Lives Lived and Pointless Deaths

This past week has been one huge roller coaster. On Wednesday, one of the Coast Guard guys from our ward was killed in a helicopter accident. He left behind a wife, a five year old, a two year old and a -2 month old. It was shocking to realize how fragile life is and how unexpected tragic things can happen. I didn't really know the family, but it hit the ward pretty hard because we're so small. Unfortunately, we lost another ward member last night. He committed suicide with a shotgun by Blue Lake, and left behind a wife of one year and a 3 month old baby. Two in one week is a little much, for any person. All of this tragedy has started me thinking about the greater scheme, to be cliche. I have to give a talk this coming Sunday on the Holy Ghost. Coincidence? Maybe, or maybe not. I've realized that the Holy Ghost has such a huge role in every day moments. Without him, we would not have any kind of connection with our Heavenly Father and we wouldn't have that comfort made available when we most need it. All I know is that Heavenly Father is with these families as they go through such terrible times, and that it is made possible through the Holy Ghost. So in remembrance of the USCG 6017, in memory of Brett Banks and Bro. Hamblin, I hope they are warmly received into the next life. To their families, I love you and am praying for you.

Happy 4th of July

It seems so strange to me that it was a year ago I was on my way to Philly. Now I'm in Alaska. With all this change, one thing will always be constant and that is the 4th of July. No matter where I am in the United States of America, people celebrate this day and love our country. People set aside their differences and appreciate this land we have been given and blessed with. I love the fourth. I always have. Red, white and blue every where. Fireworks going off and lighting up the skies, and parades. Patriotism is something we could all use more of, but at least we all remember it on this one day of the year.

This year was a whole different experience with the 4th. Rain, rain, rain! This has to be the wettest holiday I've ever seen. That didn't stop the locals from holding their parade through town. It was so much fun to see everyone walking down the street, throwing out candy and loving Sitka. Chad, Jordan, Curt, Justin and I all stood by the Russian church and cheered for the passers-by, hoping to get as much candy as we could. It felt like a true celebration, and I'm sure I ate way too much chocolate. Happy patriotism day everyone. And God bless America.

A Little Bit Homesick

Alaska is beautiful and a fun new adventure. But Dorothy had it right when she said "There is no place like home." I'm not saying I'm going to give up or anything, but there are definitely some things I'm really missing. Like:

family
warm weather
camping with friends
corn on the cob
good produce
cheep food
friends
stars at night
night period
Lake Powell
pinochle
seeing my sister and nieces
having a variety of guys to flirt with
crickets
Chili's and other fast food chains
a singles ward
etc. and not necessarily in that order

But to be fair, Sitka has a lot that Utah can't offer. Like rain (even though I'm a little sick of it at the moment). Other things include:

up close and personal experiences with wildlife animals
green trees
the ocean
eagles soaring overhead and calling
kayaking for a living
the chance to meet some really interesting people from all over the world
a variety of people on busy days
all of civilization within 14 miles of road
bears
whales
starfish and jelly fish
float houses
docks and boats
a volcano view
a lot of Tlingit and Russian influence
a million mountain trails that lead to the top of any surrounding mountain, with a really great view the entire time
little lakes
salmon berries
opportunities to try fresh fish
driftwood and ocean sunsets
and lastly, crazy people whom you love in spite of their bizarre ways. Like the ones lighting the huge, light up the sky, fireworks outside my door all night long.

I'm trying to be positive and look on the good side. But sometimes I feel myself getting stuck on what I'm missing instead of remembering that I am having an experience most other people aren't able to share. I just need to keep focusing on the here and now and worrying about the later at another time. In this case, I think procrastination is allowed.

Quick Update

Life has been pretty steady here is Sitka. I'm still working both jobs, kayaking and Del Sol. It is still wet and rainy, a fact that I'm not entirely sure I love. And I still try to be somewhat active. Like fishing for whales and other stuffed critters.
Last week I had the opportunity to hop on a Sea Otter Tour run by one of the other local tourist businesses. It was a really fun thing to see more of the surrounding areas only accessible by boat. We did see a lot of sea otters, and they're really adorable creatures. Apparently, the males and females hang out in groups separate from each other and the mom otters carry their pups around until they are almost fully grown. Talk about strong women! Unfortunately, it was a very impromptu adventure, so I didn't have my camera with me. This was taken with my phone through a pair of binoculars.

Otters also are the only other mammal to use utensils when eating. They carry around their favorite rock or shell and use it to scrape food off walls and out of hiding holes. Then they will lay on their backs and use the same tool to pound on their food until they open it up to eat it. Otters lay on their backs and keep their little flipper feet out of the water to preserve heat, and they will just float through the swells like this for hours. When storms come they wrap up in kelp to remain stationary and secure. They will also wrap up when they sleep. Otters spend 1/3 of their day sleeping, 1/3 eating and the other third playing. They are lucky little creatures.

On our way back in, we were fortunate enough to see a humpback whale up close and personal. It literally was about 75 feet away from us, and his tail came out of the water several times. He was so close that we could see the details on the barnacles attached to his tail.

Last week I also had a chance to go for a hike up to Thimbleberry and Heart Lakes. It was a nice hike and I got to try some Salmon Berries :) They were uber tasty, and reminded me kind of wild raspberries. We also had a couple of the blueberries hanging out along the trail, but I was a little apprehensive of them because I've heard that little worms like to hang out in them.

Other than hiking, and work I don't do much else. I ride my bike everywhere and I swear I'm not getting any more in shape. Mom, I admire you so much more now for your dedication to biking. That's about it for now. I'll post what we do for the 4th at another time.