Keeping Busy

****I started this post back in March, sorry for the delay!****

What on Earth do you do up there? That is a question I get a lot. We are on a remote island, isolated from pretty much everything. The population of our town is under 3000 (on a good day). It snows or rains pretty much daily. There are no chain restaurants (really any restaurants for that matter), not much in the entertainment department. Everything in town shuts down starting around 5 and by 7 it's a ghost town... Get the picture??? Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. At first it was a HUGE adjustment! Now, I am in love with this way of life. It has forced me to become the mother and wife I always wanted and hoped to be. It is a very interesting dynamic, something I find hard to explain. Remember I just told you about how barren this place is and how there isn't much to do? Funny thing is we find ourselves so busy. It isn't busy in the sense that I used to be, the hustle and bustle of so called "city" life isn't there but there is always something happening. That was the biggest piece of advice I got when we arrived KEEP BUSY OR GO CRAZY and I think it's true. I think it was a big contributor to my struggling for the first part of us being here, I never left the house. I tried to carry on with life as it was "back home" and it didn't work. I have had to adapt to a new life, a different life. I have found myself re-evaluating what is important to me and making some much needed changes. So now this is what we do:
We cook and bake. McKinley is becoming quite the chef. She can whip up a mean batch of scrambled eggs.

We color and draw. I had no clue I was raising a mini Picasso. Her art gets better each day.

We chase fire trucks and ambulances. We were playing games one Friday night and heard the all call for the volunteers (everything is volunteer here) and then heard the sirens and saw the lights. McKinley ran to her room and came out like this:

***I can't find this picture, AHHH! She had a big necklace on from playing dress up and then she went and threw her plastic fire hat on and a jacket. The combination was priceless.***

She said "Let's go find the fire" We did.

We do lots of puzzles. She is getting so fast. She did a 24 piece puzzle in under 5 minutes last night.

Busy as a bee....

I really wanted to be better at this blogging thing, I promise! My intentions were really there but I just flat out spread myself way to thin and blogging went from the bottom of my list to completely non existent to me. I am not feeling well today so I am using it as an opportunity to play catch up and while I do that here is what we have been up to instead of blogging:

• gymnastics, gymnastics, gymnastics. My few days a week of teaching quickly expanded to days a week. We are on summer break right now and it feels so strange!
• Called to serve. I got a few callings in our little branch. Right after moving I was called into the Young Women's presidency and I have been loving that. A few weeks ago I was also extended a call to serve in the Relief Society presidency. 
• Business as usual.  TJ's business is finally of the ground and running. We just hired and employee and that has been a new adventure for me. 
• McKinley. Need I say more?! My little munchkin and her attitude keep me on my toes.
• Hunting and Fishing. TJ got the opportunity to go Brown Bear hunting and we have been fishing and exploring in (what little) spare time we have.
• This and that and a little more. I also got involved in the community (in hopes of staying busy and not getting bored here in our tiny town) and have been participating in various events around town. 

I am sure I missed something (probably many things) but you get the idea. I will be posting things as I get them attached to pictures (because no one wants to just read about our lives, right?!). Thanks for caring!

Pick-Me-Up

This move has been an adventure, a roller coaster of sorts. Almost a month into things I finally feel like we are coasting on level ground but there were a lot of days and nights that weren't so smooth. I am so grateful for my amazing family and friends that have been there for me through the ups and downs, you know who you are! My amazing sister sent me this link just when I needed it the most and I just thought I would share.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyX-I-um5Kk&feature=share

Welcome!

Hello friends and family. I hope I am better at blogging this time around and that this will be a good platform to share updates, stories and more about our family and our adventures in the great white north! I find myself often using the phrase "only in Alaska" so I thought it was fitting that it be the title to our new blog. This will replace my e-mail updates so please check back and follow us in this journey.

At some point I will start at the beginning but for now we will start with today. I am making it a personal and family goal that each Sunday we will sit down and update the blog. This last week was a bit hectic for sure! I started teaching tumbling and gymnastics classes and wow for lack of a better word. I was not expecting the interest or demand that it brought to the table. All of the classes are full and most have waiting lists. It is nice to have something to force me out of the house, to have a routine and to meet people and get involved. My body wasn't liking it after the first day but I felt so good after the second day. McKinley is enjoying it on so many levels. She, like my body, struggled a bit after the first day. She didn't so much love the idea of sharing her Mommy but we had a long talk that evening and she did much better the next. She is loving all of her new friends and is excelling (of course) in all of the new things she is learning. It is such a joy to watch as a mother! That child never ceases to amaze me, I am truly so blessed to be her Mom.

TJ is doing great. He is wrapping up the fire station (finally!) and just landed the biggest job in town. I am so proud of him. He is such a hard worker and so talented. The people of the town are so happy to have him here. It is nice to see him appreciated, more than just a number at a big company. Today was fast and testimony meeting and he stood up and bore his testimony, something that doesn't happen often. I am so lucky to be married to such an amazing man.

I am feeling amazingly humble today. I love Sunday. I love Church, the Gospel, feeling the Spirit. I love my family. I love my friends. This journey has been filled will it's fair share of ups and downs. I finally feel like the ground is leveling out, I am finding my footing. That along with sitting here, watching my daughter dance with her daddy makes me smile :)