I cannot believe that my Birthday is exactly one month away. At the risk of sounding pretentious I have created a birthday wish list. Click here to view it.
Yesterday I ventured south to Crystal River, FL to finish up the open water portion of my Rescue Diving Certification. Dad decided to tag along with Dave (my dive instructor) and I and we all made the 2 1/2 hour drive together. We met a friend, Gary, down there and took his pontoon boat to 3 Sisters Springs which is a refugee for manatees. This time of year is mating season for them and there were literally hundreds of mom’s and calf’s! We were not able to go more than idle speed and even then we were constantly dodging them.
Before we dove we spent about an hour snorkeling and enjoying the manatees. It was my first experience swimming with them and it was amazing. The river was about a quarter of a mile wide, 10 feet deep, and there were hundreds of them congregating in one area. It was crowded to say the least. I kept bumping into them as I swam and vice versa. I cant tell you how many times I was hit by one of their massive tails. The best part was when we stood in waist deep water they came to us and wanted to be scratched. One even rolled over and let me scratch his belly. Dad got tired and sat down thinking it was a rock, but when it moved realized he was sitting on a manatee.
After we played with the gentle giants we donned our scuba gear and I did rescue scenarios with Dave. The area we moved to to do the scenarios had zero visibility which made it extremely difficult. I was literally feeling my way along the bottom trying to find Dave who was acting like a lost diver in distress. Once I found him and brought him to the surface it was much easier to tow him to the boat.
The good news is I passed! I am now working toward becoming a Divemaster which should take a few weeks but I will continue to keep you updated.
I am blogging this upon Scott’s request.
Last night must have been the night of weird dreams. Boyd was just over here and he was saying how he had one of those dreams were he was bawling the whole time. He woke up in a bad mood that he just couldn’t shake. When he left I told Scott that I had a bad dream as well. Here’s how the conversation went:
me: I had a dream that I was trapped in a air duct and this scary guy was crawling toward me. He could make the floor spark with his fingertips and he looked like he wanted to eat me alive.
Scott: How did you get in there?
me: Denzel Washington led me in there!
You know what put me in the worst mood when I woke up? It wasn’t the fact that I had just had a nightmare. It was the fact that before last night I was under the impression that Denzel was a nice guy! He completely sold me out in my dream. I have always liked Denzel for his conservative values and somewhat Christian world view but not anymore. I will never forget what he did to me…in my dream.
Last week I had an adventure and took a road trip by myself. The trip had a purpose, to get my Advanced Open Water Dive Certification, but it was a solo trip non-the-less. I was a little apprehensive at first since I had never done anything like it in my life. But you know what? I had a blast! I was trying to put my finger on why I had such a fun time, and as I was reading a magazine article it donned on me what it was.
Strangers.
I was surrounded by strangers the whole time! Naturally, I am curious person. I love learning and exploring new things, and strangers are uncharted territory. My life had become a comfortable routine which didn’t leave room to meet new people. This trip forced me to interact with strangers. As I was driving down I-95 I wanted to lean out of my window and yell to the cars next to me, “Where are you going? Why? What are going to do when you get there?” I would see a small car crammed with stuff sporting a Quebec license plate and would make up a story about that person with the clues I gathered. She is from Canada and she is chasing her ex-boyfriend down south to tell him she loves him and wants him back.
Over the next 3 days I made acquaintances with countless people. I enjoyed talking to the clerk in the hotel lobby and learning about how she lived in Stuart her whole life and her sister runs a Sea Turtle rescue operation. She had amazing turtle rescue stories to tell and I wondered if the Sea Turtle I saw on my dive was alive because of the efforts of that lady’s sister. The guy at the Chili’s bar had an intriguing story about how he works on boats for a living. I was mesmerized by the couple on my dive boat who gave up their life in NY and moved to the keys to do what they love…dive. The pictures of their dive experiences were fascinating and inspiring. It’s amazing that you can learn so much from people in such a short period of time.
Then there was Donna, my dive instructor. She started off as a stranger but after 2 days of hanging out she was my new BFF. We had a fun time together and I was blown away by her story. I hope to see her again in order to share my ultimate story of finding life and joy in Jesus Christ.
When I got home Scott and I went on a lunch date and we had so much to tell each other. When I’d left for the trip we had become the ultra comfortable couple who always did things together. Now we were both telling stories-me of the strangers I’d met, the experiences I had; him about his adventures with his job. I had no idea how his stories would end and he had no idea how mine would. It was like we had become strangers again and that was fun!
Some of you may have heard by now that I am working toward getting my scuba instructor certification. This should take a few months, but once I am done I am hoping to make this my new career. I am so excited about this new journey in life! I will be two thing that I love: traveling and diving. For instance, I will be taking a road trip by myself to south Florida this weekend to get my Advanced Open Water Certification. I have never done this before but the independence of it all excites me. I will have time to think, pray, and relax with no interruptions. I may even go out to eat by myself…gasp! I have a feeling that this new career will introduce me many new experiences and firsts in life, and I cant wait! I am hoping to document my experiences on this blog through pictures and writing so keep checking back often.
(written on January 7)
Tonight I was with my precious Papa as he took his last breath. After living an incredible life the Lord decided to call him home on January 7th 2010. He was surrounded by his wife of 64 years, 3 children, their spouses, and his grandchildren. We were all there holding his hands, stroking his face, and whispering words of hope. It was a peaceful and pain-free moment when his spirit left his body, and afterward we sang Amazing Grace. I will always remember that moment as long as I live. We were able to celebrate because we know that he is in heaven having the time of his life. As soon as his spirit left his body he was being ushered through the gates of heaven by a heavenly host of angels. He was an amazing man of God who lived by example. He loved his wife and family unconditionally and was a role model to us all. He taught us the value of hard work and the importance of laughter. He always had a humorous story to tell or a birthday card to twist in own words.
It’s unfortunate, but sometimes it takes a tragedy to remind you what is really important in life.
Papa, I will miss you dearly but until I’m with you I’ll carry on.
I hope everyone is having a fantastic Holiday Season. This year has been wonderful and The Lord has blessed me beyond what I deserve.
Last night we celebrated Christmas with my side of the family and it was bitter sweet. Papa is in the hospital and it was the first time he has not been with us. It definitely was not the same without him, and we all missed him dearly. We did have an special time of prayer/reminiscing for him and it was one of the most special times we have had together as a family. We laughed and cried all grew closer to each other. I love my family so much!
I came across this little guy on Anthro’s website and I immediately fell in love. He is so cute that I want to squeeze his head off! I have not seen it in the store and I am not quite sure what you would do with it but I still want him.
