we move out in 2 days!

we move into tlf (temp lodging facility) on thursday. then we leave utah on tuesday. 1 week from today!!!

did i mention !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

we still have a lot to do. our calendar is packed from now until the day we leave, except sunday.

we're all so excited to move. well, emma is excited, but she is also torn, bc her friends are here. it's hard for her to understand that she'll make new friends. i hope this turns out to be an easy transition for her.

we got our reservations!

we leave utah on march 4th. we got the reservations for march 7th for the ferry. i can't believe it's almost here.

we still have so much to do. ken has one more week off of work, and then he returns for a very brief period of time. we have appointments with the moving office here on base. then the packers come. then the movers. then we have to have the house cleaned. inspections. we have to get an engine block heater put on our van next week. get a full size spare tire for the trip, bc of all the bad roads further north. move into temporary lodging while the house is packed/moved. get all of our medical records from the various places we have used. get clearance from the vet. drugs so no one pukes on the boat. i still need to talk to emma's school about her last day. we just found out yesterday that we were leaving on the 4th. we didn't want to tell the school anything until we had a set date.

i have been making lists like crazy. lists of what to take with us in the van. lists of what needs to go on top of the van in the cargo box. i have itemized lists of every item of clothing. every food item. things to purchase before we leave. in 4 weeks, we will be on the ferry. so, less than 5 weeks, we will be in alaska. i'm so excited.

i am still a bit sad that we'll be so far from everyone, but i have no doubt that we will make the best of our stay there. i am looking forward to so many things. maybe not the darkness, but i have a plan for that. thankfully, we will be arriving when each day will bring more light than the day before. and in a few months, we will be experiencing sunlight until late at night.

i even bought myself snow pants and an actual winter jacket. those of you who know me well, you know that i've always disliked the snow. i really don't see any purpose to it. i have lived 4 years in a place where it snows for months out of the year, and yet i resisted snow gear. i even bought snow boots. ken's parents sent us a gift card to llbean.com, and i used the money to buy a toboggan. a large one. which means i will *have* to ride on it. i guess i am giving in to what is inevitable. more snow.

i wish i could make the next month go by instantly so we could just get this move over with. i am ready to be in our new home, and i'm ready to start meeting new people.

ken is home

yes, this is a little late. ken has been home for a week. everything is going great. he has one more week of leave, and then he returns to work.

we're still not sure when we're leaving. ken had been wanting to take the ferry to alaska, and i put off making up my mind. so, bc we (okay, bc i) waited so late, we are now having to wait to see when we can get reservations. right now, we are hoping for march 7th. if that is the case, we leave here on the 4th or 5th to drive to bellingham, washington. 3 day ferry ride, and then we will have 2-3 days left of driving.

during the winter, the ferry only runs every friday from that point. so, if we cannot get reservations on that date, we have to wait until march 14th. we are really really hoping this doesn't happen, bc we will have to stay in our house longer, and we will lose part of our housing allowance to this house.

i put some pictures up on flickr. the link is to the right...i believe it says family photos or something along those lines.