Here's to Us....

I have the best friends in the world.  Not just in my home state Indiana... (Shout out to Shelly, Rachel, Nate, and the many others that make my life all the more pleasant when I come home.) But seriously... I have amazing friends here in Alaska.  Amazing friends.  I was blessed to spend a 4 day Thanksgiving break in a beautiful ski lodge at the base of a gorgeous mountain with my group of 4 boys and 3 new faces to the crew.  Here's a very short version of my Thanksgiving break.


Wednesday:
The hours in my day have not crept more slowly than it did that day.  It might have been the craziness that 3rd graders exude on a daily basis.  But really,  I'm going to blame it on the excitement I'd been building up in my head for weeks before.  Made it to the airport with my Atmautluak brother Eli, dropped off just in time for his flight to leave for Anchorage.  Due to booking my flight a month later than the rest of the group I was forced to wait another 2 hours in another airport.  Thankfully I met up with fellow 2nd year teachers and was placed next to a very nice 5th year teacher on the plane.  Made it into Anchorage without a hitch and was picked up by half of the group in our rental car.  They were super excited about the trip too.  After a much needed stop for refreshments we went to Walmart.  SIDE NOTE:  Holy cow!  If you've never shopped for Thanksgiving the day before, I don't reccommend it.  Craziness ensued, but goodness prevailed and we made it out of the store to pick up McDonald's delicious fries.  The car counted down the minutes until it was my birthday and "forgot" something at Walmart.  2 of the guys ran back into the store making me wait in the car.  20 mins later a piñata, birthday cake, and 2 giant helium balloon were shoved onto my lap.  Have I mentioned how much I love these guys.  The rest of the night was spent celebrating the beginning of an eventful weekend!


Thursday:

The day was full of games, laughs, and turkey.  There was even a little time for a few photos and cake to be had for my 24th birthday.  Feeling quite old writing that number, so please don't rub it in.

Friday:  BLACK FRIDAY!!! 

If anyone knows me, they know I have a love for shopping.  Not necessarily the buying part, but the scavenging and fun of making new outfits or getting gifts.  This year I had another lady friend to share this experience with.  We made a killing in several stores doing much of my needed Christmas shopping.  We ended the night with delicious food at a local pub and goofing off back at the house.



Saturday:  SKI DAY!  I think I spent more time on my butt than I did on the skis, but boy did I have a good time.   I will definitely be doing that again some time in the future. Here are some great shots of the day.  We ended the weekend with a nice dinner at the ski resort.  Have I mentioned how much I love my group of friends?

Sunday:
Spent 6 hours at the airport due to a "lost/broken/problematic" plane.  For once... my delay wasn't weather related.  Oh well, I got a chance to enjoy more fountain Diet Coke, buy some airport gifts for family and friends, and even got airline miles because of the "inconvenience".

Now... there's only 11 days standing between me and home.  I'm off to listen to Christmas songs with my class and help them decorate the classroom for next week's festivities.  Look out for a Christmas post soon about the classroom.