2010, Part One

shishmaref, ak
Originally uploaded by brian_adams

It has been months since I've updated this blog, so first, let me say that I am bad at this and that I am sorry.

Thus far, 2010 has been a wonderfully exciting year of changes and travels, beginning with the birth of BA's nephew on January 28th. It was the first time that I've been very close to a birth--in the delivery room up until the final pushing--and although there are many things I could say regarding how I felt, the easiest is for me to say that it changed the way I view life. Witnessing the exhaustion of a woman during and after delivery, a father holding his son for the very first time, and a brand new life--veiny, and so very small--emerging into the world we so often take for granted, everything seemed simpler somehow. Why would we ever complicate our lives unnecessarily when it's amazing that we've made it at all? When we've already gone through so much?

During the month of March, BA and I embarked on the most exciting project I've worked on in a while--creating a multi-generational cookbook of Native Alaskan recipes in Shishmaref, AK. We traveled to Shishmaref for one week, during which we interviewed elders who contributed to a cookbook created in 1951 by the Shishmaref Day School (the receipt of which originally inspired the project), and then spent the rest of our time working with the school to gather new recipes from the current students or in the community visiting with families, discussing Native Alaskan foods and trying our fair share. The experience was exhilarating, both on a personal and professional level; Shishmaref is a beautiful place of welcoming people, breathtaking landscapes, and exciting foods. Read one of six published pieces of our trip here.

It's just another reason why I feel so blessed everyday to live in Alaska.

This being said, BA made a very big decision last week: we will be relocating to New York City in September where I will begin my MFA studies in poetry at the New School. We will return to Anchorage in the summer, and then again (for an indefinite/undisclosed time) to Anchorage after I've finished my degree and published my first book.

Right now, BA and I are working on the many post-production aspects for our book project, going to Hawaii to photograph a friend's wedding, and then, there will be more to write, I'm sure. (And, next time, I won't allow the months to pass without an update!)