Juneau, AK

Juneau was the first port we visited. Justin had been here years ago with a friend and knew of some good hikes. Unfortunately, I have a fallen arch so I wasn't up to doing anything very long, but we did find some gorgeous scenery on a hike that was about 3 miles. We walked through Juneau, up a hill and past some charming colorful houses. We thought it curious that there were lots of zipper ties on many of the city's street signs. We stopped to call Grandma Sherri, who was babysitting the boys. It was then that we found out that Ezra had been dropped off at preschool, but didn't actually go inside. Instead he walked down the street and away from both home and preschool. The sheriffs ended up bring Ezra back to our house, where my mom was very surprised to learn that he hadn't gone in the door to preschool. He'd been gone nearly 45 minutes, but luckily he was able to tell the sheriff his full name so that they could look up his address. I'm glad we live in a quiet neighborhood and that he was returned safely. I felt bad that my mom had to go through that. Ezra is always running away and escaping from me in public places. Some of you may know how frustrating it is to have a child that is always wandering out of sight. No amount of lecturing or disciplining has made any different.















Anyway, we were on vacation and so the news didn't get us down! We saw gorgeous mountains, crashing waterfalls up close, and even stopped to peak into a scary old mine. We tried to visit the mining museum but it never opened like it was supposed to. We even picked up a couple of rocks to take home to the boys for their collection. There was a frightening moment at the beginning of our hike. We had been warned of bears and were trying to be on the lookout. All of a sudden a dark brown creature came around the corner. I nearly jumped out of my skin! Luckily it was a large dog. We told their owners (who followed a ways behind) that we'd thought their dog was a bear and they said that people are always getting startled. I'm so relieved that I didn't have to practice playing dead.

After heading back to the ship for lunch, we then took a ride over to the Mendenhall Glacier. There was a short nature walk up to a rushing waterfall with views of the glacier. We were lucky that the weather was so nice. No fog or rain at all!

And here's the extent of the wildlife we saw in Juneau (other than the freaky bear dog).

Tracy Arm

Tracy Arm in Alaska is a long, narrow canyon made by the Sawyer Glacier. We almost weren't able to make it into the canyon because it was very foggy. At one point, the Captain turned the ship around and said that he'd try again in 15 minutes. Luckily it cleared out that quickly. And I'm so glad because it was absolutely gorgeous! We were amazed that such a huge ship can maneuver in such a narrow canyon. The scenery was beautiful. There was an impressive amount of ice in the water, even some huge pieces that were about the size of a houseboat. I wish I'd captured more photos of the ice chunks. Justin told me to take more pictures on the way out. But then we decided to get in the jacuzzi while we drove out. Talk about some amazing views while soaking in a hot tub! 

We weren't actually able to make it as far as they usually do because there was too much floating ice to maneuver through. We didn't see much wildlife, except for what appeared to be a dolphin. It was quick, so we weren't sure. We loved going by the side canyons, which used to be glacier outlets hundreds of years ago. It was pretty chilly at the bow of the ship but luckily they served steaming hot pea soup, a Dutch tradition! The journey into Tracy Arm was probably around 25 miles and it took us about 5 hours to go in, turn around, and head back out. 

Here is the scenery approaching Tracy Arm as the fog cleared out.

The first big chunk of ice we came upon was at the mouth of Tracy Arm.

Beautiful canyons!

Dutch Pea Soup.

Most of the ice was blueish white, but this piece looked like glass. It was about 6 ft. long.

Too much ice to go any further.

Sawyer Glacier.

Alaska!

Last week, Justin and I went on an Alaskan Cruise! Grandma Sherri had the boys for the week and then Justin's mom helped out for 3 days as well. We're so grateful for them! It was so fun to have some time away from all the stress of life and be able to talk uninterrupted. The food was so fabulous. We fell in love with all the chilled fruit soups.  We saw some good movies. We saw at least 30 to 40 whales (and didn't even go on a whale-watching tour!). Justin had managed to upgrade to a verandah room at the last minute for a sweet deal, so we didn't miss any of the scenery. The shows were so good, too. One of our favorite things to do was to take a dip in the jacuzzi at the back of the ship. It's so fun to be out in the cold air, see the snowy peaks, and even see the floating chunks of ice trailing the ship (at Tracy Arm) as we stayed hot and toasty in the water. Here are some highlights from the ship. I'll post about the different ports later. 

Our ship, the Oosterdam, really focused on artwork. There was even an audio art tour that we did, but it was not very informative. We thought it was nice that the rugs in the elevator would let us know which day of the week it is. We couldn't help but laugh (and be a little frightened) whenever we walked by the blue grape-haired lady.

One of the nicest afternoons was spent lounging in the sun on the Lido deck. We read books, took a nap, had some cheese fries, ate an ice cream waffle cone, and did a little Sudoku. 

There was a cooking show area on the ship and we attended the Dutch pancakes lesson. It's really the one lesson I didn't need since I grew up with my Dad making Dutch pancakes every Saturday, but we went because the captain of the ship happened to be teaching. Yes, he's Dutch. Every time Captain Van DerLoo would speak on the intercom or during the class, we felt like our neighbor Ed was there with us. They had the same accent but even their voices sound alike.

Here's our room. On this day, we happened to see LOTS of blue whales. Everywhere we looked we could see their blow spouts and then watch for their backs to surface and their tales to flip over. It was so fun! Unfortunately our camera is having a hard time lately and really isn't good at capturing the whales. I did get one good picture of a whale in Sitka. I'll post that soon.  

Time to head home. There was luggage everywhere! On the train to the airport we happened upon a couple from Logan, UT that know Justin's grandparents. Small world. And it was a nice surprise when Justin got upgraded to first class for the flight home and gave me his seat. It was a short flight, but it was nice to get extra drinks and snacks!

 

A Little Fun Lately

 I'm going to try to let the pictures do the talking since I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with pictures right now. Here's Ez having a good time swinging. He likes to swing with his eyes closed.

We visited the new Brigham City Temple open house. It was beautiful and we enjoyed dinner afterward. The boys each wanted a picture with Mom but for some reason neither of them smiled.

The boys and I LOVE artichokes. We eat them for lunch while Dad is working since he doesn't have such strong feelings about them. 

Two words: LADIES MAN! Nolan walked up to these girls, plopped down on the bench, and started having a conversation with them. They thought he was funny and humored him for several minutes until I called him over to leave them alone. 

 

Eating out with some of my family. Feelin' the love, obviously. The kids were loving the water fountain. As usual, Nolan was completely soaked. We enjoyed watching Travis's dance moves.

Justin's company party was at the zoo this year. Totally crowded but we loved the bird show and the new Rocky Shores area. 

Soccer Games

Nolan has been doing great at his soccer games. It's been fun to see all the energy the kids have at the beginning and then toward the end of the games they get a bit worn out. Nolan will bend down and pick some grass and then study it as the ball goes by. We've seen another kiddo stare across the street at nothing particularly interesting. It's pretty funny! We're proud of Nolan for being able to play some good defense so far. We're glad that Nolan's friend, Carter, is on the team. 

New Mud Run Photos

They offered free photos at the mud run and we just recently got a chance to see and download a few that turned out good. What muddy fun!

I've been diagnosed...

Sept. 1: Muddy Matrimony

Last weekend we were in Cache Valley for the Man vs. Mud 5k. It was also Justin's mom's wedding day! She and her soon-to-be husband, Jon, made the mud run part of their big day. They were in a wedding gown and tux and the rest of us had on bridesmaid dresses and matching ties. Our team was called Muddy Matrimony. We were quite a sight, even making the local news and several newspapers. My parents came up to watch the boys while we participated. The boys had fun on the train, having a pony ride, and doing their own "boggy bayou" run. The boys just loved the bubbles! And it was so great to have our own photographer (my Dad) following us (along with the news camera, that is). Thank you so much, Mom and Dad, for helping us out!

After the race, the couple had a romantic dance and then cut a "muddy" wedding cake. We were looking forward to hosing off and getting back to a hot shower and a nap before the real ceremony that evening.
BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER:

THE KIDS: Funny pic of Ezra there... he really did like the bubbles, though.

Unfortunately, the sky clouded over and there was lots of rain in the afternoon. So much for the outdoor wedding! Everything was moved into Karen and Wayne's large (and luckily very nice) RV garage/pool house. The actual ceremony and buffet was outside under canopies, but we sat inside to eat. Nolan and Ezra made darling little ring bearers. When Ezra walked back with the empty box he said, "But I want my ring back!" I wish we'd gotten pictures of all of this, but Justin was a witness and I was keeping the boys quiet and out of the rain.

Nolan didn't feel too well after the ceremony and just wanted to "relax in the van." Ezra insisted on playing out in the rain so I had to keep checking to make sure he didn't decide to swim in the pool, too. I was a bit nervous of that. The food was delicious and Justin and I had fun chatting with Russ and Alysa, and Holly and Brandon.

I loved being able to do the flower arrangements. Kathi had told me what she wanted and then ordered the flowers. On Friday night, she took the boys to her house and left me to the job. It was so fun! The little fish bowls were cute and I think only one or two goldfish went belly-up. And all I had to do was add flowers to the cake, but it turned out so pretty.
While doing flowers, Justin's job was to help get some large (I mean really large!) cement flower pots from Campbell Scientific. What a huge job. Justin's arms were a little sore. Thank goodness Wayne's lawn mower helped make the job easier.

Jon and Kathi make a great couple. We're so glad that we could share in their big day! I'm pretty excited that Grandma K. will be moving closer to us in a few months (for now she will stay in her home and finish working this year).
The KSL news story can be seen here. They made it sound like they got married AT the mud run... silly!