Outside Alaska- CO

By now most of my friends in Colorado Springs have received a phone call that we are on our way to visit. I was offered by several friends a place to crash, which is a courteous offer considering my bunch o’kids. My friend Jen has a huge home that she opened up to us. We had become close friends while living in CO. She has 2 children, the oldest being one of Kaela’s best friends, Hunter and Autumn Marie (I take some credit in that kewl hippie name:)). Kenzie prides herself in being Autumn’s awesome babysitter. By the time we got there I was exhausted. Add another 500 miles to the total. It was about dinner time so we headed over to Monica’s Taco. The BEST fish tacos around. We even called Brad to brag…. I mean share the experience with him. We only spent 2 days there but we were able to see most of our friends and eat at all our favorite restaurants: Bird Dogs, Monica’s Taco, and Josh and John’s Ice Cream. As we went into our old hang outs the employee’s immediately recognized us. Yes, even at the Starbucks! We even got our Blue Moose salsa from Whole Foods.

I got to head over to Archivers and catch up with my old co-workers. Should have seen their faces as I came strollin in with my old Archiver’s apron on. Some of the customers were surprised to see me back in so soon after the move. Archivers was such a great place to work because of the people. I always had a blast going into to work. I could always count on Mel to crack me up every day. I was able to control myself and I only bought a tiny bit of stuff, for me any way.

We also spent some time with our good friends the Herbelin family. Both of our families home school and we became great friends while running Girl Scout troops together. Their girls and my girls are the bestest of friends (as Kaela says). While hanging out with them we stopped in at the RV Park where we use to stay. Ron and Yogi are the host and took us under their wing while we were there. We only had a few minutes to catch up with them as they were on their way to OK, but I’m glad we got to say “Hi” before they left.

Beth stopped in over to Jen’s. She is my comedian friend. We worked together at Archivers until she ditched us for another job. We even took a class together in college. Luckily for me, she paid more attention than I did. She was very helpful come homework time.

We headed out of Colorado Springs early. I mean WAY early for me. Five A.M. early. We had about 800 miles to drive to make it to Brad’s parent’s house in IA. Of course I had to stop and get me some go-go juice at Starbucks. So I am wired and we are on our way.

I was cruisin right along through Eastern CO when a police officer saw a shiny little blue Aveo fly by. I really had those hamsters purring (Great analogy Jen!). I ended up with a speeding ticket for 12 over, $60. Lucky for me, I guess I had slowed when he clocked me as I thought I was going faster. Needless to say, the trip took a more leisurely course from there. Nebraska here we come.

Outside Alaska- KS

Oh, how I've missed Kansas. Zac wanted to capture my emotional reunion on film.

While driving, I start making calls. The first call is to my best friend. I get her on the phone and ask, “Hey, whatcha ya doin tonight?” Casually she explains her work schedule and plans for daycare for her son. Then she asks “Where are you?” I say “On my way to see you!” We both start screaming back and forth. Once all is calm she asks when we will be there. I told her we should make it there by tonight and by the way, can we stay with you? She screamed of course of course. She lives in Manhattan, KS where her husband is stationed at FT. Riley. He is in Iraq currently. That is the great thing about best friends; you can fly a couple thousand miles and crash at their house short notice. We lived together back in the day for a couple years so she is like a sister to me. We got there and checked out her beautiful house. The solid wood doors, beveled glass windows and hardwood floors even had the kids taking notice. We got to catch up together. I missed her wedding due to our PCSing to AK so I got to see the pictures and ask questions face to face. The next morning she showed us around the post and then it was time to head off. I grabbed a Starbucks and hit the road.

Did you know that an Aveo with a 12 gallon tank can run quite a while with the low fuel light on?? I finally found a gas station and fueled up 11 ½ gallons. That would have been fun in the middle of KS. That’s just less than 300 miles for the 1st day.

Outside Alaska- MO

We are about to land so we begin cleaning up our stuff. I am ready to be off the plane by now. We had made friends with the other mom with 4 kids. Turns out they live on Ft. Rich and home school too. Once she knew she could fly on this flight she retracted her daggers.

With a few hops and skips we landed in Springfield, MO at the city airport. The temps in Alaska have not reached above 79 ALL year. Humidity is high but low temps make it pleasant. In MO in August the humidity is high and just about matching the outrageous temps. I think the kids had forgotten what hot, humid weather feels like cause they acted new to the scene. Even after almost all their lives living in AZ, IA, TX and CO.

Luckily the rental car place is in the airport so I was able to pick the car up right there. I walk up to the counter; gave my confirmation code only to discover I have no reservation. WHAT??? I am in Springfield, MO with 3 kids and no car. The rental car agent is doing everything he can to look me up. I ask if l can just rent another car for 2 weeks. The only thing they had left were Hummer 3’s. Yeah, I don’t think so. I was planning to do about 3000 miles in 2 weeks in a compact, not a thirsty SUV. I’ve got one of them at home. Turns out when I made the reservation and I told the rental place that ‘I needed a car tomorrow for 2 weeks” He put me down for pick up on the 16th. In Alaska the time was 10pm the 14th. Wherever the reservation department for Hertz is obviously a few hours after Alaska so I learned when I say tomorrow, I need to give the date. Easy fix, add a day to my plan and car was ready to go. So guess what kind of car you get for $185 a week with unlimited miles?? You guessed it a Chevy Aveo! It was a miniature compact car. If Brad had been with us it never would have worked. Zac sat up front and the girls got the back seat. Our one duffle bag, pillows, and backpacks filled the trunk. It got about 33 miles to the gallon so “being close” saved us big.

It is so hot the A/C really didn’t work and the one arm rest for Zac and I to share proved to be a constant battle. It was a whoever got it first type thing. As I was signing for the car I asked about a Bob Evans. If you read any of the earlier post you will have read about our love for Bob Evans. It is kind of like an IHOP but with AWESOME biscuits and gravy. It is in no way healthy, but damn good. It so happens there is a Bob Evans 5 miles from the airport. First stop in Missouri is Bob Evans. We walk in the door and we are greeted by the hostess. She asked how we were doing. “Well, it is his 13th birthday and we just landed ½ hour ago from Alaska just to get some Bob Evans sausage gravy,” I explain. Once we are seated I gave Zac a few gifts we saved from the party until his actual birthday. When they bring out the food a candle is perched in his biscuits. A quick little song and we dug in. I go up to pay and his meal (the most expensive) was not on the bill. I just wish everyday was his B-day as that boy can eat. As we left to begin our asphalt journey I told the hostess we would be back when we dropped off the car too.

We pull out of BE in search of a Starbucks. Yes I needed my 5 shots of espresso to wake up. We found it and we were on our way.

Zac is my navigator and he began looking for the shortest, quickest route. He trimmed 100 miles off our original plan (forget MapQuest). We start cruisin’ down the country roads in MO which consist of rolling hills of waving grass and jagged rock formations. There are trees scattered here and there and small lakes are filled with the cattle trying to stay cool from the overbearing sun. I know why too!

August in Alaska

So we are now back to being 5 /7 of the Becker Bunch and we are missing the girls (sigh). The weeks following a visit are kinda tough. For a couple months we get use to them being here and having them with us really changes the rhythm of our family. The same is true when they return to Arizona. It has been rainy and dreary which adds to the somber mood. Living in Alaska, we know quick trips to AZ are out of the question. We use to make the trip at least 3 to 4 times a year plus them coming to see us.

Temps have cooled some to about the high 60s. The days are beginning to get darker so now it starts to get dark around 10ish. I have no idea when the sun rises as we are still sound asleep. You’ll have to ask Brad because he is up and gone to work early in the morning.

We are still hosting at the FamCamp here. We are preparing for the winter to stay in the RV. House hunting is not looking too hopeful at this time. Strangely enough there are other crazy people like us that brave the Alaska winter in a house on wheels. And not those fancy mobile homes either! We have tossed base housing around and have also thought about staying in TLF (temporary living facility) if the weather gets really bad. Our house hold goods were released and dropped off at a storage unit we rented. The boxes all look ok but we won’t know about the contents until we get a house. Brad found a shelf and one of his speakers that did not make it here in one piece, but he needed new speakers and the shelf is a Wal-Mart cheapy.

My family holds an annual family reunion which we have attended the past few years. Well, this year I decided to attend while Brad was at the NCO Academy. Turns out after I made plans to attend the reunion Brad’s Academy dates changed and Brad will be attending the Academy in Sept-Oct.

So I began working on going outside (term Alaskans use for heading to the lower 48) towards MI. Brad has told me, in no certain terms, that he has no intentions of letting me drive through Canada by myself, so I looked into hopping down. Hopping is flying on a military aircraft to the lower forty-eight somewhere and catching a flight back from a base flying directly to Elmendorf. If Brad were coming we could fly in and out of any base with enough seating available.

I began looking at flying into Travis, near Sacramento, CA. Because of security after September 11th, they will only give the flight schedule 72 hours prior to departure and all flights are subject to change without notice. This is really fun when trying to plan a trip. Hey, the flight is free so I will definitely play their game. The plan was to fly into CA, rent a car, and head towards MI visiting everyone I could along the way and return to CA 2 weeks later to fly home. Well, the storms and evacuations in HI diverted all planes I would’ve taken. I walked into the terminal on Aug. 14th around 7pm to sign up for a flight to Travis. That flight had been canceled because of the storms in the HI area. But they did have a flight heading to Springfield, MO that night. Roll call was at 1am and the plane was leaving around 4am. OK, I was not planning on flying into MO but quickly started making calls about a car rental and a return trip. I went home to work out the details. At about 10pm I got the car booked and the bags were packed. My dad offered a ride from MO as far as AZ if needed.

I had known for about 2 weeks that I would be trying to fly outside in the middle of the month so I made an appointment to get a prescription for “happy” pills to fly on the plane. Since Brad works in the pharmacy he said he would just bring them home after the prescription was filled. So the night of the flight is at hand and I ask Brad for my “happy” pills he picked up from the pharmacy. He began to search through the medicine cabinet looking for the pills. They were not there. He keeps looking all around to no avail. I am beginning to panic (the last flight I took had a similar story). He is asking if I knew where they were. Excuse me??? He had told me not to worry. Once someone filled the script he would bring them home. The week earlier I asked if he had picked them up and he said yes. Well he decided to run up to work to verify they were filled and picked up. He forgot his badge in the race against the clock and the call person had left for the day (2 hours before suppose too). Luckily the security officer knows him well and let him in. Guess what… he never picked them up. They were there waiting for me.

So he rushes home we load the truck and head towards the terminal. Military hops are stand-by. Depending on whom you are and the reason for travel will determine what category you fly in. Being an unaccompanied spouse going on vacation I am at the bottom of the food chain so to speak. The flight we decided to hop on had 7 seats available with no one else inquiring about them. We got to the terminal and found the roll call time had been bumped up and they were boarding the plane in 45 minutes. Great! We were the only ones there and ready to go. Within the minute we got into the building and began the process a woman and 4 kids came looking for the same flight. Then came a family with 3 kids… and a single guy…and so on. The daggers were flung in our direction but the staff was able to fit us all in on the flight. Guess there were other seats available after all.

I pop ½ of a pill to knock out the nerves but remain conscious for the kids. This will be their first flight EVER! They had stepped foot on a plane in TX for cub scouts, but that was pre 9-11 and lasted maybe 10 minutes.

We boarded a C5 cargo plane. WOW! These things are huge. It was dark and kind of raining out so as we approached the plane the light is reflecting off this ginormous beast, like a super sized beached whale would look under the full moon. We climbed off the bus and up the stairs to the upper deck.

Well it is now 12:30am August 15th, Zac’s official 13th birthday. What could be a better gift than an 8 hour flight in a kewl military plane? He had wanted to fly for years but his paranoid mother refused to let him. Living in Alaska has changed my thought process a lot.

We got situated and ear plugs in place. Take off surprised the kids. “Better than a roller coaster ride,” Mikaela said. I was so skeered I clinched the kids to hold them in place. The ride is pretty bumpy and everything rattled but it was free. The seats were able to recline and the arm rest came off so we were able to sleep some. The only complaint from the kids is there were no windows to look out. Kenzie found a small emergency exit that the window covering had fallen some so she could peek out but no real views.

Another flight under my belt. Did I mention I HATE flying!!!!!

July in Alaska

Happy 4th to all!!

I have something to add to my list of “firsts.” For the first time in my life I have spent the month of July NOT in hot weather! We have not hit above 75 this month. Even at night the temp only drops a few degrees. For the entire month I think the low was in the 50’s? We are now watching the sun set around 11:30pm.

We have had a few rainy days that set the tone of a lazy summer day. It’s perfect weather for sippin’ cold lemonade, or ice tea for Brad, listening to the buzz of the air conditioner. Yes, at 75 degrees we run the air.

We purchased a large screened tent so we could eat outside with worrying about mosquitoes eating us or carrying the kids away. They are plentiful up here! Surprisingly, the Famcamp area is not too bad, but if you go hiking in the woods without spray you will never be heard from again. They will engulf you from head to toe, no lie. Just ask the kids about taking pictures outside. They would swat away until I would tell them to stay still for the picture. They would freeze and give me their best smiles under the circumstances and resume swatting after I lowered the camera.

Brad has been a barbequing fool. Salmon, Halibut and Reindeer sausage are some of the favs he has been grillin’ up. In Alaska you don’t get dinner without a show. While eating the grub we are able to view the local moose, Herseys (Momma) and Kisses (calf), as they stroll by. It is a nightly event right in our front yard. Most of the moose we have seen are cows, but we have even seen our first bull with nubs.

We spend most of the day and evenings outside. We are directly across from the playground and the kids have made some forts to hang out in. All of the camper kids come around. With 5 kids there is someone for everyone to play with. Imaginations come alive when you’re that close to nature. Brad spent many of summers with his brother doing the same thing.

We have been meeting a lot of people coming through the FamCamp. That is one of the perks being hosts. It is fun to talk with people from literally all over the world. We have even exchanged some numbers and will stay in contact with some campers.

Brad’s pharmacy hosted a picnic. It was a great chance to meet his co-workers and their families. Lots of games were played but the water gun fight was most memorable.

We are still looking to buy a home but had to kick our realtor to the curb. Guess when we told him our price range he decided he would not be making a large enough profit to work with us. Houses are made of gold in Alaska. So far that has been the biggest drawback.

The girls and I were driving around waiting for dance (imagine that we were early) and we happened to find a motor-cross track in a city park. Now we just need some four wheelers and go carts! Are you listening Santa?!?!

In the state of Alaska teenagers are able to test for their drivers permit at age 14. You should have seen Ashley’s eyes bug out when she heard that. We gave her the study guide and she read through it front to back. We began taking her out to get some miles under her belt on base. So picture this. Ashley is a 14 year old girl maybe 5’2” and about 100lbs soaking wet, driving a 4ton Excursion or long bed, crew cab dually. Brad told her if she could drive these, she could drive anything. She did great! She gets that from me :). Being on a military base it is not uncommon to have random checkpoints set up to check military I.D’s for security reasons. While we were out on one of our drives we happen to drive up to one. She had to stop and talk to an SP (military police) while driving. Again, Ashley’s eyes were bugging out and she was nervous as all get out, but we talked her through it and again, she did great! We took her in to test and Ashley got her permit just before she headed home to AZ. Brad will never forget how excited she was. We are all proud of Ashley, but Daddy was the proudest by far.

Because Michele and Ashley were flying home July 31st, we decided to celebrate Zac and Michele’s 13th B-day before they left. So following our family tradition, the b-day kids get to make their cake and decorate it. They both got Carhartt pants as one of their gifts. Living in Alaska these are a must.

Ashley took a babysitting class on base while she was here too. She baby-sits a lot in AZ and now she has specific training to add to her resume. This class is mandatory for teenagers that baby-sit on a military base, so now she can advertise on DM in Tucson if she wants.

Because I am not working 2 jobs or running a couple GS troops, I have a little extra time to catch up on old unfinished projects. I am working on a crocheted purse with wool yarn. I will wash it in hot water to felt it to 1/3 the original size. Because I like large messenger bags the thing looks like a sleeping bag, no lie. I will keep you posted on how it turns out. The kids keep kidding me that it will make an awesome sleeping bag if it doesn’t shrink down enough. Gotta love the support that family gives.

We are taking advantage of the great hiking trails and extended sunlight. Our latest conquest was a 10 mile hike in Girdwood which is just south of Anchorage. This area is heaven on earth. The scenery was too much to absorb so we will have to go back again and again. We even got to take a hand cart over 100 feet above a rushing river. Fun Times for those with a deathly fear of heights! We have been told this a well known grizzly hangout, so next time we will have bear spray and maybe a sidearm.


We also wrote another chapter in a mother and son tradition. Zac and I camped out to await the new Harry Potter book. It all began long ago in Texas when a friend, Lafawn, suggested a book for Zac. He was still learning to read so I began to read him this adventurous series that so many have grown to love. We joined the crowds and wait at Barnes and Noble to get our hands on the saga of Harry and his friends. We got there early and Zac almost made it on the news but a cute little brunette caught the news reporter’s eye and away flew the camera. I told Zac to get used to that. Inside there were lines and lines of people. There were games and activities while we waited. Then came the countdown, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1. We waited over an hour after midnight to get our hands on this book. Zac had it finished in just a few days.

I have been attending crops at the local scrap booking stores and meeting other scrapbookers. Yes there are other freaks that like scrapbooking as much as I do. It’s like a cult. Must worship paper, stickers and stamps.

The summer ended with Ashley and Michele heading back to AZ on July 31st. They are going back to triple temps. Not sure how well they are gonna readjust to the 40 degree swing.

June in Alaska

The saying midnight sun has a whole new meaning to us. WOW! We celebrated the Summer Solstice which is the longest day of the year and truly felt it with the 22 hours of sunlight. We have been observing the days growing longer but have become use to it. It seems like nothing to be sitting around at 11:30pm and it still looks like 7pm. The sun sets just after midnight now, but there’s still enough light to see across the street to the park when it finally does set. We have hit the hottest temps so far (79 degrees) and we were sweating like pigs. We got a pleasant surprise that Ashley and Michele’s first flight to AK would be covered by the PCS move paid for by the military. Their trip left much to be desired by the airline company. They were to have a non-stop flight from Phoenix to Anchorage. Julie agreed to drive them to Phoenix from Tucson to ensure a straight flight. When they arrived at the airport they were greeted by extremely rude staff as they tried checking in Ashley’s Yorkshire terrier. The dog got checked in but the girls were not seated together on the plane. Then they board the non-stop flight to Anchorage. Well I guess the flight had a change of plans as they stopped over in Vegas. The girls were asked to exit the plane and were told by the staff they were not sure if there would be seating available for them. WHAT???? Two teenagers, in Las Vegas, tickets paid for straight flight to Anchorage, Mom in Arizona, and Dad in Alaska. Yes, we have begun the grievance with the airline company. We are just ecstatic the girls made it safely and can now experience Alaska with us.

They made it just in time for Fathers day. Brad could not have asked for a better gift than to have all 5 kids with him. He also received some wanted CD’s and a new bottle of cologne. Before we even arrived in AK we were told we HAD to eat at the Moose’s tooth pizza restaurant. They also have a brewery so for father’s day we headed to the Moose’s Tooth and dined on some delicious pizza and Brad sampled some of the most popular brews.

The base has many activities for families. We are getting familiar with the Artic oasis which is a huge indoor activity area. Inside there is a miniature golf, a climbing wall, a skate park, a teen center, a game room to include pool table, air hockey and fooze ball, a computer lab, TV area, park equipment, and full gym with teenager equipment too. They offer many different classes for families too. I can see we will be spending a lot of time here in the winter. We attended a base picnic with live entertainment, free food, games and a bald eagle release. A local bird rehabilitation center worked to rehabilitate a bald eagle that had an abscess on its wing. We have been taught by a Lakota tribesman that eagles carry prayers on the wings to the creator. The kids and I took a minute to share our prayers with the eagle to ask that he carry them away. It was amazing to see a wild animal that had been unable to fly for a year and a half gracefully fly into the horizon.

I have been visiting the local scrapbooking stores in the area. I have been asked to teach so I will begin teaching at the arts and crafts center on base and also a local scrapbooking store in Wasilla. I am super excited! I miss working at Archivers. That has defiantly been my most favorite job. I learned SOOO much that I hope I will be able to inspire scrappers here.

We got to attend a fun family show. The Severy Iditarod dog show is a slap stick hour long skit that teaches the history, hard work and dedication needed for the Famous Iditarod race. When even meet a famous star from the movie 8 below.

The girls have started an Irish dance class. They love it and caught on really quick. We have even borrowed River Dance from the local library and have watched it A LOT.

We got to participate in another homeschool event. This time it was an out of this world fair. Men in Black, Harry Potter, Gilligan’s Island, The Hobbit, Star Wars and Legend of Zelda were some of the favorite booths.

We have been biking about 25 miles a night. We like to ride our bikes to the base movie theater (very cheap) to see current releases. We also were recommended to a Chinese restaurant called China Town just out side one of the gates so we ride to that for dinner.

We love to go for drives. No matter where you are going the views are drop dead gorgeous. There are mountains in the distance and the ocean on the edge of town with lakes scattered everywhere. The wildflowers are crowding the curbs and sidewalks. I mean the Fireweed is eye popping magenta and the Lupines are a deep blue. On our many drives we have seen hillsides that are overtaken by daisies. We even were able to find a patch of wild Iris growing, my moms fav flower. The trees are very beautiful but also very sappy. Every morning you can see the sticky coating across the trucks. While talking to other RVers you can literally see the honey drops falling from the trees.

We were asked to volunteer as assistant host. This is an awesome opportunity to us. This is our dream once Brad retires so getting some experience under our belt is nice. We also get to stay free which is my favorite stay. Roy is the camp host and has been doing it for many years. He retired from the Air Force during the Vietnam War. He also heads to the lower 48 for the winter. We just do as he tells us too and help people when needed. Some funny stories and some really stupid Girl Scout leaders keep us entertained. The leaders decided to ignore the NO OPEN FIRE base wide ban and started a fire on the ground. They didn’t even clear the 1” of dead leaves from last year before setting the logs a blaze on the ground. Seeing how I am a Natural Resources student, Girl Scout leader, Boy Scout leader and common sense camp host, I about lost it when they got attitude that we asked them to extinguish the fire

Brad has many opportunities to volunteer here. He signed us up for a cancer relay for life event. The kids helped sell candy and glow sticks to the runner/walkers. Then they decorated several paper bags to place a candle inside to remember our family members who have lost their lives to cancer. My maternal grandmother died of breast cancer, my godfather and paternal uncle to pancreatic cancer, Brad’s maternal grandfather to cancer and Zac and Kenzie’s paternal uncle to childhood leukemia. They were also hosting a midnight crop to scrapbook too. Anyone who knows me knows my truck is a storage unit for my scrapbooking supplies, so of course I had to go and play too.

We have been taking advantage of the 2 pools on the Air Force base and Army post. Both of them are free and a lot of fun. Again, this is another activity that will be great in the winter.

We are still seeing alot of wildlife. We have a little black bear that stays in the RV park. Photo was taken about 11:30pm and you can still see the sun peeking through the trees. Also a few moose that visit daily too.

May in Alaska

Our dream has come true. We have only lived in Alaska for one month and we’re SOLD!! When we got here the ground was still frozen and trees were bare. The grass was dead and the mountains were brown. In the short time we have been here there has been an explosion of color. Slowly we saw the Birch trees sprout green buds and by the end of the month they began to unfold and fill the bare trees. We observed the grass piercing up through the soil in little sporadic clumps to say hello to the sky which has been stunning blue with white fluffy clouds. Dandelions are bursting up in groves and adding bright yellow patches on the ground. The mountains are now velvety green with the contrast of the lime green Birch leaves and the deep forest green of the Spruce and Black Spruce. The days are getting longer so for a night owl like me it allows me to stay outside longer than normal. The downside to that is nothing stays open longer even though it is light out until 11pm now.

We picked up Bullwinkle, my truck, from the shippers just after we arrived in Anchorage. The grill was damaged but everything else looked good. I am relived. I was told some gruesome stories about broken windshields and excessive body damage. I have a sentimental attachment to vehicles so it is nice to have him home :)

We are now in the market for a home (without wheels under it) so the search is on. We have been driving around looking at land and houses and we have come to a conclusion. Alaska is not like any other state we have lived in. You’ll be driving along looking at $500,000 homes with a meth lab trailer right next door that has been collecting trash (no lie) for YEARS!! We are looking outside of Anchorage in Wasilla, which is about 45 miles away. We knew it was our kind of town because you can ride 4 wheelers and snow machines to the store. Ya can’t get any better than that!

We have been getting together with our friends Kari and Lawrence and catching up while doing some barbequing. They have introduced us to some food joints they have found and fun activities to do. Lawrence is in the Army and just made Sgt. He asked Brad to pin him at the ceremony. This is a great honor and Brad was more than willing to do this.

We even got to go on a vacation 3 weeks after arriving in AK. The base gives out free tickets to ride the local train so we got 5 round trip tickets to Seward, AK. We made reservations at the Army resort down there for the evening. The ride was really awesome and we all enjoyed it. None of the kids had ever been on a train before so this was huge ordeal. The train cut between the mountains and followed the coast for about 120 miles. We passed a glacier and miles and miles of untouched land. Seward is a beautiful little town where LOTS of fishing takes place. It is nestled in between snow-capped mountains that are sterling grey. The weekend was 65 degrees and clear blue skies. We hiked all around after getting a Starbuck’s coffee. We practiced skipping rocks and all improved our skills. We hiked back to our room and Barbequed dinner. The next day we hiked down to the Aquatic sea life center. The kids had a blast touching the star fish and they finally got to see the puffins. The ride home was just a beautiful and relaxing as the ride there.

For Mother’s day we met up with Kari and Lawrence again and ate at Garcia’s. We used to go to one in Tucson so we were familiar with the restaurant. The food was delicious and the margaritas were great. So was the company.

About a week after we got here I picked up Brad from work to run some errands and I got pulled over on base. Not for speeding either. Guess I spent too much time in California as I was told I stopped like they do. The SP was really nice and just gave me a warning.

Late one night after leaving our friends about 1:30am I was driving back to the RV and noticed a weird glare on the windshield. I asked Brad what it was and we soon figured out we were experiencing the Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights. The show was only about 5 minutes but the unexpected change of colors and the gliding movement through the sky was breath taking. The pictures and postcards do not do it justice.

Our wildlife viewing has been exciting. There are moose every where to include just outside our RV door. Thor was out on his run frozen in fear when the moose came looking for the down trees in the site next to ours. Brad saw the first black bear across the street from FamCamp at one of the lakes on base. The next day the kids and I saw a mama and her cub playing in a grassy area. Bald eagles, porcupines and fox are sighted daily.

I love when Brad is on vacation as he can let his beard grow out. He looks like a mountain man as Kari calls it. I am saddened cuz I know it is going bye –bye because he starts work soon.

We found a homeschool group and attended their World Fair event. It was pretty cool. You got a passport and traveled to different booths that represented different countries and learned about the culture, language, yadda, yadda and for ten cents you could sample the food. Jeovaun and Diego (Kari’s homeschooled sons) went with us so the kids had a blast. The only downer was when Kaela and Diego popped whole chunks of brie into their mouths. They were not expecting such a unique flavor.

We have been riding our bikes all over base. No hills and low elevation compared to CO makes us feel like athletes.

We will be staying at FamCamp and volunteering as the assistant host for now. We are more than excited and hope we can stay here until we find our home. Brad is able to ride his bike to work as it is literally across the street. It takes him longer to drive and park than to ride his bike.