Changes

Oh my dear friends. How I have missed you these past months. And yet, every time I thought to myself "self, you should go blog something!", I simply did not. The thoughts did not materialize, the words did not come, and so here I am, many a moon after last blogging with a simple apology, and a quick list to get you updated on all the changes that have happened to us since September.

Because? There have been lots of changes since September.

1. I applied to graduate from college! I am assuming that the information I got the other day about how to order my cap and gown means that I was accepted to graduate. Which. Is. So. Exciting!! My graduation date is April 30th and then I will be scott free ... until May 7th,when I have to start my final and last class. Ah well. At least I will be completely done with my BA in Mass Communications in July!

2. We moved! Yes, we reversed everything we had done a mere 7 months before, packed everything back into our little camper and hit the road once again. We will always treasure our time in Alaska, and the people we were blessed to get to know while being there. However, it wasn't for us. When I do not get sun in the winter OR the summer, bad things happen. Like all my energy flies away to Bermuda or somewhere sunny and lies on a beach, while I lie on my bed (because we didn't have a couch obviously).
We did discover something vitally important about ourselves while there though: we are prairie people. Now, there are mountain people and prairie people and neither kind are bad.  We just happen to like our flatlands where we can see for miles and miles. It energizes us. And helps us take a deep breath, one that we had held onto for 7 months in the mountainous/treed regions of Alaska.
Oh and remember how good I did at blogging our move there? I had pictures upon pictures to share and stories upon stories. Well, let's just say that didn't happen on the move back. I do have this picture:

Because it was cold and we somehow gathered more stuff while we were up there, it was simply not possible to sleep in our camper. So, we slept in half of the back of the Explorer. Which means everything else got thrown to the way way back. Apparently even Miss Millie. Doesn't she look pathetic?

Our trip back was an adventure, to say the least. It involved not showering for 5 (6?) days, a flat tire on the camper, getting stuck in the snow, breaking down on the side of the Interstate, getting pulled over in Canada and cranky border patrol personnel. But, we made it! We are now living in South Dakota where Luke grew up and loving it!

3. We got another dog! She was a stray who showed up at a neighbor's, so we took her in. We're guessing she is a black lab mix (strong on the black lab) and around a year old. She is very smart and sweet and attention deprived. Sadly, we are looking for another home for her as our landlord calves out a bunch of heifers at our place and isn't comfortable having a big dog around. But isn't she cute?

We named her Aleda (a-lay-da), but call her Leda all the time. She sleeps most of the day and is hilarious to watch dream. As I am typing she is woofing in her sleep and her paws are just a-going.  She also sleeps with her eyes open, which is slightly creepy.

4. We're going to have a baby! It's still surreal to type that, even though I have known since October. We did  not tell a soul until the 12th week (Thanksgiving), even though I spent half that time laying in bed, trying not to die. It's amazing how easy keeping a secret is when you live thousands of miles away from family! They didn't know that in between writing FB posts that I was running to the bathroom or that I was talking to them while laying down in bed, trying not to move. Now there is no keeping this secret since this is what I currently look like:

And this is what Baby Waldo currently looks like:

(don't worry ... we're not actually naming him Waldo)

According to my Dr my due date is May 27th and according to the ultrasound tech, my due date is June 2nd. My thoughts on pregnancy are varied, and sadly not all flattering. However, that is another post for another time! I am definitely digging his crazy antics though. He loves it when I eat and lets me know by doing a happy dance. However, I would appreciate it if he would give me my memory back. 

So, there you go! There are the highlights. Of course there was lots of other living in those months, including the holidays, living with Luke's parents for 3 weeks, getting stuck on the way to my parents, celebrating our 1 year anniversary, date nights, friend nights, and all around goodness. Can't wait to share more goodness with you in the time to come!

Come on in ....

and check out our new digs! I apologize in advance for the blurriness of the photos. however, I am too lazy to fix them. mmkay? kay.

first up we have our living room:

the chairs were provided, which was lovely as we don't have any furniture of our own. the large window was also provided, which is also lovely. there are several trees right in front of the window that sort of blocks my sunlight, but it's still nice to have that much.

as you can tell miss millie is really excited to show off her house!

our next stop is our kitchen:

fun fact: the duplex we are living in was built by luke's great uncle in the '60s (we live next door to his widow Lavonne). all of the cupboards in the house were custom made by Vernon. so that's pretty cool. it's also really cool that it fits all of my kitchen stuff (barely, but it still fits!)

yes, that is a card table and folding chairs masquerading as a kitchen table. we're classy. or just poor newlyweds.

next up: the 'master' bedroom

anyone who was at our house in Ekalaka knows how much we've upgraded in closet space. makes my heart happy.

and we got the desk for free off of craigslist. any remodel suggestions are more than welcome. as are any suggestions as how to get gunk off of fake wood as my GooGone is letting me down.

moving down the hall we encounter the bathroom:

no, you're not seeing things. that is a lavender sink (and tub). the only reason our toilet isn't lavender is because the pipes froze a couple of years ago and they weren't able to find a replacement.

oh and those cupboards were made by Vernon too!

and I took down the curtains. the glass is frosted so no one can see in and it just makes me happier.

our final stop takes us to the guest room:

as you can see we're ready for you whenever you want to come!

Operation Alaska Move (Days 7 & 8)

After paying our two loonies (Canadian dollars) for our showers on Sunday morning and gathering up our clean laundry (!), we headed back out on the highway. 

Our first stop was just up the road:

According to the guidebook this was a not to be missed attraction and I think I will agree with that. Apparently a homesick GI posted a sign pointing to his hometown in 1942 and it was a tradition that quickly caught on. There are now thousands of signs. Pictures cannot really describe how many rows upon rows of signs there are behind these posts. There are a lot of families/places represented here!

{sidenote: yes, I am wearing blue camo gauchos. awesome no? 

i got them on sale at Target 4 or 5 years ago and they are just so comfy. and highly stylish of course.}

Luke wouldn't let me take his picture until we found a sign that he liked. We agreed we couldn't get much better than this!

{he grew up a mere 50 miles from the world famous corn palace}

After this stop we hit the highway for real. We had picked up a free guidebook the day before so I was busy scouring the pages for places we simply couldn't miss. This was the next one we reached:

Johnson's Crossing "World Famous" Cinnamon Rolls.

{according to my husband they are not as good as the ones his classmate's mother makes}

After being on the road for 7 days, someone revolted over the seating arrangements:

In case any of you were feeling sorry for her, I am here to show proof that she didn't have it so bad:

The rest of the day was filled with a lot of this:

That night we reached Kluane Lake:

I had read a rave review in the trusty guidebook about a campground located on the lake and we decided that we would stay. I am so glad we did because this was the view from our spot:

{sidenote: this was taken at 6:30 in the morning. look at how high that sun is!}

On Sunday night we got the camper set up in our spot and decided to head out for a walk along the beach. As we were walking and talking and just enjoying being with one another, we both agreed that we were just ready to be done. Ready to be off the road, out of the car and in a real bed in a real room. So we decided to set the alarm for early and drive until we got there. 

So that's what we did. 

Apparently it was the wise decision as someone else was feeling the weariness of the road:

{she pretty much refused to leave the front seat the whole day}

Let's get a close up on this woebegone creature:

Heartbreaking no?

So we hit the road and hit is hard. Soon enough we saw something pretty exciting:

After an incredibly easy border crossing (God answers prayer!), we hit the road for more driving. While the wildlife was lacking (all we saw in these two days was 1 wolf, which I didn't actually see), the scenery was beautiful:

Soon enough, we reached our destination.

(and by soon enough I mean after a looooong day of driving, driving and driving. it seems that every time we calculated the mileage we had left it wasn't getting less)

We met Luke's Great Aunt LaVonne, who is letting us crash in the other side of her duplex and then started to get settled into our  new home. Unfortunately I had a paper due right away the next morning that I needed something online for, so we headed out to find wifi. We eventually found it and I got to see what I needed to see (I was doing my paper on a specific episode of Parenthood) and headed back so I could finish up my paper. Then, we had to drive BACK to where we found it the first time so I could upload it. It was a very exciting end to our adventure!

Now that we've been here for awhile (and yes, I will take pictures and post them soon of our new home!), it feels like the trip just flew by.

                                

However, we are both in agreement that we would like to be here for awhile because neither of us are ready quite yet to pack everything up and repeat that trip very soon.

Operation Alaska Move (Days 5 & 6)

The light woke us up early on Friday and we pulled out of Prince George by 8:00. The road took us north to Dawson Creek, home of mile '0' of the Alaska highway.


The sun came out and we enjoyed our first day of dry weather for several days. The BC countryside is breathtaking – trees beget mountains which beget rivers.


Mile after mile after mile of trees, then a mile of a field holding a horse … or something else:

Finally the trees gave way to field and our road took us into Dawson Creek and mile '0':

To be honest, the beginning of the touted Alaska Highway was not what we expected. It starts in an agricultural area and it felt as if we were still home in the states. We decided that it was more Minnesota than South Dakota because of the rolling hills.


Well, however it looked it was still exciting to officially on our path!

The road took us to Fort Nelson for the night, where we ate at the Fort Nelson Hotel Café. If you ever meander your way up here, we highly recommend it. The service is great and the fries are AMAZING!


We parked the camper at the BlueBonnet RV park, which was a fancy name for a parking lot behind their hotel.


(It has been interesting to see the differences in all of the parks we've stayed in each night. However, as long as there are showers and electric hook-ups, we're happy!)


Saturday saw us going up and down more mountains and through more trees. Along the way we encountered stone goats:

And black bears:

And elk:

And bison:

We also passed Muncho Lake, which is supposedly one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. The minerals turn the water a most gorgeous turquoise color, which stretches on for mile after mile:

The lady who checked us into the campsite at Banff had told us about a hot springs near the Liard River, so we knew we simply had to stop. We spent a relaxing couple of hours soaking in the sulphuric warmth and ridding our bodies of toxins:

After that we hit the road again. We had supper at mile marker 533, Coal River, B.C. where we enjoyed overpriced bison burgers.


(The thing we have noticed most of all is the cost of living in Canada is a bit higher than in the states. Gas stations are few and far between so you have to pull in when you see one, which means at times you end up paying a bit more than you would like. The highest we have paid so far has been 1.89/litre which equals out to 7.18/gallon. Ouch!)


According to my guide book, the road between Fort Nelson and Watson City is the most scenic part of the highway and I have not found any evidence to refute that argument!


Out the window is a sea of trees. They climb up the mountains and fill the valleys. The greens from the deciduous and coniferous mix together and create a waving ripple of color:

Our stop for the night is Watson Lake, just across the border of the Yukon. It is after 9:00 before we park for the night, but the sun is still high in the sky.


However, we have quickly realized that if we drive from sunup to sundown we would put in a veeeery long day!

Operation Alaska Move (Day 3 &4)

Thursday was a big day as that was our time to cross the border. There were a couple of details that were making me a little nervous, namely our firearms and Millie. However, things went incredibly smoothly and we crossed with no problem. The border patrol did not even look at our stuff, which was a relief because if they had chosen to go through everything it would have taken us awhile to put it all back again!


After crossing the border we headed north towards Banff. Along the way we discovered a very important stop we had to make:

After some agonizing decisions, we were happily back on our way with fancy German gummies (the fish and frogs), sour cherry coke bottles and hot lips:

(my favorites were the sour cherry coke bottle ... mmmm)

The road continued to take us north. We skirted around Calgary and then stopped in Canmore for supper. After some delicious Chinese and a quick stop at Safeway to replenish some groceries, we crossed into Banff National Park:

We spent the night at the Tunnel Mountain Campgrounds and then headed off again in the morning.
Most of our day was spent driving through Banff and Jasper National Parks, which are connected. It was a grey, cloudy, cool and rainy day, which shrouded the mountains in mystery:

Our pass expired at 4:00 pm and we pulled out of the park at 3:57. We headed west and ended our day in Prince George, BC.


A supper of Pizza Hut and a stop at a coffee shop for wi-fi found us ready for bed so we went on a search for an RV campsite. It was ten o'clock at that point, which meant most offices were closed. We pulled into the first site we found and woke up the caretaker and talked her into giving us a spot. We tucked into our little spot and settled in for the night.