I'm a snapdragon

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

My Eyes

Again with NPH (apparently he doesn't get to be named in online communities, just initials). Sorry to those of you who aren't Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog fans. I am and another post is coming from the show.

Before Dr. Horrible sings of his Brand New Day, he and Penny share a duet singing about the world from the perspective of respective "My Eyes". He sings of his bitterness at the way the world is not living up to his expectations, while she sings of the hope and promise she sees in the world around her. This post isn't going to be so much about the content of the song as it is the concept.
Namely: that it's a duet.

I really do love duets, and musical theater duets are some of the best out there. There is a very good chance that many of my favorite duets will end up as stand-alone posts (subconscious permitting), but if you'll just indulge me for a bit, I'd like to share some of them with you here:

• Suddenly Seymour from Little Shop of Horrors
• As Long As You're Mine from Wicked
• A Whole New World from Aladdin
• Devil Take the Hindmost from Love Never Dies
• For Good from Wicked
• Chip on My Shoulder from Legally Blonde
• Elephant Love Medley from Moulin Rouge

I had so much fun listening to those all again.

So what is it about duets that make them so special? Each of those shows are filled with music which I have no problem saying is fantastic. Why do these duets stand out so much to me?

I think a lot of it has to do with the structure of a duet. Both singers are very much involved in their own lyrics and melody lines. Some of the time, it almost seems like there are two separate, completely unrelated songs being performed concurrently.

And then, all of a sudden (and sometimes it happens quite suddenly), two parts become one. Beautiful harmonies happen, and the words intertwine with each other in a way that no solo can ever capture. 

Yes, duets are magnificent creations. For "My Eyes" the contrast is amazing between the anger and frustration Dr. Horrible is feeling and the optimism and joy Penny finds in the world around her. I think that it is so much richer than either trying to convey that alone.

So what am I saying? I think it's simply that there is definitely a case for the idea that two are better than one could ever be alone.

Call Me, Maybe

Wow.

I'm sorry for this one. If you choose not to listen to "Call Me Maybe" for this post, I definitely understand.

Ugh.

In my defense, this song was written to be insanely catchy, but that doesn't make it less embarrassing to start humming it at the breakfast table. More than once. Or twice. It wasn't in my head to start the day with, but after I got back from a run, something triggered it, and I was doomed to keep humming the chorus.

Anyways, I do like a couple of things from this song, and I'm going to use one of my really good friends as an example of those things. To protect their identities, I'll call them Mick and Mashelle :)

1st

Hey, I just met you,

And this is crazy,

but here's my number,

so call me, maybe?

When Mick met Mashelle at a game night-esque activity, they had a good time. At the end of the evening, Mashelle said (fairly transparently) through a friend "hey, we've got a bunch of fun stuff that we do. Why don't you get my number and then we can keep in touch?"
It was something super simple and really low-risk for her. She'd never seen Mick before and might never again.
It was something super straight-forward. Guys can be oblivious at times, and straight-forward lack-of-games moves can eliminate grey areas.
I can hear the complaint "But it is the guy's responsibility to make a move! You can't thrust that on to girls and expect them to be the only ones to start things."
I agree. I'm not advocating that there should be a shift where girls become amazon huntresses and ensnare guys. I like the world of chivalry and responsibilities that guys have associated with it. I just feel that there is nothing wrong with a girl indicating that she is interested in a guy.

2nd

Before you came into my life

I missed you so bad

and you should know that

I missed you so, so bad

Mick and Mashelle are one of those couples. They went on their first date in the middle of April. They were engaged in June. They were married for time and all eternity in August.
I really do feel like that there is a certain connection that is made between people who are living right and ready. That there are those who are ready to make that kind of commitment in the face of all those who look at them and say "You are crazy." Yes, it may be crazy, and there may not be (and may never be) a good, sound explanation of it, but they, as the only two parties technically actually involved in the decision, know what they have felt, are feeling, and have decided. At one point, I am planning on writing a post about the concept of harmony. For now, I'll just say that, once there is that harmony between two people, I believe that there is a very real realization that the beautiful richness it brings was lacking (and indeed was a gaping hole!) before they found one another.

Once again, I realize that I am a somewhat of a hopeless romantic. Call me, maybe?

Caribbean Trip Part III

When last we left our adventurers, they were approaching the wild and untamed island known as "The Grand Bahamas"...
Getting off the cruise ship proved to be surprisingly easy. We checked out of the cruise ship, got a stamp in our passport, and then walked straight through at customs (I'm guessing they're pretty confident no one is bringing in anything too scandalous when they cruise to the island). Marc assured us that it was his winning smile that got us all through customs so easily.
A short bus ride across the island (less than like 10 miles across) took us to our resort, the Island Seas Resort. We dropped off our baggage, but check in wasn't until 3 PM. That meant we had to just hang out around the resort for a while. Translation: BAHAMAS BEACH!
We went down to the beach (the resort looks directly out into the Caribbean to the south) and played around all morning and afternoon. We probably went out at about 10:30, and headed in just before 3. I loved the sand so much at the beach there. It was this gorgeous white powder that wasn't grainy at all. The water was beautiful, just the right temperature. Unfortunately, it was a bit story that day, so the wind and waves were kicking up enough sand that the water wasn't super-clear. We still went out swimming and had a lot of fun in the water (Laura and Cicely even swam out and joined us, overcoming a great amount of fear to do so).
A group went exploring and found an amazing Conch shell. The cove where the resort was ended in a jetty which lined a canal heading inland, and there was all sorts of wonderful wild- and sea-life to be found in the area. I went with group #2 exploring, and we didn't get to find anything quite as cool as the first group had.

After that exploration, I threw my t-shirt back on (it was about 1:30 at that point). The last major activity of the afternoon was to bury Shantel. Originally, she sat in the middle of the outer wall of a castle's defenses that Chris had started. Once we started filling it in around her, Cicely (the artist of the group) envisioned a giant shark head, bursting out of the sand to envelop Shantel (whose head would be the only part showing). After a good hour of constructing and sculpting, I was really impressed with the result. It legitimately looked like some sort of monster was going to be the end of Shantel.
As we headed in to the rooms, it became evident just how long we'd been out in the sun. Everyone was hot and tired and a bit cranky. As things cooled down, everyone realized just how strong the sun had been. The sun burns started looking worse and worse as the afternoon wore on. There were some seriously nasty burns. I had started a week and a half before the cruise and had gone out tanning in my backyard 3 or 4 times, so I had a good base tan at the start of the cruise. Even still, my arms and face did end up with a little bit of red. Cicely's back blistered and Marc's legs never really recovered much the rest of the trip.
Despite the sudden collection of injuries, we decided to head in to town after everyone had showered. The shuttle to Port Lucaya only runs once an hour, so we headed in at 4:30 in order to have some time there before we'd have to catch the last shuttle back at 6:40. Part of the group was ready for dinner right away and had dinner at an island cuisine restaurant, but Marc, Shantel, and I wanted to go exploring. We did some looking around, and decided to explore the little souvenir shops that were set up. I got a couple of good things, and so did Marc and Shantel. It's interesting to see how different people handle marketplace situations. Marc is an aggressive haggler- he'll work any price down. Shantel doesn't like to haggle at all, so she just looks around till she finds the best price for what she wanted (most booths all have the same items anyways). I am very much a deal-maker. I don't like to just try and straight-up work a price down. I try to get to the situation where I can say "the price for each is $3? I'll give you $10 for 4." That involves purchasing multiple things, but in the end, I feel like everyone wins.
After our little shopping trip, we didn't have enough time for a sit-down dinner (which I was fine with), so we went over to the Greek restaurant and grabbed Gyros to go. We met up with the rest of the group, and headed back to the resort. While the others decided to chill in the rooms and watch movies and TV, I headed out to get some things done using the resort's wifi out by the pool. Eventually, the others came out and got in the pool, and I let everyone check their emails and such on my computer as I went swimming as well. A walk down the beach showed us just how many stars there were once we got outside of the lights of the resort. We sat and watched the stars for a while, listening to the surf. That may be one of my favorite things in the world.
Day 2, Friday, in the Bahamas, I let myself wake up naturally without an alarm. It was before 9, and no on else was stirring, so I decided to try a run in to Freeport. The capital was only a $4 taxi ride from Port Lucaya, but we weren't sure if there was much worth doing in there. Rather than risk everyone's time and money, I just decided to jog in and check it out myself. I like to jog, but I really did bite off more than I should have with this one. It was about 3.5 miles each way, and then I went about a half mile around town. I'm used to ~3 mile runs, so this was a lot to try. I made it, and realized that there wasn't a lot of stuff for us to see downtown. There were more shops, and a few pretty buildings, but mostly just a lot of the same. By the time that I made it back to the resort, I was kind of exhausted and everyone was just about ready to head out to the beach for a bit. I got cleaned up then went out to join most of them (those with the worst sunburns were unable to stay out in the sun). After lunch, we headed in to the port again. Marc, Shantel and I wanted to look into the options of renting a sail boat or possibly snorkeling, but by the time we got there, it was already getting windy and stormy enough that they were closing things down for the day.
We came back to the shopping harbor and did some more looking around. I got directed to Ray "the guy with Rasta style", in order to find steel drums. I was hoping to find one like the drum I played in 6th grade. When I saw them, I realized that I wasn't going to find anything even close. They were small (either ~6" or ~12" in diameter) and very much untuned. I played with the idea of getting one of the larger ones and trying to make it usable, but I realized that really wouldn't be an option. They still looked cool, so I went ahead and bought a small one as a souvenir.
We decided to do dinner at the Greek restaurant, and I got the eponymous Zorbas platter. A couple of the people in the group hadn't ever had baklava, so I order some for us all to share. It was really good food. Afterwards, we went so Shantel and Laura could get drinks in a coconut and then toured the harbor looking at multi-million dollar yachts. The girls talked to the captain of one of them, a tanned guy about my age with a strong Australian accent and I realized at that moment that there is no competing with such an accent. Even I liked listening to him talk about the boat and where the owner had him sail.
That evening we went out to watch the sun set from the beach at the resort. The tide had gone out, so there was tons of room for a bunch of fun drawings in the sand. I meant to call it an early night, but I started reading my book around 11, and then realized just before midnight that I had to finish the last of it before I could go to bed. With that, I was still up well past 1 in the morning, much later than I'd wanted to be up.
You're only on vacation once, and so I decided to go for broke on this. I got up Saturday morning before the sunrise to meet Shantel and Cicely out on the shore. There were some clouds out, but we still got to see the sun rise- a most beautiful sight. That, however, meant a long day was in store. Check out was at 10, but the shuttle to the cruise ship wasn't until 1.

Shantel, Mark and I left our packed bags with the others, and caught the first shuttle in to Port Lucaya. There weren't many people there at that time, so we headed straight for the rental booth to see about sailing. There was a good, steady breeze coming in off the ocean, and the lady asked Marc if he was an experienced sailor. He told her he wasn't an expert, but that he'd been sailing before. She had us sign waivers, then put on life jackets and head out to the sailboat. The guy showed Marc a few things specific to our sailboat, and then we were off into the ocean. It was kind a scary thrill to be moving along the water at a good 20 mph under just wind-power.
So, after a bit, Marc asked Shantel if she wanted to take over manning the sail and rudder. We made it a ways further until we got parallel to the wind and died. After Marc got us started again, we decided to turn. As we turned in to the wind, there was a big gust that instantly filled the sail. It put so much strain on the sail that the mast broke off of the joint holding it to the catamaran. There was a guy from the booth who was out pulling some girls on a parasail. He swung by us, and yelled at Marc for trying to do something that I didn't recognize the term for. He told us to wait and he'd come pick us up.
He took us to a floating platform where a boat from the shore brought us in to land again. In total, we were only out on the water for about an hour, and sailing only about half of that. When we got in, we were informed that there was about $50 of damage that we had to pay for. I'm not sure if that's true at all, but I don't know enough about sailboats to argue well. After trying to working with them on the number, we paid them and left. No one was going snorkeling that morning because the waves were too high still, so we had find something else to entertain us for a few hours.
Shantel and I decided that, since we were already near the big resort at the port there, we would just use the big outdoor, life-sized chess board to play a game. She was chess club president, so I knew I didn't have much of a chance. Pretty early on in my opening, I made a couple moves without looking far enough ahead and lost some pretty significant ground. From then on, I was pretty much staunching the blood flow. I wasn't too successful at that and lost after a pretty inglorious endgame. I like the idea of a chessboard that size, and it seems like it'd be pretty easy to do as a do-it-yourself project.
I was hungry, so we went in to the harbor and I found a little stand with traditional Bahamian (pronounced buh-HAY-me-ann) dishes. I got Conch salad which was tomatoes and onions and citrus and peppers all in a bunch of lime juice. Then there was a bunch of little bits of conch mixed in. The salad had a good strong flavor and the conch didn't really taste like anything, but wow did it have a texture. It was small and a bit rubbery. I wasn't a huge fan, but I'd paid $8 for it, so I finished it off when Shantel and Marc said they were done.
We went back to the resort and met the others, ready to head back to the cruise ship. One last drive on the left side of the road brought us back to the cruise ship. It was a bit sad to leave behind the beautiful sandy beaches and nice resort that I was just starting to feel comfortable in. Check in took a while (all of the resort shuttles were showing up around that time), but we were still early enough to get a reservation in the nice (but not super-nice) restaurant! We dropped our stuff in our cabin and found out that, this time, we got room with a port hole. It made the tiny little cabin (same lay-out as before) seem so much larger. After gorging ourselves at the lunch buffet (breakfast had been a small meal a long time ago for most) we split up. There were a ton of fun things going on, but I just had to lay down and take a nap.
I napped for about an hour, and then decided to get to experience at least a few things. I went over to the scavenger hunt, but they had started cleaning up 2 minutes before I got there because no one had shown up. If I had gotten there just a little bit earlier, I would have been the winner by default! I tried to go listen to the steel drum music, but that was just ending as I got there. The name-that-tune had been replaced by pre-recorded music. Finally, I got to the Family Feud game just before it started. It was fun to sit there and actually be in the audience for a pretty realistic knock-off of the show. One by one, everyone in my group showed up and sat with me for the game show. If they'd done more rounds, we would've rocked it!
It was time for dinner, so we all got into our one nice outfit and headed to The Crystal Dining Room. The food offered there was more or less the same as the restaurant we'd eaten at the first night, but rather than half-buffet/half-service, this was a full, five-course, sit-down meal. It was all fancy with real crystal goblets (Marc tried them out, and yes, the did make a sound as he ran his finger around the edge), full-service wait staff (our server was Marlon, and he was a really funny guy), and chandeliers. It took 90 minutes to eat dinner, but it was such pleasant company and good food that I didn't mind at all. In fact, it was kind of nice to not be able to rush through a meal, but to have to stop and take my time.
After dinner, we went up to the Ocean Breeze Lounge for dancing. It was a super small dance floor, and they only played Salsa and Merengue music, but it was still fun to be dancing. It was so strange to feel the boat moving on the ocean under your feet as you danced. Shantel and I managed to find a couple of songs to chacha and rumba to as well. After an hour or so, we headed down for the shows. First was the magic show. The magic wasn't incredible, but the overall show was fun and enjoyable. I decided to order a drink while we were in the lounge. There was one called a "Wannabe" which I got off the non-alcoholic page. It was pina colada, strawberries, bananas, mango and pineapple with whipped cream on top. I enjoyed it, and it was good enough that Shantel ordered one and Laura got a pina colada. After the magician, there was an acrobatic duo that was incredible. They did the hanging from a rope while the other person swings it around act, and then an amazing balancing act. Finally, there was a comedian. he started out great, but things progressed to sex jokes very quickly and that was that- I was out.
Shantel and I did some more dancing upstairs, Laura got dropped on the dance floor, and then the group spent some time out on the deck in the evening breeze. We decided to explore looking for more dancing. The lounge where there was dancing our first night had chosen karaoke this time, and the pool deck up on top was too wet to dance safely. We were on our way to the piano bar, when we saw that desserts were half off, so we Shantel and I got a strawberry cheesecake and a "chocolate pyramid". We were both sick by the time we were done with them. Eventually, we headed back to the girls' cabin and found the rest of them there. I collected Chris, and he and I headed back to our cabin.
I decided to shower and pack at night, so I'd be ready to go early the next morning. I was in bed just a bit after 11, which was good because 7:30 came early. We all got up, not quite rested all the way, and cleared out of the cabin. We had one last all-you-care-to-eat meal, and then left the ship. Customs went pretty easily, and we were back on American soil. We weren't sure what time the cruise would get in as we were planning the trip, so I'd gotten a late flight, just to be safe. So I had 10 hours from disembarking to flight :/
We went to the beach north of Palm Beach, and took some fun pictures there, then headed in to town. A part of the group wanted Subway, and Shantel led the charge towards a sushi restaurant. It turns out that that sushi bar was closed, so we went and had Italian in stead. Finally, it was time to head to the airport. They dropped the four of us leaving from West Palm Beach International off, and took the rental car back to Ft. Lauderdale. It really didn't sink in that the vacation was ending until we split up from the other half of the group.
This has been such a wonderful vacation, it's going to definitely hold a special place in my memory.

Caribbean Trip Part II

Day three in Florida started out with a beautiful jog. I had looked on googlemaps and found a nice large lake just half a mile north of our hotel room. I saw a path running around it and thought, “This will be the perfect morning run. Everyone is going to be so jealous of the great run that I had.” So I got up before the rest of the guys, threw my shoes on, and went for a jog. I got to the corner of the park, and there was a huge chain-link fence there. As I continued on, I figured I would find an entrance at some point. And then there was barbed wire at the top of the fence. All I can figure is that the city decided to preserve the land in the middle of the city and the only way to do that was to keep everyone out. I was kind of disappointed in Ft. Lauderdale at that.

We ate breakfast while Shantel went to get her neck adjusted again, then we all checked out of the hotel. It wasn't really a bad hotel, but there were enough things about it that just weren't that impressive and we were ready to move on. We couldn't quite board the cruise ship yet, so I suggested we find one of the “20 square mile flea markets” that our friend Jim had told us about the day before. It wasn't that large, but the one we went to was still really good-sized. I found a waterproof watch (I knew I couldn't keep my phone with me everywhere in the Bahamas for a clock like I do in the states) for $10 and then, after much searching, I found the perfect sunglasses. Most of the shops had the same sunglasses for the same prices, but I found one tucked away on a back row of stalls that had a very different selection and much better prices. I ended up buying a pair of Prada knock-offs for $4!

We drove back to the hotel for the last free lunch they'd promised us (squeezing every dollar out of this free cruise vacation) and then we headed for the cruise ship. There wasn't any traffic on the way there (which was nice- especially compared to the nightmare that I went through with my mom and dad on the way to our cruise to Ensenada).

Check-in was super simple for the cruise, though we were disappointed to find out that the Crystal Dining Room was already booked for the evening and we would have to take the casual restaurant, The Rio, instead. We dropped our bags off in the room, then went to the orientation meeting. The girls were excited about the free emeralds offer until they realized that you had to buy the setting and then you get the stone put in for free.

As we waited for the cruise ship to leave, we decided to head up to the embarkation party on the top deck. The large amounts of alcohol and preference of the DJ for songs such as “The Electric Slide”, sent us quickly back inside. We found the ice cream shop where you could get ice cream for free, so we took full advantage of that. With our 3^rd (and for some 4^th) ice creams in hand, we set out for the deck at the back of the ship. We took a bunch of group shots and then did a bunch of lounging around until the ship left port.

We watched as we sailed away from Palm Beach, and then headed back into the lounge as it started to rain, then pour. I had my book with me, so I hung out while everyone else went and got some Italian food at the little cafe on board. After they were done eating, they went exploring as I sat reading with Laura. When things got... crowded in the lounge, we left for the other lounge over by the stage to do some more reading there. The others found us, and then it was time for dinner.

The only food that was truly free on this trip was the food on the boat, and we took full advantage of it. The appetizer (salmon tartar) and salads were self-serve (I skipped the appetizer), and then we ordered the main dish which was served to you. I chose Prime Roast Rib, which came out rarer than I had expected but still tasted delicious. The highlight of the meal were the servers who came around and offered to slice meat off of their skewers onto your plate. I very much enjoyed a chunk of sirloin, a pork roast wrapped in bacon, a spanish sausage, and another chunk of meat that I can't now remember. Dessert was also serve-yourself, so I went to look at the options. It was chocolate cake or apple crisp. I really couldn't choose between them, so I didn't. I took one of each. They were so good that I went back and took another of each. By the end of that I was quite nearly sick to my stomach.

The dinner over, a few of us decided to go to the show-room for the evening entertainment. We just caught the last five minutes of the acrobatic act, which was a shame because it was really cool. After that, a comedian came out, and he wasn't nearly as bad as I was fearing :) While some of the others went to the bar, I played some games on my phone. After the comedian, I was surprised that they opened up the stage as a dance floor. Shantel and I headed down and did some ChaCha, some West Coast and some East Coast swing. Neither of us really wanted to be in the “Do The Twist” competition, so we headed of the dance floor for the only competition of the evening. After a couple more dances, they were starting the entertainment over again and so we all headed out to the deck for some cool air. The sun had set shortly before dinner, so it was nice and dark. We watched as a thunder storm roiled off in the distance, flashes concurrently lighting some thunderheads while throwing others into dark relief. It was truly beautiful.

After about an hour or so of relaxing (a massage train included in that time), I decided to head in. At that point, I realized I didn't have my sunglasses and thought that I had left them at the show lounge. I went to find them, but they weren't there. I checked all around with Shantel and Cicely and Chris, but no one had turned them in to the lost and found. After goofing around a bit and finding more of our group, I decided to call it a night with a bunch of them. I was super surprised that, as I walked into our cabin, I noticed my sunglasses sitting on the desk. I don't remember putting them there, and I don't know how they would have gotten there, but it was great to have them again. The cabin was super small, but it was nice to be in bunk beds rather than queens- sharing a bed can be a bit tiresome.

After a fairly good night's sleep, I woke up and got showered. We met upstairs for the buffet breakfast. I'm not sure I could ever really get used to having such a full breakfast- a bagel or bowl of cereal are almost always enough for me. I had a bit of everything this morning, and definitely enjoyed it all. We collected our things, got our passports, and with that, it was already time to leave our cruise ship behind and head in to the wonderful beauty of the Grand Bahamas.

Third-way vacation journal

I'm sitting in the Island Seas Resort on the Grand Bahamas right now, and oh so very happy. I thought I would type up some of what I've been up to for the first third of this vacation.

I got up at 3:30 the morning of the 7^th of May. I got ready and finished packing a few things, then drove over to my house (I wanted to pick up my board shorts that I leave in the laundry room). I noticed that the pool pump came unplugged, so I went to plug it back in, and noticed in the moonlight that there was a kitten floating in my pool. I don't like the neighborhood cats, and lately I've hear a lot of mewing from litters, but it was still sad to see a kitten drowned. I scooped him out and took care of him, but it was still a sucky way to start the vacation.

I walked to the light rail station so that I wouldn't have to leave a car in a lot somewhere or pay for parking. As I was passing Tempe Town Lake, the sun came up and lit everything beautifully (it's been a long time since I've seen a rising sun). I got to the airport at 5:45, and the security line was way long. I was pretty nervous, and it's a good thing I got there when I did. I got through security, and went straight to my gate. I got on the plane at 6:14 and the plane took off at 6:25. Cutting it way close!

The flight was good. I had an aisle seat and read most of the way to Atlanta. I was grateful for headphones: there was a baby the row in front of me that wouldn't stop crying no matter how its mother tried.

In Atlanta, we got in late and then it took forever to get off the plane. I had a 50 minute layover that was reduced to a 25 minute layover. I was luckily in the same terminal (I remember trying to negotiate Atlanta once before between terminals- CRAZY). I even had enough time to stop and grab a hot pretzel and cheese before getting on the plane.

So I find my seat, and there's a lady in it. I ask her about that as a flight attendant is walking up. She mentions that her seat is in the row forward. She then says “you can take it if you'd like- sit next to these two attractive girls.” I just kind of laughed awkwardly and told her she could take it. I couldn't tell if she was their mother trying to set me up with them, or just a random stranger playing matchmaker. Either way: weird.

I sat next to Charlie from Atlanta for the flight to Palm Beach. She was just finishing up her studies in Animal Behavioral Psychology. It was really cool to chat with her and learn about what she was going to do. As we were getting ready to take off, I was looking around, and two rows in front of me and to the left, I saw Austin sitting there. Small world! We were on the same flight.

After we got off, he and I collected luggage, met up with Cicely and Chris, and headed out. We were taking the train to meet the other 4 in Fort Lauderdale. To get to the station, we had to take a taxi. We got there just fine, and bought our tickets with less than 5 minutes till the train arrived.

As we took the hour-long train ride down to the others, we realized just how diverse this trip was turning out to be. We'd traveled by air, rail, taxi, car, and were soon going to be adding boat to it as well. As far as modern travel is concerned,we've pretty much used them all!

We met up with the group (including an epic “airport reunion”-esque running hug), got our rental car and headed in to the hotel. By the time we were actually pulled in and settled in to hotel, it was getting in to the evening, so we had dinner and then went and sat in the hot tub for a while. Everyone was pretty tired, so we kind of just wrapped it up at that point and called it a night.

Tuesday was both a challenge and a blast. After doing a hurried breakfast at the hotel, we went over to a resort just south of the Everglades for a “tour”. That quick tour turned in to a 3 hour 30 minute timeshare presentation. Chantel won the cruise, but before we could pick up the vouchers for it, we had to go on the “tour”. So this large, awkward man named Jim took us 8 college kids around a timeshare resort and spent three hours trying to convince us that we needed to buy a timeshare together. It was pretty awful (he insulted every single one of us at one point or another) and boring (none of us had any intention of buying), but to be honest- at my $12/hour job's rate, I “paid” $42 of my time for a cruise to the Bahamas. Yes, I could have gotten upset, but I didn't think it was really worth it. I was glad when it was over though.

With our entire morning gone, we decided to head straight to the beach, by way of the chiropractor (Shantel had slept wrong and messed up her neck really bad). We headed straight out Commercial Boulevard to the beach that was closest. It was beautiful! The water was just a tad chilly, but that made it so much fun. We waded out in the smooth sands and swam around a bunch. Marc had brought a snorkel, and I found another pair of goggles, so we had two out exploring at any given time.

Rain rolled in, but we decided that couldn't stop us. We took our stuff back to the car to keep it dry and went back swimming in the rain. Swimming in the ocean in the rain is a really cool experience. Once the lightning started, though, we really did have to get out. We split up at that point, and I went with the group to the sushi restaurant for dinner. Sushi is good, and it definitely is best when its fresh, but I still am just not a huge fan.

Chris and Austin had bought sunglasses behind mine and Marc's back earlier in the day, so we went shopping after and Marc found some glasses that he liked which left me as the only guy without sunglasses. We headed back to the hotel at that point to fill out all the forms that we would need for getting on the cruise ship and hang out in the hot tub. While I was planning on getting to bed at a pretty reasonably early hour, Marc and Chris started a pretty in-depth theological discussion, and I just couldn't help but stay up for it. I did manage to get to bed around 1:30 AM though. My poor internal clock- shifted forward 3 time zones, and then staying up super late- it'll be a miracle if my body doesn't give out.

I'll post a blog update with the next couple of days' activities (and hopefully more pictures) when I can. Just for info's sake, here's the list of us traveling together:

Me

Marc

Chris

Austin

Chantel

Shantel

Cicely

Laura(n)

Joy to the World

I wouldn't say it was stuck in my head, but I definitely caught myself humming a line or two a bit ago.


Joy to the World
The Lord is come!

Joy to the world, indeed!