Reflecting on Bethel

I am on a roll, and having fun now that I am blogging. I actually was thinking I was done with blogging lately and should go back to journal writing. I want to write and get my thoughts out of my head but they are way too personal for ya'll. Besides the same old mothering and housekeeping thoughts, I have been consumed with the job search for Brent. I keep trying to give up my obsession and just let him take care of it, but it's such a big deal -where you are going to end up- and I can't help doing research on all the pro's and con's of areas. But like I said I would rather write pro's and con's in my journal than lay them out there for the world to see just in case we end up in one of the areas that I previously told everyone was on the too many cons list.

Here is one place we most definitely won't end up.
Bethel Alaska

Here is the fine place that he lived most of the time he was there. And they didn't charge him a thing for these fine accommodations.

I have meant to tell a few true stories about Brent's three week summer externship in Alaska so here goes.

The information he received beforehand recommended that he bring some of his own food since the food was extremely high priced there, though they would be giving him money for food.

Brent interpreted bring "some food" to bring "ALL YOUR FOOD" and during the days leading up to the trip I was frantically packing for him. I made a menu that rotated about 10 different meals and as requested had all the items ready that he would need. I made up my own mixes that would just need one ingredient like pancakes, pizza, corn bread, wheat bread, and soup. It was a menu just like the one he always insists our family should focus on, "grains and beans". He brought a little container of yeast, powdered milk, cracked wheat for breakfast cereal, even some frozen cheese and a package of pepperoni for the pizza. We filled a big Rubbermaid tub that weighed 50.0 pounds that he paid to bring with him that was pretty much just -FOOD. The whole time I was making up these mixes I was thinking, "I am wasting my time. He's not going to work all day, then come home and make pizza or home made bread and chili from scratch."

When he got there his roommate told him about a sweet deal on produce. For $40 a week a large portion of farm fresh fruits and vegetables could be delivered to the apartment. Brent thanked him for the advice but said he'd be just fine with his wheat and beans.

I thought at least he would have to buy eggs and milk. But No. There were some eggs left behind in the fridge. And he mixed up his powdered milk which worked just fine for his morning bowl of cracked wheat cereal.

He did get invited to some great bbq's by the dentists and I guess those sporadic fine meals got him through the leaner days.

One week he flew out to a remote fishing village that he said was much prettier than Bethel. Unfortunately it was very remote and either didn't have a grocery store or Brent was just sticking to his principles. He had hurriedly thrown a weeks worth of meals in his bag planning to make a couple pizza's that would get him by and of course he had his cracked wheat and powdered milk. Once he unpacked he found out that he had forgotten the cheese. This was the week that Brent starved in the remote fishing village of Toksook Bay, Alaska.

Here's the lovely closet of brent's temporary bedroom. Clothing was very low on the priority list as you can see and he simply needed the tub space for food. So from the looks of things it was pretty easy to decide what to wear every night when he took off the scrubs.

"Hmmm. . . I think I will choose. . . the ORANGE shirt tonight."

This is what I call roughing it.

By the way, I would LOVE recommendations as to where this family should settle next summer.
So, If you LOVE where you live
please do beg us to come and join you.
Also, tell us of a wonderful old dentist who would love to work with Brent for awhile before handing things over.
As long as they aren't anywhere near to this location on the map.
As in Bethel, not Buffalo.