I'm On A Boat - Part Deux

Now that I've had a little more time to process the big event of Friday the 13th of August I have to say that there may not be any amount of processing that will have me comprehending that I will be getting on a boat with the New Kids on the Block. I may not believe it until I am walking on to the Carnival Destiny....which I will not be doing for another 8 1/2 months.

So until then, I will keep myself occupied with copious amounts of cruise research and the inadvertent memorization of KTSummer's blog. I will drive my friends crazy with emails regarding flights to Miami and questions about what we should do and how we should do it. I will make the most of our long preparation period and love that I have time to let my imagination run wild with thoughts of every possible scenario. I will enoy the ramp-up to the cruise almost as much as the actual cruise itself, I'm sure.

I love that time before something really, really exciting, the time where there are butterflies in your stomach and your heart seems to buzz in your chest every time you think about the upcoming event. It's so fun to daydream about what might happen and plan for what will happen. Mentally packing and unpacking my suitcase and planning outfits can keep me entertained for...well, hopefully 8 1/2 months. Ha ha! Wondering what the themes will be and what the events will be is like a playground for my already over-active imagination. Who am I kidding? Playground? More like Six Flags. And knowing that nothing that I can imagine short of...well, something naughty...will measure up to what will actually be? AMAZING.

I can't wait to meet more fans. There are so many of you that I know from Twitter, and have known for...wow...years now, that I have never actually met face to face. I can't wait for that. Honey Dips, you know I will be looking for you on that boat, ladies! We have shared too many virtual laughs to not share actual laughs. Tori, I owe you a Vegas-sized drink! And we have to be able to have an actual chat, not just a screamed "hello" in the middle of Rain.

I can't wait to lay on a beach in the Bahamas! I mean, really. The pictures alone are ridiculous. I can't imagine what it will be like to have that gorgeous sand between my toes and that beautiful water stretched out in front of me. On top of it all, not only do I get to see it, I get to swim in it? SHUT UP!

I can't wait to go on a cruise! I've never been on one and have been dying to go for years. I can't wait to swim in a pool in a boat in the ocean. I want to see the buffet and have dinner in the dining room (if we ever get there). I want be rocked to sleep by the ocean, gently anyway. I'm dorkily excited for the towel animals and intrigued to see how three of us are going to fit in one tiny little cabin, especially after seeing how much we packed for Vegas.

I can't wait to vacation with two of my NKOTBFFs. I love, love, love spending time with the amazing people in my life. The more I get to surround myself with the people I am connected to, the happier I am. The two ladies that I am lucky enough to be on this cruise with are both very special. And, while I am sad that we will be 3/4s of what we should be, I am so, so glad I get to share this experience with at least part of the whole.

Did I miss anything? Oh, I can't wait to party on a boat with the New Kids! Who's with me?

I'm On A Boat

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I'm going on the boat. I am so excited. All of the nerves and stress and were worth it. I'm going on the cruise with two of my NKOTBFFs!

To Cruise Or Not To Cruise, That Is The Question...Again

So, here I am, staring another cruise ticket sale in the face. (I also think it's ironic that my last post was the day that the last cruise docked.... Less than 3 months ago, FYI.) I am staring at this sale date with mixed emotions and a little anxiety. Who am I kidding? A lot of anxiety. Dude, it's a lot of money to spend for a boat ride with some boys.

But, here's what. I passed on the cruise two years in a row. The first year I was just not sure how it was going to be. Was it going to be four days of craziness? Four days of being pushed around because of someone else's hopes of getting Face Time? Four days of shrieks and shouts ringing in my ears? Four days of sea-sickness and misery? So, I passed. I thought that it would be my worst nightmare and left it at that.

The next year I decided at the eleventh hour that I just didn't have the money. And what money I did have was better spent elsewhere. It didn't make sense as a (somewhat) responsible adult to put that much money toward four days of frivolity. So, I passed again.

I regretted it both times. I wished I was there for the games and the shows. I wished I had seen Donnie "pull the cream" or play poker. I wish I had seen Jon sing at the deck party. I wish I had seen Joe's performance in the piano bar. I wished I was on the beach, laying by the pool, chillin' in the hot tub. I wished I was at the bar or running around the Lido Deck. Both years, I wished I was on the boat. I even tried clicking my heels together three times, but I guess I just didn't have the right shoes on.

This year, I know not to regret. Yes, I may wish that I put that money towards something else, a bill or groceries. But, that regret will not be as strong as the regret that I didn't go.

Thus, I begin my Cruise Ride.

Hopefully I get on the boat.