Priceline...Or...The Worst Hotel Experience of Our Lives!!

*DISCLAIMER-The Long Version of the Story*

As we approached our departure date for Anchorage, Ellie & I had yet to make hotel reservations. We had been procrastinating because of the outrageous hotel prices in Anchorage. After spending a few days of internet surfing looking at different deals, hotel recommendations, and calling for availability we finally made the choice to use Priceline. We have had a few friends use Priceline and have been very happy with their experience so we thought we would give it a try. After we put in a really low bid at the STAR level we desired, our request came back denied and in order to place another bid we had to change our STAR level. We changed our level from 2.5 stars to 2 stars. This decision could have been our downfall. They accepted our offer and put us at the BEST VALUE INN EXECUTIVE SUITES. Immediately, I checked TripAdvisor and discovered that our hotel was less than desirable. BUT, we were locked in!! (Once Again...Thanks Priceline)!!

When we arrived at the hotel, the late night check-in team offered us a lower rate for our room only to find out that they couldn't because we had purchased our stay through Priceline...It turns out our bid was actually higher than the hotel room was worth!! (Our bid was at least $50 less than any hotel room price we had found on the internet)!! When we got to our room, not only were we amazed at how hot and muggy it was, but the realization that it didn't have a AC Unit floored us. The room smelled and was not clean. I wouldn't even take my socks off to walk around. Due to the smell and the heat I slept maybe 2 hours and woke with a migraine headache. When I went to the counter to let them know we would be checking out, they informed us that they could not refund us and that we would have to take up our complaint with Priceline.

After twenty minutes ROAMING on my cell phone, Priceline informed us that they could not refund us our money because the hotel would not release our funds. The hotel would offer us a new room to stay in however. I got off the phone and went to speak with the manager, who informed us that we could move to a different room with AC. I reluctantly said I would agree to these terms. When we returned to our new room after a long day of sight seeing (10 pm), I pulled back the sheets only to find dirt and pubic hair. I am not kidding...I can't make up stories this good!! When I told the front desk, they said they would have someone bring us new sheets. There was a knock on the door and new sheets were handed to us. There was no offer to make the bed or take the dirty sheets. Then as Ellie and I were getting ready for bed it became clear that our bathroom hadn't been cleaned either. The floor was sticky, stained and smelled strongly of urine. Because it was so late and we were both so tired, we took the towels and spread them out on the floor. In the morning we packed our belongings, went to the front desk, told our complaints, and checked-out two days early.

After many phone calls, emails, and disgruntled conversations with hotel employees we still have yet to receive a verdict back from Priceline as to whether they will refund us our money!! The moral of this story...NEVER USE PRICELINE OR STAY AT THE BEST VALUE INN EXECUTIVE SUITES IN ANCHORAGE!!

Alaskan Initiation...Thanks, Matt!!

This video shows what can happen when you are a bit gullible and way too excited about catching your first salmon. What I have come to learn is never trust an Alaskan on old fisherman folklore and initaition, especially an Alaskan named Matt VanSickle!!

Mac & Cheese Cook-off

My husband seems to think he makes better macaroni & cheese than I do. I know this sounds silly--with cooking directions on the side of each box, how can the outcome be that different? This is what I think, anyway. So what if mine comes out a little runnier than his (it's m & c soup!) and who cares if the butter doesn't fully dissolve before the delicious cheese powder is stirred in? But then, when I taste his version of our staple food, I realize that he DOES have the corner on making this meal. (Okay, he was right to convince me that Kraft really DOES have the best brand...I can admit when I'm wrong!) All the same, today when I make it for dinner (Jeff's rocking Grace in the other room...but he has given me strict instructions on how much butter to use) I plan to switch up the ingredients to see if he can figure out what I did to it. It's a fun little game we play at the Lochhead house...

*Sooz--don't worry, we know mac and cheese is not the healthiest of meals, so we're balancing it out with some delicious TURKEY dogs...yummmmm...

North, to Alaska! (Part II--Juneau)

We had such a great time visiting Matt & Heidi and Kalei and Alea up in VanSickle Country. They are great friends and also great tour guides! We enjoyed hitting all of the hot spots with them--seeing Mendenhall Glacier, the fish hatchery, watching whales, fishing for salmon, grabbing a Breeze In bagel and a coffee at NOAA--and loved experiencing everyday life with them in Juneau. Now when they tell us stories from their summer up north we can picture exactly what they're talking about!


On our first full day, Jeff was itching to catch his first salmon, so the VanSickles took us out on brother Ryan's boat--our destination was the spit out in Echo Cove (for all of you Juneau people, this is located all the way out "THE Road"). This is Jeff in the boat with Heidi and Grace and I--I was too nervous to be responsible for the baby on a boat so I made him pack her. :)


The setting doesn't get any better than this! :) I can't post ALL of the pictures, but I also have some of eagles and seals that surrounded us during this fishing expedition...


Jeff's first salmon! I guess it's Gracie's first salmon, too! She loves this pack--she fished with dad for a couple of hours!


We weren't here for five minutes before the girls had their socks and shoes off and were exploring the treasures of the spit--beached seaweed, beautiful pebbles, cool pools of water... These girls definitely love the outdoors! (...and Heidi has invested in gallons of OxyClean stain remover!)


Kalei with her big catch...and her dad. (Notice the bare feet!)


Heidi and I held down the spit fort--stocked with PBJ's, granola bars, potato chips, and yogurt-covered raisins.


Matt and Jeff and Grace at Mendenhall Glacier--they have this new nature trail to follow as you look for BEARS. No luck for us, though. The next picture could explain why we didn't see any bears on this particular day...


Kalei and Alea with their cousins Abby and Luke...they had fun being bears themselves...running up the path and jumping out to scare us with their bear growls...


Family pic at the glacier...


Believe it or not, this was the view we had outside our bedroom window--from the new VanSickle Inn! Matt's parents, Joyce and Warren, just built a lovely home just down the road from the site of Matt's childhood house. They were so gracious to let us stay there!


The trees behind their house often have bald eagles in them...what a great place!


Jeff and Gracie in downtown Juneau--we'd just eaten fudge from the Alaskan Fudge Company...can you see it on Jeff's face?


I just love this picture of Kalei and Alea! They were running around in front of the library and cruise ships in downtown Juneau and I had them pose for me. Heidi and I think this pic captures their personalities.


On our last day we went for a hike to Lena Point--not far from the VanSickle home. It was a delightful Southeastern Alaska hike--complete with soggy trails and gorgeous views.


It was such a great vacation! Thanks for your hospitality and friendship, VanSickles!

North, to Alaska! (Part I--Anchorage)

Jeff and Gracie and I had a great time in Alaska over the last ten days! We first went to Anchorage to visit my brother, who moved there last September, and then we went to Juneau to stay with Matt and Heidi and the VanSickle family during their annual summer stay. We'll post a few pics from Anchorage for now--stay tuned for more from Juneau! :) LE


The mountains created a gorgeous background for our vacation. It was so beautiful! This is a stop along the road on our trip to Seward. Wish I could capture the beauty of the drive...


Here's Grace with my brother. He called himself "The Baby Whisperer" because she fell asleep in his arms quite often during our visit! (I think he just picked the right times to hold her!)


Jeff and Gracie and I took the tram at the Alyeska Resort one afternoon. Here we are at the top. The view was amazing!


We went on an hour-long cruise to view Portage Glacier up close. Gracie LOVES the front-pack. She doesn't like to sit cuddled up to Jeff--she likes to face forward to see the world!


My parents were with us on the first leg of the trip--in Anchorage. We all stayed with my brother in his 2-room apartment. It was lots of fun in close quarters! I love this picture of my mom and Gracie in the back of Ben's pickup--we drove all over, spending lots of quality car time together.


Here's a pic of Mom and Dad reading the history of the Independence Gold Mine. No gold here now--though we saw people panning!--it was abandoned years ago.

In Search of Sasquatch--2008

We had such a busy 4th of July! We have been going down to the farm in recent years for the Fourth to celebrate with my (LE's) family. We usually go down to Clarkston to watch fireworks, attend a small town parade in Johnson, and sometime over the holiday weekend my dad's siblings--The Mosers--get together for our annual family gathering. And, like any zany Moser gathering, we have a theme: In Search of Sasquatch. The theme originated TEN years ago, when my dad and his brothers were remembering a scary cougar/hyena-like growl they kept hearing in the orchard in 1975. Based on some "EAR-witness" accounts that have surfaced in recent years, they are convinced that it was a Sasquatch they were hearing. Now when we get together, my grandma and my aunts and uncles and cousins sit around a campfire up in the orchard at my grandma's house and retell this story and bring their own funny stories and we usually leave with laughter-induced stomach aches.

Along with the campfire come other traditions: t-shirts, continental breakfasts, trophy distribution for honored participants, reading of last year's minutes and this year's new items of business, etc. But THIS YEAR was special. It was the TENTH year of our Sasquatch gathering, so we decided to create a parade float to display during the Johnson 4th of July Parade. It was quite a float! Grace had a great first time at Sasquatch--she slept through the whole parade, got her own t-shirt, and decided that the campfire was too late for her and that we should go home early. Maybe next year she'll become a true Sasquatch Camper! :) -LE

A Predominately Accelerated Child...

...at least that's what Jeff and I think! We are SLIGHTLY biased, being her adoring parents... We keep looking up what her next developmental milestones will be...right now, at six weeks she's working on smiling and cooing, which is really fun for us! This is a picture of Grace and her dad going through a "Tummy Time" activity. She's had a strong neck ever since birth--always craning back to look at who is holding her--so she doesn't resist this exercise too often. I just love this picture! :) -LE