December in Alaska ‘07

Dec 10th we got the keys to our house, the one w/o wheels. We are a bit overwhelmed by the space. Not that is necessarily a huge house but the laundry room is larger than the RV.
We pulled up the RV and unloaded our home. You would NOT believe how much crap you can stow away in an RV.
We also unloaded our 8x40 storage unit in 3 days with temps in the teens.
I had the boxes stored in the garage and basement so we could leisurely unpack. I figured all the stuff we needed we had in the RV and had in its place in the new house. The boxed stuff could slowly find its home. Well the packers in CO thought it would be a funny little joke to mislabel the boxes and mix everything together. No one will believe that the kitchen stuff ended up being in the hiking stick box, literally the LAST box I opened. We had company and she stayed for hours past when she wanted to leave just to watch the show.
Winter Solstice was a bit of a surprise. We were expecting the sun to be resting and to barley appear. This being the shortest day of the year and all. The sun rises around 10am and sets by 4pm. I am still confused why people think of Anchorage as dark 6 months of the year and made of ice. I am sure it is true for the Northern part of the state but not here. Everyone I talk to laugh and say, it is a big secret (Alaska). If you have ever been to Colorado, this area is like CO but on steroids.
The temps have been nice. We have touched down below 0 but have stayed in the teens most of the month. Snow fall came on xmas and coated the area but still very light.
We had some friends over for xmas dinner. It was nice to entertain again. Living in the RV we were unable to have the shindig’s like we normally do for the holidays.
We were able to continue our tradition of cutting down xmas tree. For $5 we bought a pass to cut down a tree on Elmendorf AFB. Just waited until Dec 24 to do it this year
Zac is learning about snow removal. He has been assigned drive way duty. He even shovels the neighbors drive too as she just had a baby and 2 other small children and a husband who deploys ever couple days. Good Boy Scout, doesn’t even complain… too much anyways.
I started work at American Greetings this month, you know the card company. It is flexible and I am able to make alittle xmas money. Working at Archivers gave me lots of experience in plan-a-grams and setting new displays.

November in AK 2007

What a peaceful scene. Sharon, just wait until I get a better camera ;)

Drum roll please….we finally found a house. Unfortunately it is not what we had planned. We decided after 7 months of looking to purchase a home to move into base housing. The housing market in AK is more expensive than our 1 income family wants to spend at this point. We were offered a great 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 3 story home on base. It has a huge basement; half of which is finished and will work PERFECT as a scrapbooking/homeschooling area. We moved in Dec 10, 2007. So we officially did 23 months of living in the RV. Mikaela will not allow us to claim 2 years, I am corrected each time I say 2 years.

The kids are doing great and ready to have some space to move around without bumping into something or someone. We are going from 200 sq ft of living space to 2200 sq ft. So the search is on for furniture. We gave EVERYTHING away when we moved into the RV. I am also excited to have indoor plumbing again.

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s which causes hypothyroid. Lucky me!! I have learned that if you have a family member diagnosed with hypothyroid you have a 50% chance of being hypo as well. My father is hypo, and both my grandparents and great-grandparents and who knows, I could have other family members but they refuse to seek medical help. Stupid stubborn family members! Good thing I am not related :) If you have family members who are currently taking a thyroid replacement, please get checked. Here is a website to educate yourself if you have questions www.stopthethyroidmadness.com

October in AK 2007

Brad just graduated the NCOA which means 6 weeks of absent Brad. It counts as 12 credit hours so it was pretty intense. He had plenty of homework and extra events. He had a graduation ceremony so we got dressed up and attended a formal dinner with his commander and classmates.

While Brad was attending the Academy I met a wife of one of his classmates. They were RVing in the spot right beside us. The good news is she is a hippy just like me. So the two of us hippy, artsy gals hung out every day for 6 weeks. She also homeschools her 2 boys and has a passion for nature like me. We even learned to knit together. The bad news is she lives in North Pole, AK, 6 hours away.

Brad has been absent from work for 6 weeks by now, not that it bothered him, and he is thinking he’s going back when he gets selected to participate in a base exercise. They go through a mock mobility line get to dress up in chemical warfare gear all day, all week and play M.A.S.H. Fun times there.

Brad is being told he will be deploying in January. The time frame has bounced around so we just know sometime in January. He has to take one for the team and do his obligation for the AF. In 18 years of service he has not deployed (Thank the Goddess!) He feels it is his opportunity to serve his country proud. He will be deploying somewhere in HI. Yeah, miss the winter of AK and live it up beach style. Pretty rough, I know. I am not a beach person but we might go, just to suffer along with Brad in HI in Jan :).

Ashley turned 15 this month. We hope she had a wonderful Bday in AZ. It kills us that we miss out on so much of the girl’s lives. From the big moments like birthdays and little ones like a bike ride, we miss them daily. The kids talk about them, what if they were here or they would love that. Brad tries to stay strong but there is a void when they are not with us.

We celebrated Samhain by remembering those who have passed before us. This is also the time to reflect on the past year and set hopes for the new.

The kids celebrated Halloween by taking to the streets as a Rocker, Fairy and Cowgirl. They hit the mother load and got a ton of candy. We were told the streets would be covered in snow but this year, not the story. It has snowed but not very much and it has mostly melted away.

We are still in search of a house. The water got turned off at the RV park so we are using the water tanks we bought. Brad has a heat lamp on them to keep from freezing as temps are in the teens. We have a dehumidifier running in the RV as we would be growing mold otherwise. Also the bath houses are now closed so showering is done at the base gym or at Brad’s work. I really enjoy running into his co-workers before showering and brushing my teeth. Wonder what they think of us? Oh and the potty…. we get to share a porta potty with the other RVers.

What an adventure!

Hello again

Just thought I would start back with the blog. The past year has been beyond busy but I am sure the same goes for your crew. I will work on a year summary and hopefully start back with monthly posts. We are all doing great and look forward to hearing from you. Pic was taken in July. Hugs to all, Jill

September in Alaska '07

Alaska life in Sept.

So the first 2 days we were home from our trip I didn’t drive anything but the couch. As many miles as we covered, I was exhausted! The kids were excited to be home, to see their dad and Thor, the dog.

We have picked up ALOT of activities here. For those who know us, know this is the way we roll. We just finished a 6 week archery class. The kids got to shoot with a compound bow and aim at a variety of targets. One of the targets was a stuffed foam monkey, so of course Kenzie had to intentionally miss that one.

On Saturdays the girls are taking Irish dance lessons. Both have become addicted to the dance steps. They practice EVERYWHERE! When they try at home it makes the RV shake as if we were in the middle of an earthquake.

Sundays are reserved for NASCAR and football of course!

Starting this month will be part of a Homeschool 4-H club. The children will be doing the rabbit project. Each will be getting their own rabbit to show in 4H.

Mondays and Tuesdays we have a homeschool computer lab class. The kids love it! Lego robotics, digital photography and tons of computer games are just a few choices they have to play with. Zac is building a little brother out of the Lego robotics.

Tuesdays Zac has Boy Scouts and Tuesdays and Thursdays he has basketball. He is enjoying playing a team sport. He is signed up with the Boys and Girls club on base. His team’s name is the Nuggets and he is really learning a lot.

Zac also wanted to try out Civil Air Patrol. I found a squad for him so he could see if it is something he likes. Well after 2 meetings, he decided he was not ready for the strict regimen the military life requires. At least he knows what they offer and I don’t have to worry about any flights as of yet.

Wednesdays we meet other military homeschoolers at the library for educational classes.

Thursdays we have Girl Scouts. Both girls are meeting together. It is a small troop but we are still looking for a more active troop to join.

Fridays we have a homeschool PE class. Each week we try out different sports at the B&G club. There is even a rock climbing wall so the possibilities are endless.

I have been having issues with my neck and back for years and finally was referred to have an MRI to find the source of pain. Let me tell you how fun it is to lie flat on your back, perfectly still while a loud machine swallows you and spits you out about 5 times through the course of ½ an hour. I am not signing up for that fun ride again anytime soon! They were able to determine that I am getting old and falling apart. Brad has been telling me that for years. So for a few months I have been doing physical therapy 2x a week. I swear they are going to start charging me rent there. Next week I start pool therapy. Just as soon as I can find a wet suit to enter the pool, I’m in.

I will be teaching scrapbooking on base and in Wasilla this month. I’m hoping to make enough money to pay for my habit (at least that’s what I lead Brad to believe). I am excited to meet some new people and to get back to something I truly enjoy.

We are just getting ready for the winter. Here, the trees are dropping leaves faster each day. You can sit and watch the leaves spiral down to the ground one after another like snow flakes in a calm winter storm. The roads look as though sheets of gold have fallen from the sky and layered the tops of anything in its way. As we drive along the highway, we follow the mountain ridge in which we see the merge of colors sprawl up the mountain side.

This weekend we went for a drive and the mixture of colors reminded us of ‘70s vinyl that would decorate the newer homes in those days. Splotchy patches of burnt mustard, sherbet orange and florescent yellow weaved between the black spruce. Some trees are slower in the turning process so we still have a few vibrant green trees trying to out last the avocado green shades. The undergrowth is a deep pomegranate red that pops out at you as you scan the road side driving by.

Our temps are dropping into the 30s at night and reaching the 50s during the day. Each morning when we rise, the snow is stretching farther and farther down the mountains. Now the nights are dark. By 8:30pm we are shadow less as the black fills in all areas. The mornings are slow to raise the sun so by 8am it seems overcast but light.

The moose have returned to daily visit and have gained much weight over the summer months. The calves that were so small when we arrived now seem the size of a large shadow against their mother. The bulls antlers are growing in a rich espresso velvet and are more visible each day.
If you visit AK in the summer it is safe to assume that everyone is gone. With 22 hours of sunlight and plenty of fishing, hiking and camping to be done after a long dark winter people make up for that lost time.

I am debating what to do if/when Brad deploys. Should I stay here in the dead of winter by myself? Go back to CO to stay with a friend and work at Archivers again until he returns? Go to AZ to be close to my parents? I guess it depends on how long he is going to be gone and where he goes. There is talk of other bases to deploy to, so we will see. He started the NCO academy September 26th.

We are still looking to buy a home but as winter sets in we started looking to staying in the RV and have also begun looking to rent a furnished apt through the winter. Who knows, we will just take it day by day.

Our Trip Outside

So we are home, YEAH!!!

Just a visual of our driving trip. Start with A, where we flew in from Anchorage. We flew home from J. Don't forget the flying miles.

Outside Alaska- CA

We rent another car to head towards Cali. This time we upgraded to a Chevy Malibu. Still a small car compared to what we are use to, but a HUGE improvement from the teeny, tiny Aveo we spent so much time in. Even the kids were remarking over the space. We didn’t get the same cheap rate as the Aveo though. Cars are cheap in the Midwest. This is not the case on the west coast. Especially when picking up at one location and dropping in another. At $83/day our 4 days with the Malibu cost about the same as our little Aveo did for two weeks…yeah it hurt!

We hit the road and made it into CA by about 3pm (about 500 miles). On the way we hit 117 degrees. Seriously, why did we decide to travel through AZ and CA in Aug??

We got to LA and stayed at March ANG base. This base is closing so it has the abandoned feel to it. The billeting is very Spanish inspired with terra cotta roof tiles and heavily textured white stucco walls. Large palm trees were in the center of the courtyard with a trickling water fountain. Absolutely GEORGOUS!!

About 2 years ago I helped my mom find some relatives she had never met and some she had lost contact with. While looking for her family I also decided to try looking up a long lost best friend from my childhood. Hours and hours of frustration and several dead ends later I was finally able to contact her. We had spoken over the phone and emailed, but had not yet made contact in person until today. Even though I had not seen her in 17 years I so could have picked her out of a line up. She was always beautiful and now, as a woman, has only perfected her look. She has the squeakiest of voices so Mickey Mouse was a nick name through school. Wanna talk about flash backs. We had a great time. She lived just 2 houses down and we were attached to the hip for many a year. She has 2 daughters that are the same ages as mine so they got along great. And meeting at a Dave and Buster’s was a great decision according to Zac. How quickly time passes. We are hoping next time to plan a vaca together.

A friend, Tina (Jason’s wife), who grew up in LA told me to watch out for the traffic in LA. I was confident in all my travels and growing up in a large city I could totally handle a few cars driving beside me. She informed me of the 70 mph posted limit and the ACTUAL driving speed and how I would be sitting still. Speeding ticket, hello! Ok Tina, you were right!! I am cruzin at 80ish :) and cars are flying past me and pissed that I am in the way. Oh and locking up the brakes during morning rush hour in the fast lane, 6 lanes in is probably not the best choice. Oh and FYI a Chevy Malibu will shut off IMMEDIATELY when the brakes lock up. Laughing now with slight residual twitch.

The next day we headed out up highway 1. We spent some time on the beach and the weather was awesome. It was sunny and high 70s the short time we were there. When we pulled out of the parking lot of the beach I got pulled over again! The police came to the window and asked if I knew why I had been pulled over. I was speeding. NO! Well I might have been, but that wasn’t the reason I was getting pulled over. I guess I had run through a stop sign in the park. Lucky for me I got a warning. He was a little confused though. I have an AZ driver’s license with a CO address but we reside in AK. Another interesting fact about AZ driver’s license is the expiration date. Mine is not set to expire until 2041, seriously! Now the kids think they have some dirt on me. “Look out mom, there’s a stop sign,” or “Are you supposed to be going that fast?” HAHA funny stuff!

We got to Travis and stayed in the TLF there, another 400 miles. WHOA!!! I felt like I was in the Ritz or something. Our room had 2 bedrooms and a full kitchen for $43 a night. What a deal. The next day we drove through Napa Valley and the surrounding area. It was absolutely beautiful. Zac wants to move to CA when he is an adult. He loved southern CA and he saw upper on our trip to AK. We turned in the rental car after 1400 miles in 4 days and spent the next day at the Travis terminal awaiting a flight home. The USO has a family lounge that kept the kids and I busy to kill time. We were able to catch another C-5 for the return trip. With 3 ½ weeks and over 6000 miles under my belt I needed a rest. It sure was great to see lots of friends and family. We missed a few but will definitely try to catch them next time. Never know when we will make a trip.

The flight home was uneventful. The landing was a little rough but we landed in one piece. We bounced a few times and the face masks were falling out due to the molding coming off the plane.

All in all we had a great trip. I HATE flying!!!