Hey Everyone,
Well, I think Ben and I are starting to get into a routine here at home, which feels great! Our house is starting to feel more like home every day. We have already created so many fun memories here and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us.
Last week I got to have lunch with one of my best friends from high school. Can I just say that God is always faithful and always brings the right people at the right time into your life? Erin McBurney formerly known as Erin Dugan was just what I needed. She is one of those people where I can go awhile without talking and when we get back together we can pick up right where we left off. Lets be honest, I'm absolutely horrible at keeping in touch with people. So, to be able to have friends that understand that part of me is a huge blessing, so THANK YOU. Anyway, Erin got married to her husband the year after Ben and I and I can't say enough good things about him. Anyway, what I'm getting at is that Erin and I are kind of in the same season of life right now. Married, without kids, and recently relocated. I'm so happy that Ben and I will get to see more of them.
Last weekend my family came up to see the new house and stay for the weekend. It was SO much fun. I didn't realize how much I missed those little weekends with family. On Friday night we went out to eat in Buffalo and then came back to Maple Lake. My sister and her husband Jason, my brother and his wife Nikki, and Ben and I went down town to check out the "Irish" pub while my mom stayed back and watched the kids. Anyway, we walked there because that is how small this town is and we come across this huge big screen playing The Dark Night I think. There were people with lawn chairs out on the street. It was just really cool. Then we get to Madigans Pub and there was a lie ban playing outside. I was starting to fall more in love with my little town. When we got inside the only Irish part about this pub was the green walls. Haha, oh well. The beer was still ice cold and fun was had by my siblings. The next day the girls of course went shopping and the boys stayed back for an old car show in Maple Lake. The weekend went by fast, but once again, god showered His blessings on us and my heart was so happy.
I don't know if I mentioned this or not, but Ben is now the agriculture teacher at Buffalo High School and he will be co-advising FFA. Something I still can't get over. Ben will be the first to admit that he really doesn't know anything about Ag or FFA. however, he has AMAZING support already from the community and his administrators. We had dinner last night with the FFA alumni and they were so nice and so helpful. Ben will be extremely busy, but from the sounds of it, this is Bens dream job. He is going to be an awesome teacher!
It's also been fun hearing from my friends in Mountain Village. I hear from Nuka every day and I keep in contact with others as well, which is pretty good for me since I'm not the best at staying in touch. I've heard from my old aide quite a bit as well. Anyway, I have orientation in mid-September to be a substitute teacher. For now I will enjoy waking up slow watching the Today Show, morning workouts, and cleaning and laundry in the afternoons. Anyway, thanks for reading. I know life in Minnesota isn't quite as unique as our life was in Alaska, but this blog is therapy for me. I enjoy writing and will continue writing even knowing that there might not be a single soul reading. :)
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
Maple Lake
Hey All,
I'm writing once again from my iPhone, so I apologize if there are odd spellings. So, I realize that my last post seemed a little debby downer ish, but that was not my intention. I really am happy here in Maple Lake. Do I still think that Alaska is the greatest and coolest state ever? Oh yeah it still is in my books. However, God brought Ben and I back to Minnesota for a reason and we are excited about that. So, with that said, here are some of the reasons why we love it here.
1. In our little town of 2,000 ish people there are people who leave fresh veggies in a tote that says fresh veggies.
2. Everyone has gardens whether produce or flower. In fact, I was walking moose and one garden that we walked by was so pretty that it caused me to talk out loud saying "wow that is pretty." Then, the old lady who lived there came up from watering. She looked at me and I proceeded to tell her how pretty her garden was. Awkward!
3. They have flea markets.
4. They have movies on the lawn and random festivals. This weekend it is the gear head festival. Anyone can bring cars, bikes, I think anything with "gears." There will also be live music. Very Gilmore Girlesque.
5. Our house. Ben and I love our new house. We have finished painting and it looks fantastic. We still can't believe it is ours. Once I figure out how to add pictures I will post them.
6. Getting to reconnect with friends pre Alaska. I have been blessed with solid friends. The kind that you can go a year without talking and then meet up and talk as if no time had passed at all.
7. No brainer: being close to our families.
Anyway, we are excited to be here in Minnesota and be able to reconnect with our old friends and our families. Life is good.
I'm writing once again from my iPhone, so I apologize if there are odd spellings. So, I realize that my last post seemed a little debby downer ish, but that was not my intention. I really am happy here in Maple Lake. Do I still think that Alaska is the greatest and coolest state ever? Oh yeah it still is in my books. However, God brought Ben and I back to Minnesota for a reason and we are excited about that. So, with that said, here are some of the reasons why we love it here.
1. In our little town of 2,000 ish people there are people who leave fresh veggies in a tote that says fresh veggies.
2. Everyone has gardens whether produce or flower. In fact, I was walking moose and one garden that we walked by was so pretty that it caused me to talk out loud saying "wow that is pretty." Then, the old lady who lived there came up from watering. She looked at me and I proceeded to tell her how pretty her garden was. Awkward!
3. They have flea markets.
4. They have movies on the lawn and random festivals. This weekend it is the gear head festival. Anyone can bring cars, bikes, I think anything with "gears." There will also be live music. Very Gilmore Girlesque.
5. Our house. Ben and I love our new house. We have finished painting and it looks fantastic. We still can't believe it is ours. Once I figure out how to add pictures I will post them.
6. Getting to reconnect with friends pre Alaska. I have been blessed with solid friends. The kind that you can go a year without talking and then meet up and talk as if no time had passed at all.
7. No brainer: being close to our families.
Anyway, we are excited to be here in Minnesota and be able to reconnect with our old friends and our families. Life is good.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
On Being Content
Hey Everyone,
So, a lot has happened since my latest post. We are getting settled into our new beautiful home. Ben has take on the job title of Agriculture teacher. He will be doing a lot with FFA. He is extremely excited about this teaching job, but at the same time knows it will be a lot of work. As far as I know, I will hopefully be subbing every possible day I can. Let me tell you, buying a house is not cheap. Who would have thought? :) With that, it brings me to the title of this blog post.
I can't begin to tell you how much God has poured his blessings on Ben and I this summer. He has blessed is with a beautiful home, things to put in our home, family trips, friends who have visited us from Alaska, etc. however, something that Ben and I, more so me than Ben is being content. There are so many moments in my daily life where my heart just aches for Alaska. It aches for the people, the sounds, the isolation, the for wheelers, the walking everywhere, my students, and the life Ben and I created there. I can't lie, it really sucks at times. However, as I have been able to reflect on the places God has taken me, I can't help but smile and see that God is good and His plan always has and always will be better than my own. I have realized that in most situations where I start feeling really comfortable in life, God moves me (us) When I left high school and left for college I cried my eyes out. I didn't know who my friends would be, I didn't know if I was ever going to be happy (at he time) I even almost transferred schools to be closer to what I knew. However, God had a different plan for me and I came out of college with amazing friends, an amazing church family, and a new husband. Then after graduating, getting married, and moving to Alaska I also cried about every night for a month with not knowing what life was going to be like. Well, if you have been reading and keeping up with this blog, you know how hard it was to leave Alaska. So, that leaves me here in this beautiful new home, waiting for Ben to get home trying to be appreciative of everything God has blessed us with in Maple Lake. But, the truth of the matter is that I'm scared of not making friends, not knowing what church will be like, just the unknown really. I know that God will provide those things for Ben and I and I know that I will probably read this post in a year and just laugh at my insecurities or maybe even lack of faith. Either way, Ben and I are so thankful for the support we have received from our family and friends helping make this transition easier for us. We love you and are forever grateful!
Ps. I wrote this post from my iPhone, so I apologize if there are words that look funny from autocorrect.
Ben and Anne Harvey
So, a lot has happened since my latest post. We are getting settled into our new beautiful home. Ben has take on the job title of Agriculture teacher. He will be doing a lot with FFA. He is extremely excited about this teaching job, but at the same time knows it will be a lot of work. As far as I know, I will hopefully be subbing every possible day I can. Let me tell you, buying a house is not cheap. Who would have thought? :) With that, it brings me to the title of this blog post.
I can't begin to tell you how much God has poured his blessings on Ben and I this summer. He has blessed is with a beautiful home, things to put in our home, family trips, friends who have visited us from Alaska, etc. however, something that Ben and I, more so me than Ben is being content. There are so many moments in my daily life where my heart just aches for Alaska. It aches for the people, the sounds, the isolation, the for wheelers, the walking everywhere, my students, and the life Ben and I created there. I can't lie, it really sucks at times. However, as I have been able to reflect on the places God has taken me, I can't help but smile and see that God is good and His plan always has and always will be better than my own. I have realized that in most situations where I start feeling really comfortable in life, God moves me (us) When I left high school and left for college I cried my eyes out. I didn't know who my friends would be, I didn't know if I was ever going to be happy (at he time) I even almost transferred schools to be closer to what I knew. However, God had a different plan for me and I came out of college with amazing friends, an amazing church family, and a new husband. Then after graduating, getting married, and moving to Alaska I also cried about every night for a month with not knowing what life was going to be like. Well, if you have been reading and keeping up with this blog, you know how hard it was to leave Alaska. So, that leaves me here in this beautiful new home, waiting for Ben to get home trying to be appreciative of everything God has blessed us with in Maple Lake. But, the truth of the matter is that I'm scared of not making friends, not knowing what church will be like, just the unknown really. I know that God will provide those things for Ben and I and I know that I will probably read this post in a year and just laugh at my insecurities or maybe even lack of faith. Either way, Ben and I are so thankful for the support we have received from our family and friends helping make this transition easier for us. We love you and are forever grateful!
Ps. I wrote this post from my iPhone, so I apologize if there are words that look funny from autocorrect.
Ben and Anne Harvey
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