First things first

we have orders. to elmendorf afb in anchorage, alaska. our feelings are mostly all over the place. we are elated at the thought of living somewhere that we would never have lived had it not been for the air force. however, we are definitely saddened by the fact that we will be so far away from friends and family. grandparents. best friends. cousins. siblings. it's difficult. and while we know this is part of the military life, it doesn't make it any easier. just gives us someone to blame. ;)

our report no later than (rnlt) date is february 29th of 2008. you would think that that is a long time from now. it is, and it isn't. it is in the sense that when you find out you are going somewhere, you want to do it that moment. just to get it all over with. to start making friends. set up a home. get adjusted. but it's not that long in another sense. much needs to be done. yard sales. researching. planning. saving money. almost 2 weeks of traveling. outprocessing.

we have lived in utah for 3.5 years. and it has become our home. we actually love it here, despite being among the minority in religious preference. we've grown accustomed to the way of living. the weather. everything.

we have watched so many friends receive orders and leave us. each time got harder, not easier. and we are left with no close friends. everyone is gone. so, that makes it a lot easier to be excited about leaving here. we are ready to start over. even if we are a little scared.

we have done much reading in the past 2 days about what to expect when we get to anchorage. the most pressing issue is the cold. and the hours of sunlight. that is what everyone wants to know about. so, i will tell you what i know.

we will be in a sub-arctic climate. it means what it implies. cold. very cold. in the summer, the average temperatures are in the 60s. the summer isn't very long. in the winter, which is long, the temps range from 30s to double digits below 0. it will definitely be an adjustment for all of us. perhaps God was preparing us for alaska by sending us to utah first. we have cold winters here, dipping into the negatives. but our summers reach triple digits. much wider variation here. if we'd moved from south carolina to alaska, i'm sure it would be a lot more traumatic.

as far as the hours of sunlight? that is where things get crazy. the shortest daylight in the year is about 6ish hours. 6 hours of sunlight. and not always bright sun, either. in fact, there will be a period of time where emma will get on the school bus in the dark. and she will return from school in the dark. there is also the opposite...a period of time in the summer has an amazing number of hours of sunlight. up to almost 20 hours. many websites tell of people being able to read books at midnight outside. in celebration of 4th of july, many people wait until midnight to do fireworks, bc it is just too bright outside before that.

one great thing we have found out is that we will have larger housing than we currently have. 600 sq feet or more than what we have. and basements. heated garages. mudrooms. actual laundry ROOMS. that alone excites me beyond words.

another surprise is that flights from anchorage to charlotte are almost the same as flights from here (utah) to columbia. that is wonderful for those who will be able to visit.