Pillow Talk

I sure love this guy. But, much to my chagrin, he is not a night-time chatter like I am. Growing up sharing a room with Laura, our evenings were almost invariably spent talking way past our bedtimes and well into the night until we had to force ourselves (through ridiculous methods) to stop talking and finally go to sleep.

If I'm lucky, Craig's and my night-time talking routine involves a prayer, a "goodnight," and maybe (just maybe) a couple sentences about our day. But mostly, once we say goodnight, Craig is off the clock and out of reach for the rest of the night. My brain doesn't shut down quite as quickly, so while the day's events are still going through my head, and I keep remembering things that I need to tell him about, he's already heavy with sleep, snoozing away without a care in the world.

Last night went as usual. After saying goodnight, I told him to remind me about something that my mom and I had talked about on the phone that day.

He said, "Do you want to just tell me about it now?"

"Nah," I said. "I'm tired, so I'll just tell you tomorrow. But if I'm not asleep in five minutes, I'll tell you then."

His response: "Well, I'm going to be asleep in two, so you'll probably be talking to yourself."

True. And it wouldn't be the first time, either.

The Last Frontier (Part 2)

Just what you've been waiting for: the cruise ship saga continues.

Sunday was our first at-sea day, so we went to the gym in the morning, explored the ship, then putzed around for most of the day.  {Have you ever tried to run on a treadmill that happens to be on-board a moving cruise ship? Super, super fun. Especially when you have almost no experience being on a treadmill. Or a cruise ship, for that matter.} 

After running, exploring, and putzing, we got gussied up and headed out to the fancy restaurant for dinner, then to a comedy show. This was a) the only night we dressed up and b) the only picture we took all day. 

On Monday morning, we woke up to a cold and gray morning in Ketchikan, Alaska, whose claim to fame, besides being the "Salmon Capital of the World," is their average annual rainfall is 154.6 inches. {The average in Phoenix is 8.04 inches, just FYI.) It was coldish, but not freezing, and it was, miraculously, not raining. We spent some time exploring and buying souvenirs for my lovies before we headed over to our Crab Fishing experience, which was as cool as it sounds

View from the top. (Of the ship, that is.)

A jacket in September. That's what I'm talking about.

This was my view while I talked to Craig and Spencer after not having

 a cell signal for two days. Hearing their voices was like candy to my ears.

I probably would've talked longer if I had realized that I wasn't

 going to get a decent signal in any of the other ports we stopped in.

Come on, Alaska, get with the program.

So pretty to look at. Thank goodness you can't smell it from here.

It was kind of funny to see the giant cruise ship in the same harbor as these tiny boats.

Then again, maybe it's not so big. I mean, I can fit it between my fingers.

The only disappointment of the morning was that the local Salvation Army
thrift store didn't open in time for us to peruse before our awesome tour.
Sigh. I bet there were some treasures in that place.

I think this is what a "sunny" day in Ketchikan looks like.

The best part of the day was our Crab Fisherman tour. Some crab boat owner had the genius idea of turning a commercial crab-fishing boat into a tourist experience, which means he gets lots of revenue without having to put anyone's life at risk. Pretty smart, eh? So, in our stadium seats, under overhead heating lamps, whilst sipping hot chocolate, we got a "real" crab fishing experience.

This boat was actually on Season 2 of "Deadliest Catch," you know. 

And since I have now been on said boat, that means I'm practically famous.

The captain stopped at a few places so the crew could pull out different
kinds of ocean life for us to look at or touch, including a squishy octopus that
squirted ink as soon as it was dropped into the tank. I declined holding
one of these creepy looking prawn guys, but Linda was feeling adventurous.

I mean, seriously. The view was like looking at a postcard.

Octopus, crab, and Discovery Channel celebrities, oh my!

And guess what? I even got to {pretend} throw the hook.

After the tour we headed back to the cruise ship parking lot, climbed aboard the lovely Norwegian Jewel, and got into our jammies for the rest of the day. {Cuz that's what you do on a party ship when you have a cold and don't drink alcohol.}

Hold your breath...Juneau what's next?

Sound Advice

After reminding Alexa tonight that she needs to be polite during her Grandma date tomorrow {and also not ask her for a million things}, she had this to say: 

"Having good manners is the most important thing. And, mixing two ingredients: love and respect."

That's right, girlie. Just don't forget to act that way with your sisters, too!

Tuesday Trash Day

Sometimes on Tuesday mornings, we sit around in our pajamas, crack the living room window, and listen while the trash truck makes its rounds around the neighborhood. When we hear it getting close, we run to the front window and watch our trash get swallowed up. Then we run to the side window and watch our neighbors' trash get picked up. Then we wave goodbye to the trash truck. 

When the recycling truck comes around, we repeat the process.

Tuesdays are cool. And trash trucks are cool.

(And so are little boys who love to watch them.)

The Last Frontier (Part 1)

Craig and I have a deal worked out where we alternate taking a trip with his mom ever year(ish). Last summer, Craig and Julia went to Hawaii with his mom, and a couple years before that, I had gone to Hawaii with her, as well. This year it was my turn again, and though the original plan was to bring Savanna along, it didn't end up working out because by the time we got the trip planned, school had already started. (She'll get a turn next time, though, I promise.) Since it is so darn hot here this time of year, we decided to do a colder climate this time to get a break from the heat. Alaska came to mind as we explored our options, and we finally settled on doing a week-long cruise that took us from Seattle, along the southeast Alaskan coast, with a final stop in Canada on our way back to Seattle.

It was cold. It was very cold. (We certainly got the break we were looking for.)

The first day (Saturday) was mostly consumed with getting to the airport at a ridiculously early hour, flying to Seattle, getting to the cruise ship and standing in lots of long lines to get ourselves and our luggage checked in. We had a little bit of time to kill in Seattle, but since we were lugging giant suitcases around like we were on a mission transfer, we decided to just get right on the ship and not see any of the sights. (Luckily for me, I got to see lots of cool stuff when I was in Seattle in July, otherwise, I probably would have been disappointed.) We didn't leave port until the afternoon so all there was to do that day was eat a yummy lunch and take a nap until the lifeboat drill. (Yes, there was lots and lots of napping on this trip. And also reading. It was divine.)

After that, we were still pretty exhausted from traveling and pulling suitcases around, so we called it a day and went to bed early like responsible (and very tired) adults.

The hour of booty early sure makes for some lovely sunrises

I have one word: MASSIVE

killing a few minutes before checking in

Beautiful Seattle

I have one word: teeny

The room was small but it was perfect for our needs. Napping, reading, and 

watching television on our at-sea days were all accomplished very comfortably.

Cruise ships are not for the claustrophobic, I'll tell you that much.

Stay tuned for Ketchikan, our first port!