Alaska cruise 1 - Everything But the Pillow Mint

I got back from Alaska last Friday after a weeklong cruise with Mamaw. Here are the journal entries I wrote during our trip -- parts 1 through 8.

I'll also include some pictures later on, but for a more complete album, go to http://travel.webshots.com/album/573683590rtVkNv?vhost=travel.


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Thursday, July 9

I never pictured Mamaw in Seattle. Or even myself really -- too much rain. Yet here we are -- Mamaw dead to the world in her bed beside me and me writing this after flying across country and exploring Washington for an entire afternoon.

Her idea to take an Alaska cruise started a few months ago. She saw an ad in a monthly In Touch Charles Stanley magazine and "felt like the Lord just spoke to me."

"We should go to Alaska," I said when she told me about it. I meant it, but sort of forgot about it until she brought it up again a week or two later. After weeks of planning -- her getting a passport, me reserving plane tickets and several phone calls and forms later, we've done it. Just 19 hours before our ship departs. I'm just as excited for her as I am for myself.

When we got to our room, the only thing missing was a mint on the pillow. Poofy white covers, a flat screen TV, a basket of snacks and a view of a theatre and The Cheesecake Factory from the 10th floor.

I debated how to fit all the free snacks in my bag while rummaging through a king size Kit Kat, Hershey bar with almonds, cashews, expensive potato chips and a glass jar of Gummi Bears shaped like a Gummi Bear.

Having skipped lunch, I popped open the chips and chomped away. That's when I saw a slip of paper with the title "May we tempt you with something?" Turns out the chips were $4 and the rest of the goodies were just as ridiculously expensive. I would've left the rest and asked them to charge me $2, but I didn't think it would fly. I was also upset to see the label on an enticing liter of water -- "A charge of $5 will be billed to your room if consumed." I took my empty Dasani bottle to the bathroom sink.

Once we got settled in, I called Andy, then Papaw, to let them know we were here. It was about a 5 1/2 hour flight and we're now 3 hours behind. I handed the phone to Mamaw and Papaw said he missed her already. She told him not to get hurt while she's gone.

Then we walked about 5 blocks down to Pike's Farmers Market by the water. Lots of pretty flowers and smelly fish for sale. Then to Etta's for dinner where we both had a bowl of clam chowder. Afterwards, we took the monorail to the Space Needle. Standing underneath it, I thought how amazing it is that I traveled such a long way in such a short time today. That and Frasier.

Oh yes, and I completed the evening with a fabulous ice cream cone that was less expensive than the chips.