Just the latest In our little world :)

Well here we are, roughly 75 days or so away from when we expect to depart the lower 48 and it still feels like there are a million and one things to do! Slowly making lists and sorting things out. Lots of trips to the drop-off center at Goodwill and posting and selling odds and ends on good ol' Craigslist. Ryan has been through this before, having the military pack him up and move him so he knows a bit more of what to expect but over all, it's such a feeling of limbo being unsure of what to do or where to start when you look around and see a house full of stuff. But as we draw closer and things start to get settled a little at a time, it all will surely start to feel a bit more under control.. within reason anyway, such a huge move to such a new place is just generally a bit unsettling to say the least and probably will continue to feel that way until well after we even arrive there!

We have so many exiting plans though, that include such a big adventure, and we are very much looking forward to being in the position of having nothing hold us back from experiencing them, but us. Being in Washington hasn't been the most fun for us, there are so many things to see and it is within a few hours of family, which is priceless, but it's so busy and crowded here that we find ourselves dreading going out and about. Admittedly, we enjoy being homebodies, making dinner at home and watching movies is a favorite pass time for us, but we also love getting out and feel that we've lost the drive to do that very much since being in such a big city. Being forced to move somewhere new like this will give us the chance to start fresh and relearn how much we love getting out and doing things that we miss like doing  much camping, hiking, fishing, and pretty much just being outside. Our new goal is to make up our own sort of "bucket list" for our time in Alaska, we're going to come up with those things we want to see or do while we are there and we'll even laminate it and frame it and hang it up where we will always be able to see it. That way if we start to get into a slump and can't think of much to do, we know there is always that list to check something off of. If any family or friends have ideas for us to put on our list comment or write us and let us know. We know we're blessed enough to get to see some things that some people reading this may not get the chance to see, so add to our list and we'll do it for you, that way you can live it vicariously through us! :)

So on to life in the present, I suppose! It feels like we're so busy thinking and planning for the coming months that it's hard to maintain focus on the here and now. There aren't many exiting things going on for the most part currently, but we are doing our best to see people we care about and actually that includes getting to have RJ and his girlfriend Auna come up to visit us over this last weekend. It was so nice to get to see them and show them around here a bit. We took them down to Cabela's so that RJ could look at all the fishing "stuff" his heart could desire and we just browsed around all the misc things they have there. It's such a neat store and a lot of fun things to see, though very touristy. Beyond that we all went to find the Fremont Troll in Seattle and then off to the Space Needle. Both of us had been there before but they hadn't so we wanted them to get to see it, too. Unfortunately it's the prettiest to see when it's a bit darker out and the lights of the city are all on but we were all a bit tired and we didn't want to wait around that long. So we hopped back in the car and drove around Seattle a bit longer looking for one last good view point then headed back south to get dinner. And for dinner? We had Famous Dave's BBQ, which by the way, RJ and Auna decided they figured out why Dave was so famous.. because it is SO good!! Barbecue lovers at heart can't say no to that goodness, we were all "fat and happy" when we left there. We headed home exhausted and satisfied and all pretty much hit the hay when we got back to the house. So all in all, great weekend and we so appreciated them taking the time to visit and spend a couple of days with us.

Well it's looking like a good day today, the sun in shining as it will be the rest of the week and have some good things coming up that we are looking forward to. We're planning on catching a movie with some friends this weekend before one of them heads off to Texas where he's going to be getting cross trained into a new career field. We don't know how much more we'll see them after that and are really sad about that so are looking forward to. Beyond that we are thinking we'll go back into Seattle to see the Pike Place Market this weekend since we haven't seen it yet. Next up we hope to visit with family a few more times in the next couple of months but the big visit is still being planned for May. After looking at a few things, Ryan is thinking he may be able to swing coming down for 3 whole weeks! So people better have some time open to see us because we have the better part of a month to spend and very exited about that! So as we've mentioned before, we want to have a big family get together at least once so please stay tuned and hopefully everyone would be able to come. Any ideas on where and when to do that would also be appreciated so be sure and let us know.

Lots of love and we'll most definitely be in touch soon! Happy Wednesday to everyone, hope it's a sunny day where ever you may be when your reading this.

Finally At Negative!

Well we thought it might be nice to post a quick update on the status of our Molar Pregnancy since we had our second follow up appt after the procedure done today. Good news, we're officially considered negative! My hCG level is not exactly zero yet, it's 4, but anything below 5 is considered negative so they said we'll do a couple more weeks of weekly blood draws and then we'll go to testing monthly. This is a good thing and we're definitely relieved to have gotten this news after only 4 weeks. After doing a lot of research we knew that it could very well take several weeks to get to that point so having only taken a month is great and the doctors are very happy. It's a bittersweet fact though, negative is what we want and needed to see but it also symbolizes that this short lived journey that we were originally so exited to embark on, is officially over. It's of course not completely over until we're through with being monitored but the big stuff if passed now and we're not likely to have to worry about needing any follow up treatment or care from it. We can just look toward the future and when the time is right hopefully we get the chance at starting our family again. But hey, maybe this PCS will be a fresh start and our 3rd try will be the charm.. We can have little Alaskan babies! ;)

So moving along, on the subject of Alaska, we're still just moving along and chipping away at little to-do's even though I must admit that we have a whole gamut of things to do that we could probably be allotting time to a bit more efficiently. We'll get there one way or another though, so there is only so much to bother stressing over I guess. That meaning that pretty much we have no choice but to get there so we'll do what we "gotta" do! One positive is that we got a room reserved there at the new base to stay in while we wait for a house to come available and it's pet friendly so miss Juniper can stay with us. This was a big concern because they only have a couple of pet friendly rooms and from there you have no choice but to kennel your pet off base somewhere and that could have been for a month or easily more. I know people do this everyday because sometimes there just isn't any other choice but as most already know, this dog is pretty much our spoiled child and we were flat our not even having the idea that she couldn't stay with us. So very needless to say, we got extremely lucky that a room came available when it did and crisis averted!

Secondly, because getting and keeping these orders were contingent upon Ryan reenlisting, he will be doing so on Monday. Just shy of 8 years in service and we're signing on for another 4. Looks like we'll be making this a career and will make the best of the journey the military takes us on. We can only hope that it's merciful and takes us to new and wonderful things. Maybe Alaska will be just our first stop in seeing what they have in store for us!

So it looks like we'll close this for now and we will definitely update more later on as things start rolling with our move. We'll be home this weekend for just a couple of days for our nephew Parker's first birthday so hopefully we'll get to see everyone, at least briefly for some hello's and some hugs! We are going to be taking the entire second half of May off to come home also, so that we will have plenty of time to say our goodbyes to everyone at that time. We will be planning on having a get together at that time so that we can have everyone together at least once more before we head out and are looking forward to getting to do that . It surely won't be the last time we see you all but it will just be the last time that we're only a few hours away from the family, at least for a while, and want to take advantage of every second we have.

Ok well lots of love and we'll be seeing you! :)

Change is Headed Our Way!

Well we decided that it was time to finally attempt blog number 3. It's been a couple of months since we've updated but it certainly hasn't been an uneventful time to say the least. I will begin by admitting something that we wanted to keep private until just the right time. We found out 2 days after Christmas that we were pregnant and were absolutely over the moon. This was our second pregnancy as our first one ended quickly in miscarriage a year and half prior. We were very proud and exited but wanted to wait to share the news with everyone once we'd had our first successful ultrasound and could be a bit more confident when we told the news. It tends to make you a bit nervous to say it out loud after a loss, in fear that it could happen again. But things seemed to be going well, I was feeling all of those crazy hormones and other blessed things that meant we were really expecting. Unfortunately at an ultrasound the doctor found that things did not look normal and he was suspected something called a Hydatidiform Mole (Molar Pregnancy) which can be dangerous and required us to do a D&C right away since that means that it is not a viable pregnancy. Well a week after the procedure we did get the results that it was a Complete Molar and I would need to be monitored for up to a year and that it would be dangerous to become pregnant again for a year. They need to watch my hCG levels weekly to make sure they they go down properly and once they do they will monitor them monthly to make sure they do not rise again. If they do not go down or they go back up it could be a sign that the tissue is regrowing and I would need treatment, which would be Chemotherapy. Googling the diagnosis would be easier than my trying to explain it but basically the mole is considered a tumor so if if comes back it could be cancerous. The good news it that my hCG did not get near as high as other much worse cases out there. I topped out at 38,000 but they can often times get up into the high hundred thousands, so see I was not as severe as I could have. If there is a silver lining in every situation than that would be ours, I was diagnosed so quickly. Now, my levels went down to 428 one week after surgery and two weeks after they are at 59. This is wonderful, they have dropped great but we have to keep checking weekly until they are at zero. My doctor said that since this did not appear to be a severe case and my levels are looking so good, we may be cleared to try for a baby after 6 months of zero results. Ok, so that is the gist of the situation and I know that I didn't explain in much detail what a Complete Molar is but there is endless info online so please look it up if you want to understand a bit more. But at the end of the day, my levels are looking good and we just have to hope that they keep dropping and things will be just fine.

So to close that topic I want to apologize for keeping it quiet. Some I'm sure had an idea that there was something wrong but it's been very very hard to come to terms with it and we've been doing our best with it. Yes, we experienced a second pregnancy loss and it turned out to be something that a bit more serious than that so it kind of feels like we relive it each week but time will heal and we know God has something great in store for us and our family. So while some days are harder to accept than others, the lowering levels are what keeps us feeling ok with all of it.. It's the very best we can do for now so we'll take it and keeping moving!

Ok well our next bombshell is a bit of a doozy as well so brace yourself.. We sure did have to! We just got orders and will be moving to Fairbanks, Alaska by June!! Yep, it's true but doesn't really seem possible. We're sure working on wrapping our heads around the fact and have been scrambling to let it sink in and just plan and prepare. When Ryan first shared the news all Angel could do was literally laugh. Things had just started to settle in here with the promotion and taking over down at Packing & Crating and we were waiting to move into the great 3 bedrooms here on base so hearing, "Hey babe, are you sitting down?" seemed like some kind a funny joke. But it really isn't so now it's wow, -60 degree weather and moose and caribou, here we come! Now let the fear, shock and excitement begin.

We found this photo taken in Fairbanks online and had to share it, not sure when it was taken but the point it, we are going to be living there!! That's incredible, isn't it? We've been researching like crazy and are finding that while it is going to be such a huge adjustment, that kind of cold feels so much different than what our cold feels like here if that makes any sense. They describe it as a "dry" cold and that the "wet" kind of cold is much more bone chilling. Now this is not to say it won't be cold, but I know we'll adjust. But beyond the cold, how about the fact that it will be light for 6 months of the year and pretty much dark the other half. When we are headed there in June is will be light all the time and looking on the bright side of things, it'll be helpful on our drive to squeeze a few more hours into the day. It's definitely great that we get to go when we are to take advantage of this and the fact that the weather will be warmer or more mild. This will also help with the drive so we won't have to worry about the roads along the way or that we'll freeze to death if we broke down and were stranded on some long stretch along the Alacan Highway. See what I mean, these are definite bright sides!

So as for actually being in Alaska, just think about all of the new things we'll get to see and do. Just the fact alone that we will be literally 8 miles from the North Pole. Literally, there is a town called North Pole and if we don't live on base we will probably be living there. Living in the town dedicated to Christmas all year long. How can you beat that when I love Christmas! Beyond North Pole and Fairbanks there is not much to see for a very long ways, the Arctic Circle is roughly 125 miles away. Haha, that will sure put the cold into perspective. Anyway the next super cool thing about being there will be the Northern Lights. We will be right in the middle of the best area to view the Aurora Borealis. How exiting to see something like that, it looks like something unimaginable that just happened naturally. One of those many wonders our earth really offers that we get to see first hand.

Well I think it's time to close this for now even though there really is so much more we could talk about on this subject but as we prepare and time gets closer we will definitely be updating and sharing more. Thanks for reading and we will hopefully be seeing all of you again soon!

Post Christmas Reality

So here we are, blog number 2. We're really hoping that this can be a way to keep our friends and family abreast on what we have going on in our life. It's not our proudest fact but we don't stay in contact as well as we should. Life here in Washington gets going and it's easy to lose track and lose touch but then we get to come home to Oregon for a couple of days and it feels like there is so much catching up to do with parents and such that there is never enough time to see all those people we wish so much, that we could or we just don't see them as long as we'd like. So while this blog won't fix this and certainly doesn't feel the same as being there first hand, here's hoping it's a start! We do feel very blessed to have gotten to spend time with the family that we did and had a really great time with them. So many little ones running around nowadays, it really reminds you who Christmas is for, the kids. Seeing the excitement and all those smiles was truly wonderful. Two of those little ones were our new nephew Parker and our niece Cambrie that Angel got to meet last Christmas but Ryan was still deployed so it was nice for him to get to see her for the holiday too.Those little ones are so beautiful and just grip your heart. The day before the holidays we got a chance to see Parker for a few minutes since Peter & Anne needed to stop by and my goodness, seeing how big he is really reminds us how long it had been since we'd been home. Hopefully we can try and fix that this coming year. We were able to get a quick snapshot of Ryan with Parker, isn't it precious! We have many more photos to add later but those were with Ryan's fancy camera that Angel can't work so these one's off of her point & shoot will do for now! ;)

It was also great to get to Angel's family's house to visit and to introduce Juniper to her parent's new dog, Goldie. They were just two peas in a pod right away. June is a quite a bit more rambuncious than Goldie but it was a good pair with her more mellow demeanor. They play fought and ran and then would sit and chewed bones together. It was hard come time to separate them and we sure hope we can get them together again soon.

So to continue on, we just got home from our festivities down in OR late on Saturday evening. We had towed a trailer down to pick up a bed set, dining table and also a hutch. Towing that thing was quite the adventure and then unloading it was an even bigger one. Not only did we get the expected items but of course came back with other things as well. Ryan's dad gave him some of his fishing gear as well as all of our Christmas "loot", which is always fun but finding room to store it tends to be another story. After getting it all unloaded it looked like a cyclone hit this house! But the next morning we got the table set up and our other one broken down and then came into our spare room, which up to now has been the office/catch all room. We decided to move the desk and scrap booking table over, just remove all of the misc junk we had in there and then set up the new bed.. And we love it! Now admittedly, this room is still a work in progress and our "misc" stuff is now out in the living room and needs to sorted but it feels a little more like a home in here now. The bed, the linens for it and everything else came from Ryan's brother Michael and his wife so we were very appreciative of them giving them to us. We now wait for the day that we get word that we can move into a 3 bedroom when one comes open here on base. Since Ryan's much deserved promotion we qualify for them and are so ecstatic but are pretty impatient about it getting here. But until then we have to make the best of what we do have and remember that we are blessed that we have today and all the rest is just icing on the cake.

Well we'll close this up for now and I'm sure there will be plenty more to come when one of us is more talkative so stay tuned!

Welcome to our home!

Today is the first day of our new spiffy blog, and we would like to invite all of our family and friends into our home here on McChord AFB. We decided to create this blog for fun, and we thought it would be a great way to keep all of our family and friends abreast of all of our life's adventures!

Today we didn't do too much, we unfortunately had to take down our Christmas tree, due to it taking a turn for the worst rather quickly. So our house is not as Christmasy inside any more, but at least the outside still shines and screams "LET IT SNOW!" We also washed both of our vehicles today. We finished washing and drying them off just in time for the clouds to come rolling in and rain down our freshly shined vehicles. Oh well I guess that is what you can expect in the great northwest!

Tomorrow morning we will be packing our duffel bags and loading up the truck for the 300 mile trek to see our families down in Oregon for the holiday. Ryan has Christmas week off of work so we will get to take a deep breath and take life a little slower for the next few days and just relax. Tuesday looks to be a great day for the both of us as well, Ryan is going to go fishing with his shiny new brother-in-law and father-in-law at hills creek! Angel on the other hand has chosen not to go jump in the river and catch some tasty fish, she and her mom will be making yet another long trek back up to Woodburn to go look for her Christmas present. She will be looking for a brand spanking new Coach purse. So you know she will be ooooing and aawwwing for most of the day at all the possibilities.

Well that is about it for now, we need to put the final touches on the house before we hit the road in the morning!

Until Next time~