I’m shedding tears for your family. I am so sorry.

Yes, back when I had 2 being homeschooled (elementary and high school), we hosted an exchange student from Austria for the school year. He attended the local public high school and it worked out just fine. We are still in contact after 9 years. We currently have an exchange student from Denmark but my youngest is almost done with his freshman year at Kansas State Univ so no children are in the home anymore.

With the sunny days where we are and endless daylight, it makes for so much fun!! So glad your DH loved it too while here in the state. 🙂

Our main hobby together is riding our ATV's as it's something we both love to do. We are in Alaska and once break up is over and the trails are open to off road vehicles, we are out most weekends that we don't have other commitments. Summer/ fall is super short here so our time is limited and we take full advantage. We do enjoy other activities together like traveling, hiking, walking the dogs, snow machining, house renovation stuff, fishing, attending hockey games, music performances, plays, etc. Hubby is truly my best friend and I enjoy time with him.

I just LOVE this!! So glad you find solace in horses. I do as well. Just magical animals.

Prayers said for your family's situation.

My heart just breaks for you and your community. There are just now words. Saying prayers.

Being executor can be overwhelming and a ton of work. When Mom died she had a will (drawn up by a lawyer nonetheless) and the courts deemed it not valid. So I had to start as if she didn’t have a will. Her estate became so much stress and complicated. And yes, medallion stamps were a big part of that along with notaries and same from my siblings on some accounts. It takes time but just keep records of everything and take your time. One day at a time and as things arise that complicate matters, just remember as you make progress and complete items, the end gets closer by the day. it took me more than 18 months to get my mothers all settled. I am sorry for your loss.

Wow, that's so crummy of them. I am so sorry. My heart hurts for you. Hugs.

No, you are not alone. I have been afraid on some level most of my life. I have never liked being in the house overnight by myself. Having my boys around helped some but now they are off on their adult lives as my youngest just left for college in August. I have 2 giant breed dogs so they would alert me but they are not exactly guard dogs though I think they would attempt to protect if they felt the need. After one of my Newfies passes, I told my DH I am getting me a serious guard dog next (one that would protect my life at all costs). But honestly what has been the game changer for me recently is installing an alarm system that is monitored monthly. For some reason, just turning that alarm on at night before I go to bed takes away my anxiety of being alone when I am. No more ruminating thoughts of all the bad things that 'could' happen. I feel at peace now.

We have never tipped. Military family with moves approximately every 2-3 years for decades. My husband just retired after 26 years active Army service so we have moved often. We always provided coolers of drinks, waters and meals while they were working in our home. Every single move we have had multiple items damaged or completely destroyed... some of very high value. We have even had boxes go missing along the way somehow. Moving always created so much angst. Our last move from NC to AK was a complete disaster on the packing up end. The movers were so unprofessional it almost sounds untrue. They played loud and inappropriate rap music and one guy constantly had his butt crack on display. I provided multiple coolers full of water bottles and soda and when those were emptied, several guys started filling their water bottles from items in our own fridge 😳. Another worker had a bloody nose in our garage and didn't bother to even attempt to clean it... just left a bloody mess there. And to take the cake.... they dropped a leather chair coming down our stairwell and damaged our brand new painted walls ( as house was going on market) with huge scrapes all the way down and a hole in the wall at the bottom. Finally, they didn't bother to pick up our couch and instead drug it across our floor, ripping our berber carpet. To say I was overwhelmed and in tears is an understatement. My husband was deployed to Afghanistan and I was alone in this venture to get the house on the market and drive the 4300 miles ( with a teen and dog) to Alaska on my own.

Ugh.... hoping this all passes soon. And glad you gave the pup some Imodium. I hope things settle soon for you and you can catch up on some much deserved and needed rest. Hugs.

I was going to post the same thing… Imodium should help and is safe for dogs. Diarrhea is the worst in dogs. Assuming you don’t have a crate to keep from getting the carpet soiled? Maybe try a laundry room or bathroom for the pup at night( daytime some too if needed) so if he does mess it’s easier to clean than carpet? I am so sorry everyone is so sick and you’re exhausted. It’s so hard. I pray for some rest soon for you.

Wow, what a great story. Go Momma!! Sweet babies 😊. Congratulations!

We hire out several times/ year for draining and refilling our hot tub. We hire out for snow removal off our roof if needed depending on snow loads of the year. We just had it down a month or so ago. We also have a long, steep driveway to take care of which includes snow removal as well as putting down pea gravel for traction. For now we handle that with our plow attached to the 4 wheeler, as well as a snow thrower and shovels. If we stay in this home as we age, we will likely have to hire out help for snow removal. I would love to have a house cleaner (at least occasional deep clean) but like others, DH is not a fan of people being in our home. I don't love the daily housecleaning with a large home but I am more than capable. I think if I worked full-time outside of the home, I would pay for house cleaning services as DH is not much of a help in that area. We pay for dog grooming 3 or 4 times per year for our 2 Newfoundlands. I bathe and semi-trim them in between and take care of their paws/nails but full on grooming a few times a year is worth it.

Oh WOW..... what a sweetie!! Congrats! Hope your daughter heals quickly.

I had the surgery the summer before my senior year so I was able to keep it somewhat concealed. People knew ‘something’ seemed different but couldn’t pinpoint it exactly after school started back in the fall. No regrets at all. Did make breastfeeding a little more challenging ( on one side) once I had children but that was the only real negative. Recovery was rough but not sure how surgery is done today (almost 30 years later) so that may be a different experience now. My surgery was covered by insurance too. Feel free to message me for details. This is all I am comfortable posting on the internet.

Sounds pretty terrible to me and pay isn’t good really. If he wants adventure, have him check out seasonal jobs here in Alaska. Pay is good, lodging is often included and there are so many varieties of jobs available around the state. https://www.coolworks.com/alaska-jobs?gclid=CjwKCAiA3KefBhByEiwAi2LDHOItHu0E6N9k_hFBL6eoLtXfT6Q09Ft-h999sO7T3NmYebuqvrv_rBoCu84QAvD_BwE

I just want you to know you are not alone. My social anxiety gets the best of me often. I, too, have joined up for a group ( local hiking club, church small group, etc) only to lose my nerve when the actual meeting time came around. It is so hard 😞 Let me encourage you that recently I have forced myself out of my comfort zone ( for a women's church retreat, volunteering and meeting a new friend for breakfast) and both I felt sick before and wanted to cancel but stuck it out. Turned out to be a good time and I think I even have possibly made a genuine friend too!

Sending prayers are you navigate your grief and loss.

Exciting!!

Praying for you.

I was praying. So glad to hear surgery went well. Praying now for a comfortable as possible recovery and healing.

I totally get what you are saying and that makes perfect sense to me.

I don't have any real answer but wanted to just let you know I resonate so much with your post. This transition phase is very much a grieving process of sorts and I am finding myself in the middle of this life transition as well. It is hard. Some days are easier than others. Hugs to you Momma. My husband retired from 26 yrs active Army service just over a year ago and that has been such a huge life transition in so many ways. I just finished 14 years of homeschooling this past May along with a schedule of both of my boys being year-round competitive swimmers for 11 years. My oldest son graduated college in May and is now an active duty soldier stationed far away from us- though his college was across the country too. My youngest is here on his Christmas break from college in KS and has decided that instead of coming home this summer in between his freshman/ sophomore years, he just wants to find an apartment and stay in Kansas now as he works on completing his college. I support that decision and understand but the 'involved' mommy in me feels so sad for myself as I was not expecting to have to let go just quite yet. The house feels so empty in ways. I am thankful to have my 2 Newfoundlands that keep me busy and provide lots of snuggles too.... along with the revolving door of in/out/in/ out all day long. I am also trying to figure out how to fill my days now that I have all of this time that I have not been used to. In some ways it is a much needed respite and I am appreciating this new season of life. In other ways, I am sad and feel empty and somewhat directionless. This is just another season that we walk through as life moves forward. I am sure in time this season will become a blessing but for now it is a mixed bag of so many different emotions. I am working on me again and trying to determine what brings me purpose and joy in life as so much of that came from my role as a full-time mother.