The highlight of our Alaskan cruise

Mendenhall glacier, Alaska

   An Alaskan cruise is one of those "wow" vacations packed with adventure and beauty. The sights at each port on our round trip voyage from Seattle on Celebrity Solstice were like photographs waiting to be framed and hung on the wall.

   The highlight of our cruise came on day four. Day four took us to Juneau and the breathtaking Mendenhall Glacier. After laboring through the endless list of excursions months before, we finally made a decision on how we'd spend some of our time at this popular port. What made this excursion so exciting, was the way we would experience the mass of ice---by helicopter and by foot.

   Our two daughters, ages 9 and 12, looked forward to this excursion for so long.  Neither girl had ever been in a helicopter and none of us had ever seen a glacier, let alone walked on one!

    Our journey started with a short bus ride to the Temsco hanger where we watched a safety video.  We ditched our shoes for special boots made for walking on glaciers. Not knowing exactly how cold it would be, we bundled up in fleece and waterproof jackets, gloves and hats. (that later turned out to be a good move)

   Temsco employees put us into groups of six based on weight. Our family of four was riding with another couple. Coincidentally, we had met them on the ship a few nights before! As we stepped outside and waited to board the chopper, noise from the propellers silenced pre-flight conversations. We watched for the hand signal motioning us to the helicopter.  Single file, we walked to the aircraft in our assigned seating order. After meeting the pilot and buckling in, we were off!

   The Mendenhall glacier is 12 miles from Juneau so it didn't take long to get to the glacier.  The scenery was amazing as we soared to where the mountaintops meet the clouds.

Mendenhall Glacier

    The pilot showed us around the glacier by air before landing on it.  The textures and colors were gorgeous and I felt blessed to be able to see so much beauty from above.
    As we made our descent, I became even more excited. Now, we'd get to explore by foot! I stepped out of the helicopter onto the ice. I was a little nervous--would I wipe out? Would my kids? Thankfully, those special boots did their job--so did our jackets and gloves. The glacier air was cold and the wind whipped around us.
    We were free to walk around for a few minutes before gathering with the guides so I took that opportunity to capture some memories.

My husband and daughters taking in the sights.

   We spent the next 25 minutes or so listening to the guides and walking on the glacier. They were very knowledgeable and fun and even played photographer, taking family photos.  The guides recommended not taking photos while walking. That's because the glacier is filled with crevasses, some larger than others. Some of the crevasses are filled with crystal clear water.

Glacier water

   We were all invited to take a taste of the water. No cup required. I scooped the water with my bare hands.

   Our kids drank right from the source. (waterproof gloves come in handy here)

 
      As our time on the glacier came to and end, I paused to take it all in.
   

   We loaded back into the helicopter and rose once more above the glacier as the tour guides waved goodbye to us from below. None of us wanted this once in a lifetime excursion to end. This was worth every penny. Unforgettable.

My favorite packing tool ever!

My suitcase is excited! We've been on the go a lot this summer---an overnight  here, a few days away there and some longer trips too! Much of my summer has been spent packing and unpacking! (Not complaining though!) Thankfully, I use some cool tools to make packing less painful and my suitcase more organized for travel. Let me introduce you to the wonderful word of packing cubes!

My parents like to travel too and introduced me to packing cubes several years ago. Packing cubes are fabric containers with zippers. They are used to pack clothes and other items. They come in different sizes and colors and fit nicely into suitcases and backpacks.

I will not travel without them...even for an overnight trip because they keep everything organized. Every member of my family has their own set which comes with a small, medium and large cube. You can also buy just one size.

My packing cube set.

(3 of our sets are Ebags brand which I ordered online) Packing cubes also come in long, rectangular shapes for socks and similar items.

Depending on what you pack in your cubes, you may not even have to unpack them when you arrive at your destination! That's one of the many things I love about these. Just place the packed cube into the drawer at the hotel/cruise ship/resort. This works especially well with small cubes. We like to use the small cubes for underwear, socks, bras, etc.

Small cubes, one for each of us. 

Plus, with packing cubes, everything stays nice and contained in its own little space---no rummaging through our suitcases to find a pair of socks when we arrive. You can also use small cubes for toiletries, etc.

Medium cubes fit great in our backpacks. When we are flying, we use backpacks as carry ons and the medium cube fits perfectly inside with several outfits! Love it!

We like the large cubes for the rest of our clothing. You'd be surprised how much you can fit in these. You'll quickly figure out which cube sizes work best with your stuff and how clean everything stays in your worn, dirty suitcase.

A little more than a week's worth of outfits in my large packing cube.

I've tried large plastic zip lock bags....but I find it hard to fit in more than one outfit and I end up using way too many bags.  Also, large plastic bags don't have the depth that packing cubes have.

I can fit WAY more clothing into a packing cube than a plastic bag. When they're all filled, we can fit four large cubes into our large suitcase. In the picture below, I placed three large cubes and three small cubes into our large suitcase. So there are lots of ways to pack these cubes into your luggage.

Packing cubes fit nicely in our suitcase.

Next up this summer--- a 7-day Alaskan cruise, so these cubes will soon be packed again.  As I mentioned before, we each have our own set. So once we get into our cabins, each family member will gather their cubes from our luggage. There's no guessing where things are.

This cruise will certainly be a packing challenge with rain coats, fleece, gloves and hats (all big, bulky stuff). But I know the cubes will help so much with organizing everything for the four of us. I don't think I will ever travel without these!

Have you ever used packing cubes? If so, what did you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

iFLY---indoor sky diving on land and at sea

Back in March during our cruise on Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas, I posted a video of my daughter on Facebook experiencing a super cool attraction called iFLY.  It's a sky diving simulator located at the back of the ship where guests can soar inside a tall, enclosed "tube" while looking out into the ocean.  Many of you wanted to know more about this unique activity and where else to find it.  Here's some good news--you don't have to take a cruise to do this!

iFLY is a land based company out of Austin, Texas with 37 locations across the globe. My central Pennsylvania friends will be happy to know there will be an iFLY opening in the King of Prussia area on April 19th!  According to the iFLY website, the indoor sky diving facility is located at 290 Goddard Blvd. We will definitely be checking it out in the future.

The cruise ship version is incredibly popular and slots fill up quickly. While I played "photographer," my husband and two daughters suited up for this fun experience, which was included in the cost of the cruise. My husband was the first to "fly" from his group. There was an instructor by his side and communication is done through hand signals,which you learn ahead of time during a brief training session.

ifly, aboard Anthem of the Seas.

ifly, aboard Anthem of the Seas.

Our daughters had a blast too and it's so much fun to watch.

ifly, aboard Anthem of the Seas.

ifly, aboard Anthem of the Seas.

ifly, aboard Anthem of the Seas.

The iFLY website tells you everything you'd want to know about the experience, from who can fly to what indoor skydiving is and how it works. So if you've ever wanted to fly, here's your chance! Enjoy your flight!

You took awesome vacation pictures---now what to do with them?

When I'm on vacation, I snap hundreds of pictures.  On the way home, I go through all of them, deleting the blurry, dark, crooked, grumpy and duplicate ones.  When I'm done, I usually end up with some quality pictures from our trips.

But instead of having these memories sit on my phone or laptop, I find myself wanting to do something more with them.

When we moved into our new home a few years ago, we had a lot of empty wall space to fill. As I shopped around for pictures and art work, I became frustrated. I couldn't find a whole lot that I liked. That's when I started making my own.  I simply (and cost effectively in  most cases) turned some of our vacation pictures into art! I realize this is not a new idea, but I am surprised at how few people do it and how easy it is.

Companies like Art.com and Shutterfly are great places to help you turn your photos into art. When they have sales or coupons for free enlargements or photo books, it's even better! Photos can be turned into art on canvas, metal, wood, glass, etc. The possibilities really are endless and the artwork you make from your own photos is special and unique.

After our trip to Morocco, I had tons of pictures of Moroccan spices and food. So I had three of my favorites enlarged and framed. Now, they decorate my kitchen and remind me daily of that vacation.

Here is another photo I turned into art from that trip. This was taken at a market in the High Atlas Mountains. The coloring of the baskets worked perfectly for our family room. I had this one done through Art.com with a custom frame.

When we had our bedroom painted a new color, I knew a picture of the beautiful Caribbean water would look awesome on the blue wall. Now, this is what I wake up to every morning! Gorgeous St. Lucia! I used a Shutterfly coupon for a free photo enlargement to make this. The frame came from a craft store.

I really like the look of canvas, too.  This picture was taken at Balboa Park in San Diego. It's an 8x10 canvas that brightens up our home office.

Another neat alternative to a photo print is a plaque. These can come in all different sizes. I picked 8x10's. (The photo on the left is the canvas.)

Last but not least, photo books are a great way to have all of your best pictures from a trip together in one place. I also display these on either the coffee table or standing up on our entertainment center. Both of these books were made with coupons for a free 8x8 photo book!

I hope to add more art to our walls in the coming year. The space above our living room couch remains empty for now but with a summer trip to Alaska and some other getaways planned, hopefully it won't stay empty for long.

A look inside The Highland Lodge--a new addition to Liberty Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania

The lobby inside the Highland Lodge, Photo by Alison Dixon

Before I book any kind of vacation, I want to see pictures--mostly of the room and pool. If it's a resort, I want to see it all! So when we were looking at spending a night at Liberty Mountain Resort in Carroll Valley, Pennsylvania, naturally, I wanted to see what everything looked like before we booked.

 We had been there many times before to ski, but the brand new Highland Lodge was the main draw for us. Not only did it boast guest rooms and restaurants, but an indoor pool and hot tub.  We thought it would be fun to have a nice dinner, swim and relax. Then we'd get up early the next morning and hit the slopes.

However, as I was planning this, I had a hard time finding a lot of pictures of the new lodge, the pool, hot tub and the room we'd be staying in. The rooms at the Highland Lodge were full by the time we booked our reservation (those photos are on their website). So we would be staying in the Fairway building, which is right next to the Highland Lodge (there is a third building called the Alpine Lodge, too). Despite the lack of pictures to see if spending the night would be worthwhile, we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.  Luckily...everything was much better than we expected! The room was clean and met our needs.

So if you book a room in the Fairway building, this is what a double room looks like.

Double room in Fairway Lodge at Liberty Mountain Resort by Alison Dixon

Photo by Alison Dixon

Bathroom in Fairway building, Photo by Alison Dixon

The pool and hot tub in the Highland Lodge also exceeded our expectations. It was spacious and lots of fun. There was a basketball hoop in the pool and small fountains. There were tables and loungers on the pool deck too. The pool is located on the ground floor of the Highland Lodge, so it was just a quick walk from our building. There are also locker rooms with showers and a sauna.

Indoor pool at the Highland Lodge, Liberty Mountain Resort

Indoor pool, Photo by Alison Dixon

Indoor pool, Photo by Alison Dixon

The hot tub was huge and very relaxing. It was fun looking out the window and seeing snow!

Hot tub in the Highland Lodge, Photo by Alison Dixon

The Highland Lodge also had a salon and small gym (which we didn't use.) They are located on the ground floor as well.

Gym at the Highland Lodge, Photo by Alison Dixon

There are also a few shops in the Highland Lodge, along with meeting and banquet rooms. Ike's Chophouse wasn't quite ready when we visited.

Ike's Chophouse,Photo by Alison Dixon

But the Eagle and the Owl was open. We ate dinner here and also had a free, hot, complimentary breakfast buffet. No complaints!

Entrance to Eagle and the Owl, Photo by Alison Dixon

Inside the Eagle and the Owl Public House, Photo by Alison Dixon

The lobby and sitting areas off the lobby are inviting. The fireplace is the focal point and a nice place to relax after a day of skiing.

Fireplace in the Highland Lodge

Stairs leading to guest rooms, Photo by Alison Dixon

Looking down from second floor onto lobby and reception area

Sitting area off of the restaurants, Photo by Alison Dixon

Our stay was awesome, overall. There were a few noise issues with the room. I could hear the people next to us talking and the kids above us, running. Since I am a light sleeper, I was the only one in my family who noticed. Next time, I hope to book a room in the Highland Lodge and maybe even extend our stay at this beautiful resort.

Liberty Mountain Resort, Photo by Alison Dixon