House Hunters: Part 2

It's hard to believe that this time last week Layne and I were on the last leg of our trip, heading into Anchorage! The week has flown by with the amount of sightseeing, visiting friends, and house hunting we have done!  Why is it that as you age, the time goes by quicker each year? Before you know it I'll be writing about our last days here and our big drive across the country back into the states! :O

  We woke up yesterday very excited to pursue a new home we looked at on Saturday, ready to make an offer on it... only to find out that we were third in line! (This house has only been listed 3 days) We were bummed to say the least, and decided we should make another counter offer on our previous first choice.  I was not as thrilled about countering back as I had been last week, knowing there were other great homes at better prices out there. But out here in Alaska, the market is very different. Good homes don't stay on the market long, as we were finding out.  The counter from our first choice came back worse than before, so we called it quits.  We came home to find our 2nd choice home is now pending, and then another home we liked was also pending!!!! SHEESH! Up here you have minutes to decide if the house and the price is right before it's snatched up it seems! phew.  Luckily (as of right now) there is one house that we like and it's still available.  We are going to go look at it again tomorrow and then make an immediate decision. I know God is in control and will bring us the perfect home at the right price in His time.

Patience is a virtue...

Aside from house hunting, we have enjoyed hanging out with our friends from Florida and one of Layne's buddies from flight school, Andrew lives up here and flies C-17's (aka "heavy's").  Thursday we went to dinner with him and his wife, Lisa, at the infamous Moose's Tooth.  We have been told for months now that it's a "must-try" dinner place, so we went, we tried... and we LOVED! We waited close to an hour and a half to be seated (<-- that was on a Thursday night- apparently the wait is that long ALL THE TIME!) but man o man, it was worth it! They have more pizza selections to choose from than Papa Johns, Pizza Hut, Little Caesar's, and Domino's COMBINED!! The food was amazing and the options are endless, so MAYBE in the 3 years we live here we can try them all...!!!

Portage Glacier

 Friday we went to dinner at Red Robin near base with Dan and Michelle (our friends who came from Florida with us) and then got some sinfully delicious Marble Slab ice cream! yum! Saturday Layne and I woke early to meet up with our realtor to house hunt again, then afterwards drove to Andrew and Lisa's house for a fun adventure to Lake Portage. We rode with them along the coast line of the Cook Inlet called the Turnagain Arm until we reached a small area called Portage.  We bought passes to take a "cruise" on the lake to see the Portage Glacier! It was so cool. This lake was formed by the grinding and rubbing of the glacier into the surrounding mountains.  Due to the mass amounts of soot and unavailable light, it is unable to sustain any form of life! We toured around the lake, saw some awesome waterfalls due to the melting snow, watched a bear high up on the cliff, and then drove the boat straight into the ice! Due to their record breaking snow fall this year, a third of the lake (the side closest to the glacier) is still frozen over.  We stood on the huge deck atop the boat and watched as the captain kept ramming the boat into the ice!

 
Huge chunks would break away as we backed up and charged it again! It was very cold, and thankfully Lisa had provided me with an extra jacket.  After our fun ice smashing venture, we drove a short distance and hiked along the stream... through the snow. 

The ice chunks our boat broke up!

Andrew and Lisa acted like it was no big deal, but it was CRAZY!  We were walking through more  LEFTOVER snow than I had seen in TOTAL snow in years! Some places had to still be 2 feet deep!  

Though our shoes we not exactly the best, we still walked a good ways down the trail and back.  I felt like a goober as I could not walk straight or normal to save my life.  Layne and I were slipping and sliding everywhere! haha

My footwear... not great in snow!

Yesterday we went  in town to check out REI (a huge outdoors/clothing/equipment place) and ended up spending over 2 hours in there...and it finally wasn't because of me! Layne bought me a new, warm,wind blocker jacket and I now have my very own Camelbak backpack for hiking!!  Layne found a pack for him as well, but he's got to order it online.  Did you know hiking back packs have to fit you perfectly, like clothes?!  We explored another store, Sportsman Outdoors and spent ANOTHER 2 hours in there! Layne has died and gone to heaven with the mass amount of hunting, fishing, and outdoorsy equipment! We both got (on sale!) waterproof jackets too, BEAR SPRAY, and a fishing license!  I also for the first time ever held a real gun. (watch out!) In Alaska, you have to dress in layers, and each layer serves a different purpose.  The waterproof jacket is the "outer shell" of everything else.  It's light and can easily be stuffed in your backpack  (or wherever) when it's not needed. Then your warm layer, then a breathable layer, then your base layer... phew!

We still have a LOT to learn about the crazy weather out here and all that goes with Alaska, but I feel much better having a least another layer to put on while all of our belongings are stuck in storage for who know how long!

Praying that our week of house hunting goes better and that this huge burden will be lifted as well call Alaska our new home.  Thank you for praying for us and loving us!

TTFN!
Jenni