David's thoughts...

Winter Solstice

It is 7:30 a.m. as I sit down to write this.  Looking out the windows in our living room it is still pitch black. I know that I still have at least two hours till the sun comes over the mountains. I find myself looking forward to the 21^st of December like I looked forward to Christmas when I was a kid.  The 21^st is winter solstice in the northern hemisphere.

Solstice in Alaska is the magical date when the minutes of daylight start increasing each day.  I’ve never given it too much thought before, but up here it is a really big deal. 

The Alaska we fell in love with and dream about is green and beautiful, with more hours of daylight than a human can handle. It is a place with trails to hike, rushing rivers and streams full of salmon and mountains too big to describe. That Alaska seems like such a distant memory that I have to remind myself what it was like to keep my spirits strong. The Alaska of winter is mostly black and white.  It is still amazingly beautiful, but in an Ansel Adams sort of way.

 

If my calculations are correct, by the 21^st we will have lost about 40 more minutes of morning light and another 40 minutes of evening light.  That should put direct sunlight times somewhere around 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., give or take.  That doesn’t mean it is completely dark after those times.  There is twilight, the time right before the sun comes up and after it goes behind the mountains.  It doesn’t seem to get “nighttime dark” until 4 to 5 p.m. Since the ground and trees are covered with snow, there is a serious amount of reflected light all night long from the moon and stars. However, when it is cloudy, it is seriously dark for long periods of time each day!

David's thoughts...

Life is full of perspectives.  How you choose to look at things, your opinion, your point of view, all point to whether you see the cup half full or half empty…Here in Alaska a “greenhorn” has to change his perspective mighty quick or that cup won’t be even half full, it will freeze and break. 

As a teacher in Kansas, I got irritated every winter when the kids weren’t allowed to go out to recess because 32* was too cold or when people ignored the real temperature and talked about the “feels like” temperature. Looking back, I can see that people in Kansas, including me, judged the cold by how close the thermometer was to the 32* freezing mark. Any number approaching that freezing mark was COLD.  On those rare occasions when it dipped down to 0*, it seemed too cold to do anything, inside or out.

When I got up this morning, I glanced at the thermometer as I was fixing my pot of coffee. (It is always nice to know whether I need to put a coat on to move Shawna’s car out of the garage. Negative numbers often times earn a coat.)  This morning, the number I was looking at was 21.  I looked closer to make sure that I wasn’t missing the little "-" that has been in front of the numbers lately. Nope! “Heat wave!” I yelled to Shawna.  While she scurried off to find her cooler shoes and decide if her sweater was going to be too warm today, I debated whether I really needed to warm up her car at all.

I guess my point is, that our perspectives are changing as they relate to the cold.  Already this winter, we have seen more subzero temperatures than I have seen in all my 48 years combined and all the Alaskans are telling us to enjoy the mild winter weather.  My view of warm has changed also. To me, if it has that little “-“ in front of the number it is cold and anything above zero is pretty nice.  Temperatures rising above 32* are exciting to think about and toasty warm in my mind.  I have noticed that the moisture in my nose hairs starts to freeze at anything lower than -15 and I prefer mittens instead of gloves at all temps below 0.

I am also realizing that my view is going to probably continue to change about this topic as the temperatures get lower.  Shawna tells me that kids go out to recess until the temps hit -20, maybe lower and the locals were operating as normal on the day the temperature bottomed out at -19.  I find I must continue to remind myself that life up here is built to survive in the cold and God didn’t bring us all the way up here to live in fear of what the weather each day may hold.  I remind myself that God is in control and when I place my focus on him, there is happiness and reassurance that life will be fine. Perspective.

Random November Pics

On the road to Chitina

Copper River, Chitina

Valdez, Alaska-Taken by Teresa

Pippin Lake on my commute home

Shawna's Thoughts-Adjusting

When we first arrived in Alaska, a seasoned resident told us that Alaska is always trying to kill you. I thought he was talking about the animals and elements, but I believe there is an emotional aspect to that as well.

Although we are blessed to have family here, have met some wonderful people, live in a warm house with electricity and running water via a holding tank which David hauls in from the nearby fire station, adjusting to our new life in Alaska has been neither quick nor easy. I’ve kind of got the hang of going to town once in a while (a four hour drive to Anchorage) for the bulk of our shopping. I make lists of what we need, sort them by the store, and map out our route. So far I’ve been able to handle the weather, however I know winter has yet to truly occur. My car is stocked with a warm coat, snow bibs, boots, ice cleats, blanket and I make sure my cell phone is charged so that if I have trouble during the 40 mile commute, I can get help. I’ve got a plethora of wool socks on hand, a great supply of snuggly throws, and the pantry is stocked with food and lots of tea so my evenings at home are warm and cozy.

A difficult aspect of relocating has been moving into an unfinished house, living out of boxes for months and waiting to pull out the few knickknacks, baubles and windows treatments that make a house seem like a home versus a construction zone. David has done an incredible job on the renovations and has put in countless hours getting the most crucial tasks finished before winter. He’s been able to do some cosmetic touches lately and we are both enjoying the results.

 

I knew that there were going to be challenges at my new school. A counselor’s job is all about problems, if there weren’t any, I’d be out of a job. I was hired to do several tasks that typically don’t fall under the “counselor” category, but that’s the way it usually is in a small district and I have the credentials to tackle the jobs the principal needs me to undertake. I was aware of the demographics of the school and knew that I would be helping kids who have challenging home lives. Hang around any school long enough and you’ll also find kiddos who have significant issues with behavior and it’s my job to assist if I can. What I was not prepared for was the adult factor.

The elementary side of the building does not have space for my office so the Jr./Sr. high principal graciously gave me a spot to work in his end of the building. I am grateful for my space, however I am physically not a part of the elementary, which makes it difficult for the staff to get to know and trust me. Communication is hit and miss and mostly occurs via email which can be one-sided thus creating confusion or miscommunication. I’ve learned this the hard way and it can be a lonely lesson.

Learning to live and work in Alaska has presented its challenges, but the greatest challenge has been dealing with extreme homesickness. There are many times I’ve wanted to call and visit with friends and family, but knew if I did, I would cry and not be able to carry on a conversation. The pain of who and what I’ve left behind has almost consumed me at times and it’s been all I can do to breathe and press on.

I know God called us to come to Alaska. We have story after story of how he blessed us and paved the way for our move, and I have no doubt we are meant to be here. That is what I’ve held onto during this painful period of adjustment. My mom gave me a devotional book right before we left Kansas, and every single time I’ve hit the emotional wall I’ve been comforted by the words in that book and God’s word has sustained me. It’s been spooky, but more times than not, the words address specifically what I’m going through. The fact that Gods knows exactly what I need to hear on a specific day is humbling and although I do not know what the future holds for me, one thing I can be assured of is that the one who called me here will always be by my side and I will not be forsaken.

“I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lords’ great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:19-23

David's Thoughts

Notes from Alaska

1. Alaska has amazing beauty at every turn. It is worth slowing down and taking a picture. Just don’t kill yourself backing down the mountain highway when you realize you passed the perfect picture spot.

2. People in Alaska tell it like it is. They don’t worry about hurting your feelings by treating you like a greenhorn.

3. The amazing beauty of fall only lasts two weeks, but if you can, come and see it. It is indescribable.

4. When the nights start getting cooler the mosquitoes disappear, but the gnats come out. Gnats don’t taste as bad as mosquito spray.

5. Bears are attracted to meat smokers.

6. Keep good lists. Town is a long way away.

7. Lots of people who live in Anchorage have never been out of Anchorage.

8. It is impossible to accurately predict the weather here.

9. As the trumpeter swans gather on the lake preparing to begin their migration, they sound a lot like a fifth graders warming up their saxophones and trumpets before band practice. Only a few are in tune.

10. Kansas is a long way away. It is impossible not to get homesick for family and friends.

11. All work and no play is not a good way to live for an extended time.

12. David needs a snow machine so he can play.

13. Letters from former students are priceless.

14. When picking up family from the airport, it is impossible to keep my eyes from leaking.

Shawna's Thoughts-Living

I feel like I’ve been living my life in a holding pattern for weeks.  When we were working to get everything moved out of the house, I found myself thinking how nice it would be to finally be out and not have to deal with our “stuff”.

Then we moved in with my in-laws for a week. It was wonderful to be in a home with food, other necessities and love, but we had the truck and trailer to prepare, a vehicle to sell, possessions to ship and still had to close on the property. We were busy, busy, busy and I found myself thinking how nice it would be to finally be on the road and not dealing with the tedious details of relocating.

Finally the day came when it was time to hit the road. The days were long, but God protected us and we didn’t have any major issues, a true blessing, indeed. However, as the week wore on I found myself thinking how nice it would be to finally be in Alaska and off the road.

We’ve been in Alaska for 11 days and are currently living with my wonderful niece, her husband and 3 cute kiddos. We’ve been to town to get supplies, pick up the load of our outdoor manly supplies (insert grunting noise), buy a car and open a checking account. We’ve also been fixing up the rental house.

The downstairs consists of a kitchen that is getting a complete overhaul, living room, bathroom and 2 bedrooms. (There used to be third bedroom, but a wall was removed to enlarge the living room.) There is an arctic entryway, a small enclosure with four doors; one to the outside, one to the greenhouse, one to the upstairs and one to the living room. Upstairs there are two bedrooms (one master, one dressing room for me) a bathroom, office, tinker room for David and a big room for exercise, watching TV and hanging out. All of it needs to be painted and the floors all need to be repaired and/or cleaned. (Hardwood downstairs, plywood upstairs)

While David’s been working on major renovation projects downstairs, I’ve been working on getting a portion of the upstairs ready to paint. First I vacuumed the floors and part of the walls. Then I had to remove decals, stickers and a room full of glow-in-the dark stars, comets, and planets. A blow dryer on low heat worked well on the celestial work of art, but not so much on stickers and decals that had been there for years, so taking the advice of a good friend, I used a mixture of fabric softener and water, soaked the decals and then was able to peel or scrub them off of the walls. Once I was finally finished with that messy project, I began patching holes. I patched, and patched and patched. There were thousands of little holes from thumbtacks and nails as well as bigger holes from kids living life to the fullest.  

The past few days I’ve worked on painting primer on the walls and ceiling of the big room. It has a lot of character that I love, but makes it tricky to paint. There are also two little red circles that keep appearing through the primer. It’s like the wall is bleeding. Spooky…

As I’ve worked on the house, I’ve found myself thinking how nice it will be to finally live in the house and be settled in Alaska.

Have you noticed that seems to have become a pattern in my thinking? However, each time I’ve thought “how nice it will be when…” another thought gently blows across my narrow mind and reminds me that I don’t need to think about “when”, rather I need to focus on “now”. Right now, THIS is the life I’m living. I need to focus on the blessings and appreciate my life instead of waiting for the ideal situation that I’ve conjured up in my head.

So today, I get to do laundry. Yes! Clean socks and underwear are on the way!! And, because I have to do laundry, I can sit in the quiet loft and type out my thoughts for this blog, and that will satisfy a certain gentleman in Kansas who went to the trouble of figuring out to how locate my blog only to discover that I hadn’t written anything new in awhile. This afternoon I will head over to the house to add more primer to the walls and hopefully, stifle the bleeding in the wall. All of this, I get to do, while surrounded by a forest of trees, white capped mountains and crisp, fresh air.

I love my life…right now.

Shawna's Thoughts-The Alaska Highway

Wednesday, July 23

It was cool in the morning when we woke up and by the time we were ready to load, it was pouring which made the task more difficult for David. I really wanted to help out, but I had to stay inside with Magnum, our miniature dachshund who is afraid of storms. Someone had to protect the little guy.

After a few wrong turns (blame the navigator), we headed out of Lethbridge. We stopped at a bank in Airdrie to exchange our money. While there, David asked if they had a restroom. The teller had to ask the lady at the next wicket what we were referring to and that’s when we learned that if we wanted to find a restroom, we needed to ask for the washroom instead.

As we drove, we noticed a variety of crops. One bright yellow field intrigued us, and reminded us of alfalfa. We later discovered that the fields were rapeseed, belonging to the mustard family, which is used to make canola.  

We were blessed with an uneventful drive until we encountered frost heaves about 30 miles outside of Grande Prairie. We were jostled around like a sack of potatoes and were relieved when we rolled into town.

I had noticed that we were seeing fewer SUVs on the road and a lot more pickup trucks. When we pulled into town, I began to suspect that there must be a lot of oil and gas companies working in the area. There were signs inside of the motel, requesting guests to put their oily boots in the pillowcases provided at the door, and there were also signs in the laundry area asking that oily clothes not be placed in the machines. These guys must be a bit rough around the edges because we had to pay a $200 deposit for the room.

We decided that even though it was late, it would be good to do some laundry while we had the chance, so while I was waiting, I wrote this little song.

(Editor’s note: Unless you were into pop music in the late 70s, you might not know the tune. You can listen to it online or just read it like a poem. Or, travel on up to Alaska and be serenaded by the author.

On and On

Sung to the tune of well, “On and On, by Stephen Bishop

Up in Alberta, they got lots of bumpy roads

Shake your eyeballs then you crack your head

Weary Shawna, she’s traveling far with ol’ Dave

Dreams of finally sleeping in her bed.

On and on

They just keep on driving

And she smiles

When she feels like crying

On and on, on and on, on and on

Poor ol’ David sits behind the steering wheel

He saw his woman bounce and hit her head.

So he slows the rig down, tries to smooth out the ride

It’s still bumpy so they just sigh

On and on

They just keep on driving

And he smiles

When he feels like crying

On and on, on and on, on and on

When the road is, so dreadful

It can make you feel so bad

But keep driving, striving

Hold on tight, it’ll be all right

Bouncing around, holding onto the door

But we’re together, couldn’t ask for more

So we don’t care, going to take to the road

Take it easy to protect the load

On and on

They just keep on driving

And they smile

When they feel like crying

On and on, on and on, on and on.

Thursday, July 24

We left Grande Prairie excited because we knew that we would be traveling on the Alaska Highway later in the day. We stopped in Dawson Creek and visited a museum to watch a video explaining how the Alaska Highway was built. The first man who explored a route for the highway did so with his team of sled dogs. Later, two surveyed another route on motorcycles. I gotta tell ya, the footage was hilarious. They did more bouncing along with their feet touching the ground than actual smooth riding and they would ferry the bikes on homemade rafts across the rivers and creeks. All I could think of while I watched it was sore their backsides had to be after such a trip. I decided that no matter what we encountered on our trip, it had to be better than the trails via motorcycle.

We saw a black bear today.  It was on David’s side of the truck, so I wasn’t able to get a picture of it, but it was exciting nonetheless. We are hopeful to see more wildlife as we go.

We pulled into Ft. Nelson in the early evening and stopped at the Triple G Hideaway on the edge of town to inquire about a campsite. Since we were camping in the truck tent and didn’t require using any hook-ups, they gave us a spot for free. What a great deal! I love how God continues to look after us on our journey.

Friday, July 25

Good Gravy Granny, what a long day! Due to road construction, steep grades, and the curvy highway, it took us 14 hours to get to Teslin, Yukon which was 110 miles short of our goal. On the brighter side, we saw bear, bison, caribou, stone sheep and a dead porcupine.

One of the biggest blessings of this trip was getting a good truck that could handle our heavy load and having a mechanic who is not only knowledgeable about transmissions, but has also traveled the Alaska highway. He gave David some great advise about how to make it up the hill without frying our transmission. His tip worked and we had no problem making it to the top. What a blessing!

Today we hit the 3000 mile mark on our journey. We are only 800 miles away. Piece of cake.

Saturday, July 26

After a wonderful breakfast at a local motel, we headed out for the final leg of the journey. Remember my complaints about the road on Wednesday? That was nothing. Today’s drive was HORRENDOUS!! We averaged 25 mph for an eternity, 200 miles, due to poor road conditions. Most of the road was under construction or had extensive damage due to frost heaves. Once again, by the grace of God, we were able to make it through without any problems with the truck or trailer. I know that there were many Gazette readers lifting us up in prayer and I am grateful.

After 16+ hours of traveling we arrived in Kenny Lake. David thought it would be great to stop by our house before heading to our niece and nephew’s house. He thought it would be romantic. He thought wrong.

Our rental house is a fixer upper and even though it has amazing potential and is a huge blessing, all I saw was a house that needed a lot of work. I was overwhelmed.

Sunday, July 27

After a goodnight’s rest, hot shower and a cup of tea, I was ready to head to the house. In the light of day and with an attitude of gratitude, I began a making a list of renovations that I thought we could make. We unloaded our trailer and headed back to Kean and Rylee’s for some food and R & R. We will be staying here until our house is livable. We are grateful for their hospitality, love and support and know they will do all they can to help us navigate our way in our Alaska life.

Shawna's Thoughts-Traversing the Lower 48

Sunday, July 20

After weighing our trailer yet again, discovering that we were overweight (the story of my life), and dumping items back into the storage unit, we finally hit the road Sunday morning. Traveling north was not a problem, but when we turned at Salina smooth travels changed. The relentless Kansas wind buffeted us and we began the slow dance down the highway that I dubbed "The Sway". I can usually read for hours while traveling without issues, but not this time. Thankfully, we stocked up on some audio books so I was able to look straight ahead, plunging my thoughts into the fictitious world of the novel's characters while keeping my cookies intact. 

We had hoped to make it into Wyoming, but due to the high winds we drove slowly. After 11 hours we pulled into Ft. Collins, Colorado for some food and much needed rest. We settled in quickly, had a great night's rest and prepared for another day of adventure.

The Winds, by Shawna Goodwin

The winds, they blow us all around

Making progress slow

And though we weave back and forth

Onward we must go.

I surely hope as we traverse

The winds begin to still

For if they don’t I’m quite afraid

That I shall become ill.

Monday, July 21

God continues to watch over us as we travel toward Alaska. We climbed a lot of "hills" through Wyoming and encountered road construction, some of which required us to pass over narrow one-lane bridges. I think we both were holding our breath each time we had to navigate between cones and guardrails. We met up with my mom in Billings, MT who was visiting relatives and chatted for a few minutes before journeying on toward Bozeman. 

It is customary for David to be the driver while I ride shotgun, navigating our way by consulting with the Rand McNally atlas. I prefer a map over our Tom Tom most of the time so that I can see the entire state at a glance, however it’s nice to have the GPS when we are searching for specific addresses such as our hotel.

We spent the night at the Lewis and Clark hotel in downtown Bozeman. It was 10:00pm and the town was abuzz with activity. Pedestrians were strolling up and down the streets or were seated in outdoor cafes. It would have been fun to join in, but we were both exhausted and ready to be out of the truck and into a comfy bed.

“On the Road Again” sung to the tune of, well “On the Road Again.”

On the road again,

I can’t wait to get on the road again.

The life I love is sitting on my sore rear end

And I can’t wait to get on the road again.

On the road again,

Going places that I’ve never been,

Not slowing down to find the history therein

We must continue on the road again.

On the road again

Like a herd of turtles we go down the highway.

The Atlas is our friend

Who needs the GPS to show us the way?

And our way

Is on the road again,

I can’t wait to get on the road again.

The life I love is sitting on my sore rear end

And I can’t wait to get on the road again.

Tuesday, July 22

Our first destination of the day was Great Falls, MT. The drive from Helena to Great Falls took us through a beautiful canyon where numerous fly fishermen dotted the waters of the Missouri River. We realized we were traveling through the setting of A River Runs Through It, one of David’s favorite movies. 

We continued on toward Great Falls where we had plans to meet my older brother, Alan, who is a track coach at the University of Great Falls. We joined him on the campus, did a little maintenance on our rig and then visited his office. Afterward we went to lunch. It would have been nice to spend more time with him, but onward we must go.

We reached the border at Coutts, Alberta and after answering a few standard questions, we were sent on our way with a smile. That was a big answer to prayer and we still have all of the steaks in the cooler. No BBQ on the Border.

We decided to spend the night in Lethbridge. We had planned on using the truck tent once we entered Canada, but the price of the campground was not that much different than a hotel, so we decided not to break out the tent just yet. We were blessed to find a hotel that comes with an incredible view from the back parking lot. There is a footpath that winds among rolling hills, which are nestled in-between two bluffs, and there is a long railroad bridge connecting the two sides. At sunset, the view was simply amazing.

We look forward to many more remarkable sites on this life changing adventure.

Psalm 98:8

Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy.

Shawna's Thoughts-Still On Cherokee Road

Things are a bit complicated in the business of buying and selling homes. Lenders want to make sure the roof is definitely shingled before they allow the buyers to close and since roofers don't like to repair roofs in the rain, we must wait one more day for that job to be completed.  Lenders also want to make sure the title to the house is clear before the transaction is complete, but people at the State Department have come cup with a creative excuse for not processing the paperwork in a timely manner. They say their computers were hacked by someone from Japan so all of the computers in the State Department were shut down. Hmmm, sounds to me like an excuse to have another long weekend.

So, here we sit under a hail damaged roof, with some yellow solo cups (Go Shockers), a box of pizza and a few essentials like paper towels and toilet paper. Almost all of our belongings are either loaded in the trailer to move, or are waiting to be loaded on one last trailer to go to the storage unit. 

We have no idea when we will actually leave, but we aren't stressing over it. God is in control and everything will happen according to His time. 

To commemorate this time of waiting, I wrote the beginning of a song, sung to the tune of "The Dock of the Bay". I may add more to it if the creative bug strikes.

Sittin' in the morning sun
I'll be sittin' when the evening comes
Watching the roofers drive in
Then I'll watch them drive away again

I'm sittin' on Cherokee Road
Watching the summer roll away
I'm just sittin' on Cherokee Road, wastin' time.

I want to leave my home in Kansas
Head on to the Last Frontier
Cuz I've got a job in Glennallen
But I wonder if I'll ever get there.

So I'm sittin' on Cherokee Road
Watching the summer roll away
I'm just sittin' on Cherokee Road, wastin' time.

David's thoughts...

As I watched my green pickup drive away this evening, I had really mixed emotions.  I am happy that Ethan is so excited to get my truck, but seeing it go, along with a bunch of my extra special possessions in it, made it difficult. I worked so hard over the years to pile up these possessions, and now I am giving, loaning or selling almost everything I have ever had.  I am really looking forward to getting on the road and putting this part of the adventure behind me.

I have no special verse for this....Maybe Shawna will add one.

Shawna's Thoughts-Preparing to Go

After accepting a job offer in Alaska, I decided to start a blog to document the process of relocating to the Last Frontier. Here it is 3 months later, and I finally have a wee bit of time to get the blog up and running and to document a portion of our progress. God has moved so quickly that I have had trouble keeping up with Him. He has blessed us time and time again, sending the right people at just the right time to make this move a reality. We've survived the whirlwind of selling the house, passing inspections, and trying to figure out what to do with all of the stuff that we've acquired during our 18 years on Cherokee Road. We've sold items, given things away, hauled loads to the storage unit, packed, unpacked and packed again in order to fit the essentials in our 16' trailer. I have a feeling that when we return next year to empty the storage unit, I'm going to be donating most of the contents. Life is just too short to be buried under by STUFF!

We are hopeful that this is our final week in Kansas. On Wednesday, the first load will go out from our house and will be hauled to Alaska by a man who volunteered his services since he is headed in that direction, too. Our roof is scheduled to be shingled this Thursday and if all goes well, we will close on Friday and hit the road shortly thereafter.

The process has been stressful at times, but every problem has been solved and God has led us every step of the way. One of these days, either David or I will write about all of the blessings that have rained upon us throughout the preparation for the journey. We plan to document the looooooong drive to our new home as internet and time allows and then we will continue to write about acclimating to our new life in a beautiful land.

~Blessings~

Editor's note--If you are a regular reader of the Goodwin Gazette, you will notice this post isn't very witty or creative. You won't find a little ditty to sing or a poem to ponder. That will come as my brain is restored and the fog has lifted. I have however, provided a couple of scriptures which speak to this post.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Matthew 6:19-21

"The brothers were up at dawn and set out on their journey with their loaded donkeys." Genesis 44:3 (That one makes me smile.)