January 22, 2019February 23, 2019 Together in Solitude

A Look Back at 2018 – Part 1

Alaska, Idaho, Mountain Light Retreat

[Sondra]

“I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can’t make it through one door, I’ll go through another door – or I’ll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present.”

Rabindranath Tagore

Hellooooo! That’s right – we are alive! 😜 It has been way too long since we’ve last posted but I’m happy to say that we’re back!  A lot has happened that I’d like to recap before posting about what’s currently going on.  Here is our 2018 at a glance….

January – We were continuing to adjust to life with a new puppy and living in a shed while our house was completed.  LOL!

Thankfully Griff was a cute distraction because our house building process was mostly a huge nightmare that completely took the wind out of our sails! There seemed to be a domino effect of problems with the entire process, each causing the next, and we really suffered the consequences.  I wanted to blog during the experience but I was so stressed that I couldn’t even find the words.  Referencing the quote above, we had to “make a lot of doors” after other doors slammed shut.  I won’t go on about the issues because you get the idea.  Through it all, we believed that “something terrific would come”……. and it has.  The “something terrific” didn’t end up being the house though.  What ended up being terrific in my opinion was that we weathered the storms together, learned a lot of life lessons (though painfully), and now find ourselves more grateful than bitter after the experience.  That is truly an act of God because we experienced a lot of injustice.  God protected us from further damage and we believe He has the ability to turn all of this into a blessing – for us, for others, and for His glory.  The whole experience was shocking and the house that we ended up with when the dust settled wasn’t what we were expecting, but we have made this place our home and we’re happy.  We’re thrilled that the house is now a vacation rental as well! We love sharing this place where God provides peace and restoration through nature. 🌿🌲

February – We were still very much in the process of finishing our house this month.  Mid-Feb, Jason had to stay in Idaho during a critical time with the building process while I went back to my family’s annual retreat.  (Side Note: My husband is a world-class guy. I so appreciate how consistently he is willing and able to roll up his sleeves and do whatever needs to be done.  I’m so thankful to have him in my life!)  Now about the retreat…. our extended family on my dad’s side rents a big house on a lake in northern MN and we enjoy a long weekend of fun – xc skiing, games, building snow forts, catching up!  This year was particularly fun because the Olympics were going at the time and it was so fun to watch the events in the evenings together and talk about it all.  I looove the Olympics! Who’s with me!?!

March – We could finally move into our house! So exciting! Even so, there were still a lot of cosmetic house projects to do…. projects that we are still doing!  My parents came from MN to visit us and to see the house progress. They were nice enough to help with some house projects too!

April – This month is kind of a blur.  We went back to MN to visit family. We helped my grandparents with some things at their house and got to connect with my side of the family again. We then spent some time with Jason’s side of the family and enjoyed some fun hikes and meals with Jason’s mom along the North Shore.

May – We had just moved in to our house and now we were already moving out! We packed away all personal or non-essential house items, got our house ready for vacation rental guests and then left for Alaska for the summer.  Once in AK, May was as busy as always with pre-season preparations for the summer season.

June – Preparations preceded the arrival of staff, guests, and salmon and then it was full-on summer mode at the lodge.  We also worked feverishly on finishing the Pioneer Cabin preparations for its first ever guests! 😎  Before and After shots!

When we got to the Solitude Island cabin to open it for the summer, we were SO delighted and surprised to find some great photos on the trail cam of a mama moose and her baby calf, hanging out right in front of the cabin! 😮❤️️(emoji of my heart exploding from cuteness!!)

I love my guys!

Lastly, in case you’re ever wondering what outdoor yoga with a puppy looks like, here you go!  😆🤔😆

 Stay tuned for our recap of July through December 2018 in our next post!  See you soon!