Our Last Days in Alaska

Our last days in Alaska were a bit of blur to say the least. Our house was packed up on July 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. We also had a new oven delivery, two visits from roofers, three visits for our water heater/sump pump, an appraisal for our house, and a visit from an electrician during those three days {the owners of our house were selling it & preparing to close a mere two days after our move-out} all the while I was taking the girls here, there, and everywhere to squeeze in more time with their friends...it was a lot. But we did it! Then we had the Fourth of July, Brady's birthday, and we said our goodbyes to Eagle River on the 9th..whew. Here's a quick look at some of the highlights!

{had a quick ice cream date with this guy while we were waiting to pick up his sisters one afternoon}

{our last evening family walk doing our "Highland Ridge loop"}

{the packer who did Shelby's room decorated her cello box, and it was just the most unexpected delight in the midst of a lot of sadness}

{last movie in our house}

{last morning run in Alaska with my Shelby-girl}

One of my most very favorite parts of living in Alaska was our neighborhood trail down to the Eagle River. These next few pictures are from our last family walk down to the river. 

These next few pictures are from our very last morning in our house while Derek & I were running around like crazy packing up all of the last-minute things & cleaning, cleaning, cleaning before our final move-out inspection.

{eating breakfast & reading his Kindle without a care in the world}

We had to get a few last pictures of Brady with his beloved climbing tree in our front yard. I had no idea until we were taking these pictures that he had carved his initials into the tree.

While we were waiting for the move-out inspector to do his thing inside, the kids were playing outside & took a last couple of strolls around our "Mountainside & Mountain Vista loop."

After we finished up at our house, we did a few loads of laundry in town before hitting the road. 

While we were at the laundromat, the girls walked to the library to return our last few library books & then over to the park to meet friends for one last time. This is another thing I will really miss about living in Eagle River--the small town feeling. The next few pictures are out of order, but they're a hodge podge of snapshots taken during the last few days with friends.

{during the move-out inspection, the girls were singing & dancing on our deck...their joy in the midst of the hard tugged on my heartstrings}

This move is a hard one! Every PCS has been challenging in its own way, but when the kids were little they were just along for the ride more or less. Now that they are older, we are dealing with the logistics & emotions of five different people. This was the first time around that I felt like not only was I processing my own sadness but also the kids'. I texted a friend in those last few days telling her "emotions are high & the to-do lists are long." ;) It is a heavy load to be preparing for a cross-country move and a three-week road trip and living without your household goods for a significant period of time {including the first days of high school for a certain someone} while simultaneously dealing with lots of big feelings. PCSing is physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting!

As we were gearing up to say our goodbyes to Alaska, my overwhelming feeling was that of gratitude. We are so thankful for the opportunity to experience the beauty & adventure of Alaska together as a family. Our church home was life-giving & we had the privilege of watching both Shelby & Hadley get baptized here. The kids made really dear friends. The girls' musical journeys flourished in our little community. So many, many precious memories. I think I do this every time we PCS, but as we drove out of Eagle River for the last time tears were streaming down my face. What a gift these three years have been! 

Now we look forward to what God has in store for us next!