Friday, September 29, 2006

dive photo!



me and fred just after i finished my last test
julianne made a movie so hopefully she can find a cord to put it onto her mac so i can put it onto mine. it's really hard to smile with a regulator in your mouth so in case you can't tell, i'm ecstatic.

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

now in FL

were in FL now. i went scuba diving in the ocean twice yesterday. the first time was no problem and as part of the SOP, we just swam around. fred took me up and since i didnt want to get back on the boat (i get woozie) we just hung out at the surface. then he decided since i didnt want to get out of the water we might as well do some tests to get them out of the way. i had practiced these skills before in the hotel pool next to the dive shop with Mike, a friend of Fred's and a divemaster. i passed them all no problem. i must say though that the pool is much easier b/c if i mess up i can just stand up. however i tried really hard not to do that since i knew i couldnt do that in the ocean. i have to take off my mask nad put it back on underwater, get neutrally boyant, meaning i can stay near the middle and not be resting on the bottom or drifting back to the top. i also had to use a compass under water and take my regulator (mouthpiece) off and let it go behind me then do a sweep to find it. the little tests underwater are no problem once i convince myself im fine and i can do it. i also have to take off and put back on my gear at the surface. today i have to do a certain ascent where i have to pretend i dont have any air and then kick up singing oooohhh the whole time. itll probably take about 30 secs but the air in your lungs expands so i'll be fine--and ill have my regulator on and hte air wont be shut off so i if HAVE to breathe i can. and i just have to take off my mask and put it back on at about 30 feet and ill be DONE!! then it's all just swimming with the fishes. which i really cool. at one point yesterday i looked all around me i was in a school of these yellow stripey fish. i followed a big blue fish around for a while and then when i was trying to not get back on the boat i saw a baracuda.
connecticut was a lot of fun. i got in friday night and jeff met us at joans with welcoming forties. i havent had a forty in ages, not that i was missing them. saturday beard slept in and joan and i ran errands. went out to the orchard. i love it out there. saturday evening joan grilled and all the family came over. sunday we went back out to the orchard and helped to make cider. joan, patty and i filled jugs. then beard and i cleaned all the equipment--which took longer than making the cider itself. monday we went into NYC to apply for visas. we went to the gueginheim (sp) museum and saw an exhibit on architecture by a woman that sees buildings like ive never seen them. then we went to ground zero. very sad. still nothing there. on the way home we ate at maggie mcflys--best portabello burger ever. tuesday we hung out with beards friend krista from high school and her boyfriend and her brother. wednesday we ate lunch at the mayflower--very posh restaurant joan had gift certs for. food was pretty good but service was horrible. wednesday night we ate pizza with family friends the smalls. thursday was spent running last minute errands and packing. that night we went out for mexicans with the family again. YUM seafood chimichungas. came home and packed/did laundry. friday morning christie and kristine came over for beard made omelettes then we were OFF.
got in to FLL on time, got our bags rental car and were on our way to the keys. driving down here is just like korea. saturday melanie nad vito came down and we hung out for a while then the 5 of us went out to eat. sunday beard and fred went diving and melanie, vito and i searched for casablanca so melanie could write her paper. no where down here can you rent or buy it. crazy. sunday late afternoon hte family came down for a cook out. beard nad vito did the grilling. monday i started my diving class, 4 hrs in the pool, lunch, 3 hrs in the classroom. didnt to anything that night--tooo tired. tuesday, beard went fishing with grampie, i went back to the pool in the morning and then the ocean in the afternoon.
and now--i just finished breakfast. beard is on his way to the everglades with his cousin and her boyfirend and at noon ill be out hte door to do my 3rd and 4th dives. when you hear from me again ill be open water certified!
pictures and videos to come later.

now in FL

were in FL now. i went scuba diving in the ocean twice yesterday. the first time was no problem and as part of the SOP, we just swam around. fred took me up and since i didnt want to get back on the boat (i get woozie) we just hung out at the surface. then he decided since i didnt want to get out of the water we might as well do some tests to get them out of the way. i had practiced these skills before in the hotel pool next to the dive shop with Mike, a friend of Fred's and a divemaster. i passed them all no problem. i must say though that the pool is much easier b/c if i mess up i can just stand up. however i tried really hard not to do that since i knew i couldnt do that in the ocean. i have to take off my mask nad put it back on underwater, get neutrally boyant, meaning i can stay near the middle and not be resting on the bottom or drifting back to the top. i also had to use a compass under water and take my regulator (mouthpiece) off and let it go behind me then do a sweep to find it. the little tests underwater are no problem once i convince myself im fine and i can do it. i also have to take off and put back on my gear at the surface. today i have to do a certain ascent where i have to pretend i dont have any air and then kick up singing oooohhh the whole time. itll probably take about 30 secs but the air in your lungs expands so i'll be fine--and ill have my regulator on and hte air wont be shut off so i if HAVE to breathe i can. and i just have to take off my mask and put it back on at about 30 feet and ill be DONE!! then it's all just swimming with the fishes. which i really cool. at one point yesterday i looked all around me i was in a school of these yellow stripey fish. i followed a big blue fish around for a while and then when i was trying to not get back on the boat i saw a baracuda.
connecticut was a lot of fun. i got in friday night and jeff met us at joans with welcoming forties. i havent had a forty in ages, not that i was missing them. saturday beard slept in and joan and i ran errands. went out to the orchard. i love it out there. saturday evening joan grilled and all the family came over. sunday we went back out to the orchard and helped to make cider. joan, patty and i filled jugs. then beard and i cleaned all the equipment--which took longer than making the cider itself. monday we went into NYC to apply for visas. we went to the gueginheim (sp) museum and saw an exhibit on architecture by a woman that sees buildings like ive never seen them. then we went to ground zero. very sad. still nothing there. on the way home we ate at maggie mcflys--best portabello burger ever. tuesday we hung out with beards friend krista from high school and her boyfriend and her brother. wednesday we ate lunch at the mayflower--very posh restaurant joan had gift certs for. food was pretty good but service was horrible. wednesday night we ate pizza with family friends the smalls. thursday was spent running last minute errands and packing. that night we went out for mexicans with the family again. YUM seafood chimichungas. came home and packed/did laundry. friday morning christie and kristine came over for beard made omelettes then we were OFF.
got in to FLL on time, got our bags rental car and were on our way to the keys. driving down here is just like korea. saturday melanie nad vito came down and we hung out for a while then the 5 of us went out to eat. sunday beard and fred went diving and melanie, vito and i searched for casablanca so melanie could write her paper. no where down here can you rent or buy it. crazy. sunday late afternoon hte family came down for a cook out. beard nad vito did the grilling. monday i started my diving class, 4 hrs in the pool, lunch, 3 hrs in the classroom. didnt to anything that night--tooo tired. tuesday, beard went fishing with grampie, i went back to the pool in the morning and then the ocean in the afternoon.
and now--i just finished breakfast. beard is on his way to the everglades with his cousin and her boyfirend and at noon ill be out hte door to do my 3rd and 4th dives. when you hear from me again ill be open water certified!
pictures and videos to come later.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

home sweet home

back in the states for a whole week now. wowza. have eaten mexican twice and drank good beer. happy day.
it's nice to be back where i can understand everything but then again, it isn't. today we went to lunch with dad and the woman at the next table was yakking pretty loud and she was all i could concentrate on. drove me nuts. and i think americans are mad all the time. all the bumper stickers and shirts that say rude things. no wonder we kill each other all the time. we're frickin rude!
troy, lisa and rosalie came up from tennesee. rosalie is SO BIG AND CUTE! she can spell her name and knows all the months of the year. and she talks so plain and in full sentences. children are amazing. brycen will be there soon. right now he just says single words and likes to name everyone when he comes in the room. beard's name is now guy. i don't know how that happened. he walking in and said momma, daddy, tracin (me) guy. he did it again the next day at the restaruant.
the girls are getting old too! taylor's a freshman now and is going ot her first homecoming. mya's doing the new math and lexi is all about her planner.
this week has flown by. beard leaves wednesday am for CT. i'm going out to desmoines to see leah and adam and coming back thursday noonish. i leave friday am for CT.
ok. time to move on.