"Silent Lucidity"

It is just a quiet, dark night with the weather turning rapidly to winter here in Alaska and hubby asleep next to me and it is making me feel reflective and peaceful. I'd better quit typing as the clicking of the keyboard is probably not conducive to a good night's rest. I should really post some photos soon but pictures could never do justice to the pure beauty I get to see here every day. I treasure little moments like this.

Caution: Flagger ahead!

Yep. That's right! I took a flagging course at the suggestion of my hubby so that I could have another option for the work search here in the big AK. And guess what? I passed! Although, it's pretty hard to fail I'm told. So my first job flagging comes up in a few days when I flag for the opening day of the Alaska State Fair. Yikes! Wish me well!

Greetings from....ALASKA :)

Hello everyone out there in blog land. So sorry it's been such a long time in between updates but we've made it up north to the beautiful valleys and mountains and outdoors that is Alaska. Our house finally finally sold and we packed up and moved it on out a couple of weeks ago. It was a wonderful drive up here through some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen (especially BC, Canada). And a problem free trip, too! Yay!

It has been quite the adjustment for me but I am getting the hang of things up here and it helps when I look out my window and see mountains and mountains and mountains and rainbows and serene beauty. For now, I am looking for work and Joe is working on find a more permanent working situation but he is busy with the job he has now (real busy!). There are so many job openings I've applied to that I hope to hear back soon on them.

I took lots of pictures of our trip and will be posting some under a separate entry. But for now, good night from Alaska (so says my new driver's license and new license plates). I can't wait to see what the future has in store for us here! I miss my Bearsy boy something fierce and am finding it a bit difficult worrying about him since his new family is moving to an apartment (so I heard). I pray that he goes with. I don't know how I can help him from up here if they can't continue to care for him. He is a good boy and I love him and wish he were here with me where he belongs. But sometimes life takes turns down roads you didn't know were there and you find yourself recalibrating your destination. I just feel so bad for the baby boy. None of this was his doing nor ours. It just had to be this way.

I do miss my home and the feeling of the sun streaming in my lovely room in the morning and how it wakes me up. Here the sun never goes down really at the moment so I have to use blackout curtains and am having a hard time adjusting to a normal schedule. I miss being able to drive down the street and be with friends and going to work. I miss my Oregon life basically. It wasn't perfect and it was not a decision we had much choice in, but for better or worse those four walls on Quincy was our HOME and my haven. I am sure I will get used to being here in time. It is a wonderful opportunity for us. And, don't misread me, I am enjoying it. It just wasn't my first choice. We will be living in our own home sometime in the not too distant future and perhaps that will help me to feel at HOME once again instead of a temporary resident in an alien land.

But sometimes the alternate choices make for the best decisions after all.

See you soon! :)

Friendship and Love

Don't ever doubt that every single one of you, my brothers and sisters given to us by Jehovah himself, have been invited into our lives for a reason. For the joy you give, the support you provide, and the hugs you hand over. There have been many brothers and sisters come and go in our lives, either we move or they move, that we have lost contact with. Then there are others we hold tight to and never let go. You know you are of that latter category if you are reading this post.

So no matter what happens, whether it be good, bad or ugly, you are stuck with us in your lives forever. So just get used to it ok? There's nothing that can be said, nothing that can be done, that will ever take you away from us or out of hearts and love. Friendship and love are worth far more than anything that can be thrown at them. I mean, who are we to not support and love each other when Jehovah God has given us to each other to do precisely that? We love you all!

Perspective Please

We seem to be getting hit with a ton of junk - delay on selling the house, lots and lots of money going to repair bills for the vehicles and such (another costly repair reared its ugly head just this evening!). All of which has us wondering - will we and how do we get to Alaska? We've spent all our traveling savings on repairs and these unexpected things that a bit of stress creeps in on us. And then I think ahead to Saturday...and the memorial of a dear friend I've known for about a third of my life. She fought well and held strong for such a long time and yet death waited no more when the cancer took over. And then I think "Who am I to complain about money, vehicles, and not getting my new glasses and sunglasses as planned?" I am healthy, happy and safe and sound and (almost) warm in my home tonight with my hubby working hard to find work in Alaska and move our family. Lives come and go every second on this planet. But for what she has taught me in life and death, I want to say "Thank You, Betty Dozier. I will always love and cherish you. Thank you for the reminders and perspective. See you on the other side of this system, dear sister!"

Why I love Boise...In Pictures.

Enough said? I think so!

Silence is golden? Yeah. Right.

Or not. Sitting in an empty house that is mostly packed while your husband is on his way to Alaska moving our very dear friends and attend two job interviews is not my ideal way of spending the night. Dinner for one is oh so tough. I mean really depressing. No wonder I got married. On the bright side, we should be done and have the sale of the house finalized (pinch me!) in a couple of weeks. Then it's off to the last frontier for my own great adventures. Perhaps I should think of changing the name of the blog to somehow reflect this. I will allow a time of settling in to decide how best to reflect my new surroundings. On the up side, I got to take two little boys (Felix and Jade) to school and pick them up and have a park day with them and Shiloh (Jade's little sis) and their mother Chelsea. It was fabulous. Except for the mosquitoes. Yep. They are here already. But with the river floods, not that much of a surprise. A deluge of the blood suckers awaits. And they are hungry! Some things never do change.

Delay of Game

Well, we were supposed to be moving out this next week and possibly on our way soon after that. But we are still here. We are still trying to get the complete package to the mortgage company for short sale approval. There always seems to be something missing. And then there is the last 48 hours and two broken vehicles and $2000 out of the account in the fixing of said vehicles. And it helps not to be moving this week or the next weeks as we just started the memorial campaign and would definitely lose out on a full share. That and Joe has the flu. So I am sure this delay is for the best in the end. I just wish I could be more patient. I am so anxious to know this is a done deal and get this wagon train a moving. Life is waiting.

Update June 2012: Wow!  I can't believe it's been 14 months since I wrote those words.  Seems like yesterday.  It's weird but I would give anything to be back home with my Bearsy Boy and my Ronin Jacob at my side sitting on my couch curled up peacefully with all being right in our lives and thus the world.  Sometimes you can't go home again.  But sometimes I sure wish I could.

Our adventure begins now.

Wow. Just wow. We listed our house for sale. Just to get ahead of the spring showings and hopefully be on our way to Alaska sometime soon. Fast forward two short weeks and two showings later and we are now in closing on an offer and have about three weeks before we move out. Three short weeks to pack up, simplify and sell off 80% of our lives in preparation for the 3000 mile journey of our lives. Three short weeks in the shortest month in the history of my life. As my sister put it "Your adventure begins now." Indeed it does.