Daddy's girl.

Last week, on April 16, was my amazing father's birthday! Instead of a conventional gift (he would rather know how much money we saved by not buying him something) or writing a super sappy post about him on social media (we all know being serious is not my style), I decided to dedicate a blog post to him. When I was thinking about my favorite moments with him and the things I love about Skip Dvornik I realized something. They almost all involve his laugh.

I love making my dad laugh and watching his face wrinkle up in amusement at a situation. So here are some silly and sweet memories about my Daddy Skip! They aren't the most epic stories that have ever happened but they're the little random moments that seem to stick in my head.

1. Practically every single night of my childhood, from brith until I was probably sixteen, my dad would tuck Grace and I into our bunk-bed and sing us "Amazing Grace". Since his arms are so long he was able to hold both of our hands while he sang. Then he would pray over us before tip-toeing out of the room.

2. I was fifteen years old and the proud owner of a shiny new Florida learners permit. I remember being so nervous as I awkwardly slipped behind the wheel of our family's teal '92 Volvo. (The car was affectionately named "The Teale Mobile".) Before he would let me turn on the ignition, Daddy Skip turned to me and uttered words I have (almost) never forgotten. "You are behind the wheel of a 2 ton machine that could kill someone upon impact. Always keep that in mind." I wasn't very excited to drive after that.

3. When I hit high school and suddenly had a packed schedule and a social life, Daddy Skip realized that my college days were quickly approaching and implemented a new tradition. It was originally called "Family Night" and when we got older & snarky it was lovingly renamed "Forced Family Fun". One night a weekend, no matter what our friends were up to, we weren't allowed to make plans and had to hang out with the family. It wasn't as horrible as Grace & I made it seem in our heads. Anyways, after awhile it became routine and family pizza/movie nights are one of my favorite things.

4. Thanksgiving week my junior year of high school we decided to have a movie marathon one night. Grace, Martha (one of Gracie's best friends), and I set up camp in the TV room and settled in with bowls of ice cream. What began as a sleepover with a few chick-flicks suddenly developed into a three and a half day long hard core movie marathon. We only left the house to make Blockbuster runs or pick up more food. I'm pretty sure I wore the same sweatpants and exclusively slept on the couch the entire time. By the end of our legendary film binge I think we had watched upwards of twenty different movies. Insane. It's one of my favorite FFF memories.

5. When Grace and I were super little I remember we would have dance parties with Daddy Skip in our kitchen all the time. One of our favorite songs to dance to was called "Louisiana Saturday Night". The chorus lyrics said to "kick off your shoes and throw them on the floor". Grace and I thought this was hilarious. I remember we used to spike our shoes onto the hardwood floor like miniature football players. Dad always laughed.

6. Grace and I went through a phase were we really loved pirates. One time on a family trip to Disney's Magic Kingdom, towards the end of the day we excitedly bounced towards the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride. Dad calmly explained that he would wait outside because it would be impossible for him to enjoy a ride about men who raped and pillaged villages for a living.

7. Around the time I was 18, Grace was 16, and Carter was 11, the game "FarmVille" was really popular on Facebook. (I'll admit I had three separate farms..) Anyways, the whole family was in the minivan and Carter was fulfilling his duties of being the annoying little brother. When Daddy Skip could no longer tolerate the shenanigans going on in the back seat he called out, "Carter! If you don't stop annoying your sisters I am going to dump poison all over your farm!". Naturally, everyone erupted in laughter.

8. Family dinner around the big dining room table is one of my Dad's favorite things. No one is allowed to answer the phone while we are eating and everyone has to at least pretend to try whatever unique vegetable side dish our Mom concocted. When we were really young it was routine for an "After Dinner Show" to be performed. I don't remembered what our earliest shows entailed but it probably involved Carter singing an Elvis classic while Grace played the harp or did cartwheels. Most likely I recited a dramatic monologue or preformed a new cheer. (Go Warriors!) And on one or more occasion, I showed off my extensive Beanie Baby collection which was meticulously organized by species and habitat. Obviously.

9. At one particular family dinner, I remember Grace and I were bickering about something and she just wouldn't say what I wanted her to. So I dramatically fell off my chair, used the table to shakily pull myself back up and declared in confusion that somehow my sister and I had switched bodies! I then gave a silly speech, pretending to be Grace and stayed in character pretty well. Grace then copied me and pretended that I had been transported into her body. I don't remember anything that was said that night or even how old we were. I just remember Daddy Skip's thunderous laugh and killer smile.

10. My Dad always says "Never forget who you are and whose you are." That little reminder gives me strength when I'm feeling down. I am proud to be a Dvornik and blessed beyond measure to be a child of the King. And I am forever thankful that God decided to give me to an earthly father who is enthusiastic about living, always encouraging, speaks truth, and will never stop loving me unconditionally.

Happy (belated) Birthday Dad!!!

Final countdown.

April 20. Saturday.
Please excuse this interruption in my regular blogging for a quick update on what's currently happening on the Norwegian Star. This is also the reason you land-dwellers will be hearing a lot less from me over the next two weeks.

The new cast is finally here! Along with them came a production team consisting of the director, aerial coaches, lighting & sounds guys, a musical director, a production manager, two stitchers, and the new wardrobe supervisor. So naturally, this week has been insane. When I haven't been working I've been trying to soak up all the quality time I can with my cast!

After the last run of each show the wardrobe team immediately starts striking it and washing everything. After the laundry is done, the new cast comes in the next day for fittings. Fittings can be a bit chaotic with safety pins and costumes flying everywhere. It has been very busy but my friend, Carolyn, worked as a stitcher on my last instal and is here again!

My cast leaves in New Orleans but I stay on to do the repositioning cruise to the Baltic Sea. After the ship leaves NOLA for the last time, we have a sea day and then stop in Miami to pick up more passengers. Then we have six sea days in a row before we land at our first destination, Azores. I'm not sure where that is yet but I've heard it's beautiful! We then have to endure three more sea days before making it to our second stop, Dover, England. (While I'm there I'll get to meet Rosie's dad!) Then we have just one final sea day until landing in Sweden. The next day we arrive in Copenhagen and I get to fly home to the good ole US of A! I absolutely cannot wait!!

So basically, the last fourteen days have been extremely bittersweet. When the new cast arrived this week it all suddenly became real that our time here was over. I am going to be a basket-case when I have to tell everyone goodbye. Right now as I'm writing this I am sitting at my little desk in the girls dressing room as they get ready for their final Elements performance. Surreal. Unsurprisingly, I am already getting a little bit emotional. So I'm going to go put on my purple unitard. Goodbyes are the worst.

April 21. Sunday.
Since writing the above post last night, a lot has happened. And my heart is aching. Both Elements shows went well and it all didn't feel quite real. It still doesn't. I just ate breakfast by myself on the pool deck and I'm expecting Cameron or Jessica to appear any minute. Except for they are probably already in the New Orleans airport. Weird.

After the cast bows at the conclusion of Elements, the cruise director comes on stage and talks for a minute while the singers quick-change and reappear to sing a corny song called "We are Norwegian" while crew members file onto the stage waving their individual countries flags. As a surprise the dancers walked out onstage with them and everyone was crying and hugging. I was offstage crying and taking pictures. Caleb touched my heart by motioning for me to join them but I was wearing Nike shorts. Afterwards everyone cried some more in the dressing room as the farewells began. Hugging Rosie and James goodbye broke my heart.

Once everyone cleared out of the dressing room the real work began. The three stitchers showed up and we struck and washed every single Elements costume. I finally made it out by 1am so I could say my last few goodbyes. Jess and I stayed up talking and packing. This morning I woke up with her at 6am as she got ready to disembark. I cried and hugged everyone again outside the finance office. Walking back alone and down our silent cabin corridor made me feel worse. All the dancers live on one hallway together and it's always filled with music, laughter, and people popping into each others rooms. I am so thankful that I was able to live and work with those beautiful people for a season of my life. The journey was wonderful. I miss them already.

Only sixteen days left.

Random Thoughts.

1. Sorry I haven't updated anything in awhile. I've got the posts about weeks 19 & 20 ready to go! But week 18 is a doozy..

2. Next week is going to be crazy. It is my cast's last week and the new cast also comes on. So right now everyone is packing and cleaning in preparation to leave the ship. I feel a little bit like its the end of summer camp. There is a bittersweet and undeniable electricity in the air. I can't believe our time here is almost over.

3. Today I went up in the catwalk with Sophie, Montana, & Jess to watch them during their bungee rehearsal. During Elements Montana & Jess dive out of the catwalk and do an adorable bungee aerial routine. I helped Jess roll out onto the trapeze! Afterwards we watched Rachard and Hannah practice on the silks. Montana took pictures for them. As I was sitting there watching them twirl through the air, I had one of those "I can't believe this is my real life" moments.

4. I don't remember much from when I was really little but I had a flashback the other day to a Halloween when I think I was 3 or 4 years. Mama Stone had picked out an adorable Snow White costume for me to wear and I remember being so grossed out my the dark wig she wanted me to wear with it. We were in the store and I told her I didn't want the wig. So I was a blonde Snow White instead.

5. I write every single one of my blog posts in the notes app on my iPhone 3GS. Yes, I've been putting off buying a new phone. I really should invest in a better one considering how much I use it. Plus the memory is practically full since I have about 4,000 pictures on it. I don't know why I only use my phone to blog. Maybe because a tiny little screen is less intimidating to write one that a giant empty white Word document.

Anyways, I'm saying this to explain why sometimes the pictures I post on my blog are grainy and not arranged in a fancy collage at the bottom of each post. These are the pictures I take while literally living in the moment. I just want you too see these little snapshots of my life to make you smile or laugh and so that the words I write will become more alive.

Week Seventeen. Part 2.

February 14. Thursday.
I didn't sleep very well due to the nurse who kept coming in every three hours to check my vital signs and blood pressure. It's also awkward trying to sleep with an IV hooked up to your hand. Just incase I haven't made it clear by now, I hated that thing. Happy Valentines Day to me!

I couldn't fall back asleep and they brought me breakfast on an American flag tray. I started to wonder when my parents would arrive and anxiously tried not to watch the door. I couldn't remember what time Stoney said their flight would land probably because when we had previously talked I was busy wallowing in my own misery.

I was overwhelmed with joy when they finally walked through the door. I thought I was going to start crying when they finally got there but I couldn't because I was so happy. Stoney squealed, bounced over to the bed, and enveloped me in a hug. Daddy Skip greeted me with a "Sweet Teale!", one of his famous thunderous laughs, and a bear hug. It's funny how just their presence changed my mood, brought a sense of security, and gave me assurance that everything would be alright.

My parents and I exchanged stories and caught up on all the craziness the last two days had entailed. I kept making jokes about the whole situation. Like how I bet my parents never expected they'd have to one day fly to a third world country to rescue their kid, or how they would've never gotten to visit Belize if I had chosen a conventional career path! That afternoon two people from the Belize Tourism Board stopped by the hospital check on me. Stoney asked if they had a recommendation for a local restaurant with amazing ceviche and they gave her directions to their favorite place before leaving.

An hour later Stoney and I were in the middle of an intense card game when the Tourist Board people showed up again carrying a take out box of ceviche! Stone squealed, of course, and gave the woman a big hug. Too cute. After devouring the tasty seafood dish, Stoney and I cuddled up and watched season one of Friends. Before it got dark that night, they took a taxi back to the Raddison hotel they were staying at. I was sad but hopeful I'd get to join them tomorrow.

February 15. Friday.
That morning my power couple parents, Skip and Stoney, arrived at the hospital to spend another day with me and my IV bag. in the spirit of true Southern hospitality, they brought a cake for the hospital staff as a thank you for taking care of me. Adorable. Skip worked on his laptop while Mama Stone and I watched more old episodes of Friends. The doctor came in and gave us great news that I would get discharged that afternoon! I was ready to go. My hands had swollen up like balloons and my veins burned like acid every time the nurse injected more medication. This experience proved that its possible to feel better and worse at the same time.

I was still in pain and feeling weak but that was nothing compared to the joy I felt leaving the hospital! The port agent had booked a room for me at the Raddison right next to my parents. After being the the hospital and living on a ship for five months I felt like I had just checked into a five star hotel. The three of us walked across the street for dinner at The Smokey Mermaid. Delicious. Mama Stone begged Dad to let them stay in Belize for a few days after I left. She'd heard the reef there was the second best in the world and was desperate to see it. He wasn't very interested. We all assumed I would be flying to New Orleans the next day so we treated it as a lovely last supper and celebration that I was getting better. Little did we know what news the next day would bring.

February 16. Saturday.
That morning we all slept in and woke up to a gorgeous view of the ocean. It reminded my of my own Clearwater Beach. I still hadn't received any flight details from the Port Agent and after researching online we realized there were no flights the following day and that leaving that afternoon was my only chance in meeting my ship in New Orleans. I started repacking my suitcases and feverishly tried to contact the Port Agent. He finally answered and told me that he hadn't been given any instruction to book a flight from the Miami NCL headquarters and that I would just have to wait until Wednesday when my ship returned. I was stuck in Belize. Before Daddy Skip could even say that there is no way he was going to let his blonde, American daughter stay in a violent third world country by herself, Stoney starting screaming and jumping around the room. Her Belize vacation wish had come true!

After all the excitement died down, Skip booked his flight home to Florida for the next day, and we ventured out into the city. Stone wanted to stock our hotel room with groceries for the next week. After our shopping adventure, which Dad made is promise to never ever so again for safety reasons, we went back to the hotel and headed to dinner! We ate outside on the hotels deck that overlooked the water. I was extremely excited because that night was the final performance of Step Sing at my alma mater, Samford University. (Wow. I just had a moment. That's the first time I've ever said that. I'm so old!)

Anyways, Step Sing is an old beloved Samford tradition that happens once a year and is basically a singing and dancing competition. I use both of those words very lightly, but several of the groups are usually very impressive! This year I think there were 15 different groups comprised of a maximum of 70 members each. It's hard to explain so just YouTube it if you're super curious. My first two years at SU I wasn't in a group but was involved in the show in different ways. When my senior year rolled around I was recruited by some adorable girls to join a brand new all-girl Greek and Independent group they were starting called IGnite. I love anything that's new and exciting, plus they asked me to be the Emcee that introduced the show. I was sold. Our theme was "nuns" and we won second place. This year my girls theme was "Bears". They were hilarious. This story is turning into a very long bunny trail...

Anyways, it was very surreal sitting there, in a random third world country (have I mentioned that fact enough times yet?), enjoying an ocean view dinner with my parents, while watching a live stream of an event at my University. It was wild thinking about everything that had happened in my life since that day last year when I was one of the screaming students in the audience. I miss Birmingham everyday but I especially missed it that night. The commercial interludes during the pre-show showing the perfectly manicured lawn, the gorgeous architecture, and incidentally happy students laughing on the quad brought a tear to my eye. Calling me nostalgic was an understatement. If I didn't love my current life so much, watching the show and reminiscing would have completely depressed me. I loved college.

The three of us had fun watching the show together and judging the different performances. I diligently live tweeted all of our commentary. Daddy Skip's fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi, took home first place and eternal bragging rights. It was a fabulous night and made me feel a little closer to home.