Goodbye Top of the World - Hello….Down Under!

So great news, folks!  We don't have to change the name of our blog!

We are happy to report all of our paperwork, interviews, forms, more interviews and more paperwork have finally gone thru.  We got the go-ahead to move to Australia!  We are now awaiting visas, which still take a bit of time (but not as much time as applying for a medical license!) We don't have an exact date, but we know we will be there well before Sept. 5th.

With this news comes a goodbye to Barrow.  Alaska has served us well.  We only have great things to say about our experience here.  We've made great friends and were fortunate to be able to watch our little Amaury hit some pretty big baby milestones.  When we arrived, he was barely rolling over.  Now, we have a walking little toddler on our hands!

We will certainly miss the laid back life.  We will also miss our friends.  If you've been following our blog, you'll know how much we loved the Aurora Borealis.  (although it is over for the season).  We've experienced 24 hours of darkness and now 24 hours of daylight.  We lived through temperatures of as much as -40 degrees Fahrenheit.  We've seen the vast tundra and a frozen ocean.  We've also seen snowy owls, caribou, (bear and moose in the Alaskan interior).  We've seen the tallest peak in North America.  Jose's eaten muktuk (whale) and we've both enjoyed caribou.  We realized that being a small, remote town does not mean it is without diversity.  There are people from all over the world who now call Barrow home.  (Philipino, Thai, Tongan, Samoan, Southerners, West Coasters, Cuban, Mexican, Trinidadian, White, Black, and mixed).  And obviously the Iñupiats have been here for thousands of years!

The excitement of Australia hasn't sunk in just yet.  It's hard to imagine at this point.  But, we know we are looking forward to an active outdoor lifestyle.  We can't wait to be outside!

The next few days will be filled with as much as possible.  My friend Luke is flying up for the weekend to celebrate his birthday!  It will be a great way for us to make sure we get everything in before we leave on July 1st.

Yay!!!!