I am sitting a waiting for my dad and brother to get off the ferry and officially arrive in Wrangell as new residents. It is an awesome, surreal feeling after thinking about it for months, and talking with them to make plans, and preparing our home for two more guests. In the meantime, during all this preparation, we have been EXTREMELY busy. In the past month we have done continuous work on the house, made our first road trip through Alaska and Canada to Anchorage, celebrated the 4th of July Wrangell style, picked up our boat, continued to catch salmon, made new friends and said goodbye, and visited Anan Creek Bear Observatory. I also have added a new "title" by becoming a fitness instructor of a class (once a week) with Wrangell Parks and Recreation. My weekly commutes to Petersburg continue, and my caseload there is full! Jim is still working hard (or hardly working!) at Wrangell Medical Center. Our house continues to feel more like a home. Our porch is now a lovely blue and the two hammocks on the front porch are frequently used. I have become somewhat better at keeping our potted flowers alive, but Jim maintains the title of "green thumb" here.

Jim caught yet another King Salmon... no big deal. 

Enjoying time with my salmon sister, Brooke, before she left Wrangell. 

Let me just tell you - Wrangell, Alaska knows how to through a proper 4th of July celebration. Seriously, if any of you are looking for a fun summer vacation for the 4th of July week, this is the place to be. The town was hopping for an entire week with competitions, a parade, a talent show, an egg toss contest, and an AMAZING fireworks show. We were lucky enough to be asked to participate in the parade through the Hospice Care of Wrangell. It was so fun! It was also crazy to look out at the crowd from the parade and realize how many great people we have met and built awesome relationships with in such a short time. This town has such a strong bond and it is refreshing.

Parade participants

Jim, with our friend Don, before the parade began.

Jim tried to climb that greased pole to get to money at the end... he fell. 

Aaron tried to climb the pole too... he also fell. 

The bagpipes sounded great!

A few days after the 4th of July celebrations ended, we hopped on the Alaska Marine Highway again with Jim's truck and rode it up to Haines. From Haines, we drove to Anchorage to pick up his boat (and trailer). The best route to take took us through parts of the Yukon Territory, through Canada, up to Tok (in Alaska), and then back down southwest to Anchorage. I am almost sure the road going through Canada is the original highway put in with gravel and it had not been updated. It was so rough that we were traveling 15 mph in a 4 wheel drive truck. It was basically a road of potholes. We were told that we would see lots of wildlife: elk, moose, deer, bear, eagles, hawks, rabbits, and weasels. Of course, we were both excited to see a big moose or bear so we were watching the road side intently. We drove all the way to Anchorage, stayed in Anchorage 4 days (a day longer than expected - but that's next paragraph), and drove half way back before we saw a moose. We were jokingly saying that it was a conspiracy, practical joke, or that we were going to see Big Foot before we saw a moose. However, we did see 6 total during the last of our drive. They were HUGE and I could not believe how fast they could move. I never did get a decent picture or even video - partly because they were so fast and good at hiding, but also because the road was so bumpy and awful.

The Canadian boarder house was super official looking. 

I had to have I Hop while we were in Anchorage. Okay, I had to have I Hop twice while we were in Anchorage.

Getting on the Ferry!

Exploring Haines, AK. 

This was not part of the terrible, Canadian road. This was back in Alaska nearing Anchorage. 

Sleeping in the truck was difficult - this was as dark as it got up north and the temperature dropped below freezing!

These were the fancy rest areas along the Alaska Highway. 

A BEAUTIFUL lake in Canada. Pictures just do not do it justice. 

Untouched land. 

Haines, AK

So the story of our extended stay: the boat came with a trailer and we had been told by multiple people that you need to have the bearings checked on the trailer before getting on that rocky, terrible road. The man that had been keeping the boat and trailer hooked us up with a great mechanic who took one look at the bearings and said, "the front ones are shot but I think the back bearings will get you there." So he got on the phone to order parts and couldn't find anything in the state of Alaska. The best he could do was call Seattle Monday morning and try to overnight ship parts to arrive on Tuesday. We were planning to leave Monday morning, but Jim had extended the trip by a couple days about a month before hand (following a gut feeling) and we had some time to spare. We bought a few extra tires, waiting for the mechanic to finish his job, crossed our fingers, and left Tuesday afternoon around 4. We drove straight through (not stopping a night to relax) just to save time incase we did have any difficulty with the car or trailer. Okay, okay, Jim drove straight through. I did get to sleep... for a lot of the time. We pulled off a few times on the side of the road at little rest areas, which were all latrine style out houses, and he slept when needed. It was an 18 hour trip on the way back, so he is a real champ.

Oh my goodness - we went on an awesome little day trip to Anan Creek Bear Observatory last weekend. It was so unbelievable! Basically, the park is set up for you to hike to an observation deck that is situated on a creek full of salmon, so naturally there are lots of bears there feeding on the salmon. We saw both brown and black bears and I think the pictures speak for themselves on how close we were to them. At times, a bear would walk right up to the deck or under the deck. There were also lots of eagles around that would come clean up fish carcasses that the bears would leave behind. Then smaller birds would come clean up after the eagles. Nothing was wasted. It was amazing to see! I even got a video of a brown bear pulling a salmon right from the creek!

So now, until next time I find to write. I am going to continue enjoying this life, the place I live, and the people I live it with. My dad and brother arrived safely to Wrangell and have been busy unpacking and adjusting to a new environment. So far, so good! I am so happy they are here with us.

My "God thing":
There have been so many God things to happen in the past month that it is hard to know where to even begin. First off, my dad and Brother traveled all the way across the continent with no major issues to arise. They were lucky enough to experience the beauty that is still fresh in my mind from traveling across the USA. We also got to experience more of the trip by driving through the Yukon and more of Alaska. We drove on a road that was so deserted that you would go an hour or more between towns of 100-200 residents. So much of the territory we covered was untouched. It was almost like stepping into a time machine and getting a glimpse of the world before we put our mark on His creation. He gave us such an incredible planet to live on - and we definitely do not deserve it. His creations are so beautiful and perfect.

Guess who's back! It's not that I haven't thought about writing a blog, it is all about finding the time and energy to sit down and start. My weekly commutes to Petersburg are continuing and I am starting to feel fully adjusted to the new schedule. We have been pouring time and energy into our home (especially the porch) in preparation for spending time outside this summer. 

Time is definitely flying by - we have been here 20 weeks tomorrow! That is almost half the first year and it is blowing my mind. We are still finding things daily that amaze us - like little baby deer, eating King Crab, practicing yoga in beautiful places, catching huge fish, watching our flowers bloom and grow, and exploring further our surroundings. 

Recently, we were invited up the Stikine River by our friends, Mindy and Dave. Dave has been traveling up river for years and knows all the ends and outs and safety measures for the trip. This was another experience that gave me an amazing perspective on our little island's vast geographical location. We traveled miles of windy waterways and were left in awe of how beautiful these areas of untouched nature were. In many places, the water was incredibly blue and the mountains surrounding us seemed to stretch to touch the sky and with each turn in the river, a new scene was before us. We also were introduced to Shakes Glacier. We were not able to drive up to the face of the Glacier, but that in no way lessened our amazement. Oh and there were natural hot springs up river that we gladly sat in for hours. 

 My "God thing":
The song Jesus is Better has been in my head for weeks now. "Glory, glory, we have no other King but Jesus, Lord of all. We raise the anthem. Our loudest praises ring. We crown Him Lord of all." Other than it just being a super catchy song, I haven't understood why it has been so constantly stuck in my head. All I can guess is that I need to be reminded that no matter how amazed and in love with my new life, Jesus is better than it all. He is better than our earthly comforts, riches, as well as our struggles.