Going through the Checklists

We lived through the ice storm last week. It finally cleared out enough that we could drive into Oklahoma City (OKC) and get our fingerprints done for certification. Of course had we known all the hassle it was going to be.... first, you have to supply your own cards. Now Alaska's Department of Educationa and Early Childhood (DEED) will gladly send these to you. But no, I didn't need to get their cards. Oh, no, I just thought one could walk into the police station and THEY would have the cards that we needed. Was I ever wrong! We had to go to the OSBI's main office and pick up the cards and then drive downtown to the jail. The Boy and The Girl's eyes sure did get big when we went inside. The Mister had his pocket knife and sent the metal detector off first thing. Then we had to get someone to unlock the elevator and send us to the basement. Fill out the cards that we had brought with us and then go through two more locked doors. Oh, and pay $5 a card -- the state of Alaska requires 2 per person --- and finally got fingerprinted. The lady who did it was nice. She said her brother used to live in Alaska. Where? Oh, Juneau maybe... or somewhere close to that.... maybe Fairbanks? I was nice and didn't share with her that Alaska is twice the size of Texas and those two cities are not close to each other.

The Mister got his Oklahoma certificate on Saturday. He has more endorsements than I can count nearly. Anyway, that's another step in this process.

We still need two sets of transcripts for him. Isn't it funny how no one in college ever tells you that if you take a class here or there from different universities, it will haunt you forever? The Mister needed 5 and I had to have 4. Everybody wants original, official transcripts. Bummer.

We have to take papers to the OK Dept. of Ed. , too. There's a paper in the application to show that you are "highly qualified" by the state in which you already have a teaching certificate. Then there's the notary thing and finally, but definitely not least is the check. One hundred and ninety-one dollars --- per application. When you count the cost of the PRAXIS tests, we will have spent nearly $700 just to be able to apply! And that doesn't count travel expenses, food or time.

I think that will cover the checklists in the applications. Then we can focus our attention on the other lists.... house projects that have to be completed in order to sell the house, recipes for cooking from "scratch" (and not cheating by combining already prepared soups and such), clothing for 4 people to make it through an arctic winter, the lists just keep coming.

We're Off!

Alaska -- I knew someone who went there to teach. A long time ago. I never in a million years dreamed that I would be heading there one day. With two kids, a husband, a dog and a complete household. Okay, the dog isn't going to Alaska. And neither is most of our household stuff. But it is amazing what four people can accumulate over the years. I see a huge moving sale in the not too distant future.

Actually, the Mr. and I started thinking about AK a long time ago. Then we hit a wall last year with certification and everything came to a screeching halt. This last summer (2006) brought about some changes in Alaskan certification for teachers and now we're planning on going in August. If... we get certified and if.... we can get a job.

This blog is about our journey to Alaska and eventually our lives there. We hope you enjoy reading about us and this exciting trip of a lifetime!

The Mr. and I are both teachers. We've been teaching for about 4 years now. Previously we were in ministry in a Baptist church. Now I teach K-3 music and he teaches emotionally disturbed junior high students. We have two kids --- The Girl is in 5th grade and The Boy is in 3rd grade. They are just as excited about moving as we are.

So ... here is the beginning of our story:
The Mr. and I completed our PRAXIS tests three weeks ago. We check the mail as soon as possible everyday now. As soon as we recieve our papers and get fingerprinted we can send off the certification papers. It should be any day now.

I've started going through the house and cleaning out closets and cabinets. We're trying to get the house ready to sell. So we're cleaning, cleaning, cleaning --- and with two kids --- we clean some more. All the little projects that we started 2 years ago when we bought this place are now coming together. If we don't get to move at least the house will be in top order! We're painting, landscaping -- you name it. We plan to put it up for sale as soon as possible. Talk about scarey. What if I sell it and then don't get a job? But what if I wait too long and it's not sold before we go? So many questions.

I could go on and on but what would I write about tomorrow? Besides, it's time to tackle The Girl's bedroom. I wonder what treasures we'll find in there?!