November 11th: Nassau...what a trip.

Yesterday we woke up, ate breakfast in the dining room and left the boat. When we walked off the, the sight was enough to thrill your soul. True, I've felt a bit "closed in" so I might have been fine had they let us out in the middle of a fish yard. Thankfully it was a beautiful port: brightly-colored covered walkways and buildings, various smaller boats on one side, two huge cruiser vessels on the other. The best part was the pristine water, the elegant palm trees, the whole "beachy" feel. After a confusing gathering of information regarding transportation we found a water taxi to take us to Paradise Isand to go to the beach. Oce there, we walked for what felt like miles. I think we missed the shortest way somehow, but we had a scenic route and eventually reached a pathway leading to the beach. As the shore came into view my spirit soared. When I saw the clear water rushing onto the white sandy beach and then away like a children's game of tag, I smiled. I wanted to sing. There is nothing like the beach. Nothing.

We hadn't dressed to swim since we needed to shop also. I did however immediately kick off my flip-flops and run to meet the beautiful Caribbean water. There is also nothing that compares to the sound of the waves, the salty air, and the feel of the sand between your toes. The waves were extremely fast and strong. And yes, I got too close. Yes, I got more than my feet wet. Yes, my wonderful little dress was a bit wet for the walk back. But ya know, I didn't care. I drank in the sight and feel, I found some cool little shells and a neat rock-like something. It's really interesting -- and really heavy!

We relunctantly left the beach, mainy because we weren't equipped to stay, and returned to the shops in downtown Nassau. The most obvious way I saw European influence was in the way those blessed people drive! For one, it's on the wrong side of the road. It's not different -- it's just wrong! Kinda like the fact that there is no such thing as sweet tea down here. Can you believe it?! They call a bitter, brown liquid tea! The only way to swallow it is with a whole lot of sugar and lemon stirred in -- and even then it can't really be called tea. Anyway, I'll describe those type of issues later; back to Nassau!

We located a relatively safe-looking restraunt (Subway) to grab some lunch and then proceeded to shop. We eventually located the infamous Straw Market. Oh dear. What a place. Maybe I'm just a country girl, but I've never longed to be riding a horse, galloping away through a wide, open field so much in my life! I was scared to even enter the huge tent. You kind of get the sensation you neeed to suck in your breath before you dive into the sea of people and merchandise, and hold it until you find your way out for air. The aisles were almost wide enough for two people to pass and they were lined on either side by native women selling their "treasures."

OK, I'll be honest: my first impression was "you all are sitting here yelling/begging/guilting people into buying this junk?!" Now don't get me wrong -- there were some nice items, such as the hand-woven purses and baskets, beaded jewelry, etc. And I'm a bargain shopper -- I go directly to clearance racks in stores! But the pressure, the way each woman made me feel like a heel (well, ok, after the first 10 I got over it) was too much. The closeness, the rudeness, the price-bartering -- I couldn't take it. I found things I hoped family back home would appreciate and I announced that I would be outside in the not-so-fresh air, waiting patiently. My grandmother was fine with leaving with me but Blake stared at me in shock and told me she wanted to explore more aisles. I informed the back of her head, since she was already walking away from me, that there was the same blame stuff on every aisle. Oh well, to each his/her own. She could swim through that place all day if she wanted -- I left. I wasn't too worried about leaving her alone seeing as how no one could grab her and run or anything since you can only move approximately 2 steps every 5 minutes. She eventually surfaced only to head to Starbucks while I was talking to someone. When I didn't find her with my my grandmother and heard where she went, I followed to be sure she made it alright. If you survive crossing the street there is the next biggest fear: the men with questionable intent. I'll just say that a few sights and some things that were said make me wish I could shower the remembrance away as I did the sand and city smell. When Blake exited the coffee shop with her prize, we headed for the ship: cameras, purses, bags (and rocks) in tow. I wanted to run ahead and kiss the side of that boat, I was so glad to see it! But my legs were too tired to walk any further than I had to.

I don't mean to paint a horrible picture of Nassau...or maybe I do...but it really has some great points. Personally, I would have skipped the "shopping" and stayed at that awesome beach!
We 3 exhausted musketeers cleaned up and dressed for dinner. I only ordered what I knew this time, making it much more enjoyable. The waiters all performed for us: singing, dancing, the works. It's so sad to think about leaving because we've gotten very attached to these precious people. After we left the dining room we headed to the line waiting to get in to hear Sandi Patti sing and Karen Kingsbury speak. What an evening! Sandi Patti may have been around a long time but gracious! that woman can still sing like crazy! It was a great time of worship and Karen Kingsbury's message was awesome once again. She is the same sweet, loving, heartfelt, passionate woman in person as she is on stage. I was the only one in line with her this morning in the breakfast line and she remembered me from our quick (but emotional) meeting the night before. She communicates with her eyes, body language and words that she really cares about you. So genuine and loving; the kind of woman I would love to be around just to soak in her wisdom and grace, to emulate. She writes fictional books but they are truly life-changing. Her heart comes out in her writing. I have yet to read one of her books and not cry at least a quarter of the time. I am so thankful for God blessing this world with women like her with a heart for Him and His people.

The evening, which was Veterans' day, concluded with Sandi Patti singing the Star Spangled Banner (wow!) and Karen Kingsbury playing Lonestar's music video, "I'm Already There." Talk about grateful, heart-wrenching tears.

It was a great evening.