Our Juneau Experience

As we count down our final days in Juneau, Alaska, and wrap up four years in this town, we reminisce about the experience. Though it has been hard to live here with the cold, dreary weather 95% of the time, the isolation of being land-locked, and the lack of fast food restaurants and shopping....our memories focus on the positives. We came here with only our dog and not knowing a soul, but we are leaving with two babies and a plethora of good friends we know we'll never lose touch with. That's the beauty of being in the military and going to many different places....moving is a pain, but you leave with so much more than you came with. We wouldn't recommend southeast Alaska to anyone, as it is cold and wet most the time. Ironically, we're looking forward to moving back to the Seattle area for "better" weather. But when the sun is shining here and the skies are clear, there is no other place on earth more beautiful. It's God's country. We are from the great northwest, so these things are not new to us, they are just closer and we have appreciated them more. We definitely won't miss the potential for coming face to face with a black or brown bear wherever we go (Jay & Heidi recently had an encounter with a sow and her cub...and lived to tell the story). Jay will definitely miss the great Alaskan outdoors and all the free time he had to enjoy it, but he won't complain because he will be back on a ship. However, when we're sitting in traffic on I-5, we'll appreciate the time in Juneau when it only took 10 minutes to get anywhere. We are fortunate that the only thing we've had to complain about the past four years is the weather. We survived this experience and we may even come back for more someday....probably not southeast Alaska, but possibly Anchorage or Kodiak. Check with us in a year and we'll see how we've adjusted back to the fast life in the lower 48. For now, we will look forward to this next transition and pray for smooth sailing (and driving) up and into Canada and on down. To all our Juneau friends, we thank you for adding a personal touch to our Alaskan experience. You've left a lasting impression on us and we will truly miss all of you. Much love and hugs.