It's been awhile.

Life has been interesting to say the least in the last few years since I've posted. I'm still working at a local high school. My first year there was challenging and I can honestly say it was the most tiring, both physically and mentally, in all 17 years of teaching. The science department is awesome and we all get along really well. I'm amazed by the apathy that the kids have and just can't understand why they don't want to do well in school. It's a battle changing the community viewpoint regarding education but I'm there every day hammering away. I'm loving the classes I'm teaching and even have started a new lab science class which brings me back full circle to my first year teaching Earth Science. I'm being challenged teaching Chemistry this year and am loving it. How can you not love Science?!?!

Bob has changed jobs and now works in the city. The 4:30 wake-ups and the commute is nothing to write home about and can be wearing on the body and soul but he is doing really well where he is at so we are just enjoying the blessings while they came.

All of our parents are now officially retired and enjoying having the all that spare time. My folks moved from Virginia to Ohio and are enjoying every minute with the grandkids. Of course, they can't sit still and dad is working at a local Lowe's store and mom is trying to get into teaching in a local middle school. My nieces and nephews are all growing like weeds and its hard to believe that the oldest nephew is graduating this year. Time really does fly! It was an adventure hosting the younger nieces and nephew during their Spring Break this year. We went into town to the Children's Museum, the Science Museum, the Aquarium. We made and decorated sugar cookies and jammed out on Uncle Bob's drums and guitars. Guess they had fun because they are coming for Christmas this year.

We've been able to head off to a few more cool places in the last few years. In 2013, we took off to Little Cayman during February. It was amazing diving the walls around Little Cayman and the place we stayed at, Little Cayman Resort, was awesome. I got to visit the Cayman Marine Institute while there and would love to take a group of students there for a break one year. This year instead of taking off during February break, we decided to hold off and go during the summer. We were able to stretch our money and do 2 weeks in the Philippines. Of course, we had to deal with several typhoons that just so happen to go that way before and during our time there but we really enjoyed our stay at the Magic Island Resort. We meet some really cool people during our journeys and came back with a ton of photos and memories to last a lifetime.

The summer of 2014 was the first summer that I didn't work with the Center for Student Coastal Research. It was strange not being out in the wetlands doing field work with students or spending time analyzing data and writing a report for Coastal Zone Management. I did enjoy being able to visit with my sister for a good week at the end of June and with friends throughout August. I was able to spend time in the gardens and do a lot of pleasure reading. A few books I read were, Stung! On jellyfish blooms and the health of our oceans  and Octopus: A Natural History. 

It all hasn't fun times. I lost some really great people over the last two years. All of my grandparents are now in heaven. First we lost my dad's dad, then my mom's mom, then just recently my dad's mom. Though they lived full lives, it still is sad not to be able to talk to them or just hang out with them. I also lost a really good friend in Feb. Dr. J. Philip McLaren was my college advisory, landlord, boss, colleague, mentor, and friend. He was like a second dad to me. We would chat about school stuff or traveling to Hawaii to visit him and his lovely wife Lynn. It's hard to believe he isn't just a phone call away. His death left a hole in my heart but I know that he is in heaven and is no longer suffering. I catch myself thinking about him many times during the week and it brings a smile to my face. 

That's about it for catching up. I can't promise I'll have time to blog more frequently than before but I will try. It's November, so winter is upon us soon and if it is like they say it will be, I'll have plenty of time to blog since it will be too cold and snowy to do anything else!

Some of Utila's richness.

Brain Coral and some Christmas Tree Worms.

Flamingo Tongue Snail

Basket Sponge

Soft corals, sponges, Sea fan, Crinoids and much more.

Azure Vase Sponge

Utila was amazing!

Utila was amazing. The place we stayed was incredible. The staff was helpful and friendly, the food was delicious and sinful, and the dive operation was perfect. The temperature was perfect and the coral reefs were very healthy. Though there wasn't a ton of fish in abundance as you would expect, the corals and sponges were overpowering. A lot of variety was seen and a list is on our photo sharing website if you want to check it out. Pictures from the trip are also on the website if you want to look at them.

If you are looking for a place to relax and soak up the sun plus enjoy a very healthy reef, Utila is for you. We will definitely go back to this place. We still enjoy seeing other new places but this is one that if we can't go someplace new, we'll go here.  Next major trip will be to Little Cayman next February. The reefs are suppose to the be best in all the Caribbean. A friend of Bob's, who manages a hotel on Grand Cayman, said that Little Cayman Beach Resort is really nice and that his wife always dives with the dive team from LCBR.

Utila here we come.

For years, Bob has wanted to travel to a nice, warm tropical place when New England was suffering from a cold winter. Usually this idea would come up about October and we would never be able to find a good deal that late in the game especially during a school vacation week and the high peak season for the Caribbean.

So when we were booking our 10th Wedding Anniversary trip last year, I kept an eye out for flights to Honduras. As soon as the week of Feb. 18 came available, I booked round trip flights from Boston to San Pedro Sula and then contacted Amy at Caradonna Adventures to book a dive trip. We are heading to Utila, one of the bay islands off the coast of Honduras and will be staying at the Laguna Beach Resort.

Of course the winter here in New England hasn't been anything like it has been in the past. Usually this time of the year we are sick of snow and cold temperatures. I haven't complained at all this winter because the temperatures haven't really gotten too cold and there hasn't been any snow. It is a little odd but I'll take it.

We are hoping to see Whale Sharks while in Utila. Now is about the time they start showing up and the last full week of January had the Dive Master from the resort posting on the site's dive log, that they spotted a whale shark already. Of course because we want to see one, we probably won't but hopefully we will. These creatures are the LARGEST fish in the ocean and they move slowly through the water taking in tons of plankton. Just to be able to see them in their natural habitat will make the entire trip for me. Bob wants to see sea horses and Utila has a lot of sea horses.  We both just want to relax in the sun and warm Caribbean Sea for a week.

So it's off to grab the dive gear to check it out, charge the underwater camera battery and Nikon battery, gather other necessary items and start packing. This last week of school can't happen fast enough where I am concern.

Don't worry, I'll post some pictures of our latest adventure when we get back. Have a great week.

Merry Christmas Y'all

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BULA!!!!

Where did the summer go? For me, it was way to short this year. Next week I report back to school and another school year begins. I can honestly say I'm not ready to go back yet. This is one of those times I wish we started after Labor Day. Oh well.

The summer was nice. At first I thought it would be another wash out due to all the rain but the heat and humidity came in with a vengeance. I'm ok with it but I know it made it miserable for others. I can say I was very happy with having AC especially with baking for the markets.

We choose to do the Cohasset Market on Thursdays and the Hingham Market on Saturdays. This commitment along with working at CSCR kept me busy a majority of the summer but in a good way. I had a great group of kids to work with at CSCR and they had a great time mucking in the marsh collecting data. The markets have been good and hopefully this will continue into the winter season when things get slow. We shall see.

Ohio the end of July was nice. I had a great time visiting my sister and her family and got to see my folks. Dad's had a rough first half of the year. First surgery to correct a torn Achilles tendon, then surgery for a dead and gangrene gallbladder. Just when we thought things were better, Mom breaks her wrist while at Abby's bday party then Dad has to go back in for surgery because a gallstone blew the clamp off the bile duct from the gallbladder surgery. Thankfully Mom didn't have to have surgery on her wrist. But come on, how many times can these two people spend at the hospital or doctor's office?  Abby had a great first friend birthday party to celebrate turning 5. I made sugar cookies in the shape of princess crowns, tea cups, teapots, and flowers and made her birthday cake. She loved everything and had an awesome time.

After getting home from Ohio, I had one day to do laundry, square the house away, and pack for Fiji. Thankfully all the scuba gear was packed before I went to Ohio. We headed out to LA the beginning of August. It was nice to have a day and a half in LA. Bob was happy to have In-n-Out Burger. IT was an adventure finding it but once we did, he was happy. At least we were able to walk off the burger on the way back to the hotel. We were able to hook up with Corinne and Bill, fellow divers we met while in Cozumel one summer. They took us to a great Thai place and we were able to catch up on all the dive adventures they have been on. It was really great to see them. Being able to have a lazy morning and lounge by the pool before boarding a flight to Fiji was nice. In the future, I'll do this on the return flight also just to break up the flying.

It took 10.5 hours to reach Nadi, Fiji from LA. Bob slept a little and I was able to catch a little sleep also but none like we would have liked. If we were rich, we would have upgraded to business class or first class but not this year. As Bob said, maybe our 20th anniversary. Once we got to Nadi, we got our transfer and traveled 2.5 hours to the Pacific Harbor. We traveled along the Coral coast on Queen's Road and enjoyed the view. Rohan and Simone, from Australia, were also with us on this journey. They were married the month before but waited until the Honeymoon villa was available at the resort. Once we reached the harbor, we got our boat from Lalati Resort and Spa and took a 45 minute boat ride across Beqa Lagoon to the resort. Finally we arrived at the resort and were greeted with a Fijian song, coconut drinks, and a flower lei. While checking in, we were given foot massages that used shredded coconut to exfoliate and coconut milk (from squeezing the shredded coconut) to moisturize. Even being tired, you enjoyed this nice surprise.

We stayed in Oceanfront Villa #1 appropriately named Bambale, which means dolphin. The room was amazing and would be our home for the week. We decided to take a walk along the beach and look for shells and Bob took pictures. Eventually Bob took a nap and I took a Fijian cooking lesson. Our first night we experienced a traditional Fijian dinner and the Kava ceremony. Kava is definitely a drink I will never have again. It looks like muddy water and tastes like dirty socks, too much causes your tongue to go numb and can cause you to hallucinate. Kate and Max, also from Australia, got married on the day we arrived so the Fijian dinner was technically their wedding dinner/celebration. The food was amazing. We had a coconut/tuna cold soup before having fish, casava, tarro, and other goodies that were  cooked in the Earth Oven (a hole in the ground). We found out that all the other couples (5 in total) that were at the resort had just been married, got married within the week or within the month. Bob and I laughed and said we were celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. Yep, we were the old farts at the table.

Our main purpose for going to Fiji was to DIVE. Most days we were the only ones with the Dive Master. The Dive Masters, Kirstin and Paul, both from England, were cool. They met in Mexico and have been traveling all over the world working as Dive Masters. Now this is a job I could really love. They had a dog named Dogg. Dogg was friendly and loved to be petted and even enjoyed extra muffins.

The diving was amazing. The first day the current was strong and it was an interesting time at the beginning of the dive but once you were underwater, you could hide around coral crops. Our first dive in Fiji we saw a White Tip Reef Shark and every dive after that we saw at least one shark. Pretty cool. Seeing soft corals, tons of coral species I don't know, many fish, lots of nudibranchs, flatworms, massive sea cucumbers, made the trip amazing. Some of the pictures came out great but I need to get better at using the strobe before we head to Utila in Feb.

We did a Shark Dive on our second day. Aqua Trek does the feeding but you are 10 feet away from the action. We saw 6 of the 8 species that usually come to the feast. We saw the Bull, White Tip Reef, Black Tip Reef, Silver Tip Reef, Gray Reef, and Nurse Sharks. We didn't see the Lemon or the Tiger Shark. I guess the day before the Tiger Sharks showed up. Oh well. We did purchase the DVD to show to friends and family later and you can see us. Bob and I waved every time the camera came our way. IT was amazing and something I would definitely do again.

The rest of week was spent diving. In the afternoons we would either hang at the pool, read, hang with others during Happy Hour, participate in activities or scour the beach for stuff. The last day we were there we decided to get a spa treatment, which was heavenly. 

Leaving Fiji was sad but all good things must come to an end. We highly recommend the Lalati Resort and Spa if you are looking for a romantic, secluded, remote place to be. We will definitely go back if we can.

So next week school starts and I'll be back to the grind. At least we have things to look forward to like seeing friends from Switzerland, going away for our Anniversary weekend, seeing my dad and this is just in Sept. Before we know it, we'll be gearing up for another dive adventure to Utila. Hopefully we will see Whale Sharks!

When I get some time, I'll post some pictures from Fiji. You can access them on my facebook page.
Until next time, CHEEERS (as Ala would say).