Green Thumb

 

Remember these little seeds?

Well now they look like this!

Happy Earth Day!

Baby mutant ninja turtle :o)

Happy Earth Day! I was looking forward to attending Turtlefest 2012 in Juno Beach but we got a torrent of bad weather starting on Friday evening that caused it to be cancelled. :o(

Turtle season has begun on the Florida coast and we saw a turtle nest today on the beach that was roped off. You can't really tell it's a nest other than a volunteer has taken the time to rope off a large square of sand. April is the first month of the season and eggs take two months to incubate so the earliest we'll see little guys running for the sea is June. So even though Turtlefest got cancelled I'm dedicating my Earth Day post to the turtles. 

Sea Turtle facts courtesy of the Loggerhead Marinelife Center:

Leatherback

• World Conservation Union (IUCN) status - Critically Endangered
• Largest and deepest diving of the sea turtles
• Named for smooth, rubbery shell
• Feeds on jellyfish
• Weighs 700-1500 pounds and measures 4 to 8 feet in length
• Nests in Florida from March through July

Loggerhead

• World Conservation Union (IUCN) status - Endangered
• Most common sea turtle in Florida
• Named for its large head
• Feeds on crabs, mollusks, encrusting animals attached to reefs and rocks
• Weighs 200 to 350 pounds and measures about 3 feet in length
• Nests in Florida from April through September

Green

• World Conservation Union (IUCN) status - Endangered
• Named for greenish color of body fat
• Feeds on seagrass and seaweed
• Adult females weigh 300 pounds and are 3-4 feet in length
• Nests in Florida from May through September

Hawksbill

• World Conservation Union (IUCN) status - Critically Endangered
• Has a beautiful shell, which is used for jewelry causing this turtle to be listed internationally as critically endangered
• Feeds on sponges
• Occasional nests are found  in Palm Beach County each year

Kemp’s Ridley

• World Conservation Union (IUCN) status - Critically Endangered
• Smallest of the sea turtles
• Nesting is mainly restricted to a 20-mile stretch of beach in western Gulf of Mexico
• Nesting often occurs in large aggregations during the daylight
• Feeds on blue crabs, clams, mussels, fish and jellyfish
• Adult weighs 85-100 pounds and measures 24-30 inches in length

Catching up & painting turtles

I haven't been so good about keeping up the blog lately. It's not that I've had writer's block, it's that I have this long list of things to write about and I can't seem to find the time to write about them all. So I'm going to back date a few posts and let y'all know what I've been up to. Being back on track will hopefully help me pace myself going forward. I think the key is more frequent, shorter posts.

Our turtle masterpieces

Last night Kevin and I went to Uptown Art Uncorked in West Palm Beach with Lois and Steve.  Kevin saw the place on Groupon so we thought we'd check it out. Uptown Art teaches you how to paint a particular image and allows you to BYO food and beverage. We brought bottles of wine and ordered pizza from City Pizza and ate and drank as we worked diligently on our turtle paintings. It was much harder than I thought it would be! The instructor went a little fast and didn't explain much technique or strategy, so we were just trying to mimic her colors and lines. Lois got inspired halfway through to turn hers into a modern interpretation that I have subsequently named "Turtle #2." But even though it was a little frustrating at times, I like how they all turned out. It is very satisfying now to have a cool painting of a turtle that I did from scratch, but I think next time we may try something not quite as advanced!

The prototype turtle

Happy Easter!

Kevin was excited to find the Easter bunny found our house in Florida after all these years skipping us in DC, I guess he doesn't like hopping up all those stairs! :o)

We had a great day that started out with discovering all of our chocolate goodies and then going to a delicious brunch at our favorite French cafe, Paris in Town, which is a small family-run place with an attached bakery full of wonderful-smelling, freshly baked breads and pastries. We each had a freshly baked croissant, yum! Kevin had coffee while I indulged in a huge cappuccino with perfect foam. :) We also took home a few homemade macaroons and a round of sourdough as an extra treat.  Then we relaxed on the beach in the afternoon and had a small Easter ham for dinner with some baked beans, roasted asparagus, and toasted sourdough bread from the bakery. Great day!

A Maddening March

2011 ACC Champs

This article sums up how I feel about this season for the Tar Heels. 

Creighton is now up there with Dook in basketball teams I despise. I do love that Roy Williams is a gentleman and that he won't antagonize or be dragged into negativity. But just because Roy won't say it doesn't mean I won't: that team was pathetic and played dirty because they knew they had no chance. Had Marshall not broken his wrist I truly believe this year's national champion would be a lighter color blue.

Harrison Barnes

It's really too bad we don't have everyone coming back next year to make a real run for it. Even though I was barely old enough to understand the game, I am wistful for the days when great players stayed all four years and really left a legacy behind (even MJ stayed three years...). I will say that I think Harrison Barnes never really fell into his rhythm at Carolina like I thought he would when I first read about him in the 2010 recruiting class recap. People made comparisons to all the basketball greats (i.e., MJ), and, yes, he is a good player who delivered on many occasions, but what makes the "greats" is the ability to deliver night after night, day after day. When it mattered most the people carrying the team were Zeller, Marshall, and, heck, even Bullock was more clutch in the tournament. He is incredibly talented, but there's a mentality that separates the good players from the great players and I'm not sure he gave himself enough time to really develop that at Carolina. I guess we'll have to see what the NBA will do for him. The player I'll miss the most is Marshall. He embodies everything I love about college basketball: talent, teamwork, vision, selflessness... He has a way of playing that makes everyone around him play a better game, and not just because he can feed them an infinite number of flawless passes. He is a leader and an inspirational player and I'm nervous to see who can possibly fill those shoes. I felt that way about Ty Lawson in 2007 and it took until 2010 to see someone comparable (although Lawson graduated to the NBA with a nice shiny championship ring...). 

Barnes, Strickland, Zeller, and Marshall

I would have won my the bracket pool at work had UNC won (and a sweet $460), and I would have come in 2nd had Kansas won, but I'm okay with Kentucky winning over Kansas because I can't stand Kansas fans and their irrational hatred of Roy Williams. I could not tolerate a year of their strutting and preening that they don't care about losing Roy (TO HIS HOMETOWN TEAM) and how Bill Self is superior coach (GAG!). Anyway, not every year can end in a national championship so in the words of Adam Lucas, "they won at Cameron Indoor Stadium and they won the ACC regular season title and they played a game on a real live aircraft carrier and they had the academic All-American of the year and the best single-season passing performance in conference history." GO HEELS!

There's always next year...

Happy Birthday Bro!

Happy Birthday to my brother Aidan. He was born on April 1 because he was predestined to be a goofball. :P

When your legs get tired, run with your heart!

Sunrise over the race festivities

Mom on the Wall of Hope

Race start line

On Sunday I ran the Florida Brain Cancer 5k to benefit Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (ABC2) in memory of my mom.  It was emotional for me, but I also felt encouraged that there were like-minded people who felt the cause was important. I also felt encouraged by all the support from my family, friends, and workplace. My co-worker Will lost his dad to brain cancer and had already started a fundraising team for the race so I joined up with him and together our team raised $6,000! The event as a whole raised over $140,000 toward the cause! I just wish some of this money actually resulted in some kind of breakthrough because it's such a devastating disease, any improvement in prognosis or quality of life would help. It makes me feel good to do something that is important to my mom's memory. I think she would be happy that I am honoring her by helping to accelerate the research for a cure. Although she was so much more than the way she died, there's a lot to be said for her courage and inspiring attitude through surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, clinical trials, and hospice. I often have flashbacks of different memories with her and one that I think about is when her motor skills started to shut down and she had to move with some kinds of assistance, I pulled into the driveway and she popped up and walked all the way to the front window because she was so excited I was home. It's hard to describe how much love is between a mother and daughter, but when I think about that moment I think about how love conquers all, even death. <3

A little sweaty and tired, but I did it! :)

An Ode to Being Irish

Happy Saint Patty's Day!

St. Patty's Day inspired me to get more in touch with my Irish roots. My ancestors hail from the Emerald Isle, if you can't already tell by the name: Caitlin Bevin Doherty. This gave me a starting place: The name "Caitlin" means "pure" in Gaelic (Gaelic is "Old Irish," kind of like what "Old English" is to us) and evolved in Ireland from the Ancient Greek name "Aikaterine" or "Catherine" as we know it today. "Bevin" means "melodious one" and "fair lady," but it also means "daughter of Brian," which is my dad's name. In my family, the tradition is to give sons the middle name "son of [dad's name]" which you do in Irish by putting "Fitz" before the father's name. For example, my brother's middle name is "FitzBrian" ("son of Brian") and my dad's middle name is "FitzJohn" ("son of John").  My parents thought it was special to extend the tradition to their daughter as well as their son.

The Doherty Family Crest

The name "Doherty" comes from the Dochartach dynasty, which can be traced back to the 455 AD when the High King of Ireland, Conall Gulban, founded the kingdom now known as Donegal County. The land was fought for by Gulban's relatives, also known as the Dochartaigh clan, who were then given the title "the Princes of Donegal" after the conquest. Conall was the son of King Niall, who began the family's substantial reign that lasted through the 10th century. Through Niall, the Doherty heritage can be traced back even further, making the clan one of Europe’s longest descent lines. So although it may be distant, my family heritage on my dad's side dates back to the royal family of Ireland. How cool!

Campbell Argyle!

I will soon be a Campbell, which is primarily a Scottish name of Gaelic origins. In Scotland, the name itself derives from two Scot-Gaelic words: "Cam" (mouth) and "Béal" (crooked) meaning "wry-mouthed," originally a nickname which over time became used as a surname. The Campbell Clan of Scotland can be traced back as far as the 13th century. They developed into one of the largest and most powerful Highland clans and the chief of the clan later became the Duke of Argyll. The argyle pattern we know today was derived from the tartan of the Campbell Clan!

The Scots would probably not approve of my inclusion of them on a St. Patty's Day post, but I thought it quite interesting! I leave you with one final fun fact about St. Patty's: Saint Patrick was actually a British missionary in Ireland who used the three leaves on the clover to teach the Irish about the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So go forth and drink some green beer and celebrate your Irish heritage even if it's only in spirit.

Happy Saint Patty's Day to All!

Spring Break '12

Thursday brought two law school spring breakers to my door seeking fun in the sun.  Nicole and Michele came bearing gifts of cinnamon coffee and blueberry wine from the best grocery store in North Carolina. It was especially great to see Nicole, just to have a familiar face and old friend to get a hug from and talk to was a treat for me. I also enjoyed getting to know Nicole's fellow law-student-in-need-of-fun a.k.a. Michele and having two girl friends to double the fun. It turned out to be a fantastic spring break for all involved...

 

The night of their arrival we whipped up some fish tacos and cocktails to kick off the official start of their break. It was so much fun to show them around my new home in Juno Beach. While I was at work they discovered a favorite local bar, Thirsty Turtle, which ended up being their favorite spot to chill after a long, hard day of beachin' it. 

Friday night we went out to Square Grouper, a famous Jupiter bar where Jimmy Buffett and Alan Jackson filmed the video for the song "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere." It has a spunky history rooted in illegal activity: rum running during prohibition and the marijuana trade during the sixties.  The U.S. Coast Guard nicknamed the bales of marijuana thrown out of boats and airplanes "square groupers," hence the bar's name. More recently the bar tends to attract some country stars like Sugarland and Kenny Chesney, as many of the celebrities own homes on the Jupiter oceanfront and will drop by occasionally. No such luck that night, but there was a great live band that we enjoyed while sipping our sea breezes by the water.

We went to the West Palm Beach Green Market on Saturday where we had authentic empanadas, ceviche, and guacamole. I got a fresh fruit pina colada and took home a package of freshly baked cider donuts that we re-heated on Sunday for a morning treat. Just walking through the various stands of artisan food, desserts, flowers and plants, farm fresh produce, and artwork on a beautiful sunny day was relaxing and fun. 

John Henson takin' it to Miles Plumlee. So glorious.

Afterward we continued our day of relaxation on the beach and then came home and got ready for the ultimate rivalry match up that evening. As a half-hearted Dookie, Nicole was a good sport about Kevin and I's rather loud cheers and ongoing game commentary. Michele hails from the Big Blue of Michigan, so her loyalties were set in stone before grad school and she had little trouble staying impartial. For this Carolina fan, the game was absolutely incredible; everything I could have hoped for and more. Everyone played phenomenal, our point guard Kendall Marshall had 20 points and 10 assists, and one of my favorite moments was when our John Henson scored right over devil-twin Miles Plumlee. I'm also ecstatic to see our "diaper dandies" breaking out of their shells and particularly relished P.J. Hairston's dunk right on top of Austin Rivers. Ooooh it's a happy day. I could watch that on a loop for an extended period of time...

Precious!

Since Nicole and I had a friendly wager on the game, she bought the four of us a round of drinks at Panama Hattie's Rum Bar in the form of a giant rum punch bucket with four straws. We took turns sipping the potent concoction while hanging out by the water in colorful Adirondack chairs. The next day, Kevin went to the Honda Classic golf tournament to watch Tiger lose to a 22-year-old prodigy (how do ya like dem apples old man?!) while us gals went to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center. The center is a rescue center and veterinary hospital for injured sea turtles and also helps with ocean conservation efforts and education. I enjoyed seeing all the different turtle residents, but it also was quite sad to see them with missing flippers (e.g., caught in fishing wire), large gashes on their shells (e.g., boat propellers), and diseases from pollution (e.g., eating plastic). Some of them would recover and be released back into the ocean once healthy, but others' injuries were too severe (one lil guy had not one, but two missing flippers).

Papa Loggerhead

 To complete our animal day (and so the girls could see a gator), we had plans to go to the zoo afterward, but with the weather a bit gray and windy, we ended up getting drawn in by a shopping excursion to the Gardens Mall. I found a great hat for the polo match brunch next weekend and Nicole and Michele did some damage on the apparel-front. It was refreshing for me to have a relaxing shopping day with the girls. Having worked in retail not long ago, it's been awhile since I've actually enjoyed an afternoon perusing sales and trying on fun accessories and dresses on a whim. I sure could get used to that! We ended the day at Dune Dog, a little surf-shack restaurant adorned with colorful Jimmy Buffett quotes that specializes in fresh seafood and cold beer.

For our last night of '12 spring break, Nicole and Michele took Kevin and I out to dinner at Rocco's Tacos, a swanky Mexican restaurant with over 200 types of tequilas, prickly pear margaritas, an outdoor fire pit, and, of course, made-at-the-table guacamole. We spent most of evening laughing and exchanging fun stories while sharing a delicious meal. It was a great way to end the trip, but I was  super sad to drop them off at the airport the next morning after all the fun we had. Come back and visit soon! :)

CBD

Paradise Lost

When I stand on the shore looking out across the vast ocean I feel in harmony with forces much greater than myself. It's a spiritual experience for me to look out at the infinite horizon line and hear the softly rolling waves. I feel soothed, comforted, and in awe of the natural beauty and rhythms of water. 

That all changed on Friday. 

All week the water had been especially mild, but on that particular day the wind was strong and the water quite choppy. We thought it might be a little tougher to manage, but we certainly were not expecting any extreme conditions. So on our last full day in Mexico, Kevin and I set off in a double kayak for one last snorkeling adventure in the ocean. Two of Mikey's friends came out not long after us and as we attempted to anchor our kayaks together the waves surged to six to ten feet high. 

The first of them capsized our two friends and Kevin jumped in the water to help them get back in their boat. Then it became clear that they were all struggling in the water and I pulled up our anchor and tried to paddle over to help them. Then a very large wave sucked up my boat and tipped me upside down and we were all at the mercy of the water. Kevin, who has been around boats his whole life, yelled for me to stay close to the boats (still tied together) so I did even though the waves were throwing them at me quite hard. I could only hold on to them in between the waves, but it still offered a rest, albeit very brief. 

When a large wave began it would suck the boat up into its crest and I would look up and brace myself for the crash. A few times it hit me on my right arm as I raised it to protect my head. The boats also hit me in the chin a couple times on their way to the wave, but I trusted Kevin and figured as long as I could avoid getting knocked out it would help to be near the boats. As each successive wave came over me I felt myself being pulled down deep underwater and as I swam back toward the surface I was terrified I wouldn't be strong enough to beat the undertow. 

When I hit the surface I looked around for Kevin and our two friends. A different terror filled me when I had no idea if they would all be okay. Four of us battling these waves gave some precarious odds. Kevin was holding onto the anchor rope that trailed about 30 feet behind the kayaks. I found out later that he had wrapped it around his hands so that it would pull him back up after he got pushed down. The rope severally burned his hands and took out chunks of his flesh, but it saved his life. 

With each wave we got a little closer to a reef, when, finally, we were standing on it. The waves calmed down around the reef and although we still got sloshed around on the top of the coral, we got into the boat with just cuts and bruises. Luckily, Kevin had the strength and frame of mind to hold on to two paddles and we maneuvered both boats over to our friends who were about 50 feet away and had one paddle left. Not knowing if we could rely on the temporary calm, we all got back on the boats, untied from each other, and paddled rapidly into shore. 

Kevin and I hugged on the shore and I felt hot tears of relief. I didn't stop shaking for about an hour. My life, and his life, flashed before my eyes, when I was underwater I felt a bit of an out-of-body experience when I wasn't sure how long the strength of the current would keep me beneath the surface. I prayed to God for our safety; I told Him I wasn't ready to go. Each wave felt like it was toying with the possibility of taking me for good. I felt how easily the ocean could dominate my best efforts. And it wasn't until I felt the warm sand in my toes that I could claim we had escaped a narrow brush with death. The ocean had flexed its power that day and to feel my body go comparatively limp to its strength made me feel shaken and unsettled, as if perhaps we weren't in harmony, but at odds.

CBD

So damn easy to say that life's so hard
Everybody's got their share of battle scars
As for me, I'd like to thank my lucky stars
That I'm alive and well

It'd be easy to add up all the pain
And all the dreams you sat and watched go up in flames
Dwell on the wreckage as it smolders in the rain
But not me, I'm alive

And today you know that's good enough for me
Breathin' in and out's a blessing, can't you see?
Today's the first day of the rest of my life
And I'm alive and well
I'm alive and well

Stars are dancin' on the water here tonight
It's good for the soul when there's not a soul in sight
This boat has caught its wind and brought me back to life
Now I'm alive and well

And today you know that's good enough for me
Breathing in and out's a blessing, can't you see?
Today's the first day of the rest of my life
Now I'm alive and well
Yeah, I'm alive and well

"I'm Alive" by Kenny Chesney & Dave Matthews Band

Arrival in Paradise

View from the room

Tonight I write to you as I watch the sunset over the ocean and listen to the waves break gently on the shore. Birds in palm trees sing their nightly taps and a light ocean vesper soothes the warm air. I spent the day sea kayaking, snorkeling, and reading in a hammock. It sounds a lot like heaven but I’m actually in Tulum, Mexico, a small coastal town on the Caribbean Sea. Kevin’s brother Michael decided to ring in his new decade (the big three-oh) by taking a vacation with his close friends and family. So here we are, in a 12-person villa, eating family-style dinners filled with stories, banter, and laughter on a long reclaimed-wood table on a patio overlooking the ocean made by our personal chef. Our planned adventures for the week include deep-sea fishing and a visit to the Mayan ruins, but who knows what else the week may bring. I am perfectly content to press repeat on today.

Mikey in all his birthday glory

At breakfast, three of Michael’s friends showed up in Mexican-flag Speedos and proceeded to present him with his own pair. It started the day off with a good dose of laughter and light heartedness. We had made-to-order eggs (huevos ranchos, huevos con jamon, huevos con queso . . .), orange juice, toast, granola and yogurt, and a huge platter of fresh watermelon, pineapple, papaya, and cantaloupe. Afterward, Kevin and I read books on the beach and jumped in the pool. Then we kayaked with the group to the coral reef not more than 100 meters offshore. I swam with schools of neon fish and wove around the dancing coral. Nancy (Kevin’s mom) and I used the paddle boat to come in for a lunch of shrimp tacos with mounds of fresh guacamole and pico de gallo with the whole group. Kevin made delicious margaritas that we drank before an afternoon siesta on the beach.

Paradise does wonders for the human spirit.

CBD

Finding Refuge

Lucky circumstances brought my aunt and uncle to Florida last week from Niagara Falls, Canada. They had long ago planned a winter getaway to a resort near Fort Lauderdale, so once Kevin and I moved down here we figured out that it would only be an hour drive for us to see each other. Aunt Sandy was my mom's sister and she has been married to Uncle Dave for over 40 years, so they both were very close to her and had lots of stories about the three of them. They ordered in pizza at the resort and we sat around, along with their travel buddies Barb and Dave, and caught up on all the family. My cousin Johnny finished med school and is now a practicing chiropractor. He's been married three years and just bought a house. My cousin Nikki is due with her first baby—a boy!—next month. I grew up not only the youngest in my family, but the youngest of the cousins, and Nikki and Johnny introduced me to the Counting Crows, my first cheese fries, and summer days at the lake. Sometimes I really wish my family all lived close together, it's hard to stay in touch and support people from such long distances. Unfortunately, we had so much to talk about we forgot to take a picture! I'm so bummed. I found an old one of her the last time she visited my mom.

My mom with her sister Sandy

Friday night filled me with a sense of nostalgia for family memories, which was still fresh in my mind as we continued our weekend wedding planning adventures. We found a venue called the House of Refuge Museum on Hutchinson Island that has a stunning 360-degree view of the water. The best part is that it has a lot more character and history than a modern resort or hotel. Built in 1876, the House of Refuge was built by the U.S. government to aide shipwrecked sailors. There were about ten built on the east coast of Florida and there were signs posted on the beaches for how far an ocean-torn victim had to walk to find respite. Each house also had a keeper who would patrol the beaches daily to search for such unfortunate souls. The keeper and his family would nurse the sailors back to health and saved many lives. I love that the house has a storied history filled with the adventures of sailors, pirates, and soldiers of years past. The warmth, love, and kindness from a family of modest means toward strangers expresses our family values. And I enjoy the symbolism of how our relationship is a refuge from the storm of life. Kevin and I both felt like this place was really something special and unique.

Painting of the House of Refuge on Hutchinson Island

After the House of Refuge we ate lunch on the water en plein air at a restaurant called The Sailor's Return. It also had a stellar view and a relaxed atmosphere, not to mention excellent beer-battered fish and chips. We came home and took it easy that night by watching college basketball rivalry week. 

Sunday we went to brunch with three other couples at a Worth Avenue/Palm Beach institution called Taboo. It was nice to branch out and meet some other couples, but comfortable friendships take time and it's tough to not have that right away. Other than Lois and Steve, there aren't many people here with whom we can just hang out. 

How could you hate this wittle face?

 On Wednesday, I bid Varsha a safe journey as she set off on her African Adventure in Namibia on Friday. Her first flight was Friday to NYC and then she boarded her transatlantic flight on Saturday. She was very excited but also a little nervous because, apparently, there are a lot of stray cats in Namibia, and Varsha hates cats. The funny thing is when I asked her about bugs, she was utterly fearless. She's a funny one that little V. :o)

Go Phil! (with his wife Amy)

Shout out to my favorite golfer Phil Mickelson for winning Pebble Beach and mercilessly annihilating Tiger Woods. For those of you that don't know, I can't stand Tiger Woods and think he's a self-absorbed, whiny, entitled egomaniac. Whereas, Phil Mickelson is a gentleman golfer who is ultra-talented, humble, and plays with class. Not to mention all of Tiger's character issues off the green... and Phil who took time away from golf to care for his wife when she battled cancer. I prefer being a fan of someone who I actually like as a person and as an athlete, that is what a "role model" is after all.

CBD

Busy Bee Weekend

Dum, dum, dah, dum . . .

This weekend, we found a beautiful wedding venue on Singer Island. We're still looking at other venue possibilities, including a resort several miles north in Vero Beach, but I'm starting to see that do-it-yourself isn't necessarily better value than a hotel package. Kevin and I had lunch with his co-worker Jonathan who has worked in catering sales and event planning (specifically ten years at a resort in Palm Beach) and he walked us through how quickly vendors add up when you think you can just throw up a tent on the beach and hire a caterer. For example, normal, logistical things like transportation and bathrooms become an issue. Not to mention the fact that someone has to be in charge of coordinating all the vendors and set-up. Plus we think since pretty much everyone would be staying in a hotel, it would be fun to spend the weekend all together. I'm hoping we can pull off a beautiful event and stay within our hardworking 20-somethings budget.

Go lil turtle, go!

After looking at Singer Island, we went to a natural state park near the ocean and went for a walk around the grounds. I saw my first real Loggerhead turtle since I've been here. It was in a tank, but it was the real deal nonetheless. Turtles are a big thing around these parts since they lay their eggs on the beaches and the season for nesting/hatching lasts from May to August. I'm looking forward to my first "turtle walk" where you watch the baby turtles scurry from the dunes to the water in the moonlight.

I think we wore Leo out.

On Friday night, Lois and Steve took us out to dinner as an advanced thank you for watching Leo for the weekend. We went to a hibachi place in Abacoa and then crashed the college dive bar next door. Good times. It was a very gracious gesture, as I was psyched to have Leo for the weekend and he was truly no trouble whatsoever. Kevin was less psyched but I think he likes Leo more than he likes most cats, and although he won't admit it, he had some fun playing with him too. Leo is an active, playful cat. He loves to chase toys, hunt little frogs near the pool, and he especially cracks me up when he fights with his own tail. He is well-tempered little guy who didn't even get too upset when Kevin squirted him with water (he simply hid behind a plant). As evidenced by his water-squirting tactics, Kevin's idea of playing with a pet is playing with a dog. I like dogs just as much as cats, so if we get a pet, we'll probably get a dog. We're just enjoying our DINK status of no responsibilities for the time being, and we're not quite ready for the responsibility of another living creature for longer than a weekend. Maybe a fish. Or a turtle!

Giants win 21 to 17.

We watched the Carolina game on Saturday and I was extremely happy to see some fire and tenacity on the road. It wasn't a stellar offensive game, but we played smart, scrappy basketball and Maryland put up quite a fight. It's definitely great momentum going into this week's game against the Dookies! HUGE game. Can't wait. Speaking of big games, a little thing called the Super Bowl was on yesterday, hence my lack of a blog post. I guess if the 49ers couldn't win it all, they may as well lose to the team that did. Plus Patriots fans are more annoying and entitled than Giants fans, and I like Eli Manning better than Tom Brady. If you're a fan of Super Bowl commercials, Kevin's brother Michael is a film editor in L.A. and edited the "Hulu" commericial. The Matthew Broderick commercial was clever, but just made me want to watch Ferris Bueller. I also thought the Volkswagen commercial and the Sketchers commercial were funny and cute.

Varsha leaves for Africa this weekend and we have been playing a bit of phone tag. Hopefully I get to talk to her before she leaves for the semester! 

CBD

Happy Groundhog Day

Groundhog jammin' out

 Happy Groundhog Day! Looks like we're in for six more weeks of winter. Sounds like a great time to visit friends in South Florida!

Man, this year is flying by. I can't believe it's already February—so much to do, not enough time. Sometimes I feel like I can hardly stay ahead of responsibilities and chores, let alone be done with them all and relax in peace. Boot camp has exhausted me this week. I took the night off to recuperate a bit. I can hardly walk, and Kevin has a hilarious new habit of squeezing my multivarious tender muscles to watch me squeal. Truly. Hysterical.

OH YEA! I have a cat for the weekend! Sa-weeet. Lois is going to be out of town, so I get some quality one-on-one time with Leo. Too bad his catnip plant isn't ready yet. It'll still be good times.

CBD

Flying Solo & Fighting for a Cause

First weekend alone in the new place. I went running a couple times, took a walk on the beach, went hog wild at Home Depot and bought two new plants and some new seeds. Spent most of Saturday playing in the dirt, a.k.a. gardening. Chatted with my dad. Read. Watched "How to Train Your Dragon" on TV. Threw a wild party... if by wild party you mean taking out the trash and doing chores around the house, ha.

Kevin and Devin skiing in Tahoe

It actually was quite nice and relaxing. I feel fully rested and recuperated for the work week unlike my dear fiance who is now snoozing soundly next to me. After getting up at 4 a.m., traveling all day, and then getting home at 6 p.m., he's pretty exhausted.  Glad to have him home.

On Friday, I saw that my co-worker Will had a poster in his cube about a 5k fundraiser for brain cancer research, so when I saw him in the break room I asked him about it and he told me he was actually about to pitch one of our partners on having the company be a corporate sponsor and then asked if I'd like to come with. I was totally floored.  Of course I would. We then discovered that we'd both lost parents to the same type of brain cancer, glioblastoma. Unlike many other types of cancer, there are virtually zero survivors of glioblastoma and there are no preventative measures (i.e. exercise and healthy lifestyle play no role). The side effects of the tumor, depending on where it is, are very similar to Alzheimer's. I think both Will and I

Glioblastoma, we are coming for you!

understood after the meeting, how difficult it is to articulate how much help this cause needs. The experience of watching a loved one not only suffer, but lose their personality, and then to watch modern medicine be hopelessly defeated by this insane disease is quite devastating. To have gone through it is to know, and it's something that both weakens and hardens you at the same time. It's such heavy stuff that it scares people. They don't even want to hold in their heads the idea of such pain and sadness, and I don't blame them. Life is so full of other wonderful, happy things. At the same time, to have the ability as an empathetic human being to cross that bridge and say "hey, I don't know what you've been through, but I care and I'd love to help however I can" is amazing. And that's what my boss did. Love this company.

CBD

Life is Good

I found out today that Nicole booked her flight to visit me in March! Very excited!! I am already mentally planning some fun Florida adventures to be had.

Kevin left me a dozen red roses on the dining room table before he took off for Tahoe for a weekend ski trip. It's those simple thinking-of-you moments that I cherish. It's so quiet and lonely in the house without him... "we's normally like peas and carrots me and Jennay." :)

I would have loved to have gone but we are going to Mexico in February to celebrate Micheal's 30th birthday (Kevin's older brother) and it seemed like not a good idea to request so much time off right after starting a new job (which I love and is going great, but more on that at a later date). Although his absence is clearly advantageous for my blog writing, ha.

I went to Palm Beach Boot Camp for the first time today. I think I finally found a "gym" routine that is suited to me. Growing up playing sports, the reasons why I loved playing sports were for the personal challenge and competition, great coaches who pushed me to find my potential, awesome teammates who I looked forward to seeing each day, and being out in the fresh air and sunshine. The gym just doesn't do it for me, especially alone after a long day of work. I don't push myself hard enough and I get bored and run out of ideas of things to do. Especially when I live in such a beautiful, scenic place, I would much rather run outside than run on a treadmill. The issue I've been having is that although running is great exercise, I really need to add other things to my regiment to keep it fresh. I've found that I'm even having trouble sticking to a running routine, so the accountability of boot camp should help with that aspect. Cross training is also important to avoid injury and running doesn't do much for the upper body (which I am totally lacking in tone and strength). My initial experience with boot camp is that it reminds me a lot of field hockey practice without the skill drills (kind of like preseason).

And the Tarheels found their mojo and played an awesome game tonight.

Life is good! 

CBD

We interrupt your normal scheduled programming...

To announce that I have the bestest friends in the world.

Thank you to Becky for giving me further inspiration and motivation to work on my blog. I hope you have a new adventure to write about very soon... ;)

And Haley (and maid of honor come November) for sending me a sticky-noted wedding magazine so "it's like reading it together."

I feel incredibly blessed to have such caring and thoughtful friends.

Love you guys.

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

One of my favorite "first books" was "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" by Judith Viorst. When I had a day filled with blunders and felt like my horseshoe had been tipped upside down, all I had to do to feel better was read this blissful simple, cheeky little book. The essence of the story is that bad days happen to everybody, everywhere, and changing locations doesn't make them go away—even if that location is pretty cool (like sunny Florida, or in Alexander's case, Australia). 

So yesterday, after four hours of cheering and cringing, our Harbaugh-Bowl dreams evaporated as a second-string player (who took the place of an injured special-teams star) made a very costly mistake amidst a frustrated offense incapable of third-down conversions. After a Cinderella season, the 49ers fell short of Super Bowl XLVI in overtime sudden death—in a game that hardly demonstrated their full potential. Kev and I went to bed with a couple of long faces and awoke to a gloomy Monday morning knowing that our underdog season would not have a classic Friday-Night-Lights ending. And worse, two blue-blood teams will now be competing to add "eh-just-another-why-not" ring to their ever-growing collections. Sigh. I know we're a bit dramatic about our sports teams, but to truly enjoy the highs, you have to be with your team through the lows.

So great to see Judy!

Leave it to lil' Alexander to pick us back up (oh yes, I still have my original copy). Half of the remedy was just laughing at our childishness in enjoying goofy simplicity. Niners aside, life is pretty great for us right now and we feel blessed. I had two DC friends visit in the same week: Judy (my first boss at Ralph Lauren) and Bryttava (GW & SK friend). Judy came down with her boyfriend Tom, who has family in Boca Raton, and they met me for lunch on Tuesday. Bryttava's boyfriend Rob grew up in PBC and the two of them were here visiting his parents, so Kev and I met them for brunch at a cute French bistro in West Palm on Saturday. After brunch, Kevin and I checked out two possible venues for the wedding and read books on the beach. Then we met some new Florida friends for dinner at a Palm Beach hotspot where we watched the Ferrari/Lamborghini/Bugatti convention drive by. 

It's really not horrible, no good, or very bad here.

CBD

Two 49er fans in the Sunshine State

We anxiously anticipated the 49er game this weekend, and, man, for a good reason—what a game! After a very stressful fourth quarter, with four lead changes in the last four minutes, the 49ers came up with the win. Kevin and I were exhausted from four hours of cheering and stressing, but as Coach Harbaugh would say, "Who's got it better than us? NOoobody!" (My favorite Niner chant.)

Go Niners!

Kevin grew up in the Bay area, so as a lifelong 49er fan it had been nine years since he'd had the opportunity to watch them in the playoffs. Growing up in Chapel Hill, where basketball reigned supreme, I had never really followed professional football so over the past five years I've adopted the Niners as my own, mainly due to the enthusiasm of one dedicated fan that is my dear fiancé. The 49ers are in rare form with rookie head coach Jim Harbaugh, who's coaching philosophy is very inspiring and reminds me a bit of my own favorite coach, Roy Williams. Unfortunately, the Carolina game this weekend was the opposite of spectacular as the preseason ranked #1 team looked sloppy, complacent, and, worst of all, blasé. Both programs have a storied history of championships and Hall of Fame athletes and coaches, but one team came into the season with low expectations from the press and performed spectacularly and the other team came in with the highest of expectations and rode the hype straight down the tubes. Hopefully, the Tarheels got a wake up call early enough in the season to change their attitudes going forward, but for now I'm majorly bummed on the basketball front. As for the 49ers, stay tuned because they're heading to the NFC Championship next weekend!

Grow little seeds, grow!

I caught up a little bit with Haley, Varsha, and Nathaly this week. It was nice to catch up with good friends and see what they're up to. Just as I was missing everyone and wishing they could all come visit I found out that my friend Judy would be in Boca on Tuesday so I get to see a familiar face in just two days! Then my mom's sister Sandy told me that her and my Uncle Dave would be coming to town in February! Moving to a new place is exciting and difficult at the same time. It's definitely an adjustment even though it's mostly positive. The hardest part is making new friends and keeping in touch with people you can't see regularly anymore. One of Kevin's co-workers from DC, Lois, also moved to Palm Beach not long before us and we've been hanging out a lot with her and her boyfriend Steve. She just got an awesome cat named Leo who is extremely entertaining, especially with a little catnip. So as a surprise I added some catnip seeds to my herb garden and am going to bring her over a plant once they have a chance to grow. For Christmas, Kevin's brother Michael and his aunt Kathy got me started on my gardening hobby with seeds, soil, and  pots. It's been a fun hobby for me, and so far I have eight different sprouts of herbs and flowers. In DC, it was impossible to grow anything in our apartment as it didn't get adequate direct sunlight or have an outdoor space, so it's a really nice change to be able to have a garden now. I'm looking forward to cooking with my herbs and putting some fresh flowers around the house.

So I guess this week's post could be summed up: Go 49ers and come visit us in Florida! :)

CBD

A Campbell Christmas

The last of the Campbell clan hit the road on Friday morning and Kevin and I enjoyed putting our feet up and relaxing a bit this weekend. Our first couple months in Florida flew by as we scrambled to unpack and finish home projects before the crew came for the holidays. Hosting the holidays for the first time was a milestone for Kevin and I, and in our true style we jumped into the task head first by hosting eight guests, getting a 9'4" tree that had just enough room for our angel, and decorating the house with all the trimmings. It appears we've become real adults, even if we still feel like kids at heart.

The full house added to the holiday feel of family, cheer, and warmth. We also found out how challenging it can be to wrangle a crew of ten with a 70-year age span to do the many activities we had planned: beach, deep-sea fishing, turtle museum, Christmas dinner, New Year's Eve party, Universal Studios, Hard Rock Casino, the Breakers... needless to say, punctuality was next to impossible. Kidding aside, the packed schedule really got us all together exploring our new state. It was a lot of fun showing them around but so was the down time: hanging around playing games, cooking, and watching movies. It was a special and memorable holiday in our new tropical home (the closest we got to snow were my glass snowmen on the dining room table).

Happy Birthday Mama :)

I really enjoyed establishing new holiday traditions, but I do still get sad about what it would be like if my mom was still here. We used to always bake pies and cookies, shop for gifts, go to church and open one present on Christmas Eve... Yesterday would have been my mom's 64th birthday, so I bought some bright yellow flowers to plant in her honor since she loved to garden. I'm also starting to plan the wedding and I think about how nice it would be to talk to her about everything (even though we'd inevitably fight about a few things, ha). It's all very sad and hard to comprehend that she's gone.

All for now.

CBD

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

I took off for a weekend last month

Just to try and recall the whole year
All of the faces and all of the places
Wonderin' where they all disappeared
I didn't ponder the question too long
I was hungry and went out for a bite
Ran into a chum with a bottle of rum
And we wound up drinkin' all night

It's these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same
With all of our running and all of our cunning
If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane

Reading departure signs in some big airport
Reminds me of the places I've been
Visions of good times that brought so much pleasure
Makes me want to go back again
If it suddenly ended tomorrow
I could somehow adjust to the fall
Good times and riches and son of a bitches
I've seen more than I can recall

These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same
Through all of the islands and all of the highlands
If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane

I think about Paris when I'm high on red wine
I wish I could jump on a plane
So many nights I just dream of the ocean
God I wish I was sailin' again
Oh, yesterdays over my shoulder
So I can't look back for too long
There's just too much to see waiting in front of me
And I know that I just can't go wrong

With these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same
With all of my running and all of my cunning
If I couldn't laugh I just would go insane
If we couldn't laugh we just would go insane
If we weren't all crazy we would go insane

 "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" by Jimmy Buffett

Kevin and I are settling into our new life in tropical South Florida. The change in latitude has been good to us on many levels, but it's been hard to keep up with our family and friends that are spread around the continent: DC, New York, LA, San Francisco, North Carolina, Chicago, Baltimore, Montreal, Birmingham, Niagara Falls, Ottawa, New Hampshire, Vermont, British Columbia... and a very special friend in Kentucky who inspired me to start this blog. Becky and I ran track together in high school and when we, along with our friend Seshie, all went off to different colleges, we kept blogs to keep up with each other. Over time my blog writing trailed off but Becky has an awesome blog that helps me keep up with her no matter where she is in the world or what she's up to. As much as I love our new life in Florida, there are many people I would be very sad to lose touch with and this seemed like the best way to help with that. So, with Becky as my inspiration and New Year's resolutions as my impetus, welcome to my blog and thanks for reading.

CBD