We all have plane tickets for Barrow on May 13th!  The kids are all so excited about the plane ride.  David was 2 1/2 and Rachel was an infant the last time they rode a plane.  This will be Aaron's first plane ride.  So you can imagine how excited they all are about it.

The movers are coming today for a walk though and will be packing next week.  So much to do and so little time.  I'll update you next time from Barrow.

Things are starting to come together.  I'm still not convinced that we will all be able to leave when Chris does.  That should be May 13th.   The biggest things are all related to being the the "Bush."   There are no roads to Barrow.  Therefore unless we wait for the one barge that goes in a year (in August) everthing has to be taken in by plane.  We are taking one car, but it had to be under 15 ft long.  So we are selling one, leaving one parked at a friend's house and just bought a new car.   We will be living in a fully furished place.  It is only 1000 sq. ft.   We can take about 5500 lbs and no furniture.  The rest will be stored.  The NWS will have movers coming, so in a lot of ways it is a lot like a military move. 

There is almost 5000 people in Barrow.  That is pretty large for a "Bush" community.  There is a lot more there than I had first thought.  Still lots of planning to do and I'm trying to get everything I need for school.  We will be ordering our groceries from Fred Meyer and they will be taken up by plane.  The NWS pays for the shipping.  That will cause our food prices to be more like they are here in the Valley.    There is a grocery store in Barrow, but then milk is $11 a gallon in town. 

I should find out next week what day the movers will arrive.  I will have a better idea of if we can go up when Chris does.   

Chris has been offered a job with the National Weather Service in Barrow, Alaska.  I'll try and post more soon.  We should be moving next month.

I'm sitting here on the computer while David and Chris are busy working on his Pine Wood Derby Car.  Now Rachel and Aaron of course don't want to miss out of that either, so it is quiet in the house except for noise coming from the garage.  I look at my blog and realize it really has been awhile!

We have been enjoying warm weather (all depends on your point of view) and lots of sunshine.  I was out at Wal-Mart at 10PM a few days ago and there was still some light on the horizon.  Proof that summer is on its way. Most of the snow had melted, but we got a little this week.  I guess it is just a reminder that it isn't summer yet.  As a matter of fact, I just looked out the window and it is snowing right now.  It really is pretty.  It has been so drab and muddy without snow or green leaves and grass.

Mom arrives here on Tuesday night.  So we are quite excited about that!  Home school convention is this next weekend.  Chris and I will both be going.  We plan to stay in a B&B on Friday night.  I can hardly wait!!

Still waiting on the Lord as far as the work stuff goes.  Chris did have a job interview that went well on Friday.  It sounds like he is in the top two candidates.  It may be a couple of weeks before we here back about that.  It has been an interesting move, changing from military to civilian life.   For all the uncertainty that goes along with military life, there is a certain security there too.  But although this has not been a easy transition is so many ways, it has been good.  It has been a growing and stretching time.  While not easy and pain free, it is good.  I’m just ready to move on.  But again God’s timing is better than mine. 

Happy Easter!!

We really enjoyed going with our church family to Willow last Sunday.  Watching the Iditarod teams go by was amazing.

As you can see Sarah came to the race as well.  (Rachel's doll)

The kids have enjoyed tracking their musher or mushers online this week and working on their lapbook.

While were were out with many in our church family last Sunday, David and Rachel took a ride on a snow machine.  It was a first for both and they had a great time.  Aaron did not want to ride.

I'm finding that it is taking so much longer to get settled in this time.    I do not even have pictures up.    I'm not sure how much of it is that fact that we will NOT be moving again in a couple years or because we are just tired.  I don't know maybe a little of a lot of things.  Palmer is feeling like home though.  It has been a long time since a place felt like home! 

The kids have been studying the Iditarod the last few weeks.  They are working on a lap book.  We will be going with others in our church a little north of here along the trail to watch the mushers go by.  We are all so excited about doing that.  That will be on Sunday afternoon.  Chris is planning to take some pictures.  I'll post some next week.

I was asked a few weeks ago how we ended up in Alaska.  Well that is not a simple question to answer.  I went to Fairbanks while I was in college.  I was a semester and summer missionary there.  I don't know how to explain in a way that makes sense to most people, but it just felt like home.  Alaska is a special place.  It often has strong impression on lot of people.  I grew up in Louisiana and while it still holds special memories and special people for me, it just isn't home.  I fell in love with Alaska.  Chris was in Fairbanks with the Air Force and it had the same effect on him.  We tried for the last 12 years to come back.  It just wasn't God's timing, but with Chris getting out of the AF there was an open door to return and we did.  We just think this is where we are supposed to be. 

So why are we not in Fairbanks?  I don't know.  I still love Fairbanks.  We considered a number of different places.  There was just something about Palmer that drew us.  As well as the practical matter of being close enough to Anchorage that he could commute there for a job if need be.  After having been here for two months, I think it is where we are supposed to be.  I really don't have a good answer.  I'll have to think on that some more.  All I know is we don't want to move.  We love it here!  We love our church, our new friends and this is the most beautiful place I think I have ever seen.  There are so many things we love that are hard to put down in words.  We love the freedom to homeschool without government  interference.  We love waking up to find a moose and her calf in our back yard.  I looking forward to picking berries this summer and so many more things.  I just love Alaska and we love the Mat-Su Valley.   

OK, sorry it has taken so long.    Things have been crazy up here.  We got our shipment on Wednesday of this week.   I have been helping Chris with his resumes, the kid's school, unpacking and all that stuff.  I cannot believe that it is already the middle of February. 

My photos are still on my phone, but here are a few of David's photos of the house.

This is Rachel's room (before her bed arrived.)  As you can see she has a great view of the mountains.

This is a picture out the living room window.

We had two guests about a week ago.  David got a picture of one of them.

We are all doing well.  We have found a church and are making friends.