Lookie, I'm on CNN!

I can't find the stinkin' CNN link, but here's the I-Report link on it. My eternal gratitude if you can actually find the CNN link and uh...gimme the link to my own story. LOL!

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-167902

 

I think they may just get more letters here. hehehe

Yep, I'm in Alaska. Yep, it's cold, but totally and completely worth every second of it. Well, except the time I forgot to take my "shoe chains" off before I went in the store and fell on my rear, but on the other hand, I did NOT fall on the ice on my way in. LOL

 

Well come on out! Just wean the kiddos off of milk first, unless you want to buy the icky non-organic milk. :laugh: (actually the cost of heating fuel and electricity are the biggies)
But hey, some things are worth it!

You know, I thought I was SO done with winter and snow, loved the area of Oregon I was in, but after leaving realized how much I missed the cold! The lack of people, the tiny town, the scenery, I am totally and completely in love, and all I've seen out here is winter! Oregon winters were just cold, constant rain, dark skies, and the summers were unbearable heat, even though the scenery was killer and walking along the Rogue on cooler days was awesome. But they ain't got a THANG on Alaska! I was standing out there watching the Northern Lights dance the other night and the stars just amazing against the silent sky and man...that's just good stuff that makes you wanna just praise God left and right. A little taste of what God meant for us to be seeing.
And nowhere else do you have the (and very correctly so) sense that you could be totally and utterly alone if you wanted to be. It's awesome to feel that free and have that option. However, I've been forbidden to go wandering in the woods alone. (but am still gonna sneak out and do it this summer. If death by moose is God's plan for me, who am I to argue?)

 

My children are with me, of course! They absolutely love it.

We moved for a couple reasons. I had asked God for a way out of where we were without me having to hurt anyone's feelings or be faulted for leaving, (I had began to realize it wasn't a healthy situation for the kids or for me spiritually). The girls and I prayed over it and for strength that no matter what happened, we would react in a Godly way. Seven days later we were suddenly KICKED out with just a 30 day notice (I grinned a bit and knew God was up to something) so had been looking for a place in the area and didn't find one soon enough.

We had found a temp place while we were waiting but it turned out to be pretty nasty and I didn't want the kids there so we moved to a safe place and waited for God to put us where we were supposed to be. On top of that I had taken a job as the sportswriter for a newspaper, but with the location (next county over) and the cost of fuel, it just wasn't worth it. (It would have been if I could have found a place!)
I had been offered the chance to move out here, so took up on that for many reasons...to keep my family together, get some chronic health issues worked on without the stress of being homeless (that was taking up all my time and efforts on top of working), finances, to get the kids totally away from a pretty freaky couple who had hurt them pretty deeply emotionally.

I'm not saying I regret having been where we were. Everything happens for a reason, and I know we were where God wanted us for how long he wanted us, and good things came out of it on top of the bad.

This whole Christianity thing can be a wild ride, but God is faithful and it's sweet to be able to rest in that peace. Not that I always do...I'm still human but I can't imagine what mess I might have created if I hadn't given up the fight and asked God to take care of it instead!

We'd looked at a few choices, and this one was most reasonable, safest,had the most opportunities, and was also the one the kids wanted and got very excited about. My oldest was offered a scholarship here to a decent school and that has been a WONDERFUL thing for her! They had also missed winter very very much and have been having a blast playing out in the snow! There's a marvelous zoo and museum in Anchorage that we plan on visiting next year, and the art community around is very strong, which is just my style.

We just found our new church home (yep, it's Baptist) and I look forward to getting involved where I can when health permits. I'd love to get into some of the "mission" work aspect of things, but for now we're just finishing settling in and getting ourselves back in order.

The girls and I do severely miss our old church. They are good people, and that the hardest part about leaving. I think we had found a rare jewel, and my heart struggles with accepting our new one right now, but I'm working on it! The girls have adjusted so quickly and easily that I simply have to credit God for all of that. It's been amazing!

 

Thanks. It's a balmy -30 out there, supposed to hit negative 44 by Tuesday night.

The schools out here make classes optional once it gets down to -40, so the kids will be sitting here with crossed fingers once vacation is over! :laugh:

Here's a link to the girls playing in the yard! http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/53/l_4ac4edfb67624e5f9725fdd96ee6fc0a.jpg

 

Thanks Barnabas! What I was looking for is already gone. They had a direct link on CNN itself. I also missed them showing the pics on CNN TV, but oh well. That's me, I'll probably even miss out on my own funeral. I'll be stumbling around looking for the right grave. :BangHead::laugh:

Well, I'm much more interior than Palin, so I guess I don't just see it, I walk over there for tea and blini every morning. :tongue3: