God Shed His Grace On Thee

Please click here if you missed the first part of this remarkable story of how God shed His grace upon my family.

I remember hearing my son tell his daddy "now you will have to make a sharp turn around this corner." He was telling his dad what the signs on the side of the road were saying. Something he had done the entire trip so far. I suppose it kept him from boredom during this long drive. Once we turned that corner and entered the white-out conditions, my son's voice no longer spoke. We all were silent.

So Close When It Happened

Two days ago was our one year mark from leaving Alaska and taking our cross-country trek to Wisconsin. When we left Alaska that early and cold morning we had no idea what God had planned for us during that trip or for the year. We had heard traveling during that time of year can be treacherous and sometimes dangerous. Driving was the only optional we had because from the time we found out we were moving to the day we left was only 24 days. We did not have time to get tickets for the ferry, which the husband is not to fond of. We could fly but that entailed having to pay out of pocket to ship our second vehicle. Our decision was to drive. We really enjoyed the drive up to Alaska and wanted to do the drive back to the lower 48. We had no idea we were going to face what we faced.

Goodbye 2012

2012 was a very interesting year for my family. God had big plans for us and I never thought He would lead us through what He led us through.  If you told me last July what my family would experience in 2012, I would have looked at you crazy and said "okay, sure." 

Let's begin at the beginning....

Awwww Back In The USA

Phew!

We made it back into the United States!

I have been told by a couple people that Alaska is part of the United States. Yes we lived in Alaska and it is part of the United States, but we had to drive through Canada. So I just wanted to clarify ;)

The rest of our travels since the blizzard has been good. A rock has chipped our windshield and broke our fog lights. I would take that instead of the blizzard! We are excited because as I type this we are about 8 hours from family! Hubby has not been home or seen family in over two years!

Thank you all who have prayed for our trip and our safety. God is so good!

The Trek Begins

The hugs have been received.

The prayers are being said.

The truck is being packed.

The kids are sleepy and parents too.

It has been snowing since yesterday morning.

The trek begins.

Today we begin our 3,030 mile trek across North America.

Today we begin our new path that God is setting us on.

We do not know what to expect, but we have faith that God will get us through.

Our trip should take about a week. 

Will you please pray for us?

The journey will take us into the territory of very little, through mountain passes, and a separation of 300 miles between each town.

God will get us through.

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done."  Philippians 4:6

I wanted to write posts and schedule them throughout the week, but unfortunately I did not.  So next time you see a TFN post, we will have arrived safely in the lower 48. 

Until then my neighbors; blessings to you all!

No Coincidences With God

Today we have hugged and said our goodbyes to close friends.  Tonight we do the same with another family.  Tomorrow four more families.  Army life is hard when it comes to leaving our friends, especially those who are considered family.

We were to leave Tuesday of next week, but there has been a change, and we are now leaving this Sunday.  This PCS has definitely kept us on our toes.  We keep changing dates and God changes the duty station.  No matter what has been thrown at us, God keeps us moving.  He continues to show us a little of His plan each time. 

Two days ago the hubby and I were in the lobby speaking with another Christian, and we were telling him that we are feeling that missionary work is in our future.  We already have an area of ministry that we would like to work in, and we feel God placing it on both our hearts.  The gentleman went on to tell us that he knew the perfect person to contact in this area of ministry.  Later that evening I received an email with the contact information.

Some may say that was a coincidence, meeting with the gentleman in the lobby, but I say "I think not!"  God placed that gentleman in the lobby for a couple of reasons.  One was because the hubby need a piece of paper signed and the other was the contact information.  Nothing is a coincidence when it comes to God. 

Nothing is a coincidence.  This morning I opened my email and read KLove's encouraging word.  Can you guess what it was? Proverbs 3:6.  Coincidence? I think not!  He is showing us pieces of His plan. 

As long as we keep our hearts and eyes on Him, He will reveal the whole plan in His time. 

What has God shown you lately?

Titus 2 Women

"Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." (Titus 2:4, 5 NIV).

As we are approaching closer to our movers arriving, and our time here in Alaska is coming to an end, I continue to think of my Titus two women. I have a couple of ladies in my church that I call my Titus two women. These women have definitely shown me ways to grow in my walk with the Lord and have not shown only me love, but others around them. These women have shown exactly what the Scripture say.

Today I was blessed to have one of my Titus two ladies stop by my home for a visit. It does not matter what I am going through she offers words of encouragement and guidance, but she also holds me accountable. Accountability is so important for us Christians because sometimes we can be influenced by the flesh or the world, or even both.

My Titus two women teach me, guide me,and truly live what God speaks in Titus 2:4-5. I had been praying for a few years for God to send me a Titus two woman into my life and He did. Not only did He send me a Titus two woman, but He sent me many.

God knew what I needed and He sent them. Let me tell you, He sent me some strong,God-loving, holding me accountable women. These women allow me to miss one Sunday of church, but boy, if I miss two in a row, my phone is ringing, and texts are being sent as soon as church is over. My Titus two women are calling to find out if I need anything, or if something happen.

Accountability.

The women are not calling to give me grief for missing two weeks of church in a row. They are calling to ensure everything is okay, and if I need prayer. They are holding me accountable for the decisions I make.

My Titus two women not only mean the world to me, but to my family. My children love these women and enjoy being around them. There has been a few times when the hubby and I have gone to dinner with one of my Titus two women and her husband, and my children are upset. This couple does not have children my children's age, so it is not my children wanting to play with their children. It is my children wanting to be in their presence. This couple has a love and fire for the Lord that when you leave all you can do is be in awe. I pray that one day I can display that same fire.

So each day we are getting closer to our move I feel excited, but sad at the same time. I truly wish I could just pack up these women with me, but I do not think that will happen. However, God has placed them in my life because He knew I needed them, and I know they will always be with me.

I believe we all need a Titus two woman in our life. How about you? Do you have a Titus two woman in your life?

My Little Girl

I am so thankful for the blessing of my daughter.  She makes me so proud and I just love her so much.  Yesterday the family and I went to watch Kaitlyn in her Girl Scout Re-Dedication Ceremony and I was simply amazed by her.  I watched her interact with the younger children and how gently she guided them in the next step of the ceremony.  I was definitely having a proud momma moment.  I cannot believe that she is in her last year of a junior, it seems like yesterday she was starting her first year as a brownie.  Where does the time go?

My little princess is a blessing to our family and I am so grateful that God blessed us with her.  

She was so honored to carry the Colors

My little shadow is growing up.  *sigh*

For more GratiTuesday jump on over to Heavenly Homemakers.

Today's Adventure

When I woke up this  morning I saw the sun shining through my blinds and was so thrilled.  The weather here in Alaska has not been the best so when I saw the sun shining I wanted to soak up all the rays I could today.  I decided to take the two blessings on a little drive about an hour out of town.  There is a nice place called Angel Rock that we tend to go hiking at and along the way there is some beautiful areas to stop and relax by the river.  Today we were going to relax by the river and enjoy the nature that God has created for us.

So we packed some snacks, a couple of towels, change of clothes, and we were out the door.  All three of us were excited for our adventure and could not wait to see what was in store for us.  Well, about 30 minutes out of town the rain started to come down.  The clouds were not looking promising.  We decided to push on because you can never tell with Alaska weather what is going to happen.

After 20 minutes of little sprinkles of rain here and downpours there we were wondering if we would be able to enjoy the outdoors.  We stopped at a couple of areas but as soon as we stepped out of the car we were swarmed by mosquitoes!  It was horrible and guess who forgot the bug spray?!?!?  The sad part was that I remembered to grab the bug spray but forgot to grab it (if that makes sense).  After about 10 minutes of being attacked by mosquitoes we decided to head back towards home.

We were a little disappointed that we could not go through with our plans but we really had a good time.  Just the three of us with no distractions was very enjoyable.  These are the times where we wish for our hero to be home.

The best part of the trip was being able to see God's creatures: 

Two calf moose

Momma is just behind bushes in the water

Momma with her head in the water 

Ahhhh I just love Alaska!

Endless Choices

We are stationed in a city that has a Wal-mart and two Fred Meyer's.  We have two Pizza Huts, two McDonald's, one Wendy's, two Taco Bell's,one Denny's, one Carl's Jr, a handful of Subways, and mom-n-pop resturants.  On a clear day we can see Mt. McKinley that is located about an hour and half away.  The pipeline runs through the city, and the beauty surrounding Fairbanks is just beautiful.  I hear many people complain about Fairbanks and all that it lacks.  There are days that I miss my options of shopping or resturant choices.  As a  military spouse I have learned to accept the challenge and look for the positives. 

I love Fairbanks especially after living in Baltimore, Maryland for three years.  The city is very laid back and it takes about seven minutes to get from one end of town to the other.  March 28th will be our year and a half mark of living here in Fairbanks and in about eight months (the earliest) we should find out our new assignment.

So what is this post about? Fairbanks, Alaska?  No.  Well, kind of.

Last week the family and I traveled south to the big city of Anchorage.  The hubster is on leave and we have yet to make it to Anchorage, so we thought we would take a week or so to travel.  As we entered into Wasilla we saw all of the choices they had to offer, we were like little kids in a candy store who could pick out any candy they wanted.  Then we entered into Anchorage.  We were able to walk in a real mall, eat at Arby's, visit an indoor water park, Chuck E. Cheese, travel to Seward, eat at Red Robin and IHOP.  It seemed like the choices were endless.  Of course after checking into our hotel our first stop was to here:

The two blessings have been saving their money for this trip and were eager to spend their savings.  My daughter of course was ready to clothes shop and my son could not wait to hit this store:

We had such a great time and truly were blessed with our time of togetherness.  I did realize on our trip that Anchorage had many choices to choose from and we had so much appreciation for those choices.  When we lived in Maryland we took our choices for granted.  So when we traveled to Anchorage we felt blessed for the choices.  

Blizzard Blog Hop

Welcome my fellow Blizzard Bloghoppers to The Forever Neighbor! 
 
Grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and let the chatting begin...

I am a military spouse, homeschooling mother of two, full-time college student, and a daughter of Christ.  My family and I are currently stationed in The Last Frontier and loving every moment.

What you will find here at TFN is the life of a military spouse, homeschooling my two blessings, and my faith in God.  At times I post recipes but of course I have to cook in order for that to happen. Each Monday I co-host in a military (and civilian) blog hop with Marine Parents and Life With My Littles.  I hope you can stop by and link up each week, we would loooove to have you.  I am currently in the process of starting to switch my family over to healthier eating and more all-natural way of living.  This new journey that we are on will be interesting but it will be well worth it.   
 
Well, I need to refill my cup of coffee, and when I return I would love to hear about you......

Food Inc.

I have heard of this documentary called Food Inc.  I knew if I watched it my view on food would change.  I was the child that grew up on processed food and kool-aid.  When I had my children I tried to feed them healthier foods, but what I did not know was what I was feeding them.  After I moved to Maryland I met my bestest friend in the whole world, you can see her blog here.  Angela taught me many things about organic food and all-natural cleaners.  I like to call her my hippie friend ;)  Anyways, Angela opened my eyes to many things such as the hormones in dairy products and chemicals in cleaning supplies.  Slowly over time I started to replace items that we were using for more all-natural cleaners and more organic foods.

Moving to Alaska had really taken a toll on our new lifestyle that I was creating in Maryland.  The prices were much higher than Maryland and I started to feel defeated.  Over a year later I realized I have gained 25 pounds since arriving to Alaska, and my energy had decreased dramatically.  I knew exactly what caused this weight gain and energy loss.  It was not the lack of sunlight or the freezing cold weather but the food I was eating and the lack of exercise.  I was feeding my body soda, processed food, and depriving it of water.  So this past week I said enough was enough.  I went to the library and picked up the book by Michael Pollan called "In Defense Of Food."  I needed to educate myself on how to feed my family properly and learn how to read labels.

I talked to a dear friend of mine who recommended two movies to watch.  One was called "The Beautiful Truth" and "Food Inc."  Later in the evening I put the two blessings to bed and turned on the movies.  I could not believe what I was learning and what I was doing to my family's bodies.  I would highly recommend these two documentaries to anyone who wants to know about what you are eating.  

Today, I have cleaned out some of the junk we had in the cabinets and come payday I will be shopping at Fred Meyers for our food, or at least a majority of our food.  To some this may not matter but to me it is important.  I know many people who say "I have eaten these types of food my entire life and nothing is wrong with me."  I do not argue with that because I was one of those people, but I do not  know how I look internally.  I do know that when I was eating the processed food and soda I felt horrible and lacked energy.

Honestly, I never really fed my body properly and today that changes.

Snowman and a Lost Tooth

 **I know it is wordless Wednesday but I have to explain.  Living in Alaska the snow is very dry and very difficult to build a snowman.  With all the rain we have received this week the hubs and blessings were able to go out and make their first snowman in Alaska.  Then my baby boy has lost his first tooth and then you have big sister who helped "coach" him through it. (Notice his tongue poking through in the last photo)**

For more Wordless Wednesday jump on over to 5 Minutes for Mom. 

Ice

Ice for GratiTuesday?  Yes, I have to say that I am grateful for the ice that is accumulating on the roads.  The ice has caused the hubs to be off of work for the past two days and has kept us inside.  We are using this time to catch up on some much over due family time.  Yesterday we laid some blankets on the floor and watched three movies.  Then my daughter and I made dinner for the boys.  Then the two blessings made a fort in the dining room and played for a couple hours while the hubby and I watched football.  After bath time we played a game of Sorry that my daughter won.  Then it was off to bed.

Today, we are baking and some housework but at least we are still together and have no plans to leave the house. Well, except hubby who ran to get eggs so we can bake. Sometimes the most inconvenient thing can be a blessing. 

Gotta love ice

 
For more GratiTuesday jump on over to Heavenly Homemakers.

FUN TIME

Notice the hubby in the background..my third child ;)

For more Wordless Wednesday jump on over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

Snowfall in October

The Forever Neighbor :)

For more Wordless Wednesday jump on over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

This post is also linked with We Are That Family for Works for me Wednesday.

She Has Grown Up So Fast

Yesterday while the boys were out enjoying camp, my daughter and I were spending some much needed time together.  Her and I love baking together and she is starting to hit the age where it is time to teach her to cook.  I am not ready for that because in my mind she is only three years old but in reality she will be turning ten in a couple of months.  My mini-me asked if she could help with the cookies and I told her "no (you can imagine her look of disappointment) you are going to make them all by yourself."  Her look then turned to "are you serious???"  As I stood there next to her watching and answering any question she had I was overwhelmed with emotions, my little girl is growing up.  I am truly blessed to have her as my daughter and I thank God for her every day!

He Really Did It....

Lil man and hubby went to a Cub Scout camp that was an hour away.  They woke up at 0500 and left an hour later.  Lil man was so excited for this all day camp.  All he spoke about was this polar plunge that was scheduled for those who wanted to participate.  Well, lil man was determined to do this and the hubby and I were not fans but thought okay he can try it.  We honestly knew that when they arrived at the camp lil man would have changed his mind.  Hubby told lil man that he (hubby) could not participate because hubby was getting over a horrible chest cold.  Lil man still insisted on participating in this crazy event.  Well, we were wrong..... 

Pictures of Our Journey....

A couple of days ago we celebrated our one year mark of being in Alaska and I also mentioned how much I loved our drive from Maryland to Alaska.  Today I thought I would share a few pictures of our trip; there was so many to choose from but these memories really stick out:

One year ago....

One year ago today is when we first arrived in Alaska.  After a three week travel starting in Maryland then to Indiana to Minnesota to Mount Rushmore to Canada and many more stops along the way we finally reached our destination.  When we first left Maryland I had no idea what God had planned for us but I was praying for traveling mercies and His hand of protection upon us.  That three week trip was the most memorable trip I had ever experienced. 

At the beginning of our trip we stopped along the way to spend some much needed time with our families.  While in Indiana my husband was able to spend the last birthday his brother would ever celebrate on this Earth.  While it was a sad day leaving Indiana it was a day not forgotten.   

Our next stop was Minnesota to spend time with my family.  My children had a great time with their cousins and a lot of "catching up" was done between them and the rest of the family.  After spending a week and a half there it was time to pack up the truck and head out to our new life that God had planned for us.  It was really hard on my two blessings to leave family, as I am sure it was for the family, but they understood why.

After 24 hours leaving Minnesota and a week and a half after leaving Indiana my husband received a call that his brother went to be home with the Lord.  That was a sad day.  My husband did say that he was very thankful for the time he did spend with his brother while we were in Indiana.

When we left Minnesota we considered ourselves on a family vacation.  We were not in a hurry to get to Alaska so the hubby and I decided that we would soak up every minute together that we could.  We stopped at Mount Rushmore for a day and a half and allowed my daughter to see something that she has long to see. 

I think my favorite part of the entire trip was driving through Canada.  We had no cell phone coverage, no computers, and no distractions.  It was just the four of us and the dog and cat.  We had so many laughs together, and created many memories. 

I cannot believe it was one year ago today that we arrived in our new home state.  The time truly has gone fast, we have met many new friends, attend a wonderful church and more memories were created. I look back and think that I had no worries; I knew God wanted us here and He was going to bring us.  Because I know He has a plan for me (Jer 29:11). 

Tomorrow I will share some pictures of us along the way!