The Great Alaskan Escape...

Thanks to finding a great price, the willingness of Grandmas' to care for three little boys, and a friend willing to keep watch over Harley, Scott and I were able to take a wonderful Alaskan cruise.  Scott and I both love Alaska- the landscape is like no other and the beauty is amazing.  More than anything, I was looking forward to nine uninterrupted days with Scott where we could just what we wanted to do and not having to ask ourselves, "But what about the boys?"  Not that I would trade the boys for anything, but a break from the daily duties of motherhood was fabulous and renewing to my soul.  My concern that Asher would be homesick was for naught.  He had a great time at Grandma Lee Ann's and was happy the entire time.

Our flight into Anchorage arrived around midnight and the shuttle to Seward left at 5:30 a.m.  We found some chairs and tried to get some sleep.  Doesn't Scott look comfortable?

I was looking forward to a very relaxing vacation.  I wanted to read, sleep, and eat a lot of great food.  All of my hopes came to fruition.  One of my favorite spots was out on the deck in a deck chair with a wool blanket over me reading a great book and enjoying the scenery.

One of the days we spent cruising Glacier National Park.  As we were out on the deck, the staff would bring around hot chocolate and then a while later warm soup.  As we got closer to the glacier, we were able to see it calving, where great pieces of ice would crash into the water.  Of course the pictures do not do justice to just how immense this glacier is- it was twenty two miles long!  We saw some great wildlife- wales, seals, moose, big horn sheep,  and a lot of eagles.  No bear, unfortunately.

Although we were very much enjoying our time together, we were glad when we were able to talk to the boys and see how everyone was holding up.  All good reports, which brought a sigh of relief.

One of the highlights of the trip was meeting Jenny and Bob. 

We were out by the shore and Scott was trying to get the camera set up to take a picture of both of us.  Jenny came over and offered to take a picture for us and asked us if we were on our honeymoon.  I laughed and said we had 3 children at home.  She said, "Are you serious?  You look like you're only about 22."  I told her she was my new best friend and that was the greatest compliment I'd ever received.  It's amazing what a few days of vacation can do- take 15 years off of my age!

Jenny and Bob were on a cross-country trip in their trailer.  They were from Ohio and had left in April and were traveling until August.  I wondered if they ever ran out of things to talk about or got really tired of each other.  That trailer is not that big!  They offered to let us borrow their bikes for the day.  I guess us Mormons from Salt Lake looked pretty trustworthy.  Bob had just retired from being a police officer- so I think he was pretty good about reading people.

So what do you do when you are sick or hurt and out on a ship in the middle of the ocean?  Call the Coast Guard!  One of the crew was sick and needed to be taken to a hospital.  The Coast Guard came and sent down a stretcher and took the guy up into the helicopter and off to the hospital.  It really was cool to see how they work.  I wouldn't want to be the one in the harness hanging over the water from a helicopter- that's for sure!

Scott and I aren't much for the group excursions when we get into port.  We like to ask a few locals what's the best thing to do in the area and just figure out our own adventures.  In Juneau we found a great hike to go on.  We weren't sure how long it was going to take us, so we were going as fast as we could.  I did not want to miss the ship!  There is a tram that most people take to the top of the mountain, but we decided to do the hike.  It is 1800 feet up in elevation and the view is spectacular.  The hike is through lush green forested area.  There were signs warning about bears, so we made sure to make a lot of noise the whole way up. 

The view from the top was amazing!  We were able to take the tram down and we made it back on board just in time!

On our way to the trail head, Scott noticed this plaque that was just randomly placed back in these trees.  I was surprised he even noticed it.  Once we read it, we realized it was a plaque marking what is called, "Mormon Hill."  It is where the first missionaries for the Church dedicated Alaska for the preaching of the Gospel.

I loved the quaint Alaskan towns.  I don't think I would want to live there myself, but I do appreciate their beauty.  The wildflowers were in bloom everywhere and in such abundance.  Most of the homes are built on hills and the stairs up to the front doors were quite a site to see.  I wonder how exhausting it must be to haul all of the groceries up.  I think a big trip to Costco would wear a person out getting everything into the house.

We were both really happy with the food, entertainment, and service on the ship.  Our servers, Rudy and Budi, were the greatest.  It's always a shock to come home after a cruise and realize I don't have my waiter to serve and clean up my meals.  I need Rudy and Budi to live at our house!

Scott and I loved having so much time together.  It did start to feel like we were on our honeymoon!  I can't wait for our next trip together- it was awesome!