Just Hear Those Sleigh Bells Ringing.....

Happy Holiday wishes to everyone!!!!! It's almost Christmas and I am in a cheerful mood :D Our Christmas show is nearly complete, just got to finish the choreography for my duet with Christian.

I was laughing so hard in rehearsals for the Christmas show because Christian, being from Argentina, has never seen snow and therefore doesn't know what a sleigh is. He has been learning our show off a video and he told us to come up to the front of the stage, get in a clump, and bounce around. He said "I have no idea what they are doing, but we have to do it!" HAHA we explained that they were showing the audience a "sleigh ride" and bouncing along the snowy hills. Not sure if he can picture it, he might have to come to Colorado for a winter season :D

My newest obsession is Acai. It is a berry found in the Amazon and they make it into like a smoothie type concoction. You top it with granola and banana slices and OMG you're in HEAVEN!!!!!!!! It's a ton of calories but TOTALLY WORTH IT :D I was telling the Brazilian cast that in America, they are marketing Acai as a weight loss supplement, a super food that burns fat right off you! But people... I am in Brazil, where the berries come from, and I am telling you that this is not true. Acai is healthy because its fruit, just like any other berries in its family. But it is high in calories so I try to eat it as a meal rather than just for desert :)
Well, I should run and start getting ready; we are preforming ABBA in the Viking Crown tonight and I have to make my hair look 70's....HA.

<3 shannon="">

The Hunt for Jesus.....Rio de Janeiro

Rio was hands down a LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE. I am the luckiest person EVER. I saw one of the seven wonders of the world....for free. While on the ship, I can sign up to be a tour escort for the tours they provide the guests. All I have to do is make sure everyone gets on and off the bus ok and then I am free to enjoy the tour like everyone else! UNREAL.
Our day started off in the city. We drove around and stopped at a large cathedral where our tour guide, Fernando, said thousands gather for mass. Fernando said that Brazil is mostly Catholic so there were beautiful churches everywhere. I fell in love with the buildings, the Opera house, the political houses, everything was so detailed and amazing. After the church we drove up to Sugarloaf Mountain, named because of its shapely resemblance to a sugarloaf. (Fernando's words because I have NO IDEA what a sugarloaf is ;) On the way we passed a gorgeous house, well mansion, that used to be home to Princess Isabel. Brazil was the last country to free its slaves and Princess Isabel was the saint who freed them. There were statues all around the city in her honor. WOMAN POWER!!!!! We also passed stadiums that were home to the professional soccer (or football) teams. I wish I could see a game while I'm here but they are usually at night and by then we are sailing away. We headed along Copacabana beach, and of course I sang the song the whole way :D. One of my Brazilian friends told me that Madonna will be playing a free concert there for New Years! Wish we were there for that lol! Finally, we reached Sugaloaf Mountain and rode several cable cars to reach the top. It was so misty that you couldn't see the end of your cable or the ground! Very scary experience!
After Sugarloaf we went to lunch at a popular Brazilian BBQ/ steakhouse. I enjoyed the salad bar :D. I had a fruity ice cream for desert that was AMAZING!!!!!!! Ugh, I will miss that!!!! I was talking to one of the guests on the tour and we came to find out that we were both from Colorado! In fact, he lived on 64th and Sheridan and moved to Oregon ten years before I was even born! What are the chances!?!?! I think I will forever remember that I met a fellow Colorado-ian in Brazil. WOW.
Then it was time for the highlight of the tour. The trek up the mountain to Jesus included a steep train ride and multiple stairs, we were that high up. It was huge, I literally had to lay on the ground to see the whole thing! We were told that it was sculpted all over the world, the head alone came in 124 pieces from France. That is one big puzzle! :o The mist was beginning to clear as we got up there and I got some incredible pictures :D I started playing with my panoramic mode on my camera which is so freakin SWEET!!!!! The view below was breathtaking. My friend Brian had to hold my hand because he is afraid of heights and his knees became weak as we were looking down. We were on top of the world, at Jesus's feet. Unbelievable.
So I can now officially cross off one of the wonders of the world, and start on getting to the next one! My bucket list seems to grow the more I learn about other cultures and the entire world that I still have to see!!!!!!!!!! I am so blessed to have this opportunity. I am trying my best to soak in everyday and not take anything for granted because even though I am in the tourist areas that are really nice and everthing is awesome, we still see the poverty and the beggars along the street. I know that I have a wonderful life and I hope that one day, I can help people have a better life too.
I hope everyone is enjoying themselves, its nearly Christmas time and I wish I could be home for the holidays!
Love you all,
Shannon <3

LAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After five LONG days at sea, we touched land today!!!!!!!! I felt like I was slowly going crazy with cabin fever!
Brazil is HOT!!!!!!!! I applied 50 spf (that's right mommy, 50) because we have our show tomorrow and there is nothing worse than dancing with your sunburns :/ We made camp at the beach and then proceeded into the water for an intense seaweed fight!!! There was so much seaweed and we couldn't venture too far out because they were shark infested waters. I still have yet to see a fin.....one of these days hopefully. The beaches there are very hectic and lots of people are trying to sell you things. They push carts around all day selling anything from movies and cds to pineapple on a stick. I had fried cheese on a stick and it was very yummy. Thank goodness I have made friends with Brazilians on board because NO ONE SPOKE ENGLISH!!!!!!! We had the most difficult time trying to catch a taxi because you don't hail them the same way you do in America and each driver has their own rules about how much it will cost and how many people they want to take. This is a very confusing process when you aren't speaking the same language:/ But we made it back to the port and no one was mugged so the day was a good one lol.
We have a show of Broadway Rhythm and Rhyme tomorrow night followed by a mini show (just one dance) in the Viking Crown. I think everyone is happy to be productive again, we were grateful for our vacation but its time to get active. Especially me because I hate the gym and I really should be going on my days off BUT I choose to play games instead lol. Oh well, I will dedicate time to the gym in the future. HA HA that's so bad I'm totally saying that everyday and not following thru...... :D
I'm looking forward to Rio in a few days because I will hopefully be going on the tour that takes you all over! And then I will have my friend Paulo (the one who danced the samba with me :o) be my tour guide everywhere else. It's nice they take care of us, warning us what areas to stay clear of and translating everything because we are pretty obvious looking tourists.
Hope all is well back home! It's weird to be out in beach wear this close to Christmas but as the Brazilians like to remind me, Santa wears shorts and sandals ;)
Love,

A Day of Thanks :D

Welp, today was my first Thanksgiving away from home :( It really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. They had cocktails in the Viking Crown for the American guests and crew. They had mini burgers and mini hotdogs lol. Of course, I went straight to the mini pizzas :D And since it was one of our cast members' birthday as well, the Hotel Director gave us permission to dine in the restaurant. (Don't tell anyone but I had THREE deserts because it was free) :o hahahhaa. I got to Skype my family today which made me so so so happy. I had been looking forward to today for a long time and I'm so glad it worked out perfectly!!!!!! I got to see my PUPPY OZZY BOY!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay I miss that little rascal even tho he has eaten pretty much every shoe I own :/ Let's see, SO MUCH has happened since I was on last I don't even know where to begin!!!!! I guess I need to update this more often!!!!!!! LOL.
We successfully opened both shows and our director left very pleased with us :D Our first official day off was in Lisbon, Portugal. I spent the day wandering the streets with some of my friends that are in the band. We found the embassies (is that even a word?) and made a game to find the American embassy. We found it but got in a little trouble with the Policia for trying to take a picture! WOOPS!!!! Silly tourists!!!!! It was such peaceful place, I was so content just walking up and down the alleyways. However, when we boarded the ship we learned we had a show that night!!!!!!!! The guest entertainer had some issues getting on the ship (it was rumored he was hospitalized but that was never confirmed) so we needed to fill in for him. The only problem was, we were starting to hit the high seas that night and my oh my were we rocking!!!!!!! Our first show was a hot, hot mess and our second show was done in our flat shoes and we took out a lot of lifts and turns for our safety. It's a really funny experience when you are trying to move to one side and the whole ship shifts the other way because you feel the pressure!!!!!! We would leap and land way, way far over because the stage had shifted beneath us!!!!!! So that was interesting to cope with!!!!! I have never had to dance on a moving stage lol.
Our next stop was Spain and when we entered, we went under a mini Golden Gate Bridge! We were dancing underneath the stars on the back deck and we watched the top of the ship pass beneath it. From our spot it looked like we wouldn't fit but of course, we were fine haha. Seems they like to copy San Francisco because they also had the steep hills and trolleys. They had a mini Jesus statue that sat on a distant hill and I can't wait to see the real one in Brazil!!!!!!!
Today I took a tour of the bridge. I sat in the captain's chair and wore his hat but I was careful not to touch anything!!!!!!! It's a lot of buttons and machines and I am really happy that my job is to dance and not drive the massive ship with all the people on board!! The tour guide thought it was really funny when I asked if he could see whales on the radar. I can't help it, I love the ocean!!!! LOL :D
We crossed the equator tonight!!!!!!!!!!! WOOT WOOT!!!!!!!!! Only one more sea day til we reach the beautiful beaches in BRAZIL!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to get MY TAN ON!!!!!!! Although, I will def. wear sunscreen because Robert, one of my fellow dance mates, was outside for 10 mins. before it started raining and he got BURNT!!!!!!!!!!!! 10 MINS!!!!!!!!!!! That is one POWERFUL SUN!!!!!!!!!! So basically, I need to be careful.
OOOH do I have the HOOK UP!!!!!! So, this very gay boy swept me off my feet and led me in a samba dance (so smooth I thought I was going to melt on the dance floor!) He is from Brazil and he is going to be my tour guide while we are there :D Now I don't have to wander around aimlessly because I will have someone who knows what's up!!!!!!
I have new hire training tomorrow!!!!! YAY!!!!!!! And then we have rehearsals because we are learning a Christmas show!!! I like it because it will put me in a bit of Christmas spirit even tho I am far away from home. I love you all so much and I'm happy I got to see some of you on skype today!!!!!!!!!! Hopefully sometime I will be able to call all of you and get updates but for now I promise to update my blog more often!!!!!! Happy Thanksgiving from almost Brasil!!!!!!!!!!! :D
LOVE ALWAYS AND FOREVER,

Opening Night- Boogie Wonderland

Boogie Wonderland opens tonight!!!!! We are all so excited (and a little nervous!) We have been having a lot of technical issues- our sound guy has NO idea what he is doing and our Production Manager had issues with his visa so he cant join the ship til week 2. This means we are opening both shows without a boss and all our cues (lights, sound, stage staff) are led by him. So right now, its all a guessing game about what will work and what won't.....we are praying it all pulls together for tonight!!!!! Our director is very happy with our cast though, she says we look amazing and are ready for an audience. So no matter what is going on behind us or around us, at least the singers and dancers will be giving a good show!!!!
My feet have returned to their normal state...THANK GOODNESS!!!!!! My show shoes couldn't fit over my swollen marshmallows!!!!!!! And my blisters have hardened but they will prolly scar because, lets face it, they won't get a decent rest from the heels lol.
I'm still adjusting into the life on board a ship. It's been really rocky and will only get worse when we are crossing the Atlantic :/ Brian (one of our singers) is going to lend me a pair of ear plugs that he swears will help but I think I am so sensitive to it all and just need to take my Dramamine. During the days its not so bad, we are sailing now and I feel we are pretty solid, but at night when the winds pick up, woof. My first night I did throw up.....gross. And since then I take my pills regularly. And its funny because even when we are docked, I still feel like we are swaying. Everyone else laughs at me cause I'm also saying "are we moving!?!?" No one else feels like that but maybe its just another adjustment for me that will come with time lol. It's that feeling after you have been in the ocean all day and then you are laying in bed and you still feel like you are in the water! Mel, do you remember that time in Florida when we were boogie boarding ALL day and it took us FOREVER to fall asleep cause we couldn't shake that sway feeling. That was also the time when I got really, really burnt which then blistered my shoulders and I cried when I was partnering with Justin for our duet the next day....good times. HA HA.
Today we had ice cream!!!!!! :o AND they sell chocolate milk in the slop chest (which is a little goodies shop for crew and staff members) so I am very content right now :) Luckily they serve cereal at all meals so I won't starve!!!!!!!!!
Tomorrow we will start working on Rhythm and Rhyme, which is an easier and shorter show :) Then its only a few more days til we reach Lisbon, the first port we can get off!!!!!!! And since they are adding in a Brazilian cast, I really won't be working very much :o Lots of time to explore and memorize the ship and see the world :D
Well, I should go get ready for the show!!! I need to preset my costumes cause I have SUPER DOOPER quick changes and I need all my costumes, and wigs ;) to be set up a certain way or I won't make it on stage on time! I hope the seas are calm tonight or I will be falling over trying to pull my pants on (which I have done several times in rehearsals already!!!!!) You would think, as a dancer, that I am in control of my body but I am very much a klutz. :D
LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!! <3

Toto, I have a feeling we aren't in Kansas anymore....

The Vision Cast has safely landed in Greece! After 24 hours of travel and little sleep, we are all exhausted and not looking forward to our five a.m. wake up call to board the ship and sit thru meetings, fill out paper work, and rehearse :/ We just have to get thru our ten days of tech runs and then we are living the life!

My feet are SWOLLEN!!!!! I'm so embarrassed!!!!!! My feet look like logs and my toes are sausages!!!! Hopefully they will be back to normal when I board the ship tomorrow!!!!! AH!!!! We spent five hours chillin in the German airport and my first European purchase was a Starbucks frap :D It was 40 degrees outside so our landing was a bit bumpy (causing the steward to spill coffee on my brand new PINK sweats.....where's Grandma's Tide-To-Go when you need it!?!?!) We then landed in Athens, Greece just a few hours ago and rode the bus an hour to our hotel. Unfortunately, the area we are staying is close to the port so its pretty dirty and not at all like all the pictures I've seen of my beloved Greece. We won't be going out tonight since we have a long day ahead of us (and the euro exchange is about 1.60 to the American dollar....EEK!!!!) We passed a few columns on our way into the city which was exciting, but I guess I will just have to wait for another time to explore my favorite place.

 I also had a lady come to me, speaking what I think was Greek, thinking I could translate what she was telling my cast member Neeko. Apparently, I LOOK GREEK!!!!!!!!! I smiled, shook my head, and shrugged and she used gestures to let us know she needed help getting her money into a machine because she couldn't reach. SOOOOOO CUTE!!!!! I made a friend! My new goal will be to get a pen pal, but maybe one that I can understand!

Well, I should hop in the shower and get some sleep. Who knows when I will get a good nights rest between my work hours, adjusting to my new environment, and the inevitable motion sickness that will hit me. I don't know when I will have internet next, but at least you all know I am safe! Hope all is well on the other side of the world!

Bon Voyage!!!!!

This is my last blog while I am still in the states!!!!! In just a few short hours, we are off to the airport to catch our flight!!!!! We fly nine hours into Germany, have a five hour delay :/ then a three hour flight to Greece. All in all, it's about 24 hours of travel. YUCK.

Our runs went amazing! We had a great audience for our official office run; they were clapping, singing, and jamming with us to the hits of the 70's in Boogie Wonderland. Our bosses seemed really happy and our director says we are ready for the ship. :)

She also warned us that our 10 day install period will be difficult. We have five days for each show to prepare it with lighting, sound, and costumes. But they aren't full days-we can only be in the theater for two or three hours a day. SO we will be getting no sleep rehearsing elsewhere and helping open the shows. Meaning we won't see daylight til day 11. But I can't complain too much, after our install we have a ten day cruise and we land in Lisbon, Portugal so I will see plenty there!

My phone will be shut off while I'm gone and that's a bit unsettling for me, but maybe it will help open my eyes to the beautiful world without all the technology. I will still be taking pictures of this beautiful world with my digital camera tho ;) lol.

Hopefully, you all received my email with the itinerary details so you can track my travels by day!!!!!!! I will keep you updated as much as possible!!!!!

Love to all,

Shannon

Florida Day 32

Welp, we are officially down to single digits!!!!!! That's right, Vision of The Seas will be leaving in 6 days!!!!! We have finished both our shows and our office run is on Thursday. We preform for our bosses and the other 5 casts that are in rehearsals, a full crowd. :)

I'm a little nervous, but with more practice away from the mirror and constantly listening to my music, I should be ready. However, the shows are in three inch heels. That's right-kicks, turns, and leaps....in THREE INCH HEELS. So this rehearsal week I will be killing my feet and fighting thru my already stinging blisters:/ Gotta love those.

We are all getting excited to board! Last minute shopping excursions have commenced and we all have lists of things we want to do before ship life; such as cram as many movies in as possible or enjoy things only America offers.

Once on board, I will be in install rehearsals for the first 10 days. Unfortunately, that means I will miss a lot of Greece, so we will be cramming as much as possible into the day we get there. In those 10 days, we are getting fitted into our costumes and doing numerous tech runs for lighting and sound. It will be exhausting but once that is done, we are free to leave the ship whenever we are docked :D

I'm still not sure what I'm doing with my phone but I will use the internet on the ship to keep my blog updated, it should be the cheapest route. I'm working on getting Skype onto my iPod so if you can, download Skype and I can call computers for free and phone for 2 cents a minute. I don't think it can do the camera because its just a iPod not the iPhone but still I can talk!!!!!!

Not much else to report, we will be super busy these next few days cleaning and rehearsing our numbers but I am planning on coming to Starbucks a few times to get some more music, Facebook, and of course update my blog. Hope all is well in your parts of the world.

Love you all!!!!! <3

Florida Day 11

Hello all!!!!!! Well we have successfully gotten thru the first two weeks of rehearsals! My brain is pretty full right now and we still have a whole other show to learn :/ We have about three more dances to learn until Rhythm and Rhyme is complete and then it's on to Boogie Wonderland. I am not looking forward to rehearsing it all in our shoes because, oh yeah, everything is in heels!!!! AH!!!!! LOL.

The cast is doing great! We are all still getting along, although after an intense game of Cranium broke out last night, some people showed their competitive sides which is not always pretty! I am happy to report that Michael and I dominated! To be honest though, I don't know how we did it! His blind drawing was a circle and a swirl way on the opposite side of the paper (an attempt at a pig) for the answer "farm" yet miraculously, I guessed it correctly:D We have had a lot of opportunities for these team bonding activities from making home made pizzas to mall trips and movies. Since we have three Canadians in our group and their Thanksgiving is monday, we are making a big feast to celebrate tonight! A family away from home :) I am really proud of my contribution, a salad. HA HA.

I am still antsy in my pantsy and ready to get over to Europe!!!! It seems everytime we talk about our itinerary, someone mentions another place I didn't know we go to and I scream in excitement! I think the total country count is 17!!!!! I am still trying to find our entire itinerary so I can post that and everyone will know exactly where I am and when. I will also work on figuring out how to put pictures up so my log will be complete :)

Well, I should have more time to update tomorrow, but right now I need to run home and help set up the feast :D

Love to all!!!!!!

Florida Day 1

Day 1 was very successful! My fellow cast members are super nice and it has been a lot of fun so far :) We had orientation in the morning, then learned the "welcome aboard" routine in the afternoon. It was a bit intimidating because I am the only new hire, so I am a bit behind! But after years of learning 17+ dances, I can learn relatively fast so it didn't take long to catch on. The apartments they are housing us in are really nice!!! We have an updated kitchen and TV!!!!! SO HAPPY about having cable, maybe I can finally catch my episode on MTV ha ha....NOT. I am sharing the place with five girls, two singers and three other dancers. The boys are across the hall- a total cast of 12! Royal Caribbean takes really good care of us, making sure we have enough money for food and everything we need during rehearsals. I am just ready to get out of the U.S.!!!!!! Ready to see the world!!!! 37 days til Greece and counting :D