Oh Ida...

Hello hello!
Well things just never end the way they're supposed to, do they? :) We've had quite a second to last cruise, what with Hurrican Ida in our midst! We had some very rocky shows, but were able to pull through! On Saturday we were informed that instead of our normal route of Tampa, Sea Day, Cayman, Cozumel, Sea Day, we were going to be re-routed to Key West due to the hurricane. The original plan was to spend what should have been our first day at sea in Key West, THEN have a Sea Day, and then proceed to Cozumel as normal. THis would have meant pushing our last night of Shout back one night, because we only perform on Sea Days. HOWEVER, when we go to Key West, they shut down the port and wouldn't let any ships through! So instead of Key West, we spent another day at sea. So this 5 day cruise only got one day in port, which was today. We swapped Shout BACK to the night it was supposed to be on, so as of two nights ago, I'm done performing for Carnival! What a wild ride it's been, and I can't believe it's over!
We spent all day yesterday relaxing, and were able to go out and about before midnight because we didn't have any shows. Then we had crew bingo and our friend Chris, a social host, won over $1800 so that was quite the nice surprise!
Victoria, Nicola and I just had a fabulous lunch in Cozumel and did some souvenir shopping. We only have one more day in port after this- unbelievable. And then of course, the Elvis charter is just 2 days away- I'm sure I'll have lots of stories to share from that too!
HOME IN SIX DAYS!!!!!!!!

coming to the end...

Well everyone, it's hard to believe, but I am coming to the end of this journey! Last night was our very last 2 performances of Fiesta Latina, which still hasn't truly kicked in yet. We swapped the shows this cruise (normally we would have done Shout last night) so there's as much time as possible to alter the costumes for the new cast so that they can open the show on the 11th. I love that we get to see them perform! This means that we'll do Shout 4 times with only one day in between to recover, but after that we're DONE! So we'll perform two Shouts on the 6th, Intro Show on the 7th, 2 more Shouts on the 8th, and that's IT. Because of the charter coming on board on the 12th, we have our entire last cruise with NO work. Explanation:
Carnival allows groups to charter an entire cruise ship for their group only. This apparently happens quite often but the only one we have during our contract just happened to fall on our last cruise. These charter groups completely take over, they have their own activities and their own shows. This charter is run by Elvis Presley's childhood friend, Jerry Shilling. AKA this cruise is going to be filled with Elvis freaks and impersonators. There's an impersonation contest with a crazy prize, something like $10,000, a 24 hour booth with PB & J and banana sandwiches (which was apparently Elvis's favorite snack), things like that. So essentially, I'll have my last 8 days here getting paid to do pretty much nothing. HA! I honestly couldn't be luckier! The atmosphere around here has been so different since the new cast came on- much more relaxed. Everyone is just able to breathe a bit easier.
The only downer is that Tiffany pulled a muscle in her arm a while ago and the doctor forced her to get physical therapy for it off the ship- in Miami. She left on Monday and won't be back til the 12th. So we're closing both shows without a full cast. But hopefully, if everything goes as planned, she'll be with us for the charter cruise.
I'll be home in snowy Minnesota in just 12 days, and Harrisburg in 18! I'm feeling so good about this entire experience and so thankful for it. It's truly changed my life, and I'm glad I can say that with a smile on my face. Can't wait to see everyone! Love, love, LOVE :)

woohooo!

4 more cruises to go! I’m so in awe of how quickly things have gone as the end gets nearer. The new dancers got here two cruises ago, and the new singers arrived last cruise. Everyone is so great- friendly, and such quick learners! They’ve learned all of Fiesta Latina in 9 days. They’ll open that show the night before we leave so we’ll get to watch them perform which will be such a blast!
We’ve been trying to do as much as possible to use our time here wisely. A couple of cruises ago a few of us took the ferry over to mainland Mexico and spent the day at Playa del Carmen. The past two cruises we’ve spent the day at a hotel resort called El Cid with a great pool and amazing food. Last cruise was the crew Halloween party and I went in a whoopee cushion costume ☺ And then the next night there was a guest costume contest so Neil, Victoria, Nicola, Ronaldo and I were in charge of choosing people to be a part of it and then judge the contest. Tonight we had a birthday party for Nicola, and she turns 19 tomorrow.
Today was a great day because I got my FLIGHT INFORMATION which makes it all so real that I’ll be home in 18 days! I can’t wait ☺

october?!?!

Hey hey!
Unbelievable, it's already October 12th! It's amazing how experiences like this seem to drag on and then by the end things move so fast you're done before you know it!
The past couple of weeks have been filled with a lot of joy. My wonderful best friend, Chelsea, came to visit me ALL BY HERSELF (not a cheap vacation, I might add) for our last cruise of September. We went to 7 Mile Beach for the day in Grand Cayman (where both of us forgot our wallets, so it was a nice cheap day! haha) and then in Cozumel we took the ferry over to the mainland and took a tour to the ancient Mayan ruins in Tulum. Words cannot express my fascination! Our tour guide was fantastic, and was actually of Mayan descent, so he was very knowledgeable and intent on changing American stereotypical views of the Mexican people. The ruins themselves were incredible, and they were set right on the most breathtaking beach and ocean setting we had ever seen! So after touring the ruins we were able to take a dip in the ocean, and then rush back in time to have an absolutely delicious, authentic Mexican meal. YUM! Chels also got to experience the disco, salsa class with Ronaldo, and country line dancing with Karina, as well as the Mojito party and the Sangria party out on Serenity deck. We had a wonderful 5 days together :)
But the fun didn't end there! Chels stayed on for a SECOND cruise, and Lisa, Laura, Benny, Kenny and Jeff joined her! We had an absolute blast together. Jeff tried his hand at karaoke (as well as the casino...yes, it was a problem but I think he's got it under control now...), and there was a lot of mini gold, shuffleboard, music trivia, and as much time as possible outside in the Caribbean air. Then in Cozumel I took them to Passion Island where we relaxed in hammocks and ate our fill of chips and guac for most of the day. What a blessed person I am to have such incredible friends! We did nothing but laugh for four days straight. Well, laugh and EAT...
My time with my friends definitely gave me the energy and positive attitude to get through the next month. The new dancers arrive in exactly one week, and the new singers arrive one cruise after them. There's plenty to look forward to- our "un-birthday party" for cast members whose birthdays don't fall during the contract (including me!) which has a Christmas theme..clearly I was behind that...Halloween, a trip to Playa Del Carmen in mainland Mexico, and then of course our Elvis cruise (more info on that at a later date!)
I can't believe I only have 5 weeks left. As difficult a time as I've had at some points, I could not be more thankful for this experience. Still, coming home to snow will be quite the sight, and one that I'm very much looking forward to :)

things you didn't realize were privileges til you went without them:

1. Driving
2. Eating what you want, when you want it/home-cooked meals/going out for dinner
3. Walking out your front door
4. Consistent internet and cell phone service
5. Dry land
6. Going running in a straight line, not in circles or in place
7. Fall leaves
8. Windows in your bedroom
9. Talking to your boyfriend whenever you want
10. Good friends who tell you the truth, challenge you, encourage you, and uplift you through good and bad times

54 days....

you can't keep me down!

hello hello!
Greetings from PANERA- we found a panera in tampa and my life could not be more complete at this moment ;) It's great though, it's a little shopping center and being here makes me feel like a normal person haha!
Many things have happened since I last wrote. As a cast, we took a trip to passion island in cozumel (photos are up on facebook). You take a speed boat called the Twister to a small island with nothing on it but lounge chairs and umbrellas. There's an open bar and buffet as well. It was the first outing where the entire cast was together, and to make it even better we were the only ones there for half the day! A whole island to ourselves :)
Two cruises ago, I had a great surprise- Sara Fertig, a friend from high school, happened to be on the Inspiration for her honeymoon! I got to meet her new hubby and they got to see my shows. It was so much fun! I was wondering if anything like that might ever happen.
Last cruise was a bit of a bummer. Right at the very end of the Intro Show, I rolled my ankle and hurt it pretty badly. The next morning it was swollen up like a balloon and ugly and bruised, so unfortunately I had to miss out on SHOUT for both performances. I was honestly devastated. Charlie and Tiffany both had family visiting and I hated that I couldn't be with them at all or have them see the show as it's supposed to be. I was signed off (meaning that I couldn't get off the ship- literally couldn't leave my room unless I was going to the mess to get food) for three days. Thankfully, I healed up in time for Fiesta last night and it went really well! The swelling's almost completely gone at this point. As I may have mentioned, when Derrick or I can't perform one of the dancers takes our place, so Kali got to debut as the Production Singer the other night. I only wish I could have seen it! I heard she did a great job lip syncing to my voice :)
As of yesterday, I have 2 months to go. I can't believe it! Also, I got an email from the Singing Supervisor, and I officially have a replacement! Her name is Marjorie, and she's worked for Carnival before. I can't wait to meet her in about a month!
Future plans include Busch Gardens (hopefully on Monday!) and visits from Chelsea and then Jeff, Laura, Lisa, Kenny, Benny and Megan. I can't WAIT!
Love to ALL, especially my Bry. <3

WOW.

Oh my goodness! It's only been 3 weeks since I last posted but I don't even know where to begin with the updates!
First off, up until the 15th of August, things continued to be pretty lowkey. We had a great time celebrating Alanna's birthday, but sadly, she left unexpectedly 2 days ago- her grandfather is very ill and she decided she needed to go home to Australia to be with him. We will miss her (and already do!) so much! She was such a sweet girl. My thoughts and prayers are with her.
We had our traffic light party (you wear red if you're taken, yellow if you're not sure, and green if you're single) and last night had crew bingo. I didn't win, surprise, surprise. :) Tonight is our final big crew activity of the month, the Horror Party! Pictures to follow soon enough :)
Oh one funny thing that did happen though, was that Derrick got sick (that's not the funny part!) and was quarantined to his room for 24 hours, so for one of the performances on Fiesta a couple of weeks ago, Gaven had to step in and sing to Derrick's track! It was hilarious doing a romantic ballad with him, looking at him with Derrick's voice coming out of the mic and Gaven's mouth not exactly singing the right words. SO funny. I'm glad I got to experience that :) And Derrick's feeling fine now, so it's ok!
Now on to the really good stuff. VISITORS!!!!! On the 15th, Mom, Dad, Amy, JJ, Papa, Poppy, Jen, Abbie, Aunt Judy, and BRY came to visit! Quite the group :) We had SUCH a blast. Most of my time was spent with the "younger" crowd ;) but I was able to eat int he dinner room with everyone 4 out of the 5 nights, and Bry has officially become a Canasta player- we played with Mom and Dad a bunch of times up by the coffee shop on the ship. It was so much fun! I took Bry, Amy and Jen to crew bar, the disco, Treasure Island, and Bry got to experience No Name as well. It was so great to be with him, as quickly as it went. I don't think it could have been a better five days :) And of course, had an awesome time with the fam as well! They always make me smile :) It was so wonderful to be able to show them all what I do and where I hang out on the ship.
We spent our last day together at the FLorida Aquarium, which was worth watching Abbie's reaction to every single tank of fish with such excitement. :) I had a very tearful goodbye with Bry and the family, and then I got back on the ship to prepare for another cruise of visitors with Trish and her mom. Turns out, however, that I was in for a surprise. Trish was there, but her mom was not- in her place was Tim, Cory, Darcy and Jay! A great group of old and new friends :) They were so much fun to have on the ship too- very interested in the activities on board haha. We went to Paradise Beach in Cozumel, went to Deck Party, and spent lots of time laying out in the sun. They were some of the best audiences members we could ask for. For whatever reason, sometimes you just get cruises where the audiences are completely bored with the shows and have no interest in participating. Unfortunately, Trish and the others were on such a cruise. But they made up for EVERYONE else in the audience with their enthusiasm! They made it so much fun to perform to them :)
Needless to say, my last couple of days have been very very relaxing. Visitors sure can take a lot out of you! Totally worth it though :) I now have a month to recuperate before Chels comes on September 26th (all by herself!) and then is joined on October 1st by 4 more incredibly supportive friends :) Thank you God for all the amazing people in my life!
I come home in 82 days, then I'll be at Messiah 6 days later. We can do this... <3

OHHHH we're halfway there...

Well, as of this past cruise I'm halfway through my contract! 22 down, and 22 to go :) It's really incredible how fast time goes. When I think about how much has happened over the past 3 and a half months, and how many times i've gotten to perform, I feel very very blessed by this experience.
Not much more to report- the past couple of cruises have been pretty lowkey, but August is going to be full of fun and adventures because a lot of the cast has family and friends coming over the next month or so. I can't wait to meet everyone! And then of course I've got my wooonderful family and my wooooooonderful boyfriend coming in 12 days, as well as trish and her mama in just 17 days!
Right now we're at treasure island in grand cayman, celebrating alanna's birthday- she's one of the social hosts. We used to come here all the time when we came to cayman twice every cruise, but since we've gone back to Cozumel, this is my first time back here! it's so peaceful and the food is great.
This month the entertainment department is in charge of crew activities, and tonight we start off the month with a trivia night. I'm not sure how that will go, should be fun :)
Hope everyone is doing well- I miss you all!

Hello Hello!

Hi everyone!
I can't believe it's already July 23rd! Today is Michael's last day with us- what a quick month! We had so much fun though and he was a great addition to our cast, adding some new energy to the shows. This means Gaven gets back today and takes over from Kali as our Dance Captain again.
In the past couple weeks we've had some great adventures. Michael and I explored the Carnival Destiny which docks with us in Cozumel every now and then. We're allowed to get on the other ships as long as we don't bring anything with us. It was so much fun! It's a bigger class ship than ours, and was absolutely beautiful. I think if I were continuing with ship life I'd prefer to be on a ship like that one. We ate at their buffet, which was pretty much the same as ours on the Inspiration, but for some reason tasted better over there :)
Charlie's birthday at Park Royal was a great success, as was the Farm Animal Party! In Cozumel on this cruise, Charlie, Neil Michael and I rented a jeep and drove all over Cozumel, stopping at restaurants and beaches whenever we felt like it. It was such a perfect and beautiful day!
The shows continue to go well, and I get more and more comfortable on stage as we go. It's hard to imagine doing these shows over and over for another 4 months...but at the same time it's such a part of our daily lives now you don't really think to complain much about any of it. :)
Hope everyone at home is doing well! Bry and the fam come cruising in 22 days- SO EXCITING!!!
Love you all!

July!

Sorry it’s been a while since I last wrote- we’re starting to finally get in to a routine where the cruises begin running together. Not that I’m getting bored of the beach by any means, but I would definitely say there’s not much going on now as there has been in the last 3 months (wow!).
I had an anti-climatic July 4th… no fireworks, but me and the male singer, as well as another singer on board sang God Bless The USA, so that was about the extent of my celebration. Still, there’s a lot to look forward to! Charlie’s birthday is on the 16th, so we’re going to a resort in Cozumel called Park Royal for the day where you pay a set price for an open buffet and bar. Then there’s another themed birthday party- Farm Animals! Ha. I’m going as a spider, a la Charlotte’s Web. I never thought working on ships would mean getting to play dress up so much! ☺
We’ve been getting along all right while Gaven’s been on vacation, with only one re-block for a dancer who was very sick this cruise. It looks like I may not be needed during rehearsals as much anymore. I’m going to try (and hopefully by writing it down here I’ll actually do it!) to spend that time learning to speak Italian. I got a little lesson yesterday by one of the Italian officers, but of course I’ve forgotten most of the words I learned already. But I can say “Sono Italiano” which means “I’m Italian”! Haha it’s a start, even if it’s not true. (aaand I don’t know if I’m spelling it right..)
No visitors this month- but 38 days til Bry and my family are here, and I can barely stand it! On one hand these past months have gone slow, but on the other hand I can’t believe we’re already almost halfway through July. Praise God for all the lessons I’m learning here and for the trials and joys I’m experiencing! It’s all making me a stronger person, I’m sure of it. Now, off to perform Fiesta Latina!

Cozumel!

Hey hey! We’ve finally made it back to Cozumel, and a ton of other things have happened too! Our new dancers made their debut last cruise, so Mama and her friends got to see the shows with a full cast, something we hadn’t done since we started performing! We had a BLAST with Mama, Chris and Mary. I was able to attend some guest activities that I normally don’t go to, like the Captain’s Cocktail Party and the Magic and Comedy show- so much fun! They even got a taste of the spot light a couple times, competing in a lip synching competition, taking Swing Dance class, and then of course there was the moment in the middle of Shout when Derrick had everyone applaud for my mother. ☺ She said it was a little embarrassing, but mostly honoring ☺ I got to eat in the guest dining room every night, which was inSANEly delicious. You can order as much food as you want, and I DID. Chocolate Melting Cake is the most divine dessert anyone will ever eat.
We went to Cozumel last cruise to a bar/restaurant opened by people who used to work on a cruise ship and then opened the bar for crew of any ship that docks in Cozumel. It was so much fun! Unfortunately, the trip to Cozumel is much rockier than to Cayman, so we’ve now performed while actually feeling the ship move. It’s so distracting and a little scary! I can’t imagine what hurricane season will be like.
Our dance captain left yesterday and a new dancer came to take his place while he goes home to South Africa for a month. He’s a quick learner, and he has already performed these shows so it wasn’t as hard to get him blocked in. It’s going to be fun to have him as part of the cast for a while!
Lissy gets married TOMORROW and I can’t believe it. I so wish I was in Minnesota this weekend, more than anything. I’m thinking about you my love and I’m so so happy for you!!

2 months!

Hi again!
June is already flying by. We got the new dancers and the new adage couple (they do acrobatic acts for the shows) 2 cruises ago. They’re all wonderful and working so hard to be put in the shows! What we learned in a month, they’re learning in two weeks, very impressive. Nicola will start performing with us on this coming cruise, and Courtney will join us one cruise after that. Then we’ll have one cruise with our WHOLE cast, before Gaven, our dance captain, leaves for a month to go on vacation. He’ll have someone replace him for that month. So basically, things just never stop changing around here!
I’ve been doing a better job of keeping busy, but I still have PLENTY of time to relax, go to the beach in Cayman, lay out on the sun deck of the ship, etc. I spend a lot of time at the gym, and have already read a ton of books. Now that we have the new dancers, we’ve had more rehearsals with them as well. I can’t complain about more rehearsing, it gives me something to do!
There’s also a lot of crew activities to go to. In a couple of days there’s a Pirates of the Caribbean party where they’ll block off the deck with the waterslide on it and we just get to hang out up there and eat and drink and slide. And then, Victoria’s (one of the dancers) birthday is coming up, so we’re having a party for her. We’re all coming as something that starts with V. I’m going to be the color violet ☺
Tomorrow I'll have been here for 2 months. Crazy! Maybe it will go by quicker than I had originally thought!
Mama and her friends come after one more cruise and I can hardly contain my excitement!
Also, congratulations to David for becoming a married man on Saturday- I wish more than anything I could have been there to celebrate!
Exactly 2 more months til Bry and the fam are here- hang in there lovey!!!!

happy june!

It's been a while since I wrote, and lots has happened! 2 cruises ago, I went on a snorkeling tour with some friends, and we got to swim with sting rays! Yes, as you may have guessed from my facebook status, I got BIT by a sting ray. The response of many when I returned? "That WOULD happen to you." HA. It was such a weird feeling- it took off a little skin on my finger, but nothing too horrible and it's almost healed completely now. In case you're wondering, it feels like putting your finger between two pieces of sand paper. Those buggers are strong, too. Haha, it's a good story.
Two more dancers injured themselves this cruise (another girl injured her neck, a guy hurt his back), which meant a very empty stage for the past couple of shows- at least that's what it felt like. I don't think either of them will be better for tonight or tomorrow night =/ And unfortunately, my throat is still in pretty bad shape. Yesterday I didn't talk at ALL, a very difficult feat but I pulled it off. But we had shows, so of course it just starts the process over again. It's SO frustrating! I'm sounding all right in the shows (I think..) but I've had to take out some of the fun belty stuff as a precaution. Prayers would be greatly appreciated!
I'm getting better at filling my days, I've started a Bible Study (Believing God, by Beth Moore) and I've read a couple more books. I'm also going to the gym almost every day! I have yet to start learning Italian, but I'll get there :)
Overall, life is good. Mama comes in 20 days!! I swear, it's what keeps me going! Knowing that loved ones are coming all the way out here to see me. 76 days til my wonderful boyfriend is in my presence! :)
Love to all!

getting in to the swing of things

Hello All!
Well this past cruise had quite a different feel than the others so far. Now that we've got all this free time, it's a struggle to keep busy. Not that I'm "BORED" (Mom hates that word :)) but it's just hard to not become lazy. I have to remind myself that it's only been a week and a half since we got finished rehearsing, and my body might just need more time than that to catch up. We got off in Cayman a couple of days ago and walked to 7 mile beach, which was gorgeous. It's so incredible that I get to go there every week if I want to! We had lunch by the ocean and then went to a grocery store, which, because Grand Cayman is owned by the British, had all sorts of lovely foods that reminded me of Northern Ireland. I bought some digestives and ate all 10 of them in less than 2 days. Oops :)
I'm starting to realize that as much as I loved belting as much as I do in the shows, I need to think ahead and remind myself that I'm doing this for 6 months and I need to treat my voice well. My throat has been sore for 3 days now, and I started feeling cold symptoms yesterday. I'm pumping Airborne and Ricola and Throat Coat tea as much as possible. But how do you recover from a sore throat if you have to sing all the time?? Fiesta went all right last night, but it took a lot of concentration to stay on pitch and keep my voice from cracking. Oh dear.
I'm also struggling a bit with finding people that I truly have things in common with. I miss deep conversation with people I love and I wish I could talk on the phone more often and with more people. Today was rough because there were people I planned on calling that I really just can't because of my sore throat. So to those of you I told I would call, I'm sorry I wasn't able to. Pray that I'll feel well enough to chat more the next time I'm in port!
This next cruise should be fun, it's another five day, and there's a crew excursion in Cayman at Stingray City where we'll be snorkeling with sting rays for 3.5 hours- for only 20 bucks! It's worth it to be crew for the discounts :)
I also learned that I have some incredible friends coming out to cruise in October- and I can't wait!! Mama comes in less than a month with 2 friends, which should be a blast too!
I hope everyone is doing well out there- missing you so much!!

It's been a while!

Hello all!
So much has happened in the past week! We've now opened all the shows and performed them at least twice. I LOVE performing SHOUT, it's so much fun! It's a basically a bunch of different styles of music and in some sections I get to impersonations, which it kind of hilarious...me in a Tina Turner wig...yeah :)
The supervisors left on the 13th, so this past cruise was our first cruise completely on our own. We still have 2 hours of rehearsal each Sea Day (days we're not in Tampa or Cayman) but other than that I don't have any real responsibilities. This past cruise I've spent as much time as possible sleeping, and trying to gain back some energy. We were down 2 dancers for the first half of the cruise. One of them went home on Thursday for a few weeks to recover from a neck injury, so hopefully she'll be back soon! And the other hurt her back so she didn't do Intro or SHout with us but was fine last night for Fiesta. It's amazing to me how the dancers are able to learn what we call "re-blocks"- they change the spacing of people on stage so that we can perform the shows without everyone and it doesn't look like people are missing. Their memories are incredible!
I plan on spending more time in the gym this cruise- although I have to be careful for now, because on Saturday I got my first sunburn... =/ I look ridiculous because I used sunscreen but it was a spray, and even though I rubbed it in, apparently it didn't cover me well enough. I've got spots and stripes or red all over my arms and tummy. Oops! It doesn't hurt too bad, luckily. I just find it so amazing that I can manage to burn even when I THINK I'm being careful. Oy.
My voice is hanging in there, I'm learning the importance of warming up! I can go up to the theater and feel a little sore, but I'll warm up and feel like I can sing anything! Which is great, because SHOUT is really taxing on my voice. I'm impressing myself by not getting sick yet though. If anything happens, I've got enough medicine to last a loooong time.
Hope everyone is well back home, and enjoying spring! It's raining in Tampa right now..ick. I guess I can't really complain though.. :)
I miss you all!
<3

YAY!!

Hi everyone!!
SOOOO we've now opened Intro and Fiesta- and they both went splendidly!!! I'm so proud of the cast. We've been working really hard and it's paid off! Intro we just did once, on Monday night. Then we kept rehearsing and learning Shout, and cleaning up Fiesta. We had some tech runs of Fiesta Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and then we opened the show last night- two performances, at 8:45 and 10:30pm. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better first night. I know I have room to grow, and that will come with doing the show over and over again. But there were no major screw ups, I got all the lyrics and the choreography, and most importantly, I had FUN!!! And I think the audience could tell. I'm very very happy. And what's great, i that I prefer performing Shout anyway, so if I had fun LAST night, I can't imagine what Wednesday night will be like when we open that show!
I moved in to my official room today, so today kind of marks the beginning of my contract in a lot of ways. The old cast moves home today. The ship is ours! :) It's really exciting.
I'm in Tampa right now, headed to Walmart to buy more eyelashes and eye make up and hairspray and gel and lip liner...haha I didn't bring the right kind of make up for these shows! Ben Nye doesn't quite cut it :)
I miss you... <3
More soon!!

And it begins..

hey!
Tonight we're opening the Intro Show!! It's short, only about 12 minutes long, so I'm not too worried, but it DOES mean that the production shows are coming up soon too!
Things on the ship are going well...Still lots and lots of rehearsals. So we open Fiesta on Friday night, and then Shout on the 13th, and then we're in the clear! We'll have our days free to get off in ports (well, right now it's just one port..) and we can do other things too. I plan on going to the gym a LOT, learning Italian (they have Rosetta Stone for us!) and read as many books as possible.
I'll be sure to let you know how the show goes tonight!!

Sorry I didn’t write yesterday! It was a busy day, full of running errands in Tampa. There’s a cheap bus that will take you to Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, and a really nice mall, so I was able to just walk around on land and feel a little bit more like a normal person for a day ☺
We open the Intro Show in THREE DAYS. I can’t believe it! And tonight we’re watching the old cast perform Fiesta for their last time, because we open that show a week from today. It’s unbelievable, honestly. In some ways the past few weeks have gone by slowly, but in other ways they’ve really flown by. I just pray that I’ll be at performance level in time for Fiesta, all the while having to learn Shout this week as well.
It’s amazing what a year away from the stage can do to your confidence. I’ve found myself many times a day wondering why I’m here and if I’m good enough. I often forget how to really perform, as strange as that sounds, and it’s something I’ve done a million times. I’m also struggling with the amount of singing I’m doing each day (usually 4 or 5 hours of mostly belting, which is more than I’ve ever had to do on a consistent basis). Today my throat really hurt all day and I was given the afternoon off for it to recover. Once we’re done rehearsing I’ll only be singing at most 2 hours a day, with days off in between shows to recover. But right now I just feel a bit like I’m on overload.
Still continuing to learn SO MUCH, and feeling humbled and blessed to be here. Only 30 weeks to go…we can make it. <3>
PS No exciting re-route news. We're just going to Cayman- OVER AND OVER AND OVER. Bit of a bummer. =/

Swine Flu..

Hi everyone, I’ll write more later but I just wanted to let you all know that we did NOT go to Cozumel yesterday, and the next several cruises we will be porting somewhere else, though they haven’t told us where yet. Hopefully the swine flu epidemic will be taken care of soon so we can get back on track! The extra day at sea made some passengers pretty upset yesterday but there was nothing to be done.

I’ll be sure to write more tomorrow when I’m in Tampa!

Hey!

Hey everyone!

Wow, another cruise finished! It's incredible how quickly they go. Sometimes the days are slow, but then all of the sudden we're in Tampa again.

The five day cruise was fun.. It means the performers get 2 days off in a row, because we only perform on "Sea Days"- days we're not in port aka Cozumel and Cayman. We finished blocking Fiesta yesterday, so we have our first full run TODAY, and I'm freaking out a little bit. An entire show finished in the week I've been here! The dancers were here 4 days before us so they've been rehearsing a little longer, but still. It's just amazing to me how quickly they can learn the choreography. I, on the other hand, have a little bit of work to do today. We're running the intro show too, which is only 11 minutes long, but we just learned it yesterday.  The singing supervisor is coming today too, so there's kind of a lot of pressure today.

I'm getting to know the cast better and we're having fun in rehearsal, and it's more fun to watch the shows when you know all the choreography. 

Overall, things are pretty good. Missing you though...

<3

1 Down!

Hello hello!

I'm in Tampa right now, using the internet for FREE- yay! Cruise 1 is finished, which is weird to think about. I still haven't had much rehearsal, but I got to see Fiesta Latina last night and it was so much fun too! Awesome costumes :) I can't wait for everyone who's coming on the cruise to see the shows! There's not too much to tell at the moment, other than the fact that I miss you all. I'm glad to be doing this though. I think it's going to be good for my character. :)

LOTS of love!!

First Rehearsal

Yesterday we rehearsed movement for the first time. I’m not gonna lie, I’m out of practice! I have to be on my game if I’m gonna remember all of this stuff. It’s hard too, because we’re working on Fiesta, which Derrick and I haven’t seen yet (we’ll see it tomorrow night). Last night we got to see SHOUT! Which is going to be a LOT of fun. I’ll be wearing some ridiculous looking wigs (and in all different colors!) but some really fun dresses and some boots that go past my knees for Born To Be Wild and Devil With The Blue Dress On. SWEET ☺ I’ve been getting to know our cast a little bit better too, although right now there’s a lot of separation between the singers and dancers because the dancers are in rehearsal ALL THE TIME. WE’re very international- Australia, England, Romania, Brazil, Ecuador, Canada and the US.

I got pretty emotional yesterday since it’s Bry’s and my two year anniversary (is that grammatically correct..?) but we got to talk on the phone and skype, and that helped tremendously. I’ll leave you with the words of my Spanish ballad in Fiesta, of which I’m halfway through learning, it’s really tough!! Keep in mind it’s translated, so some lines sound kinda funky. But you get the idea. I’d say it’s pretty timely. Love!!

Sometimes I think I am lying to you
When I tell you that I love you
Because this is more than just loving
Sometimes I think that I have died
When you aren’t there any more and I wake up
Because this is more than just loving
There is something that takes me away
Something that neither kills nor poisons
There is something more
Something more than loving

There is something more than distance,
Than pain and nostalgia
We both know this is not going to drift us apart
It is giving you a kiss every night
Let your hands fill me with love
And make our love grow more and more every day

I already know this isn’t loving
Because I can lose myself in your eyes
Beside you I can forget all my fears
Don’t you know you were meant for me?
You are the night and the day in my life
The blood in my veins
And I’d give them away for you
Beside you the world has no boundary
And time has no end

Ahoy Mateys!

Well, I’ve been on the ship for 2 days now, and a lot has happened! I met the male singer, Derrick, upon arriving at the security checkpoint for crewmembers. He’s done a ton of cruises, and has worked on this ship 2 times before, so he was able to show me around and answer a LOT of questions.  We met the dancers briefly and got to watch them rehearse (they’ve been here since Saturday) and got fitted for shoes. I’ve met some of the cast who is currently performing and they seem great too.  The current female singer is from Coon Rapids! Small world J My current room is pretty cozy, with a double bed and a TELEVISION (I don’t have to give up The Office!!). Overall, I’m feeling more confident than I did when I got to Tampa. Every now and then my room will move a little and I’ll remember that I’m in the middle of the ocean- pretty cool! We’ve watched the Intro show so far, and it’s really a lot of fun! For those of you coming on the cruise eventually, there’s some audience participation to look forward to J I miss everyone already, and will start writing letters soon. Bry, you would love it here. I can’t wait for you to join me. <3  

A Little Intro

Hey everyone! 

In 48 hours I'll be on my first cruise, which is honestly freaking me out a bit right now. I'm very excited too, though!  I'll be rehearsing for the first three weeks during the day, and watching the performers at night. I really have no idea what to expect though, so I'll be sure to fill you all in once I set sail!