I just got off the ship after spending 11 days with Russ and had such a great time. I've ridden the ship twice before, but this was my longest trip. During my visit we went to 5 different ports and I was able to see more of what his job is like and see the inner workings on what goes on from port to port. Russ's work/sleep schedule was a bit different than my normal schedule but I did my best to get on his schedule in order to spend as much time together as possible. It was so great to be able to just enjoy time together and not have to worry about cooking, cleaning, or pretty much anything. It was like a vacation for me to just eat, sleep, and spend time with him. Even though Russ and I talk/email frequently when we're apart, I still felt like I had so much to tell him and catch him up on. I showed him my latest sonogram pictures, we listened to baby's heartbeat with the fetal doppler together, we talked about baby furniture, and spent some time with Ben too.
While we were out at sea, I found it to be so peaceful to be surrounded by the ocean, far away from the hustle and bustle of everything on land. One night during Russ's watch I tried to capture the beautiful night sky but it was too dark out. It was such a beautiful night that night......bright full moon reflecting off the ocean, lots of stars scattered across the sky, a nice breeze, the smell of the salty ocean in the air.....it was perfect. Then there were nights of thick fog and cloudy skies; it seemed to vary every night. One night it was super windy. We had winds of up to 59.3 knots that made the ship tilt pretty far under its force, which was a little scary but also thrilling at the same time.
Even though I was on the ship a good while it seemed to just fly by! When it was time for me to get off the ship and say goodbye, it was really hard. Russ arranged for a cab to take me to the airport for my flight home and he rode with me. I really appreciated him riding with me since it gave us a little bit longer to be together. I was happy to take every minute I could. It's looking like his next trip is going to be a long one. My visit with him on the ship though renewed my spirit and will help me get through the next couple months while he's gone. There was one more U.S. port on the schedule after I got off the ship so we were able to talk on the phone (without having to pay for phone cards--yippee!!) for a couple more days which was really nice---it's the little things :)
When my flight arrived in Atlanta my parents were there to pick me up. It was so comforting to see their faces. It's so nice that mom and dad are going to be here for six months because of my dad's job. And within that six months they'll help keep me busy while Russ is gone, they'll get to spend time with Russ when he gets back, they'll be here for the arrival of their first grandbaby, and still be around a little after baby arrives. The timing couldn't be more perfect!
Here are some pictures of my time aboard the ship:
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| Russ, Ben, and Matt....Ben was relieving Matt on the ship as the 3rd Mate. |
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| Russ's fu man chu in honor of Scott and Abby's wedding. |
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| hanging out in Russ's room |
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| night view from the ship's bridge |
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| windy day at sea.....it's blowing Russ's curly hair straight! |
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| at one of the ports....we were really close to the interstate (you can see the billboards along it) |
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| the ship (taken from the bridge wing) |
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| never thought I'd see a heart on the ship |
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| saw some beautiful waterfront homes as we arrived at one of the ports |
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| the ship's bridge (where the boys stand their watch) |
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| me at the helm....watch out!! |
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| beautiful view off of the bridge wing |
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| Ben handing over the night watch to Russ while at port |
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| another picture while out to sea.....less windy this time |
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tugboat
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| that's Matt on the far left demonstrating lifejacket donning procedures...nice! |
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| riding down the ship's elevator on our way to the airport |
