Thanksgiving '09

Thanksgiving was PERFECT!!(Well as perfect as can be without my familia.). I spent it with my AK family, the Lea's!! It was great, good food, good company wild games of the Monopoly card game... you gotta watch those Lea's.. they CHEAT! BIG TIME! Well, so do the Fuller's! HAHAHA. They have met their MATCH! ;o). After playing games, we ate, the kid's got baths and we watched the Proposal. It was VERY relaxing and good to laugh and enjoy the company. I was able to make two pies. An apple and a banana pie. The banana pie is an old family recipe. YUM! I have SO much to be thankful for this year, a family who loves and supports me in all of my BIG decisions in life, a job that I love and one that I can progress in, a body that moves and friends taht goof off with me from time to time and the knowledge of the gospel.

Now,.. BRING on the holidays!!!

New 'Do

For my birthday (and a little "heather lovin'), I got a new haircut and decided to highlight the head too. I think its good...OH! and a picture of me on my birthday,... and yes we had cake for breakfast! It WAS carrot cake, so healthy,.. right?! For my birthday I received lovely calls and birthday wishes, a mini-cupcake/tart pan and my friend Lynn had her mother crochet me a blanket! It is SOO warm! Thank you mom Hirschi!

hair...

I am feeling the need for a change. So, I thought about cutting my hair. I am not sure that I have enough to donate. Still not sure. Should I keep it long or cut it off? Any thoughts?

week three AND four

Well I made it! The first few days we talked about diagnosis and what diagnosis goes where, on an assessment, etc. Then we talked about personality disorders!!! Oh yea,.. That was fun stuff. We were all pointing to each other and laughing. Our instructor gave us this "test" that is SO not accurate, to determine our the personality disorder that we have. LOTS of laughter happened then. Want to know mine,...? Have you guessed it yet? That's right,... OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder... Out of the 10 or 12 questions asked, I received 7 "yes's." now, this does NOT mean I have it. Come look at my house you can see it, but there are a few things that I do that are right up there. Like in my glass if I am at home I like only 3 ice cubes (odd #), or I have to make sure things are in proper order and lines need to be straight, I eat my food in order, veggies, starch, meat etc. I DO NOT check to see if the door is locked 18 times, or anything like that. ALL of us have traits of persoynality disorders, it becomes a problem if it gets in the way of your daily life and makes your life stop. I'm not there....yet! ;o). All in all, the last week was GRUELING. I was ready to go home by lunchtime Monday afternoon! On Thursday, was our last day of class. We laughed and laughed and laughed... . That night we also had a a graduation. That was fun! again LOTS of laughter. We as a class put together our graduation. Someone read a poem, the serentity prayer was recited, and one of my FAVORITE guys played the guitar. It was nice. That last week, I rented a car for a few days, got my Christmas shopping completed and enjoyed driving around in "the big city" one last time. After packing, going out dancing, talking to one of my new found friends, I hit the sack! A few hours later, I was off to the airport and headed home! YAY! I am now, in my own bed and have enjoyed it, though this past week has been CRAZY!!!! I have had two quizzes and a major test and a test this coming Monday! I have been BUSY! I went back to work and was asked "how my vacation was?"...vacation? What vacation? How about I need to take one now! hehe. I'll try and get some pictures of the trip downloaded soon. Enjoy!

Week two...

Week two was a little easier than week one. That is learning the material. We talked about psycho physiology, which is how drugs affect your brain. It was amazing to see the PET scans on how the brain looks. The scans shows the non-functioning parts of the brain and what it looks like. Some drugs actually kill the brain off. SO sad. One of the classes was called motivational interviewing, where we learned, as a friend says, "how to talk to folks." he is from North Carolina. It was a fun class with lots of role playing. On Friday we continued to learn about the DSM IV. Which is a big manual of all the different mental illnesses, etc. As counselors we can rule out mental illnesses and send clients to a clinician or doctor. We have this same class monday and Tuesday as well... It is going to be a LONG week! Not sure how much more my buttocks can handle,...:o)The highlights of the week were, having dinner with my friend January and her boys and hanging out with her, as well as going to the Lion King. The show was AMAZING! SO breathtaking. The movement of the actors were incredible and the costumes,.. oh my! I laughed, I cried, I enjoyed EVERY minute of it. If I could afford it I would ocme to Anchorage often and see the plays that are coming to town. Chicago and the Wizard Of OZ are coming. OOO, SO tempting! Last weeek here we come.....

week one...

Week one of the RADACT training was this past wee. I arrived in Anchorage on Sunday Sept. 27th. After a night of NO sleep and packing and morning of travel, the hotel had a room and I was able to check in. YAY! On the way from the airport to the hotel, I noticed the leaves were changing colors and a MOOSE was running along side the street! It was pretty cool. I took a nap once I got into the room, and then went to church. I experiened some great lesson's and wile I was there I saw my friends Sarah and Loren's family. They were nice enough to take me back to the hotel! My romate came a little later and it is a girl from Anchorage that I know. She and I have been able to get to know each other better and do things together. SheandI are in the same group of students so that is nice. While here I have met some great people. We have a great crew that are learning to counsel. We all like to laughand are enjoying each others company. Everyone is SO nice. A lot of the people that are in the program have been substance users at one point in their life. It has been interesting to hear what everyone says and their stories. Another reassurance to me that I am in the right field. Classes went okay for themost part. There is an instructor that rubs me the wrong way and irritates me. I understand that she is trying to make me a better cousnelor, but I am NOT her client. I am her STUDENT... I have her again a few times duringthe next two weeks. I will be doing lots of cleansing breathes!!! :o)As you know, I get to know many people. Here at the hotel, I know many of the staff and our caterer who cooks us dinner and lunch. Its fun. The big group has gotten split into two sections. One for techs and others for counselor I. I am in the counselor I class. We take a van ride from one hotel to another. Those poor, poor van drivers have to deal with ALL of us! We laugh and tease watch other and our van drivers! All inall we are SO thankful for our van drivers! So far its been a pretty good week. Assessments are a little hard, especially when trying to find the diagnosis for the case studies, but all in al theclasses are good! Now that it is saturday.. on to SHOPPING!!! Target here I come!

I GOT IT, I GOT IT!!!!

No, not the swine flu,... . In April, I found out that RADACT, the Regional Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor Training program, here in AK, holds a three week training to receive the education portion of the CDC, which is the chemical dependency counselor certificate. I have been working (not very hard), on receiving my certificate for the last year. When I first transferred over to the chemical dependency program at work, I took an Intro to Addictive Behavior class through RADACT, figuring it would be good for me to understand and gain a little background on addictive behavior as that is the population that I am working with. Well, I LOVED the class! I felt like I had found my niche and SO enjoyed the class that I thought about getting my ccpunseling certificate. After a lot of thought, I talked to my boss and said hey I want to get my certificate. I started to go to trainings and take classes when the RADACT people were in town. In April, the CD counselor that I work with, told me about the this three week academy. I looked into it and found out that there are scholarships to attend the academy. So, I applied! After 4 LONG months of waiting, I heard yesterday morning that I RECEIVED THE SCHOLARSHIP!!!!! YAY! I am SO excited! This means that I am going to Anchorage ( the big city!) for three weeks! The Scholarship covers the cost of the training, my books and materials, hotel AND FOOD for those three weeks! How lucky am I?? I am ecstatic! When I am finished with this academy I will only need about 150 more hours doing my practicum.

Another good thing, school started yesterday and I LOVE my class so far. I am enrolled in two classes, history and intro to Anthropology. Yesterday was my Anthropology class. It is pretty good. May have to switch from Am. Gov. to Anthropology. All in all, life is good here in the north!

It's that time of year,....

colorful leaves of browns, yellows, orange and reds falling to the ground, the rain and wind that blow so strong, , the sight of Xtra-Tuff boots being pulled back on andstomping into puddles or mini lakes, coats and jackets being pulled from moth balls, the smells of freshly sharpened pencils, new erasers, the sight of new markers, colorful backpacks and clothes WITH sleeves and long pants. Which means,... The start of a new school year! That doesn't just happen for the kids in grades K-12. It includes me as well! This is the new semester in my new program. I spoke with the head of the social sciences dept. last week. We looked over transcripts, classes and discussed being a student, teacher and the coming few semesters. When I left, I felt ADVISED and was SO happy and felt like I had made a fantastic switch!!!! Nothing like my last adviser who told me that "when I get serious about school to let him know," just because I HAVE to go part time because I work full time (and sometimes more), doesn't make me a serious student? Well, I felt and recieved NONE of that from the social sciences dept. The dept feels very open and welcoming. I told mom that it feels like the dept. arms opening up to pull me in and welcome me. Corny, I know! I am excited. School starts soon. Bring on the new paper and books, lets get 'er done!

For the Beauty of the Earth...

After a LONG emotional week here in Juneau and after teaching the young women of my congregation AND speaking in Sacrament, after church I was WIPED out! Who wouldn't take a fabulous Sunday afternoon nap, right? Well, I did and it was stupendous! There is something about Sunday afternoon naps that are just so wonderful. Not sure what it is , but it is one of my favorite times on Sunday.

It was ANOTHER beautiful day here in Juneau! I have been feeling sun guilt again. For those of you who do not know what sun guilt is, here in Southeast it rains SO much. When the sun comes out, one HAS to go out and play in it. You feel guilt because the sun is out and you aren't in it. So that is what I did. Well, not play, but went for a lovely stroll at the glacier. It was great. sun, warmth, me in my slippers (flip flops) AND capri's, walking around, checking for bears and enjoying the sun and the beauty that I get the opportunity to live in. How cool is it that I live in Alaska? SO COOL! Enjoy an old picture of the glacier, the battery in my camera ran out of juice!

Happy Birthday Alaska!

The Flag of the State of Alaska consists of eight gold stars, forming the Big Dipper and the North Star, on a dark blue field.

It was designed in 1927 by Benny Benson, a 13-year-old Alaska Native residing in Seward, for a contest to create a flag for the then-Alaska Territory. Up to that time, Alaskans had flown only the U.S. flag since the territory was purchased from Russia in 1867. Benson's design was chosen over roughly 700 other submissions from schoolchildren territory-wide in grades 7–12. Most other entries featured variations on the territorial seal, the midnight sun, the northern lights, polar bears, and/or gold pans. To celebrate his achievement, Benson was awarded $1,000 and an engraved watch. Benny looked to the sky for the symbols he included in his design, and he submitted this description with it:

“	The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaskan flower. The North Star is for the future state of Alaska, the most northerly in the union. The Dipper is for the Great Bear—symbolizing strength.

On the morning of Fourth of July while celebrating the Independence of the nation, I also spent the time wishing Alaska a happy 50th birthday! 50 years ago on January 3, 1959, Alaska became a state. On this past fourth of July was a flag raising ceremony from the US flag of 48 stars to one with 49. It was a moving experience and I am glad I had a chance to witness it and wish the state a happy 50 years of Statehood! Besides the flag raising, there was a native Alaskan killer whale dance from Kake preformed and a Filipino dance. They both were awesome. The Alaska state song was sung and the bell was rung. The same man who rung the bell 50 years ago! The first Ms Alaska was there as well. It was quite a celebration!

Alaska's Flag
Written by Marie Drake
Composed by Elinor Dusenbury

Eight stars of gold on a field of blue -
Alaska's flag. May it mean to you
The blue of the sea, the evening sky,
The mountain lakes, and the flow'rs nearby;
The gold of the early sourdough's dreams,
The precious gold of the hills and streams;
The brilliant stars in the northern sky,
The "Bear" - the "Dipper" - and, shining high,
The great North Star with its steady light,
Over land and sea a beacon bright.
Alaska's flag - to Alaskans dear,
The simple flag of a last frontier.

The fourth was fun. After the flag ceremony my friend Lynn and I grabbed the camp chairs for the yearly fourth of July parade! This was my FIRST year going! It was quite a show and fun. I saw a TON of people that I know and was able to talk to lots of people. After sitting n traffic to get back to the valley and taking a rest and recovering from the heat, Lynn a lady she visits and myself went and they rode and I went into nature and walked the Herbert glacier trail. It was nice, but long. The "skeeters" were out so stopping to take a drink was NOT an option! It was a great day!

Skagway pictures

View from the ferry.
Lynn and her "party purse" at the point.
Picture of the Mendenhall Glacier.
Downtown Skagway

Skagway city hall and the museum
Peggy and I. She was a HUGE help to me. I was picking out fabric to make a quilt. Two hours later... and LOTS of help from Peggy, I have some fabric! Peggy is a teacher from Arizona, up for the summer.
The view from the back of the ferry as I sat on a lounger and sunned myself.

Skagway 2009

This weekend my friend Lynn had some friends come up from Idaho. We all took a "little" ferry ride to Skagway. Skagway is up the Lynn Canal about 6 hours by ferry and is an old mining town. . The weather has been beautiful. It was nice to sit outside on the deck and catch some rays and check out the scene that I am lucky enough to live in. Skagway was great. We went and while they took the train I wandered around town more and went to the town museum and enjoyed my time. On the map, there was this trail that went to smuggler's cove and this point. I didn't have time to go before Lynn and her friends came back from the train, so Lynn and I went and took it later that night. The trail and the view was AWESOME!! Glad I found the trail. Would love to go on it again next time I am in Skagway. pictures to come.

decisions pt. 2

If you read my earlier post about decisions it may have sounded "ranty" and yes, that is a word... well, at least in my dictionary!!

Well to the decision. As many of you know I am in the social work/ social services field. I LOVE it! The last year or so, I have HATED my major, the classes that I have been taking and basically the direction of the education field. Towards the end of the 07/08 school year and the kiddos that I was working with as their case manager and on the one on one basis, I started thinking, that I didn't like working in the school district. I thought of changing my major at the end of my school year last year, and figured, i should stay with education and then move forward with a masters of some sort. I felt that there was NEVER going to be an end to this education thing they call "higher education." This past year, I STILL hated my classes especially my children's lit class and multicultural class, but have LOVED all ofthe psych classes the I have taken through the years and have loved my job. I LOVE being in the chemical dependency field. I love how the brain works and how it is affected by substances and what happens.. I love this field. While on vacation I semi thought about it and thought, no I should stick to what I am doing,.. then I came home to Juneau. thought about it more, talked to MANY people that I work with who are both licensed social workers as well as licensed counselors. I looked at both sides of the coin. Thought and thought and worried and even dreamed about it! One of the parts that I was going to miss was the teaching aspect of things. I LOVE to teach. I miss being with my little ones and teaching them. When I was a toodler/preschool teacher what I liked was teaching them about life. Letters and numbers came also, but dealing with problems that came in life were more important. so what does all of this mean? I am changing my major!!! My undergrad will be social sciences with an emphasis on psych, sociology, and political science and a masters in... drum roll please,... SOCIAL WORK! I want to be a clinician where I teach kids socail skills, how to deal with the problems that come up in life. Basically what I do now, but with a degree and licensure. It will be a long road but this is something that I WANT! I can feel it in my bones. This is a perfect fit for me. I hope 7 more years of school! I know it sounds like a lot! But fortunatley I see the light at the end of the tunnel and have a wonderful supportive family. That light may be small, but I can see it and I don't feel like I am lost in a forest and have NO idea where I am going. I LOVE my job and what I do. so, I guess wish me luck and keep your fingers crossed that you will see graduation announcements in 7 years!

crepes, spring and new glasses,....

the new glasses

the view from a new trail out the road.
my friend lynn and I .
yep,.. that's me!

It's spring in Juneau!
Kailyn and I making crepes...
Her perfect looking crepe
my crepe.. not so perfect!

The title of this post says just that,.. I learned to make crepes, spring is here in Juneau WITH sun, and I got new glasses! Kaitlyn, one of my young women and a friend has been trying to teach me to make crepes for a few weeks now. Finally she and I were able to get together and make some crepes! Hers is in the big pan looking nice and mine is the small pan that well... doesn't look so nice. But boy were they tasty! I LOVE making crepes. No clue why, but they are a lot of fun to make!

I got a new pair of glasses. After MUCH deliberation and askng MANY people, I chose this pair. What do you think? I like them...

Sun,.. that is a word that we juneauites, aren't able to say very mch unless the phrase is" man, wish I could see some sun," or "sun, what's that?" Needless to say that this weekend turned out GORGEOUS!!! It was also juneau appreciation day. Which is a day that things are either free or WAY cheap to thank the people of Juneau before te tourist season REALLY begins. My friend Lynn and I went up the tram, which I have NEVER done in my 4 years here, we went to Dipac which is the fish hatchery in town, we drove out the road, and went on a little hike/walk. While doing this, the sun came out and it turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL day! The sun has been shining with days of rain sprinkled through out. It has been terrific! Here are some pictures.. enjoy!

Decisions,...

I MAY have made a decision in the quest of the rest of my life,.. I still need to take it to the Lord, and see what He has to say...and I still need to have a chat with the school adviser....Soon, I think I shall know soon...

On that aspect,.. I was preparing my YW lesson today and am SO thankful for the girls that I have a chance to teach on a weekly basis! They are such a spiritual group. I remember what it was like to be 12/13 yrs old,.. some of the worst times of my life. Lots of anger and confusion. I remember that my mind was all crazed and confused. I hear there are studies out there that say that teens during that time are literally crazy and have a few marbles loose during those times... My poor girls,.. they are great girls and will make great decisions in their lives.. which brings me to something that I keep thinking of and that I feel is SO true. As I work with the kids at work and at church, go to my book club, talk to friends, get frustrated with people, etc. The phrase that Joseph Smith said of " ...I teach them correct principles and let them govern themselves.." has come to mean so much more to me. I LOVE this quote! I was talking to a friend of mine this afternoon and we were talking how true this quote is. That Heavenly Father has done the same things for us. We have been taught these correct principles in the pre-existence and we are here on earth governing ourselves. Oh, how we can learn to parent from our Father in Heaven and how he treats us. We make good decisions or bad decisions and we have the consequences that come from that. Good consequences or bad... I keep thinking of this quote because as many of you know I work in the social work field with kids who have substance abuse/dependence issues. Some of them have been taught correct principles from their families while growing up, some of them haven't. But the kids are where they are because they have MADE DECISIONS and are paying the consequences for those actions. As I have been learning more of the drug issue in Juneau as well as around the states and world, I keep thinking that we need to and it is our RESPONSIBILITY to teach our children correct principles. The proclamation to the Family, that my church has put out says.. Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations. It is a huge responsibilty and we will be held accountable..."In my book club we were discussing different types of books and harry Potter came up. As the members of my group are of all religions and thoughts, it was said that they have chosen not to have Harry Potter in their homes, which is fine, although good teaching times are being lost..."I teach them correct principles and let them govern themselves.." What an eternal principle that is!

Easter...

This past week a few fun things happened. It was my friend Lynn's birthday. I wanted to make her a homemade gift, but was unsire what to make her. I thought of some scrub pants as she is in teh medical business, but have no sweing machine yet. About three days before her birthday I thought "OH, I will make her a scrapbook." But I didn't have a lot of time as I had school, and something else,. etc. So I made her pages and put them in a scrapbook for her to put her pictures in. She is planning on leaving this beautiful state some time early next year. So I thought she could add her pictures and look and remember good times. I also made her a crown... What birthday girl doesn't like a crown? A couple pictures of the inside books and Lynn wearing her crown. Also,.. After many HOURS of reading and doing school work, a friend of mine, whom I also spent Easter with, calle dme and asked me to come help decorate a cake. It took about an hour if that. It went REALLY quick! I love the bunnies ears and nose! This is her son Xander the next day. He kept telling his mom " I need an ear. Mom, Can't I just have an ear?" I LOVE this kid! he is a crack up. Back to studying... semester is ALMOST over.. yay, I made it through one more semester! now its time to decide what I am going ot do with the rest f my life,.. psychology, social work or stick with teaching....Decisions, decisions!!!!!! Hope you all had a great Easter!

update

It has been a LONG time! I have been so busy! I went to California to visit my family and some good friends whom, I haven't seen in AGES! It was a FABULOUS trip!! Something that I needed after I hit my winter wall and had a mini tantrum of hating snow, cold, being constantly wet and having to wear my "Juneau sneakers" EVERYDAY!. While down south (lower 48), I saw sun, felt my toes on sand and grass and saw beautiful weather. The highlight of course was my family and friends and the sun!!! My mom and I drove to San Diego to visit my Uncle Leo. While there the temp. was about 65 degrees... I was SO hot! As my uncle, his girlfriend and mom are all in long sleeved shirts and under blankets, I was wishing for shorts. I did get to wear slippers(flip-flops). It was AWESOME! While in California, besides seeing my Uncle, we went to the San Diego zoo, saw a few wonderful art shows at the San Diego Museum of art, walked on the beach, ate fantastic (non Juneau) food, mom , Grams and I went to the city and saw a Yves St.Laurent exhibit which was AMAZING and SO colorful, drove through San Francisco, did a little shopping, and all in all relaxed and had a marvelous time with my family and friends. It was fantastic. All I could ask for and more! Since being back, I went back to work, studying,.. and you know "real life." During this "real life" not too much has happened. Enjoy the pictures from the trip! The pictures go, my Uncle Scott, my dear and one of my best friends Trish and her two girls, Ocean Beach (San Francisc0), my Uncle Leo and his girlfirend Debbie, their dgs, Reggie, Layla and Ella, San Diego temple, some beach my uncle Leo took us, me and my friend Elsbeth I saw while on my layover in Seattle coming back to JNU), the San Diego temple, and Kailaya and her "kissy face" Isn't she a cutie? She is SO smart!

Tears, and cakes...

Yes, there were tears she a little this month. Okay, maybe a little more than a little. My DEAR friend Brad, left me!! He moved to Seattle. He left on the ferry with more dear friends, the Ashton's. The Ashton's were the CES missionaries(church educational system), that were here in Juneau for the last 18 months! I was there the last night to say goodbye, help pack and to see Bradley off. For those of you who do not know, I have been taking a cake decorating class. This was my first cake. I missed last weeks class from illness and schoolwork! Lots and LOTS of schoolwork! Here's some pictures of Brad and the Ashton's last night. It was about 11:30 pm maybe later,... I notice I don't have a picture of Sis. Ashton.. but here is Elder Ashton and Brad. Also, my friend Lynn. She and I went out to the glacier and walked out a little on the frozen lake. Wasn't able to go all the way to the glacier that day. Things are good up here! Snow is still falling... I keep thinking...7 days, 7 days! I will be going to California and sun in 7 days! 7 days! no snow, no rain... oh yea, and my family and friends,. did I mention sun in 7 DAYS!!!!?

An honor!

During the "concussion" week, I found out that I was voted as Employee of the month! I received a cool red IPOD shuffle, and I think the best was the parking spot right out front of the building. Though, it is not far from where I normally park, its still an honor. Apparently all the hard work I have done has paid off! I asked the Gus, the guy who calculates all of these things, who nominated me, of course he didn't say but he said that I was nominated about 8 times last year and ALWAYS came in second! Now its my time to shine! Though i feel the pressure that I have to perform even better now.. Oh the stress! Good thing I LOVE my job and what I do! Who knew social work would be up my ally? Here's a picture of me standing next to the sign of my parking spot.

snow, a fall and a headache,..

This has been an EXCITING week for me! On Monday, I took a client and went to UAS (the local university here). AS soon as we walked out, I slipped on the snow and ice and fell flat on my back and whacked my head on the ice,.. OUCH! I have had a headache since then. Being the prepared woman that I am, I called the doctor to see if the headache continued should I be worried. Well,.... I had to go see the doctor, who was AWESOME. I commented on her wonderful shoes and she showed me her shoe collection there at work. There were two large circular shoe racks stuffed shoes. Of course she walks around outside in her extra tuffs. I mean in Juneau who doesn't? After my exam she sent me for a CT scan AND gave me a list of websites for cool shoes. What an awesome and knowledgeable doctor. I went to the appt. and my brain got scanned. I am A-OK! Thank GOODNESS!!!! I am so happy that my brain isn't bleeding or that I have a contusion. Phew! Within all of this I also learned that I am the employee of the month! WOW! Apparently I am good what I do. I LOVE my job! It its me REALLY well. Except for those days when I fall and have a concussion. Weeks like this help me to realize how much I love dry ground... and no snow.... but, I'm not complaining. I can wash my hair when it melts,... yea!