Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Dan's New Job


So my plan was that I'd be far enough in my telling of our move to Alaska that the post about Dan's job would conveniently coincide with the first day of school. But today is the first day of school and that didn't happen. I wanted it to work "perfectly" but perfect doesn't exist so now is as good a time as any.

We decided we were moving to Alaska sometime after Christmas. People who know us really well probably weren't very surprised by this decision. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love this place and how badly I wanted to be back in Alaska. It wasn't a decision we came to lightly. We spent a lot of time agonizing over the decision, talking pros and cons, jobs and daycare, friends and family, timing and transitions. A lot of tears were shed, almost all by me, and a decision was made. We would move to Alaska with or without jobs.

I should note here that things in our life have never fallen "perfectly" into place. We have moved into three of our homes after dark on the last day of the lease at the previous place. All but one of our jobs have been offered the day before the last paycheck for the previous job. Seriously it's all LAST MINUTE! For some reason I thought this time it would be different. Silly, silly me!

In May Dan got a call for a phone interview at a middle school near Fairbanks. It was for a position teaching math. It seemed like the perfect opportunity and it was May, we weren't moving until July, so having a job now would eliminate some stress and anxiety. The interview went well but Dan didn't get the job. We were crushed.

In June we came to Fairbanks for my 10 year high school reunion. While we were here Dan got a call for a math job at a different middle school in Fairbanks. This job was much closer to where we would be living. We were excited, we started counting on the job perhaps before we should have. Again the interview went well but Dan didn't get the job.

We both applied for countless more jobs and received countless rejections. At moments we started to doubt whether we were doing the right thing. But the we had passed the point of no return. Dan had resigned his job and the position was already filled, there was no turning back. And honestly I don't think it was ever a serious consideration.

So we packed, we cleaned, and we moved. We checked for jobs every night but there was nothing. Then one night in Edmonton a job came available. A middle school math position at the school where Dan had his first phone interview. So Dan applied. The school year was coming soon so the posting said the hiring process would be expedited. Less than 24 hours later Dan got an email asking him if he was interested in interviewing. He looked at the available times and they were all before we could possibly make it to Fairbanks. So he contacted the principal with other times and we hoped that he was flexible.

At this point the earliest we could possibly arrive in Fairbanks was late evening July 26. Dan got a response from the principal asking how 9am on July 27 would work. Dan readily took the time. So less than 12 hours after we arrived in town I drove Dan to his interview. (we arrived in Fairbanks so late there was NO way I was going to try and show him where to go, it was easier to drive him) And he rocked the interview and got the job. So with less than two weeks until the school year started Dan was employed. Last minute, of course, and yet so perfect!

And I'm SUPER PROUD of my husband!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Not a real post

So I was going to post about day 3 of our trip but I've got a lot on my mind right now and a post just isn't coming together. But I didn't want to not say anything because then bad habits of NEVER blogging start and I didn't want that to happen AGAIN!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Pots and Pans



The same pots and pans that were enjoyed as drums are now being used as shoes. Please excuse the diaper only. I NEVER let my kids run around in just a diaper but he had just gotten out of the shower and this was too cute to pass up!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

1st Day

Today is Dan's 1st day at his new job.

It's his
1st day at a new school.

It's his
1st day meeting new co-workers.

It's his
1st day to get a real good look at his new classroom.

It's his
1st day at a job that he has dreamed about for a while. A job where he teaches math and only math.

Next Wednesday will be his
1st day with a whole new group of students.


And we are all so very PROUD that today is his
1st day.





Avoidance



I have this big, epic journey that we took this summer that I really need to start blogging about. I mean we moved from Washington to Alaska and we DROVE. That's quite the trip, trust me! But I just keep avoiding writing about it. It's not that I don't want to its that there is so much to write about I'm not really sure where the beginning of the story is. And so I avoid by posting cute pictures of stories of the boys. Tomorrow I will find a place to begin the story of our journey. For now enjoy a cute picture of our family.
Before we moved we took a trip to Seattle. Partly to pick up my mom at the airport, party to visit some friends, partly to see the Air and Space Museum and the Space Needle, and partly to see a Mariners game. (We lost Jonathan at the Mariners game but that's a story for another day, I PROMISE!) This picture was taken on the observation deck of the Space Needle. It was my third trip up and the view never gets boring. It's just so beautiful looking out over Puget Sound.

I have a bit of a love affair with the Space Needle. There was a time when every flight out of the state of Alaska passed through Seattle. So every time we traveled I flew by the Space Needle and looked upon it with awe. I always wanted to go to to the top but we NEVER left the airport. Now that I've been to the top three times I can say that it was well worth the wait. And it's still my favorite feature of the Seattle skyline.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Sleeping



Jason is a sleeper. That kid likes his sleep. And he will sleep ANYWHERE!
Including on the living room floor on top of the toys he was just playing with. Upon careful inspection of the picture I can identify several things he is sleeping on top of:
  • Green army men
  • half of the Millennium Falcon
  • a video game controller
  • a blue blanket
  • a magazine
But he looks so comfortable!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Seven 8/9/10

7 years ago Dan and I got married. This year we celebrate our 7th anniversary on 8/9/10, get it 7,8,9,10. Yeah we're dorks we've been looking forward to this anniversary for a while. We had big plans to go to Hawaii but then we moved and those plans are on hold. So instead our BIG plans involve a trip to the fair (and a morning at the DMV). But we'll be together and that's what really matters, and I know we'll still have a great time because we always have a great time together. So happy 7 years Dan. I love you and I love having fun with you!Ummm honestly I have NO idea why we are looking at our wedding cake that way. Apparently it was confusing us in some way... I dunno!

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Exciting Friday

So I didn't get around to getting a post ready last night for today because I was exhausted. We spent all day yesterday at our storage unit because OUR STUFF GOT HERE!!!

I wish I had a picture of the storage unit that we filled yesterday but I didn't think of that until just now and I'm not driving down now to take one! Maybe later. I'm just super excited that OUR STUFF GOT HERE!!!

We have our clothes, we have our sheets, we have our kids clothes, we have our kids bunk beds, we have our kids toys. It was like Christmas in July only in early August. Dan has his teacher clothes before he starts his job so we don't have to go out and buy new clothes. I have my clothes too before I start my new job! (I'll fill y'all in on the jobs soon!) It's wonderful having our stuff here. Most of it will be in storage for the next year until we get our own place but at least
I wish I had a picture of the storage unit that we filled yesterday but I didn't think of that until just now and I'm not driving down now to take one! Maybe later. I'm just super excited that OUR STUFF GOT HERE!!!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Mattress Sliding

Let me preface what you are about to watch by saying that I know this wasn't really safe but all the toys were packed up so I let him have some fun. His big bro was at a friends house but if he had been home this never would have happened!

That said Jason was having a blast!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Hide Out

One day as we were packing boxes, and Jonathan was at a friends house, we realized that Jason was being awfully quiet. Too quiet...
The suspicious kind of quiet that makes you wonder what disaster is being wrecked in the house. And so we went in search of Jason only we couldn't find him so we called his name and then followed the sound of him yelling "I right here"
And found him hiding out on the second shelf of one of our lower kitchen cabinets. He had found the perfect little kid hiding place and without his brother around to bug him he had the place all to himself.
He quite enjoyed hiding out while the rest of us packed boxes and cleaned the house. I just love his creativity!

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Go Fly a Kite

One of our last days in the Palouse was very windy. It was the kind of wind that could knock you right over. Jonathan came up with the great idea that we should go fly a kite, and so when all the packing was done that's exactly what we did.Daddy helped Jonathan fly the kite on his own for the very first time. Jonathan had never been deemed responsible enough to hold the reigns of the kite but this time we agree that he would get the opportunity. He had a blast and did a really great job.

I don't think there is anything that quite compares to the joy and laughter of kids trying to chase a kite. The boys had so much fun running around trying to catch up to the kite.
Jonathan kept trying to jump up high enough to catch the tail. It never worked but it was fun to watch him trying
All of us had a great time playing in the field and flying the kite. Jonathan got credit for having a great idea and brought everyone a lot of joy and happiness. What great memories were made that evening!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Drummin'

When the movers are coming and all the toys are packed away and all that's left are the pots and pans that didn't make the cut to move to Alaska what is a little boy to do?

Drum!

And when there in nothing else to use as a drumstick the crevice tool to the vacuum will work just fine!
Creativity at its best!

Monday, August 2, 2010

Moving



"When I moved to Moscow 10 years ago all I came with was a suitcase full of clothes and a duffel bag of bedding, so where on earth did all this stuff in my house come from?"

That thought crossed my mind on a daily basis as we packed up our home to move to Alaska. But 10 years, a husband, two kids, and a house later the stuff I had to bring back to Alaska had multiplied exponentially.

It's a strange thing packing up everything for this type of move. Dan and I have moved 5 times in our almost 7 years of marriage. All of our other moves have been within a 15 mile radius, the longest being our move from Moscow to Pullman. This move was not only more than 15 miles but also crosses international borders. It's different moving a long distance. The things that we usually just tossed in the back of the car had be boxed. Everything had to be boxed. I'm so sick of packing boxes!

Our original plan involved us renting a U-Haul truck, driving one car and towing the other. My dad nixed that idea and so we hired a moving company. We packed all our own boxes except for the fragile stuff, which they packed, and then they loaded everything into their truck, created it and shipped it. I have to say I'm pretty relieved that we ended up hiring someone else to move the stuff. The trip through Canada was interesting enough without adding a U-Haul to the mix.

So on July 13 the movers came and moved all of our stuff out of our house. I can't begin to describe the feeling seeing all our stuff taken away. The house was so empty!

And so the truck drove away with all our things and we were left with only the memories of three wonderful years in our home.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Hello???

Where has the time gone? I knew I was neglecting my blog but I had no idea how long it had gone unloved. Is anyone still out there? Lots has happened in the months since my last post and I intend to post on most of the events over the next few weeks. I do believe the most significant event has to do with my new blog header. Go ahead and take a look, I'll wait. Yes what you are seeing is correct. We drove the Alaska Highway and moved to Fairbanks, like permanently. It has been a long few months with big changes that I'm truly excited to share with y'all. I'm back!

And I promise I'll post tomorrow!