Settin' up shop

Things are moving I suppose. I am in San Francisco finally, I am working finally, and I am currently looking for a place to live before school starts in just over a month.

TG:

My family ends each Thanksgiving meal with a trip around the table, with everyone saying what they are thankful for. Growing up, I did not like doing this. Possibly because we used to do it before the meal, and partly because I was too young to appreciate all that I have. I enjoy it very much now, and I am extremely thankful for everyone in my life and the critical role they have played in me being who I am and where I am today. Possibly one of the best "givings of thanks" was my brothers: "First of all, I'm thankful for the Giants." I couldn't agree more, and that definitely was one more thing this year to be thankful for. Thanks Tim, and thank you Giants (Yes, this is Me and Justin at Game 1 of the World Series). This years Thanksgiving was especially fun because I missed last year on account of the ship, and I wasn't planning on being in Chico for this one but I surprised everyone by showing up.

APT:

As for SF, I "met" these two guys through email from my program at USF, and the three of us are going to live together to begin school, provided I find a place. I am working at SBux again, on Polk & Vallejo, downtown. The store is laid back, fun, people are nice, and it should be good. Come by for a cup-a joe if you're in the area. I am staying with Jon and Alyssa as I look for a place and they have been most hospitable!

SN:

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go visit Pennsylvania where Sam is from, meet the rest of the family, and hang out with Sam for a few days. It was great to meet the whole family, and the trip was so much fun! Sam is flying to Vegas tomorrow, then coming to visit SF for a few days. Excited doesn't even begin to describe my feelings on this event.

I am thankful for all of you, please continue to keep us is your prayers.

D

Backpack to Bay

Life is good.

I am truly blessed to be able to say that when my life is seemingly a mess. I recently stopped working for NCL, and I am moving to the bay soon with no job/apartment yet. This being said, the last month has been one of the most exciting, fulfilling, and challenging ones to date (as I expected).

My beautiful girlfriend Sam and I had the opportunity to backpack around SE Asia, which was amazing! We went to Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand; Got to go bungee jumping, hang out with elephants, and see some beautiful places. I put some of the pictures on facebook if you want to see them. Plus, we capped off the final day of our trip with the last Giants game of the regular season (Sam's first Giants game) and saw them clinch the NL West.

We both knew that after our trip we needed to start our "post-cruiseship-lives" so Sam went back to Philly to prepare to move to Vegas, while I waited to hear from Starbucks and USF about a job and graduate school admission. I have an interview at Starbucks next week and I found out last week that I got accepted to USF. I was overwhelmed with excitement and a flood of other details regarding the next 3 months that now must be dealt with!

So the next month, like the last month, is going to be exciting. I hope to get a job/car/apartment, move to San Francisco and start to get settled in before school starts in January. All the while dealing with the stress of carrying the Giants playoff hopes squarely on my shoulders (at least thats what it feels like, ha). I can't wait!

Take Care,

D

No more cruises...I found what I wasn't looking for!

After an amazing trip to Europe with my brother, an exhausting journey back home and to my next NCL contract, and 2 months on the Sky in the Bahamas, I got back to Chico on the 23rd of August. The time I spent on the Sky was amazing. I enjoyed meeting some awesome people, seeing the beautiful Bahamas, and spending time with someone truly amazing. Sam and I met in February and have been dating on various ships, and via Skype/phone for a few months now and I am so thankful she came into my life. She just came home to meet the family and friends this weekend and it was a resounding success. I loved having her around, even if it was just for a couple days. She is back in Las Vegas for the week, auditioning for agencies and jobs down there before we leave on our trip to SE Asia next weekend. Sam and I will be traveling through Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand for about 3 weeks, seeing the sights, visiting Foy, and hopefully taking in some adventures! Once we return in October, we have to make something of the messes that we each call our lives. Sam will be moving to Las Vegas for a time, while I will be moving back to the Bay Area where hopefully I will be starting graduate school in the spring.

So, after a year and a half of life on a ship, I came away with a boat-load of great memories and the woman of my dreams! Win. The next month or so promises to be a crazy one, so keep us both in your prayers. Take care and rock on.

D

Skylife

I've been on the NCL Sky for about a month now. The ship is alright, the people here are awesome as they have been everywhere i've worked. I'm in the Bahamas 5 days a week which is nice and I get to see Sam every Wednesday which is amazing!

I sign off on August 23rd, then my life gets crazy for a few months. I will go home for 3 weeks, then Sam and I are going to SE Asia with some friends for a month, then I am moving back to the Bay Area. During this time I need to find a place to live, a job, and a car. Awesome.

It will surely be an interesting next few months but i'm extremely excited and I trust everything will work out. Hope this finds everyone well, continue to keep me in your prayers. See ya soon!!

D

France and Italy

Weeks 4 and 5:

Looking back, we spent 6 days in France and visited 4 cities...way too fast! We went to Paris, St. Nazaire, Bordeaux, and Nice. All four of the places were awesome but I wished we could have spent more time exploring each one and less time on the move...oh well! We rocked Paris in a day and a half, and discovered FIFA Fan Fest Paris, which is one of six locations worldwide where they show the World Cup on a huge screen in big cities! It was amazing to see Brazil vs N. Korea with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop. We went from Paris to St. Nazaire to visit some of my NCL peeps and see off the new monstrosity of a ship. We spent a great night there with my friend Jingles! From there we went to Bordeaux for a day, (basically a close-your-eyes-and-point-at-the-departure-board situation) and its was a very cool city. We caught the USA vs Slovenia game there and then headed to Nice (is nice!!) the next day. Nice was ok, we went there sorta to break up the trip into Italy, and because we really enjoyed committing fraud to get extra days out of our Eurail passes.

First night in Italy was the longest of the entire trip...we stayed in the Milan train station because we had an early train to Venice the next morning, this happened: A Night in the Milan Train Station. Over the final 10 days of our trip we stayed at these "camping hostels" in Venice, Rome, and Florence. They were awesome! Really cheap, offered everything a normal hostel does, and in some cases much more (pool, bar, pizzeria, market, etc.). Venice was very nice, we spent most of the time lost and having a great time. we ate tons of gelato and continued our World Cup binge. Here is where we witnessed the 2nd most stressful game I've watched, USA vs Algeria! (1st was game 7 of the 2002 World Series...ugh) Rome did not disappoint, I think it was one of mine and Tim's favorite spots we went. The history, beauty, and people were incredible. we met Kelly King here for a couple days as well and had a blast! From Rome we began our journey home, stopping in Florence and Pisa on the way back London.

As I write this I am currently in the middle of a journey unlike anything I've ever heard of. My trip home, then to my next cruise assignment involves the following: 4 days, 1 train ride, 5 planes, 2 buses, 2 metros, 1 cab, 8 airports, 5 countries, and countless hours of layovers. Complete garbage, but it will all be worth it when I get to the ship, take a nap, and then see my Sam on the 7th!!

All in all, the Emmons Brother's trip to Europe was a resounding success, so many memories, great times, and indescribable experiences. No major lasting injuries, deaths, or screw-ups. Great Trip. Thank you for all of your prayers and feel free to ask us for a story of two, we've got plenty.

D

World Cup comes to the Spainiterranian Sea!

Weeks 2 and 3:

Well, after a night on the floor at London airport, we met the Norwegians, flew to Madrid and found our hostel. We spent then next couple days wandering around the city and soaking in Madrid. Madrid was very busy all the time. We went to a bullfight which was…interesting. It was a cultural experience that was more brutal then it had to be as some of the matadors were horrible at their jobs! We had one night out here in which we met three girls from Idaho and tasted the local nightlife. Rumor has it that Tim and Torstein ran to Barcelona and back, while I proceeded to get lost and wonder for miles only to get back to the hostel somehow. The next day we took a train to Barcelona while the Norwegians left for home.

Barcelona has been our favorite place so far. The city is beautiful, very chill atmosphere, the weather was awesome, and the place we stayed at was incredible. We found this place on couchsurfing.com, so it was free for the two nights we stayed. The people that run the place have this villa outside the city that they rent out and organize city tours and things. They use couchsurfing to get people involved, and involved we got! The villa was 25 minutes from downtown, two stories, pool, tennis court, BBQ, ping-pong, an amazing cook, and fun people as well. We spent the first day there hanging out with people from everywhere, and had the most amazing paella ever! The second day, it just happened to be one of the owner’s friends birthday, so they threw her a huge party….and what do ya know? It was Tim’s birthday as well!! So, on Tim’s birthday, we had an all you can eat/drink party at a poolside villa in Barcelona, with 30 of our closest Europe-friends! Tweets!

After these couple days of fun/relaxation, we hopped on a ship to cruise the Mediterranean. The ship was relaxing, food was abundant, the ports were ok (although we took it easy on a couple because we’re coming back to Italy later on), and I saw some old friends from other ships! The one downside was that everything on the ship reminded me of Sam, who I miss so much! In other news, The World Cup has started!!! After waiting for 4 years and spending the last few weeks listening to English commentary about how great England is, we actually got to watch some futbol! We watched some in Majorca, and joined a cruise ship bar-full of Brits and Yanks alike to enjoy the tie. It was a great game, I would have liked a win, but we were happy with the American showing. Today, we got off the ship for a couple more days in Barcelona, and then it’s off to France!!!

D

Emmons' take Europe

Week 1:

It’s been one week in Europe, and I feel like we’ve done so much already. We’ve made a couple ill-advised moves, had some interesting experiences, seen some amazing places, and had a good time.

I landed in London on Monday morning, I met Tim at a hostel on the outskirts of town, we went and had lunch downtown, and then, after a quick catnap, we went to Wembley Stadium to see England play Mexico in one of the last friendly matches before the World Cup next week!! It was incredible! There where t-shirts on every seat that when put on, helped create the biggest English flag I’d ever seen! The next day we walked the streets of London, hung our with Tim’s schoolmates, and saw the highlights of London. We ended the night by seeing The Lion King (show not the movie). The next couple days we spent in Hatfield, relaxed at Tim’s pad, and planned the next week of our trip. We took a day trip to Oxford where we visited the castle, the University, The Eagle and Child (Where Tolkien and CS Lewis hung out with each others genius), and The Turf Tavern (Where Bill Clinton allegedly “didn’t inhale”). To finish off the England portion of our trip, we went to Manchester for the weekend where we walked around, tried not to spend our money, and visited Old Trafford (Manchester United Stadium). Then it was a bus back to London where it’s looking like a sleepless night in an airport and a flight to Madrid awaits us.

England has welcomed me to Europe in splendid fashion, but now its south to cheaper currency, different food, and warmer weather!! I cannot wait

California Tour

So, I've been back in California for more then 3 weeks now. Although I've been to San Francisco to see my friends, LA to visit my sister and adorable niece, and spent time in Chico with friends and family, I'm pretty antsy to get to Europe! I have spent the majority of the last 3 weeks at various coffee shops around town, attempting to avoid each of them noticing how much time I'm spending there. I have been planning for my trip, working on my grad school application, and generally wasting time. I have been to 2 Giants games which is always a priority for me, and I have spent this last weekend in La Mirada with my Sister, Dave, and Grace. Grace is now almost 6 months old, so big, and beautiful as ever. She sits up, can turn herself over, and even eats a bit of real food (as you can see by the Oatmeal-Face picture). I basically spent all weekend hangin' with the baby and it was perfect.

As nice as it was to be home for a bit, now its time for EUROPE! I leave next Sunday morning, have a long trip to London, and right away we'll be on our way! Tim and I are going to see England play Mexico in a pre-World Cup friendly game. Then we will spend the next week or so in England and Ireland, then off to Spain to continue our journey around Europe.

I will keep you posted on the things we encounter, mistakes we make, and stories we have. Until then, take care

D

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