It's been a lightning fast semester.  Already, my grades for quarters one and two as well as semester one are entered and finalized.  I also reconfigured my room and put up student work on my walls in anticipation of the next semester.  In fact, I think I have most of the first week of our return planned out (and even some copies made) which is pretty good for me for the first year teaching a class.

This means that I can focus more on just enjoying this break.  In truth, it doesn't even feel like break has started yet.  Maybe it will sink in tomorrow. 

My plans are generally pretty open:  
•    On most weekdays, I plan to get to the school by 9:30 to join a couple of my co-workers in a crossfit workout.  
•    I have my birthday movie marathon.  
•    I am leading the children's choir for the children's Christmas mass as well as singing at the "midnight" mass (which our church holds at 9pm).  
•    We have been invited to watch fireworks on a frozen lake on New Year's Eve.  
•    We plan on making one trip up to Anchorage.  
•    We are going to watch the new Star Wars movie on the 26th (oh, and thanks for the spoilers, those of you who are spoilers).  
•    I have a couple of video games that I want to finish.
•    I would like to do some more revising and editing of Dragon Hunter (a process that was put on hold for the move)
•    I have asked a few co-workers if they would like to hang out (and perhaps play Catan and Carcassonne) over break.  While there are no definite plans, they seemed receptive to the idea.
•    I’ll spend a lot of time hoping, dreaming, and praying that my house in Michigan will sell. 
•    And I plan to catch up on sleep.

And I will also be missing my family and friends whom I usually get to spend time with during this time of year, but that should go without saying.

While our trip up to Alaska has left us with a list of items which we left behind but would really like to have (such as a recliner, rocker, dressers, comfortable desk chairs, house, garage, extra refridgerator, freezer, etc.), I have found a growing list of things which I would like to have but never really cared about before.

A remote car starter: Especially since we don't have a garage, this handy device would make our vehicles much happier on cold days.

A pickup truck: Just our dump runs make this a want, but if we get a place further out from town (as is our preference), there are a number of uses that such a vehicle would have.

A four-wheeler (especially with a plow attachment):  While I've always been a fan of quads, Soldotna has a number of off-road paths and trails to explore.  While the above-mentioned pickup might be more powerful (and practical) for a plow, one of the dads at the bus stop has a plow attached to his quad and has admitted that it a great deal more fun (and fuel efficient).  Having seen him plow the parking area near the bus stop, I have to agree.

Bear spray:  Basically pepper spray with an extra kick.  I would hope to never use it, but especially since we plan on hiking trails (or even just walking down our road) this upcoming spring and summer, it's a must-have.

Cross-country skis:  This has been something that I wanted in the past, but the declining snow totals in Michigan just made them impractical.  With the powder up here and the numerous trails, including miles of them right behind my school, skis have made a real jump up my list.

Ice skates: There is a plethora of lakes up here and the cold weather freezes them over quite well.  We've even been invited to one for this coming New Year's Eve.  The local ice rink also has many cheap skate times available.

I know that there's more on the list, but it's not coming to mind at the moment.  It will probably be a while before we knock any of these off the "want" list (except maybe the bear spray).  However, should anyone want to get me something for my birthday or Christmas ...

In one week from today I will be holding my annual movie marathon (also known as my birthday).  While my original plan had been to marathon the extended Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies (a day and a half marathon), that plan is on hold as I currently do not have access to any of the extended Hobbit movies (and haven't even seen the most recent one).  Instead, the plan is to replay the marathon from eight years ago and watch the six episodes of Star Wars.  Hopefully, I will be able to see the seventh episode some time later during Christmas break (for a variety of reasons, I don't plan on seeing it opening weekend). 

I was a little concerned about pulling a day-long marathon on either dining room or camping chairs, but that is no longer an issue.  One of my coworkers purchased a new living room set for her own Christmas present and asked if anyone wanted her 20-year-old couch and loveseat before she took them to the dump.  I responded within minutes and now live in a much more cramped, but immensely more comfortable house.  The furniture is a little worn and sags in a few places, but is still in better condition than the last couple of couches and love seats that have come into our possession (which makes them infinitely more pleasant to sit in than camp chairs).  While Janelle​ isn't thrilled with the pattern, I actually like it's red, green, and tan criss-crossing lines.  It was a challenge to fit them through the door, let alone into the house, but everyone (including the cats) seems much happier with them here.

Anyway, the following is the plan for next Wednesday (all in AST):

Episode I: The Phantom Menace       8:15 AM to 10:30 AM

Episode II: Attack of the Clones      10:30 AM to 1:00 PM

Break for Lunch                                      1:00 PM to 1:30 PM 

Episode III: Revenge of the Sith         1:30 PM to 4:00 PM

Episode IV: A New Hope                     4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Break for Dinner                                    6:00 PM to 6:30 PM

Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back  6:30 PM to 8:30 PM

Episode VI: Return of the Jedi            8:30 PM to 11:00 PM

*Episodes IV to VI are in the "special edition" format I have on DVD, which means enhanced graphics in some shots, but that Greedo shoots first.

Janelle​ had another long day at work, but started late enough to take the boys to their bus stop.  However, that meant that I needed to pick them up and feed them.  Thankfully, Papa John's (which just recently opened here in Soldotna) was running a special that would have been good back in Michigan and was absolutely fantastic here (4 large 2 item pizzas for $33).  Janelle made the cake last night so we were able to share it soon after she got home.

Trevor's main present gave him a great deal of excitement followed immediately by frustration.  It's the latest expansion to Starcraft II, which he has been looking forward to since it came out.  The problem is that he forgot his password to his Battlenet account as well as the answer to his security question.  This issue unfortunately keeps the game out of his reach until he can either remember one of those two things or find the piece of paper where he kept his passwords.  Poor guy.

It's so hard to believe that he's already 15 years old.  All of our children are growing up so fast.  Janelle and I are making sure we can get in as many hugs as we can before they grow out of wanting them.

I took the day off of work as Janelle​ had to train from 6am until 3pm and someone needed to drop the boys off at their bus stop and later take Connor (and Rowen) to his eye appointment.  Among the highlights of the day included discovering that we received over three inches of snow last night.  I've been a little worried about having a white Christmas since Soldotna didn't see one two years ago and only saw one last year due to a last minute snowstorm on Christmas Eve.  Granted, it seems like I chose the right year to come up as Jackson is looking at 50 degree temperatures around Christmas time.

This was the first time since I've been up here that I've really had a significant amount of time in our rental to myself.  I spent most of the time grading (and we know how much I love that), so I've been in a bit of a gray mood for much of the day.  At least, as of this moment, I'm caught up on grades.

Connor's eye doctor visit showed that he does need glasses (a concern we've had due to some of his complaints of headaches and how close he occasionally puts his face to the TV).  Connor was concerned that he would look too much like a dork with them, but changed his tune after he picked out his frames.  I especially hope that this helps with the headache issue.

We've had the movie Avengers: Age of Ultron reserved at the library for a few weeks, so it was nice to have that finally come in.  Even though it felt like a place-holder film, I enjoyed watching it.  I still prefer the first one.

We are also trying to get ready for Trevor​'s 15th birthday (which is still tomorrow for us).  It's going to be a bit of a rough day as Janelle has her last day of cashier training tomorrow from 10am to 7pm.  She's nervous enough that she was even studying the cashier training manual (she's so adorable).

It looks like I have a mountain of stuff to do tomorrow since I wasn't at school today.  It's going to be an interesting week.

Today, we are asked to rejoice. When John the Baptist is asked what to do to prepare for the coming of the Messiah, he tells them to give freely to others, to not be greedy, and to treat one another fairly. So much of our Christian faith falls under those simple instructions.

As simple as they are, they are so hard to follow. Despite knowing that our Lord has given us everything, we hold on to what we have out of constant fear of losing it, not trusting Him to continue to provide for us. Even though we know we are to give freely of ourselves, we spend our time and energy on things that do not matter rather than giving of ourselves who need us. And although we know that we are all God's creation, we set ourselves apart from one another, focusing on reasons to resent our differences rather than looking for reconciliation.

However, what I love most about God is that He knows how far we are from achieving His precepts, and yet He tells us to "Rejoice" anyway. "The Lord has removed the judgment against you ...." It is time to rejoice! ​

​Today was another rather laid back Saturday.  While we did our standard garbage and library runs, a good portion of my day was spent playing Dungeons and Dragons with my friends back in Michigan.  This time, all of us managed to make it, and even though the adventure didn't progress that far, we had a blast doing it.

Janelle​ had made some amazing buffalo chicken dip (from a recipe from my sister, Jennifer​) for yesterday evening's gingerbread house building event and also had a variety of Christmas goodies that she's been making with one of her new friends in town, so I didn't feel as left out of the snacking part of our session.  With a good Internet connection, everyone being there, and having access to great snacks, I had a wonderful time.

I've had a full day.  It was the last day of testing in the library (only a couple of eagles today) as well as another activity night after school.  I ended up playing a pick-up game of basketball with six of my students, which made up for not getting in a crossfit session.  One of the rooms was showing Christmas movies interspersed with replays of our Turkey Trot performance (the Turkey Trot drew the most students).

Still, the best part of the day was meeting up with several other families and decorating gingerbread houses.  The boys completely covered our house with candy (even stacking candy on top of the candy) while Janelle​ and I got to spend some time talking with other adults.  We discovered today that among the things we hold in common is a similar taste in movies and television.  We were even asked if we liked "Firefly"!  That's right; there are browncoats in Alaska (I guess that shouldn't be too surprising).

I'm pretty tired, but feeling good nonetheless.  We just need to figure out how to keep these gingerbread houses on display, but out of reach of our cats and kids.

Tomorrow (or today depending on what time zone  you are in), is my eldest child's birthday.  Time has passed so swiftly!  I still vividly remember the flood of love I felt at the sight of her.  In truth, I did not fully understand the concept of "love at first sight" until that moment.  It was also in that moment that I truly understood devotion.  She immediately had me entirely in her power.

With the wonders of our current technology, we have not only been able to stay in contact with her, but even play games across the continent ... assuming the Internet doesn't go on the fritz.  Still, I look forward to spending time in her actual (rather than virtual) presence.

Mostly, at this moment, I hope that she has a happy birthday.

As I'm in the library for the second half of this week for the end of semester essays my students are writing, I get to see the eagles again.  At one point there were four of them watching over the ridge, and I even had the privilege of seeing one soar in for a landing.  Although I had to spend most of my time focused on my students and their work, it was still nice to have that scenery in the background.

Connor and Rowen had their holiday concert this evening and it was quite adorable.  As Trevor​ had to be dropped off for confirmation class and reconciliation, I arrived a little too late to see Connor's class perform.  Rowen's performance was quite entertaining.  He was next to one of the loudest, but not always accurate, young boys of the group, and I couldn't help but laugh as Rowen would glare when the boy would make a particularly loud shout.  When I asked him about it later, he said that the boy was making it so we couldn't hear him.  When I asked why he didn't sing some of the time, he said it was because he was nervous.  I told him that he did fine.

In house news, we did receive one low-ball offer on our house, but the point the bidder seemed to want to get us to was lower than we want to sell it for, and considerably less than we believe the house is worth.  At least we got an offer.  I just hope the next one is one we can accept.  We have another open house this coming Sunday from 2:30 to 4:00.  

Once again, the Soldotna High School band and choir had an excellent concert. The transitions were all smooth and the music was generally well played--I particularly liked an African Christmas song performed by the choir. However, my absolute favorite part was when the director invited parents to come on stage, "get as close as you can," and take pictures of the band while they repeated a song they had played. Janelle refused to go up, so it was up to me and my iPhone to get a close shot of Trevor. Trevor said I was chuckling as I approached, which is why he couldn't keep himself from smiling as he played.
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The people around us were generally pleasant, especially the couple next to us who moved so I could take the pictures and almost immediately after so I could take Rowen to the bathroom. While the little boys were a little antsy, I think the entire family had a good time.

Since the nominations for the main parties are still up in the air (even if Mrs. Clinton believes hers is in the bag), I decided to throw my hat in the ring as a mental exercise.  In general, I know that none of the candidates will ever fulfill what I would expect from a good (let alone ideal) President, but that makes me wonder what I would really want out of a President to begin with.

Number one would be transparency in government.  While there are some secrets that must be kept in the interest of national security, our nation is a republic, and if it is going to be true to the ideals of a republic, it has the obligation to keep the nation informed.  I don't mean inundating the public with needless facts, statistics, and information so that the true bottom lines are being concealed, but to keep all of that information public while still sending regular concise and (relatively) understandable updates to all citizens.  All campaign contributions, lobbies, and other influences into the political process would have to be included.

Number two would be a greater investment in arts, sciences, and exploration.  I don't just mean monetary contributions to big businesses that talk about making accomplishments, but to set both specific goals and general "prizes" for individuals and companies to try to achieve, giving both aid and incentives to do so.  This also means investing heavily into our education programs to ensure that our upcoming generations have the knowledge and skills necessary to reach those goals (and to understand the aforementioned governmental updates).

Number three would be heavy investment into our nation's infrastructure, whether that be roads, the electrical grid, the pathways of the Internet, hospitals, schools, courts, prisons, or our water systems.  This investment could be directly done through the government (like Eisenhower's Interstate projects) or through selected businesses, but assurances of quality would have to be maintained (see the above transparency rule).

... This post is most likely already past most people's interest, and it is later than I thought it was, so I suppose that I'll just leave it at those three for now.  For the most part, they are the main three that concern me in my voting anyway.

Two of my favorite phrases come from today's celebration.  The first is "The Lord has done great things for us. We are filled with joy."  The Lord truly has done great things for us.  Even when our lives seem the most dire, the Lord always gives us signs of His presence and love.  So often we are filled with longing for what we don't have that we forget to be joyful for the wondrous works around us.

The second is "A voice cries out in the wilderness, 'Ready the way of the Lord.'"  Now, part of the reason I like this one so much is because of the songs associated with it (one of which is currently running through my head).  Still this phrase reminds me that Jesus was not heralded through wealth, power, or cosmopolitan ideals; He was announced from the wilderness.  There is a power to the wild, the areas of the world still untamed by humankind.  I think that this is one of the draws that Alaska holds for me.  Its one of the only places in the U.S. where nature still has a larger presence than people.  Here I am within minutes of the grandeur of God's creation.