Excitement at Home . . . Then Off Again . . .

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It’s been five weeks since I got home from Fiji and other than the weekend in Memphis, they’ve all been spent at home (well, around Southern Ontario – which is home!). It’s been so great to be home because there have been some exciting things happening . . . starting with –

Alexis and Kevin got married!! And it was a surprise wedding!! I was “in” on the surprise. They actually told me in early August, when I was still at camp. Because otherwise I wouldn’t have been in the country! I’d planned to go to Fiji and New Zealand but I couldn’t miss my sister’s wedding so plans changed. They were married on 10/10/10 – one week after I got back from Fiji. I spent that week staying at their house playing wedding assistant running around running secret errands. In the weeks and days leading up to the wedding, some people were gradually let in on the plans – like their parents, our other sister Melanie and some of the bridal party (most only found out the night before or the morning of!). Everybody was told they were invited to a surprise birthday party for Kevin, but instead of him walking in and the crowd saying surprise, Alexis & Kevin walked in in their gown and suit and Kevin said surprise. We in the wedding party followed in and they were married on the spot. It was so nice to see all of our extended family and friends and it was a very fun – though rushed and hectic – night.

After the wedding and around my trip to Memphis/Arkansas for another wedding, I’ve mostly been trying to visit friends and family as much as possible. I spent a few days in Toronto over Halloween so I got to see a lot of friends then. I’m also really lucky that I have a lot of friends who I met on ships who are also from Ontario and we’ve made the transition to being “land” friends as well. I met up with quite a few of them for coffee or dinners around Toronto and Niagara. I have so many great friends from the different jobs I’ve done at home and away and I feel so lucky that they all make time for me when I’m home so I can see them and keep them in my life.

All of the visiting was really important to me because I am off again. I made the decision to return to Carnival for another contract. I made the decision while in Fiji. To be very honest, I feel resigned about this decision. A big part of me is really drawn to moving home and getting started on making the next chapter of my life happen (settling somewhere!). But before I could do that, I had to go to Fiji. And going to Fiji doesn’t leave me in a financial state where I can get myself set up in an apartment while job hunting for arts jobs. So I need to save some money. And while it is a slow and tedious process to save money while working on a ship, at least then I am independent and on my own.

And so this week I signed onto the Carnival Dream. It is the company’s biggest and newest ship – only a year old. Stay tuned for stories from the Dream!

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