Why? How? What for?

"How can you stand the cold temps?"
"Why on Earth would you move from the tropics to the Arctic?"
"You moved from Sunny Florida to Alaska with 20 hours of Darkness in Winter? WHAT FOR?"

I get questions like these ALL the time. And my friends and family thought(and still think) we were crazy to make this move. It has been 2 years since we moved here and I must say it has been an adventure! And I love it! That is not to say that I don't have days that I would love to be laying in a hammock on the beach listening to the waves crashing on the shore or How many mornings would I LOVE to sit outside on the veranda with my mom and drink tea, enjoying the warmth and listening to the sounds of Africa. I have days where I don't want to have to take 30 minutes just to get all our coats and gear on to brave the elements of this frozen land. And I have days that would love to walk into my pantry and have Instant meals made and just ready to bake and not have to make anything from scratch. Or even be able to order take out Chinese. There are times that I think this winter will never end and my snow globe that I live in keeps getting shook up. There are days everything goes wrong, I burn dinner, the kids are screaming, and nothing on my list of things to do get done. There are days, weeks and months that I get burned out.

He knows EVERY DETAIL of my life. He knows when I am having a terrible day, a happy day, and he cares about each one. He cares about the concerns I have going on in my life. When I get to the point where I am worn out and trying to keep my head above water, He knows it all!!! And he cares! He will never give you more than I can handle.

Well when these hard times in winter come around it always seems that God reveals something that always reminds me that he cares about the details in life. He sends the Aurora Borealis. I can stand out in the cold and watch them for hours....(if it were not -40 degrees outside). This week God knew I needed a Spectacular show of lights because he put some amazing ones out. God, for some reason had me wake up in the middle of the night and look out my bedroom window. Then I woke Keith up and told him to go out and take pictures. I wish we could get video of it. Pictures don't do it justice but they still look beautiful! You can even see the stars shining through the lights. Check out Keith's pictures! I was very impressed with my husbands pictures and his willingness to brave the -15 degrees and take pictures.

Rise and Shine for the Light has come.... And your momma.

If ever there was a verse in the bible that I really didn't like this one was it. And only because my mother would walk in to my room while I was sleeping and say this EVERY MORNING right before she would stick her cold hands on my warm leg or back or neck. And anytime I hear it I still cringe and wait for cold Icy hands to surprise me. But it took me a while to realize that that verse actually says NOTHING about my momma coming with the light, except maybe she rose before the sun every morning. I am not a morning person but I do love sunrises and sunsets. Living here in Galena we don't have much light in the winter times but we have some BEAUTIFUL Sunrises. Yesterday was a beautiful day and it warmed up to about 0 degrees. Yes I know most of you would think 0 degrees is NOT very warm but after a month of temps reaching below -40 degrees for weeks on end, it felt like a heat wave. I just wanted to spend the whole day outside enjoying the sunshine and warmer weather. It was beautiful! The sun is peeking into our living room now and each day gains more light and the light is glorious! And I guess my mom engrained that verse in my head that every time I see a sunrise I think of this verse. This is how the verse really is said in the Bible with no momma added to it. It is really a lovely verse.

Isaiah 60:1 "Rise and Shine for the Light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you."

One quick fix for a big stinky problem!

Ok it has been a week with no sewer. Do you know how hard it is to not let anything go down the drain? Well I have made it a week with limited water usage and collecting it all in buckets. Collecting water in buckets is nothing new to me, we used to have to do it at RVA, my boarding school, but having to go dump it outside in -57 degree weather was not really fun. you had to get your gear on and carry the buckets out and dump them and NOT get any on your hands or gloves or it would freeze instantly. But we pioneered through it, praying God would fix the truck so life can get back to normal.... or semi normal. Well the city had a mechanic fly out from town to fix the truck but in the mean time, the city guys were working out a solution to the full sewers around town. I actually couldn't believe when I saw it but I have pictures to prove it. While the mechanic works on the newer truck, the city guys rigged up a real good Alaskan fix. They got the Front Wheel Loader( I don't really know what that is but You machine guys know) Anyways they got the loader and put a chain with a tire on between it and the old sewer truck and pulled and pushed it all over town. Pretty Ingenious I think! So we now have a empty tank and we can now wash dishes, take showers and tackle Mt. Washmore! SO excited! Here are some pictures of how the sewer truck got around town.

Being pulled by the front wheel loader.

Backing into our driveway. Yes it is being PUSHED by the Loader.

Take 2! Our driveway has a bend in it and you really have to turn sharp or you will end up on the side of the hill in a big mound of snow. I know this from experience.
Anyways. These guys did pretty good getting the truck turned and in position.

One Stink of a week

Yes this week has been one stinky week. =)

We as a community don't have garbage pick up like most people do in the elsewhere. Here we have to take our trash to a dumpster in town and then the city will truck it all out to the dump. Well this week has been a problem. Where else would you get this message on the radio?

"To all Galena citizens and businesses, the city is asking you to hold your trash until further notice because of the trash truck failure in the cold weather."~ KIYU Wireless radio Galena Alaska

Well due to the cold weather the truck that takes it is frozen... hmmm yeah -40 to -50 degrees will do that to it. Freezing temps are really hard on cars and trucks. Anyways, my porch has trash bags all lined up to deliver to the dumpster when they are available. Where is Mike Holst when you need him???? =) So if you come see me please don't walk up my front porch stairs because you won't get very far past all the trash bags.

The other stink of the week is the Sewer Truck is broken. We have our water and sewer deliver by trucks and when one of them is broken it causes issues.... FOR THE WHOLE TOWN! I think it funny when the City has to post this message on the Radio

"The City of Galena asks all residents to conserve any room they have left in their sewage tanks. The truck is still broken down and may not be operational at all this week."~ KIYU Wireless Radio Galena Alaska.

So here we are with a full tank of water that they still delivered but we have a full sewer tank too. Have you ever tried to use water WITHOUT it going down the drain? Our sewer tank is 200 gallons bigger then our water tank so we have a few hundred gallons to spare... give or take a few.... I am just wondering how many do you actually give or take? I hope my guessing is Right or it could end up with one stinky situation! But we are enduring it. I figure this is what the Pioneers used to do in the olden days. Use buckets and haul water around. I figure for a while I can handle the roughing it as long as I don't have to go outside to take care of business! -57 degrees is a little too cold for me to go outside and go pee behind a tree. I figure this is an adventure that we have been given and I am learning new ways to be resourceful. I just hope I don't' have to be resourceful for much longer. I really love having a shower and being able to wash my hair! =)=)

If you want to read a funny blog about things going on this week and how we live in Galena Check out my pastors blog galenamissions.blogspot.com. It is Really funny. Chris and His wife Michell moved up here last year from Louisiana. They are fun and he writes some funny posts . Check them out! =)

New Years Resolutions

Since it is New Year's, this is the time to make new resolutions that we want to accomplish through out the new year. I was thinking what I would like to accomplish this year and like everyone else there are the normal resolutions....
~Loose weight... I wish
~Exercise and walk more.... Yeah at -57 degrees today, I am not walking anywhere except to my nice warm bed!
~ Eat healthier.... I am working on that, but I LOVE my Mexican food!
~Stop biting my nails~ Right now my nails are long, so I am hopeful

All of those are good and I would love to accomplish all of them. But I was reading my bible and I was going through one of my favorite passages in scripture, Proverbs 31:10-31 It is a passage about the life of a hard working, resourceful and wise woman. I love this passage and always admire the woman that the bible is talking about. Then it hit me, that is what I want to accomplish and strive for this year. I want to be a better Proverbs 31 woman. I read it out of the NIV before and then I got out my Message bible which puts the wording in how people would talk today and it was really fun to see how the passage came out. Here is the passage from the Message and this is my New Years Resolution... I strive to be a better wife, Mother and a woman after Gods own heart and become a woman that is worth far more then Diamonds!

Proverbs 31:10-31 (The Message Bible)
^10-31 A good woman is hard to find,
and worth far more than diamonds.
Her husband trusts her without reserve,
and never has reason to regret it.
Never spiteful, she treats him generously
all her life long.
She shops around for the best yarns and cottons,
and enjoys knitting and sewing.
She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places
and brings back exotic surprises.
She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast
for her family and organizing her day.
She looks over a field and buys it,
then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden.
First thing in the morning, she dresses for work,
rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.
She senses the worth of her work,
is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.
She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth,
diligent in homemaking.
She's quick to assist anyone in need,
reaches out to help the poor.
She doesn't worry about her family when it snows;
their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear.
She makes her own clothing,
and dresses in colorful linens and silks.
Her husband is greatly respected
when he deliberates with the city fathers.
She designs gowns and sells them,
brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops.
Her clothes are well-made and elegant,
and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.
When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say,
and she always says it kindly.
She keeps an eye on everyone in her household,
and keeps them all busy and productive.
Her children respect and bless her;
her husband joins in with words of praise:
"Many women have done wonderful things,
but you've outclassed them all!"
Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.
The woman to be admired and praised
is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.
Give her everything she deserves!
Festoon her life with praises!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Alaska. We hope your Christmas season is blessed! We had a wonderful day spent with family and friends. We had a nice Christmas Eve service and then we played games at our house. In the morning Jeremy came over and joined us for a nice big breakfast of Bacon, eggs and biscuits and Sausage gravy. It was DELICIOUS!!! Then we all walked to church and had a wonderful service celebrating the birth of Jesus! I am glad we only live across the street from the church because it was a very cold day at -40 degrees. After Church we came home and FINALLY opened presents. Kaden was very excited and had been very patient and couldn't wait anymore. It was fun! We had a fun afternoon and then had our 2nd Annual Ramos Christmas Party. About 30 people and delicious food. Have I mentioned I love Parties? I do and we had a great one! Here are some pictures of our day.

Isaiah woke up early and was investigating the presents.

Uh Oh I got a present for Mommy!

Santa's Little Helper

Breakfast

Isaiah showing Uncle Jeremy what kind of ducks decoys to buy from Cabela's.
Isaiah is a expert since the only word he can say is "duck duck duck"

Opening Presents

New Ski's~ Now if it would warm up a bit so we can go use them

New James Avery Jewelry from my Mother in Law!
Thanks I LOVE IT!!!!!!

Keith got a new gun for Christmas. I think it is a Ruger 22 something or other.
All I know is that Keith can never say I didn't get him something he wanted for Christmas!
I can't wait to go out and hunt now!=)

Isaiah playing with his new puppy that sings and dances.

My new AWESOME beaver hat!

Merry Christmas from Our family to yours!