to be laid off in nine months wasn't enough, we had been stuck in the house all month. We had good intentions, ending February with a few consecutive days of me skiing the "figure 8" paths in the front yards (ours and our neighbors) while the kids played in the returning sunlight. I made ski plans with friends to ski progressively more and more difficult trails each weekend to prepare for a cross country ski trip into and out of Stiles Creek Cabin. Then, BAM, a cough and fever hit us and never left. First our Kindergartner, then me, then our Preschooler, then back to our Kindergartner. My husband was at a Reliability Center Manager conference in Texas when the announced the refinery closure several weeks ago in early February. He was working very hard, long hours. He, thank goodness, did not get sick. February was a tough month.
Rewind to 2011. My parents' neighbor in MN had already announced that he and his wife had successfully donated close to 1000 acres of their land to the MN Department of Natural Resources. It was now designated as a Wildlife Management Area, which means that people can go there to hunt or trap, hike or ski, but no motorized vehicles are allowed. All of this donated land was to the east of my parents' property. The property to the west, another 240 acres, house, and barn, was to be donated at a later date. We expressed our interest in that portion, but we were told it would go to the DNR regardless. We were concerned about activity in public land, surrounding ours, and also sad that a house and barn would go to waste in a wildlife area.
June 2013. I had been in Alaska 8 consecutive years, 9 with summer visits. I told my husband for the first time ever that I thought I'll be ready to move in the next couple of years. I felt we had done a lot in AK and it might be time for some new adventures and new opportunities. We had planned on moving eventually to MN but there was never a date in mind, and at this time I was unsure where we would move. Maybe Texas. There are a lot of refineries there. Little did I know that date would only be about a year away. Literally the next day, my dad gave me a call and said that the neighbors would like to sell us their remaining property. It was no longer going to go to the DNR, and of course we were interested. An existing house, although old and in need of major work, financially beats building a new house. In July, my husband was offered a job in MN but he was not allowed to take it because he was still needed at the smaller refinery in AK. So, we knew there would be future work in MN for him.
November 2013. We acquired the rural property in MN after much stress, negotiation, and soul-searching. We decided that, although there is no work close by, it was most important to move our family to the country and nearby my parents; my parents helped us with the financial part of this. They also started cleaning out and cleaning up the place because we were not there to do it. In December, when we came to visit for Christmas, my husband began removing a three story useless chimney, paneling, plaster, drywall, and more in anticipation for what we call phase 1: beefing up the place. I thought about how we could use the space, which is comparable to the amount of space we currently had in our 2007 model home in AK. This house though is a 1946 and has been added onto a couple of times so it took a lot more thought and planning.
February 2013. Contractors came in and added new beams to make the attic, which the previous owners had used as an upstairs, a sturdy and usable space for a family of five. My dad began pulling wires in anticipation of rewiring for modern and safe usage. We realized my parents' property qualified for Century Farm status. My great grandfather Joseph Kvasnicka (and Mary Mach) built the original part of my parents' house in 1913. How interesting that we expanded the family land exactly 100 years later.
As sad and scared as we were to leave Alaska, especially since it was happening more quickly than we anticipated, we were excited to begin Chapter 2. I had spent my entire adult life up in Alaska, met my husband, built a home, had three kids, and made good friends, but was very excited to be near more family. Most of all, we would miss the riverfront property and having great grandma down the street in the summers.
 |
| The home in AK that we built and sold |
May 2014. Surprise! The basement of our new (old) house in MN leaked after much snow and rain. It was leaking to the extent that we would need to have basement waterproofers come in and install drain tile and a new sump pump before next winter. We knew for sure we would need new beams and roof but we didn't know there would be work underneath as well.
 |
| The home in MN that we are remodeling |
in late June, just before my husband oversaw the movers in AK. He then stayed with his grandma for a month, while he finished work in AK. It flooded most of the spring and summer in interior Alaska, and the house we just sold was located on a river. We were all excited to move on, continue the remodel, and begin life in the country.
