The Simple Year Six Prepares for Another Big Change – Moving!

The last couple of weeks have been hectic for my little family, and not just because we are quickly hurtling towards to birth of our first child. Cody and I have known for awhile now that we might not be able to stay in Pilot Point, our beloved little village, next year with the baby. The two big reasons this had been on our minds were the lack of childcare and the lack of medical care. Ultimately, these two things solidified our decision that we needed to make a change.

I have spent the last month or so discussing options with my school district because I really didn’t want to leave them. I had my sights set on our two larger villages because both have easy access to medical care and lots of other young teaching families with children. Around this same time, an administrative job as our school district’s Registrar/New Teacher Mentor opened up for next year. I applied for the administrative job too, but really didn’t think much of it because I knew LOTS of people were applying. Amazingly, the district offered me the administrative job!  The new job will be relocating us to our school district’s main office, which is in Palmer, Alaska. Palmer is MUCH larger than Pilot Point (literally 100X the population size), is on the road system, and is less than an hour from Anchorage. This move is going to be a huge change for our family.

Somehow, in the middle of having a baby, Cody and I will be packing up our lives and moving to Palmer. It’s all still a little bit foggy at the moment because the timeline depends 100% on when baby arrives, and we all know babies don’t always arrive on their due date. However, moving in and out of a Bush village is always a humbling lesson in minimalism, as everything you own must be able to fit inside of 18-galloon totes. We will be downsizing, using up food/trying to eliminate our food waste, packing, and shipping like mad over the next few months. It should make for some interesting posts and a glimpse at a way of moving that is extremely non-traditional.


3 Responses to The Simple Year Six Prepares for Another Big Change – Moving!

  1. Hi Hannah, wishing you and Cody all the best with your new baby and relocation! I’m a new grandma of twin boys and know what an upheaval you will be experiencing. It’s been very interesting and also humbling to read about your life in an Alaskan bush Village, what we take for granted is hard won for you and your neighbors. Wishing you all the best with your move and the baby Middleton!

  2. I used to live in Palmer before I moved to the states for college! I spent much of my childhood in the bush so I know the struggle you are about to embark on! Praying that you are able to have a smooth transition – good luck and look forward to your updates!

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