The last two weeks have been a whirlwind. Whew, between training a new photographer on the team and saying goodbye to Theo, I am just now settling back into a normal life. Since we left off, I have competed in an Uno tournament, tried Poi (Hawaiian specialty), witnessed the most awkward wedding in the history of weddings, survived a sinus infection, and went to NCL's prom. As usual, my life is one event after another, with a little time to sleep and eat in between!
Theo and I started June off in the best way we found possible, do the tourist thing. Rather than going to the local dives we know and love, we headed straight through the busy gift shops occupied by all the tourists and grabbed lunch at Bubba Gumps. When lunch was finished we both agreed we had saved just enough room for a small dessert, and the mud slide pie sounded like the perfect little tasty treat. Much to our surprise, the mud slide pie is practically the size of a wedding cake! We tried our best to demolish the mountain of delicious, but when our stomachs began cramping from sugar overload, we set the spoons down and claimed a victory for our taste buds, but a defeat in the eyes of the clean plate club.
Saturday I worked all day long and caught up with Kaleo and Theo for dinner at the sushi restaurant on board. We spent two hours feasting on sashimi platters and sushi rolls. When the three of us are together, I refer to us as the Triple Trouble Trio. There is always guaranteed laughter and hours of fun to be had when the three of us are in the same room.
The next day I was the photographer for a vow renewal. The husband was surprising the wife for their 35th anniversary. He took her on a walk around the ship and they "just happened" to stumble into the chapel on the exact minute they were married 35 years before. There we stood ready for the ceremony. The wife burst into tears of joy for all the work her husband had put into planning such a surprise. After a very emotional, very loving ceremony, we all shared cake and celebrated the moment. I then took the couple out for a private shoot around the ship. It was a blessing spending time with them as the week went on and being a part of their special moment.
That night we headed to Kihei's Life's a Beach for karaoke. Theo wowed the crowds with his vocal skills. My boss followed up with his rendition of "Jesse's Girl." Then it was my coworker Eric's turn. He poured his heart into this ballad that seemed to be never ending. At one point the crowd started booing because the song just kept going, and going, and going. He finally walked off stage before the song was even over, because even he couldn't make it to the end. We were all able to laugh about it the next day, and we still give Eric a hear time for picking the longest song in history.
For those of you who don't know me, there are a few things you should know before you continue reading. First of all, I tend to be a person that orders the menu items that are pictured in the menu, or whatever I saw advertised on TV. I am a sucker for those visual advertisements. Also, my three favorite foods are sushi, green beans, and Kraft macaroni and cheese. It has to be that blue box of Kraft, because as the advertisements tell you, it is the cheesiest. Okay, tangent over, continue reading.
Our next trip to Kona lead Theo and I to a little beach side restaurant called LuLu's. I immediately knew it would be a good place to eat when I saw the walls were plastered in dollar bills and there were blow fish hanging from the ceiling. As I opened the menu at LuLu's I feasted my eyes on the burger of all burgers, the "Mac Daddy." This menu item (complete with picture) described the delicious half pound burger topped with, wait for it, Kraft macaroni and cheese. This was the best burger I have ever eaten because it was topped with my one of my favorite foods, and it was plenty filling. Best of all, I wasn't even upset when stuff fell out of the other end of the overstuffed burger while eating because I knew that I would just have a plate of macaroni at the end!
The next day we joined Peter on the beach for some fun in the sun. It was the guy's last chance to catch some Hawaiian rays before leaving for vacation. They soaked up the sun and dove in the blue green water as well before calling it a night.
Theo is off on the adventure of a lifetime that started in Honolulu, and over the course of eight weeks, he will travel to Dallas, New York, Barcelona, Paris, London, and wherever else his little traveling heart takes him. I am super excited and very jealous of his adventures, and I have been collecting friends to fill all of the time we normally spend together! So here I sit, in Starbucks, continuing with these adventures and memories of a lifetime, and making plans to live in a tree house on one of the islands, Swiss Family Robinson style!
Saturday I worked all day long and caught up with Kaleo and Theo for dinner at the sushi restaurant on board. We spent two hours feasting on sashimi platters and sushi rolls. When the three of us are together, I refer to us as the Triple Trouble Trio. There is always guaranteed laughter and hours of fun to be had when the three of us are in the same room.The next day I was the photographer for a vow renewal. The husband was surprising the wife for their 35th anniversary. He took her on a walk around the ship and they "just happened" to stumble into the chapel on the exact minute they were married 35 years before. There we stood ready for the ceremony. The wife burst into tears of joy for all the work her husband had put into planning such a surprise. After a very emotional, very loving ceremony, we all shared cake and celebrated the moment. I then took the couple out for a private shoot around the ship. It was a blessing spending time with them as the week went on and being a part of their special moment.
That night we headed to Kihei's Life's a Beach for karaoke. Theo wowed the crowds with his vocal skills. My boss followed up with his rendition of "Jesse's Girl." Then it was my coworker Eric's turn. He poured his heart into this ballad that seemed to be never ending. At one point the crowd started booing because the song just kept going, and going, and going. He finally walked off stage before the song was even over, because even he couldn't make it to the end. We were all able to laugh about it the next day, and we still give Eric a hear time for picking the longest song in history.
For those of you who don't know me, there are a few things you should know before you continue reading. First of all, I tend to be a person that orders the menu items that are pictured in the menu, or whatever I saw advertised on TV. I am a sucker for those visual advertisements. Also, my three favorite foods are sushi, green beans, and Kraft macaroni and cheese. It has to be that blue box of Kraft, because as the advertisements tell you, it is the cheesiest. Okay, tangent over, continue reading.
Our next trip to Kona lead Theo and I to a little beach side restaurant called LuLu's. I immediately knew it would be a good place to eat when I saw the walls were plastered in dollar bills and there were blow fish hanging from the ceiling. As I opened the menu at LuLu's I feasted my eyes on the burger of all burgers, the "Mac Daddy." This menu item (complete with picture) described the delicious half pound burger topped with, wait for it, Kraft macaroni and cheese. This was the best burger I have ever eaten because it was topped with my one of my favorite foods, and it was plenty filling. Best of all, I wasn't even upset when stuff fell out of the other end of the overstuffed burger while eating because I knew that I would just have a plate of macaroni at the end!
The next day we joined Peter on the beach for some fun in the sun. It was the guy's last chance to catch some Hawaiian rays before leaving for vacation. They soaked up the sun and dove in the blue green water as well before calling it a night.Theo is off on the adventure of a lifetime that started in Honolulu, and over the course of eight weeks, he will travel to Dallas, New York, Barcelona, Paris, London, and wherever else his little traveling heart takes him. I am super excited and very jealous of his adventures, and I have been collecting friends to fill all of the time we normally spend together! So here I sit, in Starbucks, continuing with these adventures and memories of a lifetime, and making plans to live in a tree house on one of the islands, Swiss Family Robinson style!
Totally ate at that burger joint on my one day off! Sooo yummy!
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