It's been over a week since we returned from Alaska and it's taking me longer than usual to get back into the swing of things. We had SO much fun! We were at sea much more than we were last year - giving us LOTS more time to meet and visit with fellow demonstrators. This ship was also smaller so it was easier to find demonstrators!
Here's a photo of Mike and I as we sail away from Seattle! This was the last time I wore short sleeved shirts until we got home on Memorial Day!!!! The day we departed was the warmest day so far this year that Seattle had seen. It was sunny and gorgeous - not at all what we were expecting. We could only hope that it was a sign of good weather to come!
I didn't take ANY pictures on the second day of our cruise! We were at sea. I'm a slacker, I know. But, there wasn't much I was ALLOWED to photograph and post! But, I can tell you about it!!! In the morning of Day 2, we gathered for the "General Session". There are very few (and absolutely no required) Stampin' Up! activities on the cruise. But, the General Session is always fun - so we don't miss it! There are usually sneak peeks. And, the most anticipated event - the location of the next trip (in 2013) is announced....usually. There were definitely sneak peeks. There were definitely laughs. It was so much fun. And, we found out that one of my good friends was one of the first demonstrators to earn the Disney trip next year (congrats Mary Ellen). She was recognized and awarded a gift card! And, as a surprise, we all walked out with the brand new 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog! No demonstrators had seen it yet - what a fun perk!!! Everyone raced to their rooms to check it out. It was then that we realized that there was no big reveal for the 2013 trip. ACK! We have to wait a few more weeks to find out at convention. The rest of the day was spent relaxing, speculating, and drooling over the new goodies!
On Day 3, I woke to find us pulling into our first port - Ketchikan. We wandered around the city for a brief time but returned to the ship to "shop". Each night Stampin' Up! gives us a fun surprise, a "Pillow Gift". I'll be honest, they're the highlight of the trip. On the first night we found a cute little felted purse. You could tell we all loved them - you would see hundreds of them in port! It was easy to spot the demonstrators! On the second night we found two coupons for sunglasses - one for each of us! So, we headed back to the ship to pick out our sunglasses. We found two Maui Jim representatives waiting to help us choose sunglasses. I had never heard of Maui Jim, but quickly found out that they are NICE and quite expensive! WOW! THANK YOU SU!
Here are some photos in Ketchikan.... We had no excursions planned so we just wandered around the town and shopped!!!
I love Facebook. And, it was because I was checking Facebook in port that we discovered this cute area of town! One of my friends posted a photo and we quickly checked out the map to see where they were.
And this is a very common sight on the cruise - cruise ships and float planes!
On night three, we found a coupon to spin the wheel for a special prize - a new album from the new catalog! And, it what was even better, it was tied up with gorgeous, new in-color ribbon!
We woke up SUPER early on Day 4. We were sailing the Tracy Arm Fjord in the morning. To be honest, I had no idea what that meant or what to expect. I was SO excited when we floated by a chunk of ice in the waterway. Boy, I had no idea what we were in for! We were sailing to a glacier! We climbed up to the top of the ship to take some awesome photos, sip hot chocolate (thanks Michelle and Russ), and freeze our toes!
It was amazing how the boat sailed up to and pivoted and sailed back from the glacier! Then we headed to Juneau! We didn't really have an excursion planned in Juneau. But, we did have tickets to ride the St Robert's Tramway.
On Day 5 we woke up in Skagway! We actually had a real excursion planned! We had a 4-hour train ride that took us into Canada. The views were absolutely amazing from the train!
That evening was another Stampin' Up! gathering - Share Night. We had our own dessert extravaganza. Looking at some of the photos, it's no wonder I gained a pound per day on this trip!
We spent another day at sea on Day 6 and the first part of Day 7. We received a bag full of brand new Stampin' Up! supplies so we could complete our Make & Takes on Day 6. At 6pm on Day 7 we pulled into Victoria, BC. It was a cute town and I wish we could have spent more time there. Based on the advice of one of my new friends, we took a horse and carriage ride through the city.
We stayed an extra few days in Seattle and had a GREAT weekend! We both loved the city and want to go back. We went up the Space Needle, rode the monorail, shopped, went to the EMP/Sci-Fi Museum, visited a Folklife festival, took a ferry out to Bainbridge Island, and hit Pike Place Market. Even in Seattle, we bumped into several demonstrators! And, thanks to Robin who suggested we take a Savor Seattle Tour through Pike Place Market. It was the BEST tour I've ever experienced. We ate our way through Pike Place Market. We sampled coffee, tea, smoked salmon, donuts, fresh fruit, cheese, Oprah's favorite Mac & Cheese, dried cherries, crab cakes, Piroshky, and a couple of types of chowder. I think that's it. Have you heard about Pike Place Market and how the fish mongers at Pike Place Fish Market throw the fish? As we were touring, our tour guide asked if anyone wanted to CATCH A FISH! The one thing I wanted to see on the tour was a fish getting thrown. Well, I certainly saw it! They threw the fish to ME!!! Check me out!!!
There are SO MANY photos that we took on the trip and I can't begin to post them all. We had the time of our lives. Thank YOU so much for helping me earn this trip! Thank you Stampin' Up! for such an amazing experience. We cannot wait to go to Disney with Stampin' Up! next year - Thank YOU for helping me earn Disney!!!
