Happy birthday to me

This year we took a rather laid back approach to my birthday. The night before we enjoyed a great dinner at our favorite Mexican place with my mom, step-dad, and friends CJ and Michelle. We were pleasantly surprised to find that we stumbled upon a tradition at the restaurant we hadn't encountered before: Mariachi Monday. There was a full 6 piece band in costume playing that night and we enjoyed the great music which included the Spanish version of Happy Birthday for me "Feliz Cumpleanos", complete with sombrero.

After that we met up with my Aunt Cindy and headed over to a movie theatre that served beer, wine, and ice cream(!) so I could have an ice cream bar while we watched Avatar (which was awesome). Unfortunately it was pretty crowded so we got stuck in the seats up front, but Mom, Larry, and Cindy were good sports about having to sit in the front row - it was a bit of an "immersive" experience given how close the seats were to the screen.

For my actual birthday, Wade made me a fabulous breakfast of biscuits, hashbrowns, and eggs. Mmmm.... I'm so lucky that Wade's such a great cook! After that I opened presents before we headed down south to check out a state park we haven't been to yet: Oscar Scherer. We hiked some trails and took lots of pictures (once we process them all we'll add them to our Picasa site). It was a bit chilly that day, but thankfully the sun was out.

On the way home we had dinner at the quaint Spanish Pointe Pub. The view was beautiful, the rum runners dee-lightful, dinner was tasty, and the sunset was picture perfect. We practically had the deck to ourselves so it was a really laid back way to end the day.

Once the sun went down we were essentially freezing, so we high tailed it home for hot brownie sundaes instead of birthday cake. It really doesn't get any better than that in my book.

Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve we headed up to Anna Maria for dinner, presents, and our new tradition with my mom and step-dad: Christmas cookies at sunset on the beach. Two years ago when my step sister, Janis, and her husband, Miles, were visiting for Christmas we kicked off the tradition with margaritas on the beach. :) I am a self confessed Cookie Monster, so it seemed appropriate to do cookies on the beach. I made gluten free sugar cookies (w/ icing) and snickerdoodles on Christmas Even morning (they were awesome if I do say so myself) so we'd have fresh treats for the beach. We has a great dinner then booked it down to the beach to catch a cloudy sunset. So we decided to make the most of it - you can just barely make out our Christmas wishes in the sand.

Christmas morning we spent at home with our furry kids. It was nice to spend the morning in our PJs eating cookies for breakfast and opening presents. We did the kids presents first and Hilo in particular fell in love with a toy that Wade's mom sent - it's a tweeting bird on a spring that cats can bat around. It was definitely the spunkiest we've seen him since he's been sick, so it was really wonderful to see him happy and playing (see below). After this picture the bird ended up in his mouth, then on the ground with him while he kicked it. Hilarious.

For dinner we headed over to my aunt and uncles for dinner with the family. It was nice to be with the whole family and see my cousins who were home from college.

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

December

The month has gone by in a flash it seems. We wasted no time getting out Christmas decorations and lights up. The beginning of the month brought us expensive visits to the vet for Hilo (aka Baby or Kitten), the youngest of our furry "kids". He's been battling the equivalent of kitty kidney stones which is life threatening for cats. After some emergency trips in and a long weekend stay he required some serious nursing at home. At one point he was skin and bones and was too weak to even jump into my lap, which was heartbreaking to see.

We were planning to head to Miami the first week of December to turn in Wade's graduation paperwork and see off our friend Marilyn before she moved to the Virgin Islands, but due to Hilo's issues, Wade had to make the trip alone while I hand fed Hilo 5 times a day plus stuff meds and water into him. I was really disappointed to not be able to go see Marilyn, but it was a huge relief to see the kitten eating on his own by the time Wade got back. Below is a picture of the sleepy Kitten on our bed.

The second week of December I spent in DC for work. It was a great to see my friends in town that week, but nasty weather book-ended my trip and left me stranded in airports/on the tarmac for 13 hrs on both Monday and Friday. This also made me miss a key meeting I was going to DC to lead, which was a frustrating way to start the week. But I was just happy my flight wasn't one day later - DC was buried in snow the night I left!

Thanksgiving

This year we had a smaller crowd for Thanksgiving - me, Wade, my mom, and Larry. So, we thought we'd mix things up a little and try some new vegetarian gluten-free recipes for Thanksgiving. Last year was our first vegetarian Thanksgiving, and I honestly didn't notice a difference since we had so many sides to enjoy. This year was a bit more daunting since we needed to cook without wheat... yeah, let that sink in, then think about how much of your traditional Thanksgiving foods have wheat (flour, bread, pic crust, etc) in them. Yikes. Fortunately, we all got a little creative and thought outside the box and came up with the following feast:

Stuffed squash, sweet potato goodness (casserole), potato leek au gratin, green bean almondine, corn on the cobb, cranberry apple sauce, carrot cake with creamcheese icing, and we found gluten free pumpkin pies at Whole Foods (yes!). By the end of the day we felt accomplished, satisfied, and not so full we wanted to barf. Success! We even had leftovers for the rest of the weekend too. (Below, stuffed acorn and butternut squashes fresh from the oven.)

We used Skype that day to also talk to my step-sister, Janis and her husband Miles who were also eating a gluten-free diet due to some strong suspicions about their 3mo. old Samuel's ability to handle wheat. It was nice to know we weren't the only one on a food adventure that day - Janis was brave enough (unlike me) to make her own pumpkin pie from scratch!

We hope everyone's Thanksgiving was filled with good food, family, and friends!

Annapolis, MD

The week before Thanksgiving I headed to DC, then to Annapolis, MD for meetings for work. Monday and part of Tuesday I was in DC for some meetings on Capitol Hill, then I carpooled with the rest of my team to Annapolis for a few intensive days of meetings.

Annapolis ended up being quite a surprise. I'd never been there before, but found it to be quite charming, historic, and beautiful. We even went on an educational skip-jack (historic sailboat made just for oyster dredging) tour with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Below are some EDF'ers hoisting the sails.

It was really cold, but fun to be out on the water with my colleagues. I proved to be a source of entertainment due to the absurd number of layers I had on to stay warm (me below with my colleague, Pam, in our matching sherpa hats).

Home at last

It has been glorious to be home. In October, I was literally traveling more than I was home. I traveled 3 of the 4 weeks of October. The "cool" fall air (open windows and no more AC!) is settling in, Halloween decorations have come and gone, Thanksgiving decor is up, and the birds are singing. I’m also enjoying the finer pleasures in life such as using a real shampoo bottle instead of a tiny travel size one, eating home cooked wheat/gluten-free meals, and snuggling kitties.

However, the last week of October I had the house to myself as Wade was in Miami for some training for work. It was a little weird being the one at home while Wade traveled. And not entirely pleasant. When there’s dog barf first thing in the morning, I clean it up (while gagging). When the Carolina Wren sneaks in our window to explore the kitchen and dining room for nesting space, I have to herd him out (after Marley pounces and pulls out some feathers). After cooking dinner, I have to do all the dishes. And for some reason, I always seem to get sick when Wade’s gone, which made cooking for myself kind of sucky. Oh the harsh realities of living alone - yes honey, I really do appreciate all the things you do around the house!

We've taken the last two weekends to do some spring cleaning around the house. With the windows open and the breeze blowing, the time felt right to do all the pesky chores and deep cleaning items we've been putting off. It's nice to feel like things are in order and we're ready to enjoy sitting on the deck (once the mosquitos are gone for winter) around the fire pit.

And just in time, I'll be in DC again next week for more meetings, so I know Wade will be happy to have a clean house while I'm gone!

No thank you New Jersey

The day after the Miami peeps left I packed a bag and headed to the Jersey Shore for an all-staff retreat for work. It was really incredible to be able to meet the 300+ people in our organization. Since I work in a remote office (read: alone) with only one co-worker (Michelle) who travels more than I do, my favorite part of retreats is getting to hang out with people.

I roomed with my co-worker Michelle, and once we checked into the hotel we checked out our first view of the Jersey Shore. We were underwhelmed. “Shore” is the closest term I could use because a “beach” it wasn’t. We have discovered that we are what someone might call a “beach snob”. This is compounded by the fact that we have absolutely no problem telling everyone how much we love Sarasota and how no one has seen a real beach until they’ve been here. Ahem, we are occasionally capable of modesty, but we don’t particularly enjoy it. (haha)

We were there for 4 days and I only made it outside once, but that was enough. See, I even took a picture, and I tried my hardest to make it look nice:

However, flying out of Newark airport was all it was cracked up to be, and more. I have always been told that if you have the option of flying through Newark or going to hell, that hell is the better option. And now I see why. After encountering a myriad of “helpful” and “charming” people at the airport we could not get home fast enough. I quite literally almost lost it when the security folks dropped my new laptop on the ground and didn’t even notice. Thankfully, I had it in a protective sleeve (NEVER put your laptop through the machine without at least a protective sleeve) so it seems to be ok for now...

Miami comes to us

The third weekend in October was our last weekend with the beach house. To make it an official party though, some of our Miami peeps came to join us to revel in the last days of summer. Unfortunately, it seemed that summer decided to head out early before Marilyn, Jason, and Rachel actually arrived. The weekend was cooler than we expected, but we toughed it out at the beach anyway to play some bocce on Saturday.

When we couldn’t take it anymore we headed to the house to play some games (Pass the Pigs and Uno), enjoy my special rum punch, and push the Uno loser into the pool (Jason) - which Rachel seemed to particularly enjoy.

It was all downhill from there as the rum did it’s job (one of the perils of starting drinking at 11am I guess...). As per Jason and Wade: “ You guys got all girly and sappy and talked about weddings... there was hugging and stuff, so we went outside to have beers.” We grilled out, had a nice dinner, then began dropping like flies. I am embarrassed to say I was the first to go and the indicator was when I laid on the floor using the dogs as pillows.

The next morning the gang headed to Busch Gardens, minus me. I was in no shape to ride roller coasters, let alone ride in a car. I spent the entire day sleeping, then eventually reading and snuggling Marley (it seemed I did not have a choice in that matter).

Once they all got back we went out for a last dinner (at which everyone looked wiped and a little green around the gills) before the Miami folk headed home. It was a lot of fun and wonderful to see them. I did however require a prolonged detox period afterwards...

Fall at last

The second week of October we headed to Waynesville, NC to visit my mom and step-dad and take in the mountain views. It was a much needed break for both Wade and I since we haven’t been able to take a vacation since our honeymoon almost 3.5 years ago. We have squeaked in little trips here and there around other events, but none that have been planned solely for the purpose of just sitting and relaxing. We’re hoping to remedy that in the spring. We were lucky enough to be able to make this trip happen after a project at work forced some rearranging and we had to unexpectedly go to PA for Wade's grandfather's funeral.

We flew into Asheville where Mom and Larry picked us up and we headed into town for a little shopping at REI (we don’t have any stores in Florida) and a fantastic good southern vegetarian meal at Tupelo Honey Cafe. It was delicious and the perfect beginning to the trip. The nights were cool while we were there and the days just the right temperature. We went hiking in Smoky Mountains National Park to see Clingman’s Dome one day (see below), we drove to Cataloochee in the Park another day to see elk and turkeys, we strolled main street Waynesville for some shopping and an art fair, and we enjoyed the mountain vistas as the leaves were changing. The last day we were there was Larry’s birthday so we opened presents then went to see a movie in Asheville. Afterwards we did some shopping at REI again (sale!) and met up with my old coworker Kellyn. We said our goodbyes to Mom and Larry and took Kellyn to a nice dinner at a cool vegetarian place in downtown Asheville called Laughing Seed. Our return flight was absurdly early the next day, so Kellyn offered to let us sleep over and take us to the airport since she lived so close.

We really enjoyed being able to photograph all the beauty of the mountains while we were there. We were a little early for the peak of fall, but we did see some nice color. You can check out our Picasa site here to see more pictures.

There's no place like home

Last Monday I found myself in DC again for the week for a slew of meetings. We pounded the pavement drumming up support (and hopefully dollars) for my program and I think we were fairly successful (on that first account at least). I've been making a more concerted effort to eat out with friends when I'm in town to keep myself from being a shut-in (think PJs, room service, and only 3 TV channels which only seem to show crime dramas - my least favorite genre). One night was catching up with my co-worker and partner in crime from the Dominica trip, Whitney. The next night was fabulous Mexican food with another co-worker, Preetha. After enough margaritas we ordered the "Cricket Tacos". See evidence below...

They were spicy, salty, and dare I say reminded me of crispy shredded chicken?? In all honesty, we ordered these while sober on a whim of being brave, then after margaritas and laughter decided taking pictures would be hilarious. Look closely and you can see the little legs that got caught in our teeth (I wish I could make this stuff up).

The next night was dinner with my friend Glynnis who visited us back in August and I took her out for her birthday. (see below) One of her fun friends joined us and we all had a good time laughing about the daily struggles of the working world.

Oh, and yes, that is me on the left side... you might have noticed that my hair is absurdly short. I had the misfortune of trusting a new hairstylist who's hair scared me (note to self: don't go to a stylist if her hair scares you, it foreshadows the hair cut to come). While I like how "summery" short it is, I am trying to figure out what to do with it. I miss my old stylist and have resolved to track her down.

By Friday I was ready to go home. I missed home cooking, my kitties, and Wade (not necessarily in that order!), and I was struggling to write a policy paper that a group of us are drafting. I got hood-winked into taking a stab at the first draft and found myself faced with writer's block from the horror of having everyone hate it. (special note to the reading audience: one of the group I'm working with has been quite a handful during the process and has been quite vocal in his disagreement - this has led to high blood pressure, copious amounts of swearing, and nightmares on my part) The first draft was due out to the group on Friday, but by the time my plane landed on Friday night I knew it wasn't going to happen (despite working through both my flights). So, Wade indulged the look of panic in my eyes and we packed up Saturday morning to spend the weekend at the beach house. I spent Saturday on the patio writing and tearing my hair out until I finally gave up and sent out a copy before dinner. I then promptly grabbed a beer from the fridge and hopped in the pool and proceeded to forget all about work for the weekend (see exhibit A below). We discovered an effective combination of things that when taken in copious amounts can cure whatever work crap ails you: fresh coconuts from the back yard, beer and rum, home cooking, walking the beach during a thunderstorm at sunset, vitamin D via sunshine, late night swims, and outdoor showers.

Yes, we do like our little slice of paradise.

The End of an Era

After 7 long years of toiling in the dungeons of science, Wade has finally joined the ranks in the ivory towers... he is now DR. Cooper!!! :) Below, the new Ph.D. celebrates in front of my homemade sign.

Last Thursday we drove to Miami to get settled for Wade's PhD defense. We had a nice dinner and were able to catch up with Marilyn before getting to bed early for Wade's big day. Friday was the actual hour-long public presentation followed by a private discussion with his Committee, and he passed with flying colors. Afterwards, we had a party for him complete with a champagne toast (sorry, I did the toasting, so no pictures of that!). His labmates had fun helping me decorate - they wrote science jokes on the balloons (see the pictures here)... one of those you had to be there moments to appreciate, but we all laughed at our own nerdiness. For a true appreciate of graduate student life, I highly recommend reading the comic strip PhD Comics - they are poignant, hilarious, and accurate.

After the party we headed home to Sarasota to pick up the furry kids and headed straight to Anna Maria to settle into the beach house for the weekend. Wade couldn't help himself and opened his presents as soon as we got to the house (did I mention it was 9:30pm?). To honor his grand accomplishment, he requested a video game console (he uttered some excuse about needing something to do while I travel for work... yeah, that's it). So, I granted his wish and got him a Wii and some games to go along with it. My mom and step-dad also sent some games to surprise him too. I surprised him with another bonus of some Ro-Bear's goodies my step-brother and sister-in-law make (smoked salsa - my new addiction, candied jalapenos, and jalapeno pickles) which he proceeded to devour as soon as he cracked open the box. He then played some Wii until he couldn't keep his eyes open and we finally went to bed. It was a long day for sure!

Saturday my co-worker, Michelle, and her mom came up for lunch and a swim at the beach. Michelle surprised Wade with cupcakes from our favorite bakery and a fun fish balloon (in addition to a new game for his Wii). We all promptly went into a sugar coma after diving into the fresh cupcakes. After they headed home, we spent the rest of the afternoon around the pool then grilled out.

Sunday morning we got up and walked to the beach to watch the birds and enjoy some peace and quiet. The beach is so beautiful in the morning - soft light, calm waves, hundreds of birds jabbering and flying about, and no people to disturb the peace. After lunch, one of Wade's co-workers, Dave, and his wife came down from St. Pete to lounge in the pool. It was the first time I got to meet them and they were a lot of fun. We had drinks in the pool, enjoyed cupcakes, then went for a walk on the beach. After they left Wade and I got back in the pool, made nacho's for dinner, then Wii'ed the night away.

On Monday, Megan, Jimmy, and Trey came down to hang out for the afternoon. We made snacks and Wade introduced Jimmy to the wonders of Ro-Bear's candied jalapenos with cream cheese and they polished off a whole jar. Then we played in the pool and Trey enjoyed using his mom as his personal raft. After having some cupcakes (notice a pattern?!), we showed them a few of the new Wii sports games (archery and American Gladiator-style swordplay) before Trey was ready to go down for a nap and they headed home. We took a sunset swim and Wii'ed the night away again before finally heading to bed.

It was a lovely, relaxing weekend that we were excited to share with friends. We wished we could have spent more time with friends in Miami, but being beach bums all weekend was just the thing we needed. Thanks to everyone who sent well wishes last week! Wade appreciated your support! Just before leaving for Miami we also received news that my other step-sister and brother-in-law (Janis & Miles) had their little boy - welcome Samuel Ian! So exciting!

Oh, that's where August went...

Yes, my how time flies... I wanted to send out a bit of an update before we head to Miami this week for Wade's defense. Yes, D-Day is this Friday Sept. 4th!!

First, we were able to get some fun when friends from DC (Glynnis & Nathan) came to visit the second weekend in August. We had a much needed weekend of relaxation that involved lounging in the pool, bocce on the beach at sunset (see below), sushi, rum punch, and enough cheeseypoofs to bring down a horse. Ah, what more does one need in life?! :) We also learned how to play Pass the Pigs (something that only British barflies could have invented) which was made even funnier when watching someone make a gigantic comeback then lose when only one point away from winning (sorry Nathan!) - the worst tragedy Glynnis has seen in her years of Pig playing.

Just another day in paradise. :)

Besides having company, it's been a quiet month. Wade has been making his final preparations, I've been working (no travel this month!), and my body has been reminding me that I am indeed getting older (even if my mind isn't!). I threw out my neck earlier this month and have been going through physical therapy this month which has largely consisted of teaching my shoulders and neck what good posture looks like (whee).

Second, for the past two months I have been testing my theory that I have issues with wheat. Yes, my old friend bread is no longer my best friend (this is extremely difficult for me to say, when asked what three things I would take to a deserted island, #1 was always bread). I've gone through some tests which have been inconclusive, but the one thing that has proved conclusive is how I feel when I don't eat things made with wheat - 10 pounds lighter and my intestines are happier. For the past two months I've eliminated wheat from my diet (Wade has gone along too and also noticed some pretty marked improvements) to test out my theory and because I was so miserable in June that I just didn't know what else to do. But, over the last week or two I've tested it a bit and realize that we can eat something every now and then (once a week splurge), but even one meal with a little wheat everyday adds up fast. For a while it was really difficult to have to look at all the things we suddenly couldn't eat, but we've been trying new recipes, Wade is baking his own bread (from alternative flours), and we've found a lot of things made without wheat to replace our favorites (pasta, crackers, cookies, corn taco shells, etc). So, thankfully we're feeling better and can still splurge every now and then, but even better is that we aren't allergic which means life would become a lot more difficult when eating out. (Yes, the irony is not lost on me - the vegetarians already don't eat a lot of things, what else is there to give up?!)

So, that's been our quiet August. It's been nice to have a slow month before things pick up again in September. We hope everyone else has been able to get some down time this summer too! I'll be sure to post next week after Wade's defense!

Wade's 32nd Birthday

This year I was going to have Wade do his own post for his birthday, but then again, we were going to do a lot of things for his birthday... canoeing, fishing, dinner out...

The night before Wade's birthday, I got home from yet another work trip to DC. I was able to duck out of some training to make sure Wade didn't spend his birthday alone. Unfortunately, I am discovering that I too and getting older and pulled a muscle in my chest unloading my carry-on luggage from the plane (better than throwing out my back like I did during my last trip to DC!). By the time I got home, Wade had been typing for nearly 3 days straight (upside of my travel: he gets an inordinate amount of work done while I'm gone) and had a headache, so the thought of loading up all our gear, food, and the canoe was less than appealing. So, instead, I gave him what he asked for: a day to do nothing. We slept in, then when he went for a quick run I decorated the house with birthday banners. After, we cleaned up, opened birthday cards, went out for tacos, and to catch an early showing of the new Harry Potter movie (awesome!). On our way to the theatre we had quite a surprise - we stumbled upon a family of Sandhill Cranes wandering through the mall parking lot! It was the closest we'd ever been to these huge and beautiful birds so we followed them around in the car for a bit while snapping pictures. We laughed and Wade declared it the highlight of his birthday.

After the movie we ran home to change into sailing clothes then ran up to the Bradenton Yacht Club for Thursday night sailing with Steve on the Ocean Angel. Afterwards, Steve treated us to some dinner and a beer for the birthday boy - a perfect end to the day. Below is a shot of Wade helping prep the boat, and below that is the birthday boy basking in the glow of sunset.

Sorry for the delay in the postings, but as Wade's D(efense)-Day (Sept. 4) draws nearer, free time is becoming pretty scant around here. Eeek, so exciting!

Stinson Beach

Last week we had to cut our time on the beach short so that I could hop a flight to San Francisco to work out our program strategy for the next year. Fortunately, one of the people we were meeting with, Kristine, was already planning on being in Stinson Beach, CA for the week (she rents a house there), so we held a mini "retreat" and worked at the beach.

Tuesday morning I was scheduled to fly out early, but instead was woken up at 4am with a call from Delta letting me know my flight was cancelled. After haggling on the phone for a half hour the best they could do was an evening flight. So I went back to bed and tried calling again a few hours later. That time, our travel agent for work found me an afternoon flight and a first class seat! So the moral of the story is, don’t take no for an answer from an airline, especially at 4:30am. I must say, now that I’ve flown first class, I am having a hard time riding “in the back”. Everything was free up there – movies, TV, HBO, bottomless margaritas (in a real glass), a plated hot dinner complete with side salad, roll, and chocolate cake! Although the goodies were nice, my favorite part by far was that I could actually cross my legs in my seat. Normally my flights aren’t that long, so it doesn’t really matter to me, but for the killer 5 hour flight from Atlanta to San Francisco, it was a beautiful, glorious thing. I got in late to SFO and took the metro (BART) to the hotel. I didn’t even bother unpacking since we were leaving the next morning, so I went straight to bed.

The next morning (Wednesday) I was treated to a visit from my co-worker Whitney (see Dominica post) who was also at the San Fran office for the day. It was nice to start the day with a friend and laughing, even if it was for only 15 minutes. I met up with my boss, Amanda, and our media guru, Tom, and we trekked off in search of the rental car place. It was more like being on a treasure hunt really, while carrying luggage. I don’t recommend it. Once we finally rustled up the car we headed north out of the city to Stinson Beach. I finally got my first glimpse of the famed Golden Gate Bridge and tried to snap a few shots while we drove through (rather unsuccessfully). I have a confession here: I must be a real Floridian because I was not really all that “wowed” and thought the Sunshine Skyway Bridge (in Tampa) was better! Although, perhaps if the bridge is viewed at sunset it looks more majestic? I just thought it was fun to imagine the final fight scene from X-Men 3 (involves the bridge)... yes, call me a simpleton.

After twisting through the hills we arrived at Stinson Beach. It is a little town on a spit of sandy beach that is surrounded by parks – Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Point Reyes National Seashore, Muir Woods, and Mt. Tamalpais. It’s a cute little beach town with low slung wood and glass houses and landscaping filled with flowers, succulents, and sharp pointy things. When we arrived, we had lunch on the patio then sat on the beach to discuss our goals for the next year. It was odd how intense the sun could be but how cold the air (and water) was, so I got sunburned a bit on my arms. While we talked I enjoyed watching a seal body surf in the waves. We spent the rest of the afternoon going through our planning exercise, then finished up for a walk on the beach before dinner. We walked down the spit and around the backside to see the lagoon (more seals) and more seabirds. It was a nice visual change to see topography, which everyone laughed at me for commenting on. After dinner we worked through more of the planning tool before finally giving up for bed.

Thursday morning we got up early so Kristine and I went for a short hike up Mt. Tam. I saw my first Acorn woodpecker (they have personalities and group social structures like parrots) – they are hilarious, fun, and appear to be wearing a red Jewish yamaka on the back of their heads. We also saw a Chickadee some Bluebirds, a Hairy woodpecker, a Northern Flicker, and some other little song birds. I also was able to get some great shots of the coastline looking back at San Fran, and you can just barely make out the silhouette of the city in the fog (just below the words San Francisco).

After the hike we got back to work, had some lunch, worked more, then finally left just before dinnertime. It was a long day and a half of planning, but sitting on couches that looked out towards the ocean made it almost enjoyable. We got back in the car and wound our way back to town. Amanda was driving, but as passengers, Tom and I turned green and clammy and couldn’t speak the whole way back. The winding roads took quite a toll on us for some reason and we thought we were going to barf for sure. We made it back without making a mess and checked back into our hotel. We met another co-worker from the San Fran office for a nice dinner on the other side of town, so I enjoyed being able to see a new part of town.

Friday morning I got up early to do a bit of shopping and rearrange my bag before meeting Tom and heading to the BART station for the airport. The trip home was fine (I was in the back), although I was quite envious of those in first class! A saving grace was that my co-worker Michelle and I discovered that we were on the same connecting flight so we met up in ATL just in time to catch our last flight home. It was great to have company and catch up after all our traveling. It was also wonderful to see Wade at the airport when we landed. And to prove we were actually working, here is a picture of Amanda and Tom taking the usual EDF-waiting-posture while we wait for a cab in San Fran. Yes, there is a wee bit of a Treo (like a blackberry) addiction problem...

As I write this I am on a plane bound for DC. I’ll be there Mon-Wed this week. I made sure to be home in time for Wade’s birthday on Thursday! His request is to be paddled around Myakka Lake so he can go fishing. I am happy to oblige, so stay tuned for pictures... :)



For more San Fran and Stinson pictures, check out our Picasa picture site here.

Fourth of July

This past weekend Wade and I took our first "vacation" since I started my job. We had Friday off, and we took Monday as a vacation day to spend a four day weekend at my mom and step-dad's house on Anna Maria Island.

As a bonus, we were able to spend the time with Mike and Melissa and their little one, Gian (sounds like John). This was also his first big trip on a plane and with so many new experiences he was a trooper. It was so good to catch up with them and fun to watch Gian experience his first beach and pool. The pool he was a fan of, but the beach will take a little more convincing it seems. He was not thrilled with the results of wiping his face with a sandy salty hand! Below is a picture of the Valenti clan enjoying some old Florida time one the fishing pier while we waited for fish sandwiches.

It was a really nice weekend of relaxing and cramming in as much sun as humanly possible. We were also treated to a bonus visit on Sunday from Marilyn on her way back to Miami and Michelle who came up for the afternoon. Below is everyone frolicking in the pool (sorry for the blurry image - that's actually from the heat and humidity!)

Surprisingly, it was a little rough at the beach this weekend, so Wade was having fun trying his hand at body surfing the waves... with mixed results. I am fairly certain that he completely flushed his sinuses a few times.

All in all it was the perfect weekend of relaxation, fun, friends, and sun. Just what every holiday should be filled with!

Dominica

Dominica ("Dom-in-eek-a") is one of my favorite places in the Western Hemisphere. Granted, I still have a lot to see, but when Wade and I stopped here on our honeymoon we couldn't wait to go back. The island is one of the few left in the Caribbean that hasn't been seriously developed, so it's known as the Nature Isle. There's almost 80 freshwater rivers (complete with waterfalls!), mountains with boiling lakes, rainforest, coral reefs, and beaches made of black sand, smooth stones, or brown sand. The people are fairly friendly, and due to the rich volcanic soil, no one goes hungry - they can grow just about anything you can imagine. They also make their own rum and beer there, both of which are delightful.

So, I have already gotten lost in describing the wonders of the island, but didn't mention why I was there! I was giving a talk at the Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean meeting, that was being hosted this year by the ITME lab, in Roseau (Rose-oh), Dominica (the southwestern coast). I will try to recount this in a daily journal style to keep my thoughts organized....

Monday, May 25: I flew into San Juan, Puerto Rico to meet up with my co-worker Whitney for the one daily flight to Dominica. Our flight ended up leaving an hour late, but we weren't in a hurry, so we went with the flow. I made one last call to Wade before we took off knowing phone service would be unavailable or expensive while "down island". To land at the airport in Dominica, we cut across the island and brushed the tree-covered mountains before dropping into the valley that housed the airport on the eastern coast of the island. We were greeted with mountains, palm trees, and the ocean as we disembarked the prop plane and strolled across the tarmac. We made it through customs and hopped into a "taxi" (the 14 passenger Nissan mini-vans that are ubiquitous all over the Eastern Caribbean) for an hour long ride across the island to our hotel. Whitney and I were both in desperate need of relaxation by this point, so we were happy to crank the windows open to take in the seabreezes followed by jungle smells and sounds. We arrived at the hotel in Roseau to find happy hour in progress. We dropped our stuff in our ocean front room (and squealed with delight), threw open the doors and windows to let the seabreeze in, then ran down to enjoy rum punch and some dinner. I was excited that we ran into a friend from grad school, Erinn. She had dinner with us while we caught up on where we've been. That night Whitney and I fell asleep under a fan and seabreezes to the sound of the ocean washing up on the stone beach below.

(The view from our balcony)

Mini-digression#1: For those who don't know, I love rum. Particularly the "real" stuff made in the Caribbean which is stronger and better flavored than what you can find in the States. On our honeymoon, I thoroughly enjoyed sampling the rum punch on each island we visited. :)

Tuesday: We awoke to the sound of the ocean and sunlight streaming in our open windows. Without lifting my head from my pillow, I could see the ocean! :) What a fabulous way to wake up! We drug ourselves out of bed and stumbled down to breakfast where we enjoyed fresh tropical fruit and a full breakfast with the birds. Some of the local birds (bananquit & bull finch) apparently like sugar so they come into the porch where breakfast was served to snack on pastries and each sugar out of the sugar jars on the table. We found it immensely entertaining. We also discovered that Tuesday was cruise ship day and the ship was pulling into port as we were eating. It was amazing how everyone in town seemed to spring to life in response to the cruise ship... it's a shame thought that most people don't realize the impacts that large scale cruise tourism can have on small islands, people, and coral reefs.

(The view from my pillow - we could hear and see the ocean!)

After breakfast, we headed to the meeting to watch talks and we were able to sit with two other friends from grad school, Alison and Jill. (Although I missed Wade, I was relishing the week of girly fun with friends!) After lunch we snuck out early to work on our talks for a bit. Yes, we're bad, I know, we should have already made our talks. but, since mine was supposed to be based on the findings from my workshop and things were a little more difficult than expected, it took me a while to process things. Once the talks were done for the day, there was more rum punch, then we tagged along with Jill who was helping staff the meeting (during grad school, she did work at ITME, the host lab). We piled into the back of truck and headed 20 minutes to hang out at the lab. On the way up we stopped for sandwiches and were treated to bats flitting through the air just overhead! (we also found out that Dominica is home to a fish eating bat!) We talked the night away at the lab before finally heading back to melt into bed. Although we were getting seabreezes on the island, it was still hot and muggy, so we quickly discovered the cold showers were a best way to stay cool.

(Whitney, me, Jill, and Alison hanging out at ITME)

Wednesday: We performed the same breakfast routine then headed out for the field trip day. Yes, that's right, field trip day. I have a lot of respect for people who purposefully schedule fun into a meeting to facilitate networking and general appreciate for the area you're visiting. Whitney and I picked a hiking trip to Middleham Falls that also went to Titou Gorge. We were ready with cameras, but could have kicked ourselves for not bringing an underwater housing! Fortunately, Erinn also came on our trip and saved the day with her underwater camera. :) We drove up to the rainforest to start our hike. It took about an hour, and man was I beat. (I am so out of shape right now, despite biking to work) however, we were richly rewarded with the beauty of the falls and the cool waters to swim in. It was so frigid I shrieked like a girl and everyone laughed, heck even I had to laugh at myself. One of the great things about Dominica is how clean and clear the freshwater rivers are there. You can drink from them and it's the best tasting water... so good in fact, it supplies all the water needs for the island. Once swim time was over, we hiked back out and took another ride to the Gorge for more swimming (and shrieking by me), and playing in a waterfall. Here is where I should mention that a lot of parts of Pirates of the Caribbean (all three of the movies) were filmed in Dominica. Other shots are from St. Vincent (we saw the sets there during our honeymoon in 2006) and the Bahamas. This gorge is one of the locations they used. On the walk back to the van we were even able to see one (of the two) local parrots species fly overhead (pretty rare). That night we ate dinner in the bar at the hotel and I was finally able to get my laptop to connect to the internet so I could "talk" with Wade. It was a great virtual date. :)

(The bottom of Middleham Falls, which is a few hundred feet high!)

Thursday: After watching Jill, Alison, and Erinn give their talks, I was starting to feel nervous about my talk (sucking). After breakfast, I went back to the room to practice then rejoined the group after lunch for my talk. Whitney and I both spoke in the early afternoon and we were both happy once it was done. To celebrate, we went for a swim in the hotel pool that looked out over the ocean. That night was a banquet and I was happy to see more vegetarian options than meat options on the buffet line! When I asked the chef what was for dinner his response was "Ah, vegetarian - that's how we do things here!". It was a good dinner, and after it and some more rum punch, Whitney and I were ready to fall into bed. We turned out the lights, but ended up talking and laughing in bed for another hour before finally drifting off to the sounds of the ocean.

(The view from the pool, complete with my and Whitney's feet basking in the sun)

Mini-digression #2: Fresh local juice is served at every meal because there is such an abundance of produce... guava, papaya, grapefruit, passion fruit, "cherry" (some small fruit that is not what you would know as a cherry), etc. Because of this "natural resource", making rum punch (esp. with local rum) is really fantastic and cheaper than drinking soda or tequila or whatever has to be flown in.

Friday: We missed some of the early talks due to our inability to get ourselves to move faster than island time. By now, we had gotten in the habit of sleeping about 9-10 hours every night and it was glorious. After the talks, we wrestled up some brave troops for an adventure. I was really ready to see more of the island, and the allure of an island beach bar on a black sand beach was more than I could take. We ate an early dinner then Whitney, Alison, and I along with four others trekked across town to find a public bus (the same Nissan vans) which was super cheap. We found the right one and once we were all in, there were 18 people total in the van, our group of 7 squished in with 11 locals like sardines. But, it was well worth it. Once we arrived at Mero Beach, everyone's cares were forgotten. We ordered a round of rum punches (homemade with only fresh passion fruit juice and local cane rum) and the local Kabuli beer. We sat under the swaying palms and talked about the fate of the world and it's coral reefs. After two rounds of progressively stronger punch we were ready for the water. After soaking up the water and sun, we headed back to the bar for more drinks. On the way out I found seaglass in the sand (beach+bar=seaglass in greens, browns, and whites!) so we proceeded to pick through the surf for treasures before heading home (after one last rum punch of course!). That night, we stayed up talking about how to save coral reefs some more, before finally succumbing to bed.

(The black sand at Mero Beach - see how it sparkles?!)

(Sunset approaches on Mero Beach)

Mini-digression #3: One of the things I loved about traveling with Whitney is that she can sleep as longer or longer than I can. If you don't know, I can sleep about 12 hours if I'm really beat, and on average, I need about 9 or 10 hours a night to really function properly (yeah, I'm screwed if we have kids)



Saturday: All week, I had been perplexed about how early the sun must rise for it to be so bright by 7:30am. This morning I finally figured it out - I awoke once by accident at 5:15am to see dawn just beginning to break. And I knew that by 6:15 am it was fully up. This morning we stuffed ourselves at breakfast in preparation for our next field trip to the Indian River and snorkeling off the town of Portsmouth on the NE coast. We piled into a taxi with 3 other people, so it was practically like having a private tour. We enjoyed the scenic ride up the coast to the mouth of the Indian River. There we got into a row boat with a guide who paddled us up river. (This was another filming location for Pirates) We saw beautiful countryside, tropical trees, fish, and the air was filled with birds and their calls. After a half hour we docked at a little old wooden dock and found a little makeshift bar where they bring folks on tour. We ate local bananas and fresh coconut and watched hummingbirds, banaquits, and butterflies buzz about. It was incredibly relaxing and just what we needed. After that we were paddled back and taken to another beach bar for a late lunch (and more rum punch). Then we snorkeled before the rain moved in and we headed back. We got back just in time for me to meet up with Wade online again, then Whitney and I headed to dinner at what was rumored to be the best place in town. When we arrived, we were surprised - it was a very sophisticated looking place on the inside (but the entrance was in an alley!) that was open to the outdoors. The chef was jamming out to Prince and we had the place to ourselves. The food was wonderful (even for Sarasota or DC standards) and we toasted to having a fun and successful week. We packed that night and tried not to think about having to return to reality the next day.

(Our chariots await us - ours was the teal and yellow one)


(The view heading up the Indian River)

Sunday, May 31: We ate a leisurely breakfast before checking our work e-mail (I finally got mine to work). Ugh. Harsh reality sets in. Then we checked out and boarded the taxi for the airport. The drive to the airport was quiet despite the full van. I think everyone was saying goodbye to paradise and thinking about the work that lay ahead of them at home. Fortunately, we were flying out with a big group of folks that Alison works with, so it was nice to have company. Once we landed in San Juan, Whitney literally ran to make her connection, which she successfully did. I had dinner with Alison & co. which was fun - such a nice change not having to travel and eat alone! We eventually parted ways as they were destined for Miami, and me for Tampa. I got home a little late and was in bed by 1:30am. It was wonderful to see my hubby and furry kids again, but we were both exhausted and headed straight to bed.

(A banaquit sneaking some sugar at breakfast)

(The bar, and only place we could get internet, go figure)

For more pictures from my Caribbean adventure, check out our Picasa site here .

A numbers game

10... the number of fun people and old friends from college that sat at our table during Sarah & Evan’s wedding.
9.... The number of days I’ve been away from home for this trip so far (and also my longest trip so far)
8.... The number of times I contemplated quitting my job this week.
7.... The number of people supporting me this week to make our workshop successful.
6.... The number of plane flights I’ve been on (slept through) in the last 9 days
5.... The number of different hotels I’ve stayed in over the past 5 days.
4... The average number of hours I’ve slept each day this week.
3... The number of different states we were in on Saturday (TX, VA, FL)
2... The average time we went to bed for the last three nights – 2am.
1... There is only 1 place I want to be right now – home!

My workshop was a trial by fire this week. This is not the first workshop I’ve organized (more like the 5th?), but it is the first that I’ve been responsible for planning the content (presentations, working group discussion questions, output goals, etc). This was also the first meeting I facilitated which was daunting and proved to be a crash course in mediating conflicts in discussions as we had a lot of strong personalities in the room.
Next comes building a coalition and drafting a policy brief to submit to Science magazine.

The upside of the week was being able to see friends (old and new), tour the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, and being able to travel with Wade for the week. We also were able to slip out of DC for a day to see Sarah and Evan tie the knot. It was wonderful seeing two fun people get married who are so happy and right for each other, and wonderful to see old friends from college. Thanks to Taryn for sharing the following picture of the happy newlyweds! Look out world, here comes trouble! ;)

I write this as I sit in the San Juan, Puerto Rico airport (one of my least favorite airports). I am headed to Dominica in a few hours to attend a week of meetings and hopefully get a tiny bit of R&R in (which I desperately need). I’ll be traveling with a friend from work (Whitney), so that will help keep things fun. When I get back next week I’ll have a few days at home before heading to DC again for a presentation of my program to the executive board of EDF on June 10. Yeeahhhh.... that’s going to be super.

Calm before the storm

Well, by now I should have written about 5 blogs. There's one about my last trip to DC at the end of April, but I can sum it up pretty easily: terrible. There's one about my office mate and friend, Kellyn, leaving for a new job in Asheville , NC: bittersweet. The next would be about my and Wade' new adventure learning to sail with Megan's Dad, Steve (see his website and travel journals under our link section (Steve & Joy): exhilarating. I can't forget that Wade started his first post-doc job with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) a few weeks ago: daunting and interesting. And the last would be about celebrating Easter with my Mom & Larry (our present was to teach them how to blog): fun.

So it seems pretty lame to give you a one word synopsis about all five of those, but that's because I've been pretty much consumed with preparing for a meeting I am holding in DC next week. It really is everything I've been working towards for the last 8 months and really will make or break my program. This week I've been working non-stop in prep for it (yes, I did work until midnight on Monday...), and we're undergoing some cuts at work which has everyone on edge, including me. So I've had to be extremely focused to get everything done while not freaking out about who's going to be let go...

On Sunday Wade and I will fly to DC together for my workshop which is part of a larger suite of meetings. Although he's really going for the other meetings, it will be wonderful to have him along for moral support. We spend a week there, then head to TX for a day next weekend for Sarah & Evan's wedding, then back to DC for a day to wrap up the meetings, then back home. But alas, after a week, I won't actually get to go home. We'll overnight in the hotel in the Tampa airport so I can fly out on Memorial Day for a week in Dominica for another meeting where I will be giving a talk. Wade will stay home with the kids, but I will be meeting up with a friend and colleague from work, and two friends from grad school.

I am telling you all of this in advance b/c it could be difficult to get a hold of me until June (seriously). And once I get back I am already scheduled for 2 trips to DC, one of which will be a big review of my program... and in a not so fun kind of way. Ahh, belt-tightening.

Amidst all this hustle and scurrying, I've been working from home more to ward off stress. Snuggling, I mean, working with the cats around has been wonderful, and we've discovered that we're running our own little bird sanctuary in our yard. We now have a full family of Carolina Wrens and Downy Woodpeckers winging through the yard and singing in the trees. It has been very entertaining watching the youngsters learn how to use the feeders and inspect us on the back deck. This new life is already on top of the small Tufted Titmouse family, gang of blue jays, Red-bellied woodpeckers, Mr. & Mrs. Cardinal (who might also have a nest), various warblers, occasional Red-shouldered and Cooper's Hawks, osprey, and Great Flycatchers we regularly hear in the neighborhood. I am also excited that we're just now getting the cicada's singing again - one of my favorite sounds of summer. I hope the promise of summer is as exciting for you all as it is here in our own yard!

And I'll do my best to send out updates while I'm traveling. In the mean time, hold tight and we'll be back with pictures and stories soon. :)

Happy Earth Day!

Today is Earth Day and as such, I took stock of what we've done in the last few years to be kinder to Mother Earth. I recently read a book that asked people to imagine they were on a spaceship headed to another planet hundreds of years away... a limited supply of air and water and the only resources you had were what you could fit in the ship! You wouldn't want to produce any wastes that couldn't be reused or recycled (or else they'd taint your air, water, and food) and in turn you would want to create things that could be reused to create less waste.
Pretty interesting and daunting scenario right? The thought of space travel might make you claustrophobic, but if you think about it, we're all traveling through space on a blue and green space ship - stuck with a finite amount of air, water, and food.... yeah, it's cheesy to say, but we're on Spaceship Earth. Think about that. Then think about what you can do to make less pollution/trash and reuse the stuff you've already got.

Here are some easy tips on things we do everyday. Start slow, we've been adding these slowly since we got married so they've all added up. Pick one new thing to try until it's a habit, then try another. There are lots more out there if you check some of the links and books on the side of our site.

1. Take your own cloth bags to the grocery, Target, pharmacy, take-out place, wherever.
2. Buy a reusable water bottle to refill instead of buying (evil) plastic bottles. Better for you, your wallet, and the planet.
3. Just in case you haven't heard - recycling rocks. Do it, it's easy and free.
4. Buy produce from a local farm/farmer's market, bonus points if it's an organic farm.
5. Buy things with less packaging (less waste!) - and look for packaging that can be recycled (aluminum cans, glass bottles, etc).
6. Compost. Send less food scraps and yard waste to the landfill and instead use them to nourish your plants and trees! Or give them to a friend who composts - sometimes cities even collect it for you.
7. Use biodegradable plastic bags for garbage, doggie poop bags, and litter box liners (actually we don't use those anymore at all...)
8. Use the library to check out books and DVDs. Sharing saves resources and saves you money!
9. Drive less. Walk, take the bus or the metro when possible - it'll save you money too!
10. Change out your lightbulbs to Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLs). Saves electricity and money! You can also save both of those by unplugging appliances (TVs, microwaves, computer monitors) you aren't using and turning off fans and lights when you leave a room.

So there you go - things to help your wallet and help the health of the planet, and ultimately everyone's health. Enjoy!

Cherry Trees and Monuments

After L.A., I headed to DC for two days to do some training. It was nice to be able to travel with my office mate Michelle - having a friend to talk to is better than sitting with a stranger for 2.5 hours! The first night, the usual suspects (Whitney, Preetha, and Michelle) and I made the pilgrimage to Georgetown to visit the Patagonia store then have dinner at the tea house - always a good evening! The next day was a full day of communications training, after which Michelle, Preetha and I deemed it necessary for a hearty Mexican dinner and margaritas. Feeling a bit tipsy and full, Michelle and I then headed out to walk the monuments at sunset and see the cherry trees. Below is the Washington Monument at sunset from across the tidal basin - along the water you can just see the pink blossoms on the cherry trees.

DC this time of year is quite beautiful - trees budding out, cherry blossoms around the tidal basin, and tulips and daffodils everywhere you look. It was my first time seeing the cherry trees so we thought it would be fun to do a tour. Once we got to the Jefferson Memorial where the tours start we realized that everyone else and their brother was thinking the same thing! So, we did our own unofficial tour. We started at the Jefferson Memorial (a first for me), then around the Tidal Basin to see the cherry trees, then through the Roosevelt Memorial (another first), over to the WWII Memorial (yet another first), then we ended at the Washington Memorial. We saved the Lincoln Memorial (one of my favorites) and the Vietnam Wall for next time. The walk made for the perfect ending to our trip. Below is a view of the Jefferson Memorial at night through the cherry trees. Check out more pictures on our Picasa site.

It was a quick trip this time around, so it was nice to be home in time for Easter. Saturday we picked up a nice bunch of veggies from the farm, met Kellyn for some time on the beach (my shoulders now resemble a lobster), then had pizza with my extended family. Sunday we had my folks over for Easter dinner and made them Mexican food with all the veggies from the farm.

I'm happy to be home for a week before I head to DC again!

The Coral Entourage Goes to the O.C.

Although we don't have television, I've seen enough to know when my job intersects with TV shows. This past week I was in Orange County, CA (The O.C.) for work. With me came: my boss (Amanda), a colleague from NOAA (Glynnis), a scientist and big name in the aquarium hobby (Eric), and my funder (Kristine). The first day there we all piled into the car and drove to L.A. to meet with a saltwater aquarium importer who's actually doing things right. Afterwards, we met with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (the folks who check what animals are imported into the U.S.) to talk about enforcement issues. We even got to follow around an inspector for a few hours helping with inspections at LAX airport which was really interesting (and made me feel like we were her entourage). I was also half expecting to see some scary Chinese triad people smuggling cars while we were in the warehouse district too... but alas, my TV-generated expectations of LA were not met (haha).

The next night Glynnis and I were up for a little adventure so we drove to the heart of the O.C. (as seen on television we were told) to have dinner in Laguna Beach. We walked the beach a bit and I saw my first sunset on the Pacific Ocean (and of course took an absurd amount of pictures).

After the sun went down, we hoofed it past my first tsunami evacuation route sign (see our Picasa site) on the street to a really cool sushi place. It was quite an adventure since it was a "fusion" sushi place - meaning we barely recognized anything on the menu (and there weren't a whole lot of veggie rolls). One roll I ordered had 3 kinds of fish, mango, banana, avocado, walnuts, and sprouts. Crazy, but delicious! We also ordered sashimi that was a slab of rice, grapefruit, and avocado seat-belted together with some seaweed. We were skeptical, but it was fantastic and really refreshing.

The third day we spent with Eric at the Marine Aquarium Expo (he was giving a talk) to meet some people and get the scoop on various businesses involved in the trade. It was incredible to see how much coral was for sale and how small the pieces were compared to the price.

After we'd seen everything we took Eric out to lunch for more sushi. At this sushi place they had fantastic vegetarian rolls - some even with pumpkin! I was also happy to eat sushi three times in 5 days because it gave me a great excuse to use my travel chopsticks. In a continuing effort to cut down the amount of waste I create I have started using a set of Snow Peak traveling chopsticks (they breakdown in half) and an REI metal spork. I frequently eat Asian food and oatmeal (no, not together) when I travel so these are essential tools for me. I also use them when I'm not traveling - the spork is even good for frozen yogurt! I love being able to cut down the number of plastic spoons and wood chopsticks in landfills. Wade liked my chopsticks so much he has a pair now too!

This was one of the few trips I've taken that I was able to travel with people, so it was really nice to have company and even better that everyone was fun to hang out with. It was also an inspiring experience spending the whole trip with fellow vegetarians (who had been for 20+ years!).

To see more pictures on our Picasa site, click here.