"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it." ~ Greg Anderson

So this will most likely be my last post from Kwethluk. Garrett, Raisin and I are flying out on Saturday morning and will get to Anchorage that afternoon. I can't believe how quickly the year has gone. But I am very excited for a restful summer in the Midwest! :)

It was quite an eventful last weekend in Kwethluk. Graduation was on Friday. We had just one graduate this year, but what a special one she was. I was very honored when she asked if I would speak at her graduation along with the high school social studies teacher(who is basically my idol!) It was a very emotional ceremony like many graduations are. Sadness that one stage of life is over, and excitement for the unknown ahead. Below, is a picture of the social studies teacher, the graduate, and myself after graduation.

For those of you interested in my speech, I based part of my message on what this man had to say. It's definitely worth the watch. Josh Shipp - To the Class of 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8jWUSaz4m4

The rest of the weekend was spent cleaning, cleaning and cleaning some more. This was the first year in quite a long time that the principal of our school decided to do housing inspections for cleanliness. So my roommate and I spent the afternoons on Saturday and Sunday preparing for that. Also, to help keep the house clean after all that work we put in, Raisin got not one, but two baths!! :) I originally intended for him to have one bath, but the mud outside was just too exciting for Raisin to avoid. On the bright side, the bathroom, kitchen floor, front of the refrigerator and my bedding also received a second cleaning. The best news is that Raisin is finally warming up to my blow dryer! To the right you can see the motivation I used to get myself in the right state of mind to clean this weekend. It is crescent roll crust filled with an amaretto vanilla cream cheese filling. Super delicious! It kind of tastes like a cream cheese danish. Below, you will see Raisin receiving the superstar treatment after his bath.

After such a thrilling weekend, we are headed into the last three days of school. My math classes are taking finals and the health class is watching a movie about abusive relationships. Today was our last Monday of the year and man does it feel great to be done with that! It was a rather dreary, but warm day. The warmth is finally beginning to melt the ice and you can see that the large ice chunks are floating down the river on the sides. This week feels much more like spring than the last couple. Everyone at the school is anxiously awaiting 4pm on Wednesday, including me. I am more excited for the trip to Anchorage on Saturday and seeing my college friend for a few days while we take in the sights and sounds of the largest city in Alaska. I am most excited though to be heading back to the Midwest for the summer and finally seeing the family and friends that I've only been able to text, email, call, and Skype with since January. With that, I'll sign off from Kwethluk. I hope you all have a wonderful week and hope to catch up with you all soon.