Happy New Year

2009 should bring some big changes to our lives. We wish all our family and friends a Happy New Year.

Not a Merry Christmas for Everyone

Merry Christmas

Thanks to everyone who sent us cards, gifts and Christmas greetings. It is strange having a Christmas day where the low temperature will be the mid 70's. We are going for a Christmas bike ride and snorkel to continue the tradition started last year. Love to everyone, may you all have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Biking the Blue Mountains

One of the longest day trips we took in Jamaica was a tour out to the Blue Mountains in Eastern Jamaica. We caught a tour bus early in the morning and took the two hour bus ride east across the island. The bus ride was great all on its own to see Jamaica. We drove through several towns, saw the James Bond beach where the famous scene in Dr. No with Ursula Andress was shot and got to get a real sense of the Island. We then drove up a one lane road 3000 feet up (that was scarier than any roller coaster you could ever be on) to a cabin high in the mountains. At the cabin we had brunch and then later lunch. We drank some Blue Mountain coffee which is very rich and strong. We then drove another 1000 feet up into the mountains where we got on bikes and rode down the mountain through several coffee plantations that are on the mountain sides. The winding roads that overlooked valleys, rivers and mountainsides with incredible views made for a very interesting ride. We stopped back at the cabin for lunch then continued down the mountain to a water fall called the fountain of youth. The three hour bike ride was spectacular and we absolutely fell in love with the mountains. Although the tour took an entire day and we were exhausted by the time we got back to the resort it was well worth the time and effort.

Merry Christmas Eve to everyone.

Dunn's River Falls

Our first day trip in Jamaica was by far the most memorable. We took a catamaran over to the Dunn's River Falls and literally climbed up the falls. Its the kind of dangerous attraction that would never work in the US where the first time someone fell and broke something they would sue. Here are some photos of our climb. We sent out our Christmas stuff late to everyone so watch your mail the first week of January for our Christmas greetings.

St. Ann Mountain Canopy Tour

Here are some photos from our canopy zip lining up in the St. Ann mountains of Jamaica. At times we were several hundred feet off the ground traversing over nine gorges high up in the tree tops. The longest traverse was 660 feet the shortest was only about thirty feet but was almost straight down from one tree to another further down the gorge. It was a spectacular adventure and really got our adrenaline flowing.

Horseback Riding in Jamaica

Here are a few shots of us riding horses at the Chukka cove in Ocho Rios from earlier this week.

Jamaica Vacation

We are back on Grand Cayman after seven days in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We stayed at the Sandals Dunn's River Resort with gorgeous views of the Caribbean on one side and the St. Ann Mountains on the other. Our room was on the fifth floor and overlooked the main pool with the sea behind it. We did four different day trips, one to climb the Dunn's River Falls, two up into the mountains (one in the St Ann mountains near the resort and the other to the Blue Mountains on the Eastern end of the Island) and a day trip over to a Polo ground where we went horseback riding overland and in a cove. The food was incredible and we had a fantastic time. We will post pictures and give info on the trip and all the activities later.

While we were gone we did get some sad news. Scott's half-Uncle Ian Cummings who lived here on Grand Cayman was killed in a boating accident last week while fishing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time, may he rest in peace.

Jamaica bound

With graduation behind us we are headed to the north coast of Jamaica for a well deserved week long vacation. We are staying at the Sandals resort in Ocho Rios called Dunn's River. We have some day trips planned but mostly are looking forward to just relaxing after a long year. The graduation ceremony went very well. The Leader of Government Business (the Cayman version of Prime Minister) gave the address. Also present was the Minister of Education and the Minister of Health along with three members of the legislative assembly. Its an election year next spring so they all wanted face time. The ceremony lasted about an hour and a half and the church where it was held was filled to overflowing. With 53 graduates it was a very large class. We were both a little stiff from the half marathon earlier in the day but the adrenaline was flowing through the ceremony and that kept us going. Afterward we went to a restaurant on Seven Mile Beach called Luca and had a great dinner overlooking the beach and under the stars.

Half Marathon

In the early morning darkness we lined up on South Church street in downtown George Town for the 5:00 a.m. start to the Cayman Islands Marathon/Half Marathon. In spite of not doing nearly the preparation we should have in terms of training we decided to give it a go. The 13.1 mile route was a loop that the marathon runners do twice. At five sharp the race started and we quickly brought up the back of the pack. Walking at an early pace of seventeen minute miles we got to watch the sun come up over South Sound as we headed east along the road out to Savannah. Around 6:45 we passed through Red Bay and almost right at the two hour mark rounded the half way point and headed back west. Shortly after we rounded the half way point the lead marathon runner lapped us. Meaning we had done 7 miles and he had done 20. We kept a good 17 minute a mile pace until mile 10 where we hit the wall and suddenly the seventeen minute miles became 18, then 19 and by the end 24 minute miles. We crossed the line in 4 hours 5 minutes and 57 seconds beating our goal of 4 and a half hours by a good 24 minutes. We have graduation at 3:00 this afternoon so it will be a very long day. We are exhausted and sore but very proud that we finished. Will upload pictures soon.

When there just isnt time to update the blog

The last month since we got back from Miami has been crazy and the blog has been pretty far down the list of things that needed to get done. We have discovered to our happiness and dismay that Ginger doesnt have anything wrong with her but a bad attitude and so we will need to work on de-conditioning her from peeing on our couch. Graduation is this Sunday and that has meant a month of insanity trying to get everything ready. The rehearsal was last Sunday and the banquet is tomorrow.

We are less than a week from leaving for Jamaica for seven days and a vacation at an all inclusive resort so we are counting down the days. All the roundabouts on the Island now have Christmas lights up and Katie has decorated the stairs with tinsel garland and hung lights on our front window. We also have a small christmas tree up that the cats have not yet decided to knock over but we are waiting for that to happen. The storm did no lasting damage to this Island other than messing up our feeder road and requiring extensive repairs that are still on going. The rainy season still is lingering and has more than overstayed its welcome. Hurricane season officially ended Sunday so we will start taking down all the shutters at the college this next week. We took down the home shutters about two weekends ago.

We are not commenting on the travesty that is the Big XII and the utterly incomprehensible decision to let the land thieves take the place of our beloved Longhorns in the championship game. If there is any justice in the world Oklahoma will lose this weekend and the right team will get to play for the National Championship.