Upon moving back to Utah, I moved in with another teacher. I am so grateful for her willingness to let me live in her home. However, Austin was going to come home in July of 2016 which was less than a year later. I knew I needed to move out to have a place for him to live.
In the meantime, I was lucky enough to get a job at a year round elementary school. I worked with wonderful people and really enjoyed my students. I decided that during one of my weeks off school, I would go to North Carolina to visit a friend who had moved there. Unfortunately, she thought it wouldn't be a good idea because she would hopefully have a new job and I would be home alone all day, plus there would not be much time for us to spend together. I was not happy, because I really wanted to visit her. But, I thought, maybe it was for the best.
As I was thinking about things, I realized that the three weeks I was off were the exact weeks of the Iditarod, a dog sled race in Alaska. I had followed the race for several years, and used it in my classroom. I never thought I could actually see it in person. As I pondered, I realized that I could, if I saved, go to Alaska. It would be pricy, but if I paid for pieces each month, then by the End of February I would be prepared to go.
So, I went. I spent all three weeks of my break in Alaska. I flew to Anchorage and attended the conference for teachers which began the Monday before the race started. It was fantastic! I was able to be at the start and restart of the race. Then, I went to Fairbanks for a week. I went on some tours and saw the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights), along with a lot of other things. The third week I was in Nome for the end of the race. I had to leave the Sunday at the end of the third week, which meant I missed the red lantern winner, and the musher's banquet.
This trip cut through to my soul. It was almost like a spiritual experience. I had such joy in everything I saw and did. When I got home, I could hardly think of anything else. People would ask about the trip and all I could do was smile real big and say it was great! My greatest wish was now to move to Alaska. I had even started applying for jobs while I was at the teacher conference. However, it became June and early July and I still did not have a job in Alaska. I finally gave up the dream for the next school year.
Austin had returned home and had already left for college. I was a little down because now my son was gone again and I was going to stay where I was. Oh well, I figured it wasn't the right time. However, much to my surprise on July 25, I received a call that offered a job in a remote village called Shaktoolik. I was asked to be there before August 3rd if possible. Crazy!!!! I accepted, gave away almost everything I owned, moved the rest of it to my parent's garage in Arizona, and arrived for new teacher training the afternoon of August 3rd.
I am now in my second year of teaching in Shaktoolik. I LOVE the people here. They are beautiful inside and out. They are hard workers, and love their families. I am blessed to be here.
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