The Last Frontier!

Alright people-- you ready for a cruise recap?? 'Cause here it comes.
 

After the whirlwind three days (wonderful days!) spent in Portland and Seattle, Leo and I were exhausted. I won't even lie. But we still had seven days of vacation, a new state AND another country to see- So onward we went.

 

Neither one of us had ever been on a cruise before, and neither one of us really had any idea of what we were headed into. Yes, lots of research had been done and we had the bare basics in our brains, but rolling up to the cruise ship dock was both exciting and a little terrifying. First off, we were technically entering Canada during the trip- and while I had confirmed months before we even booked that Leo's lack of an American passport wouldn't be a problem, I still had this "what if?" in the back of my head. So as we walked up to the check-in desk, my heart was already racing. Immigration is the devil- and it never treats us nicely. So you can imagine the adrenaline and panic involved when our nice little British check-in lady called over not one, but THREE, different managers and then took all of Leo's documents to the secret back room to "make sure everything was in order." We could not have asked for nicer staff through the whole process, but it was more than a little nerve-racking to see passengers, both foreign and domestic, come and go all around us while we stayed put... When the head honcho with the fancy walky talky finally came back after what seemed like 30 minutes and told us to have fun in Alaska, I nearly leapt over the desk and kissed her! And we sprinted toward the entrance ramp before anyone could say otherwise!

We were officially on the cruise ship! And It. Was. HUGE.

 

 

First stop: lunch. We found what would be one of our main hangouts during the week, otherwise known as "the buffet," and began what would also become a trend- eating in excess.

 

After staying awake just long enough to watch the ship pull away from Seattle, and participating in the super exciting mandatory safety evacuation drill, we headed to our cabin and CRASHED. We crashed HARD. We slept through the Welcome Aboard show, every single announcement that may have been made and barely even stumbled out of bed long enough to eat dinner. It was the most glorious night EVER.

 

And the whole next day was pretty much more of the same. We woke up to an especially rocky boat on our one and only full day at sea, and managed to balance our trays as we made our way through the breakfast line. We watched as others grabbed the little "sickness" bags posted at every elevator, and thanked our lucky stars that we were both feeling fine. And that's when we began to check out these people we were cruising with. Let me tell ya...

 

There are a lot of old people on cruise ships. Like, A LOT. I'm sure the fact that it was early in the season and not all the kiddos were out of school yet had an impact on this, but on this boat, we were in the extreme lower end of the age bracket. And the old folks love to wear clothing that states exactly where they’re from, what their job is, or what sports team they support. It was fascinating to watch. I now know the difference between the Boise State Broncos and the Denver Broncos. I also now know there’s such a place called Clemson University. I learned of Clemson's existence from a man who was wearing Clemson sweatpants, a Clemson hoodie and a Clemson hat. He later took off the hoodie to reveal a Clemson t-shirt underneath. I think he may have been a fan, but I knew better than to ask and open that can of worms. 

 

As far as I can tell, the clothing is all about starting conversations and bonding with fellow passengers. But really, Leo and I, without intending to do so, became the hermit passengers of the ship. Surely we couldn’t have been alone in this, but our favorite hobbies included sleeping, eating, and sleeping some more- leaving basically no time for socializing. Seriously- we slept A LOT. I’m sure our stateroom steward thought we were either clinically depressed or honeymooners. We ordered room service every chance we got. In fact, when assessing the luggage situation many weeks back and determining that participating in the formal dinner nights would require the bringing of at least one checked bag, we quickly ruled it out. ($25 for a checked bag?! Heck no.) And boy are we glad we made that choice! There were two “elegant nights” during the week at sea. All the old people would get all gussied up and put on their best and strut around the ship taking pictures with our Italian captain (Why are they ALWAYS from Italy??) and pose for formal pictures they would later be charged $5 for. Leo and I, in turn, would put on PJ’s, order just about everything available from room service, find whatever we could on TV and move only far enough to glance out the window or take a trip to the bathroom. It. Was. Awesome. 

 

We napped every day. I’m not exaggerating here, people-- EVERY. DAY. And these weren’t little cat naps. No, no- these were no nonsense, serious relaxation, I dare you to try to get us out of the room naps.

 

We did go to some shows (where Leo learned the YMCA!) and attended some nature and wildlife talks, and you better believe he hit up the gym every day (crazy man)- but yeah, for the most part, when we were on that boat, we were the laziest humans on planet Earth. I found this great article recently that sums our thoughts up perfectly. Read it HERE. I'm not sure that we'll ever become people who love cruises, but the down time involved while boat-ridden was sooo very needed after the semester we both just endured. For THAT, we may very well consider traveling by ginormous boat (with lots of food) again in the future.

 

But enough about the laziness! Because each and every time we hit land, it was go time! We stopped in five main areas up and down the inside passage: Skagway, Juneau & Ketchikan in Alaska, Victoria in British Columbia, and also got to enjoy a full day in the amazing Tracy Arm Fjord area. And it was even more incredible than either one of us could have expected.

 

 

 

 

 

Though the pictures don't even come close to doing it justice, I think they'll do a better job than any words of mine every could...

 

 

It was unbelievable-- There's just no other word for it! We saw glaciers, icebergs, bears, whales, mountain goats, salmon, waterfalls, bald eagles, porpoises... and many, many other spectacular sights!

 

 

 

 

The weather lingered in the 40-50 range nearly the whole time, and while we bundled up, the locals were definitely enjoying the "scorching days" as they called them. At our first stop in Skagway, we got off the boat wearing our winter coats, ready to see the tiny town, and found a couple of shirtless men playing frisbee nearby. Ha! I guess it's all about perspective, right?

 

We had such an incredible time and got the perfect mix of leisure and adventure we were looking for. There's still a lot to see in Alaska and I'm sure someday we'll make it even further north to discover it all, but for now, it's back to the books!

 

 

Portland & Seattle!

Hi folks! I realize this blog has dropped into almost complete hibernation, and it will most likely remain that way until I graduate…  But seeing as Leo and I recently completed another successful semester (yay!) and also went on a lovely vacation (yay! yay!), I figured it was time for an update.

We had this Pacific Northwest and Alaskan adventure all planned out at least 18 months ago. Because that’s what I do. Instead of studying or doing any of the 30 productive things on my to-do list at any given time, I tend to daydream about traveling. I come up with crazy, yet very feasible, routes and things to see and do and then come home VERY excited to pull up a map and tell Leo all about it. The trick is finding the time to do it. So we were a little bummed when our schedules last summer allowed exactly zero wiggle room and we were unable to follow through with the latest plan. But this summer- we weren’t taking no for an answer! As of June, I’m officially in the last year (!) of my program. And while having only one year left is a great thing, it is already shaping up to be a doozy. I’ll be dropping to part-time at work and starting up clinicals for school and it’s just not going to be fun in any way shape or form.  BUT! It’s only a year. And we can do it.

But due to all the changes coming, a vacation was even more in order. And so off we went!

It was definitely strange to be packing in the middle of May- with a high in Dallas of 94 just a day before we left- for a trip that included coats and sweaters and all things necessary for the cold. But even with all the bulky clothing, we managed to stick to just our carry-ons and set off for the airport! 

First up: Portland.

Our dear friends Caitlin and Gabe played hosts for the whirlwind 36 hrs we were in and around their fair city, and we did it ALL. We landed at 11:30am and hit the ground sprinting. After a quick stop for some Voodoo doughnuts and walking through the Portland Saturday Market, we headed toward the coast!

 

 

 

It was a rainy day, but that in no way hampered the fun! We got to see Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, stopped by the Tillamook Cheese Factory, and enjoyed the views all along the way.

 

For day two in the Portland area, we discovered the beautiful Multnomah Falls and Horsetail Falls in the Columbia River Gorge area.

 

 

 

We even took the opportunity to get a group photo of us Keeping TIME!

 

There's just something about waterfalls that completely mesmerizes me. I could sit there for hours just watching the water drop. And these, along with others we saw along the way, were definitely worth the drive. Such a gorgeous area!

 

After the gorge, we crossed the river into Washington and stopped at Maryhill Winery for a tasting. While enjoying some glasses of our favorite vino we got to enjoy this view of Mt. Hood in the distance.

 

 

...and my newfound love of the Pacific Northwest just grew and grew...

 

On the way back into the city, we hit up Powell's City of Books (where Leo became miserable while reading Les Miserables) and the Portland Rose Garden (where I hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" the whole time... even though they were roses).

 

 

I still can't believe we fit it all in! But the vacation was just warming up, and we had a lot more on the agenda! We woke up bright and early on Monday morning to catch the bus toward Seattle and begin leg 2 of the 3-part journey.

 

And keeping with the theme of the itinerary, we arrived in Seattle around lunchtime and set out in search of the Space Needle!

 

 

 

We could not have asked for a more perfect day to check out Seattle from the top! And during the afternoon and the following morning, we made our way to Pike Place Market and got to check out all the little eclectic spots of the city.

 

 

 

We also got to meet up with another friend, Mike, for dinner at Pike Place. I served with both Mike and Caitlin in the Peace Corps in Botswana and it was fantastic to catch up with both of them in their respective cities! It had been way too long.

 

 

As you can probably tell from the pictures, we had so much fun with that silly troll! I love that people come up with such cool (and completely random) ideas for the rest of us to enjoy!

 

We had a blast during our 24 hours in Seattle, but the time had finally come to get on the big boat and sail away to Alaska!

 

...and since this has gotten so long, I'll save that for "Part 2." Stay tuned. ;)

 

 

Shop til you drop.

I've dabbled with the idea for quite awhile now, but finally made the move this past week. It was a long time coming, and with all the potential benefits, why not give it the old college try? My friends, I've decided to become: a couponer.

You all know how much I love to save a buck, so this just seemed like the next logical choice. And once my dear friend, Jenny, gave me this absolutely amazing, perfect-size-for-coupons llama pouch, it was all over.

I mean c'mon... how can you NOT love that little bag?? It's a shiny, metallic, llama pouch! She knows me well. :)

One of my biggest hesitancies with couponing was the use of paper, but I've already found ways to deal with that. If I have to print them out at home, I use the backside of discarded school papers (which are headed to the trash anyway). And a lot of the stores are now going to ecoupons, which you can use straight from your smart phone or shopping card with zero paper necessary!

No worries- I have neither the time, desire nor space to become one of those stockpiling people you see on reality TV, but every penny saved is a penny that makes Laura happy.

You know what else makes me happy? Shiny llama coupon pouches.

Here we go again!

And it's off!

That right there is our next giant packet of fun (aka: immigration paperwork) on its way to the Vermont filing center! After 2 years of being a permanent resident of the United States, Leo's about to get his next Green Card.

Basically, his first card is only good for 2 years, and this paperwork (and the ginormous enclosed check) will hopefully bring us one that's good for another 10 years. But as part of the process, we have to prove once again that we actually like each other and are a real-live married couple who entered into matrimonial bliss for love's sake- and not just to keep him in America. We included tax documents and bills and apartment leases and insurance claims and sworn affadavits from family and friends (thanks guys!!) and lots of other boring stuff that proves we live under the same roof and pay the same bills and have the same credit cards and are even covered under the same car insurance! We even threw in several cards and envelopes that were addressed jointly to both of us. Who knew your kind greetings would go to such good use?? :)

But by far, my most favorite pieces of "evidence" are the pictures. They're not even considered hard evidence, because apparently we can easily hire people to pose for us... But I can vouch for the validity of these and the people in them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



That's even more pictures than we sent in with all of our original applications back in 2010! But they make me smile, and I hope they'll do the same for the sad USCIS official whose job it is to go through all the paperwork... Such fun times over the past 2+ years! With just a touch of: "Man, we've come so far." Oh, and I included the one of us, the bear and the longhorns as pure comedic relief. Who would fake a picture like that?!

It feels good to have it sent, but it's a little terrifying at the same time. All we can do now is wait. And while we hope and pray that all of this goes through without incident, we can start dreaming up ideas for the epic CITIZENSHIP party we get to throw next year! Ohhhhh yes.

For the love of reuse.

I am downright giddy to share my latest purchase with you all!

Everyone, meet our new reusable produce bags--

And produce bags, meet everyone. :)

Aren't they fantastic?!

They're functional and they make me happy and they equal less plastic use at the grocery store- and therefore, I love them! I rarely use produce bags for anything anymore... Do you really need a plastic bag to keep 4 apples together? And letting your oranges and mangos interact won't hurt anything... But for things like broccoli and onions- which tend to shed- these little guys come in very handy. Machine washable, big enough to hold whatever, color-coded tabs for whatever the heck I decide to color-code. Seriously, they're awesome.

Even the checkout girl today complimented me on them! And this was at Wal-Mart, people... where they hate pretty much anything reusable at the bagging carousel.

It's the little things.

Holiday Happiness

I started writing this back on December 12th-- our 2nd wedding anniversary (yay!) and also my last day of school for the Fall semester (double yay!). And yes, it's taken me THIS LONG to finish it. This Christmas break has gone by freakishly fast... It's been a blur of family and excitement and relaxation and fun and eating and all things wonderful. But even before that, Thanksgiving kicked things off right.

Leo and I realized we had about four days off together over Thanksgiving, and in true Rangira fashion, we hit the road and found a new place to explore. Neither of us had ever been to the Texas panhandle, and I'd heard stories of a magical place called Palo Duro Canyon just outside of Amarillo. Coupled with Cadillac Ranch and a chance to see real, live Texan cowboys, we decided to head west.

To get there, we drove through oil country, and then through cotton country (who knew Texas had cotton?!), and then through cattle country. To help break up the drive, we stopped in Wichita Falls and visited the World's Smallest Skyscraper and a pretty waterfall.

The "skyscraper" was built by a conman in Wichita Falls back almost 100 years ago. Basically, he drew up the blueprints in inches instead of feet and gave the rich oil tycoons a tiny 40 ft structure instead of the promised 480 ft. He was long gone before they figured it out, but the building still stands. It makes me giggle every time!

Amarillo smelled faintly like manure mixed with oil for most of our stay, but that in no way hindered the fun. We hiked Palo Duro Canyon on Thanksgiving day and enjoyed a couple of turkey sandwiches at Lighthouse Peak (its signature rock formation).

We ate Thanksgiving dinner at the Big Texan that night and stuffed ourselves silly, and then left our mark at Cadillac Ranch the next day...

...and got back home just in time to conquer our finals and start off Christmas break!

On school breaks I tend to have a few key areas of focus: Baking, Traveling & Relaxing. Oh, and reading great books that are in no way connected to my program. And this Christmas delivered in all areas. It was heavenly! In the days I wasn't working a ridiculous amount of overtime at the hospital, I baked up a storm. (My co-workers particularly appreciate this piece of my relaxation ritual.)

I did have to work Christmas day, but ended up getting sent home early. (Just in the nick of time to get out of Dallas on not-icy roads!) We arrived to San Antonio in time for dinner and more Christmas baking... And fun times ensued! Leo and I got to catch up with family and see old friends and got in some quality nephew time with Colt.

 Photo by: Sarah

We hit up the San Marcos outlets on the day after Christmas, where we actually found a parking space(!) and finally invested in a slow cooker of our very own. Of course, you never go in intending to buy a lot, but Calphalon hit us especially hard and we found some great deals.

We've only used the slow cooker a couple of times so far, but we are already head over heels IN LOVE.

We got to cheer on the Spurs and also went to the Alamo Bowl, where the UT Longhorns were playing the Oregon Beavers. And yes- I did cheer for the Beavers. They were severely outnumbered and being bullied, and frankly, I like their orange better. (Please still be my friend.)

Also, we got to celebrate Leo's 31st birthday! He got a brand new pair of Nikes and ate his weight in my Mother's banana bread... which equaled a very happy birthday boy. :)


We drove home from San Antonio on a Sunday and left Monday morning for the great state of Florida! I was feeling like crud the whole way there and never came so close to using an air sickness bag in my life, but none of it deterred me from vacation fun! First up: Miami! We got to our hotel around 5pm on New Years Eve, and took a nap. Yes- we took a NAP.  It had been a long week already and did I mention I felt like crud?? So yes, we napped up until about 8:30 and then decided to order in pizza from a great little local place right up the street. We finally got decent and stumbled out into the night around 11:15pm, because I had heard rumors of a fireworks show down on the beach at midnight.

After walking about a mile to where we thought it should be, we basically followed the crowd out to the edge of the beach. Not really knowing exactly what time it was, and what exactly to expect, both of us were completely shocked (and frightened) when the show kicked off. First off, there were no barricades or anything telling us where to stand and how far back to be, and it was darn near pitch black out there so as we wandered around in the sand with about a million of our newest friends, we had no idea where anything was going to happen. We were soooo very close and when the first big shells went off, I literally shrieked in horror- thinking the beach had exploded or South Beach was under attack!

Luckily, there was no attack in progress... we just happened to be standing wayyy too close for comfort, but once our eardrums adjusted (they may have just imploded and given up), we definitely enjoyed the kickoff to 2013!

We had such a blast in Miami (after my stomach decided to cooperate)-- we hung around South Beach, went and visited the Everglades, rode on an airboat, and even ate some alligator!

As we picked up our rental car around day four, Leo said it best: "Miami, we're not finished with you."  But it was time to head south along Highway 1 and make our way to Key West! The trip is typically around 4 hours, but we made it an all-day adventure, stopping whenever and where ever we pleased along the way.

We found the "Coral Castle" and stopped at an amazingly delicious fruit stand called "Robert is Here." We never did meet Robert, but we thoroughly enjoyed his shakes and petting zoo and then got back on the road.

Around the halfway point, we stopped at a beach-side cafe and ate lunch with our feet in the sand. Overall, the Overseas Highway did not disappoint.

After a long day of driving and sight-seeing, we made it to Key West, turned in the rental car and headed out!

Key West in a word was: delicious. We ate every ounce of seafood we could find, walked approximately 30 laps around the island, made sure the beach stayed in place by sitting on it for hours at a time, went out snorkeling and got to see pretty fish (and a shark!), and I developed a new personal motto: there's always room for anything key lime. Oh, and I also learned never to drink Cuban coffee before taking a stroll in the sun. The combination may lead to heat stroke.

It was pure, laid-back perfection. 

But alas, play time had to come to an end, and back to the grind we came. School officially started back up for us this week. And so it begins. No official plans yet for May, but if we can just make it 'til then in one piece, we'll see what comes next. :)