My heart is growing for this sweet little town. We are feeling more "at home" and are finding out routine and normalcy in living in our home. We still do not take for granted how gorgeous our surroundings are. Our catchphrase has become, "Nope - It's still not old" in reference to the view from our front windows. I can't imagine ever being tired of this life.

This past week we had lots of new experiences. We attending our first roller derby games. Three teams (inluding Wrangell's own Garnet Grit Betties) from different towns in Southeast Alaska played last weekend. It was quite something! These girls mean business and have an interesting since of style. At the games, I bought 5 tickets into a raffle and won a free Garnet Grit Betties t-shirt during the half time break! Our home team won the final game.

The next day was Easter and Jim and I attended our first sunrise service here in Wrangell. All the churches on the island combine for the Easter sunrise service at the city park around a warm fire on the water. It was a beautiful Easter day in Wrangell so Jim and I spent the afternoon working in the yard. We worked on our flower bed, greenhouse, ditch line, and porch area. I also got together with a friend of mine to make Peep Rice Krispie Treats. They were yummy! I also carried on the family tradition of coloring Easter Eggs. Jim had a good attitude and participated but totally monopolized the blue cup!

Oh and my puppy had her first birthday! So of course I needed to give her a little shout out. She is loving life up here and the new freedom of being in a home and not traveling. Her favorite toy is her tennis ball and she is learning with this new territory the art of being a guard dog.

Otherwise, we have continued working on the house inside and out. I have finished the paint job in a guest bedroom and Jim has been adding baseboards, hanging pictures, and dealing with lighting and plumbing. The house is slowly starting to show characteristics of our personality and it is exciting to make it our own.

My weekly "God thing":
Having just moved into a new place, we have stepped into many different expenses. As if the down payment for a house isn't enough, there are many other expenses such as utilities, internet, tv, firewood, home repairs, paint, outdoor equipment, and so on. So of course we have sat down and gone over our new monthly expenses and income to make sure we can account for every dollar we spend and plan ahead for upcoming months. Today at church, as the offering was being collected, the minister described giving in a way that I had never thought of before. He said that one benefit of giving to the church and partnering with God's work is that you are able to account for the money and blessings that you do possess and realize just how blessed you are. God always provides.