2017 ~ The Reflection

As it's the last night of 2017, I'd thought it'd be fitting to reflect on my adventures this year. If you meet me in person, and you me what I've been up to, my first response is, "Nothing much. I'm pretty boring."

Yeah, have I mentioned that I'm a total introvert and mostly socialize with different online communities?

Sleeping Beauty's Castle, Disneyland

Because really, 2017 had some good adventures. Here's a look back at this year:

*Disneyland ~ I spent my 40th birthday with my family in Disneyland. I wasn't expecting my family to join me but we were all heading down to LA for a family thing, so it just worked out that way. I was thrilled to enter my 40s walking through Sleeping Beauty's castle (one of my favorite places on the planet) with one of my favorite people on the planet (my niece) at my side. Ah-maze-ing.

*Snow day at Donner Lake ~ my brother, his wife, my niece, and my giant snow dog and I took my CRV up to spend the day in the snow. We walked around, took pictures, threw snowballs, Dakota took a snow bath, and had a picnic in my car. As we left, it started snowing...which turned into a storm that left one of my friends stranded right by where we were. We, however, beat the storm and had arrived safely at home by that time. 

Dakota giving himself a snow bath

*Field Trips ~ I went on two overnight field trips this year. I went to Fort Ross, California for an overnight trip with another 4th grade class. I had just decided to change grades and thought it would be a good idea to check it out. It was because I'm not going back again. But I also went to Coloma, Ca (which you can read about here) and that was a good trip. It was a 2 night trip but totally worth it.  

*Conferences ~ I went to one incredible conference and one that I didn't need to attend. The one that I didn't need to go to was about cochlear implants at Stanford University. It was a good conference but not for a 4th grade teacher. The conference was designed for parents who are just starting the journey of getting implants and what to expect in the coming years. Most of the children are under the age of 4 and it just didn't work for me. And even the sessions lead by the doctors didn't teach me anything. One doctor said, "Well, everyone here knows this part, so for the sake of time, let's move on." And I was the only person in the room who had no clue what he was talking about.

Halls of Stanford University

The other conference I attended was incredible and truly deserves it's own post because this conference took place at Columbia University in New York City. It was not only a great conference that I got so much out of but it was also an incredible adventure in the city with my sister-in-law. 

*New grade level ~ Changing what grade level I teach (kindergarten to 4th grade) has been a huge adventure. New curriculum, new classroom, new age group, and new teaching hours for me. I'm liking it a lot, it's not easy but I'm finding that I'm loving a lot about it. K was hard to teach. I had to teach how to be a student and then the foundation of reading, writing, and math. Now, we dive into deeper levels with all that stuff. The math was a little tricky but I think it's going okay. 

Alice in Wonderland statue in Central Park, NYC

*Books, books, and more books ~ This year, I read a ton of books! Okay, yes I'm introverted but I still do things. I spend time with my family, I walk my dog, I even went to the gym in 2017 (more than once!) but one thing I did was I stopped watching TV. I caught up on all my shows over the summer. I made a point to watch Game of Thrones and Last Week Tonight but other than that, I'll watch Youtube videos for a bit and then I read. And I read more than one book at a time (they have to be different genres so I can keep them straight) and BAM! I read over 100 books. Goodreads says I read 111 books but I DNFed (did not finish) 7 books and reread 3 books....so really, I read 107 books this year. I count audiobooks, children's chapter books, and graphic novels as books I've read because I just do. When I was working out, I was listening to an audiobook. Any road trips? I've got an audiobook. I even read with my students during our library time (that's when I read the chapter books) so my students will see me reading and I can keep up with the new level books that my students read. 

Some things to look forward to in 2018:

I've got my trip to Europe which I have blogged about in great detail here and here. I'm hoping for another Disneyland trip but I haven't planned one out. I'll be going to Coloma again at the end of 2018. I'd like to take my teardrop trailer out this year but I discovered that I don't like camping so maybe I'll just sell it. I dunno. 

I plan on continuing on my weight loss journey although my focus will be on getting in shape to handle all the walking I will be doing this summer. I do need to lose weight for 2019 because I'm going on a desert camel ride in Morocco and that would be cruel to the camel. 

I'm setting my reading goal at 100 books. I don't know if I'll make that but I can try.

I'm leaving the negative from 2017 behind and taking with me the good. Just as it should be. 

Happy New Year!

Enter The Year Of The Scary Age

Carrie Bradshaw from 'Sex And The City' had a scary age. This is the age where you start to feel old and you should have reached your goal of marriage & babies...or maybe just babies. In any case, when you hit your scary age, it should start a panic. They also said in the show that you'd regret not settling down by then. Like you somehow wasted your life.

Her scary age was 38. I thought that sounded like a reasonable scary age, so I chose the same age. I had decided that by the age of 38, I would be fit, be a mother, own my own house, and basically have my stuff together.

Visually, here's what I pictured:

A busy but loving wife & mother

I would look polished & professional

Of course, I'd also be a dedicated teacher

My house would be lovely, clean, & organized

Now, the only thing that I have accomplished on my list was to in regard to my teaching. That's what I have been thinking anyways. Until I really started thinking about my life.

First of all, I made the conscious decision to not purchase a home. Basically, I can't afford to buy a home here. And really the only thing I could afford anywhere in the Bay Area was a fixer-upper. Despite what the trolls in 'Frozen' might sing, a fixer-upper was not what I wanted. I had no desire to keep spending my money investing in my house that may or may not be in a good area.

I found a great little 1 bedroom house locally to rent. It's way bigger than my last house in Alaska, plus, it had a hook up for my very own washing machine & dryer. And since I don't own it, I don't have to worry about the up keep. Sure, the owners may decide to sell it or send me on my way any time they wish but I am a good tenant and they are okay with my giant dog. So hopefully I can stay here a while.

Which is another huge thing. When I came up with my scary age, I never knew that I would own a Giant Alaskan Malamute. I simply can't own fancy furniture. My furnishings are functional and from Ikea. They had to be, my dog sheds a great deal and he's not the most graceful dog around. I love my furniture though....

Plenty of room for a giant dog, cat, & myself!!

What's not pictured here is the cooling mat on the floor that Dakota sleeps on every night. The bed is mostly cat territory.

I have to have things that can be washed.....regularly. Because of moments like these:

He stole the pillows & blanket off the couch

Lola will climb on anything & anywhere!

He's a goof, but who could resist that face?

Another thing that I never foresaw was my traveling. Alaska, Iceland, and even owning my own little teardrop was something I had never planned on doing. I didn't know I was so adventurous. It was never part of my plan. Am I really supposed to be regretting moments like this?

Among the Giant Redwoods with my teardrop, my dog, & my niece!!!

A helicopter tour of the glaciers outside of Anchorage, Alaska with my mom

Staying warm teaching in Akiak, Alaska

The amazing Skógafoss waterfall in Iceland

So, obviously, my 30's have been awesome! I mean, not to brag or anything, but I why would I regret any of this? I'm way happier now than when I was in my 20's actively pursuing my goals of what I thought I needed before I was 38. And I did all this single and plus sized. And bottom line: I'm not ready for marriage or kids...not right now anyways.

But there's that nagging feeling...because there's more that I want to be. I've been lazy lately. My house is cluttered and needs a vacuuming, my eating habits are improving (I've cut out soda) but no where near healthy, I don't dress professionally every day, and if I exert myself too much, I feel like I am going to have a heart attack. Oh yeah, and I've got that Pre-Diabetic diagnosis to deal with. 

So I don't like that.....but it's up to me to change it. I've decided to take these last two years of my 30s and fix things....BUT incorporate where I have been and where I am going. I want to still travel, so I will make that happen. I also want to become healthier. The laziness will have to stop. I live like I am in my 20s....and that needs to stop for health reasons. The day I find the motivation to work on something I hate (exercise & eat right) will be an amazing day indeed. I think it's going to have to be a take it one day at a time sort of thing. I have issues with that.

The last thing that bothered me was how I dress at work. I want to be the kind of teacher who looks dressed up and professional. But let's face it: I get sneezed on, I'm down on the floor working with little ones, and some days I work with paint. It's the same reason my furniture is functional....my wardrobe has to be as well. I have stepped it up though. But I do still wear jeans. If you google images of kindergarten teachers, you won't see a suit. They look lovely and clean. That's good enough for me.

But, never fear, there are still going to be days like this one, just maybe not so many of them:  

Reading in bed....

Yes, I look forward to hitting my scary age in stride. I feel like I have a clean slate. Did I have a family? No. Did I have adventures? Oh my yes. Is this it for me? Oh hell no!

I am going to enjoy these last two years of my 30s....but I have to be honest, 40 doesn't sound that bad anymore!

The Graduate

Furbaby Adventures

Poor Daisy

Before I go into my drive, I thought I would devote a post about traveling with my pets. If you are new to my blog, I have a (small) giant 110 pound Alaskan Malamute named Dakota. I also have two cats named Daisy & Lola. Daisy & Lola traveled with me from California to Alaska. That trip was a flight from Oakland to Anchorage and was uneventful (for the most part). We did get stuck overnight in Bethel, but that ended up not being that big of a deal.

If you are traveling within the state of Alaska, you do NOT need a health certificate for your animals. You do however, need proof that your animals have had their rabies shot. Since I was traveling through the Canadian/United States borders, I was required to have proof of rabies and a health certificate. 

Dakota was current on his rabies, however my cats were not. So a week before I left Akiak, I had to fly my kitties and myself to Bethel for the day. I was meeting up with my friend, Mandii, who was bringing her cat to the vet for the same reason. The vet is only in Bethel once a month for a week. So, you have to jump on his visits if you need something. Even to fly my kitties to Anchorage, they needed their rabies. So this was an important day. 

My kitties were ready. I had Daisy in a hard case carrier and Lola was in a soft carrier. I knew I was going to need to check one of my cats for the trip to Anchorage, and Lola tends to get scared, where Daisy gets mad. I figured it was best to piss off Daisy instead of terrifying Lola. So I would check Daisy and keep Lola with me. But for that day, I just wanted them to get used to their carriers. 

The plane agent couldn't drive through the giant puddle/pond by my house. So he waited for me at the end of the road. 

And here's where it gets horrible. As I was walking to the agents car, carrying my two cats in their carriers, I slipped on a patch of ice in the pond and I dropped Lola in the puddle. Both cats are screaming (Lola more so) and I kinda toss Daisy on the dry ground as I get Lola (who's screaming bloody murder) out of the puddle. Water comes pouring out of the carrier as I lift it out. The water was freezing cold and I am convinced Lola's going to die.

The agent came running over and helped me with the cats. My pants are soaking wet and I feel like the worst cat mommy EVER. I use my hat and my gloves to attempt to dry off Lola. The pilot of the bush plane let me keep Lola on my lap as I attempted to soothe her and keep her from dying (in my mind anyways). I had the idea of putting her in Daisy's carrier with Daisy. Once when Lola was a kitten and they both had to go to the vet in California, Lola had gotten scared and climbed in with Daisy. And when I travel with Daisy, her temperature spikes up because she gets stressed out. I figured Daisy would help keep Lola warm.

And besides, Lola's carrier was soaking wet. I was so focused on Lola that I didn't notice it was still dripping wet...on my lap...soaking my jacket....and pants....and cell phone...which made it totally useless until it dried off.....that night....

Anyways, I was waiting for my friend at the airport (which is pretty much a large room) so I transferred Lola into Daisy's carrier. Daisy was mad but Lola was just sitting there...in shock no doubt. 

Mandii comes with her cat and we get ready to leave to the vet. I grab the carrier to leave. The bottom drops out of the carrier and both my cats fall to the ground. Time seemed to stop for a moment. I was still holding the top to the carrier when I see Daisy run off. I shout, "OH MY GOD!" and drop the top on Lola, hoping to stall her as I go after Daisy. Mandii shouts, "I'll get the other one!" and this sweet family starts to put the carrier back together. 

I manage to corner Daisy and bring her back. The family has put it together for me, so I shove  Daisy in and I can hear Lola screaming by the bathroom. Mandii had her cornered but was waiting for me to get her. I have never seen such a terrified cat. I ended up holding her for a few minutes before putting her back in the carrier. I ended up taping the carrier with packing tape to keep it from falling apart again.

The rest of that day was pretty uneventful. I got their shots and health certificate. But this made me really dread traveling with them on a long road trip. 

Dakota's space

Cats behind a couch

Compared to that day, the trip was fine. I mean, they hated it. I'd have to catch them every morning, and they'd meow in the car for hours to let me know they were pissed. But we kinda got into a routine. 

Dakota had the easiest time traveling. I set up a pet hammock in the back seat. I stashed my mother's and my luggage on the floor and he got the whole back seat to himself. The cats had their carriers in the back. Every day, I'd set up the litter box & their food and we'd settle in for the night. 

Catching the cats...

Dakota and Lola seemed to adjust best to traveling. Daisy would hide every day. I loved the pet friendly rooms in Canada. The bottoms of the beds were blocked off so the cats couldn't hide under the beds, which made them so much easier to catch in the mornings. When they were able to hide under the beds, I just decided to pull the beds apart and flip the mattresses up. The cats had no where to hide. On the last few days, Daisy just seemed to give up hiding. She'd sit there and mew a little.

One morning, one of the cats would not stop complaining. I even stopped the car to make sure nothing was wrong. Then, I decided to put the cats together. They could soothe each other. That worked. For that day. There was a cat fight the next day. Both cats got a bit scratched up. We had two days left in the trip. By that time, I was so done dealing with them. I kept them together. They didn't make as much noise after that, but now I wish I had separated them. You'll see why in a moment.

Dakota sleeping in car

One thing I thought was funny, was every night, Dakota would crash like he spent the day running on the highway. Every time we stopped, I'd walk him but who knew traveling would be so tiring for him? But over all, he had the easiest time on the trip.

Dakota crashed out in hotel room...

So here's the aftermath: 

Dakota ~ is doing great. He loves all the extra attention he gets and everyone in the house adores him. He has a yard to play in and I've been walking him around. He sleeps in the hallway, guarding all of his new humans, but every morning, he jumps into my bed and sleeps with me for a bit. He wakes me up when my niece gets up. He's a happy boy.

Dakota enjoying the grass

Daisy ~ was the first cat (my brother has two boy cats) to adjust to the new living situation. Only in the fact that she started eating before any of the other cats. They all lost some weight before we moved the food & litter boxes around to help them adjust. Daisy hides all day and only comes out for me to pet her. She sleeps next to me every night and has become very needy. She is very vocal about needing my affection and that's new.

That's not a bed Lola!

Lola ~ makes me sad actually. I've had her since she was a tiny 4 week old kitten. Lola stays in the living room and only comes in the room to eat or use the litter box. She won't cuddle with me, but she cuddles with my brother & his wife. She's starting to let me pet her and she lets my niece pet her. She hisses and growls at every other cat (including Daisy). She's only starting to let Dakota approach her, which is more than she'll do for Daisy. For a cat who used to cuddle with me every night and sleep on my legs, it hurts my feelings that she is so mad at me. I am hoping she'll get over it soon. We've had a little progress. She did jump on the bed for five minutes last night. And she laid out by my head when I was reading last night. So maybe she's starting to forgive me a bit. She won't let me pick her up at all. 

I'm not forcing things. Hopefully, my furbabies will be just as happy as Dakota is with the change. Here's hoping!

And for the record: not one person asked to see my documentation for my animals' rabies or health certificate. Not the airline to Anchorage, not at the Canadian border, and not at the U.S. border....fantastic.

Dakota & I

Cuddling my boy on the drive

Alaska Wouldn't Let Go...

This past month has brought new adventures....and a lot of extra stress!

And the stress boiled down to one simple thing: getting Dakota out of Alaska.

Some would argue that job searching would be more stressful, and I would agree. However, the hiring season hadn't started yet (it just did) so I couldn't be stressed about that yet. 

Now, I've flown Dakota to California before. How hard can it be to do it again? Yeah, Dakota was only five months old when I did that. (Yes, friends & family who met him, he was only five months old and that big!) He fit a large crate then, he's in a GIANT crate now.

So, when I decided to move back to California, I figured I would just buy a used vehicle and drive it down for the adventure. And I do love adventure. But, I wasn't seeing any cars, trucks, or SUVs I was really into. And I began to doubt the taking 7 days to drive. I was anxious to get to California sooner rather than later. So, Plan A was scratched.

Alaska Airlines is great with pets. They give you this note when you are on the plane that your pet is on there with you (they pull it from the intake sheet as they load your animal) so you KNOW where your pet is. I haven't had any problems with them. However, their cargo doors are 34 inches high, and a giant crate is 35 inches high. So, Alaska Airlines doesn't fly giant dog crates.

But United Airlines does and they have a pet program as well. Great! Plan B! Except they can only fly giant crates on certain sized planes and whoops! None of those planes are flying in or out of Anchorage. Scratch that plan.

Delta also says it can fly crates that size. But their phone lines were acting up and I couldn't get a straight flight to any of my destination choices....it was weird on their website. Delta wasn't ever a plan...

Plan C: maybe I can rent a car, drive it and return it in California. After contacting every car rental place in Anchorage, scratch Plan C.

Plan D: Rent cargo space from Alaskan Airlines on a cargo flight! It can only get me to Seattle, but from there I can rent a car and return it to California easily. They just have to return my phone call.

Two Weeks Later: Still waiting for my phone calls and e-mail to be returned for Plan D.

While I'm waiting for Plan D, maybe Plan E will work better: a private flight from Anchorage to Seattle, rent a car.....$18,000? Ummmm, thanks but no thanks. Scratch Plan E.

Plan F: perhaps a charter plane from a smaller freight company in Alaska? Oh, they don't fly to Seattle, nevermind. Scratch Plan F.

Started contacting other people listed for Plan D. Maybe someone else can help me. Oh, they all seem to be out of the office for the rest of the week.

Plan G: Rent an RV and drive it down to Seattle, then rent a car. I found all sorts of RV rentals, but the ones where you can rent it to drive down (most of them were for driving up to Alaska) had a no pet policy. And with 2 cats and a giant dog by myself, I figured that wouldn't be fair to omit that information. Scratch Plan G.

Plan H: Take a ferry! Animals have to stay in the vehicle (which I don't have) and can only be walked for 15 minutes when the ferry is at a port. Ummmmm......no, scratch Plan H.

Still waiting for Plan D, Plan D will work.....????

Plan I: Trains? No trains to Alaska....plus, Amtrak only allows service dogs....

I could just take him on the plane!

note: getting Dakota labeled a service dog would solve ALL my problems!!!

Plan J: Bus? Service dogs only!

At this point, Plan D has finally gotten back to me, only to tell me that I would really only be able to fly out of Anchorage May 18th, if they can fit me in at all. Fishing season will have started by then and the fish take priority. My contract ends May 16th and even though I have serious doubts about being able to get from Akiak to Anchorage before leaving May 18th, I agree to it. They told me they would get back to me. (Again.)

Plan K: contacting several pet mover companies to just deal with Dakota for me. Most of my queries go unanswered, if not some crazy total. Scratched!

Plan L: have my Uncle Val come and get me. He can drive up with his truck and then drive us all down. But, my uncle is moving that same weekend. He's willing to come get me or even just have me fly down and he can get Dakota, but I can't leave my baby boy. So Plan L is scratched.

It was back to Plan A. Except I didn't want to get stuck with a car that I didn't really want, or was overpriced because it was in Alaska. I really wanted a Honda CRV.

Me Likey

No wonder every article I read about traveling with giant dogs in Alaska involved the owners driving to and from Alaska. This was insane trying to get Dakota out. It felt like Alaska just wouldn't let me go.

I had done an internet search of Honda Dealerships in Anchorage. And at the time, I couldn't find one. However, while I was waiting for Plan D to get back to me a second time, my mother called me and told me she found a Honda Dealership in Anchorage. I contacted them and they had the exact model & color I wanted. 

It was more expensive than it would have been if I bought it in California. But the real question was: would the expenses balance out? I would be buying the car anyways, and if Plan D works....I just might be paying the same amount no matter what.

After hearing back from the dealership, I heard back from Plan D: $3,500 to reserve cargo space for Dakota. Plus, I'd need his health certificate sooner, which meant a Bethel trip to the vet instead of going to Anchorage while we were already there....so that's an extra $500. Plus a rental car fee for once we got to Seattle....not to mention MY ticket and my 2 cats....

So buying a car in Anchorage and driving it down is probably the best way.

After many, many phone calls, e-mails, internet searches and Facebook posts, I have landed on a plan that is in motion, far from perfect, but solid. Whatever else comes up, I will deal with it then. I call this plan: Plan Z.

At Dawson Creek, veer off & hug the coast

Plan Z: I buy a SUV in Anchorage. I fly my critters out of Akiak and Bethel May 18th. (And notice that flight wasn't mentioned, cause that was the easy part!!!) My mother is going to fly up to Anchorage and meet me there. We are going to spend two days getting our supplies ready, and then May 20th, we will be driving the Alaskan Highway out of Alaska and through the Yukon, then taking the Western Access Route  (off the Alaskan Highway) through British Colombia to Seattle. From Seattle, it's I5 to California.

My Honda CRV is already bought. It's waiting for me to pick it up when I get to Anchorage.

So, in 20 days, I will have a new adventure to post about. The thing is, it's not a vacation. My trip to Iceland is my vacation. My driving the ALCAN is just to get me to California. It would be great if I could enjoy myself and take my time, but right now, I need a job. And I feel like I need to be available for interviews. I want to push the drive so I can get to where I need to be. Iceland is going to be my real treat. 

I feel very practical about my road trip. I do plan on enjoying the view, and stopping regularly to stretch my legs (and Dakota's). I'm not going to spend the whole time driving. My mindset is really focused on getting home though. Focused, determined, hell bent....you know, whatever.

                                       

Road tripping for 7 days with a giant dog, 2 cats, and my feline allergy sensitive mother doesn't really sound all that relaxing to me. If it were just me in the car, I bet I could do Anchorage to Seattle in 3 days. And as for my mother, she's going to talk to her doctor and get her own hotel room, so the cats shouldn't be a problem. Ah well, maybe another flaw to the plan. 

At this point, it's whatever works. Plan Z will have it's bumps, but it's the best I got. That stress of trying to figure out what to do is gone. Once I get to California, I'll be staying with my brother, sister-in-law, and my 5 year old niece. I'm excited about that.

And if you have a giant dog and are wondering how to get it in and out of Alaska....drive it.

Okay, so now onto the job search stress. Fantastic!!!