Lovin' it!

After much prayer, exploring options and following leadings we are packing up the household here in North Pole...getting ready to head back down to Willow, AK. Wasn't easy at first...in a state full of beauty and wonder all around, it's hard to figure out where your "fit" is. I think, though, that those snow covered mountains that surround the Wasilla/Palmer area made an impression on our hearts from the first day we laid eyes on them.
We've been extremely blessed with family...they might have thought we were nuts to move to Alaska, but they never said it...they might think we are nuts that after we settle into a house in Fairbanks that we decide this is not quite the place for us, yet they say nothing...when they hear that we are heading to an about 30x30 dry cabin 40 miles out of a 'proper' town they STILL don't tell us we are nuts. Instead they have been incredibly supportive and excited for us. They are honestly happy that we are getting to follow our dreams (ok, so his sis did have a moment there when the fact that there is an outhouse and no running water came out, but hey, she's a city gal thru and thru..and my mom did say she could never never never do an outhouse and no bathtub, but that's my mom LOL). My grandma (have I mentioned I'm grandma's girl), after telling me over and over how good it was to hear my voice, proceeded to think the house is an awesome idea and was full of tips on how to manage things, given the fact that she grew up with no running water in the house. She's been my bedrock my whole live and I love the fact that it tickles her to death we are getting to do this (although she bemoans the fact that I don't write and send pictures nowhere near often enough..I tend to call and she can't re-read phone calls and see pictures!!!)
As much as I love adventure, I sure am ready to be settled in our cozy little home before the snow flies in these parts!

Wandering, Dreaming and Decisions..

WANDERING:
This past Sunday (Hubby's only day off) we decided to take a drive rambling along the Chena Hot Springs road.
Stopped for a plunge across,what I have to say, is the coldest creek I've ever willingly stuck my poor innocent legs and feet into!

We then proceeded on down the road up to the Hot Springs, which were hosting an energy conference, so after wandering around a bit and enjoying some awesome ice cream, we headed back so we could wander some more. Look what we ran across at one of the little lakes off the main highway...

Definitely a cool looking fellow! He let us watch him and take pictures for more than an hour, occasionally sticking his head down in the water to munch on some yummy grasses. We live in such an awesome state!

DREAMING:
With the girlies in school here in North Pole now, it's given me 2 days of alone time to do thinking and dreaming (and to realize how odd it feels to be alone, given the fact that I literally haven't been alone longer that a bathroom break since March). Hubby and I have been talking alot about what our "Alaskan dream" is now that we are actually here and can get past the slight misconceptions and ideas of what we thought it would be like when we were back in Alabama and planning this move. We really miss the "country" part of our lives back there and hope to reestablish that part here in the North. Nice as North Pole is, it doesn't ring "home" with us. We need more rural...definitely not the extreme you sometimes see on TV where some family gets to see people when the plane flies in to drop off supplies and mail every 3-4 months(well, if it were just hubby and me, we would probably love it, but not with the girlies!)...but defiantly farther out with rooms for gardens and chickens and soapmaking and a few Huskies to make the girls wild with excitement!
Which leads to....

DECISIONS:
Well, we have some options open to us and are very carefully and prayerfully going thru them to see which way we are led. We know Hubby's lay off is coming in mid-September, so we are trying to decide fairly rapidly so plans can be made.One option would be to move back down to Willow, where a wonderful little place we love is coming open fairly soon and Hubby has several work options there.Other options lie in cities farther out around the Fairbanks area, as jobs he has applied for are in those directions. We've decided that a decision will be made by the end of the weekend as to which route He is prodding us along, so we can get settled in before the snow flies around these parts. LOL, it sounds more like we have decided to decide later, but we do have leanings in one direction and are just making those final last minute questions are answered and that our hearts feel right with it before we go any further.

Contemplating Roots...

I'm taking my second day in a row to piddle around the house, sit on my rear, enjoy getting to be home, and learning that my home is different. Hmm, this gave me pause to consider...my home is different. How did I not realize this fact. I'm well aware of selling off the homestead in Alabama and moving 4500 or so miles away, but how did the fact escape me that this is a different house! I know I was caught up in the whole constant work, go get food, find furniture, etc etc etc that had not allowed a single day, all day, at the new house since the day we moved in..but hey, this is a different house. Strange! A rental home I don't own, odd!
What point am I trying to get to here? It's got me thinking of what kind of home I want for us. There is still that looming question of exactly where we will "settle down" with a house of our own. I was, and still am to an extent, prepared to deal with the waiting time till we figure out where we want to be, find the land we want and buy it (hopefully) and get down to making our own roots here in the Last Frontier. At heart, the Southern gal misses having that feeling of roots that go deep here, despite the fact that I absolute adore Alaska so far. I'm ready to feel at home. Ready to get back to doing the little homesteading things I love (and getting to do them not in 100 degree temps!!). And more than ready to not feel like a whiner cause it is a strange feeling to be "rootless" and adrift and just waiting. I know God's going to lead us to exactly where He wants us, but I never learned that gift of patience well ;-)

Random quote

that I came across and like very much:

Never let someone else tell you who you are or who you should be. Only God and you know who you really are and are destined to be, the rest are just passing judgement.

~~~~~~SMILES~~~~~~

Back home...

at least for now, and prayerfully for good! We are finally getting back in to the "right" faith. Not that we ever lost faith (or were in a "wrong" faith), we just got so busy once we got to where we dreamed of living that we forgot Who was driving this, the same One who got us here and tried to take over the wheel...always a big mistake! So, long story short, we decided we need to let God take back over where He wants us and how He wants us to go about it, without taking on things we think we are "supposed" to be doing, especially when they go against what we desire and fundamentally believe. I know many many folks who think it old fashioned and sexist for the wife to be at home, but it's where we feel I should be..its where we feel God commands I be...so here I am! If and/or when He leads us to think I need to take on outside work, He will be the one to show us, not us thinking we have too because we need ___________ (fill in the blank). We are still hopeful that we will eventually be led to our little dream of a more rural setting...but I have faith, and I know without a doubt He can work all kinds of miracles (Hey, He got my hubby to move out of the South, that's a major miracle, if you knew my Mr. Steady guy LOL). And, on the bright side, I get to spend time with my girls, whom I have been missing horribly from work...and maybe get to keep up the blog of our adventure a little bit better!!

Still looking..

(photo taken at Rika's Roadhouse, which is one of my dream homes)
for the life we are seeking,LOL. We've found the state we want, without a doubt....but still seeking our little bit remote, homesteaded, built with our own hands, mom at home place in the world. It's funny how you have things pictured in your head as to how you expect them to be, and most of the time they never are. We can see alot of exactly what we are looking for, we just can't figure out how to get across that "barrier" to land where we wish too, if that makes any sense. There are folks all around this area that are living exactly the type of life we are looking for, we just have to figure out and plan how to take the step "backwards" out of what feels like surburban living back into our more normal country type life...only with the extra we felt like we were missing that we feel abundantly here in Alaska. I'm probably rambling and scattering strange thoughts, but I'm (secretly) hopeful that writing it down will settle all the ideas, thoughts, and extra baggage whirling around in my head so I can figure out how to focus on achieving our goals. Ok, feel better getting some of that outta my head, maybe now I can sleep so I can go to work tomorrow and not feel completely stressed because me working is the opposite of what we want, but is necessary for the time being since we are starting our whole world over from scratch. Gosh, now it sounds like I am whining, and I promise I'm not (!!!!), guess I'm just tired, a bit frustrated, and just totally lacking on ideas at the moment on how to achieve our dream short of winning a lottery so we can afford to buy a place. On the bright side, I really really love Alaska ;-)