Two weeks in paradise...

I have been thinking about writing this blog since we got back on Saturday. I am not entirely sure how to capture our trip to Puerto Rico, St. John, and St. Thomas in words and pictures, as I'm not quite sure either can do our trip justice. But I figure it's time I stop stalling and give this a go. 

Our adventure began at Isla Verde Beach, where we floated, paddled and swam for hours on end. I also screamed bloody murder when Trevor discovered a baby crab sitting in my hair. I was not happy. I am pretty sure, though, that Trevor could not have been more pleased.

We also enjoyed piraguas (a.k.a. snow cones). Let me just say that I consider myself an expert on snow cones and shaved ice, and there is truly no place on the planet that makes a snow cone like Puerto Rico does. The ice is shaved by hand and DRENCHED in the syrup of your choice. These really should win some worldwide culinary award.

We also visited El Morro, and old Spanish fortress that sits just outside of Old San Juan. Trevor sat on balls (because I made him), and I straddled a canon (because I wanted to), but because I write this blog, the only picture you will see is the one of Trevor sitting on balls.

I snapped this photo of my dad and Trevor at El Morro and I love it. It makes me happy.

Trevor found a girlfriend at our second hotel...Pica the big-ass bird. She was obsessed with him and followed him up and down the stairs and insisted on sitting on his arm. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with me. Isn't that how the other woman always acts?

We had a wonderful time spending our evenings with my family. Trevor met my grandmother, my aunt, and my cousins, and let me just say for the record that they were FASCINATED with my husband. Apparently a white boy who eats anything in front of him is enough to win over an entire Cuban brood. He is now affectionately known as "El Americano," and I am pretty sure Trevor has now helped to bridge the cultural gap for white people everywhere.

We then rode a ferry to St. John to visit friends of Trevor from college. The ferry ride was amazing and much needed after the 40-minute flight in a prop plane to St. Thomas almost had me puking my guts out.

While in St. John, this is what you can expect to see - 1) humping donkeys on the side of the road, 

2) spectacular views no matter where you go, 

and 3) turquoise beaches galore.

We went to St. John to visit Maya, one of Trevor's close friends from college. She took us snorkeling at several spectacular beaches and so we snorkeled for hours. We saw a stingray feeding (amazing but scary), a little crew of reef squid (I swear they stare at you), and an incredible array of fish that come in an incredible array of colors. Maya also fed us like kings and queens every night and never once poked fun of us for having to move to a hotel because we were dying without air conditioning. I love her.

Our last day in St. John we went sailing around the island with some friends of Maya. Now Trevor wants a sailboat (thank you Tony for already getting one). I must admit, though, that sailing is amazingly fun and relaxing, especially if you are the one who just has to sit there and enjoy the ride, which is exactly what I did.



We spent our last day of vacation in St. Thomas, at which point we were so exhausted we went to the beach and once again floated, paddled, and swam for hours, which is exactly how one should bid farewell to the Caribbean. Farewell, my Caribbean! Until next time ... and there will be a next time.

Bigger Bags

In three days we will board a plane headed for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

After checking out our "To get..." list, I am starting to think we need bigger bags.

I think I can fit in the goat and pig, but I am not so sure about the motorcycle and tractor.

Note to self - when creating a list of things to get before a 2-week vacation, make sure to tell the husband what the list is for.

A sign???

This is what happens when you hop in the shower for a quick rinse and your dog discovers your basal thermometer that fell under your bed just this very morning. I decided I had two choices: 

#1 - Kill the dog. 

#2 - Take a picture and write a post on my blog.

You can see which decision I made and I'm still not quite sure it was the right one. Okay, okay, I'm overreacting. After all, it's not the dog's fault that the thermometer was under the bed to begin with, and there is also the small little detail that I can always go buy a new thermometer while I'm pretty sure I can't go find a new Moo.

Still, I can't help but wonder whether or not this is some sort of sign that I'm supposed to stop trying to "bake a little bun in my little oven (yes, I chose the word "little" to make myself feel better). We've been trying for 11 months now - 11 MONTHS, PEOPLE, and if you can't tell, I'm about to freakin' LOSE it! I suppose that, yet again, there are really only two choices:

#1 - Close the "bakery" down.

#2 - Go purchase new "baking" utensils.

This analogy is getting out of hand...Fred Meyer's here I come.

Poo-poo

I had every intention of writing this post yesterday. After all, yesterday was our one-year anniversary and I had it all planned out - I was going to describe our wedding day and give all the reasons why I love being married. It was going to be beautiful. 

And then the flu happened. So instead of writing beautiful memoirs and enjoying a romantic dinner for two, I spent the entire day curled in a fetal position on the couch battling a fever and explosive poo-poo, and my husband never left my side. All I could think of was my all-time favorite quote, which my brother so graciously included in our wedding ceremony - "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."

Prior to the flu, however, I managed to snap this picture of Trevor with our wedding cake topper, which my mother-in-law graciously saved for us - flowers and all - for the past year. We have yet to enjoy a slice due to the explosive poo-poo, but maybe by tomorrow all will be "settled."

Also prior to the flu we spent a wonderful weekend with Trevor's family to celebrate Father's Day. Trevor's brother Gavin, his wife Tiffany, and their son Wyatt came into town which was probably the best Father's Day gift my father-in-law could have received. He was thrilled to tote around his grandson and somehow, some way we didn't get on picture of that. Funny how that happens...But we did get some other good family photos, as seen below.

Happy Late 1st Anniversary, baby. I love you more today than I did yesterday. I keep waiting for that not to happen but you never cease to amaze me with your integrity, your charm, your commitment, and your friendship. You are the man I always dreamed of. Thank you.

Now, may the poo-poo go away and may we celebrate in style...sooner than later, please.

The End of a Chapter

So this is it, and I'm not quite sure what to feel.

In August I will be unpacking my boxes in a different classroom in a different building, and while I have been waiting for this time to come for literally the last two years, now that it is here I want to both jump for joy and crawl under my covers to cry for a while.

When I came to PHS six years ago to complete my student teaching, I had no idea what an impact this place would have on my life. At the time, I really believed that I would finish my 10-week student teaching gig and then either move to Seattle to be near my sister or move to Ellensburg to be with someone who shall remain nameless and who, to this day, reminds me that sometimes heartache is a blessing in disguise. Needless to say, neither of these moves happened mostly because 1) I fell in love with the students here, 2) they offered me a job immediately following my student teaching, and perhaps most importantly, 3) divine intervention does indeed exist.

Divine intervention, you ask? Yes, my friends, DIVINE INTERVENTION. And I can prove it. Dim the lights and cue the music...

• Because of PHS I met Bonita Flanagita, who quickly became my partner in crime and just as quickly became a part of my internal makeup. She simply has become a part of me. We have been there for each other through every loss and every gain and I truly cannot imagine my life without her.
• Because of PHS I met Natalie K., who came into my life EXACTLY when I needed her. She embraced me fully into her life and brought back laughter into my life, which I so desperately needed. Plus, she led me to Alissa S., who has become my sounding board on life, love, and politics. I don't know what I would do without her.
• Because of PHS I was "reunited" with Tony and Melanie. We had always kept in touch and would occassionally get together for a dinner once we all were living in the T-Cs, but it wasn't until Melanie started her student teaching at PHS that we became inseperable. I don't really know how to say it, but when I think of Melanie I just feel so proud because she represents all that I want to be - passionate, empathetic, driven, strong, and beautiful. Our bond is stronger than friendship. Really, what we have done is become family. I, for one, cannot wait to grow old together. It won't be pretty, but it will be a hell of a lot of fun.
• Because of PHS I stayed in the T-Cs which means that I was finally able to meet the love of my life. I still find it fascinating that both Trevor and I moved back here during the same month of the same year. While we didn't meet until five years later, I often feel like we were living parallel lives and it was only a matter of time before our paths were supposed to cross. Trevor reminds me everyday that HE is EXACTLY why I was supposed to stay here. As Melanie has often said, he is the ying to my yang, and life without him is unimaginable..
• And of course because of PHS I learned that people are inherently GOOD. I saw this everyday in my coworkers (Cathy, Phyllis, Marty, Sarah, Tom, Stacy, Rachel, Brad...just to name a few) and in my students (Mayra, Marcos, Vernice, Brandon, Jose, Celeste, Jesse, Cynthia, Brittany, Eric, Emmanuel, Yuritzi, Adriana, My, Sofia, Dimitri, Dominic, Daniel...I really could go on and on...). These people have touched me with their modesty, their humor, their grace, and their integrity. I have to say, when I went into teaching I only thought about the difference I would make. I never imagined that the difference I would make would be miniscule in comparison to the difference these kids would make in my life. They have made me a better human being, and for that I owe them the world.

Do you believe me now? This life that I am leading now is the life I was always supposed to have. It is the life I dreamed of as a child - one in which I look forward to going to work everyday, one in which I feel like what I do matters, one in which I am surrounded by friends and family who love me and support me, and one in which I am walking side-by-side with a man who brings out the best in me.

Goodbye, PHS. What a ride it has been...and thank you for preparing me for the next one.

25 Years and Still Counting!

Last night my mom was recognized for 25 years of teaching for the Richland School District and Trevor and I were there to take pictures and give flowers, just like any proud children would do. In total, she has actually taught for 40 years, which just seems unbelievable to me but is nonetheless true. Check my mother out...


...they gave her this beautiful painting for her years of service. Apparantly at 30 years you get an even bigger painting and at 35 years you get an even bigger, bigger one. I am assuming that at 40 years they will come and paint a mural in your house.

Outside of the whole teaching thing, though, last night got me thinking about my mom and about her ability to survive and persevere. The truth is, 25 years ago my mother packed up her three kids, her furniture, and some boxes of stuff into a U-Haul and left behind the town that marked the end of her marriage to my father. This move was a huge risk. She knew nobody in Richland and had not taught high shool for a little over five years. My mom has often said this was the best move of her life. She raised her kids with peace, established lifelong friendships, and continues to make an impact teaching teenagers a little bit of Spanish. In fact, wherever we go in the Tri-Cities, we run into at least one person who once sat in her classroom and my mother usually remembers their Spanish name. Yes, my mother is indeed amazing.

I am just glad that for once I got to cheer my mother on, as she has always been my number one cheerleader. Here's to my mom...Go, mama, go!

Reunited, And It Feels So Good!!!

A little less than a year ago, as Trevor and I embarked on our honeymoon in Greece, we had no inkling of the friendships we would begin to forge with a group of Tenneseeans who happened to be on the same Grecian tour. For both Trevor and I, this group became our saving grace as the vast majority of the people on the tour turned out to be old, grumpy, cantakerous complainers. This weekend, Candace and Kelly -two of the initial group of six - flew out to Seattle to experience the Pacific Northwest, and let me just say for the record, we had the BEST time. We went to a Mariners' game, walked for hours around the city, and drove to Anacortes to catch the ferry to experience the San Juan Islands. Best of all, we laughed for hours (literally), we ate an enourmous amount of food (literally), and we engaged in inspiring conversations on an array of topics (most of which shall remain nameless).

While we left Greece last July hoping to keep in touch, this weekend proved you truly can make friends wherever you go. Here is to the start of a beautiful friendship...