South American and Antarctic Adventure! Volume II: Zaandam Cruise, Part II: Puerto Montt, Chile

December 19th:

We got up early the next morning, ate breakfast at the Lido, and then headed to the MainStage where we got our EXC Excursion stickers for our "Petrohue Falls, Lake Cruise, and Chilean Countryside" tour.

[Theo was very happy about his sticker!]

After our number was called we headed downstairs to get on a Tender, which would take us to Puerto Montt. 

After a short ride (we saw some sea lions!) we got to shore and met up with our tour guide. We boarded a bus and headed towards the Vicente Perez Rosales National Park.

We drove through Puerto Varas (we would stop here later), pass Lago Llanquihue, and to the shore of Todos los Santos where we boarded a ship for our lake tour.

Even though it was pretty cloudy we were still able to see glimpses of the famous Calbuco and Osorno volcanos. 

After disembarking the boat we jumped back on the bus and headed to see the beautiful emerald waters of the Petrohue Falls.

We then drove back pass Lago Llanquihue and the Calbuco volcano to Puerto Varas where we had lunch at a local hotel. Our bus then took us into the city where we were able to walk around and do a little shopping.

[Lago Llanquihue]

[My dad loves Don Quixote!]

After exploring Puerto Varas, we were taken back to Puerto Montt where we took a tender back to the Zaandam.

That night on the ship we played Team Trivia, ate dinner at the Dinning Room, and saw Mark Hussey (critically acclaimed guitarist) perform on the MainStage.

[Before the trip I had to fill out an "Infant Request Form" for Theo. I ordered a bunch of diapers, wipes, and baby food for him. Of course, this was before his third embolization, VP shunt, and oral aversion. They started delivering the food to our room and I tried to feed Theo a few times, but he was not interested. I had to then go and explain what was going on to Guest Services. I told them what was going on and that I needed to cancel the rest of the baby food.] 

We Moved to Sherdian

I know people think we are crazy for living full-time in the Raptor, but there is a reason for the madness. Josh's job is VERY unpredictable. Plain and simple. He could lose his job tomorrow. Or he could be sent to Virginia, or North Dakota, or Texas with just a minutes notice. Literally!

Yes, I would LOVE to rent a house or apartment. But most places want a long term contract. We also have very little furniture, so if we rented something we would have to furnish it. It's a pain. I know.

And hindsight is 20/20. We've been in the same spot for three years. And before that we were in the same spot for two years. And before that we were in the same spot for almost a year. You just don't know!

If I had known we would be here for three years OF COURSE I would have rented a house or apartment. But, like I said, you just don't know!

So, one of Josh's co-workers was told he would be this area for a few years, so he bought a house. And whaddaya know?! He's starting a job in Texas this week!

He doesn't have time to sell it, or move everything out of it, so he asked us if we wanted to rent it. 

And we said YES! 

It's a cute three bedroom house with attached garage in a small neighborhood. We are still out in the farming suburbs (I'd like to be closer to the city eventually), but we get to BE IN A HOUSE! Yay! 

Josh's coworker is going to leave all of his furniture and most of his things, so we don't really need much.

AND the house is only a 20 minutes north of Marseilles (where we are currently) so all of Theo's therapist's agreed to continue to see him! Yay! We are further from the hospital, but hopefully (*knock on wood*) we won't have to go down there as often.

Even though the Raptor did very well during the Polar Vortex, our campground had issues with their water pipes freezing. Since the campground lost water on Thursday (January 31st) we decided to head over early to our new house. We packed up a few suitcases, Theo's pack n play, and a few other items, and headed over to our new home.

[Guest Room 1]


[Guest Room 2/Theo's Room]

[Kitchen]

[Mud/Laundry Room]

[Family Room]

[Sun room]

[Master bedroom]

[Master bathroom]


[Basement]

[Freezer full of elk!] 

[HUGE garage] 

On Saturday morning, Josh went to work and Theo and I went to the Raptor to start packing up. You don't need to pack up everything when you move trailers, but anything that is loose and can fly off the shelves and break needs to be secured. It took about three hours to get everything packed up and by the time I finished, Josh was home from work and my parents had arrived.

I took mom and Theo to our new house, while dad and Josh worked on getting the trailer ready for transport (taking off the skirting, unplugging the power and water, winterizing the pipes, and getting the slides in).

After the guys were done, we all went to Salsa Verde in Yorkville for dinner. It's nice that we are only 30 minutes from the suburbs instead of an hour!

We all stayed at our new place Saturday night and then Josh and dad went back to Marseilles on Sunday morning to get the Raptor. Since we had sold the truck last year we didn't have a way of moving the Raptor. Josh asked one of his co-workers to come and tow the Raptor for us (Thanks Jery!). 





Once we got the Raptor parked in the driveway we were able to unload it. Since there were four of us we were able to get everything unloaded before the Super Bowl started! Yay!

[Dining Room]

[Guest Room 2/Theo's Room]

[Josh makes the best guac!]

To be honest, I'm nervous about being in a house. It's so much bigger than the Raptor, which mean it's going to be harder to clean and cost more to cool and heat. BUT having more space is going to be so nice for Theo. 

I'm still shocked at how much stuff we have. How did we fit all of our things comfortably in the Raptor?! It's insane! 

Hopefully I'll be done unpacking in a few days and this house will feel more like home then 🙂

Thanks mom and dad for coming and helping us move!

South American and Antarctic Adventure! Volume II: Zaandam Cruise, Part I: Boarding the Ship and A Day At Sea

December 17th:

We were picked up from our hotel in Santiago by a tour guide who told us about Santiago and Chile as he transported us to the San Antonio pier. As we were leaving the city he told us about the Cerro El Plomo, a 17,783 ft mountain that overlooks the city. It's gorgeous! And luckily it was a clear day and we could see the large glacier at the top. The mountain was sacred to the Inca and there is a shrine at its peak. 

After learning more about Santiago I regretted not spending a day there before we got on our cruise ship. Oh well.

We arrived at the San Antonio pier where we checked into the ship, got our pictures taken, and boarded the Zaandam.

This beautiful ship is one of the smaller cruise ships. It's 777 feet long, has 10 decks, and can hold up to 1432 passengers (plus 615 crew). Yes, it's a large ship, BUT it's nothing compared to the Symphony of the Seas, which is 1184 feet long, has 18 decks, and can hold up to 6680 passengers (plus 2200 crew)! We obviously needed a smaller ship in order to maneuver around the icebergs and through the bays of the Antarctic. 

We boarded the ship, found our rooms (Main Deck in the back), met our room attendants (Here and Sofian), and unpacked while we waited for the safety drill to start.

[Our room]

[The room was pretty small, but we managed to fit a pack n play and a mini fridge in there too!]

[Baby life jacket for Theo]

[He LOVES Toy Story]

[Finally able to wash Theo's bottles and syringes in the sink!]

After the safety drill, we headed up on deck to say goodbye to San Antonio.

  

[The whole ship was decorated for Christmas]

[Daily towel animals] 

That night we went to the MainStage where we were introduced to our Cruise Director, Bruce. He then introduced the rest of his team/support staff:

- Sandra, Assistant Cruise Director - She would be hosting the afternoon Team Trivia

- Kevin, EXC Guide - He is tasked with giving "Talks" (Lectures) about the upcoming ports and helping us figure out what to do while we are at port. He also provides commentary while we are cruising through the Chilean Fjords.

- Scott, Corey, Tamara, George, and Bryan, Antarctic Expedition Team Members - This fabulous group of people are all experts in Antarctica. They will give various "Talks" throughout the trip and also provide commentary as we cruise through Antarctica.

- I don't remember all of their names, but there was also a lady from America's Test Kitchen, a couple who would teach Spanish and Tango lessons, and many more!

December 18th:

Today was a very bumpy day at sea. The ship was constantly rolling and people were getting sea sick 🤢. I even took Dramamine and I still felt a little nauseated. I assumed that once we entered the fjords the waters would be calmer (and they were), but this day made me dread crossing The Drake to Antarctica. I figured those waters would be rough!

During the day we went to "Everything Salmon" cooking demonstration at "America's Test Kitchen." It was fun to learn new ways to cook salmon and to learn what "America's Test Kitchen" was. Apparently it's a very popular cooking show!

We also attended our first (of MANY) Team Trivia Challenges. Even though we only ended up winning a few times, it was still always a lot of fun!

In the afternoon we went and listened to our first "Talk" with our EXC Guide Kevin. He gave lectures (or "Talk") throughout the cruise, mostly about our upcoming ports. He would give a little history about the port and then go over things to do while we were there.

That night we went to the "Tree Lighting Ceremony", played Evening Trivia, and then got dressed up for Gala Night.

[I love wearing my wedding jewelry]

[Cutest baby in a tux!]

We walked around the boat trying to get good pictures of us in our formal wear, but Theo was NOT cooperating!

[Theo was still NOT happy!]

[Captains Welcome Toast]

I told Josh before we got on the ship that they will be serving a lot of different "exotic" foods that he should try (e.g. escargot, foie gras, caviar, etc). And what do you know? On the second night on the ship escargot was offered as an appetizer! Snails floating in garlic and butter?! Yes, please!

[He's such a good sport]