I'm Jane, writing on behalf of myself and Art, who is already in Alaska. We are moving to Anchorage from Pennsylvania. It's kind of a big deal for us, as we have moved before, but only within about a 30 mile radius. Why we're doing this is both simple and complicated. The simple explanation is that Art got a good job there that he is really excited about. The complicated reasons even we don't completely understand yet.
When we tell people we are moving to Alaska, we get one of two reactions: 1) Wow! That is SO COOL! I would LOVE to move to Alaska. or 2) OMG, are you running from the law? Why would you want to do that? The pro-people always cite some of the same things we are excited about - the cold (we are winter people), the Northern Lights, the ability to explore glaciers and see whales more or less at will, etc. The anti- people also have a common set of remarks - the cold, the remoteness, and the curious conviction that there is nothing to eat in Anchorage but whale blubber. I suppose we thought of starting this blog so that we can record what this experience is really like, and also test the reality of these two widely varying viewpoints on Alaska. Also, to chart the progress of the move, which I suspect will be harder in some ways and easier in others than I can even begin to understand right now. Anyway, hope it is of interest to others who might be thinking of making the jump, or can't even begin to understand why you would want to.
This is our story...