This last cruise I was reminded of why I am here.
Ariel met the most amazing family. A small family of a little girl named Ariel, her younger brother, their Mother and their grandmother. They attended Ariel's first meet and greet, and one of the Princess Gatherings. Ariel was so excited to meet a friend with the same name as her. The little boy of about 5 years old was very enthusiastic about his sister's name as well. They were silly little starfish and Ariel loved talking to them. They took some pictures and their mother decided she wanted to be on one of the pictures and also invited the kids' grandma to join in as well. She was a very kind woman who gave Ariel one of the warmest hugs she's ever experienced. She was very gracious toward Ariel for the time she had spent with little Ariel and her son. The next afternoon at the Princess Gathering, Ariel recognizes her new friends and was so happy to see them again. She asked about all the fun things they had done since she had seen them last and they told her they had been playing lots of fun games. They took some more pictures, and then the mother said she wanted to take a picture alone with Ariel. She gave Ariel another warm hug and said to her, "I saw your movie in 1985 and fell in love!"She told Ariel some other very kinds things that completely warmed her heart and almost brought tears to her eyes! Ariel gave her the biggest hug and they took a beautiful picture together! Ariel was so happy to have met such a wonderful woman that she asked one of her friends to take down the woman's information so she could send her something special. The woman's name was Jenifer Renz and Ariel wanted to write her a letter to thank her for her kindness. Ariel found the pictures that had been taken the first time she had met the family and sent a couple photos to the Renz family along with the note for Jenifer! She hoped the letter and photographs would reach her well. On the last day of the cruise, Ariel came out one last time to say goodbye to her new friends that she had met. Jenifer showed up to say goodbye all by herself, without the kinds and without the grandmother. She wrote Ariel a letter from her and the kids for her to read later that evening. The children had brought some seashells from Castaway Cay for Ariel along with a giant conch shell: a "piece of home" as Jenifer called it. Both Ariel and Jenifer were in tears and beaming with joy. Ariel was so happy to hear that the family had received their gifts and was so thankful for the beautiful gifts from the children and from Jenifer. She couldn't wait to read the note!!! They couldn't stop hugging each other or thanking each other for all of the kind words. Jenifer said to Ariel, "Thank you for making my dreams come true," and Ariel said, "No. Thank you for making MY dreams come true." They took some final pictures and said their goodbyes completely touched by the moment and so sad that it had to end because Ariel had a lot more friends to say goodbye to. Ariel will never forget Jenifer and hopes that Jenifer will never forget her either!
Witnessing the magic between Ariel and the Renz family is what reminded me of how lucky I am to be on this ship. Yes, it is exhausting beyond belief and really really hard work sometimes, but moments like this are unforgettable and only happen once in a lifetime. I am so blessed to be here.
Today is my 6 month Anniversary with Nick!!! So we did what we always do and went to lunch in Nassau and got some free internet! He wrote the sweetest note to me and got me an Ariel watch that I am OBSESSED with, and a Winnie the Pooh watch to replace my old broken one :) He is the best and I love him more than anything!!!!
10 weeks left!!!
