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
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
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!
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!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
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!
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!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
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!
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!
Friday, June 26, 2009
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!!
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!!
Monday, June 15, 2009
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!!!!
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!!!!
Monday, June 1, 2009
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!
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!
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