The Kongaika Family: Cruising with my family

My parents celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary with all of their children and their spouses on a cruise to Alaska this July. We all really enjoyed the time together. Joel and I felt so blessed to be able to be a part of such a special event with all of my immediate family. My parents are great examples to us. They continue to bless our lives every day. I also love my brother and sisters and their spouses. They make great company and friends.

This was the formal night on the cruise. We celebrated my parents' anniversary that night. Joel and I sang The Hawaiian Wedding Song at dinner and we gave my parents some thoughtful gifts.

This is one of my favorite moments on the trip. My dad and my brother were laughing at me by the way. :) So glad I snapped these pictures.

We walked Butchart Gardens with Mike and Shawna on our last night. They make great company. We loved spending time with them on this trip. Our rooms were next to each other and we opened the door between our patios so we could visit and hang out in the day. Our shared decks ended up being the happening hang out for everyone in the family most days.

Another dress-up dinner night. So great to spend time together.

The night we celebrated my parents' anniversary.

Most of us up near the mountain pass between Alaska and Canada.

The sisters.

I was so excited to see this seal out on an iceberg along the Tracy Arm Fjord.

We took a little hike in Juneau to this big waterfall called Nugget Falls.

We also got a closer look at Mendenhall Glacier.

One of the most beautiful places I have seen on earth - Tracy Arm Fjord. The boat cruised all throughout this narrow passage for hours on our way to Juneau. There were beautiful waterfalls along the mountains going into the ocean as well as big, beautiful pieces of ice in the water. The feeling on the boat was so solemn, quiet and reverent as we all stood wide-eyed witnessing the beauty around us. After watching on the upper decks with Joel for a while, we returned to our room and sat out on our deck with Mike and Shawna. I insisted that we sing hymns (because we make a perfect quartet - SATB) and this became a very sweet moment for me. "Nearer My God to Thee" turned out to be one of our best. My mom and dad and Becca ended up joining us and singing as well.