The Gun Battery

This last weekend, Craig and I decided to go on a hike we have heard a lot about. The hike goes along this huge bluff that overlooks the water and moutains. The hike was absolutely stunning, and there were some added bonuses...we saw two humpback whales, and a couple of porpoises. We also discovered that a section of the bluff is famous for paragliding. While we were hiking by we saw two paragliders getting ready to take off. The biggest surprise from the hike was the WWII gun batteries. Craig had heard that they were along the bluff but we had no idea how extensive they were. The first one we came to looked just like a cave in the side of the mountain. The second one had a floorplan map on the outside and everything. It was so strange, as it was along our hike just out in the middle of nowhere. It was HUGE! Of course it was pitch black and we couldn't see a thing...so...it was a little scary at times. Many of the pictures I took were taken just to see where we were going via my flash. The entire gun battery all hidden underground was about 1000 square feet with about 15 different rooms. It is all open for people to go in and check out which was really cool. When you're inside everything really echos and at one point I thought I heard a bunch of dogs inside...so I ran...and it turned out to be Goose breathing really hard. Craig thought it was funny that I was running from Goose...who was of course chasing me...sounding like a pack of wolves. I let Goose and Craig lead the way after that incident.
(Location where we spotted the humpback whales)

( Craig at the gun battery entrance)

(This is one of the many rooms in the gun battery. We couldn't see it because it was so dark, but my camera picked it up with a flash)

(Inside the gun battery)

(Craig leading the way...)

(Goose and I sitting on top of the gun battery)

(Goose watching a paraglider getting ready to jump off of the bluff)

The Blackout

On Tuesdays and Thursdays I teach swimming lessons. I have been teaching swim lessons for a good decade and I have never experienced what happened this last Thursday. I was teaching my last class of the day consisting of 4 students ranging in age from 5-8. We were in the deep end, right next to the wall and my assistant instructor had just gotten out to retrieve some kickboards. I told the kids to do a bob...but this time...try and touch the bottom. Kids love this activity because they like to brag about how far down they can go. After the kids went down for the bottom, every light in the pool facility went out. A complete blackout. There is not one window in the pool facility. It was so dark that I literally could not see my hands in front of me. I immediately went underwater starting on one side of the wall scooping each kid up. I emerged with 4 kids in my arms. Luckily they hadn't gone down too far. I swam them over to the ladder and got them all out immediately sitting them on a pool side bench. My swimming lesson was not the only one going on at the time. You could hear parents screaming their child's name asking if they were out of the pool. It was quite frightening as no one knew what was going on and no one could see a thing. Pretty soon, I hear, "the refineries have exploded!" If you're a wife of someone working at a refinery...you NEVER want to hear the word "refinery" and "exploded" in the same sentence. As I had to stay right next to my students...I couldn't do much but wait with horrific anxiety not knowing what was going on. Soon, flashlights came on and parents were able to come get their kids. I immediately ran outside to look at the refineries ( you can see them from the pool). When I looked I clearly saw the the shell refinery (Craig works at the Tesoro refinery) flaring (flame going out of a stack...with a lot of smoke). Not a big deal...refineries flare all the time. I immediately broke the rumor that the refineries were not on fire and they did not explode...shell was just flaring.
It turns out, that all of the power went out in town...including the refineries...causing Shell to use their flares. The power did return a few hours later.
I am very thankful that all children were removed from the pool safely (however I do have a lot of concerns that I need to address with the pool manager...i.e. emergency lighting?!?!?) I can think of a lot of scenarios in which a pool blackout would have gone a lot worse such as open swim in which many children are not with an adult.
Wow...it was quite the day with a lot of scares in a very short amount of time...

The kamikaze bird

The crazy bird is back! Last spring we had a bird that sat at a window in our house and banged up against it. It's back. It has got to be the same bird. The bird starts this banging at sunrise and it doesn't go away until sundown. Last year I tried putting paper over the window he was banging into...and he would just move to a new window! I don't know if this bird is trying to fight its reflection or mate with its reflection...hopefully not the latter...as it will not have any offspring any time soon.

The bird is crazy, and I have no idea how to stop it. It wakes us up at 6 am and goes all day. Good Grief. Bird Bird...go away! Geesh, I'm going to have to have it removed before it hurts itself!

We Love Cruisin'!

We just got back from an AWESOME vacation with our dear friends The Lymans (Dave and Jesse). It was seven days of lots of sun, eating, dancing, more eating, touring, more sun, and more eating.

We cruised along the Mexican Riviera stopping at Puerto Valarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. This was our third cruise so this time around we decided to make up our own excursions at each of the ports rather than pay for the cruise excursions. Each stop was quite an experience. Here is a summary of each stop:

First Stop - Puerto Valarta.

The Plan: Walk to the beach right next to the port and just hang out in the sun all day. Per every map that we looked at, the beach we wanted to go to was literally right next to the port...as in the boat was practically touching the sand we wanted to lay on. When we got off the boat...we quickly noticed that the beach wasn't quite "right next to the boat." Oh boy. Mexico isn't a place you want to just wander around in. So...we went wandering. At first, not bad, as there were other lost tourists around us. We decided to follow one family that looked like they were heading to the beach. This worked out fine...until...they turned around, and we found ourselves in some strange Mexican alley all alone. No worries...it was daylight...and we definitely fit in with our big sun hats, beach towels, and cameras (sigh). After walking along the alley, we stumbled across this nice white gate that was being guarded by a local. He asked for our "cards" and we all pulled out our sign and sail cards from the cruise ship. Apparently this is exactly what he was looking for...and he opened the gate and poof we found ourselves on this really nice resort with a nice pool, restaurant, and beach. Booyah! The highlight from this stop...playing in the waves. They were HUGE and as Dave and I discovered, you can really get beat up (and your swim suit can have some malfunctions) if the waves catch you just right. The best was Craig yelling at the waves, "Bring it on! Come and get me!" HILARIOUS! Of course the waves did just that. There were a couple of waves that threw Dave and I through a loop...with my sunglasses flying off never to be found again, dave's top...then later bottom popping off, and then we both got caught in a really shallow part unable to stand because the waves were too strong...so we barrel rolled through the sand uncontrollably. I'm sure everyone around us was enjoying the show!

The walk back...wasn't as bad as we found a different route...not through the alley. Here are a couple of pics from this stop:

(Dave shopping from her lawn chair. Every minute a local would walk by with some trinket they were selling. Towards the end...we were getting pretty good at bargaining!)

(Dave and Jesse trying to Coax Craig and I into the pool. They were encouraging Craig by telling him they found some shade. We were in!)

(Craig heading towards the waves..)
Second Stop: Mazatlan.
The Plan: Take a cab to the Golden Zone which had a beach and shopping. Once arriving at the port, we were all exhausted from the previous few days and we were all thinking we might check out the port and then come back on the ship and relax for the day. Once stepping off the boat however, we were coaxed by good ol' Norman. Norman was a taxi driver who talked us into a ride to the Golden Zone with some tourist stops on the way. Norman took us around Mazatlan explaining the local life, showed us some local flower shops, and then stopped at the cliff jumper. I don't know a lot about this cliff jumper except it is this dude that jumps from this super high cliff, says a lot of prayers before doing so, a lot of people watch him, and he comes really dang close to some sharp rocks upon entering the water. Whooo....it was scary watching the guy. After the cliff jumper we went to the Golden zone, found another resort to hang out in and grabbed some food and just hung out. The real excitement didn't start until we decided to head back to the boat. Picture this. A golf cart going what felt like 80 mph, on a really busy highway, with a local wearing a bright pink shirt driving, country music blaring, swerving every way in and out of traffic, and a horn that sounds like a whistle. I seriously hung on for dear life, Dave and I kept exchanging "We're going to die" glances, and Craig and Jesse smiling and laughing at our reactions. I didn't figure it out until the very end of the ride that the "horn" wasn't being used as a horn but as a whistle to whistle at all the passing girls. What! Oh and one other thing...WHO the heck is ALICE!?!?!?!?
Here are some pics of Mazatlan. I wish I got a picture of the golf cart thing..but I was too scared to pull out my camera.

(Here is the crazy cliff jumper. His legs literally graced the sharp rocks as he landed in the water. )
(Hanging at the resort eating some chips and salsa...in the shade ;))

Third Stop: Cabo

The Plan: Take a water taxi to a local beach. When we arrived in Cabo we were all very surprised how clean it was compared to the other two stops. The water was absolutely gorgeous and there were A LOT of really nice resorts and houses surrounding us. We found a water taxi to take us to a beach where we played in the water (no waves this time), ate some more chips and salsa, and bargained some Mexican trinkets. The stop in Cabo was very short, we only had a few hours at the beach so we just relaxed in the sand, and headed back to the boat via a water taxi shortly after. Here are some pics from Cabo:

(Craig and Jesse cooling off in the water.)

(Dave and Jess enjoying some Margs....Dave always came up with an interesting way of keeping the sun from burning her head. I like this style the best.)

(Craig and Jesse watching a local "show" which this poor woman was getting this horrific lap dance from some local bartenders for her birthday. Hilarious!)

(Dave and I riding back to the ship in a water taxi)
The rest of the fun took place on the ship (3 full days at sea). Highlights were really yummy dinners (we all ordered multiple entrees every night and at least 2 desserts), dancing at the deck parties, watching Craig play craps, going down the water slide and finding myself under a tunnel of kids at the end of the slide, baking in the sun, watching BRUCE sing karaoke over and over and over..., playing and WINNING the adult game show, and of course enjoying our win (Brut) on the deck of the ship late at night...oh and I can't forget hanging out with the mannequins outside of the red carpet.
Here are some picture of the ship days:

(Craig getting ready to practice the ship sinking...always our favorite part of every cruise;))

(Laying out in the sun...Dave sporting some more creative head gear to keep the sun off her head.)

(After dinner...we ate too much. Time for bed!)

(Our AWESOME dining staff...Go Ronald!...The best dining room dancer in the room!)

(Our Adult Game show team after we WON our bucket O' Brut)

(Craig and I at the Captain's Party...we didn't mean to match the sofa!)

(Dave and Jesse at the Captain's party...Dave matches the sofa too ;))
(Being strange at dinner...our poor dining staff ;))

To sum it up...it was one GREAT vacation. It was nice to get away with some friends and just relax and hang out. Now...when is our next vacation?!?!?

Junior Achievement Day

Yesterday Craig and I volunteered at a local elementary school to participate in Junior Achievement Day. Junior Achievement is a program that teaches kids about business, money, and the part both play in the community. I taught a second grade class and Craig taught a fifth grade class. My lesson taught the kids what the government is ...and we even talked about taxes. I did this one exercise in which we pretended that all the kids worked for a donut shop. We pretended it was pay day and I gave them each $5 (fake money of course). They were so excited. You would have thought I was giving them real money. Then I went on to explain government workers and how they too needed a pay day and that they get paid by taxes. I explained that everyone had to pay taxes to pay the government workers (since we all use their services...firefighters, police officers, teachers). When I went around the room and collected $2 from everyone they were UPSET! They were literally shouting, "THAT'S UNFAIR! I WANT TO KEEP ALL MY MONEY!!!" Some even tried to hide their money from me! Oh my goodness, it was soooo funny! They felt a little better once I also taxed the government workers. It was funny...because they were expressing how we all feel on tax day. It was seriously Hilarious!

Craig had a funny experience too. First I have to give out props to him. I wasn't sure how he would take to teaching a fifth grade class, by himself...all day (he was one of the few volunteers that didn't have another volunteer to teach with). He did a really great job. He really got into it, going above and beyond the required material. He went as far as doing mock interviews with the kids after they made resumes. A couple of the kids even elected to stay in and not go out to recess to work on their resumes! I even snuck in and watched him in action for a little while. I'm impressed! Hmmm...maybe his calling is teaching!

In any event, his funny event took place right at the beginning when he introduced himself. He said he was an engineer and asked the students if they knew what an engineer was. One little boy raised his hand and said, "An engineer is someone that gets paid a lot of money to be right only half the time...that is what my dad said an engineer was."

HILARIOUS! I love it!

It turned out to be a lot of fun! It is a program that all schools should take part in. Learning about money, money management, taxes, jobs, resumes, etc. is stuff we don't learn in school, yet it is something we all have to do. Without a doubt, we need to find more of this kind of learning in schools...grade school through college.

I need to remember...

I sit here, and wait, and wonder...what is in store for me? What am I supposed to be doing? Should I be this...should I be that? Should I go here, go there?
In a week as holy and sacred as this week I remind myself.... maybe...just maybe, God has bigger plans for me than I have for myself....

The Forgotten Week

Yesterday: Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday is the day Jesus entered Jerusalem exactly one week before His resurrection. Why "Palm" Sunday? The answer lies in Mark 21: 1-11 explaining that people laid their cloaks and palm branches on the road ahead of Jesus as He rode a donkey into Jerusalem. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the crowds were shouting (Mark 21:9-11):

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Hosanna to the Son of David

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest heaven!

When Jesus came into Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar. People were asking, "Who is this?"

The crowd answered, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."

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The same crowds that were shouting "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!" were the same ones crying out "cruicify Him" five days later.

Friday: Good Friday. Good Friday is the anniversary of Christ's crucifixation and death. The day in which we all need to be reminded of...not once a year, but every day. It is on this day that Jesus laid down his life to pay the penalty for our sins. (Mark 15: 45-46)

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"At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. About three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachtahani?" which means, "My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?"

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Mark 15: 50

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Then Jesus loudly cried out once again and gave up his life.

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Sunday: Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday is the celebration of the resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Mark 28: 19-20 (Jesus giving instruction to his disciples after His resurrection)

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So wherever you go, make disciples of all nations: Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to do everything I have commanded you. And remember that I am always with you unti the end of time.

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Socialization 101

Goose's breeders warned us, that it is so important to socialize him at a young age because he is going to be quite large, and...when taken out in public, everyone will want to approach him. I took them seriously when they said this and I have been making a huge effort to expose Goose to as many people and situations as possible. When I run errands, I'll take Goose with me. On Friday, I had to run to the store, so I figured I'd take Goose along. After going to the store, I figured I'd go to Jumba Juice and sit outside with Goose. As we were sitting there, a lady approached us asking, "Is that an Old English?" After talking a little about my sheepie and her sheepie she had years ago, the lady went on to pet Goose. Goose loves when people pet him, so of course he started wagging his butt (he has no tail). Remember he is a puppy though so he does get a little anxious, so he wagged his way behind her. At this point, the lady started having a panic attack (literally) yelling, "OH NO OH NO NO NO...I JUST HAD KNEE SURGERY! OH NO NO NO!" The louder and more anxious she got, the more excited Goose got. Oh boy. Goose doesn't jump (thankfully) but he was wagging all around her at this point (keep in mind his leash was on, so he was wrapping the leash around her). Before I knew it, I was hugging this lady's legs getting ahold of Goose to release his leash. He did "stay" when I told him to, so he only did one circle around her. Goose thought it was a game, the lady thought it was the end of her knees, and I thought I was going to have a heart attack. The leash did release, and we were able to get the lady safely out of the grip of the leash. (phew)

Other than this one incident, socializing him has been going well....and it is true, everyone wants to approach him and pet him...especially kids...because they think he looks like a big stuffed animal. The first few kids that approached him, I was very cautious (armed with treats in my pocket), but he did very well. He just wags his butt and takes in the attention.

Here are a couple of pictures of a walk Craig and I took with Goose on Sunday. This is one of our favorite walks as it has a bridge that goes over the ocean. We hadn't taken this walk since last summer and we both forgot how long it was (~4 miles)....and we both wore flip flops....we were in pain towards the end! Ouch! The good news...it wore Goose out too, and when we got home, he passed out and didn't move until morning.

Piggy the Boss

Every now and again (okay...mostly every day) Craig and I have the conversation about who is "the alpha" in our house. If you watch any dog training show, the trainers always say that you must be the alpha in order for your dogs to feel secure and thus behave. So...can Craig and I both be "the alpha"?!?!? No Way! Like I told him, I'm the alpha, and he is the beta. Well, if you asked him, he would say just the opposite...that indeed, he is the alpha, and I am the beta (this is where I usually roll my eyes, smile, and say, "uh huh...right...").

Well, over the last week or so, Craig and I have come to the harsh realization...neither him or I are the alpha. Piggy is the alpha. It is official. This harsh realization occurred to us when we watched the dogs and Piggy interact. They both tip toe around her, making sure they don't disturb her slumber, or her morning yoga sessions. The dogs always make sure that they leave enough room for her to sleep, stretch out, and when she wants to be left alone, they don't dear go near her. When she wants to play, both dogs must play...her way, or no way.

It also occurred to us that Piggy is the same with us. We never disturb her when she is relaxing or when she wants to be left alone. We always give her enough room to stretch out and be comfortable..even at the expense of use both squishing on one side of the couch. When she wants to play, we play...her way, or no way. When she is in a much needed slumber, we leave her alone.

It is final, Piggy is the alpha. The cat...is the boss. End of discussion (except...one more thing...I am the beta...and Craig...he must be the gamma ;)! )