Misadventures of a Midlife Married Couple

Just a midlife couple, in love with each other, our kids, our dogs, and the life we build together every day.

“Life is an adventure best traveled together”

  • North to ALASKA!

    April 1, 2023

    When I told a group of friends about this new adventure one of them said I needed to document it in a blog.  So here we are.  

    Let me start by saying, change can be terrifying, now let me add to that that daring to embrace change has led me to find my way home, to build a life with a man who loves me unconditionally and supports whatever harebrained idea I may be considering, and to find the confidence to leave the status quo behind.  So, while it may be scary it has sure as hell been rewarding.  

    If you know us you have a clue how we got here.  If you don’t, here’s a brief intro:  I have been trying to move up the ladder professionally speaking, but we live in a small rural area where opportunities can be…. Well, let’s say limited (I legit had an interviewer say, “We’ve never had a woman in that position, I wouldn’t know what to tell you to wear”….  you get the idea.    This year I happened to hit peak frustration levels while Marty was on the phone to Dave, his best friend. Dave said, “come up here”… and in what was honestly a move born of frustration, and no small amount of rage, I started applying for jobs in Alaska.  At the time I had no real intention of doing anything like packing up our entire lives, diving head first into the logistics of relocating to the Alaskan bush, or any of the other multitude of random things that we have processed or researched in recent weeks. BUT ten days later I had a job offer on the table.  Honestly it wasn’t until we really started putting pencil to paper, doing the math, and looking to the future that we decided that, for a multitude of reasons, this is the move we need to make.  Embarking on this journey together will be a challenge for sure, but the benefits will ultimately far outweigh the drawbacks (we think/hope).  

    Marty likes to say I love an adventure, and that I give him the courage to tackle this adventure (swoon, like to have your husband say that you make him courageous.. just … swoon)  while he isn’t wrong, my adventures have always been brief, but this time will be different.  This time we are holding hands, having faith, and jumping headfirst into a long term journey.  We are leaving the relative safety and comfort of the known, for the unknown, we are literally leaving the prairie for the tundra.  

    The next few weeks promise to be filled with challenges, packing up our house and putting a huge chunk of our lives into storage, finding safe places for valuables that can’t be stored or can’t travel, figuring out what is a must have and what is a can wait (cause let me tell you shipping is NOT cheap), getting all the i’s dotted and the t’s crossed.  All the decidedly NOT fun stuff.  Thankfully we have some super supportive family and friends who are easing the burden and the worry. Honestly, some of you are making this almost easy!  

    All of the stress of preparation is tinged with the excitement and uncertainty of what is to come.  The questions and thoughts that plague us are pertinent, irrelevant, and irreverent… Who will we meet?  Will they like us?  Will we like them?? What will our housing look like? Will Marty be expected to hunt and dress out a caribou? Will I????  How do we ensure no interruption to his prescriptions?  How cold IS -25 anyway? How hard is it going to be to convince the dogs to go pee in 4 ft of snow?  How exactly does one go about walking a dog in 4 feet of snow?? Will my thighs start a fire when I have to briskly walk to work in snow pants?  What if we hate it? What if we LOVE it? We will be close to Dave and Stacy!!  We will be far away from our parents and our kids :(.  How will I keep my roots touched up??  Oh crap, if our house is a duplex we may have to share a washer and dryer… that means I can’t use the dryer as a storage facility. This is life in my head…. 

    This will be an adventure like none either of us have ever undertaken and we are both beyond excited about what lies ahead.  I look forward to new people and the new possibilities.  He looks forward to fishing for whatever and the challenges of returning to school.  At the end of the day we know that together we can face whatever challenges may arise, and we will probably do so while laughing about it.   This is more than just a career move, more than an adventure.  We are so lucky to have a wonderful love affair with one another, and this is the next step in our love affair with the life we continue to build together.  

    We will be updating this as we think of it and as we have time. We are glad you are joining our journey!

  • North to ALASKA!

    April 1, 2023

    When I told a group of friends about this new adventure one of them said I needed to document it in a blog.  So here we are.  

    Let me start by saying, change can be terrifying, now let me add to that that daring to embrace change has led me to find my way home, to build a life with a man who loves me unconditionally and supports whatever harebrained idea I may be considering, and to find the confidence to leave the status quo behind.  So, while it may be scary it has sure as hell been rewarding.  

    If you know us you have a clue how we got here.  If you don’t, here’s a brief intro:  I have been trying to move up the ladder professionally speaking, but we live in a small rural area where opportunities can be…. Well, let’s say limited (I legit had an interviewer say, “We’ve never had a woman in that position, I wouldn’t know what to tell you to wear”….  you get the idea.    This year I happened to hit peak frustration levels while Marty was on the phone to Dave, his best friend. Dave said, “come up here”… and in what was honestly a move born of frustration, and no small amount of rage, I started applying for jobs in Alaska.  At the time I had no real intention of doing anything like packing up our entire lives, diving head first into the logistics of relocating to the Alaskan bush, or any of the other multitude of random things that we have processed or researched in recent weeks. BUT ten days later I had a job offer on the table.  Honestly it wasn’t until we really started putting pencil to paper, doing the math, and looking to the future that we decided that, for a multitude of reasons, this is the move we need to make.  Embarking on this journey together will be a challenge for sure, but the benefits will ultimately far outweigh the drawbacks (we think/hope).  

    Marty likes to say I love an adventure, and that I give him the courage to tackle this adventure (swoon, like to have your husband say that you make him courageous.. just … swoon)  while he isn’t wrong, my adventures have always been brief, but this time will be different.  This time we are holding hands, having faith, and jumping headfirst into a long term journey.  We are leaving the relative safety and comfort of the known, for the unknown, we are literally leaving the prairie for the tundra.  

    The next few weeks promise to be filled with challenges, packing up our house and putting a huge chunk of our lives into storage, finding safe places for valuables that can’t be stored or can’t travel, figuring out what is a must have and what is a can wait (cause let me tell you shipping is NOT cheap), getting all the i’s dotted and the t’s crossed.  All the decidedly NOT fun stuff.  Thankfully we have some super supportive family and friends who are easing the burden and the worry. Honestly, some of you are making this almost easy!  

    All of the stress of preparation is tinged with the excitement and uncertainty of what is to come.  The questions and thoughts that plague us are pertinent, irrelevant, and irreverent… Who will we meet?  Will they like us?  Will we like them?? What will our housing look like? Will Marty be expected to hunt and dress out a caribou? Will I????  How do we ensure no interruption to his prescriptions?  How cold IS -25 anyway? How hard is it going to be to convince the dogs to go pee in 4 ft of snow?  How exactly does one go about walking a dog in 4 feet of snow?? Will my thighs start a fire when I have to briskly walk to work in snow pants?  What if we hate it? What if we LOVE it? We will be close to Dave and Stacy!!  We will be far away from our parents and our kids :(.  How will I keep my roots touched up??  Oh crap, if our house is a duplex we may have to share a washer and dryer… that means I can’t use the dryer as a storage facility. This is life in my head…. 

    This will be an adventure like none either of us have ever undertaken and we are both beyond excited about what lies ahead.  I look forward to new people and the new possibilities.  He looks forward to fishing for whatever and the challenges of returning to school.  At the end of the day we know that together we can face whatever challenges may arise, and we will probably do so while laughing about it.   This is more than just a career move, more than an adventure.  We are so lucky to have a wonderful love affair with one another, and this is the next step in our love affair with the life we continue to build together.  

    We will be updating this as we think of it and as we have time. We are glad you are joining our journey!

  • North to ALASKA!

    April 1, 2023

    When I told a group of friends about this new adventure one of them said I needed to document it in a blog.  So here we are.  

    Let me start by saying, change can be terrifying, now let me add to that that daring to embrace change has led me to find my way home, to build a life with a man who loves me unconditionally and supports whatever harebrained idea I may be considering, and to find the confidence to leave the status quo behind.  So, while it may be scary it has sure as hell been rewarding.  

    If you know us you have a clue how we got here.  If you don’t, here’s a brief intro:  I have been trying to move up the ladder professionally speaking, but we live in a small rural area where opportunities can be…. Well, let’s say limited (I legit had an interviewer say, “We’ve never had a woman in that position, I wouldn’t know what to tell you to wear”….  you get the idea.    This year I happened to hit peak frustration levels while Marty was on the phone to Dave, his best friend. Dave said, “come up here”… and in what was honestly a move born of frustration, and no small amount of rage, I started applying for jobs in Alaska.  At the time I had no real intention of doing anything like packing up our entire lives, diving head first into the logistics of relocating to the Alaskan bush, or any of the other multitude of random things that we have processed or researched in recent weeks. BUT ten days later I had a job offer on the table.  Honestly it wasn’t until we really started putting pencil to paper, doing the math, and looking to the future that we decided that, for a multitude of reasons, this is the move we need to make.  Embarking on this journey together will be a challenge for sure, but the benefits will ultimately far outweigh the drawbacks (we think/hope).  

    Marty likes to say I love an adventure, and that I give him the courage to tackle this adventure (swoon, like to have your husband say that you make him courageous.. just … swoon)  while he isn’t wrong, my adventures have always been brief, but this time will be different.  This time we are holding hands, having faith, and jumping headfirst into a long term journey.  We are leaving the relative safety and comfort of the known, for the unknown, we are literally leaving the prairie for the tundra.  

    The next few weeks promise to be filled with challenges, packing up our house and putting a huge chunk of our lives into storage, finding safe places for valuables that can’t be stored or can’t travel, figuring out what is a must have and what is a can wait (cause let me tell you shipping is NOT cheap), getting all the i’s dotted and the t’s crossed.  All the decidedly NOT fun stuff.  Thankfully we have some super supportive family and friends who are easing the burden and the worry. Honestly, some of you are making this almost easy!  

    All of the stress of preparation is tinged with the excitement and uncertainty of what is to come.  The questions and thoughts that plague us are pertinent, irrelevant, and irreverent… Who will we meet?  Will they like us?  Will we like them?? What will our housing look like? Will Marty be expected to hunt and dress out a caribou? Will I????  How do we ensure no interruption to his prescriptions?  How cold IS -25 anyway? How hard is it going to be to convince the dogs to go pee in 4 ft of snow?  How exactly does one go about walking a dog in 4 feet of snow?? Will my thighs start a fire when I have to briskly walk to work in snow pants?  What if we hate it? What if we LOVE it? We will be close to Dave and Stacy!!  We will be far away from our parents and our kids :(.  How will I keep my roots touched up??  Oh crap, if our house is a duplex we may have to share a washer and dryer… that means I can’t use the dryer as a storage facility. This is life in my head…. 

    This will be an adventure like none either of us have ever undertaken and we are both beyond excited about what lies ahead.  I look forward to new people and the new possibilities.  He looks forward to fishing for whatever and the challenges of returning to school.  At the end of the day we know that together we can face whatever challenges may arise, and we will probably do so while laughing about it.   This is more than just a career move, more than an adventure.  We are so lucky to have a wonderful love affair with one another, and this is the next step in our love affair with the life we continue to build together.  

    We will be updating this as we think of it and as we have time. We are glad you are joining our journey!

  • North to ALASKA!

    April 1, 2023

    When I told a group of friends about this new adventure one of them said I needed to document it in a blog.  So here we are.  

    Let me start by saying, change can be terrifying, now let me add to that that daring to embrace change has led me to find my way home, to build a life with a man who loves me unconditionally and supports whatever harebrained idea I may be considering, and to find the confidence to leave the status quo behind.  So, while it may be scary it has sure as hell been rewarding.  

    If you know us you have a clue how we got here.  If you don’t, here’s a brief intro:  I have been trying to move up the ladder professionally speaking, but we live in a small rural area where opportunities can be…. Well, let’s say limited (I legit had an interviewer say, “We’ve never had a woman in that position, I wouldn’t know what to tell you to wear”….  you get the idea.    This year I happened to hit peak frustration levels while Marty was on the phone to Dave, his best friend. Dave said, “come up here”… and in what was honestly a move born of frustration, and no small amount of rage, I started applying for jobs in Alaska.  At the time I had no real intention of doing anything like packing up our entire lives, diving head first into the logistics of relocating to the Alaskan bush, or any of the other multitude of random things that we have processed or researched in recent weeks. BUT ten days later I had a job offer on the table.  Honestly it wasn’t until we really started putting pencil to paper, doing the math, and looking to the future that we decided that, for a multitude of reasons, this is the move we need to make.  Embarking on this journey together will be a challenge for sure, but the benefits will ultimately far outweigh the drawbacks (we think/hope).  

    Marty likes to say I love an adventure, and that I give him the courage to tackle this adventure (swoon, like to have your husband say that you make him courageous.. just … swoon)  while he isn’t wrong, my adventures have always been brief, but this time will be different.  This time we are holding hands, having faith, and jumping headfirst into a long term journey.  We are leaving the relative safety and comfort of the known, for the unknown, we are literally leaving the prairie for the tundra.  

    The next few weeks promise to be filled with challenges, packing up our house and putting a huge chunk of our lives into storage, finding safe places for valuables that can’t be stored or can’t travel, figuring out what is a must have and what is a can wait (cause let me tell you shipping is NOT cheap), getting all the i’s dotted and the t’s crossed.  All the decidedly NOT fun stuff.  Thankfully we have some super supportive family and friends who are easing the burden and the worry. Honestly, some of you are making this almost easy!  

    All of the stress of preparation is tinged with the excitement and uncertainty of what is to come.  The questions and thoughts that plague us are pertinent, irrelevant, and irreverent… Who will we meet?  Will they like us?  Will we like them?? What will our housing look like? Will Marty be expected to hunt and dress out a caribou? Will I????  How do we ensure no interruption to his prescriptions?  How cold IS -25 anyway? How hard is it going to be to convince the dogs to go pee in 4 ft of snow?  How exactly does one go about walking a dog in 4 feet of snow?? Will my thighs start a fire when I have to briskly walk to work in snow pants?  What if we hate it? What if we LOVE it? We will be close to Dave and Stacy!!  We will be far away from our parents and our kids :(.  How will I keep my roots touched up??  Oh crap, if our house is a duplex we may have to share a washer and dryer… that means I can’t use the dryer as a storage facility. This is life in my head…. 

    This will be an adventure like none either of us have ever undertaken and we are both beyond excited about what lies ahead.  I look forward to new people and the new possibilities.  He looks forward to fishing for whatever and the challenges of returning to school.  At the end of the day we know that together we can face whatever challenges may arise, and we will probably do so while laughing about it.   This is more than just a career move, more than an adventure.  We are so lucky to have a wonderful love affair with one another, and this is the next step in our love affair with the life we continue to build together.  

    We will be updating this as we think of it and as we have time. We are glad you are joining our journey!

  • North to ALASKA!

    April 1, 2023

    When I told a group of friends about this new adventure one of them said I needed to document it in a blog.  So here we are.  

    Let me start by saying, change can be terrifying, now let me add to that that daring to embrace change has led me to find my way home, to build a life with a man who loves me unconditionally and supports whatever harebrained idea I may be considering, and to find the confidence to leave the status quo behind.  So, while it may be scary it has sure as hell been rewarding.  

    If you know us you have a clue how we got here.  If you don’t, here’s a brief intro:  I have been trying to move up the ladder professionally speaking, but we live in a small rural area where opportunities can be…. Well, let’s say limited (I legit had an interviewer say, “We’ve never had a woman in that position, I wouldn’t know what to tell you to wear”….  you get the idea.    This year I happened to hit peak frustration levels while Marty was on the phone to Dave, his best friend. Dave said, “come up here”… and in what was honestly a move born of frustration, and no small amount of rage, I started applying for jobs in Alaska.  At the time I had no real intention of doing anything like packing up our entire lives, diving head first into the logistics of relocating to the Alaskan bush, or any of the other multitude of random things that we have processed or researched in recent weeks. BUT ten days later I had a job offer on the table.  Honestly it wasn’t until we really started putting pencil to paper, doing the math, and looking to the future that we decided that, for a multitude of reasons, this is the move we need to make.  Embarking on this journey together will be a challenge for sure, but the benefits will ultimately far outweigh the drawbacks (we think/hope).  

    Marty likes to say I love an adventure, and that I give him the courage to tackle this adventure (swoon, like to have your husband say that you make him courageous.. just … swoon)  while he isn’t wrong, my adventures have always been brief, but this time will be different.  This time we are holding hands, having faith, and jumping headfirst into a long term journey.  We are leaving the relative safety and comfort of the known, for the unknown, we are literally leaving the prairie for the tundra.  

    The next few weeks promise to be filled with challenges, packing up our house and putting a huge chunk of our lives into storage, finding safe places for valuables that can’t be stored or can’t travel, figuring out what is a must have and what is a can wait (cause let me tell you shipping is NOT cheap), getting all the i’s dotted and the t’s crossed.  All the decidedly NOT fun stuff.  Thankfully we have some super supportive family and friends who are easing the burden and the worry. Honestly, some of you are making this almost easy!  

    All of the stress of preparation is tinged with the excitement and uncertainty of what is to come.  The questions and thoughts that plague us are pertinent, irrelevant, and irreverent… Who will we meet?  Will they like us?  Will we like them?? What will our housing look like? Will Marty be expected to hunt and dress out a caribou? Will I????  How do we ensure no interruption to his prescriptions?  How cold IS -25 anyway? How hard is it going to be to convince the dogs to go pee in 4 ft of snow?  How exactly does one go about walking a dog in 4 feet of snow?? Will my thighs start a fire when I have to briskly walk to work in snow pants?  What if we hate it? What if we LOVE it? We will be close to Dave and Stacy!!  We will be far away from our parents and our kids :(.  How will I keep my roots touched up??  Oh crap, if our house is a duplex we may have to share a washer and dryer… that means I can’t use the dryer as a storage facility. This is life in my head…. 

    This will be an adventure like none either of us have ever undertaken and we are both beyond excited about what lies ahead.  I look forward to new people and the new possibilities.  He looks forward to fishing for whatever and the challenges of returning to school.  At the end of the day we know that together we can face whatever challenges may arise, and we will probably do so while laughing about it.   This is more than just a career move, more than an adventure.  We are so lucky to have a wonderful love affair with one another, and this is the next step in our love affair with the life we continue to build together.  

    We will be updating this as we think of it and as we have time. We are glad you are joining our journey!