I had such a great time making fun of my younger self that I have decided to devote another blog entry to it. This one is going to be a riot, I can promise you that. Because…*drum roll please* I discovered my diary entries, old notes, and funny love letters…from when I was really little (and older). Some of them are super lame, we will just skip those, and some are personal (no way am I sharing those) but some are just funny!

Monday, 9/11/99

Poison Ivy! Help! My eyes are red and people are looking at me. I hope that it goes away very fast because it looks so bad I could just die. I don't know what to do. I think that I look like a car just ran over me. I guess that all I have to say.

(if a car ran over me, I think I would look a lot worse than just having red all over my face. But I really did hate that poison oak, which I mention is what it is in the next entry. I also say that I had to stay home from school. Then I argue with myself over whether it's better to be well or get away from homework for a bit)

Monday, 11:59 pm (Apparently I wanted to point out that it was almost midnight and I was still up)

Dear Diary, (yes, I wrote to a "diary"; all the cool kids were doing it!)

I feel funny. You see, we went and got me ready at school. I'm going to be a 7th grader. Not that sounds and feels funny. I don't feel right. I've always been a sixth grader, it seems. Now I'm a seventh grader. Does that sound funny or am I going mental?

(Dear 6th/7th grade self; Yes, you are gong "mental". You do realize that you weren't always in 'sixth' grade, right? You went through 6 other grades before that, since we include Pre-school)

A week later…this is my favorite entry so far!

Later

Eek! I think I just got away from Nick. I snuck up to his room to spy on him and see if he was doing anything and I heard him singing and he was looking at a picture. Does he have a girlfriend? Will my brother be up at night calling girls and then come down in the morning wearing boxers and sing a love song? Will he leave at night and pick up girls? I wonder if he's even old enough to date? This is so weird. What was that picture of?

(hee hee! I was such an annoying little sister-I always wanted to be Harriet the Spy. I watched that movie a little too much. But my house always had secret passageways which really helped with the whole spying thing. :) And I have a feeling I must have just seen some kind of movie where the brother walked around in his boxers…because my brother never did this, but that was the first thing I was worried about! It's sad I never mention who the picture was…and singing? My brother doesn't sing…)

I promised you all funny love notes, so here is one. I received this note in my locker Freshman year of high school. At that point in time, I was partially interested in a certain boy at the school. So when I received this note, I immediately thought it had to be from him. HA! Turns out my "friends" thought it would be a funny joke to ask a guy they knew to write me the note and stick it in my locker. Now it makes for a funny story! (the guy wasn't the best writer, so I'm adding in his actual mistakes)

"Dear, Kristine

All these feelings have been building up. I Just needed to tell you. I think we have been friends for awhile. the first time I saw you. I swear, I fell in love. You have no idea how often I've been thinking of you. I think we should do something together once. I don't care if you don't want to be my Glf. I Just want to be with you. I love how your hair is so colorful! You may not think so, but I think you are so beactiful. Since I feel so uncomfortable about this letter, I cannot tell you my name. But I will give you clues it is me throughout the day, during school.

Love,

X"

("Your hair is so colorful" Gag! I thought it was "so cute" because I desperately thought it was that one guy. Then I got smart *thank heavens* and figured it had to be a joke. So I spent the rest of the day guessing who the prankster was. They ended up telling me, laughing and everything. I was so mad. Now I am just really happy that I can write better than the guy who wrote this letter)

As some of you probably know, I'm not really the best at come-backs. I kind of just take the insult and let it roll off me, or come up with some stupid comment back that just makes everyone else laugh. During my Freshmen year of college, I found that people were pretty mean, almost worse than middle school (and middle school was pure torture), so I printed off a bunch of "comebacks" and highlighted my favorites. I was convinced that I could memorize them and then spout them off at the right moment. Instead, I either messed them up, so they just sounded highly amusing, or I waited until long after the insult had been said, because I finally remembered it, and then everyone just stared at me. "You couldn't think of that earlier, Kristine?" Ha! Well, here are my favorites from the list…

"Lets play house. You be the door and I'll slam you."

"We know that you would go to the end of the world for us. But would you stay there?"

"There are several people in this world that I find obnoxious and you are all of them."

"You're a good example of why some animals eat their young."

"You sound like you are in a good mood. Who did you bug today?"

"People clap when they see you-their hands over their eyes or ears."

"Keep talking. I always yawn when I'm interested."

"You've got the perfect weapon against muggers-your face."

"Anybody who told you to be yourself simply couldn't have given you worse advice…"

"Does your head float because of its emptiness?"

"All day I thought of you…I was at the zoo."

"Brains aren't everything. In fact, in your case, they're nothing."

"I never forget a face. But in your case, I'll make an exception."

Hmm, well that's all for now. Hee hee. I think I'll add some more in the next posting if you guys like them. :)

I've noticed that by the time you are 23, more than 3/4's of your friends are either in a serious relationship, have kids, are engaged, married, or married with kids. And then there are the 1/4 who are like you-single (or maybe casually dating), exploring the world, and clearly not willing to settle down yet. Since I have yet to have that-"can't eat, can't sleep, can't breathe" relationship, I often wonder if I am "behind" in my life. I've had several conversations in the past couple weeks with people who remind me that I really should be looking for someone in the near future, but never to put a "time-limit" on yourself either.

As I posted on my Facebook today, "People keep saying that love is in every corner……gosh! maybe i’m moving in circles." It just seems strange to me that so many people have to comment on my lack of a relationship. It really wouldn't bother me so much-if they stopped commenting! For example, my grandma called me a couple days ago. She says that she's really excited I am going on a cruise ship, that I'm so lucky and blessed and it's going to provide me great memories for the future, blah blah. (okay, it was really nice to hear but for the sake of the story, I don't need to type everything she said) Then I comment that I stumbled across a future co-worker's blog. (I was googling for what to bring on a cruise ship) "He has some really great pictures of the ship," I said. "Oh, I am so happy to hear you say 'he'. Is he cute? Think you'll like him?" Really, Grandma? She is always on the case about boys, her and my mother.

So anyway, the purpose of this update was because I came across something interesting today while "cleaning" my room. (I'm really getting rid of stuff, and "destroying" my room since it's all being put into boxes for storage) When my friends and I were in middle school, we had a teacher who asked us to design a board game much like the game of life. We were to put where we planned to be for "The Next 15 or More Years of My Life". The funny thing is that I really haven't followed much of that plan. Let's see…

"Start"

"Pass eighth grade and go to high school" *completed! ha ha*

"Pass my freshman year with good grades too" *completed, honor roll*

"Pass tenth grade" *really, these "plans" where easy, ha ha

"Begin applying for scholarships and pass my Junior year *FAIL! I did pass my Junior year, stop gasping, I just didn't apply for scholarships…I didn't really qualify for many

"Began applying at colleges and checking them out" *Well, I did this backwards. I should have put my "plan" up on my wall! Instead, I applied to 9 colleges, got into all of them, and then decided maybe I should visit a few in person instead of looking at them online…Fail!

"Big Moment! Important event: Graduate from High School." (I guess I assumed I passed Senior year to graduate High School. ha ha I was a smart kid!)

"Get accepted to a college" (9 colleges is pretty good, right?)

"Go to college for four years and work at a bookstore in free time." *FAIL! I did go to college for four years, and I even held 4 jobs at once, but none of them included working in a bookstore… (Timber-lee, computer lab, Resident Assistant, Sports Information Photographer, Royal Purple Photographer, Registrar's Office, internship, etc. Hmmm…I think I did pretty good anyway!)

"Big Moment! Important Event! Graduate from college!" (This is really funny. I spelled "collage" so I got points taken off. ha ha, I spelled High School right, but failed college apparently)

"Work at a bookstore and write books in free time." (I was really into this idea of working at a bookstore. I never even considered that in high school or college. I did work at a library this past year, does that count?)

"Meet someone and begin to date him." (I've dated some people, but I don't think they are this "someone" due to the next thing on the list. Also, this is the first time I mention dating someone, so I guess my 8th grade self decided I'd fall in love with the first person I dated. ha ha! What a joke!)

"He proposes and I accept." (did he see this and know that was the next step for him to take? lol)

"Begin to plan for wedding, set a date, decide where to live, etc…" (well…yeah, not there yet, that's for sure)

"Big Moment! Important Event! Get Married" (aw, this is cute, I made a little "Just Married" sign under it.)

"Continue to write books, while husband works." (apparently my husband is the "big bread winner" as my writing books doesn't make money? Well, don't worry, this is probably not going to happen, although I would still like to write a book one day…)

"Find out that I'm "pageant". Continue to write books." (another spelling error; well that's to be expected, I am one of the worst spellers; I wonder if I was writing this books while my belly is huge)

"Pick a room to put baby in. Paint it and buy all the stuff we'll need." (little 8th grade self, very smart idea…)

"Have a baby shower." (am I throwing this or is someone else? It'd probably be more fun is someone threw it for me…)

"Think of names for the baby." (I was really into the name "Dawn" when I was kid. I'm sure this was at the top of my list.)

"Big Moment! Important Event! Baby is born!" (I never mention if it's a girl or a boy. Sad.)

"Pick a name for the baby." (I thought we did this earlier? Maybe we didn't know the sex of the baby, so we picked it after it was born.)

"Take care of baby. Write books at night." (I'm still into writing those books. How many have I written at this point? Do I just write them or do they actually get published?)

"Baby's First Birthday" (why isn't this a "Big Moment!"?)

"Big Moment! Book is Published and Sells." (well, that answers several questions. My book is more important than baby, sorry baby, and apparently none of the other books were published or sold. Sad.)

"Find out that I'm 'pageant' again." (really couldn't spell that word! ha ha. And apparently, I was really busy! Geez, two kids so quickly after each other?)

"Began to plan to take care of new baby. Watch other child." (wow, that's harsh. I'm so excited about the new baby, that's it now the "other child")

"Another book is published." (is this an old one or one I was at some point working on?)

"Think of names for new baby." (I guess naming this child was really on my mind)

"Big Moment! Important Event! Baby is Born!" (now I have two kids…and after that, I stopped writing about my life. So if that was 15 years from when I finished eighth grade, I would be…28!)

So I guess that means that I am a little "ahead" of my 8th grade self's mind…and a little behind. I have dated more than my eighth grade self planned…but I'm not married as soon as my 8th grade self imagined. (apparently, that should have come right after college ended…well, technically, I did graduate only a year ago…) It's just really funny to see what we think is going to happen when we are young…and what really happens.

I hope you enjoyed reading what I think are funny comments about my silly 8th grade self. As for my earlier thoughts on dating life, well, it's more funny than anything else. My little 8th grade self was very into being married and that I should be married soon after finishing college. However, now that I've grown up, that just isn't the biggest goal right now. While most of the people in my age range are following my 8th grade plans, I've learned that I need to do some more exploring before I settle down. I want to travel! I want to see more things, meet new and interesting people! There is so much more to life than just getting married! Not that there is anything wrong with that, but sometimes it bothers me that people like to mention how I'm not married, all the time.

They often say to me: "Don't worry there are lots of fish in the sea" as though I'm upset about it. I often haven't even mentioned it at all! I have to remember that they feel sorry for me. However, they don't really need to because I am going to sea, and I'm sure there will be lots of men there. And not having a boyfriend, I can flirt with whoever I want, and it's going to be awesome! :)

Chicago! The Windy City! I just spent three days in Chicago, and after a while, it just got to be too much. Maybe it was the fact that it was my parents and me, and they were getting really stressed out with the transportation to all the different sites. (bus or metro? or do we walk?) We purchased the 'Go Chicago' card, so it was a lot less expensive, but we had to get everywhere before 5:30, which was a problem when we didn't start getting anywhere until 1:00pm, because of driving down there (we drove back home every night), then taking transportation (about an hour) to where we were going. I'm happy it's over, lol.

Yesterday, I had lasik surgery done on my eyes. I've been wearing glasses since fifth grade, contacts since end of Freshmen year of college (I was too scared to touch my eye before that). It's really strange to think I will never have to wake up and grab my glasses, or poke my eyes trying to get my contacts out. Life is going to be so much easy now that I won't have to explain why my eye is red (contact bothering me) or worrying that I look "ugly" in my glasses. *Relief* Thank you for lasik! The surgery was actually really easy-I was so stressed about it, but then I just went in, they had me lay down on the chair, gave me a stuffed animal to hold, put me under the laser, and that was that. I didn't feel a thing thanks to some really cool eye drops! And now I can see! Amazing!

Well, I have to take drops every hour and I'm supposed to go to bed early, so I guess that means this is it. I got an update on my cruise-I have to wait 2-4 weeks for my card to come, and when that does, whenever they have a spot open for me, I'm going to leave. Wow. I can't believe that I could be leaving soon for Hawaii! I'm excited, but a little nervous. Hmm….that reminds me of how I felt before the lasik surgery. Hopefully it will be just as painless getting used to working on a cruise ship? :)

The hot sand beneath your feet, the smell of palm trees and tropical plants in the air, the warm breeze floating around you, the sound of the waves roaring towards you…

I never thought it would be possible, but in about three months, I will be sailing the seas of Hawaii, taking pictures of passengers on a Norwegian cruise ship. About 5 months ago, I was a AmeriCorps member living in Florida, helping to teach literacy to people in the Palm Beach area of Florida. My parents came down to visit me from Wisconsin, and we took a three night cruise to the Bahamas. I loved it! Exploring the boat was AMAZING, and everyone seemed so happy and relaxed! My dad loved the food, and my mom loved the shows at night-we all had a great time. My mom casually mentioned that maybe I should look into being a photographer on a cruise ship, since I love taking pictures and had been looking into becoming a professional. She was joking, but I took her serious and started looking into the idea.

I graduated college a year ago, from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. I majored in Advertising, and my minor was in Multi-media. While in school, I took pictures for the Royal Purple (student newspaper) and for the sports teams to put on their website. I took two photography classes, and learned how to use a studio. I have also done a couple weddings, some engagement photos, and many portraits for my friends. However, I wasn't sure if that was ENOUGH experience to get a job on a cruise ship, but I decided to try anyway.

The first thing I did was to explore the Internet, hoping to find out HOW to apply. I discovered many websites that talked about the pros and cons of working on a cruise ship. Many asked if you loved to travel-which of course I do. Others asked if you could live in a confined area for 5-9 months without coming home. I lived in the dorms as an RA for three years, and I worked at camps for about 6 years total. I also lived in a barn for a whole summer (yes, my room was an actual "stall" for horses). Yes, I decided, I could defiantly live on a cruise ship.

After learning about the many reasons you should or shouldn't get a job on a cruise ship, I still hadn't discovered HOW to apply. Finally, at about midnight, I landed on a Yahoo Answers page. Many people feel that Yahoo Answers isn't "legit" but I find that it can be very helpful! The user who answered the question said that some companies outsource from "Ocean Images" or "Image" but a few cruise ships hire directly, and you can just apply from their website under "Careers".

The next day, I enlisted my friend Tiffany to help me with my resume. She agreed to help me with the wording of my resume, but I needed to figure out what jobs I wanted on my resume, and what to write. That, I will admit, was my biggest struggle. I mapped out what I wanted my resume to look like (since I'm a designer, that was my favorite part) and spent lots of time on that. After a while, I realized I was going to have to finally put some words on the resume. Promoting myself? I just wasn't sure how to go about doing that-we are taught not to brag about ourselves, and that is just what you are supposed to do on a resume! It took about three weeks, but with the help of two Tiffanys, a couple friends back home, and my roommates, I finally finished my resume. Tiffany took my picture (if you are applying for a job on a cruise ship, always include your picture, so they can see your smiling, "professional" self) and I included a special page, which had my photography and quotes from my references.

Let me say one thing: It's hard enough to create a resume, but figuring out what to say in a cover letter is tough! Do you butter the person up (oh, your company is so great, etc.) or just brag about yourself? (I'm really great, you need me!) I learned that you should do both-make them feel great about themselves (after all, if they weren't awesome, why would you want to work for them?) and then explain why, since they are so great, they need you? (you are so great, but I will help you become even better!) Make sure to promote what you have to offer, not just what YOU will get out of the job. (if you give me this job, I'll get to travel the world!)

I guess I did a good job on my resume, because while sitting in an airport waiting to go home to Wisconsin for my best friend's wedding, I got an e-mail offering me an interview from Norwegian. I had just applied to them only a week or so before, so I was extremely surprised. We set up a meeting via Skype for the next week, and I went home super excited. A couple days later, "Ocean Images" also asked me to set up an interview. Flash forward to the Norwegian interview: imagine someone freaking out and that was me. I had never done a Skype interview before, and I had no idea what to expect. The interview went great-I loved the people who interviewed me and hoped I would soon get to work with them. I was a little worried I might have smiled too much during the interview, and my friend commented that she had heard a couple "ums" when she walked past my office, but I still had a good feeling about the interview. The next week, I got the offer! When I let "Ocean Images" know that I would not be interviewing with them, they were super nice and wished me well. Therefore, I highly recommend working for them as well if you are looking for a job.

I must say, I really love the people at Norwegian. They are so nice-very friendly and I can't wait to work for them! This year is going to be AMAZING and I can't wait to share with you my adventures, thoughts and of course, PICTURES! So stay tuned for more exciting news as I prepare for my adventure at sea!

Click here for a sample of my photography.