North To Alaska

Just got back from our family vacation to Alaska and everyone is clamouring to hear how it went.
Happily, I have this habit of writing a journal on trips like this, so I will type out this journal here for all of you waiting for details.

Be warned it is a little disjointed....that is what you get when you are having fun on vacation.

AUGUST 22, 2015-Our first day of traveling was long. We made it to Seattle, to the hotel around 11 PM. Midnight home time. We were all very tired and cranky. We drove to the airport parking, took the shuttle to the airport, checked in, and hung out at the lounge. Great food, great soft chairs, and even computers.

Flew to Vancouver with no issues. Two sky trains to the Amtrak station.

Five hour ride on the train. It started very, very slowly, but once we crossed the border, it sped up a lot. The scenery was quite interesting until the sun went down.

A quick taxi ride and straight to bed with the A/C going. We all slept well.

Today we had a nice big breakfast at the hotel. Holiday Inn Express is good for that.

Off to the EMP museum. Took pictures of the cool architecture and the Space Needle. Tried finding a geocache but no luck. Maybe we can find something tomorrow morning.

The museum was really cool. Got some good pictures. Tried to go to Pike Place Market, but the crowds and prices were NUTS!!! $10 for 4 apples!

We ate lunch at a grill a few blocks away instead. It was nice...cool, dim, and I had fish and chips with a peanut coleslaw.

Went to a mall, then relaxed at the hotel for a bit.

The boys went to a Mariners game, and the girls went to Jurassic World. Good movie. Freaky. U.S. snacks are HUGE!!!

Spent a bit of my money. Bought a storm trooper T-shirt, Darth Vader keychain, an EMP pin, a colouring book, and pencil crayons.

Had a huge headache all day, but bought ibuprofen in the bathroom at the theatre and feel MUCH better.

Thought I lost my wallet, but it was in my jacket pocket the whole time.

AUGUST 23, 2015- Ruby Princess is big...not as big as Freedom of the Seas, but big enough. Still very lost. A bit rough seas tonight.

Never did manage to find a Seattle geocache...too many muggles.

Got on the ship, got our room keys, and headed to the buffet. My son lost his key in the 30-second walk from the table to the buffet.

The food is good, and so is the staff. Very attentive.

For supper, I had artichoke bisque, a roll and a breadstick, rice and vegetables with crawfish in a tomato sauce, and a chocolate hazelnut souffle with an amaretto sauce.

My drink package allowed me today to have 2 Coke, a gingerale, a virgin pina colada, and a virgin strawberry daquiri.

Watched a comedian, stood out on the deck after, and then watched a woman spend at least $40 trying to win an adult arcade game, to no avail.

At the shop, I bought a Ruby Princess pin, a Skagway pin, a Ketchikan pin, and a Ruby Princess keychain.

Bedtime snack at 10PM ended up more like another meal. Oh well.

AUGUST 24, 2015-After a bumpy night on the high seas, we got up and had a nice breakfast at the buffet. Ate such things as smoked gouda, smoked salmon, biscuits and gravy. Very nice.

Kids headed off to their youth programs. I wandered the ship, played mini golf, watched a movie by the pool. I took pictures and a few videos of the massive swells and the subsequent waves in the pool.

Hubby took a penny whistle class. Had a pub lunch with him and Son. Fish and chips with mushy peas.

Joined the Pop Choir. I have a solo in Doe A Deer. Eek!

Bought a T-shirt of the Inside Passage today.

Son saw a pod of whales by the ship this evening. I am jealous! All I have seen so far is little jellyfish and one eagle.

The sea has calmed down a lot, thankfully.

Formal night tonight. Wore my long yellow dress and sparkly jewellery. Ate duck terrine, porcini cappuccino soup, veal ravioli, salmon, a blueberry mojito sorbet, and a raspberry chocolate mousse heart.

Had another bedtime snack with Son. Didn't need one- supper was at 8:30PM.

AUGUST 25, 2015- Since I wanted to keep track, yesterday I got a Coke and a virgin drink at the bar, and today I got a Coke and a virgin strawberry daquiri.

Up at 7:30. Ate at the buffet. Ketchikan was beautiful.

Shopped on the dock...2 T-shirts, a Christmas decoration, and a pair of earrings.

The lumberjack show was cool. They sat us on the side cheering for the U.S., but we cheered for Canada instead. (Author note: And for screaming really, really loud, Son got a postcard signed by ALL the lumberjacks)

Ate too much, as always. Supper was a goat cheese souffle, ginger lemon orange sorbet, lamb, veal, and chicken skewers with potato croquettes and spinach, a french vanilla creme brulee, and a trio of mini desserts (raspberry panna cotta, apple crumble, and a chocolate mousse...thing).

Had Pop Choir practice and saw the evening music show and watched the 2015 Cinderella.

Sat by the pool when Son was swimming and sat in the hot tub, too.

Saw 3 or 4 humpback whales today. Very cool. The just spouted and came up a tiny bit, but it was something anyway. Early morning tomorrow to try to see more in Tracy Arm Fjord.

AUGUST 26, 2015- Well, Tracy Arm never happened, thanks to a medical emergency. So we arrived in Juneau almost 5 hours early. I got to see a few whales though. Too bad I couldn't get good pictures.

After Pop Choir, we ate and then left the ship. I had issues with my card both ways. Hopefully it is fixed for tomorrow.

Took a taxi to the Mendenhall Glacier and a gold mine. $130. Nice guy, though.

Saw a black bear run across the road in front of us. Also saw an eagle in a tree.

Bought a Del Sol T- shirt, a Juneau pin, a bandana...I think that was it.

Vegging this evening because everyone is so tired. Hope I sleep well tonight since I have had heartburn for 3 days and nights now.

Supper was shrimp cocktail, a salad, fettucini alfredo, a bun, and creme brulee. And a virgin pina colada.

AUGUST 27, 2015-Today we landed at Skagway. Rented a car and drove out to Carcross (Yukon Territory). It was raining, so part of the way was nearly zero visibility on the mountains. A bit stressful to say the least. The bits we COULD see were gorgeous.

Stopped at a little glacier fed lake. Felt the water and tasted it too. So good and clean!

Caribou Crossing was nice. Goats, ponies, chickens, alpacas, horse, donkeys, a mule, and lots of huskies.

We held a puppy. It was so sweet and so tired.

Nice museum there, too. Bought a pin. Ate BBQ chicken, potato, a bun, coleslaw, and homemade donuts with hot tea.

Stopped at the Carcross Desert on the way back. Interesting place. Lots of sand.

Son bought another matryoshka for a good deal less today. (Author note: he had bought one the day before...the first set was three cats, this one was five girls)

King crab lags for supper. Ate way too many. Got an anniversary cake piece.

Watched the illusionist then part of Tomorrowland before bedtime snack with Son. Had venison tonight. Not bad.

Hot chocolate and a virgin pina colada on the card today.

AUGUST 28, 2015- Today we all slept in. The kids slept in a whole bunch.

Ate lunch in the dining room. Had clam chowder and eggs benedict. Played the slots a bit. Lost all I played. Got 2 tokens I will keep as souvenirs.

Supper at the Crab Shack was good. The crab anyway. Did not like the crawfish.

The sea is extremely bumpy and choppy today. Nobody can walk straight or stand still. A combination of too much food and the sea made me feel awfully sick this evening.

Went to a music and dance show with Son, then to the buffet for a chocolate tapioca and a peppermint tea.

My card got me a Coke and a no-jito today.

AUGUST 29, 2015- Last full day on the ship. In some ways I want to stay. In others I am ready to be home. I miss my bed, my pets, and my own cooking.

Today was the performance of the Pop Choir. It went really well, AND it was John's birthday (the director), so we surprised him by singing Happy Birthday at the end of our set. He was so happy he cried.

We all got souvenir pins for being in the choir. Very cool.

Said goodbye to Ion in the dining room (Amazing, wonderful, funny Romanian). We will miss him. He was an amazing head waiter.

Victoria was okay. A bit away from the good shopping, but we did manage to get to the Empress. Good memories.

Used the card today for 2 Cokes and a virgin pina colada.

The magnetic stripe died because my key card was near my magnetic phone case, so Hubby and Daughter had to let me into the room for the rest of the trip.

The waves were really bad today, so we bopped around A LOT! (Author: It turns out there was an awful storm in Vancouver the night before, and then a big storm out by Hawaii, so we were catching the dreadful swells from those two)

Saw a whale at breakfast, slapping its tail at us.

AUGUST 30, 2015- Off the ship this morning. had to be out of our room by 8AM, but were not scheduled to be let off the ship until 10. Had a hearty, drawn out breakfast at the buffet, wandered around awhile, then finally just settled into the lounge we were to leave from. Everyone else snoozed while I coloured in my colouring book. We ended up being let off at around 9:30, and then stood waiting for our shuttle bus until 10:30. But it was a nice morning.

Took the bus from the ship to a casino near the Vancouver airport, took a skytrain to the airport, checked in, and hung out at the lounge. They had pasta and cold cuts and cheese and all sorts of nice stuff to eat. I ate some, but as we waited at the gate for our flight to board, I slipped off and grabbed a guacamole burger from Carl's Jr to take on the plane. Yum!

A bit of turbulence on the plane, but after the up and down we went through on the ship, we could handle anything. After hitting a big bump in the air, I jokingly told Daughter we had just run into a sky whale. :)

Arrived in Edmonton, got our stuff, called the shuttle, and rode back to the van. Discovered a low tire. Drove a block to the gas station and filled it up. We will see if that fixes it, or if I am talking to the lovely people at Kaltire in the morning.

Home at about 10PM. Everyone is just beat. Glad to be home again. It was a good trip. Next cruise: 2019. Destination: Unknown.

A Year And A Bit Older, But Probably Not Wiser

Wow. One year, four months, and six days since my last post.

This blog thing certainly has not been a priority. Now that my friend has started her own blog, having moved overseas, maybe I will get back into the swing of things myself.

So what can I update my tiny group of followers on? Hmmm

Well, it has certainly been a year of changes. I spent a few months just being a stay-at-home mom again, unpacking, getting used to the community and all, then figured it was probably time to get cracking and back into the workforce again, what with wishing for a paycheck and all. :)

Off I went to apply for a school bus driving job. I signed up with the local branch of the bus company I had worked for in Regina, and was, of course, accepted on and went through their training program again. I had expected to get a position in town, but when the orientation day came for all the drivers, I was not given one of these routes. I was, however, given a route for the French school board down the road a ways. It wasn't ideal. I drove half an hour to the bus yard, drove another 15 minutes in the bus to the start of the route, picked up 20 students. Drove about 15 more minutes with them, dropped half off at an elementary school, picked up a few more at that school, then drove another 10 minutes to drop everyone else off at the high school. Then a 40 minute drive with my empty bus back to the yard. Then I drove home, because the time gap was too big to stay in the city where my bus was. Then I repeated the process in reverse at the end of the day. And the students (some of them) were very rowdy, some very spoiled and undisciplined, and just basically made the drive very stressful and somewhat dangerous. Even adding the half hour for pre-check and post-check on the bus, I was driving 2 hours a day to get paid for about 3 hours of work that I wasn't even enjoying.

My husband was watching me kind of fade away, emotionally and energy-wise. I was tired, I was cranky, I was maybe a bit depressed, and WAY stressed out, and just basically not myself anymore. So he suggested maybe I should switch jobs. No way! Nuh-uh! Not gonna happen! What if...what if..what if...

I was worried that I would hate the next job too, or not find something, and was just basically clinging to the thought that I had to stick to what I had spent all this time training for.

Long story short, he convinced me, I looked, and on October 20, I started my new job as a driver for Enterprise Commercial Trucks (which recently rebranded as Enterprise Truck Rentals), and have not looked back since, except to laugh at my hesitation. I love my job now. I drive mostly pickup trucks (ranging from 1/2 tons to 1 1/2 tons), but also drive deck trucks, picker trucks, cube trucks, transit vans, cargo vans, 8-passenger vans, and occasionally SUVs, minivans, and the rare car. The people I work with are all great, have an uproarious sense of humour, and are just generally nuts, and it's awesome! :)

My partner at work and I get along great. He keeps me laughing all the time, and has even suggested a couple of harmless pranks (which is fine because I have been pranked by the BOSS already)...we were going to hang a pirate flag on the picker that was displayed in front of the office, but never could find one before they moved it, so when he suggested "safety shoelaces", I got right on it. He and I now sport very bright shoelaces on our shoes at work....one neon yellow, and one neon orange, to match our safety vests. Everyone (with the exception of one co-worker who is not known for her sense of humour anyway) thought they were absolutely hilarious! :) I completely forgot about them and made one woman in a Walmart parking lot do a double take, burst out laughing, and comment on how safety conscious I must be. :-D

A few weeks ago, my brother quit his job up north, and I helped him move south with my minivan. 2700+ km in 4 days. And he doesn't drive. I was a little uninspired to go back to work the day after that adventure. :)

The kids continue to grow and become their own very different people. Some days, it's a good thing, some days I wonder how I will ever survive until they are old enough to be on their own.

We discovered over the past year that our son is mildly autistic. They used to call it Aspergers, but now it is referred to as High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. Whatever they want to call it, we are learning about it and what it means in regards to who my son is, why he does some of the things he does, and how to help him in different ways. Depending on the day, he can be "just like any other child", and others he can range from mildly annoying to others to a real pest or "weirdo" in the eyes of kids at school and in the general public. I put those in quotations because they are more how other people would maybe describe him, people who don't live with him every day and don't see how he ticks and don't see him as the whole person he is as opposed to the snapshot views you get of someone you know or see on a semi-regular or rare basis. He is an awesome little man, with a great sense of humour, a wonderfully soft heart (and a great hugger), and a whiz with anything Pokemon or Lego. (He completed a 2000+ piece Lego kit, Age 16+ Expert level, by himself, in about 2 weeks, working on it after school and weekends only) He is also an amazing chef. A recent (and extremely delicious) dish he made was scallops with dried cranberries, maple bacon, and homemade garlic aioli. We hope he will continue to cook for us forever. :)

Our daughter has been going through a very tough year. She is in a state of figuring out who she is, including making some very serious and dangerous mistakes which she thankfully seems to have moved past. She is a beautiful young woman, and we are very proud of her in terms of her grades, her basic personality, and the fact that other than the mistakes, she seems to make mostly good decisions in life. She is going through that crashing-waves-of-hormonal-instability stage of life where she can either be a nice, pleasant person, or a brooding, grumpy-cat sullen teenager, and it can change in a two minute period of time, but hopefully she (and we) will make it through that in the next few years. :) She is an amazing artist, and also quite musical. She has a beautiful singing voice, can play piano, clarinet, and has 3 guitars (acoustic, electric, and bass).

We are preparing in the near future for an Alaskan cruise, for which we are very excited. We have heard nothing but good things about Alaska cruises and are looking forward to one of the few family vacations we probably have left, before they are grown and moved out. Should be fun.

And that probably covers most of the past year. I hope. And I will try to do a better job of keeping this blog updated.

No promises, though.