Pictures from Boston and Montreal

YAY!! I was able to get some pictures downloaded. These are in no particular order.
Cirque de Soleil tent in Montreal - where we went to watch the show.

Jazz Festival in Montreal

Me, Hannah, and Tash at Jazz Festival

Phil, Blake, Jaz, Tash, me, and Hannah at dinner in Montreal.

Arriving in Montreal.

Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal.

On our way to Montreal.

Jaz, Hannah, me, Blake, and Phil posing for a picture before taking the Boston Duck Tour.

The Declaration of Independence was read aloud from the balcony on July 18, 1776.

Massachusettes state capital building with a gold leaf dome.

Boston, MA

Boston, MA

Hannah and me in Boston

Headed to Beaver Island

So....I know it's been over a week since my last entry. I'm sorry about that. For the past several days I've been trying to download pictures from Boston to the blog with plans to write an entry after the pictures are downloaded, but I'm having no success. When the pictures aren't downloaded after 1 - 2 hours, I give up on blogging all together. I decided today I would write an entry first then try to download pictures second!

We've been travelling for a quite a while now with a short break in Montreal, Ontario. My last entry was just two days after leaving Boston. Nothing exciting happened while travelling to Montreal. My daily schedule doesn't vary much. I do my watches from 10:00 - 2:00 twice a day, eat, work out, yoga, watch movies, read (I've been doing a lot of reading!!), and sleep. So, nothing really to report from Wednesday to when we arrived in Montreal on Friday.

Friday, we arrived in Montreal!!! It was a nice break from couped up on a boat for 5 days. We got there in the afternoon and got ready to go out and about. There was huge International Jazz Festival going on while we were there, so the girls wanted to go check it out. A Russian band, Billy's Band, that Tasha wanted to see was playing, so we went to check that out. The captain made dinner reservations at a sushi restaurant for later in the evening, so we met the boys there at dinner. Of course they showed up drunk and an hour late.....typical dudes!! Also, they were itiching to go to a strip club, so after dinner the girls went one way while the boys went another.

We went back to a place called Old Town which was really close to the boat and found a French Irish bar. Everything was in French (Montreal is French Canada), even the lyrics to the Irish songs!! It was very laid back and quite interesting. We stayed there until about 3:00 then made out way home. The next day Tash, Blake, Phil, Jaz, and I went to see Totem Cirque de Soleil. It was an amazing show!! After that Blake, Jaz, Hannah and I went for a walk around while Tash and Phil went grocery shopping for the boat. Later in the afternoon we went back to the boat to help unload groceries. After the groceries were unloaded, Tash, Hannah, Phil, Blake, Jaz, and I went to dinner in Old Town. The boys were hellbent to find a club, supposedly Montreal is known for its clubs. We walked in circles looking for a club, and when none were to be found, Tash and I went back to the same place we had been the night before. The next morning I discovered that the boys were successful in finding their club.

On Sunday we had to be on deck at 5:30 am to leave Montreal at 6:00. We went through about 6 or 7 locks which were about 30 - 50 feet and everyone had to be on deck to mind the fenders. It was a very interesting process at first, but after lock #3, it began to get a bit annoying. Especially when I kept getting woken up because we were going through another lock.

Monday, was a relatively easy day. We were cruising through Lake Ontario most of the day. Yesterday, we started going through locks at 5:30 am (remember my watch ended at 2:00 am, so I got about 2.5 hours of sleep at the most). We didn't finish going through locks until after noon, so then it was my watch again until 2:00 pm. Oh, goodness I was like a zombi, and I was a bit delirous! I finally went to sleep after my watch and slept for about 4 hours until the trip got bumpy and I was bouncing up and down in my bunk. I got up then and decided to try again after my next watch. When my watch ended last night at 2:00, I went straight to bed and didn't wake up until 9:00.....today I'm feeling 100% and am ready for a hard work out :) We're going through customs today in about an hour. I'm planning to work out after customs, but I just heard that two years ago when they went through customs, it took 6 hours - this could be interesting!

Well that's about everything. I'm going to start a new book. I just finished The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks and am about to start Sense and Sensibility. I also need to finish the movie Invictus! So much to do!! I'm going to put more photos on facebook, so check that out if the blog won't upload.

I check in later!!

Goodbye Boston - Hello Montreal.....in 5 days :-/

Well, we've left Boston. We pulled out day before yesterday around 7:00 pm and plan to be in Montreal on Friday night. The plan is to have the weekend off in Montreal then head to Charlevoix, Michigan - hopefully reach Charlevoix by the 1st of July.

Last week was an incredibly busy week. We had guests on board for about 10 days which is insanely tiring!! My last entry was Tuesday a week ago, so I'll try to catch you up. That night, last Tuesday, I went out with the boys to watch the Boston Celtics play the Lakers at a pub. The Celtics lost so it was a bit disappointing. The next day was a long day, due to the fact that I was a bit hung over and I was on late.....and Mit Romney and entourage were coming to the boat for dinner!!!! I MET Mit Romney!!! The owners are convinced he's going to be the next President!! The owner told Mit he should be exceptionally nice to me since I'm the only crew member who can vote in the next Presidential election. Also, the owner kept telling me that I needed to vote 9 times to make up for the rest of the crew members. I told him I would try to register to vote in 9 different states!

The rest of the week was pretty normal for me. G and R left on Thursday and R son his wife and their three children came on Thursday - so no break there. We were left to entertain them.... Their last night on the boat I was on late and pretty much had to babysit their 6 year old daughter. It wasn't too bad - we watched Legally Blond and she fell asleep on the couch. Early that day the guests went to watch the Red Sox play, but had already bought tickets to do the duck tour (the car/boat vehicle that travels on land and water).....so who got to go on the duck tour?...you guessed it.....crew!! So, 5 of us did the tour around Boston - it was such a relief to get off the boat!!

Then we left on Monday night. I was running everyday in Boston, so that felt good. I bought a new pair of running shoes and managed to lose my iphone all in the same day - that sucks. I can't get a new phone until we're in Michigan, so basically in about 10 days or so. That's about it. The crossing has been quite boring as they usually are. I just do my 8 hours of watch duty a day (10:00-2:00), eat three meals a day, sleep, read, watch movies, 30 minutes of yoga, and an hour of working out.....lots of sleeping!!!! I'm giving up sweets. Today was the first day with nothing sweet - maybe that's why I have a headache.....I could really stand to lose about 5 pounds and i'm not going to do that by eating peanus m&ms and chocolate chip cookies!!!

Well, that's about it! I'll write back sooner. I really haven't been spending much time on the internet. I've been reading some really good books lately and am having trouble putting them down. It's awesome having a library on the boat - my own personal endless supply of books!!!

Table center piece!

Today, I was on early, which means I was first one up setting up the breakfast buffet. I was also on service which means laundry tomorrow!!! I think laundry is my favorite - I know it sounds bad, but I really enjoy it. I can just close the door to the laundry room and play my music loud and iron and sing along. I had a break at 10:00 am and went for a jog. Today, was the first full day of really nice weather in Boston, so I was glad to be able to get out and enjoy it for an hour.

This afternoon I was in charge of getting the place setting ready for dinner tonight. The guests wanted to do a dinner cruise this evening, so we set up the table on the aft deck for their dinner. I've included some rough pictures of the place setting I put together for their dinner.

The other pictures are from when we were docking from the dinner cruise. The sun was setting and there are some really cool boats docked around us.


Along the water, here in Boston, there is a continuous pier which is where I jog. The two yachts in this picture are Odyssey and Iriquois - they're a bit hard to see.....

The centerpiece I made. The flowers are from and the flower arrangement in the Cuban room. I cut the yellow ones.

This picture is taken in the galley with the placemats, the napkins (I made the fold), napkin rings, and the center piece. I'm really excited, because this is my first bit of creativity. Hannah and Tash usually do the place settings and they're really good at it, so at first I was a bit intimdated.

Newport, Rhode Island and a little of Boston! :)

We arrived in Newport, RI early Friday morning. We did a little bit of work on the day of arrival, then Hannah and went out for dinner (Tasha had tonsilitus, so decided to stay in). After dinner, Hannah and I ran back to the boat realizing our summer dresses and cardigans weren't going to cut it. We threw on some jeans and met up with the boys! The captain has a friend who lives in Newport so he took is to his favorite watering hole. After a couple of hours or so, the boys were beginning to get rowdy over a game of pool and got kicked out. All that was left was Blake and I, so we decided to stay a bit longer then picked up some pizza. When we arrived at the boat, there were two mysterious women onboard and some drunk idiots in the hot tub....unfortunately these drunk idiots were Phil, the captain's friend and Phil, our chef. It was quite surprising for Blake and I, but also extremely hilarious!!!

The next day Tasha was feeling worse, so Hannah and I took her to the ER for some antibiotics. While Tasha waited in the waiting room, Hannah and went for a walk and found a cute little shop with trinkets and jewelry. We were there for about an hour, went back and got Tasha, and then headed back to the boat. When we got back to the boat, I went for a jog (my first one in quite some time because of the stupid "broken" foot). After my jog, Hannah and I decided to go out for a night on the town. The boys were doing there own thing, so Hannah and I flew solo. We went to a bar and I met an Air Force One pilot who had flown with George Bush and Obama. That was pretty interesting! After the bar the pilot and the navy officer (who Hannah had met) walked us back to the boat, like proper gentlemen!

On Sunday, Tasha was feeling much better. Hannah and I got up a bit earlier than Tasha and went shopping - the stores closed earlier on Sunday. After shopping, we went back to the boat and picked up Tasha. The three of us just kind of walked around Newport all day. That night everyone piled in the crew mess and watched a movie.

On Monday, we worked some. I went for a jog. We left Newport around 7:00 pm that night and headed to Boston. I was on watch from 10:00 - 2:00 while we navigated the boat through a narrow channel - it was quite interesting to help the captain and first mate get through the channel.

On Tuesday morning, we arrived in Boston! When we got here, we worked a little, then I went for a jog, and Hannah and I went for drinks. The boys went to a bar to watch the Celtics/Lakers game.....NBA playoffs! Hannah and I went to an outside bar, then went to a wine bar that was having trivia night, then decided to walk to where the boys were and stop along the way at random bars until the game was over. We made it to one little bar and had a drink, then the game ended. Lakers won. We tried to walk to the boys, but it was freezing....and they weren't answering their phone. We stopped at another small bar, ate an appetizer, and had another glass of wine, then headed back to the boat.

On Wednesday, I got up and went for an early afternoon jog. Hannah, Tash, Jaz, and I decided to go to Harvard and do a tour of the campus. It started raining and turned cold so after that we headed back to the boat. I went and met up with Terry, Blake, and Scott for dinner and a glass of wine, then headed back to the boat to watch a movie.

On Thursday, it rained! The girls went out in the weather to pick up some current magazines for the main salon in the boat.....and some personal books as well! Later in the afternoon, we went to pick up some souvenirs, shopped at Victoria Secret, and I got both pairs of my glasses re-adjusted. After that, Hannah and Tasha went to Starbucks and I went for a jog. That night Hannah, Tasha, and I watched It's Complicated - quite a hilarious movie!! :)

On Friday, we worked all day!! The boat really needed a good cleaning before the guests arrived. Work ended around 5:30. Around 7:00, Hannah and I walked to Hard Rock Cafe and Walgreens.....a brisk walk because I was taking the day off from jogging. Then the crew piled in the crew mess and watched another movie then off to bed.

Yesterday, I woke up and went for an early morning jog. Then work started and we did some last minute chores before the guests arrived. They arrived around 1:00. It was my day to do laundry, so that's what I did until around 8:00. There are only 4 guests and three stewardesses so we get to take nice long breaks in the afternoon. When I got off last night, I watched another movie, Wolfman, with the crew.

Today, I was on service, so I served our guests meals all day.....except between 2:00 and 5:30 when I had a nice long break. I took a nap, went for a long jog, then called home. I still working now. The owners wife likes to sit up in the main salon with her cocktail until late in the night. In fact, I should go check on her now.

There are some pictures below from Newport and Boston - they're in no order. It's really a pain in the ass the upload photos to blogger so I'm doing my best. The whole album of photos is on facebook, so if you want to see more, check there!

The John Harvard statue at Harvard.

Freshman dorms at Harvard.

Where we're docked in Boston - Commercial Wharf.

Another view from our boat in Boston.

The Elms - one of many mansions in Newport, RI

Where we were docked in Newport, RI.

Hannah and I in front of a St. Agnes University building in Newport.

Me and Hannah over looking the beach in Newport, RI.

Pictures from New York

These are some pictures from NYC. They are in no particular order....enjoy!! :)

Me and Hannah. We're leaving the city!! Such a sad day!! :(

Me and Tash at spa day!

Me and Hannah at spa day!! This day was followed by shopping, Sex and the City II, a comedy club, and Webster Hall (three stories of dancing!)

The start of Fleet Week - bring in the troups!!

Our boat in the back right of this photo.

Our boat in NYC!

Cracker Bay again

The crew and friends at Cornelia Street cafe. This became a favorite - Hannah and I ate there three times!!

In the picture is Caroline (Tasha's friend), Tasha, Hannah, Phil, me, Red (Blake's cousin), and Blake.

Statue of Liberty as we were pulling into NYC.

Me and Tasha - posing like Lady Liberty :)

Hannah and I striking a pose!

The boys working hard getting the boat ready to reach the dock.

Me, Jaz, Blake, Phil, and Tasha pulling into New York.

Me, Jaz, and Blake before the Coast Guard told us to get behing the railing! Oops!

The sole American of the crew!

Coast Guard Raid!!!!

So, we've left the great city of New York :( (The girls were very sad about this) We maneuvered out of our small boat slip today around 2:00 - which wasn't an easy task....cudos to the captain! Then we sat up on the boat deck and watched as Manhattan island disappeared from our sights - it was very dramatic ;P......anyway, after all the fun sights were over, the crew was hanging out in the crew mess for less than 30 minutes, and we got a call saying we were being boarded by coast guard. I told Hannah that back home when you get stopped by an authority figure while riding in a boat, they make sure the driver isn't drinking/drunk and ask to see the life jackets for all the people onboard. This boat sleeps comfortably 22 people and now there are only 9 people onboard, so I found it very amusing when one of the first questions asked was to see the lifejackets for everyone on board. I think a 147' yacht that has like 30 fire extinguishers can handle 9 lifejackets. Of course there were a lot of other things that needed to be checked, and we passed the inspection!! :) Go Cracker Bay!!

Yesterday was our last day in NY, and how did we spend it.......working of course. I can't really complain because we did pretty much get a full week to play. We had an early evening cocktail/hor d'orves party from 4:30 - 6:30, but we had to set the boat up like guests were coming to stay in case they wanted a tour. So we woke up early to set up the boat, then executives that are affiliated with the owners business came on board and had cocktails and hor d'orves on the sundeck. One of them got so hammered he fell down some stairs inside the boat and spilled his vodka soda all over the marble tile floor and didn't bother to tell anyone.....luckily I heard it happen from the galley and ran to see what the noise was, then scrubbed the floor and the banister like a mad woman with marble cleaner. Everything came up - nothing ruined!

When the party was over, the crew went out on the town one last time!! We went to a bar called The Arrow (I think) It was on Avenue A and was built underneath an asian cafe - the steps down were a bit tricky to find. Pretty cool little dive bar. Around 2:00, we decided to find another place to go in the meat packing district, but nothing was open so we settled on going home. We had to work this morning as well, so probably a smart idea.

Now, we're off to Newport, Rhode Island for the weekend!! Yipee!! A new place I've never been to before. We should be arriving early tomorrow morning then we have the weekend free in Rhode Island.....ain't life grand???? :)

crew picture

Crew pictures - the first is the whole group and the second is the boys. Both pictures are without the captain and taken from the sun deck in NYC. If you look closely, you can see the statue of liberty in the first picture.

Still no pictures from NY - they're coming I promise!!

Today, I worked from 8:00 - 3:00. It wasn't terribly bad - just a lot of cleaning. We have about 12 or so people coming for an early cocktail party tomorrow from 4:30 - 6:30, and the boat was in need of some serious cleaning......so that was today. When I got off, I took a nap and then planned to go for a bike ride. Since my foot has been injured - which happened about a month ago - I have been unable to jog therefore working out has been a bit difficult!! But I have discovered that I can bike ride, so that's what I've been doing in my spare time. Today, I really badly wanted to go bike riding!!! But of course it looked overcast and like the sky was going to fall at any moment, so I waited.....just not long enough. I was checking on the weather every 30 minutes. Once I even got on the bike went a little ways, but it had already started sprinkling so I came back to the boat to wait another 30 minutes. Of course 30 minutes later, the sun was shining, so off on my bike ride I go!! I got about 3 miles away and it started poring buckets!! The bike I was riding is a street bike with big tires that have a groove down the center. This awesome groove catches water when riding over puddles and shoots it back in your face and on your clothes. When I got back to the boat my white shirt was a light gray color because of all the black pebbles that had been shot up onto it from the tires.....my hair was filled with pebbles.

When I got back to the boat, I changed into dry workout clothes with intentions to do some push ups, squats, lunges, and crunches. I tried to do some crunches but when I put my hands on the back of my head, these pebbles started falling out of my hair.....and since we had just vacuumed today, I had to stop immediately!! I figured it was fate telling me to stay 5 lbs heavier one more day - so I stopped trying to work out, went to the movies (Prince of Persia), ate candy from the the quarter candy machine, and snacked on some popcorn. America is known for being obese.....I figure if you can't beat em' join em' :) hahahaha Just kidding!!

That's pretty much the only thing interesting that happened today - I got rained on and found out that water doesn't make me melt, and I went to see Prince of Persia - which showed less of Jake Gyllenhaal's abs than I expected.....bummer ;) I rate it a 7 on a 35 point scale.