I ask you: Can you forgive my literary neglect? Today I bring shame upon my house.

Actually, it’s just been ‘one of those days’…for about a month now! There has, of course, been a lot happening (housemates leaving and going back to school, our tour winning Shore Excursion of the Year by Princess Cruises, me running from a black bear, having my friend Janet visit from home, and my parents deciding to sell their home in Kansas to move to OKC to name a few scenarios).

Tonight I’m getting ready to go have dinner with some of the Shore Excursions managers at Pizzeria Roma (oh my word: Delicious) because we’ve all become friends over the season and next week is their ‘last call’ for the Juneau port. I can’t believe it! My job is already coming to an end! — As in, “It’s already been 5 months?!” Also, I didn’t win Tour Coordinator of the year, but I do feel more than satisfied that I was mentioned by enough passengers/staff to earn a spot in the running. And several of my fellow dock staff from other companies mentioned to me they wish I would have ‘taken the gold’. That means enough to me. (Winning Tour Coordinator of the Month of July was pretty cool though!)

This week I’m buying my plane ticket home and I’m very excited. I’m proud that I’ve come here, that I’ve achieved so much, that I learned a great new job, and that I’ve made thousands of ‘acquaintances’ off the cruise ships. But just like anything else, with an ending comes another beginning: my return to Oklahoma City. I’ll be happy for being with old friends and my fabulous family, having a car again, Mexican food, not standing outside in the rain all day, and to not be answering questions like “Why do they call it a bald eagle? I can see its feathers from here.”

Life’s been good to me, but I’m happy to be beginning new experiences at home. Blog posts may be a bit sparse for the next 3 1/2 weeks while I finish out strong and remain ‘in the moment’ here instead of concentrating on leaving, but breathe easy and know I’m happy, healthy and well.

I wish all the same for you all too, of course.

Besos!

**Photos Below**

To prove to myself (and Janet) that Juneau is completely landlocked, we drove “out the road” the other day to the very end: