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…  

food.

It’s Thaaaaanksgiving week, so what better topic to cover than food??  To say that I love good food is an understatement; however I do NOT consider myself a foodie.  I don’t know the latest trends, I don’t know how to pronounce names of fancy foods, and I don’t know how to cook, BUT I love a good meal and I will try just about everything (except if it involves raw tomatoes and cantaloupe).  So this week, I decided to document everything that I eat to give you an idea of what hardship I am really going through…

Monday

Breakfast:  oatmeal (side story about this oatmeal...a few months ago I was at work and I decided to go ahead and get on Amazon to stock up on food for my next rotation, so I ordered some Nature's Path Organic flax seed, super good for you oatmeal.  I paid like $30 for 6 boxes, but I didn't really think about it because I just figured it was expensive since it said organic on the label.  Anyways, I got back from work and got to Brian's house where a GIGANTIC box was waiting for me in my online purchases stack.  I opened it to find 6 CASES of oatmeal, which contained 6 boxes each with 8 packets...that's 288 packets of oatmeal.  So yeah, I eat oatmeal everyday.  I eat oatmeal in my room and then bring a quest bar (pretty much the best protein bars you will EVER eat) to my desk to have as a mid-morning snack, but it hardly ever lasts past 8AM.

Lunch:  PIZZA; I LIVE for pizza day.  It’s this simple thin crust (flatbread type) with marinara and cheese.  I have no self-control on pizza day…Monday I ate 5 pieces.

Dinner:  cup-o-noodles.  Mr. Lee, the I&E inspector that was onshore with me is now working offshore.  He left Tuesday and starting offloading all of his leftover snacks, so I’m stocked with noodle-bowls, Malaysian version, which I LOVE because I can sit in bed and eat noodles while watching TV….reminds me of my college days!  This also cuts out 1 trip down/up stairs to the mess hall, I’m that lazy. 

Tuesday

Breakfast:  oatmeal and a cookie dough quest bar (yes, it tastes like cookie dough...)

Lunch:  “salad” (shredded cabbage, sometimes carrots but not today), pickled beets, steamed cabbage with some other veggies, soup (leftover noodles from last night’s pasta and beef, I think)

Dinner: rice, beans, and questionable meat – I think it was pork

Wednesday

Breakfast:  oatmeal and a cookies & cream quest bar (yes, it tastes like cookies & cream...)

Lunch:  salad (cabbage and beets), spaghetti which wasn’t that bad and I can’t tell if it really wasn’t that bad or I’m just getting used to barfy food. 

Dinner:  My dinner salad was SUPER exciting because they had olives!  It ALMOST felt like I had the relish tray from Nana’s house, even though they were non-pitted olives, it was still special J  I also had slimy pork, which was questionable, but I scarfed it down anyway. 

Thursday

Breakfast:  oatmeal and a double chocolate chunk quest bar (this one is my favorite...I dip it in my coffee, YUM)

Lunch: LUNCH ON THE DRILLING RIG!!!  O.M.G.  Steak, French fries, shrimp, steamed veggies, turkey and gravy, baked potato, AND strawberry pie.  I ate until I couldn’t breathe.  I out-ate the 4 other people that I was with by an entire plate (went back for 2nds and 3rds  OH – and I came back to the sweetest surprise (literally), a gigantic Toblerone chocolate bar.  It was a Happy Thanksgiving gift from one of the South Africans in my office.  It took everything I had not to open it immediately!

Dinner:  I actually skipped dinner.  I can’t believe it, but I couldn’t even think about eating again after my gluttonous lunch.

The icing on the cake Thursday was that I got to see everyone (turkey and pies, too) at Nana and Papa’s right before they were sitting down to supper!  Our internet sucks sooo bad, and I was thinking I wouldn’t be able to see everyone on Thanksgiving BUT we had our own Thanksgiving miracle out here.  Makes me wonder if they purposefully turn off/slow down the internet all the time to keep us from doing anything but work, hmmmm….

Friday

Breakfast:  oatmeal – skipped my quest bar because I was STILL full.

Lunch:  back to blah – broccoli, cabbage soup and slimy pork

Dinner:  vegetable soup (the cabbage soup leftover from lunch with some carrots thrown in…)   

Saturday

Breakfast:  oatmeal and cookies & cream quest bar

Lunch:  Saturday lunch is a close 2^nd to pizza day.  We have hamburgers and French fries every Saturday afternoon.  The hamburgers are OK, I douse mine with ketchup (the ONLY condiment we have, literally), but the French fries are heavenly - crispy, deliciousness.  Sadly, I have zero self-control on my French fry portions.  It’s starting to get out of hand…

Dinner:  cup-o-noodles….Saturday was a looooong day with lots of stairs, so I couldn’t take any more 

Sunday

Breakfast:  oatmeal and

Lunch: bean soup and rice

Dinner:  leftover bean soup and rice....today was a particularly rough day.

So that's it...a week in the life on the Camelot.  All I can say is thank goodness for French fries!


Most everyone out here is new to me.  There are a handful of folks that I met/knew before coming offshore, but for the most part I’m the “new” person.  So this hitch it’s just been getting to know all my co-workers and asking all the get-to-know-you questions…where are you from, where do you live now, where did you go to school, omg-do you know such-and-such…the usual conversation starters.  One question that’s worked its way into my every day convos is “where are you going to eat first when you get home?”  Given the food sitch, it’s usually a GREAT topic of conversation that makes everyone happy!  And a bonus is that I’ve learned of LOTS of new place to eat when I get back to Houston ;) 

I'm officially over halfway done.  There's nothing better than being on the downhill side of 5-weeks at work.  The bonus this trip is there's only 26 days until CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!

19 days down, 16 to go!  xoxo… 

 

laundry.

This week has been like night and day compared to last.  I guess all these veterans out here were right, it just takes a few days to adjust to the rocking of the boat and then you’re good.  I still get a little woozy getting on the transfer boats, but luckily I only have to get on those for 5 or 10 minutes and it’s not every day. 

It’s been a weird week with the aftermath of the France tragedy from last Saturday.  It’s so strange to think that I was just there a month ago taking in the gorgeous city.  We have Filipino, Korean, Portuguese, Angolan, American, French, Canadian, Nigerian, and South African (I’m probably missing a few…) folks out here with all different religious and cultural backgrounds and there are no issues.  In fact walking on the platform is actually really pleasant (minus the ridiculous amount of stairs).  It’s just such a shame that these extremist are putting so much fear in our world that is simply NOT necessary.  Needless, to say this act of terror will not stop me from returning to the city of lights!  But enough of that…. 

I’m going to try and write a little something random about life onboard each week, and this week’s topic is laundry – super exciting.  The laundry here is quite different from the laundry in Malongo.  In Malongo, you put your laundry in a bag and it is returned washed, cleaned, and folded by the next day at lunchtime.  It was super annoying because they put these little tags on every piece of clothing, but that was their way of tracking things.  Here on the Camelot, you put your laundry in a bag, they wash it IN the bag, and it is returned that same day at lunchtime.  However, there is no folding and my clothed literally look like someone wadded them up and put them in a George Foreman grill.  SO wrinkly that I can’t wear them.  As a result, my new hobby is ironing.  The captain told us ladies (all 6 of us) on the boat that we can use the secret laundry room anytime do to laundry separately, so I took my first trip on Wednesday night and spent about 45 minutes ironing.  I will be an expert ironer by the time I’m done out here, my mom will be so proud – Chad too!

I tried to upload photos for last week’s blog and failed.  My phone has to be connected to wifi to get the photos transferred, and the wifi here is SO bad that it’s just not going to happen.  On that note, if anyone is trying to iMessage me, it’s a 20/80 chance that the wifi is working for me to receive any form of communication via my cell phone.  AND I also tried to upload photos that I took this week, and the internet on my computer is so slow I can't even do that. 

Well, I think that's enough complaining for now...life is good, and time is flying.  I can't ask for much more :) 

12 days down, 23 to go!  xoxo…