My sisters recently changed the name of our group chat to “Board of Directors” 🥸

Someone from UAF sent me their berry picking spot on a map 🥲 real community

Today’s news: it rained (🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼), my new husky friend Pepper chased a black fox into the trees (and came back right away with no visible blood 🥲) and I encountered my first real life tree house. Yay for rain 🤠

It’s too hot in Fairbanks man

I moved to Fairbanks this week and it’s so good to be back with Fairbanks fam and UAF community again 🥰 missed you guys

Nalukataq update from Nattles (my niece):

Did anyone else hear that emergency alert?!! Omg I feel like I’m going crazy. That was my first time hearing an emergency alert to evacuate on the radio and it was for Fairbanks areas

Currently:

My mom stopped by to deliver maktak and 15 min after she left, a black bear and 2 cubs moseyed into our driveway. Probably looking for that maktak 👀 🐋

In honor of FD here’s some of my favorite memes I’ve sent to my dad

I finally did it. It turned out amazing. This is your sign to do the same

My stuffed salmon souvenir from Sapporo turned out to be a salmon egg neck pillow in disguise 🫨

Me and my mom are in Sapporo this week. It’s been amazing! We checked off 11 out of the top 25 things to do so far

Fairbanks + Utqiaġvik + Dillingham springtime views from the plane. Slightly moody

Meese drama today

Dillingham this week 🤓 I spent maybe 4 years thinking about and mapping this region. Cool to be back. Rivers, man

Call your Aaka.

Qikiqtaġruk ❤️

Got some new Iļisaġvik swag in Utqiaġvik last week, just in time for vest season 🤓

Me and my Mom checking the open lead as my AK air flight lands at home

Home

Talking to students about Indigenous knowledge and observations from the Arctic this week at Barrow High School 🥲 so fun to go back home and work with Kim, their newest Iñupiaq and North Slope Science teacher! Me and Kim are both BHS and UAF alumni 🤓

Open water at home today

Sunglasses in the office season: when the spring time sun and snow are too much at once

Harley boy 😊 I sure love my little Subaru side kick

I think it’s time 🍌 🍞

UAF Cooperative Extension is hosting a webinar at Noon AKDT Thursday and I’ll be talking about how Alaska’s environment is changing, how that plays out in our lives and how to better understand the interplay between long term change and short term extremes. Register at: bit.ly/ThomanClimate #akwx

Feels so awkward to soft launch my real last name again. No more hyphen, friends 😅

I’m flying out of Anchorage on Delta for my very first time and I feel like an anthropologist taking mental notes and comparing to AK air 🧐

Respectfully, can Mt Spurr please read the room and reconsider the timing of her viral moment. We just got the sun back

Man I sure love AK March madness ball games. So good to see everyone, cheer for our teams and paġla

Join the 2025 Volcano Classic! #mountspurr #volcanoclassic #akleg #volcano #alaska forms.gle/rQrDbqKMEgP1...

My mom came to dinner last night with my old Iñupiaq immersion book from kindergarten and me and my sisters have been giggling at my translations and illustrations “We saw a bowhead whale” “We ate at Pepe’s” “I went trick or treating”

This is what I have to contribute for smiles today, friends

An Executive Order issued Friday purports to eliminate the Arctic Research Commission. However, the Arctic Research Commission was established by Congress with the 1984 "Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984". #Alaska #Arctic www.arctic.gov

What I did today. #Alaska alaskapublic.org/shows/progra...

In other Ester news: grouse for dinner?

Pupdate:

Apple decided all my softwares were out of date at the same time I completed my laptop sticker collection. Convenient 😒

Qanniktuq. Sometimes I role play being an AAOKH community observer for Anchorage. @bertaglenn.bsky.social arctic-aok.org/2025/02/04/w...

Iñuk babies be like: 👀

Kivgiq is our Messenger Feast and gathering of Inupiaq relatives to sing and dance to our traditional songs. This event happens every two years and helps to foster the strong connections between our communities. So good to hear aġġi (dance) songs this morning

Good morning and happy Kivgiq 2025. Aarigaa www.youtube.com/live/1qAs4HF...

Well said 💕 Sending love and strength north to the relatives during their time of sorrow and need

I have a studied the aviation safety situation in Alaska for 30 years. If Bering Air has gone down it will have nothing to do with the Potomac midair & PA medevac crash. It is a very different situation In AK. Right now, we wait to know more. www.alaskasnewssource.com/2025/02/07/r...

My heart is with everyone up north tonight 😞 too many tragedies

The winds are windy

Had fun talking Wind today. I walked to school every day in UTQ & depending on the conditions I’d walk w the wind to my back or face. I’d even check the flags outside after to see what they were doing bc if they were unfavorable, I would go to my bffs house & watch Degrassi instead of walking home

My mom joined me for a conference event tonight 🥰 She stood up and shared context for whaling crew etiquette while on the sea ice. Then after she asked if I want maktak from my Auntie Ethel and by the way bring her sewing machine tomorrow too