Adventure in the Bahamas

We went on a cruise for our 2-year anniversary/birthday/etc. Here are our favorite pictures! Our top 25 favorite memories:

25. A leisurely drive to Miami, with an overnight stop in Savannah, Georgia

24. Figuring out our "Blues Name" at a BBQ restaurant in Savannah, mine is "Jailhouse Dog Davis"

23. Getting an amazing deal ($83!) on a four star room at the Hyatt in downtown Miami overlooking the river-- thank you hotwire.com!

22. Watching cars go by in Nassau, Bahamas and looking for the scrapes on their bumpers-- apparently they drive like we play bumper cars!

21. Finding the "real" Happy Valley-- it's a Chinese restaurant

20. Getting up early to watch the sun rise over Half Moon Cay

19. Going to the obn-board sushi cart every day :)

18. Rolling with the movement of the ship, and being the only ones NOT drunk!

17. Eating lots and lots of yummy food!

16. Eating real Cuban food in Little Havana, Miami

15. Shopping in Nassau, and bargaining for a "Coach" purse.

14. Laughing at everyone else who apparently fell asleep in the sun.... they had some amazing sunburns!

13. Enjoying 70 degree weather in March

12. Seeing beautiful and picturesque beaches

11. Being amazed that the water really is THAT clear!

10. Not having to cook, clean, or make our bed!

9. Snorkeling just off the beach of Half Moon Cay and snorkeling over corals teeming with fish in Nassau

8. Finding cool towel animals on our bed

7. The Love and Marriage game show--hilarious!

6. Hearing some of the FAQ's aboard the ship-- including, "What elevation are we at?" and "What religion are the people who wear the patches behind their ears?" The cruise director blithely answered "A-pache"

5. Exploring Gibbs Cay, a beautiful uninhabited island just off Grand Turk

4. Snorkeling in Grand Turk less than half a mile from a 7,000 foot underwater precipice

3. Kissing a sting ray

2. Kissing each other

1. Being suspended 500 feet above the sea going 50 miles per hour-- parasailing is AMAZING!

* No stingrays were harmed in the making of this video

Our Dog is Funny

Memory

As I've been sitting here in my chair at 2:30 in the morning working on an Oracle upgrade for work, my mind has started to drift. Luckily the upgrade is running several hours of self-automated scripts.

I'm reflecting on memory, specifically. Recently in one of my classes, my professor stated, "When everything else goes away, all you have left is your memories". I am going to attempt to recount some important or interesting memories I have had, hopefully without waxing too nostalgic. Maybe one day when I have amnesia, this will help me remember.

1. When I was probably 7 or 8, my family lived in California. My mom has always been a major green thumb and always interested in plants and horticulture. One day a fellow of what I remember to be hispanic origins was talking to my mother about the landscaping in our neighborhood. I think at the time my Dad was at work. I distinctly remember not liking him. At all. He and my Mom went to examine some ivy or vines or something for what seemed like an eternity. She started to be gone so long that I became extremely upset. My 7 year old mind had decided my mother had run off with this guy. It was truly heartbreaking for me for the hour or so she was gone. Of course she came back and didn't leave my dad for a hispanic landscaper. I think this is one of my earliest memories that taught me the importance of family.

2. In the winter of 1993 to 1994, my family moved from Stanton, California (for real.) to Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. That was an INCREDIBLE adjustment, even for a 9 year old. Some of the most important lessons and developments I have made, were made because of that move. I met some people that were great friends for a long time. It also exposed me to prejudice for the first time. People in CA were by in large very progressive and tolerant of differences, but I found Bloomsburg to be somewhat different.

3. The setting is winter 2001, Cincinnati, OH. I was on a charter bus, somewhere. I was a member of a singing/dancing group known as the Glen Este Counterpoint Show Choir. Some of my most fond and painful memories come from this time period. Without digressing, suffice it to say that I hope my children get involved in something half as meaningful as that was to me. Being involved in a competitive team with a morally straight leader is an experience to be coveted.

4. Las Vegas, Nevada, August 10, 2004. Imagine the picture of a 19 year old young man in a suit, walking down Fremont Street. Not the glitzy part with the Stratosphere; take Fremont east a mile or two, and you know where I was. In a suit. In 117 degrees. Talking to every drunk, drug addict, prostitute, and down to earth good person (quite the mix, no?) about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I don't know if that day had any impact on others, but it helped shape my character that would allow me to spend 2 years serving the people of Las Vegas. I've come to love them, despite the wayward ways of many of them.

5. By now you're probably not reading anymore. If you are, time for a nice juicy memory :P. The love of my life, Marina, and I were sealed for time and eternity in the Mesa Arizona Temple. An unusually hot day in March, we were surrounded by our family to celebrate the best decision I will ever make in my life. That was nearly 2 years ago, and I wouldn't have done it any differently. I love you, Marina.

Ok, ok, I suppose after writing all that a couple of things come to mind. One, why on earth does it take so long to update an Oracle database??? And two, maybe this is more appropriate for a journal; BUT, my hope is that those few that read this will delve back into their past and relish the memories of both the happy and sad times. You'll be pleasantly surpised at what you can learn, feel, remember and enjoy.

Good night all!

I got bangs!

I gave myself a haircut and got bangs! 

I was going for Kate Hudson in "Bride Wars"

The last time I had bangs was High School, so it's been an adventure!

One "Steamy Night!"

Steve and I share many things in common. Not the least of these is the same birthday. This often causes confusion. We often get “You don't really have the same birthday, do you???" Indeed, we do. Steve is only 3 hours older than me, which makes celebrating our birthday quite an event. 

This year we chose to go to The Melting Pot. It was AMAZING!!!! If you ever have a really special occasion, go there! It is well worth it although a bit pricey. 

You start with a cheese fondue. The cheeses are all high quality, but do be adventurous-- you can eat cheddar anytime! To dip, you get apples, chunks of bread, and raw vegetables.

Next, (not pictured) is the salad. This was probably one of the best salads I have ever eaten. Unfortunately, you have to pace yourself! 

Then came the main course. Delectable is all I can say. We had lamb, steak, chicken, pot stickers, and shrimp. It also comes with vegetables to cook. 

Finally, dessert. They really save the best for last! Ours was flambéed right in front of us! 

Words cannot describe!!!

Sorry this is a little belated! If you were wondering… our birthday is January 22nd. :) 

Snow Days!

I have to admit-- when I heard Monday that Greenville was expecting 3-6 inches of snow, I was skeptical. Let's just say, watching the news was even more amusing. 

Needless to say, I was pleasantly suprised when I awoke Tuesday morning to this: 

Apparently, both of the snow plows in Greenville were working overtime, so they closed school both Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Which gave Fletcher a chance to show off his Christmas sweater. 

Serpentine Adventure

This weekend we went on a whim to Wilmington, NC. Despite the GPS giving us super long directions, we had a great time. The highlight of the trip for me was definitely the Cape Fear Serpentarium. This place rocks. I'm going to post some pictures, but suffice it to say that even if you fear or dislike snakes, its terribly captivating. Some might find it a bit macabre because of the nature of the exotic snakes (and their venom!), but its truly awesome.

Unfortunately a lot of the pictures we took didn't quite come out due to the glass and dark lighting in the serpentarium. I've posted some of my favorite pictures that DID come out.

This one is huge! A giant anaconda that had to be at least 20+ feet in length. This picture really doesn't show scale well, but his midsection was larger than the thigh of most full grown men.


I can't remember the species of the above snake, but I believe it is a Diamondback rattler of some kind. Western, perhaps. Emily, help me out on this one?


Probably one of my favorite displays they had. They had 3 Gaboon Viper's in this display, although you can only see two in this photo. They're beautiful, but I would never want to get in a fray with one. It was especially interesting how thick around the middle they are for their length. Oh, and their 'horns' are really menacing.


This is a Western Green Mamba. The owner of the serpentarium was in West Africa somewhere, and he saw this specimen and thought at first it was just some harmless grass snake; as he went to pick it up with his bare hands, one of assistants yelled out "Look at his head, its shaped like a coffin!"...Had the director picked him up, he could've had his own coffin waiting - this is one of the deadliest snakes alive.


This one is also quite deadly - it is one of several species of Asiatic Spitting Cobras. Their venom can be projected quite a distance and prove deadly very quickly for most.


Arguably the deadliest snake in the world, the Taipan. Consider that it has enough venom to kill 100 adult humans, and that it is extremely aggressive. This little guy was hiding, but I don't mind too much.


That's one crazy looking snake! Ok, ok. Its a "Man-eating Crocodile". I'm not making that up, either. You can zoom in on this picture and see how close proximity they let you get - its pretty wild how icky his teeth look too.



Ok, I'm pretty bummed that my bushmaster pics didn't turn out too well. Just read this - click on it for a big version. Its crazy. That's all I can say.


I believe this is Green Tree Boa...but I'm not 100% sure. It might be an Emerald Tree Python. Again, Emily, feel free to correct me :). This guy was GORGEOUS.


Here's a veritable bevy of Eyelash Viper's. I believe there are 4-5 of them. The color is even more striking in person. They're pretty small compared to the other snakes they had, however.


Ok, those are the pictures for now. Snakes that we saw that aren't pictured are the likes of a 20 foot Retic. Python, several Blackheaded Busmasters, a Puff Adder, quite a few local rattlesnake types, a Siamese Cobra, Giant Lanceviper, Jumping Cobra, etc. It was amazing, and I really recommend it as a fun activity!