Playing Catch Up

       I was just thinking this week, "I should start a blog, just for giggles and grins."  But when I tried to create an account here, it said I already had one that I had completely forgotten about!  So. from the time I last posted, a lot has happened.  We finished our beautiful trip to Ireland with many sweet memories, an enhanced love for the culture, and a deep desire to return someday.  The week after we got back, we re-packed all our possessions in a U-Haul and hit the road "North, to Alaska!".  Josh had been hired at the CAT dealer in Fairbanks.  Mom, Daniel, and Ron helped comprise our little caravan.

       Within the week we found an apartment in North Pole and settled in.  It took a while to get used to the area, but we soon came to love it.  There is such a unique sort of beauty here and the vast majority of the people we've met are so warm-hearted.  Yup, I think we're going to stick around.  A few months later (November?) I flew down to Anchorage and stayed with the ever hospitable Stacy Stone before taking my nursing boards.  After a few agonizingly long days, I found out that I passed!  In December, I started my first job as an RN on the medical floor of Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.  They have been such a great company to work for and I truly love working there!

       Also only a few weeks after moving here we found our new church family at Shelter Bible Church.  Awesome group of people trying to be a reflection of Jesus to the world.  We just felt so warmly welcomed and a sense of belonging right away as well as God's presence and work within. 

      In April of 2010, we purchased our first home in the hills north of Fairbanks.  What an exciting thing!  

I promptly started putting paint on the walls and building a couple raised gardens.  There's an unending list of projects associated with it, but they all seem exciting and fun!  (And I killed the engine in the 4-Runner and we got my little Escape.)

Soon, Clancey and the chicks (3 Silver Wyandotte, 3 Americauna) joined our little clan:

      Then in September we got even more exciting news: after one devastating miscarriage, we were pregnant!  Aside from about 5 months of severe nausea, the pregnancy went fine.  On June 1st 2011, we were so greatly blessed with Fynneghan Stephen.  Our precious little angel flipped our lives upside down over night and we never want to go back!  You'll be seeing lots more of him! =)  So that's a super brief overview.  I'm already excited about what the future will hold!