Yikes, I need to update this more often!

Well… congratulations to me for being the laziest blogger on the planet. For those of you kind enough to check up on me, there isn’t a whole lot to report since last time. I took a week off in February for my uncle’s wedding in Sarasota. I had a great time, supplemented by the presence of my girlfriend Emily! My family came to visit me on the ship in March. It was Pam’s spring break, and she came with her roommate Shelby, along with Mom and Dad. We did shore excursions in each port of call. In Grand Cayman we did a tour that included a visit to a sea turtle farm, the Tortuga Rum Cake factory, a rock formation claimed to look like “Hell” and the famous Stingray City Sandbar. In Cozumel we went to Chankanaab National Park and did a dolphin encounter and hung out at the beach. In Belize we did the popular Cave Tubing tour. It sounds exactly like you think it is – you sit in a water tube with a helmet and a light strapped to your head, and you float through a river that goes through a series of caves. The best day was our day of relaxation in Roatan. We spent the day at nearby Mahogany Beach, enjoying sun, sand, snorkeling, and margaritas! Aside from the on shore fun, I enjoyed spending time with the family. I would go and eat breakfast and lunch with them most days, and even met up with them for dinner a few nights. The best night was dinner at the Golden Fleece Steakhouse on board. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Carnival Supper Club Steakhouse experience, you pay $30 per person for your choice of appetizer, salad, super great entrée, and dessert. The price for your regular meals is already included in the price of the cruise, so this extra $30 is just added to that. There is a great selection of gourmet appetizers, five-star entrées, and tantalizing desserts. I ordered a crab cake appetizer, a warm spinach salad with sautéed mushrooms, bacon and blue cheese crumbles, a 24 oz. Porterhouse steak done medium, and homemade Bailey’s Irish Cream ice cream for dessert. Nobody though I could power down a 24 oz. steak, but everyone knows that there weren’t any leftovers after that night. If you ever go on a Carnival cruise, I highly recommend booking a cruise with a steakhouse on board (not all ships have them – they are found on larger ships). And of course, the family took part in watching me “work.” They came to see me play in the shows every night, as well as the other gigs I played around the ship. I didn’t ask what their favorite show was, but I got the impression they really enjoyed The Big Easy. I was also able to hook them up with a few discounts. As a crew member, I was able to get 20% off their shore excursion tickets (mine were free), as well as 50% off all bar purchases and 20% off gift shop purchases on board. Speaking of family, my grandparents were a big help to getting my family on board. My family drove back and forth to Florida, and they left the vehicle at Grandpa and Grandma’s house for the week to save on downtown parking. They served as shuttle service to and from the port, which saved lots of time and hassle. My grandparents continue to be a big help to me as well. They still come and pick me up every week I get off the ship and take me home for a good breakfast, take me to Walmart to stock up on whatever I may need, and Grandpa even hooked me up with his snorkel equipment so I can save on rentals every time I want to go snorkeling down here. It’s been such a blessing to spend time with them while I’m working down here. Even my Uncle Tim has picked me up a few times and helped to take care of my on land errands. Although I am away from my parents, my sister, my girlfriend and her entire family, at least having someone down here to call family makes it a lot easier. I have about seven weeks left on this contract, and you’d better believe that Emily is counting down the days just as much as I am. For the rest of the time I’m here, I plan on trying to get some use out of that snorkel equipment. Also, FINALLY my practice mute arrived, so now I can practice on the ship and not disturb people (as much). Also, I think it’s about time to start another multi-week Scrubs DVD marathon! I’m continuing to work out, and it’s helping me to lose weight and hopefully keep it off, as well as tone and gain some muscle. I’m on a 10-day workout streak, and I plan on keeping that going. At first my goal was not to skip a day for a whole month, then I thought I should start with less of a lofty goal and go at least one week without skipping. Well, I’m up to 10, and still going strong. So, that’s about all I’ve got now. Keep checking back for more; I’ll try to do a much better job of updating this blog. God bless!

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