To Flood or Not To Flood?

That question remains to be seen....hopefully not!

The last few weeks have kept me busy studying for a test to qualify me as a "Highly Qualified" teacher here in Alaska. I had thought my status carried over from California, but alas and alack...nope!

So I completely stressed myself out and buried myself in the books.....mostly.

I did manage to finish sewing my qasbeq! I would like to make a Hello Kitty one for my niece. The material should arrive this week. Here's a picture of the one I made for me:

I have also come under the spell of a new actor (well, new to me!!) who I highly recommend watching. Michael Fassbender plays Mr. Rochester in the latest adaption of Jane Eyre, and he's wonderful. Okay, he first caught my eye as the young Magneto in Xmen First Class....but he's really good in both movies. Okay, I've since watched four of them. Seriously, keep your eye on this guy....he's good! Roger Ebert agrees with me.

I took the test this past weekend. After the test, I had a great weekend. I did nothing but watch movies for the rest of Saturday. Sunday brought a bbq with my coworkers and then several of us (four other people and 2 other dogs) went for a massive trek around Akiak. We traversed over mud, ice, snow, water, and sand....Dakota has been scared of the water, but by the end of the hike he was running through puddles and down by the river like a pro. Okay, yes....we walked down to the river and played on the ice. Exactly what we told the kids NOT to do. But it was fun and we were careful....a couple of my friends ended up riding a sheet of ice (our own ice berg) a couple of feet. Dakota even stood on it for a bit. By the end of the adventure, my puppy was worn out and I had discovered my boots leaked.

Which was terrible timing. The snow is melting and my housing complex is surrounded by water. So no matter which path I walk, I do need my shoes not to leak. I've ordered new boots. Hopefully, they will get here very soon. Today I went walking with Dakota and my friend (shot out to Brooke & Spencer!!) and the mud went past my ankle. I was worried about getting stuck to be honest. Last year, one of the state people got stuck in the mud in Akiachak and had to have someone pick her up. I was nervous going through this big mud puddle and Dakota came over to me (I walk him off leash when trying to go through puddles, I don't need to battle him AND the mud) and made sure I was okay. Oddly enough, his steps brought up the mud so it didn't stick to me as much.

The weather has been beautiful. This weekend I sat outside reading to soak up the sun. It felt glorious.

I am worried about Akiak flooding. I hope it doesn't. My flood plan was to grab my animals and bring them up to the school on higher ground. But then I found out that I can't bring my animals there. So my new plan is to take them to my old house (the one that got lifted so high) and stay there. If I have to. I might just be out of power & water for a bit. I'm stocking up on water but I still have to put my emergency bag together. No matter what happens, I will be alright. I just need to make sure my animals are okay.

Something did happen that wasn't pleasant. The situation has since been handled but I did want to mention to people who are reading my blog thinking about coming out to the bush need to know this. Do not leave your safety up to other people. I had a scary encounter and while nothing actually happened to me, I was scared and shaken up to my core. I had to beef up my security, I bought several things to deter anyone from coming in my house....or trying to anyways....I don't want to alarm anyone, but there are things you can purchase that aren't weapons that I wanted to share. If you are interested they have: security bars you put under the doorknob, alarmed door steps, and door/window alarms. But if you are a little old fashioned, Alaska has some great gun laws. I'm just saying, my personal safety is important and sometimes it's better to err on the side of caution.

On a happier note: Dakota is now 9 months old. I still don't know how much he weighs now, the most common estimate is 110 pounds. That looks about right. He's still so fluffy!! I took a picture to remember the day.....

Dakota at 9 months

And I had some little ones come over to visit me not too long ago. I don't know why kids love climbing in Dakota's crate....but they do. When Dakota got in with them, I just had to snap a picture! (And yes, those are my high heels the girls are wearing!)

This is how I entertain kids at my house!

Home is Where the Heart Is.....sorta

So this week has been mostly spent on homework (an Alaskan history class), getting things prepped for bringing my teaching certificate up to the next level, and signing up for school......throw in a couple of things like taxes & my PFD sign up and you have yourself a party! Oh, and don't forget teaching...cause that's actually a big thing I do!

PFD ~ Permanent Fund Dividend ~ Alaska actually pays you to live there. But you have to register for it after two years.....so this year marks my first year registering for the PFD. It's kind of exciting. California made me pay to live there....a lot and I had to pay to work there. In Alaska, there is no sales tax and I'll get money at the end of the year. Alaska rocks!

So along with registering for my PFD, I've also been taking an Alaskan History course for my teaching certificate. (I don't like spelling credential, please don't ask why) It's kinda cool that I've lived places that were so influenced by gold rushes, and I've been comparing California's history with that of Alaska. They are similar in many ways.

But what made me feel a bit sad was thinking... I'm no longer a Californian resident. I don't have anything from California that holds up anymore. My driver's license is Alaska, as is my teaching certificate. My birth certificate is from Connecticut. Except for my previous address, there's nothing to claim California is where I'm from. Even my college degrees technically come from Arizona (University of Phoenix). I guess the only thing I still carry is my accent. (Like, oh my gawd!)

But I don't feel like an Alaskan yet. I still feel like a Californian. I'm from the Bay Area. I'm liberal. I still don't wear fur. I don't eat a whole lot of meat. I was a vegetarian. I'm for equal rights and I miss my Prius. I'm sure I still carry a lot of Bay Area traits....but California seems like a blip in my past....I need some sort of document that carries weight! A high school diploma? Okay, maybe.

So at what point will I feel like an Alaskan? Two winters does not an Alaskan make. At what point will my "I'm from California" change into "I'm from Alaska"? Ever? I've stopped saying "I'm going home" when I visit California.

Maybe I'll always consider myself from California......and that's not a bad thing. I think on some level it's weird to be mourning the loss of your state's status, but I think with making it official, I had to accept that I'm not coming back to California for a long time (if ever). And I think I'm coming to terms with letting that part of me go. I moved to Alaska. For real. I really did this. Two years ago this month, I made my first trip to Anchorage for a job fair and now I'm officially, without a doubt, an Alaskan resident. And a dog owner. Who saw that coming?

And now I'm going back to school. True, this is a 3 year process.....but life just seems to keep changing in directions I never planned or would have guessed. I'm finishing my application process and hope to start in May. Which is next month....CRAP! Where does the time go?

My other new thing this month is studying for the Praxis II test. My ginormous California teaching test I took years ago didn't carry over to Alaska. And so, I have to take a massive teaching test at the end of this month. As soon as my study guide arrives, I'll be spending my time on that.

Thank goodness I'm a pet owner to take my mind off of all this stuff. My cats like to cuddle and Dakota gets me out of the house. Dakota cuddles too, but only in the mornings when my alarm is going off. I actually enjoy my mornings with him. He isn't rough or annoying. He just cuddles and rests his head on me. I got my face buried in massive amounts of fur the other morning but that was quite by accident and not my fault/intention. Dakota is a sweet boy. Remind me of that when I want to kill him, kay?

Oh and apparently, my garden gnome got married. It seems during his trip around the U.S. last summer, he visited a mail order bride service which has located him a bride. Look for more details later this week. I tell you, this garden gnome was the best $10 investment I ever made. It was either that or the pink flamingoes. But they were kinda pricey.....

I leave you with a pic of some cookies I tried to bake...they were supposed to be chocolate chip, but in my effort to soften the butter, I melted the chips...and it also seems I have issues scooping cookies from the pan to the cooling rack. But anyone who saw the Gingerbread Man Massacre when I taught Kindergarten already knew that.....

And I made an effort to be artsy as well....enjoy some icicle pics I took too!