Another week in Wrangell, AK has very quickly come and gone. I feel like I am so busy trying to soak everything in and catch all of my experiences that I can hardly keep my head above water! We are obviously getting pretty settled into a routine at work and hopefully nearing the end of a long process of closing on a house in the next couple of weeks!! We are so excited and can't wait to have visitors for those of you in the lower 48 who are wanted to make the journey.

This week I have seen more shrimp than I have seen in my entire life; 100 pounds of shrimp to be exact. A local fisherman was selling shrimp "straight from the ocean" for only $2 a pound. Of course, this means that a lot of time is spent by the buyer preparing the shrimp for consumption. This is not a very glorious, clean, or quick process but my fiance sure does love the final result of endless shrimp bowls. What wasn't immediately prepared was frozen for what is sure to be a growing stock of seafood!

Thursday evening we went to our first home basketball game at Wrangell High School. Go, Wolves! We watched the last quarter of the JV game and then the Varsity game against a team from Craig, AK. Unfortunately, it was not a win for the wolves but both games were close and fun to watch.

Valentine's Day was a special day. We spent the morning at a "Chocolate Lover" event at Wrangell Medical Center. I took my Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Peppermint No Bake Cookies to be judged. It was a fierce competition and I did not win, but really enjoyed filling up my box with homemade goodies. Of course, my fiance made the day special by showering me with gifts, spending time doing one of my favorite things (hiking), and taking me to a wonderful dinner in the evening. We hiked up a trail and 700 steps to "Rainbow Falls" with my puppy. Whew! It was totally worth the work for the view at the top. Everything here is breathtaking.

My weekly "God thing":
I hate to be cliche, but obviously Love has been a resounding thought for me this week. We experience so many different kinds of love: love for material things (CHOCOLATE!), love for places and home, love for animals and pets, love for people, and God's love. The most beautiful example of love given to us is the love of God, Agape. It's a love that is not measurable, surpassable, or even comprehensible and it makes me want to just burst with excitement that with everything I do to screw things up, I am loved no less by my creator. Sharing Agape Love with others is the best way to share that joy with our neighbors.
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which bind them all together in perfect unity." - Colossians 3:12-14