not much to report on my last patrol. 60 days. no drugs.  i will update with more specifics later (maybe). the highlight was our 7 rendevzous's with the Colombian Navy, 3 Coast Guard cutters, the Chilean Navy, and two Navy Frigates. Pavones was the highlight, staying at the Pavones Yoga Center with Jenni Tamminen, Jenn Proctor and the boys stayed down the hill Brian Coleman, "Duder Dave" Straky and Tim Fitzgerald. it was a needed respite. from an uneventful and frustrating patrol with the new operation.
    

and i am home now. with my wonderful salad that makes me so thankful i live in California, baby lettuce, tri-color bell peppers, cucumber, grape tomatoes, avocado, cottage & gorgonzola cheese and rasp walnut vinaigrette dressing.  my girls took me out on Friday, the day i got back. love them, Ana, Liz and Leanna. and church was so awesome this morning. how i missed the Body of Christ at Barabbas Road.  
My salvation does not rely on the strength, the quality, or the seriousness of my faith, but on the OBJECT of faith who is Christ!
Do not fear, only believe in Christ (Mark 5:36) 

be blessed

it has been great to have my friend Cathy visit from DC for the week. we go out to sea in a few days so it had been stressful getting everything prepared. but good thing this isnt my first rodeo. this is my 7th Eastern Pacific Deployment and my last before become a Coast Guard public affairs officer and going to Grad School in the fall.  so back to Cathy, she has been with me this week in my ups and downs with not getting accepted to UW grad school and had to reapply to the correct program (the difference between Masters of Communication (MA and PhD) and Masters of Communication Digital Media). i was upset at myself for making the mistake. thank you to my program manager and the nice girl Heather at the admissions office who helped me out. In that debaucle, i also applied to University of Georgia, not close to the water or mountains, so i dont know what i was thinking, but as a backup and the CG has a good arrangement with their program and it is two years. i was frustrated about that UW thing partially because i had gotten my hopes up a little, as well as Todd's. i thought it would be good to be near my family as i may be able to do my pay-back tour in Seattle and not have to move which would be fantastic. and for the first time, i was wanting to come back to Seattle, i have been everywhere and dont you want a person who grew up in a town to go learn about the world, come back and teach about the world? i think so. i was sad they didn't want me back. and i really wanted to be close to my brother and Caitlin.

    
this picture was so hard to take. this was done without a timer. but i love it! and our associated bikes.

last weekend rocked. the girls were inseparable. we, Cathy, Ana, Kara, and Liz cruised to brunch at Green Flash after much deliberation. we cruised down to the jetty and back as well and swooped up Leanna to come out with us to Cass St and had a slumber party and another great breakfast that i cooked for the girls at my house before church.  Cathy played soccer at recess after church. Pastor Matt's sermon was terrific, being intentional in our steps, toward the Kingdom. "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." Eph 5:15-17. all of the sermons of Barabbas Road Church are available on Podcast or Vodcast here. We discussed the sermon and its application at Acts 2:42 small group on Thursday night after wine tasting in Temecula.

We went running in the morning around the bay and back around the beach to Kono's for coffee and breakfast and started our journey northeast to Temecula. we had 2 for 1 coupons, so we visited two wineries I hadn't been to: Falkner and Callaway. We had a great time exploring in the sunshine (as it was pouring the day before in the Beach).
    

yesterday we went whale watching on the Hornblower Adventure, 3.5 hour trip past the sea buoy seeking southbound whales spouts and then getting a little closer to them. we dropped Liz off at the airport enroute SFO and continued south to the dock. Kara was with us and her sister Lizzy who is visiting for the weekend from San Francisco. a straight swap. good fun on the bay, a little segway to my impending adventure. 

and we cooked a lot, especially when it was raining. but really enjoyed the sun coming out so we could have breakfast on the stoop. Todd and i loved the stoop before we had kitchen table. pancakes from scratch, coconut syrup, scrambled eggs with cheddar, sliced avocado, sauteed spinach and coffee. 
  

be blessed, CHBC and good Christian girlfriends are something to be cherished.

I got home a few days early from patrol due to our second and last Main Diesel Engine breaking. so we blasted home on turbines and moored up to start the repairs in homeport.  a few days later Todd arrived and we had a blast (see previous post) and he bought us tickets to Seattle to visit my family for Christmas.  actually he had bought them over a month before in hopes that MSC would approve his leave. this was a stretch since had only done training with them and hadn't even been out to sea with them yet, so granting leave seemed like a far out request.  we prepared ourselves to not see each other until May and i get back from my next deployment.  but God had different plans as his leave was approved! so we took off to Seattle for 4 days to see my family and celebrate Jesus' birthday and God incarnate.  

My mom picked us up from the airport and i proceeded to wrap presents and get ready for my brother Ben's party at his and Caitlin's house.  there would be a lot of his friends at the annual bash.  the night previous i made peppermint sticks (pretzel rods, chocolate rolled in candy cane pieces) and brought them to the party.  we also had white elephant and it was fun, Todd and i got a bunch of homemade jams! (but not enough room in our suitcases to bring most home).  we left the party at a decent hour since we had to be up early to drive to Crystal Mountain. the road was clear and the drive quick since we left at O-dark thirty and were some of the first to arrive at the mountain. we purchased our military discounted tickets and proceeded up the Gondola (new since my last time on the mountain and Todd sweet-talked them into letting us on for free).  it took us up to the top.  i was pretty nervous, actually.  Todd, i knew, was a very good skiier having grown up near the ski area and have ski enthusiast parents, even to this day. it is a huge part of his life and i felt like i had to be really good for him to love me.  even though i was sure of his love, and that if i was not a great skiier, he wouldn't love me less, but i didn't want to hold him back or for him to have to wait for me.



we were on our second run or so, zooming down a black diamond, the whole mountain to ourselves as it was Christmas Eve. i asked if we could stop and take a picture as it was so beautiful in the snow.  we had left the eternal sunshine of San Diego on the day prior. he stepped out of his skiis and reached for the camera.  instead of pulling out the camera, he pulled out a box with a diamond ring and asked me if i would MARRY HIM?  i said, of course, not looking at the ring, but looking in his eyes, the man i will spend the rest of my life with, unable to believe what was happening.  i was in shock, elated, in love, blissful, and all the great emotions that accompany skiing with the man who is beyond your dreams who wants to be your husband.  absolutely wonderful.  God is so great.  he blesses his children beyond belief.  we were by ourselves on the trail for about a half hour, so excited. then the sun came out, in December in Seattle, that was incredible as well, an anomoly. this nice lady took our picture. and did i say that i finally looked at the amazingly beautiful ring on my finger? perfect.  Todd did such a great job.  

then we made a few phone calls until we got too cold from laying on the snow in the middle of the desolate trail.  we went to the top of the mountain and had a champagne toast at the summit restaurant and some professional photographs taken as well. he planned it so well.  below is Todd, after proposing, the nervousness and anxiety finally over!  

      

we dont know when we are getting married or where, but that is the fun of it.  it was also great to get to introduce Todd as my fiance to my family and friends.

be blessed

so long since posting and i will just start with the most recent and then slowly back track. i have lots and lots of material to post about! major life changes.

i got home from our patrol on December 16th after 2+ months out to sea, over 10,000 nautical miles travelled, 2,000lbs cocaine seized, 1,400lbs disrupted, 500 laps ran around the ship, 140 new Shellbacks, 72 days at sea, dozens of small boat ops, 9 illegal traffickers detained, 6 days in Panama/Costa Rica, 2 swim calls, 1 book read (in Search for Captain Zero). so proud to be OPS of BOUTWELL, and praising God that we were home for Christmas.

   

so thankful for my friends in San Diego to greet me upon arrival back on American soil. after so many days at sea surrounded by 170 of the same people and no place for myself, i thought that i wanted to be alone. coming home to an empty house, the smell of stagnant air, and a broken heater was not inviting. Ana, being the great friend she is, offered to come over. she came with a beer and we went to enjoy sushi at our favorite Surfside Sushi a couple blocks away.

then Kristen flew into town so Leanna and i picked her up after the Sector San Diego Christmas party out in MIssion Valley. With Kara, my old roommate, we went out to our other favorite PB Ale House.  We met up with Liz as well and the girls (below) had breakfast at Kono's overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean, and Crystal Pier all decorated for Christmas. But all this was leading up to picking up the love of my life Todd from the airport on Saturday.  he had been in New Jersey for 7 weeks going to school for his new job with MSC.  it was divine timing as i was out to sea so we could email everyday (multiple times really). 

   

Todd planned a welcome home party for me and after church at Barabbas Road.  It was the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights, so we loaded up the boat at Shelter Island, embarked my girlfriends and took a ride into the sunset for the fireworks and to watch the parade. it was a gorgeous night and we were disappointed when we learned that the fireworks were cancelled. so instead, we made the long trek down to 32nd St. Navy Base to take a look at my ship's Christmas lights (we used the King's Post as the trunk for the Christmas Tree) and hoisted the Friendship lights.  the navy security boat thought we were terrorists, but we had to call the newly qualified Ensign OOD to turn on the Christmas lights, but not quickly enough as we were shooed away and didn't want to miss the parade.  we tried to anchor in the Bay, but it was over 30ft deep and lots of traffic, so it made it unsafe and impracticable.  a great Sunday night in the Bay, a terrific welcome home party that Todd arranged.

   

Above is us eating on the stoop as the house doesn't have a kitchen table.  breakfast of eggs, sauteed mushrooms, steamed spinach, and sometimes smoked salmon, cream cheese or bacon or sausage with coffee and orange juice is the stoop specialty.  love being home in San Diego.  

be blessed

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. Galatians 2:20-21

back to sea on this beautiful Pacific Ocean. how life changes when you take in all the lines.  we departed from San Pedro, CA after completing our Helo Stan, onloading ammo and topping off our fuel tanks.  and now life is different.  i am fed 3 meals a day if i like, dont have the ability to cook, there is a new cappucino machine which will be the bain of my waistline.  but this is not my first rodeo, it is my 8th patrol and 6th down south to central/south america.  and i do truly enjoy it.  this time tho, i am leaving the one that i love back on shore.  i have never been in such a serious relationship and then gone out to sea.  it hurts my heart. but it will be better i think when Todd goes out to sea too.  it is hard when one of us is at home and the other out to sea.  it wont ever be easy, doing the job that we do, and the job that we love. 

so i pray everyday for strength.  even though the Lord has already given us strength. I am a Christian, i have the qualities that the Lord has given me as his Child.  so i have the strength, wisdom, etc.  i still pray that i lead well, stay focused and keep motivated. 

today is Sunday and the Sabbath.  i am trying to rest, read the word as much as i can and make prayer a priority. Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. Psalm 30:4

be blessed

i have taken a break from blogging, not intentionally, just having so much fun and not enough time to sit down and get my thoughts on paper.  so as i leave for deployment soon, i will be updating more.  i will also try to fill in some blanks from this past summer.

this morning i skyped with Todd who is back in New York.  then i walked to the post office to drop off the boat keys and sent them back to Larry the owner up in Millbrae, CA.  it is a beautiful fall San Diego morning with breakfast at Konos and a Baja mocha.  such a great way to end an inport before going out to sea soon.

be blessed

 
(From LEFT: Rear Adm. Christopher C. Colvin, deputy commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area, Capt. Joseph F. Hester, commanding officer, CGC Sherman, Capt. Matthew J. Gimple, commanding officer, CGC Boutwell, Lisa Gallinat, president, Navy League Pacific Southwest Region, Chaplain Daniel Owens, and Lt. Karen Love, operations officer, CGC Boutwell, stand at attention during a presentation of colors for the change of homeport ceremony aboard the Sherman at U.S. Naval Base San Diego, July 29, 2011. Also in attendance were Capt. Winton Smith, commanding officer, Naval Base San Diego, Mayor Ron Morrisson, National City, Calif., and members of the Southern California Chapter of the Navy League. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Sondra-Kay Kneen-Rivera. )

SAN DIEGO - The Coast Guard Cutters Boutwell and Sherman officially changed homeport from Alameda, Calif., to San Diego during a ceremony at Naval base San Diego, July 29, 2011 at 10 a.m. Rear Adm. Christopher C. Colvin, deputy commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area, presided over the ceremony. Also in attendance were Capt. Winton Smith, commanding officer, Naval Base San Diego, Mayor Ron Morrisson, National City, Calif., and members of the Southern California Navy League chapters.

During the ceremony, the Navy League adopted both cutters welcoming them to the long line of ships supported by the organization.

The Change of Homeport provides both the Boutwell and the Sherman, two 378-foot high endurance cutters to replace the recently decommissioned Coast Guard Cutter’s Hamilton and Chase, previously home ported in San Diego.  The Boutwell and Sherman will patrol from the South Pacific to the Bering Sea areas conducting law enforcement operations, counter drug operations, alien migrant interdiction operations, fisheries operations, living marine resource enforcement, homeland security, search and rescue and defense operations.The Boutwell and Sherman are both 378-foot high endurance cutters. Both cutters remain available for world-wide deployment, but will focus patrols on the South Pacific and Bearing Sea areas.

           

Day 1: San Diego --> St. Thomas --> Tortola
I thought i was supposed to fly out on Saturday night's red eye, but instead while checking the time for the following night's departure, turned out to actually be the Friday night redeye. Valerie was visiting from LA and she was upset when she heard but took me to the airport anyways. Aaron & Caitlin Workman and Nick Adema were already there and about to board their flight to St. Thomas enroute JFK vice Atlanta like me. It was good to see them, the adventure was really beginning. We were to arrive within the same timespan in St. Thomas. I slept on the red eye to Atlanta, grabbed a latte and oatmeal and was one of the last to board the plane. At least i had the aisle seat, even though i prefer the window. As i fumbled with my carry on, purse and starbucks this guy from the window seat said, "Karen?" I did not recognize him and i am pretty good with faces. Then he introduced himself as Todd and that we were going on the same trip. how in the world were we sitting in the same row? He offered to switch places with the girl in the middle seat (later we would make friends with Gina). I thought that was really sweet. I kept trying to read my book, Sara Gruen's new one Ape House, but he kept on talking to me. finally i gave up and we talked the entire flight.

We all met up at the St. Thomas Airport and boarded a ferry to Tortola where we would pick up our boat. Todd wanted to sit next to me, but i wanted to make sure that the other single girl, Jessica had some company as we would be spending 10 days together. Todd ended up talking about fishing to some guys who we would meet up with later on the trip. Jessica and I ended up claiming the two-man stateroom together instead of the coffin-like singles up forward which the girls who arrived later Sadie and Christina got.

From then on, Todd & I were inseparable. We had dinner at Pusser's Outpost which is famous for Painkillers. We had our first Painkillers in Pusser's Tin cups of the trip which we would subsequently make batches of every day following onboard. We tried putting names on the cups, but we were family and that didn't last long.  Briede assigned us parts of the long shopping list to provision the trip.  food for 12 people for 10 days meant 4 shopping carts full.  i pushed Todd around like in Jackass but didn't hurt him or anything. we might have sang a little of Bran's Freestyle along the way.  

Day 2:  Tortola --> Caneel Bay St John,--> Christmas Cove Great St James Island
We motored out of BVI Yacht Charters on Sailing Vessel Morena which we renamed Eden's East unofficially and started our grand sailing adventure that Briede had planned for us.  We hoisted the mainsail up with the electric winch and sailed 20+ miles to St. John where we cleared customs for the first of seemingly a million times.  Our dinghy was filled to capacity with the 10 of us on there (or so we thought).  Todd is the dinghy captain and fisherman. I am the Coast Guard Liaison always ready to defend our position to the 87' patrol boat that kept following us, Caitlin the Cook, Nick the Barista among other things, Aaron air operations, etc. After St. John we began the long sail to Culebra, some call it an island in the Spanish Virgin Islands but it is actually a Puerto Rican island. 

And we trolled.  In Culebra we fished off the stern as well. Every night we took a mooring ball or anchorage with as much breeze as possible and slept on deck in the bowsprit or trapeze until the nightly rains came when we took refuge below decks. 

Day 3: St. James --> Culebra
We sailed to pick up Craig and Jen who are engaged and from Savannah where Craig is a river pilot.  Craig is another KP'er but an '05 grad (Aaron is the only civilian guy).  Todd, Briede, Christina and I went to the Dinghy Dock and had our first (and best) bushwackers. Todd and i explored the area a bit while we waited for Craig and Jen. That day we snorkeled around a cool reef and, l love to swim so Todd and I would go out and swim to our heart's content, noting the beautiful coral and colorful fish.  didn't compare to hawaii and no one had ever seen a humuhumunukuapawaa before.  We also caught fish almost daily, some we ate as sashimi, others we threw back, but when one was on the line i had to get the pliers, gloves, camera and reel them in sometimes if it was my turn.  my casts were not so stellar at the the beginning, but kept practicing everyday.  

Day 4: Culebra --> Vieques
Happy Birthday Briede!  all day i would practice having conversations with him and start with "Oh Captain, My Captain"  Every morning Todd and I would go fishing in the dinghy and most days afterward we would take other people into town to get ice and any other necessities.  When we had gone into town we looked for a cake to no avail.  I went on every shore excursion, enjoyed speaking with the locals about the area and their lives.  It was here that we bought two cases of Heineken (one light) and one Coors Light for $110! and of course it had to be cash as cards are rarely accepted.

We swam and drank some more. Vieques is so beautiful.  the scenery is something from a postcard, maybe one of the blown up ones that they sell at Ikea. There are wild horses all over the island and the largest of the other Puerto Rican islands that we visited.  That afternoon we invented the Paddleboard Bar.  A terrific idea by Aaron to bring a blow up paddleboard to begin with. He made margaritas and we had cold Heinekens.

Once dark, it was time for Briede's birthday party. We went to Biobay, and i dont know if that was the official name or not in 15 pax vans.  There were wild horses everywhere and it was difficult to not run into them as they would jolt in front of the vehicles. The water was filled with bioluminiscence, not the kind that i would see underway when we would part the waters with the bow of the cutter, but dense and bright bioluminiscence. it was everywhere.  Todd and I got in our kayak and we paddled around, making it glow under the bright moon, then we formed a flotilla and jumped out of the kayaks and swam, agitating it even more, so beautiful that no picture came close to capturing its magnificence. Our tour guide Mexican/Santa Cruz Dave was terrific, i should write him a good review on Trip Advisor. 

Day 5: Vieques --> Culebrita
We motored a few miles to Culebrita or 'little snake' in Spanish. We snorkeled some more and then we hiked up to what is the oldest light house in the Caribbean.  It is no longer maintained and just a piece of rust is holding the light atop of the rusted out spiral staircase. We started to get eaten by mosquitoes.  The view from the top was spectacular and we scoped out the fishing grounds the following morning.

But the coolest thing was the hermit crabs. They were everywhere, and i mean everywhere along the trail under this canopy predominantly small ones and some as big as 4" shell diameter. it sounded like it was raining but it was just the crabs moving over the underbrush and dead leaves. on the West side of the path all the hermit crabs were moving in the same westerly direction, conversely on the east side of the path, those crabs were moving easterly.  I could not find a rhyme or reason. it was like parting the Red Sea.

Day 6: Culebrita --> St. John
We got up early each day and went fishing on the dinghy (LB1) and this is some of our best talks happened because fishing is not just about catching fish.  We caught one fish while on the dinghy, that is it, but my cast improved dramatically. We would have had to travel to deeper water for tuna.  the fish we caught off the back of the boat were very tasty and we had some as sashimi, other seared and most we let go.

We motored for 20 miles back to the BVI as the wind was not in our favor and we would have had to tack a lot.  Upon arriving in St. John's Trunk Bay, which was picturesque Caribbean, we went into town and had some painkillers and enjoyed one of our only meals out at Banana Lounge in Cruz Bay. the scallops were very good as i had the special.  i need to remember to order my steak Pittsburgh style like Aaron did which is just seared on both sides and rare in the middle.  

that night Todd and I dinghied back to the beach to explore and stargaze under the seemingly full moon. there were mosquitoes so we lathered the bug spray on. I brought my windup/solar powered radio which worked like a champ. We stayed for a few hours as the Off was wearing off and we didnt want to return in the dark.  so beautiful, great company. best night ever.  i would love for every couple to have a beach all to themselves under a full moon in the beauty of the Virgin Islands.  

Day 7: St. John --> Tortola
i think my days are messed up or the places are. either way.  Laundry day. after fishing without success another morning, we sailed from St. John to Tortola which was our base camp as we were there 3 times. Every day we upon arrival to a new place we would swim or snorkel or both and Caitlin would cook with assistance from her capable sous chefs. 

In order to clear customs back into the British side, Caitlin and I took all the dirty laundry in a seabag and my CGA duffel bag (my only bag for 14 days) to the laundromat.  because we were so close to the National Park, we took "hollywood" or as we say "hotel" showers vice our normal sea showers. we disregared the signs that said no soap on the shower doors. how are we supposed to shower without shampoo? On the cat there are 4 heads, each with a showerhead attached to the staterooms. it sleeps 8 comfortably with 2 coffins up forward. Christina seemed to like hers. Every night people slep on the hammock, bow sprit, kitchen or in the back "family room". We were only allowed to have 10 people onboard so Caitlin and i had to clear customs separately.  

I cleared customs with our dirty laundry on our backs. We took the ferry from St. John to Tortola and embarked with these smoothies that were so good, mine mango, coconut and pineapple. i called Becky at work to find out some information and advice on these trips as she had been on the one two years prior. 

We arrrived on the West End and told the taxi driver we wanted a laundromat. So we dropped off our towels, sheets and two pieces of clothing each and she weighed them. unfortunately some of the towels were still wet, so that cost more.  We asked her what time she would be done (it is a friday), in response she asked what time we would be back. we finally agreed on 3:30. The taxi driver and the rest of the vacationers waited for us the whole time we negotiated the transaction.  We continued into town where we window shopped for a bit.  Caitlin and i had a good chance to talk and i needed a sounding board. Jen had said that we would be engaged by the end of the trip because we had been on so many dates and spent practically every waking minute together.  I hadn't even thought of that and wow, talk about rushing things. She thought it would be good for us to be a part. It was fine as i dont scuba dive but became much more comfortable with free diving and clearing.

Friday, July 15th on Tortola is Full Moon Party at Bomba Shack.  
so we went and danced and were offered mushrooms and mushroom tea and beer to which we declined.  the floor was sand and the place was literally a big shack in the middle of nowhere. our friends wanted to go back to the boat before 11pm. What?  I know it is island time and everything, but it was so much fun, the DJ, the people watching, the entire experience, the yachties. So Todd and i stayed. Bob Marley came on with Is This Love?  yes. We continued dancing and he told me he loved me. It was wonderful. As the night winded down, Todd got us a ride back with another family moored a few down from us, so we even got the dinghy ride and didn't have to swim.

Day 8:   Tortola --> Yost Van Dyke
We didnt go fishing as early as normal. Around the North part of Tortola, we sailed. or the south, either way to Yost Van Dyke. We got there early, around 9:30am and a prime location in front of the Soggy Dollar Bar. We med moored! so stoked as i have only read about it. we put out the stern anchor via the dinghy with a huge amount of chain. this also created a good swimming area between us and the beach. We played Captain Nasty which they officially call the Ring Game, which is an addictive game and of course Todd and i hung out all day swimming and galavanting.  

The paddle board bar was a hit again.  On the boat next to us, a charter from St. Thomas i think, had a DJ and a following dance party. Briede's favorite lyric, "Don't Get Fancy, Just Get Dancy". We went over for the party, by now the bay was packed with boats on the Saturday morning. It was an annual beach bash, or so the poster boasted. 

We switched anchorages to a quieter one down the bay for the night, thinking the partying next to us especially would last all night. But by sunset, mostly everyone had cleared out and even the bar was closed, at 7:30pm. bar. closed?  i couldn't even get a t-shirt and i went online and their selection is minimal. 

We ended the night at a locals party and that was an experience, we just wanted to keep the night and the party going. We continued to dance in the dark.

Day 9: Yost Van Dyke --> The Dogs
We sailed to the Dogs which are island off Tortola. After unsuccessfully buying milk, eggs and bread, we headed back to the boat, defeated, but not empty handed with water, ice and beer and shelf-stable milk for the percolated coffee. it was sunday morning and nothing was open. had it not been Sunday, the verdict would still be out with respect to the business hours.

At the Dogs we put on our fins and headed out, noticing jelly fish and cool fish on the reef.  on our way back from getting our reef and fish fill, the boat next to us asked if we had seen the downed plane with an appx location.  when i say appx, i mean appx.  somehow i found it, swimming back out after everyone else had called it quits. We could free dive it pretty well and i got a lot more comfortable with free diving along the duration of the trip.  We played Catch Phrase and some Yachtzee, drank painkillers or margaritas, (don't remember which, days run together.)

We stayed there overnight as it would be a quick jaunt. appx 5 miles to Virgin Gorda in the a.m. 

Day 10: The Dogs --> Virgin Gorda --> Cooper Island
No Fish.

We got a great mooring at the baths and donned our snorkel gear. we snorkeled in the tumultuous waters to get to the caves. We were tossed around and i got pretty beat up (notice bruises in random places), it was not fun and i was scared, not wanting to hit my head and not come back up conscious. 

Todd didnt come out, so i thought he must have made his way to the head of the pack. in actuality, he had been tossed even more than me and lost his fins, snorkel and $ along his wild adventure. i was worried. he was scratched up by the time we finally re-united and told me his horrifying story.

Nick, Aaron, Todd and I bouldered.  i was too scared to cliff jump at the end, unaware the bottom composition. Nick and Todd jumped, well dove actually. Caitlin told Aaron that if he jumped that she wouldn't change his diapers.

We left the baths after lunch of cheeseburgers and fries and talked with a local, Willie, who sold me my only souvenir (besides my dads b-day belt). then we sailed over to Cooper Island, Todd drove and i was his mate or what ever it is called when you sit next to them and look pretty. We doused the sails, and everyone freaked out because we were in front of another boat that looked like they were doing the same thing. We kept calm as it was not big deal. we are not dealing with 900' LNG tanker here. He moored us up well to the buoy, right near the beach! What else would we expect from someone who has been sailing the whole day?

We reached the shore for happy hour, red neck bowling, and dinner.  Todd and i wandered down the beach and he walked up to this house where the dude is in his hammock, chillin, and we start talking fishing and life on Cooper Island. I didn't want to wear my bathing suit to dinner so we paddleboarded to the boat to change. I put on an athleta dress (red) and he put on his nice white Quiksilver shirt. I didn't want to get wet and kneel like i had before. So we decided to both stand up, him paddle and i would hold onto him.  i guess i didnt hold on well enough, but we got on! and we were doing really well.  Then Creeper Fish appeared.  Briede came along and started chasing us as we made it to the dinghy dock. didn't work out so well. Todd paddled fast and past Briede's grasp to filp up.  But he kept telling me to jump in the dinghy we would be passing. so we jumped into the dinghy. unfortunately i didn't land feet first but legs in the water and thus needed to change my salt-water filled dress.  Craig gave me a ride back in the dinghy. Briede would tackle Todd in the water and he would have to change too. It was a lot of fun for those on shore, and ourselves and for Caitlin's camera for capturing it.

We have so much fun together, he is much more than meets the eye (and that is good too), is ambitious, smart, witty, has a heart for God, loves the ocean, sports, me and longs for adventures. That night at dinner i told him i loved him too. i never want to be without him again.
 
Day 11: Cooper Island --> Tortola --> St. John --> St. Thomas --> Atlanta --> Wilmington
We packed up all our stuff, cleaned and returned the cat to Tortola and caught the ferry to St. Thomas. We walked down to Jolly Roger and enjoyed our last painkiller.  the previous night, we told the group that we were together and they made us kiss in front of them. we had been keeping PDA to a minimum but they were all happy for us.

Jen asked Todd if he was coming to their wedding and he would and his guest would be me. we will be together much longer than that, but a date that i will look forward to. (wonder where our first date will be?)  what an amazing vacation, best ever.

be blessed
**pictures to follow**

after a day of sailing on Puget Sound with dad, Rudy and Helen under the clouds, the sun came out and glistened on us.  Darcy is in town from North Carolina, and so am I.  so we got together for the first time since maybe the Gary party in college (will look for that picture later to post)?  this time last year we all went to Crystals wedding and Bachelorette party, but nothing like this where we got to be together.  we had dinner at Old Spaghetti Factory and a nightcap at Twist a few blocks away (happy hour till close was nice).  

so after 10 years since graduating from Mt. Rainier High School and knowing 4 of these girls since grade school, we have come a long way.



left to right (me, crystal, tiffany, kathy, val, katie and darcy)

i also got to thinking.... what a surprise!  of the 7 of us, one is married, three living with long term boyfriends, one with a boyfriend and two of us single.  two nurses, two military officers, one yacht builder, one teacher, and one Boeing employee. three homeowners.  all of us still active.  no kiddos.  all our parents still alive, 4 divorced, 3 married. i think it was better than our 10 year reunion will be in September.

 be blessed

this morning i was lazy, slowly moving around, peacefully starting my day.  cup of coffee, almost finished reading the book of Numbers, hung out on the balcony, the usual.  then took my dad out for a belated Father's Day lunch to his favorite Sushisaki for bento box lunch. we even split a large Sapporo.  mama and i went shopping, she bought me a dress from White House/Black Market and I introduced her to Aldo shoes :)

Tiffany picked me up and we went to Crossfit. She is one of the trainers and looks amazing with her new toned body, congratulations girl, hard work payed off.  our WOD was:
200m run 13 sit ups, pull ups
200m run 12 sit ups, pull ups, 11, 10, 9, ....
since i am a newbie, i did pushups. time 20:54.  i like it.  then we got ran out by the Renton Gangsters as we were doing our finale sand bag run.

mom has a running group which is an offshoot of her bootcamp. so we went running at 7pm, meeting at the field house (so convenient).  there were 8 of us, and we ran to Saltwater State Park and back.  it was 76 degrees outside and the first day over 75 all year, and the longest as its the solstice.  i did a 6.7 mile run because i detoured to Kathy Rice's house and chatted with Jim, MaryJo, Kristie, Maria and Jerry before heading home.  i shouldnt have eaten between workouts because on the incline around the Masonic Home, i saw that salad three more times.  sorry mom, you made a great salad.

for the nightcap, Crystal and i trekked to Tiff's house and watched Just Go With It, a Happy Madison production.  the most interesting part was when Tiff's dad came out naked into the living room, after Tiff said, "Dad, dont come out here naked" haha.  i think it is time for her to move out of there.

be blessed