A New Chapter

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4 years, Galena has been our home and in that time we have had many wonderful and NOT so wonderful experiences.

We got to welcome our 2^nd born into our family.

We got to see the Iditarod come through our town 3 times.

We got to experience some of our community events such as Spring Carnival, Jamboree, basketball games, Bingo, Valentines Dinners, Science Camp, Yukon 800, Iron Dog, Easter egg hunting in snow,

We found a mother load of blueberries and enjoyed making jams, cakes, and anything else that is yummy with blueberries.

We have gone moose hunting and Keith got his first. It was huge!

We got to go fishing, hunting, trapping, and even though we were not always successful we had a great time.

We added new cuisine to our list, like mucktuk(whale blubber) Seal oil, Eskimo Ice cream(not what you are thinking) Lynx Links, Beaver, Moose, Ptarmigan, Salmon.

We got to get out on our snow machine and saw some beautiful country.

We got to see unbelievable Aurora Borealis that blew across the sky where pictures could not do it justice.

We experiences record breaking -70 degrees where nothing works, but our church family still met.

We experienced the WORST mosquitoes I have ever seen! Seriously, NOBODY SHOULD EVER COMPLAIN ABOUT THEM… EVER!!!

We attempted to make Birch syrup from the sap from the trees, but an evacuation of our town resulted in that process to never finish.

We experienced the worst flood in the history of Galena, where our town was destroyed. And then we spent a summer frantically trying to get the town ready to be lived in for winter.

We got to see how much this community comes together to help each other in times of disaster.

We got to travel to many different Alaskan destinations. Homer, Seward, Fairbanks, Moose Pass, Ruby, North Pole, Soldotna and Denali.  Keith also got to visit other remote villages around the state; including Holy Cross, Aniak, Kotzebue, Hughes, Huslia, Valdez, Nulato, Cold Bay and Barrow.

We got to meet Santa. He even knows our names and even prays for us!

We got to go to interesting places such as the Knotty Shop, Ice Museums, Hot Springs, and the Farthest North Mexican Food restaurant in the world.

We got to meet interesting and sometimes famous people like Lance Mackey, Hugh Neff, Aliy Zerkle, Dallas Seavey, Todd Palin, Frankie King, Peewee Harrison, Meadow Lark Lemons, Hollywood Brown, Dennis Agajanian, Tyler Huntington, Ms. Alaska, and Santa Claus.
We got to experience 24 hours of darkness and 24 hours of light.

We got to experience a DRY cold.

We got to ice skate in the pond beside our house like in a Hallmark card.

We got to have many campfire dinners with our neighbors.

We have had many laughs and cries with special friends here.

We got to see our church grow and grow and grow.

We got to experience what a true community is!

Along with all the Experiences we have learned a lot living here in Galena.

We learned where the middle of nowhere is.

Duck tape and Super glue DOES fix everything!

I finally learned how and where cranberries grew and then got to pick as many cranberries as I could.

I learned how to cook and bake from scratch. Things like bread, doughnuts, corn tortillas and many other things and I actually started a blog of things I cook from scratch.

Keith learned expiration dates on food items does NOT mean it will go bad. He actually waits for the milk to expire so he can get it HALF OFF! But when it is $10 a gallon you do what you have to.

Keith learned how to grow a 25-pound cabbage, a 2-pound head of lettuce and giant Zucchini.

I learned how to make Salsa, Corned moose, jellies, jams, relish, jarred meats and other canned food.

We learned how to dress for -70 degrees.

We learned how to fix our own cars, snow machines, four-wheeler and any other equipment that breaks.

We learned how to conserve water, gas, electricity, and food.

We learned how to shop for a years worth of supplies. Do you know how many rolls of toilet paper you need to make it through a year? I DO!

We learned to be creative when it comes to going on a “date” with your husband and there is no restaurant in town.

We learned what really happens to boiling water when you throw it up in the air when it is  -50 degrees.

We learned to be resourceful when you don’t have certain parts to fix things.

We learned going to the “mall” can be quite fun and you can get GREAT deals there!

We learned how to shop Amazon.com and know how to get free shipping and all the good deals from online sources.

We learned the excitement of having fresh veggies and fruits

We learned how to pack.

We learned how to drive a snow machine

The boys learned how to dress to go play outside at different temperatures.

They learned what it means to say “this is a short flight” “this is a Long flight”

The boys learned how to Ski, Ice Skate, Snowshoe, and sled.

We learned “the Lights are out” doesn’t refer to the power going off.

We learned that watching The Red and Green Show, Duck Dynasty, and The God’s Must Be Crazy makes us realize that we have done most, survived most and are still living after doing most of the dumb things they did on those shows.  Some of those ideas are life Savers!  

We learned that Anti Freeze does actually freeze.

We learned not to sing, “The Sun will come out tomorrow” in the winter because it doesn’t!

We learned that going swimming when it is -50 degrees outside is not a big deal.

We learned to cut our own wood and to make our own fires.

All the things we learned and all the wonderful experiences have made our life so much more interesting and fun!  The friendships we have made are amazing and will stay with us forever. It has been a wonderful FULL chapter in our life. But that chapter is closing and we are opening to a new one. Keith has accepted a job at Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina.  This has been a hard decision to make but we know God is directing our path. He has opened this door for us and we are super excited to see what fun adventures we will get to have there.  We love Alaska and will miss it terribly. Pray for us as we make this transition. North Carolina Here We Come!!!(In May)