Hot Tea and Oysters.

Well, we are official Alaskan Residents. We have a home, Alaska driver’s licenses (which we had to take written tests for), Alaska bank accounts and we know how to get to the local coffee shops by heart. All that, after 1 week.

The first night in AK we took Shellea’s nephews and Abbie to the local carnival. It was entirely too cold but I still managed to get on two rides and steal a couple pinches of cotton candy from the kids. The next day we spent time unpacking boxes, watching Luke play baseball and then went out to dinner with the group. St. Elias- delicious pizza, inviting atmosphere- a place Kev and I will most likely frequent. Last Sunday night we BBQ’d salmon and oysters. Paul, Shellea, Kevin and I tried oysters- all for our first time. All I will say about oysters is: It’s nice to at least be able to say I’ve tried them.

It’s been cold and rainy all week but we are adjusting to the climate change pretty well. I came to the sad realization that my Arizona WINTER clothes are perfect for Alaska SUMMERS. At first I pouted about it but THEN I realized in only a few months- I get to buy an entire new wardrobe for Alaskan Winters. OK. That I can do! To help keep warm now though, I am consuming an unreasonable amount of hot tea and vanilla lattes.

My first day on the new job was great- Julie brought me flowers from the team up here. She also brought in doughnuts for the office. Flowers and Sweets- what more could a girl ask for on her first day of work?

Last night we went to the opening night of Abbie's play. She was wonderful up on stage.

Our first week here although cold is amazing. I'm anxious to unpack the rest of our boxes and get settled in.

Photos from our drive up

A few pictures from our ride up.. It was so nice breaking up the long week by spending time with our friends in Washington and Canada...

After a long day driving...

Packing up...

Packing up our Uhaul....

Our 1 week car ride ends....

Where to begin! The drive from Prince George to Fort Nelson to Whitehorse to Soldotna was awesome. :) We saw so much wildlife!! We saw:

2 Moose
1 reindeer (caribou, we think)
3 big horn sheep
1 herd of wild buffalo
4 independent wild buffalo
1 herd of wild horses
1 wild wild horse
3 black bear cubs
1 grizzle bear cub
countless bald eagles and deer

Yes. The drive was just incredible. It seemed as though after every other corner was some wild animal waiting for us. Of course, the entire trip up I had my camera attached to my hip for just these types of sightings and what do you know-the two days we saw all this, my camera battery was dead. NO pictures! Go figure. Oh well.

We stopped off at some hot springs on our way to Whitehorse on Wed. It was beautiful. Awfully smelly though.

Thursday was our longest drive yet- approx 16 hrs on the road. We got to our new home around 11:30 pm last night.. We had a wonderful welcome crew waiting for us. Seth, Julie, Luke, Abbie, Paul and Shellea. The house looked amazing, fresh flowers in our bathroom, new candles burning, balloons, freshly baked cookies and brownies, the best 'Alaska Welcomes You' sign (complements of Abbie) and a home cooked meal. Kevin and I felt at home instantly. We are so excited to finally be here.

It's Friday now, Kevin and I unloaded the uhaul trailer and are sitting at the Soldotna Library catching up on e-mails etc. I can't wait to unpack our boxes and settle into our new place.


The hotel stays in Prince George, Fort Nelson and Whitehorse were all extremely clean and did not smell! The man who owned the hotel in Fort Nelson was so kind. He not only gave us a discount on our room but also made us a delicious breakfast the next morning- fresh butterscotch muffins, raspberry muffins and ham and eggers as he called them (egg, ham, cheese sandwich). He insisted we take extras for the road which we did not argue with. Lord bless him for his kindness and hospitality.

We should have Internet at our new house in the next couple of days. Rest assured at that time I will begin uploading the many many pictures from our trip up!

.... And our 1 week road trip... OVER!

Thanks everyone for your continual thoughts and prayers. The journey here was incredible and completed anointed by God. We are so blessed and excited to begin this new chapter in our lives- as Alaskans!

Oh Canada.

Kevin and I had the best weekend. We spent the day on Sunday catching up with friends in Bellingham and then headed across the border Sunday night to stay with our dear friends in BC. It felt great to have real bbq food and stay in nice warm home. We have the most amazing friends and I miss them all already.

The car ride today was uneventful. We're sitting in a hotel in Prince George BC tonight watching some stupid Paul Walker movie on TV. We were so hungry, so Kev got us chinese food which tasted more like barf. I only had about 6 bites of my noodles and called it good. Not exactly what I had in mind. The hotel though, is best yet- clean and doesn't smell- finally! Kevin is really tired, so we'll hit the pillow soon. We have another long drive ahead of us tomorrow.

Days 2 and 3

Well it's pushing 9AM and we are still in Medford. Brake lines in the 4 Runner need to be flushed, so I am patiently waiting for Kevin to come back. Me, Rambo and Minnie. We are all so hungry and because of the specific location we are at I don't dare eat anything at the continential breakfast.

The Vagabon Inn I mentioned on Day 1 turned out to not only have a sketchy name but was also located in a sketchy area as well. I think we must have woken up 5 times during the night with random groups of people outside yelling, screaming, fighting etc... The last two guys outside that woke me up were saying to one another "No, but seriously dude, you are my Best Friend. My Best Friend" I thought about peeking out and asking them to take their drunken bromance elsewhere, but thought otherwise considering it was 3 AM.

After about 200 miles of driving yesterday I realized I had left my temperpedic pillow and my oh so loved blankie at the Vagabon Inn. :(

Other than leaving my pillow and blankie behind, our car ride was uneventful. I started and finished an entire book, Rambo threw up in the backseat while driving, Kevin sang.. the usual car ride events.

Medford, Oregon is a beautiful place. We took the doggies on a long walk through this amazing park next to a river last night. It was peaceful and refreshing. I wish I would have had my camera on our walk. The hotel is another disaster. Although located in a nice area, the room smells like pee. Guess that's what you get for a $50 night motel that accepts pets.
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Kev just arrived back! YAY!... And we're back on the road..

Day 1

Well, Day 1 of our long drive to Alaska is over. We are sitting in a hotel called the VAGABON INN- sketchy name, but otherwise fairly nice. The highspeed internet is great. Kev just heard from the school in Alaska and he got the job!!! Way to go hunny! Our Alaskan adventure is off to an amazing start. We are both so thankful that the Lord is paving such a perfect way for us.

The dogs were pretty dramatic on the car ride. Minnie got herself all worked up- Post Tramatic Stress Syndrome from the time she had her teeth pulled at the vet is what I think.. She climbed behind my neck and stayed planted up there the entire day panting in my ear... nice. Rambo on the otherhand was facing away from us in the backseat all day. I tried to help him out of the sun spots but he refused to move away from Kevin's t-shirt that was on the floor. Oh well. Maybe tomorrow the dogs will act like normal dogs again.

Day 2 will begin bright n' early tomorrow morning.

Jessenia's Graduation!!

Congratulations Jess!

Going away cake

Well Friday, May 21st is my last day of work. I'm happy and sad all at the same time! Happy to be leaving and heading for new adventures but sad to say goodbye to some wonderful people.

The gals at work pitched in and bought me a going away cake.. carrot cake- my favorite. It naturally says "princess laura" on it. :)

I will miss them all.

MOVING TO ALASKA!!!!!!!

Well, we're doing it! Moving to Alaska!!! YAY! Kev and I are packing our things and driving up to Kenai, June 2nd. I was offered a wonderful position at the best company- ProSeal!! So excited to be apart of the group in Alaska and finally live close to my brother again! I'll have a P.O. Box or mail address very soon. To all of our friends, we love you and make sure to keep in touch!

San Diego

We took a trip to San Diego with our friends Geiler and Jessica. We spent ALL day at the beach, had a yummy sushi dinner and played some amazing games of darts.. pretty sure I won the first night?.. yes that's right.

My hubby is a hottie!!

Geiler and Jessica