Spring Break Cruising

We spent Spring Break on our first family cruise. We took a most gigantic ship, the Norwegian Viva, right out of Galveston, and cruised the Caribbean for 7 beautiful sunny days in March. It was a fantastic reset and a nice, needed break for everyone. 

Galveston is only an hour-ish drive from home, so it was ideal to drive directly to the port and walk on to the ship in a matter of 90 minutes. The last time Jon or I was on a cruise ship, we needed to spend the first few hours on emergency drills and practicing with the life vests. Somewhere between 1999 and today, they have figured out that this whole portion of the onboarding can be cut out, and we were able to get right to the vacation part.

We chose this cruise for its length (7 days), dates (Sat - Sat) and destinations (4 ports, 3 countries). The room size was great, lots of storage and places to tuck things away, we weren't tripping over suitcases or each other in our adjoining rooms. 

This ship has all kinds of incredible features! A race track!! Jon and the kids drove in laps around the ship's race course, all trying to beat the daily record for speed. I sat this activity out, the wait time and exhaust smells were enough to keep me as a spectator. 

We took advantage of lots of the excursion choices that the cruise line offered. In Honduras we took an excursion to a wildlife park where we took turns holding a sloth and tropical birds and let a monkey crawl around on everyone's heads. The kids could not believe that Dad put up with a literal monkey on his head. 

We enjoyed much of what the ship had to offer on board too. Press Your Luck was a throwback to a ridiculous TV game show and got the most perfect passenger to play. His variation of "no whammy, no whammy" to "washy washy, happy happy" mimicked the on board staff constantly encouraging everyone to sanitize their hands, and has made it into our family inside joke repertoire. 

We watched Beetlejuice The Musical, and then Gretchen returned another night to watch it again. The kids dominated family karaoke nights with all three getting up to sing bangers like "Pink Pony Club", "Don't Stop Me Now" and "House Party" and enjoyed all the soft serve ice cream they could find. There were on board water slides, mini golf, fitness center and we had good luck at the casino and playing family BINGO. 

I'm not sure that I'm a born cruiser, but this vacation was a great option now that the ships arrive without us needing to involve an airport. Happy Spring Break!!

Texas Christmas

 An exciting Thanksgiving break spent traveling to the Caribbean lead to a relaxing Christmas vacation spent in one of our favorite Texas locations, Wimberley. Grammy and Papa Mas joined us right after the last day of school for the year and we packed up and headed west.  

We rented a house on Cypress Creek that had perfect proximity to the middle of town in one direction and at an HEB in the other. There was a main house for us and a guest house that was perfect for my parents. This place had a pool table and table video game console in our house. The guest house was equipped with air hockey, one of Grammy's secret talents!Graham got better each day, but she remains the reigning champion.

Graham is a #1 fan of the tree playground

Wimberley is known for it's bald Cypress trees. They are everywhere, growing to have gigantic trunks and gangly branches. They lean out over the rivers and creeks and make the perfect rope swing anchors. They also serve as the base for play structures and climbing features, and it was fantastic - they had one at every restaurant we visited.

The restaurant scene in Wimberley is strong! We got coffee each morning from Cypress Creek Coffee House, often passing deer on the way. 

We loved Community Pizza & Beer Garden and Nada Mucho. Neon Armadillo had great potential, but was busier than they could handle and we ended up with a comically bad experience from a completely overwhelmed staff. 

Neon Armadillo

The weather was ideal and we were able to walk around in shorts and t-shirts shopping and sightseeing in town. Many of the parks and public areas of the town have these huge limestone slab formations that were fun to climb around.

Jon and I took the chance to climb Mount Baldy, an unusual hike that is simply 218 rock stairs. The lookout at the top is a 360 view of Hill Country, which was beautiful and also a testament to how flat Texas actually is. We are in Hill Country and the "mountain' is 218 steps and allows for a complete 360 degree view of the area. 

We got a little taste of the Christmas spirit by attending the EmilyAnn Theatre Trail of Lights. This display was precious, so many different shops and people from town constructed their own sponsored light exhibit. It was free, self-guided and only 10 minutes away from where we stayed.

We left Wimberley on Christmas Eve morning, planning to get home in time for an easy dinner before the big night. We were SHOCKED to see that Uncle Chris had flown in as a surprise! He pulled it off without another soul knowing what he was planning. We were so excited to have him join in on the Christmas celebration! Santa came early for us this year!!

It was such a treat to have Grammy and Papa Mas here with us for Christmas. We got to show off Texas in it's finest hour (winter) and spread a little more joy under the Christmas tree. Merry Christmas!!

You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown

Alex began his middle school career with a bang! After waiting for the scripts to arrive, the fantastic theater teacher at his school made the tough decision to reduce the cast but still perform "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" going from auditions to showtime in under 8 weeks! We are so proud and happy to be the parents of our own sweet Charlie Brown. In a roll that was a perfect match, Alex slayed as the down-on-his-luck tender-hearted blockhead.

After Gretchen's incredibly positive experience at the junior high school, we were so glad to be back in the mix with our second middle schooler. Theater has been such a positive experience in my life, both as student and now as a parent, and I am so pleased to live vicariously through my children who are naturals on stage. 

These brave 6th and 7th graders put on a heartwarming performance, and showed everyone that hard work and determination can make amazing things happen even in a short period of time. 

We were lucky enough to have special visitors travel in to see Alex perform. They may have also been enticed by the promise of Tejas Chocolate and BBQ, a fantastic Tomball BBQ spot that never disappoints. We ordered the dinosaur beef ribs. And one of everything else on the menu. As usual. 

The gigantic rib bones make fun (ridiculous) photo props. Big Tom and Alex battled it out for the last rib. 

We had every reason to celebrate; a lead role cast on his first audition ever, Uncle Ted and Big Tom coming in for the weekend and the kind of weather that makes you want to live in Texas in December. You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown!!

Thanksgiving on Turks & Caicos

 This Thanksgiving we have had planned for nearly two years. In celebration of both the Thanksgiving holiday and Thom and Lornie's FIFTIETH wedding anniversary, the entire Gill family spent the better part of a week in Turks & Caicos at a Beaches all inclusive resort. With this size crew and 5 self-sufficient kids, we were able to spread out and take advantage of many of the resort offerings. 

First and foremost, unlimited frozen yogurt, pina coladas and/or strawberry daiquiris. Countless. First it was a novelty, then it became a challenge from Aunt Kyra to go a WHOLE DAY without drinking a sugary beverage. That took a lot of willpower, but a few of the kids went one or even two days without. 

Gran and Poppa were thoroughly generous and indulged the grandkids every request. Sparkle tattoo? Yes. Fancy braids? Yes. Build-A-Bear? Yes. There could be no complaining that anyone needed something to do. 

My personal favorite "yes" was clear bottom kayaking with sea turtles. Alex, Graham, Kyra and I paired off for an excursion with our guide, Byron. It was very low impact kayaking, he towed the whole group, tethered together in a long snake, out to a mangrove "island" and once we were safely shielded from the ocean current, we paddled around dozens of beautiful sea turtles. The water was beautiful and clear, when the turtles surfaced to breathe they sounded like little whales! I adored it!

We had additional adventures riding horses on the beach, going parasailing and tubing on a huge water couch! The beach was soft and clean, and the oversized hot tub was an evening favorite with the kids. We had a really great week with beautiful weather and great company, and lots of experiences to remember for years to come!

Just to top off the week, we had one final adventure, this one was no less exciting, but a lot less fun. We had the terrible luck to fly through Chicago for a connection to Houston and we arrived along with a full-fledged snow storm. We ended up staying the night, more accurately, we stayed the morning - checking into our hotel at 1:15am and leaving for the next days plane adventures at 8:30am. We were thoroughly unprepared, with the boys wearing crocs, Graham and I wearing shorts and not a jacket to be seen. Chicago ended up getting 10 inches of snow that day/night and while it was at first exciting and magical (none of the kids had seen that much snow before), it became frigid, exhausting and uncomfortable very quickly when we had to be outside. We made it through, got home late the next day via Ft. Meyers, FL and after 35 hours of travel we were very excited to sleep in our own beds. 

It all comes with traveling, the highs and the lows, we were safe and together and we all made it home in one piece. Happy Thanksgiving and thank you to the Gill Family for a wonderful island vacation. 

The Yukon

The most interesting baggage claim display

The opportunity came up this summer for me to join my in-laws and SIL Kyra on a trip to visit Aunt Missy in Whitehorse, Canada. Waaaaaay up in the Yukon. A trip to somewhere I've never been, complete with days of organizing and decluttering and the hope of seeing a moose; how could I miss out?? Passport ready, jacket packed (even in July) and it was off to Whitehorse via Vancouver. 

We visited Aunt Missy's apartment and were able to all stay in apartments of our own on the first floor. The place is really nice, with coffee and snacks available all day, an in-house restaurant available for meals, activities, events and excursions available if you're interested. We met the unofficial Normandy doorman, Keith, a resident who was friendly and knowledgeable in everyone's affairs, but not much of a photographer. 

The area is beautiful. Mountains and rivers everywhere, some retained a hint of snow in the shaded valleys or tip top peaks. The water shone every shade of blue and green and somehow the sky seemed bigger and more complex. It's the kind of landscape that reminds a person how small we really are. 

We visited Aunt Missy's cabin, a remote place where she lived, mostly alone, for decades. Without running water, heat or indoor plumbing, but with the luxury of lakefront beach property, a quiet that is rarely found and neighbors that become family. It is not a life I can imagine for myself, but I can't deny the beauty and solace that it could bring. Unfortunately, we brought the wrong key and spent a few moments of panic after over an hour's drive to get there. Fortunately, there's a low crime rate, and the kitchen window was left unlocked so I was able to crawl in and unlock the door from the inside.  

Carcross, YT

We stopped at another small town, Carcross, on the way, and were surprised to see that it was some kind of a tour stop busting at the seams with people! This tiny spot on a map was poppin' with tourists! We got in just before the rush, took some photos, ate lunch, shopped around the moose and bear-themed trinkets and continued on our way. 

Helpful. Accurate.

I was surprised by the number of good restaurants available in little Whitehorse. We tried most of them, but returned several times to Big Bear Eatery and Taphouse. A self-described "steam-punk meets tropical vacation", this place offered good food, great service and a strong strange vibe. I think we ate here three separate times. It was first recommended by Emma and Molly, two of the nicest people you could meet. They have been Missy's kids, grandkids, friends and advocates since they were born. They helped us navigate the town and many of the resources necessary to ensure Missy's best interests are kept complete. They recommended Big Bear because we were still able to catch their great Happy Hour that begins at THREE OCLOCK. My kinda place. That and this emergency sign that is the first thing you see when you enter. 

The glass studio in town

Street art celebrating First Nations culture

The sunset from my apartment window. This was 11:15pm

Our final excursion was to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve. We saw all kinds of incredible animals in this preservation and rehabilitation center; fox, lynx, caribou, bison, muskox, mountain goats and MOOSE! There were also arctic ground squirrels EVERYWHERE. I thought they were prairie dogs, and they were a blast to watch, but arctic ground squirrels are a different breed and living in abundance at the Preserve. 

A windy waterway walk with Missy's lifelong friend Gail

I had an exciting trip home with an unexpected overnight in Vancouver and stop through Los Angeles. Thankfully Timmys had me covered in the morning before my eventual flight back home. What a place, what a trip, there were some luggage fails and itinerary surprises, but it was a really good time with really great people. Now, I'll put away that jacket until February.