Well, I finally got around to posting an update. Michael arrived in Alaska late on December 13 and was able to stay through the holidays. It was nice to have some extra help with work duties, especially the dishes. (He is great with the kids, too) It was also great to be able to spend our first Christmas together in a winter wonderland. For the first couple weeks it was fairly mild weather and not too much extra snow :) We made plans to spend New Year's Eve in Anchorage and then fly up to Fairbanks to visit the Chena Hot Springs for a few days. Unfortunately, the week after Christmas, the weather got drastically colder and we went from 20* down to -30* in just a matter of days. Up in Fairbanks the temperature was between 50-60* below 0 the entire weekend we were up there. It was so cold, we decided to go into the Ice Museum to warm up. (it's kept at 20* above year round to keep the ice frozen) That Sunday, we boarded a train to take us back to Anchorage. Because it was so cold outside, the train was not allowed to go full speed (65 mph). Instead we could only go 45 mph max, turning our 10 hour train ride into 12.5-13. There were also parts of the track that constricted so much in the cold that it formed cracks between the rail segments and we had to be "walked" over the gap (we could only go about 5-10 mph over the cracks to prevent derailment) There was even one part where we ended up going onto a siding to go around a segment of track that had broken completely in the cold.
A few short days later, Michael left for sunny San Diego while I stayed in Alaska to pack and finish the last few weeks of my work duties. After three weeks of training, Michael left San Diego and headed to Honolulu, Hawaii to start work and get things ready for my arrival. Tuesday he met with housing and by Thursday he was moving into our new home!!
That last week I was busy. The movers came Monday. Tuesday I ran some errands and got my hair done. Wednesday I worked most of the day and tried to finish packing and cleaning. Thursday was Bible study in the morning and working the rest of the afternoon/evening. My last day of work was Friday and that night I went to a friend's house for dinner and we both went to a women's praise and worship night at church. At the end of the evening, the ladies all gathered around me and prayed for my trip and the new adventure waiting for me in Hawaii. It has been such a blessing to have all of them in my life these last two and a half years. After the event was over a few of us went out to a local grocery store with a little coffee shop to sit and chat for a little. I finally returned home around 1:30 am. Saturday was spent finishing my cleaning and packing and last minute errands and Sunday was my last day at my church. I was able to say "good-bye" to most of the friends I had made over the last few years and I managed not to cry in front of people. Around midnight, I said good-bye to Kat and Steve took me to the airport. 14 hours later, I landed in Honolulu and was reunited with my hubby. Now we start our new life as a married couple!
