Scott and I came to visit Katie in Dillingham last February. While we were here Scott looked into employment. After a wonderful visit we returned home to Clackamas.
Four months later Scott was offered a job...and he accepted. Our Alaskan Adventure began!!
I was sort of in a state of disbelief as the reality of moving from our home of 23 years began to sink in. That song "Way up north...to Alaska...way up north, the rush is on!" stuck in my head as I began to process the situation. The song doesn't really apply to us but there was definitely a rush... of emotions, adrenalin, faith, excitement, and adventure to come.
Our children all rallied behind us to get the moving process started. They helped us for 3 weekends to get our outside projects completed and to sort through their stuff inside - closets, attics, garage. and sheds. It was wonderful to have everyone around.
Scott left for Dillingham on July 19th. He is now the comptroller of Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation, a non-profit that operates Kanakanak Hospital and services 34 villages with over 360 health care professionals. You can get more details at http://www.bbahc.org/.
I stayed behind to wrap up things at home. We decided not to rent out our house for now. Daniel and Amanda are housesitting in the mean time. Thanks to wonderful help from children and friends, I managed to leave Clackamas feeling good about our state of affairs.
With help I sold a car, drove a loaded down car to Seattle to put on a barge, put together another barge load, drove a rental truck to Seattle, palletized the stuff, sorted and made 1000 decisions, packed and mailed several boxes, and arrived in Dillingham 5 weeks after Scott. He keeps asking if I packed this or that. I can only say, "we'll see when the car and barge load gets here!" It's all a blur!
I was able to get a job at the hospital in Dillingham, working as an assistant in the dental department. Yes, this is the same dental clinic that Katie worked in for two years! Yes, it is too bad that we couldn't be up here at the same time! (But Katie and Jarid are back in Portland, both attending OHSU. Jarid is in his second year of dental school and Katie is in the endodontics program.)
Scott was busy up here while I was busy at home. He found us a wonderful place to live - a duplex very equidistant to our jobs, town, and church. It is nice and clean, new carpets, and great views of the woods out our front and back doors.
We are enjoying new friends, our work, our church, the scenery, the local flavor, and the promise of seeing a bear out the back door (At least Scott is!) I have heard of 4 bears being seen this last week in the neighborhood. I am a little disappointed that they are so close. Thanks for the bear bell, Jane!
I was able to get a job at the hospital in Dillingham, working as an assistant in the dental department. Yes, this is the same dental clinic that Katie worked in for two years! Yes, it is too bad that we couldn't be up here at the same time! (But Katie and Jarid are back in Portland, both attending OHSU. Jarid is in his second year of dental school and Katie is in the endodontics program.)
Scott was busy up here while I was busy at home. He found us a wonderful place to live - a duplex very equidistant to our jobs, town, and church. It is nice and clean, new carpets, and great views of the woods out our front and back doors.
We are enjoying new friends, our work, our church, the scenery, the local flavor, and the promise of seeing a bear out the back door (At least Scott is!) I have heard of 4 bears being seen this last week in the neighborhood. I am a little disappointed that they are so close. Thanks for the bear bell, Jane!
