Across the Border

Our next couple of stops were in Bismarck, ND and Saskatoon, SK, Canada.  You may be surprised to find out that we don't have many pictures from those days, but you shouldn't be.  Let's face it, you can only take so many pictures like this:

 



The stuffed moose (named Alaska) was our official travel mascot.  He rode on the dashboard all the way from Indianapolis to Alaska.  The green flag was from Medieval Times in Chicago - green was the winning team the night we were there and we celebrated our victory all the way!  Of course, there is a lovely photo of me sleeping and the infinitely more lovely Canadian countryside. 

We did pick up some hitchhikers along the way - nice juicy ones.

 

Another much anticipated stop along the way was Edmondton, AB, Canada.  We had heard that the West Edmonton Mall was comparable to Mall of America, and while it was impressive in size, we didn't love it like we did Mall of America.  Still, it was a nice diversion after a couple of long days in the car.

 



Unfortunately Isak was 1 inch shy of the height requirement to ride one of the roller coasters on his bucket list, and Becca got on a ride that turned out to be a little more intense than she anticipated.  By the time we left Edmonton, we were ready to get onto the Alaska Highway and start the 2nd half of our journey.

Mall of America

Hold on...before I move on to our stay in Minneapolis, here are a couple more photos from Chicago.  The first one is at the LDS temple in Chicago (forgot to mention that we went there) and the other is "The Bean". 

Minneapolis was a highlight of our trip and we definitely wished that we had more time there.  The Mall of America was everything we hoped it would be - an amusement park and all of our favorite shops and restaurants under one very large roof!  We gave the kids a spending allowance for the trip and they spent most of it that day - which was fine, because as you will see, once we left Minneapolis, there wasn't much to do. 

Jeremy and Isak went to the amusement park while Becca and I went to American Girl.  Molly (Becca's doll) got her ears pierced, a new hairstyle and an outfit suitable for the Alaska winter!  Isak was able to check a couple more roller coasters off of his "to ride" bucket list.

We left Minneapolis and started toward Bismarck, ND with only one goal in mind - to find some excellent cheese while driving through Wisconsin.  Apparently we had too much fun at Mall of America, because by the time we got to Wisconsin, all of the little roadside cheese shops were closed.  We took a chance on some aged white cheddar from a convenient store and surprisingly were not disappointed!

The Road to Alaska

It's been about 3 months since we left the Midwest and headed to Alaska.  Now that we are mostly settled and have adapted to our new home, new job, new school - new LIFE - I think I can finally get around to blogging about some of our experiences.

Our adventure began on August 5.  We departed Indianapolis with heavy hearts and a heavy van.

 

 

The first leg of our trip wasn't a long one.  We had been promising the kids a trip to Chicago for a couple years, and it is one of Jeremy's and my favorite places to visit.  We didn't have a lot of time there - just about 24 hours - but we crammed in as much sight seeing as we could.  We went to Medieval Times, Navy Pier, Millennium Park and the double decker McDonalds. 

 

 

 

While we were at Navy Pier, we got caught in a pretty heavy rainstorm and took shelter at the USO.  This was a new experience for me.  I'd heard of the USO, particularly in WWII stories that I've read, but I didn't really know much about it.  I half expected to walk into a black and white world of women in 40's-style dresses dancing with sailors.  What I found was a quiet, comfortable room where we could have a drink and a snack while we waited for the storm to pass.  It was a welcome perk of being in the military!

 

We enjoyed our short visit in the windy city.  Next stop...Minneapolis!  

 

A New Adventure

In three weeks our family will be setting out on an adventure - living in Alaska for three years!  We are excited about this opportunity and anxious to find ways to stay connected with family and friends while we are there.  I have decided that this would be a good time to resurrect our family blog.  I will do my best to keep the blog updated with all of our adventures! 

To get the ball rolling, here is a bit of information on Fairbanks.  We will be living on or near Eielson AFB which is just about 25 miles from Fairbanks.  Maybe by sharing information about the area we will live in I can tempt some of you to visit us!

Alaska’s second-largest city – Hub of the Interior, Gateway to the Bush, the Golden Heart City – call it what you will, Fairbanks is as diverse and distinct as any place in Alaska. 

About Fairbanks
The Fairbanks area is home to just over 100,000 hearty souls, making this region the second-largest population center in Alaska. The city features a university, an Army base and an Air Force Base and is known for dog mushing, northern lights and its extremes of light, dark, warmth and cold. In winter, temperatures as low as -62 degrees have been recorded; temperatures in the 80s are common in summer. Summer days are also long – Fairbanks enjoys more than 22 hours of daylight when the solstice arrives on June 21. 

Things to do
Fairbanks is one of Alaska’s best year-round destinations, and visitors will find plenty to do whether they come for the long, warm summer days or to watch spectacular northern lights displays color the night sky in winter. A wide range of activities are available, including shopping the many art galleries filled with pottery, painting, textiles and Alaska Native art and jewelry; rafting or kayaking the meandering Chena River; golfing; fishing; snowmobiling; enjoying tours and attractions like Pioneer Park that celebrate the town’s gold history; cross-country and Alpine skiing; wildlife viewing; soaking in hot springs; or even enjoying a locally brewed beer. 

Fairbanks is home to the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the University of Alaska Museum of the North, where the collections feature both natural history and art items. It’s rightfully considered one of the finest museums in the state.

 

Fairbanks is also a gateway for trips further into the Interior and the Arctic. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is accessible by small plane, and any trip up the famous Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay – also known as the “Haul Road” – begins in Fairbanks.

 

Chena River State Recreation Area is a great place to see moose or launch a canoe, kayak or raft on the Chena River. The Angel Rocks Trailhead is located in the Chena River State Recreation Area, and an eight-mile hike leads to nearby Chena Hot Springs Resort, where tired hikers can soak their bones in the soothing hot springs pools.

 

HistoryFairbanks dates back to 1901, when E.T. Barnette cruised up the Tanana River on the SS Lavelle Young with 130 tons of supplies bound for the Tanacross goldfields. The next year an Italian prospector named Felix Pedro struck gold 12 miles to the north and Barnette’s trading post became a boomtown with hordes of miners stampeding into the area.

The construction of the Alaska Railroad, the Alaska Highway and the trans-Alaska oil pipeline all contributed greatly to the growth of Fairbanks. The city still has gold at its heart: the nearby Fort Knox Gold Mine is Alaska’s largest.

Becca

Some indications that my baby girl is growing up:

Deodorant
Facial cleansing products
Body spray
The need for more frequent showering
So many outgrown clothes
A definite opinion about what she wants to wear
A budding interest in boys
Periodic requests for a cell phone

Some indications that my big girl is still my baby:

Playing dress up
Playing with dolls
Lots of snuggles and kisses at bedtime

Nine years has passed so quickly!

Here are some of my favorite pix of Becca over the years:

3 months old


14 months old


2 years old with Isak


3 years old - I have several pictures of her crashed mid-play


4 years old - at her first dance class


4 years old - another hard day of play


5 years old - at Disney World


6 years old - with our dear friend and kindergarten teacher


7 years old - at her fashion show birthday party


almost 8 years old - in Hawaii


8 years old - giving a report on Elizabeth Blackwell


What a sweet, bright and silly girl! I can't believe she's 9.

Holiday Letter

Isak
I am 7. I am in 1st grade. My favorite subject is math. I was born on Tuesday, November 11, 2004 (no, it wasn’t actually a Tuesday, it was a Thursday). I do taekwondo. I am a blue belt. I go to Guion Creek Elementary. My teacher’s name is Mrs. Carol Crider. I do choir in room 113 (this is the room his choir meets in at a local university. He and Becca are both in the Indianapolis Children’s Choir). In school I am in room 1. My favorite thing to do is read. My favorite food is spaghetti.

Becca
I turned 8 in January. I’ve met lots of new friends, like Hannah (I have no idea who Hannah is, but apparently she is important enough to mention in the holiday letter). When I turned 8 I got baptized at my church. After that I went home and got gifts, cake and play time. (Since Becca didn’t share much about herself, I’ll add just a bit. She is in 3rd grade this year and loves her teacher and classmates. She is still taking dance lessons and this year is participating in her dance studio’s production of The Nutcracker. Between school work, choir, dance, church activities, and a couple of extra-curricular clubs at school – scrabble and quilting – she is a busy girl. We frequently talk about cutting back, but she is just like her mama and wants to do EVERYTHING!)

Tricia
I continue to stay busy keeping the family on track. I am amazed at how much more time I have with both of the kids in school all day. I enjoy the flexibility in my schedule and the uninterrupted time to get things done, but I’m always happy when 3:30 rolls around and the kids walk through the door. I have thought frequently over the past few months that my life has the perfect balance of calm and crazy.
I have been serving at church as the Primary president, which I thoroughly enjoy. I have been teaching a scripture study class for women for the past year and a half, and it has been such a blessing to me. I love preparing the lessons and I enjoy the discussions we have in class.
I have become more active in the PTO at the kids’ school, serving this year as treasurer and also assigned to a couple of special projects. Volunteering at the school is so rewarding! It is an honor to work with the children and to get to know the adults who have such an impact on the lives of my kids.

Jeremy
This has been a fun and busy year. Most notably, I have been accepted into the AEGD (Advanced Education in General Dentistry) of the US Air Force and report to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in August. It adds a year commitment to what I already owe the Air Force, but it will be great from a practice standpoint, because it will introduce me to many specialties and allow me to become a more independent dentist. I am working hard to complete the graduation requirements of Dental school and anticipate gradating in May. I am constantly amazed at how awesome my wife and children are. (If you have time, I have many stories I can share.) We are hoping to have an addition to our family soon, but the waiting process for adopting within the US is very long and slow. We’ve been approved for adoption, but have yet to be selected.

We have received many blessings throughout the year and count ourselves lucky to have you in our lives. We wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Wonderful New Year!

I'm back!

So, a month after my last post, I'm back! The last week before the Matis reunion got a little crazy. For those of you who don't know, Jeremy and I were in charge of plannng a reunion for his family. We held the reunion for a week over Christmas, and all 25 members of his family were able to be there. We had a lot of fun planning and being at the reunion, but WOW! It was a lot of work! Preparing for Christmas, the reunion and a trip all in one was a challenge. Everything went smoothly, but I worked hard to prepare and it will take me a while to feel caught up again.

We tried to get letters out to as many people as possible, but with all of the planning and preparations going on here, we didn't have time to track down addresses for those who have moved that we wanted to send letters to. If you have moved and did not receive a letter from us, would you please send me an email with your address? I love to send and receive holiday letters!

For those of you who did not receive our letter, I will post it here. I decided to have everyone write their own part of the letter this year (partially because I thought it would be fun to see what the kids would write about and partially to save myself time!), so I will post each of our sections under our names.

I truly hope that everyone had a beautiful Christmas and that the New Year has gotten off to a great start!