Letterbox on the Lane

CELEBRATE, LOVE

Daddy’s 80th Birthday

We’ve got several milestone birthdays this year!

Daddy turned 80 the week after Josh turned 30, so Mom and I organized a surprise virtual celebration.

We set up the link in Google Meets and tested a few times with Aunt Darlene before we had the invitations finalized.

We pulled out the old photos and picked a few and went to Etsy to create the invitation.

We then found a cool poster on Etsy from the same seller.

I then went to Staples.com and had the poster mounted on posterboard. (Unfortunately, there was not option to pick it up at the store.) Delivery was scheduled, but did not arrive in time for the celebration. I might not use them again, or would order farther in advance.

My oldest brother and I went in on a flower and balloon bouquet, so dad would have some decorations in the background of his virtual celebration. I ordered those online through the local florist, and scheduled delivery for his special day. I also put a bag of balloons in my suitcase, as I was likely going to be away for his actual birthday.

Mom and I picked up an apple pie at Sam’s Club and I ordered huge golden 80 candles from Amazon.

For his gift, I ordered a Storyworth subscription. For one year, he will receive weekly prompts to write about his life and memories, and at the end of the year, he will receive a hard bound book with all of his stories printed out.

For the actual event, I had just arrived in Indonesia. I pulled the balloons from my suitcase and inflated them before I called (on Google Meets!) to wish my dad a Happy Birthday. We were chatting away when the other guests started to pop onto the screen! He was so surprised. Everyone chatted and mom pulled out the apple pie and lit the candles. It really was a huge success, and my dad was so happy to be able to celebrate his special day, even with everyone so far away.

CELEBRATE, LOVE

Josh’s 30th Birthday!

Josh turned 30 this year. I decided to make him a ‘this is your life’ video for his birthday.

This was no easy task for someone as technologically challenged as I am.

I rounded up all of my SIM cards and imported them to the computer.

I went through all of my printed photos and scanned about 100 of them. Unfortunately, I did not do a good job at putting dates on the photos…so I did my best to guess the correct order!

I photographed photos that were already pasted into scrapbooks.

Attempting to use the mini dvds from a Sony Handycam, I found that they would not play on the computer. I even ordered an external DVD reader, but I ended up having to download something called VLC Media Player, which was only able to read about half of my discs.

I recently heard of a service called LegacyBox and decided to give them a try. You mail in your old video tapes/reel to reel videos, and they digitize them. I placed my order online, and they sent me a box to put my media into with bar code labels to help keep track of everything sent. I mailed off (from Vilnius) a box of 17 miniature video cassettes, and within a few weeks, I received the digital files. (and a few weeks later, I received my tapes back.)

I shared a few of the files with family. A video of Josh and Jerry when they were around 3-5 years old making (and decorating!) a cake for their great grandma, who is no longer with us, had us laughing and crying!

I had to laugh while watching Josh open a Brittany Spears CASSETTE TAPE, that was in his Easter basket. He was so excited to receive it! (I don’t know that kids these days know what those are!)

And then while watching him at Christmas, I heard the FILM rewind in a 35mm camera that was being used. I can’t remember when I last heard that sound!

After gathering all of my resources, I then had to learn how to use Adobe Premiere Pro to string everything together into a video! I worked on this for over four months, and it was really challenging, but I got it finished in time for his birthday. And it brought him to tears.

Mission accomplished!

Happy 30^th Birthday Josh!

Screenshot of a video: Baking a cake for Great Grandma

Premiere Pro! (learning this was HARD – but I did it!)

TRAVEL

Alaskan Cruise – Wrap Up

We arrived back in Seattle in the early morning, and I’m thankful that we organized shuttle transportation back to the airport. After disembarking, there was a large crowd trying to find suitcases and get through customs. It was nice to just make our way over to the shuttle and know that everything else was taken care of. At the airport, Mom was feeling very weak and could not even walk to the food court to grab some lunch before boarding the plane. We ended up calling for a wheelchair to help us through the transfers. When we finally made it home, she took a home test, and was positive for Covid! Aunt Darlene then tested and she was also positive! (I tested negative, but they looked at me as though I was the one who started it all!!) Luckily, everyone bounced back relatively quickly. Another ‘once in a lifetime’ trip with these amazing ladies!!

See more about our trip here:

Alaskan Cruise – Arrival to Seattle

Alaskan Cruise – Day 1

Alaskan Cruise – Day 2

Alaskan Cruise – Day 3

Alaskan Cruise – Day 4

Alaskan Cruise – Day 5

Alaskan Cruise – Day 6

Alaskan Cruise – Day 7

Alaskan Cruise – Wrap Up

TRAVEL

Alaskan Cruise – Day 7

The sun was shining as we pulled into Victoria. We went on the Butchart Gardens Tea and City Highlights tour. The Butchart Gardens is a 118-year-old internationally renowned 55-acre display garden located in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia. The Garden was designated a National Historic Site of Canada, in 2004 for its one hundredth birthday. With 50 full-time gardeners, the gardens were absolutely stunning. I loved the rose and Japanese gardens.

For the afternoon tea, 50 of our closest tour bus companions joined us inside for a cup of tea and a variety of sweets and savories.

The gift shop was massive, and a few of our bus companions got caught up in the excitement and almost missed the bus back to the ship.

After dinner, we went to see the Long, Love, Legs show on the ship. A next-gen choreography show filled with sequins and feathers, this was not our cup of tea. Mom would have got up and left, but didn’t want to cause a scene. Eek!

See more about our trip here:

Alaskan Cruise – Arrival to Seattle

Alaskan Cruise – Day 1

Alaskan Cruise – Day 2

Alaskan Cruise – Day 3

Alaskan Cruise – Day 4

Alaskan Cruise – Day 5

Alaskan Cruise – Day 6

Alaskan Cruise – Day 7

Alaskan Cruise – Wrap Up

TRAVEL

Alaskan Cruise – Day 6

Here she comes, here comes speed racer!!

This was our second ‘at sea’ day, so we lounged around and rested a bit. We had breakfast in the Solarium and then enjoyed the Bumper cars – what fun! After dinner we went to a lounge and joined the singing competition. Mommy got out on the floor and sang with our team. What fun!

Can you believe that they have bumper cars on a cruise ship??!!

Thankfully, they changed the tiles in the elevator floor to remind us what day it was!

See more about our trip here:

Alaskan Cruise – Arrival to Seattle

Alaskan Cruise – Day 1

Alaskan Cruise – Day 2

Alaskan Cruise – Day 3

Alaskan Cruise – Day 4

Alaskan Cruise – Day 5

Alaskan Cruise – Day 6

Alaskan Cruise – Day 7

Alaskan Cruise – Wrap Up

TRAVEL

Alaskan Cruise – Day 5

We woke up in Sitka.

We went for the formal breakfast this day. It was not in the main dining room, but in the Chinese restaurant. I felt like we were in the dining car on the Oriental Express! Service was quite slow, but breakfast was good.

We took a shuttle into town. I bought a few postcards in Juneau and had stamps with me, so we dropped the postcards off at the welcome center and then poked around the square for a bit before heading out for a whale watching tour! We were on a smaller boat with another group of three, so it really felt like a private tour. We were cruising along past some seals, and I stepped outside of the cabin for better views and photos. The captain announced that we would move to another area to look for the whales. I thought great! Until he put the pedal to the metal, and we went flying across the water! I flung myself onto a seat and was afraid to move. I felt like a bug on a windshield. One false move, and I would be flicked off! I finally decided that it was worth the risk to stand up and get back inside the boat! We saw seals, humpback whales, sea otters, puffins, orange sea stars, common murres, and more! (and I made sure I was back inside the boat when the captain announced any other moves!)

After our tour, we discovered a very long line to catch the shuttle back to the ship! It snaked the entire way around the Sitka History Museum. After standing in line for an hour, we boarded the shuttle and luckily, we made it back to the ship just in time for our departure!

Whale Watching! The puffs of steam are visible right before they surface.

See more about our trip here:

Alaskan Cruise – Arrival to Seattle

Alaskan Cruise – Day 1

Alaskan Cruise – Day 2

Alaskan Cruise – Day 3

Alaskan Cruise – Day 4

Alaskan Cruise – Day 5

Alaskan Cruise – Day 6

Alaskan Cruise – Day 7

Alaskan Cruise – Wrap Up

TRAVEL

Alaskan Cruise – Day 4

I was up early, sitting out on the balcony as we started to pull into Skagway. I heard some voices coming from the deck below. I looked and saw the cruise workers start to lower the lifeboats! Due to recent mudslides at the pier in Skagway – where the larger ships dock – our ship anchored out a bit, and we took the lifeboats over to the ‘safe’ side of the pier.

We boarded the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway “The Scenic Railway of the World”. Built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush, this narrow-gauge railroad is an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Experience the breathtaking panorama of mountains, glaciers, trestles & tunnels from the comfort of vintage rail cars.

Upon return, we took the shuttle into town and stopped at the Bonanza Bar and Grill for lunch. We all had the fish (Halibut) and chips. The fish was delicious! We then poked around the shops, and I picked up an adorable nativity set in one of the Christmas gift shops.

Back on the ship for dinner, we went to the main dining room again. Our waiters brought me a Thali with veg and non-veg curries, lentils, and naan. It was all so delicious (and so very thoughtful!) (and then they brought us a plate of chocolate chip cookies to take back to our room with us!) Aunt Darlene was sniffling and could hardly stay awake for dinner.

See more about our trip here:

Alaskan Cruise – Arrival to Seattle

Alaskan Cruise – Day 1

Alaskan Cruise – Day 2

Alaskan Cruise – Day 3

Alaskan Cruise – Day 4

Alaskan Cruise – Day 5

Alaskan Cruise – Day 6

Alaskan Cruise – Day 7

Alaskan Cruise – Wrap Up

TRAVEL

Alaskan Cruise – Day 3

Day 3 was in Juneau – the capital of Alaska.

We left the ship and took the guided tour bus through town and up to the ‘Last Chance Basin. We then followed our guide into the forest to Gold Creek. He told stories of the gold miners searching for treasure. He also warned us about brown bears! He would keep an eye out, while we panned for gold. With our rumps in the air, the bears might think we look quite tasty!

After discovering (a few flakes of) gold in the cold rain and freezing water, we set off in the bus to an outdoor restaurant and enjoyed a salmon bake under tents with gas heaters. They had fish stew, a buffet of salads and sides, grilled salmon, and blueberry cake. You could also get marshmallows for roasting from the bar.

Back on the ship, we rested a bit. I started to get the sniffles, but otherwise felt OK.

We popped into the all-night pizza shop and had pizza for a mid-night snack.

See more about our trip here:

Alaskan Cruise – Arrival to Seattle

Alaskan Cruise – Day 1

Alaskan Cruise – Day 2

Alaskan Cruise – Day 3

Alaskan Cruise – Day 4

Alaskan Cruise – Day 5

Alaskan Cruise – Day 6

Alaskan Cruise – Day 7

Alaskan Cruise – Wrap Up

TRAVEL

Alaskan Cruise – Day 2

Day 2 was at sea.

We found the ‘no kids’ section of the ship – complete with swimming pool, hot tubs, and a very nice buffet restaurant called the Solarium. We enjoyed breakfast in the Solarium. We did a bit of shopping on the ship for some additional warm clothing. We went up in the observation deck (the North Star) at our scheduled time. The fog was thick, and we could only see the ship, nothing beyond. My heart was in my throat the entire time, but Mommy and Aunt Darlene enjoyed the adventure. This was a formal dinner night and we wanted to enjoy a more relaxed atmosphere, so we went to the Windjammer buffet restaurant instead of the formal dining room. After dinner, we headed to the Broadway style show “A Beautiful Dream”. We loved this show! Get there early for good seats and be careful not to get stuck behind a ‘column’ that blocks your view.

See more about our trip here:

Alaskan Cruise – Arrival to Seattle

Alaskan Cruise – Day 1

Alaskan Cruise – Day 2

Alaskan Cruise – Day 3

Alaskan Cruise – Day 4

Alaskan Cruise – Day 5

Alaskan Cruise – Day 6

Alaskan Cruise – Day 7

Alaskan Cruise – Wrap Up

TRAVEL

Alaskan Cruise – Day 1

We had no issues Ubering to the pier from our hotel and getting on to the ship. The driver dropped us off exactly where we needed to be, we left our luggage (and a tip!) with the luggage steward who made sure our bags were delivered to our rooms on the ship. We had a specified boarding time and were advised not to arrive before our scheduled time. There was still a very long line checking passports, conducting health checks, etc. We finally made our way to the ship and up to our room on deck 7. We had a balcony room – fabulous (but cold!) to sit outside and listen to the ocean waves, look for wildlife, and view the stars. We had lovely views of the Seattle harbor as we departed. We were scheduled for the early dinner time and ate in the main dining room. Our servers were very kind and looked after our every need. It turns out that our lead waiter is from Mumbai, India and his assistant is from Indonesia. They promised to bring me some Indian food the next time we came for dinner!