Too much Chick-fil-A?

So we were eating a Viola (bag of frozen vegetables, pasta, and meat) last night when Katie said "I like this dinner. It was my pleasure to eat it."

Does that mean we've been to Chick-fil-A too many times?!?!?!

Gardening when you're 3

So Stan and I were outside today working on our vegetable garden project, and the kids were outside with us playing. Josh loves to pick weeds, and he was showing his sister the ropes. She was SO excited that she pulled out her first week (root included). It knocked her over to pull it out and she was giggling hysterically. A few minutes later, we heard her say "Come on little guy, come on out," as she was trying her three-year-old psychology on the weeds. I wish everything were that simple!

Tis the Season...

Katie joined us in bed last night (as has become her habit) about midnight. The only thing is, it's the season of ailments, so we weren't too surprised when she proceeded to throw up in our bed. Our spare set of sheets was being washed, so we had to peel the bottom sheet and mattress pad off, and get back into bed directly on top of the mattress. All of this was after we put together Katie's new bike and Josh's new train set since we had to have Christmas this morning before leaving for Amarillo tomorrow. Needless to say, we didn't really even notice sleeping on the mattress we were so tired!

On a more pleasant note, we took the 2 hour drive down to Palestine tonight and rode the East Texas Railroad over to Rusk. This time of year they decorate it all up and call it the Polar Express. They even serve hot chocolate, cookies, and have dancing servers with the chef costumes. The station at Rusk is decorated up like the North Pole, with a sign and everything. The best part was on the way back when Santa walked into the train car and gave each child a real sleigh bell, just like the movie!

Stars

We were at Wal-Mart tonight getting groceries when Katie said the following: "When Baba gets to our house, he will be a STAR!" I have no idea where that came from nor do I exactly her meaning, but I thought it was cute!

I'm Official!!

I know I haven't posted in awhile. I have another back surgery, started school again, and it's been a CRAZY busy fall. I just wanted to let everyone know that I got my card in the mail today. I carried out grandmother's wish and applied for my Cherokee Indian card in March of 2008, and I was finally approved 11/20/2009. I can now vote in official Cherokee elections, if I actually knew anything about them. :)

Tips for the Alaskan traveler

10. Do not leave home without your motion sickness medication! We both needed it at different times, and the doctor on board the ship has the best working hours I've seen; one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening.
9. Do not hold your breath in anticipation of seeing Mt. McKinley or anyone who is actually from Alaska! Everyone seems to be a transplant from some other state, and all of the staff working at various locations tend to be college students from Eastern European countries.
8. Do take warm clothes and rain gear. Hypothermia may set in for Texas residents used to 100+ temperatures when the daily temperatures in Alaska are in the 50s and 60s.
7. Do not stick to your frugal budget when it comes to excursions and side trips, they are worth every penny! At least the ones we did were, and they also almost added up to the amount we paid for the cruise. (For those that need some help choosing, let us know.)
6. Do make sure to bring several memory cards for your camera. Stan took over 1800 pictures! Of course, if you know him, you know that this is one of his OCD areas...
5. Do make sure you use the "Privacy Please" card on the cruise if you intend to linger in bed past 7:30 am. The cabin stewards get an early start to perfection!
4. Do make sure you attend all of the evening shows on board the ship, especially the ones featuring people the ship brought on just for that day. We felt like we were on late night T.V.!
3. Do leave the kids at home with a trusted college student looking to make some summer cash. However, don't call home too often because the kids tend to get upset and then act terrible.
2. Do pack lightly and then do laundry on board the ship to make traveling easier. But, make sure you choose a day that you are at sea, get started promptly when it opens, and make sure you pick it up on time, or little old ladies will be folding your undies!
1. Do enjoy the perfection and beauty of God's untouched wilderness because there aren't many places like it left on this Earth. (And really think about whether we should destroy it for our own selfishness.)

Vancouver, B.C. Day 13

The best laid plans...

Well, we didn't end up doing any of the things we were planning to do today. We talked to the lady that owned the Bed and Breakfast we were staying at this morning at breakfast. She said not to waste our time going to the Under Sea Gardens. We decided to drive down to it and go through the gift shop instead, which ended up being a good idea. Our other plan was to go to the Observatory, but it is only open fro 1-4, and seems rather pointless to pay to go see stars during the day when you can't see stars...

We ended up taking the ferry back to Vancouver earlier than we thought. We checked into our hotel for the night and then we did something we rarely get to do. We went on a date.

We went to see "The Proposal," which we highly recommend. It was funny and romantic. Then we went down to Gas Town to eat at the Old Spaghetti Factory. This restaurant is similar to the Old Spaghetti Warehouse in Dallas, but it is not the same. They have tons of Vancouver antique tables, glass etc. and a trolley car in the dining room. (No, Gas Town is not named for the rude variety, but because of all the old-fashioned gas lights everywhere.) We walked around the Gas Light District when we were here on our honeymoon. It is very romantic, with the old lighting and two hanging fresh flower baskets on every light post. The food was good too.

After that, we walked down to the Chapters Bookstore, which is like Barnes and Noble, only three stories. For those that don't know how Stan and I got together, it was by going out every Thursday evening when we lived in Lubbock with a group of friends to hang-out at Barnes and Noble and read/drink coffee. We are now sure how city people stay in shape, because we walked about 2 miles total from the hotel to the movie, to dinner, to the bookstore, and back to the hotel.

Now we are getting ready to leave for the airport in the morning. The kids made us sugar cookies (Josh's idea) to welcome us home. The babysitter will probably be waiting in the driveway since she has had strep, a related eye infection, and our air conditioner went out all while we were gone. All that on top of normal kids-acting-up stuff. Now on to our summer routine.

Stay tuned for our top tips for the Alaskan traveler after we arrive home...