Interesting Week so far...

Ash and I walking down the road in our subdivision...I love Alaska's idea of subdivisions LOL..especially when they are 40 miles out of town.

I've had my guy home for an entire week now and I'm loving it! He is just so much fun to hang out with and relax with. We got our little nest in order, though I'm sure there will be changes as we figure out what works best where around here. I'm trying not to think about how rough its going to be when I have to let him go back to work, which unfortunately, is fairly soon. Dish network continues to be a pain about getting out here to hook us up to television. They've cancelled on me once and have now told me they don't have a technician "available" to come "all the way out to Willow" until Oct 13th...fun fun. Eric is about ready to just tell them to shove that box where the sun don't shine and we'll do without television!

We spent Friday without power from 10:30am till sometime around midnight due to some nasty winds whipping thru the Valley area. Hard to complain though when some part of the area were without power for up to 60 hours, costing many folks supplies in the frig and freezers. It did teach us pretty quick that we need to come up with a backup source of heat here at the cabin before the real cold hits...and maybe a hurricane lamp or two, though candle light was nice and put off a tiny bit of heat.

Saturday we headed up to Talkeetna to stuff ourselves at Mountain High Pizza Pie. Ash got her big slice of pepperoni pizza (their slices are 1/4 of a 15" pie) and we got their famous calzone. Ok, you've seen pics of my guy..big husky fella...he sets his arms down on the table and the calzone is wider than that. Seriously, they start out with dough the size of an extra large pizza, stuff it with whatever goodies you pick, fold it up and bake it. Took all 3 of us to eat that thing, and boy was it good. We wandered into the general store (which is another awesome place) and got some coffee and hot chocolate from the counter and picked up some of the cutest and warmest hats around...I find it funny when good warm hats are $4 and a bag of Fig Newtons are $7.50!!

Then Sunday we got hit with our reality check. We made a run into Wasilla to pick up our monthly groceries and as we came over the first big rise we see clouds on the mountains. No big deal at first time we look closer and notice we can see snow on those mountains that were bare just last week...wow! We talk about that fact the rest of the way into town and keep looking over and marveling at the fact that is snowing up there. We stop at our fav laundry mat to get quick showers and then head over to Wallyworld to pick up a few things. Our shock came when we stepped back outside...there were snow flurries...falling on US... My poor hubby had this look of shock and turned to me and said (i love this, hehe) "Baby, it's September, in Alaska, and it is SNOWING on us..in September...good grief, are we stupid or what?!?!?!" He said that was the first day since we've been here that he felt the slightest edge of missing the South LOL. He really does love it here, but for a Southern boy to find snow falling on his head in September...apparently no logical thought prepares you for that.

Life is Good!

Our little home in Willow

AJ is home from her first day of school here in our little town (she loved it) and kicked back in our living room. I've gotten it about half-way organized, now it needs some homey touches.

I love walking thru our trees with the moss covering the ground. I keep imagining its what it feels like to walk on clouds.

We have a little fire barrel in our back yard so we can see the mountains behind us while we stay warm during these chilly fall evenings.

And how often do you get to cross a little footbridge when you need a restroom break LOL

Coming up the driveway to our cozy cabin in semi-rural Alaska (well, I consider 40 miles from town rural, but you ain't seen rural until you've seen seriously rural outback Alaska).

So we took Labor Day weekend to rent a Uhaul and run most of our earthly possessions down to our little cabin in Willow..check out the view from our back windows!


After unloading and setting up the household(and being tickled that we managed to fit everything in) we just kicked back and relaxed a bit. We ran into Wasilla to eat at one of our fave resturants down there, then stopped by to see our local pals there (the ones who originally lived in our little cabin, that we stayed with when we first got here), then back to the cabin to enjoy an evening just being.
Monday, before heading back up to North Pole, we decided to make a run up to Hatcher's Pass in all its fall glory..very worth the extra time, as you can see...



One more week here in North Pole before we head down to the little cabin to settle in for the winter! I've spent the week arranging the utilities there and getting ready to shut off the same up here. The net won't go in until next Wednesday..whatever in the world will I do with 5 days of no blogs to read LOL

Holiday Weekend

Prayers, please, for safe travels for us this weekend as we haul most of our belongings down to Willow to set up in our little cabin, then heading back here Monday to finish out the work here in Fairbanks for Eric. See you Monday evening!

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 ;-)

Birthday time

(photo credit thanks to the wonderful Susan Stevenson!)
My baby girl turns 10 today! I do believe we are going to grill out some freshly caught Alaskan Reds with her favorite cookie cake for dessert. Tomorrow she get to go see the movie she's been anxious to see.."Charlie St. Cloud", then a good long bike ride thru one of the beautiful state parks up here with some berry picking along the way.
We are feeling out the area and getting to know our favorite locations. Hopefully some time within the next year or two we will find our little dream piece of land a bit farther away from town and build our tiny little dream cabin off-grid and get down to the business of living the life we have dreamed of for so long now! Eric is really hoping to find something about an hour outside of Fairbanks (summertime travel, that is, LOL), wooded but with some area clear for house, garden and a few farm animals. I love our tiny little hardworking dreams!
Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

MAJOR slacking

Sorry gang for being such a blogging slacker as soon as I move to such an awesome place ;-)

I'm still working on finding that fine balance between working outside the home, dealing with housework (since I am apparently awful at asking for help because I think I should do it all, just because I always have), finding furniture at reasonable prices for the house AND being excited and getting to know the area I've dreamed about living in. It all sure can wear a gal out quickly! On the bright side, we now having living room furniture and just yesterday got to sleep on a bed for the first time in months (can I get a wooohoo!!! LOL) since we finally caved and bought ourselves a new bed.

We had a lovely 3 day weekend last weekend, a nice change from my poor guys usual one day off a week thing, and played at some yard sales and took a drive up the Delta Junction way (that would be the odd call you got Hayley, LOL). I'll be ever so glad when my fella has more time off so we can really get out and explore and take lots of pictures, though I have managed to get a few. I don't think we will ever get over the "newbie" reaction to seeing moose, especially since we got to see a mom with baby on the way back from Delta and had to turn back around to go stop beside the road and get pictures. Just yesterday we finally got to see our first Bald Eagle while hanging out on Wendy's back porch.

All and all, basically, it's busy busy busy around here..but I shall figure all the balance out and get back to regular blogging soon.

Quick update

Will get on here Saturday and make a good update, but just had to share that since last posting the hubby got offered a very good job, my job transferred me and we are now in North Pole, AK!! Been settling into the house we found this past week and getting into the work mode...be glad when I have furniture LOL

It's moving along

here on the Alaskan front in our 2 1/2 weeks. Hubby is off at work today and I start my new job with Wells Fargo Monday. Going to be quite an adjust for me and the kidlets since I've done the at home mom thing for years and years now! Our new to us car here is up and running, taking Eric back and forth to Anchorage to work, but he is still seeking work here in the "Valley" to cut down on gas costs and to give us a bit more time together as we are used to. The beauty all around us still astounds us every single day and seeing a moose is still a thrill and we act like the newbies we are LOL. Soon on the agenda will be a place of our own and a second car so we don't have to worry about how each of us will get to work. It's all moving at His Pace! He has guided us every step of the way with this move and we continue to lean on Him and try not to worry or stress. We fully believe He led us here and has a plan in mind just for us. Some days are harder than others to have the patience we need to have, but on the whole, thing are going very well and following logical steps. Now I just need to get someone to teach me how to upload mulitple photos in a blog ;-)

From Alaska

Long time no post!! Plans changed rapidly and we took the leap. Boarded a plane a week and a half ago and landed in Anchorage Alaska. Currently staying with friends out in Willow. The hubby wound up with a job transfer and I'm out hunting work. Hopefully I'll find more time to keep the blog updated now after winding up a rapid 2 months of selling off most of our possessions, our house, etc, and staying with the in-laws for a month before our flight time arrived.

So much going on!!

Didn't mean to be absent so long, but we have all kinds of prep going on around here...all in anticipation of our big dream finally coming true!! The first week of June we will be heading out and make a move across our country to go live in Alaska!! I'm so beyond excited!! We've been talking about this and trying to work it out for over a year now and it is finally on the horizon :-)

We won't know until the end of March our exact dates, since that will be when Eric talks to the contractor he is hoping to work with...then we will either have him head up early in April, if he is needed for work that soon, or we will all head out the first week of June driving together. In the mean time I have an entire household to sell off and a house to prep to either rent out or sell (still working that issue out).

We enjoyed the snow that finally fell in Alabama the other week. It reminded us of how much we love winter and the things we have to look forward to. Hope everyone here in Blogland is doing well...I'll try to keep a bit more updated as things progress!!

Today's Randomness

No clear writing thoughts (big surprise)..just a bunch of random thoughts/things running thru my fevered brain this evening. I'm having one of those " MUST..GET...IT ...OUT" moments and you lucky people will be the receivers of all this truly vital interesting important information and random thought patterns...as you read this, just think...she can't even type 1/10th as fast as this junk flies thru her head, so she is leaving out a ton..aren't I ever so grateful I don't have to live in her head, bahahahaha
;~)

Very tickled the girles went back to school today...needless to say, I accomplished nothing except the spreading of my tush muscles into new regions via sitting on it all day playing on the computer and enjoying the silence of the house. Couldn't not even make myself get up and exerise via the Wii since my elbow still hurts from bowling...can you just see 10 years down the road...millions of lawsuits against the Wii company with people complaining that Wii didn't warn them they might get tennis elbow or something.

Did not realize exactly how spoiled I had gotten over the Christmas vacation by not having to get up early..hence it isn't even 9pm and I've been totally ready to drop for at least an hour now and no amount of coffee is helping...and I still have to make tea so hubby will have some to take to work in the morning and so I will not bite the heads off my young when I have nothing cold to moisten my dry throat with when I wake up so that I can yell at them properly to get up and this really is the last warning. (and I really don't yell at my kids, but I do occasionally pounce upon the bed and tickle them awake like a truly evil mom should...nothing in the world like getting yanked out of sleep by tickling)

Just noticed I am in the post holiday "ack, I spent to much on Christmas..how will I pay bills and WHY WHY WHY are we already out of chocolate!!!!" And exactly why are we out of Chocolate anyway...other than the fact that I chunked the worlds nastiest Chocolate Santas that some family member must picked up from some netherworld region as no sane person on this planet would try to pass that junk off as real chocolate.

Wondering if I am the only mother in the world whose 9 year old got a kitchen appliance for Christmas (hot chocolate maker) and was thrilled with it and has watched her make at least 2 batches daily since Christmas morning. (Look, it's the only chocolate left in the house...nevermind the fact that I had to go day before yesterday and buy two more cans of the stuff and she is already on the 2nd can)

Thinks the television must be lying to me when they keep saying that Thursday, we, here in upper northeast Alabama, can expect 2-3 inches of snow. I was under the impression that I live in the SOUTH...the only year the south had real snow was in '93, which, of course, was the year I was living in Oregon cause I wanted to live somewhere with snow...and that would be the year Oregon never got more than an inch of snow....did I mention I am a snow jinx? Look out if I do move to Alaska..it will be a tropical region within a year!

Realizes that I am totally out of good reading material that I haven't read 10 times in the past year and that games on facebook can only keep you occupied so long before you have to actually get up and do something around the house out of sheer boredom ;~)

Still trying to figure out what in the world my mother in law was thinking when she got me a New Moon board game for Christmas?? On the bright side, she also got me an awesome mixer and they gave us one week use of the timeshare this summer, so off to Myrtle Beach we will be going...never been to Myrtle, so very looking forward to it even if we didn't get the resort we wanted since it was already booked for the entire summer.

Has a love/hate relationship with hubby's job. Absolutely love those 3 day off weekends that he gets weekly...really hate the Sunday and Monday 12 hour days that make it possible though.

And now I'm hopeful that all this writing down of all the babbling rambling thoughts in my head will mean that I will not have it replay about a million times in my head before I actually get to fall asleep tonight!

Thanks so much for the welcome backs that I've gotten!! Ya'll just don't know how nice it was to see that ;~)

Stumbling back in and the girls Christmas pictures..

Whoa, what a chaotic few months we have had here. We've all made it thru safe and sound, thank heavens!!

Now, time to jump back into blogging, with a short break at the end of this week as we spend 3 days helping some friends with thier daughters wedding.

I've missed blogspot so much! Had to take a step back, though, as I realized I was spending 5+ hours on here daily and everything else was falling to the wayside. I've been weeding out my blogs I follow this morning as I had over 300 different ones....no wonder I was on here so much LOL. Most of them got added as I was browsing thru blogs I follow and would check out blogs they follow...and so on...and would see one post or a few pictures that interested me, so they got added to the list....what an addiction!

Looking forward to get caught back up on what everyone here in bloggyspace is doing!!

Wordless Wednesday

Gratitude List~~~ Week 3

We've had such a busy week here that it's nice to finally have a chance to sit down this evening, and to get to spend it on thinking of the blessings we've had I might have overlooked or not appreciated as I should have.

1. This lovely fall weather we are having that is giving us extra time to enjoy the outdoors without being totally bundled up.

2. A wonderful online community of people who inspire me to follow my dreams...and to dream new dreams I never thought of that fit in perfectly with what I wish for our lives to be.

3. A "little" girl snuggling under my arm as I type, LOL

4.Good friends who we spent some time with this weekend, enjoying conversation and a good movie.

5. Having a clean house "left over" from having cleaned it to have friends over..made for a very relaxing day today in a house that was a pleasure to wander around in.

6. A terrific day on Saturday for the guys to have their firefighter games, in which we took 2nd place, coming in one second behind the first place time in a tie-breaker.

7. My favorite books on the bookshelf in my room that are handy to pick up and read thru when I do have a few free moments to sit and read.

8. Hubby having a weekday off so that we were able to run up to the school and eat lunch with our little girl, who was tickled to death to have us there.

9. A wonderful hubby who shows his love for me each and every day, and every day I learn more and more how lucky and blessed I was to find him when I did.

10. All of the knowledge I've been working on gleaning about herbs and all the amazing things they can do.

Hoping everyone has had a wonderful past week and an even better week ahead!