Elite Cup Champions!!

There is nothing like getting back into the swing of things with a midnight return home and then 3 soccer games the next day. We were sorry to miss our 3-0 win on Saturday to FC Murrieta Black, but Taylor was more than ready for the first game Sunday morning at 10:20. It was a hard-fought battle against Legends FC, but we won 1-0 on Jenna J's penalty kick!
We returned to the field for a 4:20 game against Hawks Black...a team we practice with and scrimmage often. It was unbearably hot and our girls started off a little rough, maybe some intimidation, but within about 10 minutes they came out of their shell and we pulled off a HUGE 2-0 win! Taylor scored a beauty off of Jenna's cross and Taylor Capuzzi also put one in and we were on to the Championship!
Luckily, it was an 8:20 game under the lights and much cooler. We played FC Murrieta Blue...a team we played several times last season. Although this year they picked up some additional players and were a much tougher team. Lauren and Maylie both scored on rockets to the left side of the net and we held a 2-0 lead until close to the end. Unfortunately, Natalie scored for Murrieta, which caused our girls to panic a little. We held it together until the final whistle and took home the Elite Cup Championship with a 2-1 victory and a great team effort!!

Victoria, British Columbia

We reached our final destination at 7pm...Victoria, British Columbia. My parents, Matt and I have all been here before, but we were excited to show it off to the girls. By mid-afternoon today the sun had come out so it was perfect weather for walking the city. Lots of passengers chose to take horse-drawn tours or taxis, but we treked into town. It was nice to walk through some of the residential neighbors and see some of the local markets.

It didn't take long for the gorgeous green towers to come into view at Victoria's Parliament Building. The architecture is unbelievable and the grounds surrounding are immaculate.

My favorite spot is the Empress Hotel, just across the street from Parliament and right alongside the waterfront.

The Empress is most often known for High Tea, but we just spent time on the grounds and walking through the gift shop.

Unfortunately, these were the only Orcas we saw this week!

Cute little ferries and sea planes line the waterfront for tours and excursions.

We enjoyed shopping in the wharf shops and walking through the Farmer's Market, picking up a few last souveniers.

Where else could you find Darth Vader playing the violin?

The sunset on Victoria at about 9pm as we made our way back to the ship.

We arrived back at Ogden Point for one last time. We hated to say goodbye, but needed to get our bags packed so they could be in the hall by 11pm for disembarkation. We have a 7:50am disembarkation time tomorrow as we head back to Seattle and then home. It was a once-in-a-lifetime trip spent with family and friends and one we will never forget. THANK YOU Mom and Dad for taking us with you and allowing us to help you celebrate.

HAPPY 40th ANNIVERSARY!!

Ketchikan, Alaska

We arrived in Ketchikan early this morning to rain, rain and more rain, but we were nothing but excited for today's adventure...

ZIPLINING through the Tongass Rainforest, so rain was perfect!
This awesome vehicle took us on a 4x4 adventure through the forest and up to the equipment station.

We got all geared up with harnesses, helmets and gloves and were given the thumbs up to hit the course!

Allison was all smiles as we hiked to the first platform.

Our guides, Chris and Danny, demonstrated the proper Zipline and we all took our turn showing them we were ready on this mini zip.

Ready for the first real one and just a few nerves.

Taylor, Holden and Allison having the time of their lives. Unfortunately, Tanner didn't meet the weight requirement to join us, so Jenny took him to a Lumberjack show back in town.

Best buddies and a great way to celebrate turning 40!

After the 1st few ziplines, we balanced across this super cool suspension bridge to reach the higher platforms and the longer lines.

Waiting my turn on the platform for the biggest one of the day...90 feet high and 550 feet long!

Taylor landing safely!

Allison mid-ride, the rain making us go extra fast!

After the last of 7 ziplines, we repelled down the final platform and made our way down the mountain via this super fast and steep mountain slide. We each took turn riding down in burlap sacks so we wouldn't burn a hole through our pants as we came to an abrupt stop at the bottom!

Then Danny led us on a short hike back to our 4x4 vehicle. It was such a peaceful spot with a raging creek and overflowing greenery.

I think we all agreed this was the highlight of our week and something we can't wait to do again...maybe next time in Maui!

My only complaint about the day was we didn't have much time to see downtown Ketchikan since we left port at 12:30pm, but I would do this excursion all over again. I can cross one more thing off of my very long Bucket List!

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

Glacier Bay is 3.3 million acres of mountains, glaciers, forests and waterways and is one of the world's largest protected natural areas. Only a few vessels are permitted to enter each season to see some of the most impressive tidewater glaciers. Unfortunately, pictures can't begin to describe the experience of this magical place. The silence of the area and the sounds that result (birds flying, glaciers cracking, ice splashing...) are almost indescribable!

We spent about 4-5 hours scenic sailing at a snail's pace to view some of the most untouched land in the world. We listened and watched in awe as we moved through the bay. We had a perfect view from my parent's balcony and then moved up to the higher deck to listen to the National Park Rangers share facts about the area.

Margerie Glacier

The splash in the water was from a large piece of ice cracking, rolling off and crashing to the water below. The process is called calving and the sound was so intense. We could hear the initial crack and then it sounded like the loudest thunder as it broke away and crashed. AMAZING!

After sitting idle for some time, the ship slowly turned around so passengers on the other side could share the same view.

We then made our way down Johns Hopkins Inlet to the Lamplugh Glacier.

This stunning ship passed us along the way, with another hanging glacier in the background.By mid afternoon, we exited Glacier Bay to set sail towards Ketchikan. While we were on the deck looking for whales, we saw a National Park Service boat pull up right along side the Golden Princess and all 3 park rangers that had narrated our day's events climbed down a ladder and jumped onto the smaller vessel while both were still moving...pretty impressive!

Skagway, Alaska, British Columbia & The Yukon Territory

We docked at 7am in Skagway along with several other ships. We were off the boat early to meet our bus for an all-day excursion through Skagway, British Columbia and the Yukon Territory.

It was a foggy, windy ride up to White Pass and our first photo stop.

The 2 1/2 hour bus ride was gorgeous. We passed several lakes, drove through the Tongass National Forest and I loved the Tormented Valley, seen here.

2nd Stop...Tutshi Lake in British Columbia

Family photo in the Fireweed flowers

Our final photo stop before lunch was at Bove Island, Yukon Territory

The trees were huge, the water so blue and mountain ranges were a perfect backdrop!

Taylor throwing one more rock in the lake before getting back on the bus.

Our lunch destination was Caribou Crossing...a cute little village in the Yukon Territory.

We were a hungry crew so we made our way directly to the BBQ line for lunch.

We feasted on BBQ chicken, coleslaw, baked potatoes, rolls and all-you-can-eat donuts. The donuts were the reason we booked this specific excursion and they were well worth it!

We only had 1 1/2 hours in Caribou Crossing and the girls were dying to get their hands on the Husky Puppies used for the Iditarod sled races. This cutie was the youngest at 8 weeks old!

Each dog had its own box house and food bowl and loved any attention and treats they were given. Taylor loved Ozzy!

Which one of these guys doesn't belong? I think Duke was just around for the treats! It was fascinating to watch how crazy the dogs got when they saw the sleds. The barking was almost more than I could take, but they are born to do this and all wanted to be picked to go on the ride. I hated seeing the dogs all chained up, but they seemed to just want the opportunity to run.

Dave, Allison and the boys all took a shot at panning for gold. They all came up with a little to take home, but certainly not enough to retire!

After Caribou Crossing, we made a stop at Emerald Lake before being taken to the train station. This lake had more shades of blue than I had ever seen and was a great photo stop!

We boarded the White Pass Scenic Railway just North of the Canadian Border for the trip back to Skagway. The Railway was built in 2 years, 2 months and 2 days and was used by many seeking riches during the gold rush.

US/Canada border along the railroad tracks

There were a few times along the train tour that I couldn't look down. Gorgeous scenery, but a little high for me!

The train was 15 cars long which gave us a few opportunities to capture pictures of the front along some of the turns.

The train depot was right in the middle of downtown Skagway (all 10 blocks of it) so we walked around with the time we had left before boarding the ship.

Matt and Dave posed in front of Red Onion Saloon which brought back memories of their college days at the Red Onion in Mission Beach.

Downtown Skagway had such rustic storefronts, great general stores and quite a few candy shops for us to browse around. It was a very chilly walk back to the ship after our long 8 hour excursion, but we certainly packed a lot into one day!