Beary good summer!

Here are some pics of bears that we have seen this summer...
Saw this bear from the roadway. It was just out fishing!






Pics of my favorite beach where we go surfing and boogieboarding!







Russian sailing ship that stopped in Kodiak this summer




Bear paw in the sand







Fireweed field

The end of summer...

Well, it's officially the end of summer. School starts this Tuesday and I am back to work. Poor Jonathan has been continually working this summer and doesn't appreciate my complaining that it's "back to the grind". "What grind?" he asks me. Oh there's a grind all right...It's just different than his criminals and busting bad guys. My grind is seeing troubled children in 2 schools, traveling to 2 different villages monthly, going to meetings, etc. I would go crazy (literally) doing his job and he would send all my clients to the state psych ward (or just admit himself there!)

We have had an awesome summer of visits and fun times! Jonathan's uncle Clint and cousins Austin and Amy came to visit and we had a blast hanging out with them! Fishing, hiking, shooting, camping, and boogieboarding were all on the agenda. Also during their visit, a friend from Germany came to visit! I met her through my principal at school and definitely showed her a Kodiak good time! I am now planning a Germany trip to go visit her part of the world. With all of our company, I think they all got the true Alaskan experience! Jonathan's brother Jason arrives tomorrow and I can't wait to show him around. He's in for a treat of fishing, boogieboarding, and causing trouble with Jonathan! I just pray that I don't have to call the Coast Guard to come rescue them!

In other work related news, I am planning on traveling to Sacramento, CA for a play therapy conference and am also taking my national counseling exam at that time also! I'm pretty nervous for the test but hopefully it is smooth sailing.

We hope all is well with family and friends! Keep in touch! We miss you and love you all!

New surfboard!

Here are some pics of the new surfboard! Hopefully I will get some pics of me riding it soon!




Beautiful butterfly drawing that my awesome friend Ashley drew for me


Me buffing out the board




Gary and I cutting out the leash plug

Happy Summer!

Well, it's summer here in Kodiak; although you'd never know that by the looks of it... Rain, rain and MORE rain! Oh well, it's helping to green everything up! School is out for me so I had to find a summer job. I lucked out and got a job as a lifeguard on the Coast Guard base. There is a pool on base and alot of kids groups and school groups use it. I also get to help teach swim lessons which I LOVE! I teach the little kids (4-7) and I love that age group! We practice blowing bubbles, doing "big arms", and jumping in!

I also have been busy making my first surfboard. With the help of some awesome friends, my board is shaped and today I glassed it! It's awesome! My wonderful friend Ashley did an amazing job with the artwork and drew me a beautiful butterfly on my board. She also helped me with the shaping and fiberglassing and taught me alot about the particulars of making my first board.





The Nose




Me buffing out the scuffs!





I will put a pic of the finished product up here this week. For now, I'm going to keep you all in suspense! At least until I can get it off my camera :o)


This year, the principal of one of the elementary schools that I work at and I have started our own radio show on the local public radio station. Mr. K and I do a "variety show" on the station and I am learning all about what it takes to run my own show. Mr. K's idea is for me to run my own show....We'll see how far that idea goes! The problem with that is that the following of country music fans up here is very small, and that's all I grew up listening to so I may have broaden my musical scope!




Jonathan is still on day shift and is switching to swing shift (4-midnight) soon. He is getting antsy to start fishing for red salmon as the reds have started running! It's tough to get them to bite without specific flies/gear so we'll see if we're lucky and catch any!


Hope you all are doing well. I will post pics of the finished surfboard hopefully tomorrow. Hope you're having a great summer!

Spring Update!

Hi Everyone!

Well, spring is here in Kodiak...if spring is rain then it definitely is here! If that means the snow is on it's way out, then I'm ok with the rain. Things have been busy for us here. Jonathan has been busy with work. He switched from night shift to day shift today so now we are on the same schedule! First time in 9 months I think. I'm excited because now we get to sleep together for more than 2 days a week! He also is the new firearms instructor which is really exciting and an honor.

I am busy with work also. I just finished with Spring Break which was a wonderful little vacation! I painted our upstairs bedroom. The color used to be a disgusting peach which made me want to puke everytime I woke up. Now it is a nice calming blue!



I went surfing last month in February! It was SO much fun and I stood up for the first time! I found another surfing buddy who is a nurse at one of the elementary schools where I work. It was a blast and I was stoked that I stood up!




Along with the surfing, I am also starting the process of making my own surfboard. It's going to be a longboard and I ordered the EPS foam for the board and the Epoxy resin that I will use. I'm helping a friend make her board and she is showing me the ropes of sanding, shaping the rails, etc. It is really fun and I am learning alot! Here is a pic of my surfing buddies Ashley and Gary (Gary is a substance abuse counselor who I work with) working on Ashley's board that she is making.



In other news, I also got a "new look" for spring! I got a Brazilian Blowout done on my hair which relaxes the curl and makes it straight. I needed a new look and this is quite the change from the curls. Jonathan says that I am more of a "diva" with the new straight hair! I don't if that's a bad or good thing. Here is a pic of the new 'do.



Hope you all are doing well! Happy Spring!

Love,
Jonathan, Jessica and kitties

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Friends and Family!

Well, we are welcoming the new year in cold, rainy Kodiak! First an update on the holidays...We had a wonderful Christmas. Jonathan got to hang out at home and we opened gifts and I cooked Christmas dinner for the officers working on his shift. I made my first prime rib which was delicious! I got a set of Bose headphones for my many plane travels to the villages. I'm very excited to try them out on my next plane ride! I also got a pair of "Yak Tracks" which are ice cleats that people wear on their boots to keep from falling on the ice. The gift was listed "From Kodiak" because about 3 weeks ago I fell VERY hard and bruised my tail bone on the ice. Apparently the city of Kodiak felt bad and didn't want me to fall again! Jonathan has been reminding me daily to wear them... Jonathan got a blue ray player and has been watching blue rays since Christmas. I also got bear spray which is much needed up here. I got a bread maker from my mother in law and have been making bread like crazy! It's a perfect gift because it saves me so much money on bread! Jonathan got a spotting scope which he is very excited to try out. He wants to go spot mountain goat and deer. That will really help when hunting season comes again! Thank you all for the wonderful gifts!

New Years
Happy New Year! Jonathan and I had a great new years! I hung out with him and then ended up heading home and falling asleep at 2am. But at least I welcomed in the New Year! Jonathan was pretty busy that evening so I planned a dinner for New Years Day for the officers that were working. I made my first ham and it turned out delicious!

Part of a new year tradition here in Kodiak is the Polar Bear Plunge and I took part in it this year with a friend and her daughter. It was SOO much fun!


I am now an official member of the Polar Bear Club!



Brrr!



Maddie and I



Ready to plunge!