Well Water

During the process of trying to unpack, the well water went bad. We were informed that while we live here, that we shouldn't use large amounts of water or we would see sediment. We didn't have to do a load of laundry before we saw it.

The water in the toilets were as black as could be. The owner said he was going to have to dig a well. While that went on we had days of no water. When we did have water, it was dirty. We showered and stayed at the hotel on base. We've been getting water from our friend's house as well as showering there. This has been a rough go for us. We just about threw in the towel when our household goods just about slid down the hill. Now the water.

We had the nicest people drill the well. It was a father son company that had been in their family for three generations. They invited us to come out any time we wanted to watch the big trucks, ask questions or just visit. I took the kids out a few times to watch, and Andrew spent several hours down there asking questions and learning about well drilling.

They even loaned us jugs to carry water in while our water was out. We were out of water for four or five days. They felt so bad about the inconvenience to us. At one point, they were using a very high pressure air compressor to do something and they ended blowing all the water, wiring and the pump itself out of the old well. You see, they were digging ten or twelve feet away from the old well, and that compressed air travelled through fractures in the rock and blew a 100 foot column of water out of the ground, right on to the guys working on the new well! Cole, the son, came to the house soaking wet in 15 degree weather, and was apologizing that we'd be out of water for another day or two. What a sweet guy to worry about us when he had to be beyond miserable. I think they measured the water in the well at 35 degrees!

They finished drilling almost a month ago.

We've had a flow restricter valve on a pipe that wouldn't allow us to get enough water to flush the system. Our water is still mirky. We have to flush the well out many times before we get any clean water. That is thousands of gallons of water that needs to run. I hope and pray that this works not only for us who need it, but for our awesome landlords who don't deserve to pay as much as they did for this well not to work.

December 29th. Happy 11th Anniversary

Our household goods were scheduled to come today. We were so excited. We were ready to have our beds to sleep in and a table to eat off of.

The truck arrived. It backed up and dropped the trailer off back behind our garage due to the steepness of the driveway. It wasn't really flat in the back, but it was all that we had to choose from. As the truck pulled out, he drove up just a little to get back onto the main road. The back of his truck came up high enough that it snaged the trailer that he just unhooked that was barely resting on a somewhat of a flat surface. The trailer then slid off its blocks and began to slide diagonally down the driveway. We just held our breath. The trailer slammed into a snow bank which stopped it in it's tracks. With the momentum of stopping, the trailer tipped half way over. It seemed like it all happened in slow motion. Lucky for us, the trailer tipped back.

The driver was pretty concerned. Andrew got a shovel and began digging the snow away from the handle to the jack.

They tried lifting the trailer higher so the driver could re-hook it up. No such luck. It was now facing a steep inbankement. I don't know what the driver was thinking at this point, but he gets on the main road which is also steep. Rums his engine, and with all that he has, puts his truck in reverse and slams into the trailer. Trying to hook it up? Impossible! To move it. Yes! The trailer kept sliding forward towards the road. We knew once it hit the road, it was bye bye trailer. It would simply slide down the hill and into who knows what. The driver slammed into the trailer a good six to eight times.

I am looking off the balcony watching this happen. I knew it was time to grab the camera. More for insurance purposes. The driver finally left. By now the trailer is turned, has slid lots more into the bank, and it's rear tires are in the air.

Andrew and I are just shaking our heads. After an hour or so, two semi trucks arrive. After more slamming into the trailer, they were able to physically move the trailer in such a position that they were able to officially hook the trailer up. Once they did that, they drove off! No household goods delivered. What a disappointing and scary day.

Andrew called to arrange for them to drop the trailer off again, but in a place down the road where the ground was more level. After talking to quite a few people, he was able to arrange it. Again we had to rent another Uhaul. This meant Andrew would have to unload the truck and load the small Uhaul, drive up and over to our house, unload the trailer, and do this a million more times. I tried to call for help from the men at church, but we weren't able to get any help until they were done with work. That made sense, but by the time Andrew got help, he only had two loads left. The piano being one of the heavy items left to move. We were grateful for the help. Even the missionaries helped! What a job. We did get to witness lots of amazing miracle since we've moved here. We are humbled and are so very grateful for the help from up above.

Finally Finished!

The kids and I flew to Washington. Andrew drove and made it there a few days later. Andrew was able to stay and spend time with family for only a few days before he had to hit the road again. He needed to get a head start so he could pick the kids and I up from the airport. A week later on December 24th, we were able to fly out and see Andrew who made it safely to Alaska.

Andrew had already been up to our new house. As we were driving home, he was just waiting to hear what I had to say about the drive up. OH MY WORD!!!! Andrew would then reply, "We're still not even there." There were a couple tight switch backs that we took. I could see another home way up high. He then told me that we are up even higher. WOW! Once we arrived, we still had to climb our steep driveway. Mind you, it's winter time in Alaska. That means lots of snow and ice. I am just shaking my head thinking we can't do this. It wasn't until we walked in the doors that I fell in love with the home that I saw earlier. It took me a while to get use to the idea of literally living on a mountain. We stayed in our new home for a week sleeping on an air mattress and eating off of paper plates.

We of course missed Christmas. We had planned on celebrating Christmas on January 7th. We would have our household goods by then. We could decorate our home and have a nice Christmas for the kids. Well, being in this big empty home with no toys, the kids were just bored. We felt bad for them. It was kind of last minute, but we decided that Santa was going to come on the 28th. It was late in the afternoon, therefore it was already getting dark. Andrew went outside to see what he could find as far as a Christmas tree. All he had was a pocket knife on him. After a long search in the dark, he was able to come up with a 2 foot tree. It was the cutest thing ever. We decorated it with what we had. We pulled out Andrew's big socks and put our names on a piece of tape that we stuck to them. We told the kids that Santa was coming that night. Sure enough he did. He found us in Alaska on top of our mountain. It was probably one the best Christmases we ever had. The kids opened their gifts and had lots of fun toys to play with. It was a great day.

Looking back

After Andrew graduated on December 7th, it was time to gear up for our move. In the process of moving, we needed to find a moving company that would move us to Alaska. We also needed to find a home which our household goods could be delivered to. There was quite a bit of stress involved. We did a DITY move. (Moving ourselves instead of letting the military pack us.) We knew this would be a big job, but would be worth it in the end. After we found a moving company, we later learned that we needed a loading ramp to the truck. While Andrew's Dad was still in town, they quickly assembled one. It was quite a ramp. They did a great job building it. It was strong and very heavy.

We were finally able to find a home outside of Chugiak. It's located on top of a mountain in Peters Creek. The landlord told us that our ears will pop every time we drive home. In my mind, I thought a large hill, and a long windy road that would lead to the top. We decided to rent the home. It was beautiful inside. It looked like it would be comfortable for our family, and would give us the frontier experience we wanted (instead of just living in town).

We moved December 12th. It was my birthday. Andrew pulled his ramp out. I had a good friend watch the kids for us, and we even got help from some of the young men in our ward (church). It was nice to have the help. Andrew had to strategically place everything just so to utilize every single ounce of space. We would be charged hundreds of dollars for an extra foot on the truck. I think this is what took us so long. It was a good thing they gave us three days to load the truck. We needed all that time. We worked LATE hours of the night packing and trying to get things done before I had to fly out.

Our air mattress had a leak, so we all slept on the floor for days except for Dax who had his playpen. Needless to say, we were exhausted, and questioning ourselves if doing this move was worth it. Frustration is what we felt. Even after the truck was packed, Andrew still had to rent a Uhaul trailer and pull it behind his truck and drive it to Alaska.

A new beginning!

It truly is a new beginning for our family. Andrew has graduated from the nurse anesthesia program, we moved to Anchorage, Alaska, and now starting a new year with the excitement that we get to spend more quality together as a family.

We also changed our blog. We were paying for our old one, and thought we should switch over. I will be able to update more often and keep you informed on how we are doing. There is so much to write. So many things that we've seen and want to share. I'll do my best to catch up since our move.