Swans and Sunsets

Dear Friends and Family,

Swans at Potter's Marsh Sat.

Kitty writing this week. We are enjoying our mini spring break. It's been good to
slow down a bit, get caught up, relax, and enjoy the beauties that surround us. We can tell the days are definitely getting longer.

Everything is so expensive here that when we first moved up we saved everything. Last week I cleaned out our disposable plastic drawer and threw away at least half of the empty containers we had saved. This week I cleaned out our amazon boxes and about two thirds of our recycled envelopes. I needed more room for the Christmas decorations I had taken down a couple weeks ago. Who knew decluttering was such an ongoing project.

Swans at Potter's Marsh Wed.

Late Wednesday afternoon, Farrell went on a bike ride. He doesn't mind traffic, gravel, and cold as much as I do, so he rode over to Potter's Marsh. It's about a seven minute car ride. This year he saw the swans. We were too late last year. So early Saturday afternoon we drove there to see if we could see them again. There is only one pair, but they were easy to spot and I was able to take more pictures. They walk on the ice and then float on the pools of water. It's the first time we've walked on the boardwalk. I really enjoyed it and hope to add it into our exercise routine as it gets warmer as an alternative to walking the mall. 

I was able to attend craft night Wednesday evening at Sister Duggins beautiful home. Six of us sat around and visited while we worked on our various crafts or sewing projects. Farrell had asked me to hem a pair of pant cuffs he tore out, so I hemmed both cuffs. Luckily I had the right color thread this time and didn't have to buy more. 

Potter's Marsh Bird Sanctuary.

We went to Stake Conference last night. We were able to get soft seats and really
enjoyed the meeting. Many people shared stories of finding the covenant path and the joy it brought into their lives. Brother Bilbo Ivey lives in the Bush Branch and shared his story. His wife is the Primary President. Because of the far flung reaches of the Branch -- 1400 miles across and 1000 miles top to bottom, she had never met most of her primary kids -- recognized their voices on the phone. They don't do video due to lack of bandwidth in most of those locations. She had a real treat when one of the families recently posted a photo of their son, one of the primary kids on Facebook. He was holding his rifle while sitting on top of his first bear kill. He brandished a smile from ear to ear. He is a native kid -- 7 yrs old. Not the normal primary kid experience. Bro. Ivey told us later he moved here when he was ten years old and Alaska fit him like a glove. He invited us to his cabin far from any roads. You get there either by helicopter or by snow machine on the river (30 miles). I can't wait to take that adventure. His son works at the Temple on Tuesday evenings, on my same shift. His grandson, James, works for Westland Construction and we see him everyday on site. He is a hard worker and is saving money for his mission. We brag on him to his family every chance we get. 

View from boardwalk at Potter's Marsh.

This morning we knew half of the speakers. We sat by our friends the Pettijohn's. We met them at the gym and see them often at game night. President and Sister Smith, from our Temple View ward, shared their experience of the bear mauling November 2023 and the tender mercies surrounding that trial. President and Sister Larsen, our mission leaders, gave uplifting talks. The choir sang two beautiful numbers that reminded me of our amazing choir back in Mapleton UT. Then James Ivey gave the closing prayer. I only brought two Kleenexes, but needed three. I'll know better next time. We saw many friends and fellow missionaries and enjoyed catching up. 

View of sunset over Mount Spurr.

This evening we had dinner at Maisey's. They are so wonderful and often invite us to their beautiful home. About a dozen of us enjoyed discussing a variety of topics from the pending eruption of the Mount Spurr volcano near Anchorage, temple construction updates, recent tariffs, fishing, boating, Hawaii, etc. It's always a feast with wonderful friends and neighbors. Their cute new grandbaby was there. Brother Anderson was there alone as Sister Anderson is visiting her sister in Saint George, UT. They own a second home there. The Norton's, our site superintendent and his wife, are also from Saint George and left Friday for a short vacation there. Small world.

Turnagain Arm at sunset.

We are really looking forward to General Conference next weekend. It's like a day at the spa for your spirit. We usually listen Saturday while we do mindless projects like cleaning or organizing. If it's warm I would really like to wash the windows. Haha, it looks like a 50% chance of rain that day. The joke is it always seems to rain on conference weekend in Utah. Same here, I guess. We are excited to see if any more temples are going to be announced. If you want a spiritual feast, join us next Saturday and Sunday: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/learn/general-conference?lang=eng  

Easter is coming up soon. It's just three weeks away. Without Easter we wouldn't have a reason to celebrate Christmas. What a hopeful and joyous time of year. We are grateful to have you in our lives. We hope you can feel our Savior's love and know Heavenly Father is mindful of you and answers your prayers. Thank you for all you do to make this world a better place.

Have a great week. We love hearing from you. #Think Celestial

Love, Elder & Sister Badger