Where is Waldo???

The hubby is back in MN.  In case you were wondering and are not following either of us on Facebook--YES--he did make it back home.

Now, you're probably wondering-waiting for the final chapter or final blog to be published and are disappointed to continue to log on to the blog and see that nothing has been written.

It's like he fell off the face of the earth or something right?

You've been a faithful follower and now that the ending was so close---he's left you with......
nothing.

So--I thought I'd catch you up to speed on the past 2 weeks since he's been  home since he's been keeping you all in suspense.

He's back. Yes, he made it home on Sunday after being weathered in for an extra night.  I told him that it was almost a little blessing or a sign from up above that he got to enjoy another night with his Kivalina friends....a chance to say goodbye and then come back to welcome arms when he found out he couldn't fly out that night.  A chance to say the other things that came to mind when you realized you were leaving and maybe didn't say everything you wanted to say.    He did enjoy another night with his friends and said a proper goodbye.

I'm sure he can say how it feels to be back better than I can.  From my point of view--I was just adding him back into our daily routine while he was adjusting to being put back into our daily routine.   His surroundings and daily routine did a 180 degree turn around while ours just turned maybe 90 degrees, or not even.

Monday morning came and he was driving the truck and dropping the kids off at school and picking them up.  Monday evening he was taking Logan to soccer practice and letting the dogs in and out, in and out, and in out.   Normal life stuff ya know....

A few months ago I decided we should go away for a few days when he got back to well--just get away by ourselves.  I booked a quick 3 day trip to Las Vegas and we left on Wednesday night.

Talk about culture shock---a remote village in Alaska to Las Vegas.  I considered buying one of those teddy bear backpacks with the string attached to it so I could hold on to him to make sure he didn't get lost while we were down there.   lol---he did just fine.

He did get a haircut and cut down the beard before we left.  The beard came off Monday night and then Tuesday morning he decided that the long hair looked weird without the beard so off it went too.  I was okay with both decisions....

Back to Vegas---While we were at the airport having a quick dinner before our flight...I realized that this was the first conversation we had since he had been home that we weren't interrupted by our kids or dogs or the phone ringing. It was at that point I was glad we were leaving for a few days to be alone.

It was fun--we talked, walked, looked, listened, viewed, witnessed all the sights and sounds of Vegas.  We came back relaxed and slightly hungover and reminded that we are not in our 20's anymore but have moved gracefully towards/into our 40's.

This past week has been the everyday 'norm' for us as a family.  This was the week that things would settle down and we all would have time to be at home together and the 'new-ness' of having Dad back would wear off.  This week the 'honey-do' list was being checked off and I came home from work to a clean kitchen and bathroom, laundry done....

I'm sure some people/couples would have a hard time adjusting to being back together--in all honesty--it's not like that at all. Kirby just slipped right back into our lives seamlessly...just how I knew it would be when I told him to 'do it' last July.  

So there you have it....he's back.
All is well. Life is normal.
We are all stronger, love a little deeper, understand that life goes on, learned new things, see things clearer, understand there's more to life than what you currently know.....

Currently he's up north camping with the kids and his cousin, Dad and brother--enjoying the MN wilderness this time around.

Welcome home honey!  We did it. 

One Pump Chump.

"How come?"

This is the same reaction I get from both young and old when I answer their question about coming back next year. It's official. I'm not. I'm 'one and done' and rotating back to small town Minnesota and the nice little life I've built with my beautiful family. My wife has sacrificed so much and really stepped up to not only take care of our children but absolutely run the entire household while supporting my leave of absence.

My children continue to impress me daily with their maturity and love for each other and our family. Each one of them so talented and focused on being a good person, that I just beam with pride each time I think of it. This entire whirlwind of teaching in the Northwest Arctic has been a giant undertaking for the entire family and now it's my time to return home to them.

"I've worked hard here in Kivalina and I love you all but I have a wife and children of my own that I've got to go back to."

"How come?"

Every time, it's "how come"?

Some, reach out for a hug. Some smile and pump their fist that the disciplinarian is leaving the island. Yet the same little fella that did that upon hearing the news today also chased me down while I was on my walk and brought me a shiny rock he just found on the beach. Some smile and say "thank you." Others avoid much contact and are ready to move on.

This is the cycle of teachers in Bush, Alaska.

I guess somewhere somebody told us that it's typically a 2 and a half year average for teachers from the Lower 48 to live and teach in the Bush. Most come with a 5 year plan and rarely make it to the third year. Of course there are those that break the averages. Wild Bill is a Village Hopper and has been in Gamble, Bethel, LKSD and now KIVLS for the better part of 20 years. Lyle's finishing his third; Emma, her fifth.

But me? I never had much intention but to release some of my own wiggles. Serve a year out of Minnesota and unless Alaska knocked the socks off of me, I had no intentions on staying. Kivalina is not a place for my family. And from here on out, my family will always come first. So, back home I go.

In the Marines, a jarhead with only one deployment is called a "One Pump-Chump". There's no shame in that at all. I shipped out twice while playing Tough Guy. And I've kind of held this experience against those deployments as my only frame of reference. There have been a lot of similarities. Some of the best of times and some of the worst of times. But all in all, I'm glad I had the pills to pull this off.

Tomorrow my third "deployment" is done.

Arctic Odd Couple.

Saturday and Sunday mornings have been a special time at Senior Housing. Wild Bill Bajczyk has whipped us up a batch of Arctic pancakes paired with the ever-loving bacon for about as many weekends as I can remember. His pancakes are sprinkled with everything from blueberries to sunflower and pumpkin seeds. And although we took a minor break from the accompanying bacon, we’re now back to savoring perfectly charred bits to compliment our breakfast conversations.

Yeah, we’re the Arctic Odd Couple - a couple of teachers that didn’t know each other from Adam now living together as roommates in the far reaches of Bush Alaska. Except things aren’t so odd.

Bill has become a great friend. I actually worried a bit about my placement with a roommate when I signed on to teach up here. I can generally get along with anyone but I wondered what the roll of the dice would throw my way as far as flat mates go. I struck gold.

Bill and I have plenty in common and have become the sounding board of reason for each other in a difficult place to teach and work. I think we mesh for a number of reasons. Probably first and foremost, we’re both dads. And we’re Hockey Dads which makes it all the better. We have listened to and learned so much about each other by sharing stories of our children. Bill’s only son, Robert, is the same age as out eldest, Tyler. Robert is living in California and chasing his Hollywood Dreams with dad’s full support. I’m really pulling for Robert to make it big. Bill promises me a seat at the Academy Awards when it happens. It might be my only chance to meet Jennifer Aniston.

It’s not just the bacon and Jennifer Aniston though. ByCheck is a genuinely good dude. He is a hard working teacher that cares and awful lot about the kids of Kivalina, both young and old. I live with the High School English teacher. That sentence would have scared the beejuzus out of me back in the day but now I’ve learned that English teachers are people too. Kirby Krew Reading Club member, Mrs. H, and Mr. Bajczyk have been the litmus test that I mentally run my essays by before I click “Submit” on this here Blog. Would Mrs. H. approve? Would Wild Bill agree?

 Arguably, Bill has the most difficult job on the island. Teaching stubborn, alliterate, high school aged children under the watchful eye of a Principal that herself was a Kivalina English teacher is not a job for the faint hearted. But he’s a good soldier. I’m proud to have missed only 4 school days this year. 55 year old, Bill is the only teacher to have missed less. The two old dudes from Senior Housing take our commitment to our jobs seriously. It must be our Mid-Western work ethic. A Minnesota Guy and a Wisconsin Guy living in harmony and being the two most dependable “lunch pail” guys on staff. Who would have thunk it?

We also share an interest in all things Sports. Over the course of the year, Bill has become a surrogate Minnesota WILD fan and has tolerated the fact that I won’t convert to root for his beloved Green Bay Packers. We’ve watched NHL games streamed on the web, listened to the NFL Draft and acquired a deeper appreciation for Curling due to our inquisitive nature. No video games in Senior Housing. No Satellite T.V. and only an occasional DVD to pass the time. Bill is a voracious reader as I assume most English teachers are. He has recommended many books to me over the course of the year and when I’ve accepted the challenge, each book has stood up to my buddy’s high marks.

But it’s not just been kids and hockey. Bill has listened and advised me through one of the most difficult periods of my adult life. I mean over the course of the last year I have experienced some highs and lows both professionally and personally and Bill has never once let me down. Admittedly, daily email contact with my wife has helped sustain me but it’s been the words of affirmation and maniacal wisdom from Mr. Bajczyk that has pulled me through this year. I am grateful for his friendship.

This coming Saturday morning I’ll be on a plane somewhere between Seattle and St. Paul, on my way to a long awaited rendezvous with the rest of the KREW. Bill will probably wake at his usual weekend time and to start, throw down some coffee and a hundred pages of whatever novel he’s reading. I think he’ll probably whip up a batch of bacon and pancakes only out of habit. And if he does, I hope he thinks fondly of our time together. I know I’m gonna miss him.

Until the Bitter End – my friend….until the bitter end.  

"Safely and Quickly"

I miss my Momma this Mother's Day.

She lives a simple life in Tennessee and doesn't have any need to run those fancy computers with such high falootin' things like Blogs and Facebook. Without the daggum' internet, I can't profess my appreciation to her for the gift of life and then hear from her the story of my birth that she typically recites to me twice annually, once on Mother's Day and the other on my birthday. My little sister tells me that Ma got the card I sent out a few weeks ago and I asked sis to pass on that I'd be home to call Mom in just about a week. So, Mom will have to wait to hear her son's sweet voice this Mother's Day.

From about as far back as when I was in grade school, my mother has been in the truckin' business.  Lil' Jeanie they call her on the CB. My petite, brunette momma has been an over the road, long haul truck driver, behind the steering wheel of an eighteen wheeler for twenty five plus years. Yep, I'm the son of a MotherTrucker.

From about grade 5 on through high school, my sister and I were primarily raised by a gentle and sweet old lady by the name of Kathy. Oh how I miss Kathy dearly. She was a very important part of our family in some challenging formative years of my youth. When my step father and mother were on the road, Tarina and I were left with dogs to tend to and Kathy, our nanny, to watch over us. I regularly remember stretches where we were without parents for a week to ten days, sometimes more. Yet no matter the length of the haul, each time my sister, Kathy and I sat down to eat we ended each prayer the same way.

"... Lord, please bring them home Safely and Quickly to us."

*********************************************************************************
Being away from my wife and kids for 10 months, minus a little 10 day Holiday hiatus, has been one of the most challenging obstacles in my life. But with a travel itinerary in hand, I anxiously await this Friday the thirteenth. Ravn Air is scheduled to get me on my way at around 4:00pm on Friday and Alaska Airlines will take care of the rest, Lord willing, delivering me to my family safely and quickly on Saturday afternoon.

Today I SKYPE'd with Michele and the kids at our regularly scheduled Sunday evening time. When Emma said good bye to go take a shower and get ready for bed I said, "Bye honey. I love you. Skype next Sunday?" She quickly popped back in to the screen and said, "Dad, you're going to be here next Sunday!" - I know dear....doesn't it feel great?

Four days of school, a little final grading and some obligatory checkout paperwork are all that stand between me and my last walk around this island. I won't be here much longer and the Lord only knows how much longer this island, itself, will be here. Kivalina is falling in to the ocean. It's culture and subsistence ways of life have eroded like the sands and rocks of this coastline. These people are stuck in the middle of a world that they don't want to let go of and the hope for the future. When I reached the edge of town on my walk today I prayed from my own safe travels in to the waiting arms of my family but I also prayed that Kivalina's solutions will come safely and quickly.

Momma, I'm coming home.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day.
I'm in Alaska.
Still...

But not for too much longer. By this time next week, I'll be home with my wife and children at my side. Just being in the 10 day forecast is a great feeling. Yet still, I wish I was home. Home, so that I could make a run up to MickyD's to buy you a breakfast sandwich and a caramel iced coffee with light cream before you get out of bed. I wish I was there so that I could hug you and kiss you and tell you "Thank You" for being a mother to our wonderful children. Home to give you cards and presents and to recognize you on one special day when the kids and I know you deserve it every day.

I won't be there tomorrow to visit with you at some burger bar while the kids siphon quarters off us to play arcade games. I won't be there to hold down the fort while you run off to the gym or take the dogs for a walk. I'm not home to do an extra load of laundry or clean the bathroom because I know you'd rather have that than any bouquet of flowers. But I soon will be.

I'm on my way home, Michele.

Get the Honey Do List ready. Who am I kidding? I know you've already got one going. I've got the next round of doggy do-do patrol. I'll mow the lawn from here on out. I'll gladly take the kids to school for the remainder of the school year.

Spring clean up in the garage - check.
Oil change for the truck - check.
Dogs to the vet - check.
Wash and stow hockey gear - check.

You name it - I'm on it.... in a week.
Can you wait one more week?

I love you, dear. You've been so supportive throughout this last whirlwind of a year. You are the reason for the season, Five. Thank you for being the head of the household and running the show while I've been out gallivanting in the Arctic wilds of Alaska. Your steadfast devotion to our family reminds me exactly why I chose you to be my wife 14 years ago. You're really just an awesome person. Hang in there, babe.

I'm coming home.

Happy Mother's Day.

Land of the MidNight Sun.

It's official. The sun will not set on today.
Tonight, it's not going to reach the horizon until 12:06 a.m. to be exact. That's tomorrow.
Sunrise is somewhere in the ballpark of 5:30 a.m. It won't matter. I'll be sleeping then.

The constant daylight has continued to mess with my circadian rhythm. I suppose I could have just said "my sleep patterns are messed up" but I have really come to like saying "circadian rhythm". It sounds scholarly.
I suppose my clock watching and calendar staring might have something to do with the anticipation of a jailbreak in 10 days. That probably accounts for some of why I'm sleepless way north of Seattle. I'm just too excited to get home.

I've not been doing anything wild and adventurous to report to readership. I feel like I'm letting someone somewhere down because I haven't come up with some great philosophical essay on life, work, travel or family. Yesterday I felt like I accomplished a lot. Today I feel like a slug. Went on two walks. Listened to two hockey games and ate two helpings of chicken and pasta. That's about it.

The water is coming down from the mountains. The sea ice is holding its ground while the Wulik River pushes from the east. The slush puddles are giving way to months worth of discarded trash and the pebbles somewhere underneath. I'd say the staff has gotten a bit reflective lately when we visit. We're all just trying to hold it together as we fight to finish the school year with at least a shred of dignity.

It won't be long...

Won't be long at all.

Serenity now...

9:58 p.m. May 1st, 2016 - Kivalina, Alaska... nearing the end of this winding road, I can't help but notice that it doesn't quite feel like it's actually the end. My time in KIVLS is coming to a close and my adventure continues. There is still a level of uncertainty in my professional life. And I think that's a good thing. Loyalty, honor and trust are still a very big part of who I am - except now I know that I need to focus all of the loyalty, honor and trust towards my family and not my job.

Midday Saturday I walked across the Lagoon in hopes of one last fishing excursion. It wasn't in the cards. When I got to our bend of the Wulik River I saw two feet of water standing on less than two feet of ice. By Sunday the Wulik was sending water in to the Chukchi Sea over top of the same ice that I walked across hours before. Today I thanked the Lord  for Saturday's safe crossing and now anxiously await the breaking of the channel.

I've spent a lot of time lost in thought and deep in reflection and prayer. Other times, I've let hours skip by while I scroll the screens of Social Media. Regular emails with my wife have kept me sane. And Sunday SKYPE meet ups with my children have been enough to keep me afloat. A few Memes have helped too.

I rotate back to the Real World in 12 days. My loving family has patiently waited for this moment for a long time coming. Real World concerns of jobs and bills are not going to cut me any slack as I assimilate back in to the Lower 48 lifestyle. "Drama" is already begging me to join the party. I don't want to play. Instead, I will do my best to take what I've learned in my year on the rock and my 40 years on the 3rd Rock and remember to focus on what I can control...