Homecoming

There are many perks to taking an occasional trip without the kids, one of them being... we aren't quite as sad to see it end as we otherwise would be! We awoke bright and early on Tuesday, June 26, completely satisfied with our amazing milestone trip and excited to return home to our crazy kiddos. 

After an easy breezy disembarkation process, we took a taxi to the airport and arrived with plenty of time to spare before our 11:10 flight. It wasn't long before we were back on the ground in Sacramento and being picked up by Nana and our sweet Avalon (who actually broke down in tears upon seeing us for the first time in a week). 

We returned home to a wonderful reunion and a surprise anniversary party, complete with a cake that  the kids had baked and decorated earlier that day. After visiting for a little while, Nana and Papa headed home for some much needed rest after a job VERY well done. I could never fully express my gratitude to them for taking such good care of the kids all week long. While it was never our plan to have them shoulder 100% of the "burden" of childcare for the entire week, I'm thankful that it worked out that way. I still have many memories from the two weeks spent with my grandparents (my mom's parents) when my parents went to Europe when I was only 5 or 6, and I love that my kids (the girls, at least) will likely always remember snippets of their week at Nana and Papa's! 

Luckily, the kids don't have to rely on their memories alone because Nana was nice enough to take several pics of the kids throughout the week and send them to us via Facebook almost daily. The next post will feature all those pics!

I spotted this mountain peak above the clouds soon after takeoff. Mt. Rainier perhaps??

One last selfie!

Our Anniversary cake! <3 It suffered a few cracks in transit but was still delicious!

Cake baking crew

Perfect family photo #791 ruined by me blinking!

Here's to 10 years :) :)

Alaska Cruise Day 7: Victoria, B.C.

The last day of our cruise was spent mostly at sea, with a 4-hour stop in Victoria, British Columbia in the evening. While this port is called on purely for legal reasons, it was the perfect opportunity for me to step foot on Canadian soil for the very first time! After a leisurely day spent packing, relaxing, and playing shuffleboard in the Red Frog Pub, we enjoyed one last dinner in the dining room before debarking the ship around 7pm. We picked up an excellent map at the port that outlined three different walking routes and headed for the Inner Harbour to see the Parliamentary buildings. We walked about a mile, enjoying the gorgeous weather and all the charming little homes and flower gardens along the way. The Parliamentary building lit up at 9pm and was absolutely beautiful! We walked around enjoying the sights and sounds (bagpipes! cellos!) for a while before heading back to the ship by a slightly different route through the neighborhood. While we only had a few hours to experience Victoria, it was long enough to be thoroughly charmed by its gentle, peaceful vibe. It was the perfect cherry-on-top ending to a fantastic cruise!!

Enjoying a leisurely "Sea Day Brunch" in the dining room

After packing up it was time for our last round of pre-dinner balcony selfies

Oh so sad that our cruise is almost over :(

Hello Canada! I can't believe it took me almost 35 years to pay a visit to our northern neighbor!

After a stroll of about a mile, we arrived at the Parliamentary building

I kind of have a soft spot for Capitol buildings. ;) I only wish we had arrived early enough to take a tour!

Stopping to take it all in

Shot of the Parliament building from the Inner Harbor

:)

One last pic of this gorgeous building before heading back to the ship

(And one last selfie, of course)

Oh Canada, thank you for a beautiful few hours! We will be back someday!

Alaska Cruise Day 6: Ketchikan

Day 6 of our cruise took us to Ketchikan, where we finally encountered the rainy weather that Southeast Alaska is known for. As anyone who has cruised to Alaska will tell you, predicting the weather is an absolute crapshoot. As I learned in my pre-cruise research, temperatures in the summer can range anywhere from 40's to high 70's--often within hours on the same day--and a rainy day or two (at least) is a given. (And no wonder, considering Southeast Alaska is covered in rain forest!) It was particularly appropriate to finally encounter rain in Ketchikan, "The Rain Capitol of Alaska."

Our Ketchikan excursion was the climax of our trip and will no doubt go down as one of the most memorable experiences of our lives. The number one thing Shaun wanted to do in Alaska was take a float plane tour, which he began researching several months before our cruise. I wasn't very interested in flying in such a tiny plane, but since Shaun was sweet enough to indulge me in my desire for this cruise (he would have much preferred a week in the Caribbean), I swallowed my fear and told him to book it. My plan was to simply not think about it until I was stepping on the plane and there was no going back. And that's pretty much what I did.

We decided on a flight tour over the majestic Misty Fjords National Monument, operated by Mountain Air Service. I would recommend this tour and this company in a heartbeat! Despite taking off in a downpour and encountering some dicey weather along the way, I felt completely comfortable in the capable and confident hands of our pilot. We shared the tour with four others--a couple celebrating their 2nd anniversary, and a father-daughter duo. Shaun volunteered to ride shotgun, which left me with the entire back row of the plane to myself since the other couples opted to sit next to each other in the two middle rows. We had the two best seats in the plane! Shaun had the unique experience of observing the pilot, chatting with him and and listening in on his communications with other pilots, while I enjoyed plenty of personal space and the ability to snap pics from both sides of the plane. (And we got to keep our seats on the return journey back from the Fjords, as the other folks were also happy where they were and weren't interested in switching!) 

Though time seemed to stand still, the flight lasted about two hours in all. We actually got a little "free" time in the air, since the weather conditions led the pilot to take a longer, smoother, more indirect route back from the Misty Fjords. The ONLY downside of this excursion (which was so predictable that it is beyond me how I didn't anticipate and plan for it) was the motion sickness I experienced on the ascent. I spent the first 10 minutes or so of the flight 100% focused on angling the window vent toward my face, breathing deeply and not ruining the experience for everyone else by blowing chunks. Luckily, the waves of nausea soon passed and I felt great for the rest of the tour. Witnessing the Misty Fjords from the air was a magical experience and really brought the map of Southeast Alaska to life. It completed the trifecta of our Alaskan adventure... views from the water, land, and finally, air.

Once back on the ground in Ketchikan, we hit up Tongass Trading Company for our one and only souvenir shopping stop of the trip before getting back on board. Later that evening we enjoyed the second Elegant Night dinner of the voyage and topped off the day with an hour or so in the Alchemy Bar, enjoying the incredible music of our favorite group on board, Dolce Trio. I know I sound like a broken record at this point, but... it was another PERFECT DAY!

Early morning Balcony Selfie in rainy Ketchikan

Ready to fly!!!

Shaun's view of the controls from his Shotgun seat!

Time for lift off!

It wasn't long before Shaun passed the camera back to me, so of course I had to snap a quick selfie in my cool headphones!

Shaun playing Co-pilot

Once the nausea passed, I started snapping away...

I have no words to caption any of these pics (only a fraction of what I actually took)... it was all so unspeakably beautiful

Another day, another waterfall... from the air, this time. :)

Coming in for a landing...

...on a remote ocean inlet in the Misty Fjords. Landing on water in a float plane is such a neat, gentle experience!

Picture time

Checking out the rain forest

We didn't see any bears, but we found some of their leftovers (crab shells!)

Our selfie game is strong! ;)

Lifting off again...

I took dozens more pics on the flight back, but you get the idea :)

Cruise ships in view...

Back to rainy, downtown Ketchikan

 What a difference a few hours makes! Sunny skies heading South

Our choice of wine for elegant night

Table for two :)

Dolce Trio!This pic is actually from another ("cruise casual") night, but it's the only one we took the entire cruise. We spent several hours enjoying their music over the course of the week. They were fantastic and really enhanced our cruise experience!!!