Got our Alaska lisences (sp?) and plates! Nice!

New residence tomorrow, and new, fun hobby starting Sunday for me: COOKING!

Payday today, oh yeah!

Bored in Alaska.

I know. That is a bad opening sentence. HORRIBLE! But true. We are here in suburbia another 3 days of long, boring, sat. tv, and too much sleep. It is hard to establish eating routines too, b/c we don't want to make a big mess here at this house, and then have to massively clean it.

Still it's a blessing here. It's good to rest. Make myself rest (?)

So today, Casey ramps around town talking to financial institutions which is not in my blood to do. As you may picture I would just squirm the whole meeting and stare off into space. Not that I'm not interested - it's just that it's one of those ansy weeks.

We will move into our temp. housing Friday, but still sleep at this blessingful house sitting place till Sat. I am only negative b/c it is suburbia, lawn mowers, kids yelling, roaring engines everywhere all morning during my sleep :( Wah!

I'm into silence and country wilderness. So I say...heh...as long as I have at least Bo with me out in the country I shall not be afraid of bears...?

Blogs probubly shouldn't be written 10 mins. after waking up, but Dad's blog and some emails inspired some ramble this morning.

This is a good line of common sense from Dad's blog: "They have begun to accumulate a lot of stuff, personal and for schools. And need to conserve space. We have bought very little. We have lived in Africa before ;-)"

Today I shall go running again, yell at two dogs loudly "playing" and barking, sit on the couch, walk back and forth, clean a little,....WASTE ALASKA TIME! NO!

Once we are settled in temp.houseville, I'll push for Denali Nat'l Park and some cool ghost towns. Raveonettes yeah!

"you cannot obscure God’s sunsets"

Pizza and root beer floats tonight!

The sun was shining again today, are we secretly in California?! NOPE! Too cool of mountains flanking our view for that.

Has anyone been to the Grand Tetons Nat'l Park out west right by Yellowstone Nat'l Park? Maybe just Mike? Well, there's one set of mountains right along Anchorage called the Chugach Mts. and they are similar (to the Tetons) in ridged, sharp, towering coolness!

Well wouldn't you know it, I got online way long ago, and my 15 mins. time frame I made an hour ago is way beyond itself! Too fun! Good to see some good emails, and a blog from dad.

I actually ran today for the first time since our upheaval north! It was excellent, and about 1.5 miles! Then later in the day we walked Bo and this house sittee's dog Isabel (a cute, fat, 12 yr. old brown lab). Ah, Bo irritates her so! Bouncing all around her like a puppy brat, just smiling with tongue wagging everywhere waiting for her to react!

As we were walking the canines through this Equestrian Acres - very nice houses each on their own acre full of woods and super suburbia 40 and up ownership with families, etc...it started to rain humongous pelts of rain drops on us.

Sun still shining. Lots of big black clouds in the mountains, but nowhere near us! Pelt after pelt for 2 mins, then nothing else. It was surreal and beautiful! We saw a huge, fat, double rainbow too! NICE!

Gotta love summers!

Majestic mountains surround this Mat-Su Valley, which is an abbreviation for the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.

Most days are clear, with puffy white clouds floating all around us. Sunny and 70s. We're told we're lucky for these great days! Other days it is overcast with some sun shining through, and by the 10:00 P.M. sunshine, it is clear and shiny again - you know just like it is 4:00 P.M. in regular America.

"The fastest growing area in all of Alaska!" Small houses are going for $210,000 on 1/2 acre lots in this suburb to Anchorage called Wasilla. If you ever look at a map, Anchorage is situated on a penisula and it's housing goes north a bit, and then up the side of a mountain.

There is no more room for new housing, and the big and rich people are willing to pay $250,000 and up for their palatial homes from the Wasilla community neighborhoods that are packed left and right with neighbors. A seller's market. It's a 45 min. drive to Anchorage. A simple commute to normal people, yet so beautified and quickened by those mountains!

No neighborhood for us though! We will have 5 heavily wooded acres of peace north of that "fastest growing area" by 30 miles or more! There is a huge block of 80 acres that noone lives on (as of yet) right behind our land. It is slowly getting developed for people to do like us on similar 5 acre plots.

Speaking of 80 acres, caddy corner to our lot is 80 more open acres that WE WANT TO BUY! Our realtor buddy Dustin is out of control and informative at all the money to be made in realty business! Our eyes are a lot bigger than our wallets! But we are going to pursue it in a few years. Anyone want in on it!?! A vacation home? An investment? From here, we'll move on to Hawaii!

Anyways, our drive to the Anchorage airport to pick up friends and fam will be about an hour and 20. Not bad, all one main basic highway and it goes fast as you gaze on the surrounding, towering mouNtains.

They say there's a good 5.0 or so earthquake here about every 2 months. "No big deal. You just wait it out as it rolls under you..." Hmm...

Black and brown bear and moose heavily populate any and all areas of this land! It's neat. It's scary, and adventursome. One moose could feed us both for a year and a half! No mad-cow here!

Moose meat is very good according to everyone we talk to, bear meat is good to some, but greasy to others. I wonder how zebra compares? Any Carnivore goers over in Aff? Or nothing so developed in Tanzania?

Hey I'm listening to Mike's Africa song. Real good.

There's something to Matt's blog the other day. Everyone so spread out. Everyone in Africa. California. Alaska. Grampa. I have that lonesome feeling too. I miss everyone and look forward to visits. We are old I presume. We are living our lives I presume...

Right now we're staying at our vice principal's house and it is good to just sit and listen to music. Sit and write or computer it up. Some peace and reflection time of course.

Missing you all. More to come. Keep Africans, Gramps, Mavis, and Konya in prayers!

I wanted so badly to start on this journey with you by my side. But it just was not in the cards for us this time, round... - Bustin Ed

Best Western. Best Friend.

HA!

We're checking out of BW as I type and we're headed to pick up a pop up camper we get to use for a couple weeks, as we wait for word on our house!

God is too good. Too, too, too many things are flowing in and out, up and down, and all over the place that could only be Him! YES! I'm so glad I know Him!

It has been a rollercoaster of your basic moving sitches and it is testing my faith.

I have just been thinking over and over again that I will never not trust God again! Not that I wasn't trusting but just seeing so many things fall into place is humbling and AWESOME!

The Africans are gone! Hope they have a great trip and soak Africa in! Oh that's a good place to go and soak!

So, I was talking to dad about how we have free will - choices - like we choose Alaska - we choose this and that and there's always consequences good and bad. We have no room to complain about not getting this house b/c there will be something else. I'm mean come on self, we totally picked up and uprooted our whole existence and came up here without a residence! HA!

Anyways, it's just good to take steps in faith! Whether it be a new hobby, a step towards a dream, a new relationship, an old relationship! OH GOD is too good.

I really liked your blog dad! I like how "it will all be to His glory" no matter what we choose, He is in control. YES!

Off to pop up camper land!

Umm...

Alaska becomes us is what I think this second! it's like an old 80s movie - "Death Becomes Her" (?)

Okay! 80s music. There's much of it. Much REO Speedwagonesque radio stations. Although I'm into catching some quality Cyndi Lauper, come on.

HOWEVER, I have discovered 2-3 good stations. Good mix of currrrrrrent sounds.

Anyways, it's been quite a crazyness thus far. For those who don't know we're house shopping and it's up and down all over the place with one we've wanted (from online research) since 6 months ago.

It's pending for another buyer and I'll leave it like that. There's much hope in many different house/cabin kit/land options and we are exploring them. Of course we want it settled asap (me) so that all the escrow blabla gets done and ready at least in a month - with an "early occupancy" clause.

Yeah, we're learning a LOT and FAST! The realtor we have is 30 years old (a little odd) but super nice and out of control knowledgable about anything from land to bear attacks to fishing...and on and on.

CASEY'S NEW BEST FRIEND! They are getting some BFF necklaces tomorrow. Anyone seen that Hemi commercial with the "best friends" commercial!?!

OKAY! I'm loopy! We're at a Best Western for some luxury before my interview and before Tommy flys out tomorrow from Anchorage.

So much to say, so little time, or so little brain power to keep up. But I have some memories rapidly unfolding into paper record. too fast for my hand to keep up with the brain jdajhfjkejwa;fj;asdjfl;kasjdkfajd;l;a

Love you all.

"HE'S HERE!"

Oh, that was a great feeling today on the phone! I was talking to dad all about gramps and the trip and everything and as I was about to say bye....

All these nurses, mom, mabel, and dad were all joyful and yelling..."He's here,....yeah!!!".

Grampa got back from surgury and he said "hi mary"!

That was the best! I'm so glad I got to be a part of that!

Then talking to him later, he is such an amazing guy! An amazing grampa! He's all talking about fishing and the roof fall and Alaska!

Anyways, we're awaiting the arrival of Casey's brother. There were delays in Chicago today - seemingly as always - due to wind.

Bo got his undercoat extremely brushed out, a bath, and all the royal treatment today at Petco! He's all worn out and we hope he stays calm for the rest of the trip!

Gotta take care of trip preparations online now!

Seatac

Yeah, it's this suburb type of town name between Seatle and Tacoma, and it's where we'll pick his brother up tonight from Seatac Airport. All this info is truth, unless I have deliriously mistaken it for truth...

I feel really wiped out tired. You know the end of school feeling. Just like in college when you've crammed, procrastinated, and shoved in every little thing in the world into one week. WHOA!

But it's too liberating of a feeling to let it take over our dream thoughts!

Anyways, we're doing business today b/c we won't be able to after tomorrow for sure. Business like: getting Bo's papers and health record all set for a trip into Canada (border patrol stuff there), cancelling our phones, internet, and other (?).

Okay, so today I forced a sleep in, as work would have it I have not been able to sleep in with quality for several months. The body just waking up at 7 am every morning! OH NO! TRUE work world adulthood setting in?!?! NOOOOooooO! SICK!

Bo is finally taking a nap after bouncing around all morning trying to jump onto our hotel beds. He was endearing and annoying :)

Well, Grampa news in my focus today. I pray for him and hope all goes well! THAT GUY! A ROOF!??!

Love you all! Hope to blog a couple more times before we head out to Canada where the real adventure begins! AHhhhh!

Here are some random, funny quotes/thoughts from our last day of school cards and words said to us today:

"Although they appear to be cute and cuddly, polar bears are quite disagreeable."

"Have fun and don't get eaten"

"I'm sorry we were unable to get together for our Star Wars trivia game night."

"Keep warm, count your blessings, and always keep an extra bed for me" - yeah, we will especially for you, outside underneath the honeycomb bee's nest.

"Just keep on remembering all the memories."

"Hope you enjoy the Literary Alphabet." proceeded by an actual literary alphabet of quotes. whoa!

More to come on this comprehension and ... leaving ?