Alaskan Cruise - Days 2 & 3

Our second day was spent at sea.  We only got two of these days and quite honestly, I love them!  When we were in a port, we'd be running from place to place not wanting to miss anything.  It was quite exhausting.

So I really enjoyed the days at sea where we could read a good book, listen to the bands play and catch some shows.

Speaking of bands, let's talk about this one for a minute.  They were my favorite!  Here are these guys from the Philippines who could play and sing ANY song you requested.  (And they could sound like any singer!)  Their name was the Rockport Band.  We ended up listening to them several nights.  One night was Karaoke night and they were the back-up band!  Brent and Nate gave it a try and rocked it with them!

 Mom is such a good sport and even participated in the hula hoop contest.

 And how cute are they after 50 years of marriage?  So sweet!

 And then Jody and Thury joined in!

Day 3 - Our first port was in Ketchikan. 

 Such a cute picturesque town.  Looks like something you'd see on a postcard.

 This was one of the few ports where we didn't have an excursion or anything planned.  We got off the ship, found out the schedule for the bus in town, and took it to Totem Bight Stake Park.  We took a little hike around the park, viewing the totem poles, and thoroughly enjoying the gorgeous weather!

 Then we headed back to town and ate lunch at this Fish House which sat right on the water.  Yummy fish and chips and great company as we caught up with Grace & Thury!

After lunch, we hit the touristy shops for some souvenirs.  Little did we know we would see the same type of souvenir shops at every other port we would stop at it!

 And this is just funny.  You know how they display all of the photos they've taken of you on the ship?  We loved this 8x10 of me and Brent -- with his head chopped off.  We gave the ship's photographer a hard time about this one! :)

Alaskan Cruise - Bon Voyage

 So Brent and I will be celebrating our 20th anniversary this year.  So hard to believe! We had fun dreaming of all the places we'd like to celebrate in -- mainly tropical islands or my dream trip, a Mediterranean cruise.  I was getting rather excited about the idea, when Brent's parents had an idea of their own.  It was their 50th anniversary this year (and 50 years trumps 20).  

They've always wanted to do an Alaskan cruise with their kids, and so it seemed like the year to do this.

Which meant I wasn't going to be able to go on MY dream vacation for our 20th.  Sad I know.  We just wouldn't be able to afford two big trips, so Alaska it was.  

Quite honestly Alaska has never made my bucket list.  No desire to go.  I really don't feel like it's a vacation if there isn't sand for me to stick my toes in.  

But now that we're back from Alaska, it was truly an amazing trip spent with family!  Saw some beauty of the earth that everyone should see at least once in their life.  

And now here is my attempt at recapping it....

We flew into Vancouver the night before our cruise departed.  And dang, I sure wish we could have spent time exploring Vancouver.  Love that it was a big city, yet right on the water and gorgeous mountains in the background.  I'm going back there someday.... 

We went on Royal Carribean's Radiance of the Seas.  We've cruised on Royal before and love the cruise line.  This ship was a little out of date, smaller centrum than most, but hey....when great food is free, I'm a happy gal!

Whenever we are on vacation without kids, I always think, "Oh, they'd like this so much!" Or "I wish they were here to enjoy this!"  That's what I thought when I saw the water slides, rock wall and miniature golfing.

 I had every intention at eating at this Dog House which serves up all types of hot dogs, all day long.  But I was always too full to get one!  

Our cute little room.  Always love how they fold up the towels into some adorable creature.

 Far too cold for me to do any swimming in the outdoor pool.  In fact I never put on a bathing suit on this trip!

So my favorite part of any cruise is definitely the food.  Gourmet eating all day long.  And I love

 that I get to order however many desserts, appetizers or main courses that I want to sample!  YUM! (These pictures don't show it, but I think I had fish EVERY day on this cruise.  Heavenly!)

 Brent and I have never cruised with other people we knew.  I have to say it was so much more fun to eat at a table where you know everyone and feel comfortable with them (instead of some strangers you're trying to make small talk with).

Our waiters for the week.  They deserved a big tip for putting up with us and all of our special requests!

 And of course on one of the nights, we did a special celebration for their 50th anniversary!

I don't know that I've ever seen mom this happy as she was on the trip.  She had dreamed of this trip for so long and nothing makes her happier than having ALL of her kids with her.  Love these pics of her laughing even though they're fuzzy.

And loved spending one on one time with my hubby.  I don't remember the last time we went on vacation without the kids.  It's been that long!  So it was nice reconnecting and not having to worry about getting kids ready, or hearing them complain or fight.  However we did miss them.  A lot.  We were only three days into the trip when we looked at each other and said, "It feels like we've been gone over a week already!"

 After dinner each night, we'd try and run outside to catch the sunset.  Beyond beautiful and awe inspiring!

I don't know what it is about the ocean that rejuvenates me.  But it truly does make me feel closer to my Heavenly Father realizing that he had this beautiful earth created just for US.