coast to coast

Is it really already mid-March??  As usual, my 4 weeks off went by VERY quickly.  I actually hit 3 different time zones this trip going from central to pacific to central to east coast and back to central.  I'm still not sure I know what timezone I'm supposed to be in ;)  

I got back and headed straight to California for a weekend on the central coast that couldn’t have been more beautiful!  We celebrated Chad’s best friend’s 30^th birthday in Santa Barbara.  70’s and sunny in February, you really can’t ask for much more!  We headed back to Bakersfield for a day, and then down to Pasadena where Chad had a week of training.  He worked, I shopped, which I didn't mind one bit!

Santa Barbara with my babe

I had to make a pit stop in Dallas to see Nana, Papa, Jim, and Bettie – the parents and Dusty too!  I also got to see my sweet friend, Lauren’s, growing baby bump, which was extra special because I had to miss her baby shower.  I can’t believe that she’s going to be here in less than two months!    And of course, I got in some quality time napping on my parent’s couch ;)

Cute little artist!

Finished product!

I somehow conned my parents into spending a weekend in Houston, mostly to help me clean out some of my stuff.  It’s amazing how things just pile up.  We made a few successful trips to Goodwill and the dump.  Amazingly, I still have a completely full closet...I guess I still have some work to do! 

No roadtrip is complete without a stop at Buccee's!

After Houston, I headed to Atlanta to be a part of Natalie and Jeremy’s wedding celebration!  I flew into Atlanta a day early to spend some time with my college roommate, Julie, who I hadn’t seen in FAR too long!  I had big plans of exploring Atlanta on Thursday afternoon, but once I got to Julie’s beautiful apartment, the rain started pouring down, and I didn’t move from her couch.  We ordered in pizza and had wonderful a night in catching up on life.

Friday morning the clouds parted, the sun came out and the wedding weekend officially began with manicures and bridesmaid’s luncheon.  Then we knocked out the rehearsal and loaded up on tacos and margaritas at the rehearsal dinner.  Before I knew it we were getting ready for the ceremony!  It was a gorgeous ceremony and reception, I just didn't want my time with Natalie's family and friends to end so I basically invited Chad and myself to a family brunch Sunday morning...sorry Wagner's!  The weekend went by so quickly, and I still can't decide if it's better or worse to have a great weekend before leaving for work.  It's great because (obviously) I love spending time with family and friends, but it also makes it that much harder to leave.   

   

Rehearsal dinner with the bride-to-be

Gorgeous wedding venue...Pap's house!

Mrs. Sosa

So now I’m back on the boat getting up to speed.  There’s been a LOT of change on the platforms in the past 4 weeks.  We (almost) finished up the living quarters building, and have our first occupants!  There are about 40 people living in the building now, and we are scheduled to ramp up to 175 occupants by May.  The real benefit to this is that the kitchen on the platform is up and running, including the ice cream machine!   Our ops guys have been raving about the food and how much better it is than the Camelot, so naturally I had to find a way to get an invitation to come over.  I did get a little spoiled this week and had TWO breakfasts in the building.  I still haven’t sampled the cream yet, but I have that on my to-do list for next week.

2016 has been a bit of a stressful year for many of my friends and colleagues.  Mainly in part to the low price of oil and the constant worry about tomorrow.  There is so much that is out of our control with governments and politics, and it's so easy to constantly be anxious and worry over if we will wake up tomorrow and no longer have a job to go to.  The biggest worry is that right now there is no end in sight, which makes it difficult to ensure yourself and others that everything will be okay.  All we can do is be thankful for today and pray for tomorrow.  I think that Matthew 6:34 sums things up just perfectly...  

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:34

5 days down, 23 to go!  xoxo…

PS:  GOOD NEWS!  The internet has somehow picked up a bit, so I was able to upload pictures :)  Hopefully it will stay strong and I will have more to come...

professor

So I’ve been having this problem with leaving pens in my pockets and sending them off to the laundry.  Unfortunately, I don’t have my mom here shaking out my clothes before throwing them into the wash, so as a result I’ve got quite a few ruined articles of clothing.  The problem is that my clothing selection is very slim out here, so I just wear ink stained shirts and pants.  It’s amazing how many people ask if I know that there are gigantic splotches of ink of my shirts – helloooo, obviously I know.  I feel like those nutty professors who are always covered in chalk or have pen stains on their shirt pockets. 

In other news, I’m finally fulfilling my dream to be a teacher, kind of.  Two of the Koreans that I work pretty closely with think that my accent is very easy to understand and asked if I would sit with them a few times a week to just talk.  Naturally, I was very flattered and agreed immediately.  The only problem is that we all have meetings and whatnot until around 8PM depending on the day, so we aren’t getting together to talk until 8:45-9PM and we talk for an hour or so – WAY past my bedtime.  But these guys are just amazing and have such a desire to learn that I can’t say no to use being tired as an excuse.  One of the guys, YK, showed me a video of his 10-year old daughter playing the piano (which was phenomenal) and said that she is working on reading English books, so “he must know too.”  He said that she is his motivation in life.  I mean, how precious is that.    

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to act of love and good works…”  Hebrews  10:24

…Speaking of motivation, I’ve got one full day of work left before I jump on a boat and head back to land to start my journey home, so as usual, it’s been a litttttle difficult to focus on anything today.  Everyone that works here coming from the states takes the same flight from Houston to Luanda, and we all get a confirmation email a few days before the flight.  Getting that email is like coming into the light at the end of the tunnel – we are almost there :) 

26 days down, 2 to go!  xoxo…

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...

butterflies

I always get up and walk around the ship once or twice before I go into the office.  I do this for several reasons.   The most important being that my hair is usually sopping wet in the morning so walking outside in the heat dries it a little before I go sit in my freezing office.  I also check the bridge to make sure that we are still connected to the platform, meaning I don’t have to get on a boat first thing in the morning (also, very important).  It’s usually really quiet, and there is something incredibly peaceful about being in the middle of the ocean before sunrise.  So I’ve come to love my morning routine, even though I start off hating the sounds of my alarm at 4:47 every morning…

On Monday, I started out with my coffee and walked into (what I thought) was a pack of butterflies.  I have a serious love for butterflies that my mom passed down to me.  For several reasons, I think that butterflies are so special.  At first, I was so happy and enchanted by the sudden appearance of the pack of butterflies.  Then I realized that these flying creatures were NOT butterflies, they were GIGANTIC moths.  Like the size of my palm.  And for some unknown reason they are EVERYWHERE.  I’m assuming that some shipment came in with a bunch of moth larva (disgusting, I know), and as a result they are all over the ship.  I can tell they are dying out, but there are still more floating around than I’d like to see…

Tuesday was another interesting morning.  My walk was interrupted by a torrential downpour.  Normally, I appreciate a little rain.  It makes for a relaxing day, however this was NOT the case on Tuesday.  I typically walk over to the platform every morning between 5:45 and 6 to attend our morning meeting.  So I braved the downpour and ran (literally) across the boat, up the stairs, across the bridge, up the stairs and into the control room.  I arrived to the meeting sopping wet, as did everyone else.  About 45 minutes later I went to go to the bridge and much to my surprise, we were disconnected…whoommppwoompp.  So I stayed on the platform, in the rain, until a boat came and picked us up at 11:30.  I got back, took a hot shower and told announced to everyone (who conveniently didn’t make it across the bridge before it was disconnected) that I wasn’t going back over for the rest of the day.  Queue my newest nickname, sassy.  Which is #3 behind blondie (um, hey guys my hair is red) and pinky (kudos to my pink hard hat). 

So, I am always sharing/exposing stupid and embarrassing things that happen to me, and (sadly) there are so many things that happen to me on a daily basis that I just forget about and they never make my blogs.  Lucky for yall, I had a good one just yesterday, so it's fresh on my mind....I saw two of the mechanical inspectors that I had been meaning to talk to about some insulation of one of the HVAC units (Pa, you would be so proud).  They were walking across the bridge so I caught up with them and started talking about what I needed to see and blah blah blah.  So I talked on and on for about 6 or 8 minutes and occasionally they would nod or at least make eye contact to reflect that they knew what I was talking about.  We got to the bottom of the stairway and one of them goes, Alli, you are speaking about insulation.  I, annoyingly, said yes.  Then he replied, we are electrical inspectors.  Meaning, they are most definitely NOT the two guys that I needed to talk to.  He then proceeded to call me out for thinking that all Koreans look alike (jokingly).  Speechless is an understatement.        
Ooooon another note, I’m finishing up my 15^th rotation (WHAT, crazy?!), and I can say with 100% certainty that this is the MOST excited I’ve been to go home.  I have been soooo antsy, and couldn’t figure out why until a few days ago when it dawned on me that I was working last Christmas and basically bypassed the 2014 holiday season.  I just can’t wait to get back to scarf weather to listen to Christmas music, sit by the fire, EAT, and spend quality time with family and friends :) 

33 days down, 2 to go!  xoxo…  

germs and introductions

Talk about a cesspool, people dropping like flies around here.  There’s a cold going around, and I am determined not to fall victim.  But I’m also mentally prepared to stay well until the day I leave and then get sick (just my luck).  In any case, I’m loading up on the vitamin C, and  any downtime that I have during the day, I just head up to the helideck and soak in some vitamin D to help ward off all the germs floating around here.

This week has FLOWN by, and I know that next week is going to do the same.  I feel like I've just gotten in the groove and now I'm about to leave.  I can honestly say that I've never worked so hard at learning names and faces.  All my counterparts are Korean, and they all have nicknames or initials or family names that they actually go by (TJ, YK, Mr Moon, Mr Park, EK, etc).  To make matters worse, it's virtually impossible to figure out who ANYONE is on the platform.  They all wear the same orange jumpsuit, same yellow hardhat, and usually have their faces covered up with bandannas (sun protection).  I've had countless in depth conversations and walked away not having a clue who I was just talking to.  I actually carry around a notebook just writing down names and little reminders of how to tell them apart when they are all covered up (bandanna color/glove color/safety glasses details).  I've legitimately introduced myself to most everyone at least twice....embarrassing.  

The good news is that when they aren't covered up, I've pretty much got everyone down.  I still have a LOT to figure out on the technical side of things, but I've got my people worked out - which (in my opinion) is the most important thing when it comes to getting stuff done - and knowing who has chocolate ;) 

26 days down, 9 to go!  xoxo…