Week 6

June 16
Hello everyone from rainy Klemtu! This rain has actually come as a surprise as we had two plus weeks of nothing but sunshine. I was beginning to wonder when the rain was going to return to make everything green again, and so here we are on our second day of rain. Unfortunately, with the rain has come fog, and there are 14 people who have been stranded in Bella Bella since Monday and unable to fly into Klemtu until it clears. Tiff happens to be one of those people, as she went to visit her sister on Vancouver Island for her big high school graduation. I talked to her a little bit ago, and she said they are going to try to charter a boat to come in this evening. I sure hope so because I can't take another day without her!

Anyway, onto the week 6 recap. Monday was a day off and "Jon and Kate Plus 8" night at Tiff and Brent's. We had a pitch-in with a taco bar and baked beans. I tried to recreate Grandma Dot's famous baked beans, but they didn't quite have the same zip as they do when my mom makes them. After dinner, we headed up to the school to work on some things for Jamie's graduation, which is coming up this Friday. There is a big celebration at the end of the year for both the high school grads and the kindergarten grads, and Tiff's youngest is graduating from kindergarten. I'm really excited for this big event and will be sure to give a detailed update after the weekend. We were at the school pretty late, so I headed home afterward and went right to bed.

I helped out in the primary class Tuesday morning and then went to Tiff and Brent's for lunch where we had the yummy leftovers from taco night. We then headed to the youth center in the afternoon to clean and get ready for the kids to come. After closing up, Tiff had me over for spaghetti and garlic bread at their house, which was outstanding. I made some of my best batch of chocolate chip cookies yet and brought them over for a tasty after-dinner treat. We then went back to the youth center and watched a movie with the kids before heading home for the night.

Wednesday morning I was back at the school, but then headed right over to Tiff's to say goodbye to her before her plane left for Vancouver. I told her to have a wonderful time with her family, but that she was not allowed to leave me again during my final weeks left in Klemtu. I then headed to the youth center and did my best to hold down the fort in her absence. The kids certainly missed her as much as I did, as they were constantly asking "Where's Tiff?" and "When is she coming back?" Hopefully they asked these questions because they really wanted her back, and not because I am a lousy replacement.=) I'm sure it was because of the first conclusion.

Thursday brought another day off and I was happy for the opportunity to get some things done I had been wanting to accomplish. It was another beautiful day and I was able to go on a long run on my usual running path. I am getting so spoiled by the cool weather with no humidity, and fear I will be in for a rude awakening when I get back to sticky Indiana in July. I also had Tara over for dinner that evening and I cooked a Mexican-themed meal. I told Tara that I was trying to get into drinking tea, so we talked over some Earl Grey after the meal, and I actually found it to be quite enjoyable. She cringed when I was about to use hot water from the sink and said every tea-drinking person would roll over in their grave if they saw me, and so we boiled some water over the stove. I told her that I am turning into my best friend Betsy, who constantly drinks tea. I used to make fun of her for it, but I may just have to join her for a cup when I get home. I then headed up the field for soccer night, and was happy to see a much better turnout thanks to the cooler weather. We even had one of the hydro workers join us. After we could no longer stand the flies (which are horrible here) we called it a night and I was in bed at a reasonable hour.

Friday morning I was back at the school, and then headed to the youth center like normal to open up for the afternoon. Friday evening I had "family night" up at the field and the recreation director opened up the youth center for the guys to play "Halo." I headed back down to the youth center around 9:30 and started right in on Rock Band 2. It was quite a busy night and I did my best to make sure everyone got plenty of opportunities to play their favorite instrument. Very tired from the long day, I headed home a little after midnight and went right to sleep.

I made myself an omelet Saturday morning and then headed out for a nice run down my running path. I then rushed home to shower and get ready to open up the youth center for an afternoon of Rock Band. The kids were starting to tire from Rock Band 2 so I put in the original Rock Band Saturday evening. They then said they were tired of that Rock Band, so I promised to put the new one back on the next day.

I noticed that the forecast was calling for rain the next week so I made sure to get a run in Sunday morning while it was still dry. Sunday was also freight day, but it was a little different this time since the ferry would not be coming in until the afternoon. The summer ferry that stops in Klemtu is called the "Queen of Chilliwack" and it is a big deal when it comes in because you can go on board and buy things from the gift shop or eat in the cafeteria. After finishing up Rock Band in the afternoon, I headed down to the Band store to get some fresh produce. I was elated to find the blueberries in a tub twice as big as the usual one and for less money! I also stocked up on milk and eggs and headed back home to get ready for the Sunday night church service. The speaker for the evening continued on in Genesis and we sang some songs from the hymnals. I also got the chance to meet the man who owns the construction company working on the hydro project. After church, I went to the youth center and put on a movie for the older kids allowed out after curfew.

Yesterday (Monday) was the start of my seventh week here and another day off. It was a wonderful day right up until I learned that Tiff was not going to make it in as planned because the weather would not allow the plane to leave Bella Bella. Instead of cancelling our plans for dinner and Jon and Kate night, I made my meatloaf and scalloped potatoes and brought them over to enjoy with the rest of the Monday night crew. After dinner, we had some of Brent's delicious cake he made with the fresh rhubarb he picked next to his house. The only other bad thing about Monday was I learned that my computer that I could not get to restart was most likely not going to work again until I got home and had someone take a look at it. With that said, I will no longer be able to use my computer and will do my best to update the blog regularly, but no guarantees! Alright, got to go eat some dinner, but I hope all is well and I hope everyone has a wonderful week! Happy Father's day to all the fathers and especially Big Al Brown on Sunday!