Fridays

One of the nice things about working at the college is the Friday schedule.  We have classes Monday through Thursday and thus are open from 9 in the morning until 10:15 or so at night.  While none of us work all 13 hours it does make for long days and evenings. Combine that with other events and weekend work and it is a tough work week.  We make up for it by working half days on Fridays.  Usually that means 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  With the Government program going on for me lately that has meant 11-3 or on days like today where I have an external exam 2 to 6 p.m. 

So this morning with a full morning off we decided to head over to Camana Bay and introduce Arianna to the joys of playing in the fountains.  She loved it and here are a few of the shots.

First Day of Hurricane Season

If its the start of June then that signals the official start of hurricane season down here.  While things usually don't get interesting until August but not always.  When we first moved here four years ago a very eraly season tropical storm was busy dumping several days of rain on Cayman making for a very wet first few weeks.  This year our hurricane kit will include lots of baby stuff and we have already decided that anything over a category two and we are sending Mom and baby off island (now no cheering for hurricanes by our Texas relatives just so you can see the little one!).  Construction officially began this week on our new classroom building at the college and you can feel the excitement each day as people see the building start to go up.  It should be done in July depending on weather and other possible (like government) delays so with any luck we will have it available for classes this fall.  We have three weeks left in the Spring term so we are busy finishing that out and registering students for the summer.  Should be a quiet June travel and family wise but hectic work wise.

Four years in Cayman

Governor's Beach on May 28

May is the month for significant dates in our family.  We just celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary.  May is also the month we met and is the month we moved to the Cayman Islands. May 31, 2007 saw us take the leap and move down here to start our work at the International College.  Four years later we are still here and now with a new addition to our family as well.  As we look back over the past four years there are a ton of memories that jump out.  Going through Hurricane Dean just three months into our move was a sharp introduction to the reality of hurricane season down here.  Dealing with the high cost of living while enjoying all the island has to offer has been quite an experience too.  Where else could we live and only have to drive 5 minutes to be on a beautiful beach.  The work at the college has been both difficult and rewarding and seeing the college doing well today is something we take great pride in as we played a big role in that.  And of course Baby 2010 and the birth of Arianna.  No matter what happens to us this will always be the place our daughter was born.

Fifth Anniversary

To celebrate our fifth anniversary we headed up to Papagallos in West Bay.  Arianna's grandfather is on island for some work at the college and pulled down babysitting duty for the evening so we could have a nice romantic dinner, just the two of us.  Papagallos is at the very top of West Bay near Barkers national park and is in a somewhat secluded area giving it a real natural feel.  As we talked over dinner we realized we hadn't been up there since the graduation banquet for 2008.  So much has changed in our first five years together from where we live, to our jobs and now even to the composition of our family.  Thanks to all the folks who sent us congrats and who relived memories with us of that special day.  Katie officially graduates next Friday with her Masters degree so we have another celebration coming up next week.  Making the day even more special Arianna decided to say her first word "Mama" though whether she meant Katie or just that everything is "mama" we couldn't tell.  She did say it several times so we didn't have to ask ourselves are we really hearing this.

Five Years Ago Tonight

Five years ago tonight I was in my last few hours of being single.  I remember getting back to our apartment relatively early in the evening from the rehearsal dinner.  It was an early wake up call the next morning so I hadn't intended to stay up late but the combination of anticipation and a good basketball game kept me up into the wee hours of the morning.  Earlier in the day we had done the rehearsal out at the Ranch and then the rehearsal dinner at Billy Bob's.  Katie was staying at the Ranch and had the car we planned to use to drive back so my ride was one of my best men Gary who was to meet me the next morning at the break of dawn.  I kept reminding myself of this fact as I stayed up later and later.  Most of the night is a blur but I do remember not being nervous even though I thought I was supposed to be.  I was completely at ease with what was going to happen and I can distinctly remember thinking you should be nervous now, why aren't you nervous.  There was a lot of anticipation but not the questions I thought you were supposed to have the night before you get married.  Five years later there still aren't any questions and its even more clear now than it was then how fortunate I was to have met and eventually married Katie.  I love her even more now than I did then and look forward to the next five years, and the five after that, and the five after that............

Home from Atlanta

After five days in Atlanta for the spring seminar I am back in Cayman.  Katie and Arianna did not come with so it was all work though I did take the time to go pick up a high chair to bring back.  I got to see my brother Kevin who helped out with the field trips in downtown Atlanta on Friday and overall the seminar went very well.

Solid Food at Last

With the Pediatrician signing off it is time to start introducing Arianna to solid foods and Tuesday morning was her first such meal.  Katie ground up some sweet potato into a mush that was soft and safe for Arianna and this time while Arianna sat at the breakfast table she got to participate.  At first she was a little confused but she quickly got the hang of it and at one point even wanted to take the spoon herself and put it in her mouth. 

Six Month Birthday

Six Months Old Today

It hardly seems possible but today is Arianna's six month birthday.  To celebrate she is seeing the pediatrician and possibly tomorrow may start solid foods.  All morning we have been singing the song from Alice in Wonderland (with a slight change) "A very Happy Half Birthday to you....".  She is also coming up on her six month shots later this week so we are a little worried about her getting sick as a result though she has come through each previous set of shots in good shape.  The cliche that "it seems like only yesterday" is so appropriate with her, it really seems like just last week we were bringing her home.  In other exciting news, we got a message from the University of Denver about the capstone which is now being submitted for approval (hopefully just a formality as it has been vetted by the advisor and academic director already for any necessary changes) and graduation is now set for June 3, 2011.

Happy Mother's Day

For us this is a significant Mother's Day as it is the first one for Katie with Arianna.  We want to wish a very Happy Mother's Day to our Mom's, you are in our thoughts.  For our first family Mother's Day we plan to head up to Rum Point and spend some time on the beach and in the water.

Afternoon Update

We had a great time out at Rum Point and Arianna went swimming not once but twice.  She is definitely a fish as she took to the the water like it was a second home and was angry when we took her out. 

First Mother's Day as a family

Other odds and ends catching up

Before we left for our trip to the USA we had a busy week in Cayman highlighted by a visit from Governor Duncan Taylor.  As many of you know, the Cayman Islands are a British Overseas Territory and while it has its own legislative assembly and Premier they ultimately must get the Governor's approval for all actions and his signature on all laws.  It is a subtle but firm reminder that the British are the ultimate government here.  He is the Queen's representative and is referred to as "His Excellency" the Governor.  We had been trying to set up a visit to ICCI for several months and had cancelled an earlier visit at the last minute when he got stuck in budget meetings.  This time he set aside a large block of time and came with his wife to visit the college.  He was given a tour as well as a chance to meet our staff and interact with a couple of our early classes.  He did a question and answer session with one of our classes and seemed to have a good give and take with the students during that session.



Governor Taylor and his wife with Friends Hall
in the background

Governor Taylor takes questions from students

Headed Home

A happy Cinco De Mayo and happy birthday to Arianna's Aunt Melanie.

To finish out reviewing our trip home, Friday April 29 was royal wedding day and the real reason we were doing what we called Arianna's North American tour since it meant we could do a ten day vacation and only miss three days of work (combined with the Easter holidays).  We didn't wake up early to watch it but did catch the balcony scene before leaving for our flight.  If the flight to Chicago was a good example of Murphy's Law the flight home was karma paying us back as we had no problems and Arianna even slept most of it.  Back in the metroplex it was time to do some shopping that we needed done and to spend some final quality time with the Loski grandparents and Aunt Stephanie.  We hadn't bought new running shoes in over three years and the folks at run on sports gave us funny looks when they saw the condition of our shoes.

 

As the long week came to an end we packed up the stuff we had bought and the stuff we had picked up from the storage facility and got ready to head back to Cayman.  The flight home included a layover in Houston so Aunt Melanie came out to the airport and brought us Indonesian food for lunch.

We got back to Cayman around 4 p.m. and were met by one angry cat who proceeded to yell at us for the next 6 hours until we went to bed.  We are back into our routine now and sliding back into our normal activities.  This month includes the spring seminar in Atlanta and we hope for certain milestones with Arianna like her first crawl.

Chicago

On Tuesday April 26 we headed up for the Chicago portion of our trip.  We had an early morning flight and were at the airport before 8 a.m.  Our flight left a little after 9:30 but as a result of mechanical difficulties it actually had to turn back to DFW twenty minutes in and when we landed we were met by emergency vehicles. It was not the way we hoped to start a quick trip to the windy city.  We were re-booked on a later flight and ended up having to spend the day at the airport.  We finally got to Chicago after 7 p.m. and to Johanna's after 8 p.m.  Arianna's cousins were already asleep but she did meet her Aunt Johanna. The next morning she got to meet Zach and Nick and started playing with them like they were lifelong friends.  She also got to meet her Uncle Brent who immediately tried to show her how to ride Winston the dog and her Grandma Cummings who flew in from Whidby Island to see everyone. 

On Wednesday we spent the day with Grandma Cummings and the Spetter's at the Shedd Aquarium.  Our cousins Denise and Mary Kay had both taken the day off and they were joined by Eileen and a bunch of the next generation Natalie, Michelle, Dan and Jack so we headed out with a full crew.We had to bundle Arianna up as it was quite cold and she gave us strange looks as we put on layer after layer of clothes.  On our way downtown, we passed the Obama Motorcade on the other side of the highway (closest any of us have gotten to a sitting President) and then got to see the four Marine One helicopters that he flies in at the Soldier Field Parking Lot.  Arianna really liked the fishies at Shedd and we saw a couple of different shows.

After a long day at the aquarium we went back to our Great Uncle Hank and Great Aunt Mary's for Chinese food and Arianna got to meet her oldest living relative.  We had a great time catching up with Aunt Mary and Donnie made it over too to meet Arianna.

Uncle Hank

Spetter's, Kaminsky's and Cummings

On Thursday we spent the day with our cousin Chuck and his wife Twila along with my nephew Nick.  We had breakfast in downtown Naperville, went and saw Aunt Tina and later that evening had a big family dinner with even more relatives.  Arianna was great about letting everyone hold her and meeting so many new and exciting people

 

Friday morning it was time to head back to Dallas.  We got through checking in and security so fast we had time for a nice sit down breakfast and to explore.  We found a Children's Museum and Arianna got to play a little before getting on the flight and very courteously sleeping almost the whole flight back.

We had a fantastic time in Chicago and cannot thank enough everyone who made it such a wonderful part of our trip.

Beauty and the Beast and the Fort Worth Zoo

On Sunday April 24 Katie and I celebrated our anniversary a month early by returning to the spot where I asked her to marry me, Bass Concert Hall in Fort Worth.  We went to see the musical Beauty and the Beast and for dinner went to the same Pappadeaux's restaurant that we had gone to on the evening of our engagement.  To be completely candid it was also where we went on our very first date, so yes I am a creature of habit.  While we were out, Arianna had no less than four babysitters as her grandparents and both of Katie's sisters stayed with her to entertain her.  Katie's favorite musical is Beauty and the Beast so it was a very happy coincidence that it was playing in Fort Worth the week we were home.

Bass Concert Hall

On Monday we headed to Grapevine to sign our wills and then back to Fort Worth with Aunt Stephanie in tow to visit the Fort Worth Zoo.  As real zoophiles both Katie and I were excited to see how Arianna would react.  We knew that she loved to watch the fishies and was fascinated by Gypsy so a place full of animals promised to give us a lot of fun moments and we were not disappointed.

Arianna really interacted actively with several of the animals and we had a good time experiencing the zoo through her eyes.  The zoo had changed a lot in the four years since we had last been so it was something of a new experience for us too.  We spent almost four hours there and still had a lot to see that we couldnt get to, so we definitely have another zoo trip on tap next time we are in DFW.  Monday evening Aunt Stephanie again baby sat while I went to a Rangers baseball game with Russ and Katie went to a painting class with her Mom.  We had a great time in DFW early in the week and headed out Tuesday morning after saying our goodbyes to continue on for the Chicago portion of our trip.

Houston and the drive to Dallas

With Easter and the royal wedding providing three national holidays within a week of each other we decided it was time for an extended visit home.  For Arianna this would be her second flight though this one would not be a short hop to Miami but an almost three hour long one up to Houston.  She did very well and though she fussed more we chalked it up to the fact that she was expecting the flight to only last an hour like the last ones did.



At the Airport in Grand Cayman

We arrived in Houston late on Friday April 22 and stayed with Arianna's Aunt Melanie our first night back.  Saturday morning was breakfast with my roommate from college Gary and his family.  I hadn't seen his children in a couple of years and Katie had not yet met his youngest daughter Sarah.  We got a chance to catch up on family news and a little Longhorn sports.  We also picked up some stuff he had been storing for us these past four years to take to our storage facility.



With Gary and his family

After spending some time with them it was time for the longest leg of our trip, the four plus hour drive up to Dallas.  We tried to break it up with constant stops for feeding and for Arianna to get out of her new car seat.  One of our stops was at the Sam Houston statue in Huntsville.  There is a state park and visitor center there which provided a great rest stop.  We took Arianna out to the statue and she was pretty entranced by the crowds of people and the big marble man.

Full statue with us at base



The car ride itself was hard on Arianna.  We got her a new car seat which had been delivered to her Aunt Melanie and which is huge.  Even with her new "throne" though, she really doesn't like being in any car seat so long and she fussed most of the trip.  We eventually made it to Dallas after an almost five hour trip and Arianna's reunion with her grandparents and first meeting with her Aunt Stephanie.

Ten Days in the United States

We are back from our longest visit home since we moved to the Cayman Islands. Ten days spent in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Chicago and then back in Dallas.  Over the next couple of days we will post a couple of entries on some specific things we were able to do with family and on Arianna's first meeting with several of her Aunts and Uncles and her cousins as well as getting to see grand parents and relatives who had made the trek down here to meet her already.  It was a great trip and it was fantastic to see everyone and spend some extended time back in the USA.

Kevin and Family Head Home

Yesterday morning bright and early we put Kevin, Kristy and little Scott on their flight home after a quick three day visit to the Islands.  Tuesday afternoon we had taken them to Hell and Seven Mile Beach and then one final snorkel at Smith's Cove to see the sunset.  It was a whirlwind trip and there is so much more we wanted to show them so we will just have to get them back here soon.

Hell



Last Snorkel at Smith's Cove



Playing tourist with the Georgia Cummings



Family at Eden Rock

This week we are getting to play tourist again with Kevin, Kristy and their son Scott. On Monday Katie took them snorkeling at Eden Rock and then in the afternoon they did the stingray sandbar trip.  In the evening a night swim at Smith's Cove and the sunset over the water capped a great day.  This morning we hit the Botanic Gardens and the Blue Iguana's followed by East End and stops at the Blow Hole, Wreck of the Ten Sail and of course a true Cayman lunch at Fosters buffet. This afternoon it is a trip to Hell and of course some time on Seven Mile Beach before they head home tomorrow.



Blow Hole



Scott and Kristy with the rays







Second Wedding

The family after the service
with Father Paul

Katie once told me that when her parents first got married they actually did the ceremony three different times.  I can certainly understand how they could operate under the theory that if celebrating your wedding once is great then celebrating it three times must be incredible.  Feeling a little inadequate in comparison, Katie and I until yesterday had only celebrated our wedding  once.  As many of you know we decided last fall to settle on one church so we could raise Arianna going to the same place every Sunday.  We settled on the Catholic church and last month Arianna was baptised in the church. 

Yesterday we took the next step in confirming that decision and since we hadnt been married in the church, had our marriage blessed by the church.  This involved literally going through another wedding service including vows, rings and all.  My brother Kevin who was one of my best men at the first wedding was on hand to again act in that capacity and his wife Kristy (Arianna's Godmother) did one of the readings.  It was a great way for us to renew our original vows and once again recommit to each other (even if the church viewed it as our original commitment).  Kevin and family are here for a couple more days and we are enjoying playing tourist with them.

Kevin, Kristy and Scott Kieran with
Katie and Arianna

Kevin, Kristy and Scott Visiting

My brother Kevin, his wife Kristy and son Scott (my Godson) are all on island this week visiting.  They arrived last night and this morning we took them over to Smith's Cove for their first swim in the Caribbean. 

A Significant Day in History

April 12 is one of the more significant days in the history of the United States (and not just because it marks the 22 week birthday of one Arianna Macias Cummings).  It was on this day that two critical events happened 100 years apart.  150 years ago today the first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor starting a conflict that would last four years, take over 600,000 lives and end a practice that had stained Thomas Jefferson's famous claim that America was a country where "all men are created equal".  As a civil war buff who reads all he can find on it and looks forward to one day taking his daughter to the parks and introducing her to his love of studying the past it is an important day to reflect on the start of the defining event in our nations history. 

Ironically, 50 years later another event would occur on the same day that would also radically alter American history as Yuri Gagarin would make his famous first flight in space.  Now you might ask yourself how is that significant in American history, a Russian making the first space flight and orbiting the Earth for a little less than two hours? Well, it is widely recognized that Gagarin making the first flight ahead of the Americans spurred President Kennedy to make his famous pledge to go to the moon before the end of the 60's.  Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon are one of those "be remembered forever" events.  Five hundred years from now people will still talk about that event and it might not have happened when it did but for Gagarin spurring America on with his famous flight.  It is also somewhat coincidental but 30 years ago today was the first space shuttle flight and I can still remember often seeing the shuttle at Biggs Air Base in El Paso, Texas where the Plane carrying it back to Florida from California would land to refuel.  I may not live to see us go to the moon again or to Mars but in Arianna's life span it is likely she will witness those event.  As a history buff days like today are fun times to go back and read articles about the events, as a parent it reminds me of my duty to make sure that Arianna knows her history so she too can appreciate their significance.   

St. Ignatius Walk

This seems to be the school year for Fortieth Anniversaries.  Last September ICCI celebrated its 40th and this spring St. Ignatius Catholic School is celebrating 40 years as well.  Several of the St. Ignatius faculty and staff came to our Memorial Walk so this morning we returned the gesture waking up at 5:15 and heading over to the St. Ignatius walk that started at 6:30 a.m.  It was just over a 2.5 mile walk and we kept up a good pace that left both of us feeling sonewhat accomplished at the end.  As parishoners of St. Ignatius it was also good to interact with our church community in an event that celebrates how important the school has been to the Caymans. 

We did get another example of how small this island can be.  On Thursday, the ICCI office manager came in and said she heard a rumour about me and just wanted me to know about it.  She heard I was getting married next Sunday.  I had to explain to her that we were just getting our marriage blessed by the Catholic church which to the church meant we were getting "married" but legally we are coming up on our fifth anniversary.  Still if I get a few strange looks in the next few weeks I may have to explain that Katie and I really have been married already and that we havent been living together in sin since we got here.  Small Island.  The first week of classes was draining but we both have a full weekend calendar as we get ready for my brother and his family to visit next week.

Texas Football Spring Game

Hook Em Horns

This past Sunday afternoon was the Texas Longhorns spring football game.  It was televised live on ESPN and as expected was the centerpiece of my afternoon.  The two hour view of the Horns gave me a much needed fix for my football addiction and a chance to once again introduce Arianna to Daddy's biggest vice.  It was also a great excuse to put Arianna in one of her Longhorn onesies.  She is finally big enough to fit into a lot of the Longhorn gear that we have for her (including an awesome track suit my sister donated after her boys outgrew it).  She was not impressed with the Texas quarterbacks and worries that this season the Horns will struggle to win more than 8 games.  She misses the heady days of Vince Young and Colt McCoy.

Meanwhile, on the home front, this week we aren't sure if we live in Cayman or California as the electric company, CUC (Caribbean Utilities), has announced rolling blackouts to handle a load issue they are having.  We lost power Sunday and Monday afternoons and have been told to expect more this week.

Watching the game from her swing

Floor mat time during game

The week between classes

At the end of each term we have a week of no classes between the close of one quarter and the start of the next.  For the students it is a week off, for us it is a busy week of meetings, registrations, getting in grades and confirming arrival of textbooks.  This past week was our winter/spring off week and was no different than past ones as we held our quarterly Faculty meeting Tuesday night, New Student Orientation Thursday evening and the Internship/Placement and Seminar meetings on Friday night.  As the new term starts on Monday we are dealing with issues caused by the fire at the Miami airport fuel depot  almost two weeks ago.  Apparently since the fire plane cannot be fueled from the depot but must have fuel trucked to them which takes a lot more time.  As a result, several flights into Cayman for American Airlines have been cancelled and now our textbook order has not yet made it on island.  We will start classes on Monday for the first time in a while without our full complement of textbooks.  It looks like we will have around 200 students and for the fifteenth straight quarter since we got here see growth over the same term the year before.  Katie started work again Friday in a part time capacity and I am teaching three classes this term including our seminar in May in Atlanta.  We have several big events to look forward to in April starting with a visit from my brother Kevin and his family as well as getting out marriage blessed by the Catholic Church while they are on island.