Trek to Alaska - Part 1

Chris got his first "real job" out of dental school and residency working as an associate with a pediatric dentist in Wasilla, AK.  We have always talked about how it would be a fun adventure to move to Alaska, so when he heard there was an opening up this way, we looked further into it.  We came to check out the job and area in December 2012 and thought it was a great fit. He accepted the job offer in January and the next 6 months were consumed with making plans for our move.  I scoured the Internet and blog-stalked many Alaskan moms (contacted most of them too!) and figured out a plan.  Here's how it all went down:  


Because it costs so much to move to Alaska, we decided to be guinea pigs on using Uhaul's version of a "POD".  They just recently opened up service to Alaska.  We sold most of our stuff and fit what we could into this 5 x 8 x 7.5 ft plywood box, called a U-Box.  (Maybe I'll write a review on it later because it was an interesting process...)   

The only big things we took with us were 2 twin mattresses, a piano, my treadmill, and a desk. Oh, and my massive jogging strollers. :)  The rest were plastic totes full of clothes and other small-but-pricier items. We had to maximize our space - if it was large but cheap (i.e. trashcans, etc.), we didn't bring it. It was still cheaper to repurchase those types of items up here. 

After packing ever nook and cranny on the UBox, we packed our car FULL.  After doing that, we still had so many kitchen and other household items that just didn't fit.  We ended up leaving dishes, my collection of Pyrex, a stroller, and suitcases on our neighbors porch for them to wake up to. And we just put the rest of our stuff by our trashcan, hoping the trash man would take it all away (pillows, potty seats, towels, sheets, blankets, cleaning supplies, etc). I'm still regretting leaving all of my Pyrex...but I'll get over it. :( 

Please ignore my socks with flip flops. I was up all night. 

We left Columbus, OH on Saturday morning and stopped for 2 nights in Nauvoo, IL  to see some LDS church history sites. We were there on a Sunday, so a lot the normal summer events weren't happening, but it was still a great stop. We stayed in a restored pioneer cabin and loved it! 

The next day we drove through more corn fields than I ever want to see again and stopped for a night in Nebraska. It was the best hotel we stayed in though. 

A little hotel TV/snuggling before bed. 

The next day we had a REALLY long day going through Colorado and made it to Utah. We spent 2 weeks visiting both of our families. Here's a photo dump of our family highlights:  

Random llamas in Gunnison. 

Love my boys.

Great Grandma Jean - the kids love her!

The newly engaged couple! 

Sometimes he wears pants. 

Aunt Jessica made "houses" for all of the kids.

Great Grandpa Brunner

Poor Papa recovering from hip surgery

Probably one of my top 10 favorite pictures. 

Do all boys "hold themselves" like this???

A little family entertainment at Scheels

We had a great time visiting everyone!