I didn’t think I’d write a post today because all we did was drive.  And driving is usually fairly uneventful.  Usually.

But, last night, just before going to bed we saw that there was a winter weather advisory for the exact area through which we’d be driving.  Is that clear?  A WINTER weather advisory…for May 17th.  Even in Alaska, this is not normal.  Denali National Park, where Denali (more commonly known outside of Alaska as Mt. McKinley) is located, is right between Fairbanks and Anchorage, and they had a winter storm warning – snow, low visibility, more snow, and maybe a blizzard.  We were a little concerned, so we set to leave earlier to try and beat it.

By the time we began the drive out of town in our shiny rental car (which Hertz had upgraded from a compact Toyota to a Jeep Patriot because they were feeling nice), the snow was starting to fall.

We made it on the road for about an hour…and then Millie got sick.  All over.  Ew.  So, we pulled over and, in the snow, cleaned the daughter and the car seat and bagged the icky things and were back on the road in twenty minutes.  Promptly, the three of us not driving fell asleep, lulled by the Patriot, winding roads, and Christmas-y outdoors.

Two hours later we were all awake and chattering and Millie was ready to eat and drink some milk.  We debated, but her complaining won out.  And, sure enough, an hour and a half later, in even heavier snow, we repeated the actions of the morning.  More cleaning and bagging icky things.  We ran out of easily accessible Millie clothes and she was reduced to one of Matthew’s shirts.

Back on the road again, we finally made it to Palmer and our hosts’ house, after 6.5 hours on the road.  This family was one we went to church with in Fairbanks, but has since moved south and we are delighted to be able to see and spend some time with them.  Their youngest son and Levi are only a few weeks apart in age and were pretty much inseparable all evening.

Amelia didn’t really have a great evening.  She does seem to be feeling better, but was so overtired from a lack of a normal nap for the past few days (her normal naps are three or so hours) and the sickness today that she was just a mess.  I think she’s finally asleep now…and Levi is just fine, minus the ever-returning cold/cough he’s had every other week since we left Africa.  Ugh.

Meanwhile, outside, the snow has been falling ever since and does seem to be stopping anytime soon.  The forecast predicts four inches for this area.

So, the glamorous life of a missionary family continues…

Tonight we wrapped up our time in Fairbanks and tomorrow morning we will hit the road for the seven-ish hour drive south to Anchorage.  So, of course, all of those little last-minute stops took place and the past two days were extra long, but so fantastic to catch up with so many people.

Wednesday morning we had breakfast with a friend and supporter who we had known in Fairbanks before, who had moved away (they are a military family) and, suddenly, they moved back!  Last week!  And she saw via Facebook that we were visiting and had us over.  It was such a great time and to watch her little boy and Levi play airplanes together was really fun.

We ran back home for quick naps and then went back out again for an appointment with the midwife clinic here in town that had guided me through my pregnancies with Levi and [first half of] Amelia.  It was fun to see some of them and their brand new building.  They did the regular check up and we got to hear baby’s heartbeat – all is well.  Then, out of the sweetness of their heart and knowing about our weird situation, decided not to charge us!  What an unexpected blessing!

Then it was time for a chilly cookout with friends and supporters we’ve never met!  It was fun to finally meet in person – though we’d been Facebook friends since 2009 – and we had a great time visiting and watching the kids play in the snow and around the bonfire.

This morning we slept in – all four of us until 9am!  Clearly, our bodies are confused because of this constant light!  But, today was probably the longest day out for us.  We headed out first for an unsuccessful trip to my old workplace – I haven’t worked there since before Levi was born, but I like staying in touch.  However, everyone I knew was out for the day.  Next we stopped by a few places out in North Pole for one last goodbye.

Our afternoon was spent with a quick hello to some new friends – parents of another missionary wife in DRC!  It’s a small world and we were excited to meet them.  They are headed out next week for their first visit to their daughter and her family in a village a long day’s drive outside of Kinshasa.  We became close to the family since they came to Kinshasa every few months to stock up on supplies and were excited for the chance to say hello.  It was a great visit.

This evening we had our last dinner with a family from church that has been our dear friends since 2008.  They were also so helpful and generous in letting us borrow their car for the last 10 days!  We had a great time and their kids loved helping ours play in the last remaining snow and show off the new chickens.  The cheesy halibut and bacon-wrapped scallops were the best we’ve EVER had.  Their kids asked some really great questions about our lives in Congo, and were most shocked to learn that the Congolese have never seen a moose, let alone eaten moose meat – a staple for many Alaskans.  After dinner, we had another bonfire and s’mores, but the kids were tired and after lots of runny noses and one bloody lip (Amelia’s) – thanks to a quick, high-impact run-in with a metal tricycle – we decided it was probably time for bed for everyone.

On the way home, Levi’s dream of seeing a moose in Alaska came true (though it wasn’t his first ever, it was his first for his memory) – one was chillin’ on the side of the highway, as many do in the Great North.

Even though I forgot the camera cable and really haven’t taken many pictures anyway, we did manage to get this classic a few days ago…

Amelia and Levi sit on the Alaska Pipeline

A HUGE thank you to everyone in Fairbanks and North Pole who made our visit so fantastic: from lending us vehicles, comfy rooms, boots, coats, and anything we needed – what a wonderful trip and we are so sad to leave already!  However, we are even more grateful for the time we had here

Next stop: Palmer and Anchorage!

On Saturday morning we got together with the small congregation at St. Paul Church here in Fairbanks.  We attended this church for about two years while we lived here and were excited to give them an update and meet their new pastor.  It was a casual setting with a few pictures and video thrown in, lots of great questions, and fun seeing the folks again.

We  had a restful afternoon, with more naps by everyone, and the kids got to play outside.  Since it’s been reaching 60F (16C), the snow has been melting quickly, less than half is left from when we arrived on Tuesday.  The ground is even drying out in places, but Millie still found the one puddle in the yard for jumping.  Ah well…  There is a swing set and play house in the yard at our hosts’ house, so the kids are soaking it in.  Saturday night we enjoyed a date night in, with the new Les Mis and an Oreo McFlurry (pregnancy craving met!).

Sunday morning we went off to our other church home here in Fairbanks, University Park Bible Church.  We enjoyed the service with great friends and took over the Sunday School hour with our review of our year in DRC and answering questions.  In addition to being long time friends, the folks at UPark are already supporting us in a big way with prayer and financial partnership, so it was a great time to reconnect in person.

We attempted a Mother’s Day picnic at a park but the wind was a bit too chilly to be comfortable, so we enjoyed watching the ice float across a pond from our car while we ate.  It was still fun and the kids loved to dance to songs on the radio.

This afternoon was yet another long nap and more playtime outside…followed by a very late bedtime – the light is messing with the kids’ heads, too!  Another week of fun get togethers with friends has begun!

We’ve had two very full days yesterday and today, let me see if I can recap them for you and not put you to sleep.

Yesterday we had a couple of errands to run and stopped in at some very dear friends of ours.  I love this family so much and have been really looking forward to seeing them.  Their youngest (of 6!) is just eight days older than Levi, so it was always fun watching them together.  We visited for a bit, then came back to our host’s house for lunch and NAPS.  We all took three hours naps, although I think Levi played quietly for some of that.  It was excellent and, apparently, we all really needed it.

Dinner was at a family’s house – actually, our hosts’ daughter – whom we know from church.  They have four kiddos, the youngest is just a bit older than Amelia, so it was fun to watch them play together.  Levi made a quick friend in their youngest son, and all the parents enjoyed NOT answering constant questions, since they were content to just ask each other.  And, since he’s a few years older, he was able to help Levi with his food, too.  It was fantastic, as was the moose stew.  Sadly, we had to leave early due to another appointment.

We rushed back to the house, got the kiddos to bed, and Matthew and I headed out to KJNP (King Jesus, North Pole) – a local Christian radio and television station.  We were scheduled to appear on their twice-weekly talk show, Closing Comments, to talk about our mission work and advertise for a Saturday morning presentation at St. Paul Church here in Fairbanks that we are doing.  It was a fun chance to appear on local, live TV and share further with the community about our mission work.  It’s very low key, so don’t picture anything spectacular, but we are grateful for our hosts at St. Paul Church for thinking of it and setting it up.

We didn’t get home and in bed until nearly midnight, but it was still light outside, no worries there.  The kids slept in a bit and we were up and ready to go for another busy day.  We had lunch with friends from church and their four kiddos – super fun and lots of mud to inspect.  And it was fantastic to eat on the deck in the sun and watch the snow melt and run down the hills.

We came back to the house and all took yet another three hour naps.  We have no idea why we are so tired, but I’m grateful that all four of us are at least on the same page.  We got up at 5:30pm with just enough time to get out the door to meet with more friends for dinner.  They took us out to a great Italian place and, after, outside at the newly-open-for-the-summer ice cream shack.  The kids had fun and Amelia found a giant puddle and before we could get her boots on she was soaking wet and giggling.  So, we watched her attack the puddle while we enjoyed ice cream in the sun at 8:30pm.  We do miss things about the Great North!

Now, with two freshly bathed kids in bed and laundry running to get the mud out, we are trying to get ready for bed…but the sun really does mess with your head.

This weekend will be more appointments and fun and, hopefully, more good weather!  We are having a great time in AK – we even drove past our old house, all stalker-like, and were nostalgic to see that the only new things are a little dog run fence and a Steelers flag hanging out front.  It was the house we owned and worked on for four years before selling it to move to Africa.

In a totally abrupt change of topic, let me direct you to a segment that sired on CBS News tonight.  This mother, an adopting mom who adopted from DRC, has such a story to share about love.  I did not get to meet her in person, though I had chatted with her a bit on facebook on and off before she traveled to DRC.  And get a tissue…just sayin’.  It’s less than three minutes, but just a tiny part of the adoption picture that I was privileged enough to take part in while we lived in DRC.

It is the second morning we are here in the frozen north.  Though yesterday it got fantastically warm (that is relative, you know) and up to 50F!  The snow lessened a little, and the mud grew.

Yesterday, we had lunch with our pastor and his family at their farm.  The kids loved seeing the goats, including a pen full of kids, the tiny angus cow, the chickens, and of course the boarder collie pups!  We had delicious salmon – you have not had salmon until you’ve had it North – and enjoyed the sun.  Amelia even played barefoot on the deck and, after getting a splinter, enjoyed sticking her feet in the leftover snow piles.

Afterward, we visited Matthew’s old workplace and chatted with co-workers.  I finally got to give him his anniversary present – a handmade knife, made by a former co-worker.  It is beautiful with so many details – exotic wood, copper spacers, fossilized sea cow bone handle, and one of my favorite parts is the lanyard with the two bear claws at the end.  Those bear claws are from the bear Matthew shot and we spent a winter eating!  We had given him the paws we had saved and he still had them – what a fantastic piece of art.  I’d show you a picture, but I forgot my camera cable in WA.  Oops…  Afterward, we grabbed dinner and headed over to one of Matthew’s good friends’ house to hang out for a bit.

Today we have more visits with friends, dinner with another family from church, and, after the kids are asleep, Matthew and I are going to appear on a local, Christian talk show that airs live twice a week here locally to talk about our mission work.  Should be a fun day!

The sun is shining, though, granted, it has been for several hours…because, you know, there’s 21 hours of daylight almost…and the kids are still sleeping (at 8:30 in the morning!).  I guess I should get my breakfast and coffee before they finally decide to wake!