Whales and Pirates

Next week, Chris and I will be on a cruise--my first ever.

Here's what I'm excited about:

1. Drifting on the ocean without a care in the world
2. Seeing the sunset (and perhaps even a sunrise) without anything in the way
3. Reading Moby Dick on the sea
4. Pretending to be a pirate (while reading about them--I like to read thematically; in past years on the beach I've read Old Man and the Sea and Life of Pi; I've read Jan Huss and Jan Neruda, although not Kafka, in Czech--the country, not the language; I studied Cervantes in Spain).
5. Putting my toes in the sand at the stops
6. No cell phones
7. Visiting water falls, rainforests, and stingrays
8. Being Deborah Kerr with her elegant dresses (and maybe drinking a glass of pink champagne even though it's not my favorite)--I have to say that my husband is even sexier than Cary Grant, and that's saying a lot.
9. Meeting interesting people from exotic lands who will no doubt find themselves in a book someday
10. Seeing God's beauty in a way I've never seen before