hey all

hi everyone,

not much to report, same old same old. we are at sea today so i have work pretty much 9am-10pm but my boss and i are getting dolled up and going to the crows nest for drinks after work. ooh la la..

how is everyone? was the trip fantastic? i have decided to extend one extra week till june 9th because its going to be really busy and they need the help. dont worry ill still be home soon!

okay well this is short and sweet, just wanted to say hi. love you all!

amy

Buenas Dias Mi Familia

Hi everyone,

A lot of you are on vacation right now so I'm not expecting a whole lot of comments for a while but I figured an update was in order. Today we were in Costa Rica and of course, I went to the beach. It's the cheapest form of entertainment and I really do love it. We went to playa bonita, the usual, and had lunch at restaurant quimbamba, also the usual. I went with Steve, my beach date. (You see him in many pictures, he is the tall guy with dark hair.) It was kinda overcast today and rained a little but was still really warm and the water was fun, lots of waves. I suppose being so close to the rainforest you are bound to get rained on. Everything is going really well here, same as always except we have 52 kids on board this week. We had only been expecting 30 so you can bet we are really really busy. Three staff is really not much for all those kids. I have been working 14 hour days on sea days, but I was off all day today and don't have to work till 8pm. Tonight is "Mysterious Spy Night" and the kids will be going on a photo scavenger hunt. I like it because I get to send them off and hopefully have some peace and quiet! :) A few of my friends will be leaving the ship this week in Ft Lauderdale, but another friend of mine, Brandon, the guy who helped me get the job, will be coming on...so that will be nice. I have been keeping up the running, but I did slack a little this cruise because I've been working so many hours. I got back into the gym today though so hopefully I'll be back on track now. One of the spa girls told me I have gained weight since coming on board!!! I didn't think I had, but maybe it's true...I don't have a scale so I have no idea. Oh well, what do you expect with all-you-can-eat buffets for three meals a day!

Exciting news...Rob is driving down to visit me this Ft. Lauderdale. It's about an 8-9 hour drive so I think he is a little crazy considering I'll only have a few hours off, but it will be really nice to see him. I can't believe its been almost 2 months since I left P'cola! We will be going to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch, my FAVORITE! (Don't be jealous GVC girls!)

PACE friends, I hope you are still reading the blog, I miss you all and look forward to seeing everyone in August. I've heard that school has been kinda rough lately...hang in there. Email me whenever you have a chance and let me know whats up! (amythorn14@hotmail.com)

Sister, I hope you had a super fun time in the DR and are very tan. I'll call you when I get to Ft. Laud on Saturday, I think you will be home by then.

Hugs and Kisses to all!!

Amy

Half Moon Cay Photo Shoot

Am I a tree? A firework? A swimsuit model? How about all of the above? Today was our Half Moon Cay photo shoot. We worked the camera for about 40 minutes and these are some of my fave shots from the day. I'll prob post a few more later, there were so many and we had fun acting like idiots...we posed as all the holidays...including Canada Day in which my Canadian friends showed off their maple leaf tattoos and I pouted...Oh my. What a day.
Okay folks I gotta get to bed, I have a LOOONNNGG day tomorrow. We have about double the amount of kids on board than we expected and we will be working our tails off this cruise. Love you a lot, have fun on your respective vacations!

Love, Amy

Hi Friends! I know you are dying to see more of travel teddy so here he is...sitting on a ledge with our ship in the background. I'm doing well and have nothing major to report. We left Ft Lauderdal today and are headed to the Bahamas. More soon...promise! Love you all a lot!

Amy

Travel Teddy Goes to Curacao

Hi Guys!

Today was a busy day for travel teddy and me. We went to Curacao and were supposed to go to the beach but it was overcast so we ended up in town. We walked around with our friend Shanna, had some McDonald's for lunch and GOT A NEW TATTOO!! (Sorry Granny, I know you don't approve but it's really cool!) As you can see in the photo it's on the inside of my wrist like Linny and my mom. It is the Kanji symbol for "older sister". I really like it. Anyway just wanted to show you all my latest decoration. Love you to bits and pieces!

Amy

Helmet Hair

Like our new hat??? A few nights ago someone brought a helmet to the OB (officer's bar) and by the end of the night I'm pretty sure everyone had a turn wearing it. Silly? Yes. Funny? Absolutely. Who knows what kind of pror could show up next??? Things are good here, I only have one teen on board this cruise so I'll be bouncing around between teens and kids for next ten days. Should be fun. We were in Half Moon Cay today and it was really gorgeous. I'm getting tanner by the minute, if tanner is a word. We got underway a little while ago and now are on the way to Aruba. We will get there the day after tomorrow. Sea tomorrow so that means lots of hours of work, but the group of kids this cruise is really cute and I think it will be a lot of fun. We are getting an extra Club HAL staff next cruise so I'll be sharing my room for 20 days, then she leaves and I'll be on my own for 30 days, then we will get extra staff again when we get to Alaska. I like having my own room, but hopefully Christine will be nice and we'll get on well.

Last night was a fun night, we all went up to the cruise director's cabin and watched RENT. It was great! (RENT is my favorite musical, I have seen it seven times on stage!) The cast, myself and two cruise staff all went. The CD had all kinds of food for us, drinks, desserts, it was quite a little party! She is leaving in a few days so it was sort of a send off for her as well.

I'm taking a week off from going to the bar. I've been running 3 miles a day, but then drinking and eating all those calories right back on my behind, so I think a little healthy living is in order for a while. Next cruise four of my friends will be leaving so there will be plenty of partying to be done. Better save up my energy for then.

Well family, a lot of you will be cruising soon too, too bad not on HAL with me! Hope you have an awesome time, take lots of pictures!

Sister, I love you a super lot and hope you're having a good day at school today, I think it is Monday. Have fun with MB this weekend!!! Okay I'm sure I'll talk to you before then but just in case. I heart him for you.

Alright that's all I've got for now. What's up with everyone else besides packing?

xoxo

Amy

Playa Bonita

Hi Friends!

I look like I'm in pain or on drugs or something in that picture! I think it was just really sunny. These are hot off the presses, from the beach in Costa Rica today. I'm with Rachel, Steve and Brianne. What a fun day! We were there from 11-3 and had a nice lunch at Restaurant Quimbamba. It's 4pm now and I don't have to work till 9! I'm not used to having such a big block of free time so I don't know what to do with myself. I think I will go work out. I worked out twice yesterday, ran 30 mins in the morning and 30 mins in the evening. Have to counteract all the calories I eat here! Well, still not sorking very hard, the teens aren't showing up. But next cruise we have VIPs on board with a lot of kids so it will be plenty of work. We have two sea days ahead of us which will be busy, then back to Ft. Lauderdale. I think I get to go off the ship this week, so Brianne and I are planning on going to Cheesecake Factory for lunch. MMMMMMmmmmmm....

Okay wish I had more to say but life here is same as always. Love you all a lot!

Amy