The short answer is that God gave it to me.

If you read my post about how I ended up blogging in Alaska, you would know that I was encouraged by many people to post more online.

Far before this blog ever became real, I felt like my Instagram page needed to be something other than my name. I would randomly think of things, but nothing ever fit. One day in the middle of the summer of 2020 when I was really struggling with my job, I took a walk and was admiring where I get to live and the handle @HappyatHomeAK came to me. 

We all fall into the “when I have XYZ, I’ll be happy” trap sometimes. When Jimmy and I were dating it was “oh when we get married, life will be the best.” Then we were married and it was “once we find a house, then we’ll have really made it.” Then once we got the house it was “as soon as I can redesign this to make it mine, I’ll really be content.”

The fact of the matter is, no matter what the next thing is, it never satisfies us. As I moved to a new state, became a wife, and learned to live alone every two weeks, I quickly learned that contentment and satisfaction wasn’t going to come from chasing the next thing. 

The journey to joy.

Although it has taken years, I have finally learned that the next job, the next home decor project, the next outfit or vacation will never leave me 100% content. 

Once you realize that there’s not a finish line to be crossed when it comes to accomplishments on earth, it’s a lot easier to be content with what you have. To enjoy the people and the opportunities that are right in front of you. 

As I found that sense of peace in my home and in Alaska it became something I wanted to share. 

When I decided this venture would be a blog, I wanted to be strategic about the name. Happy at Home AK was a little long and surprisingly people very often think ‘AK’ is Arkansas; but I didn’t want to change the name too far from what I felt the Lord gave me. So I modified the name to Happy Home Alaska. 

I want Happy Home Alaska to be a beacon of peace and enjoyment of the little things.

It’s learning to cherish the things you do have instead of pining after things the world says you need. It’s creating a space where even if you have a hand-me-down dining room table (like me) you learn to stop looking at what’s wrong with the table and start looking at the people who gather around the table. 

I have become far more concerned with how my house feels than what it looks like. 

Contentment is something that I’ve been working on for a while. The word ‘happy’ actually used to really annoy me. My husband used to say, “I just want you to be happy, happy, happy.” I would roll my eyes and say “I am!” but I think he could see something within me that I couldn’t. He didn’t want me to just be outwardly happy as the world defines, but have a deep sense of peace and joy in my life. 

So there’s the long answer. Happy Home Alaska exists because I love my home. 

In the four walls literal sense and in the wildness of the state sense. Despite the fact that I hate the mermaid tiles in my bathroom and the fact that Alaska is 4,000 miles away from my family, I love where I am. 

Not only does it embody being satisfied with what you have and doing what you can with what you have materially in your home. It also is the hold that Alaska gets on people. If you’ve been here, you know. The grandeur of the mountains. The vastness of the uninhabited space. The dancing aurora on a below freezing night. 

It’s been a journey but I think I finally have finally found that peace and joy in my life. Life is not without challenges, but perspective is everything.