I can't believe it's the first of December! My Daddy's birthday is coming up this friday and this week was an incredibly emotional week which you will learn about later in this blog. I personally want to say I am so so thankful for him and all he has sacrificed to provide for my six siblings and myself, for being a great example of a Godly father and husband and for being supportive in all that I wanted to achieve in life. I am beyond blessed!
WEEK 6- First I want to introduce you to the cutest couple I met earlier in the week, Bill and Lillian. They both came into the salon this week for services by me and they absolutely LOVE to dance, dancing is their life. I met Bill first, he kept talking about how he loved to dance and asked if I was a dancer and of course I told him I don't have any dancing shoes... (that's always my excuse) He said I should go dancing because you meet a lot of people that way. Lilli I met the following day, she is 88 and in great health. She really takes care of herself, she says her key to staying healthy and still dancing at 88 is eating right and staying away from doctors. She told me about how she never danced before she met Bill and they met when she was 65 or 70? I can't remember. They dance west coast swing and she explained to me the difference between west coast and east coast swing and I told her how I had taken a basic swing classes with my brother years ago. She said Bill is a great dance partner and how swing is all about showing off your lady so if you have a great gentleman who can lead the dance all you have to do is follow and feel the music. They live in Hawaii and have their own swing dance club.
Tuesday nights we have a show on board called "Dancing with the American Stars" where the passengers can sign up and dance with the dancers/crew on board. It's a hilarious show because dancing really has nothing to do with it. Both Bill and Lilli wanted to join the competition so I made sure I went to the show when I got off work to show support and see them dance. Unfortunately they had a lot of sign ups and they weren't able to get on the list, but I decided to stay since it was my first time watching the show and it was out of control. I recommend anyone on board the ship to see that show to get a good laugh. So that is Bill and Lilly, a cute elderly couple who are passionate about dancing, I loved talking with them and hearing their stories.
I mentioned before that the ship life has it's ups and downs so Tuesday I woke up feeling incredibly postive about being here and by lunch time I felt incredibly low and stayed that way pretty much the rest of the week. It's tough being away from home, I feel like my entire life back home is on pause and this isn't real life. It feels like a dream and its such a routine with working constantly you get tired of answering the same questions; "do you like it on the ship? do you have a big family and do you miss them? and most of all they ask did you leave a boyfriend back home?" I found myself being more quiet in general, not talking to my clients and deep in thought about other things and altogether exhausted. When my clients asked me if I liked being on the ship I didn't know how to answer it without sounding like I hated it, all I could say is," it is different and I miss being home." This week was really eye opening, I appreciate the relationships I had back home so much more.
Thursday I had a half day off in Kuai with my roomie and my co worker Amber. We went for a run in the afternoon and went to this great mom & pop Pho place. Later in the evening we had a ladies night just to get our mind off things. Our co workers Silvia and Anzhela met up with us later when they got off work and we went to Kalapaki Joe's, where we go every thursday night for a bite to eat. Silvia is an Esthetician in the spa and so so sweet. She would do anything for anyone even if she doesn't want to she's very helpful. We all showered her with compliments earlier in the evening and when we were at the resturant something brought up her family and parents and she mentioned that her dad passed away when she was 20. I asked her how and she said he took his own life and my heart broke in half, I started bawling. She is 33 now and such a sweet girl and I couldn't imagine going through life without my father around and I am so incredibly blessed to have my parents together and there for myself and my siblings. While I was crying Amber mentioned that her dad left her at a young age it just breaks my heart that people could be so selfish and leave their family and it happens all the time. My roomie tried comforting me and told me that she feels exactly the way I do, I hurt so much for other people especially when it comes to their parents. Katia told me I'm such a blessing in her life and it encourages her to be a better person, and how her parents absolutely hate being married to eachother but are still together and it just gives her an example of what she Doesn't want in a marriage. She explained how depressed she was before amber and I came aboard and how she is just full of life now. Our team in the spa are so supportive and work so well together we don't want it to change but contracts end and we will get new people so we pray they will fit in nicely because they've had some pretty crazy people on board before.
Thursday night was just a crazy night in general we grew closer and had a blast. The next morning my first appointment cancelled and I had about 3 hours off in the morning so I went down to the beach to have some quiet time to read and write, as I was reflecting I realized how selfish I am, how could I be out here living one of my dreams in paradise but feel so miserable at the same time? Like I said before, I feel like my life is on hold back home and im not moving forward but at the same time I'm moving forward super fast. I am so blessed and I take it for granted completely, I have a family who loves and supports me and friends that are an amazing encouragement, every second I have off is a "vacation"... in HAWAII, I am blessed with a great job that gives me the chance to save every penny I make, I am fed for free yet I complain that I am so tired of the food when there are less fortuneate with nothing to eat.
I am beyond blessed and its crazy to think that there's so many workers on board who arent close to their families and could care less about going home when I would be home in a heartbeat if I had the chance. Apparently the first 3 months are the hardest being away from home especially during the holidays so we try to keep busy to keep our mind off it all. I have to stay postive and keep in mind that it's only nine months of my whole entire life and this will be a great growing experince, I know for a fact the little things that use to bother me before won't even be a thought in my mind once I arrive home and I will stay focused on the more important things in life. 
I really want to thank all of you who have been such a great encouragement and support in my life, I miss you and can't wait to be back in Cali for a couple weeks in 113 days!<3
 
"Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." -Philippians 2:4