JWalt's Blog

Arrived in Venice

2010-05-16T06:55:00.000-07:00

We got off the boat in Venice yesterday morning and began our adventure in Venice! And boy has it been an adventure, haha. We thought finding our hotel would be easy ..... So we walked around thinking we would stumble across it. Well, about an hour later and after asking a couple locals, we finally found it. We didn't realize how easy it is to get lost amoung the many tiny streets. But sure enough we found ourselves lost again later, and in the rain! We had a long walk of exploring and found ourselves dripping wet when got back to the hotel again. After a nice rest and getting warm again, we found a nice restaurant for dinner and enjoyed a long meal :). We learned you must have lots of patients in Venice!
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Last Day on the Boat

2010-05-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

So today is our last day on the boat. We are heading back to Venice! Its been a relaxing day of sleeping in, laying out in the sun, a game of chess (on an over sized board and pieces, eating lots of food and now taking in a show. Its been a great trip!!!!
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Santorini, Greece

2010-05-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

Stop number 3 on our cruise was Santorini. It looked pretty cool. Its a mountain with a bunch of houses and building at the very top. And we were in for a bit of a surprise on how to get up the mountain once we got there. Option one was take a cable car ride up - problem was there was an enormous line, next option was take donkey ride up a winding road, or three ... Walk up the winding road with steps! Guess what we choose? Walk up it! It was actually the quickest way. We noticed the donkeys were being stubborn for other riders, so we were glad we didn't do that one. The walk actually wasn't too bad. It was just really hot so that was the only sucky part! So once we got up there and got our barings straight, we snagged a taxi and went to the wine museum. It was underground museum that taught you about how they used to make wine a long long time ago. And also showed you old wine presses. It was cool but the manicans looked kinda creepy, haha. Then we went up stairs to the tasting room and tasted 3 different wines. It was nice because it was close to the end of there day so it wasn't busy at all. After that we headed back to the central part of town, bought some souvenirs and had a seat at an outdoor restaurant so we could watch the sun set. It was a beautiful view. Then we prepped ourselves for the walk back down the mountain. We originally wanted to go see some ancient ruins in the area but our dock times on the island were kinda strange 4:00pm to 11:00pm. So they were already closed. Oh well, guess we will have to go back to Santorini sometime! :)
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Mykonos, Greece

2010-05-14T11:07:00.001-07:00

Wednesday we stopped in Mykonos. We kept it a pretty relaxing day and just walked around. We went to check out the windmills which was pretty neat. Along the water there was several outdoor restaurants so we sat at one of them and just took in the beautiful scenery. We had a great view of the ocean and of the windmills. I believe Mykonos is the smallest of the islands we stopped at, so there wasn't a lot of things to do. But we were ok with that. It was still beautiful and the water was the bluest water I've ever seen!
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Iraklion, Crete

2010-05-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

Last stop on our cruise, Iraklion. This was the only stop that we choose to do a shore excursion through the boat. We did a Pottery and Vineyard tour. It was nice for our last stop to not have to worry or figure out what we wanted to do. And by doing this excursion, we got to go a little bit outside the town and see the beautiful rolling hills. Every inch of the hills are filled with olive trees and grape vines!!!.
When we got to the Pottery, we got to look around the owners workshop and we also got to watch him at work. He made two pots and boy does he make them fast! It was pretty amazing watching a blob of clay turn into a piece of art. Then from there they drove us to a winery where we watched an informational video and then got to taste some wines! And of course, being the clumsy girl that I am, I ended up spilling some red wine on myself!!!! Bummer!!!! Can't take me anywhere, haha. Once we were done there, we headed back to the boat. We didn't have a long time to spend on the island so the excursion was perfect- they got us back to the boat right on time! And now .... A day at sea to get us back to Venice!
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Our stop in Split, Croatia

2010-05-11T02:54:00.000-07:00

Day 2 we stopped in Split. It was a beautiful sunny day! We got to enjoy a relaxing walk thru Diocletian's Palace. It is full of lots of shops but the architect was really beautiful.. We are still a little preoccupied with phone calls trying to figure out where our luggage it. We still don't have it. We might get it tomorrow-who knows. Good thing is I have a very smart wonderful boyfriend that bought travelers insurance, so we were at least able to buy some clothes and things we needed. After our little shopping spree, we got ready, made a reservation at a nice restaurant on the boat and headed to the casino to burn time until dinner time. Well little did we know, there was a time change at some point in the evening and completely missed dinner! We have had some interesting little snags but we are still enjoying ourselves and loving our time together. So now we are off to bed for some rest so we can be ready to see Corfu tomorrow!
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Corfu, Greece

2010-05-10T09:36:00.000-07:00

Today was another beautiful day! We stopped in Corfu and rented a little car so we could do some sightseeing. We originally thought about renting a moped but decided renting a little car would probaby be safer. Boy was that a good idea!!! Crazy drivers, flying down some of the tiniest little roads I've ever seen. I think I may have been holding my breath for most of the car ride, haha. Anyways, we made it to the museum of Achillion Palace. It was beautiful! Then right across the street I saw a sign for distillery tasting :) so went into this shop and we got to taste some liquors very popular in Greece. From there we drove around the island for a bit, then dumped the car off. We walked to Old Town Corfu and wandered thru the shops. We finally got tuckered out and went back to our boat to have a wonderful surprise in our room. OUR LUGGAGE!!!! We were so excited!!!! We did a little happy dance and then threw our bathing suites on and headed for the pool! Nap time is taking place right now, well for Noah at least (this man can sleep forever, haha). Tonight we are trying to catch the dinner reservation we missed out on yesterday because our clock was way off! Can't for dinner. Going to be so yummy!
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Taking Off for Our Mediterranean Cruise

2010-05-10T02:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday May 7th, me and Noah took off on 1 of 3 of our fights that is to get us Venice, Italy. (Venice is where our cruise ship is docked). We managed to hit a few little snags along the way. Our flight out of Seattle to Paris was delayed an additional 2 hours (we were in Seattle for a good 5 hours). So because of our delay, we had to find another flight to Venice. Basically we ended up in Venice .... But our luggage didn't! Big bummer on that one! :( Our first stop on our cruise is Split, Croatia. We are hoping they will be bringing our luggage to the Split port. So cross your fingers for us! And in the mean time we are enjoying our quaint room and all the food our little heart desire! :)
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A Stuck Lync

2009-11-19T12:59:00.000-08:00

Like I always say, my cats keep me entertained. Tuesday night was laundry night. I have 2 shutter doors that open to my washer and dryer in my apartment. Well, naturally I had them open since I had them both running. Well I walked down the hall and noticed both Parker and Lync up on top of the dryer. Parker normally does this but this was the first time I saw Lync up there. On the way back down the hall, I only saw Parker on the dryer. He looked like he was looking down the side of the dryer and Noah was over and made a funny comment to Parker "What did you do Parker, push Lync over the side?" Don't know why, cuz I didn't think he would be down there but I decided to take a look back next to the dryer and sure enough ... there was Lync!!!! Down below! STUCK! The doors don't open enough to allow him to get out. He would have had to jump back up on top of the dryer to get out. And I'm not even sure if that would have been possible for him since it was such tight quarters. Thank goodness Noah was over and he was able to help me push over the washer AND the dryer until we could get a little opening for him to get out.

Guess Parker did push Lync over the edge after all! haha!

2009 Halloween

2009-11-16T15:05:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist the temptation when I saw they had costumes for Kitties at Petco (on sale of course) Naturally, I picked out what fits them both. Parker - a little devil and Lync - the little angel. Anything naughty Lync has learned .... he learned from Parker!
My boys were pretty ticked off when I put these costumes on them. HAHA it was the funniest thing ever!!!! Parker kept trying to shake his head to get it off and Lync didn't want to move :) Oh the things mothers do to there little ones!

They sure look pretty ticked off huh? :) I wanted to get a pictures of them together, but of course they wouldn't cooperate.

Pumpkin for Halloween

2009-10-27T15:14:00.000-07:00

My sister in law posted a blog about her pumpkin she carved this year. She alwasy does a football themed pumpking, always Tennessee Vols. So I just had to post a blog as well to show her my Boise State Bronco's pumpkin I carve this last weekend!!! Aren't you proud of me Liz?
I LOVE PUMPKINS! hehe

Stowaway

2009-10-20T09:12:00.000-07:00

So yesterday evening was an eventful strange one. I had a Junior League meeting to go to last night but a little time to spare after work before the meeting began. So I decided to go home for a bit, grab a snack and feed the cats. I walk in the door and I see Parker sitting on the sofa, and then all of a sudden this strange unfamiliar cat comes walking out of my bedroom!?! I'm stunned and in shock. I quickly pick up the cat and call for Lync because he hadn't come out yet. Thankfully he came walking out of the bedroom soon after. I look from Parker to Lync and ask them .... who is this little fella??? And how in the world did he get in?!? All cats seemed to ignore my demand for an answer! (A little background on this kitty, I have seen him hanging around the apartments the last couple days in the evenings. He looks very pretty and taken care of so I figured he belonged to on one of the residences.)
What is amazing about this situation is when I brought Lync home as a friend for Parker, Parker hated him. Parker was the spoiled only child type. So Parker was not happy with Lync the new cat and was mean to him. Now I'm looking at all 3 cats thinking how did they all get along?
So I take the stoaway cat outside and let him loose. Poor little thing just kept following me around and everytime I would go to my door he would run to me wanting in. I didn't know what to do ... and I'm such a softy, I hated leaving him out there. (No I didn't let him in my home and join my family. I don't want to be known as the cat lady! haha) I went to the apartment office and asked the gal if she has seen him around and maybe knew who he belongs to and if someone that works at the apartments would have gone inside and maybe let the cat in. She gave a no, and no. So I walked out and saw a couple petting him and watching him and I asked if he belongs to them. Aparently this couple lives upstairs from me and has seen his kitty around all week. They have been trying to leave food out for him but he ... or she won't eat. And they told me that the cat is declawed. Oh now my heart is starting to crack a little, this poor little kitty can't stay out here - he belongs in a home. No one wanted to call the Humane Society because right now they are over flowing with homeless cats. Thankfully, this couple took charge and put the kitty in a kennel was going to call Simply Cats, a no kill no cage cat shelter. I hope this cat either finds it's original home or finds a new one. I didn't see him out last night so I'm assuming the couple upstairs has him and his trying to help him out.
And as for how he got in? I'm still in awe. The only thing I can think is that he must have ran in when I walked out to go to work. I know cats can be fast sometimes but I'm not quite sure how I missed that one! Guess I need to start being extra careful whenI leave my apartment so I don't get any more stowaways!
Here is a picture of Stowaway. So cute and super friendly!

Final Day

2009-10-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

So this is my last day in NY. Today was one day we didn't really have any plans. So we all decided to go see St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Public Library, Chrysler building, and Empire State building. My favorite was the cathedral. It was beautiful! We did lots of walking today so now we are back in our hotel for a little rest. Later tonight we will get some grub and some beers and I will be taking off early the next morning to catch my 9:30 flight. It will be sad to have to say good bye to everyone. It has been an amazing week.
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Metropolitian Museum of Art

2009-10-09T13:44:00.000-07:00

Our first destinatiom today is the Metropolitian Museum of Art. It is 177,777 square feet and the largest musuem in the Western Hemisphere. This place is huge! And has tons of differnt kinds of art. I don't know how you could possibly make it thru the whole museum and see everything. Its pretty amazing!
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Broadway time!

2009-10-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

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Broadway Show

2009-10-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

In line to watch the Broadway show In The Heights. Its a 2008 Tony Award winner.
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Chelsea Meat Packing District Food Tour

2009-10-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

Today we are doing a food tour of the meat packing district. It has some great history and amazing food. We had a delicious cookie, chocolate milk, lobster bisque and italian food to come.
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Piano Bar

2009-10-07T22:31:00.000-07:00

Don't Tell Momma on 46th between 8th and 9th. Its an awesome low key spot with great music. Enjoying a beer, the music, and great company!
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Statue of Liberty

2009-10-07T11:47:00.000-07:00

Today we have headed down to the financial district and saw Wall St., the World Trade Center site and we are now on the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. The wind is absolutely crazy today! Not the best day to be on a boat but have made it safely with minimal nausiousness.
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Top of the Rocks

2009-10-06T22:20:00.000-07:00

We are out wandering around and decided to check out the scenery at the top of the rocks at Rockefeller Center. Its quite beautiful up here.
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Best Friends

2009-10-06T16:07:00.000-07:00

So happy to be with my best friends again!
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New York City

2009-10-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

New York City Oct. 6-11. I have just arrived in New York for a week vacation with my best friends Jason and Kristin! We have a group of 7 of us and have been planning this trip since April. We all arrived at JFK airport and after a tearfull hello to my friends (haven't seen them in a year) got some taxi's and are on our way to our hotel in Time Square. We are looking forward to an exciting fun week together.
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My Sweet Adorable Cats

2009-10-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

I believe the best way to begin a blog is with a post all about my pets. My two cats, Parker and Lync. They are both about 1 1/2 years old. I first got Parker last year June 2008. Lync followed this year in July 2009. I am gone all day from work and felt that Parker needed a companion. It took some time for Parker to adjust to not being an only child. He was very possesive of everything. But eventually he stopped being so mean to the new guy and now they are friends. They will chase each other all around the house playing. It has been a fun and interesting journey with my two little loves.

Here are some of my favorite pictures.

They were wrestling around and both looked shocked to see that I caught them actually getting along and playing together!

Lync sleeping. Is that really a comfy position?

Parker sleeping. Parker has a thing for luggage bags. As soon as I pulled the bag out he took claim over it and has been sleeping in it the last couple days.

Parker also loves boxes! Any kind of box he will try to shove his big ole' body in it haha! Lync always sits back and watches. Lync is all innocent until he comes up with the bright idea to pounce on Parker when he is stuck halfway in the box. It was hilarious!

It's not too often I get to see the two of them snuggling and lovin on each other. It is always so cute! Usually Lync snuggles up to Parker and licks him. Parker usually stays still for a couple seconds and then attacks Lync and they start to wrestle and roll around.

Well, these are my boys. Be prepared to see lots more them. They are always doing something hilarious.