True Alaskan

   Okay, I know what you are thinking, didn't I already write a blog about becoming a 'true Alaskan' when I failed then passed my Alaskan driving test?  The answer is yes,  but that is only because I have not had a day like Friday where I truly became, and felt like a 'true Alaskan'.  What could cause this feeling?  Getting Alaska license plates and purchasing my first firearm: a pistol. 
   First, I finally took the plunge after having one too many times where I felt self conscious of my poor driving abilities while having Virginia license plates  (you know what I am talking about, the same look you give people when you see that they have New Jersey or Pennsylvania plates...).  Something about having the same license plates and having everyone on the roads know that I am a 'local' even though I might cut you off or not yield on green, I am from here so give me a break.
    Second, after having one too many terrifying nights while Pete is gone hearing a noise or having Gatsby start barking and then I lay in bed terrified thinking about what I would do if someone was actually in my house and realizing that the closest thing I have to a weapon upstairs is a toothbrush and tweezers, I made the decision that I should get a firearm.  Weird, I know.  I have never wanted a gun before, and I always thought it was a little crazy to get something so dangerous but I have never lived in Alaska before, and I have never been faced with living by myself for the next year without any family or close friends nearby.  After a lot of thought and research Pete and I decided that a Ruger .357 magnum revolver would do the job ( I feel safer just writing this).  Essentially this is a pistol with nothing fancy and extremely easy to use.  I haven't actually shot the thing, that will be my next step.  While it will be a good self defense tool, it is also the smallest weapon that Gatsby and I can safely go walking on trails, and go berry picking with.  Apparently it is unsafe to go wandering from May to September without a large weapon due to the amount of bears and how aggressive they are up here.  When I said that I would be using this as a self defense weapon as well as a berry picking weapon I was told by multiple weapon salesmen that this is the smallest size that they would use (essentially making me realize that when I do go berry picking I need to have a friend come along with a larger weapon...).   Tomorrow Pete and I are going to the indoor shooting range so i can see exactly what it is like to shoot a gun and to hopefully be comfortable with it.  All that I want is to go to bed at night knowing it is in my bedside table so that over the next year if Gatsby wakes me up barking or if I hear a strange noise I can go  back to bed knowing that I can protect myself and not spend the next hour awake and terrified thinking of what I could use as a weapon if there was an intruder.  I'm sure that it will make Pete sleep a little easier at night as well knowing his wife and dog aren't completely defenseless up here in the great north.  Friday was a big day, and I think that the fact that I have Alaska license plates and a firearm will definitely give me  something to talk about with the other nurses at work.  Goodnight to all, sleep tight knowing yours truly is sleeping just a little bit safer.