Yes it has!

We had a few meetings/briefings today but it seems that they have started to slow a bit which is great. Since arriving, we've learned a ton about the ship and some stuff about the locations we are going to. Unfortunately since there was so much information given at one time, I only retained a little bit of the information. Perhaps it's the stuff I was awake to hear (sorry Mr. Mares) that I have retained. We are prepping to start gigging at location Numero Uno or should I say Nombre Un??...we prepped our gear to get ready to palletize it in the morning (and by we I mean the brass group since I'm not gigging). The specifics of gear prep is crazy but it is the lay of the land when so many organizations need to funnel through one point. Without all of the prep and specifics laid out in A..B..C..1..2..3.. order, things would certainly be chaotic. I was highly impressed with our country brief today. Everything was laid out just right and flowed so smoothly...just like BUTTA BABY! Let's just hope it goes that way on move day....and if it's not perfect, I hope we can all learn what may work better in the days to come and avoid the aggravation that comes with stressful situations....Move day #1 promises to be a definite learning experience!

Unfortunately since some of our gigs fell through, I don't have any performances ashore this tine. Buuuttt....I scored some performance opportunities for Aaron (our guitarist) and I on the ship. Most likely he and and I will do some duo stuff playing for the inbound patients and perhaps for some of the crew as they disembark. I haven't yet nailed them down, but pretty soon we should have some in our back pockets. I'm excited about what he and I will put together...it will definitely be diverse and exciting, cool and full of thought....

On a different note...Today I must bid farewell to something I will never see again....my twenties. I don't look at it as turning thirty. I'm actually turning 20-10 so I guess I'm not really saying goodbye to my twenties...I'm just saying hello to 20 plus a double digit:) I'm happy that I'm gonna be thirty. Often I've heard people whine about turning thirty....what's the big deal? Why's it such a downer? I'm not looking at it as getting older...I'm just getting better at having birthdays! It would be a lie if I said that I wasn't doing anything special for my birthday because I am. I am a part of something so much bigger than me. And while I won't celebrate with the traditional cake and ice cream, a trip to my favorite restaurant and perhaps a cocktail, I'm cool with that. I am getting a much better gift than a pair of new earrings, bracelet, or massage at my local spa. I am getting a gift that will last much longer than the taste of that birthday cake, meal or margarita...a gift that will shine much brighter than the crystals in my Swarovski earrings or bracelet...and long after the relaxation of my massage wears off, I will have memories of my experiences here. What I gain from this experience will far exceed the pleasure any store bought gift will bring me. Here's to a birthday I will never forget~

Thanks for stopping by....
Keisha