what a start!

whew well hello 2012!

Amazingly enough I was traveling over the holidays but now with nary a trip in sight I'm going to hopefully start doing more in my community and focusing on the people here than spending all my energy going. I mean I am going to Canada sometime this year... and I have a wedding to go to in March.... oh you know small little things. I should be worried about getting a different job so I can earn money for you know school (yay for credentials) but it'll get there.

You know cruising has always given me time to think things through... I think it has something to do with not having important to get to. Over this past 3 months I have spent over 5 weeks on a ship and well a lot of thought has taken place. I've realized so much more about myself and my relationship with Jesus. I've also surrendered a lot of my worries and cares to Him and you know what.... God has made so many changes in my life in these past few month it is so crazy. I am just amazed at has taken place within my own thought process and how I've changed my outlook on things. I have made some great new friends and been to some really cool places and even gotten to expierence a journey that I thought I would only make once. Things have really fallen into place for me and I cannot thank Jesus enough for taking this really crazy time and putting myself at ease with it all.




This past cruise was to Hawai'i. It was nice to have a change of the normal cruise daily life and have it peppered with Hawaiian culutral influences. I got a ukelele for Christmas and I'm hoping that I keep on practicing it and getting better at it. Maybe I'll become a famous uke player someday. That'll pay off the college loan bills wouldn't it? I met some really great people, crew natuarally, on this ship. They truly made the expierence better for me. I'm sorry to sound pompous but after all the cruises I've been on you know that being friends with the crew after you've gone is hard to do mainly because of the whole I'm on a boat and you're not. I do miss all the poeple I've met on these past voyages and I'm still in contact with some of them... I actually think that Danijel, a friend from the Panama trip, contracts ends within the week and he'll be headed back home to Serbia and Leydi from Peru is already home so we'v been able to chat a few times already. And from this last trip I'v e already gotten a call from the middle of the Pacific... which is so crazy and great/epic. I can't tell you how great it was to hear from this crew member and while I would be stolked if any of my crew member pals called me from anywhere this particular crew member was I can't even tell you how EPIC it was to hear his voice. I couldn't stop giggling... hopefully next time I'll be better composed.

I just got back from Santa Cruz yesterday and was able to go to church today. So thus far 2012 has been a great year filled with friends and laughter. I keep on saying this over and over but I have no idea what 2012 will bring me but if its anything like this past week has been it'll be filled with love and laughter.

2012... bring it.