer, I'd want it to look like that.



One of the other bridesmaids was another good friend with whom I worked together at camp. Patricia is probably the craziest one of all - and pretty much a blast. So it was great to see her again, too. :) We had a good time, especially since between the two of us, we only knew Erin and JP, and Erin's family. It was pretty sweet.



Patricia needed to have her debut as princess, as well.



And no picture of anyone is complete without Erin poking her finger up someone's nose. And so while Patricia looks completely normal and beautiful, Karis looks like a moron with a mysterious finger in her face (booger free, thank goodness).



This is probably my favorite picture. Erin needed her train put back up so she could walk, and her sister Rachel was trying to figure out how to tie it up. While searching for the way to do this, she was at one point completely underneat Erin's skirt. It was pretty hilarous. So I got a snapshot of her peaking out. :)

It was a fantastic reception with really yummy hors devoirs (sp??). And we took lots and lots of pictures of the wedding party (that included me!) and we ate and were merry. And then I left a little early because I was to leave the next morning.

That evening I had dinner with both my parents at Max & Erma's. I think I got a yummy veggie sandwich - mmm - and fries. And then I went over to Kelli and Shane's. Shane was doing something. Kelli and I talked more (because we always talk a lot about everything), we did a couple crossword puzzles together, and then we took pictures with her fancy camera. I'll see those someday. :) And then we had to say goodbye, and it was very very sad. I don't want to talk about it.

This brings me to the end of Chapter 3.

Winter Break: Introduction and Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

As much as I truly love my home in the village, including my job, trips out and vacations, especially when they come together, come much needed. In fact, even as I write this, I feel not at all ready to return to work. Instead, I feel like blogging. Be prepared, faithful readers, this will be a blog unlike any other. As you can already see from the title, the recount of events from my 2-week Christmas Vacation will be told to you in sections by chapter. I will do my best to tell you everything in order and exactly as it happened. It will be up to you, however, to do the scrolling in order to get everything in the right timeline. Comments, as always, are much appreciated.

CHAPTER 1: Christmas and Family
Indianapolis - Monday 12/24 to Tuesday 12/25

Because of my exaggerated delay in buying tickets back to Indy for Christmas, I did not fly out of Unalakleet until December 24th, which put me in Indianapolis around 12:45 in the afternoon on December 25th - that's right, Christmas Day. (The few days I had in UNK, I pretty much laid around, slept, cleaned house, did laundry, walked, and read. It was grand.) Both parents were there to greet me at the airport after my 15 hour trip. Because I was reading a book all night on the plane, and because I am somewhat stupid, I had had very little sleep at this point. Somehow, it didn't make too much of a difference. I was glad to be with family.

I went with my Dad for the afternoon and spent Christmas with my Aunt Phyllis, who had prepared lots and lots of yummy food (including 3 deviled eggs each, though I took a little extra), my Uncle Jerry, (cousin) Kevin, (cousin) David and his girlfriend Natalie and her son, and of course David's daughter Layla. I showed off my super cool beaver hat and everyone laughed at me. My uncle put it on and looked ridiculous, so we all laughed at him. And then we opened presents. Layla got about a million. (I used to the be baby girl of the family...)


Daddy opens all of his presents very delicately, trying his hardest not to rip the paper. Personally, this drives me nuts, but whatever. I just don't look until he has his gift out.


Uncle Jerry got a new tool - a battery powered wrench or something. He was very excited, and I'm sure we all looked this cool when we were playing with it, too.


Layla got lots and lots of things, I'm sure more things than she even knows what to do with. But she was very cute anyhow.


Kevin, who is in the KKoett club, accompanied only by my brother and I, believe it or not, used to have hair down to his butt. And then he cut it all off. I kind of miss the long hair look on him, but I guess that's a little nostalgic on my part. He's still the super cool guy that he always was, though.

That evening I went over to my Mom's house where we proceeded to exchange gifts. She made me the following neat items: felted house shoes, a quilted bag, a holder for all my crochet needles (complete with brand spanking new crochet needles), a small felted bag, and a pair of wool socks. Most of those things are currently in the mail to me at this very moment, but the house shoes I kept with me, because I'm wearing them.

Christmas, although it did not feel like Christmas (whatever Christmas is supposed to feel like), was good. It is always a good excuse to visit family and to be home, and mostly to try to give gifts that you hope the receiver will like. Unfortunately, I am not a great gift giver. Perhaps acquiring this trait should be my New Year's Resolution, though I don't usually make serious ones of those. In the end, however, it was a fabulous Christmas, though it would have been better if my brother had been there with us. Somehow, we got along without him okay.