A Hard Week

I am writing this knowing I may very well likely never post this on my blog. Monday morning by 8:35 am our lives were dramatically and suddenly turned upside down. At our routine sonogram, the technician saw something that concerned her. Something indicating that the baby is suffering from something very wrong. Right now we have no details. We went from the ultrasound office home stunned. Thank goodness we had decided not to take our daughter with us to the sonogram. All we expected to find out was is this a boy or a girl. We thought it might be fun for her to see the picture...even in black and white. I am just so glad something inside of us said don't take her.

Shortly after getting home I got a call from my ob. My cell didn't ring, so she left not 1 but 2 messages before I even realized she was calling. I called her back and that's when the reality started to hit. She had scheduled me for a visit with Dr. Ghidini. The same perinatolgist I had seen with my first pregnancy due to the cholestatis. Not only had she scheduled the visit but she would be there with me. To discuss our options. I felt a great sense of relief as weird as that sounds that this was in her hands and that she was actively and agressively taking on the situation.

We called my mom and she decided to head up to go to the 3pm appt wih us. I have to say we were and are just kind of stunned. Trying to work though this in our minds. Trying to understand. WE were prepared for Cholestatis. We were prepared for routine complications - high blood pressure, whatever. We were not prepared for this.

A 3pm we went to the hospital for the appt and received a second sonogram by Dr. Ghidini and then were advised to have a battery of blood tests and an amnio. They are taking what they call a parallel track. They know the baby is having a problem. What they don't know is why. They really have no idea. There are suspicions. But nothing conclusive. Structurally, physically the baby looks fine. Heart lungs arms legs all there. All as they should be.

So Monday was hard. Tuesday was harder. I am also RH- which meant because of the amnio I had to go back yesterday to the hospital for an injection to keep my body from rejecting the baby if it happens to be RH+. This meant waiting in the perinatal center with pregnant women coming in and out. I know if they are there - like me last time - they are being monitored. I also know the vast majority have healthy babies and will be lucky. I feel sad that I feel this way but I feel almost hopeless.

I spent most of yesterday alternating between rallying and knowing I will be ok, no matter tha outcome and just intense sadness and worry. We will have results by Friday. We go back in at 1:30 for a followup and to find out what they know from all the tests. Thankfully they fast tracked all the tests - usually these would take 10-14 days. Fortunately, we'll only have to wait 3 days. Still the longest 3 days of my life.

It is hardest at night when I lay down to go to sleep and I just can't. My mind won't turn off. Sadness overcomes me and I now know what it means to cry yourself to sleep. I have honestly never done that since I was young and clueless and suffering what I thought was a broken heart. The hardest thing is I can feel the baby. Moving. Living inside of me. Knowing that the outcome may be catastrophic is heart-breaking.

I am lucky though. I have one beautiful, smart, sweet, loving and incredibly intuitive daughter. She doesn't know anything is going on but still it is like she knows. She is gentle with me. Sweet to me. Yesterday morning while lying in bed, my husband put her next to me while I was sleeping and while he was getting ready and I woke to my hand being held and her saying "I love you mama." It doesn't get better than that. There is nothing that soothes like a gentle soul. My husband is suffering too. But he is being strong. I am sure for me. He is scared and worried and confused like I am. But he is also reassuring. We have talked alot which I think helps. Gone over possibilities, scenerios. And more than anything I know one thing that won't be shaken is our relationship with each other. Neither of us may escape unscathed, but we will manage and we will survive this. We have been able to be completely honest with each other. Even the things deepest in our hearts that we feel horrible for even thinking or feeling.

My mom is another saving grace. She came up on Monday as soon as she heard about the additional testing. She went home yesterday morning but called this morning to say she's taking the rest of the week off to be with me. I am trying to continue to function but I know I can't go to work. Where I have the choice to pretend like nothing is wrong or tell some truth that is really more than most people should or need to know. I hope that once we know more I will be able to pull it together enough to live. I have to. Right now I just am trying to get to Friday.

PS Please know I did decide to post this because I think its important for me to do so. I am not sure why I feel that way but I do. Also, please know that if you are reading this because you know about my blog and know me that I would really appreicate it if you kept this entire ordeal to yourself at least until we have figured out how and when to explain it to people.

8 WEEKS!!!!

Can you say EXCITED? Only 8 weeks until STJ 06. Hopefully I won't be mistaken for a beached whale while there.

Here you are treated to a photo of the Baths of Virgin Gorda in the British VI. A not to be missed daytrip if you are even in STJ. Just ask Barbo ... she'll tell you all about "the girls" going through the caves ;)

Oh what a beautiful babe!

Isn't the baby beautiful & the mom too. This photo courtesy of a friend of mine. His wife is on the elephant care team at the Indy Zoo. I just thought the photo was stunning. Apparently gestation is 22-24 months and the babies are born weighing over 200 lbs! I have never been so happy to be human :)

Its amazing how tiny the little one looks but I bet she's approaching 300 lbs by now. Magnificient!

A William & Mary Landmark is a goner...

Starbucks to replace landmark eatery, bar

Williamsburg students are not thrilled by the idea of trading beer and burgers for coffee and muffins.

First they took 1/2 of Barksdale Field ... Now, you heard it here first. Starbucks (which we all know I like as much as the next suburbanite) has taken over. The College Deli will be no longer. For those who don't know the College of William & Mary has an EXTREMELY limited nightlife. By limited, I mean ... the Delis. 3 of them, right across Richmond road from campus. The beginning and end of partying at W&M. That is unless you count the frats ... which I don't.

Wow. That's all I have to say.

More about me...

Because you just don't know enough about me already! Hey, its my blog and I'll post what I want to post!

Where were you?

10 years ago: Working on my masters degree in Richmond, VA (lot of good that did me :) Actually counseling skills always come in handy in the real world!

5 years ago: married for 2 years & living with my mother in law - having SOLD my house in Chantilly, VA. Waiting for BISON to finish building my house!!! At my current job for just about a year and a 1/2.

1 year ago: Enjoying life with a 3 year old. Hum...Nothing really.

Yesterday: Working from home & then going to pick up Hubby's car, then to Thai for dinner, then home to veg!

5 snacks i enjoy: popcorn, chocolate, nuts, wine (well I will again post-baby) & cheese!!

5 songs i know all the words to: most anything by Jack Johnson, the Eagles, Sarah McLachlan, DMB & Eric Clapton. Hotel California, I will Survive!

5 places i would run away to: St. John, just about anywhere in the caribbean, London, San Francisco, anywhere on the water

5 things i would do with $1 million: sock away college funds for the kiddos, finally let Hung buy a boat, buy waterfront property (not necessarily a house - it is only $1M) for myself & my mom, travel LOTS more, redo my entire wardrobe, shoes and all.

5 things i would never wear: stilettos, anything skin tight, fake nails, legwarmers, socks with animals on them, and real fur. I know that's 6 but really nothing can be or should be cut from that list.

5 favorite TV shows: The Closer, Grey's Anatomy, Law & Order, Rome (if it ever comes back), and any cartoon that keeps the girl busy.

5 bad habits: procrastination, staying up too late, NOT exercising enough, shopping, and the #1 - impatience

5 favorite toys: my iPod mini!!! that's really the only toy I have.

5 biggest joys: my family, watching the girl mess with her dad's mind (Picture this conversation "Daddy, I love you. Daddy, I do not love you." Him hang dog look, her, "Sorry"), my friends, travel travel travel, and fielding the girl's questions - "Mama can it ppppppllleaaaaaseee be dark when we go trick or treating?" I like it both because it has an easy answer and it implies I control the universe!

5 fictional characters i would date:
If I weren't already committed, ok in spite of the fact that I am married! :)
Dr. Shephard from Grey's Anatomy (Patrick Dempsey), Any Character Clive Owen's played even when he's evil like in Closer, Luc from French Kiss (Kevin Kline), Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), the FBI Agent in the Closer, don't know his name but I do know he used to be married to Teri Hatcher, which you'd think would be a strike against him but he's hot.

I WANT TO KNOW...

Boy or Girl? I want to know. I want to know now. I've been good so far. I mean, 19 weeks isn't that long enough to wait? Ok, well I've only known about the baby for 15 of those 19 weeks but STILL I need to know. I need to plan. Don't they understand the nesting instinct is kicking in?!?!?

Ok, deep breaths....I guess I can wait until Monday. I mean its already Wednesday.

I am TIRED

I am tired. Did I mention that I am tired? Guess what? I am tired. I know I know ... its all worth it in the long run but right now I'd love to be a single gal sipping margaritas on the mexican riveria. No midnight & 3 am pee runs. No tossing and turning from one side to the other. No, its really not so bad ... but I am just exhausted. With the first pregnancy, I guess I could just go home and pass out when I was tired. Now I have a daughter who doesn't quite care that I am dragging. Though she does empathize with me ... she told me this morning "Mama, my legs and hands have no energies!" That is exactly how I feel!

This weekend was spent getting rid of furniture, testing paint splotches (the girl has decided on Ribbon Pink for her new bedroom & I am undecided on the master bedroom color), moving around our current furniture, looking at NEW furniture. Oh, and yesterday attending a birthday party for a little 4 year old! Hmmmm...now maybe I see why I am tired.

So we have decided we need a new dining set. I thought I'd throw our current one on Craig's list to see if it would sell & it did in about 1 hour. Soooooooo Now we have no dining table or chairs. $200 I thought was pretty good since we barely paid more than that for it 7 years ago. We've also decided that we want a new configuration in our family room opening up the center more & getting a new BIG sofa with a chaise on one end. So we went looking for those and found one we really liked. Plus, its on sale! So we went home and measured, decided it would work, now we just have to make it back to the store to actually buy it. Plus we're paying the extra $99 for the cleaning/repair service. If you mess it up --- burn it, scratch it, cut it, bleed on it, burp (the baby) on it --- they come out and clean it to your satisfaction. If they can't get it repaired/cleaned ... you get your money back. Seems like a wise investment, no?

Things a Pregnant Woman's Husband Should Never Do

Things a Pregnant Woman's Husband Should Never Do:

1. Stiffle a giggle when you roll (and I do mean ROLL) yourself out of bed for the 3rd time between 11pm and 6am to go pee.

2. Eat all of the jujufruit candies ... leaving the box full of only BLACKs in plain sight enticing said pregnant wife to go to the box, salivating, only to be disappointed.

3. Look at her while she's changing clothes and say "Wow!"

4. Say, "I was awake for the delivery" totally discounting the fact that you SLEPT through the labor. They call it LABOR & DELIVERY for a reason!

Croc Hunter

My immediate thought was Horrible, yes. Surprising, no. I was only surprised that it was such a freakish event that ended his life. What he did was dangerous. Informative and interesting to some. A great conservationist in some minds, kind of a nut to others. Either way he seemed like a good guy and had a great spirit. It is very sad, but not terribly surprising.

I am OVERLY cautious in the water. I LOVE the water in any form, but I have a healthy fear of water itself and the creatures who live in it. I think it is just good to remember that its best to look and not touch. It is their territory (I am not saying he did anything at all to provoke the attack) and I am just happy to see a turtle float by. I choose not to pursue them in any way.

10 Weeks...

Only 10 weeks ... a mere 70 days ... till ST JOHN 2006!

An Astronomy Lesson

As replayed to me by hubby.

The girl: "Daddy, what is a shooting star?"
Daddy: "Well, honey a shooting star is not really a star, it is a really hot piece of rock that is moving across the sky toward earth really fast."
The girl: "Oh, like a meteor?"

Upon relaying the story to me he says, "If I knew she knew what a meteor was I'd have explained it a little differently!" Better yet, he wouldn't have needed to explain it at all. It is sad when your daughter's knowledge of science has exceeded your own (mine in this case) and she's not even in school! I guess we shouldn't at all be surprised. She was not even quite 3 when we pointed to a picture in a book of a guy dressed in a space suit and said "Who's he?" Completely expecting her to say a space man. Nope, "an astronaut" was the answer. I think KK, who witnessed said event, almost fell off of the sofa.

That's ok I take credit for the exceptional verbal skills. I have always talked to her just like I'd talk to anyone - grown or not grown up. Hence ... astonishment, astronaut, PREDICAMENT! Ok, so she watches Pinky Dinko Doo too ... which emphasizes big words and their meaning.

Barbolicious Stole My Boyfriend!

But that's ok ... I am stealing him back. He looks totally hot with the facial hair. Well, he looks totally hot without the facial hair. Totally hot, but totally different. Did I say hot already? Sorry I have to turn on a fan!

I swear its the eyes and the hint of a smile ... you just know he is that devilish mostly a good boy with an edge.

Brief Baby Update

Today was my 16 week check-up, so what I am 17 weeks along. Who's counting. I am not sure how we got a bit off track, but that is ok.

Got to hear the heartbeat again & it sounded just as it should. Whoosh whoooosh whoooosh.

I have lost another pound. Again, not a bad thing or anything to worry about.

My blood pressure was back to my normal range 107/70. Last visit it was high for me, normal for other people 129/85. So she was pleased with that. I still think the last visit was related to the heat and stress of work.

Next up Sonogram for the week of the 18th of September.

I don't mean to brag, but...

There are somethings you want to remember and so blogging about them is the best way to make sure you will!

This morning, my lovely daughter who is only 4 used the word ASTONISHMENT in a sentence correctly. I was astonished! :)

I said, "what does that mean?" She responded, "with great surprise!" Now, don't worry she's not one of those pretentious 4 year olds who talks like shes 40 and from the upper east side. But she just has one HELL of a vocabulary.

Oh and re: baby...she states, "Oh, I hope the baby is cute and not a boy!" (Sorry baby boy if you are reading this years from now. But take comfort that last week it was all about a boy!)

Don't Marry A Career Woman...

I'll just let this article speak for itself.

Love the rebuttal ... Don't Marry a Lazy Man.

Plan B

Well AMEN ... a headline for you FDA OKs nonprescription ‘morning-after’ pill Decision allows over-the-counter sale of Plan B for those 18 or older! Can I get a hallelujah?

Seriously, WHY WHY WHY has this been a contentious issue since 1992 or maybe even earlier? My only problem with the headline is that it is restricted to those over 18. Because we all knows girls under 18 should not be able to decide whether they have a child or not. I thought maybe my opinion would change once I actually had a daughter, but no not so much. I want my daughter to have all of the safe, healthy options available to her. I surely hope that she and I will continue the relationship we have now (where she tells all) but I am realistic. I know that may not happen at 15, 16, or 17. Right now my policy is she asks a question, I answer it honestly.

A recent conversation during a discussion about marriage, her: "mommmmmm a man can't marry a man" Me: "well honey sometimes is a man loves a man they can live together and be with each other like daddy and I are" Her: "noooooooo" (not because she's homophobic, just because she's 4). Me: "yep, its true. noone can predict who they will love the most of all." Her: "I love gramma most of all." end of convo. ;)

Anyway, back to my point. I love my daughter, I want nothing more than for her to make good, healthy decisions. But she (like me and you and even the religious right - though they'd deny it) is human. And to be human means to err. She is already a strong, independent person. She should have ALL the resources available to her ... no matter what. It is her body. It is her decision. PERIOD. I don't care if she's 5 or 55.

The funniest argument I did hear is that men will buy this OTC and force it on their girlfriends/wives to prevent unwanted children. Seriously, if he can't pull it together to buy a condom do you SERIOUSLY think he's gonna go get this drug and slip it to someone? Yeah, no.

A great article if you want to read more about how the entire debacle has played out over time. No prescription for Plan B: It's about time! How politics and ignorance got in the way of public health.

Man people piss me off sometimes!!!

A Weekend Away!

Thanks to my good friend, KK, we will be enjoying a girl's ONLY weekend away at the Inn at Perry Cabin. Doesn't it look lovely.

Daddy and the girl are on their own, while mom and KK spend our weekend relaxing, sunning, reading, eating, taking tea, swimming, sleeping, and generally doing whatever the heck we want to do!

I can't wait! We have dinner reservations Friday night at the Inn's restaurant & I have a massage scheduled for 10am Saturday, but otherwise the schedule is clear. I guess I should get packing ;)

40% there...

40% down, 60% to go...yes, this is in regards to the pregnancy. Not that I am trying to rush things at all... but really it is more like 43% down, 57% to go since I'll be delivering early due to my random health issues. No worries, I have a GREAT doc and one healthy kid to show for it so far.

My first bile test ... the one looking for the bad liver problem ... came back completely normal. YAY!!! So far, so good. Nevermind that Cholestasis doesn't usually pop up until late 2nd trimester. I am early 2nd trimester. 16 weeks today to be exact about it. I am being tested every 4 weeks until I pop, or more accurately am popped (scheduled c-section and all due to 1 previous surgery for routine stuff & 1 previous c-section). I have to say I am a big big fan of the nice clean incision. Before baby #1 I was all about the natural way, but after being in labor 14 hours ... 12.5 unmedicated ... and STILL not having any success, my opinion has changed. Back to the liver thing. Depending on what you read my chance of NOT having it again is anywhere from 10%-40%. Those aren't bad odd depending on which end of the spectrum you believe. Fingers crossed everyone!

The girl has decided that the baby is going to "fall out of my tummy" when it gets too big to fit in there anymore.

I'm back...

Just like Jack Nicholson in the Shining ... she's back ... Ok well not exactly like that but you get my drift.

So my week in Seattle was extremely busy and mostly a roaring success as far as the meeting goes. I became intimately familiar with the Washington State Convention Center and the 6 blocks between my hotel and my post there. Spent most days from 7ish am until 7ish pm in there. Luckily it was nice and had a Starbucks. The conference was our largest ever. Over 5700 attendees. Almost 700 individuals in and out of the Placement Service so that too was a success.

As for the rest, I saw very little of Seattle. I could SEE the Space Needle and the water from my room. At night we did hit a few nice restaurants. Elliott's, a landmark, which we had already hit during the site visit got another stop. It was good but not as good as I remembered. Maybe it was the baby but the seafood was just not appealing to me at all this trip and I LOVE seafood. We also ate at Fisherman's something, which was good. Service in general in Seattle restaurants left a lot to be desired. Maybe they just move more slowly on the left coast. I am a leftie and I surely don't move that slowly.

Being 4 months preggo didn't slow me down too much. I think the pregnancy provided the equivalent tired-ness factor that would have normally been caused by my usual (but this time absent) excessive after hours drinking. It was mostly a wash. Tired without the hangover, so maybe I even came out ahead.

The trip back was NOT fun. Yes, we were all mostly traveling home the day the new TSA restrictions went into effect. No liquids, gels, lotions in carryon. They were taking people's chapstick. My a pure stroke of luck - it was raining so my plans to just walk around Seattle the last morning were literally washed out - I was at the airport 4 hours early. I was hopeful when the SkyCap looked at me like I was totally insane for being there that early. Took me less than 2 minutes to check my luggage and having checked in online I headed to security. 3 HOURS LATER ... I made it to the front of the line. It was completely surreal. I kept seeing co-workers and conference attendees I knew well as the line snaked and re-snaked around. At one point my assistant called me (she was on a different airline and thus a different terminal and security line) and says "Are you in the parking garage?" thinking I may be in the same line as her. I reply "Um, no". Yes people they had routed her line THROUGH THE PARKING DECK the line was so long.

So let's move on. Three hours later I arrive to the front of the security line. We are instructed to place our belongings on the belt and to NOT touch them until we are told we could do so. A bit intimidating but ok. MInutes later I am through. Everyone was remarkably pleasant and calm.

I make it to my plane with about 40 minutes to spare. There were about 80 people from earlier missed flights trying to go standby. I get my seat and we wait while they load the standbys & take a couple off as folks with legit boarding passes manage to clear security and book it to the gate. We end up departing about an hour late, though they still are saying our flight was "on time."

So we land at Dallas and I have 5 minutes from the time I deplane to make it 10 gates down. I run. Determined at this point to not miss my flight. I had already decided I was sleeping in the terminal if I did miss the flight for no other reason than I did NOT want to go through security again.

I make the flight. Upon arrival at 1:30 am at National Airport I discover my baggage did not. At this point I thought well that's 2 less things to lug home :) So I fill out my claim and head to the curb to hail a cab. Only to find a line at least 30 people deep. Now its 1:45 am at National Airport. Cabs are not a plenty. I see a executive town car in the next lane and bolt. Fully aware the driver could be a predator but not caring. At this point I'd rather have to fend off a crazy lunatic than stand in one more line. And I know in my heart that the pent up frustration would turn to rage and I could take him! He agrees to take me home and $77 and 14 hours and 15 minutes after leaving my hotel that morning in Seattle I step out into my driveway. Home Sweet Home!

I'm going now...

I am outta here at 5am tomorrow. Flight is at 7 something. By 1 Pacific time I'll be stepping out in Seattle with pleasant 70s during the day and downright chilly 50s at night....I will never be so happy to be chilly in my life as it has been SOOOOOOO hot here in DC. 103 today.

I'll update you all in a week!

The Perfect Stroller & What's with the indigestion?

Baby to be's new stroller. Isn't it lovely?. Black and Kacki ... my favorite colors as most of you know.

We have decided to bite the bullet and go with the Peg Perego Pliko P3. After hours of online research we narrowed it down today with a visit to Buy Buy Baby. I was looking at the Maclaren's and even the Bugaboo (who pays $700 for a stroller! Especially with some of the horrible reviews it gets???). After all the reviews I decided it was most likely going to be the PP but I wanted to see one and actually test drive it.

By the end of Kid #1 I loathed the stroller. Totally adequate for what we paid but it was just making me miserable. It was too short for someone with a LONG torso like me and hard to manuever. Just sticky wheeled. Plus it started to just fall apart. So I was on a mission. All I had to do was push the PP around the store for a second and I knew. This was the one. Who knew a stroller could bring such joy ;)

Adjustable handles, cupholder, stands on its own when folded, a step in the back for the girl to ride along when she's tired ... and best of all we found this $299 stroller online for $209 - NO Shipping and NO taxes. I know its just a stroller but considering the girl just gave hers up about 6 months ago ... I think I can amortize it over 4 years and be very happy with my investment. Daddy took a little convincing but not as much as I thought he would.

I get it. I am with child. But what may I ask is up with the indigestion? WHY? I don't get it. I eat something - anything - and I have instant indigestion. Lay down ... indigestion. What's with that? The baby is only the size of a lime to a lemon. Why is that's causing gastrointestinal distress? I need to buy stock in tums. I will take this over the nausea and vomiting though ... so I'll stop complaining.

Answer

I don't know but it has been a rough couple of days in the office. Both my closest work friend and my assistant's dads have taken ill with heart troubles. I'll spare the details but it is just so sad. Though it doesn't impact me directly, it still makes you realize how fragile life really is and how quickly things can change so drastically. I want to be always grateful for my health and the health of my family and friends. Maybe its because I am pregnant but I just feel so wound up by the whole experience. Shallow, but true. I mean, I know what I am feeling is an insignificant fraction of what they are going through now.

Which brings me to this song. I don't know why but I just found my way to this.

Answer by Sarah McLachlan

I will be the answer
At the end of the line
I will be there for you
While you take the time
In the burning of uncertainty
I will be your solid ground
I will hold the balance
If you can't look down
If it takes my whole life
I won't break, I won't bend
It will all be worth it
Worth it in the end
Cause I can only tell you what I know
That I need you in my life
When the stars have all gone out
You'll still be burning so bright
Cast me gently
Into morning
For the night has been unkind
Take me to a
Place so holy
That I can wash this from my mind
The memory of choosing not to fight
If it takes my whole life
I won't break, I won't bend
It will all be worth it
Worth it in the end
'Cause I can only tell you what I know
That I need you in my life
When the stars have all burned out
You'll still be burning so bright
Cast me gently
Into morning
For the night has been unkind

Day 6: Mr. Flip-Flop’s Birthday, Day Sail to Jost Van Dyke & Cake

6:00 am – we awake and luckily I am not in too much pain from the rum punches the night prior. Today is the man’s 33rd birthday (explain to him that he should never forget how old he is as long as he can remember how old the mini F-F is and can add 30). In honor of him, I’ve arranged a day sail with the Wayward Sailor to celebrate and to continue our exploration of the VIs (Last trip included a day trip to the Baths & the Willy T).

Tip #16 - As much as you will be tempted to just STAY on STJ (or STT) explore - take a day trip.

Couple #1 (with the 1 year old) has accepted our proposition that if they watch mini Flip-Flop today, we’ll watch their little one later in the week. They jump at the trade so they can get out and explore alone. Mini Flip-Flop loves the water but 8 hours straight on a boat would not be fun! Of course, today, when mom and dad have to be up and out of the house by 7 - she SLEEPS until 8:30!

7 am - We're supposed to meet up outside JJ's in Cruz Bay at 7:15 - since I haven't seen the whites of the Gromit's eyes, I go knock. I took down at least 6 or 7 rum punches but she had outpaced me by at least 3 or 4, so I am wondering if she's still out cold! I'm thinking this could be a fun sail ;)

I knock & Mr. Gromit appears, all is well, they are almost ready. By 7, we are off toward town.

7:20 am – We await Capt. Phil in front of JJ’s Texas Coast. Soon he appears along with another couple and the 6 of us are off to the dinghy. We head to the dinghy & collectively think no way our 7 butts are going to fit in there! But somehow we do, we load up and motor out to the Wayward Sailor. We are set to get out of the harbor.

We get to the boat and after a few more instuctions disembark & meet Tarn, aka the crew. We all settle in to head out on open water.

We hit the Pinnacles for a bit of snorkeling. Hubby and I hang back a little and two huge schools of fish swim right by us. We snorkel around for about 45 minutes or so & then its time to head back to the boat. Everyone seems to be holding up pretty well considering the previous evening. But, wait, I speak too soon. Back on the boat a few minutes and Gromit literally begins to turn green. Then, in true Gromit fashion, asks Captain Phil, "so if I need to hurl I do it over the side right?" He smiles, says "yep" and she contemplates. A few minutes later, after discreetly tossing her cookies, she looks much better.

Tip #17 - If you feel sick (hung over or motion sickness) just go ahead and toss 'em - you will feel much better and be able to enjoy the rest of your trip. And Flip-Flop always has spearmint gum!

We are all back on track and are off Jost Van Dyke & lunch at Foxy’s. Tarn calls in our order ahead of time. Thank goodness because we are all starving by the time we get there. We still have a bit of a wait though the place is not at all busy. You never know if you are going to see Foxy or not and today he’s not singing. There is another guy playing guitar and singing mellow tunes. He’s actually pretty good. After a yummy lunch of a flying fish sandwich & a spinach salad with feta we are off for a short nature walk around the island.

Jost Van Dyke is a tiny island with about 150 or so residents. If you think St. John is quiet, Jost is practically comatose.

Tip #18 - If you think St. John's gotten too busy for you, try Jost, I promise you it's as laid back as I've seen and I've island hopped a bit.

Foxy’s does gets rocking on special events like New Year’s Eve. A co-worker of mine spent NYE there some 15+ years ago and said the harbor was literally wall to wall boats. He walked from one boat to another to get to shore, which is littered with passed out people! Sounds like quite the party.

Back to the nature walk, the Gromits have bailed on us and are chilling in a hammock while Captain Phil takes the rest of us on a little tour behind Foxy’s – we see Foxy’s brewery, the house where Foxy was born and still lives, a bunch of trees one of which produces cotton (ok a cotton like substance) and whatnot. Sorry, but it was HOT & though Captain Phil seemed comfortable the non-natives were melting. Then we walk up a street and I realize this is "town”. Capt. Phil goes in a small grocery & I gratefully follow his lead picking up a much needed bottle of water and doing what the Capt. does - selecting a coconut cookie – which is essentially caramelized sugar and coconut. Huge & only $1. Very tasty! I have to beat Mr. Flip-Flop off the bag before he eats it all!

Tip #19 - If you ever find yourself on Jost, find this market and get the cookie. Trust me on this one.

Back around to Foxy’s and I pick up a T-shirt for myself & a surprise for the little ones back at the house.

We find Gromit exactly where we'd left her - playing poster child for Foxy's - in her tie die shirt laid out in the hammock. I think her recovery is almost complete. While we were on our walk, she apparently was photographed by another tourist. Look for that to turn up on the grateful dead tribute site.

We reconvene & head back to the boat. On the way, we spot Foxy coming down the dock and get to meet him ever so briefly. We leisurely sail & sun our way back to St. John. Tarn offers up a snack of brownies and fresh pineapple. Hits the spot! Along the way we see Trunk, Caneel, and Honeymoon beaches from the water before heading back into Cruz Bay harbor. Caneel is not at all what I expected it to look like from the water. To be honest it looks very rustic and a bit rundown, but I haven’t set foot inside there so I can’t judge!

4:00 pm – Back on the dinghy, to the dock and the day sail is over. We get through customs with no problems & bid farewell to Capt. Phil and Tarn. All in all it was a fun trip but a little slow for our typical pace. We decide we preferred the powerboat trip we took with Pirate’s Penny to the Baths on the last trip, but again we were happy to see something different. We were also happy we did a small boat with only 6 people vs. the party boat route.

Tip #20 - Customs can be awful or a breeze. We lucked out and it was smooth and quick. Personally, I always take off my hat & sunglasses and am polite and professional. It doesn't always go as quickly for those coming off the party boats.

4:30 pm – Return home to rescue Couple #1 from the kids! We find that their day was good. Lazy and easy, just as it should be.

Tip #21 - Don't ever worry about leaving your child with other people. They will always behave 100 times better for them than for you!

Guess what? That's right we head back to the pool and relax a bit. We had originally planned on Lime Inn for the birthday dinner but everyone’s feeling kind of worn out & a little icky (Gromit). We decide we aren’t up for dragging the kids out, so we call and reschedule the Lime Inn to Saturday night, settling on Mr. F-F favorite Uncle Joe’s BBQ.

6ish – Gromit & hubby volunteer to go out and get the food – steak, chicken and ribs and a ton of sides.

Tip #22 - When getting take-out from Uncle Joe's be PATIENT. I promise it is worth the wait. You may luck out and get there just as its ready, but that is usually not the case. We've waited anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. It will be ready when it's ready. Don't rush the master.
The Gromits return to find the rest of us famished. We dive into all the stryofoam containers, piling up the chicken and ribs and sides. We migrate to the deck & Enjoy! Messy but so so so good. We get the kids off to bed and the grown-ups stay up talking until late in the night. Then we remember CAKE!!

While we were gone mini Flip-Flop had assisted in baking dad’s birthday cake. Island baking can be a challenge, but it was very YUMMMY! All in all another great day for all!!

Day 7 - JUMBIE & Tage (I think)

Cravings...

1 - Haribo Gummybears - no other brand and only red, clear, yellow and orange. NO GREEN.

2 - Smoothies - esp. banana and strawberry with whipped cream

3 - Jolly Ranchers - every color except blue. That blue is not a color that occurs in nature.

4 - Starbursts - every color except yellow

5 - Cucumbers in apple cider vinegar and a touch of oil with sugar

Basically anything COLD and sweet with a little tartness will do.

A Bunch of Random Information

Ok, well the cat is officially out of the bag. We had a bit of a birthday gathering/Crab-pickin' feast this past weekend and as I have hit the 12 week mark we took advantage of the opportunity and told a bunch of friends who were there. Everyone was excited.

I stressed and thought and plotted about telling my boss. I know he's going to be thrilled, but its sort of like telling your dad you are pregnant. I told my hubby this and his response was "well its not like you are 16 and knocked up" ... and beyond that, he's NOT actually my dad. But that went over his head. Still its kind of awkward. Maybe it would be easier if he was a she, but that's not happening.

So I finally decided on the submission of the old leave slip. We have this official form to be filled out for all leave/absences from the office. So I went with that.

Date of Leave: Mid-January - Early March
Type of Leave: X Other - Childbirth and the aftermath
Days: 30 give or take

I left it on his desk this afternoon so we'll see what he says! I know I am a chicken, but I am a cleaver chicken.

I figure people need to know as I leave in a week for our annual meeting. In case I pass out or fall asleep at my duty station people will know "oh she's just pregnant".

The girl's observation of the week: "Mama, your tummy is getting bigger" Me: "Why do you think that is (she knows theres a baby in there). Her: "I think you ate too much!" Out of the mouths of babes! She is excited though and keeps referring to the baby as her "new baby sister" I don't have the heart to tell her it could possibly be a boy.

And, finally, my mother-in-law is a nut. She drove to my brother-in-law's house and arrived with NOT a flat tire, but a MISSING tire. The wheel was there, no tire. My sister-in-law freaks out and insists on calling someone to come help her. She refuses saying she's "Too busy" and has to go...and proceeds to DRIVE OFF ON A RIM. She ends up stuck on the Fairfax County parkway without a cell phone for 4 hours! All 5 of her sons freaking out, 2 on the road trying to find her. Finally some kids come along and help her out. She makes it home. I would say I am surprised but this is the woman who BACKED INTO A COP and didn't realize it. Drove off. Cops follows and pulls her over & says "maam did you realize you ran into me" Her: "NO" ... she is the WORST sterotype of an asian woman driver.

STJ House 2006

Here is the view from our house for 2006, November to be exact. 107 days! Can't wait to take my mama & the clan to my favorite place in the world.

Day 5: Rainy Morning, Shopping & Miss Lucy’s Full Moon Party

Today we wake at our usual 6 ungodly in the am to some light rain. Deciding this is a sign that we need to stay out of the sun a bit, we do what we do best – Nothing! We relax around the house, eat some breakfast, and decide we should use this time wisely and go shopping. By this time, rain is gone!

Tip #14 – If you wake to rain take solace in the fact that it will most likely be gone before you get the motivation to make an alternate plan!

Still, the grown-up girls are hell bent on some shopping and are off to Cruz Bay. The guys hang back with the little girl. We plan to meet up around 12:30 @ Mongoose Junction for lunch and kid exchange. I think they guys were thinking that they were doing a public service to the future Mr. mini Flip-Flop by not allowing her to be indoctrinated to the Gromit & mama shopping experience!

We get to town & wander through all the great shops at Mongoose and discover a few new ones. We also spot Deli Grotto and take note that we should probably do lunch with the guys & kid there.

Deli Grotto is new (at least to me since the last trip 2 May’s ago). There was a different deli there before, if I remember correctly. It seems to me its under new ownership. It feels bigger, I think they knocked down a wall. There is seating & computer terminals with internet. Internet is $2/15 minutes, which I think is quite reasonable. I RESIST the strong urge to check my email. Only 5 days in & this is the longest I’ve gone without checking my work email ever!! That INCLUDES during maternity leave. But NO I refuse to be sucked into whatever happens to be going on in the real world. No news is good news!

Gromit & I salivate a bit over the goodies in the deli, decide we’ll be back when hungry & are off to resume shopping. Only a minor amount of credit card damage later, we realize that it is time to meet the rest of the gang. We suggest Deli Grotto for sandwiches and I get a MASSIVE curried chicken salad sandwich, fresh brewed iced tea and some broccoli salad. Delicious!! Everyone concurs it’s a good choice. They also have yummy baked goods & I select a concoction of crushed graham crackers, chocolate chips and coconut! OMG! Heaven redefined.

Tip #15 – If you decide to eat at Deli Grotto (which you should!) you can split everything and still have leftovers. And don’t miss the dessert case!

The ladies take over kid duty and the guys are off to shop. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, men shop. Not for long and not often, and sure usually for cigars or electronics, but it has been known to happen ;) The girls head back to the house for some POOL time. Another lazy afternoon slips by & we realize tonight is the first night we’ve arranged for childcare!

In advance of the trip, I lined up a sitter through Christie’s Classics for 4 of our 12 evenings (yes that means you have many more days of trip reports to look forward to ;). Susie of CC’s had already called us the day prior to confirm time & place & to tell us more about Tonya who would be our caregiver each night.

I try to mentally prep the mini Flip-Flop who is easy as pie to leave with a sitter at home. She literally throws us out of the house! I swear to you, she sees the sitter, turns to us and says “BYE!” and gives us the look of “go now … its time to party!” And I mean time for HER to party. Still, this is new and strange and I am concerned she may be a little reluctant.

6:30 pm – We are ready to go and Tonya shows up on the dot as scheduled with a huge smile. She has three kids of her own so we quickly determine she knows more than we could ever tell her. Quick introductions & show her where the important things are – diapers, pjs, movies, milk & popcorn - and we are off to Miss Lucy's. The little ones seem a bit dazed but surely they will be fine.

7 pm – We arrive at Miss Lucy’s for the Full Moon Party. Gromit & her hubby had departed a bit early to avoid the sitter exchange and to ensure we’d have a table. It is all about the teamwork! They snag a great table outside – there are inside and outside tables – and you definitely want an outside table for the full moon. Seeing the moon is kind of the point. Quickly our waitress has us all situated with our beverages of choice – the first of TOO many rum punches for Gromit & me. They just slip down so easily. We are given our choices for our entrees – crabcakes, sirloin, wahoo, or pork. I wisely choose the pork! Full Moon Party = Pig roast in my mind! YUMMMMM! The sauce was outstanding, I asked what was in it and they told me but I was already 3-4 rum punches in and I have NO recall. Hey, I am surprised I remember this much of the evening. It was sweet and fruity but with some definite heat. The dinner was $15/plate and included all kinds of west Indian goodies – fried plantains, mashed sweet potatoes, some kind of corn stuffing, rice and beans. We follow up with desserts. I have NO recollection what they were other than one was chocolate and one was key lime or citrus something – I think – whatever they were I do remember they were tasty.

There is a band playing and we enjoy the music and more rum punch. Soon the guys excuse themselves to have a couple of cigars down by the beach and the ladies just enjoy hanging out. We laugh and carry on and the next thing we know our table is approached by a lovely, local gentleman. Turns out he is Hamilton, as in the Maho Hamilton’s Taxi. We chat a bit and invite him to join us. We must have looked like we were having fun as he gladly complies. Now, he is easily one of the most fascinating people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. He’s traveled all over the world and tells us many funny stories of his experiences on & off the island. He invites us to his house for a drink later in the week – all of us, even the hubbys & kids! However, we get sidetracked and totally manage to not hook up with him. My first and really only regret of the trip! Sorry, Hamilton!!!

10 pm - 14 rum punches later things seem to be wrapping up at the party & we decide to pay up and head back to the house. Thanks Mr. Flip-Flop for getting us all back home safely! The drive from Coral Bay to Chocolate Hole is quite entertaining when you are a bit tanked. We get home, find one kid fast asleep – (Mine! SCORE), but the other one is awake ;) We thank Tonya and head off to sleep.

Tomorrow ... Mr. Flip-Flop turns 33, Daysail on the Wayward Sailor to Foxy's and fine dining from Uncle Joe's BBQ!

Seattle, Washington

High of 72, Low of 57

Why do I mention this? Because I get to go in just about 2 weeks!

Pathetic Statement on Human Nature

GAO: TV, iPods part of post-Katrina waste
KATRINA AID MISMANAGEMENT

FEMA also could not establish that 750 debit cards worth $1.5 million even went to Katrina victims, the auditors said. Among the items purchased with the cards:• an all-inclusive, one-week Caribbean vacation in the Punta Cana resort in the Dominican Republic.
• five season tickets to New Orleans Saints professional football games.
• adult erotica products in Houston and Girls Gone Wild videos in Santa Monica, Calif.
• Dom Perignon champagne and other alcoholic beverages in San Antonio.
• a divorce lawyer's services in Houston.
By Mimi Hall, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Department employees, including Secret Service agents and FEMA workers, wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars on iPods, beer-making equipment, a flat-screen TV, dog booties and clothing after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast last fall, according to government investigators.

The General Accountability Office (GAO) will report today that the government also cannot account for more than 100 laptop computers and a dozen boats bought after the storm with government purchase cards given to employees.

"This new GAO investigation uncovers yet more disturbing evidence of wasted taxpayer dollars following Hurricane Katrina," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee. The Homeland Security Department's "lack of the most basic safeguards to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in the purchase-card program left the door wide open for these abuses."

The alleged waste is minor compared with the roughly $1.4 billion investigators say the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) lost to waste and fraud after Katrina, but it highlights accountability problems at the department.

The GAO cited poor oversight of the 10,000 employees who have purchase cards for business expenses. After Katrina, the $2,500 spending limit was raised to $250,000.

Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said the abuse was relegated to "a few bad apples" and the waste represented a "very small fraction" of the department's purchases.
Among the GAO's findings:
• The Secret Service spent more than $7,000 on 54 iPods and could not prove they were needed for government work.
• A FEMA employee bought a 63-inch plasma-screen TV that was found unopened in its box six months later.
• FEMA spent $68,000 on 2,000 sets of dog booties to protect search-and-rescue dogs' paws as they walked through debris — but the dogs wouldn't wear them.
• A Coast Guard employee bought a $230 beer-brewing kit for parties. The Coast Guard claimed the kit saved money and gave the GAO a "detailed five-year analysis" to support its claim. The GAO cited "a dubious need for the government to brew its own alcohol."

Day 4: Maho, Skinny Legs & Night Diving

Hubby & I are up by 6 am and we hear mini F-F calling from the tree house shortly thereafter. We rescue her from the tree house (and the apparent army of mosquitoes) and we’re all ready for breakfast. Gromit is up and whips up some yummy bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches. We’ve decided to head for Maho today since it’s early and it’s an ideal beach for the little ones – and honestly, the big ones too!

Tip #9 (I think) - If you want easy access Maho is a great beach for you. Parking is literally on or steps from the sand.

We head out & the ride there is exciting. We are all in our separate 4wds with our walkie talkies.

Tip #10 - If you are with a big group & have separate cars Walkie Talkies are great to have to make sure everyone's on the same page.

Gromit & hubby are in the lead giving the walkie talkie tour of Cruz Bay & the north shore. I think, hum … Caravan Tours might be a new business venture – give everyone a walkie talkie and tell them to follow.

We arrive at Maho & find it exactly as we left it 2 years ago. It is a great flat beach and very calm. The parking is ideal. We literally back right onto the beach and unload. You are right there!

We all hang out … sunning, swimming, snacking and just generally being completely useless. The mini Flip-Flop has taken to the water like the proverbial fish. Ok, so it’s definite, she’s mine! She’s a girl after her mom’s heart and we decide we’ll definitely keep her. She alternates between floating in the water with her ring and digging in the sand.

Tip #11 - If you are traveling with a little one buying 3 or 4 floats from Walmart & carting them with you is definitely worth it. They don't weigh much and they make life so much easier. And you can just leave them behind for the next lucky family!

Gromit has a couple of friends who live over on St. Thomas who are joining our hubbies on their night dive. Soon it’s time for her to head off to pick them up at the ferry. We promise to meet them at Skinny’s in about an hour or so for a burger. That is if we can pry ourselves off the beach.

12 pm – We’ve managed to pack up and are off to Skinny Legs for my 2nd burger of the trip! Yummmmm. And ice cream.

Tip #12 - THE COOLER MOVED! We find it is no longer in the super-secret, protected location and is now just there right in plain sight! Things change ;)

We decide to head back to the house – the pool is calling us & the guys have to rest up for their night dive with Colette.

4pm – the divers head off for the night dive & we continue to linger at the house. They are meeting Colette at Salt Pond so we decide we’ll all meet up for a late dinner at Shipwreck Landing. Pool anyone?

6:30pm – We finally get ourselves in gear and head out to Coral Bay again. The guys have taken our Jeep Liberty to the night dive, so Mini F-F & I catch a ride in the open jeep with Gromit. I am concerned that she won’t be happy with all the wind. Well, once again Gromit says it’s like a roller coaster and she’s all good. 10 minutes after riding with the wind, she passes out in the back of the jeep and continues to sleep alllllll the way to and through dinner.

The non-divers decide to go ahead and eat since we have no clue when the divers will arrive and it’s a good thing because we don’t see them until 11pm back at the house! I selected the dinner special of grilled wahoo with wasabi mayo. YUM! Service was slow but kind. We cut the lady a lot of slack as someone hadn’t shown up for their shift and she was handling the entire restaurant herself! Gromit had an order of conch fritters and I snagged a bite – also yum. A lime n da coconut later and I am feeling just fine. The girlie is still snoozing. We finish up dinner and decide to head back to the house.

11pm – The night divers finally return home from their night dive. It seems that it didn’t go all that smoothly but that they did get to see some pretty cool things – huge lobster, crab, cool fish, etc. The water was very rough. Hubby was displeased as he missed the first acclimation dive during daylight due to an equipment malfunction. He typically (without a wetsuit) sinks like a rock, so had taken on no weight. Well he gets out there and can’t manage to go & more importantly STAY under. He just keep floating to the top. He’s quite experienced & thus is upset with himself thinking he’s done something wrong but he heads back to shore so that the rest of the group can continue without him. So he’s sitting on shore and notices his b c is inflating all on its own. Now he’s really mad because he’s missing the dive because of the vest! Luckily it gets straightened out and he makes the 2nd dive without any problem.

Tip #13 - A word of warning from him to divers who tend to get motion sickness – its worse with night dives. Take some dramamine. He ends up tossing his cookies on the way back to the house. But still proclaims the night dive VERY cool.

I have waited up for them to return because I worry & am unable to sleep until I see the whites of the man’s eyes. You never know what can happen underwater in the DARK! Once he’s home I am off to snoooooze-land. It’s after 11pm – officially the latest I’ve stayed up since being on island & it feels like it is 2 in the morning!

Tomorrow – Rain, Shopping in town & Miss Lucy’s Full Moon Party

Day 3: Bye Maho, Hello Ambiance...

6 am – We are up with the sun and the critters. Sit on the deck for a few minutes taking in the scenery. Snap a few pictures to remember the place by & start to leisurely pack it all up again! We are finally getting our island mojo going and all of a sudden it is time to move from Maho. You would think that with 100+ stairs to our Studio we wouldn’t have taken much out of the car, but we (that’s the universal we that really means my husband) had taken lots up. So there is lots to bring back down to the car. We trek back down to registration and we are ready to move from base camp to luxury! Pile in the jeep and head back down North Shore road to find Destination St. John.

9 am – We arrive at Palm Plaza & see the sign for Destination St. John. I head up to see if anyone’s there. It is only 9ish in the morning so I think a long shot. Lucky us, there is someone there and ready to take us up. We’re warned the cleaning crew is still there but we’re told it is fine that we go and drop our luggage & just hang out by the pool. We are very happy. We head out of Cruz Bay and past the Westin.

Turn left on Rock Ridge just past the Westin and realize - oh this is what they mean by Chocolate Hole Hillside. We go up and up and up and then a hard left and we’re in the driveway. Even from the driveway I can tell we’ve picked wisely! To our left is the 2 story 2 master suite building, the pool is straight ahead, and to the right sits the main house with another master suite. View is STUNNING. We’ve stayed directly on Chocolate Hole prior but never had the view you have from the hillside. The pictures on the website don’t even begin to give this place its due.

We (again the universal I mean my husband) start taking in the luggage. We relax for a few minutes chatting with the housekeeper. She’s got her work cut out for her so we decide to head to town and see what there is to do. A few minutes later we are parked by the dock & the short one spots the Playground. We can’t say no, so we head over and after she plays for a few minutes until I think we are all about to melt.

We decide to head over to Dolphin market primarily because I know it is air conditioned. We decide to stock up on the non-perishables & grab lunch. Prices are pretty good and you get 10% off just for asking. On a whim we decide to hit up the deli for sandwiches. We get a roasted turkey with pepper jack cheese sandwich, chips, a side of cucumber salad and corn, and some cold drinks & head back to Mongoose to enjoy our lunch in the shade. Excellent food & great prices! I’d highly recommend it if you want to pack your cooler for the beach. We eat up and then hang out for a while before deciding it is now a reasonable time to head back toward the house.

1 pm – On the way back out of town, we stop again at Dolphin for me to run in and get the perishables items – eggs, bacon, milk, etc. Then we are on the way to our home for the next 11 days! When we arrive Ambiance has been transformed. Sparkling clean and all ready for us. We bring in all the goodies we’ve stocked up on, put them away and universally decide IT IS POOL TIME! Into our suits and into the pool.

The pool is awesome – an infinity style overlooking the hillside Chocolate hole & Cruz Bay. You can see all the way to St. Thomas and even St. Croix through the haze. We have about 2 hours before the rest of our crew – 2 other couples (including Gromit) and another little one (1 year old boy) – begin to arrive.

3:30 pm – Couple #1 calls to say they won’t be able to make the 4 pm ferry so they’ll be on the 5:30. No problem. But wait, 20 minutes later another call – “they threw us and our stuff on the boat and we’ll be there in ½ an hour!” You have to love the ferry guys! If they can possibly make it happen they will!

4:30 pm – We all head to the dock to greet the first timers! We load the luggage into our ride and we’re off to the car rental place to pick up their car. 10 minutes later we’re on our way back to Ambiance. We arrive and they get out and start to look around soon they ask, looking at the two story building on the left “who’s house is that?” I say ours. They say, “well who’s house is that?” pointing to the main house. I say “ours” – smiles all around. We give them the tour.

Gromit has left me a message at this point letting me know they had to change planes in Miami and will be on the late ferry – 5:30 out of Charlotte Amalie. So … you want to swim again? Twist my arm. We’re back in the pool & again before I know it the time has come to go get Gromit & her hubby.

6pm – I score a great spot right at the dock, back in and wait for the boat. Soon I see them with their megawatt STJ smiles. Throw the luggage in our Liberty and we’re off to the car rental pick-up for the 2nd time of the day. Car is waiting and we are off to the house for the last time of the day! Everyone takes the tour again and we decide on rooms. We are fortunate and get the main house bedroom (all the bedrooms are almost identical) but this one is the closest to the loft which is in the main house over the living room. There is hope that mini Flip-Flop will actually take to having her own room!

Luggage is moved to the appropriate locations & we soon decide to hit the pool AGAIN. Hubby and I have offered to handle dinner duty for the gang since we’ve been on island time for a couple of days. We fire up the grill & throw on burgers, dogs & pull out the chips & make a nice salad. YUMMY. Dinner, drinks and chilling by the pool.

Mini F-F decides the whole loft concept now known as the “treehouse” is very cool. Thanks Gromit! If Gromit likes it pretty much the short one thinks it must be cool! The ladies take turns unpacking while the guys enjoy cigars on the deck. We are in a happy place & soon we’re all off to zzzzzzzzzzz land.

All May Not Be Lost!

All may not be lost. This is McLaren Mercedes choice to replace JPM. He's a McLaren test driver. Spanish. We'll see if he has the cojones to go with that car!

A Picture Expresses how 99% of America Feels

Bye Juan Pablo...

A shot from JPM's LAST formula one race EVER. He has been released from his McLaren contract pending his start with NASCAR. Still I weep.

Martin took this at the race in Indy ... prior to the huge crash, during the warm up lap.

Day 2: Flip-Flop Goes Scuba Diving

Today the time has come to face the Scuba Fear or die trying ;)

5:45 am - Wake up early – its TOO early! Try to go back to sleep but its not happening and we are all awake and mobile by 6! We see & appreciate the view of Maho from Studio 5A (I sound like a tv broadcast) for the first time this morning. Stunning! What a gorgeous place to spend a little bit of time. We get organized & head off to find some breakfast.

After hearing kudos about the Donkey Diner on the USVI board, we go in search. I think I remember correctly that its near Skinny's - i.e. the designated meeting place for scuba lesson. Yep, I was right there it is. We’re the only folks in the place. I decide on the special mozzarella, red pepper, green pea, & mushroom omelet. Sounds a bit weird but it was in a word...Scrumptious! Mini F-F has a pancake and some peas. She actually prefers the peas to the pancakes. The Man has what he deems a good breakfast sandwich. High praise from a man who loves his breakfast foods.

As breakfast ends I realize I am actually going to have to go & meet Colette for real. That this scuba thing is actually going to happen. TODAY! And I begin to alternate between a) Boy I am smart for getting this in early and getting it out of the way and b) I am NOT ready to face this.

We pay up for breakfast & drive off to our meeting spot at Skinny’s and realize we’re a bit early so we drive on out past Vie's. On our way we pass a runner and her dog on a massive hill and I swear the dog gives us the look of “please help me, she’s crazy, you look like nice people, is that car air conditioned? surely that car has a/c” but he loyally continues to runs on behind her. You have to love Dogs for that! Decide the 9 o'clock hour is approaching and we should turn around and head back to meet Colette.

9 am on the dot we pull into the Skinny Leg's parking lot and there is who must be Colette with another first timer, Cindy. At first I think man she's brought another dive master cause she knows I am going to be a tough case ;) She gives me no time to think and says "Follow me." So we're back on the road heading out to Haulover Bay (narrowest point of the island at about 300 yards wide, named because boaters would literally haul their boats over there to prevent going all the way around the point). We pass the poor doggie again & the crazy jogger!

Colette tells us that typically Haulover is a very calm spot but today as a result of recent storms it’s a bit rough. To me it doesn’t seem so bad. Of course, I am still on shore!
Colette leads us through about 45 minutes of onshore briefing/lessons & I get to ask all my odd questions. Then we are off into the water. I am already feeling more comfortable than I did the first time I tried this scuba thing without success.

Two things stick with me – 1) exhale…remember exhaling is 1/2 of that whole keep breathing thing - I would just inhale really big and then try to inhale again w/o exhaling and that doesn't really work! AND 2) your land instincts were developed on land – being under water is and should be kind of foreign. And I keep remembering FlaGeorge's kind words about he his own anxiety even now after diving for longer than I've been alive (I didn't have the heart to tell him that, but he found out later). Thanks again George! Your voice was in the back of my mind many times during this morning!!!

Colette has a calmness about her (she's also a yoga instructor) & so I THINK I am ready to go in. We suit up and head into the shallow water. Within 3 minutes we are trying to do the face in the water thing, I go down about 2 feet and am flailing. I mildly freak and Colette wisely gives me space, takes Cindy a few feet away and gets her acclimated. I stay there and try to just practice the breathing.

Now this entire time alone I am thinking to myself, “this is not for me, I am not liking this, I don’t want to do this, I am going on shore, I am not cut out for this” but the whole time – about 10 minutes tops – I am keeping my head in and breathing through the gear. I am mentally working hard to talk myself out of trying. Somehow Colette has perfect timing and is back to me before I head for the shore! I start to get a little more comfortable and the trick of LONG exhales/short inhales is actually working for me. I am physically counting to 5 on the exhale and to 3 on the inhale and low and behold it works just as Colette said it would.

Colette asks if I am ready, I nod, trying to be a good sport, she takes my hand and before I know it we are under. Maybe about 5 feet and then maybe 10 feet. It was an absolute thrill! I was so proud of myself. I am typically either very good at something – and thus do it and do it well – or fear failure and won’t even try! But I really, really wanted to do this just to conquer the fear if nothing else.

Soon I was grinning underwater. What a great feeling, until I realize my broad smile is causing my mask to leak. Remembering what I was taught on shore, I actually successfully clear my mask! The first of many times. Soon I am thinking this is much cooler than snorkeling. Hardest thing for me is that you CAN’T talk under there. There is so much to say! Another problem for me was that the thumbs up in Flip-Flop sign language means VERY COOL but in Scuba it means I want to go UP! So there is a bunch of giving the thumbs up, thinking that's wrong, and switching to the Ok sign. Colette is awesome and checks on me continuously giving me little claps underwater.

Soon, before I realize it, Colette decides to get us to try to take out the regulator. She shows Cindy, Cindy complies. She shows me, I don't so much comply. She points to me to say your turn. I point back to her so she'll do it again so I can study. I am much better at watching and doing than listening and doing - so this works for me. After watching her do it twice, I actually do it. Another small victory and a HUGE boost to my confidence.

Before I know it we are headed back to shore and the dive is OVER! And best of all I enjoyed myself!!! I didn’t realize it but we had gone as far as about 30 feet down. I swear I would have followed Colette to Puerto Rico if she went there. I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to the sport & I am pretty sure I am going to pursue getting certified. It was so cool to be down there and to be able to stay down there and really explore. The cool thing is figuring out you can control your motion through your breathing & just 1 finger in the sand will keep you from rammin into something you don't want to hit.

We get back to shore and she looks at Cindy and says, "you were just loving it down there" and she looks at me and says "you are just amazed at yourself for doing it" - and she was so right.

1pm – We are packing up the gear & off to Skinny’s for a post-dive burger. Cheddar burger and a bud light after a morning of exertion – there are few finer things in life. The morning's activities had definitely given me a good appetite. The little one and daddy (who had headed off to Maho this whole time) join us at Skinny’s. Apparently they had played hard at Maho and the girl is unconscious. I check for breathing.

He (an avid diver and great encourager of my trying this out AGAIN) asks how it was. I just smile. He says, I think thinking I didn't do it, "did you do it?" I smile. And then I tell him all about it. He is very happy. He says that he expected I would do it but that he didn’t expect that I would like it, he was so completely surprised to find that I enjoyed myself! We bid farewell to Colette and head back to the Maho for a break.

We rest up a bit at Maho and decide to go downtown to Cruz bay. Mini Flip-Flop wants ice cream and we need aloe. Daddy has managed to fry the little one's arms at Maho. Just the forearms! The last thing I said before risking my life to try his passion of scuba diving was “reapppppply the sunscreen” he says to me, “I couldn’t find it” – I kid you not. He had one bag with him and there were 2 bottles of KIDblock 123000 SPF in there! But I breathe deeply, think I am on island time, this will not stop me, it doesn't look like 3rd degree burns & we are off in search of aloe.

Tip #6 – packing 6 bags (not including carry-on)doesn’t mean you will remember everything! This is our third trip to STJ but our first with the little one so some things that were on the packing list that still didn't make it!

So we are off down the hill to the north shore road and find a spot at Mongoose Junction. Shop a bit – I spot 2 things that the mini F-F can’t live without – Columbia strap on sandals (her very cute and cool neoprene sandals are constantly slipping off) and a long sleeved surfer girl top. Fried arms will not keep us down this trip!

We continue on and find a great smoothie/ice cream shack right across from the car ferry. 1 nannilla (vanilla for those who don't speak 3 year old) ice cream, 1 frozen special, and 1 frozen lemonade later we are much better. The car ferry is unloading so it’s quite the chaotic scene as we sit and enjoy our treats. We watch as some folks (decidedly not locals) get more than a bit agitated, not showing their appreciation for island time ;)

Tip #7 - When in doubt do what the locals do. They typically know the routine and if you just follow politely at a short distance your experience will be much smoother!

We wander around town a bit more, get ourselves re-acclimated & decide we should pick up a few things at Dolphin and head back to Maho before dark. Plus, we want to get Uncle Joe’s for dinner!!!! We stop by - and are told to come back at 5:30. So we wander around some more enjoying a lazy day in Cruz Bay.

5:45 pm - Ribs, Chicken, every side they have in hand we head back to Maho. $17! What a deal. Best deal on the island! We drive all the way back to Maho smelling that BBQ all the way. We arrive, take the stairs to the studio, and proceed to eat like kings - the sauce is so good I swear I lick the styrofoam container.

Tip # 8 - DO NOT MISS OUT ON UNCLE JOE'S. Seriously consistently one of our best meals on island everytime. My husband would divorce me if we didn't eat there at least 2 times each trip!

Tummies full & like clockwork it's time to crash. I think its about 8:30 pm!

Tomorrow ... Bye Maho, Hello Villa Ambiance & the rest of the gang arrives!