baby #1

Well, it officially happened.  I had my first causality to the sea….my camera.  I was coming back from the well-head platform on Tuesday and as I handed my backpack to the deck hand, I saw it all happen in slow motion.  I hadn’t pushed my camera all the way into the outside pocket, and PLOP it was gone.  I’m actually surprised it took this long for something of mine to disappear into the deep ocean blue.  I’m typically a pretty clumsy person, BUT it’s a really big deal when you drop things around here because people working below you could be impacted.  Luckily, it’s just the fish and the whales that may have gotten bonked in the head…      

I’m sad to say that I spoke too soon.  The food has gone from dare-I-say great, to below where we started in the first place.  Wednesday night it was pork belly stew, what?  Needless to say, I’ve been relying pretty heavily on my protein bars and cup-o-noodles. 

I’m super proud of my inner ear because our barge has been REALLY moving for several different reasons (mooring line drama, anchors, weather, etc), and I am NOT seasick (knocking on wood)!  I have taken zero motion sickness drugs, and I’m not spinning at all.  This is seriously a BIG deal.

In other news…..WE’VE GOT A BABY!!!!  Brooklyn LaRue Kennedy made her debut early Friday morning.  And thank goodness because I’ve been so exhausted waiting on her….I think her sweet mom and dad were probably a bit exhausted too ;)  So, baby #1 of 5 (that I know of) has arrived...2016 is going to be a great year!  

This week’s verse is in honor of Brooklyn, and happens to be one of my favorites….

The LORD bless you, and keep you: The LORD make his face shine on you, and be gracious to you: The LORD lift up his countenance on you, and give you peace.  Numbers 6:24-26

I mean, how perfect is that face??

This one actually melted my heart...

19 days down, 9 to go!  xoxo…

cookies, bbq and hope

Exciting news from the Camelot….there’s a new camp boss in town!  Camp boss is the head honcho who is in charge of how everything runs on the accommodations barge.  He manages everything from the staff to the boat repairs to the cleaning, and most importantly the FOOD.  Naturally, I’ve become good friends with the new boss, Martin, and it’s a good thing because he and I see eye-to-eye on the necessity of sweets after meals.  I actually had to tell him NOT to bring me cookies yesterday because I’d had 3-4 every day this week and my pants were starting to feel a little snug….

On that note, they'll be even snugger today because I'll be having lunch on the drilling rig!  Sunday is BBQ day, which I've heard is beyond amazing.  So, naturally, I've convinced the commissioning guys to get things arranged to an afternoon on the wellhead platform.  Not sure how productive we will be in our post-BBQ food coma, but it'll be worth it. 

My week has been a complete disaster, but the good(ish) kind of disaster that makes time go by really, really fast.  I have consistently been a day behind all week.  The only reason I know today is Sunday is because I was sitting in my office at 5:45 this morning and it was eerily silent….then it dawned on me that everyone was upstairs at the weekly safety meeting, whoops! 

I think it’s been so crazy because I have been staying up WAY past my 9pm bedtime googling.  I’m a pretty big googler in general because I’m constantly planning my next rotation off and figuring out where in the world I want to go.  For some reason lately I’ve been REALLY into researching for a few trips I’ve got coming up this year.  I do have a theory as to why my brain has been focused on googling fun stuff into the wee hours of the night……I brought two study books to work with me (that weigh about 15 lbs) with the intent of starting to casually study for my Professional Engineering exam in the evenings after dinner.  Needless to day, that has yet to happen...

My mind has also been back home all week thinking about Chad and his family as they prepare to say goodbye to his grandmother.  It’s hard to comfort someone from afar because words are just words, but I pray that he remembers to continue to find hope in sorrow. 

Most of the general labor workforce out here is Filipino, and they are some of the most God-fearing people in the world.  Each Sunday they hold a small mass (all in Filipino) that is really beautiful.  It's inspired me to at the very least take some time to read some scripture to kick off the week.  This week is a simple reminder that there is hope in our future...

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.   Jeremiah 29:11

I’m also a littttle distracted because there is some SUPER exciting news just around the corner for two of my dearest friends – Jenna and Wesley are expecting their baby girl any day now!!!  Today is technically her due date, but she’s being quite stubborn and not wanting to make her debut just yet.  They’ve got the 28^th as her eviction date – ready or not :)

We had one day of torrential downpour, which was, of course, the day I had taken a boat over to the wellhead platform and had to boat transfer in the pouring rain - yikes.  Other than that it’s been sunny and incredibly hot, just fine with me!  

12 days down, 16 to go!  xoxo…

give thanks

I'm back on the boat after probably one of the best months off that I've had since I started rotating.  I not only got to see both sides of my wonderful family, but I also got to have (almost) a full 3 weeks with Chad :)  Plus it was Christmas, New Years, AND MusicFest!  

I think it's safe to say that 2015 has probably been my busiest year yet.  After 34 (or so) flights, 10 countries, and 1 job change, I am ready for 2016!  On New Years Day, we went to Nana and Papa's house for New Year's lunch to fill up on black eyed peas and cabbage with hope of good luck and wealth in 2016.  After lunch I ran to Papa's bathroom before walking home, and noticed something that has probably been there for years that I'd never noticed before.  There is a little sticker at the top of the mirror that is a verse from 1 Thessalonians.  I must admit that it originally caught my eye because the verse is 5:18 - which is my birthday (May 18th) - but it's the words that stuck...

"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 
-1 Thessalonians 5:18

What a wonderful reminder as we kick off a new year!  I find myself so often (especially in recent years) focusing on the bad and constantly finding things to complain about.  I'm in need of a change, and this verse is just the shift I needed.  No matter where you are in life, you are right God intends you to be, which means you are right where you need to be.  This has been too easy for me to forget while on a boat in the ocean 8,000 miles from home.  I think I'll take yet another lesson from my sweet Papa and make myself a little sticker to put on my bathroom mirror!

Sadly, Chad's sweet grandmother passed away on Monday night.  I feel so incredibly lucky to have met and spent time with her over the past few years, even though on one occasion she thought I was just a super nice flower-delivery girl ;)  It kills me that I am not home, but I am thankful that I got to spend time with her and can rest assured that she is completely at peace.   

Luckily, my transition back onto the boat has been much smoother than expected.  Even though I slept ZERO hours on the flight back to work (it was a super bumpy ride), I got my sea legs in about a day rather than the weeks it took me to adjust last time I got on the boat.  I was so nervous that I was going to be seasick like I was when I got out here last time, but so far so good.  I did come back with a pretty gnarly cold and I have been loaded up on cold meds every day since I left, so I’m thinking that’s helped with the boat movement as well.   

5 days down, 23 to go!  xoxo...