Currently: April

Blog Post1 Comment

Currently living/working: What are we doing for work this summer? Fair question! For summer 2026, my main focus will be working (3rd year!) for the education department of Alaska Geographic, one of the nonprofit partners to Denali National Park. Justin’s main focus will be working at Premier Alaska Tour’s Otto Lake property as a naturalist (giving presentations & hikes) for his 2nd year. We’ll split the cleaning of our yurt & the other property we manage/clean for someone who doesn’t live here. There will certainly still be scheduling olympics, but here’s hoping it’s not too chaotic of a summer!

Currently: March

Blog Post2 Comments

Currently living/working: I returned from the East Coast 3/1 to a very demanding work schedule! I know all you full-time jobbers laugh at my audacity, but I’m not used to a 40-hr workweek, especially in winter. And somehow, it feels less exhausting to me to work several jobs than one job 5 days straight for 40 hours. In any case, this month I’ve been working inside Denali National Park at their Winter Visitor Center—as what I call a pretend ranger—through my nonprofit Alaska Geographic job. Basically I was either on the front desk or answering phones in the back office because they are short-staffed, but really what I learned is to hug a ranger. They are working hard to make parks accessible! This job took precedence over subbing at the library, though there were still a few days of that squeezed in. Justin, on the other hand, spent from 3/5-3/20 volunteering on the Iditarod (more on that to come!), but is still trying working to keep Denali’s tourism department afloat as they search for a new director.

Currently: February (delayed)

Blog Post4 Comments

Better late than never! I still wanted to encapsulate February … so let’s pretend like it’s March 1, and February just ended.  Currently living/working: I arrived to my sister’s in Connecticut 2/6 and returned to Alaska 3/1, so my “jobs” this month were caregiver & funeral planner. Justin, on the other hand, worked 78 hours…

Currently: January

Blog Post3 Comments

Currently living/working: January has been a mix of work, winter dormancy & play. I actually clocked 35 hours at the library (let me be clear—for the whole month, which prob seems like a joke according to traditional workers lol). Justin has had lots of things come up for his tourism job in the last week keeping him very busy, such as a completely frozen building that could have been avoided and now he has to deal with those repercussions. The month has felt very full!

Currently: December

Blog Post3 Comments

Currently living/working: We returned from travels 12/3 right in time for what became the coldest December on record since 1989! Temps around our area are erratic, and we live on a hill, which puts us in a banana belt of Healy. So our lowest was -35.5, but that same day, we went over to a friend’s cabin 3 miles away and their analog thermometer was recording -60!

Currently: November

Blog Post1 Comment

Currently living/working: Neither of us have worked since leaving Alaska 11/10, so it feels like November was undeniably vacation mode between our 11 days in Panama and 8 days in Denver. That reminds me … I do have an Alaska Magazine article due pronto!

Currently: October

Blog Post2 Comments

Currently living/working: We bust our butts all summer so don’t have to work “much” in the winter (a privilege, I know, but also a combo of major summer hustle, frugality & budgeting on our part). However, I’ve been working 10-15 hours/week at the library and Justin is working about the same at his Discover Denali tourism job. So it’s been more of a light winter grind versus the cozy cave of hibernation I was craving!

Currently: September

Blog Post1 Comment

Currently living/working: We wrapped up so many jobs this month! Justin’s grand total was 90 hikes & 25 presentations, while I did 47 hikes and 41 presentations! We’re mostly here this fall, so we’re keeping the yurt open for rentals as long as the weather doesn’t drop below 0. Going into the winter, Justin will keep up his part-time tourism job & I will keep subbing at the library.

Currently: August

Blog PostLeave a comment

Currently living/working: Most of our jobs are slowing down their pace, which is fortunate since Justin leaves for his Kili climb in Africa 9/4! We’ll have airbnb rentals/cleanings through October, but my guided hikes & presentations will stop by mid-Sept. I am very much looking forward to Sept. 16 when my calendar shows nada for the first time!!!

Currently: July

Blog Post3 Comments

Currently living/working: How many times and ways can I explain that Alaskans operate on full throttle through the summer? Some kind of mosquito-powered adrenaline compels us to pursue a no-sleep summer, which mostly equals a no-work winter. While the summer days fly by at a breakneck pace, we are still doing well finding balance between…

Currently: April

Blog Post1 Comment

Currently living/working: I had two shifts for the library this month, so clearly my winter work is winding down. Plus I was only in AK for 14/30 days, so there’s that logistical detail. With that being said, both of us have had writing projects this month, Justin is still doing his Visitor Center work & we had our first yurt rental! With summer’s unrelenting productivity hot on our heels, we tried to enjoy the last bits of rest and freedom … 

Currently: February

Blog PostLeave a comment

Currently living/working: February was a weird month. There was a blend of dog/housesitting (mostly me), press trip travel (Justin), travel to NJ/CT to take care of my mom (me), travel to Denver to see family, but perhaps more importantly, go to some concerts (Justin). And in between all the travel, we both worked a little. I started subbing at our local library again (like I did 2 years ago), just 2 days/week, while Justin continues his part-time Discover Denali visitor center job. 

Currently: January

Blog PostLeave a comment

Currently living/working: We’re still in the winter season where we wake up & spend some time finding our day, which is absolutely a privilege of our lifestyle. I had my last day of my 1 day/week job stocking the Alaska Geographic store inside Denali National Park’s winter visitor center, but I’m hoping to find another part-time job getting me out of the house to finish out the winter. It’s in the works & TBD. Justin is still working part-time for Discover Denali, and usually goes into that office at least 1 day/week.

Currently: December

Blog Post2 Comments

Currently living/working: Uniquely this winter, we both actually have 1 job outside of the house; both allow us to make our own schedule. Justin is still working part-time for Discover Denali, our borough’s visitor center that promotes tourism beyond Denali National Park into the surrounding gateway communities. My job is with Alaska Geographic. Some might recall I worked for this company during the summer as an educator. This winter, I am stocking the tiny store inside Denali National Park’s winter visitor center while my friend (who is the manager) is traveling. Regardless, I am loving it as it brings me back to my Hallmark days (where I worked for nearly SIX years from ages 16-21).

Currently: November

Blog Post3 Comments

Currently living/working: Most of this month was spent living on a cruise ship, while the second half of the month was spent in Denver visiting Justin’s family.  Current mood: The weight of my mom’s estate has lightened on my shoulders since I sold her house, but somehow I don’t feel 100% free? Could it be…

Currently: October

Blog Post2 Comments

Currently living/working: We finished cleaning out my mom’s house in NJ & returned to Alaska’s heatless sun. Not for long since we are now in sunny Spain! Anyway, most of October, Justin has been busy with some writing deadlines & his Discover Denali job (it’s still part-time, but year-round), while I continued on the crash course of managing my mom’s affairs. 

Currently: September

Blog Post1 Comment

Currently living/working: We wrapped up our summer work in Alaska earlier this month with the last guided hike on 9/14 and the last yurt guests checking out on 9/17. Then we promptly headed to New Jersey to complete the cleanout and hopefully a sale of my mom’s house! Current mood: September has been a whole…

Currently: August

Blog Post1 Comment

Currently living/working: Justin & I have made a habit of doing daily check-ins with each other because of all the directions we’ve been going in this summer. Who’s cleaning the yurt? Who’s cleaning the red house? Who’s leading the New Wave hike? Are you working at AK Geo today? Are you doing Discover Denali work…

Currently: July

Blog Post2 Comments

Currently living/working: July sped by in what felt like a loop-de-loop of time. Somehow we both guided a lot of hiking trips, cleaned a lot rentals, did our respective admin jobs and enjoyed bits of free time here and there. It’s hard to describe the rush of an Alaskan summer, but another Alaskan came up with a great analogy. Just imagine you are at a music festival & all your favorite bands are playing simultaneously. No matter which stage you pick to watch, you always miss something else.