Alaskan Cruise

This summer seems to be the time everyone is going on an Alaskan cruise. It was no exception for us. We went on the beautiful Norwegian Bliss, a brand new ship that first set sail in June. We set sail the end of July and were lucky to have gorgeous weather. Everywhere we went, locals told us they never have this much sunshine.

 Our first stop was Ketchikan, an old Indian village and fishing town. We weren't here very long so we decided to create our own walking tour.

We even found all the totems.

Next stop on the cruise was Juneau, the state capital. Here we decided to take a kayaking trip around the Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls. We even picked up our own glacier baby which we later used as our pregnancy announcement.

After we had a delicious Alaskan salmon feast. I don't normally like salmon, or any fish for that matter, but this one was covered in a brown sugar glaze. Other than the pesky, tiny bones it was actually good. We took a short walk and saw the salmon in the stream.

The next stop on the cruise was Skagway, which was my favorite stop. It was a tiny little town full of beauty. We rented bikes and even dragged my cousin out of bed to go with us. We checked out a waterfall where we saw my mom and sister. It was a gorgeous day out, perfect for exploring.

Our last stop on the cruise was Victoria, Canada. I went to a tea garden with my mom, sister, aunts, and grandma. We enjoyed the beautiful garden and high tea complete with scones. I only know the girl behind the sandwich stand - she is my sister. The other ladies were seated at the same table and were nice to offer my pregnant self their last scone.

We had a great time on our cruise and enjoyed the wonders of Alaska. We will definitely be going back! I can now check off Alaskan cruise off on my bucket list.

When we got off the cruise, we had a few hours before our flight so we decided to explore Seattle. First stop was the Space Needle. We didn't go to the top but did take all our touristy pictures at the bottom. Next we went into the Science Museum and explored. 

We even got to try out some fun Virtual Reality before heading to the airport to go home.

Have you ever been on an Alaskan cruise?

Vodka Sauce Pasta in Crockpot

So with living in a trailer, we are always looking for an easy dinner recipe. I needed something we had most of the ingredients already and something easy (crockpot meal) that I didn't have to think about. I went on a search for just that and thanks to a few different sites, I found a recipe that fit both. 

I changed the recipe a little based on our tastes and my lack of enjoying tomato sauce. I decided to substitute Vodka Sauce for the Tomato Sauce but you can use whichever you please.

Ingredients to make Pasta

• 1 (24 ounce) jar vodka sauce (original recipe used tomato sauce)
• 8 ounces (uncooked) spaghetti (flour or whole wheat), break into small pieces before adding to meat mixture
• 1 cup low fat cottage cheese
• 1 cup skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• Kosher or sea Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Ingredients to Make Ground Turkey

• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano

Directions

1. Add all the Ground Turkey ingredients a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.
2. Cook ground turkey in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking into small pieces while cooking. (Ensure the turkey loses its pink color before removing from heat.)
3. Drain, discard any fat and set aside. Combine meat with sauce of choice (I used Vodka Sauce).
4. In a medium bowl combine cooked turkey with the remaining ingredients
5. Add all ingredients to slow cooker. 
6. Cover and cook on low 2 hours until cheese is bubbly. 
7. Add spaghetti and 3/4 cup of water
8. Stir thoroughly and cook for an additional hour until the spaghetti is cooked through.
9. Serve and sprinkle with parmesan if desired.

Cross Country Road Trip - Part 2

The truck started getting worse as we made our way through Texas and we decided we needed to stop to get it checked out. Normally my husband would have fixed it but he didn't have the right tools. We found an open garage and the tech "found the problem". Once it was fixed we continued our journey. Of course, it continued to give us problems but we just kept going, hoping it wouldn't explode. Right as we left Texas and entered New Mexico our air conditioning officially died. It was hot and the road was long. There was nothing for miles.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Next up was Arizona. We did tons of sightseeing including checking off some bucket list items.

First on the bucket list was the four corners where we were in four states at once - New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado.

                                                                                                                                                           Second on the bucket list was the Grand Canyon. We hiked a bit and stretched our legs enjoying the mountain air.


As we left Arizona and headed into Nevada, we could see a storm on the horizon. It was still super hot, so we decided to stop for some dinner and cold ice cream.


As we passed Las Vegas, a rainbow appeared in the distance. Behind us the sun was setting and a beautiful sun set appeared. When it was dark we made it to the storm and the lightning was crazy.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     We made it California. We wanted to stop at Yosemite but with the truck problems, we decided to head straight to Oregon.

We officially made it to Oregon and decided to stop in Coos Bay for a break before heading to Astoria. When we finally made it to Astoria, we were so excited to see our new home and the sunset that greeted us!

We were excited to start our new life and see what was in store. We successfully made a the trip across the country and our marriage is stronger for it. Have you ever taken a road trip?

Cross Country Road Trip - Part 1

The first true test of our marriage was met when our orders sent us packing across the country to Oregon. We decided to take the Southern route and explore but with any road trip, we hit plenty of rough patches. 

The first half of our road trip was pretty boring as far stops. Most of our stops happened after Texas. We did enjoy the yummy food and sweet tea the south has to offer since the West Coast isn't quite there yet.

Florida seemed to take forever. When we hit northern Florida it was my turn to drive. You can see how excited I look...not.

Before we knew it we hit Alabama. Fun fact - Alabama paid $75,000 for the rights to put "Sweet Home Alabama" on their welcome signs.

We only drove through Alabama for a short time before coming to Mississippi.

We drove across the state stopping only for a quick walk with Jack and enjoying our last few hours in the south. Louisiana was next and the last time we had Chick-fil-A and boy did we enjoy it. Jack even got to have some as well! We ate it before I could take pictures :)

Next stop was Texas, birthplace of my husband!

 

Lloyd's truck started to give us some problems and wouldn't go faster than 70 miles an hour and was losing power. Something was wrong and Lloyd did everything he could think of but we decided to stop for the night in Dallas. Fireworks are hard to get pictures of but I did get a good one of the city lit up for our countries birthday.

The next morning was July 4th and celebrations were everywhere. Celebrations and a national holiday meant everything was closed, so no shop to fix the truck. We decided to continue our journey, despite the truck problems, and when we did they only got worse.

Stay tuned for my next post to find out what happens next!

Wedding DIY Creations

With summer upon us and my wedding anniversary tomorrow, I thought it would be fitting to post some of the DIY creations I put together. Growing up in Florida, I always dreamed of getting married on the beach. With a beach wedding comes fun DIY crafts. I had tons of help and couldn't have done it alone. Take a look and let me know what you think!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                My best friend, Rebekah, was my roommate at the time and helped me with all things jewelry. She made my necklace, earrings and even shoes.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              With the ceremony on the beach, I wanted to make it easy to walk on the sand. After scouring Pinterest I found plenty of pictures of these bottomless shoes. Look how pretty all our feet are!






Next comes the dress, belt, and garter. The belt was made by Rebekah's mom, an amazing seamstress and then was sewed onto the dress to give it a splash of color and bling. It also represented my something blue. The garter was made by my husband's grandma from some old lace and a flower. The garter represented my something old.


Can't forget the cake! The cake was baked and designed by a local bakery. They did an amazing job with our beach theme. My husband and I decided to make the cake topper ourselves. He molded the topper with clay and I painted it. The red jet-ski is where he proposed and we wanted to include our dog in a life ring next to us.

For the reception, I wanted to continue with the beach theme. For the name placements, I wrote everyone's name and table number on a shell and set them in a tray filled with sand. Every couple needs a few extra dollars for the honeymoon. So I found a mason jar wrapped in twine and added a small chalkboard with "Honeymoon Fund" written on it.

For the ceremony, we decided not to do individual programs but rather post it as the guests entered. We included the bridal party and schedule of events. During the reception, we had a buffet cocktail hour and dinner. I wanted to keep it simple and classy so wrote the menu on chalkboards.


We had a great venue that pretty much provided everything else from centerpieces to table cloths. We didn't need any extra lighting or decor as the room spoke for itself. To see our venue, check out my post here: Save the Date (Wedding Location).

Do you have an upcoming wedding that you are planning to DIY?

Edible Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Have you ever tried to make cookies but ended up eating the cookie dough instead? I know that happened to me all the time even though "they" say it isn't safe. Well, I found a great recipe that allows you to eat the cookie dough completely safe. 

Caution: Do not try to cook the dough as it will not actually cook. It will just burn but why cook them when all you want is the dough anyway :)

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk (I used almond milk)
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips (Can substitute for other flavor, if preferred)

Directions

1. Mix all the ingredients
2. Enjoy!

Time for Easter Decor

Can you believe we are already in April and this year Easter is finally in the right month. I don't know why the past few years Easter has been in March. Anyway, back to decorations.., one of the things about being a Coastie wife, you have to move around a lot. Some might say this is annoying and a pain, which yes at times it is but it can also be fun when it comes to decorating for Holidays. This year I took the same decorations I used last year and decorated in a different way.

Easy decor with mason jars filled with styrofoam eggs on sticks and plastic eggs, a candle and grass in a glass bowl vase. Also, added some star lights from Target!

Little flowers touches with a Easter egg star light.

The bar always needs a little decor with some spring flowers.

Our island shelves look so bare without anything so little Easter scenes filled with grass, bunnies, flowers, and eggs.

The true reason for Easter - HE IS RISEN!!

A flower wreath with hidden eggs and a bunny head from the Dollar Store.

How are you decorating this Easter?