Coversations with Jesus

We had a meeting to explain the Alaska Teacher Retirement system so we got a paid trip out of the village this weekend.  The workshop was very informational, the speakers were very good, and the subject was very depressing - Alaska teacher retirement may once have been number 1 in the United States but that is most definitely no longer the case.  Despite the unpleasant news, our trip was still very enjoyable.  We got to check out a couple new restaurants and add Fat Olives to our list of favorites.  Moose were along the roads everywhere munching away at the grass - I think we saw a total of 10 this weekend.  The trip also gave us a chance to get studded tires on our truck (and miss Missouri prices at the register) and not a moment too soon because we had our first snow this morning!!!!  Loving winter and snow as we do, this was a very exciting sight to wake up to.  How awesome is that - snow in October!!

The weather decided to bring excitement into our lives in a couple ways today, actually.  When we arrived at the airport in Homer they weren't sure if we would be able to fly back to Nanwalek because the winds were so strong.  There was a very slight reduction in wind speeds, however, so they decided to take us.  Now I always start each flight with a small conversation with Jesus which begins with "Please, God, don't let me die today."  but considering the increased risk with high winds, I had a much longer conversation than usual.  I  continued with, "Wait, I can't die today.  We don't have a will yet.  I knew we should have gotten one written out before we came to Alaska.  Why didn't I get that done?  I need to get that taken care of as soon as possible.  I wonder if they have a notary public in the village?  I wonder if they'll laugh at me if I ask if there's a notary public?"  And so the conversation continued.  I'll not lie and say the flight was smooth when it wasn't and I really did not enjoy the extra landing and take-off we had to make to drop off a guy in Seldovia, but we survived so I'll also not complain.  Our pilot did his job very well so I'll have another opportunity to start out a conversation with Jesus by saying "Please, God, don't let me die today."