HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM ALASKA

This was the email sent by Louann Bates now teaching in Alaska.

Happy Thanksgiving to Everybody that I Miss SoMuch!!!!!!

I hope all of you had a very warm and happyThanksgiving holiday. I've been putting together photo albums which has enhanced my thoughts of home, family and friends. It was very quiet in Twin Hills this holiday...rainyand overcast most of the time. I had a lateThanksgiving dinner with the other teacher and his wife, Rod and Barbara. It was delicious and very traditional. I am so fortunate to have had them to share Thanksgiving dinner with.

I actually don't have much to report in the way of news. I am attaching some pictures of winter scenes and of my students having popcorn and candy corn in my apartment the day before Thanksgiving while watching a movie.

One day last week while we were discussing the pilgrims, one of the children ask me if my daddy was a cowboy. I replied by saying," Well, let's see.....he had a horse, and he had had cows......" Then Carlton interjected this question, "Does he have a pistol?" Of course, I said, "Yes...but" Carlton then said with much conviction, "He is a cowboy!" So I agreed with him that my daddy surely must have been a cowboy. Later the conversation also revealed that my dad wore a cowboy hat and boots, so they were thoroughlyconvinced. I actually never thought of Daddy as being a "cowboy", but he definitely possessed many of the "cowboy" traits as explained by the all-knowing little fellows in my classroom. I think Daddy would have been pleased to hear that they consider him a"Texas Cowboy".

I can't tell you how much I miss home.....I only have 27 sleeps left.

I will be very busy during the next four weeks getting a Christmas program together. I think we have just decided on having a sing-a-long with the parents and community members. That makes for much less stress. However, there are still things to be done to make it all come about successfully.

Continue to pray for good flying weather with no fog.

I love you all very much and think about you all the time.

Happy Thanksgiving from the bottom of my heart!

I love you and miss you all!

Louann