HOME!!!

This week started off with the idea that it would be somewhat relaxed while we looked for housing. As many of you know we were originally told by the Coast Guard housing department that there was a waiting list of 6months to a year for base housing. Due to the waiting list once we checked in to the base we would need to get approval to live on the economy which means to rent/buy a house in the community. Without the approval we would be put on the waiting list after arriving and would need to stay in a hotel or temporary rental until housing came available on base. With that in mind we figured on Monday we would call let housing know we were in town and get things started on the approval while we house hunted. This meant a semi-relaxed week of looking at houses while S used up the rest of his leave time. However, after talking with the housing department we were informed that several houses had come available on base and we could be in a house that very afternoon if we wanted one. They allowed us an "unofficial" look at the houses that were available so that we could decide before S reported in if we wanted one or not. We decided to go with the a house located on Lake Louise. This is the neighborhood S lived in the last time he was here he really like the area and I have been told that it is one of the best neighborhoods still. So after completing all the required paperwork we had a house by late Monday night. Because we got in a house so fast S was told he wouldn't be getting the normal 10days off to house hunt and set up house, he was only given this week. Tuesday morning was spent doing more paperwork and packing up the hotel room we had been in for the weekend then we hit the ground running to get the uhual unpacked. We were moving into a 3story duplex style home with an amazing view of the lake and mountains.

While I like the house I do have some issues with the layout, which I think would happen with any home that you don't personally design. We had several issues just trying to get the uhual unloaded on Tuesday, between the rain/snow, the girls wanting to play on the stairs and the 3sets of stairs we had to carry the furniture up. When it is only the 2 of you trying to carry bedroom sets up the stairs in the rain and keep the babies in the house, those 2 small sets of stairs count as 2 separate sets, they seemed a lot taller while we were moving things as well! Needless to say I was exhausted by the time we laid down Tuesday night. Our efforts did pay off however as we had the master bedroom and the girls rooms completely set up, so no one had to sleep on the floor.

Our room has one of the best views in the house. The house is situated just right to look between the 2houses in front of us so we have a great view of Lake Louise. Rising behind the lake is Barometer Mountain. I have been told you can tell the seasons from the mountain. During the winter it should be completely white, as it is now it is almost summer by the end of summer it should be green all the way to the top, so we are half way there.

The girls room was a little smaller than we were expecting however, they are small so it won't really matter. Its kind of funny I think their room in the trailer was bigger than this room. This room does have a better view however. Their room overlooks the back yard with a small hill and woods. I've heard there is a bear trail that follows the top of the hill so they may be able to watch bear walk behind the house this summer. Don't worry they are on the third floor, they can see the bear but the bear can't see them.

We also have a nice sized fenced in back yard, which neither of us were expecting. The yard makes me want to have animals again. Everyone around us has a dog! I think a few are even community dogs. Saturday while I was working on unpacked some boxes in the girls room A starts getting excited and saying "doggy, mommy, doggy!!!!", I turned around and sure enough one of the neighbors dogs had wandered into the garage where S was working and come all the way up to the girls bedroom. He was a very sweet lab puppy that laid down in the doorway and looked at me like "I can't get out, I know I'm not suppose to be in here, but I just can't find the door." I found it quite funny, his owner seemed a little embarrassed when I returned him. But I digress. . .

Unloading Tuesday was a little stressful with the girls running loose. We finally got enough unloaded to build them a "play pen" in the living room. While I helped S and one of neighbors unload some heavy items. Fortunately, we also got to meet the couple that we share a wall with. They were very nice and offered to watch the girls for us on Wednesday so we could finish unloading. He is on a cutter and will most likely be gone quite a bit so she stays home with their twin girls. The girls are just a few months older than A so they played wonderfully together. We also found out that there aren't really anymore little girls on our side of the neighborhood. The only families she had met all had little boys or their girls were much older than our kids. So we are both a little excited to have such good playmates for the kids. With the girls playing next door we were able to get the rest of the uhual unloaded and get it returned which also saved us on daily rental. The rest of the week has been spent organizing and unpacking.

The girls have had a blast playing with broken down boxes and were even enjoying their time in their "play pen". Thursday and Friday were a little more relaxed as we unpacked and made time for a few outings whenever the sun would decide to come out. We also learned Thursday that we have been roaming since leaving Washington and had racked up quite a phone bill. S had contacted Verizon before leaving Fl to make sure that we would be covered since "all Verizon plans are nationwide and include Canada". However, the representative he spoke with did not realize that we are on an Alltel plan that was switched to Verizon when the company was bought, therefore nationwide and Canada are not included. Every time we call, text, check our messages, get online, anything we were being charged at least double. Therefore, we spent Thursday and Friday with no phone and no Internet. Friday afternoon we had our new house phone connected and by Saturday we were pretty much done unpacking. I still have a few boxes of books and scrap booking supplies, that I need a table and bookshelf for, however with moving yard sells coming up I'm sure to find something pretty soon. My goal was to have all the boxes unpacked and put away in less than 2weeks. Since I was only able to find bookshelves at the yard sell this Saturday I may have to push that goal back a little until I find a table to do scrap booking on. Today was going to be our first real family relaxed day since all the moving and unpacking began. However, this morning as I was putting my shoes on for church S walked in complaining of pain on his right side. Before I could turn around good the neighbors were watching the girls and we were headed to the hospital with concerns that he may have appendicitis. Come to find out it was a small kidney stone most likely due to mild dehydration and stress. We were back home before the girls got up from their nap and he is doing much better! We had thought he would get next week off to pass the stone however he feels like it has already passed so I would be surprised if they give him tomorrow off. Next week we should be back to ops-normal, well normal enough for our first real week in our new home!

Final Leg!!!!

So to back up for just a second. I finished my last post in time for S to start calling for help from the bathroom where he was bathing the girls. The soap had mixed with the jets to create a very unexpected bubble bath. At first everyone was having a blast however as the bubbles grew B started to get a little concerned.

I think she thought she would get lost and we would never find her in all the bubbles. It was quite hilarious to watch so I had to grab the camera first. After rinsing B off in the shower S got the bubbles under control for A to enjoy the tub some more while I put B to bed. Without the bubbles and baby it didn't take long for A to figure out that she could spin in the current caused by the jets. I think she must have spun in that whirlpool for another 30-45mins after the bathing was over. We almost couldn't get her out!!

After another beautiful evening in Homer we fell asleep listening to the waves beat against the shore just below our window. The Tustumena, or "Rusty Tusty" as she is also lovingly referred to, would be waiting on us bright and early in the morning.

I have to admit she wasn't quite what I was expecting. S had described her as a small cruise ship and she really was not!! She was much smaller and there were no endless free buffets. I was a little surprised at how small she really was however their is much underwater that is unseen.

This is one side of the holding bay. This side held the few large heavy vehicles while the other side held about 15 passenger vehicles. The weight and balance is figured out before everyone arrives so that they know who is going on which side and in what order. When we made the reservations they took the height, length and weight of both vehicles in order to determine how and when they would be loaded. Each vehicle enters the boat by way of a very large elevator. It holds two passenger vehicles or 1 large vehicle, such as the uhual we drove down. The elevator is lowered down to the holding bay then turns for the vehicles to drive off into the bay to be parked for the duration of the trip. It was very interesting to watch this huge elevator go up and down turn and go back up again. Due the loading process we had to be at the terminal 2 hours ahead of time, so we arrived at 7:30 in the morning. The girls actually woke up at 5:30 and 6, we should have known then what a long day it was going to be. Its amazing to me how even such small kids can sense when things are going to change!! Due to the early wake up we had a very light breakfast thinking we would grab something at the galley after we got on board however the galley closed before we had a chance. S was able to get some coffee which was desperately needed, we had messed up and stayed up way too late packing the night before. S wasn't the only one that enjoyed the coffee however.

When daddy wasn't looking A helped herself to his coffee. We thought she would spit it out or make a face however she seemed to actually enjoy it. For the rest of the day she would ask him for more "cautchie" aka coffee.

When they weren't enjoying their coffee together they had a blast on deck looking for whales. In case any of you are wandering why she has a jacket on in some pictures and not others it is because some of the outdoor viewing areas were heated or she would play so hard she would come back to me exclaiming "HOT" and taking her jacket off.

We had a perfect day for sailing. It was clear skies, and I mean clear, there was not a cloud anywhere!! This made the views of the mountains and volcano's even more breathtaking. Just after lunch the waves did pick up a little however it was time for nap so no one got sick. While the girls and I napped in the room S continued to look for whales and he finally found them!

If you look very closely in the center at the horizon their is a white dot (you may have to click on the picture to make it big enough to see). It is a whale blowing. That was the only time they were seen until we were getting ready to come into Kodiak. Then one of the galley staff told us that there was a humpback some where but we never did see him.

Our first sights of Kodiak were of Monashka bay. This is a community that sits right on the water and has some of the most beautiful houses

Shortly after we caught sight of Pillar mountain with the windmills on top of it.

Then came Kodiak, situated just under the bridge. It was a perfect welcome. I had been told how much it rains here however when we arrived it was still blue skies and even a little warm, standing in the sun you didn't really need a jacket. While we were unloading and talking to the sponsor some clouds moved in. The weather changed so fast that by the time we got to our room and unloaded it had already started sleeting and gotten very grey outside. However, the initial welcome was wonderful, and S was excited that I got to see the best and worse all within a matter of hours after arriving.

I also noticed the beaches were a little different than Florida's. While they have their own unique charm about them I don't think I will be sunbathing or swimming much this summer in them.

Coming in to dock we got a chance to meet another CG family that had been roomed next to us. The husband will also be working on the C-130 with S and they have a son that is between A and B in age. Hopefully, we will have a chance to get them together and make some new friends. The sponsor was also waiting for us to disembark he was very nice and also has a little girl between ours in age. So far we have met some very nice people and lots of kids for the girls to play with. I think however that my body is sensing we are finally done and has decided to shut down. I started to get a headache on the boat last night and have felt like a Mack-truck has run over me today. I don't really feel sick, its more a lack of energy. If I could just lay on the floor and do nothing but let the girls crawl over me (which I think they would be perfectly happy with) it would be a great day!! However, things must get done so I have to keep moving. I think the girls are also sensing we are finally here. Yesterday was one of the worst days we have had with them. At one point I had to leave the room because neither one was happy unless they were in my lap, and I'm not talking about a little fussy, I mean all out crying heart broken alligator tears. However, holding both had its own challenges as they didn't want to share me with the other one. So I walked in and within a minute A was on my back trying to push B down and B was reaching around from my lap pulling A's hair and both were screaming in my ear, I was literally in the middle of a cat fight. So I left them with their dad and went to get fresh air. Amazingly the crying stopped when I walked out and S said they both got down and started playing very happily together!! Today has been much better!! They were almost back to their old selves, sharing and playing together. Hopefully, as things calm down more they will return to their old sweet selves. B even decided to try to walk again tonight which she hasn't really been interested in since leaving Vegas. While she would think about it if we put her on her feet she didn't initiate it. Tonight however she crawled over to me then crawled about a foot away and stood up grinning, like "I'm ready! how do I do this??". It was GREAT we got one step out of her before she fell but she got right back up again and again and again. One step was about all we really got but at least she's showing interest again and not just wanting to be carried. Hopefully by the end of the next week or two she'll be a pro at it.

One the Road Again. . .Part II

Every time we hit the road for our next destination I get that song stuck in my head, "On the roag again, just can't wait to get on the road again". I can wait I'm tired of being on the road. After tomorrow though it will be done and we will be at our final stop and hopefully be moving into a new home shortly. One thing we have discovered about Kodiak is that most people do not advertise with MLS. We have gotten word that a few houses have opened up on base so with any luck we will have a house to move into by next week!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

Homer has been a very pleasant stop. It's a very cute little town that sits on a mud flat peninsula surrounded glaciers and volcano's. The views have been amazing!! From our bed looking out the big bay windows you can see the volcano Illiamna (not sure thats spelled right). It looks like something from a move. It's very faint and mostly covered with clouds however when they clear you can see smoke coming from the top of it. We have also seen more wildlife in Homer than anywhere else I think. The eagles are beautiful.

Ok maybe not this on. This is a picture of a picture at the ocean refuge center. It was just the best picture we had. Several went soring over while we were at a look out however they caught a thermal and got so high so fast the pictures didn't come out.

Driving around the town we also came across these moose (at least I think they are moose, I can't tell the difference between all the animals.) They were enjoying a nice breakfast in someone's front yard.

At the Ocean refuge the girls really enjoyed the sunlight and getting to stretch their legs. I think they are going a little stir crazy with all the riding. The last couple of times we have put them in the car they have seriously complained. The ocean refuge had a great walk around that explored the mud flats. The tide was out while we were there so there were a few areas the kids got to get off and explore the frozen ground. While B still isn't walking on her on she made her best attempts.


She stood up by herself the other day in Anchorage. After finishing off Papa's breakfast she turned around and stood up on the table, she's been practicing ever since.

We tried to talk her into taking a few more steps since she hasn't done it since the other week at my sister-in-laws. However, it didn't quite work for her today.














It is still very chilly outside so after wearing ourselves out at the refuge we went back to enjoy the beach from our hotel. We are staying at the Driftwood Inn which is located on the water. The Inn is more a house that rents the rooms out. We have so far had the whole house to ourselves which has been very nice! Our room has bay windows that overlook Kachemak Bay. We fell asleep last night to the sound of the waves on the beach. It was perfect!!














Aside from the gorgeous views we had another surprise in our room. Since we were just renting a room in a house we were very surprised to find a Whirlpool tub in our bathroom. The girls had a blast taking a bath tonight. They normally jump right in anyways however with the extra large tub they really enjoyed the bath!














B wasn't real sure about it when the jets came on however she came around.














The best was when S got in to help them. The jets were a little strong so to keep a closer eye on them and be able to reach them should something happen he had to sit on side which A thought was hilarious. A finally reclined back to enjoy the "pool".

We have had a blast in Homer today and can't wait to see what tomorrow holds. We catch the ferry, the M/V Tustumena, at 9:45am and will arrive in Kodiak at approximately 7:30pm. We have a sponsor that should be meeting when we arrive in Kodiak tomorrow night. A sponsor is someone that is already at the base that can show us around and help us get set up in and in contact with people on the base that we may need, such as housing. We didn't have a sponsor in Clearwater so I was very surprised when S said that he would be meeting us at the ferry and that his supervisor may be there as well, that never would have happened in Clearwater! So next time I write I will be in our new home, hopefully!!!

Family Vacation

The trip to Anchorage went a lot better than the trip to Vegas for Nana and Papa. Thank you Grandma for the carriers and backpacks. Since we weren't expecting Ak to be as cold as it was for this time of year we spent the couple of days prior to the girls arriving to pick up some warm coats and boots. The average temperature has been around 38 or 40 with some days almost reaching 50 by mid afternoon. After bundling up we headed back to the room for a couple hours rest. The girls slept late the next morning which gave us a little bit of a late start Sunday morning however we still had plenty of time to enjoy the area.

I think A enjoyed the escalator as much as seeing mommy and daddy again. She would take her "tail" to whoever she wanted to walk with or who ever she thought would take her down an escalator. It didn't take long to get back to the room and get everyone in bed. Thinking we would all be tired on Sunday we decided to take the day off and enjoy visiting. Nana and Papa had other ideas however and woke up ready to go Sunday morning. So we took a short trip through Anchorage to show them some of the sights. Then we headed south to check out Seward. There was a great park that we stopped to play at next to the bay. We enjoyed skipping rocks and watching the otters play just off shore. Coming back there was a beautiful rainbow over the water, even though it wasn't raining.

A had a blast picking out rocks for daddy to throw in the water. While b enjoyed being bundled up in Mommy's jacket.

Monday we explored Anchorage some more and did a little window shopping. That night Nana, Papa and S went to find some Northern Lights. Just when they thought they weren't going to see them some finally appeared just off the horizon. The best time to see the Northern Lights is on cold clear dark nights. During the winter the best times are between 10pm-2am, this made for a very late night Monday. However, they were all ready to go again on Tuesday so we headed south again to check out an animal conservatory. The conservatory had a short drive thru to view rescued animals from the area.

The cariboo have lost their antlers for the season already so they really looked goofy.

There were three bears that were very entertaining. This one walked over sat down in front of the viewers and started posing for the cameras. The other two smaller ones were enjoying tussling behind her.

Finally this eagle had been rescued up north. It was shot in the left wing which had to be amputated. Since it couldn't fly it has permanent residence at the conservation.

One of the guys taking photos of the bear offered to take our picture with it so of course the bear had to walk off. I think B is getting use to riding in my jacket like that. Leaving the conservatory we went to have lunch at the top of a mountain. Taking a tram to the top we had a beautiful view for lunch.

The restaurant was approximately 2900 ft and overlooked seven glaciers. The resort was beautiful and would be the perfect place for a weekend get away. S can't wait for the chance to get back to do some skiing, I'd love to try some snowboarding as well.

Since we reached Anchorage much sooner than we expected we have had a full week to enjoy a short vacation before we finish our trip to Kodiak. We leave tomorrow for Homer where we will wait for the ferry and enjoy a few days in a fishing town. Saturday morning we catch the ferry for Kodiak and will finish our journey on the 10hr boat ride to our new home. I can't wait to finally get our home, get settle in and get unpacked!!!

Family Reunion

The girls arrived around midnight Sunday night. We were all very glad to be back together! I think S missed them as much as I have and just won't admit it. We had thought we would relax around the hotel room Sunday and just enjoy being back together. However, Nana and Papa had different plans. They woke up as excited about being Ak as the girls were, although I think some of the excitement wore off when Nana realized how much snow was still on the ground and all she had was sandals. So after bundling up, we had bought some warmer shoes and jackets the day before so Nana borrowed S tennis shoes that are several sizes too big, we left to check out Anchorage. We found a nice park and walking trail just along the water however it didn't take long to get cold and hungry and we were on the move again. After lunch we took a quick trip down to Seward to check out a sea life museum. We didn't make it in time to really get to check out the sea life so we enjoyed the beaches and wildlife from the road. There were several otters playing and eating just off the shore that were very entertaining. We have now sent Nana and Papa off to explore Anchorage by themselves while the kids nap. today has been a little more relaxed and the past several weeks are definitely catching up to me. I can't wait to have a home again and get out of my suitcases!!!

Anchorage!!

We spent last night at the Skky hotel in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory which is around 800miles from Anchorage. The hotel is across the street from the airport, which was surprisingly bigger than the other airports we have seen. Toad River’s airport was a landing strip that followed the road on the other side of a ditch. The approach had you coming in between 2 mountains and I didn’t even recognize the run way until S pointed it out. So the fact that Whitehorse has an international airport was amazing. The airport was also clearly marked with this plane. However, I was a little surprised to find that it is for more than decoration. Any guesses on what it’s used for?? Ya’ll think about it and I’ll tell you next time.

The trip from Whitehorse to the Alaska border went very quickly. We had thought that it would take most of the day to get to Tok, Alaska. However, we crossed the border just after lunch and Tok was only an hour away. The road through Canada has been surprisingly smooth going. Major potholes and frost heaves had been repaired to the best of their ability.

However, at the Alaska border we got to experience two first. The first was SNOW!! It has not rained or snowed our entire trip. So we weren’t sure coming up to the International boundary if it was actually snowing or raining and if it would actually hit us. The international boundary divides Canada and Alaska. It started snowing just on the Alaska side of the boundary which made a very cold but beautiful Welcome into our new home state.

We have seen rain in the distance before but it has always stopped before we got to it. The snow didn’t. While it was only little flurries we got our first snowfall. This made the trip even better because everything had a light blanket of snow on it that made it look like a winter wonderland.

Our next experience was gravel and dirt roads. The roads were still being repaired just after the border so we had a little bit of gravel then dirt roads. The road is generally paved the whole way however, each year they repave or at least fix damage done the year before. This section they had started to repave and so had torn the road up however they hadn’t laid down the new pavement when we got to it. Even so it was still smoother than Arkansas paved roads!!!

After driving pass all the fresh snow S couldn’t stand it anymore, he had to get out and play for a minute. There had been snowmobile tracks all along the side of the road so we didn’t realize how deep it was until he stepped in up to his waist. I stood on the side and took pictures it was too cold for me to get wet.

Yes, he was just a little chilly when we got back in the truck. He did at least get that out of his system so he didn't want to stop anymore.

A couple hours outside of Anchorage I saw another first. It was my first Glacier, it looks like a frozen river. This one is rather small, so I'm told, I was expecting it to look bigger than a mountain. This one probably is actually bigger than the mountains around however it's flatter which makes it look smaller. It was amazing the destruction that a floating piece of ice can do. There were areas in the mountains that looked like they had been dynamited however the damage had been done by the glacier.

So we ended our trip through a winter wonderland at Anchorage last night. There isn't really much snow here compared to what was in the mountains. We are going to get a better look at the city today and run some errends. Hopefully the next couple of days will fly by and the girls will be here before we know it. Then starts our next leg of the trip to Homer and the ferry.