Trying to settle in

After a 4 am rousing start yesterday, we arrived in Anchorage at about 10:30. The roads were nowhere nearly as bad as we had expected. There was some loose gravel and several "ribbon" strips of pavement (where the permafrost made our trip seem more like a rollercoaster ride), but other than that, we had some smooth sailing. Glaciers, as we soon found out, are HUGE (obviously, but to see one in person is a bit different). We only saw the tops of one sticking out between the mountains (look carefully the valley of "snow" is actually the top of a glacier). Another day of incredible views and scenery.

Our first stop was Walmart, don't get me started on the costs of living here. We procured some cleaning supplies, an air mattress (as my belongings are STILL not here), curtain rods and other small knickknacks. After that, we needed to find us some munchies. The first store we came to (thanks to our little Garmin friend), was a Safeway... Mom and I both tried to hold back tears as, to our dismay, there was a thin (and I mean thin), selection of gluten free options. Thank goodness for Fred Meyer (whoever he is) and his mega-mart grocery store (he puts walmart to shame). This store has it all, I think Bestbuy, TJ Maxx, Target, Kohls and Homemakers all got together and had a baby. Not only did they have everything one could want, they had a GLUTEN FREE section!!!!! I cried in relief to find that I would not have to live off of rice chips and meat (Bridget, we even found Bob's Redmill Gluten Free oatmeal, both rolled and steal cut, certified and all).

Day two brought us to Home Depot and then we wandered to a discount furniture mart (I need a couch). The lady sold us a full sized couch (it is blue, but oh well, beggars can't be choosers) and a coffee table (similar to the one I left behind) for a whopping $225, brand-new (take that Craigslist). Now we sit in wait for our moving man Carlos to pull through, he has recently told us that he isn't sure when the furniture will get here, maybe today but who knows ( I guess that is what you get for a cheap mover).

The best part of all was when Mom proved her real worth. After figuring out that we may possibly be dish and furnitureless for a few days, we stopped at the Salvation Army Thrift Store for a pot, pan and silverware. Upon exit the woman looked at mom and wanted to know if she was over 55. I immediately exclaimed "You bet she is!", and what-do-you-know, we got the senior citizen disount... 20% off the entire purchase! We walked off with a whole set of wood handled silverware, a pot and pan for $8. Thank you Mom for grey hair :)

This afternoon I am off to the district office to sign all of my papers then mom and I are going to look for the dog park, as it has finally stopped raining. Thanks for all the prayers, miss you all already.

Gasp

We have gone to many different places throughout my life, the Rockies of the US, Australia, Europe, the Appalachains, and Jamaica, but nothing is quite as breathtaking as the Canadian/Alaskan Rocky mountains. The sites mom and I saw today are too beautiful for words, I tried to get a video of a view off of one of the observation decks but I know it did not do justice. We only saw a moose from far away and didn't get a picture, but the endless river systems and lakes were hard to take our eyes off of. Tonight we are staying in the small town of Tok before continuing on to Anchorage tomorrow morning (we want to leave by 5am for the 5.5 hour drive), where hopefully Carlos will be delivering my belongings (not the most organized moving company, but he assures me that my things will be there tomorrow). No more typing for me, I couldn't describe it accurately anyway.

We listened to Devil in the White City today by Erik Larson. The story is one of H.H. Holmes and his murderous activities surrounding the Worlds Fair in Chicago in 1892. Though the book is creepy (especially since it is true), it is riveting, and really neat to hear about the building and creation of the World's Fair (the book says that this is when Craker Jack and Shredded Wheat, along with the Ferris wheel were invented). A definite must read for history geeks :)

Thanks everyone for the well wishes!

Sleeping not allowed

Nodding off on the Alcan highway (Alaska/Canadian to the natives), is not an option, unless, that is, you plan on mowing down a heard of wood bison or other woodland creature. Our hotel yesterday had breathtaking views of Muncho Lake and a cozy little cabin (with some shoddy heat) run by a Swedish couple Urs and his wife, however, it did not have wireless internet (amazing the things that we take for granted). Mom and I got in about 3 pm after countless pauses on the highway for traffic and numerous "patches" of unpaved road (I would consider them mile long stretches). The lake offers an awe inspiring view of mountains, valleys and greenish blue water (caused by copper leakage) with quaint cabins, a fancy lodge and more schnitzel than most German restaurants offer. The most interesting part is that it is a good 100 miles from ANYTHING, no exaggeration (other than a small fueling post and campgrounds). This morning we woke to a stifling hot room as we had not realized that the temperature would drop into the 40's triggering the heating unit to kick start. After a quick jaunt with Zoey, a jump into the non-heated bathroom (where I had left the window open all night), and a quick packing up, we were on the road.

No more than 10 minutes into the trip, we had encountered the following:

4 bison (followed by several herds later in the drive)
3 bears (brown I think, 1 mama and two cubs)

After the original 4 bison mom and I had the following conversation:
Me: Oh look! A herd of bison up on that hill! Oh, nope sorry it is just an outcropping of trees.
Mom; That is ok, we will just tell everyone we saw a herd and pretend.
moments later:
Mom: Oh my gosh!
Me: It IS a herd of bison, and babies... no need to pretend.
All of this followed by an attempt to continue on the road to stubborn, unyielding bison.

We have LOADS of picture so I am just going to attach them all when I can (the internet here isn't letting me upload them) in an uncharacteristically mass group.

Here is the total list of animals we saw in the last two days:

Mountain Sheep
2 Moose (a young one and a Male)
Deer
Bison
Bears

Talk to you all later! (p.s. the sunset here tonight is at 11:39 p.m., then dusk till the 3 a.m. sunrise)

Into British Columbia

We made it into British Columbia today, completely crossing Alberta. The greatest news was that the movers called and my things have made is safely into Anchorage and will be delivered when we arrive on Tuesday! After a quick stop in Edmonton for a view of what Annie tells me is the world's 2nd largest mall (it is an odd structure and strangely enough includes a carwash), we stopped at a really cute little trading post for some lunch and to let the dog roam about for a bit. When we got into town stopped at the local grocery store and purchased some food for a picnic dinner and then drove out to a park, laid out a blanket, tied the dog out and enjoyed a wonderful simple dinner in the gorgeous weather. For the night we are staying in Dawson Creek and have snuck Zoey into the hotel (shhh... don't tell). The drive today turned from sprawling canola fields into never ending acres of pine forests, the mountains must be getting close. The Fixer Upper is our most recent book, a long one at 12 CD's, it is proving quite entertaining and has had both mom and I in stictches several times (especially the part when I spit my water all over mom's lap while driving). Dawson Creek is mile marker 0 for the Alaskan Highway, next stop, Muncho Lake!

Canada eh?

Don't cha know, we rolled into Canada this morning around 8am, passing through Manitoba in what seemed like minutes right into Saskatchewan (ok not really, it took a couple of hours). Though the land is flat, and I mean really flat (like North or South Dakota), there are millions upon millions of acres of yellow canola and purple flax and it makes for quite the scenic drive. Originally we were going to stop in Yorkton but with a surplus of energy, we made it a few more hours to completely cross Saskatchewan and arrive in Lloydminster That lets us divide up the rest of the days so that we can do some site seeing in the Canadian Rockies and up towards the glaciers in Alaska. I think that we will drive to Dawson Creek tomorrow and then on to Muncho Lake. That switches our travel to 4, 8 hour days then a final 5 hours to Anchorage. Mom and I are pretty excited, it means we get to do some site seeing :) Also, book note... Remember Me by Sophia Kinsella is a good book but a bit risque for the younger crowd (note to Annie, wink wink).

Day 1: Grand Forks, ND

Well, we were only going to drive to Fargo, but being the super hero driver that I am, we made it all the way to Grand Forks, ND. The drive was....well it was a drive. Not much to see, not anything to see really. Mom and I had a good time, we started listening to a Carol Higgins Clark book (Mary's daughter) and had to turn it off because the writing was soooooo bad. Zoey did AWESOME in the car although she slept on top of her kennel the entire time and barked just about everytime we passed a truck (and tried to bite at it). I don't have much more for tonight, we are off to Yorkton tomorrow although we think we can make it to Saskatoon. The internet is pretty sketchy here at the Clarion so hopefully some of the pictures will get uploaded.

Catch you later!

2 Days...No Way!

TWO MORE DAYS... doesn't quite seem real, but I going to have to accept reality that I am leaving in a little over 48 hours. I decided to blog early today because all of my peeps and I are going to an ICubs game tonight, and should I get home late, I did not want to miss the chance to post the other two books that I am looking foward to listening to on the way. Here they are:

By popular demand, White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

The White Tiger is a penetrating piece of social commentary, attuned to the inequalities that persist despite India's new prosperity. It correctly identifies—and deflates—middle-class India's collective euphoria.

First-time author Adiga has created a memorable tale of one taxi driver's hellish experience in modern India. Told with close attention to detail, whether it be the vivid portrait of India he paints or the transformation of Balram Halwai into a bloodthirsty murderer, Adiga writes like a seasoned professional. John Lee delivers an absolutely stunning performance, reading with a realistic and unforced East Indian dialect. He brings the story to life, reading with passion and respect for Adiga's prose. Lee currently sits at the top of the professional narrator's ladder; an actor so gifted both in his delivery and expansive palette of vocal abilities that he makes it sound easy. A Free Press hardcover (Reviews, Jan. 14). (May)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

True Colors by Kristin Hannah

In her 17th novel, bestseller Hannah portrays the delicate and enduring bonds of sisterhood. The story of the Grey sisters is set in a small Washington town and follows Winona, Aurora and Vivi Ann from the time of their mother's death, when they are young teens in 1979, on through adulthood, cataloguing their trials and the men who typically come bearing them, beginning with Luke, Winona's high school best friend and secret crush. But when he falls in love with Vivi Ann, who later cheats on him with farmhand Dallas, it leads a jealous Winona to betray her sister. Vivi Ann and Dallas get married, have a baby and run the Grey family farm, but Dallas is eventually arrested for murder, and lawyer Winona refuses to take his case, seemingly killing her relationship with Vivi Ann. Dallas is convicted and things look bleak for Vivi Ann and her son, but Winona's late-breaking friendship with her nephew paves the way for the happy ending. Though Hannah boldly embraces over-the-top drama, she really knows what women-her characters and her audience-want. (Feb.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Getting Nervous...

As I am counting down the days until I leave, I realize that until now I really have remained quite calm and collected. Though it may seem that not much has changed, I am starting to get a bit nervous about moving. I am slowing realizing the enormity of the situation, I am not just moving a couple of hours away, I traveling 3,500 miles, across another country and then arriving at my destination. The fastest I could get home is 11 hours.

To keep busy, mom and I packed the car (partly) today and made sure that all of my junk (and the dog who has the most space of all of us) would fit comfortably. I did not realize that I had as much stuff as I do to take along in the car, I am really glad that we canceled the U Haul and went with the moving company instead.

Someone asked me the other day for the list of books that we are going to be reading in the car, so here are some of the ones I am most excited about:


The Fixer Upper, by Mary Kay Andrews:

Andrews's latest Southern charmer begins with junior lobbyist Dempsey Jo Killebrew in the crosshairs of a political bribery investigation. Suddenly unemployed and the victim of a sleazy smear campaign by her former boss, Dempsey decides to take up her father's offer of flipping a recently inherited family home in Guthrie, Ga. As it turns out, the house needs much more than a fresh coat of paint, and Dempsey's ornery cousin and her dog are squatting there. So it is that the formerly glamorous Dempsey steps into her dead uncle's overalls and chips her manicured nails as she scrubs and sands her way through fixing up the house, quickly finding a renovation groove, fitting in with the locals and embarking on a romance. Meanwhile, the FBI and a pesky reporter come asking questions about the bribery accusations. This authentic tale of cleaning up life's messes and self-discovery is bright, engaging and thoughtful, enlivened by Andrews's quirky characters and lovely backwoods setting. (July)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson

Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America’s rush toward the twentieth century. The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair’s brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country’s most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C. The murderer was Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his “World’s Fair Hotel” just west of the fairgrounds—a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber, and 3,000-degree crematorium. Burnham overcame tremendous obstacles and tragedies as he organized the talents of Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles McKim, Louis Sullivan, and others to transform swampy Jackson Park into the White City, while Holmes used the attraction of the great fair and his own satanic charms to lure scores of young women to their deaths. What makes the story all the more chilling is that Holmes really lived, walking the grounds of that dream city by the lake.

The Devil in the White City draws the reader into a time of magic and majesty, made all the more appealing by a supporting cast of real-life characters, including Buffalo Bill, Theodore Dreiser, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and others. In this book the smoke, romance, and mystery of the Gilded Age come alive as never before.

Erik Larson’s gifts as a storyteller are magnificently displayed in this rich narrative of the master builder, the killer, and the great fair that obsessed them both.

To find outmore about this book, go to http://www.DevilInTheWhiteCity.com.

From the Hardcover edition.

I will post others tomorrow... 3 days until the move...eeeek!

Definition of Dorkiness

Today I got to spend some quality time with friends, some of whom I see daily and others I have not seen in many years, either way, it was great to catch up. I think the best part about friends is that you don't have to do anything to have a good time. Tiff and I just enjoyed the beautiful weather while lunching at Panera and then shopped for some jeans. All Kelsey and I did today was go to the car dealership then to Costco and finally, lie around on my bed, but it was awesome and we had a blast.I had my final dinner with my bible study group (-Amber, I hope you are feeling better), and it was bittersweet. I am really going to miss having my support group when I go. I am not sure I could find one as good as the one we have now, thank goodness for video chatting and Skype. Cheesecake Factory will always be a sacred place (strange, I know), and no matter who I go with, it will never seem right without my girls.

This evening I spent some time sending out thank you cards for the many wonderful things people gave to me for my trip. I am also sending out new address cards, if you by chance do not get one by next week, give me a shout and I will mail one out (I really feel icky about posting my address online for all to see).

Well that's all I got, not much and kind of boring.... I promise next week when we are on the road it will be WAY better :)

Proud Big Sister

Tonight, for my birthday dinner, we all went downtown and ate at the Continental (if you have not been there, you must go... it is FANTASTIC). Afterwards, we decided to go down to 801 Grand and see where C.J. "works". The trip was well worth it, as I have never seen Des Moines for a height of anything more than the second story of South Woods.

It was so nice to see where Chris does his thing on a daily basis. I am so proud of him! The only downfall of the whole evening was the cranky security guard who informed us that picture taking is not allowed at the Principal Building (after we had already taken the majority of our pictures).


I am really glad that I got to see some more of Des Moines before I leave, and even more glad that I got to enjoy it with my family. These are the times that I take for granted and the ones that I am going to miss the most.




On the downside, I rearranged out trip last night and we will no longer be able to stop in Minneapolis :( Mom and I are both really bummed, but it would add a whole day on to the trip. Here is the revised itinerary.:

Night 1 (7/22): Fargo, ND
Night 2 (7/23): Yorkton, Saskatchewan
Night 3 (7/24): Edmonton, Alberta
Night 4 (7/25): Ft Nelson, British Columbia
Night 5 (7/26): Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
Night 6 (7/27): Tok, Ak

with an arrival on day 7 in Anchorage, AK. For those of you who want to contact us, we will have cell service in Canada but will only be able to check voicemail and make calls as we have to pay by the minute. We will be available again once we reach Alask on about the 6th day (July 26th).

Making Memories

While at Archivers the other day, I noticed a travel scrapbooking class and thought that maybe I should make one for Mom and I to remember the trip. We are going to do two pages per day and I am going to try to either photograph them or scan them in as updates. This is what the cover page looks like, pretty cool, huh?

So far, this is how our trip looks: We leave on Wednesday the 23rd and then drive up to Minneapolis to visit Judy (if you haven't heard she is doing MUCH better!), then we drive through Fargo into Canada and stay for night 2 in Winnipeg. The third day brings us to Edmonton where, I am informed by Annie, the world's second largest mall is located (no shopping for us, I am on a budget). For day four we head into Fort Nelson in British Columbia, I am not entirely sure what we will do here but I am assuming that there is a local fort that we can visit. I am looking forward to day five the most, we will be heading to Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory and along the way are going to stop at Laird hot springs, apparently they have over 14 varieties of orchids. After Whitehorse for the sixth wonderful day of our drive we will finally get to see the beautiful mountainous scenery and hopefully a couple of glaciers before we pull into Tok, AK for the evening. (Suddenly, while looking at my map I realize that we are only taking a 7 day trip, guess I have some counting issues, good thing I am going to be teaching Language Arts). After Tok, we should have about a 4 hour drive into Anchorage.

I shipped all of my stuff out on the 6th so I am hopeful that when we arrive on the 28th, it will all be in my apartment ready to get unpacked, otherwise the one sleeping bag I brought might get a big crowded with mom and me both in it.

I have also set up my phone so that I can send text messages to my blog, that may be the only way to update when we are in the middle of nowhere, hopefully it will work out alright.

Well, that's all for now. Annie and I are going to take a run to HyVee (local grocery store), I wonder where I will be making runs to once I get to Anchorage...

9 Days and counting

It has suddenly occurred to me that in just over a week I will be leaving Iowa and heading north, way way north to Alaska. Eight days in a car with mom will make for either quality bonding time, or hair pulling irritation ( but most likely a combination of both).

I am not sure how I am going to adjust to all of this change. I have never before moved somewhere and not known a single soul. I am going to have to start from scratch. Meeting new friends, finding stores I like (hopefully there is a decent selection of gluten free goodies), even my online shopping habits are going to take a hit ( do you have any idea how much it costs to send things to Alaska.... read the fine print on the shipping disclosures).

I really have taken advantage of all of the support my family, friends and church have given me. I won't be able to just swing by to chat with Kelsey, or have mom bring my lunch when I leave it at home (unless an 8 day old sandwich sounds good), I won't even have to watch out on the roads for Annie's crazy driving habits!

Even with all of the uncertainty I am sure that there is more adventure than sadness ahead of me. With all of the moves we have made in the past, I have learned to make new friends and adapt to different environments (similar to many species of moose). Thanks Mom and Dad, who knew the uprooting of a family would be a life long gift :) I can just hear my dad and how excited he would be for this new chapter of my life. Mom, I know you are excited, but it will be hard to be 3,500 miles away when I need a hug.

That's all I have for today, Annie wanted me to write (apparently watching someone blog was on her top 10 list this evening, at least I made someone's night).