#we stayed on Lido and I got sick

[dust-of-embers]

Vembis post!!! God Venice was weird…

First of all! Do not go to Venice if you have any disability that inhibits walking, the streets are tiny and sometimes the short way to get somewhere is an alleyway fit for one person to walk through single file… and that’s one skinny person.

There are stairs EVERYWHERE, and while it’s understandable given the amount of bridges… it still sucks.

We did find a super cool mask place, so that was fun, felt like a Torchwood mystery thing.

Went to saint mark’s basilica, it was very bright, plus we couldn’t sit anywhere except these super ugly tables piled on each other

Trashy Venice merch is hilarious.

Ended up negotiating a five person gondola ride and split the cost, we got in a gondola traffic jam, it was hilarious

Have a photo of the Ponte Veccio

[dramioneasks]

HP FESTS: For The Love of Fests (Part 1)

Love at Second Sight January 2021:

Second Time's the Charm by floorcoaster - T, one-shot - The first time Hermione sees Draco Malfoy again, she's in for a surprise.

Influence by Misdemeanor1331 - G, one-shot - Draco and Hermione bump into each other at Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes. Draco thinks it’s a chance encounter. Hermione knows it’s anything but.

The Love Boat by Seakays - T, one-shot - Hermione Granger and her two best friends are embarking on a week long "Divorced Magicals" Cruise. Hermione took advantage of the Cruise's pre cruise chat room, where she met Scorly1203. After six months of texting, she has agreed to meet him on the first day of the cruise. Could she really find a second chance at love on the Lido Deck?

Second Time Lucky by rennaissance_woman - not rated, one-shot - During a trip to Weasley Wizard Wheezes, what do you do when presented with a second chance?

In Vino Veritas by beautyberry - M, one-shot - "Granger?" he asked disbelievingly. "Malfoy?" she asked, "What are you doing here?" Rated M for mentions of sex.

The Art of Second Chances by Blessedindeed - not rated, one-shot - A chance encounter at the museum brings up unresolved feelings

What Lies Beyond the Light by SlytherinHermione - M, one-shot - The thing about prisons is that it tends to change a you. The person you were when you went in, will not be the person that comes out. Sometimes for the better, oftentimes for the worst. For Draco Malfoy, the scales were tipped when a certain lawyer forced themselves onto his case with the start of one letter. A letter that turned into the type of correspondence where you end up baring your soul to a stranger. A stranger that ends up knowing every little part of you, from the darkest corners, to the sunniest fields - while barely knowing you at all. But then again, Hermione Granger was never really a stranger to begin with.

Silly Love Songs February 2021:

This Beauty By My Side by Amarillis39 - M, one-shot - My entry to the Silly Love Songs Fest. ____ "But as he watched her glide through the crowd, he decided he would take every second she would give him. Worthy or not, he was still a selfish git." ___ It's another stuffy gala at the Ministry and Draco is overcome with conflicting feelings as he watches Hermione in her element.

The Light That You Shine by SlytherinHermione - M, one-shot - Draco was adrift. All around him was an endless, unforgiving ocean, dull and grey in colour.  The waves kept crashing in on him. Back and forth, back and forth. Sometimes he felt like he’d been cursed to remain like a graying tower, alone on the sea. This all changed on a random cold winter day and a bright light. Because what followed the light was as unexplainable as the feeling of calm that suddenly enveloped him. He felt a twinge of something that he couldn’t explain. On the other side of the sidewalk stood Hermione Granger, more beautiful than he could remember, locking eyes with him for a second, as if she herself was caught with him inside of this time bubble filled with light and large, fluffy snowflakes. And with a blink of an eye, she walked the other way, as if this was just another Monday. As if she hadn’t just turned Draco's world up-side down. The tumultuous oceans that surrounded his untethered soul were full of waves, but now of a different kind.

Discord by Lostinthenightrain - T, one-shot - “I’ve seen your darkest, and it doesn’t scare me. You’ve become something so much more.” She placed a gentle kiss on his jaw. “I love you, dark and all.”

Time to Spare by Willowfairy - M, one-shot - Draco gets drunk enough to finally tell Hermione how he really feels, and once he starts talking he finds it impossible to stop.

Sometimes When We Touch by sodamnrad - T, one-shot - What if Hermione and Draco were dating when he took the Dark Mark? Submission for the Silly Loves Songs Mini-Fest One shot | Draco's POV | Sixth Year

To Be With You by Blessedindeed - not rated, one-shot - Her ability to show forgiveness intrigues him. Draco finds he has a soft spot for Hermione.

Masquerade March 2021:

Punch Line by tygermine - E, one-shot - Hermione seems to hide behind multiple masks.Draco wants to remove them all.

A Deadly Dance by MykEsprit - T, one-shot - An unexpected guest arrives at the ball. Dramione.

Ask it of Me by WritingFicariously - T, one-shot - Hermione has always had the ability to chase away demons, the darkness that twists his mind into believing he is not good, never enough. She sees and knows every part of him. But Draco has always kept one thing from her, one secret that he never dared say aloud. Until he did.

A Masquerade of Body and Soul by Annav94 - M, one-shot - She’s here to escape the reality, to break the rules. She is here to break the rules because all rules have only given her, is false hope. She turns her head and her eyes meet his. He’s there for the catch of the night. And while he finds himself smirking, smiling at the unforeseen turn of event, he wonders if truly Hermione Granger is flirting in a room full of witnesses with none other than himself - the infamous Draco Malfoy.

Imbolc by CosmicCthulhu - G, one-shot - Hermione celebrates the beginning of spring for the first time, years after the war. She's not the only one who wants a fresh start.

Suit Up by calico_kitten - M, 2 chapters - Gawain Robards has cooked up a new idea for the Departmental Hallowe'en Ball: comic book hero disguises!

This Mask I Wear by SlytherinHermione  - T, one-shot - This mask I wear feels cool on my skin. I slip it on, and the act is ready to begin.Safety. Protection. Freedom.

Lover of Fiction April 2021:

3 Words, 8 Letters by sodamnrad - T, 2 chapters - “Do you like me?” Draco’s flitty looks, his tart remarks about her feelings for Blaise, the way he’s following her around instead of chasing an eligible witch who isn’t pining over his friend is extremely telling.“Define like.”Her mouth unhinges. No effing way. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”“How do you think I feel?” He glares at her. “I haven’t slept. I feel sick like there’s something in my stomach, fluttering.” He presses a hand against his belly, as if he’s experiencing the sensation at this very moment.“Butterflies?” she deadpans. “No. No, no, no this cannot be happening.”“No one is more surprised or ashamed than I am.” He gestures to himself, lifting his chin tersely.“Draco, you know that I adore all of Earth’s creatures and the metaphors that they inspire,” she says as her hand forms a crushing fist, “but the butterflies have got to be murdered.”---Draco & Hermione: Their Story (2000s TV Drama Style)Dual POV | 2 Shot | Idiots in Love

The Ambition by In_Dreams - M, one-shot - After ten years at sea, Captain Hermione Granger has a ship and a crew of her own. But one of her new crew mates is a blacksmith from her past. Dramione Pirates AU.

Jitters by TheMourningMadam - M, one-shot - This was written for the Lovers of Fiction mini fest for April. Thank you to QuinTalon for being a gracious host in this fest.My prompt was Jamie and Claire Fraser from Outlander. If you have never seen Outlander, why not? You at least need to watch their first time to see some hot and bewildered Jamie. This is a tiny snapshot into what would be a much larger story, so please take it at face value.Also, I finished this story right at the wire, so didn't have time for a beta. All mistakes are obviously my own and I apologize. Bold sentences are word for word from the tv show.

I Meant Something Like That by CharliPetidei - M, WIP - “You know what’s funny?” said Hermione, crossing her ankles and leaning forwards on the slightly peeling leather sofa. “When I first saw your advert online… I thought you were Hufflepuffs.” The three men opposite her exchanged glances, and then the tall, platinum blond one (it had to be dyed, right?) with the funny name leaned forward, narrowing his eyes. Draco, that was it. “You thought we were what?” A New Girl Dramione AU.

The One Where Everyone Finds Out - Dramione Edition by Annav94 - T, WIP - Don’t we all know what happened when Phoebe finds out about Monica and Chandler in season 5 of Friends? Well, what would then happen if it was Draco and Hermione to be discovered by Pansy? Would then Theo try to calm her down, in the hope that she would stop screaming so his boyfriend (Harry bloody Potter, of all people) would be prevented from finding out about them is such crude way? And would Blaise go along with the scheme the two Slytherins would come up with to push the new couple to expose itself or will he be done with all the ‘pretending’ of not knowing, when he knew all along?Stay with me on this journey called: ‘The One Where Everyone Finds Out - Dramione Edition’.

The Dragon's Moving Castle by SlytherinHermione - T, WIP - Hermione Granger had accepted that her life wasn't going to be a great big adventure.She wasn't particularly beautiful, or interesting, and she hadn't been born with magic like her sisters. Really, she was just as plain as could be.One day though, a castle was seen rolling around the hills near her town.Not long after, she met a strange, handsome, and mysterious man.And she was cursed by the Wicked Witch of the Wasteland.Perhaps life was an adventure after all.

Lanky Brunettes with Wicked Jaws by Lostinthenightrain - M, one-shot - “You’ve got types?”“Only you darling.” He put his hand under her chin and brought her around to face him. He pulled her close with his arm held tight against her.  His head to the side of her own, he grinned. “Lanky brunettes with wicked jaws.” A gentle kiss placed against her jaw. She smiled, a blush prettying her cheeks as she pulled back.

Reader, I Married Him by Lostinthenightrain - T, one-shot - “Why must you?” he questioned as he pulled himself forward, using the rough pads of his fingers he gently touched under her chin, dragging her gaze to his own. “You know why!” She wrenched her chin from his grasp. “You are to be married, Malfoy.”

This fest is ongoing.

[evermoreholland]

Tying the Knot (Harrison Osterfield x Female!Reader)

Title: Tying the Knot

Pairing: Harrison Osterfield x Female Reader

Summary: Harrison was lucky to marry the love of his life, especially on his birthday.

Requested: No, just wanted to write something for one of my favorite boys in honor of his birthday.

Word Count: 1.2k

Author’s Note: I don’t know much about weddings so I hope this isn’t too bad. Also I mention stuff like “your dad” walking you down the aisle, and if that offends you, I apologize. Just imagine like a close friend or brother or something.  

--

Today was the day. The day you’ve always dreamed of. As a little girl, you dreamed of marrying your prince charming, someone who truly loved you with all of your flaws and imperfections. You have had your fair share of relationships, no one making you truly happy. That was until you met Harrison. It was then that you knew. You knew you met your prince. 

Harrison and you have been dating for about 3 years when he dropped the question. The question that changed your life forever. He asked you to spend the rest of your life with him. You knew from the beginning that Harrison truly cared about you. Each and every day he proved that even more. 

He proposed to you on Christmas morning. You spent the morning just the two of you. You sat by the fireplace, mugs filled with tea in hand. You were having a peaceful conversation while wrapped up in each other’s arms. And then he did it. He proclaimed his love for you. He promised to love you and take care of you forever. It was perfect. You didn’t want anything too extravagant. It was everything you wanted.

You wanted to have a summer wedding, preferably on the beach. Harrison didn’t really mind where or when you had the wedding, he just wanted to marry you. You proposed the idea of having the wedding on Harrison’s birthday. To be fair, July 4th was the day the two of you met, so it did have some significance to your relationship as well. Harrison didn’t love the idea, but he also didn’t hate it.

“Darling, are you sure July 4th is the date you want?” you remember him asking you.

“Why wouldn’t I? it’s the day we met,” you replied.

“I know, I just don’t want my birthday to distract from the big day. It is a day where everyone is supposed to be looking at the gorgeous bride,” he said.

“You’re too sweet, Haz. But are you okay with sharing your birthday with our wedding anniversary?” you asked.

“It would be my honor to share that day with you, darling. You are my whole world after all,” he said as pulled you in for a short but sweet kiss. July 4th it is.

Today was the day. July 4th. It was a little sad that you couldn’t wake up in Harrison’s arms on his birthday, but you both couldn’t wait for what was coming. You didn’t end up having your summer beach wedding since you wanted to stay local, but you and Harrison decided to take pictures at Ruislip Lido Beach in West London after it was official. 

You had your wedding indoors, at a beautiful venue in London. You really liked the idea of a beach theme, especially because you couldn’t have a wedding at the beach. The colors were light blue and pale yellow. The only request that Harrison made was that he wanted a band instead of a DJ, so obviously he got what he wanted. Anything for the birthday boy. The wedding was semi-formal attire since it was during the day. That meant colorful dresses or suits. Your bridesmaids would wear the light blue dresses and the groomsmen wore a matching light blue tie. Your parents would do the same thing, but with pale yellow.

You were nervous. You hardly ever got nervous. You just didn’t want anything to go wrong. Everything seemed to be going smoothly but you couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

“There is nothing to worry about, Y/N. I just checked, everything is going according to plan,” Charlotte, Harrison’s younger sister, one of your bridesmaids told you as she made sure your makeup was good to go. 

“I’m sorry, I’m just nervous,” you replied.

“There is nothing to be worried about. Harrison loves you with all of his heart, dear,” your mother told you as she adjusts your vail for you. You still felt uneasy as you made your way to where you needed to be.

“Okay, Y/N you need to breathe. Can you do that for me?” your best friend, your maid of honor asked.

“I can breathe,” you told her, “I just need my grandmother’s necklace to calm down.”

Charlotte and your best friend looked at you wide-eyed. “Uh, Y/N… about that.” Oh no.

“What do you mean you can’t find my necklace? It’s my good luck charm. I wore it on my first date with Harrison. I need to wear it now. I can’t get married without it,” you said.

“Look,” your mother said, “Everyone’s here and the wedding is about to start. I see Harrison waiting at the end of the aisle and he’s just as nervous as you. Do you really want to not marry the love of your life over a necklace?” You shook your head no.

“Good, because if you don’t marry him, I know plenty of women who would,” Charlotte teased you as she and the rest of the bridesmaids make their way down the aisle with the groomsmen, holding a bouquet full of sunflowers in their hands. Your favorite flower.

Everyone made their way to the front and Harrison was nervous because he knew that you were about to come out. 

“Mate, at this rate, you might pass out when Y/N comes out,” Tom, Harrison’s best man, whispered in his ear, teasing him.

Everyone began to rise and you knew what was happening. You held onto your father’s arm as you made your way down the aisle, your eyes immediately locking with Harrison’s. The guests looked at you, waved at you, smiled at you, but all you saw was Harrison. Harrison, your future husband, the love of your life. He stood taller, his shoulders back and his eyes on you. You saw tears coming out of his eyes and that made you tear up too. By then, you were presented to Harrison. You grabbed both of his hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze.

“You look so beautiful,” Harrison said.

“And you look incredibly handsome, birthday boy,” you said. 

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness this man and woman join together in holy matrimony.” Vows were then exchanged. 

“I, Y/N L/N, take you, Harrison Osterfield, to be my lawfully wedded husband, my constant friend, my faithful partner and, my love from this day forward. In the presence of our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live,” you said. Harrison then repeats it back to you.

“With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.” Harrison leaned in and kissed you softly like he’s never done it before. You were now officially married to the love of your life and you couldn’t be happier.

“Mrs. Osterfield. I like the sound of that,” you said.

“Me too, darling. Best birthday ever,” Harrison said as he pulled you in for your second kiss as husband and wife.

--

Harrison Osterfield Taglist:

@tomhollandsotherpinkytoe @ifilosemyselfagain @beverlyparkerr @kickingn-ames @peonyophelia @thebackoftheshed @fancyxholland @viagracex @unsaidholland @cindercock @doctorextrastrange @riz-holland-osterfield @purplepizza-summerrain @babyfacespidey @god-knows-what-am-i-doing@musicalkeys @hannahholland1811

click here to be added to my taglist!

[its-abroad-world]

Adventure #1 - May 30/31/June 1&2: LA, Heathrow, Copenhagen, and The Regal Princess: The Start of a Journey

When you travel as much as my family does, you get really good at it; squishing everything you can into your luggage, the long travel times, sleep deprivation, time zone changes, jet lag.

For as long as I can remember, my family has taken a trip every summer. We started off with road trips around America and then later moved on to trips to other countries. Since then, we have been to almost all 50 states and over 20 countries in North America, Europe, and Asia. My mum decided to take a cruise on the Baltic Seas and then take a road trip around Germany after the cruise. We figured out a long time ago that cruising is the best way to travel because you’re essentially living on a floating hotel with gourmet food and turndown service; the next morning, you’re in a new destination; if you do it right, you really get your money’s worth!

On May 30, we began our day hurriedly packing and repacking our luggage. The week leading up to the trip, we had family visiting from the Philippines and were too busy taking her out to focus on packing. I do not recommend this; you’ll forget to bring a lot of things. This trip was the first trip that we were extremely underprepared for and we were mostly winging our itinerary.

May 30, packing up the car to head to the airport

Growing up with parents that felt the need to have a big family vacation at least once a year means that I have grown to love (and hate) traveling. For example, I love having the opportunity to experience a new country and culture, but I hate the flight that you have to take to get to that country; in this case, we were flying from LAX to London Heathrow to Copenhagen. We’re quite used to flying long flights so a 10-hour flight was nothing: my parents fell asleep almost as soon as we were seated on the plane, and my sister and I spent the whole flight watching movies and drifting in and out of sleep. Through years of experience, I’ve found that on a flight with a stopover, you should sleep on the first flight and not on the second if you are arriving in the morning; you won’t be super jetlagged.

Before we left for the trip, we were booking all of our hotels and AirBnBs, only to find that the Danish Kroner was much bigger than the US dollar and would cost us $300 for one night at the cheapest hotel. In frugal Asian speak, this means that you spend the night at the airport after about 24 hours of traveling -- it’s kind of the worst feeling. We arrived at 11 pm but could not check in to board the ship until 10 am, so we spent the night tossing and turning on unforgivingly hard airport chairs, unable to actually stay fully awake or get any actual sleep.

June 1 At about 6 AM, feeling too cooped and restless just staying in the airport, we bought bus tickets and headed out with high expectations and excitement for Copenhagen. It was one of the cities that we had wanted to go for a long time; suffice to say, it did not live up to our expectations. Just walking out of the airport, the city smelled awful; it seemed to be garbage day (of course) and it looked as if the city had spent the night partying and littering in the streets. We took the bus to the main train station where we used these traveler’s lockers beneath the main terminal of the station to store our suitcases. Priced at about $11, it was very helpful to have somewhere to store large suitcases while roaming the city. While walking down the street to find breakfast, we noticed that there were still clubs open at 6 am and drunk people were stumbling out and finishing their beers on the sidewalk; it was definitely unlike anything we have seen in Europe. The only food store that we found that was open was McDonald’s which was a treat to us because for some reason American fast food always seems to be better in other countries; McDonald’s in Denmark did not disappoint.

June 1, our first taste of Denmark

We finished eating around 7:30 AM and spent the rest of the morning walking through the city, exploring whatever places were free and open, which meant we mostly looked at the outsides of buildings. We got to see the Christiansborg Palace, where Denmark’s Supreme Court, The Prime Minister’s office, and the Danish Parliament are all held. While we were walking through the palace grounds, we happened upon the gardens in front of the library and all of the flowers were in full bloom. So pretty!! None of us were really paying attention to the buildings around even though we fully should have because at that point, we had been awake for more than 24 hours and were starting to feel a little under the weather. We all gave up trying to see more of the city and headed back to the train station to just sit and rest until we could begin making our way to the cruise ship.

It took some figuring out but we were able to figure out the public transportation to get to the cruise terminal. The process of going through security and checking in was fairly quick. While we were checking in, the cruise personnel informed us that our room had been upgraded to a family suite with a balcony at the front of the ship on the 15th (Lido Deck) floor. As soon as we got to the room, we all took naps, really starting to feel a cold coming on; we slept through lunch and the beginning of the festivities of the launch party. We had a quick dinner at the buffet and went to sleep right after.

View from our stateroom balcony

June 2 The next day, June 2, sea-day #1, we spent resting in bed. Three out of the four of us were sick with a cough and cold and all four of us were extremely jetlagged. It was nice to get some rest and relaxation in and we spent most of the day resting in bed or roaming around the ship to see what activities were going on.

After taking a look at the cruise’s itinerary for the day, we realized that Captain’s Night, a formal night where the captain and his crew are introduced to the guests of the ship at a big party, was that night. This was a bit strange because on previous cruises that we had been on, Captain’s Night was always in the middle of the cruise. This cruise was a little different because not everyone on the ship had the same embarkation and disembarkation dates. While it was strange to us, we got ready quickly and headed downstairs to where the party was; my dad opted to stay in bed and order room service. We took pictures at the professional booths, then had dinner in the formal dining. Most of the night was just such a blur because we were all a little seasick, jetlagged, and on cold medicine. We ate a three-course meal as quickly as possible and headed straight to the room to sleep right after.

[dentonindenmark]

Update!! 6 months!

So this update is very late and needed! I have been very busy seeing my exchange friends as over the past month my oldies have been going home. A lot has happened recently but the biggest would be Eurotour. 

Eurotour was 18 of the best days of my life. I’m not going to cover every aspect of it because this post would be very long, however, you can have some of my favorite memories.  We began the trip on the 18th of May and we drove to Berlin. After a few stops picking up the last few exchange students and getting lunch, we finally made it to Berlin. Everyone was very excited and ready to get to the hostel. By the time we had got our rooms sorted, we were taken to dinner in a restaurant that was decorated in a very old typical German way with wooden ceilings and wooden furniture and animal heads hung on the walls. For dinner, we had chicken and some potatoes and a strange salad. After dinner, we were given free time to walk around and explore the city. A group of us headed to visit a park that some of the boys wanted to go to. By the time we had been there had a look around, gotten a few photos it was time to walk back to the hostel. We spent the next day seeing the Berlin wall, which was absolutely beautiful and a memorial to the Jews. We then had free time to go explore the city for ourselves. Later our councilors surprised us with a trip up the Berlin T.V tower. The tower is 250m tall and we went to the top. At the top, you have a 360º view of Berlin. Afterward, we had more free time which we spent exploring the city again. 

The next day we drove to Czech where we stopped and looked in a concentration camp. It was a very strange experience but it was very good to hear about what happened there and the type of prisoners they had. this camp held a lot of political prisoners of war as well as Jewish. from the camp tour we continued our drive to our hotel which was just outside of Prague. The hotel was huge and consisted of two main areas, one where the rooms were and another which held activities and the dining area. We stayed for two nights in this hotel and spent a day exploring Prague. We visited the Old Castle which was a beautiful huge Gothic-style building. After spending an hour there to walk around, see the view and take some photos (unfortunately the line was way too long to get into the castle so we didn’t go inside) we headed down to the see more of the city. It was so beautiful and full of life and many small streets and gorgeous buildings. We spent a few hours exploring different sections of the city and then spent some time relaxing before meeting with the group again.

Over the next day, we drove to Vienna. We didn’t do anything else that day apart from having a small look around and eating dinner. The next day we spent driving around Vienna seeing the beautiful buildings and making a few stops to see the Schönbrunn Palace and the Hundertwasserhus. The Hundertwasserhus was a unique building that looked like it had been patchworked together because it was so miss-matched however it was absolutely gorgeous. The Schönbrunn Palace was still as magnificent as I had thought when we visited in 2016 and we explored some parts of the garden that I hadn’t seen at the last visit. From here we went and ate lunch. Alanna, Zara, Emily and I had some pasta and afterwards, I met up with Agnes. We went and had a coffee and talked and caught each other up about what we were doing and how our families were. It was really great to see her again. We were together for a few hours before she helped me find Alanna and Zara. Once I had said goodbye to Agnes we had more free time to just look around the section of the city near our hostel and shop. 

Next, it was onto Lido di Jesolo. We drove over the border of Austria and Italy and the view was just amazing. The mountains were stunning and very picturesque. The drive was long and we got to Lido di Jesolo in the evening. We found our rooms (we were very lucky getting a room on the top floor) and then decided to go to the beach. It was really nice to go to a beach again that wasn’t super muddy or super rocky. We spent a few hours there before heading back to the hotel and turning in for the night. The next day we went to Venice! We drove over to where we would catch the ferry to Venice. Once we had arrived in Venice we had a small tour and then our guides and councilors surprised us with Gondal rides. The rides lasted about half an hour but they were beautiful. Venice was so amazing and being able to see part of it from the small trip on the canals was truly special. Once our Gondola ride was over we had free time to explore the city. First, we went and bought huge ice-creams in waffle which were really delicious. We also bought some fresh fruit and found a small street with steps at the end that we sat on and were able to enjoy the sun, not have tourists crowding it and just enjoy the canals. From there we went and had a look at some souvenir shops and more of the small streets and buildings. Eventually, we found our way back to our meeting place and met up with the others and then we headed back to the hostel. Once we were back at the hotel and had had dinner we went down to the beach for the rest of the evening. That night Alanna, Zara, Emily and I decided to sleep on our balcony because it was a beautiful night and we had the top floor and a huge balcony. Surprisingly our sleep wasn’t that bad however we were awoken by church bells that rang for about 20 minutes. That day was reserved for us all to spend it at the beach. So after breakfast, we headed down and set up for the day. We spent the day lying in the sun and swimming. For lunch we had pizza and it was delicious! I think we ate about one pizza each. That evening we went and did karaoke at a restaurant near the hotel. It was a lot of fun. 

Day 10 we drove through Italy stopping in Verona, which is famously known for Romeo and Juliet. We saw the Arena in Verona which was great although it was under construction so there was a lot of fences and building supplies sitting near. We were also taken to Juliet's balcony which was in a small courtyard and was very sweet. We then had two hours free time in which we went and had lunch, (pasta that was so delicious), and saw a little more of the town. Then it was time to continue driving to our hotel for the night. 

The next day we continued driving to reach Avignon. We drove through the Alps which were magnificent and truly mesmerizing. Our day stop was in Nice which is such a beautiful city. Here we were given free time to see the city and possibly go swimming if we wanted. First, we headed up to the Castle Hill to see the view from the top. It was so beautiful seeing how vibrant blue the ocean was and how full of life it made the city seem. From here we headed down to get lunch and sit on the beach. We lost track of how long we were lying on the beach because we all fell asleep slightly because the sun was so warm and the ocean sound was very calming. When we all decided it would be best for us to get up we went for a small walk around and found some macarons to try. They were very delicious. I bought an ice-cream macaron and a normal one. The ice-cream macaron was a giant macaron with ice-cream as the filling. By the time we had finished here and had seen a little more of the city, it was time to continue our drive to Avignon. 

Day 12 we were taken to Pont Du Gard which is an old Roman aqua bridge. We walked down across the bridge and down to the river which runs underneath it. We went swimming down part of the river and, although the water was very cold, it was very refreshing and nice. We only had half an hour before we had to head to the bus for a picnic lunch. From there we headed back to the town of Avignon to see the city. Inside the city is the Palace of the popes which was huge and sat just higher than the rest of the city. Here we were given free time so I went into the Cathedral next to the Palace with Sofia, Regina, and Marianna. Sofia and I then went together to see some of the city and found a very cute merry-go-round which we went on. Soon we meet up with a few of the others and walked back to our hostel where a few of us went in the pool. 

Now it was time to go to Paris! We spent the day driving, only stopping for lunch. Once we had made it to our hotel and had our rooms sorted we went to go on a river tour around Paris. The boat tour took us around to see a few of the attractions such as what was left of the Notre Dame, and of course the Eiffel tower. The tour was really nice and due to the time of day (evening), it was very beautiful. Once the tour was over it was time to head back to the hostel. The next day we went to the Louvre Museum. We spent two hours there walking around. Firstly, of course, we went and saw the Mona Lisa. Us exchange students took over and pushed our way to the front to get some good photos. From there we went to another part of the museum and Alanna, Owen and I got separated from the other group so we just went off looking at other parts. Zara was unfortunately very sick so she stayed at the hotel. Alanna, Owen and I walked around looking at the paintings.  We spent two hours there and then went to meet up with the rest of the exchange students. From here we went to the Eiffel tower and were given free time. We went to get lunch, first, we had Chipotle and then we got a savory crepe (I had ham and cheese) and it was delicious! Next, we went back to the group and were given the opportunity to go see the Square Nadar. It was quite warm so we went and got some cold drinks and then begun our walk to the top. Once we got there we had a look down some of the streets and got ice cream. Soon it was time to go back to the Eiffel tower. There we waited to go up but we had problems with the tickets so unfortunately, we didn’t get to go up the tower. However, we went and found a nice patch on the grass and watched the light show. We then walked back to the hotel, so that we could get enough sleep for the next day. The next day it was time for Disney Land! Whilst we waited for our councilors to get our tickets we went and had lunch at a sandwich place inside the Disney park. fro there we went and got our tickets and went inside. Alanna, Emily, Jom and I went on Space Mountain as soon as we got it. We had to leave Zara out in some shade because she was very sick, she ended up going back to the hotel. After Space Mountain and deciding what we were going to do (Emily went back with Zara) Alanna and I went on to the next rides. We spent a while in lines and going on rides whilst also seeing the park. Eventually, we found some others and walked around with them. After a while, in Disneyland Park, we went over to look at the Studio park. Alanna and I went on two rides, the Aerosmith rollercoaster and the Tower of Terror. Both were really great although I think the tower of terror would’ve been better if we could understand what it was saying. By this time we were pretty exhausted and headed back to Disneyland park and met with the others. By this time everyone was super tired and we went back to the hotel.  

From Paris, it was onto Holland. To get there we went through Belgium, stopping in Brussels for a few hours. In Brussels, our main sight to see was Manneken Pis. This is a tiny little statue of a naked little boy peeing. One story behind the legend of it is that a fathers son went missing and the father found him peeing on the street corner and so in gratefulness of finding his son decided to build a statue on the corner he was found. Of course, there are several other stories behind it but this was the one we were told. After a few hours of free time, we then had to continue our trip to the Nederlands and get to our hotel in Doorwerth. 

Our 17th day of the trip was spent in Amsterdam. To start our day we went on a canal tour through Amsterdam, passing several sights such as parts of Jordaan, and Anne Franks house. Once the tour was over our councilors and guides surprised us with tickets to Madame Tussauds. We were given free time to go in there and then see what we wanted in Amsterdam. Madame Tussauds was really cool, my favorite was probably the Avengers. Once we had seen all of Madame Tussauds we went to get lunch and then had a look around at some of the canals and went and did some shopping. After doing some more walking around we had to head back to the guides so we could go back to the hotel. Once we got back to the hotel we had some free time and then we had a final night party and flag signing. It was really great and a lot of fun. 

The final day was spent driving back to Denmark. It was a sad trip because over 18 days we had all become very close and considering a lot of them were leaving shortly after. Once we had said our goodbyes it was time to head home. 

After Eurotour I spent a lot of time seeing my oldies and spending as much time with them as I could before they left. I also moved host families to the Schwartzs during this time. My new family is very welcoming and I have adjusted great. Due to some host family complications, I moved to what was supposed to be my third family so they had planned their summer holidays and couldn’t fit me in their plans last minute so right now I am back with Birgitte, Lars, and Zofie, no longer Victor who left to Mexico yesterday for his exchange. Tomorrow we will go to Møn for a few days, which will be nice. 

Tusind tak for reading it all 😁

- Lexie xx

[jjaywmac]

Between you and me, I don’t think I have any comfort zones anymore. Steve and I had created a comfort zone together, and were very happy, writing, working, and eating “comfort food” – pasta, Steve’s gravy, and his special homemade meatballs along with olives, baguettes, salami, and fresh ground parmesan cheese or Romano. We did not socialize very much and both of us liked that. We just stayed home except when we ate out an early supper at a favorite place (The Lido, Sol y Luna, Emlio’s, Brent’s Deli) or had somewhere we wanted to go. But, most of the time, we stayed home and loved it. He watched a lot of Sports Center – like ALL the time. I worked on my cases. I loved my law and helping clients. I represented people I liked – whether they had a good case or not. So, working was fun. That is where I socialized. We seldom entertained, if ever. Maybe family every once and a while, but family had their own busy lives, so that was also seldom, if ever. Fine. We were OK with the life we had created together. Moved to Nice, France, on a whim to “do something else” and work on our health.  Then POW!! He got sick and died. At the age of 66. Two years ago, August 31, 2016. This August 11, he would have been 68. A young vibrant man.

So, now, I am struggling to find a comfort zone. So far.  NOT.  I have tried to “fit in” with expats. NOT.  I don’t want to socialize. Yet, I don’t think I should stay home so much. I miss pasta and homemade meat balls. But, not enough to order them or learn how to make them. (fattening) I don’t have the money to travel. I miss the law. I miss working and clients and helping people I like. I don’t want to go back to LA or the U.S. AND, Donald Trump DEFINITELY takes me out of my comfort zone. Yet, I am not sure I want to stay here in this apartment.  I like Nice, but I NEED to see the Sea. I love nature. Right now, I am surrounded by buildings, and can see the sky only IF I look up…. unless I go for a walk through the Port and along the Sea. Or to the Park by the Monastery de Cimiez. All of which is doable. And, moving is expensive. 

Daddy made me read Dale Carnegie’s “HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PROPLE” in order to go to summer camp when I was little. I definitely wanted to go to Camp Dixie with my sisters, so I “tried” to read that dreary book. Ugh. It told me what I had to do to get people to “like” me. Ugh. I didn’t care if they liked me or not. Mother did. And Daddy did. I needed to always have first and foremost in my mind “what would the neighbors think”!! Well, the neighbors were Juanese Martin and the First Baptist Church preacher. So, I knew what they thought about me!!  Ugh. I like to go barefooted and climb trees and get dirty. But, noooooo. I had to wear clean clothes, curl my hair, be sure my hem was just right, keep my shoes polished, do well in school. Behave.  Ugh.

Well, I read enough of the book to know that I did NOT want to meet Dale Carnegie any time soon. I wondered if he were able to do all of the things he was telling us to do.  All of it made me sick to my stomach. So, after that, I went through half of my life, trying to make people like me. But, they didn’t. Not even my kids. Most of the time, I didn’t like me. So, what was I to do.

That is when I decided to “withdraw”. Stop going to things. Stop trying to please. Stop “behaving”. And, when I met Steve, that was his thinking. He was active and involved in producing his ball games, but his thinking was as a “loner”. He liked his own company. So did I. I liked my own company and I like his company. He liked mine, too. We ‘spoke” the same language. Basically, we hated trying to please people. And, we did NOT try to please each other, ….at first. There were many times we told each other OFF. Stopped seeing each other. Until, we both realized we loved each other. I don’t think he could believe he was asking me to marry him. And, I wasn’t sure either one of us would go through the marriage ceremony without backing out. A hasty job in Las Vegas. Well, you know the rest of this story. If you don’t, go back and read more of these posts on this blog.   

Now, I have tried, I have really tried to snap out of it, get involved and meet people.  I am reaching the end of my third year in Nice.  I don’t like going to coffee, talking about who I am and how I got to Nice. My social skills are the pits. Ugh. I KNOW what to do; I just don’t want to do it.

So, once again, I plan to withdraw. Do my own thing. Write more. Maybe look for international law courses to take. I still enjoy my own company. Always busy with a “project” here and there. I still need to get my French Driving License. And, have my knee replacement surgery (September 27). Get better at speaking another language – French. I have “reactivated” my California law license and am currently trying to find somewhere in the South of France to get my “fingerprints” for the new requirement of the California Bar. Most things like that are in Paris. Find a way to stay involved in the law, from here. Maybe join an LA law firm to create an online “presence” from here.  Practice law from here. I know how to do all of that. Build a new foundation. Figure it out. A lot of it is already in place.

None of this feels “comfortable”. Maybe “comfort zones” don’t exist. Maybe that is just a useful expression to help me realized I am doing something I don’t want to do. Which is most things right now. More than you ever wanted to know about what is on my mind this morning, as we prepare to enter August 2018.

Best, Jay

  COMFORT ZONES Between you and me, I don’t think I have any comfort zones anymore. Steve and I had created a comfort zone together, and were very happy, writing, working, and eating “comfort food” – pasta, Steve’s gravy, and his special homemade meatballs along with olives, baguettes, salami, and fresh ground parmesan cheese or Romano.

[riverdaleroundup]

Riverdale Roundup: 2x9 “ Silent Night, Deadly Night”

Okay we open up the scene and apparently it’s Christmas time. This timeline literally makes no sense. So this has all happened in three months? So Archie and Fred now sell Christmas trees in addition to their construction business that i totally forgot about. Archie is like “we’re selling Christmas trees to make extra money” and i’m like “ oh right because you’re Taylor swift before she got famous and became the literal worst. You’ve got Christmas tree farm? Wake up America. This all sounds so fake.” Mary Andrews isn’t going to be back for Christmas because she’s going on a singles cruise, she’ll be getting lit daily on the lido deck with a bunch of other sad forty somethings.

Archie and Jughead commiserate over their failed relationships and honestly probably order another 4 rounds of milkshakes to drink away their feelings.

So Polly sneaks into Betty's room to wake her up like “ he’s here!” and I should have known right then that it it was a dream because why would Polly who is literally a sin oven roll back up to town right when the Black Hood is ready to take names.

So now we know that Nana Rose didn’t die in the throne hill fire because I guess she was like at the country club or something. So the Blossoms are broke and christmas is going to be sad. Honestly they should have cashed that hush money  from the St.Clairs but whatever, it was the principle of the thing. So like they have this other massive house to replace the one that burned down but they don’t have 45 dollars go get a ham and some mash potatoes?  

Well shit the Andrews are also going broke. Archie is like confused about why the hospital bill costs so much and i’m like honey you live in America, getting shot isn’t free. Obama care like isn’t a thing anymore.

Next we see the Lodges, who I thought were broke but Veronica is making designer purchases like her american excess card has no limit. So like what it the truth? 

FP and Jughead have a little spat and Jughead is super pissy. He’s not about this drug life but I mean the Serpents have always dealt pot and you know they say that that’s a gateway drug.

Veronica gets a voucher for a couples massage and it’s honestly pretty awks because she is now sans Justin Gingerlake as her arm candy. She can go with Betty, or her mom, and honestly that’s so my life.

Archie is making eyes at Betty when he gives her her secret santa gift and Jughead takes notice of this. Sidenote: They’re at Riverdale High so like why is Jughead there? Should he not be at his sad rundown underprivileged school? Oh he just doesn’t go to school anymore? Same. Fuck school if you know what i mean.

By a true Christmas Miracle Moose makes a rare appearance. He has a limp but is still hot.  

Okay so Mr. Spooky Janitor is gone. I can’t remember his name. They say his name like 40 thousand times in this episode but i’m still like who is that?  Archie is thinking that he got the janitor killed so they roll up to the receptionists desk and it’s pretty clear to me that this women would be down to bone Mr. Janitor and was hoping that that chicken soup was going to lead somewhere.

Jughead and Betty are in the Blue and Gold office and they exchange gifts. The box Betty gives Jughead is way bigger than the one he gives her and I can tell that she clearly likes to win at gift giving.

Veronica gives Archie this fancy watch she bought him pre breakup that she had engraved. It’s a little awks and Archie is probably going to pawn that watch to pay for his father's medical bills. Honestly Archie doesn’t seem like the nice watch type. He’s liable to misplace that at any second or just forget that he ever owned it. He probably lost his guitar and forgot he ever wanted to be a singer and that’s why we don’t hear about it anymore. 

So the serpents do a lot of charity over the holidays and that seems to be a running theme through bikers gangs. Jughead is pissed because Daddy chose Sweet Pea to be the teenage ambassador to the drug trade. No nepotism here.   

Archie and Betty show up to the Janitors house and I know that I could just google what this guys name is or pay a little more attention but like i’m good how I am thank you.  So the soup is still on the front porch and the Janitor doesn’t come running when they pound on the door. Is he dead? Honestly doubtful.

The Lodges are having a nice family dinner and Hermione starts talking about Spiffanys and I honestly want to slit my wrists. Like are they kidding me with these fake names? Veronica is like “Daddy pay my ex boyfriends Daddys medical bills” and Daddy is like “no”. and Veronica gets pissed and then daddy gets pissed. Daddy told Veronica not to go snooping for santa's gifts and that’s so relatable.

Cheryl puts up a Christmas tree and then she and Penelope throw down. Nana rose thinks they should have honor killed Cheryl awhile ago and at this point I think that Penelope agrees.

Alice is busy being a domestic goddess, whipping up cookies in case her  runaway daughter, who at this point is 14 months pregnant, ever decides to return from the farm.

Betty gets a severed finger so i guess that means she’s on the naughty list.

Betty calls Archie to come look at the finger and i’m like bitch why haven’t you called the police you stupid bitch. Oh now black hood is calling again but how is a girl to know because the chorus of lollipop wasn’t playing. Oh how freaking convient that Joseph what's his nuts was at the sisters of quiet mercy. So you don’t have to be a pregnant teen cooper girl to go there?

Veronica goes snooping in Daddy's desk for gifts  even though she was specifically told not too and finds out the her parents bought pops.  I’ve just gotta say that that portrait of her is still so creepy.

Jughead thinks that FP is moving drugs but really it's just gifts. Ever riverdale kid wants to spoil christmas apparently. Jughead is being a stupid bitch like I really don’t think he gets how blackmail works. Like he just wants his dad to stop dealing drugs. Like he would if he could you little asshole.

Veronica wants to pay off Freds medical bills and i’m like okay your parents might not mind if you spend money here and there on “glamazon.com” but I think they are going to notice a charge for almost 90 thousand dollars you fool.

Jughead wants to “take out” Penny and it’s kind of yikes. So the teenage branch of the serpents are once again going to act like they are in charge when literally the actual members of the gang let them sit in the bar because their nice not because they actually think that they’re useful.

Okay so the janitor told them to kill the wrong person. That’s awkward. Like oops my bad. OMG NANA ROSE WAS PART OF THE HIT. I LOVE IT. YOU GO NANA ROSE.

I don’t get how Jughead is so nonchalant about Murder? Like he just rolls up crowbar in hand.Oh my god they are wearing those weird masks that just makes them seem more like children pretending to be hardcore.

Veronica gets busted and decides to try blackmail her parents and they are having none of it.

Why is she surprised that they can afford a dinner if she’s been spending up a storm in honour of the holiday season. Are we finally going to find out what the deal with the lodges is? I’m honestly sick of their secrets. Like don’t tell me who the black hood is just tell me what the fuck Mark is up to and is Kelly in on it?

Oh okay the Serpents aren’t going to kill Penny, they’re just going to drive her across the river and hope that she stays away? She’s not a stray cat. Oh my god is Jughead going to knife her? No he’s just going to crave her tattoo off her skin. How casual. I got up to the same kind of hijinks when I was fifteen.

So we roll up to the new Thorn Hill which has a name that I don’t remember. I love Cheryls holiday outfit. Nana Rose wasn’t present at the murder of the man because fuck women am I right? Oh my god they buried this guy alive???Okay so Polly's grandfather was one of the people who murdered this guy and  Betty once again kind of makes it all about herself. Like “omg the black hood picked me because of my grandpa” get over yourself Betty. Freak then her and Archie share a brief kiss while Cheryl watches from the window, where she  will store this information until she can use it to ruin their lives at a later date.

Okay so we don’t get to know what's up with the Lodges and i’m honestly so pissed. They need Fred for what comes next: Is he still 20% owner of SoDale or whatever that deal was? Daddykins? Really? Shoot me now.

Jughead tells FP that he and Serpent B team dealt with Penny and then gives a speech about how proud he is about being a serpent. FP is having some serious doubts about this shit. Like how scary can a group of 15 year olds really be? I still think that Penny is Alice’s sister or cousin or something ( honestly in riverdale if you have the same hair colour you are probably related.) and will be back real soon. So like we shall see .

Okay so they have a nice photo of the vigilante group burying this guy alive because obviously right after they committed murder they had to take a nice photo for instagram. It’s honestly a very aesthetically cute photo and I would give it a reblog. 

They dig up the box and it’s empty and then boom the black hood is there. SHIT.

Okay so he still has his creepy masked voice. Like what’s the deal? I thought he was using an app to disguise his voice so Betty wouldn’t recognize it but it’s not like he’s speaking into an iphone right now.

BH makes Archie get in the coffin or he’s going to shoot Betty in the head. They called Sheriff Keller on the way so let’s hope that he isn't too busy sinning with the mayor to roll up in a timely manner.

Okay so the black hood is making Betty bury Archie alive and i’m cringing. I don’t fuck around with this type of shit. It is not what I’m about. I’m not going to sleep properly for several nights now because i’m going to be thinking about being buried alive. Thanks Riverdale. 

The Sirens blare and Betty hits the black hood with a shovel. Archie climbs out of the grave, picks up the gun that the black hood conveniently dropped and sets out after him.

They catch him on the bridge and Sheriff Keller shoots the guy dead.

Oh shit it’s the janitor.

Okay but if the black hood did actually kidnap the janitor  the real black hood could have forced him to go out and meet Archie and Betty. I don’t know.

Penelope is getting it on with some dude. Am I supposed to know who that is?

Betty got Jughead this bitching typewriter and he got her a nice book. So yeah she won the gift giving.Archie got Veronica a cheezy locket but that gets her crawling back to him saying that she loves him and shit. So Drama alert is he going to tell her about kissing Betty?  

Someone takes creepy photos of them kissing . 

Betty burns the contents of her mystery box but like what’s this? She takes out the black mask? Is dark Betty really coming out to play now? Like does she know it isn’t over because she thinks that the black hood is still out there or does she think that they still have sinners to deal with. I don’t fucking know.  Okay now we have to wait forever for more episodes. Shitty

[wtfcami-blog1]

𝓎𝑜𝓊'𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 -- ft. lido

waking up to her back feeling as if it had been cut from the inside out while in a pool of her own blood on one of the few nights she had actually agreed to a sleepover would prove to only be the first in a series of terrifying events that would unfold throughout the night. she had immediately shaken lido awake in a panic, and within minutes they were on their way to the emergency room.

cami a few hours and several tests later, the ultrasound technician had excused himself without giving them any word about what was going on. next thing they knew, there was doctor with a chart. she tried to pick up where the technician had left off in finding the baby's heartbeat, but the familiar sound never filled the room, and his words left cami speechless. this couldn't be happening. she opened her mouth to speak, but only a gasped breath came out. "i'll give you two a moment," the doctor told them as she scribbled something down on cami's chart. "but we're going to have to move quickly. with the abruption, the longer she stays inside of you, the more risk she's putting you in," she told them in a steady, but understanding tone before she did as promised and left them alone. she felt like she couldn't breathe. there was something blocking her airway, she was sure of it. "l-lido?" was all she could get out as her eyes stayed glued to the ultrasound machine that had already been shut off as if it would come back on, find the heartbeat and reveal the night to have been a horrible prank.

lido: terrifying was an understatement. it didn't even begin to cover what lido was feeling when cami shook him from his slumber. it was terror and disbelief and the utter lack of knowledge plaguing both of them that led the couple into a panic. the adrenaline was the only thing that got lido moving. otherwise, he would've been paralyzed with fear. even as they arrived at the hospital, lido's stomach turned and his mind ran wild with all the worst case scenarios. if the doctors said anything, he'd missed it, focusing all his attention on the what ifs he was facing as they waited for answers. all he could do was replay the vivid memories now burned into his brain of the hours before. it was so unlike him to take this news without firing back, but as much as lido wanted to tell them that they were going to check for a heartbeat until they found one. he wanted to yell at them for being incompetent, but he couldn't find the words. in a moment, he'd lost his daughter and now it seemed like cami's well-being was up in the air as well. his legs felt weak and his hands shook as they grabbed onto cami's, holding tight as if she'd slip away without his grasp. this wasn't about him, though, so he turned his attention to cami as she spoke. "it's gonna be okay, cami. we're gonna be okay," he nodded, trying to convince himself of the sentiment as he managed the words through a wavering voice. the knot in his throat grew and his chest began to tighten as the moments passed. "it's gonna be okay," he repeated a few more times. "we just.. have to deal with this and then we can freak out and scream and cry but.. i really can't lose you too, cami. i'm not leaving your side, babe," he shook his head, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he pushed the loose strands of hair behind her ear. "we'll be okay," he promised once more, stealing her sight from the blank display she'd trained her eyes on.

cami just a few hours before, everything had been fine. great, actually. she had noticed that nayvie had been moving more frequently, which was what all of the websites had told her to expect, and she had told lido that he'd probably be able to feel her kick within the next couple of weeks as her legs got stronger. but now none of that would ever happen. she had done something wrong, and she didn't even know what. but she was responsible for the life, and now she no longer had it. she didn't know what to say or do. part of her wanted to start screaming and pitching a fit until someone gave in and fixed everything, another part of her wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, and the last part of her didn't know what to go with, and it proved to be the strongest side as she sat there, still staring at the screen as lido grabbed her hands. nothing felt real. she didn't even feel real. and maybe that was a good thing, especially if her life really was at risk as long as the baby was still inside of her. "i messed up," she said simply, using whatever strength she still had to keep her tone even. "i shouldn't have gone to that party," she added, the guilt already eating her alive. "what else could it have been?" she asked, anticipating that he would insist that it had nothing to do with her poor decision making skills, even though they had no way to prove that it wasn't connected, either.

lido: the room they were in felt more like a movie set than anything else. it was like he was expecting somebody to come in and yell cut. either that, or lido was just waiting to be able to pull himself from this nightmare. it'd never happen, though. this was their reality. he couldn't figure out how to handle what they were immediately faced with and he didn't know how they'd ever move past this. in his jumbled up thoughts, lido couldn't find a solution. he couldn't find hope. all he could find was fears and reasons to blow up, taking his anger out on whatever nurse was walking down the hallway. all his life, he'd never found a problem money couldn't fix. it only took him twenty-three years to stumble upon this one and he wanted nothing more than to go back just a day, just so they wouldn't have to go through this. if that was how lido felt, he couldn't bring himself to imagine cami's feelings for even the briefest of moments. it was her body, her baby that she'd grown so close with over the last few months. it was a bond not to be broken and because of some cruel twist of fate, the unthinkable had occurred. "cami, baby, don't. don't think like that. this isn't your fault, y'know? it can't be. it's just some.. freak accident," he reasoned with himself, knowing that babies had been born with full blown drug addictions. a little weed didn't do this, but he didn't know what did. "can't fucking believe this is happening," he sighed, voice filled to the brim with anger and resentment. neither of them deserved this. nayvie, especially, didn't deserve this. "it's not your fault," he shook his head, biting down on his lip to keep from tearing up. he could feel the waterworks in motion, but cami was most important to him now, not his own emotions. "it's gonna be okay, cami," he said again, still unable to believe the words he spoke.

cami: the air was thick and filled with words and thoughts that neither of them could bear to voice. somehow, all of that would make this even more real, as if the doctor's words hadn't done that already. none of this made sense. this wasn't supposed to happen. she was supposed to continue growing until the beginning of october, and then they would have their own little family. but it was only june, and everything was shattered. she wanted to take everything back, make it all go away. rewind back to the beginning of their whirlwind relationship and make him wear condoms every single time. people say it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all, but nayvie was the only person cami had truly loved and she could officially say that that sentiment was bullshit. nothing was worth just how broken she felt as the impact of everything settled in. "i don't believe in coincidences, lido," which she wasn't entirely sure was true beings the opposite meant that she believed in things like fate and destiny, but she didn't believe in any of that, either. maybe she didn't believe in anything. "i want to go home," she said indignantly. she knew that she couldn't go home, that there was no way someone would bring her release papers as long as there was still bleeding from the abruption leaking inside of her. but she didn't care. turning to look at lido for the first time since the news had been dropped, she swallowed, "i-i can't do this, lido."

lido: there was a certain amount of selfish anguish lido had to suppress in order to focus his efforts on making sure cami didn't completely lose it. as hard as he tried to not think about himself and how hurt he was, he always wound up being back at that familiar point. they were willing to give up everything they'd come to know for her. since he was a teenager, lido couldn't remember the last time he'd gone so long without tasting a sip of alcohol.

lido: he'd passed up so many nights out to spend them at home with cami and thank god he did. the governors ball was his favorite time of year, but if he'd been there rather than with cami, he wouldn't have been able to forgive himself. all of these sacrifices had been made by both parties. they'd done everything right and they still didn't get to reap the rewards. they didn't get to meet their baby girl and that infuriated lido. for the universe to pick them after they so obviously tried their best to keep nayvie safe was sick and it was unfair. he had every right to be mad, he just had to wait. "babe," he sighed, knowing that cami would forever and always blame herself regardless of what he told her. he felt so helpless, like anything he did wouldn't matter. he couldn't help nayvie and he couldn't help cami, either. "you can't go home, babe. it's not.. safe," he stuttered, the implications of his words making his stomach turn. "i wish i could do it for you, babe, but i can't. you have to and i'm so fucking sorry. i'm so, so sorry," he repeated, shaking his head as if that'd will all the bad things away. "we just have to get this over with, babe. that's all we can do," he said, completely exasperated as he tried to emphasize 'we' rather than 'you'. cami had to know she wasn't alone in this, no matter how lonely she felt.

cami she should have known that something was wrong. where were her maternal instincts? why didn't she call the doctor when her back first started hurting her? why hadn't she been concerned that nayvie wasn't moving around as much as she normally did? even if their tragedy had nothing to do with the party, which she still wasn't completely unconvinced that the two weren't connected somehow, she knew that it was still her fault. she was the mother, she was supposed to notice when something was wrong. and she hadn't. she failed nayvie, she failed lido, and she failed herself. the thought made her feel sick inside. she couldn't imagine having to go through giving birth, but going home empty handed. it wasn't fair and it wasn't right. "lido," she said, ready to swallow her pride and beg for him to take her home, but the doctor reentered before she had a chance. "because of the nature of the stillbirth," she doctor began, cami's eyes shifting from lido to the doctor, "we are going to have to perform a c-section rather than a vaginal birth. it will help prevent excess bleeding caused by the abruption, and prevent further complications that arise when delivering a baby who is breech," cami tried to follow along with what the doctor was telling her, but it all sounded like buzzing in her ears. "this is considered to be a major surgery, so the recovery time will take a bit longer than with the traditional method. we need to go ahead and begin prepping you for the surgery, then the anesthesiologist will come in to give the epidural, and then you'll be taken to the operating room," she informed them, checking things off on the file as she did so. "do you have any questions before i send the prep team in?" a million questions flooded cami's mind, but there was only one that really stuck out, "do i have to be awake?" she asked meekly. the doctor let out a puff of air, "the complications with general anesthesia are too high for me to recommend something like that. there's always a chance of not waking up and the conditions are far more dangerous, therefore nobody else would be allowed in the room with you," she told them, looking between her and lido with a somber look on her face. "any other questions?" she asked, and cami just shook her head, unable to find the strength to string any other ideas together.

lido: lido was torn between two evils as the minutes ticked by. on one hand, he wanted those few more minutes with just cami. as long as there were no doctors or terms being thrown around that he didn't understand, maybe they could pretend nothing had gone wrong. it'd just be him, cami, and nayvie. that was how things were supposed to be. but more logically, lido knew that living ignorantly in that moment wasn't just foolish, but it was dangerous too. he couldn't deal with anything bad happening to cami at this point. not mentally, not emotionally, and not physically. she needed to be okay. without that much, lido wasn't sure how okay he could be. and again, it was selfish for him to rest his well-being on cami's, but he couldn't help it. his mind always wandered back to the same self-centered way of thinking he'd carried with him throughout the entirety of his life. if that was the case, maybe he just wasn't ready to be a dad. maybe he hadn't given enough up just yet. but now, lido felt like he'd given up everything. a little bit of selfishness had been earned, he thought. despite that, he knew that the sooner something was done, the better. moving on seemed like an abstraction, but at least they could try once all was said and done. the doctor immediately demanded his attention as he hoped for an explanation or an apology. her words practically fall on deaf ears, lido's focus only on the trauma that's only just begun. "i can't not be with her," he said, speaking like the fact wasn't up for debate. from his perspective, it wasn't. he needed to be by cami's side like he said he would. "i'll just stand out of everyone's way and i won't say a word, but i need to be with her," he promised, hoping that a bit of bargaining would get him his way. he'd do just about anything to keep cami safe, no matter the personal cost. "i can't leave her," he shook his head, holding her hand tighter as if that'd stop the doctors from following protocol.

cami everything hurt, from her body to her mind and heart. this couldn't be happening. it was a nightmare. she was back in her apartment, curled up beside lido, and nayvie was safe and sound without a bit of harm to her. that was the only reality that she could possibly accept. the one raging on around her wasn't real. or maybe nothing at all was real and she was just a spec that somehow had a wild imagination that ran on its own accord. even that possible reality was preferred to the one she was actually in. it was better than the one where she has ended one life and ruined two others in just a moment's time. lido's insistence of being with her broke her reverie in time for her to hear the doctor say, "as long as she just goes with an epidural, then you can be in there," she assured him before looking back to cami. "fine," she said, her mouth feeling dry knowing that she'd have to be awake for the procedure. "good, that really is the safest choice at this point. i will make sure that the anesthesiologist knows to just bring that. so, as long as there are no more questions, i'll send the prep team in," she told them before giving them a final look before exiting the room. cami took a deep breath and squeezed lido's hand for comfort, "i'm sorry," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. she had a feeling that he'd insist once more that it wasn't her fault, but she knew otherwise. no matter what anyone said, it was her fault. it was her body that didn't do its job. soon the prep team was in, going over the full procedure with cami and lido before getting her to sign consent forms, checking certain parts of her body, pressing on her stomach to confirm the baby's exact location, and asking a string of health related questions that made her head hurt. and then the anesthesiologist came in with even more questions and forms before he took out a giant needle and stuck it in her lower back after telling her "big pinch," though it was more like being severed. then a catheter was inserted so that he could add more medicine as needed, and then he gave her a chalky drink. "now we just give it a minute to kick in and then we'll wheel you down to the operating room," he promised and cami just nodded, still in a state of disbelief that all of this was happening. it was going by so quickly, but she figured that was because of the risk the bleeding was causing her. still, she felt like she could hardly breathe. then the doctor returned with a pair of scrubs in her hands, holding them out for lido, "if you're going to be in there, you have to go ahead and put these on. there's a bathroom down the hall and to the right," she told him, "and don't worry, we won't move ahead with ms. asher until you're back."

lido: all he did was blink and everything had changed. the life that he knew wasn't the life he was living anymore. in an instant, he was thrust into something new and something he didn't want to be a part of. it felt like whiplash. one moment, he was a completely free spirit, spending every night out and indulging in all his guilty pleasures. then, he was settling down, spending more nights in with cami as opposed to with every other girl in the city. as soon as that became the norm, their nights became much more sober to make room for nayvie. as quickly as she came, she was gone. it was heartbreaking. he could quite literally feel his heart breaking and nothing would stop that. cami's touch should've helped, but he still felt as though he was drowning with no hope of staying afloat. even if the circumstances weren't ideal, lido was still thankful he'd be able to stay by cami's side throughout the whole thing. he knew that it'd be hard to experience that when he could've easily stepped outside would be difficult, but cami didn't deserve to go through this alone. she didn't deserve to go through it at all, so whatever tiny contributions he could make to take some of the burden off cami's shoulders, he'd make that sacrifice. "thank you," he mumbled as the doctor agreed to allow him in the room alongside cami, willing to comply with any stipulations as long as he could be by her side. as soon as cami spoke, he felt the tear in his heart grow further. she didn't need to be sorry. this wasn't anyone's fault. she was already going through so much, the last thing she needed was to feel guilt. "don't be sorry, baby. for me, yeah? don't be sorry," he said, wanting to tell cami that it was nayvie who wouldn't want her to be sorry, but not yet able to speak her name. following her misplaced apology, everything seemed like a blur. none of the questions made sense and their answers seemed foreign. he was speaking, but he couldn't hear himself, ears ringing with the devastating news and the echo of his rapid heartbeat. as he watched everything unfold, lido felt like the audience of a dramatized television show. it still didn't feel real, even with several confirmations. he focused his eyes on nothing in particular as doctors came in and out, the room blurring before he's handed a pair of scrubs. when he fell asleep that night, he had no idea this was how he'd be awoken. "yeah," he nodded, indicating that he'd somehow managed to understand the doctor in spite of his inability to focus on her words. "yeah, i'll be right back, babe," he promised her, not leaving before he could press a kiss to her forehead. never before had lido changed clothes with such haste, absolutely terrified that in his absence, things would go from bad to worse. in no time, he was rushing back to cami's side as his heart continued to race. every second that passed was one hesitant step towards the inevitable. "i look pretty stupid, huh?" he teased, trying his hardest to lighten the mood. "you're gonna be fine, babe. everything's gonna be fine," he promised.

cami the world around her seemed like it was moving far too quickly. in the blink of an eye, everything around her had completely changed and she wasn't sure where one moment ended and the next one began. yet, despite the hustle and bustle of the various hospital workers around her, everything in mind was going far too slowly. she was ready for everything to be over with, and she still likely had hours to go before they could even talk about releasing her. but she wanted to be gone. the pain was too much, and not just the physical aspects of it. she felt drained and overwhelmed and claustrophobic. everything was out of her control and there wasn't a single thing that she could so to fix it. she didn't want to feel anything. and while the epidural had helped with that to some extent, it didn't stop the bad feelings, the toxic mindset that she had adopted over the years. she had always believed that it wasn't worth it to get close to and love someone, and this was just proof that she should have never let that wall drop, not even for a second. it was like the second she had fallen in love with nayvie, she was suddenly gone. everything she touched just turned to dust. she watched as lido ran out, and part of her was convinced that he wouldn't return. why would he? she figured that if the positions were reversed, she wouldn't want to be there, either. but then he returned, but her face remained stoic. too much was going on in her mind, and it felt like all of it was shutting down. "yeah," she said in response to lido's question, but she honestly wasn't sure what he had asked. and the next thing she knew, she was being wheeled down the hall and into what she assumed was the operating room. she felt far too grey's anatomy for her liking. but her eyes just glazed over as they set up a drape so that she nor lido could see the actual process that was being done to her body. but she didn't care. she wasn't sure that she knew how to care anymore. everything was just gone, and that was too much for her to really comprehend, and she didn't have the energy to try.

lido: as brave as he wanted to pretend he was, lido knew that as soon as he was out of everyone's sight, he'd be as good as broken. all those hospital cliches would come to life as he sought out an empty room just to drown out his cries, screaming at the top of his lungs with no real belief in a higher power and asking why. maybe he'd even make his way to the hospital's chapel and pretend for a little while, as if some omnipotent and fictional being could comfort him as the rug was pulled out from under him. very little, if anything, would fix this. it was wrong, but all lido wanted was to do a quick shot or two. he wanted to numb the few things he was still able to feel. as real as things were, they'd only get realer as the doctors set the scene. it was crazy. lido spent so many nights watching these weird shows about doctors and operations, but he never thought he'd play a supporting role in one. he never thought that his girlfriend, someone who he had most definitely fallen in love with, would be at the merciless hands of fate. "yeah," he repeated, sensing that cami was doing the very best she could under the circumstances. neither of them wanted to laugh or even crack a smile. he had a feeling that they'd both just be content if the ground opened up and swallowed them whole. he felt his legs grow weak as he followed cami and her entourage of doctors to the operating room. it was as if he'd collapse as soon as this was over, but he hoped he'd still have a it of adrenaline going through him to keep him from succumbing to his body's weakness. "everything's gonna be fine, babe," he said for what felt like the hundredth time that night, leaning down beside her so their eyes could meet. "just pay attention to me and my ugly gowanus canal eyes, babe," he said, hoping that once again, he'd be able to lighten the mood, though it seemed like an attempt made in vain. nothing would fix this for him and nothing would fix this for cami.

cami she wished that she could pinpoint the exact moment where everything went wrong, and that she could somehow go back in time and fix it. nayvie didn't deserve this. lido didn't deserve this. and even though cami knew she had made some mistakes in the past, she really didn't think that she deserved this, either. she didn't know how people were able to deal with the pain that she was currently experiencing, because she honestly wanted to just shut down and refuse to feel any of it. she knew that drugs and alcohol would help with that, but she had no way to access them, not really. and though the epidural was supposed to be a medical grade drug, it didn't do anything to numb the rest of her. it wasn't morphine or vicodin which would have made her much less aware and less caring of everything, and it was she would have preferred if given a choice. she didn't want to feel real. she didn't want to feel anything at all. at his comment, cami wanted to laugh, but she couldn't. her throat felt dry and she couldn't make any sound come from her lips. but she did as he'd instructed. she looked at the blue of his eyes rather than the blue of the drape that was blocking the procedure. it was a strange sensation. there was no pain, but she still feel. she knew that they were cutting into her, she could feel her skin moving and pulling away from each other, and she could hear the doctors and nurses conversing with each other. but the pain was nonexistent. if she tried hard enough, she was sure that she really could just be in a dream. "okay, ms. asher, mr. bacardi," the doctor whose voice was muffled by a mask, "we are nearly finished," she told them, shocking cami out of her daze. "w-what?" she asked, expecting the procedure to have gone on longer when it couldn't have been more than 10 minutes. "yep, these things go by quickly, especially in an emergency, which in your case, with the bleeding, it was," she explained and cami didn't know what to feel. "we just have to do a final check and the suture you up," she told her. that meant that nayvie was gone. she was out of her. the thought made cami want to throw up, but the chalky drink from before had made that impossible by neutralizing the acids in her stomach.

lido: if he said i love you then, despite how true it may have been, it would've appeared as though he was saying the words to make her feel better and not because he meant them. love was a big thing for somebody like him and somebody like cami. it just didn't seem like the time to drop the l bomb and terrify her even more. she'd shut down completely and lido was sure of that much. if he couldn't wrap his head around anything else, he was able to rationalize what he should and shouldn't do. maybe that was all they needed. hopefully, his head being as clear as it was would keep them from any additional crises. bringing love into it would've most definitely attributed to another disaster that they'd have to work through. her looking into his eyes was supposed to help cami, but lido felt as though he benefited from it as well. with her gaze, he found it more difficult to focus on the words of the doctors and every unpleasant sound beyond the curtain. it was good for him to have to keep her attention for the entirety of the procedure. seconds flew by but they lingered on as well. the whole night had felt like the quickest flash and simultaneously, the most painful eternity. some sort of relief washed over him as the procedure came to an end, knowing that soon enough, he'd be able to step away and let it all out. "but she's fine? cami will be fine?" he asked, trying to focus on what little good came of this. he still had cami and it was better than nothing. "you did it, babe," he told her, speaking with a lot less enthusiasm than he figured he would be when the moment of nayvie's birth came around. it wasn't a question he wanted to ask and he'd debated it the whole night, but he couldn't stop his lips from moving as he spoke, "do we get to see her?" he wasn't sure how he'd react, but maybe it'd be closure. maybe it'd make him feel worse. regardless, he didn't act quickly enough to keep the question unspoken.

cami: she wasn't sure if the quickness of the procedure was a good thing or bad. from a medical standpoint she was sure that it was good being it meant there were likely no complications and everything went the way that it should have gone. but mentally? she wasn't prepared for the curtain to come down and for her bump to be gone. other than the scar that she was sure to leave behind, it would be like she never even existed. and cami wasn't sure that she was ready for that. which was ironic given that not long ago she had complained about wanting her old body back. little did she know that she was cursing herself. careful what you wish for and all of that. maybe it would be easier had nayvie never existed. she'd be able to move on with her life and do all of the things that she had missed doing before. and then she hated herself for the selfish thoughts. "she is fine. she's strong," the doctor told him as if cami weren't right there while they were talking about her. "we will have to keep her in here for about three days as the incision heals and to make sure that an infection doesn't set in, but she should be perfectly fine... physically," but cami's heart sank when they said three days. she didn't even want to be there for three more minutes. everything was going wrong. she shouldn't have even had to be there in the first place. "yes, of course. if you would like to see her, i'll have the nurses clean her up and bring her to ms. asher's room. from there, you hold her, take pictures, anything of that sort," she informed them, but cami wasn't sure that she could. to lose her daughter was hard enough, but to have to see her and not be able to take her home? that seemed like torture. "do what you want, but i can't," she insisted as the curtain was removed and they began wheeling her down the hallway to her room. "maybe you should rest on it. we'll give you something to help you sleep," the doctor told her as she was transitioning cami into her hospital bed and replacing her iv, "then we can go ahead and bring her in for mr. bacardi, and you can tell us what you'd like to do once you wake up?" cami just nodded before the drugs took their course and she drifted off to sleep.

[celiacjojo-blog]

Gluten Free on a Carnival Cruise - Day One

Day one - Miami!

Recently we went on our honeymoon - a 7 day cruise on the Carnival Magic. It was honestly quite amazing & we’re both so happy with our trip.

Typically, I research and research when I’m travelling or going somewhere new because I’m terrified of getting sick - obviously. Between wedding planning and normal life, I totally forgot to research anything about eating gluten free with Carnival.

About a week before the wedding, I realized this and contacted Carnival to simply be told “we have options, your Celiac Disease is noted. When you arrive on the boat, speak to the headwaiter.” I posted & asked for advice on Instagram but didn’t hear a whole lot. Googling didn’t show me much and an even smaller amount was in the past two years. I researched what I could & got on the ship feeling pretty clueless. 

When we arrived on the ship we were pretty confused and very lost. We couldn’t figure out how to get to our restaurant - it was on the other end of the boat & if you’ve ever been on a cruise then you know that getting around on a ship on the first day is stressful. We ended up exploring the Lido deck instead & I quickly realized that most of it was buffet style and didn’t look any form of safe. We went back to the room and found out they had room service which to my surprise offered gluten free bread! I called & asked if it was safe from contamination/safe for allergies and they told me it was, so I went ahead and ordered a grilled Reuben sandwhich with potato chips. The bread was the kind of bread that you saw in grocery stores years ago. Not a good gluten free bread, but it was safe. 

We finally got to the restaurant and ended up switching it to the one on the end of the boat we were staying on, just to make things easier. We addressed with the headwaiter that I had Celiac Disease & needed to make sure they were informed. He told me to address it with the wait staff at dinner. We selected late dining so that we could have the same table & wait staff every night, I’m not sure how they work it when you’re doing anytime dining but from what I could tell, this seemed the best. 

We had the same 3 waiters every night and let me start off saying, these waiters were fantastic. The head waiter out of our 3 took charge & made sure I was getting safe food every night. He was very knowledgeable about all the items on the menu & what I could and couldn’t have. The first night you’re a little bit restricted due to them not being prepared (I believe this might have been different if we stayed with the original restaurant.) This night, they brought me a couple slices of gluten free bread and I chose a Caesar salad, flat iron steak with broccoli and a baked potato. For dessert they had a gluten free melting chocolate cake. 

Every night after dinner, they would bring over a menu for the following dinner. I would be able to order practically anything on the menu & they would substitute or if they absolutely couldn’t, they’d just leave an ingredient out. Overall, they could substitute everything, within reason. 

[followingliz]

GI

The first cruise after my family left we had a GI outbreak. An outbreak. 

GI is a gastro-intestinal virus that causes your body to....empty itself.... and completely loose all sense of function for a few days. Think the worst flu ever but without the annoying sinus congestion part. 

And we had an outbreak. Now a lot of things cause this but number one thing is people noT STayiNG IN THEIR FRAKING CABINS WHEN THEY’RE SICK! 

Seriously. GI is highly contagious and there are guest who, after reporting to the medical center and being told they need to be quarantined for 48hrs STILL GO TO LIDO!  WTF is wrong with people?! They are actively making others ill! And GI is a fate I would wish on nobody. 

I don’t care if you paid 100,000,0000$ for your vacation. If you refuse to isolate yourself when you have a terrible and extremely contagious illness you are the worst kind of person and deserve to be thrown overboard. 

We tried to sanitize everything when this round of guests left but unfortunately, it only takes one. So by the end of the second cruise after my family left we were up to 106 cases. And guess who was one of those cases? 

Yup. I may or may not have died a little. I was trying to be safe. Everyone is washing their hands diligently but my roommate Zoe works with the guests. The guests that have no care or consideration for others. So of course Zoe got it. And living in a shoebox with her it was only natural that I should get it a few days later. 

Let me tell you, friends, it is the most unfun. I was up from 2AM-12PM in extreme pain and otherwise indisposed. And then promptly passed out until the next morning. 

The worst part is that my lost day is the day we were supposed to do Magic Show! The entire reason that I’ve extended in the first place!

We ended up doing one Magic Show the next day and one Lip Synch. I was no longer contagious or technically Ill but man was I exhausted. It’ll still be a few days of recovery. 

[justjoeyyy-blog-blog]

Day 1-10

Here is my journey so far on Carnival Imagination. If you're confused reading my posts then you're on the same track as me. Got thrown into this chaos some people call glamorous. So far I see it as a lot of hard work and trying not to get in trouble.

May 14, 2017 Day 1. Walked into my room to “meet” my roommate. She was sleeping and even though she heard me come in did not budge. So I went out into the hallway to cry so she wouldn’t hear me. When I got back she was showering. Finally we met and she didn’t say anything. I tried to ask her questions but she didn’t seem interested. Then she said bye and left. Another excuse to hysterically cry again. I unpacked and realized she’s using up a lot of what is supposed to be my space. This room is so small it’s humorous. I met two girls: Rain from Texas and Eleanor from England. They room together. Their room seems a little bigger than mine and it’s really cute. They’re super sweet and walked me around the ship. They even found parts of my uniform for me. They said I could join their “gang”. They’re around my age which is nice. Eleanor is dating a guy on the ship. I just got back to my room and have an hour until I have to find my supervisor again. I’m a sweaty mess. It’s impossible to get down from this bunk. I’m trying to relax and my roommate is watching a movie and the volume is ridiculously high. Rain and Elle said she’s mean. They said to watch out for the phillipinos. They said my roommate, Ems, is like 30…I’m so annoyed I want someone who will talk to me and help me through this. So unwelcoming. My schedule says I’ll be switching from O2 to Club Ocean throughout this first cruise. I seriously don’t know anything…my magazines fell down to her bunk and I asked if they fell to her and she didn’t say a word. Just handed them back to me. Wtf.

5-15-17 Day 2. Had to be at medical at 8 this morning. I stood there as everyone walked right past me and into the room. The doctor kept saying to stand outside the door and of course I was the only one who listened. Finally someone asked me what I was there for and she explained to me that I needed to go inside and get my medical and stand in line so they can check me. I don’t understand why no one was helping me in the first place. Getting ready this morning was awful. I had to use my phone flashlight for everything. And the shower was awful. It’s also impossible to get down from this freaking bunk it’s fucking terrible. Eating lunch alone. Caesar salad like from the vacation cruises. It’s actually delicious. This is fucking awful. I can’t stop crying and I feel so nauseous from the boat rocking. I worked from 12-5 in camp ocean on the little side and then had training 7-8. I was supposed to work circle c tonight but someone got sick and now I have to work 9-1 and I have to be somewhere at 845 tomorrow morning. My director Carolina is awful. She wouldn’t stop questioning me on my prior training before coming on board. She didn’t understand why I didn’t know certain things as if I’m supposed to know. I haven’t had time to do anything. I need to organize my stuff more and put my magnets on my name tag. Finally back in my bed. It’s 1:07. Tonight was actually really chill and easy. All these typical kids are so weird and say the weirdest things. My roommate just walked in ugh. So fucking awkward and weird. I’m living with a complete stranger. It was nice to have Elle and Rain to talk to today. I found an easier way to get up and down from my bunk but if my roommate is in her bed then I can’t do it. I only had 3 hours of a break today…my supervisor sucks. She’s so unfriendly. I talked to HR today about my contract and how I’m not supposed to be in camp ocean. That’s not what my contract says. I can’t wait to have access to my phone tomorrow. I’m scared it’s gonna make me upset though. Especially if I hear my mom or dads voice. I’m gonna go to sleep now. Hopefully Ems doesn’t fucking snore.

5-16-17 Day 3: Had to be at a training at 845 this morning for returning and new employees. They had everyone go around and say what they did on vacation even though she knew there was new people there. When I said it was my first contract everyone turned around and looked at me. I could not keep my eyes open during it. They had to cancel the second part of the training thank the lord because now I can go back to bed. In the training they talked all about being comfortable and welcomed and shit and I wanted to scream. Carolina had a talk with me today. She didn’t understand why I went to HR. I fucking hate her. She’s so rude. HR is there for people that need something. I needed to tell him what was going on and how it is wrong and he agreed. She kept saying okay? Do you understand? Yeah? And I would say yes and nod and she would laugh or shake her head because she didn’t think I understood. Then we had build a bear which was actually really fun. Just very loud and hot because of the lights. Then we went and ate at the lido deck. I ate too much. But I finally pooped!

5-17-17 Day 4: Today was MUCH better. I went to bed at 9 last night. Got up at 11. Ate. Came back and went back to sleep until 3. The boat is so freaking rocky and I feel so sick. I’m laying down which helps but when I’m working it’s so bad. None of my cruises have ever been like this. I’ve been eating sour gummy worms when I don’t feel good. The sugar definitely helps me. Tomorrow we get new people for a new cruise. I feel so shitty right now I don’t even want to sit up to take my medicine. Also Ems woke me up earlier because she was playing John legend so loud and singing along. I was like wtf. I feel like a lot of the time she doesn’t realize I’m up in my bunk. I also woke up to her snoring last night.

5-18-17 Day 5: what the actual fuck. I woke up to my roommate and her friends in our room watching a movie. With the sound on. No headphones. It kept me up for over 2 hours. It’s so rude. I wanna punch her. And she doesn’t leave any room for me. I don’t have any hooks or any room on the desk. And she has something in our bathroom that smells so weird. I’m at immigration right now. We’re stopped in Long Beach. I want to get off so bad and do something fun! I start in circle c this cruise with Alana and then Sunday I’m on my own! So scary. There’s still so much to freaking learn. The food we have is so fucking disgusting. All I’ve been eating in the mess hall is mashed potatoes and bread and butter. Thankfully I get to eat at the lido deck when there’s kids lunch and kids dinner. Otherwise I’d be screwed. I just ate my last sour gummy worm :( Thankfully there’s a candy store on board so hopefully they have some! Right now I’m just laying in bed eating some pretzels. My roommate just walked in so I said hi but that’s it. Hopefully she’s leaving. I keep seeing hot guys but I look like poop so I feel like they don’t even look at me. And I constantly have a resting bitch face because I’m so annoyed half the time. I also feel weird being alone because I feel like people realize I’m new and stare at me like I’m fresh bait or something. I got to talk to Alli and my parents on the phone today which was nice. I have so much Shit I have to read. And I have to pass a safety exam which makes me nervous. It’s 12 now. I don’t start work until 2:30. I’ll probably take a nap. There’s not much else to do because I don’t really know the rules yet and what I can and can’t do. It would be nice to go lay out on the deck. Once I get in the hang of things I’m excited to finally get to do stuff. Like go to a resort at one of our stops and also to see friends and family in Long Beach. That’ll be so nice 😊 Lol my roommate just walked out and didn’t even say bye. Today has been a good day. I did my first safety debriefing with Elle. I also helped register kids and walked around and passed out Circle C fliers. I random guest in the elevator gave me candy which was nice. I also participated in my first sail away party which means dancing with the guests. I was so sweaty. I don’t understand how everyone wears coats around and I’m literally dripping sweat. Stephanie (one of the youth girls) asked if I wanted to room with her today. I have a feeling Ems said something. I haven’t done anything wrong. But I did move the chair today and put my luggage underneath the desk instead. Oops. I’m curious if saying hi and bye isn’t a thing in Ems culture…or maybe she’s just rude. My dad wants me to switch rooms so this is perfect. Tonight I start at Circle C with Alana. She’s training me the next few days and then Sunday I’m on my own! Holy shit the boat just started rocking so bad. Lol my roommate just left and again didn’t say bye. What a bitch. Ugh she already came back. Worked circle c tonight with alannah. It went really well! The kids are super cute but some are weird and annoying af. This one family came in and the mom did not understand why her 8 year old was not allowed in our 12-14 club. She had 2 kids that were in that age range and we told her the other child would have to go to camp ocean. Her words “no they stay together. You make an exception” I explained to her it’s against our policy and she still insisted that “you’re gonna make an exception, thank you”. Eventually we had to call our director who also couldn’t get her point across to the family. They then complained to guest services who also said it is not allowed. At first they parents started walking out the door when we had already told them their youngest child cannot stay. Our club is not check in or check out so the kids can come and go as they please, which is a huge reason why we have the age policy. My roommate and I kinda talked but not really. She’s in charge of the O2 club and my club and hers do a lot of stuff together which is kinda awkward. She’s really silly and fun when she wants to be. Alannah said it’s nothing I’ve done, she’s just a tough one to crack. Not sure when I’m moving rooms. It’ll be good though because me and Ems have the same exact schedule which is hard.

Paolo Olesky

5-19-17 Day 6: I seriously can’t stop sweating. My hair looks like I just took a shower but really it’s just sweat. And everyone else are wearing their jackets and I’m here dropping sweat. I think it might be because I’m nervous and still figuring things out. It’s really nerve racking when it comes to talking to guests and making sure our behavior is up to carnivals standards. I worked in circle c from 12-5. It was seriously so much fun. The kids are awesome and also bring me ice cream :p I have to go back at 830 (in 2 hours) and I’ll be there until 1. I honestly don’t mind though because the kids are fun and we get to play games and do activities that I personally enjoy myself, like karaoke. The boat is super rocky as usual. I’ve been wearing these bands but don’t think they’re doing much. Dramamine has been helping though! But it’s not healthy to take that everyday for the next 3 months. Today Carolina told me that me and alannah are going to be rotating between circle c and club ocean……..which is not what I signed up for. Long story short: alannah has been in circle c the past couple of months to cover for the girl that left. Well I came to take over circle c but the office didn’t realize that alannah wanted it and actually already had an interview scheduled. So by the time my director emailed them back saying they didn’t need me, I was already on the plane. I really don’t want to be with the little kids but maybe it won’t be too bad. I’m drunk. Oops. I’ll tell you more tomorrow. I’m being so loud though because my roommate sucks and deserves revenge.

5-20-17 Day 7: I went out last night! There was a techno party in the crew bar. Then we went to the night club. I feel like shit though. My fucking roommate woke me up snoring alllllll night. I just had to go to a safety drill. My director picked me out of everyone…I had no idea what I was doing. And of course now I’m dripping sweat. I can’t wait to buy a fan. Slept all day until I had to work. And of course my roommate was snoring. I took a video of it too lol. When my dad snores if I make any noise he’ll stop but this girl was not buying it. I even turned my alarm on with my phone on full blast and she still didn’t wake up…like wtf. She sounded like a dying bear. Tomorrow Winslow is gonna pick me up. It’ll be nice to get off this damn ship. I have to take my safety exam tomorrow though and move rooms so it’ll be a busy day. Starting tomorrow I’ll be alone in circle c which is really exciting. The kids are super fun but when it comes to the parents I totally freeze up. My throat is starting to hurt. And last time that happened I felt like I was on my death bed. I took a NyQuil praying it helps before it gets worse. It’s been a longgggggg week. Tomorrow morning I get my keys to my new room. Which also means I gotta move all my shit. I’m excited to be on land though and get some stuff done. There’s so many rules with this job it’s crazy. So much paperwork and silly things that have to be done. It’s very confusing and just not needed at all.

5-21-17 Day 8: Today was a really good day. I woke up early and switched rooms. I made sure I was as loud as possible when I was moving my stuff because my rude ex roommate was sleeping. After moving in Winslow came and picked me up. I haven’t seen her in a freaking year. So crazy. We went to brunch with some of her friends and then we went to Rite Aid because I needed to buy some stuff. My supervisor Carolina pissed me off as usual. We were giving out wrist bands to the kids and she ran up to me and Eleanor asking why we were letting the tails hang off of the bands. She said she got a call from someone about it…like wtf. Me and Eleanor were making sure we clicked the extra band back under AKA the phillipino girl also handing out the bands was the one fucking up but of course nothing was said to her. Then Carolina bitched at me for not having my work phone when really she should’ve been yelling at Alana for giving me the phone dead with 0% battery. And no charger. Because she claims she doesn’t have one…….I did circle c by myself tonight. It was so much fun and I already really like the kids. I need to call the office about this whole switching thing because I don’t want to do it and it’s not fair to me.

5-22-17 Day 9: Today was a really good day. Besides the fact that I was startled when my alarm went off this morning and I banged my forehead on the metal shelf next to my bunk. My body is covered in bruises it’s really weird. I got to know a lot more of the kids today. They’re so hilarious. One of the kids though kept making Jewish jokes even after one of the girls (who is Jewish) asked him to stop. He drew a hitler mustache on his face and kept making jokes. Then some girl painted a swastika sign on her hand like wtf? The guy was also making black jokes it really made everyone feel weird (at least I felt uncomfortable). We got to see the magician today who was freaking amazing. He does this trick where he has a deck of cards. He asks one person to say their favorite card out loud. The girl chose 3 of clubs. He tells her to pretend to take it out of the deck, show everyone, then place it back in the deck face down (the other cards are face up) then he snaps his finger, takes the cards out of the box, and the card she pretended to flip over was actually flipped over. The guy is creepy and looks like madame zarooni from the movie holes. Like literally twins. Karaoke was really fun too. My old roommate Ems thinks she can sing and it’s cringeworthy. She sang all of me by John legend which is the same freaking song she was singing when she woke me up the other night. The cutest thing also happened. So the theme for tonight was imaginary Prom because everyone was dressed up for captains dinner. So one of my little boys hands me a piece of paper and asks me to give it to one of the girls in the club. I opened it up and it said “will you go to prom with me? Ps this is ethan”. It was seriously the cutest thing ever. I never realized imaginary prom consisted of playing wii and throwing glow sticks at one another. We also played capture the flag where I met this 15 year old who has already taken 3 AP classes…….I also have 2 kids in my club that are goth/emo and they say the saddest things! Half the time they’re joking but at the same time really mean it. They say their favorite color is black just like their souls and just weird stuff. They said I’m weird too so I’m allowed to join their group. They’re super sweet though and totally helped me clean up the club without me even asking. The place was a mess. These kids literally throw their trash on the ground as if it’s nothing. Well it’s 1:37 and I need to go to sleep. I can tell I’m starting to get a cold and I really need to stop it before it turns into something worse. And I’m very low on sleep. I can’t wait to have access to my phone tomorrow.

5-23-17 Day 10: Today has been a really good day. I had training this morning which actually answered a lot of my questions. Work was good too. We did crafts and talked. The 2 emo kids were saying weird stuff again and painting all their stuff black. They said they really like me though which makes me feel good. The emo girl said something under her breath about killing herself. One of the other girls turned to her and said why would you want to kill yourself? She responded and said I dunno, I hate myself, I tried to slit my wrists 2 weeks ago but it didn’t work. It completely broke my heart. Also while she was saying weird things one of the boys out loud said “she’s gonna commit suicide on day.” It baffles me that these kids (aged 11-14) are saying things like that. I think I’m gonna talk to the emo girl later one on one. She said she goes to counseling because she’s “messed up”. It just makes me so sad. And knowing that she likes me and likes to hang out with me makes me think she’ll feel comfortable talking. I actually just ate dinner with the 2 emo kids as well as the 2 Jewish siblings that are in my club. They’re super freaking weird but very mature so it’s easy to talk to them. I think I’m gonna get off the boat tomorrow with Elle. If not I’m gonna lay out. I don’t start until 4. I haven’t been outside at all besides at night time. My head is KILLING me where I hit it on that metal shelf. There’s a little bump now. My mom said she sent me a package so I’m looking forward to that. Alli said she did too. The only package I got so far is my medications lol. I think robin and Larry might come pick me up on Sunday. I desperately need a haircut 💇🏽

[xtrahxtrah]

Elrow were coming back to London town for a whole weekend of debauchery with their 2 insane themes ‘From Lost To The River’ and ‘Singer Morning’. The former was running at Village Underground on Friday/Saturday evening and Sunday daytime. The latter was debuting in the UK at Tobacco Docks on Saturday daytime. What is less known about these themes is that the Spanish translation for Singer Morning, Canta Mañana is someone who is really out going and doesn’t care about what other people think. Similarly, From Lost To The River, Perdido Asta El Rio is a Spanish saying for someone who has a do it and whatever goes kind of attitude. This was clearly an assignment that was made for me. Elrow describes itself as an immersive experience which you can break down into 4 parts; music, performance, decoration and crowd. It’s pivotal to them that everything clicks together and the crowd gets involved as much as possible. The inflatables, performers and decor aren’t just gimmicks as you might find at other parties. They are truly there to make the crowd feel that they are part of the production. Imagine going to a West End show in London and the actors and actresses inviting you to take part in the theatrical performance. This is what separates Elrow from other event companies in the marketplace and why I couldn’t wait to embark on the mayhem myself!

Friday night I got home from work and changed for the weekend; leopard skin onesie, multicoloured wig, flower necklace and Moschino jacket. I was buzzing as I had missed out on tickets 5 months earlier (which sold out in 45 minutes), seen videos of their shows at Row 14, Studio 338 and Space Ibiza and only heard praise from all corners of the internet. I arrived at Village Underground with my partner in dance floor crime at around midnight. First people we bumped into were a couple wearing leopard skin jackets and pikachu rucksacks. We bonded over the leopardyness and jumped into the queue with them. It’s unfortunate the queue was so long as we were missing Lord Leopard on the decks but hey, sometimes you just can’t catch em all haha. Once inside we found ourselves chucked straight into the Elrow pan per se with performers enacting Droopy The Dog (carrying a doobie) and Rowgelia the mascot chicken dancing enthusiastically around the place. I’m not exaggerating when I say that every inch of ceiling space was covered up with cartoon props of some manner from fried eggs to laughing walnuts to 1 tonne weights. The stage was emblazoned with a lit up Rowshow sign and flanked by a giant Rowlex (see what they did there). Getting started on the decks were Waze & Odyssey. It goes without saying that the W&O Street Track honchos know how to throw it down. With recent release Down With Tha on Eats Everthing’s imprint Edible fresh in my mind I knew they would get the crowd pumping and they delivered as expected; 2 hours of straight up attitude that would get even the most hard nosed raver bouncing. The tech house went in heavily with the percussion with the odd bit of acid mixed in there for good measure. I was certainly a happy leopard by the end of the first night. I didn’t stay right to the end of Toni Varga’s closing set. I may have been a slightly tipsy leopard but not a stupid one. I had another 3 Elrow events to go. Pace was the word of the night and I got home for a good 2 hour nap before Tobacco Docks the next day.

Saturday morning I woke up at around 10am to a beautiful morning. The sun was shining which is always a good way to start rave day. I had never been to Tobacco Docks and it was certainly one venue I was looking to knock off the bucket list. I arrived bright and early knowing that Jacky would be starting proceedings. I had no idea what to expect walking into Tobacco Docks at 12:30pm except that it would be huge, accommodating 6000 heads from all over the UK. The first thing I noticed upon entry was that all the staff were wearing vibrantly red wigs. There was also a stand central to the open air venue housing all sorts of inflatables from unicorn lidos to goofy looking strawberries to mischievous monkeys. I had a little gander to get my bearings and decided to explore the floor above. It was here that the 2 main rooms hosting shows would be; one adorned with the Singer Morning theme in all its glory whilst the other had the Elrow City theme throughout. There was also an area where one could win drinks, tokens and candy floss by playing various games; sumo wrestling, spin the wheel, score a goal etc. On my way to the VIP bar (to get my first rum and coke of many) I stumbled onto the glitter stand called Starlight Boutique Facepaint. Now I’ve had my fair share of paints and glitter but these ladies did a particularly cracking number on me. Not surprised that they’re heading to Junction 2, Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party and DC10 to name just a few this Summer. Post-vajazzling and drink ready I decided to warm up in the Singer Morning room to Jacky and The Menendez Brothers. The Singer Morning room was filling up. Like a warm bath before bubbles.

Being a fanboy of Hot Creations I decided to head down to the ground floor at 1:15pm where the third main room ie carpark was located. It wasn’t really a room being honest, it was more like long dark tunnel, and a fucking sick one at that. As I walked closer to the light I found myself looking at at a giant jukebox with a selection of Elrow releases displayed at the bottom whilst Patrick Topping and Andres Campo were having at it in the centre. That Hot Creation sound was booming from the box and the crowd couldn’t have been happier getting their groove on. After a good hour of raving I headed out for a much needed cool down and smoke, grabbed myself a rum and ginger beer and went backstage to see if I could find a couple of artists. Ended up bumping into Jamal Edwards and co. from SBTV again. Last saw him when Solardo were down at Egg a couple months previously...mandem likes to rave ya’know. Jacky, The Menendez Brothers and Andres Campo had finished working the crowd and were taking full advantage of downtime. The Elrow residents De La Swing, Toni Varga and Marc Maya were buzzing around as well. In the artists area was an old school double decker bus servicing everyone with alcoholic beverages. Never seen one so alive and busy in my entire life haha.

By this point the Data Transmission videographers Nathan Babalogbon and Felix Morey-Burrows had arrived. I showed them round the site and we got to work starting first with Richy Ahmed in the Singer Morning room. Richy delivered as one would expect; a tropical tech house thunderstorm for 2 hours straight. The room was heaving and the crowd pumping. Me and fellow Data Transmission resident Archie B went straight in and got involved. Of particular note were the performers. God knows how the ones on stilts got through the human carpet that was the Singer Morning room at that point but revellers were treated to a wash down; shower caps on, loafers ready and cream going everywhere haha. Flanking the DJ booth were windows filled with various performers. I seem to remember seeing mermaids, a crazy cat lady, Mario and Luigi, what looked like Rick James strumming away on a guitar and a baby carrying a giant lollipop but maybe I was imagining it. A true visual treat for the masses. By now I was a cooked rave sardine and I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say that the giant ice blasts that pushed out what must have been hundreds and thousands of confetti pieces was nothing short of orgasmic haha. After sweating it out I went back to the double decker bus to catch a couple of ice cold ciders. Seeing a woman doing a downward facing dog on the way didn’t surprise me much. In fact nothing really surprises me much these days, especially after you’ve experienced Elrow.

When I saw man of the moment Eats Everything arrive I got back on it. Videographers at the ready we caught some great footage of the big man himself tearing it up in the Singer Morning room. It was my 5th time seeing him live and I have to say he has never slipped in all those times. He still keeps that energy and fire burning so if you ever get the chance to see the magic for yourself just do it. It was now reaching mid-point of the Elrow weekend and a pit stop was needed. Following on from Eats Everything’s incredible closing set I went with The Menendez Brothers and co. to their old school garage night called Eastbound at The Book Club in Shoreditch. Lucky for me this was right next to Village Underground so it was meant to be...in my mind at least haha. Matt Jam Lamont seemed to be having a ball on the decks.  

After a short breather sonically from the tech house I marched on to the second night of Elrow at Village Underground. I arrived at around midnight and the first thing I saw was a woman with purple hair, flossing a blue tassel skirt and pink yoshi rucksack. This was followed closely by a guy with a full on glitter beard, sparkly red bowler hat and yellow feather scarf. Loved the effort. In fact that goes for the entire weekend. Big up all the people who went all out with their get ups. On entry Rob James was taking over from Mele on the decks and lighting it up. I was holding rock steady on stage with Juan Arnau the guy who conceived the whole Elrow concept. His family are a legacy starting both Monegros Desert Festival and one of the world’s most iconical clubs Florida 135 in Fraga, Spain. True party entrepreneurs and connoisseurs. BBC Radio 1 resident DJ Monki also happened to be in attendance. We had a chat but I can’t remember exactly about what. In fact I don’t remember a great deal past this point. Lucky for me my snapchat skills are strong like the Jedi and it seems that I stayed right to the end of De La Swing’s closing set like a true soldier. The vibes that night in my opinion were the best out of all three Elrow events at Village Underground. The true party people from Tobacco Docks kept the energy going all night long. I have no recollection of the journey home but it seems from my snap that I eventually got into bed at 7am.

A brief 3 hour power snooze later I woke up in time for work on Sunday. You read that correctly. I had a shift at this pub I work at part-time from 11am-5pm. God knows how I got through the busy Sunday shift but as soon as I finished I rushed home, got back into my leopard costume and made my way to Village Underground for the third and final instalment of Elrow at Village Underground. I frogmarched in with Data Transmission videographer Nathan Babalogbon at 7:15pm. A psychedelic rabbit, wearing purple spandex covered in pink elephants, with a show stopping dragon tattoo on her back was the most eye-catching view I saw on arrival. Marc Maya and Gonçalo were on the decks closing off the Elrow weekend with panache. Backstage we managed to grab 10 minutes with Victor De La Serna, the bookings director for Elrow. We conducted an interview with him as shown below. Give it a watch to see what Elrow is all about straight from the horse’s mouth.

The 36 hours of Elrow was thoroughly exhausting but jheez was it worth it. One for the record and memory books for sure. The organisers pulled out all the stops on production. Never have I seen so much attention paid to the details which resulted in an aesthetically pleasing and flawless run from start to finish. The music program was superb and the DJs certainly kept the energy high right until the very end. I often ask myself do I have a life or am I just living. Needless to say if you ain’t living what’s the fucking point. Next up Elrow Comes To London Town on August 19th at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. For more information → http://elrowtownlondon.com/about/

Thanks for reading all. Hope to see you on the dance floor soon! ;-)

[3monthsineurope]

March 24, 2017 Unfortunately, Friday did not go as planned for me. Something went wrong with me in the middle of the night: at 2am I woke up wide awake, feeling so sick. I didn’t drink the night before, so it wasn’t that kind of sickness. Long story short, I was up for two hours getting sick and it was horrible. It’s good that Emily and Heide didn’t wake up from it. When room service came right before 7, I told the girls I couldn’t go into Mexico with them for our excursion. It was a huge bummer! We were scheduled to head to mainland Mexico (we docked in Cozumel, which is an island off Playa del Carmen), to go to Talum and see Mayan ruins. I had just slept so little, and didn’t know if I was going to be sick all day or if it was a passing thing, but I couldn’t risk being sick all day in transport. Thankfully though, Carnival completely refunded me for missing my trip! Once Emily and Heide left, I went back to sleep for a few more hours. I definitely felt better when I woke up, so I chalked it up to having some kind of food poisoning, which isn’t uncommon on a cruise. Emily had had something similar in the beginning of the week. So, I called up the Canadian girls and met them for breakfast on the Lido deck. The four of us hopped off the boat and explored Cozumel for a few hours. We got some souvenirs and had some drinks near the water. It was a beautiful day! We met up with Chris and Josh after they went for a scuba dive and had another drink with them. Then the six of us headed back to the boat. I was glad I got to get off the boat and was feeling better! Once back on the boat, I relaxed in my room and napped for a bit. Emily and Heide’s tour group actually held up the whole cruise! They were 20 minutes late, haha. When they got back we all relaxed for a bit, then got ready for a casual dinner. For dinner I had spring rolls, pasta, and a coconut cake for dessert. Unfortunately, Amy was feeling sick, so she actually didn’t have dinner with us. After dinner we went to the boy’s balcony room to hang out with them and the girls. After hanging out there we went to the night club. It was pretty fun! Mostly everyone in our group got pretty drunk, but I really didn’t. We danced and actually stayed out pretty late! Around 2:30 I headed to bed. :]