time is worth more as it slips away

4 may 2009
(technically 5 may 2009)
00:20 (12:20a)

a very late good evening from the mv explorer!

things are busy, frantic and becoming overwhelming on the ship. the reality of returning to the states is hitting home, rather hard for some people.

i had a GREAT time at the ambassador's ball, it was like prom. everyone looked beautiful!

the day was spent packing, sunning, napping, swapping photos and staying as close to one another as possible. we had a combined cultural & logistical pre-port for fort lauderdale/the usa; given by "luke" and the other deans, as portrayed by some of our awesome sas kids. it was hilarious and a great way to round out the voyage.

its super late and we've lost our final hour; we are now on east coast time!

tomorrow is convocation and packing and probably a day of tears. then its fort lauderdale! lord, how did it get so late so soon? i'm so excited to see my welcoming committee and those at home. i'm excited to share my stories with whoever is interested, though i'm sure i'll put people to sleep.

i've just completed my slide show, and its approximately 25 minutes. though pictures are worth a thousand words and will hardly do justice to the stories or experiences behind them; my hope is that my slide show helps to convey just how incredible the journey was. and of course, if you want more pictures, i've got thousands!

off to bed, or a movie with the boys? not sure. probably won't sleep much between now and florida, i'll just deal with it ;)

a little housekeeping for all of my lovely readers,
--my ship email will soon be deleted. this means, if you want to stay in touch, laurabeard87@gmail.com is the best way to reach me.
--i WILL be continuing the blog, for all of those interested in following along; i will probably re-organize, add entries and spruce things up a bit; i'm not going to stop writing, that's for