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.