Vows renewal on Island Princess

[LadyLeo84]

My husband and I will celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary on June 27th while aboard the Island. We would like to renew our vows on the ship, but I have heard that the captain does them as a "group" ceremony at his convenience. Is this true? We would really like to do ours on our actual anniversary. If anyone has any info or suggestions, I would appreciate it!

[mauiedin87]

No, the captain does not do this as a group thing, except maybe on Valentine's Day. We did it 2 years ago for our 20th on the Island Princess to Hawaii. It was at 5 pm, just before the first formal night, not on our actual anniversary date. The captain went directly to the Captain's Reception right afterwards. Anyway, it was just us and our 4 travel companions. Emotional and beautifully done and worth absolutely every cent:)

[LadyLeo84]

No, the captain does not do this as a group thing, except maybe on Valentine's Day. We did it 2 years ago for our 20th on the Island Princess to Hawaii. It was at 5 pm, just before the first formal night, not on our actual anniversary date. The captain went directly to the Captain's Reception right afterwards. Anyway, it was just us and our 4 travel companions. Emotional and beautifully done and worth absolutely every cent:)

 

Thank you! I feel much better that it will be just us and not a group ceremony. I'm not sure what nights are the formal nights on our cruise, but just hoping that we will get lucky and it will be our anniversary if we can't book the day that we want. Do you know what the customary amount of $ is for the captain over and above the "vow renewal package"?

[mauiedin87]

We did not pay the Captain anything above and beyond the package price which was around $200. Never even crossed my mind that we should have!? Incidentally, the ship's photographer (part of the package) did a fabulous and professional job. We treasure those photos. And BTW, my orchid bouquet lasted the entire 2 week cruise so we always had a pretty bouquet to look at...

[LadyLeo84]

It certainly sounds like Princess does go the extra mile to make this day very special! I am just so happy to hear that it's not as non-personal as it seemed it would be. Do they do the ceremony in the wedding chapel or are you able to choose what part of the ship you would like? As far as the captain goes . . . I just wasn't sure if we were supposed to pay him separately from what the ship charges for the vow renewal package . . . Just wanted to make sure that we do the right thing.

[mauiedin87]

Yes, the ceremony is in the wedding chapel and it's great for people at home to be able to watch it on the "wedding cam" which is ceiling-mounted right behind where the captain stands. In fact, it was by watching some other peoples' vow renewals that I got an idea as to what to wear. I found a while chiffon skirt (tea length), an ice blue sparkly crochet top (from SteinMart) and white espadrilles. DH wore a dark suit and had a white rose boutonniere. Yes, Princess does a very very nice job on those ceremonies. We arranged it on-line a couple of months ahead of time and it ran very smoothly.:)

[LadyLeo84]

Mauiedin, you have been so helpful and I really appreciate it a lot! I just went online and got everything set up, so we're ready for the big day (except for shopping of course!).

Happy sailing on the Golden on April 1st.

[W5KAP]

Mauiedin, you have been so helpful and I really appreciate it a lot! I just went online and got everything set up, so we're ready for the big day (except for shopping of course!).

Happy sailing on the Golden on April 1st.

 

I know we spoke of us being on the NB 22 June sailing and you coming back down. It is our 40th as well. Just curious what the actual date for you guys is. Our actual date is 14 June. Congrats on the 40th. We will warm up the ship for you and get rid of all the State Birds (mosquitos)

 

Cheers, Kenn

[LadyLeo84]

Hi Kenn;

We'll also be on the North-bound 6-22 cruise. Our anniversary is on June 27th, so we are hoping to be able to have the vow renewal ceremony on that day. We'll be cruising through Glacier Bay on the 27th, so not sure. Do you know which nights are the formal nights on this cruise?

Congratulations to you two as well!! The time has passed so fast for us that it just doesn't seem like we were married 40 years ago!

Trudy

[W5KAP]

Hi Kenn;

We'll also be on the North-bound 6-22 cruise. Our anniversary is on June 27th, so we are hoping to be able to have the vow renewal ceremony on that day. We'll be cruising through Glacier Bay on the 27th, so not sure. Do you know which nights are the formal nights on this cruise?

Congratulations to you two as well!! The time has passed so fast for us that it just doesn't seem like we were married 40 years ago!

Trudy

 

Trudy, obviously I am getting old and forgetful eh!! Now I remember you guys are actually on the ship with us. I have been reading so many of these forums, they start to blend together after awhile. Congrats on the 27th of June. From what I have read on these boards, I can't tell on which days they do the renewals. Our youngest and his wife are celebrating 10 years in May so maybe they will joing us in the renewals. Usually the Formal nights are nights 2 and 5. I am pretty sure the second night is formal. Wouldn't the Glaciers in the background make a wonderful backdrop for a renewal picture!! I totally concur on the time flying by. I can remeber getting married like it was yesterday. Of course our oldest is turning 39 this year so I guess it has been awhile. Remind me again which cabin you guys are in. I think a bottle or glass of wine is certainly in order!!

 

Cheers, Kenn

[LadyLeo84]

Trudy, obviously I am getting old and forgetful eh!! Now I remember you guys are actually on the ship with us. I have been reading so many of these forums, they start to blend together after awhile. Congrats on the 27th of June. From what I have read on these boards, I can't tell on which days they do the renewals. Our youngest and his wife are celebrating 10 years in May so maybe they will joing us in the renewals. Usually the Formal nights are nights 2 and 5. I am pretty sure the second night is formal. Wouldn't the Glaciers in the background make a wonderful backdrop for a renewal picture!! I totally concur on the time flying by. I can remeber getting married like it was yesterday. Of course our oldest is turning 39 this year so I guess it has been awhile. Remind me again which cabin you guys are in. I think a bottle or glass of wine is certainly in order!!

 

Cheers, Kenn

 

 

Hi Kenn;

I know what you mean about the forums all blending together after reading so many! But it's so much fun. I've read a couple more posts about the renewals and it seems as though they're usually done on a formal night that's also a "sea day". I'm still hoping that I can talk someone into doing the renewals on the 27th. That's really great that your sons will be on the cruise with you for your celebration.

Getting together for a drink to celebrate would be great! We all have something pretty special to be proud of. We will be in cabin B229. Not sure how we're going to like being so far forward, as we almost always book an aft cabin. We just booked ours about a week or so ago and was told that they didn't have many of the mini-suites left on the starboard side (at least one that the balcony was covered). I know that you had mentioned your cabin number in another thread, but please remind me, too.

Trudy

[W5KAP]

 

Hi Kenn;

I know what you mean about the forums all blending together after reading so many! But it's so much fun. I've read a couple more posts about the renewals and it seems as though they're usually done on a formal night that's also a "sea day". I'm still hoping that I can talk someone into doing the renewals on the 27th. That's really great that your sons will be on the cruise with you for your celebration.

Getting together for a drink to celebrate would be great! We all have something pretty special to be proud of. We will be in cabin B229. Not sure how we're going to like being so far forward, as we almost always book an aft cabin. We just booked ours about a week or so ago and was told that they didn't have many of the mini-suites left on the starboard side (at least one that the balcony was covered). I know that you had mentioned your cabin number in another thread, but please remind me, too.

Trudy

 

Good morning Trudy, I sure hope they let you do the renewal on the exact date. This is one of those things you would think they could make happen. They are, after all, in the business of making dreams come true. Since ours is on the 14th I knew we would not be able to do it on the exact date.

 

We booked several months ago and I knew we wanted to be on the starboard side of the ship. But our oldest son is a Missile Officer in Montana and he is being transferred to Colorado Springs about 6 weeks before we sail and has trainig to attend. So we thought he could not go. well, he spoke directly with his new Squadron Commander and she said "by all means, go along." By that time all the mini's on the Dolphin deck on the starboard side were gone. We got the last mini for them (D-718) on the port side. The covered deck is important to us since we know it rains a lot in southern AK. I wish I could tell you I was that smart in chosing the cabins but as it turns out, our TA was. We have never traveled so far aft but I suspect we will like it back there especially with the aft "private" balcony. A drink would be wonderful. We are "people" folks and we love meeting new people form all over. Once we get closer to sailing we can make plans on where and when to meet up. Gotta figure out how many bottles of wine we can get in our luggage to bring on board. I am hoping our kids will help us with this effort. I know we don't want to have to buy too much in Vancouver as I already know how expensive booze is in Canada. Have you all picked out your shore excursions yet? I don't know how many we are going to do since we will have the Grandson with us but I love to explore so I have a hunch we won't be just sitting on the boat.

 

Have a great day. Oh, we are in D-717 (almost forgot):)

 

Cheers, Kenn

[flhokie]

Yes, the ceremony is in the wedding chapel and it's great for people at home to be able to watch it on the "wedding cam" which is ceiling-mounted right behind where the captain stands. In fact, it was by watching some other peoples' vow renewals that I got an idea as to what to wear. I found a while chiffon skirt (tea length), an ice blue sparkly crochet top (from SteinMart) and white espadrilles. DH wore a dark suit and had a white rose boutonniere. Yes, Princess does a very very nice job on those ceremonies. We arranged it on-line a couple of months ahead of time and it ran very smoothly.:)

 

Make sure to ask about the webcam and a possible release form. We got married at sea on the Grand (in the chapel). In order to have the webcam turned on we had to sign a release form once we were on board.

[LadyLeo84]

Good morning Trudy, I sure hope they let you do the renewal on the exact date. This is one of those things you would think they could make happen. They are, after all, in the business of making dreams come true. Since ours is on the 14th I knew we would not be able to do it on the exact date.

 

We booked several months ago and I knew we wanted to be on the starboard side of the ship. But our oldest son is a Missile Officer in Montana and he is being transferred to Colorado Springs about 6 weeks before we sail and has trainig to attend. So we thought he could not go. well, he spoke directly with his new Squadron Commander and she said "by all means, go along." By that time all the mini's on the Dolphin deck on the starboard side were gone. We got the last mini for them (D-718) on the port side. The covered deck is important to us since we know it rains a lot in southern AK. I wish I could tell you I was that smart in chosing the cabins but as it turns out, our TA was. We have never traveled so far aft but I suspect we will like it back there especially with the aft "private" balcony. A drink would be wonderful. We are "people" folks and we love meeting new people form all over. Once we get closer to sailing we can make plans on where and when to meet up. Gotta figure out how many bottles of wine we can get in our luggage to bring on board. I am hoping our kids will help us with this effort. I know we don't want to have to buy too much in Vancouver as I already know how expensive booze is in Canada. Have you all picked out your shore excursions yet? I don't know how many we are going to do since we will have the Grandson with us but I love to explore so I have a hunch we won't be just sitting on the boat.

 

Have a great day. Oh, we are in D-717 (almost forgot):)

 

Cheers, Kenn

 

 

 

 

Hi Kenn;

How great that is that you will have both of your sons with you on the ship!!! I wish that we could have all of our family there also, but just can't make that happen - there's too many of them. Even though we just have 2 grown children (daughter - 38 and son - 36), they are both married and we have 8 grandkids. Of course, I couldn't think of leaving my Mom out either.

 

I am just so excited about this cruise and land tour! I have been to Alaska once before about 2 years ago when I took my Mom on a 7 day RTcruise out of Seattle. I just loved it and have wanted to go back ever since that trip. My husband has never been there and has ideas that there's only ice and snow! He's had so many people tell him how beautiful it is, so now he's really looking forward to going. In fact, it was his idea to go to Alaska for our anniversary. We have not yet decided where to go on our excursions, but I know we will definitely be doing something at each port. I have forgotten, are you on the same land tour that we are? Ours is WA5.

 

Yes, I agree that when the time gets closer, we should pick a place for all of us to meet for a drink. Do you know if there will be a meet and greet with other cruise critic members? It is so much fun to finally meet the people that you have been "talking" with about the cruise.

 

Trudy

[LadyLeo84]

Make sure to ask about the webcam and a possible release form. We got married at sea on the Grand (in the chapel). In order to have the webcam turned on we had to sign a release form once we were on board.

 

Thanks for the "heads up" regarding the webcam! Did you get a DVD of your ceremony?

 

Trudy

[W5KAP]

Trudy, I forgot to answer your question on which cruise tour we are on. I believe ours is the GA5. 2 nights at Denali, 1 in the Park and 2 in Fairbanks. Wher do you guys get to go??

 

Kenn

[LadyLeo84]

Trudy, I forgot to answer your question on which cruise tour we are on. I believe ours is the GA5. 2 nights at Denali, 1 in the Park and 2 in Fairbanks. Wher do you guys get to go??

 

Kenn

 

Good morning Kenn;

On our land tour we have 2 nights Mckinley, 1 night Denali, 1 night Fairbanks and then after the flight back to Seattle, we have 1 night in Seattle.

We are arriving a couple of days early in Seattle to see the sights before the cruise. Our cruise/tour actually starts in Seattle at the airport on the 22nd. We all have to meet at the airport and then take a bus to Vancouver. That sounded okay until I found out (just a couple of days ago) that the bus ride is 4-4 1/2 hours to Vancouver and we don't leave Sea-Tac until 11:00 am :eek: I'm sure everything will be okay, but we usually like to get on aboard as early as we can, eat a leisurely lunch, and then look around and explore the ship before it leaves the port.

[W5KAP]

Good morning Kenn;

On our land tour we have 2 nights Mckinley, 1 night Denali, 1 night Fairbanks and then after the flight back to Seattle, we have 1 night in Seattle.

We are arriving a couple of days early in Seattle to see the sights before the cruise. Our cruise/tour actually starts in Seattle at the airport on the 22nd. We all have to meet at the airport and then take a bus to Vancouver. That sounded okay until I found out (just a couple of days ago) that the bus ride is 4-4 1/2 hours to Vancouver and we don't leave Sea-Tac until 11:00 am :eek: I'm sure everything will be okay, but we usually like to get on aboard as early as we can, eat a leisurely lunch, and then look around and explore the ship before it leaves the port.

 

Morning (guess it's afternoon now). Boy, that sounds exactly like our itinerary except for the Seattle part. Oh, now I see. We have one more night in Fairbanks for some reason. OK by me. However long I can extend a vacation, I am very willing to do that!! I remember reading that you guys were going in to Seattle. Did that save you money vice flying directly into Vancouver? We might have done what you're doing had we known we could do it. And how the heck does a bus ride from Seattle to Vancouver take 4 1/2 hours?? Wow, ar ethey going via alt Lake City or something? You will obviously still make the ship but I'm with you on getting on board and getting settled and then having some food. We have never been on board Princess so we too would like a little time to explore the ship. I usually figure it all out about the day before we get off the ship!!:p Still, that's part of the fun! I don't envy you the bus ride if it takes that long. We travelled a lot by train in Europe and all of us are really excited about the train travel to the interior. That's half the fun! Plus I am not good at sitting around and relaxing though I try to be. I really want to experience everything so I sometimes run the family ragged trying to get everything in in one fell swoop. Our cruise over New Years was a training one for me to try and just relax. I did really well until I got really sick. Then I had no choice:rolleyes:

 

Anyhow, please stay in touch. You an your hubby have a great weekend. I will probably be lurking on the boards on Sunday.

 

Cheers, Kenn

[LadyLeo84]

Morning (guess it's afternoon now). Boy, that sounds exactly like our itinerary except for the Seattle part. Oh, now I see. We have one more night in Fairbanks for some reason. OK by me. However long I can extend a vacation, I am very willing to do that!! I remember reading that you guys were going in to Seattle. Did that save you money vice flying directly into Vancouver? We might have done what you're doing had we known we could do it. And how the heck does a bus ride from Seattle to Vancouver take 4 1/2 hours?? Wow, ar ethey going via alt Lake City or something? You will obviously still make the ship but I'm with you on getting on board and getting settled and then having some food. We have never been on board Princess so we too would like a little time to explore the ship. I usually figure it all out about the day before we get off the ship!!:p Still, that's part of the fun! I don't envy you the bus ride if it takes that long. We travelled a lot by train in Europe and all of us are really excited about the train travel to the interior. That's half the fun! Plus I am not good at sitting around and relaxing though I try to be. I really want to experience everything so I sometimes run the family ragged trying to get everything in in one fell swoop. Our cruise over New Years was a training one for me to try and just relax. I did really well until I got really sick. Then I had no choice:rolleyes:

 

Anyhow, please stay in touch. You an your hubby have a great weekend. I will probably be lurking on the boards on Sunday.

 

Cheers, Kenn

 

 

 

Hi Kenn;

Our travel agent suggested the land tour that we are taking. That way, we only have to pay for a round trip ticket to Seattle and back. Our flight from Fairbanks to Seattle and the hotel in Seattle on the last night are all included in the package price. After the cruise, it seems like our land tours are almost the same until we get to Denali.

 

Kenn, I'm with you, after looking at the mileage between Seattle and Vancouver, I can't figure out how they can possibly take 4 to 4-1/2 hours to go that distance. Maybe they're figuring in extra time in case of traffic or taking the scenic route or? :confused: I just wished that they would have left the Sea-Tac earlier than 11am. They were requesting that everyone's flights needed to arrive no later than 10am that day. I know that we couldn't get a flight that arrived before 10am on the 22nd (nor would I want to take that risk in case of flight delays, etc.). Anyway, I know that we're going to have a really great time on this trip!!!

 

After reading threads from the Alaska board, I realized that we just might need something extra to wear in case it rains - like a waterproof jacket, etc. We live in the Phoenix area, so we just don't have to think about that type of thing. My next thought was - okay, it's almost Spring here, where am I going to find ANY type of jacket, let alone a waterproof one? I'll probably have to look online and just see what's out there.

 

I know what you mean in wanting to experience everything there is to do when you go somewhere. I'm that way, too. I want to see it and do it all, as you never know when or if you will get to go to that place again and I don't want to miss anything. I usually like to research each port & read CC to see what there is to see. My husband is more laid back than me, so he sometimes says that he needs a vacation from the vacation. I can't ever just totally relax when we go somewhere anyway, as we own our own business and so I'm constantly thinking about what's going on back home. We have another couple who takes care of things for us when we go, but it's always in the back of our minds.

 

Yes, let's do stay in touch. Hope that you and your wife are having a great weekend!!

 

Only 104 more days until we sail!!!

 

Trudy

[W5KAP]

 

Hi Kenn;

Our travel agent suggested the land tour that we are taking. That way, we only have to pay for a round trip ticket to Seattle and back. Our flight from Fairbanks to Seattle and the hotel in Seattle on the last night are all included in the package price. After the cruise, it seems like our land tours are almost the same until we get to Denali.

 

Kenn, I'm with you, after looking at the mileage between Seattle and Vancouver, I can't figure out how they can possibly take 4 to 4-1/2 hours to go that distance. Maybe they're figuring in extra time in case of traffic or taking the scenic route or? :confused: I just wished that they would have left the Sea-Tac earlier than 11am. They were requesting that everyone's flights needed to arrive no later than 10am that day. I know that we couldn't get a flight that arrived before 10am on the 22nd (nor would I want to take that risk in case of flight delays, etc.). Anyway, I know that we're going to have a really great time on this trip!!!

 

After reading threads from the Alaska board, I realized that we just might need something extra to wear in case it rains - like a waterproof jacket, etc. We live in the Phoenix area, so we just don't have to think about that type of thing. My next thought was - okay, it's almost Spring here, where am I going to find ANY type of jacket, let alone a waterproof one? I'll probably have to look online and just see what's out there.

 

I know what you mean in wanting to experience everything there is to do when you go somewhere. I'm that way, too. I want to see it and do it all, as you never know when or if you will get to go to that place again and I don't want to miss anything. I usually like to research each port & read CC to see what there is to see. My husband is more laid back than me, so he sometimes says that he needs a vacation from the vacation. I can't ever just totally relax when we go somewhere anyway, as we own our own business and so I'm constantly thinking about what's going on back home. We have another couple who takes care of things for us when we go, but it's always in the back of our minds.

 

Yes, let's do stay in touch. Hope that you and your wife are having a great weekend!!

 

Only 104 more days until we sail!!!

 

Trudy

''

 

Afternoon Trudy, great hearing from you today. Yes Spring has sprung down here too. Yesterday and today were spent in the yard cutting grass, trimming trees and pruning bushes etc. I am not lying when I say I am pooped. And every part of me is sore. I need to go back to work tomorrow to get some rest:p.

 

I can surely see why you chose the itinierary you did. I think I was just trying to maximze eveything. You are sure correct about the air fares. We lucked out in that we fly NWA a lot since our son is in MT. So we traded in 20k miles and got our open jaw tickets (Austin to YVR and Fairbanks to AUS) for $199. We helped our youngest out and his were right around $650 each. Since we saved a bunch of money we just took the total and split it two ways, that way they get a bargin as well.

 

I still wonder why it would tke so long to get to VYR as well from SEA. Are they maybe picking some folks up along the way. There isn't too much between the two cities though from what I can see.

 

We have been in your area a couple of times. About three years ago we did a week at the Sheraton Desert Inn in Scottsdale. I love the area but my better half hates the desert. I happen to think it's gorgeous. We went in early October and it was nice. Scottsdale is beautiful and you can sure tell there is some money in that town. We did the obligatory run up to the canyon and did Flagstaff as well. The older I get the more I like the inter-moutain west. Too bad most of the places get so cold! Other than AK, we are done doing cold. Just found out my DSIL and her hubby are coming for a vist at the end of the month from cold, wet WI. We will take them up to Fredricksburg and do some wine sampling and hit our favorite German restaurant. Then we stay in the cutest little B&B you have ever seen. Taking the pooch to the kennel so she can get used to it before we leave her there for the two weeks we are on the road to AK.

 

On the clothes thing, I have a pullover that I use when golfing in the cooler weather and it happens to be waterproof so I got lucky. It is so hard to know waht to pack as it actually can get pretty hot up there in the summer but you never know when that might happen. In looking at pics and videos you can see folks who got both and sometimes in the same trip.

 

Roger on the business thing. I can understand how you need to be always thinking especially in these times. I am training a young Airman to help me so he should be up to speed by the time we leave. I promise not to even think about work unti I get back. And luckily for us the 6th of July is when the 4th is being celebrated formally for vacation purposes in the DoD so I will have one extra day to recoup.

 

You and your hubby have a great evening. I am gonna go crash for a little while!! Talk to you tomorrow if you are around

 

Cheers, kenn & Karen

[LadyLeo84]

Hi Kenn;

Hope that you had a great weekend and got to do something fun besides just doing all of that yard work! It's no wonder that you hurt everywhere. I can't even imagine doing what you did. Pretty much all of our yard is desert, so there's not much to maintain, except for trimming a bush here or there a couple of times a year.

 

Wow, what a great price you got your airline tickets for. You said that you had to use miles, but, hey that's what they're there for. Ours were $212 RT pp and I thought that we got a good buy. It's great that you could help your kids out so that they could join you and your wife and help you celebrate your anniversary. I wish we could have done that, but there's just too many of us - 15 including our 2 kids, their 8 kids and my Mom. Whew!! What a bill that would have been. Besides, it probably would have been a little chaotic to say to the least. Our kids, grandkids and my Mom all live within a few miles from us, so we get to see them quite often anyway. Where does your son live in Montana? Our son-in-law, whose name is Kenneth, is also from there. He was born in Eureka and lived in the Kalispell area. His sister still lives in Kalispell and his Aunt lives in Cut Bank.

 

Glad to hear that you liked it when you visited Scottsdale. You came at the perfect time of year, as the weather is just beautiful in October. We also have that same perfect type of weather here in March and April. I have lived here since I was 4 years old and don't care for cold weather at all. I can't even imagine living where it snows and the temperatures fall below freezing on a regular basis in the winter. I'm sorry to hear that your wife doesn't like it here in the southwest desert. I've had other people from the midwest say that they don't care for it either because there's no greenery and everything looks dead.

 

Lucky you! You get a couple of days to relax when you get back home from vacation. I'm sure that one or both of us will be on the phone when the plane touches down in Phoenix. We try and do a couple of cruises a year so that we can get away, have some time to have fun and think about something else besides business.

 

Have you and your family looked at the excursions yet? I've looked through them, but we haven't made any decisions on which ones we'd like to do yet. There's so much to see and do and so little time to do it all. My husband usually doesn't get too involved in picking the excursions out as he's always happy with whatever we do.

 

Hope that you had a nice evening! Mondays are usually crazy for me, so most generally, I don't get to sit down and relax (read CC) until later in the evening.

 

Trudy

[W5KAP]

Hi Kenn;

Hope that you had a great weekend and got to do something fun besides just doing all of that yard work! It's no wonder that you hurt everywhere. I can't even imagine doing what you did. Pretty much all of our yard is desert, so there's not much to maintain, except for trimming a bush here or there a couple of times a year.

 

Wow, what a great price you got your airline tickets for. You said that you had to use miles, but, hey that's what they're there for. Ours were $212 RT pp and I thought that we got a good buy. It's great that you could help your kids out so that they could join you and your wife and help you celebrate your anniversary. I wish we could have done that, but there's just too many of us - 15 including our 2 kids, their 8 kids and my Mom. Whew!! What a bill that would have been. Besides, it probably would have been a little chaotic to say to the least. Our kids, grandkids and my Mom all live within a few miles from us, so we get to see them quite often anyway. Where does your son live in Montana? Our son-in-law, whose name is Kenneth, is also from there. He was born in Eureka and lived in the Kalispell area. His sister still lives in Kalispell and his Aunt lives in Cut Bank.

 

Glad to hear that you liked it when you visited Scottsdale. You came at the perfect time of year, as the weather is just beautiful in October. We also have that same perfect type of weather here in March and April. I have lived here since I was 4 years old and don't care for cold weather at all. I can't even imagine living where it snows and the temperatures fall below freezing on a regular basis in the winter. I'm sorry to hear that your wife doesn't like it here in the southwest desert. I've had other people from the midwest say that they don't care for it either because there's no greenery and everything looks dead.

 

Lucky you! You get a couple of days to relax when you get back home from vacation. I'm sure that one or both of us will be on the phone when the plane touches down in Phoenix. We try and do a couple of cruises a year so that we can get away, have some time to have fun and think about something else besides business.

 

Have you and your family looked at the excursions yet? I've looked through them, but we haven't made any decisions on which ones we'd like to do yet. There's so much to see and do and so little time to do it all. My husband usually doesn't get too involved in picking the excursions out as he's always happy with whatever we do.

 

Hope that you had a nice evening! Mondays are usually crazy for me, so most generally, I don't get to sit down and relax (read CC) until later in the evening.

 

Trudy

 

Good Morning Trudy, no I really did just work this weekend. We usually have one or two of those "work your butt off" weekends per year. I went to the gym yesterday after work and it actually helped work the kinks out. I have quarter sized blisters in the palms of both hands from pushing the mower through our thick Zosia grass. I hadn't intended to cut the lawn by hand but I did. Not a smart move. I have a riding mower but this was a case of "well, just a little bit here and there". Your Xeriscape yards are nice. And certainly nearly maintenance free. When we built or dream house 18 months ago, we made it maitenance free as best we could. All brick and rock exterior etc. Ahh but then there is the yard and we are on an acre. Lots of trees and not all cultivated lawn but enough to keep us busy.

 

Our oldest sone lives in Great Falls MT but only for about another month or so. He has been reassigned to Colorado Springs. I love the Kalispell area. In fact Whitefish (just down the road) is gorgeous. Have been to Cut Bank and let's just say, I am glad I don't live there. Kevin and his wife just closed on a nice brand new house in COS. So my wife is flying out around the first of April to help them set up (Kevin will return to Great Falls after 2 days to complete out-processing). He has 16 years in in the AF so he can see retirement right down the road. It's hard to believe I have been retired from active duty for over 16 years now. Still working of course. We are excited about them moving to COS as it is a lot closer and esier to get to so we can visit them and our only grand child. That's why Karen is so excited they are coming with us on the cruise. She gets to see Konner for 2 whole weeks. Me too!!

 

We know cold weather. I was born and raised in Chicago and Karen is from Madison, WI. We met at the University of Wisconsin. When I was coming back from Korea in 1988 I had a choice of going to San Antonio or COS. I chose SAT as I liked the job better and I simply love SAT. Karen was not amused as she had been to COS and liked it there. Of course, once she got down here, she understood why I chose it instead of COS. And we have happily been here for over 20 years now. We can't do cold at all anymore. When it gets 50 I bring out the sweatshirts!!

 

It must be nice to have all your family togther in one place. we are spread out around the country but it is a life style we all chose by being military. Both of my folks are gone now so I really have no reason to go back to Illinois. Of course Karen has 4 brothers in WI and MN so we do go up there but only in the Summer:D

 

I have been looking at excurions too but nothing has jumped up and bit me yet. I am thinking we will do mosty walking tours of Ketchikan and Skagway. In Juneau we will take a city bus to Mendenhall Glacier and walk around out there for awhile. If is is clear, we will take the Mt Roberts tram. I am tryng to light on the side trips as I know the kids will want to pay for their own and they are all on more limited budgets than we are. In Skagway, we are thinking of maybe taking Harv and Marv on a whale watching trip. We went in Maui last Spring and realy enjoyed it so maybe one more time. Other than that I can't think of any trips. What about you guys??

 

Mondays are easy for me. In this case I had too come back to work to get some rest:eek: Can you say what type of busness you are in??

 

Gotta go do some work for now If you would like to take this thread offline here is my work email kenn.paulini@rs.af.mil

 

Cheers and have a wonderful Tuesday

 

Kenn