First of all, we want to say what an incredible send off we had from Lincoln City. We were able to enjoy eating out and saying farewell to friends all week before moving day. The actual packing day was so smooth…the best we’ve ever experienced. The best thing, though, was the overall feeling of love that we received from our Christian brothers and sisters there that day who sent us with their blessings. We’ll always treasure that. Thank you. Jerry and Ken Snyder (friend from Drift Creek Camp) left Portland on Friday around 11am. Ken’s wife Mabel came along with the boys and I. We flew out of Portland on Saturday. The hospital provided us with a suite hotel room for the week and a rental car. The place was wonderful and Jackson and Asa swam in the pool sometimes as much as 3 times a day! The hotel had breakfast and dinner, which was so great. We had our own little kitchen for lunches. My job was to find a place for us to live in preferably before Jerry arrived with the truck. That was a hard and overwhelming task at times. I didn’t have a cell phone, so making appointments, etc. was challenging. I worked off of Craigslist, the local paper and through a real estate agent who is the mother-in-law of my 2nd cousin in Anchorage! We went to see 3 properties for rent on Saturday afternoon and I felt a little like Goldilocks…only none of them was just right. The prices here are high, but once I got over that, I was looking for the best place for the kids, etc. To rent a house would have been nice, but it would have cost us a lot more in utilities, yard work, snow removal, etc. than a townhouse. On Sunday morning we went to see another property before attending church. It was great inside, but no place for the kids to play. The sermon was about not worrying and Mabel said she was so glad we had gone to church there that morning (Prince of Peace Mennonite Fellowship). Anyway, that afternoon I called another place on my list and didn’t take the boys or Mabel along. They were growing pretty weary of house-hunting. This place was the one! It was not that the outside was that desirable, but the place had tons of closets…so many that I wasn’t sure where I was going to hang my tons of pictures! The landlord lives next door and I felt really good about him. It’s a duplex that shares a back yard and they have lots of vegetables growing and raspberry bushes line both sides of the house. I left there feeling very peaceful. I took the boys and Mabel the next morning and when they saw the “garden house” they begged to live there. So I paid the deposit. Job done. We are directly in the geographic middle of Anchorage and we are 4-7 minutes from my work, the airport, the mall, REI (Jerry’s thrilled), the library, Cosco, etc. It’s a great location. I also really was interested in the duplex because it is less than 2 blocks from an entrance to a paved bike path. There are over 120 miles of paved bike paths in Anchorage and in the winter they become groomed cross country ski paths. So that was a plus.
Jerry arrived by 1pm on Tuesday, so it took them 4 days. They were tired but happy to be here. They saw moose, bear, and coyotes on the way and beautiful mountains. The penny jar that was in the back of the Jeep got smashed from the very bumpy roads and Mabel spent quite a bit of time cleaning out glass and pennies! Also, someone tried to steal the bikes from the back of the Jeep (that was on a car trailer) while they were stopped somewhere in the Yukon and since they didn’t realize this, they drove down the road with a loose rack. The bikes really bounced on the rough roads and actually caused the back door of the Jeep to bend out. When Jerry got to Anchorage, he called an auto parts junk yard and they had a red Jeep door to replace his! He said he had asked God to just take care of it and let them have a red one. God is good. It’s funny how He is there all the time but we lean on Him so much when we’re tired, weary and moving to ALASKA!!
Our first impressions of Anchorage are very good. People are very nice and helpful. There are many different ethnic people here and it seems like everyone coexists well. The trails are incredible, as are the mountains that peer down at us. Asa spent the first few days saying that he hates Alaska, but since we have completely moved in and been able to get him outdoors and have a playdate with some kids from church, he now says that Alaska is great. The boys have done remarkably well. They were pushed aside for at least 3 weeks and they are bouncing back.
I begin work on Monday and Jerry will start school for the boys then. We will share the teaching once I start working evening shift. Unknown to me, Alaska is a fantastic place to homeschool. You enroll in a school district, meet with a teacher and the kids are tested yearly. They reimburse your curriculum costs and with the extra money you are allotted, you can pay for music lessons, sports or classes (gymnastics, etc) or have use of a computer, which is yours for $1 after 4 years. I spoke to one lady who says she’s always waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it doesn’t! They even take the kids on field trips and arrange for picnics, etc. There is a lot of money here from the oil proceeds and you can see it in all the services and stores that are here.
Tomorrow we head to the state fair to see the giant cabbages. We’re also going to try to pick some wild blueberries. You are warned to scan the hillside for bears before you begin picking…right out of “Blueberries for Sal!”
We miss all of you! Sometimes I am lonely and miss everything familiar, so Jerry quickly takes the family on a hike or bike ride and that helps to lift my spirits. It will be good to continue meeting people and find a church. We look forward to having guests. I used to think that summer was the only good time to visit Anchorage, but the way they talk about winter here and all the activities, I think that is equally good!
e boys love their Sunday school classes and Amy and I can sit through a whole service without interruption. Our pastor hit another one out of the park speaking on 1 John 4:1-6 about discernment. Check out his sermon at http://www.churchcornerstone.com
are both getting used to it again. The best part is that it motivates us as a family to get outside to see the beauty of the trees laden with snow, the ice formations along the creek, and the quiet hush that the snow creates. We love winter! We'll let you know how our attitudes are after four more months of it.
