Why AK?

Here's a question we've been hearing a lot:

Why are you going to Alaska??

Well, for several reasons:

1. Aaron is originally from Alaska. Except for years 7-13, Aaron has always lived here. Anchorage is the only place he truly hails as home. It's a super awesome experience to come up here and see all of the places that made him who he is today.
2. I've never lived outside of Utah. This might not seem like a good reason to pack up and move across two countries (Canada). But, we felt as a couple that it would be a huge growing experience for me. I have finally stepped outside of the town I've grown up in and I'm away from my enormous family. 
3. We are newly weds. Alaska is our chance for us to rely on each other and grow in our brand new marriage. Away from family and friends, we have the chance to explore this whole marriage thing and become established all on our own.
4. We still know people up here! Although Aaron's family moved back to Washington yet again after he returned from his mission, Aaron's uncle Gavin and his family are still up here. He and his wife Ashleen are only a handful of years older than us and have an adorable little family. Having them around is just enough company that we don't feel lonely but still have room to breathe :)
5. The church is true wherever you go. Our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, has a very strict and consistent doctrine and religious order. Our religion is very important to us. We can count on our church being the same in Anchorage and in Utah. The church is also organized so every member is looked after. All members are assigned other members to minister to through monthly visits. These visits are called Visiting Teaching for the women and Home Teaching for the men. The members are called to be true friends to those they are assigned to teach: they look after them, make sure their needs are met, and let church leaders know if they need help. Because of this, Aaron and I can rely on the members of our church here to be a safety net for us.

What are you doing up there?

Well, working, primarily. Aaron works for a roofing company and I nanny an adorable family. But, in the hours we have off and the weekends we have plenty of time to go and explore this beautiful place!

We are also house sitting: turns out there's nothing available for a broke college couple to rent. We'll be jumping around from house to house in Anchorage until the last month of the summer when we're staying with Gavin and Ashleen. We're borrowing Aaron's grandparent's truck to get around town.

The only reason we have this opportunity is because of the generosity of others. Our family members have worked hard and sacrificed so could come here. We are so incredibly grateful.

Here's to an awesome summer!! Love you all!

Picture from our hike to Flatop