Alaska
The first time I visited Alaska was August 1999, right before my senior year in college. I went on a cruise with my mom, aunts, and cousins. This is when I fell in love with Alaska.
I went again in 2006. This time with Steve. We were celebrating his mother's retirement...and his hire at a major airline.
We were supposed to go again last summer, but the combination of school calendars and Steve's (in)ability to get mid-summer vacations made us postponed the trip. "We" meant my mother and sister's family.
My mother passed away in December. After much discussion, my sister and I decided that we were going to still go...as a tribute to our mother. We cruised early June. All in all, we had a nice time.
We cruised NCL out of Seattle. Previously, I've cruised out of Vancouver, which is a beautiful city. But, the customs thing was just one more added thing that I thought it would be nice to avoid. Not to mention, the ship we were on (Joy) had great accommodations for my sister's family of five.
Having said that, I liked the service of NCL. I liked the food. But, I didn't like the ship. For being a new ship, I felt like it lacked a lot of tradition (like a soaring atrium) and cool things (I expected a bit more bells and whistles, more of a "wow" factor) . The ship was almost boring and lackluster to me. But, again, the service and food were good, so it all balanced out.
Here are some pictures...because everyone loves pictures. And, I haven't been feeling like writing much lately, so this is more the lazy approach.
Our flights were fine. Our accommodations and transportation in Seattle were fine. Steve overnights there often enough that he has the lay of the land. We wouldn't have changed a thing. Oh wait! I would have changed on thing...I would have loved to go to the Boeing facility. But, I didn't know that a tour was even possible until we were on the ship and I was talking to someone. We've cruised so dang much, and are pretty decent at this whole travel thing, which showed on the trip. We know what to expect.
We probably won't cruise Alaska for another 10 years. This was, by far, the most expensive vacation we've taken. (And I sure as hell made sure the kids were aware of that...this trip is on most people's bucket list, yet the kids have already done it...they are damn lucky!). They need to realize the impact of this trip.
All in all, we kept with the trip to honor our mother and I'm happy we did. We talked about her constantly. There was only one time I got upset on the trip, which was this picture of us in front of Mendenhall. We had a nice lady take the picture, and when I was reviewing the shot a sense of sadness overcame me. She is so proud of us. She should have been with us. The moments where she was written into the story are the times that sting the most.
*****
It's been about seven months since my mom has passed. All in all, I'm doing okay. I find myself desperately missing her lately. Don't know why, exactly. I'm assuming it's part of the grieving process. Her tombstone is installed, and has been for a bit now. With vacation and the boat, I haven't been down to see it yet. I think it will be hard to see. Somehow, it will make it permanent. I have a couple voicemails on my phone from her. I haven't listened to them yet. I think about it, but I'm afraid to. Or, maybe I'm just waiting for that moment when my heart tells me it's okay to listen to them.
My dad is okay. He no longer has the dog. That crushed me. I understand, though. The dog was really my mom's dog in that she did everything for him. My dad supported her and the dog. But now that she is gone, the dynamic has changed. Everything has changed. My dad has taken his first trip to Poland since my mom's death. He comes back in a couple days. I'm sure the trip was hard at first, but healing.
I'm finding motivation is coming back to me. I'm not as tired all the time. My libido is getting back to normal. I'm still struggling with food...I just can't get my shit together when it comes to meal planning. But, I do find myself tired here and there. Just this week, for example, I came home from work and took a nap. I've grown to listen that when my body needs to rest, it's best to listen.
Steve continues to be wonderful. The kids and I talk about "Babcia" all the time. Like, all the time. I will keep her memory alive.
She died on December 22. This year the day falls on a Sunday. We've already started to plan that weekend. We have a mass scheduled, and we will get together as a family that weekend. Hard to believe it's already been 7 months.
***
I have to add that I wish I were blogging more. Any time I pull out my laptop, it's usually to edit my book. I have about 60 pages left, and then off to an editor. I also have a ton of ideas for other (children) books in my head. If only I could just sit down and write them all...
Hope you are all enjoying your summer. We are pretty much at the boat every weekend. We've named her!
When the word entered our heads there was no turning back. It stuck. It makes sense. So much about our lives together has revolved around kismet, that it just makes sense.
I went again in 2006. This time with Steve. We were celebrating his mother's retirement...and his hire at a major airline.
 |
| such babies! |
My mother passed away in December. After much discussion, my sister and I decided that we were going to still go...as a tribute to our mother. We cruised early June. All in all, we had a nice time.
We cruised NCL out of Seattle. Previously, I've cruised out of Vancouver, which is a beautiful city. But, the customs thing was just one more added thing that I thought it would be nice to avoid. Not to mention, the ship we were on (Joy) had great accommodations for my sister's family of five.
Having said that, I liked the service of NCL. I liked the food. But, I didn't like the ship. For being a new ship, I felt like it lacked a lot of tradition (like a soaring atrium) and cool things (I expected a bit more bells and whistles, more of a "wow" factor) . The ship was almost boring and lackluster to me. But, again, the service and food were good, so it all balanced out.
Here are some pictures...because everyone loves pictures. And, I haven't been feeling like writing much lately, so this is more the lazy approach.
 |
| our balcony was incredibly spacious, which was intentional and great when it came to glacier cruising |
 |
| kids spent most of their aquatic time in the hot tubs they, however, were horribly over-saturated with the chemicals that girls got skin irritations. |
 |
| dinner our first night. My favorite dining room was the Manhattan Room, where we ate twice All in all, the food was really good, especially the specialty restaurants. |
 |
| cruising into our first port, Ketickan. |
 |
| on our boat for our first excursion. We did a wildlife cruise to a remote island, where we had a bonfire and cookout and did a small nature walk. |
 |
| arrival at the island |
 |
| next port was Juneau. We trekked to Mendenhall glacier. Absolutely amazing |
 |
| picture perfect |
 |
| after we left Juneau, we went through a beautiful fjord, and ended at the glacier. The ship turned 360* for all sides of the ship to view. It was beautiful. It took about 1 1/2 hours to cruise the fjord...Alaska is breathtaking |
 |
| On one of the final days, where we were at sea, Steve and the kiddos took their turn in the VR area. I didn't join in the fun. Not my thing. Despite his conditioning at work, he actually got a little motion sick...the VR was that real Not to mention, the ship was rocking somewhat. Enter Dramamine |
 |
| we finally got some sun the last day. The overall weather was cold, rainy, and foggy. So, the sun was welcome on this final day. |
We probably won't cruise Alaska for another 10 years. This was, by far, the most expensive vacation we've taken. (And I sure as hell made sure the kids were aware of that...this trip is on most people's bucket list, yet the kids have already done it...they are damn lucky!). They need to realize the impact of this trip.
All in all, we kept with the trip to honor our mother and I'm happy we did. We talked about her constantly. There was only one time I got upset on the trip, which was this picture of us in front of Mendenhall. We had a nice lady take the picture, and when I was reviewing the shot a sense of sadness overcame me. She is so proud of us. She should have been with us. The moments where she was written into the story are the times that sting the most.
*****
It's been about seven months since my mom has passed. All in all, I'm doing okay. I find myself desperately missing her lately. Don't know why, exactly. I'm assuming it's part of the grieving process. Her tombstone is installed, and has been for a bit now. With vacation and the boat, I haven't been down to see it yet. I think it will be hard to see. Somehow, it will make it permanent. I have a couple voicemails on my phone from her. I haven't listened to them yet. I think about it, but I'm afraid to. Or, maybe I'm just waiting for that moment when my heart tells me it's okay to listen to them.
My dad is okay. He no longer has the dog. That crushed me. I understand, though. The dog was really my mom's dog in that she did everything for him. My dad supported her and the dog. But now that she is gone, the dynamic has changed. Everything has changed. My dad has taken his first trip to Poland since my mom's death. He comes back in a couple days. I'm sure the trip was hard at first, but healing.
I'm finding motivation is coming back to me. I'm not as tired all the time. My libido is getting back to normal. I'm still struggling with food...I just can't get my shit together when it comes to meal planning. But, I do find myself tired here and there. Just this week, for example, I came home from work and took a nap. I've grown to listen that when my body needs to rest, it's best to listen.
Steve continues to be wonderful. The kids and I talk about "Babcia" all the time. Like, all the time. I will keep her memory alive.
She died on December 22. This year the day falls on a Sunday. We've already started to plan that weekend. We have a mass scheduled, and we will get together as a family that weekend. Hard to believe it's already been 7 months.
***
I have to add that I wish I were blogging more. Any time I pull out my laptop, it's usually to edit my book. I have about 60 pages left, and then off to an editor. I also have a ton of ideas for other (children) books in my head. If only I could just sit down and write them all...
Hope you are all enjoying your summer. We are pretty much at the boat every weekend. We've named her!
When the word entered our heads there was no turning back. It stuck. It makes sense. So much about our lives together has revolved around kismet, that it just makes sense.
noun
- destiny; fate.
Comments
Post a Comment