Alaska Cruise

On August 1st we left for an Alaska cruise on Princess Cruises. We boarded the Golden Princess in Seattle. Wes found out that he was able to go only a couple of weeks before and I was so excited. We had pretty much given up hope of him going because he is still on probation but his training officer was amazing and got the time off for him. He had to find a flight last minute and so the whole time we were traveling I kept worrying that he wasn't going to make it. I finally calmed down once he walked on the ship. The fun could finally begin. We knew so many people on that ship. We counted and found out that we knew over 60 people. It was great knowing so many people and always seeing a friendly face wherever you went. The ports of call were amazing and I am so glad that we got a taste of Alaska.

Juneau, AK was the first port and we decided to go sea kayaking. I have never been before so I thought that Alaska would be the perfect place to try it. They were double kayaks so Wes and I were paired up. I was a little nervous but once we were on the water it was ok. The water was super could but we were pretty protected so we didn't get too wet. We got to see some bald eagles and a lot of fish. At the end of our tour we got to see some seals. I can't believe anything can live in that water, I don't think I have ever felt anything so cold! It was an amazing experience and I think that I might try it again.

on the bus ride to go kayaking

the beautiful Golden Princess

Skagway, AK was great and what it is famous for is the White Pass which is the route that old travelers and explorers took. It was so pretty and we got to see some mountain goats on the way up and the way back. We then got to walk around town which reminded me of an old western town. The salmon were running there and it was so cool to see all of the fish swimming up the river. We were there for the perfect time to see them. There were so many fish in the stream you could just reach in and grab one.

White Pass

During the cruise there was one day where we sailed through Tracy Arm Fjord. It was scenic cruising and it was beautiful. We had to wake up pretty early and it was cold outside but we had a balcony in our room so it was nice to just wake up and go outside. We got to see a lot of amazing this such as icebergs and glaciers. It was awesome and we really felt like we were seeing Alaska.

you can see where the sea water and the glacier water meet

my niece Bridget

a glacier

One of our favorite things to do onboard the ship is play BINGO. I am not a gambler but there are plenty of people that we were with that do and they always need an extra stamper so that's where I come in. No one won the big pot this time but maybe next time.

Ketchikan, AK was the next stop and it was my favorite town in Alaska. I loved Creek St. were the buildings are built right on the stream. They had such cool little shops but we were only there a half a day so we just walked around the town and saw some of the sights. In the stream on Creek St the salmon were running there and we were able to see a bald eagle catch a fish and fly away with it. So Cool! We got a lot of shopping done there and it is a place that we definitely want to go back some day.

a bald eagle catching a fish

Creek St.

Our last port of the trip was Victoria, BC. We were only there for a couple of hours so we had to pick what we really wanted to see. I heard that the Buchart Gardens were amazing and something that we had to see while we were there so we jumped off the ship into a taxi and headed over there. It was getting dark so we had to run through the gardens in order to see everthing but it was worth it. It was completely amazing and totally worth it. The flowers were so pretty, I just wish that we can go back one day to really get the full experience.

All in all the cruise was amazing. We had so much fun with all of our friends and family. It was a great end to the summer and we were so lucky for the amazing weather that we had. I would definilty plan a trip to go back one day and would recommend the trip to anyone.

4th of July

The 4th was great this year. Wes magically had it off which was completely unexpected so we were able to go to the Beckstroms and have a BBQ with the family. We went swimming and ate everything in site. It was a beautiful day and just hot enough that it made you want to get in the pool. They weren't doing fireworks at the park by my parents house so we decided to go down to Sunland to watch them with our friends Taylor and Mari. We had another BBQ with them and watch the fireworks from Verdugo. It was a great day and it made it so much better that Wes could be there.

General Mills has Gone Gluten Free

Most of you that know me know that I am on a strict gluten free diet. I have for the past two and a half years because I have Celiacs Disease which makes you intolerant to gluten which is found in wheat, rye, and barley. I had to completely cut all of that out of my diet and it does make it hard to shop for food. Thank goodness a Whole Foods is right across the street which contains gluten free alternatives. Over the past couple of years a lot more people are getting to know what going gluten free really means. Over 1% of the population suffers from Celiacs disease and more and more parents are putting their austic children on the diet. It has been getting so much press lately especially with Elisabeth Hasselbeck from The View writing her gluten free survival guide. Here are some updates about what is going on in the gluten free community.


Just recently General Mills has been introducing some gluten free products. They started with their Rice Chex and have now made Corn Chex, Chocolate Chex and Honey Nut Chex gluten free as well. It was so exciting to actually be able to buy cereal in the regular grocery store and it saves a lot of money as well. The gluten diet, although worth it, is not a cheap diet. Gluten free alternatives are double and sometimes triple what their non gluten counterparts are.


In just the past couple of weeks General Mills has released more exciting news and declared that their brand Betty Crocker was going to be coming out with some baking mixes. I was so excited when I heard this and my sister called me right away when she found them in her grocery store. It is a very exciting day when I can pick up cereal and baking mixes at the same grocery store where I do all of my other shopping. They are also a lot cheaper than some of the health food stores. They have started making four different mixes; chocolate chip cookies, yellow cake, devils food cake, and brownies. It is a very exciting day for all people on gluten free diets or with family members on the diet.

Beach Days!!

The past couple days we have been taking advantage of summer by going to the beach. We have been driving up to Carpenteria and just spending the day in the sun. It was such beautiful weather we just couldn't resist going up there. We would leave as soon as I got off work and just jumped in the car. Bridget and Ethan love the beach! They are so cute and funny. Bridget is so crazy and loved the water. It is so fun now they are a little bit older because they can fully enjoy it. We will hopefully have many more beach days to come!

Beautiful Sister

"What are you doing Auntie Kimi?"

He's so cute, even with Grandma's hat on!!

Emilee Came to Visit!!

This past weekend Emilee came to visit me from Utah. We were roomates during part of our freshman year and I haven't seen her for a while so it was great that she got to come down. I have been trying to get her out her for years. She flew in on Wednesday and then had to leave on Monday. During her stay here I wanted to show her the best of LA because she really has never been here before. We went down to Santa Monica and walked on the pier. We rode the rollercoaster and the ferris wheel. It was a bit overcast but still fun. Then on the way back home we drove down Sunset and then Rodeo Dr. so she could see it all. She got to see her first Bentley and while we were driving down Sunset we actually passed Michael Jackson's house on the day that he died so we saw all the craziness down there. A couple days later we went down to Hollywood and Highland to see the Walk of Fame and all the stars. We encountered more Michael Jackson craziness as we passed by the hundreds of people trying to see his star. It was piled high of flowers and candles and stuff. It was nuts but she was excited to see it all. It was great to have her here and just hang out like the old days. I was sad to see her go but hopefully she will come back soon!

In Santa Monica, It was a bit overcast and cloudy but still fun...
...and a bit windy

VEGAS!!

Wes and I decided last minute to jump in the car and go to Vegas for a couple of days. I had gotten some time off of work to go camping in Carpenteria and Wes just happened to have 3 days off in a row. The whole camping thing didn't work out because everyone got sick so Wes and I decided to go to Vegas. Since it is only 4 hours away we thought it would be a great little trip. We ended up getting a great deal at the Circus Circus that sealed the deal. On Wed we drove up and came back on Friday. We just relaxed and walked around mostly. We both haven't seen a ton of Vegas before so we got a chance to go exploring. We went through all of the hotels and did some shopping. It was really fun to just get away from life for a little bit. Even though it was short it was memorable and we should be spontaneous more often!

Outside the Venetian

Watching the show outside the Bellagio

The M&M's Nascar at the M&M's store. He can't ever be serious.

Striking my sexy pose. No wonder Wes always laughs when I do that!

Outside one of the greatest stores ever (according to Wes), The Bass Pro Shop.

Anniversaries and Graduations

So I know that I have not posted anything new in a while so I thought that I would recap the month of May in order to get everything in. It started out great when on May 5th we celebrated our 2 year anniversary. Wes had been away being sneaky the couple days before so I had no idea what he was doing. We both ended up being off the Monday before so we just spent the day together and celebrated then. It was the best that I could have hoped for. We went out to dinner and lounged around. Sometime during the day Wes brought me over to his parents house to show me what he had been working on. He made this gorgeous sign for me. He found an old cupboard door and stained and painted it. He then added a shelf and painted forever on it. I love homemade gifts and if Wes is making them I know they are going to be fabulous. I was so touched and it was just the best anniversary anyone could ask for!

The rest of May was kind of a blur because Wes was finishing up at the Academy. He finally finished on May 22nd and I couldn't have been more proud of him. It was an amazing ceremony and so touching. We went to a graduation party afterwards and I got to meet all of his fellow classmates and instructors. We had a blast even though everyone around us was drunk and it was the perfect end to a very stressful 6 months. He is now home a lot more which is so nice. He was just home for 4 days in row and then only has to work for 2 days and has 4 MORE days off. It's crazy but he is due for a much needed break. We had a great and crazy month and we are so excited for Summer to start especially since I am offically going part time at work in a week. I can't wait especially since Wes gets so much time off. I get jealous very easily when he doesn't have to work!

On our way to Wes's graduation a party!