A fishing harbor is like a river..it is constantly changing. The boats come and go, planes drive on by and birds are everywhere....and this is now our backyard...for a few more days.
Lots has happened since the last time I typed words in this space. And the friend in me wants to pour out every detail...but the REAL friend in me knows I must be brief.
#1. We sold our house and moved out 2 weeks ago. It was a crazy ride and I was not sure I was ever going to type those words "we sold the house". After Pete being gone for 10 weeks and lots of ups and downs with the house sale I kind of feel proud of myself for making it all happen.
The very last day in our house, when the movers shut the door for the last time and it was just me in the empty house, my face broke into a HUGE unexpected smile. The feeling of joy and pride was so overwhelming..all I could do was grin. I may have squealed just a bit too.
We never really wanted to buy a house this time in Alaska. This is a small town with 9000 people. It can be a risk needing to sell a house on a strict time line. I kind of worried about it since we bought it....so that grin that day was a long time coming.
#2. We are not leaving Sitka until June 1. Which left me with the problem of being homeless after our house closed. I did the best I could and I was able to rent 3 different fully furnished rentals. I wish I could have gotten 1 rental for the 3 months, but that was not an option. Instead, I get to live in 3 different places until we leave.
I packed 1 clothes tote for each child, a tote for myself, a suitcase for Pete, various sports stuff and a ridiculous amount of stuffed animals. The houses are all furnished so we did not have to worry about household stuff.
Since moving out mid March we have been staying in a really nice "loft" style apartment. It is roomy and really nice. For April we have a little yellow house that has 3 bedrooms and a small yard. I'm looking forward to the yard. Right now the kids can't really be outside with me since we live on a working fishing dock..very cool...but not a great place for kids to play.
For the month of May my family may want to kill me. All I could find in May that was not $8000 was a small apartment that says sleeps 6. I figured Drew and Priscilla are small enough to count as 1 and I could find space for whoever needed it after that. We will see how that goes. May begins tourist season in earnest an I could not be picky. I'm grateful I found that place. We promised the kids we would let them finish the school year..so we had to stay through May!
#3. We bought a house in Maryland..and I am very excited to move there. I will miss Sitka with all of my heart. And sometimes I can't even think about it...so I won't right now.
I'm here..listening to float planes taking off, sea gulls feasting on herring eggs, and boats drifting by...I know I will miss this, but right now I've got it!