Let's see...where to begin for this week...Umm. I started out the week fine and dandy, but I did get a small case of what they call G.I. (basically it's a bad stomach virus) Wed. SO I was confined to my room for 48 hours while they tried to get me better, causing us to cancel and then reblock our show with a dancer in as ME! It was a mess, but I'm feeling much better now. OH AND - INSTALL IS OFFICIALLY OVER!!! That means no more 8 hr days rehearsing plus 2 shows at night! We had our first show without any choreagraphers in the audience taking notes and you could tell a HUGE difference in our performances...well at least for me - I was 100x more relaxed. We actually seemed to be having FUN on stage...can you believe it? haha
Other than that I'm realizing quickly that I'm going to have a lot more down time than I really thought I would. It's nice on port days though because hopefully I'll get to start doing some of the excursions here and there. So far I still haven't really had the chance to enjoy Seattle or Alaska much at all. I've been so busy during the day - and then I was confined last week...I do know that my favorite thing about Seattle thus far is the shopping, which could be good or bad! They have EVERYTHING you can imagine though and it's all within a 15 minute cab ride from where we are docked. It's really nice!
This week I'm hoping to actually see a whale or two, and maybe walk around the outskirts of Juneau or Skagway and see one of the BIG glaciers that I've yet to experience. Apparently it's all right there off the beaten path, you just have to make it a point to go and see them. :)
I have also decided that if none of you have seen "The Bucket List" then it should definitely be added to your "must see" list...I won't say it's the best movie I've seen in a while, but it's on up there and it definitely made me take a second look at all the blessings in my life that I take for granted so often. I also spent the afternoon crying because it made me miss my family and friends so much!!! BUT, sometimes everyone needs a good cry to feel alive I think. ;)
Well, I'm sorry I don't have more pictures to add, but we had a friend of ours take some at our shows tonight. I think he ended up with over 400! So, I'll have to go through them all and find the good ones to add to my next blog.
I can't believe it's been almost a full month! Some days it flies by, and then others I feel like I'll never see home again. But I still love what I'm doing and I don't think I could trade it right now. I mean, I'm getting paid to sing and see the world! Not bad if I say so myself. ~
Tryin' to keep warm,
Kris
2 comments:
Good Morning, Kristian!!!! It is 7:45 and I am up (for a long time now) checking your blog to see if you have checked in with us, and YOU HAVE!!!
I am SO SORRY about the GI problem. That's a bad thing, especially when you are in close quarters. When we were on the first Miss America tour, Miss America Kylene Barker actually got the FLU (eliminating at both ends rapidly-!-). Anyway, she was confined to her room in Berlin and got over it while we traveled day trips without her. It was a lot easier for us that you, though. We just had to take her out of a few spots and the rest of us took over her speaking. Your situation was really a mess. A dancer taking over for you?!? Oh my!!! Its also not any fun being by yourself for that long in a shoe box while sick as a dog! Lets hope that this will "immunize" your system for the rest of your time on the ship. Hopefully, you have paid your dues!
I am also glad to know that you won't be rehearsing 8 hours per day and doing 2 shows per night! That is enough to kill anyone! I'm glad you are young! No wonder you had no time to write. I knew that something was going on, I just didn't know HOW MUCH was going on! I am so glad that "Install" is officially over. That must feel so good. Just to have the relief of knowing that you are not being critiqued on every move has got to be wonderful. Then, to actually be able to rest your body and only perform instead of additional rehearsal also has to feel good. Dancers just don't understand how an exhausted body affects the voice. They don't get it, because they don't lose theirmuscles if they overwork them. They just hurt and pull things. The voice is not that strong. It GOES when your overwork it. I'm glad that you have done so well with not losing your voice in all of this constant work. It seems to me to be a sheer miracle that you didn't with all of that movement and constant singing. WHEW!
I am thrilled that your are actually going to have more down time than you thought. That is great! You certainly need it. You cannot keep up the kind of pace that all of you have been keeping for an extended amount of time. It would kill you. Now that you are officially "Installed", you will have so much more fun! What a great job!!! You can sing your heart out every other night, be friendly with people every day and on your days off, see the world! Who could do better than that? You will have plenty of time later to be at home! Enjoy this time now! See the world and once you have seen all you want of it, you can come back home and never leave again! That's what I did and it works great! The same is true with singing. Sing all you want now while you can, before love strikes you down right in your tracks and babies come. If you do that, it will ALL be good - the singing, home, and family life.
I'm glad you like Seattle. I would be a definite threat with the shopping. It will be so great to have favorite spots in Seattle that you like to go. Perhaps in the heat of summer, things will not be so cold. I was very surprised with Alaska. I was shocked at how "non-modern-day" it was. I guess I just expected everything to be bigger, but everywhere we went, things were very "local". Highway 204 was more advanced than the highways there. When we went to the state fair (just happened upon it), it was smaller than the Calhoun County fair of long ago. I'll be curious to hear what you think. The only exception was Anchorage, which reminded me of Birmingham, but it was no bigger. It seemed much smaller than Atlanta and was a breeze to drive in. Of course, that was in the 80s. Things could have changed. I'll be curious to know. Juneau and Skagway I've never been to, but when I read about them, they were small fishing villages and very "remote". Please tell me about them when you get there and send pictures if you can. I know I would love it! The more remote the better for me! - except for the kamakazi mosquitos that we encountered when we got out of the truck at a scenic view. I am definitely not interested in those!
Because we were inland and not near the ocean, we never saw whales, but you will, I'm sure! Alaskan waters arefamousfor theirwhales. I want to see a picture of your first whale!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm going to try to check out "Bucket List". Did you see it in Seattle on land or did you see it on the ship? And yes, it is a good thing to have a good cry - all by yourself. It is so healthy. You are going through a lot of changes and growth right now. Crying is one of the most cleansing things you can do. Missing home will get easier as you go along. If you can find what it is that you really love doing, (ie, shopping, singing, sightseeing, etc.), these things will distract you enough that you won't realize how much you miss home. Then, when you do come home, what a reunion it will be!
I'm anxious to see more pictures. You know me. I want to print off a photo and put you on my bulletin board outside my door and over my desk!!! I want one of just you and one with a couple of your performers - in costume! The ones you sent are great! I am going to put those on my board today.
And - by the way, while I am asking, I would like to have an actual 8X10 of a publicity shot of you, signed to frame and hang on my wall!!! I would love it if you were in costume. When you find something that will work, keep it for me and sign it when you get home.
Also, on the "feeling like you are never going to come home" business, that is natural, too. When you get off sequestered in your own little world as you are now, you begin to feel that nothing outside your little "world" exists, especially when you don't see anything else for such a long time. Your whole perspective changes about life - in a good way. I think that you are experiencing some of that right now. It is just perfectly normal to feel these things. It is a mindset of sorts. Remember how it felt to be cloistered at Miss Alabama? Remember how there didn't seem to be life outside of the Miss Alabama pageant for an entire week? Well, this is exactly the same thing, except that Miss Alabama was 1 week and you are experiencing 9 months; at Miss Alabama, you saw your family every night of the last 4 days and you don't see them at all on the cruiseship. Your lifestyle has taken on a drastic change and you are adjusting. Please just know that everything that you are feeling is normal. I'm just thrilled that you are having a wonderful time. It does seem hard to believe that it has been almost a month since you have been at sea! WOW! What stories you will have to tell your grandchildren, nieces and nephews!!! (Not to mention your former voice teacher, who is anxiously awaiting to hear them!)
One more thing before I go - I am TOTALLY IMPRESSED that you posted your blog at 5:35 AM on Monday morning! I am amazed that you have experienced a morning this early. AND - if you just hadn't been to bed yet, don't tell me. I don't want to know.
OK. Enough for now. I eventually have to go teach Ellie Mellen. She has a wedding to sing for this weekend and its gotta be good! I do miss you, but I am so glad that you are reaching for your dreams. You will not ever regret it. Have a beautiful day at sea!
Love, Mrs. Stricklin
Luv the FRO!Looks like your still having great time.I wish Larry and I were cruising with the gang this week but oh well we are not, Larry sends a biiiiiiiggggg hug from your Dad & Robin.Hope yaw have a great time. Still praying for ya and we luv ya lots ! Ging & Larry
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