This Shirt......

Today is the day. We are all in the process of getting up, packing up our things, and heading off to do what I enjoy more than just about anything....going on a cruise. It is a gorgeous day today although cool (70 will be the high in west palm beach). we will board the ship in a couple of hours. Peg got an email this morning from a client who just returned from their cruise (14 days to the panama canal and back). It is always so nice to hear people express their happiness with their vacations. The client described many details of the things she loved, but ended her note to Peg with this:

"Thanks again for all your help in securing our verandah suite. It was a special treat to come to our room everynight and spend time sitting outside enjoying the night and the stars. I will defintely refer any one who asks about cruising to you. I know they will be in good hands."

These words are actually what make Peg's job so fun. Getting constant feedback and appreciation is not something we find in the every day workplace of most jobs.

I used to count the days until vacation and then drink too much for fun. What I really enjoy more these days is time away, relaxation, a chance to work out and try and get back into healthy shape, and going on little adventures doing things I have never done before (scuba diving, deep sea fishing, para-sailing, etc. I have done all 3 of these things in the past 15 months).

This will be a short cruise but a relaxing one. I got my favorite VB.Net book with me and hope to understand all there is to know about ADO.Net on sea days. The 5 days will go fast and before you know it, we will be home. Until then I intend to enjoy each day to the fullest, and appreciate all the moments of the trip. I thought that if I break the 5 days down into moments, it will be a much longer vacation.

I told Peg that when my days are done I would like to have a quilt made of all the cruise ship tee-shirts I now own. I am saving every one of them, even if they get stained with paint, oil, grease (or red wine) they still remain in my dresser. I would like to tell you I remember every one of the islands and all the events but the truth is, I don't. I do remember lots of good times, lots of laughs, and amazing sites in general.....did you ever see a cruise ship clear an overhead bridge on the Chesapeake Bay by 6 feet? We did, we were on it.....another amazing view. It is the people though, that seem to make a difference. It is the people you are with and the people that you meet. Last summer, Peg and I met and had dinner with Una.... from Ireland, who is the HR director for 750 crew members of Grandeur of the Sea....very interesting person. What was really impressive is that she knew every crew member by name and never hesitated to stop and chat with them while walking around the ship.

Well, time to go now....I will end this rant by saying the only problem with making a quilt at this point, is that I do not yet have enough tee shirts. I will add the Celebrity Zenith to my collection this week.....and I want to add many more in the future........but my real hope is that all of you can be with me for some of those future adventures because while the sites and views are amazing, the tee shirts leave marked memories of time spent together with what's really important to me, the people I love so much....