A picture of our little town-to-be in summer 🙂
Well, after all of this anxious waiting, on Tuesday we finally got our orders from the Coast Guard. We’re going to be moving to Alaska this summer. Yep, this is happening. This is my real, actual life and it’s so weird. Just looking at that first sentence is absolutely and utterly surreal for me.
My husband and I used to have this joke about how no matter where we were stationed we’d be fine as long as we didn’t get stationed in Alaska. Also in a pretty recent post, I mentioned how I didn’t think I’d like to live there. What I’m getting at, is that we basically asked for this (or put it in the cloud as my friend Kristy likes to say.) However, don’t be fooled by the tone of those first few sentences because believe it or not, I truly am excited to be going there. Going someplace new is always an adventure and in no place is that more true than Alaska. Like anywhere else, I’m sure it will be many things. Certainly the winters may be difficult (not to mention a serious adjustment!) and I imagine that there will be times that I may feel isolated, but truth be told, those things can happen no matter where you are. On the flip side of that, it’s also astoundingly beautiful there. It’s pretty amazing to me that I’m going to live in a place where it’s commonplace to see things like whales, moose and eagles, mountains and glaciers. Not to mention the northern lights… I mean the Northern Freaking Lights, people! I’m going to get to share all of that, for better or worse, with the hubs and my girls and I’m SO grateful for that! As difficult as it will surely be to be away from our family and friends for the next two years, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I have no intention of taking for granted.
Anyway, there is a ton of research and work ahead of us (it’s no small task to move across the country, even with all the help that we’ll have), so the blog may be getting a bit less of my attention for a little while than it usually does. Hope you guys understand! If any of my lovely readers are living or have ever lived in Alaska, I’d love to soak up any and all tips or advice you may have for us!
I may do a little documenting of our road trip to Alaska (yes, we’re driving like crazy people) and what it’s like living in our new town once we get there in case anyone is interested!
I also wanted to give a huge thanks to everyone here who has been praying for us and thinking happy thoughts, you guys really are the best and make me feel like no matter where I am, I have friends 🙂
~Stephanie
Amanda @SagelySweet says
March 2, 2016 at 3:30 pmOH my gosh!!!! That’s AMAZING!!! I would love to have that opportunity. You’re very lucky :D:D
Stephanie says
March 3, 2016 at 7:14 amThanks, Amanda! So nice to hear from you, hope all is well!! The whole thing is still pretty freaking surreal… it’s insane to think that in a few months, we’re going to take this insanely long road trip (with 2 kids!) and basically have a completely different life for the next couple of years. It’s definitely exciting (and scary and awesome and nerve racking)! 🙂
Karin says
February 29, 2016 at 12:47 pmwe are military as well, Air Force and PCS’ing to the Pentagon from LA this summer. Just started learning about the 21 day fix and stumbled across your blog. I love it! Hubby and I are from Ohio 😉 Good luck with the move, my parents were stationed in Alaska and loved it 😉
Stephanie says
February 29, 2016 at 1:57 pmThanks, Karin! Sounds like we have a lot in common 🙂 Good luck with your move, too, that’s a big one, how exciting! I’m so glad you found my blog, if you have any questions about the 21 Day Fix, I’d be happy to answer them for you!
Lisa says
February 20, 2016 at 11:57 amOh, I’m jealous! My husband and I moved to Alaska 3 times for fun and drove there twice. It’s amazing and I’d love to do it again! You will love it and definitely take advantage of the Alaska Airline credit card. You can get the companion fare and do a direct flight from Anchorage to Hawaii. What’s not to love?
Stephanie says
February 20, 2016 at 12:46 pmToo funny that you mention that credit card, Lisa! My husband and I were literally just talking about doing that today 🙂 We’re definitely looking forward to it! Nice to hear how much you loved it!
Meghan | Fox and Briar says
February 9, 2016 at 12:37 pmI am so excited for you! I grew up in Alaska, and there is nowhere else like it. Also, I have only been to Seward once, but it is really pretty. The nice thing of being on the water is that the weather is more mild, so you won’t have the horrible winters that the interior gets. There is so much beauty, I really encourage you and your family to get out and explore as much as possible! Congratulations!
Stephanie says
February 9, 2016 at 1:47 pmThanks, Meghan! We’re getting pretty excited about it all 🙂 From what I’ve read, it seems to get more rain than snow (which isn’t what I would have originally thought), but we’ve been buying lots of insulated waterproof everything so we can spend as much time outdoors as possible. 🙂