A Graduation to Remember

After several weeks of hard work, graduation has come and gone. Luckily, everything went off without a hitch and we've been told by some of the older teachers that it was the best graduation ceremony they've ever seen in Inukjuak! Of course, I can't take any of the credit. It was really Colleen, Sylvain (French secondary 4/5 teacher) and their students who did all the work.

So what does the best graduation ceremony look like, you ask? Well, we have several pictures below to answer that question. The best part is, these pictures won't induce years of traumatic nightmares like the seal pictures a few weeks back.

This is the dynamic duo that put it all together. The masterminds if you will. Colleen and Sylvain.

These are the masterminds with their slaves... I mean grads. Or it's a picture of the next cast for the musical Rent. I'm not sure which.

Putting the minions to work.

What-do-ya-know. Hard work pays off!

The technical wizards running the razzle-dazzle a.k.a sound and video. Khan and Markus.

After getting a computer science degree at Waterloo I can proudly say that I can make a slide show and run a projector. (Disclaimer: Markus did not actually create the slide show... Sylvain did)

Every single person in Inukjuak shows up to watch the procession. Good thing it's too cold for fires to spread.

It's good to know that the "West Side" was proudly represented at grad.

This picture is included for the benefit of my family. Tell me who that guy in the red shirt looks like... (Click on it to get a larger version)

Believe it or not, this cake took 6 people 5 hours and 12 glasses of wine to decorate.

Posing at prom.

Eva, our DJ, about to do what she does best...

Rock the house!

A perfect way to end the day, with the crowning of the queen. Of course it took until 4am until everything was cleaned up and we were in bed.


As you can see, everyone did a fantastic job of putting this together. Of course now that exams, grad and prom are all done and over, there's only one thing left to do.

We're coming home :)

Wedding Invitations!

Hello All,

I got a little sun-burn on my nose yesterday. It was horribly exciting because I was pretty sure my skin would never be able to absorb enough vitamin D through all the layers we have been wearing! It snowed on June 1st but the river is starting to break open and today it was 5 degrees Celsius!!! It felt pretty awesome when the wind was at our backs.

This weekend was made even better by a surprise bachelorette party for myself and another girl up here. Much fun was had and my legs feel like I may have danced a smidge too much;) . Thanks Girls!! I'll try to get some pictures up as soon as I snag them off of someone's camera.


Oh, yes the other bit of news is that you should be keeping your eye out for your wedding invitations. Markus and I sent them approximately 8 days ago and they should be arriving any day now. The only hitch in the invites was that we decided to post them on a day with 60km winds... and Markus accidentally let a couple go for a "free ride" across the Tundra! Thankfully we were able to round them up but our hearts stopped for just a minute.

Markus and I are getting so excited about coming home. I can't wait to not have to wear my winter coat! Also, I think it is going to be funny to see how Hudson deals with grass. He prefers to pee on snow and has never seen or felt anything as crazy as green grass let alone a tree.

Cheers,
Colleen

Hey,

I know it has been awhile since we posted, however, we really feel like we've gotten into a nice groove. Nice grooves = regular routines = boring to blog about. So brace yourself for our spectacularly run-of-the-mill ho-hum post;)

This past week my students wrote a standardized exam for English. It took 4 days to write but I think they did OK. It was very difficult watching my students write this exam because it wasn't prepared by me. There is nothing more grounding than feeling like your students achievements and failures are my own. Of course I realize that their education is far bigger than this one year but... I can't help but wonder if I did them justice.

Markus and I have been to two BBQ's this weekend. At both I ate way too much and went home incredibly happy to have the smell of smoke on my clothes. Sadly, the weather still isn't really BBQ worthy... keep your fingers crossed that we might see some +'ve temperatures soon!

Tootles,
Colleen

29 days to Go!!

Hey All,

This is a quick post to let you know that I'm craving sunshine. It snowed agin last night and I think I cried a little when I took the dog out for his nightly whiz at 4 in the morning.

So the count down is on: 29 days until we get on a plane and enjoy some greenery!

Tootles,

Colleen

Come Sleet or Snow or Rain

Hello everybody,

Well, as you've probably guessed by now, our entire lives revolve around the all powerful Hudson. We cater to his every whim and we have found out that no matter what kind of weather it is outside, that's not going to stop him from forcing us out in it. I guess this is why we got a puppy in the first place. Get us out and about more. Sometimes, though, I yearn for the good old days where we actually slept at night and got to stay out of the rain. On the bright side, though, we get to post all kinds of fun pictures with our little ball of fluff.

Here's Hudson after taking a much needed bath. Apparently being washed is exhausting.

Apparently, he's not too picky about where he falls asleep, either. Half way up the stairs it occurred to him that this was as good a spot as any to take a break.

Having a staring contest with his new favourite toy, a plush giraffe. Amazingly, all the stuffing is still inside.

Ok, ok. I know it looks like the our dog never moves, but I swear he was a fountain of energy JUST before this picture was taken.

We definitely haven't had time to do anything else exciting since we got our new little guy, but as soon as our lives resemble some level of normality, we'll let you know what else is new.

Later,

Markus

Grey weather

The weather here has been incredibly gloomy. Lack of sleep ("good puppy") and lack of sunlight is starting to catch up with us. It has been bizarre weather lately because it is overcast but it stays light outside until 9:30-10:00pm.

To fight the weather we're trying to get outside in the fresh air but .... I'm starting to miss the colour green! Especially when I hear that everyone is planting back home. We're starting to see a little bit of green lichen and moss on the Tundra but the snow is getting soft and it is a bit treacherous because you don't know if you are going to go up to your knees. In contrast, my students are loving this weather. They have ski-doos and are getting out on the land just before the river starts to thaw. They are bringing back a lot of Canadian geese. It is crazy how crazy they are over goose meat!

I'll get Markus to post next time. He's been the hardest hit by Hudson's cries so I'm letting him have a nap. Funny enough, Hudson is sleeping with him;) (My family won't be surprised to hear that I can still sleep through just about anything!)

Tootles,
Colleen

Meet Hudson!

Today we awoke to freezing rain. Unfortunately, my students were supposed to go on survival today. This is the third time they have tried to take my group of kids out on the land but the weather just won't cooperate. At this rate, instead of going ice fishing they will be going goose hunting!

Hudson wasn't too keen on freezing rain. He went "code yellow" pretty darn quick this morning. He fits right in this house, it is nice to go outside but... not when mother nature is turning on you! As promised, here are some pics of our now expanded family:

(I swear the snow is slowly melting...)

Yes, I did ask our friend Sasha to take our "family portrait!"

It is time for me to get ready for school. Hope everyone is doing well.

Cheers!
Colleen