Home Sweet Cabin

I always joke that my cruise ship cabins make my college dorm rooms look like the Ritz! Like usual, my cabin on the Pride of America is teeny tiny. Although, this cabin is unique because it is shaped like a shoebox and was designed for three people. (I can't even imagine three people crammed in there living together.) So we have an extra closet, for all our shoes, and an extra bed, for luggage (and inflatable toy) storage! On my last two ships, like always, I hung up pictures and my little flags but it felt different than my first ship did. This little cabin finally feels like home again. My roommate and I really tried to make it feel homey by covering the walls with pictures and silly USA decorations. Luckily, I really do love spending time in there.

My wonderful roomie, Karlene, and I hated the garish curtains that were originally hanging in our cabin. They were horrible. The VonTrapp children would have probably refused to wear them. So I decided to make us new ones! I found two bottles of fabric dye, picked up some spare white sheets from housekeeping, and went to work! To start, I ombre dyed several sheets. It takes a lot of patience to accomplish a nice ombre because you want the fabric to get gradually darker. Then I good old-fashioned tie-dyed several sheets. I forgot how much fun it is to splatter dye around and not worry about the final product being perfect. It was a nice break from sewing. That day I was having such a good time that I just couldn't stop and dyed way too many sheets. I also forgot to put on rubber gloves before I began and dyed my hands hot pink. My hands looked pretty funny for a few days.

The sheets tuned out better than I imagined! I hung a big tie-dye one over my bed, and used extra scrap dyed fabric to tie the fabric up onto the little curtain hooks. Karlene loved the ombre fabric so I hung two curtains by her bed. Thanks to being raised by a Southern Living at Home mother, I fashioned one of the fabric pieces into a little princess curtain by the head of her bed. She is obsessed with it! I was on such a decorating high that I insisted on hanging ombre curtains in my dancer neighbors cabin too.

I love how I have learned to adapt to my environment and make myself feel at home wherever I am in the world. I am also proud of how flexible I've become. Years ago the thought of change and the looming future would bring me to tears. Thankfully, I learned early on to embrace this gypsy lifestyle of mine. I am so thankful for my amazing job, blessed by the wonderful relationships in my life, and love being a 24 year old who tie-dyes on their day off.

Waiting for the darkest shade of pink to set. Ombre takes patience.

I took over the hallway outside the dressing room to dry my creations.

Pink hands!

My cozy little bed.

Adorable Karlene with her princess curtain!

Nickelodeon

When I returned for my second contract on the Epic in January for two months, I was handed a whole new show and batch of responsibilities. Along with being the Wardrobe Supervisor for Legends in Concert, I was in charge of Nickelodeon. I had always been warned by production cast members to never do a contract on a Nick ship because it was so hard, but I really enjoyed my experience!

NCL has Nick on five of our ships. The Nickelodeon cast conducts trivia games, does character meet & greets, hosts the gameshow "Slime-time Live" and a morning breakfast show "Pajama Jam". I was in charge of maintaning all the characters, washing all the slimey gameshow clothes, and was backstage for PJ Jam. The first time I received a big bucket of slimy clothes it was funny to reminisce back on being a kid watching Nickelodeon and wishing that I could get slimed. On the Epic the Nick cast has a giant storage locker for all of their supplies and the characters. Each costume costs between $5,000 and 10,000. So naturally, I took copious notes during my handover and the first time I washed them by myself was a little intimidating. (We had 12 characters total on board. Diego and Dora are so popular that there were two of them.) 

Pajama Jam is a cute little interactive show that includes a breakfast buffet and guests pay to attend. Along with the Nick host & cast, the six dancers from the Legends cast were in it too. It was rough because of the early morning call time but lucky for me we only did it three times during my contract because it wasn't high season for kid passengers. The Nick cast would bring the characters down to a room next to the restaurant venue the night before. The morning of the show the Legends dancers and I would assist the Nick cast in putting on the characters. Along with their day time costumes all the characters have their own pajama costumes. Sandy Cheeks, the squirrel, was the most challenging to get dressed because of her giant tail. 

The characters are each comprised of many pieces. Dora and Diego's special foam bellys, arms, legs, and Patrick's arms (the pink starfish)are called "pods". The body pods are too big to fit into the regular washing machines wardrobe uses. So they have to get washed in the big industrial machines down in main laundry. The pods are pretty cumbersome to lug down to main laundry in a giant bag slung over my back. So I always felt like Santa Claus. Or a homeless peasent girl. The character skins and clothes fit into our wardrobe washing machines which was convenient. After everything was washed (every three or four weeks) I would hang all the wet peices up to dry in the costume shop with several fans for a day or two. Dora has a booty pad that velcros into her pod & always needed extra drying. Some young professionals write themselves reminders about productivity reports and data sheets, while I write myself notes about Dora the Explorers rear end. It's an interesting life I lead. 

All of this probably sounds so foreign and funny, or maybe it doesn't, but it's just interesting how a person (me) can get so accustomed to somthing that it loses it's magic. I don't know if magic is the right word, because I promise there's nothing magical about washing SpongeBob's arms, legs, and tube socks. Actually, having just written that out it does sound pretty funny. 

There is one specific moment I remember from my time with Nick that reminded me how much I love my unique job. It was early one morning before Pajama Jam began. I was helping an actor into the giant Patrick costume. (It's so big he has to duck through doorways.) The legs are pods that look like pants with attached suspenders and the lower half of the torso is given it's shape by these big green shorts. (Pictured below) The top half of the starfish body is one giant piece with a backpack inside that the actor puts his arms through. Once the body is on we add the shoes and attach the movable arms. Then I have to snap Patrick into his onesie pjs. I was laying on the ground on my back in between the legs of that giant starfish when I snapped out of my morning fog and realized the hilarity of the situation. As routine as my job can be sometimes I can certainly never complain about it being boring or normal. 

When a cast member takes off a character head they "put it to sleep" by putting a mask over the eyes. The eyes are particularly expensive and hard to fix so they need extra protection. Plus, it looks hilarious.

Sandy needs her beauty sleep.

Nap time.

Week Twenty one.

Today I found this old blog that I had never posted and the pictures made me smile!

They depict the week of March 10-15, 2013 onboard my first ship, the Star. I miss that ship and my cast all the time. It was a crazy contract but I loved it because it was a huge learning experience and an amazing adventure.

Jenna hiding in the dressing room cabinet to scare someone.

I had extra pictures from the costume bible so I made bookmarks of James!

Easter crafts!

The youth counselors invited my roommate Jessica to talk to the Kids Club about being a dancer.

Ship life according to my iPhone. Jade Edition.

Recently I was scrolling through my phones photo album and realized how many silly pictures I've taken that I like but just don't make the social media cut. I also found some random musings I'd written in my Notes app. So I thought I'd share them all here! They aren't glamorous,  or very deep, but sometimes the behind the scenes action is the best part.

This post is all about my time cruising the Mediterranean on the Norwegian Jade last summer.

1. Written on June 14, 2013

I have always been a dreamer. 

Along with my killer day-dreaming skills God gave me the gifts of organization and leadership. Through personal experience (trust me, I have loads) I have discovered that those three traits are not usually found together. Let's explore this further...

Organized people typically don't have great people skills and can't imagine what a magical flying dolphin would even look like. I can mingle and interview like a champion and have already thought of a premise for musical review starring the magical flying dolphin since I wrote that last sentence. But I am also extremely organized? Seriously people, I started my first locker organizing business at the age of 13.

What plan does the Lord have for me with the strengths and wild personality He has given me?

2. Written on July 23, 2013

How unbelievable is this... Today I was sitting at a luxury beach club on a world famous Greek island and I kept wishing I was in Clearwater beach, Florida. I've always prided myself on living in the present but today I'm feeling a bit homesick. 

Now I'm watching notifications pop up on my iPhone screen of people liking and commenting on a beach picture I posted from today. It's ironic that a lot of the names of people who say they are jealous of my life are people who's lives I've envied on social media this month. It sounds so pathetic but posting awesome pictures on Facebook makes me feel a tiny bit better. 

I wish I was in the states to attend friends weddings, cheer on my little brother, and watch movies with my family. The pros of this job are enormous and I'm extremely thankful to be here but it's hard sometimes. 

Waiting for passenger boat drill to begin.

Taking inventory & organizing of all the spare show shoes.

Shout dress rehearsal with the new cast

A view of Santorini from a crew window.

Raymond! A sweet room steward who I had met on my first ship.

Our magician, Kripton!

Workin' on my fitness.

Sometimes when I had things to tell the cast I would write up a silly news letter.

Just a casual elevator ride with some pigs.

The Jade's pool deck.

I'm a stamp collector.

Lunch in Venice.

Mykonos, Greece!

Family.

Parthenon selfie!

Athens!

The final slide of a safety presentation.

Dubrovnik, Croatia. My absolute favorite place.

Reading Ephesians while standing in Ephesus! 

The Dvornik Grands came to visit!

The Stardust Theater.

Hello again

Hello hello again! After blogging faithfully for a solid seven months, I failed. So I am going to try again! I can't believe it has almost been a year since I last posted and it's really unbelievable how much has happened! I think that I lost the motivation to write last summer and also lost sight of why I began blogging in the first place. I started this blog to document my hilarious, random, exciting post-grad adventures for myself and the people who love me. 

Currently I am cruising on the Pride of America in Hawaii! It's as wonderful as you're imagining. I have a cast of 14 crazy actors and am in charge of 800 costume pieces on board.

Around the new year I counted and realized that in 2013 I had been to eleven different countries and sailed on three different ships. Not too shabby for a twenty-three year old! I have tons of adventures to write about, but right now I'm just going to bullet point the highlights. (And continue to brainstorm ideas on how to make a profit off this gypsy lifestyle.) 

•June-September 2013:Italy, Greece, Croatia, Turkey, England

•October 2013:England, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana

•November 2013:Miami, Bahamas, St. Maarten, St. Thomas

•December 2013:Home Sweet Clearwater!

•January-February 2014:Miami, Bahamas, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Jamaica, Cozumel, Costa Maya

•March 2014: Florida & Chicago

  

37 College Tips

I wrote this post for a wonderful rising college freshman I am lucky enough to call my (adopted) cousin. This is an extremely random list of tips for you, Keane, that I hope helps, or just makes you laugh.  Basically, what I am trying to say is, college is amazing. College is exciting, frightening, challenging, and one of the greatest adventures of your life. I hope you love every minute of it.

1.   Everyone is just as scared and nervous as you are.

2.   You are not too cool to hang out with your parents just because you are in college. Don’t blow them off when they come to visit you. Everyone will be sad, you’ll cry when they leave, later regret your behavior, and be reminded of the incident for years. Trust me.

3.   When your parents are happy with you and you have maintained a good relationship with them (and GPA), they’ll be more inclined to send you money.

4.   If possible, avoid taking 8am classes like the plague.

5.   Dry shampoo will save your life.

6.   On the first day of class everyone will already know that you are a freshmen. No use disguising it. All though, to minimize confusion try to find where all of your classes meet the day before school starts. 

7.   Never ever pull an all-nighter by not eating and only consuming copious amounts of energy drinks. You will get sick. (I haven’t had a Monster energy drink since fall ’09. It was a bad day.)

8.   Don’t try to write a big paper the night before it’s due. While it is possible, it will be painful and you will cry.

9.   When you’re a senior, make friends with the freshmen. They can be highly entertaining and will think you’re hilarious.

10. Every guy you meet your freshmen year will be an idiot. I promise. (If you don’t believe me I want you to first, call Daddy Skip. He will confirm this. Second, just watch the first 20 minutes of “When Harry Met Sally”.)

11.  Do not under any circumstances trust a senior boy. They are the worst kind of idiot.

12.  Exercising your newfound independence does not include getting a tattoo or body piercing.

13.  Don’t be the girl who:

a.    ..Moves all of her high school yearbooks and photo albums into the dorm with her.

b.   ..Goes to sporting events with a letter painted on their chest. Nobody is ever impressed.

c.    ..Wears a bikini on quad. I mean, your professors can see you.

d.   ..Wears heels to class. Like, seriously.

14.   Read the college newspaper just because it’s adorable and will make you feel mature. Plus Sudoku is fun.

15. Take a class that blows your mind and makes you question everything.

16.   Question your purpose in life.

17.   Go sit with the girl who is sitting by herself in the cafeteria.

18.   If your school has any dorky traditions, participate!

19.  Get involved with SGA.

20.  Make friends outside of your depart. Then you’ll have people to invite to your events!

21.You won’t miss anything if you skip a party. That saying “you can always re-take a class but you can never re-take a party” is ridiculous.

22.  Enjoy the stage of life you are in. Don’t waste time wishing you were older.

23.  On that note, possessing a fake ID is a felony.

24.  If possible, study abroad!! It will change your life.

25. “Ice cream cereal” is my most favorite cafeteria invention. Soft serve vanilla ice cream and cinnamon toast crunch cereal. Genius.

26. Turn your phone off in the library and get off Facebook. If having a reputation for uploading pictures after an event could help your GPA, I would have been valedictorian.

27.  Actually go to the library.

28.  Go to sleep. Just because you’re parents aren’t there to make you go to bed at reasonable hour does not mean you should stay up until 4am watching Netflix regularly.

29. Call your parents.

30.The first two weeks of the fall semester literally every campus organization and local church will be giving away free stuff. Embrace the free food.

31.  Lots of other girls will do it, but please do not start going to a tanning bed. It will be really tempting when dreary January rolls around, but you will just look like an orange dummy. Plus the whole skin cancer thing.

32.  Sometimes the memories you make on random 2am fast food runs will be better than any party.

33.  Have a dance party outside a fast food restaurant while blasting Taylor Swift on the radio.

34.  Life is not like “Friends”. It just isn’t. (My Junior year I went through a major Friends watching phase and decided it would be fun to work at a cool coffee shop like Rachel. It wasn’t. You actually have to make the drinks. I only worked two shifts.)

35. Everything always works out. When things don’t go as planned don’t freak out. Something even better may happen.

36.  Every year, and possibly semester, your friend group might change. And that’s ok! For me, every year of college was so diverse. I learned to embrace change. I loved how each semester was extremely different than the last one and things just kept getting better!

37. Do it for the story.

Keane,

I am so thankful we are family. After the wonderful week y'all cruised with me I realized I have categorized you in a special place in my heart. To me, you will always be Baby Keane and I will never be able to stop wanting to protect you. I can't help it. I am a big sister. You are a rockstar and I am so excited to see what amazing things you do next. 

Love you to the moon!

   FRESHMEN

      SOPHOMORE

       JUNIOR

SENIOR