Did you know Pez Dispensers were originally created to help folks break a bad habit? Bearing slight similarities to a cigarette lighter, the character-clad mechanisms were designed to help people fight the urge to light one up. But if we're being honest, we’re just here for the candies.

🥳 THIS WEEK IN AWA AWESOMENESS

❤️ Heart-filled (and -wrenching) stories🇨🇷 Costa Rican getaways💕 Winning the queen’s heart📸 The best photo contest (In our opinion)

🇨🇷 COSTA RICA GIVEAWAY

Could you use a break from winter to enjoy sandy beaches, rich biodiversity, and some stellar food? Well, to celebrate The Costa Rica Issue, Whalebone is sending a lucky someone (and their guest) to one of the world's happiest countries. So sign up for a potential spot on the expense-free trip to Costa Rica HERE (Today's the last day!)

📸  A PHOTO WORTH $40,000 SMACKAROOS

Start sifting through your photos, Adventurers! This Monday (February 20th), our friends at Whalebone will be launching their 4th Annual Photo Contest. With $40,000 up for grabs across 5 categories, now's the time to start digging out your favorite photos. Take a peek at how to submit here.

Can you feel the love in this email? In honor of Valentine’s Day, we’ve embraced some stories about love, loss, and ice cream (for those who may need it). XOXOXO, AWA

📚 A Wedding for the Books🏡 A Forbidden Love🍦 The Beloved Kings🛁 A Love (Bath) Bomb

🤫 THIS WEEK'S SECRET LINK

We’re dishing out additional self-adhesive stickables for your sticking pleasures. New to the secret link? Have no clue what we're talking about? Each dispatch we hide a link somewhere in the Bulletin. It could be behind an emoji 🙈 in a photo 📸 or even sneakily hiding in some punctuation…If you’re able to locate it, you’ll be in the running for this week’s prize! So get to hunting!

It might be tough to imagine, but there once was a time when musical instruments were an unwelcome sound in Oberlin College’s conservatory of music. (Say what!?) Yes, in the 1830s, when the Conservatory first found its footing, trumpets & organs were even more controversial in some settings than pressing social issues of the time – but there was one type of music that was allowed within the halls...

At the youthful age of eighteen Princess Victoria ascended to the throne and promptly became the world’s most eligible bachelorette of 1837. The press ran numerous stories about her beauty, wisdom and grace resulting in masses of valentines from enamored suitors.  But these admirers and proposals couldn’t sway the teenage queen’s heart, she was saving it for someone special...

📸 FLIPPIN' THROUGH THE PHOTO ALBUM

With $40,000 up for grabs, it’s a good time to sift through your photo libraries! Need some inspo? We’ve got some featured photographers from the previous years. Photos taken on ANY cameras can be entered - that’s right, even one taken on your phone - technology is crazy! PS: You do not need to be a professional photographer to enter. All are welcome <3