While I’m sure summer continued – or fall is just beginning in much of the lower 48, fall is on its way out here in Alaska. And this is it for us. One final fall in Alaska. There’s so many emotions that come with the opening and closing of each chapter in military life. It’s par for the course, but it never really gets easier. I always find myself itching to move by the time PCS season rolls around, and this time is no exception, but I’d be lying if I said there are things I won’t miss about Alaska and our time here at Fort Wainwright.
One Final Fall in Alaska
The days are growing shorter now. We marked the fall equinox this past Sunday on September 22nd, and we’re now losing nearly 10 minutes of daylight per day and will continue to do so until the winter solstice on December 22nd. It goes fast. In fact, it goes so fast that I forgot just how fast it goes. We went from sun past 11 PM to dark, chilly nights and, if the Farmer’s Almanac is to be trusted, we’re meant to have a whopper of a snowy winter.
We’ve marked this fall with all the outside time possible. Porter and I have spent several final evenings fishing at one of our favorite Fort Wainwright fishing spots, and he caught his final trout of the fall. We’ve taken to wearing gloves outside to play in the evenings and those brief spots of warm sun are so welcome. Fall bleeds into winter fast in the interior, and I know that before we know it, there will be snow on the ground.
The Countdown Begins
As always with the military, we live by countdowns. Ryan’s career marketplace opened today, which means he could look at all the jobs listed today and rank them, which he dove right into this morning. This is our final military move, and we have really, really high hopes. Needless to say, we’re hoping, praying, and all the things to head back to Korea – something we’ve never really hoped or anticipated before in our lives.
And, the marketplace begins the real countdown. We move in less than 10 months. The kids and I will likely leave prior to that, regardless, to spend time with family back East no matter where the Army ends up sending us. And, in the meantime, we have so much to look forward to between now and then. We’re heading to New Hampshire for Christmas for the first time in several years. Ryan has a few TDYs coming up. I’m heading to Prague in January (more on that later!) for a solo mama trip. We have a huge house repair starting next week, and we’ll be moving into an Airbnb for a sort of “staycation,” if you will.
Heading into Winter
I’m interested to see how winter goes this year. Our first winter at Fort Wainwright was hard. Beautiful, but hard. The kids are in school, which I’m hoping offers them a sort of respite during the darkest days of winter. I’m working, which keeps my mind occupied, and I know that as we head into winter, we’ll have enough going on to keep us distracted from the hardest days.
As we begin to close the chapter on the all the firsts, I can’t help but be grateful. I know that things move swiftly as the months tick by, and I’m working hard to focus on the gratitude of it all – for our community, for the opportunity to live in this beautiful state, for the chance to experience this big adventure (even if it’s not the one for us). All in all, good things lie ahead as we wrap up one final fall in Alaska. I can feel it.
