November's Literary Adventures

November started off with The Wish, which is the latest novel by Nicholas Sparks. It was likely one of my least favorite books he has written. It wasn't terrible, but it certainly wasn't anything memorable either.  First Girl to Die was another in the British detective series. Phifer is a steady with these books and I always look forward to them as they are an easy read.  The Reason for Me was a really great book by a new-to-me author. I was pleasantly surprised by this one! In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I gave the author another try with Just Love, which was equally as enjoyable. From the Embers was definitely the best read of the month. A couple of twists and turns kept me engaged. Will was another read out of my usual genre - written by Will Smith about his life. Another great read!

This is 4-0

This is 4-0

Another decade checked off.

Lived.

Endured.

Embraced.

Adventured.

It's utterly amazing what you can pack into one decade, isn't it?

I sat with a lot of self-reflection over the past day. Some of it makes me smile. Some of it makes me sad. Bitter. Laugh. Wonder. Through it all, I learned.

I raised kids. I watched them grow...awestruck by what I created.

I climbed mountains - literally and metaphorically.

I faced challenges I wasn't sure I could overcome.

I tasted victory.

I also felt the loneliness of defeat.

I earned a great many things.

I became a published photographer.

I loved.

I lost.

I came out on the other side of heartbreak....alive.

I rebuilt.

I divorced.

I remarried.

I gained another child...built a family.

I traveled...near and far. My travels are my favorite. I have seen so many glorious places.

I read so many books - keeping my brain engaged and constantly learning.

I built so many forts.

Camped.

Swam.

Hiked.

Walked the streets of Rome.

I learned.

I redefined myself. This never stops.

I coached countless kids - this brings me the most pride. Teaching kids the game...and so much more than the game itself.

I stood in the most frigid and hotter than hot temps to cheer my kids on in their sports.

I bought a house and made it a home.

I furthered my career.

At times, I felt old...mostly, I felt young.

I embraced my health.

I lost 30 lbs this year.

I try to instill peace and simplicity as much as I can.

But more than anything, I learned.

Here's to 40!

Updated

 These kids just keep growing!

October's Literary Adventures

October was a slow reading month for me. Finishing out fall sports and then prepping for and taking the Alaskan cruise slowed things down for me on reading.  A while back, I read the body farm series and thought I had finished the series. In doing some research on the authors to see if they had decided to write more, I stumbled upon two additional books that finished out the series, which I had never read! So I went back and read those, the final one giving some clarity on why the authors have not written more in the series. Both were great reads!  The Perfect Family was pretty "blah" for me. I also ventured out of my usual genre pickings to read How the Word is Passed. It was a great read, really challenging the "history" we are fed in the American education system. A look from the other side, if you will. It provided excellent context that is purposely (conveniently?) removed from our formal history books. I recommend!

Alaska Adventure - Day 6

Day 6 brought us to Ketchikan. Another port where our excursion was cancelled, and this time, we were truly thankful for it. It was incredibly cold and very rainy in Ketchikan. According to the shuttle driver, it rains there 220+ days per year. No thanks! However, we wanted to explore the town as much as we could given the weather. We didn't last long! It's definitely a little fishing village. I think their population is roughly 8,500 people. We wanted to get some shopping done here as it was way too expensive in Icy Straight, and we didn't have time to look in Juneau due to our hike. So we got off the ship and took the shuttle to the shopping district. Thankfully, the shopping here was much more affordable and we loaded up on gifts for the kids, and some Alaska swag for ourselves. 

After heading back to the ship, we changed out of our soaked rain gear and decided to have a relaxing rest of the day. We spent the remaining part of the afternoon in port watching a lot of the interactive game shows they had going on, which were always entertaining. We also decided to see a show on the ship that night. They had Choir of Man and Kinky Boots available. Choir of Man was sold out, so we decided to check out Kinky Boots. It was absolutely amazing. I LOVED it! It was a great story, and the cast was so talented. 

Kinky Boots

Little did we know that the remainder of that evening and all the next day would be spent riding out the bomb cyclone storm system that had worked its way up the Pacific Northwest coastline and was heading directly our way. Rough waters is an understatement! We really struggled for sleep that night, as the entire ship was rocking and swaying, and creaking due to the high winds. We had 70mph winds and 26 foot waves. There was zero sleep to be had. And Friday, our last full day, and 100% at sea, was quite the adventure. People were falling all over the ship, it was difficult to eat without feeling nauseous, and it really wasn't the best experience for ending our trip. But, you gotta get through it somehow. Always an adventure!

Here is a link from a fellow traveler on his experience with the rough seas:

https://youtu.be/PLoOQc2V3P0

Alaska Adventure - Day 5

Day 5 of our cruise was spent in Juneau. This was the one excursion we booked outside of the cruise line. Originally, we had planned to book with NCL, but the tour sold out. We really wanted to do this hike, so I started poking around on Viator to see if there was something similar. There was, but a private tour (through Alaska Luxury Tours) that was double the cost of what was offered through NCL. The cost was totally worth in, in our opinion, because instead of a tour with 16 other people, it was just us and the guide. Score! The only thing left to worry about was the weather. The heavy rain the day before left us wondering if this hike was going to be cancelled or completely ruined by the rain. Fortunately, we stepped off the boat in Juneau to a very light rain that completely stopped by the time we started our hike. We met our tour guide, Dan, and the other couple who ended up doing the same booking for the same reasons as us. The drive to the hike starting point took about 20 minutes, where we listened to Dan give us a background on Juneau and the Tongass National Forest we would be hiking through. He also gave us a great history on the Tlingit people (tribe) that inhabit Juneau. 

The hike itself is about 4.5 hours long, depending on your pace. There were times we stopped and talked about the views or the vegetation or the animals we saw. Right off the bat, we saw two black bear in the creek, that were trying to find some of the remaining wild salmon. Totally took us by surprise, but very cool to see! We also saw several massive bald eagles, and one pudgy porcupine. It was a great hike, mostly easy going but a few more difficult areas. The views were amazing. We also passed a few waterfalls, and refilled our water bottles straight out of the creek.

Since it's a rainforest, everything was very dense and lush. There is a ton of moss, which actually makes up their soil system. We made our way up to the top and over a ridge, then wound our way back down the mountain to the foot of the Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls. There are two sections to Nugget Falls, upper and lower. The lower section empties into Mendenhall Lake, which was carved out by the glacier. It was one of the best hikes we have ever been on!

Wild Alaskan salmon in the creek:

Porcupine:

Black bear

Bald eagles

Porcupine