I woke up early, along with almost every other passenger on the MV Explorer to watch our last sunrise. |
Sunrise as we approach our final port, San Diego, CA, USA - on Dec. 7, 2005. |
Kat made a bunch of signs to welcome Molly and me home. Of all the the signs welcoming people home, I think Kat's were the most creative. |
The stacks of luggage waiting to get off the ship. |
The dock is finally in sight over 20 minutes after we're supposed to be docked. |
Good thing this was the last day. Molly's risky move of jumping behind the bar in the Staffulty Lounge to make a phone call could have gotten her kicked off the ship :) |
Kat and Dad took pictures of the MV Explorer coming into port from the dock while I was on the ship taking pictures of the crowd gathered at the port. |
The tug boat alongside the MV Explorer as we're almost to the dock. |
Molly and Amy during our last few hours on the ship. |
Just a few more feet and we're there! |
The crowd of family and friends welcoming us back to the USA. |
The crowd of family and friends welcoming us back to the USA. Kat's sign (the white one you can see completely) says "My sister went on SAS and all I got was a 5:30 a.m. wake up." |
Students, faculty, and staff lined up on every square inch of railing (even on the decks that were off limits) trying to see & shout to their loved ones waiting for us on land. Top row far left are Amy, Molly, and Leigh. |
Gail holding the blue sign: "Welcome Home Amy & Molly," and Kat holding the white sign: "My sister went on SAS and all I got was a 5:30 a.m. wake up." |
Yellow sign has an arrow pointing to Kat's head and says "Amy Andrews Look." |
Molly trying to have a conversation with her mom on the dock. |
Dad and Kat each taking a pic of me while I take a pic of them. |
Students, faculty, and staff lined up on every square inch of railing (even on the decks that were off limits) trying to see & shout to their loved ones waiting for us on land. |
My sister Kat, in front of the MV Explorer with her arsenal of signs. |
A seagull getting ready to pounce on our last lunch. |
Getting ready to disembark the ship with 6+ bags strapped to me. I even had to use my mouth to hold my shipboard ID and customs form. |
Making my way down the super steep gangway from deck 5. |
Woody & JP coming to my rescue, JP from the top of the gangway and Woody from the bottom, when the handle on my African chair package broke. |
Nearing the bottom of the gangway, followed by Woody carrying my chair, just after some port official tried to push past me andmake his way up the gangway. |
Making my way out from the luggage area to the area where all our friends and family are waiting with ALL of my stuff. |
This is the point when you run around introducing all your best friends to your family for the first time. I'm not sure who that guy on the left is, I think his name is Jason, but that guy in the middle has a name tag on that says his name is Rico. We've only had 105 days together, I'm glad he's still wearing his name tag. |
Dad and his two girls. |
Among the few people I actually got to introduce to Dad and Kat was Byron. |
Shawna and Justin waiting in Purser's Square to disembark. |
Molly with all her instruments attached heading down the gangway. |