Alaska The end of July

The drive from Tok, Alaska down to our home was simply in a word, incredible. I have missed majestic mountains, and Alaska certainly has them.

The types of trees gradually got different the further south we got.

We pulled over to help some ladies who car wouldn't start because of a dead battery. They were out mushroom picking. Apparently they are amazing here, and they had SO many. 

One of the best sights on the trip was the very end as we pulled into our first home we owned as a family. We would sign the papers the very next day. A place to rest our weary travel worn heads, and remember how wonderful life had been, is, and will be.

As embarrassing as some stories are, they simply must be shared for posterity to laugh. We purchased the home from a family that Derek had worked with in anesthesia briefly in San Antonio. Milt Poll had stayed behind a while to finish working, and the timing lined up pretty good with us coming. He was coming home from work to show us around, and said welcome to your new home. It was about 75 degrees outside and a little warm, so we thought we would turn on the AC for the house to cool it a little because we are home owners, so we can keep it at what we want! Well.... The house started heating up. We kept turning the temperature to 68, but the house kept getting warmer. It turns out the house doesn't have air conditioning, because Alaska is so mild in the summer there really is no need. So, the heater kept turning on. We were grateful to know it would work great when the freezing winters hit, but it sure made us all chuckle with the realization.

One of the first items of business in Alaska was for the kids to check out the hot tub.

A sweet lady named Sarah Thomas dropped off a welcome to Alaska for us. It was the nicest welcome we have ever had. Bear spray, cupcakes, flowers, bug spray! She also let the kids borrow her kids scooters until the movers came. People over the internet can be so kind. Her husband was deployed and she was homeschooling, but took the time to think of how crazy this move was for our family!

The Poll's left a snow cone machine, so we got right to work.

Flowers grow like crazy here if you just water them.

Derek getting ready for a fire in OUR backyard. It feels so good to call somewhere ours!

Our amazing fire pit where the weather is perfect and marveled at being in Alaska and having a forest in our back yard!

Home sweet Home!

We immediately finding all kinds of treasures in our yard. We soon discovered lots of edible berries (don't taste super great). Eden found high bush cranberries. It only took a year to remember and really know. We get SO many different mushrooms here. I've never seen so many in my entire life. It is so fun, gross, unique, and crazy. Kael has learned to love mowing over the mushrooms. He says they make a fun poof when he mows over them.

Kael was feeling lucky exploring the yard and found a 4 leaf clover. He found so many last year. They are plentiful in Alaska.

We love our little community. Eagle River is just beautiful and we would discover so many bald eagles over the next months.

One of our first explorations into Anchorage was to see the temple. It is small and beautiful and we are SO grateful to have a temple so close to our home.

We love the hot tub. We might not have a swimming pool, but we love having a place to play in the water.

Derek helped build a little fort of old scrap wood for the kids. Eden loves it so much. Over the next year this will evolve into more fun.

We went exploring to Kincaid Park for a hike to see the coast of Alaska. We wanted to see what their shore was like. It seemed like a beach, but REALLY it's mud flats.

The shore is this silt mud and it's a little like quick sand. It was really gross actually. We made Kael brave going to the water because we didn't want to be covered in mud for the car ride home. Sure enough his feet were SO gross after!

It was so hard like clay after a while. He didn't love it, but I was glad it wasn't me.

We found a beautiful baptism dress for Elara who had to try it on immediately. It came before our household goods even did.

AND THAT was our move to Alaska to the end of July. This trip will forever be imprinted in our memories. It was the trip of a lifetime and we are so grateful for the time we had as a family stuck in a van in limbo, during covid, and just not sure how it would all go down.

We have been so blessed. We have a home to call our own. Derek has a fantastic job. Things don't always go as we think they will or should, but Heavenly Father is in the details. He blesses us and guides us in all that we do. We are so grateful to be in Alaska, and to know we are meant to be here.