The Last 2 1/2 Months = Win

After being a little bummed out from not assigned to a european ship, I quickly felt right back at home with my friends on the Jewel. I had a great two months, and even got to cruise as a passenger for the Re-Po. I had an absolute blast, saw some of the most breathtaking places in the world, experienced a ton of cool things, and even met a beautiful/fun/talented/hilarious girl along the way! Bonus! I got an amazing massage and played mini-golf in Cozumel, saw caves and dolphins in Aruba, drove a Jeep all over Curacao, and visited the gorgeous beaches of Tortola!! I'll put pictures up soon!

I am now on my way back to Chico through NYC and San Francisco. I plan to head down and see the niece, then get geared up to take Europe by storm with Tim toward the end of May! I almost am looking forward to being bored for a couple weeks so I can wind down before I jump the pond for some Bro-ventures!

I will miss the Jewel, but people back in Chico, i'll see you soon!!

D

Re-Po Time!

Well, this week is my last week working on the Norwegian Jewel. We just finished a week with 950 kids, J-Wade and Peto are coming on board, and it should be a really fun week. The last 2 months have been amazing, especially considering that I was a little bummed about my ship assignment at first. It will be nice to come home pretty soon, but I will miss everyone here dearly!

After being here for 4 of the last 5 months, I have visited the same 5 ports every week. That is why I tried...and succeeded in getting to cruise on the re-positioning cruise up to NYC. This cruise leaves Miami on the 11th of April and gets to NYC on the 24th. I will be visiting 4 new ports that i've never been too, seeing 3 new countries, and getting to relax as a "passenger". My friend Butters is doing the same thing so it should be a blast! Even better yet, i'm paying next to nothing to cruise!!

As for my trip with my bro, we having started the detailed planning and I'm really starting to get excited. If anyone has any ideas of places they really thing we should check out, please let us know!!

By the way, this is me eating fire!! Booyah!

Happy Easter to Everyone, and i'll see you all soon!!

Why should I be comfortable!?

So, its the start of week 6 back on the jewel and I am having an absolute blast! Yes, I've been on the ship before, and yes I've visited all the ports a dozen times already, but the people here are first class and I am so glad I'm here!

That being said, i live with two other guys: Ravioli and Julius. Ravi is a YC like me and Julius is a pool attendant with cruise staff. These guys are great roommates, very neat, fun, and fairly courteous....BUT, we have developed a scare/prank atmosphere in our room that has me paranoid beyond belief. I walk the halls, sleep, and shower in fear! The other day i opened the shower curtain and Julius is standing is the bathroom an screams at the top of his lungs. So i obviously pooped in the shower and went about my day. A couple weeks ago, my neighbor Samee got in on the act and with the help of my entire hallway of neighbors, she successfully moved all my stuff into her room and vice versa. It was ridiculous! I keep telling Julius I'm going to get him back, and this week it will happen. Samee and I acquired about 600 sq. feet of aluminum foil, and we are going to wrap every single thing Julius owns and hopefully ruin his life!! I should just let the war fizzle out because there is no doubt I will feel his revenge in some terrifying way...oh well.

The last two weeks have been the first two spring breaks of the year, and they've been insane! The number of kids on board has increased a little, 400 this next week, but about half the ship is college kids, so the atmosphere is much younger, dumber, and more fun.

Its beginning to come down to my last few weeks on board and I am very much looking forward to Europe and hangin' out with the bro! Don't spend all your money Tim!

D

I'm back!!

After 2 weeks back on board the Jewel, it seems that I never left. I am back in the swing of things and having a great time. Basically the same people are here that were here when I left, although I have made a few new friends along the way. The weather has been a bit sub-par by Caribbean standards, however it has not snowed, so that’s cool.

I did find out that I do have a family & friends discount rate, so if you want to come on board my ship in the next month and a half, you should! I think JWade and Peto may come toward the end of March…should be a blast.

My brother is still studying in England and from what I’ve heard, he is having the time of his life, going to Club Fudge and studying hard!! I can’t wait to join him in May. My niece is now almost 3 months old, is as adorable as ever, and I miss her and my sister a lot.

As I’m sure I’ve informed you of, my sports intake is quite limited on the ship, however, I was able to take in the Superbowl, the NBA All-Star game, and will get to see a great deal of the NCAA tourney. I have not seen even one Olympic event unfortunately, however I hear the U.S. is dominating!! In the world of baseball, I did get the news that my boy T.L. signed a two year deal with the Giants, making me even more excited for the upcoming season!

Other then these tidbits, I’ve got nothing much to share. Until next time my friends

D

Sweet and Sour

Hey there everybody. Well, i'm still in Chico until this Saturday. At that point I will leave for my 3rd contract with Norwegian Cruise Line. The little bit of bad news I have is that a couple weeks ago the powers that be changed my assignment from The Jade which travels from Barcelona around the Mediterranean, to The Jewel which is the ship I just came from. On the bright side, I know the ship, its ports, and many of the people on board, and it will be fun to see them all again. On the other hand, visiting 8 different countries over then next few months had me very excited. Instead i'll have to choke down another two months of Miami and the Caribbean, and what is sure to be nearly perfect weather. ;-) This Sunday, around Superbowl kick-off, I should be in the Miami harbor, about the sail toward Honduras. Wish me luck!

However, as many of you know, my little brother is studying in Hatfield, England this semester, and will be there until the end of June. Partially because of my changed assignment, I decided that going to visit Tim in Europe would be an intriguing idea. So, I will finish with the Caribbean on April 11th and will be back in California until May 23rd, at which point I will be flying to join Tim for a month or so of European Emmons Adventures!!

It been great being in Chico, Southern California, and The Bay Area, visiting friends and family, and meeting my beautiful new niece! Thank you for keeping me in your prayers, and i'll continue to be adventurous for all of you, and keep you updated with pictures and bloggettes!

D

Tim's blog can eat a Jade!

Hello everyone! I'm home, and I have to say, it's good to be back on the west coast where it somewhat feels like winter and I am surrounded by my friends and family. My time on the Jewel was a blast, but it's nice to be back in California for the next 3 weeks or so. I have already seen a most of my friends in Chico and now I am greatly looking forward to my trip down to SoCal this weekend to see the newest member of the clan: Grace Elizabeth Merrill!!! Isn't she just perfect!! I have yet to see her in person since her birth at the end of November, so I am STOKED!

The second piece of information that I am excited about is that unlike last time I came home from a contract, I actually know when/where I will be traveling to next!! I will be leaving Chico on the 4th of February, on my way to join the Jade in Barcelona, Spain! I will be cruising the Mediterranean Sea for 2 months (hopefully longer), making stops in such places as Malta, Morocco, The Canary Islands, Italy, Greece, Egypt, and Turkey. After this contact, my plan is to meet up with my brother in England, as he is finishing up his degree at a school just north of London. Please pray for safe travels, health, and epic-good-times!!

A small side-note, my brother made it known that he will be starting a blog of his own which will out-do mine. I'm not sure how that's even possible, how it could be measured, or what he's been taking to make him have these outlandish visions! That being said, I'm sure his blog will be moderately entertaining, and you should probably check it out.

D

Last Week on the Jewel!

The last 7 weeks have gone by SO fast and I'm already on the cusp of my final week on board. I can't believe I'm going to be coming home in 7 days!! I am excited to go home to see family, friends, and the new baby, but as i did on my last ship, I met a lot of really cool people which I will miss! This week I have no work in port, so I am going to make every effort to get off and do as much fun stuff as possible. Hopefully Cave Tubing/Zip-lining in Belize, and renting Jeeps Costa Maya and cruising around! I'll take tons of pictures. This is a picture of me and Lisa, the Art Auctioneer, on Christmas Eve in Costa Maya.

A couple weeks ago my "Ready List" request went through so I'm one step closer to being full-time, so that's good. Also this last week I put my ship request in for my next contract. I am hoping that I wont have 2 months in between ships this time...so bored!! I requested the Jade, Gem, and Sun. The Jade and Gem both sail to Europe this spring, and the Sun is doing 2 week cruises through the Panama Canal and around South America to Brazil. Any one of these three would be awesome, so I'm praying I get one!

This last week was New Years and although I had to work in the Teen Center till 1AM, I still a blast!! Although weird to be one a ship instead of with family and friends, New Years was awesome.

Hope everyone had a great holiday season, I will see you all next week or soon thereafter!!

D