more Firsts!

This last week has marked a series of firsts: First week of school, first ATV ride and Mike's first (potential) job in education.
So first things first...er, so to speak:                                

Last week was our opening week at school. There are a thousand things I could say about how it went- the good, the bad, the amazing, the hilarious....etc. But in order to protect my school, myself and my students, I'll be keeping those stories to a minimum. If you're interested, you can always call, skype or email me, or wait until winter break, and I'll regail you with stories.
All things considered, our first week went fairly well. There were the typical ups and downs and 13 hour days, but none of that is new to me. The students are different in many ways from any I've worked with in Seattle, but not in ways that seem insurmountable. The culture is  very different from ones I have known and worked with, but the kids are much like any who live on the edges of our world.  They all have huge challenges outside of the classroom that they deal with every day....challenges most of us can only begin to imagine or relate to. It is my own challenge to keep that in mind and teach with an open heart and with as much love, support and consistancy as I can. That said, these kids are some of the toughest and most resilient I've ever met. They play outside in any wheather, they rarely cry for more than a few moments after getting hurt, they are lightning-quick with forgiveness. I feel truly lucky that I'll get to know them over the year.

Some of you may be wondering what Mike's been doing this whole time. Don't worry, he has been far from idle. Nothing is official yet, but it looks as though he may be getting a part time job at school as an aide/ librarian. He's pretty excited about it, but it is a totally different work enviornment than he's used to. Mostly, it's a very good change. Other than that, he'll be starting online classes with Bellevue College in about two weeks.
We've also both started doing the p90x workout program. It's hard to find excersize options out here, but there is a small gym available to us. It's nice to be doing something together. It helps keep us both motivated.

Last but not least, in our week of firsts.......our first ATV ride!
Yesterday we borrowed a shiny yellow ATV and went exploring.
This is the aptly named "driftwood beach."

There was a lot of friggin' driftwood. 

But also lots of picturesque views:

We had some fun on the rocks.....

And then went to a different beach, where we discovered birds and more fun rocks:

Also, target practice:

And that about sums up where we live. Birds. Rocks. Water. There are bears and wolves and foxes too, but we didn't see any on our trip. 

And with that, I'll leave you with my favorite piece of driftwood: a huge tree stump that looks like a creepy spider. 

Happy Labor day, y'all. 

P.S. If we're FB friends, I finally posted wedding, beerfest and Stebbins albums. Enjoy.