Fairbanks’ Newest Cheechakos

September 20, 2013 ~ Crystle ~ 3 Comments

This post is coming to you from Fairbanks, AK where we are the newest Cheechakos (or Canadian/Alaskan newcomers)! Our travels through Canada went off without a hitch, but I sure did miss reliable cell service and wi-fi.

We were your typical tourists: camera and baby clumsily in hand, an overweight dog on a retractable leash, and a dirty Subaru with out-of-state plates. The back seat became our diaper change-station, the front seat, our refrigerator. We lived in that car for up to 14 hours a day. Margot was patient, even when I wouldn’t let her crawl on the floor of at least two off-putting hotels. She was content to roll around in her pack ‘n play or hang out in the slightly cleaner beds for a energy-burning nightcap.

Yukon Territory via Yea Yea Pueblo Watson Sign Forest, Yukon Territory, Canada via Yea Yea Pueblo

The Watson Lake Sign Forest was a fun tourist destination. We weaved up and down the aisles, looking for artifacts from our respective hometowns. Isaac was a little more successful than I was, oddly enough.

Then there was the beautiful Whitehorse, YT; a beautiful Canadian city with friendly locals and great food. We strolled along the river front, poked around in gift shops and ate BBQ Salmon at the famous Klondike Rib and Salmon BBQ on their very last weekend of the season. Many northern businesses shut down for the winter months, presumably because of the lower number of travelers passing through. And little did we know, the Yukon Territory, with an area the size of Germany, Austria and Switzerland combined, only has a population of about 36K, most of which (26K) live in the Whitehorse metro area. My high school was bigger than nearly all of their towns. Mind-boggling!

Continue reading “Fairbanks’ Newest Cheechakos” →

Into the Home Stretch

September 1, 2013September 1, 2013 ~ Crystle ~ 12 Comments

Well Friends, it’s been one whole year of me going on and on about our upcoming PSC (Permanent Change of Station) to Alaska. In a week the movers will be here to neatly pack our lives into boxes and transport them to the interior of Alaska.

The Military lifestyle is still a foreign concept to me, probably because my upbringing was one of such permanence. If you bumped into the couch, you’d uncover depressions in the carpet where the legs had long settled. Dated shag carpet, wicker wall hangings, and oatmeal colored curtains decorated our home until I was well into Jr. High.

I left that childhood home when I was sixteen. I packed my bags for Oklahoma and never looked back. That was the first in a series of big changes in my life.

The next place I called home was Norman, OK where I was a college student turned townie. I almost made it an entire decade there, but a PCS to Washington changed that. Now, not even two years later, we’re off to yet another location. A friend recently suggested that change is the only constant for me these days. So true.

In just over a week, we’ll have our Subaru all packed up, with a roof box on top, travel trailer in tow and a big fat beagle in the cargo area. Yours truly will ride in back with the baby (I’m too tall to fit in the front seat with the carseat behind it), and the snacks. We’ll wave good bye to our first family home, and say hello to a much larger town home on Fort Wainwright.

So here we go again, off to make new friends and to explore another region of the US, this time with our ever-changing baby girl Margot.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Your prayers for our safe travels (and the survival of my houseplants) are greatly appreciated!

Four Months Later

July 22, 2013July 22, 2013 ~ Crystle ~ 8 Comments

Here we are, four months after bringing Margot into the world, and we’re still adjusting to the new family dynamic. As soon as we find our groove, Margot changes…and off the balance is thrown.

She’s learning how to crawl.

She brings her knees to her belly, then face-plants onto her quilt on the floor, unable to push her chest up and forward at the same time. She screams in frustration, then rolls over in exhaustion. This carries on until the frustration escalates into a tantrum, or she distracts herself with toys. Right now it’s the former. Don’t let the charming photos fool you, this sweet baby has regular meltdowns, too.

Lucky for us, she’s sleeping through the night, waking only once at around 5 am for a bottle and a diaper change before sleeping in until 8. It’s been a nice advancement in the baby game.

Her personality is beginning to shine through, too. Margot is effervescent in the mornings, clingy in the afternoons and playful in the evenings. Getting work done around the house isn’t always possible, but I’ve been told that’s to be expected.

While Margot attempts to crawl around — usually trying to chase after the dog, Isaac and I have been planning our move to Fairbanks. We’re still debating whether or not we want to buy a house or live on base.

It’s almost impossible to structure a plan around living in a land of such extremes. Many people we run into here in the Pacific Northwest have had some experience up there. Their opinions vary greatly, which muddies the water even further.

We’ll be leaving Washington in seven weeks, just before Margot turns 6 months old. Her first winter ever will be in Alaska. It should make for an interesting first Christmas, and at least an awesome Christmas card.

Until then, we’ll get used to our temporary routine and savor our last season in Olympia.