April Showers of Blessing

This weekend, Christians from all over Alaska came together at the Alaska State Lectureship (hosted in Anchorage this year) to hear preachers from all over the state give lectures on a common theme. It is the highlight of our Spring and something we look forward to for many months. We saw many friends this weekend and got to show off our beautiful daughter to people we have known since we were children. It was very special. Do I have any pictures? Of course not. Ugh. I am not good at thinking about life through the eyes of a blogger. That, and I think I need to be brave and commandeer the camera so that I'm not constantly pointing for James to take pictures of this or that. Oh well. The memories are warm and bright in my mind and heart.

Clara and I also went to the high school on Friday to see some of my students and visit with a few coworkers. It was so satisfying to walk through the halls of Chugiak High School with Clara sleeping on my shoulder, after so many months of waddling through the hallways thinking about my baby, feeling her kick inside me, and praying for her. People were very excited for me and made many kind supportive comments about how blessed I was to be able to stay home with her. I couldn't agree more. I did get a cell phone picture of Clara in Ms. Steele's reading class where I spent so much time last semester helping students and growing my friendship with their wonderful teacher, but I'll have to figure out how to upload it onto the computer.

The big news in our life right now is that we are moving away from our little one bedroom apartment in Peterscreek and moving into a larger two bedroom triplex unit in Anchorage, near the airport. We are trading in apartment 4 for unit C, coin-operated laundry room for a personal washer and dryer, a leashed dog walking area for a small fenced yard of our own, an apartment parking lot for a garage, a PO box for mail delivered to our house, and, for James, a 45 minute commute (in optimal weather and traffic conditions) for a 10 minute one. We are also trading in a lower rent for a higher one and a 15 minute drive to church for an hour drive, but I think we will be able to work with these things.

These are the Craigslist pictures. The garage on the right is ours, the windows above the garages are the windows of the two bedrooms. The trees are in our little front yard. The other units are stacked behind the unit visible in this picture. We are so thankful that we don't share walls, ceiling, or floor with neighbors. Clara and Titus can jump around as much as they want without disturbing others.

People keep asking us why we're not buying, but we really don't feel confident yet of where we would want to settle down, the distance from family and church is a big issue for us. There are two congregations in Anchorage we could attend with wonderful people who go there, but our hearts and lives and work are so invested in the Christians in the Valley, that it's currently inconceivable to leave that church family for another one. Still our family time together, James', Clara's, and mine, is important too and being so close to James' work will be such a blessing to all of us.

This is the view from the side. The door that is up higher is ours and the fence and yard the camera is taking a picture through is ours. I can't wait to see it when it's green like this. I'm encouraged that I like it so much in the dirty melting snow and mud.

So, we are moving this week. I'm amazed with how much stuff we have crammed into our tiny living space. It is going to take a lot of work to get it packed and moved. It's a bit overwhelming to think of doing it all with Clara, but when I think of life on the other side: hanging pink curtains and decorating a room for Clara, having space to invite more than two people over at a time, having room to store bulk organic groceries, and just SPACE, I know that it will all be worth it. If you think of us, please pray that things transition smoothly. Moving can be very stressful.

Getting Ready

One green suitcase and one purple wait with yawning mouths for us to pack the belongings we'll need for our 19 day journey through the former USSR. We are both thrilled with the prospect of our trip: visiting old friends and familiar sights along with touring new places and sharing experiences that will be unique to us. At the same time, there are deep currents of fear of failing expectations, sensing the loss of what we used to have, or even experiencing some calamity along the way. However, we go having the peace of God's will and protection. Traveling as best friends and knowing that even the worst experiences make terrific stories and memories, we plan to have a fantastic voyage.

Having purchased our tickets to Kiev on April 29, and received our tickets in the mail about a week later, we were thrown in to a slight panic, Thurstday, to receive an email telling us that our tickets weren't "confirmed" and advising us to contact the company immediately. I spent the rest of that afternoon with a phone pressed against each ear trying to correct the situation and get James's advice on how to do it. At the end of the day, the situation still wasn't resolved, but we now know that only the last leg of the flight home (from Detroit to Anchorage) had been canceled by Northwest. However, they promise to find another way home for us, somehow. We just need to call back Monday morning to find out how.

James has the self-appointed responsibility to make sure we are gadget ready for this trip. This week he bought us a new camera and a battery for our laptop, and he is looking for a converter and a larger memory card for our new camera. I have been ordering travel clothes and bags from different online companies, but almost all of them have been sent back. It's almost like getting paid to see the refund credited back to the bank account! With just four whole days left until we take off, the time will be spent finalizing wardrobes, buying gifts, and packing carry-ons. Traveling is a lot of work, but so worth it!

-Andrea