We embarked on an exciting journey in May! The start of new beginnings would start with us packing up our little trailer in Rexburg, Idaho and leaving for Alaska on a 7 day cruise and then some time with the Bohman family. We were anxious and counted down the days. We got everything place in one room of the trailer (didn't actually have to move out till August, thankfully), then headed down to Salt Lake to stay a few days with Christen and her wonderful family. We had a great time and Daniel even treated me to a spa experience that was very enjoyable. I even got lunch there! Who doesn't love getting a pedicure and eating food at the same time? ;) We also saw the much anticipated Star Trek 2 in our favorite theater (we're going to miss that place). aaaah, it was good to spend time with him and enjoy ourselves before the plunge.
We left for our adventure cruise through Southeast AK on May 20. We first flew to Seattle on May 19, where we stayed overnight and then took a 6 hour bus ride from Seattle to Vancouver the next day where we would board our ship. Sounds fun, right? What were we getting ourselves into? It was crazy, that's what it was! I have to admit, Lily did really well for 6 hours, but the bus didn't have AC and it was stuffy, hot in there, and we couldn't get off the bus until we crossed the border at customs. She only slept 1 of the 6 hours as well. We had bought a pizza the night before and munched on it throughout the journey and brought abazillion snacks. We didn't bring enough water though and quickly ran out. Interestingly enough, there was another family on the bus with a baby even younger than Lily. Fortunately for them, he slept more and was a bit more content. Also, toward the end, some lady chided Daniel for playing a movie on the laptop saying it was the worst respect toward other people she had ever seen. She was lucky that I didn't understand what she had said or I would have had a mamma bear moment on her. I was so tired and wore out from being on that bus, that lady would have been apologizing very quickly. Instead, Daniel (the more righteous one) apologized to the lady. She didn't respond but stalked off. The lady next to us was so shocked and apologized on behalf of her seat neighbor. That was kind.
We finally arrived at our destination, Vancouver, and couldn't have been more happy. Our bus was late upon arrival and we had little than an hour to embark. That meant that we didn't have to wait in any long lines to board. There were no lines at all, actually. We couldn't go to our room right away, so we ate on the pool deck and they had some cool live dance music going. Lily and Daniel joined them. I ate food! Lily was a little star right from the beginning. Everyone loved her and she was running around everywhere. That Lily.
Our room was nice (balcony upgrade, so glad we did that), and we relaxed for a bit before heading back out and watching our adventure begin as we set sail north. I was fun...then we ate dinner...then I got sick...then I was sick for 6 more days. Word to the wise (I should have known this) pregnancy and cruises don't often mix. I was so seasick. I have never been before, even when I worked on whale-watching boats in Juneau for two summers. I mean, we had rougher waters then, and nothing. This time, it was big. I actually think it started as a stomach bug then continued on as seasickness. Lily had it at christen's but it only lasted a day. I caught it the first night, Daniel had it the second day, but I held on to it I guess. Also, something must have been wrong with the engines because our bed was viciously shaking all the time! It was good for Lily in her pack-in-play; it lulled her to sleep and she slept like a champ. But, it kept me up at night and it was first trimester all over again. Luckily, we did reach land, Ketchikan to be exact and I was so relieved to realize that I was all better on land. :) We had a great stroll through the city and visited a nice park nestled in the mountain a bit. We didn't even get to the bigger parts of the city before we had to head back for lunch and a good nap for Lily. We didn't want to spend money on excursions either, but decided to just look around and explore. It was good to get off that boat. Oh, how I was praying that the next 5 days would be smoother on me.
Daniel and I also discovered that when traveling with children on a cruise to bring an extra pair, or two, hands along that are willing to take the little ones to bed and kept them occupied. I was surprised to see how many small children there were on that cruise, but these families had grandparents, aunts and uncles with them. Blast! Dinner each night was a disaster and poor Lily started teething her first molars on the trip. No wonder she ate and slept so well, but she was miserable by dinner time. We just rushed through it to get her in bed. Once she was down, I was also exhausted from being sick and pregnant. Daniel was a Saint and let me stay in the room while he explored the ship more. One or two times, we let the phone be our nanny, but that worried me too much so it didn't last long. Since we had the balcony, we did spend some time out there so I could look at the horizon to quell the nausea, and it was a great place to go when Lily was napping while at port. We had excellent weather the entire trip, and it only rained in Skagway (we were so tired then, that getting off and exploring seemed like a chore more than an adventure). Skagway is boring anyways. I can't believe Daniel still wants to try an live there one day. When I was working in Juneau, we would frequent Skagway since the company I worked for also did charter ferries when the tours weren't as heavy. We would spend hours there, but man is that place a ghost town where tourists aren't in season. It's beautiful, nestled between mountains and looking out to the strait, so maybe I'll have to go back one day to explore the deeper parts of that city.
I'm getting ahead of myself. On day 3? we arrived in Juneau! My old stomping grounds. Ahhh, it was so nice to be back. The last time I was there was in 2006, everything felt so comfortable. There were new things and tourists traps and all that good stuff but, with the help of my good friend Liz, we were able to visit some of the places that brought me fond memories. Lena point trail was one of them. Liz couldn't find it on maps (she moved there from Hawaii two years prior--my old roomie in HI), and she and Daniel wasn't so sure my brain was working properly cause all I was going on was memory of where the trail was located. After about an hour of driving the one or two main roads in Juneau, we finally found it! It was so great to be on that trail, I loved it, and we all had a great time. Lily had a great time being in the baby backpack! We also went to The Breeze Inn ( local, old convenience store that makes their own sandwiches and bakery stuff). Seriously, it's only sandwiches and they aren't gourmet by any stretch of the imagination, but I have so many memories of eating their turkey, sun dried tomatoes and mayonnaise pesto on sun dried tomato bread (they make their own bread) while working on the boats, that I just had to get one. Those things are huge and they probably put about a pound of meat just on one sandwich. Their doughnuts are good too, but we were too stuffed for both. Besides, another eatery awaited! In downtown Juneau, we went to another food past time of mine (this place stayed open late and I frequented it since sometimes I would get off work around 11:30 after a 15 hour day). Pel Meni! Russian dumplings at it's finest. small Styrofoam container packed with meat stuffed dumplings, covered in vinegar, spices, and cayenne pepper and cilantro. On the side, you get sour cream to dip them in. I usually get 4 little sauce containers. :) Everyone loved them, even Lily!
Juneau was fun and it was great to see a dear, old friend again. Time really doesn't change friendships and I'm thankful for that. Once we left Skagway the next day, we went up through Glacier Bay. No getting off the ship there and that's really when my sickness picked up and I was doped up on Dramamine for the rest of the trip. The glaciers were nice, but all three of us were ready to get off the ship. The sad thing is, we didn't really participate in many of the shipboard activities. We were either too tired, sick, or cranky from teething. Daniel and I really learned our lesson about cruising. Never do it again with kids and never while pregnant. Lesson learned...can we please get off this ship? :)
