Where Did August Go?

It's unfortunately been over a month since my last post!  What a slacker I've been!!!

But, though August flew by, it's given me many things to write about!

Last month, I....

1) Photographed my first wedding
2) Vacationed in Destin, Florida
3) Moved into an apartment!
4) Started back at Clemson
5) Didn't get Andre Ellington's autograph at Fan Appreciation Day
6) Scored 2nd row seats to the Ball State Game

And technically this month, but have to include it...

7) Visited the Georgia Aquarium
8) Watched the Clemson Tigers defeat the Auburn Tigers at the Chick-fil-a bowl in Atlanta!!!

And I'm looking forward to the first game of the season in Death Valley this weekend!

Yay for football!  Yay for Clemson!!!!!  GO TIGERS!

Traveling Solo And Being Alone

One of the questions I get asked the most is, "do you get lonely?". The short answer is yes. Although I am alone most of the time, I don't get lonely that often but yes, sometimes I do. I have a routine each day with Max and I try to keep busy when I have spare time. Taking photographs is something I do everyday and that's fulfilling and challenging to me to create new images each day. I usually travel to a new place on a daily basis so the excitement of what's to come keeps my mind busy.

When I am alone in my surroundings and a bit bored, sometimes I take self portraits to pass the time. All of the photos below are taken with my iPhone on a timer(except i am holding the iphone out of the water in the head shot). I never really know when it will take the photograph so it's always a surprise to see what I captured. Posting photographs on this blog, Facebook and instagram makes me feel a little connected to the outside world and being connected helps when I have no idea what is going on since I don't watch tv or read a paper. However, that can be a good thing sometimes.

So, thank you for reading the blog and keeping in touch! Max and I always love hearing from you while we are on the road and wherever we are calling "home" on that day. For us, home is where we park it.

A Drive Along The Oregon Coast

One of my favorite drives in this country is along the Oregon coast. For some reason, it puts you in a good mood and for a moment, everything seems right in the world. Ok, that might be a bit dramatic but it truly is a sight to see. I've done this drive a few times and each time I do, I find something new.

I took a few days and stopped for the night in some nice camping spots along the way. A drive on the coast isn't complete without a stop at the tillamook cheese factory to taste samples and get a huge scoop of ice cream.

Max loves the beach and he gets a bit crazy when we play in the sand. Sometimes, he even lets me bury him! We had such a good time on the coast. If you're looking for a scenic drive on the ocean, Oregon has it!

Here are a few iPhone pics from our Oregon drive plus a few near the border of California in the redwoods.

Yellowstone National Park With My iphone

As much as I would like to upload several beautiful images from my big camera, I left my card reader in Spokane and I haven't been on my computer in weeks. The last few posts were done with my iPhone and for me, it doesn't matter what equipment you use to get an image, as long as you are able to tell a story. I post photographs from my journey each day on instagram if you have that app in your iPhone, you can find me there.

Yellowstone is my favorite National Park by far. Everytime I go, I discover something new and this trip was no exception. In fact, I think this was my favorite visit yet!

I was lucky enough to get three nights of camping by a last minute cancellation since the park was completely sold out.

Here are photographs I took with my phone. I hope it gives you an idea of what my experience was like. If you've never been to Yellowstone, I would highly recommend a visit.

Making Friends With Chipmunks

I took the most beautiful drive the other day on highway 212 in Wyoming. It was amazingly beautiful. Each turn had something new to look at. If you have the time, this by far is one of the most beautiful drives I've ever been on. At the top, you get a stunning view of bear tooth mountain.

On the way down towards Montana, I stopped at another viewpoint and the chipmunks were the friendliest I've ever encountered. They were all too eager to ham it up and be in my photograph. One looked like he took pleasure in photobombing my shot! It really was a beautiful drive and I would recommend making a trip if you've never been.

Royal Caribbean Grand Suite - Monarch of the Seas

On our recent cruise on Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas, we were lucky enough to get a taste of the "suite life" in a Grand Suite.

The Monarch is one of the cruise line's older ships and is in the smallest class.  In fact, Royal Caribbean has sold the Monarch to their Italian line, Pullmantur, and she will be removed from the fleet in April.  However, while the staterooms are much smaller than what is typically found on newer Royal Caribbean ships, the suites are still spacious and comfortable, though dated in decor.

The Monarch doesn't have any balcony staterooms besides suites.  All of the suites are located on deck 10.  We were in room 1038, which was the Grand Suite closest to the elevator on the starboard side.




The suite had a dry bar equipped with glassware and a coffee maker, as well as a flat-screen television (regular staterooms had tiny old-school box TVs).



The room had a king bed with plenty of floor space on all three sides.



A spacious vanity...



Three large closets with robes and slippers.



The sofa bed folded out into a queen size bed.





Lots of storage!



The balcony was very large.





We were welcomed with bottled water and a fruit basket.



As well as several invitations to events throughout the cruise.



The bathroom had a full-size bathtub.



And upgraded toiletries.



Suite guests receive gold SeaPass cards so that they can easily be identified by crew members.  On larger cruise ships, gold SeaPasses give people access to the Concierge Lounge and reserved seating on the pool deck, but the Monarch of the Seas didn't have the amenities (alternative to Concierge Lounge was an invitation to the nightly Diamond Plus event in the Viking Crown Lounge).  There was, however, a reserved area in the Sound of Music theater for suite guests.



One of our favorite suite perks was the ability to order room service from the dining room menu.  Instead of having to fill out the breakfast room service card the night before, we could call that morning and have breakfast delivered to the room.  It was a great convenience and sure beat battling the crowds at the Windjammer.

Other suite perks on the Monarch included -

• Private party on Coco Cay with free cocktails
• Reserved breakfast area in the dining room (never used it)
• Pillow menu with variety of pillow options (also didn't use)
• Priority embarkation
• Priority tendering (not really necessary on the Monarch since it's such a small ship)
• Free pressing service for formal night
• Chocolates at turn down
• Daily treats delivered to the stateroom (sushi, fruit, bottled water, etc.)

We were really glad that we chose to stay in a suite.  It was a good experience and did spoil us a little.  The 4-night cruise was an affordable way to see if the suite benefits were worth the upgrade (and on a larger ship, there would be even more benefits).