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Last summer I went on an Alaskan cruise with my spouse, parents, brothers, sister-in-law, and nephews.

My parents had been curious about taking a cruise for years thanks to the stories they’d heard about other cruises my spouse and I had been on. Mom had also been wanting to see Alaska for herself for quite some time, too. We were thrilled to find a cruise that fit everyone’s schedule by picking it out about eighteen months before we actually sailed.

It was a week that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. We saw whales swimming in Glacier Bay and seals resting on small pieces of ice that floated by our cruise ship. Visiting various towns in Alaska on port days was fascinating, too. We skipped over the touristy stuff to explore the history of that state and look at the gigantic crows and beautiful flowers that don’t exist or are quite different where we all live.

It was so much fun to watch our nephews, then age five and twelve, react to all of the new experiences they had during that trip, from the formal dinners in the fancy dining room to Alaskan wildlife and more.

Our older nephew was old enough to be pretty independent as far as setting his own social schedule goes while we were on board but still young enough to think it was cool to spend time with family. Twelve is such a great age.

The younger nephew loved the magic show we saw one night of the cruise. He also loved telling us all sorts of interesting facts about the Titanic and how we were not going to sink like it did because we have computers to navigate a ship and plenty of lifeboats to save everyone now in case of emergency.

Alaska is such a picturesque part of the world. I highly recommend visiting it if or when you’re able to. These pictures are such a small slice of something that everyone should experience for themselves.

It’s so much fun to look back at the photos everyone took of this trip and think about the good times we had. May there be another extended family adventure in our futures at some point in the years to come.

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Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Something tells me I may not be the only Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge participant to pick this answer, but I have to go with The Princess Bride as my “go to” movie for a pick-me-up.

It’s a whimsical fairy tale  that has aged pretty well over the past thirty-three years and doesn’t require the audience to do any heavy thinking.

There are so many quotable pieces of dialogue from it. I will admit to occasionally using them in conversations that are in no way related to fairy tales, magic, finding your one true love, or fighting off Rodents of Unusual Size.

I mean, where else would a character like Inigo Montoya apologize for trying to kill someone in the middle of a sword fight but still go back to their murderous ways immediately?

This isn’t something I’ve seen repeated quite the same in any other fantasy film. There’s something truly magical about these characters and their quests, noble and otherwise.

And, yes, the book version is just as much fun if any of you haven’t read it yet and were curious.

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Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

If not for Covid-19, this list would be more adventurous, but I’d bet you’re all thinking the same thing. I hope that Long and Short Reviews does a similar topic again next year so I can share my love of things that don’t require physical distancing and other safety measures.

My life revolves around the gifs and pictures shared below:

Weightlifting (and other fitness stuff like yoga and brisk walking that doesn’t have cute gifs attached to them).

Writing blog posts, short stories, book reviews, and attempted novels. (Still trying to finish those novels).

Reading everything I can get my hands on…

Including all food/medication labels and the fine print on menus so I don’t accidentally eat or drink something that will trigger my allergies. I’m very grateful to have this information, but sometimes I do wish I could be carefree about food like some folks are.

My life these days also includes a lot of time spent in nature. I love people and animal watching. You can learn so much about them by quietly observing what they do.

I also love walking through forests and other calm ways of passing the time. (Higher risk outdoor activities will need to wait until this pandemic is under control. I don’t want to get into an accident and need medical care when the hospital are still so full).

There’s something so relaxing about hearing the leaves whistle together or see small animals like squirrels running on the grass.

I’m also sharing this picture with all of you because it’s giving off Rapunzel vibes as I’m sure some of you are experiencing with your own untrimmed hair. How many other WWBC participants have hair that grows quickly, too?