A little of this and that

The water system is up and running! We still need to hook in the hot water heater (right now the wood stove is our only source of water heating) and hook in the hot water loop in the floor. At least we have a secondary source of water though! If the spring freezes up we'll be able to draw water out of the lake. Hopefully the spring will keep running, but we're prepared in case it does not.

We're waiting to hear if Gordon will be coming up to do the remaining plumbing. Gordon is a retiree we met this past spring when we were up checking out the camp. He and his wife Stephanie (a nurse) usually come up for a month or so each year to volunteer at camp. Gordon is an excellent welder who also loves to do plumbing jobs. He had told Nate this past spring that if he ever had any big plumbing jobs to do, to give him a call. We did and Nate called so Gordon is checking into flights up here! There are so many amazing people who keep this camp running that there's no way to list them all!

Then there's Robert Katsur, an electrician who works the North Slope. He comes up to camp every so often to work on electrical projects. He can get a lot of work done in a day because he can focus just on the project at hand. He's a joy to have around! He used to stay in the shack in the back when the last couple lived here. Once we get this place settled we hope to get the shack ready so it will be available for him to use again.

Those LED lights we bought for the kitchen turned out to be a bust. They were supposed to be the equivalent of 120 watts of light, but they're more like a nightlight! Grrrrr! I guess LED technology isn't quite up to speed yet! We do have an LED light bulb that screws into a standard socket that is pretty bright so we're debating getting more of those (other people say they aren't bright at all so we're not sure if individual bulbs vary) or using compact fluorescents. I hate to use the fluorescents, but if the LEDs are going to be so fickle...

The kids seem to be struggling still with the light issue. They aren't consistently using the light and melatonin so they seem to have up and down days. Oksana is going to take a break from working at camp for a bit. We suggested it and she jumped at the suggestion so I think it may have been a bit of a relief. School has seemed to be really stressing her lately. It was ok for a while but she seems to have used up her patience reserves. She just has so many things she enjoys doing and never has time to do them. I'm pretty sure that we'll be home schooling her again next year. She had to prove to herself that she could do public school, but she's not interested in continuing any longer than necessary.

I've been mulling over what to get involved with and what not to. Dianne VanDaam said that after such a major move it is best not to get too involved for at least a year. That's probably good advice. Andrei has already commented that he really appreciates the slower pace of things here. I reminded him that it has nothing to do with "here," it is just a function of the lack of responsibilities since we have not committed to things here yet. In NY we had church on Sunday, FlipSide on Monday, Oksana's lesson and worship team practice (when I was playing) on Wednesday, Missions meetings one Thursday a month and Rodney led a young men's Bible study on Thursday (or Wednesdays) and Bible study Friday. Then there were all the appointments for this, that and the other thing. Yeah, a little busy. We could easily be as busy here. The thing is, it is all good stuff. BUT if you're just doing it, it is just STUFF. I'm really wanting to maintain a good balance, where we're doing the right things, not just good things. I'm not sure I explained that well, probably because it is sort of an unorganized thought process in my head right now. ;)

Andrei picked up a book that the teens will be studying in Sunday school called Crazy Love. I guess the men's Sunday school class will also be reading and discussing the book. I spent a bit of time today reading it. Wow! Not a book to pick up unless you want your faith challenged DRAMATICALLY! Awesome book! I think I already read half of it in a few hours. Wow! But don't read it unless you're ready to hear a tough message. It is definitely a tough one!