The end of "our" northern journey...

So, as of February, I have decided to stay down in Washington for the time being. This was a hard decision, because as everyone knows, I loved it up in Fairbanks. We spent the last weeks in Alaska with last hurrahs and bittersweet goodbyes. Though I was excited for Christmas and the chance to see my nieces, the main reason that I wasn't too sad on my way home was the fact that everyone else was leaving Fairbanks for the holidays, so it's not like I really wanted to stay there.

The holidays were wonderful. Lots of family time and catching up with friends. I got to visit with Laura once she followed me here a week after I arrived, which was a nice way to ease me out of the norm of seeing her all day every day. More importantly, Laura and Diana were reunited, which was amazing!!!

It took me the month of January to transition from long term vacation in Alaska to the mindset that I'm actually staying here and need to find a job. I was in limbo between the two for so long, because really I wished I could be in both places! It was a 50-50 split, and I finally got it to be 51-49 in favor of Washington, but that still leaves a lot of time to think about the losing 49.

What helped me move on from this limbo was starting to think about when I'll visit, and the mindset that if when I visit I miss it so much, I'll reconsider moving there. I'd like to visit in the winter and see all the snow, but if that's too soon to be a reality, I will for sure visit at the end of June for the longest day of the year celebrations.

I've been part-time nannying for my "niece", Evan, and babysitting Violet as well. I finally updated my resume and cover letter to reflect the type of job I'm looking for, and I started applying to jobs. I don't expect immediate results, because there are a lot of people looking for jobs, but I think the fact that I started to apply is a good sign for me to finally accept where I am living. :)

I decided to write this post because the end of the blog seemed abrupt, and it seemed more appropriate to have a conclusion. However this is only my conclusion. Laura and Diana are still up there, and I think it'd be cool if they still posted about their life, so I could read in. I also plan to write about trips I take to visit them, so this blog may just stay alive!