Sisters

Sure, mom and dad aren't bad, but only one person can change the tears to smiles every time. These two love, love, love each other. They play together, laugh together and cheer each other up better than anyone or anything else can. Oakley can't pronounce Brighton yet, so she calls her Baby B. Brighton is finally on some refulx medication and doing much better. I cannot believe she is 7 months old already!

 

Life in AK:

In August, we had highs in the 50s and 60s.
September: 40s and 50s
October: 30s and 40s

The cold hasn't bothered us at all... so far :) The fact that we've never felt anything warmer than 70 makes 30 still feel nice. Walking to church, you check the temperature. If it's over 30, no coat necessary. Under, I grab one. Don't worry, we're more careful with the kids! The heated garage doesn't hurt either. All of the houses around us have them. You jump in a warm car, walk into a warm store... you're only in the cold for a minute. We do have emergency blankets etc. in case the car breaks down :)

It takes awhile to warm up these days, so when we go jogging with our neighbor it's often in the high teens/low twenties and the girls don't mind a bit. The key is dressing right. We wear polyester/wool baselayers and wool socks which provide excellent warmth while wicking away moisture, keeping us dry and toasty. It really makes a huge difference. The air is very dry, which is no fun for skin, but makes the cold much more bearable.

It has been slowly getting darker and darker. We really haven't noticed it until this week. For awhile, it was just getting "normal", you know, not staying light until 2am or midnight anymore. But all of a sudden, the sun doesn't rise until 9am, and it sets at 6:30pm. The sun is never directly overhead now, it rises and seems to just barely clear the mountains where it hangs until it goes back down. And, winter is just beginning...

We had snow at the end of September, but since then the snow's been staying on the mountain tops. If we get a cold week it will creep down closer, but we've had a warm, beautiful October, so it keeps melting back to the tops. The sun makes a big difference between a warm day and a chilly one, and even on a warm day areas that stay in the shadow of the mountains stay frosted. The Fall leaves are gone, they were almost exclusively yellow. Except the evergreens, of course. There are many more deciduous trees here than I ever expected.

When we first moved here, it felt like we lived out in the country in the middle of nowhere! Now, it feels like a normal suburb, just a bit closer to nature. It's funny how your perspective changes. Wal-Mart is less than 5 minutes away, but most any other store we have to go into Anchorage for, which everyone calls "going into town". The strip of road known as "Downtown" Eagle River (they really call it that, which makes me laugh every time) has two grocery stores, some fast food, and lots of little mom and pop shops.

I love driving here. There is only one highway, and so few streets that it is nearly impossible to get lost. Even for someone like me, who is seriously directionally challenged. Everyone goes the speed limit. People will actually drive 45 in a 65 zone in perfectly sunny weather. I am not kidding. In Philly, everyone expects you to do 15 over. Here, people generally just aren't in a hurry. It drives Dan crazy.

We thought Philly was pricey when we were there, but now we'd gladly take those prices back. Anchorage has been ranked the 4th most expensive city to live in, in the U.S., after New York, Boston, and Juneau. Gas runs between 3.30 and 3.40 for regular here. Our rent is about $350 more a month than the payment for the house in Philly (similar in size). Our electric bill here, for just using the lights/small appliances, is the same as it was in Philly when we ran three electric space heaters most of the day and night. They don't even measure how much water you use. They just charge you a flat $75 a month. In Philly our highest water bill was $40.

Of course, there are some things that help to make up for the high cost of living. Okay, one thing: the oil companies. Alaskans enjoy some benefits thanks to big oil, like no sales or income tax. There's the PFD (Permanent Dividend Fund) payments made to each resident each year, including children. This year it was $1281 per person. Basically, the state gets money from the oil companies and puts it into this fund. Each year, the dividends from this fund are distributed to AK residents in the form of the PFD check. Unfortunately for us, it takes a year to get residency, so we missed out on $5124. Did I mention it's tax free? The last benefit I am aware of, is the fact that natural gas distributors aren't allowed to make any profit off the gas. They charge a service fee for distributing it to you, but they can only charge what they paid for the actual gas. That makes heating with natural gas quite affordable despite the cold.

We are LOVING the opportunity to live here. The beauty is breathtaking. The people are friendly. The outdoor activities are endless. We feel safe here. I can jog with friends after dark. Our neighbor left their kayak sitting out on there driveway for a week and it didn't go anywhere. Of course, nowhere is completely safe these days, but most of the people in Eagle River are very good people and the area is very family friendly. Alaskans are generally down to earth and while there is money, they aren't competing to see who can drive the most expensive car or own the largest house. I would live here forever, but Dan tells me I can't say that until we've survived our first winter. Besides, we aren't quite ready to settle down yet and wouldn't be upset if there were more exciting moves in our future.