Shout outs, Caribou, Halloween, Danish Barbie!

If you are reading this, I have the following to say: 1) Thank you; It truly is appreciated that you are taking the time to follow our somewhat unorthodox way of life out here on Adak. 2) It should be noted that there is nothing hyperbolized or embelished in any way shape or form in previous posts (save for obvious comedic effect)and this place is really this weird. Picture Northern Exposure and The X-Files bastard child that was left in spin-off obscurity; this is our lives. 3) This truly is our contact to the outside world, so any and all communication is greatly appreciated. Thanks Again for reading.
Now, I don't have a lot of big game dishes to compare this too (unless you count the three orders of Nico's Nachos Grande I ate at last years Super Bowl) but caribou is GOOD! Nay! GUUUUUUUUUUD! In the last week we have had caribou roast, caribou stew, and tonight we had fajitas with sliced caribou heart. Cassidy, in typical fashion, had completed the nutritional value of caribou prior to allowing me to climb a mountain and shoot one. Turns out it is actually pretty healthy. Who knew?
This last week was, of course, Halloween. Like everything else out here, it was odd. First, there was a Halloween party Friday night at the School/Community Center/Police Station/Post Office/Clinic/Explosive Ordinance Device Offices/Church. It puzzles me that a community will not come together to help a family that may need items such as, say, a window or light bulbs, but has absolutely no problem flying in thousands of dollars in Halloween decorations and candy. They should change the name out here from Halloween to something more indicative of what really happens. Something like 'Juvenile Diabetes Day' or something more in tune with Pop Culture like 'A.D.D. Gone Wild.' There are approximately 25 people on this island under the age of sixteen and approximately 300 lbs. of candy was distributed. I was an English major and Cassidy a Psych major, so our math isn't great. But it just doesn't seem to add up to anything remotely resembling healthy.
The Halloween party was kind of fun, actually. We went with a Wizard of Oz theme for our costumes. It went over really well and Isabel was about the cutest Dorothy you will ever find. Pictures are sure to be posted if they aren't already.
Cassidy has been baking bread and pies all week. Her French Silk Pie is (and I am not overstating this) life changing. Her bread is what everyone wants their bread to taste like, but juuuuust can't get it right. I am constantly enjoying amazing dinners and baked goods. Life could be A LOT worse, I guess.
In addition to Cassidy's baking, she has been doing home pre-school with Isabel on Mondays. Wednesdays, and Fridays. Isabel tells me what she learned at lunch after class and today I was pleasantly surprised that she is learning to tell time. She has the basics (Big Hand/Little Hand) down and can tell you when it is one. two, three, etc... O'clock. Not too shabby, right? (We are filling out her mensa application online after this blog is posted...or maaaybeee...just maybe, she can fill it out herself?).
In addition to learning all her letters and beginning to spell simple words, she has also learned how to whistle. This brings an incredible amount of joy to the house and we now have a four year old that does her best Louis Armstrong impersonation (without the trumpet, ofcourse) and walking around the house. Right now it is adorable. Let's see how long that lasts.
As if Isabel wasn't adored enough locally and throughout the Tucson area, she has become an international sensation. My student-teacher, Mia, is from Denmark and has been giving her Mother back home updates on Isabel. The woman has been so taken by the pictures and stories that she has knit outfits for Isabel's Barbie Doll (again, pictures will follow). They arrived today and they really are amazing. Just to show a sign of generation gap, when I told Isabel that we had to send a 'thank you' card, she wanted to just type an Email instead. She just turned four a couple of months ago.
Cassidy just got back from craft night, which involved creating a Christmas penguin out of a 60 watt light bulb. Craft night is to Adak what coffee houses are to you in the real world. Even if you don't like coffee that much, you go just to get out of the house and meet some new friends. Until next week....