All over the webbers, people are putting together recaps of the year 2010, and outlining their goals for next year. Although I have not been blogging for an entire year yet, I thought I would share my thoughts on 2010 as well.
2010 started out a little on the rough side for us. I was still unemployed, and Ernie was in school, so we had very little money coming in. But we had just enough to make it. I started teaching Human Anatomy and Physiology at Portland Community College, and although I was working, I made less while teaching than I got from unemployment. Teaching was an incredible challenge for me, but I learned a ton, and I am happy for the experience. I'm sure that it built some character.
At the same time, I also kept my eyes (wide) open for jobs in Alaska. We were planning on moving to the Anchorage area, or if we got really lucky, Homer. In May, with perfect timing, a job was advertised in Juneau, one that I knew I had a serious chance at getting because, well, I had worked with the same group before. We had to sit down and decide if we could move back to Juneau and truly be happy, especially Ernie, who grew up here. Juneau is in a beautiful location on the inside passage, with lots of recreational opportunity, but it isn't in all ways perfect. It is also small and isolated and expensive and a little weird. Luckily we are both a little weird, and I got the job, and three weeks later we were headed up the highway towards our new home.
I don't mean to imply, however, that one can drive to Juneau. We took two and a half days to drive from Portland, Oregon to the Alaska Marine Highway ferry terminal in Prince Rupert, British Columbia in what was the longest and most stressful road trip of my life. We left our families and everything we had known for the last ten years, and took a brand new (used--life history unknown) truck and two cats, and headed north. At that time we didn't have anywhere to go once we got here. But like everything else about our return to Alaska, things worked out better than we could have imagined.
After our arrival and our move into a house, we spent the summer enjoying the copious amounts of daylight and amazing surroundings, and aspiring to get our life in order. I was working were I worked when we left Juneau, Ernie got a job at the place he was working at when we left, and the wheel of ka rolls ever on. I picked lots of blueberries, and we went hiking and kayaking and camping.
This fall and winter have been largely quiet and relaxing. Ernie is attending school and is busy in the evenings, and I use my many powers to keep myself well-entertained. We have been able to get out on the weekends and enjoy the snow and ice that have surrounded us so far. We closed out the year with a bonfire on the beach with a couple of close friends, a glass of delicious champagne, and a platter of brownies. Ahhhh.
2010 has ended well, and we are very happy with our life. We are hopeful for a good 2011, for ourselves and all of you.
And now I have some resolutions for the new year, or at least some ideas. I want to:
Buy something big (a house, property, and/or a sailboat)
Go on at least one multi-day kayaking trip through the inside passage
Explore the area in an ever-widening circle
Write more
Take better care of myself
Get involved with the local community somehow
We wish you all peace, joy, and happiness in 2011!
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