THE HOT AND DUSTY ROAD

You know when your struggling to find answers...literally struggling, and nothing seems to fit. You go to bed wondering what the answer will be and when you will get that answer. Well, the day the landlord came to us in April and said we needed to get out, my insides churned. I had no idea what to do, where to go, and what the easiest answer was. So, what was our answer?

We had saved up money to move out of Juneau when the time was right and there was the perfect job. For us, this was Salmon, Idaho. I waited for the job to come open for 2 years and now, it looked like it was going to get started this fall. So, I looked into Salmon and fell in love with the homes and property. I dreamed of all the possibilities of Salmon and owning cows and horses. I could become a country girl. A pioneer woman in a way. The only downside of this option would be Andy would have to commute UNTIL the job became available. It was a little risky. But yet, the risk didn't seem to stop us from this answer.

(This whole thought process lasted about a week.) I was certain I had the answer. Where we were going. Our new home. We were headed to Idaho the next week to look at properties...Until we got a phone call from a mining friend in Idaho.
He said "Did you hear about the mine in Salmon? It looks like they lost their investors. It's not looking good. people are looking for other jobs." ARE YOU KIDDING? At that point, my dream of Salmon came to a crashing hault. It wasn't going to happen... it was riskier than I thought.

BACK IN LIMBO WITH LIMITED TIME

Now it was halfway into May and I started packing up boxes. Still, no idea where I was going. I couldn't sleep and it wasn't the pregnancy. It is called STRESS.
What is Stress? Stress is simply a fact of nature -- forces from the outside world affecting the individual. The individual responds to stress in ways that affect the individual as well as their environment.
It effects my diet, my sleep, my energy, and my mood. It effected my family. All these factors caused stress on my kids and my husband. I grasped the idea that "All things happen for a reason" and tried to think logically. My focus was to get up in the morning, look for rentals, and pack boxes. Everyday, I was disappointed by the fact that there just wasn't any rentals in Juneau. What to do? What was the answer??

Andy and I went to Kellogg, Idaho for his mine rescue competition. This was time away from the stress, for Andy and I to be able to think and really find the answer we had been looking for. Andy spent time bonding with co-workers and management outside the job. This was a chance to relate to upper management and be respected as a leader and a soon to be father. My job was to be a good wife, and support for him during this competition. In the end, they took home all the trophies. I couldn't have been more proud. He got to know a little different side of the mining world and became respected.

On the way home I asked Andy "What are we going to do?" We were headed back to the stressful environment, with even more limited time and we needed an answer. Still, no answer. Back to reality...

I woke up looked in the paper for rentals. I found 2 places that were promising. One was 1850/month with a 1 year lease and the other was a trailer for 1050/m in a place called Sweitzer Village. Switzer Village is this low income trailer park and there was no way I would move my family there. Then the other one just didn't make sense to pay that much in rent for a whole year.
All of a sudden, on May 17th, the answer came to us. We could buy a home here in Juneau, pay pretty much what we are paying now, and own it. There was alot of job security here in Juneau, Andy has put in almost 5 years here, and the kids are use to Alaska. If all else fails, we could always rent out the place. Alaska wasn't too bad!

On May 21st, we found a house and the offer was accepted on the 26th. The home is 1836 square feet of living space with a yard and a hot tub! The payments are pretty close to what we are paying now even. We close on June 28th and we couldn't be more excited as a family and as a married couple. All the possibilities of owning our home are bringing the obvious answer to a close.

Our only stress at this point is AL CARLSON, AKA-the landlord...or other words I probably shouldn't type. He is the worst person to do business with and causes a lot of that "stress" I was talking about earlier. My only way of dealing with it, is considering our relationship a business divorce. It could get ugly, but in all reality, we just don't agree and he is an a**. He thinks we are the worst renters ever. But...you know, we have done everything we could and it just doesn't make him happy.

ALL THINGS DO HAPPEN FOR A REASON

I now know that all things do happen for a reason. One good thing that came out of all this is the ability for Andy and I to work together and communicate. Our marriage has been hard in this department, and this whole process has brought us closer together. I appreciate him so much more and know that he is here for me.

I also know that if there was any question in my mind that my Juneau friends aren't family, I now know they are true family. I couldn't live in a better place and raise my family around all these people.

What doesn't kill you also makes you stronger. I have learned to survive this stress.

""Even thou the road is hot and dusty, the end will be better than the beginning."