Ketchikan

We arrived in Ketchikan, Alaska on July 14th. As we left the boat we got to pose with some of the Ketchikan characters...a moose and a big bear.


Ketchikan is known as the "Salmon Capital of the World." Too bad Kevin and I don't eat seafood!


For our offshore excursion in Ketchikan, we got on a bus and headed along a very bumpy road to the start off our Adventure Kart Expedition. We got all decked out in the gear that they provide to keep you somewhat clean and safe and then we headed off to explore (via go-kart) a remote, back country road that took us along the scenic shoreline of George Inlet.

Doesn't Kev look so hot in his jumpsuit?

Kevin kept us somewhat safe as we drove to our destination, Glacier-carved Mahoney Basin... which was surrounded with gorgeous cliffs, forests, and waterfalls. The weather was perfect, very different than what the locals said is typical weather- we had sunlight, moderately clean skies, and no rain.


We stopped to take a few pictures of the scenery as we drove.

We climbed up some rocks to enjoy the views...

and pose for a few pictures

The whole gang

The second part of the drive took us down to a beautiful river where we got to have a snack (goldfish crackers and water always seem to just hit the spot when you're hungry...which is rare on a cruise) and wait for the go-kart people to come bring a go-kart that wasn't broken to one of our group members.

While we waited, we took more pictures. I love this picture of Kevin with his siblings and mom.



After we finished the ride and cleaned off all the dirt from our faces (Kevin looked like he had gotten really tan his face was so dirty), we boarded a customed-designed jet boat to take us around George Inlet and back to town.


The jet-boat was much bigger and more comfortable than I expected, and the tour guides gave us really good hot cocoa once we got going... the highlight of the trip for me!



We saw a bunch of bald eagles while we drove back to town.


We also hung out on the top of the boat to enjoy the views... the wind was pretty crazy though, so you had to hold on really tightly.


After we got back to town, we did some exploring.

Ketchikan is known for having the world's largest collection of standing totem poles... so of course we had to go and find them in town!


Kevin and I had fun making our own human totem pole.


We also discovered the Chief Johnson totem... which the Johnsons were excited about.



We ended the trip with some souvenir shopping and a trip to the post office to mail postcards (I sent Andrew one from each port city... which he loved!). I collect magnets, so I got one from each port city, and we also were on a quest to find the best husky dog stuffed animal for Andrew... we were not successful in Ketchikan though.

After some shopping, we boarded the ship again and headed off to our next port... the capital city of Alaska... Juneau!

Formal Night

Here are our pictures from our formal dress night on our cruise. It was fun to get all dressed up for the night.

I love this picture of Kevin with his siblings and mom.

I am happy I don't have to get dressed up too much though. The dress I wore was the one Elise wore at my wedding 3 1/2 years ago as my Maid of Honor... Let's just say that it was a little uncomfortable to breath ALL NIGHT while I wore the dress. If I would've worn it all week I probably wouldn't have gained my 2-3 cruise lbs. I am very glad I don't live in the olden days when ladies wore corsets. I would've died.

Blessed with the Gift of Gab

My mom and dad have gifts that allow them to feel comfortable talking to anyone, anywhere. My mom can talk to a wall (or herself) and have an awesome conversation. I'm grateful to be slowly developing this gift too. It is especially useful when you work with teenagers that either like to talk a lot, or that are silent and require you to do all the talking.

Tonight I went with my mom's young women to the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple Open House for their weekly Wednesday night activity.

The temple is gorgeous and is nearby a really really pretty neighborhood that reminded me of the East Coast.


My mom and I spent the drive up to the temple chatting with the girls. Then we went on a tour of the temple and then hit up the Open House reception for some good chocolate chip cookies. We also took a few pictures... not the cutest, but you can see the temple.


After that, we took the girls to Baskin and Robbins for some ice cream. One of the girls can't eat gluten (so the cookies did not cut it for her)... so we couldn't let her go home without a treat ;)

Then my mom left me and the YW and headed up to Cottonwood Heights to hang out with Elise. I spent the rest of the 40 minute drive home with girls that I barely knew. Some people might have felt uncomfortable with that... but after working with nonverbal kids with autism for awhile who didn't respond back, a few quiet teenagers isn't scary at all.

This is why I feel very fortunate to be blessed with the "gift of gab." Two of them were pretty quiet, but by the end all three of them were pretty chatty. I love listening to teenagers talk, especially after a trip to a place as incredible and spiritual as a temple...

It was a great evening. I was reminded of how grateful I am for temples and how incredible the young women's program is- wherever you go in the world... there are Mormon young women gathering together, strengthening one another, and uplifting other people- it is remarkable.

If you want to know more about Mormon temples... check out this video:



If you want to know more about the Young Women's program, you can check out this link.

It was so fun to hang out with such wonderful young women and know that there are equally as incredible young women in my ward back in California that I love hanging out with. Can't wait to see them this Sunday!

Fun Aboard the Star Princess

On July 12th we boarded the Star Princess in Seattle with Kevin's siblings, their spouses, and Kev's mom. We enjoyed the plane ride to Seattle sans kids, despite some very loud babies on the plane (it is amazing how crying babies don't bother you when they are not your own).

Smithkirks, Buskirks, Johnsons, and Shari

After making it through all the check points, we got on the ship, went and checked out our staterooms (which were awesome!) and then headed to the nearest buffet for some food.


Our stateroom looked like this, minus the twin beds (I think we had a queen or a king- fortunately!). The ocean view and deck was great. Kevin and I loved the light switches they had right by our head on the headboard (no arguing over who was going to get up to turn off the light!)... except for the time when Kevin turned all the lights on with his head at 4am. We both woke up with a start, very confused!


After a fun emergency drill... (my camera stopped working, so Shauna grabbed some pictures)


we spent the afternoon on deck enjoying the Seattle skyline and watching as the boat pulled away from the dock.


I love Seattle, especially in the summer. The weather was perfect both when we left and when we came back. I could definitely live there in July/August!


After the boat left the port, we roamed around and explored. They had a huge screen over the pool so that you could watch "Movies under the stars" from the deck chairs, pool, or hot tub. They also had an indoor pool and some adult-only pools and hot tubs. They even had one of those jet pools that is like a swimming pool treadmill for swimmers.


Our second day was an entire day "at sea." I woke up easily at 7:30am for a fun step aerobics class with Kevin's mom and several other early risers on the boat. Step aerobics on a moving boat can be a little tricky at times (although pilates during a windstorm later in the week was even harder).

This was one of my favorite rooms on the ship- it was at the very front and had a perfect view of everything when the ship was moving... visiting this lovely fitness place ensured that I could eat lots of cookies and yummy food on the ship without feeling too bad.


We spent our "at sea" day taking naps, playing games on the deck, eating, and getting all dressed up for the formal night. While we were on the deck playing games, the waiters came by with a cart full of warm, recently baked, chocolate chip cookies. It was like a dream come true. They even brought us some hot cocoa. It was fabulous! The perfect way to spend vacation.

On the formal night we got all dressed up and took some cool pictures with the professional photographer (hopefully I'll scan that one in here at some point). We also took our own pictures (see below) and had a nice fancy dinner in the dining room.



After dinner, we went to a show put on by the Star Princess entertainers and then went hot tubbing. We got ourselves nice and relaxed and then started getting ourselves excited for our first stop the next day- Ketchikan, Alaska!

Dear Little Man

Daddy and I are missing you a lot. We loved the pictures you and Aunt Jessie sent us. We are so glad everyone is helping you become even more of a sugar addict while we are gone. Your trip to the zoo with G&G, Elise, Maddie, and Jessie looked like a blast as well! You are so lucky to have so many people to entertain you!

We are having a lot of fun on this big boat.


We started our trip in beautiful Seattle... you can see the cool Space Needle really small behind us.


We spent our first day cruising through the ocean up to Alaska. It was pretty cold on the deck. We kept warm by drinking a lot of hot cocoa and eating lots of food. There is A LOT of it on the boat. This is my favorite treat- the Princess Love Boat Dream (chocolate mousse on top of a brownie w/ raspberry sauce).


I try not to order it every night for dessert... so that hopefully my clothes fit when I come home. Good thing there are treadmills and aerobics classes to go to every day!

We are getting excited to see you soon! We miss your smiling face and look at this picture a lot and think of you!


We can't wait to show you the pictures of the doggies, trains, and whales we saw when we get back!

Be good for Grandma and Grandpa! We love you!

Love,
Mom & Dad

Found It!

After many months of searching, we found our new house today while we were house hunting...


It's exactly what we both have always wanted. ;)

- A pink Barbie dream house replica for me

- A low maintenance lawn for Kevin... that also has a cactus which offers shade and added security (if the house's color hasn't already scared people away).

We're just trying to decide how much we can offer to make sure we win the bidding war. Offers are flying in. Wish us luck.

Girls Girls Girls!

Today we had a day filled with girl fun at our house! I wish Andrew had a sister!

First, he got to spend the morning with his buddy Chloe. He loved how nice she was to share her lovey with him and watch him play at the park. He also loved rocking her gently in her car seat.

Next, he got to spend a few hours with one of his favorite girls- my friend Hayley' sister Brooklyn. She played with him in the whale pool and drove cars with him. The smile on his face when we pick her up is priceless. It is like baby adoration/shyness mixed with total excitement. So precious!


After Brooklyn went home we had four other young girls from church come over. They ate treats and dinner with Andrew, splashed with him in his baby pool, played toys with him, and basically kept us both entertained all afternoon and evening.

He had the attention of at least two of them every minute. They loved taking pictures of him with my phone.


The girls worked on his new words with him too. My favorites this week are (in Andrew-language/partial English): lemonade, bubbles, help, up, duck, quack, treat, mama (been slow to come), snack, and several others. He will try and copy most words that I say these days too. It makes our talks a lot more fun. It is amazing how his vocabulary is growing every day lately!


He loved talking to the girls. I think they need to come over every day. Now I understand why people like having a lot of kids. They were so helpful. It was like having 4 little mommies.


I am also loving his receptive language skills. It is amazing how much kids at this age understand. Today he was yelling because he wanted more dinner. I said, "How do you ask for that nicely?" and he quieted down and did the baby sign for "more." We're still working on "please."


We were both sad when the day end and all the girls were gone. We are looking forward to hanging out with a lot of our other favorite girls in Utah this weekend though- Elise, Maddie, Jessie (back from Europe, yay!!!!), and Grandmas!