After a mild start to our final winter in Fairbanks, I can officially say that FBX forgot the memo (or disregarded it completely) and decided to wallop us with some frosty weather. Don’t get me wrong; we’re used to the cold here by now, but after a week consistently below -20F and dipping into the -30s, we’re ready to travel for Christmas. Welcoming December in Alaska is a mixed bag because it’s truly just the tip of the iceberg of winter in the interior.
Welcoming December
I honestly can’t believe we’re in the final month of the year. Christmas cards are ordered (sharing those soon!), bags are being packed for our trip to the lower-48 for the holidays, gifts are ordered, and we’re hunkering down in this new homeschool routine this year. It’s a combination of absolutely freezing cold and beautifully sweet. Mostly sweet.
It also marks another month down of our time here at Fort Wainwright. Ryan’s DEROS is the end of July so, for better or worse, we have seven(ish) months left here. The kids and I are planning to leave a little bit early to spend some time with my family in New Hampshire before we embark on our final PCS as an active duty family. And no, we don’t yet have any orders to share. We have inklings, but not enough to publicly declare. Hopefully soon!
What We’re Focusing on This Month
It’s worth noting that, in full Army fashion, Ryan’s TDY again. We usually have a little bit of a heads up about these TDYs, but this one kind of blindsided us, and he’ll be gone right up until we pack our bags and head out of Alaska for the holidays. It’s been a bit of a tough pill to swallow this time of year.
But what do you do? There’s work to be done. I get up early early (and it feels extra early because the sun doesn’t rise until after 10 AM) to get work done. The kids and I homeschool for a couple hours. We read. We play board games. We layer up and go outside for some fresh Arctic air. Rinse and repeat. This winter though, we’re focusing on what we do have. We have a warm home. We have great friends. The kids have sports and a community, and we have a church home we love. Even in the literal darkness of winter here, there is good.
What’s Next This Month
It’s my favorite time of year! I get to do all my year-end posts, we sort of box up the year, and we send it on its way. Did you know that 2024 marked my 11th year of blogging here? Wild, I know. Still to come – Spencer’s birthday, Christmas travels, visiting the Santa Claus House, a few year-end adventures for the whole family, and a whole lot of fun. And, hopefully, orders are on the horizon for the new year!
