Merry Christmas

On Monday I started my preparations for our Abrams "Family" Christmas dinner and made two chocolate marble cheesecake pies. I also found out that we didn't have a ham for the dinner that were were having the next day. So on Tuesday after working 6-230 I went to the commissary and searched for hams. They were all frozen. So I got a 10 pound Hillshire Farms ham and walked it home like I was carrying a baby. Should have taken a cab. Oh well. So fortunately it was a precooked ham so since I had only a few hours before we ate I put it in the oven at a low temp and slowly turned it up as it thawed. At 730 when we were ready to eat the middle was still frozen so I sliced off some of the outside and microwaved it. I also made some honey glazed carrots and creamed corn while the ham was cooking and helped make many of the other dishes. It's a small kitchen and we had lots to get done. We all sat down and ate around 8pm and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. There was probably about 20 of us sitting at the table and another 10 or so that trickled in and stood around or sat on the floor. Lots of laughs and great food. We cleaned up and went to bed, then off to work again at 530.
Christmas eve Justin and I went to St Martin's Church just off the Marienplatz for midnight mass that actually started at 11. The place was packed and we found to seats that I think was really just the railing for the stairs because it had no back and if you leaned too far you'd end up rolling down the stairs. Everything was in German of course but they sang some songs we recognized. It was neat to see but a bit long. We were outside at 12:40 walking back to the Abrams. Christmas morning was the usual chaos at work, then we closed for lunch and helped prepare for the Christmas buffet in the conference rooms. When we got home Justin and I skyped with our families to say Merry Christmas and we had a quiet evening watching Dexter on his computer.
Merry Christmas to all and best wishes for the New Year!

Munich Twice in One Week? Yep!

So this past Sunday Justin had the day off and it was my second day off so we decided to venture up to Munich for the Christmas Markets. It was a picture perfect day with hardly a cloud in the sky. The bad part was that such clear weather means it's COLD. We walked to the train station and got our ticket. We didn't look to see what track we were supposed to be at and we nearly missed the train because we had to go from 1 to 4 which involved going under the tracks in between. Anywho, we made it and it was actually a really nice train going through Munich on to other big cities in Germany so it didn't stop at all the usual little stations on the way. Justin slept for part of the ride both to and from Munich while I watched the scenery fly by the window. Once in Munich we walked to the food stands next to the ice rink where I skated just 6 days before and got some sausage sandwiches for a snack/lunch. We watched the zamboni drive around while we ate and tried to stay warm. The big disadvantage to our trip this time was that being Sunday all the stores were closed so we couldn't go inside to warm up. We walked around the Christmas Market stands for a while and went to St Peters Church, a Roman Catholic Church, and also the oldest in Munich. We looked inside for a few minutes and warmed up a little and I remembered from the Munich City Tour I took through Alpine that you could climb the bell tower for a great view. With the nearly cloudless sky I figured today would be a great day. For the student price of 1 euro Justin and I started the climb up the 299 steps to the top. Now, these steps were very narrow and winding so we not only got a workout, were nice and warm for the windy top, and got to brush shoulders with many others. We made it up and took pics of the 360 view of the city. You could just barely make out the Alps with polarized sunglasses on off in the distance. Sweet! So then back down the stairs and a little more walking around then a hot chocolate at Starbucks to warm up. We wandered some more streets and then went back to the Hofbrauhaus for Justin's first beer in a beer hall in Germany. We shared some sausages and potato dumplings then headed back to the main train station. Once we found a working touch screen we found out the train to Garmisch was leaving at that exact moment. So we had a full hour to wait for the next one. So we walked around all the shops and restaurants in the station and caught the next train. It was very crowded and we had 2 police officers sitting across the isle from us. They looked to be a couple headed home for the holidays but then they took off their winter jackets and reveled their uniforms and guns. Atleast we were safe! So then it was back to Garmisch and back to work.

Pictures!! http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2085540&id=44801562&l=c4c96c249d
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2084653&id=44801562&l=6f56143c2d

View from my window

So the clouds finally lifted and the snow stopped for long enough to get some pics of the beautiful mountains outside my window. And yes literally out my window. I've added them to an existing album.
Enjoy... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2084653&id=44801562&l=6f56143c2d

Munich Christmas Market and ice skating

So this past Monday I had the day off and took my first train trip here in Europe. I went to Munich with Haley(Market Station), Morgan(Pullman Place), and Mike(Bell Stand) for the day. The train ride was nice and full of lots of beautiful scenery passing by the window. It took an hour and a half from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to the main station in Munchen. We got the Bayern Pass which allows up to 5 people to travel together on the same ticket for a day within the Bayern region for 28 euros. Not a bad deal. We went to Starbucks because of the need for coffee(as usual I had hot chocolate) and then paid 80 euro cents for the bathroom and we were on our way. We walked around for a while window shopping and drinking some gleuwein while watching the skaters before we found a place for some lunch just off the marienplatz. I had a Jagerschnitzel and a Helles. Yum! Our timing on the ice skating always seemed to end up with us arriving a few minutes before they closed down for the zamboni. So we did some shopping and more drinking. Apple strudel and beers at the Hofbrau Haus(Mike's first time). I got two hand panted glass ornaments(Check! for my to do list). One for myself and one for Justin's grandmother. Both have "Munchen 2009" painted on it. Then a little durndel for Morgan's Niece. So cute! Nice memories. We finally paid our 10 euros for skates and entry to the outdoor rink and got our skate on! The music was an interesting selection. From Sexual Healing to Bringing Sexy Back it seemed not so family appropriate but it's Europe. I was issued ice hockey skates not figure skating skates so I wasn't as confident in my abilities so I made friends with a bear(see the pictures to understand). We had a great time. After we got some spiced nuts and crepes and made our way back to the train for the ride home. A great day and missions accomplished for all of us.

Pictures... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2084998&id=44801562&l=031d59af6c

Dachau Concentration Camp Tour

Last Sunday Justin and I went on the Dachau Concentration Camp Tour that the Alpine Adventures Office offers through the resort. We arrived at the resort after a brisk morning walk just after 8 am and boarded the bus for our 830 departure. We rode on the tour bus up through Munich to the camp which is northwest of the city. We arrived just after 10 and did a walking tour with our gude and saw the 30 min video summary of the history. It was very moving and interesting. Took lots of pictures. It was kind of a grey day which matched the mood. A very interesting view of history.
View my pictures here...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2084657&id=44801562&l=d2ee7a5748

Christmas Preparations and more snow!

So in the last few weeks we've gotten a little more snow then it melted and snowed again. We had the December Staff Salute where Justin and other new arrivals were recognized. The resort has been decorated and is in full holiday spirit. Work has been good. Getting paid and trying to save my money for future trips. I got approval for time off for part of when Ben and Martha come to visit and when Dad and Terry are in Madrid. I'll be booking flights for Madrid soon.
Check out some more pictures...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2084654&id=44801562&l=1e5d9746dd

Thanksgiving, Justin arrives and SNOW!

So I haven't posted in a while because I haven't really gone anywhere. I've been working hard and trying to save some money. The resort put on an Employee Thanksgiving dinner on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving with a coach bus to transport us to and from. I went with a few girls from work and we had a blast. We laughed and laughed and enjoyed some great food.

I then worked Thanksgiving Dinner for the guests. We served approx 1500 people from 2-8pm. I worked with Jackie, a server who normally works at the Pullman restaurant. We worked hard and had fun.
We've also gotten two snow falls in the last week. Yesterdays had stuck and the snow is still on the ground. The first melted within about a day. The resort has also started a shuttle from the Abrams to the resort at 5:30am for those of us that work the early shifts.
Justin arrived on Monday with about 15 other new employees, mostly ski and snowboard instructors. He went out with me and my girl friends for half price pizza at Peaches Monday night. Thursday night we went out with 45+ people that work at the Hausberg Lodge to a bar that's owned by the same woman that owns the restaurant and bar at the Hausberg. We had a great time. The shots weren't exactly great but they were plentiful.
Check out some of the pictures...
The Alps... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2084653&id=44801562&l=6f56143c2d

Friday the 13th and another 13...

So Friday the 13th was an interesting one for us at work. During breakfast I was hustling around as usual trying to make sure everything was stocked and cleaned and not run into a guest at the same time. A woman pointed out that there was water coming out from the cabinet below the coffee makers. We have 2 giant coffee makers and a hot water dispenser in Market Station that are about 15 feet away from the doors that exit to the lobby. I realize that it's something to do with the pipes and not the actual makers so I run in back and find Fred, our manager and acting shift leader. He was doing the order for the day and I said, "Fred, there's water coming out of the coffee maker!" He thought it was just a trickle or something. I ran and got a mop and bucket. I come out with the mop and he's standing there on his cell trying to get some help before he runs off to try and turn off the water and find a plumber. So there I am in the middle of the restaurant at about 9 am mopping an ever increasing flood of water. Luckily I'm a scuba instructor so I'm good with water(the running joke) so I just kept mopping to try and make a path for the guests to walk around the flood. Finally the water was turned off(granted we then had no hot water and would soon run out of coffee) and the giant wet vacuums showed up. The manager or head of almost every department in the resort was standing there watching the clean up. Then it was realized that the water had not only gone into the lobby but leaked down through the floor and was dripping in the game/casino room down stairs. More fun! So we got it cleaned up with the help of maintenance and housekeeping and our day went on. Fred now understands that when I speak about water it's not a trickle, I'm serious. :-)  That was more than enough excitement for us for one day.
On another note, Justin's package of sheets and toiletries arrived in the mail yesterday and he will be getting here in 13 days! 

Quick trip to Switzerland!

So today I went on a quick day trip to St Gallen Switzerland with 3 other Edelweiss employees. Jennifer, Jessi, Mike and I met up around 730 and headed out for the approx 3 hour drive in Jennifer's new to her car. We had a quick pit stop to add oil and get a sticker for the car so we can drive on the autobahn in Austria. We drove through mostly rain with a brief time in snow soon after we crossed into Austria. We arrived thanks to Lee the gps voice and found some parking and set out for our Sunday self guided walking tour. We found an ATM and got some Swiss Francs and then some public bathrooms. With lots of window shopping along the way and some scenic photographs we made our way to a cafe/ bakery. With warm drinks and food we sat down and dug in. We all then got a dessert and shared it between the 4 of us and then Mike and I each got some yummy treats to go. I got a selection of truffles which are eying me through the box as I write this.  We walked around the Abbey of St. Gall, which is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. So spectacular. The pictures I took do not do it justice. We walked around and explored a park, and saw the last of 11 original gates to the city. We then took a scenic road and stopped by Lake Constance on the way home. The rain was kinda gloomy but we still had fun. I would love to go back to Switzerland and explore more and have some fondue! Check out the pictures...  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2082582&id=44801562&l=e454410d33

Staff Salute

So all the new employees that I came with were invited to the October Staff Salute which took place this past Thursday. Three of the seven of us were in attendance as well as probably 30 other Edelweiss employees. We were introduced and given a welcome gift of an Edelweiss mug and some candy. They awarded the "Caught doing something good" pins to about a dozen people, the nominations and naming of staff employee of the month, and the length of service awards. It was a good event and nice to meet some other people.
Officially welcome to Edelweiss I guess!

Munich and Griesbrau Brewery

So Lisa and I left the Abrams around 745 yesterday morning and rode our bikes to the resort. We signed in and got on the tour bus for our Munich City Tour through the Alpine Adventures Office at the resort. Our tour guide was Jim who is originally from Boston but has lived in Germany for over 20 years. He jokingly told the whole bus over the loud speaker that Lisa and I were Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. The whole bus laughed and cheered. It was about an hour and a half drive with lots of beautiful views. We drove past the Oktoberfest grounds as well as some other sights before being dropped off at Maximilian Square. We walked up to the Royal Residence of the Wittelsbach which is a huge complex built between the 16th and 19th centuries. The symbol of this family is the Lion and there are many seen throughout the area and it's good luck to rub the noses. You'll see us in the pictures getting our share of the luck. From there we walked by the Theatine Church and the Felderrnhalle on our way to the Marienplatz. We saw a statue of Marien this the name and the Rathaus "Town Hall" Complexes, both new and old. Then at 11 the Glockenspiel (play clock) did it's chiming and we watched the dancers and jousting knights(blue and white won). From there we walked through the Vikualien Market which was still open despite the cool weather and occasional sprinkle. We ended our walking tour at the HofBrau Haus, one of the city's oldest breweries. Lisa and I stayed for lunch. We each got our own beer and shared some homemade sausages with sauerkraut and a Bavarian meatloaf with german potato salad as well as a bread basket. (Part of the menu is pictured) The meatloaf wasn't what we were expecting, it turned out to be more like spam we think. We then went to H&M and the C&A stores near the Marienplatz and found a place popular with celebrities evidently that Jim said served a non-carbonated beer. Couldn't remember what it was called and didn't have much time left until our meeting time. We stopped in the Spatenhaus for apple strudel(AMAZING) with fresh whipped cream(YUM!) and Lisa had an espresso. We met up with Jim and saw the crown jewels of the royalties of Munich past which was interesting but not as exciting or awe-inspiring as we thought. We then piled back on the bus just after 3 pm and headed back to the resort. We both fell asleep for a little bit but also spent some time talking to guests and getting advice on places to travel. Lisa and I then waited in the lobby in the rocking chairs in front of the fireplace for about an hour until the brewery tour. Most of the people that went in our van/bus had already been drinking. When we arrived we got a tour and explanation of the process and where everything is stored. We sampled 3-4 beers I think and a Beer Liquor. I'm not sure how to describe it but I liked the beer liquor. I assume that's the best translation as it says bierlikor, anyways, I bought 2 bottles. We tried the Christmas beer with the owner, his first sample of this years batch with us! The brewery is a part of a small hotel and we ate at the restaurant they had, again see the plate of food pictured. Everything was yummy, and I'm not sure what everything was but I'll keep it that way. We then returned to the resort a little before 11 and rode our bikes home in the cold rain. Long day but worth every minute!!
Pictures... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2082359&id=44801562&l=fa5763427c

The New Market Station

So here at Edelweiss I work at Market Station which is the buffet style restaurant. We are open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The first two days I worked in the restaurant, then from Monday through lunch Friday our whole operation was moved to the General Patton Ballrooms while the restaurant was getting a makeover. I was part of the team that set up the first meal(Friday dinner) for our grand reopening. This just so happened to be right after the 5th anniversary celebration of the resort and we had a line snaking through the lobby with an estimated 400+ people for dinner. We were running around like crazy trying to make sure everything was running smoothly. Only two full trays of food were dropped and every highchair and booster seat in the place was used. So the rags and broom were my friend. We are all starting to get a hang of things and how it's all set up. I don't have any before pictures but I'll try and get some afters.

Halfway House Hike

On Tuesday just after noon one of the girls I arrived with, Lisa, and I left the Abrams Complex for the Halfway House on Kramer Mountain. The German translation I believe is St Martin Hutte on the Kramerspitz. It was a beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky and a slight breeze. We started on the steep paved path just outside the complex and after about 15 minutes came to a clearing with a chapel and memorial to fallen soldiers. A perfect picnic spot with an amazing view. After exploring for a few minutes we continued up the trail on the steep path that turned from blacktop to gravel after a short distance. There were lots of switchbacks the further up we got. We had to stop several times to catch our breath. About an hour after we left the complex we arrived at the Halfway House. We made use of the bathroom and found a table outside. Almost everyone of the 20 or so people there had a beer and some were eating a range of German cuisine. Lisa got a beer and I continued to chug my water. We took some pictures and took in the awe-inspiring view. I had to work from 5-10 that night so I didn't stay for more than a half hour before I left Lisa with her beer and started my trek back down the hill. It was alot cooler so I put my fleece back on and made the decent in about 40 minutes. Wednesday and today my glutes and shins are sore but I've been stretching and taking some meds to help. Will definitely make that hike again. Some of the pictures didn't turn out as well as I'd like because the sun was sooo bright. And you'll find one picture with the small amount of snow on the side of the trail. Click for the pictures.... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2081665&id=44801562&l=7f67e9886c

My Address...

For those of you that actually know me send me an email or comment here and I'll give you my mailing address. It's an APO address so its the same postage amount as if you were sending something to New York.

Garmisch, Germany!

So I made it to Germany! I left New Hampshire on Sunday afternoon, flew to Washington DC and then took the overnight flight to Munich or "Munchen" and arrived almost an hour early thanks to a tail wind. I sat next to a gentleman who I believe(what I could hear over the roar of the plane and my half asleep memory!) works for the Army and had lived in Germany for a total of 12 years and was last at the Edelweiss Lodge about two years ago for a conference. So we chatted about Edelweiss for a little bit. My mom paid for me to upgrade to Economy Plus so I had some extra leg room which was nice and made sleeping a bit more comfortable. Once I arrived I had no issues with my passport, they didn't ask to see any of my paperwork. But once I got to baggage claim and waited for about a half hour I figured out that one of my bags was missing. So I filled out the paperwork and took my other bag out through Customs and waited for Jay and Ben from the resort. We got a bite to eat and waited for 5 others, Melissa, Merissa, Lisa, Caitlin, and Nicolas, to arrive on the flight from Chicago. One more, Mike, would arrive several hours later because of missed or delayed flights. Ben took us in one van for the 2 hour ride to Garmisch. Most of us fell asleep for atleast a few min and evidently my eyes were half open which I was sleeping! Creepy! We awoke to see the snow capped Alps around us. It was cloudy for the tops of most but still awe inspiring. We were brought to the dorms which are called Abrams and were given some rules and our key. My roommate, Melissa and I went to our room but our bags were in the other van still at the airport so we couldn't unpack or anything. We then got a tour of Garmisch and stopped at a grocery store for some things for our dinners. Trying to figure out the types of cheese with everything written in German was interesting! We were then brought back to Abrams and had the afternoon free. The 7 of us that all arrived together went downtown at 430 in search of a place for dinner. We wandered around and finally found a local place. I had Wiener Schnitzel! I think it was the first time I'd ever had it. We then walked back and unpacked a little, took a shower, but my missing bag still hadn't arrived and wouldn't until 9:55pm. I made my bed with the sheets that were in that bag when it arrived and promptly went to sleep. I got up at 6:45 to get ready for orientation. We had breakfast and lunch at the resort and lots of paperwork, meeting the General Manager, a tour, sizing for uniforms, etc. We got back to the dorm mid afternoon, unpacked a little, then we were going to walk around downtown but one of the older staff that lives in the building picked us up and drove us around, we went to a bar and had beer(yes I had one) and then he showed us where some key stuff was and then went back to Abrams, hung out, and went to bed. Today was up nice and early again and to the resort for breakfast, then we went to the actual base and did ID cards, bank account setup, shopping at the commisary and px. When we got back we did room inspections and finished unpacking and sorting out items we bought from another staff member that's leaving. Tomorrow morning I work at 6am. I will be a "waitress" at the Market Station restaurant. It's a buffet style that's open for 3 meals a day. We get 3 sets of uniforms that are laundered for us on site and lockers.
Some pictures on Facebook... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2081230&id=44801562&l=12a6e25656

Geo-caching

So mom and I have been out with my gps on all kinds of adventures lately. We've started geo-caching after Justin and Emma introduced me to it. So far we've found 13 caches around New Hampshire and Massachusetts. We took Shadow with us the first time and found the cellar of what used to be Marchmont Castle. Mom researched alot of history behind it and the people that owned it. We went biking along some of the rails to trails some parts still had the large wooded ties in the ground making it very bumpy. The second half was nicely paved. Our most recent trip was on the rails to trails in Rindge and one cache was set way back in the woods and we had to cross several streams. Luckily we didn't bring Shadow on that trip and neither of us got wet.
I plan to bring my gps to Germany and will see how it goes in Europe!

Well the summer is over...

So the season at Sea Base is coming to a close and I am back home in New Hampshire. I left Sea Base on Wednesday morning and flew to Newark and then on to Louisville KY for a job interview with Edelweiss Lodge in Germany. I did the interview and got the job. I'll be starting out as a hotel attendant and after 3 months I can transfer or get a promotion. If a recreation aid position opens before I arrive I'll go straight into that position. Edelweiss is a US military resort and conference center located in southern Germany. The contract is for 13 months and they fly me there and back. I am very excited to be selected because of the opportunities to travel and experience Europe. I'll be home for a few weeks visiting friends and family before I leave around the first of October. Look for posts about my travels right here and links to photos on facebook. Germany here I come!!

Mayday Mayday Mayday... This is Scout About

So I'll start by saying that everyone is ok and no one got hurt.
It all started on Saturday morning the 25th of July 2009. I was getting ready to take my certification crew out on Scout About, a 26 foot Dusky, with Capt Ted with Divemaster Paul as my assistant. We checked the radar and decided to go to a site called Labyrinth. The ocean was literally like a lake, the water was so calm I could see my reflection perfectly. We did Open Water Training dive 1 which was just a tour and returned to the boat with no incident. We raced another Dusky back to base and got back with plenty of time to change our gear over before lunch. After lunch we met back at the boat at 12:45, did one last radar check and went out to a site called Pillars of Atlantis. The water was still calm but there was some thunderstorms in the distance. We did training dive 2 and when we came up the large black clouds were between us and land so we decided to take our time and let the storm pass. So we did a few surface skills and Capt Ted got a call on his cell from Capt Alex about the radar and which way we should go. We got back on the boat as the wind picked up and the storm started towards us. We pulled anchor and headed towards Tennessee Lighthouse. On the way the wind and waves picked up nothing out of the ordinary, the kids were laughing and having fun. Paul, Ted and I put our masks and snorkels on because of the waves splashing in but no big deal. There was a break in the storm and I pulled out my cell to check the radar and it wasn't looking good. We started going again and the waves increased in both frequency and intensity at first it was not bad, I had seen more water in a Dusky. Then Ted pulled out the bilge pump and I started pumping and the participants were using their water bottles and our staff mugs to bail the boat. Over several minutes the water level kept rising with more waves and we weren't making much headway. The boat was listing over to the starboard side and the waves just kept coming. I asked Capt Ted if we should put on lifejackets and he said yes. So I opened the hatches which were full of water and began pulling the jackets out and giving them to the kids. They all had them on and I looked back at Paul who was pointing at himself. I had one jacket left which was a child size and most of the foam appeared to be gone. I gave it to him and he put it on and then realized that there was one more adult sized on the deck of the boat. He put that one on. It turns out that one was for Ted and there was one more in the hatch that I didn't see. Within about a minute of everyone putting on the jackets the boat capsized. Paul's gear bag got caught in the propeller as we went over and we were floating. Gear everywhere. We huddled near the boat and started gathering some gear. Ted got the backpacks of the adult leaders, Paul's BCD and tank and mine as well. We sang a couple songs at first and then I started to use my Dive Alert Plus which is an airhorn attached to my gear. Between that and our waving signaling devices we got the attention of a fishing boat and we saw the Coast Guard go by in the distance. The fishing boat came and we got 4 or 5 of the scouts onto their boat and then Coast Guard boat came up. The rest of us were hauled up onto the CG boat and we transfered the kids from the fishing boat over. At that point two of the big dive boats from Sea Base were on the scene and helping to pick up floating gear. We were transfered over to one of the Sea Base dive boats because the CG got a call of another boat in the area needing help. We stayed in the area looking for gear and collecting floating items. The other dive boat put some divers in the water to pull out gear and electronics still on the boat. All of the tanks and BCDs were recovered and most of the snorkel gear but not all of it. Several pairs of sunglasses and some other small items including my cell phone were water logged or missing. One of our other boat captains works for Sea Tow as well and he came out and after a few attempts flipped the boat back over and it was towed back to base. The cost for Sea Tow to come out like that is about $7000. The motor on the boat isn't usable and the electronics are in various states of disrepair, the canvas top is ripped but the hull is fine. We had alot of paperwork to fill out and Ted, Paul and I had to get alcohol swabs and urine drug tests but all in all not too bad. I have a sweet bruise on my right thigh that is lots of pretty colors. Well, life goes on. It was a very interesting experience and I'm proud of my participants and how well they listened and we all worked together. Thank you to everyone for their love, support, and well wishes.

Scuba Certifications

So this is week 5 of my teaching scuba here at Sea Base and all is going well. This week my crew already watched all the videos before they came, finished the knowledge reviews, and learned how to use the dive tables so we are flying. Today we only have to do 3 pool dives which won't take long but I'll find stuff for them to do. It has been extremely hot with temps around 90 and the heat index regularly over 105. We haven't had the massive rain fall in a few weeks that caused flooding. No hurricanes yet(knock on wood!). I've met more friends and am having a blast. I think that I might take a week off from certifications and just Divemaster otherwise it's the same routine until mid August. Well, gotta go check to see if the dorms are clean then to the pool.

The Vandenberg Sinks!!

So a bunch of us from Sea Base were going to drive down to the Brinton Center and take the Scoutmaster to Key West to watch the Vandenberg sink but there were too many people from the Brinton Center so the boat was full. Instead we loaded up on the BSA Adventure(Newton) at 6 am and Capt Carol drove us down the ~3 1/2 hours to watch. It was a long ride but certainly memorable. We arrived about 9:30 and anchored just outside the 1 mile radius safety zone with our front row seats. We pulled out our cameras and binoculars to check it out and watched all the other boats there to watch as well as the planes and helicopters flying over head. At about 10:20am the first charge went off and she started to sink but just as it was going down the Key West Express drove right between us and the boat and totally blocked our view. We thought ok it will be out of the way in a minute and we'll still be able to see it as they predicted 3 minutes for it to sink. Well, by the time the huge Key West Express moved the boat was gone. 1 minute and 45 seconds and it was done. It was still neat to see but the gosh darn Key West Express was in the way!! There were tons of people yelling at the boat on the radio and evidently people were trying to throw things at it and shoot water at the boat because they were equally as mad about the view being blocked but evidently the Coast Guard came to their rescue. So it was neat to see, well what we could see of it, and I won't forget it.
Pictures on Facebook...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2070577&id=44801562&l=28f3bef598

Recap

The past few months have flown by. I left Club Med on Saturday May 2nd and flew to Burlington to stay with my brother and sister in law for a few days, drove to New Hampshire to get my things from my parents place, visit Helen and Phil and my grandmother, back to VT for a few more days then flew to Phoenix on Mothers Day to visit mom and dad for a few days. We went to the Desert Botanical Gardens and saw the glass exhibit by Chihuly, as well as had dinner with Anne and Shawn. Then on May 15th I flew to Miami and took the Keys Shuttle here to Sea Base. We had staff training for a week which included too many practice rescues to count and a few 20 minute dives. It's strange going from 60-130 foot dives to here where our absolute maximum is 60ft and most dives in the 20-30 foot range. I've been catching up with many old friends that are back for one more summer of fun in the Keys. Many have graduated from college and had real jobs or couldn't find a real job and are back at Sea Base. It's good to be back .

Happy Birthday from Under the Sea

For my mom's birthday today!! Much Love, Megs

Where does the time go?

So it's been almost 10 months that I've been here at Columbus Isle and I am wondering where the time went. I will be leaving in 5 weeks and I'm starting to get ready to go home. I've been going through things and starting to make decisions on what I'll get rid of and what to take back with me. When I originally came I brought two almost full roller duffel bags and when I went home on vacation I brought home a few things but definitely brought back more! So, some things just won't be able to make it. I did so well getting rid of so much STUFF before I came and now magically things have multiplied again!
I've been asked alot what my plans are after Club Med... well, I'll go to VT and NH for a few days to get some things taken care of. Then to AZ to visit mom and dad for a few days then back to VT for a few more days then to the Florida Keys for May 16th. I'll be working as an Instructor for Sea Base again for my 3rd summer now. After that ends in the fall I don't know as of know what I'll be doing. I'm working on a few ideas and gathering some applications. If anyone has any suggestions for places I'm open to ideas around the world!!

I love my job, right?

Two afternoons ago I was diving on the 2pm boat with a middle aged woman and two young teenage girls. I haven't been diving alot in the last two weeks while Matt has been gone so this was about the 3rd dive in 5 days. The two teen girls didn't speak alot of English so one of the girl's mothers translated. I was expecting just another Ho-hum dive. Cold water, not alot to see, etc. The site was Pyramid so we had a very short boat ride from the marina. I had kind of forgotten about Fred(or Ted, whatever his name is) the grouper that we are trying to socialize like Bob(RIP). About two minutes into the dive he swam up next to me from behind and scared me. The girls all thought it was really cool to be able to touch a fish and Fred isn't a small grouper either. So we petted him for a few minutes and then swam along to see a turtle on it's way to the surface for some air and two reef sharks. The girls loved it! It was the first dive here at Columbus for all three and they all came up smiling. As I was kicking back to the boat I turned over on my back to check on the 3 divers as usual and I had a moment. Not a senior moment but one where I realized that I do love my job. Looking back on where I've been because of diving and dreaming and planning my future with diving makes me happy. My 9 months here at Columbus have had some ups and downs but when I think about it, it all comes down to exploring the undersea world with people that makes me happy. Sometimes you just need a littler perspective...

Has it really been a year...

I was just thinking back and this time last year I was teaching my first Open Water class to Leo and we were diving in 34 degree(that's about 1 Celsius for you metric people) in Dutch Springs. I have done several certifications since that time. The water was about 74 yesterday(23C) and I was cold between the dives but with my 5mm plus hooded vest I was warm underwater. And to think just a year ago I was only wearing a semidry suit. I guess I've really become a warm water diver. :-)

Mom and Dad came to visit!

So my parents came for a week here at Columbus Isle. They arrived on Saturday just after we had taken apart the dock. They got a room upgrade to a deluxe oceanview room(thanks Sylvie!) as well as a few gifts in their room, a candle from Flavia, and a nice bottle of wine from Filippo. Thanks to both of them. We enjoyed the afternoon and some drinks at the bar that evening. Sunday was my first day off while they were here so we went diving in the morning. We spent some time catching up and touring the village. That night we went to the BBQ for the night divers and they got to meet the whole scuba team. Monday and Tuesday mornings they went diving and we spent some time together around my work schedule. We toured the hyperbaric chamber with Vinny and practiced some "yoga"(see the pictures) Monday afternoon. We had a nice dinner in the theater on Monday night for white night and enjoyed the Clepoatra show. Wednesday we had a tour of the island with Capt Tony. He drove us around the island and showed us the sights with a few stops along the way to get out and walk around. We also toured Supashai's garden behind the maintanance building. Mom and I enjoyed the hammocks and laid on the beach for a while. The wind made it hard to enjoy the beach for a few days but it wasn't too bad. Thursday diving was cancelled so we spent the day relaxing around the village and played a tough game of Scuba-opoly with Amy in the afternoon. Friday was another cold morning of diving. The afternoon boat was cancelled due to lack of divers so Amy, Larissa and I started the preparations for Matt's birthday surprises. Friday night we had Dom join us at Watlings for dinner and then we went back to the village and watched the show. During the night club the scuba team with some helpers decorated Matt's office with LOTS of confetti, toilet paper, plastic wrap, inflated condoms, a pink feather boa, and our happy birthday sign. On Saturday morning I got up to see Matt's reaction to his newly decorated office and wish him a happy birthday then went to breakfast with "the rents" one last time. They finished packing, then we played on the internet and read until we had a fierce game of bocce ball before lunch. I went to the airport to wish them fairwell and met Chuck and John as they came off the plane. It was a great week and made some great memories. Thanks for coming Mom and Dad!! Miss you bunches!!

The pictures from the week... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2063057&l=06fb2&id=44801562

The pictures of Matt's birthday... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2063243&l=a6538&id=44801562

Good times with Great People!

So for the past several weeks we've had some great guests here that have really made my time here fun. I'm sorry if I forget your name but there's just so many great people that have visited.
We had...
Faye and Wayne- Congrats on your AOW certs!
"Aunt" Nancy and "Uncle" Bill- thanks for all the laughs and fun times
David- Congrats on 40 years and 5000+ dives!! and Sue Thanks for being such great shore support!
"Mom" Mei- Congrats on finally getting your Open Water!
The Liebersbach Family- Congrats to you all on your Rescue Certs!! The stories were hilarious!!
and Jim and Sue are leaving today. Congrats to you both on getting your Master Scuba Diver ratings!!
Page is coming in tomorrow, my parents arrive the 31st and last night Vinny told me Chuck and John will be here the 7th!
Also a farewell to Landon, who is headed home after 4 months here on the Rock and a big welcome to Dom arriving today!

The Adventures of Bahama Vinny

So one of my co-workers, Vinny, is from Oklahoma and he writes a blog about his adventures on his MySpace page. His most recent posting is about a dive that I was on as well. I was with my group just behind him and the Liebersbach family. He had a much more interesting experience with the sharks than I did as about the time they went into the tunnel I was already turning around and headed back to the boat. The sharks were very agitated as he wrote and it was a bit unnerving. check out his post here... http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=71682907&blogID=461724420

2009!

Well the new year has begun and we started it with a bang! On New Years Eve we planned a midnight dive to watch the fireworks from underwater and have some champagne as well. Due to concerns about rain the fireworks were sent off about 20 minutes before midnight so we were still assembling gear when the display started. The show was nice and we quickly finished assembling our gear and were underwater by 11:57. At midnight we used our underwater noise makers and popped open the champagne. Some of you may wonder how to drink champagne underwater... It's quite the project especially when the cork doesn't want to come out like it did for us. So once it's opened, the opening of the bottle is covered with ones thumb and then the bottle is shaken and the pressure shoots the champagne into ones mouth and it's enjoyed. It's best if you get the bottle early in the round to reduce the amount of salt water you ingest along with the champagne.
After the dive we had a great water fight with the hoses. A great time was had by all.
On January 1st the group of us on the morning boat saw humpbacks swimming along side the boat for about 5 minutes which was quite majestic. A great way to start the new year!!