Sitka!

Our soon-to-be home!

The decision has been made and we're moving to Sitka!!  When Joe told me about his job offer at
Blatchley Middle School in Sitka, I dragged my feet before committing.  My stipulations for the big move were having a lot of opportunities for Sam (Mommy and Me classes, story time, gymnastics, etc.) and a Target.  It's not as if I'm obsessed with Target, but I just figured that a city big enough to have a Target would be big enough for me to love.  Needless to say Sitka does not have a Target.  At just under 9,000 people, it doesn't have any big box stores.  It did manage to land a McDonald's and a Subway but that's it for the name-brand businesses.  It does, however, have world class kayaking, snorkeling, diving, fishing, hiking, and biking. It's 9th on the Smithsonian's list of the best places in the world to live, and it has a brewery for Joe.  They have

The boys heading out for a walk.

Toddle Time at the rec center, and there's a Mommy and Me group that meets twice a week, once at a playground, and once at a trail head for a hike. There's also a science center with sea-life touch tanks and a rehabilitation center for water fowl where you can visit the birds.  And if that's not enough, there are 9 different playgrounds and parks we can play at.  Sam and I will have plenty to do.  As far as critters go, the grizzlies are plentiful.  I was reading a man's blog where he wrote that a grizzly wandered into his back yard and got stuck in his doggy door.  I don't like that.  So I'll be the crazy lady singing at the top of her lungs while she walks down the road with jingle bells hanging all over her baby's stroller.  There are also tons of whales, porpoises, sea otters, sea lions, and seals.  Looking forward to that!  In Sitka there are plenty of pubs, restaurants, and coffee shops, tons of gift shops and galleries, and a White Elephant.  Not sure I'd ever need anything at a White Elephant, but I remember Uncle Tim always wanting to go to the one in Spokane, so that makes me smile.

Houses for sale are few and far between in Sitka.  Well, I take that back.  If you have a million dollars, there are lots of homes!  But not so much in our budget.  We decided to rent for a while why we house hunt and make sure we love it enough and can afford to live there long term.  Joe's new principal helped with our search and sent us information on a rental that a teacher at the high school owns.  It's more than we initially

This is the face you get when you offer Sam a bite of something.

wanted to spend, but after searching online and talking to 3 different real estate agents, I learned that we'd never find a 2 bedroom apartment for less than $1500/month.  Yikes.  The apartment is super cute, spacious living area, fenced yard, and ocean views.  So happy we found a place with a yard that Sam can play in.  The apartment isn't available until August 1, so that also means we get to stay 2 extra weeks in Idaho, so that's good too.  Joe's going to drive his car to Bellingham to take the ferry, and Sam and I will fly.  I'm just a little too nervous about Sam on the ferry.  We'd be sleeping in a tent on the deck, and it would be too easy for Sam to go for a swim.  So flying it is!

There are 2 grocery stores in Sitka, but I would imagine we'll be doing heavy duty shopping in Juneau.  We can take a 4 four hour ferry ride from Sitka for pretty cheap.  So maybe every other month we'll spend a long weekend in Juneau stocking up on the essentials. I'm just excited to have real stores!  And Sam can play with kids at the park!  And I can get a latte!  And Joe can get a beer!  And I can get a beer!  And a margarita!  And a mai tai!  And it won't even be illegal!

Playing Peek-a-Boo with his hat.

We're down to 2 weeks in Mountain Village.  Two weeks!  Even with the water struggles of this year, the vandalism and break ins, and the difficulty of living in bush Alaska in general, I am so glad we came here.  I will always be happy we made the decision to come on this adventure.  Mountain Village has been our home for four years.  It's where Joe asked me to be his wife, it's where my baby was made, it's where we became a family.  But I am soooo ready to end this chapter and start the next.  So for the next 13 days, I will be packing, tossing, shipping, cleaning, and saying good byes.  Joe's new principal has been really helpful and has even offered to store our totes until we get there.  That saves us from having to figure out a storage unit in Anchorage and then getting them shipped in August.  So glad everything will be there waiting for us.  Joe has talked to him several times and each time they talk, Joe is more and more excited to start work there.  I'm thrilled to see such enthusiasm in him when it comes to teaching.  It'll be fun to see how different it is for him teaching in a "big" school.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we begin this next adventure.  And please come visit!  Now

Smiling boy!

that we're going to live in such an awesome place, I expect visitors....lots of them!  Especially you fishermen, you have no excuse to keep you away.  Here are a few links for information on Sitka.  There are also tons of places that do fishing charters if you do a google search.

www.sitka.org
www.travelsitka.com