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February 9, 2009 - National Pro Fastpitch (NPF)
Philadelphia Force News Release


Jami Lobpries Vacation Cruise

Over the break, I took a 7 day Caribbean cruise on the Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas. I went with one of my best friends and former Texas A&M teammates, Amanda Scarborough, and her parents Mark and Sally. It was the first cruise I've ever been on and a great way to take a vacation.

Day 1: We arrived in Galveston at 1:00 ony to find out that the ship was delayed for five hours because of fog, so the ship wasn't even docked yet from the previous cruise. So to waste time we went to lunch on at Salt Grass on the seawall and then drove around Galveston looking at the destruction Hurricane Ike had left last September. Needless to say, Galveston still has some serious cleanup and repairs to do to the city. It was sad seeing some places I had visited in the past completely destroyed. We finally got on the ship about 7:00 after going through all the procedures and check-ins. We ate dinner at the Windjammer Café, a buffet style dinner. Then we went to a comedy show onboard featuring a comedian named John Wing. After a long day and in preparation for 7 days on the ship, my friend Amanda and I unpacked all our stuff and called it a night pretty early. The ship left the port in Galveston around 10.

Day 2: Our first day at sea! That morning all passengers had a required safety training called the Muster Drill. We all wore bright orange life vests and went to our designated life boat areas. Fortunately we never returned to those areas! We spent the rest of the day laying out at the pool soaking in the sun. It was nice to be able to lay out get a tan in January! Poolside there was "Sexy Legs Competition" for the men that was pretty funny to watch. That night was our first formal dinner night in our designated dining area, the Carmen. Being an athlete, I don't always get to dress up so I took full advantage of this night. For the entire trip we were assigned a waiter named Shelly from Trinidad and Tobago, and assistant waiter, Lena from Columbia. That night after dinner we watched the Fiesta Bowl in the Promenade area with a ton of Texas and Ohio State fans. Since Texas is our rival it was a little tough rooting for them but it was a great game.

Day 3: This was our first port stop in Cozumel, Mexico. The weather was beautiful. Our excursion was a trip to Passion Island, a private island that was the site of recent Corona commercials. We spent four hours on the island laying out, playing Frisbee, swimming, and taking a paddle boat ride. We also enjoyed a buffet with some delicious fish and Mexican food. This was probably one of the prettiest beaches I've ever seen before. After getting back we got ready and headed for another dinner with Shelly and Lena. I ate some es cargo for the first time ever and I was hooked, the food was unbelievable (which is why we went back there every night of the cruise!). After dinner we went to theatre on board to watch the Production Show called Music in Motion. The Royal Carribbeann Singers & Dancers were really good and very entertaining. To close out the night, Amanda and I went to the "Finish That Lyric" Game Show. When the song stopped the contestant had to finish the lyric of a randomly selected song. The guy who won was ridiculous, pretty sure he knows the lyrics to every song ever made, not to mention the title and artist.

Day 4: We arrived in Grand Cayman. Before we left, Amanda's parents had hired a charter boat to take us out to go snorkeling and swim with the sting rays for the day. Sting Ray City is a popular tourist attraction in the Caymans where you go out to a sandbar in the middle of the ocean and feed the sting rays. I was a little freaked out at first, especially knowing that the Crocodile Hunter was killed by a sting ray, but after a while I got more comfortable. Our boat captain would actually hold the sting rays so I got to hold one and feed one a squid, which felt like a vacuum sucking the squid out of my hand. I also kissed one which is supposed to give me 7 years luck (let's hope that luck carries over to this season). To finish our trip we went snorkeling along the reef and each got to take home some huge conch shells, which made a good gift to give my mom. The sun and swimming took a lot out of us but we did make it to the "Love and Marriage" Game Show which was absolutely hilarious. Three couples (newlyweds, a couple married for 20 years, and a couple married for 51 years) were tested on their knowledge of their significant other. Some of the answers were quite interesting but I'll spare the details. Surprisingly the newlyweds won by a large margin!

Day 5: Our final port was in Montego Bay, Jamaica. We were pretty excursioned-out so a relaxing day at the beach was perfect. Amanda and I did go parasailing which is something I'd never done before. The coolest part was the amazing view I got of Montego Bay. After another delicious dinner we went to a show on the ship's ice skating rink called Ice Odyssey. For a small rink, it was a great show, I was pretty impressed. That night was also the National Championship game featuring Oklahoma and Florida. I was cheering for you OU since they represented the Big 12 and I think Sam Bradford's cute but unfortunately they didn't win. We did meet a lot of cool OU fans onboard and there were a lot of crazy fans for both sides which made for a fun atmosphere.

Day 6: We spent the entire day on the ship as we headed back towards Galveston. Once again I spent the majority of the time in the sun, actually about 4 hours! I was also a proud judge of the men's belly flop competition which was shockingly won by the skinniest guy in the competition. I also entered a sports trivia game show with Mr. Scarborough but sadly we got second, I'm a huge sports junkie so I thought this would be right up my alley. After dinner we went to the production show, Rhythm and Rhyme, which featured the Royal Caribbean singers and dancers. Once again the show was great, and my new favorite singer Mimi dominated the show. That night we hit up Club Twenty which was an outdoor club they set up at one of the pools. It was fun because everything was glow-in-the-dark and some of the staff members like the cruise director, dancers, singers, and skaters got to mingle with us passengers. I even got a dance with the cruise director!

Day 7: Our final day at sea. I was pretty tired after spending six days in the sun but I still took some time to get my last UV rays in before it was back to cold weather. For lunch we went to the Johnny Rockets on board for some nice, greasy fries, onion rings, and hamburgers. Then we enjoyed our final dinner with our wait staff in the Carmen and our last delicious meal. I went out with a bang though with some fresh lobster! That night we watched the karaoke finals which was basically set up like American Idol, then went to the Farewell Show which featured the singers, dancers, and a pretty funny comedian. Afterwards, there was an Island Frenzy parade in the Promenade which basically finalized our trip.

Day 8: We docked in Galveston and headed off the ship at about 7 am. Overall it was a great trip, one filled with sun, beautiful scenery, delicious food, and great entertainment. I did manage to get a few workouts in then though! After my Christmas break filled with vacations it's time to get back to school and back to training for the upcoming season.

FANS.....THE NPF 2009 DRAFT is around the corner! Check out the Force and all the other NPF teams as they Draft the top senior class in the country. The Draft will be held in Akron, Ohio to be aired LIVE on www.thesoftballchannel.com. Is your business interested in being apart of the 2009 Philadelphia Force? Here's how you can join in all the fun and exciting action. For as little as $50.00 you will be able to sponsor a portion the Force's live home streamed broadcasts. For more information please contact beisenberg@philadelphiaforce.com.

UPCOMING CAMPS AND CLINICS:

FEBRUARY 28TH FROM 9AM-11AM AT DIAMOND BASEBALL ACADEMY

APRIL 19TH FROM 9AM-11AM AT DIAMOND BASEBALL ACADEMY



National Pro Fastpitch Stories from February 9, 2009


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