ALOHA

Today marks the start of a new chapter in the cruising life. We head to Hawaii today, which means Alaska is over! I believe 6 weeks ago we all started yearning for warmer weather and started getting itchy to see a new part of the world. The start of a new adventure. I had a ball in Alaska, learning it’s rich history and experiencing all the differing types of terrain. I met some wonderful friends whom hopefully with the help of Facebook I will remain in contact with them. Let me try to recap the past few weeks.

Meg arrived back on board after her recovery in Boston. It is good to have her back. She adds such a spontaneous spirit to the ship. She is one of the most laid back girls on board and knows how to have a good time. I think one of my favorite things about Meg is that she is so open and what you see is what you get. She also talks to everyone on board and treats everyone equally. Welcome home girl=)

This past week’s cruise had a lot of bad weather. I really felt awful for the guests on board. It rained every day and we missed our last port in Ketchican, AK due to hurricane winds. Most ships that sailed this week in Alaska missed more than one port so I guess in reality we were lucky. The audience’s on board were amazing. Part of me thinks it is because we were the highlight of their cruise since the weather was terrible. Our ratings across the ship were way down, but entertainment was up. I would even go as far as saying that they were my favorite audience of my contract thus far. They made me feel appreciated as an artist and I am looking forward to reading their comments this week.

I love my new Indonesian and Filipino friends on board. Although sometimes we hang out with little verbal communication, we constantly are laughing. The other night I was hanging out on B deck and one of my friends picked up their guitar and just started playing whatever we asked. Their cultures know more American hits from the 90s and 80s then I could ever cram in my little mind. Of course they know up-to-date hits too, but it seems that sometimes songs that died in the US thrived in Indonesia and the Philippines. I love it!

About 2 weeks ago there was a couple from the states that have been doing missions work over in Paris with university kids for about 5 years. Their names were Sheila and Terry. Terry was a very talkative guy and definitely challenged me in my personal growth. You know when someone just lives, breaths, and spreads the gospel, that’s Terry. He was such an encouragement on board and actually inspired me to get back into the Word a little bit more. I have been reading so many other books lately and I need to remember to not get so caught up in novels that I forget to spend some time with Jesus. I amaze myself at how many excuses I can make when it comes to reading the Bible. You would think on a confined ship that it would be the perfect get away from all the distractions. Now I am not talking about reading just to read or say that you read it to sound religious. I am talking about challenging myself to grow in the knowledge that it offers…to focus on love, on others, and on building up my spiritual man. When I lose focus of that, everything else seems to fall apart as well. That is my little message on Jesus today….don’t leave him hanging on the side and pick him up when it is convenient.

My sister’s birthday is this week. I am so wishing I could be home just for the 29^th so I could wine and dine her and share some laughter with her. She is amazing and I am so proud of her. I don’t know how she deals with all she has to in her life, 3 kids alone is enough to flat line any single mom. I miss those little ones though. I am hoping my mom and dad are bringing some more pictures for me when they fly out in October. I can’t believe in 17 days I get to hug their necks and spend 11 days with them in Mexico. Have I mentioned lately that I have the best job in the entire world? Next week in Hawaii I am going skydiving, drinking 100% Kona coffee in Kona, hopefully snorkeling and SNUBAing in Maui, and hiking up volcanoes and through waterfalls…unreal. Bring on the adventure and good times!!!!!

Hmmmm I am trying to think if there are any other updates in the life of Mr. Southards? YES!!!! I am starting to learn how to run barefoot!!! I bought a pair of the Merrell barefoot shoes to start training in over the next few weeks. You may be asking, what caused this? I have been reading this incredible book lately called The 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferris. It is an amazing look at fitness and the human body, full of information for anyone who is a health nut. One chapter was talking about posture correction and he mentioned his Vibram Five Finger shoes. I started researching the subject and decided that I wanted to have stronger feet and better posture. Today in Vancouver after trying a various number of different minimal wear shoes I settled on the Merrell. I loved the Vibram Five Finger shoes but the style I liked best they did not have my size. In the end I think I made the best purchase…it came down between the New Balance Minimus and the Merrell Barefoot. The Merrell just fit like a glove over the New Balance Minimus. I am excited to have them not only for running but for all the hiking I will be doing in the ports of call we attend.

Now that I have updated everyone on my spiritual, physical, and social areas I believe I am going to wrap this one up! By the by, since we will be traveling to different cities and countries now I will be updating much more frequently…so keep checking back! Much love to all! Miss you!

-b

Mt Marathon

Well Alaska is quickly coming to an end for our cast. We will reposition to Hawaii starting September 25^th and all of us could not be happier. Although the beauty of Alaska is unbeatable, we are all excited about tropical weather, beaches, and sunshine=) Our days at sea will not feel so confined to staying indoors. We will be able to be out on deck enjoying fresh air…right now we only go outside during Glacier Bay to see the glaciers in our North Face jackets. Needless to say we have had very few bathing suit days up here in Alaska.

During our last visit to Seward I had the opportunity to hike up Mt. Marathon. You can check out the hike at this website: http://seward.com/news-events/marathon/marathon.htm. It has some good information about the race that takes place every year on July 4^th. A group of 5 of us set out to conquer the monster that is Mt Marathon. The hike took us about 5 hours, because we took plenty of breaks and enjoyed the scenery every chance we had. I believe the further up we got the more crazy we became due to the oxygen. The summit tops out at 3,022ft! It was one of the most intense climbs I had ever experienced. At the top of the mountain for the last hour we were crawling on our hands and knees “bear-style” to keep our footing in the sliding sandy rock. It was like climbing in quick sand at times and I can tell you that my quads were sore for 3 days after the hike. The view at the top of the mountain was incredible. I will post some pictures for you to see, although none do it justice. It only took our group an hour to get down the mountain because you basically rock ski on the way down, jumping from side to side as you slide down the mountain. Towards the end of our decent we climbed down the creek which has some small waterfalls…it was beautiful! I thought I would be smart by taking my back-pack up the mountain so I could go straight to the internet café after the hike to save time by not going back to the ship….haha not the brightest idea. The extra weight proved to be a little difficult, but it made me feel like I got the best work-out from everyone in the group!

Today I am sitting in Haines and it is our last visit to this port! I will be sad to say goodbye to the Mountain Market here. It is one of my favorite coffee and health food markets on the route. Most of my blogs and journaling takes places from this little market. I am going to miss the routine of visiting the same ports, but I am so excited about the adventures that lie ahead. I just signed up today for Skydiving in Honolulu with a group of 20 people from the ship! I have been wanting to go since I was 20 and I thought I was going to be going on my 25 birthday but plans fell through due to finances!

Alright well I have to go because they are closing down the market as I type. But before I go here is another Meet the Cast! Meet CAMERON!!!

Meet the Cast:                                               

Name: Cameron Edris

Age: 23

Hometown: Myerstown, PA

Number of ship contracts: this is my first one!

Favorite food found on board the MS Zaandam: everything... I'm a goat!

Favorite production show on board: On The Air

What are a few things you miss while cruising at sea? Friends and family, driving my car, going to the movies, going out to eat...

What did you find most challenging about the rehearsal process with Stiletto? Everything about southern nights! Lol. No, as the M2, it was definitely hard at times when I had to give up time in the vocal studio with the vocal coaches in order to learn all my choreography. There were times I definitely would have liked to have more solid time going over my vocals/music.

What was the most enjoyable aspect of rehearsals? Bonding with the cast! Believe it or not, living in that apartment with everyone was fun! Nightly cast hot tup sessions were a blast. :)

What is your favorite feature of ship life? Traveling! I can't wait to leave for Hawaii in just three weeks! I'm also really excited for Australia, Fiji, and Cambodia!

What was the largest adjustment for you in adapting to ship life? Getting back into living the “dorm life.” Very tight living quarters with a roommate! But I'm surviving.

Tell us a little bit about your performance background: I performed at two theme parks: Cedar Point in Ohio, and Lake Compounce in Connecticut. I've also done a summer stock season at Mt. Gretna Theatre in PA (Hello Dolly!, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers). I studied musical theatre at Point Park University in downtown Pittsburgh, and was proud to be in a fantastic production of Thoroughly Modern Millie there! I grew up singing in church and in many choirs, and really only starting getting dance training when I got to college... Luckily, my background as a gymnast helped me pick up dance technique (and flexibility) very quickly. :)

Out of your past show credits, what has been your favorite to be a part of? Honestly, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is a wonderful, cute, fun musical that doesn't get enough credit, and I loved every minute of that one. But I must say the waiter scene in Hello, Dolly! was an absolute blast!

What’s next after this contract ends? Well, can't be sure quite yet. I'm sure another ship contract is in my future, be it right after this one ends, or a year from then. I definitely see myself trying the NYC scene for a bit. I think I am reaching my peak as a performer right now, and definitely do not want to miss any opportunities to work at some of my most desired places. i.e. The Muny (St. Louis), Papermill Playhouse, Asolo Rep Theatre (Sarasota, Fl), Fulton Theatre (Lancaster, PA), Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre (Lancaster, PA), and also, I'd love to be a part of a National Tour at some point.

What are you looking forward to the most over the next 6 ½ months? Just forming some great, lasting friendships, creating wonderful memories, and getting to have LOTS of stories to tell my friends and family back home.

If you could only have packed 3 items when taking this contract, even though it is impossible, what would you consider to be the most important?

Computer. Golden Girls DVD series. Slimmer belt.

There you have it! our singer and dancer Cameron! He is one of the funniest people I have met on board! Stay tuned for the next adventure!!!!

much love,

-bradley