Two Years

I am not sure how time flies by so fast. April will mark 2 years living in Alaska. It does not feel like I have been here that long. Even with all the dark snowy nights during the winter, it doesn't feel that long. The military brings a lot of headaches in life but one of the great things about it is moving to new places. We have been blessed with living in some great states.

If I could take the ladies from New York, the weather from Kentucky, the lighthouses and shorelines in Maine and mix it with the scenery here in Alaska, I would have the perfect place! We won't be leaving here for a little while longer but I am already wondering where God will take us next! Alaska will be the place we have lived the longest since Aaron has been in the Army. It has been a great place to live!

If you ever get the chance to come to Alaska you should do it! And as crazy as it sounds, the winter is a great time to visit. The mountains come alive with snow. They are magnificent! The only downside is a lot of the touristy things are closed until after Memorial Day. Just an FYI if you are planning on visiting at any point.

Here are a  few ramblings about what I enjoy about Alaska:

There is wildlife everywhere. Heck, there are moose waiting on the corner of 6th and Fairbanks Ave in Anchorage waiting to cross the road. I have seen it! When my mom was visiting we saw over 50 caribou on our way to the North Pole. You are probably wondering, how close you could get to a moose. You could try to get close (not the most brilliant idea) but you might get kicked. Just ask the dumb lady who got kicked a few weeks ago downtown because she was violating the personal space rule.

You drive 10 mins outside of the city and you are in the middle of nowhere. Ok, so maybe not in the middle of nowhere but you better have used the restroom before you start your trip to the next major city. Anchorage, Wasilla and Palmer are all kind of close together but other than that, you are in for a nice road trip. Fairbanks is the 2nd largest city in the state and it is over 6 hours away. But you will see beautiful mountains and previously mentioned moose all along the way!

The daylight in the summer is one of the coolest things I have ever experienced! When you are outside at 11:30 PM you would swear it was 11:30 AM. All the darkness in the winter is more than worth it for all the daylight we get to enjoy in the summer. And contrary to popular belief there is daylight in the winter. It just doesn't last long! Random side note: When they shoot the fireworks off for the 4th of July, they do it at almost midnight. And you still can't see them because it is too light out!

The Northern Lights freak me out a little. They are so beautiful but so mysterious! I always feel like I am going to have a close encounter of the third kind, if you know what I am saying! I have only seen beautiful splashes of green across the sky. But I do hope to see more of them before we leave.

The people here are very welcoming! There are not many people I have come across native to Alaska. I  can probably count them all on both hands. And I am pretty sure there are all from the same family. The people here are always happy to meet new people and hear their stories. They have really big hearts to go with the really big state! And I have never heard them say one bad word about this place. I have even met people who went away to college and couldn't wait to get back here. The only complaint is about the lack of certain restaurants. But let's face it; if that's the only complaint in life you are living in a pretty great place!

There are many more reasons I love this place but this is just a few. I am so thankful we have gotten to experience this great state. And how fun that when people ask Kinley where she was born she can say Alaska!?