1 timothy 6:12

Twenty-seven

2012-02-12T00:30:00.000-05:00

I have sat down at my kitchen table to write this post overa slice of cake (made with enough butter to make Paula Dean proud) and a cup oftea. I am hosting a late-night tea partyfor myself…it is just past midnight on February 12 and today is mybirthday. I am 27. As an added bonus, I asked Mother Nature forsnow (for my birthday, of course) and at present there is a dusting outside. I will take what I can get.

It has been a year-and-a-half since I last posted to thisblog. In one sense I wish I had beenmore disciplined over the years to regularly post. On the other hand, however, I am gratefulthat my sounding board has always been there when I needed it. Whether I have posted in the grieving of mymom-mom, relayed adventures of trips abroad, or recounted times spent with myBible seeking my God, my blog has always been there to catch my thoughts andrecord who I am at that moment. A lothas changed since I first started this blog. To begin with, I was 20. And thatis all I will say…I assume you can deduct that in 6½ years more than my age haschanged. If you know me at all, you willknow significant change has wrought itself in my life – all for the better,though some changes harder than others to bear.

For the past month or so I have really missed writing on myblog. I have sat down on two separateoccasions and read (word-for-word) all of my old posts wishing I had somethingto write about. From my perspective, mylife seems dull – I go to work and I go to school. When I am not engaged in those activities, Iam spending time with my boyfriend. Iguess I could write about my dog ruining two pairs of shoes within two weeks orhow I almost set the house on fire when I threw my dog’s toy onto the lightfixture in the kitchen. I could alsotell you about spending the day in DC with my company’s social club – only two ofus showed up but we had a blast. Orperhaps I write about my attempt to make a life in Virginia when I would muchrather live in Tennessee, even after a year-and-a-half of being gone.

When I sit down and really think about it, I do not want towrite to entertain my readership (whoever you may be). Rather, I want to write whatever comes tomind. And in 6½ years, when I go backthrough my blog, I want to remember who I was when I was 27. What did I think, what struggles did Iencounter, where did I go and what did I see? Along with recording who I am as a 27 year old, I also want to be morepurposeful about my time spent reading God’s truth in Scripture. I want to begin with Proverbs (my favoritebook of the Bible) and dig deep into chapter 27 (my favorite chapter). In my 27^th year I am going tostudy Proverbs 27 and hopefully share what I learn on my blog.

But for now, it is late. Two of the dogs have already tucked themselves in for the night and theother is anxiously waiting by my side for me to get up and turn out thelights. My cake and my tea are gone, mykitchen is covered in chocolate, and I have to wake up for church in themorning.

With that, I wish myself a happy 27^th birthdayand I welcome myself back to the blogosphere. Gnite.

Thoughts about faith

2010-07-16T18:29:00.000-04:00

This was a post I wrote for my singles ministry's blog the other day following our corporate meeting. Our pastor preached on Revelation 3:1-6.

How many of you start your week looking forward to Friday? Whether you are anticipating the end of your workweek or the beginning of a fun weekend, are punching out at five o’clock mumbling, “TGIF,” or are shouting, “it’s payday,” everyone appreciates Fridays. Any other week, I would wholeheartedly affirm my love for the day of the week beginning with “F”. But this week…not so much. Tomorrow is a personal anniversary that I have been anticipating all week. To be honest, I have been counting down to it since January. And anticipating might give the wrong impression but to say I was dreading tomorrow would be a bit of a stretch. The fact is July 16 is my least favorite day of the year. Tomorrow marks the fifth anniversary of the end of my mom’s battle with cancer.

My mom-mom (that is what I liked to call my mom) passed away at 7:57 am on July 16, 2005, after struggling with cancer off-and-on for almost two years. I was in my second-year at UT when she was first diagnosed. It was hard to be separated from her, my dad, and my brother as she went to doctor’s appointments, had surgeries, and received prognoses. As to be expected, I really struggled to have faith in God as my family walked through our trying circumstances. But God was kind – I found much grace through my quiet times, received much care from our church, and was encouraged by my mom-mom who had an exponential amount of faith the sicker she got.

And then a week before she passed away, we were informed that she was not going to make it. It was time for last goodbyes, hugs and kisses, words of wisdom, tears, and (thankfully) time spent together in God’s word reviewing His promises to His children. She had been in the hospital for a month before they allowed her to come home on hospice. She came home on Friday afternoon; Saturday morning she passed away in her sleep. She went to Heaven to join her Maker and Savior and we were left behind to learn to live without her. I did not struggle with God’s goodness towards His children or His purpose in conducting His sovereign will; though it was hard to see mom-mom go it was comforting knowing she was in her true Home. And I found it most helpful studying what Scripture says about our Eternal Home and the works of Randy Alcorn – it gave me a more complete picture of my life as a sojourner here on earth seeking to get to my true home in Heaven.

What I did struggle with was faith. To be more exact, all faith I had was extinguished. When she passed away I did not know how I was going to live without her. How could I cook dinner if I could not call her while I was grocery shopping to ask her about ingredient substitutions, or call her for advice after starting a grease fire on the stove? What about school? Who would encourage me when I did poorly or congratulate me when I did well? She would not be there to see me graduate with my master’s degree. Or go out on my first date. Get married. Have a baby. Silly things made me question whether or not I could survive without my mom-mom and I had no faith that I would. Over time with the help of friends, Scripture, and dutifully participating in church life I was awakened to my lack of faith in God.

Did you enjoy Jeff’s message on faith this week? I certainly did! I received the agenda for the meeting a week prior and was excited to see that as the topic. All weekend-long I was looking forward to hearing Jeff and hearing what Christ had to say to Sardis regarding faith. Every year the week prior to the anniversary of my mom-mom’s passing is a difficult one both emotionally and spiritually. It is a huge temptation to lack faith and to doubt God’s grace in sustaining me during this week in particular. When I saw we were going to hear about Sardis at FX I was relieved and encouraged that such a timely word would be brought to me when I knew I would need it the most. It certainly gave me something to anticipate.

Listening to the message made me recall 1 Timothy 6:12, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” Jeff said the life of faith is one of endurance, perseverance, and attention – it is a cross-country race. He used the example of the cross-country race explaining that you run the race for the long haul, you run it with your teammates, and you run to obtain the prize. We fight this fight, or continue this race, because we want to combat laziness in our lives and continue our growth in godliness. And we do not run this race in our own strength, but only through the strength that God provides by His grace!

We run the race with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, who are also enduring through their own fight of faith. But we go through it together, just as in the story Jeff read, so we can hold hands and drag each other up the hill. I cannot even begin to recount the number of times I have been dragged up the hill in the past five years. This week I have been thinking of my dear allies that have been faithful to care for me and love me as I have stumbled along the course. We all have those allies! What gifts of grace God has given us in friends, caregroups, pastors, and families…the list goes on. Would it not be fun to sit around one evening and just exchange stories about how God has been kind to use our relationships, our allies, to remind us of His grace that He provides? I would enjoy that.

And lastly, we run this race to obtain the prize, to finish the course, to arrive at Home. We sojourn here on earth for but a moment so that we may spend eternity in Heaven with our Savior! How glorious that one-day we will be united with our Maker, our Savior and our King! Randy Alcorn, the author who has written a lot about Heaven, wrote, “We were made for a person and a place; Jesus is that person and Heaven is that place.” This world is not our home. For those of you who caught the Sunday sermon, how timely was Bill’s correction to our congregation! We are simple-minded creatures and are too easily caught up with what the world has to offer us but we need to remember that we were not called to reside here forever.

I know this is a super long post…my apologies. I really just wanted to share with you how this week’s message at FX was encouraging me in my fight of faith. After listening to Jeff, and being reminded of the above, I was also struck with the fact that God gives us grace to have faith for the moment – not tomorrow or a year from now. Too often I lack faith for my future and I get discouraged. But the truth that I need to call to mind is that God gives me grace to have faith for today and I can deal with tomorrow when it gets here knowing that He will be ready to dispense more grace.

So I do not have to have faith for my wedding day today. In fact, I DO NOT have faith for that day. But I know that if God wills for me to get married, He has already allotted for me overflowing grace so that I can have faith to make it through that day. Right now my faith is resting in the Lord and His provision as I prepare to list my house on the market and move to Virginia to find a job. Tomorrow, it will be faith in the Lord who bottles all my tears and keeps me under His wing all the while doing only what is good for me. But it will also be a day of joy…because I will be able to look back over the last five years and see where God has brought me and know that His grace has been upon my life and will continue to be.

I have a friend with talent

2010-05-13T10:20:00.000-04:00

One thing I love about my friends is their talents because they are talented in things I have no skill in whatsoever. Some are nurses and are gifted in being compassionate and caring, others are engineers and know how to solve problems, while I have another who is an amazing gardener and she grows really cool plants in her yard. I enjoy going over to her house and eating her produce.

One friend in particular is a musician and she plays beautiful music on the cello. I first met her when she came to UT to study music (she's been playing cello since she was very young). Over the years we have become good friends and I have gotten to watch her graduate with both a bachelors and masters degree from UT's music department. It has been fun to watch her progress in her talent as I have gotten to see her play recitals for school, play at my church, and now teach her own students through her studio.

I am not musically inclined at all so it is a wonder to watch her gracefully play her cello. The sounds that she can manipulate out of, what I consider to be a piece of wood, are amazing. What I find equally amazing is that she is able to teach little kids (munchkin-sized even) how to play cello! I read about it on her studio's website, a whole teaching philosophy by Dr. Suzuki on how young children can learn to play instruments. It is an interesting concept.

I know the base of my readership is out-of-town but if anyone in the East Tennessee area chances upon this, I highly recommend Bowman Cello Studio. I know Kathleen Bowman as a dear friend and she is passionate about music and her cello. She is also passionate to impart a love of music to her students. I had the opportunity to take pictures at a cello workshop that Kathleen was co-hosting recently and while there got to interact with a couple of her students. Several of them were very young but it was clear that they were dedicated to what they were learning. So if you, or your munchkin, want to learn how to play music on a piece of wood...look her up. Or check out her website which is super cool...Bowman Cello Studio.

The first Saturday of Spring

2010-03-20T11:48:00.002-04:00

If you give Jill a grilled cheese sandwich, she'll ask for some french fries to go with it. And once she's eaten, she'll ask for water because she'll be thirsty. Only afterwards will she realize her breath is rank and she'll want to brush her teeth. While in the bathroom, she'll see the shower and remember that she needs to take one. Once out of the shower, she'll be sorely disappointed at her wardrobe options so she'll throw in a load of laundry. While walking back upstairs, she will hear the birds chirping and it will make her want to play outside. Then she'll remember that her plan for the day was to take her schoolwork to someplace outside to study. So she'll trek to her bedroom and start packing her backpack. When she sees her camera on her bedside table, she'll look through the pictures and wish she had time to take some in the sunshine. Of course, she'll pack her camera "just in case" she sees something that she needs to take a picture of. Once she has finished stuffing her backpack, she'll start to head towards the door. As she is passing the kitchen, she'll remember to put water in the dog's bowl. When the dogs see her go towards the bowl, they'll want to say goodbye. So Jill will sit down and play with the dogs. A few minutes later, Jill's roommate Traci will ask, "weren't you leaving?" Oh yeah. Jill will jump up, mumble something under her breath about filling up her water bottle, and then head down to the garage. Once in her car and down the driveway, Jill will remember that she needed to pick up something at the store. But she'll brush the thought off and reiterate the need to get somewhere to start working. Once she arrives to wherever she's going, she'll bask in the sunshine and enjoy the warmth. She'll even shut her eyes and let her mind drift off to some wonderfully fantastic place. That is until the nagging sensation in the back of her mind gets too loud to block out. That's when she will pull out her books and settle in for an afternoon in the open air, accomplishing schoolwork and enjoying Spring. And she'll smile knowing that she's being faithful to her work, but also reveling in the fact that she gets to enjoy God's beautiful creation on her Saturday.

Much in this way will the rest of Jill's Saturday pass by. Hopefully at the end of it, she will be able to say that she got a lot accomplished. If not...at least she got outside.

Week 7: Complete

2009-11-02T10:16:00.002-05:00

It has been a while since I have written on my blog. It has been a busy and eventful (though not necessarily in a good way) two weeks. I write this to you from the comfort (if only it were that…however it is softer than the floor so it will have to do) of my bed and I am listening to Christmas music (specifically Josh Groban singing “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”)…I have been in Mexico for seven weeks and I am now officially counting down until I come home – I have seven weeks to go. I will manage to come home in time to see some friends in Knoxville before I head to Virginia to celebrate Christmas with the family. Then we will depart for family vacation on a cruise with the Dales as an early graduation trip for Bryan. That will certainly be fun. But before then, I have seven weeks to knock out in Mexico.

Just over two weeks ago, Hurricane Rick was ripping by off the coast of Manzanillo. It really affected ocean conditions and it suspended diving for 4 days (that is a really long time when you are used to diving everyday). It was a very slow weekend because we were not even able to get into the ocean due to rip tides and massive waves. That weekend, four Mexicans were pulled out to sea by a strong rip tide. The Mexican Navy was able to rescue three of them, but the last drowned. Our assistance was requested to help search and recovery efforts for the body. We did not end up helping because ocean conditions were still rough and we did not feel it was safe. I am glad…I am not sure I could handle surfacing a dead body. The Mexican was found a couple days later washed up on a jetty just outside of the hotel bay.

That next week, my fellow students and I received news that our instructors were leaving Neptune’s. Sue and Marie, due to circumstances/disagreements/issues, quit work and left Manzanillo. None of us were very happy about this development. Naturally, they were our friends. But they were also our mentors and they were teaching us an awful lot not just about the book knowledge we needed as instructors but also about other aspects of our future diving careers. They reassured us that we would do fine without them but it was still really hard to let them go. Week six in Manzanillo was almost entirely spent in disarray. Our programs were put on hold as things were sorted in the office so we essentially had a week off. It was not very fun. We did get to start diving again, but the assistant instructor we were going diving with visited the same two dive sites four days in a row. It felt like we had been abandoned to mediocre diving opportunities.

Natural disasters were a theme of week six. That same week we had a 4.6 earthquake strike 10 miles northeast of downtown Manzanillo. It hit in the early hours of the morning and I did not wake up to it. But a buddy of mine did wake up and was really confused...he is from Canada and had never experienced an earthquake. He thought he had drank to much alcohol the night before.

Although Sue and Marie left just prior to our divemaster exam, four of us did not have to worry about our coursework being disrupted or not getting satisfactorily completed. We had completed all our classes and only had to prepare ourselves for our test which was this past Friday. This last week, instead of studying like I should have, I spent all my time diving and assisting with two other student’s rescue diver course. They needed someone to act out scenarios on…so I got to play a tired/panicked/dead diver. It was a lot of fun.

I got an e-mail from dad today correcting me for my blatant pride. I will say that I was a little overconfident on Friday concerning my test. I did not anticipate it to be as difficult as it was…perhaps if I had studied it would not have been so difficult (although it was fun to just “wing it” and hope for good results). There were eight sections on the test; each had 20 questions. I missed one section which means that on Monday I will re-take that one section. I got tied up with the wording of some questions so I think I will do okay tomorrow. I will officially be a certified divemaster tomorrow – I will enter the ranks of professional PADI divers. I am really excited because it is the realization of part of my goal of becoming a certified open water instructor.

As a little gift to myself, for becoming a divemaster, I bought myself a really cool book on reef life. It has some awesome color photos of fish all across the world. I have been using a book at school after a lot of my dives to look up fish names and to learn about what I am seeing underwater. It has been extremely helpful in learning more about the fish but I wanted my own book to keep with me. So I had it shipped to dad because…drumroll please…he is planning on coming down to visit (!!!) in two weeks so he will bring it to me. I e-mailed him to ask him to bring it with him, along with a couple other things that I have been missing out on while here in Mexico (I will say one other item is Sour Patch Kids). I need to add to that e-mail (so dad, if you are reading this, take notes) to ask him to bring his underwater camera for me to borrow the rest of my time here. I really want to take pictures of all that I am seeing and share it with everyone on Facebook.

Since I have completed my divemaster program, I have the next four weeks off as I wait for my instructor development course (IDC) to start. Dad coming to visit will be a nice break…and it will be so much fun to see someone from home! I hope to take him to a lot of my favorite dive sites while he is hear and also to my favorite taco stands around town (I know that one in particular he will love just as much as I do). I am most excited to get a hug from him because I miss getting hugs. Aside from spending a week with dad, I will continue to dive as much as possible and also work on my tan. I would say I would sleep in but I have to get up in the morning so I can catch the boat to my office. Ha!

Saturday morning I woke up feeling a little ill and Sunday I had the flu. It has certainly been a low-key weekend while I play sick. As a side note, it is absolutely no fun being sick in Mexico. Because all you want to do is curl up and drink warm liquids and it is hotter than Hades here! I curl up with a towel if I am “cold”…that is my blanket. It is ridiculous. I wish I were in K-Town where it is 33 degrees cooler than Manzanillo. I would curl up on my couch with the peanut blanket and watch movies without subtitles while drinking hot tea or a chocolate milkshake (because they have an ice cream base, milkshakes have medicinal purposes…aside from curing heart burn, they are also a cure for sore throats, headaches, and a fever…I promise, it is true). Anyways that was a slight tangent. I hope I am not sick for long because that would really impede my diving schedule.

So that is the big picture of what has been happening south of the border. Here are a few more details to give you a fuller picture…

1. A week and a half ago, I had my first milkshake since I have been in Mexico. It was chocolate and absolutely delightful.

2. In theory I am moving to a house sometime in the near future. I am not packing until I know when, but I will be living with Mike and Paul.

3. Last week I experienced probably the best diving since I have been here…while at Elephant Rock, I found a frog fish, saw a nudibranch for the first time, and got to see another seahorse. The ocean is getting better and better everyday making the diving that much more exciting. Below is a picture of a nudibranch (sea slug).

4. My nickname here is Thelma and it is scary how quick I am to respond to it rather than my real name.

5. I enjoy watching football on the weekends. I was lucky to get to watch Tennessee play Alabama last weekend.

6. On Monday night, I go with the guys to La Cantina to watch Monday Night Football. While there I get “papas fritas” and enjoy a plate of French fries…La Cantina has the best fries that I have tried in Manzanillo.

7. I have enjoyed using Skype to call home to talk to friends and family. It is an internet application that allows you to make phones calls using your computer to landlines. I still have a list of people that I have not called.

8. Last week I was assisting a DSD (discover scuba diver) and they panicked descending because they got water in their mask. I was really excited to see someone truly panic underwater and I was even more excited that I knew exactly what to do to keep them underwater, assure them and help them solve their little problem. It ended up being a good dive and that lady thanks me profusely. It was neat seeing a direct application of what I am learning.

It is late and I need to go to bed. I do not have any big plans for my Monday except relishing the fact that I am a certified divemaster. Maybe I will go for a dip in the pool as well.

Until next time…hopefully it will not be so long as the last time. Gnite!

My weekend

2009-10-18T18:57:00.000-04:00

I had a really enjoyable Saturday. After doing some things on the computer, I headed back to the villa to discover my short-term roommate Cindy was leaving. She was headed to Puerta Vallarta to start work with Neptune’s at one of their concessions there. I went to make lunch (a tuna sandwich) and discovered I was almost out of water. I figured instead of waiting until Sunday to go grocery shopping, I could go Saturday. I yelled down below to my neighbors who live under me (the new guys, Mike and Paul) to ask if they were going to the store. At that time, Michael also walked up and all the guys said they were going to grab some lunch and then head to Comercial. I was invited to join which I happily accepted.

We had lunch at Mariscos de Cameron…a small restaurant about two blocks away from the villas. They have really good food and they are very friendly. The guys all got some big meals while I settled with two bean and cheese tacos. It was good and filling enough to last me the afternoon. After eating we jumped a bus to Comercial (although only a mile down the road, it was extremely hot yesterday and we were sweating just thinking about walking). Michael headed off to use the internet café when we got there while Mike, Paul and I did some window shopping. I ended up buying a new pair of flip-flops. Mike bought a cool shirt, some incense and this funny little statue for their villa. Paul sat on the bench outside of the stores like a typical male.

After we enjoyed the stores throughout Comercial, we did our grocery shopping. While looking at the wine, I decided it would be fun to have a little dinner party. So I invited the guys over for fettuccine alfredo and wine. I bought a bottle of cabernet sauvignon and Mike did as well. We also bought wine glasses for ourselves to drink our wine out of. Mike and Paul shop like girls so it was nice to not have to rush. I bought a really nice French baguette from the bakery there…they have amazing pastries and breads that I need to purchase more often. And best of all, they are super cheap! I got a huge block of parmesan cheese…it was probably four times larger than what I get back at home for the same price…I was super excited about that. I had already decided I was going to get stuff to make salads for this week but I figured it would be nice to have a salad with dinner as well. So I got the works for salads.

We caught a taxi back to the villas where we unloaded our groceries and headed to the pool. At this point it was a little overcast…due to the hurricane off the coast. While Mike, Paul, Michael and I were at the pool Shyla came out to join us. So we invited her to dinner as well. A little after six I went in to start dinner. Just as I was finishing making the salads Michael came over to help. So he grated cheese as I started the sauce and noodles. He cut the baguette to eat with oil and spices. Then he seasoned and cooked the chicken for the sauce. I had the table set for the five of us (Michael had to bring an extra plate and bowl because I only had a setting for four). Paul and Mike hoisted two chairs up from their villa using the clothesline on my patio (I only have four chairs and one is broken). Paul also brought a cooler of beer (he travels with it almost everywhere) and Mike brought his iPod and speakers.

We had fun eating dinner together around a table and, as Paul put it, acting like civilized people. Mike and I compared both our wines and decided that neither tasted better than the other. After dinner it down-poured for a bit. Mike went downstairs to get his laptop and the movie The Boondock Saints. Shyla left because she needed to get some things done so the guys and I watched the movie. I had never seen it and I liked it. It was a lovely evening. We finished the evening with a few leftovers (which I will eat for lunch today) and lots of dirty dishes (which I did this morning when I got back in from my morning field trip). I think we decided that we need to do dinner club at least once a week but maybe twice…cause it is social and it gives us an opportunity to eat good food. So we will see how that goes.

This morning I got up with the intent to dive. I left my villa a little early to hang out with Paul and Mike (Mike keeps inviting me over for coffee in the morning but I keep reminding him that I do not drink it…so I went and ate my yogurt and drank water at his villa). It was really overcast this morning and pretty cool. As we sat on the curb we concluded the scuba van was not going to swing by so we hopped a taxi to the hotel and were going to dive in the bay (Mike just got into the double digits and needs 100 dives by the end of November before we start our instructor course so he is needs to dive as often as he can).

When we got to the hotel we saw Geronimo, a divemaster who works for Neptune’s at the hotel, and he told us there is no diving today because of the hurricane off the coast. We got the point when we got down the walk and got in the gate at the hotel…the waves were pounding the beach next to the hotel pretty hard. And when we looked out at the hotel bay the waves were crashing onto the bridge. Before heading back to the villas we decided to walk down to the bridge and take some pictures of the waves. The waves looked very pretty pounding the rocks and the palapa (the restaurant on the point past the bridge). I was able to take a couple pictures before a security guard told us the bridge was closed to guests because some waves were crashing up onto it. After taking pictures we walked around the pool area to the lobby where we would catch a taxi. It was pretty neat walking around since I had never seen anything past the pool. The inside of the hotel is very nice…the lobby is huge with raised ceilings and there is a lot of Aztec-inspired art/decorations.

So now I am back at the villas for a quiet day inside. I have already cleaned up from the dinner party last night. I need to log my dives for this last week, pull out my encyclopedia and finish reading my physics and physiology chapters, and probably pull out my EFRi (emergency first response instructor) manual and work on the knowledge reviews in it. I have posted a couple more pictures to the Facebook album which you can see if you click here.

Have a wonderful day! Until next time…

It's finally the weekend.

2009-10-17T13:35:00.002-04:00

It has been a long week here in Mexico...and towards the end it was particularly draining. I am very glad that it is the weekend and I have time to myself. I think I am going to stay pretty low and do my own thing which sounds very exciting to me.

Sunday afternoon I crashed (much like my Saturday) and took a three hour nap...I think somewhere in there I should figure that I am not getting enough sleep. After waking up, I talked with some friends via Skype. Instead of going to church (which I had planned on doing at the start of my weekend), I ended up going to dinner with one of the guys here and then going grocery shopping. Since I had slept 7 hours during the waking-hours of my weekend, I had not gotten much accomplished. So I figured it was more important that I have food for the week rather than try to go to English church. I guess I will try again this weekend.

Monday started out with a bang...we were in class all day. In the morning we had a class on physics, and in the afternoon we learned physiology. Talk about thrilling. Although it is very important stuff that we need to know (and actually very interesting when you understand how the body works under pressure), it just is not the most exciting topic that makes you feel "awake".

Tuesday we went diving...we went to Juluapan and Yacht Club. I was boat leader for the morning so I gave the boat and dive briefings. I also got to act as Sue's divemaster for an open water student she was working with. I led both dives. At Juluapan we saw a turtle which was neat. Tuesday afternoon we had stamina training at the hotel pool. We swam the 400m and I knocked 1 min and 20 sec off my previous time. That was very encouraging. After we did the 400m, we did two 50m diver tows. While we swam, someone would hold onto our legs (thus eliminating any chance of kicking). It was really hard...especially since I had to two guys that were bigger than me. But I think it will help the next time we do the 400m for upper body strength...or at least I hope so.

Wednesday we went diving (because that is what we do here...go diving). We went to Horse's Ear and Elephant Rock. Horse's ear is a nice deep dive...about 80 ft. It is fun going that deep and swimming around although there is not much aquatic life at Horse's Ear. During our surface interval we took the boat around the bend to Elephant Rock. I enjoy Elephant Rock...there is a nice coral garden where I found Roger last weekend (the seahorse) and lots of swim-thrus. Because there was a lot of surge we did not take time to look for Roger. We did practice hovers around the back of the rock which was fun. We all floated cross-legged while hovering over the sand. And then we simulated a sky-diving figure while hovering over the sand (we all faced the sand and touched hands forming a circle). Wednesday afternoon class was canceled so that students had a chance to finish knowledge reviews from our text book (chapter quizzes). Since I had mine completed, I went to the hotel pool with Sue and did a confined water dive with her and an open water student. Jessica was doing confined dives 4 and 5 and was working on skills in the pool. So it was fun to watch Sue teaching and seeing how to work with a student underwater.

Wednesday evening I went for a tour of Manzanillo with Sue, Marie, Paul (the new guy who came in on Sunday), Mike (the new guy who came in on Monday), and Cindy (the new girl here for a week before going to work for Neptune's in Puerta Vallarta...and also my roommate for the week). Mike's bag got lost on his flight down and American said it had been delivered via bus to the bus station he rode into to. So we went to retrieve it. What we did not realize is that Mexicans lie and his bag was no where to be found. We did a little off-roading with the scuba van (I swear, we hit a couple bumps I thought the muffler was going to get pulled straight out of the van). After driving around for over an hour, we headed to Walmart to do some shopping. I did not need to do any shopping since I do mine on the weekends, but I wanted to go so I could experience Walmart. I did buy some beer, a dishtowel for the kitchen, and basil (which is what I needed to make mom's chili taste like it should). When we got back to the villas, Cindy and I were invited down to Mike and Paul's for a beer. We got Cindy's groceries to the villa before we went downstairs to join them. Mike ended up making us spaghetti for dinner (which was super delicious) and we hung out for a long while.

Thursday we went diving at Carrizales. It's a nice dive site about 40 minutes away from the hotel (via boat). There were tons of people on board so we split off into multiple groups to do different tasks. I got to go with Leah and Mike (our newest intern) to do navigation skills with Mike. Unfortunately someone told our captain to anchor further out of the bay than we usually do. So by the time we descended to the ocean floor, we were at 80 ft. That is not an ideal place to do skills...especially with someone on their 7th dive who has not mastered their air consumption. There was absolutely nothing on the floor except sand...while there was not anything to look at, it was an ideal place to do navigation because it was flat. Mike did a reciprocal pattern (down and back), a square and a figure-8. He did grate on all of them. Although by the time he finished, about 15 minutes into the dive, he was already out of air (the air in our tank compresses the deeper we dive...so at 80 ft, the air molecules are closer together and we end up breathing 2-3x as much air as we would if we were at 30 ft...also, if you have not mastered your air consumption, you tend to over-breathe while doing skills because you focus so hard on the task at hand that your forget to think about breathing slowly). So we slowly started to ascend to the surface.

The worst part of Thursday was that because we dropped anchor in deep water rather than the original 20 ft that we normally would have, we did not have enough tanks on board to deal with the over-consumption of air. We brought enough tanks for us to do two 40 ft dives...several people planned on using one tank for both dives rather than switching to a new tank. But we went to 80 ft on our first dive so we consumed more air than planned. It was a headache dealing with everyone. Some people (those who needed it the most...like the guys who were at 500 psi on their tanks) were able to switch their tanks over. We also had two open water students who got to switch their tanks over. The rest of us had to make do with the remaining air in our cylinders.

For our second dive, our boat leader (who did not pick the first site) asked our captain to move the boat in to anchor in 20 ft. Leah and I were partnered with Mike again...this time we were going to do search and recovery skills with him. So we descended and had Mike do two search patterns...an expanding square and a U-shape pattern. Both he did really well at (as long as you know how to use a compass, it is pretty easy). Then we had him "recover" a weight belt that we dropped using a lift bag. It took him a bit of time getting the knots right to secure the bag (which it always does...I told him it took my 10-15 tries when I did search and recovery before I got my knot right...it does not matter if you know how to do it on the surface, it just takes more thinking at depth). He was able to get it to inflate with his octopus to be neutrally buoyant. This took about 25 minutes so when he finished I told Leah that we would dive a little to enjoy the rest of our air. They swam off while I secured the lift bag for us to pick up on the way back to the boat. When I caught up with them, they had already seen a turtle. We swam for a couple more minutes before we had to turn back because mine and Leah's air was super low. I was really discouraged that I did not get to see anything because it was my 100th dive...I was kinda hoping it would be a fun dive. Although it was cool to work with Mike and help him do his certifying dives for his Advanced certification.

Thursday afternoon we went to the hotel pool to do skills. We donned our equipment and jumped in and worked on some of the 20 open water skills that we will have to teach as instructors. We are learning them in the instructional manner (how we would teach them)...even though we will not need to be able to teach them as divemasters (although we will have to demonstrate them), it helps us learn how to teach them for our instructor course. It is fun doing skills because once they are demonstrated, we go through individually and try to mimic the demonstration. I have noticed the biggest thing for me to is remember to think and to go slow...I need to think a little more as I demonstrate and remember to point out critical attributes (key movements). But I am getting better.

Friday was not a good day. I am not quite sure what set it off...but it was probably my most miserable day since I have been in Mexico. We did go diving...our first dive was to Elephant Rock. I led my dive group. We had time to swim around the coral garden looking for Roger but he was not there. I got a little turned around on the second half of the dive because I could not remember in what order we hit the swim-thrus. But overall it was a good dive. Our second dive was just down the way at Juluapan. I also led this dive...it did not turn out well. We had a bigger group (a couple people joined us). Sue kept telling me to swim slower (which I do tend to swim fast) but it got to the point that I was not even kicking...I was just steering myself with the current. It was a little ridiculous. It did not help that after we descended the boat pulled up anchor and hit the beach to buy some beer...so even if my navigation was spot on, I would not have found the boat because it was not anchored where I left it. I swam past the boat by several yards and when we surfaced it was not a fun surface swim back.

Over lunch I took a nap because I figured I was overly tired. That afternoon we were back at the hotel doing skills in the pool. I did well with the 6 or so that we did. I spent the rest of the afternoon in my room trying to take a nap. I did not go out with the group because I wanted to be by myself. I did make a tuna sandwich for dinner which was very good...I ate it with an apple and a glass of milk while I watched the end of the movie Dodgeball (it is really stupid). I went to bed early last night and slept in late this morning which was refreshing.

Today I will probably hang out at the villa and do some studying. I still need to finish the chapters in the encyclopedia on physics and physiology. Hopefully there is a college ballgame on that I can watch this afternoon. I will more than likely save my grocery shopping for tomorrow morning.

I hope everyone is doing well. Apparently my dad is in Cabo San Lucas and is fearing a hurricane off the coast. Here in Manzanillo we are not having any unusual weather...just our usual rainstorms. And we have not evacuated (why would we do such a thing?). So for those that may be wondering, I am safe. :-)

I have added a couple more (random) pictures to my Facebook album...to view them click here.

Five weeks down. Until next time...

My eventful Sunday morning

2009-10-11T16:37:00.000-04:00

This morning I woke up as usual and get ready to go diving. I think I rolled out of bed at 8 am...put on my bathing suit, shorts, and polo, grabbed my backpack, and my water bottle from the fridge, and was sitting on the curb by 8.10.

Sue and Marie picked me up. We were expecting one guy to show up but he did not...although another random guy was there and we took him out on the boat. It was really nice having only four people on the boat. There was tons of room to move around and it did not feel cramped/crowded.

While we were headed out to sea, Alfredo saw a clump of something floating in the water and he cut off the engine. It was a fishing net with a turtle wrapped up in it. At first we thought it was dead, but as we got closer we realized it was not. Not only that, there were two turtles (they were friends) trapped in the fishing line, and two dead birds (gross). So we went to town trying to release the turtles. Alfredo and Sue were hanging over the boat's edge cutting the fishing line. I was amazed at how still the turtle was while they were doing this. In June I went to a turtle farm in Grand Cayman and we had the opportunity to pick the turtles up and they thrashed when you grabbed them. This turtle was letting them turn him upside down, hold his flipper and pull him out of water. As they got his front flippers loose though, he started thrashing a bit. He calmed down as Sue continued to hold him and when they finally cut him loose he quickly swam off.

The other turtle did not look so well...in fact, it appeared dead. Alfredo considered just leaving it because it was not even moving, but he decided it would be best to let it go and let it sink if it were dead. To get it loose, because it was so tightly bound in the fishing line, Alfredo lifted that portion of the net onto the boat. He and Sue took time to cut each strand away from the flippers which were wound pretty tight (the turtle was bleeding around it's flippers, both front and back, where the fishing line had cut into it's skin). It was not until all four flippers were completely cleared of line that the turtle actual moved. We were amazed that he was still alive and that he was being so calm. He moved his back flippers a bit as they worked on cutting the line from his neck. Finally, they got everything loose and they picked the turtle up and dropped him back in the ocean. He sure did look pleased to be free...and I would be too.

Alfredo lifted the net back into the ocean, two dead birds, and a big dead fish along with it. Marie and I were really hoping he would pull it out of the water so nothing else could get trapped inside but it was too big and heavy. Alfredo said it would wash up on shore and that he would have his friends check the beaches so they could get it and dispose of it. I think we worked on the turtles for about 20 minutes. At one point I was ready to cry because I thought the second turtle was not going to survive. But luckily they both did.

After playing heroes we continued with our plans to go diving. Marie asked to go to Horse's Ear...our guest was a certified instructor and he asked to dive deeper than 60 ft (Horse's Ear is 80-90 ft). But Alfredo said the water was too choppy to get around the corner at Elephant Rock, so we decided to dive there instead. It was not a very deep dive...I think maybe 45 ft. And the visibility was not too great but that was to be expected because of the choppy seas kicking up sand. It was a very nice and relaxing dive. We saw a lot of our usual fishy friends. We also saw (drum roll please...) a SEAHORSE! I found it and was so excited (you would be too). It was hanging on to a piece of coral between two rocks just sleeping away. When I found it, I initially wanted to call out...but seeing as we are underwater, I did not try (shouting does not carry well underwater). Then I thought I would shake the rattle to get their attention until I realized I was shaking the invisible rattle that I do not have (Sue and Marie each have one and when they want to get our attention they shake theirs...I thought it was pretty funny that I imitated the motion knowing no result would be had). So I opted to pull out my dive knife and tap my tank. I got Sue's attention and she came over, inspected my seahorse, verified it to be real, and then called the others over to see. It was pretty neat! I also saw a spotted eagle ray.

As we were approaching 40 minutes, our standard underwater time at Neptune's, we heard Alfredo reving the engine. That only means one thing...a storm had blown in and we needed to leave quickly. Sure enough, as we surfaced Alfredo had already pulled anchor and was battling the swells to get to us. We were throwing fins onto the boat, since Alfredo could not assist us, and we had to climb the ladder with the rest of our equipment on (including weights). It was a bit heavy. We got everyone back on board and as soon as we did Alfredo turned the boat to head to the hotel. We fought 20 ft. swells on the way back. It was pretty fun. Waves were crashing onto the boat and we were getting drenched (good thing we had just climbed out of the ocean and were already wet). At points we even were riding with our masks on to keep the water out of our eyes.

It took us longer to get back because we had to go slowly with the swells. At points we even had to cut off the engine and wait for the swell to pass...we would look to the windward side and there would be a wall of water, and we would ride over and crash on the other side. Crazy. We got back and unloaded the boat as usual. We were not able to make the two dives as planned so I think the guest is coming back tomorrow afternoon and going out with someone.

I was going to make lunch when I got back but I was too tired to. So I ate a couple chips and laid down for a nap...I think it was 2-3 hours long. Now it is raining and the wind is blowing pretty hard.

I forgot to tell you...

2009-10-11T16:15:00.000-04:00

All week I have been enjoying cooking for myself. I really wanted to write and tell everyone this...I realized I had forgotten when I was crawling into bed last night.

I went shopping last weekend and bought ingredients to make beef stroganoff. It was absolutely delicious! I really enjoyed eating something that tasted like home every day. Aside from getting to make it, I think I most enjoyed heating it up and eating it as leftovers this week. I only have a stove in my kitchen (well, a fridge and sink as well) so in order to heat up my dinner, I would put it in a skillet and throw it on the stove. I have never done that before with a pasta and I thought it was a lot of fun. It worked well because I stored it in the fridge with the pasta and sauce combined. It did not cause it to dry out (which I thought it would) or burn it.

I ran out of beef stroganoff yesterday. I need to go grocery shopping today. I have yet to decide what I am going to cook...I have been thinking chili might be nice.

Week 4

2009-10-10T21:19:00.000-04:00

By the time I get to the end of the week, I cannot remember what happened at the beginning. I do know that this was my fourth week in Mexico and it is now over. AND, it was a very fun week.

I will start with Sunday since I do not think anyone knows how English church went. I walked to the bus stop at 4.30 pm and caught the correct bus (to Miramar). I was only 5 minutes late when I showed up to Pedro's. There were four English speaking people sitting at a table close to the front of the restaurant. I asked them if they were the English church and they said they were waiting for it. They invited me to sit down, which I did, but did not really talk with me. After 5-10 minutes, the lady there said that it did not seem like anyone was coming and that not much happens when Walter (or Warren, I forget) is out of town. She thanked me for coming and then left. That left two old men and they did not talk at all. So since they "quit" church, I did too. Nothing happened. Two of my instructors where across the way eating dinner with our course director from Puerta Vallarta so I went and joined them and got a ride back to the villas. I will try English church again tomorrow but I am getting to the point where I do not even care anymore.

Monday we started our divemaster course! We went for a relaxing dive Monday morning at the yacht club (I told Sue I needed to get in the water). Alfredo, our boat captain, took the day off so we did not have access to the boat. So my divemaster group (Bob, Shyla, and Michael) loaded up the van with our equipment to make a one tank dive. I really like the yacht club. So far it is my favorite dive site. Monday it was very clear and there was a lot out. Immediately upon descending, we saw two spotted eagle rays flying over the sand. That really was a great way to start out the week. I do not think we saw anything else crazy unusual that dive...just lots of fish.

Monday afternoon we had class -- our introduction to divemaster. It was not much...just reviewing a couple chapters from our divemaster manual. Tuesday morning we started with class...more chapter review. I started reading my divemaster manual Friday night and finished it and all the knowledge reviews (chapter quizzes) on Monday night. So Tuesday morning I turned in all my knowledge reviews...upon doing that, we receive a copy of the instructor manual on our computer. So I got that this week which was pretty neat.

Tuesday afternoon we had stamina training at the hotel. It was not too much fun. We started with an 800 m snorkel in the bay along a buoy line. The buoys ran 400 m across the bay (Las Hadas bay right next the hotel) so we snorkeled down and back. I did the snorkel in just under 13 minutes...that meant I scored either a 4 or 5 (I do not have a watch so I cannot state en exact time...). 5 is the highest points you can get for an activity. Afterwards we moved to the hotel bay because the water was getting very choppy and surgey. We "treaded" water for 15 minutes, and our last two minutes our hands had to be out of water. This is pretty much a joke though...PADI only requires that you stay on the surface of the water without drowning yourself and without swimming. This means you can float, bob, or tread. Pretty simple. We all got 5s. After the tread we did a 400 m swim without equipment in the hotel bay...we did four laps back and forth from the beach to the bridge. It was really hard...there is a strong surge that comes under the bridge so swimming back and forth where the current runs through, you almost do not move because the current is so strong. I was the fastest for my group with 12.5 minutes (I got one of my instructors to time me for this one)...that was a 1 on the grading chart. But I have great faith that I will be able to dramatically improve my time before I do my actual swim test.

Tuesday night we all went out to dinner to celebrate our October IDC's (instructor development course) completion of their IE (instructor exam). All the guys passed so we went out to celebrate their accomplishment and have fun with them (their exam was two days long, and prior to that their IDC was 10 long without a break before the IE). It was a lot of fun with everyone. We went to Juanito's for dinner (which has great food) and I got pork ribs. They were delicious...except they made me really sick the next day (meat).

So...Wednesday I was super excited to go diving because we were going to site I had not been to, Carrazes Isles. However I had woke up sick Wednesday morning at 5 am. I was up until it was time to get picked up at 8.15. I figured I would feel better once I got on the boat...wrong. We got on the boat for our 20 minute ride out to the site and I got seasick. So I chummed the water for the fishies (threw up). Most people think you feel better after you throw up...well I did not. I skipped the first dive thinking a little more time on the surface and drinking more water would help. I tried to take a nap but that did not work. As the first group was coming up for their dive, I chummed again. That put me out for the second dive. I did get in the water for a couple minutes to snorkel around. The anchor was dropped in 20 ft of water...the water was blue and the visibility was great! And you could see fish from the boat! I saw a school of surgeonfish (about 100 of them) get chased by five damselfish. That was pretty funny. And some very pretty angelfish. I did not feel well until the boat was unloaded and I was on dry land laying in my bed.

Wednesday afternoon I think we had class...but I do not remember. What I do remember is that I figured out a cheap way to call home from Mexico. I bought a Skype phone number and calling plan. So I can call phones from my computer...it is really neat. I got to talk to my friends April and Meagan. I also called my dad (who I miss talking to) and got to talk to him for a long time. I even found him a great plane ticket to buy so he can fly down and see me!!! If anyone wants to come with him (more divers...Steve Wear), then they should definitely come. November is going to be a great month for diving...it also is whale season so there is a chance to see (or hear underwater) humpback whales! And, Jacques Cousteau used to dive in Manzanillo every year while he was alive and he said they had some amazing diving...more reasons to come. Oh, and another reason to come diving...I will be your divemaster! And you would get to see me. And you could eat some really good tacos. And it is very hot here and you could work on your tan. :-) Really, all my diving friends need to come. And all my non-diving friends need to come so they can learn to dive.

Thursday morning I felt great and was ready to go diving! We went back to Carrazes Isles because the other divemaster group was working on mapping the dive site. I was so excited because the conditions were as nice as Wednesday and I heard everyone saw a ton of great stuff. We did two dives there Thursday morning. We saw three turtles (!!!), cornetfish, angelfish, butterfly fish, porcupine puffer, guinea fowl puffer, two huge green moray eels (I stuck my head over a rock where one of them was hiding expecting to see a small sea snake...boy was I surprised), and two golden phase puffer (they are guinea fowl puffer going through a color change and Sue said very rare to see)...among other things.

As we were diving, it began to rain. It was neat to look up to the surface and see the rain pounding the water. You can also hear it while you are at depth. At the end of our second dive, Alfredo reved the engine three times, which is our surface emergency signal...it was raining pretty steadily and he wanted to start heading back to the hotel before a full-force storm blew in (and considering it took 20 minutes to get there...). So we were jumping on the boat and getting all our equipment secured so we could leave "mas rapdio". It rained on us the whole way back and we looked pretty pathetic. You would think as divers we would be used to being wet but we were all curled up in towels with our wetsuits fully on (generally we pull the top half down so we do not get hot). The rain was cold and for the first time since I have been here, I was freezing. :-) It was a very nice feeling.

Thursday afternoon we were back at the hotel to work on skills in the pool. As divemasters we need to learn how to demonstrate the 20 basic open water skills to divers. So we went through about 8...an instructor demonstrated the skill to us, and then we had to demonstrate it back. It was fun and very funny. It was still raining (from the morning) while we were in the pool so when we were not demonstrating a skill we were watching the rain drops on the surface).

Friday we went to a new divesite called Horse's Ear. It was a deep water site. The water was very blue, and we could see the anchor at 50 ft. There was not much where we went, 80 ft down, except rocks but we did see some porcupine puffer, triggerfish, sea snakes, boxfish, and angelfish. After our surface interval, we moved anchor to a brand new site (never dove before). We called it Bird Poo Rock (take a guess why). It was also a deep site. The water here was pretty murky (because the current was kicking up sand) and the water was green but it was a lot of fun. I saw some cortez stingrays, zebra eel, porcupine puffer, some little blennys, and some more of the usual. It was a lot of fun.

Friday afternoon we had class. We learned some knots and then did a boat specialty course. After class, I went with Shyla and Michael to get our physicals done for our divemaster course. We took the bus to Soriana (a grocery store) and then went across the street to the doctor's office. We got there around 4.45 and the were closed from 2-5 (siesta). So we sat until 5 pm...when we got back to the office, they were still closed. Since we were supposed to get our physicals done this week, we sat outside the doctor's office waiting for them to open up. After an hour, we gave up and walked home. When we got back, I found out that my roommate had moved out of the villa. Some other guys had vacated their villa (October IDC guys) and Bob and Jonathan (whose roommate moved out earlier this week) wanted to be roommates. So Bob gathered all his stuff and moved out. It is kinda sad not having a roommate...but then again, it is really nice knowing that I have the place to myself.

We went out as a group for dinner...again to Juanito's. This time I got fried chicken and french fries...it was good but a little too greasy for my taste. Afterwards we went to a local bar named Bora's. I enjoyed hanging out with the group, singing along to the radio (they played some good American oldies), and watching the crowd. There were a lot of people there last night...among them were two open water students who went diving with us this morning. Two weeks ago they were the girls who were hung over and were not allowed to dive. Sue was not too pleased to see them at the bar last night.

This morning I got up and joined Sue, Marie and Hugo to go diving at the yacht club (my favorite!). They had six open water students that needed to make ocean dives. I went and acted as Sue's divemaster. It was fun just to get to go in the water, but it was also neat to see how an actual class session goes on in the water. Our group of two guys, and the girl from the bar who had previously been drunk, were making their first open water dives. The girl from the bar could not clear her ears so she did not get to dive today (Sue thought it was from the drinking). I thought that sucked. The guys did well in the water. The first dive went well...we saw a turtle (!!!), I saw a cortez ray swimming, porcupine puffer (I swear, they really are the national fish of Mexico), and other fishies. Before the second dive, Alfredo jumped in the water and brought an octopus to the surface.

On the second dive, the guys had to do some underwater skills. While they were doing skills, I saw a big jellyfish swim by. It was really neat. A few minutes later, I saw Alfredo swimming with the jellyfish in his hands, holding it like a ball. We dove the same area as the first dive. This time, Sue got my attention (I was leading the dive) to come back and see a frog fish! It was so ugly it was cute. I had never seen one before so it was neat.

After the dive I helped unload the boat and clean the equipment (like always). I got dropped off at my villa. I ate a bit of lunch, watched a little Hope Floats on tv, and then laid down for a nap. That "nap" ended up being four hours long! What cracks me up is that I could have slept longer but I decided to get up since it was 7 pm. After waking up, I came over to the school to get online. And here I sit, on the steps of the school writing a blog post about my week. I need to stay up for a while so that I am tired enough to go to bed...so I will probably read the chapter on equipment in the encyclopedia.

Tomorrow I may go diving (I have not heard, so I will probably wake up and be ready to go just in case). I definitely need to go to the store and buy provisions. And in the afternoon, if I am feeling lucky, I might try English church again. In between I will probably do more reading (it is easy to get homework done on the weekends because I am not nearly as tired as I am during the week). I will also turn on some football (I am really sad that I missed the college game today...I took a nap instead).

I hope everyone is well. Until next time...

Week 3: Over

2009-10-02T12:31:00.000-04:00

It has been another busy week full of diving, rescue scenarios and studying.

All week long I have been in the midst of my rescue diver class. The majority of our time was either in class learning about how to rescue people, or in the water practicing scenarios for rescues. Tuesday morning we were in class and we went through three chapters of material. That afternoon, we headed to the yacht club to learn how to deal with diver emergencies underwater, how to surface an unresponsive diver, and how to conduct in-water searches for missing divers (or, in our case, a water bottle filled with sand). After we did our rescue scenarios, we took a short dive around the bay at the yacht club.

Wednesday we went back to the yacht club with the boat and did two morning dives. I would have to say that our first dive was the best dive I have had since I have been here. There were tons of fish out in schools. We saw octopus, rays, eels, sea snakes, grunts, angel fish, scissor fin fish, porcupine puffer fish, balloon fish, trumpet fish, etc. It was great! The visibility underwater was very nice and it was clear (there was not much of a current to kick up sand). I got to lead my group with navigation and I was very pleased to direct us back to the boat within our dive time of 40 minutes. After our surface interval we had the boat captain take us a little further out into the bay and we dove there. We saw a lot of rays and schools of porcupine puffer fish. There were tons of them.

And as a brief aside...I have decided that the porcupine puffer fish is my favorite fish. Why? Because it is happy, awkward and lazy. It has a ridiculous grin on it's face at all times. It swims in the most awkward manner, slightly abrupt movements and in a zig-zag. It also loves to sleep. They like to hide under rocks and take naps or watch the world swim by. Definitely fish after my own heart.

Wednesday afternoon we went to La Boquita to do our in-water exam for our rescue course. We had four scenarios to do with a buddy...1. surface and tow to shore an underwater, panicked diver with a leg injury, 2. from shore, enter the water to deal with a panicked diver on the surface and tow them to shore, 3. surface an unresponsive diver at depth, and 4. deal with an unresponsive diver at the surface, and carry them onto shore (3 & 4 were combined as one big scenario). It was exhausting but we got it all done. My partner and I perfectly executed our last scenario which was pretty exciting. I have decided though that rescue breaths are extremely tiring and I cannot figure out why...technically it is just breathing.

Thursday morning I was not feeling well so I stayed in and slept. I met up with the group Thursday afternoon at the hotel for an equipment class. That was actually quite fun. We learned how to disassemble most everything on our BCD's (the vests we wear) and our regulators and how to properly clean them. This was especially helpful seeing as I have never disassembled my regs to clean them since I have owned them (for something like 8 years). Mine were pretty dirty but not too bad. I replaced a part in the hose that connects to my BCD and checked out all my O-rings.

This morning we had an oxygen provider class which is a specialty for us. Since we passed we will get an O2 Provider card...one perk of having that is that we can have an oxygen tank refilled without getting a prescription from a doctor. I do not own an oxygen tank so I will not get to cash in on this benefit anytime soon.

After class we had the written portion of our rescue diver course. I passed with an A although I did miss a couple questions. I was slightly perturbed with myself for not getting a perfect A, but oh well...an A is an A, right? So, after a week of blood, sweat, and tears (well, not quite)...my efforts have culminated in two new certifications. I am now a rescue diver and I am O2 certified.

My new challenge is DIVE MASTER! I have glanced at some of the books already and I definitely have work to do. I guess I will get to reading them this afternoon since I have the afternoon off.

If people do not go out to celebrate tonight (which I really hope someone goes out so I can join them because I have no food at the villa), then I am going to order pizza! I thought of that last night.

I do not think there is anything going on this weekend which is a bummer. Perhaps I will take a couple walks and take some more pictures to post on Facebook.

Until next time...

My utter disappointment!

2009-09-28T20:21:00.000-04:00

It completely slipped my mind that my spirits were crushed this morning after our two dives. How could I forget?!?

After unloading the boat (and not cleaning the gear because the water was shut-off at the hotel) and putting everything away, I got dressed and sat down on a brick wall to wait until it was time for us to leave (we had IDC, instructor development course, students still in the pool doing skills). I was looking at my sad, little Chacos noting that when I returned state-side that I would need to get them re-soled because the heels are rapidly wearing out. But, much to my dismay, while sitting there I also noticed that the soles are ripping off of my Chacos! Right in the instep on both Chacos, the sole is coming off! If I were in the states this would call for immediate intervention (shipping them to the manufacturer so they can be re-soled). Seeing as I am in Mexico where shipping costs an exorbitant amount AND would take forever to get anywhere...I am stuck with my forlorn Chacos.

In a perfect world I would send these Chacos off to the manufacturer now and have another pair of mine mailed to me...but I think the more economical choice would be to go and buy a pair of flip flops at Comercial to last me until December.

So sad. This discovery almost ruined my day...no joke. That was until I forgot all about it. Still, it is a very big deal because I hate flip flops.

You cannot dive drunk.

2009-09-28T20:09:00.000-04:00

Does not everybody learn that in their open water course? Saturday morning I went with Sue and Marie to the hotel to dive with five open water students for their certifying dives...unfortunately for us (me specifically...I really wanted to dive) three called in Friday night with the "flu" (Sue's interpretation..."hungover"). Two students did show up Saturday morning...one was drunk, and the other fine. Who knows what Drunk Girl was thinking, but she is absolutely not allowed to dive drunk; so why show up? Probably because she is smart. That left one able-bodied student to go diving and she did not want to dive without Drunk Girl. Thus zero students. Zero students = no diving. Sad day. Diving was canceled for Saturday. That was after the fishing trip got canceled again. Two disappointments in one morning.

I spent the day doing the most important thing I could think of. Studying? Not likely. Although I did pull out my divemaster workbook and stare at it for a good 15 minutes before giving up. No...instead I did the all important work of cleaning up my iTunes library. Since I got my new computer, I have not updated my iTunes library to include all my music from my old computer. So it took some time. I must say I am quite pleased with my progress.

I also watched college football! Since I am in Mexico, watching Mexican cable, I only receive one college game a weekend. It comes on at 2.30 pm. This weekend is was Arkansas at Alabama. Alabama won (surprise, surprise). I am not sure what else I did Saturday but I was in all day.

Sunday morning I slept in. When I got up I made breakfast...scrambled eggs with chorizo, green peppers, and mushrooms. I showered and walked to Comercial to do some grocery shopping. I did not get much. I think the most exciting part of going to Comercial was getting una paleta de limon (a lime pop). After walking the mile to Comercial it was utterly delightful and refreshing. I took a taxi back to the villa and watched tv for a little while with Bob. I doubt anything interesting was on tv.

At 2.30 pm I came to school so I could use the internet. I got to Skype my friend April! It was fun talking to her. Laura, her roommate and my friend, was also home so I got to say hi to her. Both of them were getting ready to go to FX's (the single's ministry at home) social event for the month Games on the Green. Laura had to go early and April was riding with Meagan and John (my other friends who live across the way from Laura and April). Because I wanted to say hi to Meagan, April called her on the phone and asked her to come over a few minutes early. So, I got to say hi to Meagan as well. It made my weekend to get to talk to my friends and see their faces! Technology sure is grand!

Sunday evening I purposed to go to English church at Pedro's cantina on the beach. I was hoping someone would go with me but alas, no one wanted to. At 4.30 pm I hopped on a bus headed north. And an hour and a half later I jumped off at the same corner. I ended up riding the bus for that entire time (except for 20 minutes when I got kicked off a bus that was at the end of it's route and having to walk back to the nearest bus stop)...I got a tour of Manzanillo's suburbs for only 11 pesos! Fancy that! The best part was, I knew where I was almost the entire time. We had gone 4-wheeling through the neighborhood that the bus ran...and the bus I was on that stopped in the middle of nowhere and kicked me off, that was on the road to the prison. I now know that a bus to "Santiago" is not a bus headed towards Santiago Bay (which my geographical mind assumed). If I ever want to go to Pedro's (say for English church) than I need to get on the bus to Miramar. I will try that next Sunday.

This morning we went diving! After the downpour that we got last night, it was assumed that the diving would not be great today. But that was not the case. We dove at Julapan and Escondito. Among other things I saw a spotted eagle ray flying over a rock, some other stingray, box fish, trumpet fish, juvenile box fish, trigger fish, snapper, a zebra eel, and...puffer fish (the national fish of Mexico). The water was nice and warm (as always) and the visibility was fairly good.

After a quick lunch we were picked up and taken to the hotel for rescue skills in the bay. Today we learned how to approach a tired and panicked diver (with gear on), how to tow them, how to avoid their grasp, and how handle an unconscious diver at the surface (from finding them and turning them over, to providing rescue breaths and removing their/your equipment so you can get them on shore). It was fun learning the skills. Especially in the rain...it dumped on us several times while we were out in the bay. Because it was overcast it kept us cool so we did not die from heat exhaustion (the afternoon sun can be brutal). It was also fun because hotel guests were out playing in the water and watching us...they must have thought we were crazy acting out a panicked diver situation.

This evening I will be laying low. Eat a bite of dinner (probably rice since I had a grilled cheese and chicken sandwich for lunch) and maybe watch something on tv. If I were really adventurous I would pull out the books and study for my rescue exam which is this Friday...but I am not feeling up to it. I would hate to over-work myself...

A Google view of where I am

2009-09-25T18:14:00.004-04:00

This is a picture of where I live and where I go to school. I live in the bottom of the image at the beginning of the line on the middle level (you cannot see that). I walk 315 ft. to the door of the school at the top of the image. Not very far. :-)

This is a picture of how I get to work. My villa is at the top of the image. We get picked up every morning at 8.15 am "behind" my villa on the main drag, Ave. Audiencia. We then drive approximately a mile to the back entrance to Las Hadas which in this image is in the lower right. We park on the street behind the hotel and walk down an access road to a security gate where the almost non-existent security allows us to walk right in.

The above image is of Las Hadas, the resort where we work at. If you look at the pool, just below it to the left is the entrance to our "wet room" (where we store all our dive equipment). If you follow an invisible straight line down to the bay, you will see one boat anchored on the beach. That is the snorkel boat...the dive boat is out (which means that this satellite image was probably taken in the morning). We walk all the gear from the wet room down to the boat every morning...tanks, weights, BCDs, a tub full of regulators, a tub full of fins, water bottles, and towels. After the dive, we anchor there and carry it all back. When we do training, we use the side of the bay by the boat (like all our rescue training this morning was done in the narrow space between the boat and the rocks out to the far side of the bridge). We also do skills and stamina training in the big blue pool...we swim in the two areas on the right, one length of that is ~50 meters. The other day, I swam 8 laps in the pool, or 16 lengths. Slightly tiring. If you go to the left of the large building that is where the security gate is. The access road runs the length of that building. And, our "dry room" (where we store stuff while we are on the boat) is located over by the security gate.

So that is just a little glimpse, through Google Earth, into where I am at here in Manzanillo. You should come visit...I have an extra bed in my room at the villa. OR, I hear Las Hadas is a pretty pimp hotel to stay at AND it is all-inclusive. Just a thought.

Hello, it certainly has been a while...

2009-09-25T16:22:00.000-04:00

I am not sure if it has been a busy week or not. I would say it must have been seeing as I have not written on the blog for five days. I know today was tiring enough to make up for the whole week...but more on that later.

Monday we did a shore dive at La Boquita...a wreck in 25 ft. of water. First we went halfway out and did some navigation. That was fun because there was no visibility. After we floundered around in 15 ft., we swam out to the wreck and swam around it. The visibility was not any better further off shore so we merely swam around it before heading back. That afternoon we were supposed to do watership skills. Bailouts were the order for the day (per the schedule) but Jorge decided to cancel that lesson. He said after Saturday the bailouts would not teach us anything and they were a waste of our time (originally the bailouts were to stress us out and force us to problem solve). So we had the afternoon off. Monday night I went out with a couple people for dinner. I was celebrating my first week in Mexico. It is crazy to think I have only been here a week (now a week and a half)...it seems like so much longer than that.

Tuesday morning I was not feeling well at all. My stomach was extremely upset and I opted not to dive. So I went back to bed and sleep for a couple more hours. I got adventurous after eating a bite of lunch and walked to Comercial...the shopping district. It was extremely hot out and I was sweating like a pig. I went to Radio Shack to get a wall outlet adapter (so I can plug in my computer in my room...at the villa the outlets are two-pronged and my charger is three-pronged) and to the grocery store to get a notebook for class. Tuesday afternoon was an interesting class about the law and diving. Essentially, we learned that PADI has an ironclad defense built in for all dive shops/instructors that prevents them from losing a lawsuit (paperwork, paperwork and more paperwork). We also learned that if we allow someone to dive with us on a boat in Mexico, they can still sue us in the US (slightly disconcerting).

Wednesday we did two morning dives...both in Las Hadas Bay (the bay outside the hotel we work at). I tagged along with the two students getting their advanced certification and watched them do navigation and search and recovery skills. That afternoon we did stamina training at the hotel pool. With our snorkel gear on, we swam 800 m back and forth. It was definitely tiring...but it is part of our swim test so we need to get good at it. We were supposed to go on a night dive but it was canceled due to weather. A big storm rolled in just as we finished swimming in the pool. Instead, the whole lot of us went to Coco Loco's on the beach and had dinner. Everyone else also played beach volleyball and later pool volleyball. I ordered a chicken burger with french fries and enjoyed the fries very much.

Thursday we were supposed to go deep sea fishing but it was canceled due to weather. So I went back to bed and sleep for a couple more hours. That afternoon I joined the emergency first responder class for children. Although I already have my EFR certification, I did not go over any material related to children so Marie let me join the class to go through the knowledge part. After the class I had to take a 15 question test (my first since I have been here) and I passed! It was pretty simple. Last night we did do a night dive. Brent and Michael needed it to complete their advanced course so Marie took us out. It was nice, dark, sandy with lots of surge. We did see some lobster, some small stingrays, and loads of puffer fish. I swear, those are the national fish of Mexico. We saw a couple that were especially large. We did not make it back to the villas until after 10 pm. It was certainly a late night.

This morning we had our rescue course intro in the bay at the hotel. We took a pounding as we did skills, rescues, tows, etc. We started running a relay running off the beach into the water and swimming out to a buoy, then swimming from the buoy to shore and getting onto the beach (which was particularly challenging because there is a steep slope right where the waves crash in the bay) and then running across the beach to another marker. We were tired just doing that but we were told it was our warm-up. Lucky us.

We then started tows...towing tired/panicked divers to shore. The first time around our "tired" divers did not resist rescue. Although it was enough of a workout just dragging their butts to shore. However in our second, third, and fourth tows (second without a flotation device, and the third and fourth with) we dealt with "panicked" divers. More divemaster candidates wanting to settle the score from when they went through rescue. They did a good job of wearing us out and allowing us our fair share of saltwater intake. I think my best scenario was having Leah jump onto the orange ring and use that leverage to jump fully onto me taking us both underwater. I told her I would rescue her but kill her later on land.

We also did inwater rescues using a kayak. We had to deploy our kayak into the surf and then paddle out to our "victim". We would then have them climb onto the bak of our kayak, or hold on, while we paddled ashore. After being flipped several times and having my "tired" divers fall off my boat, I finally made two rescues. Then we practiced throwing the orange ring from the bow of the boat (the goal was to hit people in the head...).

We ended our morning carrying victims out of the water onto the shore. We practiced three lifts...luckily I got to carry Marie in rather than one of the guys (I think I could carry Oliver but Hugo or Jonathan would be a bit too much for me). After our carrys we rinsed off the kayaks and called it a morning. I was more than grateful to be done because I was thoroughly exhausted.

Back at the villa I was too tired to cook myself lunch. So I showered then headed to my room to listen to Sunday's sermon on iTunes. I was so tired that sitting up proved exhausting so I laid down and woke up 20 minutes later. Oops. This afternoon I am in class for my rescue course. We are going over the knowledge we will need for our class and talking about what sort of training activities we have coming up next week. By the end of this course I will either be a dang good diver or I will be dead.

This evening is caregroup back at home. If my buddy Josh is willing, he may Skype me in for the discussion so I can listen in on what everyone thought about the sermon. I am excited about the prospect of getting to "go" to caregroup tonight. If that does not work out, then I think I will go to bed early. I am pretty worn out.

Tomorrow we are going deep sea fishing. I hope it does not get canceled again because I am really excited about it! Sue said that with the fish we catch they make fresh ceviche on the boat for us to enjoy. And whatever we do not eat while out on the ocean we get to take home. I feel a barbecue coming on.

At some point this weekend I need to go to the store again. I need bananas, Snickers bars, more chicken and cheese (for grilled chicken and cheese sandwiches), and water.

It is time for class to begin again...I hope you all feel updated. Until next time...

Sunday

2009-09-20T21:05:00.000-04:00

Ah...the only day of my weekend and I stayed fairly busy. I did not even get a nap in! This morning I accompanied Sue into the water. She had two DSDs (Discover scuba divers) who had signed up at the hotel. I asked if I could come along for fun and ended up being her "divemaster" for the morning. It was fun watching two people who had never dove before try to get calm under water. I really do not understand how they can act so panicky underwater and come up to the surface and say they had a great time...but they did. We did two dives this morning...Elephant Rock and Juluapa. We saw trigger fish, trumpet fish, loads of puffer fish, a ton of eels, juvenile scissor-fins, and a box fish (and two turtles but that was on our way back to the hotel).

I made Sue mad at me because I breathed only as much air as she did. Though she stayed on one tank and I dove off two, we both had about 1400 psi of air used for both dives combined. I told her I wanted my money back, I only breathed 700 psi for 30 minutes on my second dive and I did not feel like that was worth my money. But then Sue reminded me that I have yet to pay the remainder of my bill for school. Oops...so technically I will not get any money back. It was a good morning though...the water was refreshing and the ocean was calm.

This afternoon I hung out at the school playing online. Then at 4 pm I walked over to Shyla and Leah's villa. They were going out to eat and then to do some shopping so I asked if I could tag along. It was not until 5 or so that we shower up to the restaurant. We had some pretty amazing quesedillas...mine had chorizo, asada, y pork (I just forgot the word). I also got horchata which was so delicious. After lunch we went shopping in the mall. I saw a paleteria and got a lime pop. Yummy! I bought groceries for breakfast, lunch and dinner...and I also got a fan. I cannot wait to set it up tonight. I am praying that I sleep amazingly.

Currently I am sitting in a rain storm on the front step of the school. I probably need to stop writing so that I can go inside and not get my laptop drenched. No one is at the school...or else I would be inside. I will update pictures tomorrow evening if I take some more. Until then.

Beach Clean-up

2009-09-19T22:33:00.000-04:00

Today was another fun day hanging out with the interns and staff. This morning we met at 10.30 am to load up the vehicles and run to the store before we hit the beach. We stopped at the grocery and meat market for our beverages and food for the day. We also stopped by Pedro's (the restaurant from yesterday) to borrow three beach umbrellas. We went to Playa de Oro for the day...not too far from where we are in town. The longest portion of the ride was the 7 km off the main drag that we off-roaded in our beat up "scuba limo". All in all we made it and I do not believe we left any car parts behind.

The beach was beautiful. We quickly went to work setting up our umbrellas for necessary shelter. Then we proceeded to do our good-deed of participating in Project AWARE's International Clean-up Day. We took some time combing the beach and bagging all the trash we found. We filled plenty of bags and the beach looked better afterwards.

Afterwards we had a little beach party. We hung around talking, laughing...and later ate. I cooked hamburgers and hot dogs for everyone. They were not half bad. After lunch we went to play out in the waves. I went out first thing after I finished lunch. After getting waist deep I was swept out in a rip current and spent the next 10-15 minutes trying to get back to shore. It was a bit exhausting trying to swim to shore...I was about to call for help when I got a lift from an incoming wave. I beached myself for a bit and then went out again when the rest of the group went out. We had a blast playing in the water. It is so warm here! You can walk right in and not flinch (unlike the Outer Banks where it took 5 minutes just to warm up to the water). The waves were about 15-20 feet high! They were so much fun to swim under.

We all played in the water for a long bit before people started trickling back to shore. I came in and laid down on my towel with the intent of taking a nap. After getting settled in I heard distinct, but distant, cries for help. I was looking out at the ocean and could not see anything. Nor was anyone getting up. I passed the noises off until Brent came running up to the group and informed us that Sue, Marie, and Tyler were in the water and needed help (Sue and Marie are our two instructors and Tyler is a recent divemaster now instructor student). At first we thought it was a joke but when we jumped up and looked out into the water, there were three bobbing heads, far out, waving for help.

You can imagine the adrenaline that was running through our veins. Not only were we in training to deal with people in the water, but our instructors who were responsible for training us were the ones in trouble. We all rushed down the beach and jumped into the water...it was almost like a scene from Baywatch except no one had on a red bathing suit or looked near as good as the actors -- although Jorge claims he was channeling his inner David Hasselhoff. For a split second I thought about the rescue manual I had been reading two days earlier. The first rule in rescue is never attempt a rescue that you cannot do without putting yourself in danger. But that does not really matter when it is your friends in the water.

By all accounts, we did a good job. People staged themselves throughout the water to provide assistance on varying levels. Marie was the one who was having the most trouble getting in. The rip current was horrible and there was a longshore current pulling the three down the coast. Sue and Tyler were able to get themselves in while others stayed behind to bring out Marie. But even for us "fresh bodies" that had jumped in to assist, getting out of the water proved difficult. We were wedged in between two lines of crashing waves. And the huge waves that they were could slam you on the bottom like none other. You could only swim one or two strokes before having to duck under a crashing wave. At one point, two crashed together right on top of me and it keep me under. I had my eyes closed but through my eyelids could see light. While underwater I could tell when it was time to breath by how light it got. When the two waves crashed up over me it was dark for a very long time. I even swam up trying to reach the surface and was afraid I would not make it.

I do not think anyone was really sure how long we were out there...it certainly felt like an eternity. But we were able to safely bring back all bodies to shore. Once we made it back to the umbrellas, we looked like a mass of beached whales. We were all exhausted from swimming, fighting the waves, and having to hold our breath. It took a good hour of recuperating before we were back to our normal selves. And not too long after that we cleaned the area around us, loaded the van, and headed back to the villas. We only stopped once to drop off the umbrellas and trash.

It was certainly a fun day...although a bit intense. Looking back, I think I may have learned two of the most important lessons I will learn the entire course of my dive school. The first is that swimming and stamina are two key elements to an excellent dive instructor. Our instructors got in trouble today through no fault of their own -- it was a good thing we had the swimming skills and stamina needed to assist them. Although, admittedly, we were all wiped after assisting. Someone brought up a good point when we were back on the beach debriefing after the incident...if this were a tour group, we would have had to jump in the water by ourselves. We would not have 9 of our buddies jumping in with us to make the rescue.

The second lesson is that no matter how well you know your dive buddies/classmates/instructors here at Neptune's, you always got their backs and they got yours -- just like family. It is very evident that this group is tightly knit; after today I think even more so. It is easy to say that someone would help you out if you needed it but it is an entirely different matter to be put in a situation where you need assistance and see people jumping and bounding off into action. There is not a thing we would not have done to get Sue, Marie and Tyler out of the water and I have only known these people since Monday! But for the next three months, they are my new family. We are in it together. It is nice to be in an learning/working environment where everyone is looking out for the other. I think it is conducive to trust but also building more meaningful relationships.

A good day indeed. I think I am off to bed. Tomorrow morning I am going to go diving with Sue and Marie...they have a couple of students at the hotel to take out on the boat. I asked if I could come along and they obliged. I get picked up at 8.15 am. Yay for diving!

I have added a couple more pictures to my Facebook album. Click here to see them. Until tomorrow...

Field Trip Day

2009-09-18T19:36:00.000-04:00

Last night I played with the dog, studied longer than anticipated, and then went out with Sue, Marie, Brent, Hugo and Tyler for dinner at Juanita's. I ordered chicken tacos. When I got back I was super tired and extremely sore. My arms are not long enough to carry tanks without dragging them on the ground. So in order to carry two tanks I have to lift them with my shoulders...I have aggravated muscles in my shoulders that I did not know existed. Last night before bed, and throughout the night, I could hardly move. My shoulders are extremely tender today but at least I can lift my arm. Before bed I took a cold shower...I was hoping that it would help me cool off enough to fall asleep. It worked until 1 or so in the morning when I woke up sweating. I was so tired last night I was able to sleep but I was awake every hour due to the heat.

This morning I took another cold shower to cool off from last night. Then we meet the group at 9.30 am and hopped in the scuba limo to our "surprise field trip". Jorge took us to go 4-wheeling in the mountains. It was great fun and we spent 5 hours doing it. We rode through some small villages and way up the mountains to where it was beautiful. The vegetation was bright green and the sky was very blue. I had a lot of fun running through mud puddles. At one point I flew through a creek and landed on an embankment on the other side lodging myself in the sand...I had to be helped out. :-) It was really nice getting to be outside. The only downside was that I got a pretty bad sunburn. It will certainly hurt tomorrow.

After 4-wheeling (oh, did I mention that I got my 4-wheeler up to 71 km/hr?), we went to Pedro's, a restaurant on the beach, for a late lunch (we got there around 3 pm). It was nice to sit down in the shade and enjoy the ocean breeze and drink a cold bottle of water. I ordered a beef taco and a sausage/cheese quesadilla. It was very good. Sitting at the beach I was getting very tired...we sat there until 5 before heading back to the villas.

I have been at school downloading my pictures onto my computer and then uploading them to Facebook. If you would like to see some pictures of life in Manzanillo click here. There are not too many pictures but it at least gives you some idea of what I have been up to.

This evening I hope to lay low and rest...preferably in the air conditioning or a pool. I hear some of the group has gone to the pool so I might join them later. Even though I would like to pretend that I will not, I most likely will pull out my school books and do some studying.

Tomorrow is beach clean-up and we are meeting at 10.30 am. After we clean-up there will be a bit of a beach party. Who knows, maybe I will come back dark like a Mexican. If we keep up this schedule (more play time than dive time) I most certainly will.

Until next time...

2009-09-17T18:08:00.000-04:00

La Cantina was closed this afternoon when I stopped by for lunch. So I headed out to the main drag and hit up El Cameron Mariscos. I had two bean and queso tacos with a side of guacamole. I also enjoyed their wonderful salsa and a glass of water (it gets you in the throat). It was quite delicious for $4.

This afternoon I thought we were headed to the pool to do skills but instead Jorge took us into the bay. We were in wetsuits, weight belts, mask, fins and snorkel. First we wet for a swim against the incoming waves. I think Jorge was hoping we would tire out faster than we did...but it was definitely fun trying to fit the current. Then we released our weight belts in 8 ft. of water and snorkeled down to retrieve them. While under, the goal was to hold your breathe long enough to don (put on) your weight belt before hitting the surface. After we successfully completed the task in 8 ft., we moved on to 12 ft. and did the same thing. We finished in 15 ft. of water where Jorge told us we only had to retrieve, not don, our weight belt. The first person did as Jorge instructed. The second, however, decided to don their weight belt under water. Of course, doing that meant that the rest of us had to attempt to out-do them. So we did. When I came up Jorge called me a show-off...I will take it as a compliment.

Our next skills set will be sometime next week. Jorge told us we would be doing bailouts. We will put our BCD on our tank, with the regulators tucked into our fins, all wrapped up with our weight belt. Our mask will be around our wrist and our tank will be closed (not open for breathing) and we will jump off the boat into 15 ft. of water. Once our feet hit the bottom, we can then turn on our tank and don our equipment. We will have 5 minutes to successfully don all our equipment without letting anything touch the surface (because we accidentally let go of it) and swim to the surface. Once at the surface, we will let all the air out of our BCD and will tread water for 5 minutes with our arms out of the water. Jorge said no student has ever completed bailout on the first try. My new personal challenge is to do it. The other students are already taking personal bets as to who will comet he closest to doing it successfully on the first try.

Anyways. I am back at the school and about to settle in for some reading. I will probably stay here until Jorge kicks me out at which point I might run out for a bite to eat before going back to the villa and reading some more. If I continue to not sleep I am going to run out of reading material...I guess there could be worse things in life.

A new student arrived last night. Brent is from Washington and is here to get his instructor certification. He needs to run to the store as well so maybe at some point this weekend I can go with him (just so I do not have to go by myself). Although at the rate I am going, I will never make it to the store.

Tomorrow we were told to put on our "trainers" (tennis shoes), grubby clothes and bring a camera for an activity tomorrow. No word on what it is, but they said it will be work/fun/dirty/all-day. We meet at 9.30 am. I think I will go, and take my camera. Maybe this weekend I can actually start posting some pictures on Facebook.

Saturday is Project AWARE's international clean-up day. Project AWARE is a nonprofit dedicated to underwater conservation. Their intent for clean-up day is to improve the quality of beaches and dive environments while also educating the public in how they can better care for our earth. Neptune's will be going out to clean up a local beach. We will also be taking a grill and barbecuing. I'm not sure if our clean-up activities are prior to the party, or if we are going to party and then clean=up after ourselves but either way I am sure we will have fun.

The girls just showed up to the school with Deco...she is walking around and acting slightly fiesty. She is so cute! She is prancing after Leah's feet. I am off to study...or to decide what I want for dinner. Or play with the dog.

Hola

2009-09-17T13:48:00.000-04:00

It has been pretty chill since Tuesday night. I never got my nap in before meeting up with the group. We hung out a little longer at La Cantina before going over to Sue and Marie's. We thought the festivities started at midnight downtown in El Centro so we stayed at the house until after 11. When we got there, people were everywhere. We were a little concerned when we saw a hoard of people walking towards the cars rather than away...we later came to find out it was because all celebrations were over with. Apparently Manzanillo decided to be unlike the rest of Mexico and start at 10.30 pm. Needless to say we missed it. We hung around El Centro for a bit before heading back...there were still loads of people milling about and some had fireworks they were shooting over the bay. On the way back to la villas we stopped at Miami Beach for hot dogs...they were excellent. We got back super late and I absolutely crashed.

I do not sleep for more than a couple hours at a time. My room is a sauna and my fan barely circulates the stagnant/hot air. It really is horrible. Whenever I wake up I go sit underneath the air conditioner in the living room for a few minutes...it helps to cool me down momentarily before I go back to brave the room. I really need a fan but I have yet to go to the store. I also need to get food at the store...I've been eating junk (Snickers bars). No one ever goes to the store. I have been hoping to tag along with someone but that is not happening. So this weekend I have to get there. I cannot eat Snickers bars for much longer.

Yesterday I did not do much...I slept in, used Skype for the first time, and then did a check out dive with Marie in the bay. It was so nice to get into the water. The visibility was not too great and there was a bit of a surge...I was supposed to do a skills review (see if I can take my mask off, check out my buoyancy) but due to the conditions we just swam around. Yesterday afternoon/evening I spent a load of time reading. I was working on the environmental science chapter in my encyclopedia. After getting halfway through it, I switched to my rescue diver book (which will be my next certification). I read quite a bit...and even more when I wok eup this morning at 1.30 am. I studied for 3 hours, working on taking notes and doing knowledge reviews before I fell back asleep.

This morning we took the boat out. The seas were choppy and it appeared that there was a storm out at sea (the tankers were anchored in the bay which they only do when there is a storm out). It was a 15 minute boat ride to our dive site. I have been joking with Sue that I cannot dive, swim, or keep my cool in the water. After the first 20 minutes of the dive, I felt like this was an accurate assessment. I grabbed 8 lbs. for my weight belt (they do not want us to use our integrated weight packs for training dives)...the ocean is saltier here than Grand Cayman (where I dove with 8 lbs. all week) so I could not stay underwater. I keep floating up and looking like an idiot (especially since we were doing buoyancy skills).

We came up as a group to discuss the visibility situation. At that point I was able to get 4 more pounds which I (stupdily) put into my BCD's integrated weight pack rather than my belt. Once underwater I was able to maintain neutral buoyancy...until I had to remove my BCD and float alongside it. When I took it off two things happened...my BCD sank like a stone and I started to float up. I then put too much air in my BCD to counter the weight and it shot up. Did I say that I looked like an idiot? Because I seriously did. I then realized that I needed the weight out of my BCD and on me so I took out my integrated pack and held it. At this point I was able to correctly establish neutral buoyancy. Since I was beginning to feel comfortable, I decided I needed to get the weight onto my belt. So I undid my belt, slipped the weight on, and then spent the next 10 minutes trying to get the belt back on. The end was frayed and would not go back in. I even had another diver assist in getting the belt on and he could not do it! I finally pulled out my knife and started cutting the end of the belt. I got enough of it cut off that I was able to get the belt back on.

Sheesh. I felt like a fool. The rest of the dive was alright. I maintained buoyancy and actually could see with my new lenses in my mask. There was really bad visibility due to the waves overhead kicking up sand. Our "divemaster" (Steve just passed his divemaster test yesterday) got disoriented while navigating and lost the boat. We were able to surface and swim to the boat. We were scheduled to do a second dive but the seas got even more choppy so we scraped it. When we made it back to the resort, Las Hadas, we unloaded the boat, cleaned all our gear and put it away. Now we are on our lunch break until 2.15 pm when we get picked up to go out and do skills in the pool.

I forgot to tell you our school has adopted a new mascot...Deco. She is a 4-5 week old puppy. She has a bit of rottweiler in her but looks like a mix with something else. She is absolutely adorable. She eats and sleeps and that is it. Technically she belongs to Leah. But Leah brings her around to school. Today Deco came on the dive with us (well, the boat...Deco does not dive). She slept the entire time until we got back to the beach -- then she got up and walked around a bit. The boys are not too fond of her but she is great to have around. I look forward to when she gets a little bigger and starts playing with us.

I think I will run to La Cantina to grab a bite to eat (a hamburger sounds really good right now). I have not had an actual meal since Tuesday (I guess...). It has been yogurt, Snickers, and a ham and cheese tortilla from Kiosko. I have just less than an hour and a half before the van swings by to pick us up again.

The rest of my Tuesday

2009-09-15T20:18:00.001-04:00

Well…I have almost survived my first 24 hours in Mexico. After posting my morning blog post online, I went with John and Bob to a little seafood place for lunch. This was great because I was starving. They had amazing salsa (it was actually heated and it had a very nice spice to it) and guacamole. I ordered fish tacos that were decent but not great. There is a commercial strip just a 4 minute walk from the school. So it is quite convenient to grab a bite to eat. It was also very cheap…I had 3 tacos, guacamole, and a bottled water for $5. Excellent!

This afternoon I had environmental science with the rest of the students and met them. Class was interesting…it helps that I am a geography major, I already knew half of what was taught. After class it was decided that I would move in with Bob in villa #8 and Bob’s current roommate, Oliver who is presently unaccounted for, would be moved into the villa I was assigned, #2 (which is down the hill and on the backside of the building away from the other students and it has a glass front door instead of wood and no air condition). One of the instructors and another student packed Oliver’s stuff up and took it away and I brought my stuff into my new room.

Bob is a great roommate…he is clean, and he appreciates air conditioning. What more could I ask for. He has actually been very hospitable since we have meet and he has gracious been a tour-guide of sorts. We went to the market so I could pick up a few things and on the walk back we stop at La Cantina for dinner. I got the hamburger and it was delicious.

I am now sitting in the school playing online. Bob walked back to La Cantina to join everyone for their dinner. I am tired so I am going to take a nap before tonight. This evening festivities begin for Mexico’s independence day. Tomorrow is a national holiday, but apparently there is a huge celebration downtown…fireworks, dancing, and the mayor of Manzanillo makes a speech at midnight. At 9 pm all the interns and instructors are meeting at Sue and Marie’s house (where I spent the night last night). We will then go together downtown to El Centro. Bob warned me that we could be out for a while.

Since tomorrow is a holiday we do not dive or have class. I think I am going to sleep in and then take a bus to El Comercial to stop by the market (or Walmart if the market is closed) to buy some food and get a notebook for class. So it should be a pretty chill day.

Happy Mexican Independence Day! Outside I hear loud music being played and people singing along…fireworks have been going off for the past hour. I am getting the impression that Mexicans really celebrate down here.

Jill esta en Manzanillo!

2009-09-15T12:50:00.004-04:00

(Post written at 10 am CST on Tuesday morning)

Well, I made it safe and sound to Manzanillo. My last flight departed Mexico City at 6.45 pm CST. It was an hour-and-a-half flight. I slept a little (through beverage service once again) but then looked out the window once we got to the coast. There were only 14 people on the flight that could seat 46, so needless to say I got a row to myself. There were four other Americans on the flight…two were older gentlemen and two looked to be brothers (they were also surfers).

As I said earlier, I have not taken any pictures. I left my camera in my bag yet again – it got checked plane-side for the flight. How I regretted that decision! We did not see much until we hit the coast and turned north to fly into Manzanillo. It had been overcast all day in Mexico City and apparently the clouds were rolling into Manzanillo. There were lots of clouds but they were absolutely beautiful because they contrasted against the sunset! The ocean, of course, looked grand and the rocky coast/white beaches made my very anxious to de-plane. Once we got into Manzanillo, you could see lush vegetation in the fields and mountains surrounding the town. As we landed, you looked out the left-side of the plane and saw thick forests, and on the right-side the crashing waves.

We arrived at 8.15 pm CST and right as we landed it started to pour. The clouds had quickly rolled in as we finished our descent and it was now pitch-black. As we got off the plane, the ground crew handed us umbrellas to use on our walk to the terminal. No joke, that umbrella came up to my chest…it was so big! Although it was a super small airport (and we were the only flight arriving for hours) it took a moment to get my baggage sorted. Mexico City was not too keen on security but Manzanillo certainly is…I had to go through customs yet again!

Sue, an instructor at the dive college, came to pick me up. She’s a Brit (or I think she may prefer to be called English) who got certified at Neptune’s 18 months ago. She now teaches here and absolutely loves it. Sue decided it was my fault that it was raining so hard…it made our drive into town a little treacherous because the roads do not have street lamps. We headed to the school first to meet Jorge (the main dive instructor…he is from Hickory, North Carolina, and knows lot of people from Johnson City, Tennessee) and Marie (also a Brit who is Sue’s friend/housemate/they went through school together/and now teach together).

After assuring Jorge I was not scared of whatever they had to throw at me, Sue and Marie took me to dinner (at this point, it was close to 10 pm CST). We drove into town to a place called Juanita’s. I had enchiladas that were very good…I am sure the waitress knew I liked them because I devoured my entire plate before Sue and Marie could get through half their burgers.

We stayed and talked for a while before heading to Sue and Marie’s house. I was told my villa (#7) was not ready yet so I would be staying the night with them. I did not mind because they are fun and I enjoyed talking to them. Sue got a kick out of my “sarcasm” and she told me I would fit right in with the guys. Sue was also saying Neptune’s has had a dry spell of sorts…they have not had girls in the program for the last several months and just now they are starting to get some more in. Back at the house we talked some more (about diving) and watched some t.v. I did not turn in for bed until 12 pm CST…that is 1 am EST! I slept well in a little room upstairs with a fan right next to the bed. I think more than anything it was just refreshing to lie flat.

I woke up this morning at 7 am CST but was able to go back to sleep until 9 am CST. Sue and Marie were already at work. I sat in bed and read my Bible before making the bed and taking my shower. I came downstairs and had Fruit Loops for breakfast and now I am sitting on the couch writing this post and waiting for Sue to pick me up.

I have class at 11 am with Jorge. I will get my formal introduction to the program and we will talk about who knows what else. Sue and Marie informed me that today I would be taking my EFR (Emergency First Responder) class with them but I had to tell them that I had it two weeks ago. They were actually really excited about this because it meant that I was slightly prepared to be here and they did not have to sit through that boring class (which, truth be told, it is pretty boring). I might get to take an environmental class instead this afternoon.

Over and over last night Sue and Marie were telling me how I came to Manzanillo at the perfect time. First, this week is a holiday week. Because of that we will not be diving until Thursday morning (sad day!). Tomorrow is the Mexican Independence Day and celebrations start tonight. Tomorrow we have the day off and then we will start back up Thursday. Second, although I am here at the tail end of rainy season, this is leading up to the best time to dive in Manzanillo. They have had great diving the past couple weeks but they told me it will only get better. Third, whale season is coming! Late October and November Sue said you can hear the whales calling while you are under water on your dives. How neat is that?! The water temperatures are spectacular here…over 80 deg. F. through the end of the year (dad, when did you say you wanted to visit?). More recently they saw water temps at 88 deg. F. at 100 ft.!!! That is absolutely insane. Lastly, I am here for three months to complete a two-month program. I wanted to come in September but the test for my course is not until December. So in that extra time I will be able to play around, maybe take some extra classes, or just have plenty of time to study. A guy comes in a month to join my IDC (Instructor Development Course) and he will have to study the whole time he is here because he will have just two months.

I am so ready to start my courses, I just wish I could go diving sooner. To make matters worse, Sue and Marie showed me pictures from their last dive. I told them it was horribly cruel to show me pictures where I could not go diving until Thursday. They just laughed. Oh well…soon enough. It is almost time for Sue to pick me up so I need to go to finish getting my stuff together. Until next time…

Bienvenido a Mexico!

2009-09-14T17:01:00.000-04:00

Well, I made it safely to Mexico at 2 pm EST. Mexico City is in the central time zone...I also found out, by looking at the map in the US Airways magazine, that Manzanillo is too! That means I will only be an hour behind all my friends and family. It also means I will arrive in Manzanillo tonight at 9.15 pm EST -- one hour earlier than I had previously anticipated.

My flight from Charlotte to Mexico City went off without a hitch. I was sitting in the middle seat on an exit row...to my delight, there were only two seats in the row -- the seat closest to the window had been taken out. So I was not cramped...my only issue with my seat was that I could not lean it back. That meant for a little over four hours I was trying to sit in an upright position. My back is a little achy.

I have a small(er) rolling bag with me and I am using it as my carry on (I checked my dive bag and this carry-on contains all my "stuff" for the next 3 months). On my flight to Charlotte I checked it plane-side because there was not enough room to bring it into the cabin with me. My plane to Mexico was a lot larger so I was able to bring my bag on. I was intending to put it in the overhead compartment until I got on the plane and realized how far up the overhead bin was. Yikes! Actually, I could stand up straight underneath the overhead bin with room to spare...so for me to put my bag in the bin I would have to lift it over my head. In all reality, for me to safely get my bag stowed I would have to stand on the seat and I did not want to subject myself to that humiliation prior to the flight. So I asked the man sitting next to me if he would mind putting in away for me. He kindly obliged to which I am eternally grateful. I slept on the plane, missing beverage service both times. Shucks.

Like I said, I arrived shortly before 2 pm EST. I waited for half the plane to de-plane before I crawled up on the seat to retrieve my bag. Upon exiting the plane, I was struck with the lack of security. Whenever you fly into the states, regardless of your final destination, you are herded like cattle through customs and immigration before you can do anything else (sometimes before they even let you use the bathroom!). This is not so in Mexico. In fact, I had to go searching for immigration. I got lost on my way because I got distracted with how parched I was...I could not find a bottle of water! There were plenty of duty free shops selling liquor and I thought about just buying a bottle and drinking it. But I realized it would only make me more dehydrated so I refrained.

I went to collect my dive bag before going through customs but was dismayed when it never appeared on the carousel. I asked the guy manning the baggage claim and he said that it was put through all the way to Manzanillo and that I would see it there. Again, the United States never lets anything enter it's soil until it has thoroughly inspected it. I was amazed to find out that I did not have to collect my bag just to run it through security once more only to re-check it. I was also grateful not to have to deal with it (at this point I will add that my checked bag weighed only 37 lbs.! This is a feat I am quite impressed with...but it is a large and bulky bag so maneuvering it requires space).

All in all, I survived immigration. Although I forgot how fast Mexicans speak...I have been paying extra attention just to catch the words (that I do not understand) that are coming out of their mouths. I think sometimes I take for granted how slow life is in Tennessee, including their speech. So far I have known enough Spanish to get by...I mean, no one has given me a dirty look or punched me in the face. Although the guard at security asked me if I knew Spanish...I think because I forgot to say "Buenas Tardes" back to her when she greeted me.

After getting through immigration, I had to find the Aeromar ticket counter for my airline switch. I flew into Terminal 1 and was told I needed to either take a taxi or the metro (bus) to Terminal 2. I chose the metro because I thought it would be cheaper...come to find out, your plane ticket gets you a free ride around the airport. The Mexico City airport is curiously located in the middle of a neighborhood. I have been to many airports located in downtown areas but never have I seen people walking from the surrounding neighborhood to the airport and vice-versa. It was strange seeing people's homes just over the fence from the tarmac. I guess Mexico City is cramped for space...or they are some avid plane watchers.

To get to Terminal 2, the bus had to do a u-turn in front of Terminal 1 and drive around the runway. It took about 5 minutes which was not bad at all. Once here, I went to the Aeromar ticket counter and they were able to check me in and give me a boarding pass (only after they called the supervisor and asked her how to run my ticket through). Overall it was a painless and I quickly found security.

Once through security I focused all my energy on finding comida y agua (food and water). My plane departs at 7.30 pm EST so I have plenty of time to kill until then. I found my gate and saw that it was where all local flights were departing from...thus there was no offerings of sustenance in that wing. I decided to walk the opposite way to find something to eat. Lo and behold! My eyes chanced upon a Chili's! I was very excited. I sat down and ate some Southwestern eggrolls and ordered two bottles of water (one to drink, one to hoard just in case I start dying of thirst). Lunch was delicious and very filling. I found out the exchange rate is approximately 12 pesos to the US dollar. Not bad (I guess...).

I have something I need to confess. Although I ordered a bottled water, I drank it with a glass of ice -- thus, I have consumed Mexican water! I feel fine.

While stuffing my face, I was trying to read the label on my water bottle...on the back it was urging consumers to drink 2 liters of water a day for 15 days but I am not sure why.

I have another confession...I have yet to take a picture of my Mexican adventure. I know, this is so disappointing. I really do feel bad but it has been very inconvenient to access anything in my bag while in transit. Now that I am sitting in the lounge waiting on my flight, there really is nothing that I would like to take a picture of. But I assure you, I will take plenty of pictures once I reach Manzanillo.

Another observation...I enjoy foreign countries because they do try very hard to communicate with visitors that do not speak their language. I have been very impressed with all the signs posted throughout the airport that communicate through pictures. They are very creative yet extremely understandable.

I currently have two hours until my last flight begins to board. My computer battery will die before then so I need to find a power outlet. It is also very chilly in the terminal so I will get out my sweatshirt. I am very excited to get to use the internet while I wait.

Since I have now written you from Mexico, I am looking forward to writing you once I have arrived in Mnzanillo.

Houston...or Charlotte

2009-09-14T09:04:00.000-04:00

Turns out my first flight brought my to Charlotte. It was only 40 minutes long so needless to say I did not get a nap in. What is very exciting is that I made my flight. They had oversold the flight and I was the 1 passenger waiting at the gate without a seat. Luckily the lady at the gate also helped me at the ticket counter and wanted to help me get to Mexico. How very kind of her. She asked a gentleman to take another flight to reach LaGuardia in NYC.

I am now sitting in the Charlotte airport enjoying their free wi-fi and eating a Carolina sunrise...an over-priced sausage, egg and cheese bagel. Oh well...it provides sustenance. I am all checked in and ready for my flight to Mexico City (at least I got that much right). Unfortunately it is oversold as well...I do have a seat but it is a middle seat on the exit row. Not my preference. I am hoping for a really good movie...that will help bide the time.

When I get to Mexico City I have a 6 hour layover. While laying over, I get to check into a new airline. Although I have to find them and get a new ticket, my dive bag is booked all the way through Manzanillo. I watched it board the plane this morning in Knoxville. I hope to see it tonight when I land on the Pacific Coast...if not, I will not be able to dive first thing tomorrow morning.

It is 9 am and the plane departs at 9.40. We should start boarding any minute now...I have my boarding pass and passport handy. I look forward to saying hi again when in Mexico!

I'm leaving on a jet plane

2009-09-14T05:50:00.000-04:00

To be quite honest with you, I am not sure when I will be back again. But at this hour in the morning (5.30) it really does not make a difference.

All my bags are packed and I have been ready to go...my bags have been sitting forlorn in my living room since Wednesday. Later I will post a picture at what I packed...I must say I was very impressed with myself.

I leave for the airport in 20 minutes. My ride is awake although I would not go so far as to say they are super alert. My first flight departs Tyson-McGhee at 7.15 am. My first layover is in Houston for an insignificant amount of time. I will change airlines in Houston and will fly to Mexico City where I will enjoy 6 slow hours before I board my last flight to Manzanillo. I expect to arrive in Manzanillo around 10.15 pm EST.

I am not sure of my internet situation in Mexico but I will be sure to sit down as soon as possible and let you know I made it. My biggest priority would be to communicate that I have arrived, safely, without contracting H1N1 or the drama of having my plane hijacked.

I cannot believe my Mexican adventure is upon me! It is going to be fun the next 3 months. I look forward to sharing it with you.

Until next time...which will be when I am in Mexico...unless I get super ambitious in Houston and decide to throw something up on the blog then. But that will not happen. So, until Mexico!

What a sad morning

2009-09-09T03:22:00.000-04:00

Just a few minutes ago (3 am on Wednesday morning), I said goodbye to Daisy and Dixie. I will not see them again until Christmas. Dad stopped by to pick them up as he and his friends were driving through town. Last night I packed their earthly belongings that they would need...their small cage to ride in, their big cage to live in, their favorite bed, an extra blanket, and dog food that I bought the other day. To the left is a picture of their stuff waiting by the steps. When dad got here he said they could not take it all, so they left the food. Hopefully he remembers to buy them something to eat.

I am not sure the dogs understood what is going on. I was out of town at the beach this weekend. When I got home Tuesday afternoon, I immediately took the dogs out to get their nails trimmed. After dinner they got baths and got their collars put on. I know they realized they were going on a road trip, but I do not think that they now realize they are in the car with 4 men. I guess they will figure it out in about 5 hours when they have to go to the bathroom and the guys cannot figure out how to open the cage to let them out (I am sure the dogs will drive them crazy as they whine to let them know they need out...). I am assuming dad's blog will have some short story about the dogs on there.

If Daisy and Dixie were not in their cage...I am sure that they would pop their heads up and protest at being taken away to Virginia. While they will have fun playing on dad's land and getting fat off table scraps, they will miss Tennessee. I know my roommates, though they will enjoy the quiet of the house, will really miss the dogs. I already miss my cuddle buddies...it is going to be a long 3 months without them.

The Great American Roadtrip

2009-09-02T19:13:00.000-04:00

Here is the video of the broadcast on DC's Fox News 5 about The Great American Roadtrip. Enjoy!

My dive bag is packed

2009-09-02T17:48:00.000-04:00

I got all my new equipment in the mail today! After swinging by the local dive shop to have them swap out my lenses in my mask, I was able to come home and pack it all up. My dive bag is officially packed for Mexico. And, just to be sure I do not accidentally leave it behind, it is sitting in the middle of the living room. Seeing it only makes me that much more excited for Mexico...11 days until I am in Mexico, 12 days until I am in the water!

Dixie is ready to depart for Mexico...too bad she does not get to go.

I get all my "crazy" from my dad

2009-09-02T17:40:00.000-04:00

This weekend, my dad, 80 year old grandpa, and two friends are going to drive their way through all 48 contiguous states in (well, it's their goal) 100 continuous hours. Sound crazy? Of course it does. If you are interested in tracking them across the US, check out their website. Or, click on the link to their blog (provided on their website) and let them know how insane they are for attempting something like this at their age. Either way...their trip is not only an adventure, but a means of raising money for Alabama education.

It's only two weeks away!

2009-08-31T22:15:00.009-04:00

My excitement for Mexico has been growing. I think my last blog post has really helped me to become comfortable with the idea of leaving. Sure it is a change, and I am going to miss out on a lot this semester (which I continually come back to...it will be sad knowing I am missing some big things) but man, what an adventure is to be had! This is even more far-fetched than camping all the way to Alaska and back (and let us be honest here...committing to drive to Alaska and back while sleeping in a two person tent that you share with your dad for 40 days is a little insane...although I will note that I love my dad very much and I had a blast with him on our Alaskan road trip!).

I want my readership to know (hmm, perhaps all 5 of you?) that you may now feel safe when in my presence. Today I got my PADI EFR (emergency first responder) certification. I can now perform first aid and CPR on you and/or use an AED on you if the situation presents itself. I also learned how to check blood pressure with a stethoscope and how to treat a victim after their leg has been torn off by a shark (trust me, you do not want to know). So readers, feel safe! It is the first step in my becoming a professional diver.

When I got home today, I found that I had a package delivered. It is 1 of 2 shipments of scuba equipment that I have purchased for Mexico. Yay! I love getting presents in the mail! Today's package was some de-fog for my mask...not too exciting in and of itself, but certainly a useful product to have.

The real thought for my post tonight, as I sit on the couch with two sleeping dogs watching Monday Night Football, is a new duty I feel called to uphold. One thing I have always loved about divemasters and scuba instructors that I have interacted with is their united desire to conserve the earth's ocean environments and educate fellow divers about how they can do their part. It always amazes me that though they have not (always) been standout environmentalists, they are committed with a common goal to do their part to fight against the greater forces in our world that are decimating fish populations, trashing our oceans, and killing reefs.

As I stand on the verge of joining the ranks of professional divers, I realize that part of my job as a scuba instructor will be to educate my fellow divers about the threats to the ocean. That is why I am starting to do my research and see exactly what is going on to our oceans and how I can raise awareness about it. As of right now, I have found 3 organizations that I am interested in following and learning more about. You can read more about them on their websites.

Project AWARE is a PADI foundation that seeks to conserve underwater environments through education, advocacy and action.

Oceanic Defense is an organization that's mission is to create healthy aquatic ecosystems free of human abuse & neglect.

The End of the Line is a campaign to create marine protected areas and support responsible fishing habits.

This evening I joined The End of the Line and claimed 2 hectares of the earth's ocean for myself. I also took a moment to officially pledge to become an advocate for the Blue Planet (the ocean). I am excited about the opportunity I will have to educate others (as I learn myself) on how we can best protect our earth's oceans and all that is within them. God has created a brilliant planet with so many neat creatures and plants...and as He called us to subdue the earth, He also ordained for us to be good stewards of His creation/gift. So though I say I am an advocate, I am really seeking to be a steward.

He has "measured the waters in the hollow of his hand" (Isaiah 40:12).

It is late and I should head to bed...but I cannot help but to be excited for my educational experience I will have this semester. Not only will I be participating in my instructor development course (IDC) but I will also be learning to become a better steward and advocate for our ocean environments...I'm turning more and more into a mini-environmentalist! Perhaps I can buy some hemp sandals while I am in Mexico.

God's will is diving?

2009-08-27T13:13:00.004-04:00

Something I struggle with is committing to anything for fear that it might not be "God's will" or "wise" for me to do. Therefore I tend to do what is safe and easy. Staying in Knoxville, for me, is that. It is easy to say that I am committed to a local church here, have relationships, and enjoy the city. What is hard is to think that God could possibly give me grace to live outside of Knoxville for any period of time. Hence, every time I have even thought of relocating, to pursue anything whether it be schooling or a job, I have given little consideration to the thought and moved on to thinking about...continuing to live in Knoxville.

In a way this is silly for me to do. Reason being...Knoxville is not a big city and does not provide opportunities that I would like here. I have considered relocating to pursue higher education because my then interests were not programs at UT, to pursue cooking school (which they do not have in Knoxville), to get a job (because everyone in geography knows that Knoxville is not the place to get a geography related job...and keep it), and now dive school (the only diving Knoxville has to offer is not even in Knoxville and it is a frigid quarry with 3 fish, some grass, and old tires on the bottom). So I am not in a position where I have never considered relocating from Knoxville...I have thought of it often. But I have been filled with fear in thinking about actually doing it.

Initially, after talking with dad and deciding to pursue dive school, a fear set in that I was doing something wrong. As if moving to pursue something I love isn't what God has called me to do. It is not normal to pick up and move to Mexico to pursue diving. And what if it's not the will of God...does that mean that I revert to a heathen? How can you rightfully pursue God after walking off the path of His will? This is not to say that I was not excited...I was and still am so excited for this opportunity. But is it the wise thing to do? The right thing? The thing God wants me to do? Hmm...

FX, my single's ministry at church, recently was working through Kevin DeYoung's book "Just Do Something." A book aptly titled and all about figuring out how to know the will of God for your life...as the tag on the book describes it, "A liberating approach to finding God's will OR How to make a decision without dreams, visions, fleeces, impressions, open doors, random Bible verses, casting lots, liver shivers, writing in the sky, etc." It was a fantastically, down-to-earth book that encouraged the reader to pursue God above His will. Because if we are rightfully seeking His righteousness, then we will be walking in the way that He declared for us to follow Him, and this pleases Him. I was extremely encouraged to read the book and see that I don't need to wait for God to tell me what to do...as long as I am living for Him, I am free to make decisions in life (of course, after praying and pursuing wise counsel). Kevin ended the book with this paragraph,

"So the end of the matter is this: Live for God, Obey the Scriptures. Thinks of others before yourself. Be holy. Love Jesus. And as you do these things, do whatever else you like, with whomever you like, wherever you like, and you'll be walking in the will of God." (pg. 122)

So that is what I am to do...pursue Christ and His righteousness and then, just do something. My something happens to be dive school in Mexico for 3 months. I am so excited. And after reading that book, and coming to the realization that I am not doing anything wrong in going to Mexico, I feel so liberated to walk in the will of God. Aside from unlimited diving, living on a beach, and getting a nice tan...I am really excited to live in another culture for a period of time. How fun to interact with different people, experience life in a unique culture, hopefully shop in a market for fresh produce (!), find a local church (and perhaps learn enough of the language to know some words other then Jesus Cristo), and eat lime pops (daily!!!). I am going to cherish my time away.

I am 18 days away from my Mexican adventure.

I'm running away to Mexico to pursue something I love!

2009-08-16T19:43:00.003-04:00

Today I bought myself a one-way ticket to Manzanillo, Mexico (ZLO). I am headed south of the border to attend an IDC (instructor development course) to pursue my scuba instructor certification. Crazy, huh? Let me explain.

I started diving in 2000. Since then, I've acquired my Nitrox and Advanced certifications and logged 75 dives. My dad and I have always discussed me becoming a dive instructor...it was something to talk about on the way to our dive sites. But ever since our trip to Curacao in 2007, it has become a serious consideration nagging in the depths of my mind. When I was laid off in July, I decided to look into taking some dive classes. I figured it would be something fun to do and it would be a good excuse to get some diving in. I initially looked into dive schools but decided that I would try and stay in Knoxville to take some classes and then made the decision as to whether or not I was ready to pursue my instructor certification.

Last week I was in Virginia for my brother's wedding and had a chance to sit down and talk with my dad. We discussed dive school and came to the decision that it was something I should pursue...especially while I was unemployed. My dad asked if I had a IDC in mind and I mentioned that two divemasters we met in the Bahamas recommended one in Mexico. He told me to do a little more research and get back to him. I did the research, figured out what program I wanted to pursue, and found a plane ticket. I applied to Neptune's Dive College on Wednesday and found out Thursday that I was accepted (talk about a quick response).

I leave in 4 weeks on September 14 and will be gone for 3 months(!). It's insane to think about leaving Knoxville for that long but so exciting to think about the adventure that awaits. So for those of you who have been reading my Facebook status updates and have been utterly confused...this is what's going on.

I'll be updating the blog more frequently as I prepare to leave...and will use it to keep up with everyone while I'm gone.

Dear Self

2008-10-04T16:30:00.002-04:00

Things have changed and sometimes I don't believe I am the same person. Sure...I'm short, I look Asian when I cry, and I still sleep on the right side of the bed. Although I drive a new car, I continue to drive fast with the windows down to keep the wind blowing through my hair. When I'm bored I look at pictures people post online of far-away places that I only dream of going to. If I find the time I can cook a meal that takes me to a different place, warms me on the inside, and reminds me that I am just as much like my mom as I can possibly be.

But then Monday morning rolls around and I am fronted with my reality...my new adulthood has me strung out worse than a bottle of Percocet. Most of the time I can't remember where I placed my brain, and the rest of the time I'm dropping the ball with what little I do remember to do (whether that be bills, chores, relationships, or eating). I sit down to read previous blog posts and I wish I were that girl who wrote them. I can't rightly say that I am anymore. I struggle more with basic faith than I ever have. Doubt, anxiety, and fear rule me. I'm more scared of a temptation than I am the sin because I don't think I have enough within me to reject it. I am so aware of my weakness, my failures, my lack in anything...and I don't remember how big my God is, how far He's brought me, or that He holds me in His right hand.

This morning I read Joshua 1. As the Lord speaks to Joshua, instituting him as the new leader of Israel (this being after Moses dies), He tells him to be strong and courageous. He tells him this not just once, or twice, but three times. See, even a man of God like Joshua needed to be reminded that though he felt inadequate to lead, too weak to persevere, or afraid he would fail that he needed to be strong and courageous. The Lord would continue by saying, "No man shall stand before you all the days of your life," and "I will be with you, I will not leave you or forsake you." He wanted Joshua to know that He was for him, and with him, guiding him and protecting him.

So as I read Joshua 1:9 I was encouraged that though I don't feel like myself, though I am overwhelmed with life and lack faith...that I can continue. It will only be by God's good grace, but He is committed to preserving the life of the elect which I am. "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

What's the balance between two lives?

2008-03-29T15:08:00.002-04:00

I'm sitting at my favorite table in Panera. It's a tall table with stools...and it looks out the window to the parking lot. Not the most beautiful or inspiring scenery, but at least it reminds me that I am not a caged animal. This is the table where most of the writing on my thesis occurred. Actually, this Panera is where pretty much all of my writing has occurred. Close friends joke with me about how often I find myself at Panera...pretty much everyday. Though in the past two weeks I have visited less often because I submitted my rough draft on my thesis (Sherry if you read this before I call you...I've been meaning to call you and tell you). But I find myself here today...almost because I miss it. I have been doing some pleasurable reading, working on my monthly budget, ordering my dad's birthday gift (hey dad, guess what I got you something), and reading the news online. I also ate lunch (I mean, why not?)...the chicken tomesto sandwich, with asiago bread (rather than three cheese) without onions (unless you like them) is the way to go. That and a Mountain Dew...man, that is quality brain food.

So within the past 2 1/2 weeks my life has changed drastically. I submitted my rough draft for my thesis (and as long as my professor likes it, I'm finished writing) and I found out that I will walk in May (though my matriculation date will be summer). Wow...for the longest time I never thought I'd complete grad school. Yet here I am, thinking my school career is near finished and I have no idea what I want to do when I grow up. Man, that's scary. Sure I'm educated, but that doesn't necessarily mean there is something I can do out in the big kid's world. In a sense I don't feel old enough to be getting a job...seriously, do you have any idea how immature I am? And...the thought of doing something other than school is just scary. I've been in college since 1999 -- that's a long time. I'm used to the college lifestyle, the schedule, the atmosphere. I can't imagine being out of it because I've known it for a large portion of my life.

Anyways. This week I spent time in Virginia. I went up to celebrate my brother's 21st. If that doesn't make a person shudder I don't know what would. The thought that my brother is not only old enough, but also responsible enough, to be consuming alcoholic beverages is alarming. And it makes me feel old. Really I'm not that old so it's always a silly thought when I have it. But that's all besides the point. What was nice about being up in VA was getting to talk with old family friends that know me well. I was able to throw some ideas out at them and get feedback. It's nice having people that know you and are able to comment on your life. I just wish that they could also make decisions for me. I threw out an idea I have for after graduation...possibly a career field I would like to (actually love to) pursue. Their thoughts -- essentially, go for it.

But then I contrast that to the life I live in Knoxville. Receiving input from friends in family in VA is always different when I contrast it to that I receive from friends in Knoxville. Why? Well, Northern Virginia is a different life entirely. It's an affluent lifestyle where people are hard pressed to pursue and realize goals and achievements in the secular world. Not to say that church doesn't have a role or God's calling is null and void cause that is not true. But I guess my circle in VA is called ot the secular world and has been given great opportunities in the workplace. They work hard, play harder, make money and achieve a lot. So everyone up north tells me I should go for my dreams, seek that that I love, and fulfill my potential. Not all bad.

But then there is Knoxville, and my church. Not that people here would say not to pursue my dreams...but I guess there is an underlying image of women at home. Not to say we don't have career women, cause we certainly do. I guess it just seems like I would be going against the flow if I were in fact to pursue what I have in my heart. I would look different then everyone else. Is that bad? Who knows. Ultimately I want to submit my plans to God and His will...because I know if I do what He has called me to do than I have nothing to fear (as far as reproach or being abnormal) and that would be ultimately pleasing to Him. I am just not in a place where I want to resign to marriage and staying at home. I don't think I'm called to that now, I'm certainly not in a relationship, and I think that God may use me in the public realm. Not in big ways...but I've always had a feeling that I was different than my friends. I don't want to sit on the sidelines and wait for marriage (not to say that that's what people do in my church per se)...I want to go out and do something. You never know, I could be single for life (which I've thought about...and it actually doesn't scare me).

Hmm...does that even make sense? I always think of my life in VA and my life in Knoxville as different and irreconcilable. They each call me to a different lifestyle...or at least that's how it seems. I feel like a different person in each, a Christian in both, but a different life. If I were to combine to two, I guess to pursue my dreams and live for the church, it would look different -- my time would be used differently and my involvement in my church would change. And I wouldn't be the stereotypical girl waiting for a guy...I would be out doing and achieving, creating and living a life. And if said boy shows up, I guess I could alter or even leave my life to be a mom. But not that I get to make my own decisions...ultimately it's going to be God. But sometimes I think that if I were a Christian in VA that God would decide my life differently than He would with me being a Christian in Knoxville.

Oh well. Decisions aren't made in a day and God's will certainly isn't revealed on command. Knowing my life and how God generally reveals His will for me...I'll find out at the last possible minute. That means I will have the most time to capitalize on trusting Him and walking by faith. Isn't He kind? If that's the way He has to get to my heart and into my head to show me that I need to be dependent upon Him and not rest on my own understanding...then yes He is kind. I'll tell you this...it will certainly be exciting to see what God has for me. And if it is what is in my heart, then that will be stellar. Fun things are in store.

So goes the world wide web

2008-03-29T14:59:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure what led me to believe that I could update my blog and no one find out. Perhaps it was that time had passed since I last blogged (faithfully). Or perhaps it was the thought that people wouldn't to bother to check up with it, even if it was a bookmark. Ha...so much for that idea.

My little imaginative world of people not knowing I had resumed my blog came crashing down Monday night when I arrived to my dad's house. I opted to use his laptop to sign into my e-mail and check Facebook. As I pulled up his internet browser, low-and-behold my blog was his homepage. And guess who put it there? Yeah, me, last summer when we were on the road. Idiot! So apparently dad and Stephen were both well-aware that I had a blog. That was until I scrolled through and saw that I had two recent comments. Ah yes, good friend Sherry and the real brains behind IAI, Millie, were also reading. Okay, so that's 4 people. Until I got an e-mail from a friend in town who said she had recently read my last post. 5...that I know of. Knowing my luck, more people than that are reading.

Oh well. So I guess the cat's out of the bag...I am updating my blog on a semi-regular basis. It will be my outlet, as it has been in previous seasons of my life, to voice the stuff that floats around in my head. Read if you want to, I don't promise that it will be of any interest. But I guess if you're bored and you decide it read it can't be any worse than sitting there twiddling your thumbs...or can it?

Wednesday

2008-03-05T13:30:00.001-05:00

It amazes me how I, as a human being, can sometimes seem so confident in things that I cannot control. Even though I recognize my helplessness in situations, I attempt to exude a confidence that would communicate that I’m on top of my circumstances and doing wel to those around me. Too often it’s a joke, and if people could really see into my heart, they would know I struggle more than anyone with doubt, fear, anxiety, and lack of trust. God knows that. I believe that is why he regularly puts me in situations that test me and push me to lean upon Him for strength.

Recently I’ve been thinking about my friend Meagan who, last semester, was diagnosed with MS. It’s interesting to see the progression in her diagnosis. She is a nursing student, and last semester started experiencing a multitude of ailments. At first she thought she may have a pinched nerve, and then it was thought that she needed her vision checked. Over and over, something else was thought of. Although Megs had recently studied MS in class and recognized that she was experiencing symptoms that lined up with this disease. We would talk, and she would ponder what would happen if she did have it, what life would look like, and what she would do. MS was not on the radar of any of her treating physicians at the time, and certainly not her mom (who was a nurse) so it was easy to forget it and move on.

After many failed attempts to get into her neurologist and get an MRI scheduled, Megs finally had an MRI done, and the results were what she had suspected, and feared. I remember the day I found out. And even though Megs and I had talked about her maybe having MS for over a month, and I assumed that’s what she did have (based on my limited medical knowledge that I don’t have), it still hit me hard to know that my friend was now sick and would be for the rest of her life. I was in Victoria Secrets the day I got Megs phone call…I had made her promise that she would call soon after her appointment and tell me herself. It’s hard not to cry when you receive such disheartening news although I was able to hold it in until I made it to a dressing room. I remember struggling to remind Megs of truth, almost as if I didn’t know what to say even though I had been saying it for the past month. And wishing I were anywhere but a dressing room, much less the dressing room of Victoria Secrets.

Since then it’s been interesting to walk with Megs through her MS diagnosis. Some days it’s really easy…physically she’s doing well, spiritually she’s able to communicate truth to herself. And then there are those days, or weeks, where things aren’t so good. And she struggles in the same way I do…sometimes its easier to lead others on into thinking your doing alright then actually let them know that you aren’t. Megs had another doctor’s appointment today – she was going to find out the results of her spinal tap. These results will let her, and her doctors, know (hopefully) how quickly progressing her MS is, and with these results they can begin to discuss treatment and actually look to a time when they can start treatment. Yesterday Megs said she hadn’t been struggling in thinking about her doctor’s appointment today but I didn’t believe her. Today could be life altering news in that she may find out that her disease is moving through her rapidly…but then again, it could be a slow progression that will take time before serious affects occur.

I’m sitting in Panera. Megs appointment was at 11 and it’s now 1.31. I’m waiting for her phone call to let me know how it went. It’s interesting…it’s like waiting for a job description. Just thinking about what she could possibly say means that I may have to step it up as a friend. Which I wouldn’t mind, I enjoy being Megs’ friend…but it could mean that I have to find new ways to serve her and pray for her. I don’t know exactly what it would look like. It’s funny sitting here, waiting for her phone call, cause I can see my tendency to be anxious. I want to know, not like I can do anything once I do know.

But it also is sobering…because while I want to hear what she has to say, I know I can’t do anything about her prognosis. And even though I would try, I can’t fix her. Ultimately God is in control and is orchestrating the events in her life and body. I can easily see my helplessness now as I think that God will ordain what He wills. And all I will be able to do is walk alongside Megs as a friend, and by God’s grace, somehow remind her of truth and faithfully pray for her. That’s it. I am just a human, and I have no special capabilities or abilities that will in any way alter this situation. But technically it’s a good place to be in…because when we as creatures see our helplessness then we also see how great God is contrasted to us. And that’s when we press further into Him and look to Him for the strength we need to continue in the race and also have joy in the midst of trials.

Lasagna

2008-02-25T16:15:00.002-05:00

Last night, as I was rushing around the kitchen trying to prepare dinner for girls who were coming over, my nostrils were infused with a aroma that carried me back through the chambers of my memory to my mom's kitchen. I was making lasagna, my mom's lasagna, and the smell of it simmering on the stove reminded me of how much I used to love lasagna. I think I had forgotten that it was once my favorite food -- I was so enamored with lasagna that I would even go so far as to refer to myself as "Garfield" on the days that mom would cook it. Smelling the lasagna last night really drove home the idea that aromas really do play a significant role in defining one's image of home. The warm, flavorful smell smelled like how I would imaging love -- full-bodied, room-filling, warm and lingering.

It made me wish I were back in my old house cooking with mom. She was such an incredible cook, and was always so much fun in the kitchen. Although I "remember" what she was like in the kitchen, I cannot say with certainty that I could describe it. It just was. Other friends have said I am exactly like mom in the kitchen, but I often get too bogged down with attempting to understand my own personality that I don't get it. I just know that mom was fun, that mom made the kitchen the center of the house, and that you knew how much mom cared for you just by walking into the kitchen.

It's a small passion.

2008-02-25T16:03:00.002-05:00

It seems all I do these days is work on my thesis. Reading up on, writing for, thinking about, hiding from...it really encompasses my life (or at least it should...some days are better than others). I find it interesting, that every time I sit down at my computer to work on the next chapter (I'm currently working on chapter 1) it takes everything I have within me to meet my writing goal. Yet, ask me to write an e-mail to a friend, or write up a funny story and I'll type until my fingers hurt. Sometimes there just isn't enough time for me to type up all that I'm thinking about.

Today, in between writing for my thesis and playing on Facebook, I spent a large portion of time reading the previous posts of this blog. I pretty much read everything I had written...and it sure did cover a wide breadth of topics (movie nights, football, trips, my mom, weekend plans, school...). While reading I sensed within myself a little voice of desperation. It was crying because of it's perceived lack...it lacks on outlet to express itself. Sure, friends are nice and e-mail can work, but sometimes it's nice to just share with yourself and not let anyone else in.

I originally started this blog so I could write to myself, or express my thoughts and give them some air outside the confines of my mind. But I got busy and writing on my thesis took precedence in my life. And I also didn't care. But reading today made me realize that it would be nice to have a place where I could record some thoughts and practice using words. I would journal except that I get really bad hand cramps. So, I'm going to start writing on my blog again. And hopefully this time, no one finds out.

Our last pictures

2007-08-23T15:43:00.001-04:00

Here are the remaining pictures of our trip. Enjoy!

Clifton, Virginia

2007-08-23T00:32:00.000-04:00

So we made it. Officially, our trip ended last night at midnight, one day ahead of schedule. This post wasn't written until 24 hours after the fact...primarily because the author didn't feel like updating the blog. But alas, the demand to publish is greater than the will of the author.

Yesterday was long day. It started off with a tour of the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory in Waterbury, VT. That was awesome! I do believe I would like to work quality assurance at the factory. We saw a short video about the creation of the company, then saw the actual facility where they make the ice cream. Then we got to go into the taste room and sample the flavor they were making that day, and a new flavor this year, cinnamon buns. It was delicious. Before heading out we hit up the gift shop, bought another ice cream cone for each of us, and visited the flavor graveyard (complete with headstones and epitaphs for a few of the fallen flavors).

From there we hit the road...hard. There isn't much to tell about the rest of the day except that we drove. We drove south through Massachusetts and Connecticut (where we stopped for dinner and had Chinese and hit rush hour traffic), New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and finally Virginia.

When we got home, at midnight, we unloaded the car. Man, we sure did have a lot of stuff crammed in there. After cleaning out the inside, we went to take the stuff off the hitch. First the box with the grill and then the rock. Dad pulled the truck to the corner of the garage and backed up so that when he rolled the rock of the hitch, it landed in the mulch. It was amazing how the hitch righted itself after the rock was off of it.

This morning dad got up at 5.30 and reported to work. He said it was a busy day trying to get back into work (he's not on vacation anymore). I stayed up to 5.30 and then went to bed and slept until this afternoon when I was woken up by my brother. I didn't see my dad for almost 24 hours...I think he was going through withdrawals.

Below are a few facts about our trip...

38...total number of days we were away
24...total number of states we drove through
12...total number of Canadian provinces visited (all except one)
5...number of national parks we spent time in
5...number of bears we saw
3...number of times we ate Greek food
28...total numbers of nights we spent in a tent
3...numbers of nights we slept in the truck
4...number of times dad stopped to use the bathroom per tank of gas (this doesn't include gas stations and meal breaks)
15.93...gigabytes of data on my ipod that we exhausted
1...number of songs dad learned the words to
11...number of books on tape we listened to
100...the largest number on the truck's speedometer
2...times we drove 100 mph for more than a minute
0...times we were pulled over by a cop
952...gallons of gas needed to get us to Alaska and back
5,585...number of pictures taken
16,081...total miles driven on our road trip

Pictures from the last bit of the trip will be posted by Thursday afternoon.

Update: The Rock

2007-08-21T09:53:00.000-04:00

To refresh your memory, my Granny Lou likes rocks. She collects them from different places she has been. She picks up plain rocks and pretty rocks alike. If you ever want to make my Granny happy, all you have to do is bring her a rock from somewhere.

While on this trip dad and I have been collecting rocks to bring home to Granny. Some are really colorful (like the ones we found in Glacier National Park) and some are geologically fascinating (like the one we got in Seward). While in Chicken, we thought it would be cool to get Granny a rock that was pretty. Chicken is an old gold mining town and the rocks there shimmer...whether or not it's flecks of gold, who knows. But we found a rock that looked like it could contain gold -- and it is also very large. We thought Granny would like to have a big rock from Alaska so she could say, "My son and granddaughter got me that rock in Alaska."

The only problem with this rock is that it is extremely heavy. So heavy, that in a straight lift, dad can't get it more than a couple inches off the ground. So heavy that to get it across the road to the truck we had to roll it. So heavy that it is breaking our hitch. Yep, that's right.

We were able to get the rock on to the back hitch. It is strapped securely between our black box (which is bolted to the hitch and has our camping stuff in it) and a Rubbermaid container that has the grill and charcoal. It is offset on the hitch and is centered more on the drivers' side. Since we put the rock on the back (since something like August 9), the hitch has slowly started to lean. At first we thought it was funny...we thought about how proud Granny would be when we gave her her rock. Now, we aren't convinced it's coming home.

A couple days ago a bolt broke on the hitch. It was in place to keep the hitch from pitching back and forth. In a desperate attempt to fix the hitch, dad put a padlock in place of the bolt. It was held but unfortunately the damage had already been done. Since then, every time we looked at the hitch, it was leaning further and further towards the driver side.

I have decided that I don't want to be driving when the hitch hits the ground. I just imagine the sparks and dread the rock being thrown as a projectile at any vehicle behind us. People go to jail for throwing rocks off bridges...I wonder what happens if the rock catapults off the back of their vehicle.

This morning when we walked out to the truck to put our stuff inside, the hitch was precariously hovering over the ground. I got down and measured the distance between the hitch and the ground...less than 6 inches. In fact, it's only 5 inches above the ground. Luckily today is our last day of driving...I don't think the hitch could hold out any longer.

Granny, rest be assured, we will try to bring home your rock.

Waterbury, Vermont

2007-08-21T09:16:00.000-04:00

YES!!! We have finally made it back to the United States! Here they speak English, have fountain drinks, and know where Tennessee is. We made it back in yesterday around 5 pm.

Yesterday early morning found us on the ferry back from Newfoundland. I decided I really liked it up there and wouldn't mind going back. When we boarded the ferry we found out that we had a cabin to sleep in (we had been wait listed for one). We were very excited to sleep in beds while the ferry made the crossing -- I think dad thought it was the best spent money (for the cabin) of the whole trip! The ferry got into port (North Sydney, Nova Scotia) around 10/10.30. From there, we started driving west on the Trans-Canadian Highway.

By lunchtime we were well into New Brunswick. We stopped at a restaurant called Mama Webb's. It had been advertised for a million kilometers so we thought we would give it a try...guess what, it was really good (and all it was cracked up to be). Dad got a chicken sandwich smothered (literally) in gravy and I got their specialty steak. On the table it had a mileage chart to distances from Mama Webb's. We found out that Bangor was seven hours away...that meant that that night we would be sleeping in the US!

We finished driving through New Brunswick and got to the border around 5. The border patrol agent was very kind and upon hearing that we were bringing back a whalebone carving from Alaska said, "Let's pretend we didn't talk about that". When we pulled into Maine and stopped to take our picture by the sign, I saw that our odometer was reporting that we had driven in excess of 15,000 miles on this trip. Wow! After taking the picture, we pulled across the road and got gas...it was amazingly cheap at $2.79.

So we continued to drive through the Maine backcountry and finally made it to Bangor around 7 (seven hours like the mileage chart said). We stopped for dinner at Olive Garden (which was soooo good) and jumped back on the road. The hope was to get to Vermont last night.

And we did. It was dad's turn to drive but an hour down the road he said he was too tired to so I drove. We were driving backroads across Maine, New Hampshire and into Vermont becasue as dad puts it, there are no roads leading to Vermont (I think he meant interstates). It was slow on the country roads and we finally pulled into Vermont at midnight. It took us another two hours before we were here in Waterbury and checked into a hotel (and it was only a 70 mile drive from the border).

We heared weather reports that said there was a freeze warning out for Vermont...the temp in the car when we stopped was 40 F and it was reported that morning temperatures would be in the 30's. We also pulled into town late and dad was grumpy so we ended up staying in a hotel. I was excited that I didn't have to wake up cold in the morning.

So we are in Waterbury. Any guess what's in Waterbury? The Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory of course! I discovered that it wasn't too far off our route so I talked dad into letting us go. I'm very excited. From here we will head south and drive to Virginia. It's just over 500 miles from here (an easy day's drive) and whether dad likes it or not, we are pushing through until we get to Johnny Moore Lane.

Have a wonderful Tuesday! And we'll see you soon!

Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, Canada

2007-08-19T20:44:00.000-04:00

On Friday (I think) I posted about us going to Newfoundland. Well we got on our ferry around 10 and left around 10.30 am on Saturday. It was a nice ferry...a lot of cars/trucks/RVs fit onto no problem. Up on the main deck, there was a cafeteria (with nasty dried out food), a movie lounge (we saw Astronaut Farmer...it was alright), tv lounges, and a cafe/bar area. It was all very nice...people just milled about doing whatever, talking, laughing at the guy singing in the bar (laughing with him not at him).

The Friday night sleeping in the car was rough. I, again, was on a power cord and evertime I rolled over it was sticking into me. I did manage to sleep, and I did get to lay down. Dad, however, was stuck in the front seat. I don't think he slept very well. I woke up multiple times Saturday morning, but was pretty out of it until we were on the ferry. Dad did find showers in the bathrooms of the ferry station so we each got to take one (that helped...sleeping in the car and waking up all grungy is not a nice feeling).

The ferry was about 6-7 hours long. We initially sat down to read in one of the tv lounges. When they aired Astronaut Farmer we went to watch it. After the movie we grabbed some lunch (gross) and then sat down to read. That put us through half the ferry ride. Right about then they opened up the car deck to allow anyone needing to go down a chance (you weren't supposed to otherwise). I ran down and grabbed the computer. When I came back up, dad read and I typed on the computer. Once I got tired of it, I went to take a nap which dad was already doing. We slept until we made it to Newfoundland around 5.45.

Newfoundland has its own time zone...it's thirty minutes ahead of the Atlantic time zone (and that puts it at one-and-a-half hours ahead of eastern standard). When we landed, it was entirely overcast and pouring. The clouds/fog was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Dad and I immediately hit the road (the Trans Canadian Highway that is...it continues all the way across Newfoundland). We had intentions of getting to the north coast (from the southwest corner) Saturday night. It took us about 7 hours to drive...the whole time through fog and torrential rain. However when I stopped on Sunday morning (at 1.30) we had made it to our destination...the Fogo Island ferry dock. Because there was nothing out by the ferry dock (nothing for an hour) we slept in the car. This time dad got the back and I got the front. Dad sounded like he slept well, although in the morning he complained a little. I slept well after I found a comfortable position...once I found that I was out (and continued, again, to be out until we got on the ferry). I had checked the schedule and saw that the first ferry in the morning was 7, so I set the alarm for 6.15. What stinks is that I forgot it was Sunday. So when the alarm went off, I immediately realized and we had to check the schedule. The first ferry on a Sunday was 9.30. Being up and needing gas, we started to drive toward town. We filled up, didn't find breakfast, so we headed back to the dock. I fell back asleep, and I think dad read.

The ferry to Fogo left at 10 (running a little late...but then again it seems that all ferries around here do). It was a quick 40 minute ride to the island. We were only going to be there for a couple hours (if even). Once on the ferry, we found out that we may have some problems coming back -- seems a lot of people were anxious to get off the island...and seeing as the ferry was first come first serve, we may not make it back in time. Oh well. We got off the ferry around 11 and started driving immediately. We were headed to the town of Fogo to see Brimstone Head which is one of the five/four (depending on who you ask) corners of the known world (according to people such as the Flat Earth Society who believe that if you pass these corners you will fall off and die). We made it to Brimstone Head at 11.30. And because we didn't have a lot of time, we hauled it up the rocky hill. And boy was it windy! Literally, if you were standing on one fot the wind you blow you over. When we got to the top of Brimstone head, I could lean forward and not fall because the wind was blowing me and keeping me steady. It was pretty cool.

So we saw the corner of the world, took pictures, enjoyed it, and then raced back to the ferry docks to get in line for the 1.15 ferry. When we got back, at 12.30, there was already a long line and it didn't look like we would make it. We got out and grabbed some lunch at a restaurant right there and ate in the car. The ferry came, and started loading, and what looked like a ton of cars all made it onto the ferry, including us! The ferry wasn't nearly as big as the one we rode to Newfoundland but it could still fit a lot of cars in. So we ferried back, 45 minutes, to the main island of Newfoundland.

Something I forgot to mention was the weather on Sunday. It was beautiful! Whereas the weather Saturday was gray and wet, all day today it was blue skies, clouds, wonderful temperatures, and a view of what the island actually looks like. That was nice driving weather. Once we got back from Fogo, we kicked it into high gear to get back to the ferry docks to catch a ferry to Nova Scotia. It was a long drive, but we made it a litle before 10.

Now we are sitting on the docks waiting for our ferry. It won't be here until tomorrow (our ferry leaves here at 2, hopefully). So we will be back in Nova Scotia around 10 am on Monday. And from there, we officially start our return trip to Virginia. You see, when we left Alaska we were returning in a sense because you have to drive east to get home, but we still had a lot in between us in Alaska and dad's house in Virginia. Tomorrow, we are headed home...no more stops, no more vacation, just booking it until we get back. Vacation will officially be over tomorrow.

Enjoy work on Monday! We will be driving (we have driven over 14,000 miles now) back towards the states. Sometime between now and then we may have some pictures up...but don't get your hopes up.

North Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada

2007-08-18T00:23:00.000-04:00

I'm laying in the back of the truck on top of an extension cable and propped against the back hatch with my pillow. We are parked under a street lamp and I'm watching the little blonde haired girl in the van next to us. She's probably no more than six, here parents are no where in sight, and she is crawling all over that van like it were jungle gym. Other people are milling around the parking lot...taking a smoke, walking their dog, or just tretching their legs. We are at the docks in North Sydney. We arrived about an hour ago without reservations hoping to catch a ferry to Newfoundland. Although we didn't make it on the two o'clock (which just got delayed to five), we did manage to make reservations for the nine o'clock departure. But more on that later.

We slept in this morning. It was glorious waking up in a clean bed. Although the room did not have good circulation so it was a little warm. But I can't complain...I didn't see any ghosts last night so I was very happy about that (I even slept with the lamp on). After showering, dad and I loaded the truck and headed east. Nova Scotia is east of New Brunswick, but before we got there we drove north across the Confederate Bridge to Prince Edward Island. Around 4 pm we made it to Cavendish...the legendary, and imaginary, home of Anne of Green Gables. We visited Green Gables, the home of L.M. Montgomery's grandparent's cousins (I believe), that inspired the setting for her book series, Anne of Green Gables. It was a beautiful property, very much like in the film. Afterwards we drove to the town of Avonlea, also part of the book series, but didn't go in because it was about to close (tourist attraction...so it wasn't actually a town). Then we headed over to the coast to visit the Cavendish Beach...it's absolutely gorgeous out there. Red rock cliffs line part of the beach and the other is sand dunes. We didn't make it down the trail to the sand dunes, but from where we were they were beautiful. It was here that we got to put our feet in the Atlantic Ocean. That's our thrid ocean on this trip.

We left PEI back to the mainland. We were taken aback with the bridge toll to exit the island -- $40! Luckily you only had to pay once and it was to get off the island. But still, slightly outrageous. Once we got back on the Trans-Canadian Highway, it was only a few minutes before we were in Nova Scotia. We got there a little before sunset. We didn't stop to see anything...our plans were to drive straight across to Cape Breton, where North Sydney is located, to get to the ferry dock. So, several hours later, we made it here.

We have our reservations to go to Newfoundland later this morning. It's our last province to hit in Canada (with the exception of Nunuvut, but there are no roads to get there). It's full name is Newfoundland and Labrador. Both are two different pieces of land, but they are considered once province. Newfoundland is an island north of Nova Scotia. It's about a 6 hour boat ride there. Labrador is part of mainland Canada, and it's north of Newfoundland (it shares a northern border with Quebec). N & L has their own time zone, the Newfoundland Time Zone, which is 30 minutes ahead of the Altantic time zone.

We will only be in Newfoundland for a day. One thing we are hoping to do is finish driving the Trans-Canadian highway (yes, it goes all the way up here). We also are wanting to go to Fogo Island, it's a small island off the northern coast of Newfoundland. It is considered, by the Flat Earth Society, as one of the five corners of the earth (the flat earth that is). The FES maintains that the earth is flat and that it has five corners...one in Newfoundland, Siberia, South Pacific, Easter Island, and Nepal. As a geographer I thought it would be interesting to see this point (and maybe in my lifetime I can visit the other four corners of the flat earth).

If we have time, we may try to catch a ferry to Labrador, just to say we've been there. But we'll see about that. We may not have enough time. We leave Newfoundland on the ferry at 5 pm Sunday afternoon. It should be a fun jaunt over there...Newfoundlanders are supposed to be a fun crowd with a great sense of humor. We shall see.

So, we are sleeping in the truck tonight so that we are here in the morning to check-in and board the ferry on time. The parents of the little girl still haven't returned. And she's still as awake as before. So, this should be a fun day. Hopefully I won't get sea sick again (I will remember to take Bomine before getting on the ferry)...we will try to find a campsite with wi-fi tonight so we can tell you al about it.

Have a great weekend!

St. Andrews-by-the-sea, New Brunswick, Canada

2007-08-16T21:55:00.000-04:00

It has been awhile since we have posted. So yesterday was a LONG day. After leaving Ontario, we drove all night just to get to Quebec. We didn't stop until 3.30 this morning. What happened worth noting? Not much. Quebec is French country, so we couldn't understand any street signs. We ate dinner at an amazing Irish pub (I got shepherds pie and if I had ordered a Guiness it would have been the best meal of the trip). While driving in the dark last night dad almost hit a bear cub...it ran across the road. I told him I would be very upset if he killed a little bear.

So we got into a campsite just east of Montreal early this morning. We got up at 7.30 to hit the road. We were pressed for time to get to New Brunswick. We had reservations at the Algonquin, the same place where dad's company had their seven-and-a-half-year anniversary last year. It is really swank...more so than I am. Seriously, camping for a month and then walking into the lobby of a nice hotel where everyone looks nice, the bellhops are wearing kilts and everyone is clean -- kinda makes one feel out of place. We found out that we couldn't wear denim or ball caps into the nice dining room (shucks...that's exactly what I was wearing) We had two other options for eating at the hotel, the library and the pub. But before we decided we went upstairs to check out the room.

It's strange getting to be in a hotel after camping for so long. It's almost foreign (yet not quite). We are staying in a nice room...the only downside of it is that we are staying in the "old" part of the hotel and it's said to be haunted. A guy in dad's company even saw the ghost last year. I am not too fond of meeting up with a ghost. Dad wanted to show me the book that talks about the accounts of ghosts but I said we could look at it in the morning.

I showered before we headed out for dinner. We decided to walk down to the town (5 minutes) and see what they had. Nothing that sounded appetizing so we came back to the hotel and sat down in the pub. Dinner was delicious, and I talked dad into getting dessert. Now we are upstairs chilling in the room...enjoying sleeping in beds and watching tv.

Tomorrow we are going to sleep in. Then we will eat breakfast and leave here to drive the rest of the Trans-Canadian highway into Nova Scotia. Hopefully we will camp at least at the end of it. But we may be able to jump a ferry to Newfoundland. We'll see.

PS Not much happened driving through Quebec and New Brunswick today. Quebec stinks (literally...I couldn't decide if it were old manure or rotten bogs). Adn everything was in French. We stopped at McDonald's for lunch just in NB and dad got a McLobster...a sandwich with lobster. It was gross. Other than that, nothing went down.

Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada

2007-08-15T13:47:00.000-04:00

Well, my hopes of driving across Ontario in a day are shot. Yesterday we got up, showered and hit the road (at a relatively good time too). We had already gotten ourselves into Ontario, so we continued on the Trans-Canadian Highway. It was a pretty day, the sky was blue, the clouds fluffy and white, and the scenery had changed. We were no longer driving through farmland, but we had made it to forests and lake country. It was beautiful. But the road was a two lane highway, and the going was slow. The maximum speed is 90 kmph, which is roughly 55 mph. Another factor to our slow trod across Ontario was it's size...it's huge! And not only that, but the road we are on doesn't necessarily cut across...it is more apt to winding around the lakeshore (Lake Superior).

I forgot to mention that the other day (Monday) we drove across the longitudinal center of Canada. I was excited about this because it meant that we were close to home.

Yesterday we entered the Eastern Standard Time zone. This was even more exciting because it meant 1) that I was in my own time zone, 2) that I could call anyone and not have to do math to figure out what time it was.

We ate Dairy Queen for lunch, and Chinese for dinner. I can't wait to get home and cook for myself.

We drove late into the night (and into the wee hours of the morning) and finally stopped here in Sault Ste Marie. We pitched camp at a KOA and slept in.

This morning we got up late (very late) and showered. We drove into town and ate lunch at a wonderful little place called Panna Bar and Grill. Dad said it was a hoity-toity restaurant...I agree, but it was good, the food was fresh, and best of all it was filling.

We are going to spend a little more time in Sault Ste Marie before we get back on the road. Our hope is to get to at least Ottawa, preferrably the Quebec border, before we stop tonight.

I've uploaded some pictures of our drive through Canada. Just click the title of this post to check them out. Until we write again...enjoy work.

Kenora, Ontario, Canada

2007-08-14T00:24:00.000-04:00

We made it into Ontario today...sneaking across the border under cover of night. It was a long day. Guess what we did...drove.

This morning, after showering and messing around on the internet, we swung by Walmart on our way out of town. We were looking for books on tape...alas all they had was book 7 of Harry Potter. We drove on from there, cutting across Saskatchewan. We stopped in Regina to find a bookstore (that sold books on tape) and also to grab some lunch. We successfully found the bookstore (after driving around for an hour) and purchased three books. We have already finished one and are 3/4 of the way through another. We got Louis L. short stories of the west (something along those lines - we already finished this), Marley and Me (which we are almost done with), and The Old Man and the Sea (which I never had to read in highschool because I never went).

After the bookstore we grabbed lunch. We ate Greek food. It was very good. I talked to my grandma (my mom's mom) today for an hour...apparently she had been worried about dad and I because we hadn't spoken to her since we left. We made it through Manitoba, which was more pastureland and prairie, and grabbed dinner at a Taco Bell on the Eastern side of the province.

We made it into Ontario after dark and just found and set up the campsite (at 10.30). Tomorrow I hope we can at least drive across Ontario and maybe hit the border of Quebec. We shall see...or perhaps we will come upon something so spectacular we have to stop and see it. That would be great, eh?

Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada

2007-08-13T09:44:00.000-04:00

We are in the middle of Canada. And we've entered the Central Standard Time zone. We are getting closer to home. But we won't get there until we drive through a few more wheat and corn fields.

That's what is here in Saskatchewan...fields, and lots of them. That and a whole lot of nothing. We finished the Chronicles of Narnia yesterday. Now dad and I have nothing to listen to. Not much happened yesterday. We left British Columbia, drove through Alberta, and are now in Saskatchewan.

Well, two things did happen yesterday. The first was that we drove through Calgary, Alberta. It was a pretty interesting town...I wouldn't have minded spending time there. We drove by the Olympic park where the 1988 winter Olympics were held we could see the bobsled run and the downhill ski jump). That was pretty cool. We also drove though Chinatown...I bet they had good Chinese food there. But we ate lunch (I guess technically it was more dinner) at Booker's BBQ and Crabshack. It was spectacular. Actually, I think the ribs here were better than Famous Dave's. They were that good. Dad ordered the baby back ribs with the sweet and spicy BBQ sauce. I got the St. Louis style ribs with the signature apple brandy BBQ sauce. Mine were delicious...finger lickin' good! The ribs were served with corn, mashed potatoes, cornbread and slaw but none of that was good enough to mention. All of them were lacking -- I think butter -- or a little bit of spice. They were very bland. But being a carnivore, I was immersed in rib glory and paid no attention to the lowly sides.

The second thing that happened was that dad and I stopped at the world's tallest tepee. It was pretty big, more modern art than actual tepee. And the only reason we knew it was the world's tallest was because there was a sign on the highway. We took pictures. Dad said we HAD to stop since nothing else had happened that day we had to do something worth blogging about.

We stayed at a campground in Swift Current last night. For the first time the whole trip, we slept in the tent without the rain fly on. This meant that dad woke me up at 6.30 in the morning asking if we should get it and put it on because he thought it was going to rain. It never rained (and really it never looked like it was going to) but it was extremely windy. This was also the first night I decided not to stake down the tent. Yeah, not wise...but last night was so calm that I figured we could hold the tent down. This morning, however, the tent almost blew away with us in it. Tonight I will be sure to stake down the tent no matter how calm it is.

Today we are hoping to find a Walmart so we can buy a book on tape (perhaps Harry Potter). We are also hoping to get through Saskatchewan and Manitoba. If it's a good day, we'll make it into Ontario before we stop to camp. We'll see...

Have a great Monday at work...we'll be on the road.

Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada

2007-08-12T01:53:00.000-04:00

Well...we are pitched at the KOA here in Revelstoke. We are ony a couple hours from Alberta, but it was dark and we were tired so we decided to stop rather than press on towards Banff.

Today was entirely uneventful. We drove much of the length of British Columbia today. It was rather boring. The only animals we saw were the domesticated type: cows, horses, sheep, llamas, and alpacas.

Two things of note happened. The first was that we ate a hearty breakfast. I woke up this morning thinking it was 8.30 am. However I read the time off of my iPod which is set to Eastern Standard so really it was 5.30. I realized this when I got to the truck and start gathering my belongings. But I figured if I was awake enough to get up thinking it was 8.30, I was awake enough to just get up. So I stumbled off to the shower. Dad got up as well, I guess not wanting to be outdone by me (or something).

Anyways. Breakfast. I get hungry when I get up (so generally I try not to get up and then it eliminates the need to eat in the morning...I know, poor logic). I was particularly hungry this morning and craving eggs and sausage (because I don't eat breakfast, I usually don't crave it). We drove around town but, alas, could not find a suitable place to eat (or any place really). Dad stopped for gas and asked a fellow (praise the Lord he was a local) and he recommended the White Spot. It was amazing!!! Dad and I both got the special of the day, steak and eggs. I don't think I've ever had it before. It was scrumptious, and after almost cursing the town of Dawson Creek (because I didn't think they had breakfast establishments) I eventually found a small place in my heart for it (but mainly for White Spot).

The only other notable occurrance today was the fact that dad and I drove past 10,000 miles today. We stopped to take a picture in Salmon Arm, BC, where we hit 10,000 miles for our journey. WOW! We have certainly done a lot of driving...and we aren't even near home.

That's all. Nothing else to report. Well...except for the fact that there are some funny goings on here at the campsite. When we walked up to the office (to sit on the benches and use the internet) some guy was frantically trying to wake up the campsite owners saying someone had gone crazy and something was wrong. He left but then another couple came and did the same (only they were a little more composed). The owner finally awoke and left the office hurriedly, grabbing a flashlight and running off into the camp. Not but a moment after, two police cars pulled up asking who called the police. Just now, a car sped out of the campsite and one of the officers followed in pursuit. I believe the other is still lurking around and trying to figure out what's going on.

Tomorrow we will drive into (and hopefully through) Alberta. Tonight we are staying up to do laundry. And I want to figure out what's going on around here (I love mysteries and I love being nosey). That's all for now, tune in next time...

Pictures!!!

2007-08-11T03:27:00.000-04:00

Here are some more pictures...not as many, but a few good ones. Enjoy!

Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada

2007-08-11T02:43:00.000-04:00

Well...we have officially completed our "Alaskan" portion of the trip. Friday evening finds us in Dawson Creek, the small Canadian town where the Alaskan Highway (Alcan Highway) begins. It was a long day of driving...we didn't stop until after 11 pm. But we were anxious to make some headway and get to a good stopping point (one with hot showers and free wi-fi preferred).

It was a long day...we passed the time listening to The Chronicles of Narnia. In fact, we finished two books and are halfway done with a third. That puts us in the fifth book of the series.

We took a four-and-a-half-hour detour today. We left the Alcan Highway to drive the Lliard Highway into the Northwest Territories, another province in Canada. The sole purpose for the detour was to get there to say we'd been there. There wasn't much there...although they did have gas and food which was received quite appreciatively at three in the afternoon.

The only other exciting part of the day (besides going somewhere we had never been before) was all the wildlife we encountered. We set a record...we saw three black bears!!! They were all alongside the road (at different points) and we got pictures of two of them (except pictures from only one turned out). We also saw caribou, moose and goats (which we have seen plenty of this trip). Another new species we saw today (and almost ran over) were bobcat cubs. They were adorable and we saw them as one jutted across the road (thus almost getting hit). Another creature we almost hit was a falcon. He swooped down in front of us as we were driving 75 mph along the road. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that the falcon came within 3 ft. of our hood. The one creature we did hit, God bless its poor little soul, was a ptarmigan (close relative to the chicken). Two of them were standing in the road. As we came blazing through, neither had sense enough to fly, or walk, away. So, we hit it and I watched its feathers blow out from under the tire into the air through my side mirror. It was sad.

That was pretty much our day. Oh, one more thing, I saw real sled dogs today. They were in a truck (with small cages for each of the sled dogs on the back). There were two sleds strapped to the top of the truck. And what I found interesting is that the huskies really had blue eyes. I had always thought they had black eyes with only a few (like the ones in movies) that had blue. The PETA part of me (although not the carnivorous part because that is hypocritical of all PETA stands for) wanted to open all the cages and free them. But I figured their owner would not like that very much and that I would get in trouble. So I refrained.

Some random thoughts I had today...
1. I wish I were as eloquent and as masterful with my words as CS Lewis.
2. I strongly believe that mosquitos are a result of the fall (see Genesis for more background, if need be).
3. I really do think the mosquitos in Canada are of similar size as the European swallow (although not the same size as the African swallow).
4. I don't like driving at night in Canada...reason being there are a number of megafauna (large mammals such as moose, caribou, bear) that, if struck with a vehicle, could do some serious damage.
5. "Megafauna" is not a word in my regular vocabulary...I got it out of a book I'm reading, "The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman. I found it at Barnes and Noble, it happens to be on their top 100 books list, and it looked interesting. Although I don't necessarily agree with everything the author says, it's a spurs me to think.

That's all for tonight. The battery is about to run out and I still need to load pictures. Perhaps tomorrow I will be writing from another province (although not likely). Cheers!

Alongside a Riverbank, British Columbia, Canada

2007-08-11T02:33:00.001-04:00

(Editor’s Note: This blog post was posted a day after it was written. All accounts read below should be read with the understanding that the events described therein occurred on Thursday August 9, 2007.)

So we hit the road late…it was kinda nice not being pressed for time. After swinging into town to get gas and lunch (I talked dad into McDonalds…I know, not the healthiest, but it was quick and we could eat it in the car), we got on the road. The Top of the World Highway meets the Alcan Highway in Whitehorse so we got on it and headed south.

It was a long day of driving…and kinda boring. We drove the same route north not too long ago so the scenery really hadn’t changed. I spent time after lunch sorting through all our receipts that I hadn’t logged into the computer (let’s see…the paper trail went back to July 25). That was not fun.

Then dad and I spent time singing (that’s right, singing) along to some country music. I’m trying to get him to learn the words to “Backwards” (a song by Rascal Flatts). To do this means we listen to the song a million times in a row while dad mumbles along off-key. I also tried to introduce him to “If You’re Going Through Hell” but he says it’s going to take more time for him to learn that one.

Our stop of the day (not including two gas stops where we didn’t do anything) was in Watson Lake, Yukon. This is where the Sign Post Park is (remember we told you about that…it’s where all those signs, 62,000, are hung up from all over the world by people passing through). While in Fairbanks, dad and I went to the Great Alaskan Bowl Company and bought a cutting board in the shape of a fish. We then had it inscribed so that we could mount it on the post at the park. It said:

Virginia to Alaska Summer 2007
(and everywhere in between)
Joe Brickey – Clifton, Virginia
Jill Brickey – Knoxville, Tennessee

While there we met an older couple from Arkansas who were on their way back from Alaska as well. They were hanging a sign on the other side of the post from ours. And we also met a couple from Colorado who were mounting a Styrofoam statue of a totem that the gentleman had carved himself. They were headed to Alaska.

From there we entered British Columbia. We saw the same two buffalo herds that we saw on the way up…they were still sitting on the side of the road. We also stopped for gas at a place that closed its campground because of a mother bear and her cubs moving into the area.

It wasn’t too long after stopping there that we found a stop by the river. We pulled off onto a little gravel road and have set up our tent right on the bank. Of course, it started to rain right as we got out of the truck. We set up our tent quickly and got our sleeping mats/bags inside. Dad milled around the truck pulling out everything he could think of that he might need or want inside the tent. He eventually went back to the truck to get stuff for me (since I gave him a hard time about thinking only of himself and not grabbing any of my stuff).

He also grabbed dinner (since I complained that he didn’t stop for dinner on the road)…chips and salsa. They are good…but now dad is kicking himself because he thinks a bear is going to come and rip open the tent. Yeah…not cool. I’m going to let him store the leftover food on his side of the tent (or better yet, we could leave it out like my milkshake and see what it looks like in the morning).

The rain is letting up, and I have to go to the bathroom. No outhouses here. Dad’s reading a book before bed – I will probably do the same when I crawl back into the tent. Tomorrow we are going to take a small detour and drive to the Northwest Territories. It’s part of our quest to hit all the Canadian Provinces on the way back home. And hopefully we will make it further down the road toward the end of the Alcan…but even after this road ends, we have a long haul before we get onto the road we want to be on (the Trans-Canadian Highway).

Until next time…

Pictures!!!

2007-08-09T15:01:00.000-04:00

These are pictures of us leaving Alaska and driving around Yukon. Enjoy!

Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada

2007-08-09T14:21:00.000-04:00

Well...we are well into the heart of the Yukon. It was sad leaving Alaska...I do believe I could live there (during the summer...I'm not quite convinced I could survive temperatures of 40 below). Chicken was our last town before getting out of Alaska...it was a great place to stop. Because it was named Chicken, it had funny chicken memorabilia. Dad and I both got several things from the gift shop. We also had lunch...I had a chicken sandwich and dad had chicken soup.

Leaving Chicken we got on the Top of the World Highway. Pretty much, one of the most northern highways in the world and it was all a dirt road. Nothing to see, nothing do do, just drive around and hope dad doesn't take the curves too sharply (like he did one time and almost slide the truck off a cliff...).

We did get Granny a souvenir from the Top of the World...a big rock (boulder). Now just so everyone knows, my granny likes collecting rocks...they remind her of the places she's been and they look pretty. So, all along the trip we've been collecting rocks for her...rocks with quartz seams, blue/red/yellow rocks from Glacier National Park, etc. So, when we found this particular rock on the side of the road, we knew we had to get it for granny. It's sparkly, and is from an area where they do gold mining (so who knows, there may be gold in it).

Dad couldn't pick this rock up except for an inch or two off the ground. It was heavy. So, I rolled it across the road to get it to the car. We had a fun time trying to lift it onto our back hitch (it about tipped the truck over). We have it secured on the hitch now, but I wouldn't be too surprised if our hitch falls off somewhere in Canada with the rock still attached.

Also along the road dad decided he wanted to pan for gold. So he parked the car on the side of the road, walked across to a little stream, and picking up rocks and putting the "shiny" ones into a large Mountain Dew cup. I don't really consider this panning for gold...but he thought by only picking out the shiny ones it count. Who knows. He ended up with "64 oz. of rocks that might have gold" as he put it. I told him he ended up with 64 oz. of shiny rocks that probably arn't worth a dime.

After picking out the rock, we continued to drive and made it to the northern most border crossing (in the world? or just North America...not sure).

About an hour-and-a-half down the road we hit the town of Dawson City. It was a cute town along the river. But what's cool about it is that you have to take a ferry to get across the river, into town and to continue on the road. So, our truck was really excited to ride a ferry (I bet it didn't mind not having to roll it's tires for a few minutes).

We continued to drive until we reached Whitehorse (the capital of the Yukon) at 10. We swung by McDonalds and got french fries and a chocolate shake (cause I'd been craving them in the wilderness) and then came back and set up camp.

This morning I slept in particularly late. And we are getting an even later start because we are playing online. Oh well. We should make it to British Columbia today. We'll post tonight and let you know for sure where we are when we get there.

Two things I forgot to mention...it seems Jack (our friend that sits on the antenna) has lost an eye. We are not sure what happened. AND...someone ate my chocolate milkshake last night. After getting back from McDonald's, setting up camp and all that...I sat down to work on the computer for a few minutes. Well, I was outside, it was cold, and I couldn't finish my milkshake so I decided to leave it out on the picnic table since it wouldn't melt. This morning, I woke up and the straw was gone and th lid was ripped. Hmmm. There were paw prints in the gravel leading up to the picnic table that looked like a small bear. My guess is, some bear tried to drink my milkshake, got fed up with the straw (and decided he didn't like the taste of the straw) so he left my milkshake. I didn't drink it after that.

Chicken, Alaska

2007-08-08T14:39:00.000-04:00

Sorry for not posting last night...I was a little tired.

Dad made me leave Seward yesterday. I was very sad because I liked it there. And today he is making me leave Alaska. :-( Yesterday we drove from Seward to Anchorage...at lunch in town, stopped by the university, and swung by the base, and then headed back on the road toward Tok. All we did (except for stopiing in Anchorage) was drive. We saw some pretty magnificent glaciers and tok lots of pictures.

This morning we got on the road and are now in Chicken. It's a funny little town that used to be a big gold mine camp. We are stopped here for gas before we drive the Top of the World Highway...a 66 mile-long dirt road that has more potholes than you can shake a stick at. I think people drive it just to say they did it.

Anyways. We are less than a 100 miles from the Canadian border. Once we cross over, we won't have cell reception (or very little). This means that you should pray for dad...because for him, going without a phone is like giving up food. If you do need to contat us, the best way is to shoot us an e-mail. We will try to check it every night when we stop to camp. Or leave us phone messages and when we get back to the states (in two weeks because we are going to drive across Canada) we can listen to them.

So we are going to eat lunch here in Chicken (I'm hoping to get chicken to eat), and then we will drive to Canada. We are going to drive the Trans-Canadian HIghway which happens to be the longest highway in the world. And while doing that we are hoping to cover all the Canadian provinces. We'll see how that goes.

Perhaps we will post pictures tonight at our campsite. Keep an eye out for them. We'll talk to you later!

Resurrection Bay: Pictures

2007-08-07T03:42:00.001-04:00

Here are pictures from our kayaking trip today. Check them out and enjoy!

Resurrection Bay

2007-08-07T02:32:00.000-04:00

My feet stink. I attribute it to the fact that I wear my chacos day in and day out. Actually, I've worn them so much (everyday) that I believe they are melding to me feet.

In other news, today was the most beautiful day we have seen in Alaska. For the first time this whole trip, it didn't rain on us! And, for the first time in Seward, we could actually see the tops of the mountains surrounding the town (since we got here on Friday, it has been gray and cloudy and even though we knew there were mountains all around town, you couldn't see them). The temperature this morning was in the high 40's with a brisk breeze blowing. The sky was a magnificent blue and by this afternoon, our cloudless day got into the mid-70's! It was fantastic, especially since we spent the day on the water sea kayaking.

We had to get up early this morning to get to the kayak shop by 8 am. We, along with two other couples and an older lady (who left her husband back at camp because he hates being in a kayak for long periods of time), were going kayaking around Resurrection Bay. Our guide, Justine, and the office staff got us all ready to go on the water...they helped us decide which layers to wear, helped us stuff our dry bags with extra layers, and cameras, and got us geared up in life vests and spray skirts.

It was a short van ride to the beach where we were launching. Once there, we got a quick safety briefing and a crash course in "how to use a paddle". Luckily, sea kayaking isn't brain surgery. Dad and I rode tandem, as did the other couples. I got to sit in the front and dad sat in the back -- because he was sitting in the back dad was in charge of steering the kayak using the foot pegs attached to the rudder. It was a little too much for him to handle, both paddling and steering at the same time. We ended up zig-zagging all over the bay behind our group.

Less than a mile-and-a-half out, dad was already complaining about sea kayaking and was already asking about how to get a water taxi lift back to town. Yay. He was not a happy camper today. Other than that though, the trip was great! I loved sea kayaking! Because the weather was so nice, it was absolutely wonderful gliding across the bay and observing the surrounding landscape. We could see the tops of all the mountains, and the sun was reflecting off the valley glaciers. Beautiful doesn't sufficiently describe it.

We paddled 5 miles before we stopped at Haines Point. Here we came up on the beach and pulled our kayaks out of the water. At Haines Point the US Army built a fort during WWII. So we decided to take the old jeep trail up the mountain to see how close we could get to the fort. Unfortunately we were under time constraints and the wind was picking up so we only had time to hike halfway up (about 2.5 miles round trip). However, what we did see on the trail (old portions of the jeep trail and old ramps built by the Army, and local flora and fauna) was neat. We inspected plants in a bog, learned the names of some local plants, and ate salmonberries/blueberries/huckleberries that we picked off the bush.

When we got back to the beach, we ate lunch (sandwiches, chips and capri sun!). Then the majority of us laid down in the sun and rested our eyelids. Our guide and another lady decided to go swimming because "it's a perfect day for it"...yeah, you couldn't convince me to take a dip in 44 deg. water, but whatever. What was neat to see while sitting on the beach was salmon jumping out of the water just offshore (actually, they did this all throughout the bay). We saw some king salmon and a couple silver salmon jumping. We also saw a harbor seal while we were sitting on the beach. It was just offshore and checking us out.

After our break, we jumped back in the kayaks. This time, I was in the back to take over steering. We were going into a strong headwind and there was a good swell coming at us so it was twice as much work to get home. Actually, we couldn't let up on paddling because the wind was so strong against us. It was a lot of work, but it was quite enjoyable (dad wouldn't agree). We made it back after 4, probably 30 minutes later than we were supposed to get in.

When we got back we swung by Safeway to grab something to cook for dinner. I was a little too tired to make a decision as to what to get so I picked out grapes and a pork tenderloin already seasoned. When we got back to camp, we threw the pork on the grill and just hung around. I fell asleep while cooking dinner (but was occasionally woken up by hearing dad talking on his cell phone). After quickly eating, I crawled into the tent and took a nap...dad talked on his cell phone.

Dad got ready for bed around 9.30 and crawled into the tent to read. I, on the other hand, woke up from my nap and was ready to go play. So I uploaded pictures onto the computer and then walked over to the Army camp great room to get online.

I don't know what we are going to do tomorrow. I was interested in driving further west towards the Aleutian Islands but I think dad was interested in possibly leaving Alaska tomorrow. Who knows. I guess we will decide in the morning (after I sleep in). But I'm sure we will let you know when we post tomorrow night. We'll talk to you later!

Exit Glacier

2007-08-05T22:56:00.001-04:00

These are pictures we took of Exit Glacier. To get to the album, simply click the title of this post and you will be atomatically re-directed.

Seward, Alaska: Sunday

2007-08-05T22:25:00.000-04:00

So, dad woke up with grand intentions of going to church. I, on the other hand, was thinking more highly of sleeping in and staying in my warm sleeping bag. Dad made me get up and we both showered. We drove around town looking for a church and the two we found started at 10 and 10.30 (it was 11.20 at this point). So we passed on church and thought we'd come back for a Sunday night service.

We grabbed lunch at the Greek Corner. Dad was excited to have Greek again. The food was good and the service was friendly. It seems like it is the place to be for Sunday lunch. Everyone that walked in after us was close friends with the owner and cook.

From lunch, we went driving around. Dad decided he wanted to go see Exit Glacier, a large glacier, part of the Harding Icefield, in the mountains above our campsite (if it weren't cloudy you would be able to see it). It is part of Kenai Fjords National Park. We got there, breezed through the welcome center, and hiked the 1.5 miles up to the glacier. It was massive (as you will see in our pictures). And we were pretty close to it (being in a national park, we weren't allowed to touch it). The breeze coming off the glacier was very cool and brisk.

After getting back to the car, dad decided he wanted to drive around some more. He pulled off on some small road and drove a little bit. On the way back, as I was falling asleep, he jerked the car off the road. He had spotted a bald eagle up in the trees so we were able to take pictures of it. That was really neat.

From there we drove to the harbor and walked around looking at shops and such. I bought a magnet, and dad bought himself a shirt and someone a souvenir. I also bought long underwear for tomorrow's kayaking trip (after riding that charter around on the water yesterday, I was more than convinced that good long underwear would be a nice thing to have if I were spending all day on the water in a kayak).

We went back to camp and I took my Sunday afternoon nap. Dad read (I don't think he read the whole time though because I think I heard him snoring at one point). We got up an hour and a half later to eat dinner (left over pizza from lunch) and head to the Sunday evening church service. When we got to the church, no one was there so we decided they weren't meeting.

Now we are sitting in the Army greatroom messing on the computers. Dad is on the phone with his brother and is yelling through the phone (he only has two voice volumes, loud and louder). On tv is baseball and I hate baseball.

Tomorrow morning we get up early to go sea kayaking for the day. We are going to take our cameras so hopefully we will get some good shots (of whatever). Look for a post tomorrow night (well, for you guys you'll probably want to look on Tuesday) because I'm sure we'll have some interesting stories to tell.

Have a great Monday at work! You'll hear from us soon...

Kenai Fjords National Park

2007-08-05T03:07:00.001-04:00

Alright...here are pictures from Kenai Fjords National Park. There are also some random shots thrown in from our campsite such. As always, click the title of this post to get to the album. Enjoy!!!

Kenai Fjords National Park

2007-08-05T02:08:00.000-04:00

I officially am a clone of my mother. But more on that later.

This morning when we (first) woke up it was raining. So, like any smart human being sleeping in a tent, we went back to sleep hoping that it would pass. Well, when we woke up (again) it had not, so dad and I sat in the tent pondering how long we could last before having to get out of the tent to go to the bathroom. Although we were able to last a good bit, we finally got up (out of the tent) around 10.30.

It was cold and rainy and it made us appreciate with even more lasting measure our wonderful little tent from REI. After saying "good morning" to the neighbors, dad and I were off to the bathhouse to take warm showers. I took a particularly long shower today and it was nice and hot. Once we were ready, we left our camp to find out information of sea kayaking...something I was particularly interested in. Dad, not so much. We got the name of a company in town from our camp office and headed their way.

Their office was in a barn, which was cool, and it had a big door that you could roll out of the way. Inside, there was gravel on the ground. It was really neat (I may try to take a picture of it Monday when we are there). We talked to the guy sitting at the desk and after contemplating our options, we decided to do an eight hour kayak trip around Resurrection Bay. We leave Monday at 9, so we'll post about our trip Monday night.

I wanted to do a kayak trip to the glaciers, but they were full and the one to Resurrection Bay doesn't go that far. So, dad and I went to the small boat dock and found a place that does boat tours of Kenai Fjords National Park. The next tour was a six-hour leaving at 3 (we got there at 1) so we signed ourselves up. After killing time grabbing lunch (clam chowder for me) and hitting a hardware store, we launched on the boat with 45 others.

Now, as I said, it was a cold and rainy day. I prefer overcast weather when looking at spectacular landscapes because I think it causes the colors to be more vibrant. Anyways. So we were off, and not too far into the bay I realized that the water was going to be a little choppier than I thought. Actually, a lot choppier. Dad and I both took Bomine once on the boat as a preventative (I took two) and prayed that they worked fast. However, they didn't work fast enough. Within the hour I had locked myself in the head (bathroom) and was praying that God would take my life (or cause my to slip in the bathroom and give me a concussion so that I didn't feel anything for the rest of the day). Unfortunately, neither happened.

Now remember that I started this post by saying that I am a clone of my mother...yeah. There are many stories about my mother and her infamous "motion sickness" episodes. I never really thought I was prone to it...maybe once when I was 13, but that's it. Well...I definitely had a "mom" moment on the boat. Boy was I sick. After exiting the head, I took a nap in the rear of the ship (along with all the other sea sick passengers...). I woke occasionally to look at marine wildlife, or take pictures of the glaciers, but for the most part, I kept my eyes shut and dreamt about my warm little tent that doesn't sway back and forth.

Now aside from being sick, the trip was great (ha, convincing right?)! Before we even left the harbor we say a bald eagle. We saw about a dozen killer whales (orcas). They were beautiful...a couple males and a whole lot of females (we learned how to tell the difference by looking at their dorsal fin). We saw a couple of them hunting for food and some of them were slapping their back fins. We also saw dall porpoises...they saw along side the ship, jumping in the wake, for a little while. They were really neat to watch and they looked like they were having fun entertaining the crowd on deck. We saw puffin fish (and saw a few who had had too much to eat so they could barely fly over the waves -- that was funny). We also saw sea lions. Well, I didn't see them because I had my eyes closed -- but from what I hear they were very large.

The best part of the trip was seeing a huge tidewater glacier. We got within a fourth of a mile to it. And it was approximately three quarters of a mile wide. It was absolutely beautiful and was a vibrant blue color. When we got to the glacier, the boat's captain cut the engine so we could listen to it. You could hear the ice cracking and crashing. Huge chunks of ice would crack and then fall off the glacier crashing into the water. It was pretty neat. And in the water all around were small chunks of ice (little icebergs) that had fallen from the glacier just floating along.

The whole trip was about 6 hours long. We got back around 9 and proceeded back to camp. We are now doing our laundry in the camp laundry facilities. Kinda makes you wish you were back home when you have to share a laundry room. People aren't so nice about sharing machines and they don't keep track of their stuff when it's done. Oh well.

Who knows what we are going to do tomorrow. We may try to go fishing because the salmon fishing is supposed to be really good here in Seward. If not, we will probably poke around town and see what we can get into. On Monday we go sea kayaking for the day and I am really looking foward to that. I'll probably post again tomorrow...but no promises (I like to keep my schedule open). Until next time.

Seward, Alaska

2007-08-04T01:35:00.000-04:00

We were thinking about driving north to Talkeetna today to attend a bluegrass festival. But dad wasn't too happy that we drove by it the other day (even though it hadn't started). So instead we skipped Anchorage (nothing to see or do) and headed south for the Kenai Peninsula and Seward. Before we left we stopped by the commisary and stocked up on snack food...and also bought dinner (steaks and stuff to make pea salad).

We headed out around lunchtime and made it in around 4 (we took our time on a two hour trip). The drive was probably the best we've had since we've been in Alaska. Absolutely beautiful mountains and glacial lakes. It was awesome!!!

When we got to town, we went straight to the Air Force camp here. We had made reservations before arriving because we were not sure how many sites would be taken since it was the weekend (apparently a lot). Our site is situated between some interesting characters...one site is two gentlemen from North Carolina who came up to fish. They offered us fresh caught salmon and a swig of rum (how kind). Across the way is a family and couple from Alaska, I guess camping for the weekend. They were hilarious when setting up tent. I imagine them to be awfully loud this evening...we'll see. And across the other way is a mom and daughter from Alaska...haven't really gotten their story but they are funny to listen to...it seems like the mom is really getting on the daughters nerves.

After cooking out -- steak, Texas toast, salad, and pea salad -- we walked over to the Army resort (we are staying at the Air Force). They have really nie facilities. We dropped by the bar and got a drink and are currently sitting in the great room watching the Patriot with Mel Gibson. We haven't watched tv since we left so it is fun to see tv.

Tomorrow I don't know what we will do...probably sleep in (as late as our neighbors will let us) and then figure out what we are going to do in Seward and surrounding. Hopefully sea kayaking.

Until then...

PS Dad says I'm not allowed to write about my beer allowance or stopping by the bar...he says he will get in trouble if I do.

Anchorage, Alaska

2007-08-04T01:29:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we left Denali National Park for Anchorage. It was a short trip...two hours. We got up late and lesurely left camp. When we got into town, we checked into the FAM Camp at Elmendorf Air Force Base We got a nice site...close to the bathroom, away from people, and along the trees. We set up camp, got life situated, and headed out on the town for dinner.

Dad had been craving Greek food since we left. I told him no Greeks lived in Alaska but was proved wrong. We ate at the Greek Corner, and although not run by a Greek, it has neighboring restaurants run by Greeks. It was absolutely delicious!!! We both had the gyro platter. Afterwards, we went by the toy store (REI) and poked around. I bought a new pair of pants and a book about sea kayaking and dad bought gloves. After that we drove around the downtown and looked at the sites (none).

When we got back to camp, dad went to bed pretty early. I stayed up late playing a game on his cell phone. And then I played on his computer (which he rigged with an extension cord to work in the tent). I think we've decided to try and drive through all the Canadian provinces on the way home from Alaska...then by the time we come home we can say we've been through every state (now all we need is Vermont) and all the provinces. This will also give me an excuse to plan a trip outside of the US (I'm thinking Patagonia in South America).

Denali National Park: The Pictures

2007-08-01T22:14:00.001-04:00

Here are pictures from our trip into Denali. To view the album, click on the title, "Denali National Park: The Pictures." Enjoy!

Denali National Park: The Sequel

2007-08-01T21:58:00.000-04:00

This morning the alarm went off at 5.30. It was very early...dad got up and got dressed. I managed to stay in my sleeping bag until 6.15. By then I had convinced myself to get up and dressed so that we could leave. We had tickets to go on the Tundra Wilderness Tour through Denali National Park.

We drove 8 miles north to meet the rest of our tour group at an RV park...lucky for us, we joined 35 senior citizens -- they were all in an RV caravan together. I told dad it was like hanging out with 18 different Granny and Papas. No offense Granny and Papa. We boarded the bus for our eight hour excursion and I tried to find a seat that wasn't in the midst of the gray. I sat close to the front next to the window and dad sat next to me (that was until he decided to move and sit closer to the front at his own window). Before hitting the road we swung by and picked up 9 other passengers; four didn't speak english, and only one out of the nine was younger than me...his name was Garrett and he was 5.

It was a beautiful drive through the park. It just so happened that we had perfect weather...clouds had blown through, the skies were blue, and the sun was shining. We saw lots of wildlife: hare, ground squirrels, caribou, moose, dall sheep, golden eagle, gyre falcon, and grizzly bear. It was pretty neat seeing all these animals in their natural habitat and unaware of our presence. The sheep were hanging out on the upper cliffs of the tundra, the caribou were hanging out on the hillsides, the eagles were hunting for game, and the grizzly was munching on berries. We got great pictures of a lot of different wildlife and we were very excited to see a bear.

After driving sixty-some-odd miles into the park, we stopped to see Mt. McKinley. It was amazing! It stands almost 19,000 ft. and it was entirely snow-covered. It was beautiful. We of course took a lot of pictures.

On the bus ride back I fell asleep. I was so tired from not sleeping that much the night before, and it gets kinda boring listening to a monolouge (don't get me wrong, the driver was great, for the first four hours). When we got back to "civilization" dad and I went and grabbed pizza (and I got a beer) at a little restuarant. We came over to the hotel to check e-mail, write this post, adn upload pictures. Tonight we are going back to teh campsite and are going to have a fire. Dad got a refund from our tour today and and he says it can be my beer money (he crank all the Mike's Hard Lemonades so we are going to get some more before going home).

Tomorrow we are going to (try) sleep in...we'll take a shower (we didn't take one today...the park here is run by concessions and you have to pay to use the shower, $4) and get clean. Then we are going to head towards Anchorage. It takes about four hours to get there...I don't know what we are going to do when we get there but we shall find out. Rumor is there is a bluegrass festival going on close to here this weekend and I think it would be cool to go...we shall see. But if we don't spend much time in Anchorage we are probably going to head straight to the coast to do stuff down there (I want to go sea kayaking!).

We'll write when we find free wi-fi...

Fairbanks and Barrow

2007-07-31T23:04:00.000-04:00

Here are some more pictures! This album includes pictures from our time in Fairbanks and Barrow. To get to the album, click on the title of this post (Fairbanks and Barrow) and it will automatically redirect you to a Facebook album. Enjoy!

Denali National Park, Alaska

2007-07-31T22:49:00.000-04:00

We had to get up early this morning. Today we left our wonderful little campground in Fairbanks to head south. After striking down camp and showering, we headed to MPF to try and get me a new ID card. It didn't work...in fact, I officially said good-bye to my rights as a dependant of a retired officer...I'm too old. We then swung by the gift shop to pick up a few items and then to the Alaskan Bowl Company where we had to pick something up. From there it was back on the road south to Denali National Park.

But before we left town, dad noticed that the electrical system on the truck was acting fishy. The radio quit working. And then after a while, the temperature gauge, the windows, and the windshield wipers weren't working. Dad figured out water was leaking into something and causing it to malfunction. Although stuff wasn't working, at least the car drove. But when it was parked, or when we turned the engine off, it started making this loud clanking noise (it did not sound good). So now when we park we have to disconnect the battery. I guess that isn't so bad except that this afternoon we had to disconnect it in the pouring rain.

Not too far down the road we saw some hitchhikers who had a sign that said, "Denali." Dad wanted to pick them up; I was a little skeptical. But dad won and we picked up Peyton and Jessica. Both are from Chattanooga, Tennessee, and just finished school. They are up here working the summer at Denali and backpacking in their time off. They were a really cool couple and I enjoyed talking to them on the two hour drive to the park.

We got to Denali a little after 11. We dropped Peyton and Jessica off at their cabin and then went on to grab a bite to eat and check e-mail. At 12.30 we walked in the doors of Denali Raft Adventures for a four-hour raft trip we had set up through the base. Before leaving the building, we donned full dry suits (big puffy suits that keep the water off you) and neoprene booties. We were a sight. Then we went on a two hour "scenic" raft trip. It was pretty but kinda boring. And the water was only 36 deg. F so when it splashed on us it made us very cold. After a short break we took a two hour white water trip. That was a lot of fun! We got soaked (well, I did anyways because I was up front). And it was still really cold but I think since th adrenaline was running it didn't seem so bad. The best part was being hit straight in the face with a 5 ft. wall of ice-cold water. I was slammed with a "glacial facial" multiple times. Dad managed to stay somewhat dry and I don't think his head got wet at all.

Rafting was a lot of fun even though it was cold. The worst part about it though is that I have a horrible headache. After rafting we went to Bub's Pub and got dinner. We each got a cheesesteak only dad got steak and I got chicken. I didn't eat but half of mine and I was stuffed. Now we are checking e-mail ad writing this blog post. After we finish we are going to check into our campsite, set up camp, and then I'm crashing. I am so exhausted.

Tomorrow we are riding a full-day bus tour of Denali. Yay! I get to sit with 48 old people and watch them act like tourists all the way around the park. At least I don't have to walk around...or row. So, we should be posting tomorrow with a lot of pictures. Until then.

Barrow, Alaska

2007-07-31T02:57:00.001-04:00

Today we jumped a plane and flew to Barrow. Because this was an actual tour group we were going with, we had to get up early this morning to meet them. So after departing camp, and wandering around the airport, we finally found the North Alaska Tour Company. We, along with five other souls (not including our pilot for the day), checked in, filled out a luncheon form, and received our briefing. We were flying with an elderly couple who has been RV-ing in Alaska, a mother and daughter who were taking their annual summer vacation (the mother was widowed and the daughter left her husband behind in Cincinnati), and an elderly gentleman who has been on vacation for two months (and left his wife and poodle behind in the RV). Our pilot was Jason, and it was his first time flying to Barrow (in fact, he’d never been there before). But he has over 4,000 hours logged in the Alaskan bush and he spent last winter in Nashville. While there he visited Knoxville and attended a program at the Bijou Theater and enjoyed it. He was also cute, single, and only 32…

Anyways. We flew on a small plane. As Jason said it, “Every seat is a window seat, every seat in on an aisle. Actually it’s all first class, there just isn’t any bathroom.” The plane only accommodated nine passengers (and the pilot would make ten). It actually wasn’t a bad flight. We flew over the Alaskan Pipeline, the Yukon River, several small mining communities, the Brooks Range, and through the Gates of the Arctic National Park.

We left Fairbanks around 9.30 and arrived in Barrow around 1 pm. Barrow is the northernmost settlement in America. There are roughly 4,000 residents and there are no roads out – the only way to get out is by plane or barge. When we landed it was about 50 deg. F. Not too bad considering we were at 71 deg. 17’ N latitude. We were picked up by Mona a tour guide with Tundra Tours. She took us all around town and showed us the sights.

Our first stop was to an ancient Inupiat mound settlement. It reminded me of old Cherokee burial mounds in Sequoyah Hills only these mounds the Inupiat used to live in. You could see remnants of whalebone and driftwood that were used to support the mounds. Next stop was a signpost with mileage to different cities around the world. After that we went to the heritage center where we were able to walk through a small museum and see a cultural program performed by local school children. They danced and sang traditional songs in Inupiaq (their native language). From there we drove as far north as we could toward Point Barrow. Here on the beach we had the chance to get out, walk around, and stick our toes in the Arctic Ocean. It was frigid! We stopped to see some whale bones and get ice cream before returning back to the airport. And we departed Barrow around 4 pm.

On the flight home I passed out…along with most everyone else. I was exhausted. It rained on our flight back, which caused us to have to stop and wait out some of the weather. I think our flight ended up being longer because we were flying to avoid the weather, but we got back a little after 7 which was right on schedule. When we arrived we were given “official” certificates to certify that we had in fact been in the Arctic Circle. Dad was excited.

For dinner, dad and I swung by a local Mexican restaurant. We both cleaned our plates (almost entirely). Now we sit here at camp…uploading pictures, writing blogs, and checking e-mail. Tomorrow we drive south to Denali National Park where tomorrow afternoon we are going white water rafting (fun!). Hopefully we will have a signal to post from there. Until next time!

Fairbanks, Alaska: The Sequel

2007-07-31T02:56:00.001-04:00

Well...this is our fourth night here at the FAM Camp on Eielson Air Force Base. It's been a good home the past couple of nights...hot showers, not many moose (although one female had been frequenting our site and leaving presents), laundry facilities, and it's pretty quiet (yeah, and as I think that I hear the distant voice of a child screaming, "I already said sorry!"...apparently the family with small children is at their campsite). We have left our tent standing the whole time (it's nice not having to strike down camp every morning) along with dad's picnic table (I call it dad's because I think the $30 "find" is going to collapse in the near future). And the weather has been great...high of 70, no humidity, and it generally only pours once a day (if you are lucky it pours twice). Yep, it's "home, sweet home" here at the FAM camp.

So we got here Thursday and last wrote to you folks that night at the McDonald's. Friday we slept in...and right as we woke up it started pouring, so we decided to go back to sleep. We finally got up and got moving. That day we spent the majority of the day at Walmart. Dad wanted his oil changed and his tires rotated...they said it would take 2 hours. So, we figured we could kill time and shop around. Literally, we shopped until we dropped and even then we had only shopped for an hour-and-a-half. By the time they finished with our car it was three hours (ugh....a slow and agonizing death). And what really stunk is that they didn't do all they said they would do (the put the wrong oil in, didn't top anything else off, forgot to put air in the tires, didn't vacuum...etc. Oh well, we left anyways.

As we were leaving, we got a hold of Mike Mitchell...the son of Steve Mitchell, one of dad's old friends. Last I saw Mike was in the summer of 1997 when he came and stayed a couple weeks with us in Virginia. I was 12, he was 15. Nowadays, he's getting out of the Air Force, has a wife named Kristen and a son (5) named Will. His mom had warned him that we were coming into down so he cleared his schedule and waited for us to call. When we did, he was ready to get together with us and go out to dinner. So, we headed back to our camp, got ready and they came and picked us up. They showed us downtown Fairbanks (there is really nothing to it) and then we went to a local restaurant for dinner. I got a steak and a beer and it was good. After dinner, we went over to their house and hung out...we jumped on the trampoline, played on their computer, talked, and raced cars (well, Will and I raced cars). It was a lot of fun...dad said hanging with Mike reminds him of hanging out with his dad.

Saturday we were invited back to hang out with them. We slept in before getting up and showering. Then we decided to do our laundry here at the FAM camp. While in the laundry room, dad met this couple that flew their own plane up to Alaska. I walked in and they were showing dad all their pictures they took on the flight up. In turn, dad made me show them our pictures that I've loaded on Facebook. I forget where that couple was from, but their travel philosophy is, "If we can't land our plane and rent a car, we're not going there." That ruled out Cades Cove, which I had asked them if they had been to. We also met a lady from Michigan who lives in a cottage. She owns a Mac and takes a lot of pictures like me. Her and her husband have been touring around Alaska and are getting ready to head back.

After finishing our laundry, we marched over to the chow hall and grabbed a bite to eat. It was pretty good. Then we went to Mike's. We all jumped in the car and he drove us north to show us part of the Alaskan Pipeline. We then we went to Pioneer Park...it's a free amusement park here in town. It's more like a historical park, kinda like Dollywood with old buildings and such. Will kept saying, "I just love this place!" And it was pretty cool...I mean, for not having to pay to get in, it was great. We walked on an old paddleboat, rode the oldest steam engine in Alaska, and walked around the park. We stayed in the park for dinner and went to a restaurant called the Alaskan Salmon Bake. It was all you could eat salmon, cod, halibut, and prime rib. It was very tasty. Unfortunately I don't like fish...but just so you know I tried a piece of each. But since I don't eat fish I had to eat prime rib all night and I was miserable (yeah right...it was great!). Dad and Mike packed it away and Will decided he liked prime rib a whole lot better than his hotdog. After we were too stuffed to move, we walked around the park a little more and then headed back to Mike's. There we through around a Frisbee Will got at the park. And Will tried to beat me up. He didn't succeed. We didn't stay long because we were tired from all the eating. Once we got back to camp, we went to bed early.

This morning (Sunday) we got up and went to church. We decided to attend Moose Creek Baptist Church. It was a nice little church, and it met at 11 (that's what I liked about it). The pastor from Athens, Tennessee, so I liked him. Afterward we went to lunch at a Chinese restaurant. And then after that we acted like tourists in Fairbanks. First stop, the North Pole...literally. We went to North Pole, Alaska, and visited Santa's house. It's a Christmas shop that has the old man sitting in a chair greeting guests. Dad and I both got our picture taken with him and Mrs. Claus (who sits in a chair next to him and crochets). We poked around the store, made a couple purchases, and were on our way.

The next stop was an Extreme Home Makeover house that was in North Pole. 13 kids live in one house (we didn't get the whole story from the locals). And you know the house when you see a football field in the backyard. Yep, two full-sized goalposts were located in the backyard. It was a very pretty home...the home of the Rogers.

Our next stop we the Alaskan Bowl Company. They make bowls (obviously) out of trees. They are very pretty, and very expensive. We ended up getting a fish cutting board. Fun eh? We asked them to engrave it for us so we can hang it at the Sign Post Park we were telling you about in the Yukon. We'll post more on that later.

Once we finished we went to the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Museum of the North. It was pretty nice...a lot of Inuit culture and art artifacts. Granny and Papa Benson would have loved to spend all day there...but dad and I weren't really in the museum mood (although we did spend 45 minutes to an hour in there). After the museum we went looking for the campus bookstore so we could buy a sweatshirt but they were closed.

So they sent us to Fred Meyer, which didn't have sweatshirts, but had cheap camping chairs. So we each got one. We also got dinner...steaks, corn on the cob, and fruit cocktail. Um. After that we headed to Wal-Mart to complain about the shoddy job they did Friday. They redid it all for us...but still forgot to vacuum the car. From there we headed back home, to our little camp. We set up the grill, and started cooking dinner. Our steak was succulent, our corn fresh, and our fruit cocktail tasted like fruit cocktail. It was a great meal. We also rearranged the whole truck (again). It looks clean (for now).

As I write this post, dad is reading a book (he didn't quite understand the "I can't talk while I'm typing so hold on" so I gave him a book to distract him...however he is still talking to me). We have cleaned up from dinner (dad did the dishes) and are all ready for bed. Tomorrow we are going to the airport early to catch a plane to Barrow...the most northern point in the US (Canada still has a few outlying islands beyond Barrow so it can't claim the most northern point of North America title). While there we are going to get inside the Arctic Circle, dip our toe in the Arctic Ocean, visit an Inuit Village, and maybe even see a polar bear. We'll see.

Perhaps we will post again tomorrow night. For sure next time you hear from us there will be a lot of pictures. Ciao for now!

Canada!

2007-07-27T03:56:00.000-04:00

Here are uploaded pictures from our jaunt through Canada. To get to the Facebook album, click on the title of this post (Canada!). It will re-direct you automatically. Enjoy!

PS pBase, my actual web gallery, is still not uploading my pictures that's why pictures are still being uploaded to Facebook.

Fairbanks, Alaska

2007-07-27T03:13:00.000-04:00

Greetings from the Last Frontier...or the Final Frontier, Great Land to the North...whatever they call it these days. Dad and I arrived in Fairbanks today. It was actually our second crossing into Alaska, but hey, this is where we wanted to be. Well...it's Thursday (Friday for the rest of you) so let me backtrack and explain the goings on of the week.

You last heard from us on Tuesday while we were at Fort Nelson, BC. British Columbia called itself the Best Place on Earth. I don't know if I agree with that entirely...but I will say the interior north was extremely beautiful. It's worth a drive through if you ever have time. We passed into Yukon on Tuesday. Yukon calls itself Canada's True North -- now that I can agree with. It looked a lot like BC, green, hilly/mountainous, full of wildlife, and not full of people. It was beautiful as well but it had it's own charm of emptiness.

Tuesday night we stayed at what we believe is the best campsite yet...Rancheria. Who knows where exactly that is. It was a great spot on a little river...we were able to ahve a campfire (our first), they had clean bathrooms, hot water (my first hot water shower yet, not including ones at a hotel), and an awesome kitchen that served a kickin' breakfast. I stayed up late reading that night. I decided to stay up until dark, thinking that would be a good time to go to bed. Little did I know it was going to get dark after 11 (no joke folks, the sun was in the sky at 11 pm). The next morning we got breakfast at the kitchen. I had an omelette and dad had the Yukon...it came with three servings of everything. Very delicious.

We drove all day Wednesday (just like every other day). We saw a lot of animals (moose, caribou, elk, coyotes, and sheep). The only stop of note was in some town I can't remember. There we saw a sign park...it sounds weird, but it was pretty cool. Essentially it's just a bunch of wooded poles that have signs nailed into them. However, there are over 62,000 signs and they are from the far reaches of the globe. As people stop by, they leave a sign, or license plate, to commemorate their being there. It was really neat. It made us want to leave a sign.

From there we took a detour out of Whitehorse (the capital of the Yukon) into Skagway, Alaska. So that was our first time in Alaska. We hated it. It was full of cruise ships, tourists, and over priced shops. We were there only to eat (which wasn't that great and was way to expensive) and we left again. Back to Canada for us. Once we got back to Whitehorse we got back onto the Alaskan Highway and traveled to Haines Junction. There we put ourselves up in a motel (the campsites were full, it was late, threatening rain, and dad had conference calls this morning so he needed to be near a phone). Dad and I both agreed that our sleeping bags were more comfortable than their beds.

In the morning, dad had two back-to-back conference (whopee for me...he yells on the phone cause I guess he thinks people can't hear him when he calls from out-of-town...especially from Alaska). Getting a late start, we stopped by a bakery recommended to us by someone. Dad got a slice of pizza and a garlic cheese stick, and I got a cinnamon roll and a croissont. It was superb!!! I almost wished I had gotten something for lunch (since it was 11.30 and I didn't realize this) but after eating mine I was glad I got it.

Dad drove for only an hour-and-a-half before he asked me to drive. I drove most the day as he played on the computer. Today was our worse day as far as road conditions. It was literally like riding a roller coaster (only we didn't go upside down). It was enough to make you sick...and hitting all the bumps in the road at 70 mph...that was enough to make dad mad. It reminded me of riding a dinghy (like when I go scuba diving) and hitting the waves perpendicular so the bow of the boat just jumps up and down...I like that feeling, especially on a boat).

We got into Fairbanks around 7.30. We headed straight for Eileson Air Force Base and there got a campsite. We headed over to the shopette on base to check it out, and then headed into town for dinner. Unfortunately after touring the U. of Alaska campus most restaurants were closed (we had decided on Chinese) so we headed to McDonalds. And it is here that I am updating the blog.

So, tomorrow we are going to chill out in Fairbanks. We will probably get some plans set as to when we are going to Denali and Anchorage. But other than that, who knows.

We now have cell reception so feel free to give us a call. Until next time...

Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada

2007-07-24T11:44:00.003-04:00

We made it to Fort Nelson around 8.30 last night. We drove through a whole bunch of nothing (beautiful nothing, but nothing none the less). When we got there, we got gas, stopped by the IGA, and found a campground. It was nice, quiet, and had a lot of mosquitos. I set up camp while dad checked his e-mail. I then went to the bathroom and when I came back dad was already asleep. I decided to read until dark...thinking it wasn't going to be long. I ended up reading until 11.15! That's when it got too dark for me to read in the tent. I ate a Cliff Bar (my new favorite food) and went to bed.

This morning we got up at 8 (I got up at 7 but fell back asleep). We struck down camp, got eaten by mosquitos, and showered. Dad apparently had a very nice, hot shower. Mine, on the other hand, was as if I took a plunge into the ocean just off of Iceland's coast. It was freezing!

Dad met a guy in the bathroom who said the road from here on out gets bad (it's been nice, smooth, paved until now). So, we'll see how that goes.

Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada

2007-07-23T18:31:00.000-04:00

Well...yesterday we left Connor and Heather Jorde after a quick weekend hanging out with them. It was a blast to see them! I look forward to seeing them this fall in Oklahoma City.

We left their place around 3 or so hoping to get into Vancouver, BC, by dark. That plan was shot the second we got on 6th street. Dad and I wanted to replace the bag on the hitch (it was old, zipper was broken, and it was not waterproof -- therefore we could not store anything back there). We went by an auto shop first, who told us to go to Sears, who recommended we check out Home Depot. At Home Depot we purchased a rolling workstation...pretty much a glorified tool box on wheels. It fit perfectly on the hitch. So dad and I made holes in the bottom of it to bolt it to the kitch (so no one would steal it) and put all our camping stuff in it (our new tent that is entirely waterproof, unlike the one from Walmart, our sleeping bags, dad's quickstart logs...). It works our very nice back there.

So...after spending a lot of time working on that, we drove further down the road, past Seattle, and stopped for dinner at Jack-in-the-Box (one of my favorites!!!). While there we bought a Jack (you know, the little white head that goes on the antenna of the car). Dad had an initiation ceremony for Jack as he put him on the car. In his speech, dad said that Jack was joining us for the "road trip to end all road trips". We also had an initiation ceremony for Pookie...my teddy bear friend since birth. He is now the junior navigator for the trip to Alaska.

We drove a couple minutes down the road before we stopped at a Walmart. There we returned the camp-site-in-a-bag that dad bought last weekend. To put it nicely, it sucked. We camped in it three times, it rained twice, and was leaking all over. With the money we got from the return we bought sleeping pads and two rubbermaid containers to organize the junk in the car. After shopping we went outside and cleaned the truck out, putting all the food in one bin and alla the electronic/computer stuff int he other. We also through out all excess trash. So the truck looked nice.

At this point it was 9:45. So we had wasted a lot of time. It started drizzling as we got on the road. We made it up to the Canadian border by 11, and after questioning us about everything, they let us through (even though dad didn't have a passport or birth certificate). We stopped to take a picture at the British Columbia sign and as I was getting into the car I stepped in a huge pike of animal poo. It put me in a very foul mood.

Just as we were getting into Canada we realized that we weren't going to get to stop in Vancouver, mom's favorite city. The Alcan Highway starts in Dawson Creek which is a fourteen hour drive from Vancouver. So for time we decided to just skip it and come back later.

Dad ordered me to take a nap, shortly after arriving in Canada, in the back so I crawled back there. When I woke up, at 4 am, dad told me it was my time to drive. He decided that he didn't want to set up camp in the rain so he kept driving. Ugh...I hate driving straight through the night. So at 4 I took over, although I wasn't entirely rested (even though I can sleep in a car, I don't get a good sound sleep...especially when dad is driving and jerking the truck off the road what seemed like ever thirty minutes just to pee). So although I did get us farther down the road, by 6.30 I was falling asleep. So at 6.45 I found a spot to pull off and sleep. I figured dad wouldn't mind since he was already out, and I didn't want to crash. Well, dad woke up before me, shortly after 7 and decided he was rested enough to drive. I sat up front with him, asleep, for a few minutes but then decided to get back on the air mattress.

We made it to Dawson Creek around 1.30. We had lunch at KFC -- but it was not like KFC...no mashed potatoes, no macaroni and cheese...just chicken, french fries (gross), and gravy (even grosser). We found the Mile 0 in Dawson Creek...the actual starting place of the Alcan Highway. Of course, we had to take pictures.

Now we are on the road. It's 1500 miles to Fairbanks, which is in the middle of Alaska. We definitely won't get that far. But hopefully we can get to the Yukon border before we stop tonight.

We are roaming on our cell phones so we can't really answer. And we don't know if we will ahve internet for most of our time in Canada. So...until next time...

Mt. Rainier National Park and Tacoma, Washington

2007-07-22T18:13:00.000-04:00

We woke up early on Friday morning. We were slightly chilled from being rained on that night. After striking down camp, we drove the loop around Glacier. Both dad and I touched glaciers.

After leaving the park we drove through Montana, into Idaho and into Washington. We drove into the night to get to Mt. Rainier National Park. We arrived well after dark and set up camp in the rain. Welcome to Washington.

Waking up Saturday morning...we were very wet. It had rained most of the night and water was leaking into our tent. :-( After striking down camp we got in the car and drove the road thrugh Mt. Rainier. Unfortunately it was extremely overcast and we didn't even see the mountain. How sad. But we did enjoy the crisp mountain air, the beautiful meadows, and the drizzle. It was a short car ride to Tacoma where we met up with Heather Jorde! She took us around Tacoma, down to Puget Sound, and to lunch. It was very fun. After Connor got off work we picked him up and took him and Heather out for their anniversary.

We ended our evening at the Jorde's house watching episodes of The Office. Both Connor and dad fell asleep on the couch.

This morning we got up late and got ready for church. We went with Heather and Connor to the church they've been attending called Soma, in downtown Tacoma. Afterwards we went to lunch at a very nice Italian restaurant. At some point we are going to have to leave...tonight we are going up to Vancouver, Canada, to hang out for a day or so before jumping on the Alcan Highway (the road to Alaska).

We may have some pictures to post later this evening or tomorrow sometime. Until then...

Day 5-6

2007-07-21T15:00:00.000-04:00

Click the title of this post to be redirected to another photo album on Facebook. This one includes pictures from Glacier National Park. Enjoy!

Finally!

2007-07-20T23:26:00.000-04:00

Although not posted where I want them, I finally got some pictures up. Go here:

http://tennessee.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2154696&l=03f5b&id=9414618

It's a rough smattering of pictures from our first five days...not the best ones, but it kinda gives you a glimpse of what we have been up to. Until I can get pBase to upload my pictures, I'll be posting links to my Facebook account with pictures. Tonight I hope to post another album of pictures from late yesterday and today. So check back.

(I think somewhere in this post you can click to be taken to Facebook...click around to see and next time I will try to fix the code for links).

Glacier National Park, Montana

2007-07-20T00:16:00.000-04:00

As I type this blog post, I am sitting at a picnic table in Glacier National Park. Today we spent all day driving around Montana. After getting up early at the campsite in Wyoming, both dad and I showered and got on the road. It wasn't too long after getting on the road that we arrived in Montana. What they say about it is true...it really is Big Sky Country. And that's pretty much all it was. Within two hours we had driven through the largest city in the state -- a small town by any other comparison. From Billings (after heading north to get there), we headed west to Butte. Just before we arrived time came for dad to make a conference call...so rather than heading north from Butte to Helena, we stopped in the town so dad could keep reception on his cell phone.

While dad talked on the phone in a parking lot in Butte, I decided to walk around the historic district. It happens to be one of the largest historic districts in the US. I took a couple of pictures of old buildings, but other than that there wasn't much to look at.

It was about 45 minutes before dad got of the phone and we were back on the road. We turned north to drive to and through Helena. Just out of town I crawled in the back and took a nap. Apparently, I missed some pretty awesome scenery. Dad drove and peed across the state...all while I was asleep.

I woke up 45 minutes before we exited the interstate onto Route 2. That was the road that brought us to the park. As soon as we could see the mountains on the horizon, we stopped every so often to take pictures. We watched the sunset on approach. Dad got to pee on the side of the road because he had to go "so bad".

As we got closer to the park, we actually saw glaciers. I was very excited to see them, because they were the only frozen material on the side of the mountains. And, there is a very nice U-shaped valley, formed by melting glaciers, that I took a picture of.

We stopped for ice cream in St. Mary's, Montana, just before entering the park. And we are staying at the St. Mary's campground just inside the park. The tent is set up, the wind is blowing, and it is a crisp 67 degrees. Tomorrow we hope to get up early and drive the Going to the Sun road across the park. After we leave the park we will drive through Idaho and into Washington. And we hope to camp tomorrow night in Mt. Rainier National Park. Until then...

Buffalo, Wyoming

2007-07-19T23:58:00.001-04:00

Wednesday morning when we woke up in Fargo, dad ran over to the local Ford dealership. He was hoping they could squeeze him in for a shock replacement but they said they couldn't. He had been at the dealership at 7 so when he got back shortly after he was anxious to get on the road.

By lunchtime we had made it to Bismarck. There we had lunch at Space Aliens. A funny little restaurant decked out in "alien" related paraphernalia. It is known to be the best bar-b-que place in town we topped in and tried some. Lucky for us, it was "Riot Rib Wednesday" -- we both got ribs. They tasted fantastic, although not as good as Tennessee bar-b-que.

After lunch we continued to head west. Shortly out of town we stopped to see "Sue"...the world's largest holstein cow (it was a very large statue). Dad and I took a bunch of pictures and walked to the top of the look-out to see the countryside. And that's all we saw...countryside as far the eye could see.

Heading west again, we turned south before entering Montana. Dad and I took a little detour back into South Dakota to see the Center of the Nation. Literally...in the middle of the pasture we stood in the middle of America. It was fun, and it was definitely in the middle of nowhere.

After that we got onto the interstate and ended up in Wyoming were we proceeded to Devil's Tower National Monument. It was amazing...a huge monolith of a rock just sitting in the middle of the fields and forest. We made it just in time to visit the Visitor's Center. While there, a torrential rainstorm occurred and we watched as huge raindrops and marble-sized hail came down. When it finished, there was a nice rainbow in front of the tower which made for nice photographs. Dad and I walked the trail around the base of the tower and took pictures. And dad decided he didn't want to camp out in the park because it was wet. So we left and decided to find someplace else. While driving out we saw some little prairie dogs digging holes so we watched them and took pictures. They reminded me of Daisy.

We drove for another hour or two before dad decided to stop. He found a quiet little campground in Buffalo, Wyoming, to stop at. It was well after dark so we got to set up our tent with the truck's headlights on.

Fargo, North Dakota

2007-07-18T15:02:00.000-04:00

Well…we had arrived in Grinnell after dark so yesterday morning when we woke up and drew back the curtains of our motel room, we were somewhat surprised to see that our location was carved into the middle of corn field. Not that seeing corn was amazing since we had driven in it for ten hours the day before but the fact that we could crawl out our window and pick a few ears was.

We started our day listening to the local radio. Soybeans were up and corn was down – definitely a farming community. We drove down the road to the Super Walmart to buy some groceries and upon entering the store we were informed by a local resident that it (Walmart) was all Iowa had to offer. Walmart and corn…we noticed. What was surprising about their Walmart was that they were selling corn at four ears for a dollar. Dad remarked that corn in Northern Virginia was selling for 12 ears for two dollars. It’s strange that corn would be so expensive when you could literally walk ten steps and pick your own.

By lunchtime we were in Omaha, Nebraska. Dad and I drove by our old house, looked at some of mom and dad’s favorite haunts (one of which was Stella’s and it was closed) and drove over to the base. We ate lunch at Johnny’s Café…a steakhouse located by the rail yards. Mom and dad ate there back in the day and mom took me seven years ago when I went to Omaha to attend a camp. Dad and I both got the lunchtime ribeye with mashed potatoes, and I got a glass of wine (a red zin – delightful!). Lunch was amazing! After lunch we went downtown and walked around taking pictures of whatever. It was hot (98 degrees) and sweat starting dripping the second we got out of the car. We finally got so hot that we left.

From Omaha we headed north…the interstate we were driving took us back into Iowa before we entered South Dakota. In Elk Point, South Dakota, we stopped at Edgar’s – an old fashioned soda fountain – and got ice cream. Dad got a traditional banana split (which had gluttony written all over it) and I got a chocolate milkshake made out of chocolate ice cream. I was too busy indulging myself to try dad’s but by all accounts it was delicious! Mmm…I love food.

Other than stopping at rest stops, not much happened after Edgar’s. Although upon entering North Dakota we didn’t see a welcome sign (which we’ve bene stopping at and taking a picture) so when we arrived in Fargo we drove to Minnesota (two minutes away) just to come back into North Dakota and get a picture of the sign. We arrived at our hotel around 11 pm last night and passed out.

Grinnell, Iowa

2007-07-16T23:57:00.000-04:00

So we've stopped for the night at a Super 8 Motel in Grinnell, Iowa. Essentially, we are in the middle of nowhere just east of Des Moines (helpful isn't it?). The above picture may help you out a little...look for the biggest red spot on the map. Yep, that's a massive storm cell and we drove right through it. Torrential rain, 75 mph on the interstate, and absolutely gorgeous lightening. There were reports of baseball sized hail just north of our location. Although it would have been cool to see I'm grateful that we didn't encounter any (can you say hail damage?).

This morning we started our day waiting in line for Mac Camp. No joke...us and a bunch of little kids were anxiously awaiting nine o'clock when the Apple store would unlock its doors. While the kids did go to camp, dad and I went to the bar. The geniuses there informed us that not one, but two out of the the two laptops that we brought on the trip were broken. Mine is so broken that it was sent to Apple Heaven. Apparently there they fix computers and reincarnate them into some other inanimate object of their choice (hopefully mine comes back as a laptop). I asked them to ship my computer to Heather and Connor Jorde's house when it is fixed. Hopefully it will beat us to Washington. Dad's computer is still in operating order but it's USB ports have failed. So...he bought a new computer.

After almost two hours of delay, we hit the road. Farm states are not my favorite so I didn't enjoy today's scenery (corn). We finished Ohio, and went on to complete Indiana and Illinois before getting ourselves deep into Iowa (the I states -- used to name the I-house which was a housing type of affluence in the 1700/1800's). We saw lots of corn. We also visited every rest stop, except one, in Illinois so dad could go to the bathroom. We also played the alphabet game in Illinois and I won! It was very difficult because there were no billboards, few exits, and not many cars.

Probably the highlight of the day was watching dad lick his phone while talking with his mom. What's great is she told him to do it not thinking he would. Although he blames it all on me, he set his phone into a melted Hershey's bar and got it all over his phone. So when he discovered this while talking to Granny Lou, she told him to lick it off, which he did. When he finished she informed him that he sounded like a cow. And I laughed because he looked funny doing it.

The only other thing that happened had to do with dad's credit card. I had commented this morning while leaving the Apple store that his credit card company was going to call him thinking someone had stolen his card. So he decided to contact them and inform them of his trip hoping that they would not call him. In the process of him calling they left a message on his pager which he ignored. He also ignored the five other calls they made to him. He thought they were just being cautious. Although when he called them this afternoon they had indeed found a fraudulent charge.

That's all for tonight. Tomorrow we will finish Iowa (cue the Hallelujah chorus) and hopefully make it up into North Dakota. Until then...

Columbus, Ohio

2007-07-16T07:29:00.000-04:00

We arrived in Columbus last night (early this morning) at 2 am. Yesterday was fun, although long (and I don't like driving late into the night). We made it through Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and part of Pennsylvania.

Officially we began our trip at 5.15 pm. Dad had said we were leaving at 2...but dad's computer wasn't working so we sat on the phone for a while with one of his IT guys. Then we sat in a parking lot with him as he graciously agreed to meet us and try to fix dad's computer. It didn't work (the USB ports are acting up so the GPS device isn't registering with the computer). After that we had to swing by Ritz camera. Then we left. Dad and I calculated approximately how many miles we were going t drive on our trip. To get to Alaska, we are looking at driving 5,200 miles! Round trip we think we are going to drive something like 10,100 miles. Insane.

For dinner we stopped in Cumberland, Maryland. It is a quaint little town on the old C & O Canal. I had never been there before but it was very nice. We stopped in their grocery store and dad got a salad from the salad bar and I got a southwest roast beef wrap. Dad wanted me to report that for our first meal on the road we were very health conscious. We had a little picnic close to the C & O. Actually, it was our first National Park visited. Then we walked around some train tracks (but didn't get a ticket) and took some pictures. Hopefully we will upload those this afternoon (after my computer gets fixed at the Apple store here in Columbus?)

This morning dad and I will be swinging by the computer store. My computer crashed and hopefully we are going to get it fixed. When we leave Columbus, we are going to head across Ohio, probably hit Indiana and Illinois and cut down to St. Louis, Missouri. We'll try to write this afternoon to let you know how far we've gotten.

Until then...

First leg

2007-07-15T13:08:00.001-04:00

So we have already re-routed ourselves. Today/tonight dad and I will be driving to Columbus, Ohio. The entire reasoning behind this is so that we can go to an Apple store in the morning to try and get my computer fixed. But..doing it this way will allow us to visit more states on our trip.

Today is the day!

2007-07-15T12:47:00.000-04:00

Today is the day...of new beginnings, new adventures...whatever you want to call it. Today dad and I depart for Alaska. My computer crashed Friday night and I am not sure if it will be revived by the time we leave (we'll see because we are swinging by the Apple store before heading out of town). Dad and I have yet to decide how we are getting across the country (the current options are through to Pennsylvania, through Kentucky which was the original plan, or through Tennessee which is my preferred option and would allow us to stop for AWESOME bar-b-que in Memphis). Also...dad hasn't packed. :-( I don't know if he realizes that we are leaving in an hour. I guess whatever he forgets to pack he can buy along the way.

Well...I need to finish my laundry and I just found out that my computer isn't getting fixed today (drats). I will start uploading pictures tonight.

Arrived in Virginia

2007-07-11T21:02:00.000-04:00

So I drove to Virginia today. Dad and I are still discussing from where we will start our trip. I say Knoxville, he says Clifton. But I'm cuter than him so maybe I'll win this argument. That, and I'm the navigator of the trip (he has no sense of direction) so I get to chart our route.

I'm spending time with friends before being in a wedding Saturday. We are supposed to leave on Sunday...four days left! Word on the street is that dad still hasn't cut his hair (think bad mullet). I threatened that if he didn't cut it before the trip that the first night while he was sleeping I would do it for him. That threat still stands.

I "packed" for the trip this morning. Dad say to pack anything I thought I would need. He shouldn't of said that. I have one bag for clothes, one bag for shoes, toiletries and my winter jacket/hat/gloves (which could have been put in my clothes bag but I decided it would be good to have an extra duffel for souvenirs), and one bag full of books (guide books, magazines to read, my Bible, a good fiction book, and some of my research materials for my thesis...it's a heavy bag). Of course I had to bring my sleeping bag and a pillow (in which I have a stow away -- Pookie, my teddy bear that I got when I was born...more on him later), my computer and my camera bag, and snacks (cupcakes and Girl Scout cookies). Good thing we are taking the Expedition and not the wind-up cars we drove in the Dominican Republic.

So...four days until we leave. I'll check in tomorrow and let you know who won the discussion (if I win, we get to swing by Memphis and have some bar-b-que).

Road Trip 2007!

2007-07-10T23:58:00.000-04:00

Well, here I go again. Another attempt to keep this blog updated. I think I am bound for success this time, at least for a month and a half. Starting this Sunday, my dad and I will embark on a new adventure -- a road trip to Alaska...and back. Be sure to regularly check this blog where we will post our own little commentary of the trip. It should be one wild ride (literally) as we cut across the US and Canada and find the great North. It will also be an eye-opening experience...can I really spend a month and a half with one person and not go crazy? Who knows...I may end up hitchhiking back to Knoxville. One thing is for sure, raod trips with my dad never lack excitement.

It's five days until take-off and I haven't packed a dang thing.

It's Saturday in Tennessee

2006-09-09T14:04:00.000-04:00

And that can only mean one thing...football! I am anticipating today's game. Not only is my beloved Tennessee playing a home game, which I will be attending, but they are playing the United States Air Force Academy. Hooah! Being a retired Air Force brat, I am all about the cadets. And for those of you who did not know, I wanted to attend the USAFA, but decided against it when I realized I would have to repeat my first two year's of college (I had my associate's degree the spring before I could have entered). Both schools are dear to my heart, so I guess I'll have to root for both of them (but deep down inside I do want the Vols to win). It should be a great game; and I get to go with fellow grad student and friend Casey Holbrook so I'm sure we'll have fun.

But this post is not about my love of football...rather it's to inform you of what else happened this fine Saturday here in Knoxville. This morning at 9 am, 20 singles from Cornerstone Church of Knoxville got together to participate in a cookie outreach. The caregroups in our church graciously baked cookies for us to use and we gave those out to neighbors in the vicinity of the church along with an invitation to our Sunday celebration. It was a great spending time with friends and also sacrificing our Saturday morning to reach out to people who live near our church.

What impacted me the most about today, more than the opportunity to reach out to our neighbors, was the chance to serve together with other singles. I think being able to reach out to the surrounding neighborhoods together, to die to self and fear of man, and to build the kingdom of God was a great way to build together as a group. Because common experiences are what tightens relationships, we experienced together the joy of inviting others to hear the good news and we witnessed others serving and sacrificing a Saturday morning. We had fun interacting while putting together cookie bags in our mini-assembly line, riding in the cars to our neighborhoods, debriefing after handing out cookies and eating lunch together. We shared stories of successes -- a family has been looking for a church and decided to check us out -- or failures -- the door got slammed in our face before we could really extend an invitation. But then again, it was all a success...we did what we were called to as Christians and we showed the surrounding neighborhoods that we genuinely care and desire that they be a part of a good local church. They may come, they may not, but at least they know that we're there and that we want them to visit.

Paul states in Romans, "But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"" (Romans 10:14-15). We may not have been able to share the gospel with the majority of the people we interacted with, but we definitely invited them to a place where they will encounter the gospel.

Today was great! And it really set a new precedent for serving within singles. I believe a lot of people got a vision of how they can be reaching out and how together we can evangelize in the surrounding neighborhoods. And I think it stirred our passion to see the lost hear the gospel and get connected to a local church. It also gave singles a direction to move forward in...we want to seek to serve in our time of singleness, not wasting away the time but using it to the utmost to serve our God and His kingdom.

Proverbs 10:12

2006-09-06T18:21:00.000-04:00

"Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses." ~Proverbs 10:12

Hatred is a strong word, and the word itself evokes powerful images of emotions that would express disdain and absolute disgust. The American Heritage Dictionary defines hatred as, "intense animosity or hostility." Hatred is not just a dislike or an impartiality to, but it is being adamently opposed to, entirely disgusted with, or fiercely hostile to someone or something. More often then not, our hatred is directed towards people, and usually not just anyone. Normally our hatred is geared toward people that we believe have wronged us, sinned against us, did something we did not approve of, or just let us down. Although sinful creatures who have broken every standard set for us by our creator God, we set standards for our fellow sinners. And when their sin or mere humanity cause them to fall short of our standards, we are angered. This anger wells up inside us and becomes intense bitterness which ultimately manifests itself as hatred. Proverbs says that this disdain, animosity, hostility -- this hatred -- causes strife. But what else could one expect? How would you react if you found out that a close acquaintance was harboring the strongest of negative emotions towards you? Honestly, I would hate them right back.

But Solomon does not end in the middle of this proverb, he continues. If hatred stirs up strife, then love covers all offenses. Love would be the opposite of hatred, it is what we are called to: "A new commandment I [Jesus] give to you, that you love one another: just as I [Jesus] have loved you, you also are to love one another (John 13:34). I found Charles Bridges commentary on this verse particularly helpful. In regards to what love looks like, Mr. Bridges states, "Love covers, overlooks, speedily forgives and forgets. Full of candour and inventiveness, it puts the best construction on doubtful matters, searches out any palliation, does not rigidly eye, or wantonly expose a brother's faults; nor will it uncover them at all except so far as may be needful for his ultimate good."

It echoes in our hearts because we have heard similar words on love by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. As I read this, I enjoyed how craftily Mr. Bridges worded his definition, but I quickly got lost in the big words so I re-wrote this with smaller words that were more easily comprehendable, 'Love covers, overlooks, speedily forgives and forgets. Full of impartiality and inventiveness, it puts the best construction on doubtful matters, searches out any attempt to hide the truth, does not watch demandingly, or maliciously expose a brother's faults; nor will it uncover them at all except so far as may be needful for his ultimate good.'

The main gist of what Mr. Bridges is saying is that love does not make continual efforts to point out faults, sins or wrongdoings, but chooses to overlook them for the sake of love itself. Because to love someone, to love a sinner, is a choose to love someone unloveable. But if the sinner is unloveable, then the lover is incapable of loving because as a sinner themselves they do not contain the power to do something good, even if it is what they are called to do as creatures created by God.

But despite our incapabilies and our unloveable nature, we were made lovely by God's amazing work at the cross. He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross. And in the greatest act of love anyone will ever know, He sacrificed His son to save those He created. There on that cross, Jesus was punished for our sins and those sins are what makes us unloveable because those sins are sins against God -- rebellion, hatred, anger, disobedience. So even though we are sinners, we are saved by grace and enabled by His Holy Spirit. He called us to love others as He has loved us. If He were willing to die in our place for a punsihment that we deserved, then we can surely love someone who has wronged us. To love like Christ means to overlook what they have done to you and love them for what they are, creations of God, made in His image to do His work.

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." ~1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Another quick note

2006-09-06T18:11:00.000-04:00

Suzanne was surprised to find out I had a pool, Meagan asked if she could swim in it. For those of you who didn't know I had a pool, it's because it has been out of commission for two years. Yeah...pretty pathetic. But it has a new, clean liner in it, the pump is working, and chemicals are in it. I haven't taken a picture yet but I will soon. Today I went swimming in it with two of my roommates and one of my dogs (Dixie...Daisy hates, with a passion, getting into the pool). The water is freezing! But you warm up to it pretty quick. Anyone wanting to take the plunge, just let me know. Pool memberships are currently being sold at participating franchises. :-)

Today is a new day

2006-09-05T18:40:00.000-04:00

If you were to stand in the middle of campus and take in one deep breath, hold it for a second and let it out you could only come to one conclusion...the fall semester has started, there is a whole new batch of freshman running around wondering what the big orange screw is, VFC is in motion, and FOOTBALL SEASON HAS OFFICIALLY STARTED. I'm not excited or anything.

I am currently sitting in Starbucks in Hodges library. I've already fallen asleep once, dropping my iPod with a loud thud when I awoke suddenly (realizing that I was asleep in the library in front of a window where students were walking by staring at me). For the past hour and a half I have been trying with all my might to be a productive graduate student working on her thesis. It hasn't been as productive as it could be (I haven't actually written that thesis) but I have read up on Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr., a premier landscape architect of the late 1800's, early 1900's. Whopee! Actually, I'm searching with all my might to find some author say in some book that he directly influenced the National Park Service management and policy of early park creation in the early 1900's. I haven't found it yet, but I'm sure there is some book that has it in there, I just have to read it.

In other news, football started Saturday for the Tennessee Volunteers. I scalped a ticket into the game and sat with three of my roommates, Traci, Ashley and Beth. Together, we watched the Vols stomp the overrated Cal Golden Bears (?). It was glorious to watch and to actually be at a football game. For those of you who don't really know me, I have served the last four years in the concession stand that VFC ran...but this year I am not in VFC and they have switched to a different form of booth, and well, I am able to go to the games. I hope to go to the game this weekend, UT vs. Air Force. Hmmm....I can't wait.

Something else to be excited about, my dogs are potty trained. Big news for anyone that is well acquainted with those little beasts of burden. Currently, Dixie is more skilled than Daisy in using the great outdoors, but I'm hoping that Daisy will conquer the learning curve and show Dixie up (at least I can dream).

I still have roommates...Ashley, Beth, Mary, Sarah and Traci. We have a pool that is running as of today (can anyone say midnight swimming?), it just needs some chlorine added to it. And the house now has a cleaning chart and everyone has a chore for the week. That's fun now isn't it?

I manage to still be a Christian after this summer. This week I will get to re-join the Trump caregroup after a three and a half month hiatus. I go to church on Sundays, and now since I don't have staff meetings on Thursday nights I can be actively involved in my singles group. That's a big yay!

Other than that, I am here on campus for the next two and a half hours in which I hope to be ultra-productive. But I thought as a means to waking up I would write a nice post updating the few who still read this blog on my life. Not much happens. I think this semester I will try to get back into my blogging habits. Stay tuned for hopefully more insightful, well-written posts about something that really has pertinence to the readers of this blog (rather than a monologue on my life).

My mom

2006-05-13T08:45:00.000-04:00

My mom was absolutely beautiful...and now I have even more pictures to share with you. I recently "borrowed" the photo boxes from home and have been searching through them to find only the best pictures of my mom. Last night I took a handful to Walgreen's and was able to scan them, get copies, and get a cd made. So...here are some pictures of my gorgeous mom.

Mother's Day

2006-05-09T16:03:00.000-04:00

This upcoming weekend is Mother's Day. Because of this, and just because I miss her, I have been thinking a lot about my mom. I think last year she was in the hospital over Mother's Day. I do have two notes that I had sent her along with care packages full of silly things for her to enjoy while in the hospital (and it was all the most random stuff...I think the only worthwhile item I sent her was a CCK cookbook -- but I came up with a reason for why she needed all the items I sent). I also found the card I sent her last year (belated). I think what I wrote her last year best represents how I think about my mom. And because I like the letter I wrote her, I am going to post it on my blog.

_______________________________

Dear Mom,

Happy (belated) Mother's Day! Like any typical college student (that would be me, oh-so-typical), I wanted to give you this gift in style...late. Sorry I didn't sent this sooner; finals week was more that I anticipated.

Well, I guess this is the part of the card that I'm supposed to tell you how wonderful you are. But what if you weren't wonderful? Would I be obliged to feed you a lie just to make you feel good about yourself on Mother's Day? No. I would, instead, pull away from you and hate you. Our relationship would be a text book definition of a "bad" relationship. You wouldn't bake me a cake for my birthday and I wouldn't give you a card for Mother's Day.

HOWEVER...this is not the case (well, actually, you didn't make me a cake for my birthday). You happen to be a splendid mom who loves me, your sometimes less than splendid daughter. You have given me more than my fair share of hugs and kisses, baked goods, fun memories, excellent dinners, car rides, presents, laughs, and mother talks. You've stood by me, encouraged me, corrected me, laughed at me, and cried at me...you have raised me to be the young lady I am today.

Thanks for your love for me, your patience with me, and for making fun of me. Thanks for being such a super-duper mom! You're the bestest and one day I want to be just like you (as if I'm not already you -- yeesh! I look like you, act like you, cook like you, sin like you, cry at almost everything under the sun like you, like the same stuff you like, etc.).

I love you mom-mom!

Love Jilly, Your Peanut

Good Verse(s) of the Month -->

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Fear not, for I am with you." ~Isaiah 43:1-3, 5

_______________________________

I called my mom "mom-mom" a majority of the time and she always referred to me as her "little peanut". Just if you wanted to know.

An Anniversary

2006-05-06T23:56:00.000-04:00

Exactly two years ago today (May 7) I bought my house which I now affectionately call "The Bex". It has definitely been a blessing in more ways than one, and not just to me. With this house God has enabled me to serve in varying capacities...having VFC functions and garages sales here, hosting people for dinner or brunch (brunch with moms from CCK was definitely a highlight), having girls spend the night on breaks or trips into town, caregroups when the Elledges or Trumps couldn't.

Not only has a lot gone on within the walls, but there have been many residents who have moved in and out over the past two years. Hanging out with Joe and Liz Hamilton the other night, Joe told me how fun he had had recalling all of his past roommates. So today I am going to do the same...we'll see if I can get them all.

1. Liz Hamilton (used to be Hoffard) -- she's my best friend and was my roommate. I think it's safe to say we had a blast sharing a room (unless we were fighting, and then it wasn't so much fun). Good times were had when we took naps at the same time (we were never allowed to take a nap in the room by ourselves, we always HAD to have company), told Sarah Maples to do swan dives into the pool, moving in and having a whole big house to ourselves for a month, and pillow talk practically every night.

2. Traci Thornton -- I've lived with Traci for the past three years. She moved from our apartment into the house in June after I bought it. I enjoy watching movies with Traci, picking on other roommates with her, and playing with the dogs together.

3. Sarah Caflisch -- I've lived with her as long as Traci. We just recently got over our continuing fight of whether or not dogs are better then cats, she loves to play outside in the yard doing work (which is great because I only like to cut the grass), and she keeps the kitchen clean.

4. Sarah Maples -- man, too many fun times were had at her expense. She was the first roommate we initiated, that was fun. She was an awesome roommate and always put others before herself seeking to serve them and love them. That is challenging.

5. Naomi Peden -- she was fun too (which of my roommates haven't been fun?). I remember her taking my picture while I was sitting at my desk in the basement...good laughs were had over that. She always gave good hugs and was a blast to be silly with.

6. Shannon Carr (used to be Hedger) -- she was pretty tight. I didn't really know Shannon when she moved in so it was an experience. And it was neat to watch her trust God and walk through Matt being in Iraq. All the roommates were watching. She also had a crazy side which was fun when it came out.

7. Rose (the great dane) -- the biggest roommate I've ever had. She weighed more than me and bounded up and down the hall like a horse. I loved playing with her and her bear. Good times. And the day we tried to get her to attack a cat in our backyard, priceless!

8. Gabby Wells (soon to be Dalton) -- one day she called and asked if she could move in for the summer, I said why not even though I really didn't know her. We got to experience the quiet girl who erupts into a crazy lunatic every once and a while...weird. We bought the same trail shoes one day at Blue Ridge and got a great deal on them...only to find out afterwards that someone inadvertently marked them down.

9. Tara Ferrell -- that was an interesting summer, I had two roommates in my room with me. Tara lived there Friday - Sunday. It's neat to see how much she has grown since she has lived with us. She was crazy that first summer, but I'd have her back now in a heartbeat.

10. Jessica -- I don't know her last name. She was a friend of Gabby's who lived with us for a month. She roomed in my room on Sunday - Thursday. She was pretty cool from what I got to know of her. She was a nursing major and when she wasn't in summer classes she was a river guide on the Ocoee. Dude, she could have beaten me up.

11. Renee Miller -- another one monther. Renee moved in last fall for a month in between living situations. She was a cool girl to have around...not girly, which was cool. She loved playing with the dogs and wrestled with me when I got bored. One day, we got into a big wrestling match and we both ended up soaking wet from a spray bottle that I used on the dogs. By the end of the day it was broken in many pieces.

12. Ashley Adcock -- I didn't meet her until she was standing on my doorstep at 9 am wanting to move in. She's a cool bean and I've enjoyed seeing her plunge into the church. She gave her testimony this last new member's Sunday, and I cried before she ever started crying. She rolls her eyes a lot, especially at me.

13. Mary Drummond -- my favorite black kid! It was neat having Mary live in the house this semester. I loved watching her get involved with the church and pursuing older women and relationships with them. What a cute kid. She has grown so much just this semester and it's all because of God's grace in her life.

14. Beth Williams -- she's Doug Sexton's little cousin...in case you hadn't heard. She's a grad student in elementary ed, like Sarah and Traci. She snorts when she laughs, has a beautiful smile, gives great hugs, and likes to pretend that she can beat me up (she can't). Beth decided she was going to live with me for the next 18 years after being in the house for only a week.

15. Dixie and Daisy (dachshunds) -- Since these are small dogs, they are not individually roommates, but together they equal one. Dixie is my baby puppy. She's brown and has a big tummy, has a big bark but is scared of everything, and loves to cuddle. Daisy is my white dog with an attitude. Very slender, she often thinks of herself as a princess and she gets very embarrassed very easily. She also loves to be petted.

That's it! Two years and 16 girls have occupied this house (well, have paid rent...we used to joke that Ashley Hedger was another roommate because she hung around so often but I never got a hold of her for rent). That's a lot of girls...it's also a load of stories about God's wonderful grace which is so magnificently displayed in all of these girls' lives. I have enjoyed living with every girl (except maybe Dixie and Daisy on their bad days) and count it a privilege to get to know them all.

So...here's to two years at the Bex!

Summer Reading

2006-05-01T17:22:00.000-04:00

Each summer I like to make grand plans of reading as much as I possibly can of material that does not pertain to my academic education. This summer, I have already picked out, and started, books on my summer reading list. I will be honest with myself and say that I have a big task ahead of me...Especially considering my summer circumstances -- working 40 hours a week, researching and writing for my thesis, potentially moving. Throwing in three big books is going to mean I'll have to really buckle down and read hard. But I am excited, hopefully I will at least read two of the three.

The first book that I want to read this summer was a left-over from last year's summer reading list. Jonathan Edwards "Charity and its Fruit" has been towards the top of my list yet farthest from my book stack over the past year and a half. The book is a collection of exposition sermons Mr. Edwards gave on 1 Corinthians 13 and love. It's a thick book and a tough read, but I read chapter one the other day and enjoyed myself. Here are some quotes that stuck out to me: "for if there be no love [in our heart toward God and man], nothing that is done can be spontaneous and free, but all must be forced" but "if your heart is full of love, it will find vent; you will find or make ways enough to express your love in deeds".

The second book that I want to read and started today is "Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure" by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. I have never had a desire to read this book because I have never thought that I was 'spiritually depressed'. And I don't know if I would classify myself as that now. I wanted to read this book because I thought it may be helpful to a friend and I was wanting to recommend it -- but having never read it I wasn't sure if it would actually serve them or not. However, having read the first chapter today, I think this book will still serve me. The first chapter was about knowing ourselves and speaking truth to ourselves rather than listening to ourselves.

And the last book on my summer reading list is Randy Alcorn's new book "Heaven". My roommate Mary got that book a couple weeks ago and ever since then I've been wanting to pick it up. I have enjoyed all of Mr. Alcorn's books, especially "In Light of Eternity" and I thought this new book would be a great continuation on a study of heaven. I hope to pick it up at church this Sunday or at a bookstore sometime this month.

It's official

2006-04-27T15:19:00.000-04:00

Exactly at 6.20 pm, Thursday April 27, I will never have to enter a classroom setting for another degree. My evening class tonight marks the end of seven years of coursework. Of course, I have a take-home test and a paper to complete by the end of next week before I can say that I will never have homework for the rest of my life...but today was a big enough milestone for me to post about. So that's it, no more classes ever that will be put toward a degree. (But now I have a whole thesis to write...so I'm not out of the clear of the dreaded Black Forest of Schoolwork -- it's just a different degree of torture.)

Today is absolutely gorgeous! i am sitting outside the geography building waiting for a class to begin. In a minute I'll walk in a grab a seat. Colloquium this week (a one credit class that is pass-fail that serves practically no purpose whatsoever) is an awards session. So it will be even more blah than usual. But I had better grab a seat int he back before the other graduate students beat me to it. Perhaps I'll find a Daily Beacon underneath my chair that I can use to buy away the time. :-)

PS Today is my dad's birthday...he is legally past ancient.

More baking adventures

2006-04-24T15:12:00.000-04:00

This weekend, I had the opportunity to represent my caregroup in a bake-off at our church's Family Fun Day. Two people from each caregroup participated. I was teamed up with Michelle Ettinger, a freshman who became a Christian over Christmas break. Saturday we got together to bake a super-awesome creation which would be entered into the bake-off and judged Sunday afternoon.

Michelle and I decided to make a chocolate-raspberry cheesecake. I got a chance to taste it after it was judged, and I didn't really like it (I'm not a chocolate-raspberry girl...I'd rather just chocolate). But it looked nice -- in fact, it looked so nice that it received an honorable mention for best presentation. Pretty nifty! Especially when you consider how many amazing moms and cooks entered into the bake-off. Above is a picture of our masterpiece before we arrived to the church.

9 months ago...

2006-04-20T22:21:00.000-04:00

This past Easter weekend had me thinking a lot about last year. On Easter Sunday (at least I think that was Easter) last year, April 17, my mom called and told me that a distant cousin/close friend had died on her birthday. Bethany, who was my best bud growing up in Los Angeles and Northern Virginia, died April 16 on her twentieth birthday. Her death was entirely unexpected. I remember hearing my mom's voice that Sunday, I could hear the sorrow that a mom would feel just thinking about losing a daughter.

I got to go up for the funeral which was the next weekend. Dad had graciously purchased a plane ticket and I arrived Friday afternoon. Both mom and dad picked me up, and we headed straight for the Wears' house. It was rough seeing Steve and Judy, and I know it was especially rough for them to see me -- I was only 2 months and 4 days older than Bethany. That night we attended the wake and the next morning we were at the funeral. It was a tough weekend, and the first time I had ever experienced a death of someone close.

3 months later to the day that Bethany died, my mom passed away in July. And this last Sunday, on the nine month anniversary, I was thinking a lot about that. On Sunday, I was serving in children's ministry at church so I had not planned on dressing up. But last second I decided to wear a skirt since it was, after all, Easter and if my parents had been there they would have made me dress up. I chose to wear the outfit that I wore to mom's funeral.

As I got ready Sunday morning, putting my make-up on, doing my hair and getting dressed I found myself remembering the morning of mom's funeral. I remember getting ready in the bathroom by the kitchen and riding to the church with the crew that came up from Knoxville (Joe and Liz Hamilton, Laura Luster, Sarah Caflisch, Traci Thornton, Sarah Maples, and Diem Trump -- and as an aside, I joined the Trump caregroup mid-May and two months later Diem was jumping in an Expedition to drive 8 hours to attend my mom's funeral!). I vividly remember spending time in the room set up for family and close friends before the memorial. And I can see myself, as if I were doing it now, walking down the aisle of the auditorium to take my seat up front for the service.

This last Sunday, as I thought about that day, I heard the thoughts I was thinking as I walked down the aisle. I kept thinking, "stand up tall, smile, look like you are doing well". I thought if I could show other people that I thought it was okay that mom died, that perhaps they would take it better. Of course it hurt, and of course I didn't want mom to go, but she got to go to heaven and I was excited for that. I thought if I were to smile big enough that other people might smile and they wouldn't be so sad.

I remember worship as we sang the songs, I had to force myself to believe the words. But as I forced my mind to think of the truth that the words represented, I found that I was able to actually worship my God. The first song we sang was Across the Great Divide. I wanted that song first because it tells of the great work God has done for us -- about how He died on a cross for our sins and saved us from His eternal wrath. It was about our salvation. Next we sang Blessed Be Your Name which reminds us that God is ultimately in control and all is done according to His will. And lastly we sang No One Like You. "There is no on like you, there has never ever been anyone like you." God is unchanging and we know that God will remain the same, always faithful, always loving, always true. And always doing good in the lives of His children whom He has saved because of His death on the cross. Because of that, I could truly worship God that day at mom's funeral.

This last Sunday, thinking about that day, I was able to remember all the little details. The service, the drive from the church to the cemetery (and the joke about stopping to use the bathroom when the limo went the wrong way), sitting in the chairs by the grave, kissing mom's coffin, the reception at the church (and asking the music be changed to something more upbeat), going home, taking a nap, saying goodbye to my friends from Knoxville, that evening going to bed knowing mom wasn't upstairs.

But all that thinking about that day in July made me think about that day in the future when I will see Jesus face to face. One day I'll get to see my Savior. How joyous! And not only am I excited for the day when I will see my Creator, but I will also get to see Bethany and my mom...and mom will probably be wearing pink.

Meet the Trumps

2006-04-17T07:57:00.000-04:00

The Trumps are one of my favoritest families ever! I've had the privilege of getting to know them over this past year as I have been a member of their caregroup. They have faithfully served me in providing counsel and praying for me. I enjoy spending time with their family because they are so down to earth and so fun to be around (and because their Asian).

Chris is awesome. For one, he's the whitest boy this side of the Mississippi, but he will swear that he's Asian (and sometimes I believe him). He has a great sense of humor that makes relating to him very easy. He continually encourages me as he provides insight into my life.

Diem is the most caring and loving person in the entire world. Ever since I joined their caregroup, Diem has gone out of her way to serve me and care for me (like bringing me deer meat spaghetti and flowers after I had surgery last May). She excels at looking to the interests of others and is a great example of a godly wife and mother.

Anna and Jake are the other two in the picture. They are adorable kids (don't you think?) and are a joy to be around. This morning, they became big sister and big brother to a new sibling. Baby Cole was born this morning very early, around 4.30 am. I can't wait to see him!

One Weekend in Charlotte

2006-04-03T10:47:00.000-04:00

This last weekend, Thursday to Sunday, I spent time in Charlotte, North Carolina with 900 other women. These ladies came from all Sovereign Grace's Mid-South region and converged at Crossway Community Church for Encounter, a women's conference. We enjoyed listening to Carolyn Mahaney (the wife of CJ Mahaney and author of books Feminine Appeal and Girl Talk) and Carolyn McCulley (an older single lady who works for Sovereign Grace and has written Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye: Trusting God with a Hope Deferred) give various messages relating to Biblical femininity (beauty, trusting God, contentment) and the varying roles of women within the church (mentoring relationships, singleness). It was a great time of refreshment, encouragement, and fellowship. I had heard the material shared in other messages and at other conferences, but it was great to be freshly reminded of how God has called me to Biblical femininity and to be in the company of other women who are also being encouraged to grow in similar ways. It was a great break from the world, being separated from the demands of culture and being able to rest in what God has called me to and being satisfied in that calling.

The messages were great, but what I enjoyed most about the conference was the opportunity to hang out with girls/ladies from our church. Moms that would normally be busy watching their kids were all of a sudden present with no one to chase, correct or discipline. I had a blast hanging out with Eileen Elledge, Alison Sexton, Jenny Sanders, and Scarlett Cornell. I also got to spend a lot of time with single ladies such as Jennifer Sagraves, Laura Luster, Leslie Bowden, Tobi Wilkes, Naomi Peden, and Mackenzie Hatmaker. And, I always love hanging out with my roommates...I roomed with Beth Williams and Mary Drummond (and even though Sarah Caflisch was at the conference, I hardly saw her I didn't get a picture of her).

I had two special memories from the conference hanging out with girls. The first was dinner with Alison, Jenny, Beth, and Mary at the Olive Garden. We had invited Alison, Jenny, Scarlett, and Anna but do to circumstances, Scarlett and Anna didn't arrive until the end. It was a great time of hanging out with older women, asking them questions, listening to their perspective, and being silly with them.

Another memory was riding in the car with Beth, Mary and Naomi on the way back to the hotel after one of the evening sessions. We put on the King of Kings/Lord of Lords medley we have sung in church and were loudly singing along. It was so fun listening to Mary belting out and Beth and Naomi clapping along. It was definitely a bonding moment.

Below are some of my favorite pictures from the conference. I hope you enjoy, and if you would like to see more see the post below for the web address to my gallery page.

Encounter 2006

2006-04-02T21:20:00.000-04:00

I got back from the women's conference this evening. It was SO awesome! I had so many pictures that I wanted to share with you, but I couldn't fit them all on my blog. So, here is a link to my gallery page that I have. Please check the pictures out because they are of some pretty nifty people! I will be posting further thoughts on Encounter later.

http://www.pbase.com/jbricke1

Life Without Vision Quest

2006-03-23T17:43:00.000-05:00

Spring break...two words that send every college student's heart a flutter. Wild parties, exotic locations and good food are the substance of dreams that kids have when thinking about what they will do for spring break. And it's a symbol of status...where you go and what you do is all that is talked about with your friends. Building a house for Habitat for Humanity in Louisville, Kentucky, ranks low compared to partying hard in Cancun, Mexico.

But the best spring break trip by far happens to be Vision Quest. Most people haven't heard of it and never will...and those to experience it are the students involved in Cornerstone Church of Knoxville's campus outreach Volunteers for Christ. It had gone on strong for over a decade, and this year 124 people jumped into any mode of transportation they could and headed down to Laguna Beach, Florida, to enjoy sound teaching, Biblical fellowship, and of course, the beach. And out of 124 people guess who didn't get to go...yes, you would be correct if you guessed me.

Last semester I made the big jump from VFC to singles (previously known as SPAM -- Singles Passionate About the Mission -- but that name got canned because it is corny). I found, as a graduate student, that I was unable to serve effectively within VFC -- I wasn't able to help out with Bible studies, I couldn't make the Thursday night meetings, and by the time the weekend rolled around I had spent so many nights that week in class that I wanted to stay home rather than go to VFC functions. It was difficult, especially since the previous year I did everything VFC...essentially I built my life around it and the church and allowed my schoolwork to fill in whatever time was left. But this year was different...I was forced to grow up and make schoolwork a bigger priority. My inability to commit to VFC made me very sad, but God providentially opened the door for me to make a smooth transition into singles. So, I tried as hard I could to grow up so I could hang out with the big kids.

However there was one downside...me not being apart of VFC meant that I couldn't partake in the annual spring break trip, Vision Quest. I was very sad because of this, but was determined to make the best of my spring break. With lofty goals of both relaxing and getting a lot of homework done, I set out to achieve the impossible. I have been sure to sleep in every day, stay up very late, eat junk (no bake cookies and french fries topping the list), rent movies hang out with friends. What I have failed to do is homework, most important errands, I almost forgot to pay bills (but was able to get that done the other day), and be responsible.

It's strange not being at VQ but mentally remembering everything that happens. At any given moment, I would be able to tell you what they were doing in Laguna Beach (playing basketball, baptisms, meeting, lunch, etc.). It has made me miss Vision Quest terribly. But it has also provided a great opportunity for me, as a past VFCer...because I know what Vision Quest is like, and I have experienced all the Lord has done in my life and the lives of my friends, I can effectively pray for all the kids at Vision Quest. And this week, it has been an absolute joy to put requests to the Lord in hopes that He is (and for sure He is) meeting them and encouraging them, revealing sin and baptizing them with His spirit. So although I can't be there in body, I'm totally there in spirit and I'm carrying all the VFCers in my heart as they finish out the week strong in Laguna Beach.

And as a little testimony -- my brother Stephen went to VQ this year, practically kicking and screaming because he wanted to go to Virginia instead. I had written him a note telling him I would be praying for him, wishing he would have fun, and also letting him know that my favorite day at VQ is Wednesday for three reasons: 1. it is taco salad day, 2. I received the gift of tongues last year on Wednesday night during extended worship, 3. Wednesday last year was the day my brother decided to come to UT, at the last possible second. Well, today I talked to my brother, and he has told me he is having an absolute BLAST at Vision Quest. God has really used this trip to speak to my brother's heart and draw him closer to Him. He said that he thinks Wednesday is the best day of the trip (probably because of the taco salad for lunch)...he said extended worship was unlike anything he had ever experienced. And if that wasn't enough, my baby brother got baptized today! And when he called he was crying and he told me he wished I was there to share that with him. It made me cry...tears of joy and thankfulness.

All the kids get home tomorrow night late, and I'll be there greeting them. Anyone else who wants to come be a welcome party, feel free to swing by the church parking lot between 10 and midnight.