Hello all, greetings from the Last Frontier! Or at least that is what it says on the license plates.
Let me fill you in on what has happened since we first got here. The trip was relatively uneventful. I think the worst part was probably figuring out O'Hare, which we weren't very successful at. Right Tara? But thanks to you guys for getting us and all the gear there in one piece. Checking the dogs and the guns in was actually fairly easy. We gave Rosy one sedative just to make the beginning of the trip easier for her. I thought I might hear her whine on the planes, but both the planes were so crowded and full of kids that if she was making noise, no one would have been able to hear it anyway. We were late leaving Chicago, the plane needed to be de-iced, causing us to arrive in Seattle just in the nick of time to board the next flight. When we got onboard, we alerted the flight attendants that we were travelling with pets. They in turn wait until the dogs are loaded and bring us back a sticker with the dogs names that was placed on the crates back in O'Hare. That's how they prove the dogs have been loaded.
The flights were uneventful after that. Flying into Anchorage Jake said "It's three times bigger then New York!". I'm not sure about that, and there were no high-rises, but what we could see out of the window was certainly very expansive. We actually got to the airport about 35 minutes early, and landed before Steve got there so we had collected most of the luggage before he met us. It was certainly wonderful to see him again. I'm not sure the dogs recognized him at first, but it took no time for them to figure out who is the weakest link.
It was 1 AM or so Alaska time when we landed, but closer to 4 AM for Jake and I. He had eaten in Chicago, but I had not. We were planning on eating in Seattle, but since the plane was late we didn't have the opportunity. So after we loaded up the truck in -2 weather, we went looking for a place to eat. After seeing how limited shops were in Juneau, I was very suprised to see just about everything you could imagine in Anchorage. huge shopping centers with every store you could think of including, thankfully, a late night Burger King! Then it was just a short trip to the new house. We are very close to the airport. Which I had thought we were. I can hear the planes taking off or landing during the day. It is sort of like a white noise, and not really bothersome. However, I have woken up at 4:39 AM every morning and today I listened to about 5 planes take off in a row, so I'm thinking that the first plane must take off at about that time and my body is using it as a personal alarm clock. I'm sure it is something I will get used to, just like listening to the busses outside of Mom's window. Very annoying at first, but after a while you don't hear them anymore.
The house is very small, but with just the three of us it should work out ok. It is also filthy. I realize the landlord did not have time to come in and clean between the time the other tennants left and Steve moved in, but, WOW. The furniture is adequate and there are at least beds to sleep in until we can get them replaced. Wednesday, our first full day, was dedicated to errands. First on the agenda was a third set of fingerprints for me. These guys knew what they were doing and no one was trying to sell me jewelry like the chick at the Racine Co. Sherrifs dept was. They told me that nurses are some of the hardest people to fingerprint and that since I was going to work at St. Elias, they would see me again. And they were right! But first it was a trip downtown to the AK Board of Nursing to hand in the prints. The gentleman who provided me with my license was an orthodox jew. Not something I really was expecting to see - but just an inkling of the diversity of the people here. The building we went to was actually a high-rise, by small city standards. I don't think it was quite 20 stories high, and it wasn't the only tall building, however there aren't many of them. Out one window we could see snow covered mountains in the distance and a body of water in the forefront. I think it is called Turnagain strait or channel or something. By this time it was about 10:30 AM and it was getting light. That's kinda different. It was still very cold, in the teens, and everyone I met said it was unusual to be this cold this early. I guess that's good news. There is some snow on the ground, about 6-8 inches I guess and the streets suck. There are huge ice patches in the intersectons and folks fly down the street. I can see that driving here can be a challenge. And it makes me all the more happy that we decided not to live an hour away from town.
Next stop was the high school. Jake will be attending Dimond HS, and no, I did not spell it wrong. It took us forever to find it because there are lots of places here where a street ends, only to start up again a few miles down the road. There are also lots of one-way streets, but we got there and he is registered and good to go. The school is about 1500 kids, so bigger then Burlington. Very diverse culturally, and hopefully as good as it appears on paper. He will ride the bus which will pick him up just a couple of streets over. In warmer weather he could probably walk to school, once we figure out where it is. Well, it's about 4 miles away, so maybe a bike ride, not a walk. They have a pool as part of their buildings - I thought that was great. They also have a rifle team, so maybe that will be a good fit for him. They were able to build a schedule that pretty much matches what he was doing in BHS. He was very light on core classes this semester, so next semester he is loaded with them. So far he has been pretty amiable about the whole move. I can see that he is really happy to be with Dad again - I wonder how long that will last? :) We also had to take him to the Health Dept to get a Hepatitis A immunization. Apparently, this is pretty specific to Alaska. I was told it is because there is so much hunting/fishing/camping and not always a lot of good hand washing in between. He will have to go back and get a second shot in 6 months. I have a feeling that I am going to be required to get them also, so we may be taking the trip together.
Then it was on to shopping for all the basic necessities. We went to Wal-Mart and I felt like I was dropped into the people of Wal-Mart website. wow. It was 2 PM or so when we got there, and the sun was all ready low in the horizon. The parking lot was jammed. Packed. Sardines. What all these folks were doing there at 2 PM I have no idea. There was the woman with bright, and I mean neon, pink hair, and the ones wearing clothes that looked like pajamas... a little bit of everything. Prices for groceries are a bit of a sticker shock. Onions for over $2.00 for a bag?! Milk, not the Wal-Mart brand for over $5??!! Wow. Gas is $3.77/gal right now. Truthfully, on this first excursion I tried not to look to hard at the prices because you need eggs, milk, onions, butter... but from here on out I will probably become the coupon queen again. By the time we were headed home it was about 4:30 and almost dark. It was still very very cold out, into the single digits with an anticipated blizzard for Friday. Another difference I noted from living in the midwest for so long was the absence of blondes. Lotsa and lotsa brunettes out here. It is hard for me to tell who might be native or Korean or whatever. And a surprising number of Mexicans here too. No wonder the Anchorage School Districts states it serves over 90 different dialects. So much different from lily-white Burlington.
Friday, Jake woke up not feeling well. I think the stress of everything caught up with his stomach, or maybe it was the 4 vaccinations, so he stayed home while Steve and I both went to work for an hour. Our buildings are about 3 blocks from each other and only 4 miles from the house, so it is very convenient. The people at St. Elias seemed nice enough. The place is huge and only running about 37% capacity. Makes me think that the job may be a little challenging to fill those beds. I met the other liaisons. It appears there will be 4 of us - they were very nice and welcoming and the office is decorated with pink feather boas. I have a desk waiting for me, and that's about all I know. The woman taking me on the tour was not really a medical person so she didn't have a lot to say about cares. But I did walk into a room to peek - Terry, it was lovely. Huge, lots of room for equipment, new beds, private bathrooms with showers. You could fit two hoyers in a room. No banging shins or tripping over equipment because there isn't enough space to put things. They probably will be cross-training me for their ICU. Which is ok. I don't mind keeping up my skills and a little OT now and then doesn't hurt. They are also going to start a kids unit. Not sure how I feel about that, but I make take PALS (Lifesaving for kids for you non-nursey types) just to take it.
After that Steve and I ran around town again - partially because as predicted, I had to go back and get my prints taken again so that St. E can run their own background check. A good portion of Anchorage has mountains in the background. The shopping area has these beautiful mountains rising in the background. I wish I could find the software for my camera so I could show you the photos. Tara - could you please look to make sure I did not leave it at home? Should be a connection cable and a software disk. The town appears to be basically flat. Lots of evergreens and the ground is covered with snow. Where we live is off a main street, but our street is like a side street in Anywhere, USA, not quite two-cars wide and lots of trees. No sidewalks. The houses appear to be smaller and no one has curtains on their windows. Including us except in the bedrooms. That won't last forever. I wonder if it is to allow as much sunlight in as possible since we only get about 6 hours of sunlight right now? There is a small lake/pond at the end of our street. There are houses on it and I don't know if there is any public access to it. There appear to be lots of parks around and surprisingly, a lot of people out on bicycles. The bikes have snow tires on them and so many lights they look like Christmas trees coming down the street. I understand that many people here are into the outdoors, but that's just a little extreme for me. However, I did know a guy in Kent, Ohio that used to bike from Hudson to Kent everyday for school. In fact, last year he biked from one side of the Canadian coast to the other. Like I said, a little to extreme for me.
We are spending the weekend in the house. The blizzard did not materialize proving that weathermen all over the country don't know their ass from the elbow and still get paid to lie to us. I have cleaned up the most important parts of the house. I can now walk into the bathrooms and kitchen without closing my eyes to all the dirt and grime. In return, i think I have even fewer fingerprints available then I did before. Good thing I got both sets of prints done prior to the heavy scrubbing. The temp was in the 20's yesterday and we got about an inch of snow. Riley loves it. He loves the doggie door and goes in and out all day long. Rosy hates the snow and holds her bladder as long as she can and she doesn't much care for the doggie door either. So far, she has not used it on her own. It is now 9 degrees and almost 7 AM, it is pitch dark outside. That will be probably the hardest part for me. I am such a morning person and mentally adjusting to the fact that my day has started even when there is no light outside will be a bit different. However, December 21st is around the corner, and then things will slowly start to change.
Somewhere in here I meant to mention I now have a new phone number 907-317-3216. At this point we are not getting a home phone. Steve has a cell phone we will leave at the house, at least for now, so you can also call 907-317-4678. Steve's work cell is 907-242-6345.
Tomorrow is Jake's first day of school and my first day at work. I know there will be two days of orientation. Somewhere in those two days Steve and I will decide how to get the Suburban up here. Looks like it will be on a barge of some type - just need to work out the details.
Miss you guys - I do promise to send photos as soon as I figure out where the cords are.
Barb
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