Amongst all the fun

For the past few weeks, I have been overcome with a desire to write a great blog post. I have a great post up my sleeve about an ill-fated guinea pig, but, alas, I'm still awaiting pictures. So, in the meantime, let me tell you how I have been spending my time.

Mostly, I've been in Bethel. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Bethel, it is my regional hub, school district headquarters, and closest town of any importance. There are about 6,000 people in Bethel- most of whom seem to work for LKSD (Lower Kuskokwim School District- like me) or YKHC (Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation). I have spent the last two weekends there- and they have been fabulous!

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to score writing assessments in Bethel. Writing assessments are writing assignments given to all students in my district. The students must choose from two prompts and spend one class period writing about it. Then, the district brings in 25 or so people to score them. I've been told that to most people being called into Bethel to score these assessments for 3 days is tantamount to having your teeth pulled. I, on the other hand, think it is loads of fun and would love to do it more often!

That weekend I finished working on Saturday, but decided to stay an extra night in Bethel at the Old Mission House Bed and Breakfast owned by my friend Vicki. My favorite thing about staying there is that Vicki treats her guests as friends. I showed up there Wednesday night to find Vicki working in her kitchen. She told me that I would have the place to myself after that night. I assumed she meant by myself without any other guests. However, Vicki meant she was leaving for Seattle, and the house would be all mine. She agreed to let me stay an extra night for the bargain price of $0 if I helped with household chores while she was out. I agreed right away.

One might ask me, what do you do in Bethel on a Saturday night? The answer-ballroom dancing! A co-worker suggested to me that Segue and I join him for dance lessons. the three of us paid $10 and fox trotted and cha-chaed the night away! In true Alaska fashion, there were actually MORE MEN at ballroom dancing than women!

Another week of work passed, and I went back to Bethel this weekend. My roomie and friend, Traci Buckle (look her up on iTunes) was performing at the Steel Salmon and Raven Show. So, Segue, myself, and a few other friends bought $50 dinner tickets to eat crab, listen to Traci, and socialize. That might seem outlandish, but it was awesome!

What is a Steel Salmon and Raven show? Well, local artists are given salmon and ravens made of steel to decorate and create art with. The results were amazing. Then, the pieces were auctioned off along with other various objects. The pieces went for $95 at the low end and over $600 at the high end. I also watched a guy pay $75 for a cheesecake. Of course, as I was reminded, it was a fundraiser for the local art guild.

The auction ended and Segue reminded me that ballroom dancing was being offered again. So, we went with three more friends in tow. Once again, it was a great class followed by wine (yay!) and Catch Phrase with some more awesome people. So, for all of you who were curious, that's what I've been up to.

Amongst all this weekend fun, I do manage to teach also.