Championship?!

"When late morning rolls around and you're feeling a bit out of sorts, don't worry; you're probably just a little eleven o'clockish."
Winnie the Pooh, Pooh's Little Instruction Book

So this morning I woke up late. Sherry had called to see if I'd mind watching the kids while she and Eric went mushing. Loving to visit with Einer who always has hilarious stories to tell, I quickly rolled off the couch, brushed my teeth, pulled on my fancy new Tour of Anchorage tuque and trotted across the street. Einer had me playing basketball in their living room, it appears to be the theme here this weekend...(timeout I have a headache and I'm just now realizing it is because I haven't had my coffee yet today and it's 2:00 pm!!!) No wonder I'm a 'little eleven o'clockish'. Hang on I'm going to start a pot o coffee...want some? Stop on over, I'll even let you use my new Iditarod 2010 mug. Ok so Einer and I played b-ball and watched 'Wow Wubbsy' (while entertaining I still like "Wonder Pets" best) this morning. A good way to wake up.

Got a phone call from my friend Karen informing me that 'we' (our LKSD basketball team) are in the championship playoff game sometime today! So Steph and I (being the integral parts of the team we are) can't wander too far from home, we are 'on call'. No pressure or anything. Really I can't take credit since yesterday's game which I missed was the game that put us in the championship bracket (they won that game) remember we lost the game I played in and here's the clencher, we are playing the same team that we lost too. Ugh. So I'm sitting here feeling 11 o'clockish trying to get psyched up to play a basketball game. Did I just say that? "Play a basketball game?!" lol, I still can't believe I am playing basketball, goes to show there's a first time for everything. Figures I'd have to come all the to the wilds of Alaska to embark on such a crazy endeavor as playing basketball. And to think I've been so successful at avoiding it for so long...

I'm sore from riding back seat in sleigh yesterday. Hang on again, coffee is done. Yum, smells good! Thank you Amanda for the Bunn coffee pot and for the Red Bull, lol, chocolate, and mas cafe! What a treat, gracias. Ani says "Woof wuf." That's 'Quyana for the treats'. He likes 'em:)

Oh, and check out the latest edition of Fish Alaska Magazine (the annual gear guide until March 2011) Jim sent in photos of Steph, him and me fishing on the Kanetok last last summer. They published them. I think we are on page 20. Neat, eh?

Reassurance to my wonderful concerned family and friends whom I cherish. Please know that I carry a gun when I run and I have my dog with me. If the wolves decide that Ani and I are on the menu we are not going down without a fight. My heart goes out to the precious family and friends of Candice Berner, teacher who was killed by wolves this week while going for a run in a village far south of us. What an incredibly sad tragedy that is. I suspect she understood it, as we all understand it, that Alaska is a wild place. That's why we come here. This 'State' brings with it equal doses of unexplainable joyous adventure and indescribable dangerous risk. It is inherent to Alaska. Teaching/living in the bush is no exception. May our thoughts and prayers be felt by her loved ones.

Photo by none other than Jim Barthelman

The bathroom hot water pipes froze again, had to wedge the space heater in the tiny 'space' between the bathtub and wall. All is well hot water is back in progress and nothing caught fire.

"Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake, which makes Jesus' life all the more evident in us."
2 Corinthians 4:11