Take A Step Away From The Computer...

As you all know by now, Kevin and I received news that we will be moving to Kodiak, Alaska! It was our first pick, and we are both extremely enthusiastic about this move. We found out about a week ago, and I feel like I have been glued to the computer since then! Between Google, Coastichicks, and random websites I have found I feel like I have become pretty knowledgeable about Kodiak, and what it will be like to live there. Well okay, lets not kid ourselves... I am still stressing out, hyperventilating, and on the verge of a melt down because I have NO CLUE what it will be like to live there! So what do I do... I sit back down in front of the computer and look some more! I am pretty sure the day after we found out we would be moving to Kodiak I sat on the computer for 15 hours straight. Don't get me wrong, I could not be happier, or more excited about this move, I just have no idea what to expect. And the thing that is stressing me out the most is how we are getting there. I've come to the conclusion that I need to just step away from the computer, and let things fall into place. I prayed continuously about letting God take us to where we were meant to be, so now I need to pray that we will guide us through. But I have found out some pretty interesting information that I thought you might like to know...

1.) Kodiak is an island (also referred to as Emerald Island) and is roughly 250 miles south of Anchorage
2.) As of the 2000 census, the population is 6,334 people
3.) Temperature Ranges are as follows:
January Temp - 25 to 35 F
April Temp- 32 to 43 F
July Temp- 49 to 60 F
October Temp- 34 to 46 F
4.) Kodiak is home to the largest US Coast Guard base in the country
1000 active duty members/ 1700 family members
5.) Apparently is rains ALOT!
6.) There is a Wal-Mart and Safeway (which was the grocery store we used in Baltimore!)
7.) There are no moose in Kodiak (total bummer...)
8.) We will no longer be able to use Sprint as our cell phone provider...
9.) There is not a Bank of America in Kodiak either...
10.) Tanning salons are sometimes referred to as "solar therapy rooms"


And for those of you who are wondering how on earth will we get ourselves and our belongings over there, here is a brief overview:

I will fly to Petaluma, CA for Kevin's graduation on March 4th. We will then fly to Baltimore, MD where we will meet up with the movers at our storage unit and have them pack and load everything up and they will be responsible for getting everything there (whoo... that's a ton of weight off my shoulders). We will then fly back to Houston/Huntsville, hopefully have a day to visit with family, and then we will load up my car with the belongings I have here, the dogs, and ourselves and drive up to Petaluma, CA (basically a GIANT circle). The military will ship Kevin's car from there, and we will get the rest of his stuff and squeeze that into my car as well. At this point we will drive up to Washington (I believe it is Bellingham, WA) where we will take a ferry to Alaska. We don't know the details on the ferry yet, we just know that it will be a couple of days on one, get off, wait a few days for the next ferry to come, get on that one, and then hopefully get to Kodiak. My estimation is that we will arrive in Kodiak on March 22nd, but it will all depend on the ferry schedule. If my estimation is correct, it will take roughly 18 days of traveling back and forth cross country to finally get to our new home!

Next Tuesday, Kevin will meet with someone to discuss all of the moving arrangements, so we should hopefully have a better idea of what is going on then! I will make sure to keep you posted!

PS- feel free to send me wool socks, thermal underwear, or rain boots! THANKS!