Update: The List

Back at the beginning of the year, I put together a list of 50 goals I wanted to accomplish this year.  Believe it or not, today marks the end of the fourth month of the year.  We are 1/3 of the way through the year.  I figure this is a good time to take a look at the list and see how I am doing.  Here is a snapshot.

Checked of the list

• Go hiking somewhere new.  (Puerto Rico)
• See Jimmy Buffett in concert. 
• Take more pictures.  (I have taken about 3000 so far this year.  No that is not a typo.  3000)
• Keep up with my blog.
• Get back to the ropes course at the YMCA (first day back is Saturday)
• Go back to Chicago (trip planned in August)

So Far, So Good

• Have a healthy year
• Eat Better
• Spend more time on the boat
• Spend more time with friends
• Pray daily
• Read more

Need to plan

• Overnight Boat Trip
• Surfing trip
• Wakesurf
• 2 more concerts other than Buffett
• Go to Red Rocks
• Go Sailing

Not even Close

• Workout daily
• Have a veggie drink everyday
• See the Cubs win the World Series
• Start to write a book

There are several others that fall somewhere in between.  Overall, it has been a great year so far, but I still have a lot to do.

How did we survive?

I got home from work tonight to find out that our internet was not working.  I went through the usual trouble shooting steps on my own, and it still wasn't working.  I then called technical support, which then ran me through the same steps I already had done (This actually proved to be more difficult then you may think, considering I could not get onto the internet to find their phone number).  It still was not working.  The person on the phone  told me that they would have to come out to the house to take care of it.  Saturday between 10 and 4 was the earliest they could come.

This did not go over to well with my wife.  She works from home quite a bit and relies on the internet.  So she tried to call technical support and got the same result.  Eventually, I some how found myself on the phone again with another technical support person doing the same things I had already done 7 times.  It was in the middle of this phone call that I just started laughing.  I was sitting on the floor staring at a little black box waiting for a green light to come on, and I just started laughing.

I was thinking that it really wasn't that long ago that I didn't have any access to the internet, let alone wireless internet.  And yet I had spent the last hour trying desperately to get our internet working again.  How quickly do we take things for granted.  Ten years ago, I didn't have a cell phone.  Now if I leave my house without it, I turn around to get it.  The thought of going 4 hours, let alone four days without internet access was unbearable.  How would we survive?  How could I check email?  How could I get updates on the Swine Flu?  How could I check the score of the Cubs game?  How did I get information before there was a Google?  I hardly remember.

So there I was, sitting on my floor, laughing and staring at the little black box with no green light on.  The final technical support person was as much help as the two before him.  There we were, facing the possibility of no internet for 4 days.  Four days!  I then started tinkering some more, and all of a sudden, the green light came on.  I am pretty sure that the clouds parted, shining a light down from above and into our office while trumpets played in the background as well, but I can't be sure.  Don't ask me what I did.  I am not sure.  Bottom line is we are back online.

If nothing else, I got a good laugh at of all of this.  Plus, it give me a good excuses to show this video, which is appropriate for the situation.  

My Masterpiece

The results are in. I got the mug that I painted Friday night back today. It looks great. Of course, I cannot take all the credit for it. My wife did the detailed painting, I just had to make sure that I painted in the lines.

There is a story behind the design of the mug. Now is not the time to get into it. I'm sure there will be a better time to explain soon enough.

Has this Ever Happened to You?

I was late for a meeting tonight. I hate to be late to anything, but it happens. It is the reason I was late that is notable.

As I was leaving my development I could see something in the road ahead of me. It wasn't moving, so I figured it was a branch from a palm which often get blown into the street. As I drove closer to the presumed branch, it moved. Not like the wind blowing it movement. Like it got up on four legs and walked. It was not a branch. It was a gator.

Not a big one, but big enough. Three maybe four feet long. Big enough for me to stay in my car. Being from the north, alligators were something I had to get used living in Florida. A few years ago, I took a crash course.

My wife and I took our boat, along with 6 other people and 4 jet skis, and went for a weekend trip on the Kissimmee River. It was right around this same time of year. The first day on the river, we saw over 100 gators. We stopped counting after that, and it was only 3 o'clock.

We thought it was cool seeing all those gators from the safety of our boat. The other six people on their jet skis, didn't feel so safe and didn't think it was so cool. During the course of that weekend 2 of the jet skis and our boat broke down in the middle of nowhere, which meant having to get into the water. The coolness of the seeing the gators quickly turned to fear.

One thing we learned from that weekend, is that this time of the year is mating season for alligators. They are much more active and much more aggressive.

Back to the original story.

Knowing what I learned on that trip, I thought is best to wait out the gator that was sitting in the street in front of my car. The gator was in no hurry. To make a very, very long story short, I was late to my meeting because a gator was in the road. At least this didn't happen though.

It is About Time

After months of fighting with our insurance company, we have finally won.  Since being released from the hospital over three months ago, our supplemental health insurance has refused to pay our claim.  They seemingly had a new excuse every week, and despite supplying them with all the proper paperwork, they still denied the claim.  

We were beginning to think we would never win this battle.  Then, on Friday, we received an email from our contact that the check was in the mail.  We didn't get too excited, because one check had already been sent, only to have the insurance company put a stop payment on it.  It wasn't until this morning when the UPS delivery man handed delivery confirmation of the check to my wife that we thought it might be for real.  She wasted no time in calling the hospital to confirm and urge them to cash the check before the insurance company could change their mind.

We have made dozens of phone calls and spent hours on the phone over the last several months trying to resolve this.  It feels almost as good just to be done with the whole things as to know that our claim has been paid and we are no longer in debt to our health care providers.

Throughout this process, I have heard many people tell me their own horror stories of insurance company woes.  Many of them did  not have the same ending that we have.  When health insurance companies do what they are supposed to do, they are great.  The problem is that so often, they don't.  Worst of all, those fighting the battle are often at their lowest point.  There were times after my surgery when I was so tired and worn down that the last thing I wanted to do was battle with them.  And they know that, which is what makes it so difficult for patients.

Fortunately for me, I have an very determined wife, and there was no way she was letting them get away with it.  We fought it every step of the way, and eventually, we won.

Jimmy Buffett Throws One Hell of a Party

After spending Friday night celebrating my new liver and my improved  health, I spent most of my day Saturday with several thousand people who seemed to be on a collective mission to destroy theirs livers.  

Jimmy Buffett came to down, and about 30,000 people showed up to greet him.  I am a seasoned Parrothead and tailgater of up-teen concerts, and I can honestly say that this was one of the tops.  We were there with a great group of people and some how managed to get a prime spot for tailgating.  We ended up with an empty space next to the three cars we drove, in which were able to set up our two 10' by 10' tents, and 3 six foot tables.  There was a seemingly endless parade of friends coming through our area.  There was a core group of about 14 of us that really set up camp.

We got in about 4 hours of tailgating before heading in for the show.  We all agreed that 4 hours was not nearly enough.  There were talks of doubling the tailgating time for next year.  

As with all Jimmy Buffett concerts, there are both highlights, and lowlights.  Luckily, the high far outweighed the low.  Here is a little sample;

Highs

• Despite the hundreds of people trying to buy tickets in the parking lot, our friend found a "secret" entrance.
• Walking in 5 minutes before the show starting, and still scoring good lawn seats.
• No one in our group ended up passed out or having to be carried any where.
• Everyone made it back with both of their shoes.
• There were twice as many coolers as there were people.
• A great group of people who know how to party.
• Not having to wait in even a minute of traffic coming and going.
• Jimmy put on another great show.

Lows

• One person in our group getting kicked in his head and having a full beer dumped on him before the concert even started.
• 45 minute lines for the port-a-potties.
• The guys in the RV in the parking lot charging $5 to use their bathroom because there was a 45 minute line for the port-a-potty.
• Our great spot on the lawn, turned into the alternate men's bathroom by the second half of the show.
• I had my sealed bottle of water taken from me at the gate.  My wife walked right in with a bottle of rum.  (I guess that could be a high too.)

Plans for next year have already begun.  Not sure what it will entail, but I do know it will be bigger and better.

Monkeys, Wine, and Pottery

Friday night, some friends hosted a little get together to celebrate my new liver and good health.  They choose to hold the party at a paint you own pottery studio called Practically Pikasso.  Despite the name, I was not magically transformed into an artist.  Fortunately, my wife already was an artist before stepping into the studio.  You can see the mug I painted above, before it went to get fired.  I painted it all by myself.  By that I mean I painted the blue base and my wife did the rest.

Tonight was about more than pottery though.  It was about friends getting together to show their support for us one more time.  I think that I have milked this liver thing for all it is worth for now.  

We are extraordinarily grateful for those who set up and organized this event, and equally grateful to everyone who came out to show their support.

Jimmy Buffett is Coming to Town

This Saturday night, Jimmy Buffett will be playing at the Ford Amphitheater, and I will be in attendance.  Over the years, I have been to so many of his concerts that they tend to run together in my mind, so I have lost count of the number of his shows I have attended.  If I had to guess though, I would say that Saturdays' show will be number 18 or 19 for me.  

My first show was back during the summer after my Sophomore year in college, and I have not gone a year without seeing him since.  I have seen him in eight different venues, and one summer, I saw 3 of his concerts on one week.  I guess you could say that I am a Parrothead.

I love his music and seeing him play live, but a Jimmy Buffett concert is about way more then the concert.  It is about tailgating.  We are planning on getting to the parking lot by 3 for an 8 o'clock concert, which is arriving late by my standards.  There will be about 14 people in our group tailgating, although that number seems to keep growing.  In fact, there are some people coming who do not even have tickets to the concert and are just planning on tailgating.

Trying to describe a Jimmy Buffett tailgate party in words is nearly impossible.  It is one of those things that you just have to experience to understand.  I will do my best to document the tailgating and concert in photographs, but I just am not sure how many pictures I will be able to get that will be suitable for sharing.

If You Build it, They Will Come

At least that is what my wife says.  And tonight she was right.  My wife is an incredibly intelligent woman and knows a lot about a lot of different things, but if there is one thing she really knows, it's tacos.

Tonight with met with a group of friends for Taco Night, complete with Latin Music, sombrero's and rum cake.  I know rum cake is not exactly Mexican, but it is reeeally good.  

Taco night soon turn into game night, which supplied plenty of laughs on it's own.  Aside from the fact that I was completely forgotten in one game, even though I was the one to demonstrate it, there were several other memorable moments.  Perhaps the most memorable were the variety of ways in which the movie "When Harry Met Sally" was described.

I ended up eating way too much, and laughing the way we were laughing on a stomach full of tacos is not a great feeling.  All in all, I have to say that Taco Night is always a good idea.  I just hope that I can still say that tomorrow when I wake up.

Alligators, and Monkeys, and Mice, Oh My!

This past weekend, we had friends from college come down from Cleveland and stay with us.  We have known them since freshman year in college, and have been friends since.  My wife was in their wedding, and they were both in ours.  We do not get to see each other as much as we would like, but when we do, we always have a great time.

Despite the years since we have met and the distance that usually separates us, some things never seem to change.  I swear that we had some of the same conversations this weekend as we had back in college.  

There were however some things that changed.  Namely, they now have two beautiful daughters, ages 4 and 2.  Which, by the way, lead to some conversations the we definitely did not have back in college.   Needless to say, of all the words I would use to describe this weekend, quiet would not be one of them.  

They had spent a few days visiting Mickey and Minnie Mouse over in Disney before heading our way.  We took them all out on the boat one day, and spent a very lazy Sunday relaxing by the pool.

Here are some of the highlights from a very memorable weekend.

• The Alligator in the pond in our backyard decided to pay a visit, and got a little too close for comfort.
  

• Their oldest daughter learned to swim in our pool, even if is was with a life jacket on.

• My wife decided that Sunday night when the girls were getting ready for bed would be a good time to teach them her famous monkey call, which then they of course would imitate the rest of the night.

• I dominated in the first round of our Wii Bowling Tournament.  Not so much in the second.

Here are some pics from the weekend:

The Gator looks much bigger in Person.  Trust me.

All Good Things Come to an End

A few days ago, I wrote about how we spent our Easter, and the not so traditional events we hold.  I realized however, that there was one tradition that came to an end.

After graduating college, my wife (girlfriend at the time) and I moved to Florida near to where her family lived.  I was quickly taken in as part of the family.  This was made clearly evident on my first Easter living in Florida.

I was quickly initiated into one of their long standing family traditions;  The Hiding of the Easter Baskets.  Growing up, my family always hid Easter Eggs to find, so I figured that finding an entire basket would be easy.  I was 22 at the time.  How hard could it be?  I was wrong.

Here is a sampling of some of the places Easter Baskets have been hidden over the years;

-Above the tiles of a drop ceiling.

-Inside a wetsuit hanging in the garage

- Inside the air conditioning vent

-Inside a suitcase, which was buried in a closet beneath 5 other suitcases.

It was my father-in-law (technically step-father-in-law, but that's too complicated), who took charge of the hiding of the baskets.  I honestly think that this was his favorite holiday of the year for the sole reason of tormenting his children (I mean that in a nice way), as they desperately look for their baskets.  He would sit back, relax, and laugh as we searched every nook and cranny of the house.

After a few years, he began to run out of hiding places for the baskets.  So did he stop?  No.  Instead of hiding baskets, he hide envelopes with our names on it.  Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a single white envelope in a 3500 square foot house?  I once found my envelope in the middle of a ream of printer paper.

Eventually that became too easy.  So then he began to hide "decoy" envelopes.  So instead of just the usual 5 envelopes, there would be 25.  Except that 20 of them were bogus.  He would still just sit back and laugh.

This Easter, for a variety of reasons, there was no Easter Basket search.  I am partly relieved, partly happy, and partly sad at the end of this tradition.  I am relieved, that at 29 years old, I do not have to crawl on my hands and knees and search under couches, in cabinets, and behind TV's searching for baskets and envelopes.  In a way it is sad that the tradition has ended, mostly because I know how much my father-in-law enjoys it.

I  hope that by next Easter, he might be able to hide the basket of his grandchild and revive the tradition.

Donate Life Month

The month is almost half over, so this post is long over due.  April is Donate Life Month.  It is a great campaign to raise awareness of Organ Donation.

Check out the links below for Donor Registration Cards, access to your State Registry, and other information regarding this campaign.  

OrganDonor.gov

DonateLife.net

Be Careful what you ask for

In recent weeks, my area in Florida has been hit with a  severe drought, and in a move to conserve water, cities across the area have instituted ridiculous, but much needed watering restrictions.  For example, I can only water my lawn one day a week between the hours of midnight and 4 AM.  I have an automated sprinkler system, so it that bad, as long as I do not live in Tampa.  They only allow hand watering, no sprinklers.  Need your car washed? Get your wallet out because  you are not allowed to water your own car anymore.

Needless to say, we need rain.  Or should I saw we needed some rain.  Today we got what we asked for and much more.  Not only were there torrential downpours in the area, a few tornados even touched down not too far from where I work and live.  I spent an hour in my office today, along with everyone else I work with in a tornado watch because my room is the only one without windows.

There was some pretty bad damage in the area, but luckily, no reported injuries.  Here are a few pictures curtsey of Bay News 9 of some of the storm.

Sorry Ladies. I am off the market.

That's right.  I am sorry to say it, but it is true.  You see, as of yesterday, I am wearing my wedding ring again.  Here is some background in case you are just tuning in.

After my surgery in January, I sustained severe nerve damage to my left arm, and in turn lost all felling and use of my left hand.  Seeing as I had no feeling in the hand, and my wedding ring is already a little big, and I have already almost lost it twice, I decided to play it safe and wait until I regained feeling before I put it back on.   It took a little longer then expected.

After several weeks of physical therapy, I began to regain strength in the hand, but still did not have feeling in it.  It has just been  in the last few weeks that I have began to regain feeling.  I was ready to put it back on, but with all the hiking and swimming we had planned in Puerto Rico, I figured I would wait until we got home.  In the mean time, I wore the ring on my cross necklace that my wife gave me as a wedding gift, and which I never take off.

So in honor of our anniversary yesterday, I put it back on.

Here is what I learned in the three months I went without wearing my wedding rings.  Nothing.

I would like to tell you that I had women lining up to get my number seeing as how I seemed to be available.  But alas, it was not the case.  Instead, I had to settle for spending everyday with the most beautiful and amazing woman I know.  My wife.  Lucky me.  

Happy Easter-versary!

Not only was today Easter Sunday, it was also our 6 year wedding anniversary.  Easter first.

The service at our church this morning was amazing.  I can't really get into all the details, but let me just say that the service ended with a really cool version of "Amazing Grace", preceded by another song in which they literally made it rain on the stage.

That is pretty much where all the traditional Easter Day activities ended.  The rest of the day consisted of a pot luck dinner at the park, a few games of dodge ball, softball, and of course some friendly gambling and jello shots.  

As for the anniversary portion of the day, there is not much to say.  Yesterday was supposed to be our day to celebrate, but the weather cancelled our hot air ballon ride, and a stomach virus cancelled our dinner reservations.  One thing for sure is that we will make up for it.  We will reschedule the ballon ride and will definitely make it to Roy's.  We have a lot going on coming up, so I am not sure when, but it will happen.  

Of course, being our anniversary, I need to get this in.

Thank you to my wife for 6 amazing years of marriage.  Although our lives have not always been easy, being with you has made it all worth it.  I look forward to many any more years together, packed with more adventure, more laughter, and many more memories.  

I love you.

It is better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air...

then in the air wishing you were on the ground.  At least that is what we were told.

Let me explain.

Tomorrow is our 6 year wedding anniversary.   Since tomorrow is Easter, and our day is already filled with church and family stuff, we decided to celebrate today.  I have been planning something for awhile and was really looking forward to it.  I was fairly confident that my wife would like it, with one exception.  It involved waking up at 5:30 this morning.  

And so we did.

We then made our way to the parking lot of a Dunkin Donuts.  Romantic right?  That is where the van picked us up and drove us out to an empty field in the middle of nowhere.  Can you feel the love?

That is where we heard it.  "It is better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air, then in the air wishing you were on the ground".  It makes sense if you think about it.  Especially coming from your hot air ballon captain.  The fog was too thick and the winds were too high.   Not worth the risk he told us.  We will have to try it again some other time.  And that was it.

So we are back home now.  Not much planned for the rest of the day.  Dinner tonight at Roy's.  We'll try the ballon some other day.

Back Home

Although my body is now back in my living room at our house, my mind has not quite caught up yet.  My mind is still in the clouds that descend upon El Yunque Peak.  I still hear the sounds of the pulleys riding the ziplines through the forest.  I still smell the salt water lingering in the air.

I am sure that this reminiscing will last well beyond today.  I have over 1500 photos to sort through, and over an hour of video from our different excursions to edit.  

My immediate thoughts are that this was definitely one of the top three trips I have ever been on.  This ranks right up there with the three weeks I spent in Fiji, and the week I spent hiking and rafting in Colorado.  All three trips were at different times in may life, with different people, and so unique in there own ways, that it is hard to compare them.

My second thought is that we will definitely be going back.  Despite our jam packed itinerary, there are still several things that we did not get to do.  We missed out on surfing (poor conditions), spelunking (too far), and the bioluminescent bay (full moon).  I would have also liked to see more of San Juan and Old San Juan.  But like I said, we will be going back.  

Puerto Rico: Day 6

If our first full day in Puerto Rico was summed up by calling it a relaxing day, our last full day could be summed up by calling it a recovery day.  After the last 3 days of seemingly going nonstop at high energy adventures, today was a day to slow down and recover.  As perfect as this place is for adventure, it is equally perfect for relaxation.  

Once again we found a perfect spot beneath a few palm trees to hang our hammocks, and proceeded to work our way through a cold six pack and a few pina coladas (non-alcoholic of course.)

Before turning in for the night, we tried our luck one more time at the casino, and unfortunately did not win enough to extend our trip any longer.  So tomorrow we will board our plane back to home, back to reality.  

Yes.  That is really a beach chair impaled into the tree.

This pretty much sums up today.

Puerto Rico: Day 5

Yunke ZipLines

What started as a day with no definitive plans, turned into another day of adventure that will not soon be forgotten. We were hoping to do a zip lone tour, but were not sure if we would be able to find a company on such short notice. We ended up finding a brand new tour company that just opened a zip line course in the foothills of El Yunque Peak.

After grabbing a quick lunch at the beach side bar, we began our trip to the zipline tour. There were some doubts even as we were following the directions that were given to us over the phone (follow the road past more or less 3 stop lights, drive by a church and a school, and park by the basketball court next to a house with a metal roof). Surprisingly enough, we found the basketball court, and were soon suited up with the proper safety equipment and on our way. And yes, Munkle made the trip as well.

The course consisted of 7 zip lines and 3 rappels from the tree platforms. The zip lines varied in length, speed, and height. Undoubtedly however, they did save the best for last. The grand finale was a 900 foot long zip that lasted nearly 30 seconds. The zip carried us over a banana and plantain crop, with the cloud covered peak of El Yunque to our right.

The staff that took us through the course were all very friendly, professional and knowledgeable about the forest and Puerto Rico. We managed to not only have an unforgettable time, but even picked up a few facts about Puerto Rico that we didn't know.

Today has added to an overall memorable trip that will be hard to match any time soon. The best part is, we still have another full day left.

Some more photos from today.

Puerto Rico: Day 4

Cayo Santiago
"Monkey Island"

Many of the excursions that I had planned for this trip to Puerto Rico were similar to other trips that I have been on before. I have hiked to the top of mountains, walked down toward waterfalls, and zip lined through the forest. Today however, was a brand new experience.

This afternoon, we chartered a boat out of a small coastal town named Naguabo. We boarded the "La Paseadora" at the local dock, and headed toward Cayo Santiago. An island just off the Eastern coast of Puerto Rico, and better known as Monkey Island. It is appropriately named seeing as the only residents of the island are 1200 Rhesus Monkeys.

The island is used as a research center for scientists from around the world, as well as an off the beaten path type tour. Frank Lopez, a.k.a. Captian Paco, was our private guide. Unsure of what to expect, we boarded the boat with Paco, just the 4 of us. We really had no idea what to expect. We thought we might cruise on over to the island, watch the monkey's and head back. But Paco was determined to make this one unforgettable day for each of us. From the moment we stepped on board with him, we were his guests because as he put it "he doesn't get clients, he makes friends". Within minutes of our cruise to Monkey Island, Paco put M and I behind the wheel while he set up for dad to fish on the way. He made sure to let us know that we were each going in to snorkel and dive for starfish, even though we hadn't planned to be in the water at all. "Don't worry, I've got all the gear," he assured us. At one point he said "get ready to jump in. When I yell starfish, you've got to dive down to get it". It took M about half a second to get ready. She dove for the first two, and I got the third. Four in all for photo ops, before we returned them to sea. We dove, snorkeled around an old shipwreck, took plenty of photos, and visited Monkey Island. So much more than we could have imagined, and we'll make sure any friends visiting P.R. are sure to visit Paco for a one of a kind experience.

As far as Monkey Island....what an experience. Although the public is not allowed to step foot on the island, we were able to wade in the water, as well as kayak to within 50 feet of the shoreline. More than close enough to get a good view of just a handful of the hundreds of the monkeys.

This was truely an unforgetable day. Especailly for my wife who has been looking forward to this excursion since we booked this trip. She is of course a big fan of the monkeys, and is well known for her spot on monkey call. Unfortunely, Munkle did not make the trip with us. I was worried that the other monkeys on the island might see him and mistake him as one of their own. Either that, or Munkle would want to go and join his freinds (OK. The truth is I just plain forgot him in the room). No matter though. We still took plenty of pictures. Here are a few.

Puerto Rico: Day 3

El Yunque

This is the day I have been waiting for since we booked this trip back in November.

We headed over to The Caribbean National Forest this morning, and at 10:25 hit the trail head to El Yunque Peak.
It was a 2.6 mile hike to the top, right through the only rain forest on U. S. soil. It was steep and slippery at points, put when we got to the top it was worth every step (all 6212 if you are keeping track). We stepped foot on the summit at 12:20 PM, which is just under the 2 hour time that is the usual average.


The clouds seemed to be descending all around us, but they just never made it to us. We were really hoping to be able to stand inside of a cloud, but it wasn't meant to be. Not to mention the whole list of bad cloud puns that I had ready to use (Our heads were in the clouds, We were on cloud 9, and so on). Maybe the world is better off. I guess that just means that we have to come back some day and try again.

The hike down was uneventful and after spending 45 minutes on the summit, we were back at the trail head before 3:00 PM. There was another trail that led toward La Mina Falls that was less then a mile long, so we decided that we would give it a go. It was very steep and there were dozens of stone steps along the way, but the view of the falls was worth it. The hike back up was not so much fun, as my knees were screaming with every step. As I sat in the hot tub back at the hotel tonight, and thought back on everything we did today, it was all worth it.
My overall feelings from today are impressed, exhausted and awed. I am impressed with my wife's never ending adventurous spirit and her drive to break the land speed record of getting down the mountain. I am impressed with my father-in-law that he even made it to the top of the mountain, not to mention down to the waterfall and back.
All in all, we hiked almost seven miles today. All of it was over uneven ground and half of it was uphill. Let's just say that I shouldn't have any problems sleeping tonight.
I am in awe of the overwhelming beauty and majesty of everything that we were a part of today. This definitely ranks in the top 5 day hikes that I have ever done. Here are a few more photos from today's adventure.

Puerto Rico: Day 2

Our first full day in Puerto Rico was a good one. We just got back from the casino and are still coming down from the excitement. I was playing the slots and went back to the room for a minute. When I came back my wife told me how while I was gone she took over for me and within two minutes, hit a big combo, and won 1500 credits. It sounded really good when she said it, until I realized we were playing a penny slot, which means she won $15. Better than nothing I guess. Following that, me, M, and dad played several rounds of rummy and left, right, center, which of course, according to M, she won all of. She knows grandma and Doddy would be proud....

Relaxation was the theme of the day. After a very long travel day yesterday, it was definitely needed. We slept in, and then made our way to the beach where we set up our hammocks between a few palm trees. We continued to fall asleep in the hammocks. A light rain sent us back to our hotel where we grabbed lunch and headed to the pool, where we continued to fall asleep again. After the poolside nap, we returned to our room and one more time, took a nap.

It might seem that we went a little overboard on the naps today, but it was long over due and much deserved. That plus the fact that we will need our rest for tomorrow. The plan is to head to the Caribbean National Forest and hike to the top of El Yunque in the cloud forest. On our way down we will take a side trip to La Mina Falls to cool down.

Here are a few pictures from today. Much more tomorrow.

Puerto Rico: Day 1

What a day. What a long day. What a long and very interesting day. We left our house at 7:30 this morning, and now just past 10:00, we are finally getting a chance to settle down and relax. The day began with our flight being delayed, but we surprisingly worked our way through the San Juan airport and to the rental car station quickly. We were on the road less then 5 minutes after the airport shuttle dropped off at the rental car counter. That is where things got interesting.

I have been concerned about driving in Puerto Rico for several weeks. I have been in enough taxis and buses on Caribbean islands to know the rules of the road around here. That being that there really are no rules. My concerns were quickly realized. I was cut off at least three times, and then had the driver who cut me off yell and honk at me. We got out of the San Juan area and seemed to be well on our way to our hotel. The we started going up hill.

We followed the directions that our GPS was shouting out, only to find ourselves in some mountain town so high up that our ears began to pop. We saw more stray dogs, chickens, and horses than people. The people that we did see had a look on their face like, "Who are these white folks, and what the heck are they doing here?". The ups and downs were quite steep, and those of you that know my wife and her fear of heights can imagine the stress and nervousness in the car. After driving up and down these winding mountain roads for about 30 minutes, we eventually found civilization again. With the help of two maps, a compass and a guide book, we eventually found our way to the hotel. M made the comment that she never "prayed so many times in a car ride....ever".

I am completely exhausted right now and have to sign off, but before I do here are some of my first impressions of Puerto Rico;

- The landscape is absolutely beautiful. The mountains are covered with lush vegetation. Every where you look you see green. The mountain tops reach into the clouds and I cannot wait to reach the top of them.

- There is no such thing as stop signs. They look like stop signs, but apparently they actually mean yield. There are yield signs too, but apparently they mean; close your eyes, pray and hope you don't get hit.

- The "two lane" roads that wind their way through the mountains are only wide enough for a car and a half, if you're lucky.

- I need to learn how to speak Spanish.

- Chickens have the right of way.


P.S. Obviously I have internet access, so I will hopefully be able to continue to post about our adventures, and hopefully some pictures.

Meet Munkle

This is Munkle

I have known Munkle Since June.  He has been with me through a lot of tough times in the last 10 months and has been by my side the whole way.  Because of that, he will continue to stay by my side.  I will explain that more, but first let me explain how we met.

Back in June, I just finished have a rough surgery and was in the process of recovering.  One day while laying in my bed in ICU, Munkle came walking in (OK, not really walking.  My wife was carrying him, but you get the picture).   My wife had just freed Munkle from the captivity of the hospital gift shop.  She placed him on the bed next to me and my wife told me that I had to give him a name.  For some reason, Munkle came to mind.  I do not know why, but it did and it stuck.  (Now that I think about it, I was still on a pretty hefty morphine drip at the time, so that could explain where the name came from).  So Munkle was there next to me when I came down with severe pneumonia that nearly finished me off, he was there when I was hospitalized with a sepsis infection, and less then an hour after my second liver transplant, he was on my bed.  He has put in a lot of time in hospital rooms, but it is now time for him to get out.  First stop; Puerto Rico.

Munkle is a constant reminder of all that I have had to overcome, and to live each day intentionally.  So when we hit the summit of El Yunque, Munkle will be along for the ride hanging from my pack.  He will be there when we wade through the waters of the Tanama River on out way to the waterfalls. If we are lucky, he might even get to see some of his cousins on Monkey Island.  

I am hoping to continue this blog daily while we are in Puerto Rico with updates of our adventures and plenty of photos.  That being said, despite being part of the U.S., it is still an island in the Caribbean, which means we will be on Island Time and internet access may be spotty.  Which is just fine by me.  

A Perfect Pair

I have always said that my wife and I were made for each other.  I have said that for many reasons, and one of those reasons have been prominently on display recently.

We both love to travel, to see new places, and experience different things.  It is the planning of these adventures that we work together perfectly.  My wife is the advanced planner.  She finds the best deals on hotels, flights and rental cars and makes sure that all of that is taken care of months in advance.  The strange thing is that she seems to actually enjoy it.  She will spend hours on the computer looking for the best hotel deals, reading reviews of the hotels, and then some how still finding it cheaper.  She will have no less than 6 different screens up o the computer at one time find the best flights.  The running joke is that she keeps finding flights so cheap, that eventually the airlines will start to pay her to fly.  Once everything is booked, the only thing she worries about is which bathing suit she is going to wear on the beach.

This is where I pick up the planning.  Once the location is secured, I break out the travel guides, maps and trail books to plan what we do once we get there.  The strange thing is, I actually enjoy this part.  I mean really enjoy it.  I will spend hours upon hours spilling over trail guides, maps and reviews.  I read trail descriptions and analyze maps so many times that I have the turns and contours of a trail memorized before we even get there.  I consider this just another part of the adventure.

I have learned over our many travels however, that it can't all be hiking and climbing.  I need to make sure that we fit in our hammock time on the beach as well.  

We will be doing plenty of both while in Puerto Rico.

A New Beginning

Stay tuned...

OK.  Here it is.  I am making it official as of today.  It is only going to take two words.  Two short, but powerful words;

I'm Back.

I am back to normal.  No more sickness.  No more pain.  No more restrictions.  After 10 months of struggling back and forth with all of these things, I finally get my life back.

I feel strong.  I feel healthy.  I feel better then I have in months, if not years.  

To kick off this new beginning, Saturday morning my wife and I will be boarding a plane and heading to Puerto Rico for a week.  This is my comeback trip.  We actually booked this trip and began the planning of it back in November in my hospital room.  It will be a week of surfing, hiking in the cloud forest, hopefully some spelunking, and after all of that, some resting in a hammock on the beach.

I am more excited about this trip then any trip I can remember.  Actually, I am more excited about most things then I can remember.  Probably because I feel more alive then I can ever remember.