Updates and Notes...

We've been in our new house for about a month and a half now. Like any new place, the surrounding area and the house itself is taking a little time for us to get adjusted to.

Here's the lowdown:

• The restaurants around here are mostly non-chain. Our favorites so far are The Base Camp, The Cookie Jar, Mambo Grill, Sunday brunch at The Pump House; all have something unique that make it a special place. There are many more restaurants in the area, these are just a few of our favs.
• We got a new kitten! The guy who owns the house that we're living in, found some strays. We've chosen a female creme colored kitten with Balinese markings. Her eyes are the most beautiful blue! And she's soooo tiny. I'm guessing that she's about 8 weeks old at the most. I truly believe that she is an angel in disguise; she's playful, cuddly, and she purrs! (our old cat, Pandora, did not)
  
• I think I've mentioned before that things happen around here at a much slower pace. I'm still waiting on some service people to give me a call back...
  
• If one more person says "Welcome to Alaska!" (if there is a problem with something, like waiting for service) or "Have you been salmon fishing yet?", I'm gonna scream at them.
• Gabe participated in Cub Scout camp a couple of weeks ago at Birch Hill recreation area. It was a cowboy themed camp and I think he loved every minute of it. Camp gave him the perfect opportunity to make new friends.
• I put Gabe in another camp this week; a non-denominational Bible camp with a high reputation for fun. We pick him up tomorrow after having dropped him off on Monday. He said that he'd sleep over on the first night to see how it goes...so far, we've not heard from him...I think he's having way too much fun to miss us or his new kitten!
  
• Sarah had her first Alaskan ear infection in both ears a couple of weeks ago.
• Both of the kids' allergies have gotten 100% better since we left Texas! No more allergy meds!!!
  
• I'm ready to get back to work. I think it will be the best way for me to adjust to being here, and it will be nice to get out of the house. Fortunately, one of the little scouts from BSA Camp has a mom that is the recruiter for one of the local hospitals, and after we got to talking....well, you know.
• Living here after being in Texas is like going from 90 mph to nothing...it is a whole new lifestyle that can really be lonely and isolating. We are all trying to get used to it, yet glad that we will be able to tell stories in years to come about living here. As the days go on, it gets easier to adjust to the slower pace, but I admit that in the beginning, it was a shock to my system.
• The weather has been a bit dreary and rainy...the locals are calling for a harsh winter.
• We still need to winterize our cars and were told that we need to "jump on it".
• On Tuesdays, we go swimming with Ruthanne and Katie (her grand-daughter)...Ruthanne is a total sweetheart and really energetic...we look forward to spending time with her. If I haven't mentioned her already, she and her husband, both retirees from Pennsylvania, spend the summers here with her daughter...then they go back to PA for a couple of months and then winter in Florida. I met her while she was watching Katie take soccer practice in the schoolyard...and now, when Katie has practice, Ruthanne will walk on over to the house to visit, and drop off homemade cookies.
• Gabe will be able to walk to school from our house in about 30 seconds.
  
• I've posted some new pics in the "Alaska Bound" album to the right of this page...look for the link and click on it.
• We've been doing some exploring when we get the chance; last weekend, we went to the World Eskimo Olympics hosted every year in Fairbanks.
• I have been asked to post pictures of the inside of our house, and I will do that as soon as I get a chance to take the requested pictures...I'd like to clean up a bit first. We were lucky enough to find a nice two-story to rent out here in North Pole, AK.
• Berry picking seems to be a huge thing out here.
• So far, we've only seen 2 moose...one in the schoolyard and another bathing in a creek on the way to Chena Hot Springs.
• I've already warned Gabe on what to do if he sees a moose while going to or from school. Encountering one who is protecting her babies would not be a good thing...at all.
  
• Haven't seen any bears yet, and that's fine with me!