Christmas 2016

This year has flown by...as usual. God continues to bless us with good health and opportunities and the older I get, the more I appreciate both.

We enjoyed a visit this summer by Roger's dad and his new wife, the lovely Nora, who delighted us with her delight over our beautiful state. It isn't often we get family visitors OR visitors so completely amazed by Alaska. After twelve years, we tend to take our surroundings for granted. It was fun to see everything fresh through Nora's eyes.

This summer we also went to Hawaii - the Big Island -to meet up with my family. We rented a house in the south of the island and spent our days exploring the volcanoes, swimming from the black sand beach - narrowly missing the sea turtles - and snorkeling around Hilo and Kona. It was a great time.

Nate - He's 10 now, in fifth grade and loving it. He's playing house hockey this year, was voted MVP at a recent tournament and is in the school robotics club. He is growing like a weed and will soon reduce me to the shortest person in the family. *sigh* He and Roger are deep into creating Nate's science fair project about Tesla coils, which should impress his teacher (assuming Nate can explain it without Roger's constant prompting.)

Mary Grace - 17, has her own car and spent the summer paying for it while working as a landscaper at the Alaska State Fair. She's in Jazz Choir and performs in various school plays. She's also the spirit chair for her class, and on the prom committee. She and Roger have committed to building a gigantic caterpillar and mushroom a la Alice in Wonderland to fit their theme. Over spring break, she'll be joining the high school music dept. on a 14-day trip to New Orleans for a music festival and a cruise to Cozumel, Mexico.

Luke - spent this past year as a gap year, working on his airship business. He set up shop in our office and built several prototypes. He sold a handful on his Kickstarter campaign following a summer doing telemetry with Alaska Fish & Game. He spent the fall semester at UAA finishing up his gen eds and heads to Iowa State in Jan. to pursue an engineering degree. We are hoping the mental challenges there will make up for the lack of mountains to climb.

2017 will bring more changes - more travels - and challenges. As my children launch and the future seems ever unpredictable, one verse I'm praying this next year is Phil 1:6: "I'm confident in this, that He who began a good work in you, will continue to perfect and complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." The key word in that verse is work... which signals our willing partnership. God allows us to play a part in what He's accomplishing, yet carries the burden of perfection for us. As a teacher, the beauty and strength of that promise hits home time and again. We are so full of failures while He not only remains faithful, but reveals His sufficiency in using those failures to perfect us.

May you have a fulfilling 2017!

Christmas letter 2013

Luke's senior photo

What he actually looks like (and my favorite)

WOW. This year has gone by so fast, it feels like it should still be August. Our big event was last summer's trip up the east coast, starting with a week in Duck, NC on the Outer Banks, followed by a few days in Washington DC and then north to Nova Scotia with my parents. We visited five colleges for Luke, and had many adventures on the way, culminating in a mini-reunion with my brother's family while we were in Nova Scotia. It was a great time.

Roger: has now completed a full year in prison. (We still think it's funny to say that.) He spent most of his time guarding the jewels of humanity in Special Management Unit, or the part of prison where you go when you can't follow directions, and is now working in administration. His bailiwick is disciplinary and standards/compliance, which means he doles out consequences for prisoners who've had disagreements with authority, and makes sure the prison as a whole is compliant with national standards. He loves living at home and has been busy with projects - installing a beautiful hickory floor on our main level, putting in a new Trex deck and overhauling a Chevy Blazer for Luke.

Me: I'm teaching 7th grade at Academy; they are a really great bunch of students and pretty high fliers academically. I'm teaching accelerated language arts and pre-algebra and learning as much as the students (at least about math.:) Our school was named a 5-star school this year, and was the only school in the state to achieve both yearly progress and over 90 percent passing on our state standardized testing. We moved into our new middle school wing last month and it is awesome to be under the same roof and out of portables.

Luke: Half-way through his senior year and hockey season already!! Last summer he spent running his own lawn care business  and stocking our freezer with enough salmon to feed a small army.  He's interested in aeronautical engineering and applied to six schools all over the US, and one in Canada. Right now, it looks like it's between Iowa State and a private college in Texas called LeTourneau, both known for very good engineering depts., and both of which have given him substantial scholarships for grades and SAT scores. He'll make a trip to visit both this spring. I'm excited for him, and dreading sending him out into the world. We will miss him so much...

Mary Grace: She is in eighth grade this year, her final at Academy. She's playing on a comp volleyball team and taking voice lessons, as well as performing in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at our church this season. She remains the most patient child in the house, and the biggest help. She's looking at attending Palmer High next year and diving into the strong drama/music program that's there.

Nate: He's in second grade at Academy and spends most of his time talking or bouncing around. He is an Angry Birds prodigy and becoming a fluent reader. I'm very glad I have my Nate to console me as Luke moves on to bigger and better things. :)

This has been a blessed year for us, and we hope for you too! Merry Christmas and Happy 2014!!

Kennecott

My 7th grade class took a four-day trip to McCarthy, Alaska, which is at the end of a 60-mile gravel road that used to be the railroad line built by the company to ship the copper to Cordova. Kennecott Copper Mine was the first mine by this company - now the behemoth, Rio Tinto (which wants to develop the massive Pebble Mine in western AK) and the owner of the Kennecott Copper Mine in Utah (largest pit mine in the world). It was initially funded by JP Morgan and the Guggenheim families, and required construction in some of the most remote, weather-challenged places in the world. It is mind boggling to consider the kinds of engineering and brute strength building (let alone working) here required. There were five total mines, and all
 were tapped out in 1938. They produced over $1 billion in profit in today's money.

The Kivalina Bridge - the steel part (still original) was built in 1909, in 12 days in wind and weather that was 40 degrees below zero. 

The Gilahina Trestle, all wood, built in 8 days in the dead of an Alaskan winter. 

The footbridge to McCarthy, the naughty neighbor of the Kennecott, a company town.

Sunrise over Kennecott, the two glaciers are Kennicott and Root.

Hike up to Bonanza mine, one of five that sent their product to Kennecott for sorting. We started hiking at 8 a.m. and climbed almost 7000 feet. Got back at 6 p.m.

Some perspective - the tiny dot in the middle is a person on the trail. Tricky hiking in some spots, with a sheer drop on one side. Imagine doing this loaded with construction supplies.

Mine leftovers. When it was closed, everyone walked away so all the debris is everywhere. 

Bonanza mine. Miners never left once they began. Average length of stay: 8-12 mos. It cost 8 mos of wages to pay
the company back so many miners ended up earning nothing.

The approach to Bonanza - more perspective. The mountain is massive.

One of the many transfer stations where steel cable funneled through. The cables sent
bucket after bucket of copper down to Kennecott. Notice where it's built - there are skeletons
of horses littering the ground at Jumbo mine. 

The cables stretched about 5 miles. They hung it up there by hand.

Two buckets in two transfer stations on the way down. On the two holidays of the year, miners had a choice: hike down, or ride the buckets down to Kennecott.

Heading down, with Root and Kennicott glaciers in the background.

We were the only group to tour the 14-story sorting building in two years. The building was built
without bolts - built for shaking - as the ore was sorted. The noise was incredible, we were told. The NPS is
restoring the foundations - Kennecott is a historical site.

The Kennicott River coming off the two glaciers by the footbridge

A close up of the longest uninterrupted ice fall in the world, the start of Root glacier. Root was also mined
by the company for copper. It was the only mine not served by the cables.

Spring 2013

Some of Nate's b-day crowd

Nate and some of his loot

The only picture I have of Luke, skating at Nate's bday party

Grace and Nate and Mt. McKinley

Nate, ready to attack the puck

7th grade before World Fair

Easter time and the chocolate rabbit Nate trapped and ate alive

Mt. McKinley minus the kids

Nate's 1st grade class before World Fair

Grace, Monica, Elizabeth and Salome in Homer

Outside Beach in Seldovia doing tide pool studies

Grace and Elizabeth and Purple Starfish (who hates to be photographed)

Grace and unfortunate butter clams

Me and Grace clam hunting

Grace and Monica in "downtown" Seldovia

Coming home (I flew back)

Overlooking Jackoloff Bay

Academy ground breaking for middle school addition

Nate in Homer on school field trip to the SeaLife Center

School is out! This past week has been like crossing a finish line - all kinds of hectic activity followed by...nothing. We are happily adjusting (or I am) to our relaxed summer schedule with no alarm clocks, conflicting events or late-night planning sessions. 

Roger: graduated from correctional officer academy a few weeks ago and is back to a regular schedule at Goose Creek Correctional Center. He applied for a counseling position - which is a day job only - and the rumor is that he's been selected. Due to staff shortages over the summer, we won't know until July if that rumor is true. Fingers crossed it is because switching from days to nights really kicks his butt. He still gets a charge out of saying he's going to prison. This summer he is replacing our hideous carpet with a gorgeous hickory wood floor on our main level and we're ripping out the back deck to replace it with a concrete patio. Fun times for Roger!

Me: my first summer off free of school work since 2010 - woot! I am very much looking forward to our trip east this summer and vaguely planning for next school year already. I've been asked to be a core seventh grade teacher at Academy, which is a full-time schedule and will require additional curriculum writing (assuming the funding comes through). This past year, I taught advanced language arts and math, and lay awake at night wondering if I was being effective at all for my students. We got our SBA results last week - student based assessments, which are mandatory under No Child Left Behind for every school in every state - and were thrilled to discover Academy scored 95 percent proficient in writing, 94 percent proficient in reading and 91 percent proficient in math. Whew! The district average is 60 percent in math and 70 percent in reading/writing so we are at the top of the heap again. I was relieved that my inexperience didn't pull down our average. :) This summer begins another round of construction, this time for middle school. It'll be so great to be out of our gross buildings and into something that doesn't make OSHA have a heart attack.

Luke: is anxiously awaiting his SAT results, which come in Thursday. I am too *bites nails* He takes his last exam tomorrow and has a full schedule planned for his senior year - all IB courses in preparation for an IB diploma, which requires a LOT of extra work, money and tests. This summer he's hired a friend to help with his yard work business and has a half-full roster so far - prayers are appreciated that he'll get what he needs for next year. He and Roger also bartered for a 1996 Blazer in great condition but with a shot motor, that they'll replace next week and hopefully sell for a tidy profit. We are nailing down prospective colleges on the east coast, although he already has his top choice: Deep Springs College in California. http://www.deepsprings.edu/about

Mary Grace: went to Seldovia on the seventh grade trip a few weeks ago. It required a horrendous boat ride over horrendously choppy water which made me horrendously ill but we had good weather and the kids had a good time. She's volunteered to help at the library's summer reading program and is signed up for a week at Victory Bible Camp and jumps for joy every time she gets a babysitting job. 

Nate: experienced a milestone by losing more teeth and spending the night by himself on his class trip to Seward. He and I (and sometimes Grace) are signed up with SprocKids mountain bike club, where we meet every Monday night to bike trails around the valley. He is a year younger than the recommended age but seems to be keeping up okay with his group. No baseball/soccer this year for Nate or Grace since a. the weather has been so bad the fields have yet to dry out and b. we'll be gone for half of either season. Hopefully between mountain biking and hiking every Sunday with a group from our church, we'll keep him tired out. :) 

Have a great summer!

Christmas 2012

Happy Christmas! We hope your family is healthy, happy and looking forward to 2013. Here's a quick synopsis of what's happened in 2012:

Roger: Spent most of this year in Europe working for Southern Air, which underwent a massive reorganization when the CEO and investment board decided to gut the company and sell off its routes. It declared bankruptcy last summer, resulting in 70 percent of the workforce being laid off. Roger was pink slipped Oct. 1. While a huge blow to our income, it has been a blessing since his job was increasingly stressful and political. Roger started with the Alaska Dept. of Corrections last month...a career change we never saw coming. The schedule is week-on, week-off, with great benefits. For the second time in 20 years, Roger actually lives at home!

Me: I finished my master's degree last summer!  I'm teaching seventh grade math and advanced language arts, as well as K-8 P.E. Mary Grace is in my LA class, and it's been fun to reacquaint myself with her fellow students. Our school is about ready to move into our brand-new K-5 addition, which was built right next to our gym, and will replace our decrepit portables. Later this year, the middle school addition will be built. It'll be nice not to have to endure the weather every time we change classes.

Luke: He turned 16 this year and hit the road in his own car. His hockey team finished strong last year taking the Regions III championship for the second year in a row.  This year, Luke is a captain, working hard to keep up morale and enduring a grit-your-teeth-and-bear-it season. He's taking all IB/AP classes, including AP physics - and managed a 4.0 this semester. Last summer, he worked two jobs at Carr's grocery store and as a host at Local's pizzeria. 

Mary Grace: She said good bye to her Girl Scout troop leader last summer with a farewell kayaking trip to Valdez, although she's still working toward her Silver award and active in a new troop. Grace got braces last summer, played soccer and starts volleyball in Jan. She participated in theatre camp and just turned 13. Her class went beaver trapping (along with Roger) and spent a week at Kennicott copper mine for a unit on mining.

Nate: is a big first grader now! He is soaking up school like a sponge, playing hockey in the winter and soccer in the summer. He's convinced the Big Nate books are written about his life (Nate Wright is the main character) and is the Angry Birds champion in our house.

We're looking forward to 2013, with an upcoming trip to the east coast in June-July. Do drop us a line at rewrighter@gmail.com and let us know what's happening at your house!

Nate at Halloween

Grace at Halloween

Grace's class on the way to Kennicott

Grace at Kennicott

Going beaver trapping

The intrepid Ron Bergey, 7th grade science teacher,
showing the class how to set a beaver trap. His hat always cracks me up.



 

Luke's team after winning Regions earlier this year - photo courtesy of MatSu Sports

 

vs arch-rival Wasilla - both photos courtesy of the Frontiersman newspaper

Nate with Crabby, the world's largest cabbage