JUNE - JULY UPDATE

Hey there everyone

So I know it has been a looong time since I have updated and I sincerely apologize for that. Below is a quick little review of the past couple of months....

It's been a crazy past couple of months...We've been chilling around the Meditterranean and I have been soaking up the sun and getting some nice color in places such as Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Italy, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Russia (for one day), etc. and it has been amazing. A few weeks ago now I was even able to disembark the ship for a day and a half to fly to my best friend's wedding in Spain. And I got to fly Lufthansa airlines which I have wanted to do for years! I have seen those billboards with the beds and stuff and wanted to experience it myself. It was average, but I did get a free cheese sandwich which was awesome! I literally was only able to stay for the ceremony but it was worth it. Cynthia looked incredibly, phenomenally, classically stunning! Plus God even allowed David and I to see each other, since his ship was docked in Barcelona that same day! It was amazing! Such a blessing, since little did David and I know then, that the date our ships were supposed to dock together a few days later, changed at the last moment, so we weren't able to spend the day together. So God completely blessed us with a very unexpected and wonderful day. Some highlights from these past months include....seeing the Giza pyramids and the Great Sphinx in Egypt, going inside of a tomb, visiting Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee, standing at the top of Mt. Carmel, eating strawberry dumplings in Odessa, Ukraine and getting REALLY hyper, chilling on a river cruise in Split, Croatia, driving an ATV around the scenic roads of Santorini and discovering this amazing cafe with a pool and the most fantastic view I have seen in Greece, swimming in lots of different seas, including the "hot springs" and taking a cooking class in Santorini, walking up an active volcano "Mt. Etna" in Sicily and falling so in love with this country that I have relatives in, visiting Carthage and walking among the famous Baths, taking some amazing pics of the scenery in malta and listening to the tour guide call me the "guardian angel" for the guests, screaming with delight when I saw a "coffee snowball" in a restaurant in Trapani, Sicily and missing Grandma so much, walking in Pompeii and seeing the casts of the people who were covered with the ash (amazing guys!) and even more amazing cause David had been in the same place just days before me, visiting Florence and seeing works by Michaelangelo and DaVinci and seeing the replica of "the David" (real one was closed due to a strike) and getting pooped on by a pigeon on my way there, wishing Maria was with me every step of the way in Florence, and taking a million pics for her, driving along the Amalfi coast and wishing so much that my Mom could be there with me, getting stung by a bee in Amalfi while escorting a tour and pretending everything was fine, visiting places in Montenegro and blooming with happiness thinking that my pastor is from there and not believing that I was actually there. So there. That is a "quick" outline. I could of course go into more detail but that will have to wait until I see you or speak with you on the phone.
As for the shows, they are going very well. We just got a new band and they are fitting in quite nicely. They play wonderfully together, which is amazing and our first two shows with them were great. And I actually was told by the Cruise Director the other day, that my dancing has really improved :) It's nice to know that my work is paying off. David is doing very well at sea. It's been about 1.5 months for him and he has seen so many places. It is so crazy (and sometimes a bit irking) that we literally miss each other at certain ports by days, sometimes one day. I am so thankful we are seeing so much of the same things, but we really miss each other. We always keep a look at our itineraries to see if there is any possible way that we are close enough to visit one another. Who knows when we will see one another again. God is keeping us close, and that is all that matters. David plays a lot every day which is great, but he still has time to go and explore the ports. We are very fortunate and able to talk each day and fill each other in on the day's events. Pictures really do say a thousand words, so all I have to say is THANK GOODNESS for my CAMERA & PICASA!

Right now we are overnighting in Dubrovnik, Croatia which is a beautiful port. And then in about a week we make our way back over to Spain, where we haven't been in months, and I will hopefully be able to see Cynthia and Joan in Barcelona on the 31st of July. We shall see.

I miss all of you so much and wish I could talk to you more often. Please feel free to email or remember that i have my Magic Jack that i can check messages from each day, so feel free to call anytime. I am currently 6 hours ahead of you in the U.S..The most I usually am is 7 hrs ahead. And feel free to check the Google Web Album whenever you want to see what I am up to. I try my best to keep it up to date.

Only 4 and a bit months to go! The time is going to fly! Please keep me in your prayers :)

I love you guys!

Lotz o' hugs,
Jessica

APRIL- MAY UPDATE

Hello there everyone,

How are you today? First of all let me sincerely apologize for lacking in the area of emailing this past month or so. I am so sorry. So if you have a few minutes right now, I am going to give you a quick overview of what's been going on aboard the Mariner for the past month or so.

So I went to Venice for the first time back in April and I had a blast! It is such a unique place I loved all of the architecture. We were docked right on the Grand Canal so i was able to walk along one of the main streets quite easily. We visited St. Marcos Square which was great and took lots of dancing/jumping/crazy pictures in front of the clock tower. What can I say, we're theatre people?! Later on I decided that I really wanted to get lost in Venice, because that is what everyone says u must do while you are there. So, well, yeah, I most definitely did. In the middle of my trek, I accidentally came across the famous Realez Bridge (the one you see in all of the pictures/paintings) so I took some pics there. At one point I was a bit nervous because the sun was going down and every street looked the same to me! But I did in fact follow my instincts and made it back to the ship (luckily we were there over night, so I didn't have to worry about being last on board! or even worse, getting left behind! lol)

Next up was Dubrovnik, Croatia. Here I had the chance to go bike riding along the mountains! It was one of the most peaceful experiences of my life. Luckily the biking wasn't too intense so I could just take in the scenery and fresh air around me. Another time we were there, I went on a tour around the Old City and then over to another town close by, which I can't recall the name of at the moment. Then we took a Pirate Ship back to Dubrovnik and walked around the Wall around the city. It was a great experience.

Later we visited Messina, Sicily. It wasn't the easiest port to get around so we couldn't see much, but we did walk around, get some Gelato Limon, and explore the square. We were our goofy selves of course and enjoyed every minute of it. I believe we are going back there soon, so hopefully I'll be able to get a better look around then. Not sure if I told you about this earlier, but we went to Taormina, Sicily in April and I had an amazing time! I just got off the ship and wandered around by myself for a while, enjoying the beautiful landscape, when I came across....an Arabian Horse Show!!! On the beach! I didn't have to pay a thing, and just walked up to all of the stalls and saw all of the horses and such and then watched some of the show. It was the Indian section of the show, and they wee using some strange techniques to scare the horses, and then I guess that showed them off to their best? I don't know, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I wished so much that my Mom and Yuliya could have been there! I sent them lots of pics though so no worries.

Then we came to our wet dock situation. I had about 5 days where I could technically leave the ship. So I took off for Spain and stayed with Cynthia and her husband. It was exactly what I needed! I was getting the point where life on the ship was getting to me, but that trip truly refreshed me. Just to have my own room, and a bed that I didn't need a ladder to get into was wonderful. Spending time with Cynthia and seeing how she lives each day was such a blessing! We haven't spent time together like that in years! Literally! So yes, I rebooted my system a bit, you might say, and then headed back to the ship.

Istanbul here we come! Well we docked there but unfortunately I had t check in 700 guests that day, so I was unable to get off and look around. That has been the case every time we have been there, but I am determined to get one embarkation day off so I can wander about and see the Hagia Sophia, for a friend of mine.

YAY! The Greek Isles! I have dreamt of visiting the Greek Isles for years and now here I am getting paid to go there! Awesome! So the first one we visited was Mykonos. It is without a doubt one of the most picturesque towns I have ever seen. Unlike Santorini, it is quiet and quaint and not as touristy as you might first think. I was able to escort a your to the Island of Delos, about a half hour from the port. It was interesting, but not magnificent. We have been there until 11pm at times, and to see Mykonos lit up at night is worth it all! It is just so beautiful!

Alright, so now we went back to Turkey and are in Kusadasi. I took a tour to see Ephesus. Honestly I did not know much about this place, except for the fact that the Apostle Paul visited here to speak to the Ephesians about Christ, which was reason enough for me to want to to go. It was truly breathtaking! The ruins are just incredible and they are unearthing new things all the time! So when i come back in 10 years or so, the place could look so different! The library there was incredible. Due to a fire, there are no books still around, but the front of it is still there and standing strong. My favorite ruin, without a doubt, was the theatre. Why you might ask? Well it is massive and seats up to around 50,000 people. So all I kept thinking, was, "Oh my gosh. Paul stood here, where I am standing and spoke to thousands of pagan Ephesians about Christ! He could have been stoned or worse, but he stood there and did what he was called to do". We also saw the square(s) where the Apostle John and Mother Mary came and spoke to them about Christ. All of it was so overwhelming, in a good way. We also visited the land where Mother Mary lived in her later days. It was up in the mountains, literally, and she had to trek up there with John, whenever she wen way down the mountain to Ephesus. They have a little chapel there in her honor and also there is a large hole which is supposedly the baptisery! AHHH!! How cool! I just could't help but imagine all of the people John baptized right there. It was unreal. Later on, we also visited a museum of old artifacts from the Roman Empire. It's crazy to think that all of these coins, statues, etc have been around thousands of years.

Next up...SANTORINI! My dream vacation spot! How I have longed to see those white washed houses with blue domes!!! Went on a couple different excursions during our days there. First was a tour of the Volcanic Crater near by Thira. It was amazing and I took a million pictures it felt like. The day was beautiful, but a bit on the windy side. Which is fine....unless you are planning on swimming in the Aegean Sea that day! After we walked up and down the volcano, we took the Pirate Ship to the "Hot" Springs. Here were supposed to jump in the water, swim 100 meters to the "Hot" springs, rub some of the sulphur mud on our selves and swim back to the ship. Sounds nice right? Well, let's just say the water was pretty darn cold and the hot springs, were more like tepid. After most of the guests got in, my friend, who was on the tour as well, jumped in and then I went down the ladder, touched my foot into the water, realized how cold it was, but knew there was no turning back and jumped in and was completely submerged into the 63 degree water. When I came up, I literally had my breath taken away! I just figured the only thing to do was swim as fast as possible to the "Hot" springs. I made it there and yes it was warmer, but not jacuzzi-like. I rubbed the mud on my skin and then we had to swim back, into the cold, cold water, to the ship. Luckily half way back, my legs went numb and so it didn't really matter anymore! It was an amazing experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Afterwards, we went to a winery on the top of the mountain and were able to see some just sensational views! It was exactly how I always imagined Greece to be! We went to the main town of Thira, and I decided to take the 600 steps down as opposed to taking the cable car down to the port. So yes that was quite an experience. Hundreds of donkeys are all along the way and I just prayed the whole time that i wouldn't get kicked. And the smell almost made me pass out along the way. On the other our I took, we took bus to the town of Oia, which is now my favorite spot in Santorini. It is so picturesque, much quieter than Thira, and just absolutely lovely! I could live there in a heart beat! We also toured the town of Pyrgos and got some great pictures. Then we went to the highest peak of the highest mountain and got some more pictures! Finally we ended up at a Taverna, which was just so incredibly beautiful, with the vines wrapped all around the architecture. We had some appetizers and such and just enjoyed the time there. Then we headed back to the ship and that was that.

A few ports in between that we stopped at were Katakolon (where I took a tour Ancient Olympia which was awesome. And took a pic on the first ever Olympic field!), Sorrento, Sicily (which has amazing pizza and lots of steps to reach the town on the top of the cliff), Corfu, Greece (where I toured the Achilleon Palace, which has some beautiful gardens and views and walked around the main town square area), Kotor, Montenegro (wasn't there for too long but did get off and take lots of pictures and couldn't get over how amazing the scenery was, plus my Pastor from my church in NYC is from there so I was even more excited to visit), Sarande, Albania (where I took a tour of the Monastery, Blue Eye Park (which was this Spring which was deep blue and absolutely gorgeous) and also this Castle on the top of this mountain with views you only see in postcards!), Koper, Slovenia (walked around here by myself and was really pleasantly surprised with the area. Though it was completely different from the morning when it was dreary to the afternoon when the sun came out. Suddenly everyone brought out there children and the atmosphere completely changed!) .

The shows are going great! I still just love having it be a daily routine to either rehearse a show, work out for a show, or full out perform one! I just get such a kick out of it! The audiences seem to really enjoy them which is always a nice little bonus for us. I have been trying to send you some clips I took from the shows, but since my internet connection is so slow i have decided to export the file in a lesser quality format, just so that you can get a taste of what I am doing aboard all of these months. I will send it off as soon as I can. God is just so amazing to have given me this opportunity! It truly is such a miracle that I am here doing what I love and seeing so many amazing places! Only thing is that I wish all of you could be here to share it with me....who knows...maybe one day you will be!

So that is about it for now. Hope you all feel like you are caught up now. In about a week, we are changing up our itinerary and going to Egypt, so YES I AM EXCITED! And also in a week David is flying over to Barcelona to get on his ship and start his adventures! YAY! I am beyond thrilled for him and I can't wait to hear all about his journey. Feel free to give him a call and wish him luck (he leaves on June 1st) I can't wait to be in the same time zone as him again!!! Oh the things I used to take for granted lol

I love you all and I miss you guys every day. Email/leave voicemails/ etc. whenever you can.
I love hearing how you are doing.

Have a fantabulous day!!!

Lotz o' hugs,
Jessica

FRANCE, SPAIN, ITALY, SICILY & the BALKINS

Hello there everyone!!!

So it's been a bit since i have written so I'm going to do my best to give a "brief" summary of what's been going on here.

So to update...
We arrived in Malaga, Spain, which I found out my Mother visited years ago. I find out something new about her all the time. It was beautiful and some friends and I climbed up this fort and took many pics along the way. We didn't have a chance to visit the Picasso Museum and his home there, but maybe next time.
Next up was France, Marseilles, which was absolutely picturesque, and Monte Carlo, Monaco, which was something in a league of it's own. Tried my first taste of real French caviar, and thoroughly disliked it! lol In Monte Carlo, some friends and I had an interesting time finding our way to the supermarket (which ended up being in a mountain, down an elevator, & through a tunnel with lighted rocks), as well as to the famous Casino. We didn't want to pay 10 euros a piece to actually go in to the gambling area of the casino, so we just went inside and looked around the lobby. It was breathtaking! The ceiling had a beautiful mural on it and all of the molding was so ornate. Unfortunately we had to give up our cameras and couldn't take any pics, so you'll just have to take my word on it's appearance, until you can visit it yourself. We also walked on the Formula 1 Track that is there, which was so cool! I only know that race from all of the racing video games I used to play, so it was very cool seeing it in person.
Next we sailed to Italy! We visited Livorno, Pisa, Rome and Sorrento. I had the amazing opportunity of seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa! I walked all the way up it and of course took pics of me holding up the structure, from the lawn below. In Rome, I saw the Colosseum and the Forum which was spectacular. Just imaging all of the people who had walked where I was walking, like the apostle Paul, was amazing! I literally couldn't take it all in. Sorrento was beautiful and it is where I tried my first piece of true Italian pizza! It was delicious, and the pineapples I put on top made it even better!
Next up was Taormina, Sicily. This town is absolutely beautiful and I couldn't get enough of it. I walked around and stumbled upon a huge horse show that was going on along the beach! I was stunned! I wanted my Mom and Yuliya and my friend Helen to be there soooo badly! And the craziest part was that they were all ARABIANS!!! I took lots of pics and videos and tried to capture all of it's magnificence.
Then we went somewhere that I have been wanting to go for so long...GREECE! We sailed into Katakolon, Greece and I took a tour to see Ancient Olympia. Seeing Zeus' Temple, the Olympic Field, the structure where they light the torch, was just awesome! Oh and that was the day that I was the last person on the ship (again) even though I showed up 20 mins before it was All Aboard! And as soon as I got on, everyone was asking where I was for the remainder of the night. It was ridiculous. I guess I should plan on being there 30 mins before all aboard from now on! lol Oh the predicaments I get myself into!
So then we went to Corfu, Greece where I did a tour in the morning of the Achilleon Palace and the town itself. I was not feeling the best during the beginning of that tour, but after seeing the beautiful gardens and the view from the palace, I woke up a bit. The town was very quaint....fully equipped with a McDonalds! lol Then that afternoon we sailed to Sarande, Albania (which is literally 15 miles across the water from Corfu) where I escorted another tour (it was a long day) to a Monastery, Lecuresi Castle, and Blue Eye Park. Many warned us before we arrived not to go out on our own in the town, due to crime and such. So I was glad I took the tour. We went to the other side of the town, way up in the mountains, and had the most beautiful views! It was just a whole different world. We had an extra guide with us, so she sat in the back with me and I got to ask her any questions I wanted about the country. It was like i had my own private tour :) Blue Eye Park was beautiful with a very blue spring, but the roads leading to it were very narrow and curvy along the mountains, which was a bit unnerving beings that we were in a 45 passenger Coach Bus. But the best part was the Castle! I couldn't take enough pics!
So almost up to date...
Yesterday morning we arrived in Kotor, Montenegro. The landscape is absolutely stunning, and I was just beside myself, since my pastor in NYC is form there and talks about his visits there all the time. I couldn't believe I was there! Next time we are there I hope to take a tour and find out some of it's history. Then we sailed to Dubrovnik, Croatia, but unfortunately due to my schedule I could not get off the boat and look around. No worries though, we'll be back in about a week and then in a couple months or so. From my view, it is a beautiful port and I heard some rave reviews about it.

So now we are sailing to .....VENICE, ITALY!!! I am very excited to see Venice, and the best part is that we visit here pretty often so I will have plenty of time to take tours as well as wander around on my own. I am determined to ride in a Gondola while I am there! I know, very touristy, but hey, I gotta do it!

We have our Broadway in Concert show tonight, so wish us luck! The new singer, Ellery, who is replacing the girl who quit back in March, arrived about a week ago and is doing very well.

David has his senior recital (his big solo performance) on the 18th of this month so keep him in your prayers! And then he graduates on May 8th!!!! I am sooooo excited for him and I wish that I could be there to celebrate those special days with him. But we are staying positive and counting down the days until we see one another in GREECE! Not too shabby! lol It is crazy that the place I always dreamed about going with him "someday", we're now getting PAID to visit! lol GOD IS SOOOO AWESOME!!!

So all is well here and I couldn't be more thankful for this opportunity. God is revealing more and more of Himself to me every passing day and I am enjoying His presence wherever I go. Because even if all of you can not be here with me, I know that God has and will continue to be with me, every step of the way. So if you ever find yourself worrying about how I am doing...just remember that your Dad, and mine, has me in the palm of His hand.

I love you guys!!!

Lotz o' hugs,
Jessica

HAPPY EASTER!!

Hello everyone!

How are you? I hope you are doing very well this day. I apologize for not having written in 2 or so weeks. I just wanted to give you a brief update on things this side of the Atlantic. But first I want to wish all of you a very Happy Easter !!! I hope that it is a truly joyous occasion wherever you are and that you welcome the Holy Spirit to do a work in you this day that completely catches you off guard and gives you a fresh perspective. And turn up your worship a few notches for me at church!!

So after our short afternoon in Ft. Lauderdale, where I had the chance to see some members of my wonderful family, we began our trek across the ocean. The weather was beautiful for the crossing, but I must admit that I was very relieved to step foot in Bermuda, which was our first stop, and even more relieved to see Portugal, which was our port after 6 sea days. My body clock still doesn't know which way is up due to going 6 hrs forward, and I have had a few restless nights, but I'll settle soon. We arrived in Cadiz, Spain today and I can officially say that I am in Europe! How cool is that?! I am so excited for the ports coming up and am going to take advantage of as many tours as I possibly can. I did have the chance to escort a tour today where we visited Seville, including the Cathedral and Reales Alcazares. It was magnificent and I took almost 150 pics and some video! lol Still hasn't hit me that I am going to be seeing so many historic sites, so I am just taking it day by day. Unfortunately my magic jack has been on the fritz for a few days so I apologize for not calling, and very sadly not being able to make any calls tomorrow, for easter :( I am trying my best to fix it (If anyone has a MAC and has any idea why this would happen let me know: when I plug it into the USB port, either one, the icon comes up and then when I click on it, instead of bringing me the dial pad screen, it says that "This disc was not ejected properly...etc." as if I just took the jack out)
Anyways, we will be in Malaga, Spain tomorrow, but I am not sure how much of the city I will see do to rehearsal for the show tom. night and duties and such. But I'm sure I will get off the boat for a bit and do some sight seeing. So in regards to my online album...I apologize for not updating it. It disappeared from my Picasa program, but is still online, so i am trying to sync it again so I can keep adding pics daily. I will let you know when I have it back up and running.

So that is it for now. I miss all of you all the time and hope to hear from you soon! Email anytime!

Lotz o' hugs,
Jessica