Friday, December 28, 2012

The last few days

Dec 27

This morning I woke up and I knew it was going to be a tough day. I did not feel good at all. Thankfully our excursion was only 4 hours and it was a good one that was pretty laid back. We had a smaller group with probably only 25 people and we went to a sheep farm and saw a sheep shearing demonstration.  Yes I am aware that we already saw o e but this one was way better than the other. We got a more in depth demonstration and there were fewer people so we were more up close and personal to the sheep.  After the demonstration we went across the street for scones and tea. It sounds so English doesn't it?  The scones were pretty good. They serve their scones out here in NZ with jam and whip cream. I went with the jam and butter.  I guess I stuck with what I knew. They tea was not good.  I prefer the tea on the ship.  

Next we were able to go up to Te Mata Peak.  We drove up the spectacular Tuki Tuki Valley to the summit of Te Mata Peak. I won't lie, it was a little scary getting up there. We had to have a motorcycle escort to make sure we didn't scare any cars coming down.  We got pretty close to the edge a few times.  When we got up to the peak, we took pictures complete with wind blown hair and loaded the bus again. 

Our next stop was the berry farm for ice cream infused with berries.  I'm not a huge strawberry ice cream person but it was delicious. It totally hit the spot. I just wish I would have been able to do some strawberry picking...one day I will.  I may not be here in NZ though. 

Next we headed back to the ship and as soon as we got back to the ship I laid down for a nap and hit the bottom.  I came down with fever, didn't want to get out of bed and was just not good.  Needless to say we did not go to dinner.  I tried to go to bed early and tossed and turned all night. I think my fever probably broke around 2am

Dec 28

I woke up this morning still really worn down but I wasn't missing the excursion.  It was a long excursion with 4 buses and there were quite a few people on our bus with no manners.  Refer to my post earlier about people not filing out of the bus correctly and people also dont know how to wait in lines for their turn for their food.  They just walked up to each thing that they wanted without waiting their turn in line.  They must have missed that part somewhere during school.  

Moving on.  We went to see a geothermal reserve called Hell's Gate filled with lots of sulfur pools that smelled like rotten eggs.  As we got closer, the bus started to smell and I just thought someone on the bus was a little stinky haha! Anyways at this point it was about 11 am and we had not eaten since 6:30 am so we were getting hungry. We didn't get to eat until 2:30pm. We were quite hungry.  After the sulfur pools we went next door to see the Maori people do some traditional tribal dances and had a traditional hangi meal that is cooked in the ground.  It was pretty tasty if you ask me but at that point anything would have been delicious because I was starving.  

After that we got back on the bus and headed for the ship.  Sounds of coughing filled the bus.  We weren't the only ones hacking away.  When we got back to the ship we had some time to rest before dinner. As always our appetizers were waiting for us.  We usually just kind of pick at them because there is no need to spoil our dinner.  We had our normal spa visit after dinner and resting in the room so we can be ready for our day in Auckland tomorrow hopefully feeling tons better.  

I'll try to do a better job of updating the next few days but we are running out of intent minutes.  The Internet at sea is pretty crummy and drops the connection all the time.  It's really slow too. Hopefully we will have wifi tomorrow in Auckland.  

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Merry Christmas!

***disclaimer...I tried to post this the evening of December 26 but blogger was not cooperating. I also came down with what mom had and it has not been fun.  It's not easy being sick.  It's certainly not easy being sick on vacation. 

Dec 24

Our morning started off early again. We had to catch a tender boat to take us to get on our bus for our 9 hr long excursion. The excursion basically consisted of us taking a 5 hour bus ride to Arthur's Pas which is almost to the west coast of NZ. It was a long drive with a few stops in between for coffee or pit stops. We had to be careful when we got off the bus each time though because as soon as the bus stopped and parked this lady behind us darted for the door. So if we were in her way we pretty much got knocked right back down to our seats.  I kid you know, she was serious about getting of the bus and she was no petite lady.  I just know that I will now be going back and teaching my kindergarteners the proper way to exit the bus.  Apparently some of these people never had proper training in kindergarten or in any grade for that matter. 

Moving on, we go on the train around 1 pm and headed for a town right outside of Christchurch. We got to our location at 3:40pm and then we still had more driving to get back to the boat.  I know I fell asleep several times and woke myself up when the bus driver took the corners a little too close for my liking.  He was not a good driver.  We finally got back to the boat in just enough time to get changed for dinner and make it to our 5:30 dinner seating a little late.  after dinner we came back to the room and rested up and napped a little. They had an international crew show with Christa carols from the English speaking choir, Indonesian choir, and the Filipino choir.  Some of the cast members from the ship sang a few songs too.  It was a really good show and there wear some talented singers in those choirs.  We went to the church service on the ship at midnight.  It wasn't what I was used to I'll just say that.  Then we went back to get a few hours sleep, well about 6 hours sleep before waking up Christmas morning in the middle of the south pacific :) 

Dec 25

We woke up early enough to be at breakfast at 7:30. There were some Christmas festivities going on during the morning hours that we didn't want to miss.  We had Christmas crafts and caroling at 9ish and then Santa made his arrival at 9:45.  It was very entertaining watching all the kids go on stage and have their parents attempt to get their kids pictures with santa.  There were lots of criers.  One little boy is going to be mortified when he gets older and his parents show his pictures of him dressed as an elf.  Then another little boy had a Christmas tree outfit on except the tree looked a little too small and it was the bubble dress style.  It was supposed to go over his little bottom but he kept pulling it up to show hi green underwear before some of the kids club staff reminded him to keep the tree dress down, haha!  Don't worry he was only about 2 or 3 so he really had no idea that he looked ridiculous in the tree outfit.  

After that, we went back for a nice nap in the room.  It was a very peaceful afternoon filled with resting.  We had dinner at the Pinnacle at 5:30. It was also formal night so we dressed up.  The dinner at the Pinnacle was wonderful as always. My filet was cooked to perfection and my chocolate souffle was absolutely delicious.  My mouth is watering as I'm typing this.  

After dinner we went back to the room to change so we could visit the spa.  Th told us that they were closing early and that a note was sent to our stateroom. Well the note must have gotten lost because we got no note about it closing early.  Oh well, we had enough time to enjoy the hydrotherapy pool and heated ceramic tile beds before they closed so I was happy.  Not much happened after that besides coming back to the room.  

Dec 26

I woke up this morning to mom telling me she felt horrible.  She couldn't get out of bed she felt so miserable.  We were docking in Wellington and didn't have any excursions.  I went ahead and showered and got ready.   I went in search of food for mom at the Neptune and the the lido.  We had planned to go to the pinnacle but plans changed but the food was just as good and I didn't have to wait on it :) 

After I ate I called daddy and nanny and wished them a merry Christmas. They were both glad to hear from us.  Mom told me to go on into Wellington and enjoy my time there.  I felt bad leaving but she needed some rest.  There was a shuttle into town so I took that.  I could have walked but I didn't know how far the walk was so I figured I better take the shuttle.  Once I got off the shuttle I asked where Starbucks was and they laughed at me.  I just wanted free internet but I later found out that there is free Internet all over that city so Internet was not a problem.  I'm glad there was so much free internet because I got to FaceTime several people to wish them a merry Christmas.  I also visited a big museum that our bus driver recommended.  It was alright.  Then I walked down the big shopping street and searched for some new sunglasses since i managed to break mine.  I also found a pharmacy and got some medicine for mom and I'm hoping it helps her tonight.  I went back and found my bus shortly after that so I could shuttle back.  I'm glad I went back when I did because after I had been back about 15 minutes, it started raining.  I would not have been prepared in that rain.  It got cold too and windy.  

Oh one of the highlights of my afternoon was my great find on the Lido.  They had bread pudding.  I love their bread pudding and I've been up there the last two days looking for it and it has not been there.  So I was thrilled to find it after walking around windy Wellington all morning. W

We rested this afternoon and then went to dinner and the to the spa again.  The spa might be one of my favorite parts of the evening.  Mom is already out now after taking some medicine.  I hope she sleeps ok because we have a 4 hour excursion tomorrow to Tuki Tuki Valley.  At least it's not an all day excursion.  

I would like to say that I don't think the sea water is shrinking my clothes as much this trip as it has in the past.   Maybe I've finally learned how to indulge without over indulging :)

Sunday, December 23, 2012

What's Been Happening

Dec 19

1.  Woke up and got ready
2.  Ate breakfast at hotel
3.  Facetimed a few people
4.  Finished packing
5.  Facetimed my main squeeze 
6.  Checked out of the hotel
7.  Taxi to Oosterdam
8.  Checked in
9.  Went to check out stateroom
10.  Lunch in dining room
11.  Spa visit and booked thermal suite package
12.  Rest in room
13.  Lifeboat drill...complete torture
14.  Dinner
15.  Tree lighting
16.  Spa visit
17.  Back to call it a night. 

We lose an hour tomorrow. 

Dec 20&21
These two days were sea days which basically meant we ate and slept. We slept in the first day until around 8:30 unintentionally. Then had a snack sorta breakfast in the Neptune.  Then we went to the shops and looked around. Before we knew it, it was lunchtime.  We ended up eating the buffet at the lido and they had bread pudding for dessert. For those of you who have followed in the past you know how much I love HALs bread pudding.  It was simply wonderfully delicious.  I remember napping a lot these two days. I also remember that dec 21 was the mariner brunch for past HAL cruisers. We went to that for the quiche because it is so good. Then we had an informational meeting that afternoon about our overnight excursion that was leaving the next day morning early. Then I remember napping after the meeting and going to dinner and the australian singer that did a show. He was very energetic and loved being on stage...you could tell. We also went to the spa both nights. I didnt want to leave the second sea day but it was really busy so we had to give our heated ceramic beads up.  It was time for an early night though because we had a really early morning the next morning.  

Dec 22
We were up early...I was up at 5 and mom was up earlier. Breakfast was delivered at 6 and we left the room before 7.  We were on an excursion that was an overnight excursion with only about 40 people.  We were the only people allowed to leave the ship via tender boat.  After we passed through Milford sound, and we were inspected by the NZ officials we were cleared to leave the boat. We got on the tender and headed towards land. I was so excited to see land. I was getting a little stir crazy on the boat and they didn't have much planned. We got pretty good seats on the bus. There was an obnoxious lady that made sure everyone on the bus knew that she got sea sick so she needed to sit at the front.  She was really annoying the whole trip. So anyways as we went along we saw beautiful land. It was so surreal to be there taking it all in. There were blue skies, perfect weather, sheep in the fields, green grass, a river or lake here and there, trees, and just anything that made it absolutely incredible. How could anyone doubt that God created our earth?!?!  Everything is so detailed and perfect!  The views we had driving through the countryside were just perfect.  We stopped for lunch in a little town that I don't remember the name of. Then we drove to Queenstown where I was hoping to luge or bungee jump but we had hardly any time at all. We took the gondola ride to the top and saw more incredible scenery but only had about 15 minutes before we had to be back down. We then went to the hotel which I thought was a nice little place. It reminded me of Colorado ski resort type place. We had real keys for the doors and a cute little balcony. The breakfast was very NZlike. It wasn't bad but not like a typical American breakfast buffet.  After we checked in to our hotel we went to take a ferry over to our dinner location. I have no clue what it was called but it was really tasty. After dinner we got to see a sheep dog herding some sheep and then see a sheep shearing demonstration. Both were quite interesting. After dinner we took the same ferry back and heard the same man play piano music on the ferry.  It was somewhat relaxing even with the screaming kids running around.  We then took the coach back to the hotel and shortly thereafter turned in for the evening. 

Dec 23
The next morning we were up around 6:30. We had breakfast and then headed out around 9:15 from the hotel. We made our way towards Dunedin and Port Chalmers but stopped off a few places. We stopped at the bungee place where I had very little time so I didn't have time to even contemplate the bungee today. I think I have one more chance possibly where it might be an option. We also stopped at an orchard. The fruit there was so fresh!  I don't typically like kiwi but I tried some and it was so good. I was surprised but I'm not sure why...it was very fresh.  We had lunch at a nice little place on someone's land but they ran out of food so that was sad for those people that didn't get much to eat. I wasn't stuffed but I had plenty to eat. We had fresh apricots and ice cream for dessert and once again I don't usually care for apricots but it was so fresh I really liked it.  After lunch we made one more pit stop and then headed for the boat. Once back on board we dropped off our things and went to dinner since we have early dinner and it was already past our dinner time of 5:30. After dinner we went to the spa to relax and came back to rest up this evening for our long day tomorrow. We have to meet at 7am and we have a 9 hour long excursion but it should be a really good excursion. 

I'll leave you with a quote from an older woman on our tour who moved quite slow and used a cane to walk. "There are a lot of old crippled people that I've seen on this cruise."  

Monday, December 17, 2012

In Transit

The last time I left you I was about to go to bed in china. Well we left that morning for the airport and arrived early and were first in line at the checkin counter. We checked in and then went straight to security. It took less than 5 minutes to go through security. No shoes had to come off, no liquids came out of our bags and no pat downs occurred. It was painless.  While we were waiting for our flight we went to the business class lounge for Thai Airways. Remember we are flying mostly first or business using airmiles so we are enjoying the perks. We had a little morning snack since we had not eaten much before getting to the airport. I had a very nice "brookstone" style chair massage while we waited. My mom asked if it was free. Well it was all in Chinese but it didn't ask for a credit card so I went ahead and made myself at home. The lounge restrooms were interesting. That is all I will say, haha!

Our flight to Bangkok was about 5 hours and pretty nice.  The business class seats reclined and had foot rests that came up. I don't really remember what I did.  I think I read on the flight and maybe slept. It was pretty painless. The Thai airways people were very friendly and bowed as we got on the plane.

Once we arrived in Thailand we were greeted as we got off the plane immediately by a lady who took us away on a golf cart. She took us to some security area where we were screened and then took us to the first class lounge. We got some food, rested some, and then we still had time to each get an hour massage in the Thai Air spa.  It was quite relaxing. After waiting for another 2 hours it was time for our flight.

We were in first class for the 10 hour flight. There were 9 people I think in our cabin. I realized after we took off that my entertainment system that you can watch movies and stuff on was not working and they couldn't fix it.  I was really bummed about that because I couldn't get y iPad or iPhone to charge and I thought they would die on me.  I guess that pretty much meant that I would be sleeping most of the flight and that is certainly what I did. I read a little it on my iPad but then I went to sleep. They made up my bed and I passed out. I woke up a few times but the last time they woke me for breakfast.

After breakfast I was sitting there and one of the flight attendants came over and apologized for the inconvenience of the entertainment system not working.  She offered me anything in the duty free catalog complimentary up to $200. I had only a few minutes to make my decision.

Shortly after my nice parting gift we landed and found our driver from the hotel that we scheduled to pick us up. The airport was crazy crowded but we were able to get people out of our way and make a quick escape. Our driver was great and gave us lots of good info on the city.  After he dropped us off at the hotel we checked in and lucky me, we got an upgrade to the Horizon Club which means that we get some extra stuff free like free Internet, free breakfast, and I don't know what else.  I'm sure they felt sorry for us because they knew we had been traveling for 2.5 days and we were exhausted :)  Whatever the reason I am extremely grateful.

Once we got to our room, rested some, and showered, we headed out to explore.  We found a cafe to eat at outside. The weather in nice here...in the 70's.  It did get a little toasty walking around though. After eating we walked around and the. Eventually came back to the room.  We eventually went back out and searched for some shopping.  We will do the touristy stuff when we come back after the cruise.

We probably won't do a whole lot tonight.  I'm sure we are going to try and get acclimated to our new time zone. I will say that even though I was pretty exhausted after all of our flying, I'm doing pretty good.  My energy level isn't like it normally is but I've also been in transit for the past 2.5 days.

Tomorrow is ship day and we finally will get to be rocked to sleep each night with the waves of the sea...such a great feeling :) Stay tuned for more!

*disclaimer....I'm aware that there may be plenty of typos in each blog post. Bear with me if you will.  I got a great portable keyboard for Christmas to go with my iPad and I tried it before I left home and it worked just fine but when I arrived at our first over night stop I discovered that it was no longer working. So I'm having to do the best I can under the current  conditions :)

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Day 1.....

Or maybe this is day two...I'm not sure.  We left early, like 3 am early for the airport Saturday morning.  We took a flight to Phoenix and a separate flight to LAX. Then we got  on our longest flight we have on our way to Sydney...15 hours. Thankfully we were in first class and had space to spread out. They had a ton of storage space for our stuff.  One of my little storage spaces wouldn't open AFTER I put my bag in it with all my important stuff. So they had to call the maintenance men to come to the rescue. He did and I decided not to put my stuff back in there and it's a good thing I didn't.  I checked later on during the flight and it was stuck closed again.  Our seats were those lay flat seats and they brought us more food than I could eat. We had our own little personal TVs with a ton to watch. I slept most of the time.  I tried to fight off a cold yesterday but I did not succeed. I'm now completely stuffed up and was in lot of pain during our descent due to the cabin pressure changing....thankfully my mom brought mucinex so that should help a ton.  That's the only medicine I didn't have in my portable medicine cabinet.

We are now at the Kerry Hotel in Shanghai where the time is 7:47pm and we are here until 5:45 am.  I'm ready for real sleeping a real bed.  I barely have enough energy to lay here and type this but I don't want to get behind.

Tomorrow we fly to Thailand and then to Sydney. We arrive in Sydney in the morning and spend the day/night there and get on the ship the next day which I think might be early Wednesday morning back home.  I'm ready to pass out now just to get up at 4am. I'm just remembering that once we are on the ship we have 2 sea days.

Friday, December 14, 2012

One More Sleep...

...or one might call it a nap.  I am leaving for the airport in about 5 hours.  Call me crazy but I waited until the last minute to pack.  It might be because of all the Christmas celebrating I did last weekend and the preparing for my sub next week and preparing for a week of teaching the week I return from the trip.  Or maybe it was because I had other things that I felt were more important like spending time with an important person in my life.  Or maybe it was a combination of all of the above.  Whatever the reason, I am now almost packed.  It's tough to pack for 3 weeks when a lot of my time before and after the cruise will be spent in the air.  I'm not complaining one bit, but it's a challenge.  On shorter trips, I've been known to plan out my wardrobe for each day, but there was no way that my mind was able to even think about doing that this time.  The weather was also a challenge that kept me from packing early.  It is supposed to be colder (in my mind) since it is almost winter, but it hasn't been that cold.  So I was wearing most of the clothes that I needed to pack.  Oh well, I'm packed now and all good :)

I'm really excited about the whole experience of setting foot on another continent....actually I'll be setting foot on two other continents.  Besides Australia, I'll be adding Asia too.  We won't be in Asia too long but it'll be enough time to stay overnight.  I'm excited also about spending the time with my mom.  She is a good travel buddy.....we take care of each other.  She lets me do what I want to do and I let her do what she wants to do.  All in all, we are a good team!

I have been somewhat distracted this evening in the midst of packing by the terrible and horrible news from Connecticut.  My heart breaks for those families and friends of the innocent children and teachers who lost their lives and those who were in the midst of the chaos.  It hits way too close to home.  I want my students to be and feel safe in my classroom and not be afraid to come to school.  I want them to know that I will protect them when they walk in the door and that no one will hurt them or do them any wrong at all.  The fact that someone would do something so horrible to sweet children is so disturbing.  Pray for those families....it's going to be a long road ahead of them.  Pray for the children that lost their best friends, their friends that shared their snacks with them, were in their dance class, or on the same soccer team.  Pray for strength, comfort, and healing.  I know the Lord hears us and knows our hearts.  He wants us to trust Him that He's got this.

With all that being said, I'll blog when I can and update as time allows, and I'll be tweeting probably more often so follow me on twitter (@ka204).  So sit back and enjoy the ride!

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Sydney Harbour Briidge Climb

II booked my bridge climb last night.  I was going to book the twilight climb but it was sold out.  However the time slot right before the twilight climb time was still available and $50 cheaper.  Therefore I booked that time.  It's hard to believe this trip that has been in the making for quite some time is almost here.  I have a ton to do this week to prepare not only for the trip but at school too.  I'm so glad I have an amazing sub that will take really good care of my students and my classroom.  Then I won't worry while I am away.  I know it will all be take care of.  In the meantime I will now just be checking things off my list and try to remember all that needs to be packed.  However, I'll just go by my traveling motto....if I forget something, I'll just buy it!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Getting Closer

I can't believe that our trip is less than 3 weeks away!  I am super excited about it!!!  I'm trying to finished losing that last minute weight so that I can gain it on the trip and come back looking about the same.  It's no fun to go on a trip and halfway through, none of your clothes fit.  I feel like I need to start packing so I don't forget anything but I guess I could just go by my motto....If I forget it, just buy it.  I still need to book my Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb.  I've heard good reviews on the climb at sunset so I will probably go with that one.  I just need to sit down and do it and with my lack of time lately, I need to schedule in a moment to do some final research and take the plunge.  It's a hefty chunk of change, but completely worth it!  Be watching for updates leading up to the big day.  I have a ton to do at school but it will get done and I am confident in my amazing sub and my incredible team.  They do not disappoint.  It'll be here before I know it!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Thankful



I can't believe it is already Thanksgiving.  This time last year I was in NYC watching the balloons being inflated and we were planning our attack for the next morning.  I feel like I just rang in the new year but I'm so thankful that I didn't.  I've had the week off this week which has allowed me time to reflect on thanksgiving and what I am thankful for.  Last year I took time each day during the month of November to blog about something I was thankful for many of which are the same this year....I have so much to be thankful for.  I wanted to take some time to blog about my thankfulness this year.

First and foremost, which I have blogged about before, year after year I feel like, I am thankful for a loving God!  I am thankful for His mercy and grace and thankful that He is always there.  I'm thankful for my relationship with Him.  I'm thankful for those times that I didn't think I would make it through the day this past year but I did because of the Lord's comfort and the strength He gave me.  The Lord has always been so faithful.

Another thing I am thankful for is my family.  When I say family I mean all of them....mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law, niece, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandmother.  They all love me for who I am and accept everything about me.  My parents have given me more than I ever could have asked for in life and I am forever grateful for the experiences they have given me and the love they have shown me.  They have put me before themselves and worked so hard to give me a life better than they had growing up and I am blessed by their sacrifices.  My brother and sister in law have given me the cutest little niece :)  Of course I am also thankful for their friendship and memories we have as well as the niece!

How could I not write about how thankful I am that I get to spend my days with sweet children.  Ok, I won't lie, not all days are fine and dandy.  It's a tough job but I am honestly so blessed by the children that the Lord handpicked to be in my class.  No two days are alike in my life and I get to instill in my students a love of learning which I think is pretty cool and I'm pretty sure their parents like that too :)

I'm also thankful for my friends.  I've have several different groups of friends but all of them are very important to me and I love the stories about how God brought each one of them into my life.  Some of them I've known for 10+ years and some I've only known for a short time but they have each helped shape me and helped me become the woman I am today and I love the time I get to spend with all of them even if it's just a short time.  The memories I have of each one of them are pretty special!

Another thing that I am so thankful for is the opportunity to travel.  I have had the chance to see some pretty neat places and I feel fortunate that I have been able to experience the beauty of God's creation.  It is just so perfect and I'm blessed that I have been given the opportunity to explore all that I have been able to explore.

Lastly, I am thankful for my wonderful boyfriend.  I could go on and on about the MANY things I am thankful for about him and maybe one day I will, but for now, just know that I am thankful that the Lord brought him into my life and I appreciate him so much.


I have been greatly blessed and I have so much to be thankful for this year!  

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Latest Adventure

My latest adventure happened this past weekend.  Back in October my wonderful boyfriend said he wanted to take me somewhere for my birthday.  Me being the adventurous traveler that I am was excited....I love going anywhere!  So he tried to keep it a secret but that lasted for maybe 1-2 days :)  But that's ok....knowing where we were going gave me something exciting to look forward to during the hectic and chaotic fall season.

Fast forward a month or so and we finally were ready for our adventure.  We flew on Spirit, which has a lot of mixed reviews.  I'd say it was decent.  Not horrible.  When we boarded the plane, the flight attendant that was on there began to get upset that they had let us on the plane.  She started saying "we're not ready!"  Well what were we supposed to do about that?  They told us to get on the plane so we did what we were told.  I think she was just having a rough morning.  Despite the rudeness from the flight attendant we made it in one piece and on time to Chicago to spend the day.

It was a packed day and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire adventure.  We started at The Bongo Room.  We attempted to find it by walking but quickly realized that it might be better to catch a cab.  Good thing we did because it was farther away than we thought.  It just so happens that there were multiple locations.  We were told later by our very friendly Smart Home tour guide at the Science museum that we went to the best location.  When we pulled up, there was a wait.  I knew that since there was a wait it must mean that it is a good place to go.  We probably waited 30 minutes but the weather was decently nice so it wasn't too cold to wait outside.  Once seated, we made our choices and ordered.  Then we started seeing all these dessert like pancakes that people had ordered.  I had to second guess my choice but when mine came out and I started eating it, I was very pleased with my choice.

Our next stop was the Science Museum.  It's a big place that you could easily spend all day in.  They had a bunch of add on exhibits.  We went for the Smart Home and one of the IMAX movies about flying.  The smart home exhibit was pretty cool.  I'm ready to start building mine.  I'm also ready to get a mirror with a internet access so I can get ready in the morning and check my Facebook and the latest news all in one.  The movie was interesting but I could have easily fallen asleep!  The chairs were comfy and laid back a little.  They were just what my neck needed.  I guess I didn't mention the extreme neck pain I was experiencing.  It started Friday morning and it continues today (even though it does feel better).  We had some extra time after our smart home exhibit and our IMAX movie so we went across the street to Lake Michigan.  It was beautiful!  I've never seen any of the great lakes in person.  It was so peaceful!  We stopped for some photos and then walked on a little long to sit and rest some before heading back.
Lake Michigan

Cedric the Gnome...there is a story that goes with this little gnome.  

After the museum, we went downtown to see the Chicago Bean in Millennium Park.  Of course me being the picture person I am had to take a few pictures.  
The Bean

We had to get the skyline in the picture.  I think we did pretty good.


After the Bean, we did a little bit of window shopping and went inside the enormous Macy's.  It reminded me of the one in NYC.  We went up to the coats section and I'm pretty sure they had any coat you could think of that you might possibly want or need.  We looked around for a little while  before heading to an early dinner.  

We saved the best for last.....the pizza!  I had never had any Chicago style pizza, but I love deep dish pizza so I knew it would not disappoint.  We went to Giordano's.....they told us the wait was going to be about 1-1.5 hours.  We patiently waited and were pleasantly surprised when we were called after about 20 minutes.  We had already preordered our pizza because it takes about 45 minutes for them to cook.  My first experience with Chicago style pizza was a positive one.  I enjoyed every last bite :)  We even saved room for dessert.  Well, I don't know that I saved room for it....I would say I made room for it and thought I might need to be rolled out of the restaurant later.  

After our pizza it was about time to start making our way back to the airport to get through security and get back on our flight to head home.  

Overall, I had a GREAT adventure, even though I was in a lot of pain and I'm glad I got to spend it in great company and was well taken care of! :)  

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

AND THE WINNER IS.........

Kara

There were 6 comments that were entered into the giveaway sponsored by Shutterfly.  I used the random number generator to find the winner.  Kara, I'll send your information to the Shutterfly social media director and you should get your code soon.  Enjoy and I can't wait to see your cards!

I hope to host more giveaways in the future...keep watching!     

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Christmas Cards....and a GIVEAWAY!

I know you might think I'm crazy for already thinking about Christmas but in reality it will be here before we know it.  One of my favorite parts of Christmas besides celebrating the birth of our King, is designing Christmas cards and sending them out to family and friends to update them on the past year.  In the past I have used Shutterfly and I have loved the way they turned out and I have received so many compliments from my cards as well.

Shutterfly has some new Christmas Card designs this year.  That is going to make it even harder to choose the perfect card.  I typically like to choose a design that has space for more than one picture because I like to include pictures from trips that I have taken during the past year.  I usually like folded cards as well because I like to include a little blurb about my year.  I have browsed their site and come up with a few of my favorites.  Here they are!


1.  Surrounded With Love:  I love the different fonts on this card and the fact that there is room for quite a few pictures on the front.  I need to be able to share my adventures with everyone.



2.  Charming and Lovely:  The title describes this card.  It's simple yet charming.  Just my style!



5.  Blessed Family Religious:  I love the simplicity of this card with plenty of photo spots.  I also love the completely accurate word at the top of the card that describes my life and so many other lives.  We forget how blessed we truly are.  



I really do like the new collection of cards.  Check it out!  They have something for everyone!  Shutterfly also always has some great offers so check out their special offers page before purchasing as well.



Now for the fun and exciting part...THE GIVEAWAY!  Who doesn't want $50 off their Christmas Card purchase???  That's a pretty great deal if you ask me!  I'll choose 1 lucky winner at random to receive a special coupon code from Shutterfly (expires 12/31/2012).  Here's how you enter for your chance to win:


1.  Follow my blog by clicking the "Join this Site" button on the right side column.  Comment below and let me know that you did so (or if you already follow me!)  This counts as 1 entry.  

2.  Go to Shutterfly's site and browse their Christmas cards, then pick out a card you would choose if you won.  Comment below telling me what card you would choose.  This counts as 1 entry.  


The giveaway ends at midnight on October 29th.  The winner will be announced on October 30th.  Good luck to everyone!


***Disclaimer, this is a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.  




Friday, September 21, 2012

Kaylan

Let me preface this blog entry by saying it has nothing to do with traveling or any trips of any sort but instead it is about a very dear friend of mine.  Today I'm linking up to Kelly's Korner and it's her Singles Linkup day.  I know it sounds crazy but God works in ways we never imagine He will...you never know until you try.  His plan might be something completely different than we expected that it would be so that's why I asked Kaylan's permission to blog about how wonderful she is!








 Kaylan has been a dear friend for 10 years now.  We met at OBU in Arkadelphia and I'm so incredibly blessed that God has allowed me to be part of her life.  Here are some things that I (and the other "golden girls") love about Kaylan.  

First and foremost, Kaylan is a believer and follower of Christ.  She loves Jesus with her whole heart.  I have seen her follow Him even when the going got tough for her.  She is a Texan at heart but she currently lives in the Nashville area.  She is also one of the funniest people I know.  Whenever I am around her, she makes me laugh constantly.  Kaylan is also a world traveler and takes every opportunity to travel.  She has been overseas on several mission trips and continues to serve the Lord and go where He leads her.  She loves her family and would do anything for them!  Kaylan is also one of the most compassionate people I know.  She has a heart for people.  She is passionate about everything she puts her mind to, whether it be her work, her family, her friends or her life in general.  Kaylan is also very down to earth, sincere, creative, and a great cook (I need some lessons in this area for sure).  Lastly, Kaylan is country girl and diva all rolled into one!  She is one stylish girl but that doesn't take over her life.  

Kaylan is the kind of girl that every single guys mother would love for her son to bring home and introduce as his future wife.

If you think you might know someone that would be a great match for Kaylan, leave a comment and email address so she can get in contact with you.


Monday, September 3, 2012

GYR 2012

This is a long overdue post about one of the best parts about each summer and also happened to be the very last exciting thing that happened this summer, so I had to wait ALL SUMMER for this goodness.....GYR 2012!  For those of you who are not familiar with those acronyms, it stands for Golden Years Reunion.  College were the Golden Years that none of us will ever forget.  We bonded, became special sisters that some of us never had.  Now we try to reunite at least once a year.  Last year we didn't because of scheduling conflicts but I'm determined to see all my girls at least once a year from now on.  It's tough because we don't live in the same city but I am making it my goal from now on!

This year the reunion was in Austin.  Unfortunately one of our members of our little group was not able to join us.  It's hard to get away when you have 2 small children, but hopefully she will be able to make the next reunion.  We started the reunion on Wednesday evening when everyone finally arrived via plane to Austin.  Sweet Kara made 3 trips to the airport that day.  The first trip was to take her husband so he could get out of time for some guy time.  Then she picked Elise up midday and then the rest of us flew in around the same time so she got all of us at once.

Our first big surprise was that Kara was expecting!  Poor thing was sick while we were there but she was such a trooper.  She is expecting her first little Langley baby in March.  I can't wait to have another GYR baby in the mix.  One day I know that all the little GYR babies will be in the same room playing together while their mommas are in the kitchen and their daddies are all outside.

Next on our agenda was eating.  That's one of the things we do best.  I have a special bond with other foodies.  Maybe that's why we all became such good friends:)  I don't remember all the details of the weekend but I know that it involved lots of girl time, discussions, relaxation, food, and sleeping.  I had told a friend before I went on my trip that the girls like to stay up late.  Well as we have gotten older and older our bedtimes have become earlier and earlier.  I'd say we were in bed by midnight most nights and the reason we weren't in bed earlier the other night is because we took a random impromptu trip to San Antonio.

The trip was the perfect way to end the summer!  It was such a treat to spend 5ish days with the best friends a girl could ask for.  They don't judge and love me just the way I am.  We always pick up right where we left off.  I love them more than they know!

Sunday, July 29, 2012

fredericksburg

This summer instead of my traditional vacation I've stayed close to home. This might be the first summer I haven't been out of Texas that I can remember. Because I'm taking a big trip in December, I've decided (sort of) that I should probably just save my money and wait for the big Australia and New Zealand trip. So my second summer trip I took in Texas was south again. I went with 5 other girls to Fredericksburg. I've only been there once and I would really call it taking a trip o Fredericksburg to explore the cute little town and surrounding areas. I went for a pedicure the day before my brothers wedding. That was the closest place so that's where we went. We were there strictly for me to get my toes done and eat lunch. So my first real trip to Fredericksburg was a lot of fun. We stayed in a cute little cottage called the Abble House. It was perfectly located and within walking distance to everything except the wineries and nothing is within walking distance to the wineries. The food we ate was great! The wine was delicious! The atmosphere was just lovely! I came back a little heavier than I was when I left so I'd say the trip was a success :)

Here are a few pictures from our adventure.








Now to prepare for 5 glorious days in Austin with my gg's!  Can't wait! :)

Friday, July 20, 2012

baby k

Monday, July 16, 2012 my life was forever changed.  I became an aunt to the most precious chubby cheeked little girl :)  She's beautiful and I'm blessed that she is my first niece (assuming there will be more nieces or nephews along the way).  I knew her mommy (my sister in law) was going in Sunday night and being induced Monday morning.  I woke up to a string of texts and my mom asking if I was at the hospital.  Nope, I was still in bed.  I knew that I had time even after she was born because they would have to clean her up and such.  I didn't rush to get ready and actually took extra time because if I was going to be taking a picture with her, my hair needed to be fixed and I needed to have makeup on. She arrived a little before 1pm but we didn't get to hold her until around 5:30pm.  That was the longest wait ever.  They were able to reserve the only suite in the maternity area at the hospital and it's a good thing they did because there were a lot of us around and a normal sized room would have been packed otherwise.  After we got to meet baby K, we headed home to let the new parents get some rest.  I was back the next day though with my camera in my hand.  I took some pictures of the sweet girl and her parents.  I think hospital pictures are a must if you can get someone who knows what they are doing to come in.  I was honored that they let me intrude and get some pictures.  I am going over tomorrow to see that sweet chunky monkey and take her newborn photos.  I sure hope they turn out as good and actually even better than her hospital pictures.  I hope the lighting cooperates with me and the outdoor lighting will shine right in all their windows.  I'll post some of them in a few weeks but here are a few that I took at the hospital.

Love those cheeks!

Isn't she sweet?!?!
Aunt K with Baby K :)

Daddy's Little Girl

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

girls trip to nyc in 2004

Going back to my previous trips that I said I was going to blog about.....one of my favorites.....NYC during the holiday season.  It was wonderful!  Basically the timing was perfect.  We had been talking about going to NYC to see it at Christmastime.  It had been at least 6 years since I had been to NY and I don't think the others had been at all.  An airline was fighting to stay afloat at this time, and had a killer sale on tickets.  We got ROUNDTRIP tickets for like $85 a person.  That was a steal and there was no reason to think on it.  We booked the trip.  It was my first friends trip after college.  We had great luck on the way there.  We were supposed to have a connecting flight somewhere but they needed 4 people to get bumped.  We volunteered and ended up on a non-stop flight and a voucher for another airline ticket to use sometime during the next year.


Four girls in NYC was pretty exciting....they all wanted to shop, we all wanted to see a show on broadway and we did both.  We did the scary back room shopping in China town.  I'm pretty sure we all bought fake Coach purses that we just KNEW they were real, but when you put them right next to a real one you could tell they were fake.  It was all part of the experience though :)  We saw Wicked on Broadway which was incredible!  That was one cold winter for sure.  I wanted to go stand out and wait for The Today Show to start and make a sign to be seen on tv but no one would go with me.  I was ready to layer and layer and bring a blanket from the hotel, but I didn't want to go alone.  Oh well, we had a blast on the trip and I would love for all of us to go back again one day!  Here are some pictures from the trip.

We had just arrived and were waiting for a cab at the airport.  Yes, I am aware that I look ridiculous in the hat!  

This was on our evening cruise.  It was so cold outside!

They ready maps.....I follow unless forced to navigate.  

We had to take a picture with the tree.  

It started snowing so Jenn pulled out her umbrella.  

We took a carriage ride in Central Park.  It was frigid!

I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane!

Saturday, June 23, 2012

trip to san antonio

I got back on Thursday from a short trip down to San Antonio.  The reason for the trip was for a CSCOPE education conference.  We drove down on Tuesday and checked in to our hotel right away and quickly went to the conference.  Because it started at 1:30 and we arrived at about that time to the convention center, we missed the first session but we had a chance to plan our attack for our other sessions.  The way it seemed as though it was going to work was that we were going to have to leave a few minutes early from sessions to make it to our next session or it would be full.  Thankfully we never got turned away from a session and were able to attend some really good sessions and learn so good stuff.  Our keynote speaker on Thursday was great!  Her name was Marcia Tate and she was very energetic and a wonderful speaker.  We ended up driving back midday on Thursday so we were only there for 2 nights.  Overall it was a good trip.  We ate some good food, saw some touristy sites and stayed in a nice hotel.  Here are a few pictures from the trip.

I had to get a picture in front of The Alamo.  The last picture I had taken in front of The Alamo was probably take 11 or 12 years ago.    

We went to Mi Tierra to try their food.  I highly recommend it!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

selfless

I guess I've always been a daddy's girl, but I've only really seen it in the past 5 years or so.  My dad is one of the most caring, loving, thoughtful, and selfless men I know.  He is constantly doing things for me and making sure that I have everything I could possibly need.  If I tell him I'm looking for something, he will look for whatever it is and most of the time, he will find it and get it to me within a few days.  This can work to my advantage and I know how blessed I am to have a dad that goes above and beyond.  He's the one that remembers to water my yard....I don't remember.  He's the one that will make sure I am up to date on my oil changes.  I'm pretty sure that if he wasn't checking on those oil changes, I know I wouldn't remember.  He checks on my house when I'm out of town.  He's my ride to and from the airport whenever I go anywhere as long as he's in town.  He's always thinking about the kids in my classroom and if he sees something that they might like or that I might be able to use in my classroom, he gets it for me.  He is such a generous man.  I'm not sure what I would do without him in my life.  

People tell me I'm spoiled......I tell them, "At least I'm not spoiled rotten."  

This might be one of my favorite pictures of my dad and me.  I have heard stories about how my dad would stay up with me at night and we would watch movies so that my mom could sleep. 

This is another picture that was taken this past Christmas when I had my parents over for brunch on Christmas Day.   

And this last picture is one of his favorites that I added to the card I made him on Shutterfly for Father's Day.  He's not in it, but I do agree that it's pretty darn cute!  Oh, and in case you are wondering, yes my hair is red in the picture.  It was reddish and turned strawberry blonde and still has some red under the blonde.  


I will always be Daddy's Little Girl and I am eternally grateful for his love and all he has ever done for me!  

Monday, June 11, 2012

old photos from old trips

With a summer that is not filled with extensive travel, comes projects around the house.  With projects around the house such as cleaning and organizing, comes finding old nostalgic items.  With nostalgia, comes reminiscing about good ole times.

As I was cleaning out/organizing drawers in my home office, I came across CD's of pictures from trips that I have taken in the past 10 years.  During the past 10 years my love of travel has grown.  It's neat to look back on those trips and see the different places I have been and "forgotten" about.  Even though they aren't as extreme as Alaska or New Zealand, they are still part of my experiences.  Looking at the pictures brought back memories of things that I had forgotten that I had done/seen.

I thought since I find myself getting bored (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) throughout the weeks of summertime, I would blog about what I remember from these trips.  I know I won't get all the details correct or remember every single thing that I did on the trip, but pictures really are worth a thousand words.  These pictures are a great way for me to remember all the sweet times I had with my dear friends and family.

So, I'll start with Hawaii but will be leaving out quite a few details and mainly just sharing some fun pictures.  We went in July 2004.  I will say this.....when I graduated from college in May 2003, my mom told me that we were going to go on a trip to Hawaii the next summer.  My exact words that I will never forget were "I wanna be skinny."  Her exact words that I will never forget were, "Well, you have a year to do it."  I never looked back.  My close friends and those that have been around for a while, have seen me before, and seen me after.  They saw the transformation.  People I have met recently or haven't known for at least 9 years would never guess that I used to be 70 pounds heavier.  It's hard for me to believe too, but it is true.  So I guess Hawaii brought on that transformation, that change.  Maybe I'll blog about that later, but for now I'll just blog about my traveling.  

Hawaii was my first cruise.  We took a non-stop flight to get there that was about 8 hours and left on the cruise only a few hours later.  I would never suggest flying to your embarkation destination on the same day that your cruise leaves.  If anything would have happened with our flight to delay it, we might have missed our ship.  However, it was our first cruise and we didn't know.  The cruise was a 10 day cruise on NCL.  We spent time island hopping and then took 2 sea days to get to Fanning Island and 2 sea days to get back from Fanning Island after only spending maybe 10 hours there (if that).  Hawaii is beautiful!  It was perfect.  My favorite island was Maui.  I learned how to surf in Maui and had a blast.  We also went to a luau in Maui.  I also remember going snorkeling in Kauai.  That was one of my favorite snorkeling adventures.  I hate to say it was the best because the snorkeling in Alaska was one of my favorites too but it was a different experience.  While we were in Kauai after we had lunch we got to taste Hawaiian shaved ice.  It's basically shaved ice with vanilla ice cream in the bottom of the cup.  It was really good.  Fanning Island was a neat experience.  The locals there were so glad to see us.  I wasn't sure what to expect but it was a neat experience.  Let's see.....I remember making several different types of leis on the ship on our sea days.  Some people don't like sea days but I do, because they force you to relax.  You can't be in a hurry to leave the ship because there isn't a port...just  a big ocean.  I don't remember much more from the trip so I'll leave you with these pictures.

After arriving in Hawaii after our 8 hour flight.  I do remember sleeping most of the time, which is what I like to do on long flights.  

Fanning Island

With my mom after making ribbon leis.  

Palm Frond Weaving Class

At Sea

This is after we snorkeled in Kauai.  

Before we surfed they gave us rash guards and water shoes.  

I have proof that I really did surf.  The camera died shortly after this picture.  However, I think I have some video footage somewhere.  

This is on the beach at Maui close to where we went to a luau.  

Other trips that I will be blogging about in the days ahead are the following: (in no particular order)

*NYC at Christmas with 3 of my best friends
*Charleston with one of my best friends
*Canada/New England Cruise with my mom and grandmother.
*Europe with my brother and another good friend
*Any other traveling photos I come across that I feel need their own blog post.

I hope you have enjoyed my Hawaii trip in a nutshell.  Hopefully one day I'll go back there.  It's on my list of places I'd like to visit again someday.