This weekend was such a treat for me. I had been invited to be one of the speakers on the first cruise ship to be entirely charted by a Christian Women’s group. The other speakers, authors, singers and I were on board for four nights and just had a fantastic time.
It was a working vacation, so there was quite a bit of time when I had to be “up” and onstage, but it was wonderful for me to be able to bring Jeff and really have some down time. And the cruise directors were fantastic in that they had asked the women on the cruise to let the artists and authors enjoy their downtime just like anyone else, and only ask for autographs or ask questions or whatever during the official sessions. And I was really pleased to see that most people really respected that. It made it really enjoyable.
There were 1,600 women on the cruise, and I spoke several times, which was really fun. And let me tell you that it is quite an experience to try to keep your train of thought when the stage and the entire auditorium is pitching in the waves. That was a pretty unique experience!
Actually, for me personally, one of the most fun things was getting to spend quite a bit of time with the other authors and artists and comparing notes about life. I have always loved the group Selah, and I have crossed paths with Tod Smith and Allan Hall, two of the three original members of the group, fairly regularly at different conventions and events. But this was the first time that Jeff and I had really gotten a chance to spend more than a few minutes together at a time with them.
The last night of the cruise Jeff and I stayed up until 2:30 in the morning playing cards with them and Amy, their new female vocalist. None of us should have stayed up so late, but hey, with our schedules you’ve got to have fun when you can! And I discovered that Tod Smith is just as competitive at cards as my husband. It must be a Michigan thing!
I also recognized on this cruise just how dependent I have become on my cell phone and email, because on the ship and in the Bahamas, I didn’t have either for almost five days. I realized how much we need to just quiet our lives down sometimes. It took me a whole day to get used to the feeling that I didn’t have to check my email, and to get used to the concept that I couldn’t receive a phone call. I kept feeling like I had to have my Treo attached to me, but by four days later I was definitely enjoying not being plugged in. I was almost reluctant to pick up my Treo again.
All in all, this was a special experience and a wonderful working vacation and I’m very grateful to Premiere Christian Cruises for the chance to speak to the women and a chance to have a “get-away” myself.