I recently heard the story of how the territory of Alaska was acquired by the U.S. in 1876, purchased for a mere seven million dollars–approximately 2 cents per acre. This next-to-nothing purchase was ridiculed because no one was aware of the immense deposits of natural resources that were waiting to be discovered under the surface of that icebox.

It’s 2004. A Sea Container holding all of our earthly possessions finally arrives, exactly four weeks upon arrival in our new homeland, Canada. The ten hour flight from Germany multiplied by a foreign language and the most snow I have ever seen in my life resulted in less than ideal enthusiasm about this new “adventure” our family of six embarked upon.