It seems like Luci has been making a ton of advances during the last few weeks. I’m not sure what’s going on, but she’s learning new “tricks” almost daily. It’s just so much damn fun. We’ve had the most fun with her over this long weekend. Makes me wish I was a stay at home mom. Like, really really bad.
Here’s an update on all the cutsie things she’s started in the last few weeks:
Twirling. She stands in the middle of the room and just goes round and round and round. Usually to music.
Dancing. She’s starting to dance by stomping her feet. She especially likes to dance to Dad’s harmonica playing (thanks, Iggy- we’ll buy you a new one soon!).
She’s started bringing us stuff. Like random stuff- things she finds around the house. Stuff from my shower, stuff from her toy box. Balloons. She obviously thinks we want/need this random stuff cuz when she hands it over, she has this huge, proud smile on her face, like: “Yes- I just KNEW you wanted this dirty pair of Daddy’s boxers and I just wanted to save you the trouble of getting up to get them yourself, yes, I’m so nice AND considerate!”. AND- she even takes the liberty of thanking herself on our behalf**, I’m assuming, to save us the trouble or extra effort.
**Saying “thank you”. Well, actually, it’s more like: “han hoo”. I taught her this one. She says it ALL the time. But mostly when she drops something and you pick it up for her. Or, when she brings you something, like said dirty boxers or stinky shoes, or some random piece of dirt she found on the floor.
She knows her nose!!!!! I just taught it to her yesterday, like a 1.5 minute lesson while changing her diaper. I didn’t think she was really absorbing anything but then today when we were playing peek-a-boo, I said something like “oh, there’s Luci- I KNOW you!!!!!”. She grabbed her nose (ya know, “know”- “nose”). Well, so I tested her over and over today and yep, she knows her nose alright! The next is “ear”.
Singing- she started this a while ago but lately, she’s really been trying to fine-tune her skills. Her favorite is the Annie soundtrack. And, I can tell you that nothing brightens up my day like walking in on my punk rock husband entertaining her with a full-on production of an Annie Broadway routine- high notes, high-kicks, jazz-hands and all. It’s pretty awesome.
She’s lovin the animals. We took her to the Austin zoo this weekend with friends Amy, Ashely Izzy, Sandy and Daniel, and she about went ape-shit when we first got there…. just squealing with delight. She’s mesmerized by animals. She does call them all “dog-dog”, but we’re working on that. And, speaking of ape-shit, those monkeys were stinkin’ it up pretty bad there at the ol zoo.
She’s learned to lock the dogs in their cage. She kinda terrorizes them. Corrals them to the cage, locks the door and walks away laughing. They kinda hate her right now.
She knows the moon! I think she learned this one at school because a teacher reported one day that a few of the other girls were pointing to the moon in the sky and saying “moon” and she caught Luci copying them. Well, now, all we have to do is point at the moon in the sky and she says “moooo”. So. Cute.
She’s helping us dress her. She hands us the socks when it’s time for socks. She puts her arm out when she sees I’ve grabbed her jacket. She lifts her legs up for the pants. Again, So. Cute.
Oh- she knows the word “GO”. I think sometimes, when she’s bored in the house, she’ll try to give us hints by saying “Goooooo” and walking and standing by the door.
She totally memorizes books! Especially this one book, my favorite so far, called “Tiptoe”. There is a page where Tiptoe is beating on his drum, “BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!” and, I swear to goodness, every single time, on the page BEFORE the “Boom” page, she starts going “Boom, Boom, Boom”! I love it! She’s been doing this one for a while now, it never gets old.
Now, if she’d only stop taking half-eaten food out of her mouth just to play with it for a few seconds just so she can put it right back in to finish….. And if she’d just stop throwing food and poking strangers in restaurants…… we’d be all set! And, also, it’d be really great if she’d stop giving herself meatloaf facials.
Seriously- Craig and I are having so much freakin fun! The time of our lives!
Wow, hello, posting hiatus! I guess life has gotten in the way. Things have been so crazy- it seems like each week is crazier than the last!
I thought I’d do a quick post to profess my thanks for the incredible life I live!
I am soooooo thankful for:
My awesome husband, who can name a record just from the sound of the scratches before the 1st song even starts (!) and who loves his girls and takes the BEST care of us.
My beautiful sister, who is so smart and funny and caring. And, my amazing brother-n-law who has such a wonderful and caring heart and spirit. And, for my incredibly cute, incredibly smart nephew Theo, who just amazes me.
My amazing in-laws who are so kind and who are just incredible with their little Luci.
Aunt Linda and Uncle Terry and Cousin Heather- who are such an important part of my life. And, Uncle Ed and Aunt Carol, and Aunt Ellen and Uncle Tom. And all my other amazing relatives. I really miss my family.
My grannie goo goo, or should i say great granny goo goo. I think Luci got some of her fiesty-ness from you!
All my friends whose love and support I literally could not live without.
My job- although it does drive me insane sometimes.
All the rights and privileges that come with living in the freest, richest, and most amazing country on the planet. And, the responsibility and duty that goes along with it (go health care reform). As Luci would say: “GO AMERICA”!!!!
All of the memories I have of my parents and my Gram.
My crazy busy but crazy fun life
Finally, I’m thankful for my Luci. Equally parts feisty and oh-so sensitive and sweet. She gives new meaning to my life. I can’t even remember what life was without her, nor do I want to. It’s ALL about the Luc. She is my everything.
Self: Well, it’s good. I miss running though. I haven’t done a lick of running since the race and I feel fat and lethargic and just plain disgusting- my regular jeans feel like skinny jeans etc, etc…. I really didn’t do any running 3 weeks before the race because of my foot and then afterward, I was letting my foot and knee heal a bit then I got sick this week (ugg).
S: Were you satisfied with your race?
Self: Hell yeah, I was. My time sucked, but I honestly am not dwelling on that -at all. I’m honestly just glad I finished. And, I had SUCH a great time. It was a truly amazing experience and I can’t wait until the next race! I will never forget the feeling I had after crossing that finish line.
S: When will your next race be?
Self: The spring, I hope!
S: Are you crazy?
Self: Yes.
S: So, do you think the “post race blues” is a real phenomenon?
Self: Well, it makes sense. Sorta like the post-baby blues, post-wedding blues. I spent a long time preparing for this race and now that it’s over, it’s really sad. Plus, I miss my sister, bro-n-law and my Theo. And, sweet, sweet Oregon.
S: Are you going to change anything about your training routine for the next race?
Self: Yep, gonna do hill and speed work and actually have a time goal for this one.
S: Who do you want to thank for help with the PDX race?
Self: Well, myself (:-)), my hubby, my dear Luci for being so damn cute, oh, and for being my inspiration; my Mom and Dad; Jami, Matt, Theo; Trent for helping with the training; my Dr (s); The Bad Brains for their support during mi 24-26 (and I hope no one thought I was insane for singing out-loud LOUDLY-I was kinda going nutz at that point; that cute guy who let me wear his warm-up jacket in the long line for the bathroom before the race; and everyone else who believed in me and gave me support along the way. Oh, and that awesome shadow-boxer dude I blew past on mile 23. He had me seriously laughing my ass off.
S: Would you recommend the Portland Marathon as a good 1st marathon?
Self: Hell YES. They organized the crap outta that race, it was easy breezy (logistics-wise) with tons of crowd support, perfect weather, great route, just all around awesomeness. And, my sis makes the best carbs west of the Mississippi, so you really can’t go wrong.
S: What else is new?
Self: Well, I’m getting ready to watch some damn South Carolina Gamecock football on the porch.
PORCH GAMECOCK FOOTBALL- hell yes.
Happy happy day. I am foot-loose and fancy free! My foot is better!
I had a crappy test run on Sunday- limping afterwords and almost couldn’t even walk back to the car. Went back to the Dr Monday feelin’ blue with not a lot of hope about the race. Dr. reexamined me, said it was a problem with my “cuboid” bone- said it got all thrown outta wack by my fall and subsequent 12 miles overcompensating for my hurt left knee with my right foot. Since I wasn’t any better, she sent me to rehab! 2 hour sessions later and I swear, I am SO much better! Had a fantastic test run today, with only a little pain afterward and no limping! Went back for more therapy today and feeling even better now.
The Dr. used a special manual therapy called the “Airrosti” method (Applied Integration for the Rapid Recovery of Soft Tissue Injuries). It’s a new form of therapy for musculoskeltal injuries that concentrates on the fascial tissues that surround nerves, bones, muscles. When you’re injured, the muscles can heal themselves but the fascial tissues do not- they are a hard/plastic-y type of material that CAN be manipulated and healed through manual therapy only. So, these Drs get in there- deep- and move all that crap around and can actually feel when the fascia is moved back into the right place.
So, anywho. It hurts like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. Think- funny bone nerve pain combined with the hardest/deepest massage ever imaginable- for 30 minutes straight. On an injured area. OUCH. I have bruises all over the treated area. I think I actually cried a few times. After that, they do a deep tissue ICE massage that also hurts like a bitch- same nerve-type feeling, for 10 minutes straight. OUCH II. Then, they do different stretching exercises, etc.
But, holy crap. It works. After one treatment, I felt a HUGE difference. They saved the marathon for me! It was pricey but SO worth it (at this point, I was ready and willing to do/pay anything). The Dr was telling me they treat UT sports players and he himself treated a b-ball player with a black and blue sprained ankle and within one week, he was playing games again (I guess badly sprained ankles can take up to 8 weeks to heal on their own). AMAZING. I was skeptical, but now I’m a believer.
Here’s a video about it:
If it’s good enough for Sinbad, it’s good enough for me.
And, here’s a haiku for you:
Airrosti rescue
Sinbad and I do agree!
Pain has gone away
And, here’s another haiku for you about my old as shit running shoes I’m wearing during the race (my Mizunos). Have been running in them since April and have about 500 miles on them. I officially retired them only to get a pair of Brooks that completely screwed my feet up, then onto another pair of newer Mizunos that haven’t been working out either. I whipped the old, crappy, smelly ones out for my run today and they just felt “right”. I’m totally wearing them Sunday.
My Mizuno love
Summer sweetly spent with you!
Never will I stray
I’m sucking at blogging. Not surprising. I just can’t get it together with everything going on. So, I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands and add a little something new to the mix that should be fairly easy and quick for me to blog about. Myself. I’m gonna call it “What’s up, Speezle” and it’ll be a series of interviews OF yours truly BY yours truly. Just whatever comes to mind. The key with blogs is new material, keeping people interested and coming back. I’ve completely sucked it hardcore at adding new material, so maybe this will help. It’ll be random. Whatever comes to mind. (And, it’ll probably be boring as shit). O well.
Right now, the marathon is on my mind so this one will start out about that and I’ll see where it takes me.
Self: Pretty crappy. On my last long run, I fell. I screwed up a tendon in my right foot and I’m still in pain. It hurt so bad earlier this week that I thought I had a stress fracture so I went to the Dr. X-ray showed no fracture but Dr. said my tendon was messed up. Said no running and gave me stretches/exercises to do. That was Monday, today is Saturday and it feels a good bit better, but still hurts. I have a 3 mi run to do tomorrow, Drs orders, then I go back and see her on Monday. She’ll give me the official word on if she thinks I should run the race or not then. GEEZ! It’s been HORRIBLE not being able to run. Add to that, I’ve been sick for most of this week, so no “training” going on at all. Although, this was my 1st real taper week so I wasn’t really supposed to run much anyway.
S: So, are you nervous for the race?
Self: Heck yeah! I already have butterflies-they started yesterday. I’ve already started packing. Which, if you know me at all, you know I’m WAY too unorganized to start packing for ANY trip like 5 days early-what is that all about? I’ve washed and rewashed my race-day outfit 3 times. I’ve spent hours fine-tuning my marathon mix for my ipod. I’ve soaked my ipod-holder-thingie all day to try to get the darn B.O. smell out of it so I don’t have to deal with that stench on race day (and if you’ve read my stinky gym dude post, you know I hate stinky BO-type smells). I’ve already started carbo loadin’. (Ok, so I’ve pretty much lived my entire life carb loadin so nothing different there).
S: So why the heck did you ever decide to run a marathon?
Self: Well, I needed a challenge. I never ever in a million years thought I’d ever attempt a marathon (but it’s always been a dream). But, ya know what? I never in a million years thought I’d have a baby. I see life as a series of new challenges and the marathon just happened to be next on my list. Not sure what’s going to be next after this……. but I gotta think of something. I’ve realized that if I don’t have a challenge or a “project” in my life, I get very very bored. TBD.
S: Do you have a time goal?
Self: NO! And, if I did, I wouldn’t share it with you! :-) Really, I have a very very sad time goal that’s really too embarrassing to share with anybody. I just want to finish. Especially with this bum foot- I just want to be able to finish. It’ll be my worst nightmare if I get out there and can’t finish the race. I don’t even want to think about it.
S: So, what training plan have you used?
Self: I’ve used Jeff Galloway’s plan. It’s all about allowing yourself walk breaks in order to save energy for the end of the race. It’s also a way to prevent injury and to help enable your body to last for a lifetime of running. I’ve done a modified version, I walk 60 sec at every mile (so about every water stop during the actual race). And, I run really really slow.
S: What’s been the hardest thing about training?
Self: Hands-down, the early morning runs. Running in the middle of a record-breaking Texas summer has not been easy. The only way to beat the heat is to get up early for the long runs. I do not operate to my fullest potential at damn 5:30 in the morning. I just don’t. That’s really sucked.
S: What are you looking forward to most about the run?
Self: FINISHING! The feeling of accomplishment that comes along with doing something I never thought I’d do. And, seeing my family at the finish line. Craig and Luci will be there as will my dear sister, adorable nephew and awesome brother-n-law. I can’t wait to see their smiling faces.
S: What’s the best song to get you pumped up?
Self: Freakin’ “MICHA” by Integrity. You can’t go wrong with a lil’ old skool Cleveland hardcore. Add some Bad Brains to the mix and I’m golden.
S: What’s the most surprising thing so far about training?
Self: 1) The fact that I have not lost ONE pound. I don’t know why. I think it’s because I’m hungry all the damn time and have not changed my diet AT ALL. And, I like wine and beer. And queso. And, I’ve just had a baby and am getting older- I simply cannot lose weight like I used to (it used to be so much easier for me). 2) The crazy need for obscene amounts of Vaseline for long runs. If you forget it, you’re in trouble. Think: Andy on “The Office” during the hilarious run for rabies episode. Everything rubs together, and it hurts. 3) Toe craziness. I’ve lost multiple toenails from my toes rubbing the tips of my shoes. I have a black toenail right now. I’ve gone up a size for my race-day shoes so hopefully that’ll help.
S: Foam or liquid hand soap?
Self: No contest- foam, all the way.
Peace out! I’ll post about the race when I get back! Wish me luck!
So, this week kicked off the start of another recruiting season at work and brings along with it all the stress and traveling…….. I don’t know how I’m going to handle it this year. I’m down a staff member who used to help with the traveling and now it’s just me. I’ve been working random late nights and weekend days during the last few weeks and I had to work late last night and am traveling to Houston tonight. The guilt is reaching obscene levels. Luci looked at me this morning like she didn’t even know who I was! How do working parents manage? I am at a loss- sometimes it gets to be too much! Any advice will be appreciated. And, poor Craig, playing Mr Mom all the time and also dealing with crazy busy work. I just feel so guilty. I’m stressed and in a horrible mood. And, the darn dog took a shit on the rug.
Obviously, I realize it’s better than the alternative: unemployment. And, I do like my job. I just feel like I’m missing out on a lot with Luci. I have absolutely no idea how all my students do it all- superstars in their career, families, travel AND school? Blows my mind!
Then, to top it all off, I turn on the TV this morning to hear about that dip-shit from South Carolina’s outrageous, disgusting behavior. What the heck? How completely embarrassing for the south, once again. What are these morons thinking?
Have you heard that Luci has crazy hair? Well, here’s your proof!
Jami- I for sure think we should keep this going and start a separate blog with all morning hair posts I may even include a few of my own, pretty spectacular morning hair looks.
So, for the past 3 weeks, I’ve kept a camera in Luci’s room and 1st thing upon her waking up, I take a shot of the awesomeness. The total and complete and utter awesomeness that is my Luci’s morning hair. Check this out, it’s pretty amazing (if you want to see the full sized image, click on the photo and then click a 2nd time):
Getting back to reality has proven to be even more difficult than I ever thought possible. I miss my island. Don’t get me wrong, being back with Luci is a-mazing (God, we missed her!). I just wish I could’ve brought the island home with us. Seriously, y’all- I cried when we got in the boat and drove away from our favorite private island that we found. I cried when I saw it for the 1st time and cried when I had to leave it. I’ve never {in my entire life} been as relaxed as I was the entire week. It was so crazy-amazing. Shannon relaxed? Without medication or red wine? Now, that must be somethin’, you say. And, I say, yes, you’re right! It really WAS somethin! Oh, ok, so there WAS plenty of Kalik involved. Oh, and rum. And sun. And the prettiest sights I’ve ever seen.
Getting around to writing this post has proven quite difficult. Came back and hit the ground running- work, life, etc, has been CRAZY. Glad I finally got er done though!
We had the time of our lives. And, I’m happy to report that this episode of “Honkies Go to the Beach” ended very happily, with no real sunburn issues, thanks to 6 full bottles of sunscreen ranging from 30-60 spf each. And, all I can say is Shiseido RULES. And yes, we went through just about all 6 bottles.
my fav shot- our fav island
Staniel Cay
Located in the Exumas, Bahamas, Staniel Cay is an island with a population of around 79! Yes, 79! The Bahamas are made up of around 700 different islands and the Exumas are a long chain of around 100 islands southesast of Nassau. Staniel Cay, an “out island” of the Bahamas is located about 75 miles southeast of Nassau and the only way to get to it is by chartered plane or boat. We stayed at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club and had a great stay. I’ve never been anywhere as beautiful in my entire life. The waters-the bluest, clearest I’ve ever seen- and they just go on for miles and miles. The beaches- completely private (countless rumors floating around of crazy people going nude on said private beaches-bunch of crazies! But seriously- they were so private that you could if you got the hankerin’. In fact, I wanted to title this blog post: “Beers, Beaches, Boobs, Butts, Bonefish….” but Craig wouldn’t let me). Speaking of butts….snow-white, incredibly soft sand. Amazing. Truly unspoiled beauty (save the island that just opened some sort of fancy pants resort that the locals and people who’ve been going to Staniel Cay for years for its unspoiled beauty seem to hate- I tend to agree with them). I think I’m going to retire on Staniel. Or, maybe even move there and start my own bonefishing boating excursion extravaganza. Or really, ya know my dream of opening up my own bed and breakfast? What if it’s a beach house on Staniel Cay? Our entire last day there was spent concocting ways we could work it out. Maybe someday. Or somethin’. I’ll definitely be back. Yearly, if I can at all manage it.
Note- if you’re looking for the resort feel with lots of stuff to do, this place is NOT for you! The yacht club is the only show in town. Perfect for us but if you’re looking for a party/social scene, restaurants, bars, fancy-pants hotel rooms, etc etc, this isn’t for you. Bare bones, no frills type of place.
pristine! heaven!
Here’s the Trip Report (and, I know it’s long- this is really for my memory/records so you can skip onto the pics if you want-photo link at bottom of post):
Day 1:
Arrive in Ft Lauderdale and took shuttle to South Beach Miami. Besides major blisters from walking around in high heels in the humid-as-hell Miami heat, it was a great evening. We ate at Sushi Samba, had drinks at the Delano hotel, and the rest is kinda a blur. A few crazy-expensive bars later, some weird bathroom incident involving Craig and a toilet, a 2:00 am grilled cheese, and we called it a night. Miami was NOT the highlight of the trip but neither of us had been there before so we’re glad we got to experience it. Wouldn’t necessarily ever go back on my own accord, however. Just not my scene. But it was fun for a night.
Day2:
Arrived at the airplane hangar at the executive airport in Fort Lauderdale after a crazy ride with the Super Shuttle guy who, during the shuttle ride to the FLL airport, with like 3 grandmas in their 80’s and 3 other random people, asked us what airline at the FLL airport (they don’t drop off at the executive airport so we were just going to take a taxi from FLL). I told him we were taking a taxi from FLL to the exec airport. He asked what chartered flight we were on. Told him. He then said he could drop us there, it’s on his way home, for $10 cheaper than a taxi ride. I then said, well, we kinda gotta make a few stops first. He asked where to? I said (keep in mind, I’m at the very back of the bus so I’m shouting over everyone)….. “well…. Hey, do you know if they sell liquor in the grocery stores in Florida”? He said: “why, you need liquor?” Me: “Yes, and beer” (laughs all around). And food. And toiletries. By that time, the entire bus was cracking up for they realized that yes, we’re getting on some small chartered flight and yes, we’re bringing our own booze. Nice. Classy lady, here. That’s right.
The flight wasn’t as bad as one would expect. The plane was cute. It held a total of 9 whole people!!! (Yeah, real cute there Shan). I may or may not have been a little hungover after the post-Miami mania, so I may or may not have been chuggin’ water all morning long. Turns out it was a great, great thing I did. For, you see, I had to pee so bad (plane not big enough for a bathroom, you see), that was allI could think about. Totally made me forget the fact that I was risking my life and the life of my true love on the teeniest-tiniest plane known to man (seemed like it, anyway). Had to stop for Customs in Congotown, thank God, cuz I couldn’t have made it like 5 more minutes. Hit the bathroom, twice–good-to-go for the 2nd stretch (and see, after we had already landed and taken-off once, when I was completely preoccupied with pee, I was operating at my lowest possible anxiety-level at that point-a little {or a lot of} pee can work wonders sometimes).
Arrived at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. All I can say is this: The dude who drove us over in the truck from the airstrip just drops us off on the dock. I look at him and ask where the office is to check in. He points to the bar. Yep, that’s right- check-in and check-out done at the freakin’ bar. My kinda place. Oh, and also, the only tv on the whole damn island, maybe (kidding, but the only tv at the yacht club- the cottages don’t have em, or phones) was in the bar, and shit if I’m not lying, was airing some sort of damn “greatest college football program of all damn time/in the entire damn universe” special on the damn Carolina Gamecocks! T’was fate! (Ok, so maybe it was just a few clips of fumbles and such, but o’well, a girl can dream). But still- the Gamecocks? On Staniel Cay? The minute we walk in? Seriously?
Day 3
As if things couldn’t get any better: We find our boat. That’s right, if you stay at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, you get your own boat (well, you pay for it). You use said boat to tool around to all the little islands around. I think you can get to like 30 or so different islands on the tank of gas they give you. You literally drive until you find one that’s uninhabited by tourists, and it’s yours for the day. We quickly found like a bazillion that we would love to claim as our own for LIFE. Breathtaking beauty, everywhere you look. Everywhere.
One of my favorites was the island of swimming pigs. Literally, the swimming pigs come swimming out to your boat from the beach looking for food. They’re pretty big. I like nature and all but these things were loud and a bit aggressive. At first, I was wondering if they could swim-fly into the boat for the Lance crackers we so graciously brought for them to eat (we forgot to let the SCYC staff know we were going so they could give us leftovers for the pigs- I wonder if they eat bacon??). Once I realized they could not jump into the boat, I got more into it. They were so damn cute!!!!! I wanna live on their island with them and just hang out with em now. How did they get there? Do they really like to swim? Do they eat fish? What do they do all day? Where do they get their water to drink? How DID IT ALL HAPPEN??? Those are questions I may never know the answer to- one of life’s great mysteries, I suppose! After this awesome day, back to the club. And bar. Met tons of awesome peeps.
Here piggie piggie!
Day 4
I think this is the day we found our favorite private island. As I mentioned, I cried the first time I stepped foot on it. It was so beautiful, I cried. Enough said. 8 hours and 8 Kaliks later, back to SCYC for a lil’ dinner and bar-action. Perfect perfect perfect day.
Day 5
Kearje (crap, I knew I wouldn’t be able to remember the spelling-I should’ve written this up a lot sooner!), or “Kea”, an employee of the SCYC, is the BIGGEST SWEETIE I have ever met. He was so kind and took us on a tour all around to all the islands, so we could 1) get a feel for where we were and 2) get a feel for how to operate the boat. He may have offered this because he was a witness to a minor Shannon-freak-out concerning Craig operating the boat on his own. I was scared. I don’t normally like boats, and I don’t like open water. Or sharks. Or being stranded. Or running out of gas. And stuff. So, Kea offered to do it up right for us, island-style. Kea took us to swim with the sharks. He took us to the lizard island. He took us to the island where he lives and showed us his house and the homes of other folks we met at the club. He took us to Willy’s house (see below). It was an all-day excursion of places we may never have seen without the help and knowledge of a local. I hope to go back next year and I’ll bring Kea some sort of gift. We told him we were from TX and he asked us if we knew Walker Texas Ranger. :-) He was awesome. We got back and biked over to Pirate’s Beach (a really awesome beach on Staniel Cay that has a natural infinity pool-where the Caribbean meets the Atlantic, wow! That’s where we met Titus (see below). After that, bar- where we caught up with our friends.
Day 6
Boat. Beach. Beer. Rain (the only 1/2 day it rained). Cottage. Bar. Buddies.
Day 7
Boat with Chris and B (see below). Our awesome friends we met at the SCYC bar. They were soooooooo kind and took us out on their boat. I don’t think I would’ve tried some of the things I tried that day unless we were with those two exact people. No one else. They took us snorkeling. They took us drift diving. Then, they took us snorkeling in caves (Thunderball Grotto to be exact- where the Bond move Thunderball was filmed!) with crazy currents that I, yes, me, surprisingly tackled. It was the most beautiful experience ever. I was a bit embarrassed though: 1) cuz at around 11:30, Craig and I totally broke out the rum and 2) They got to witness a not-so-minor Shannon full-throttle panic attack! As I mentioned, I hate open water. And, I also hate snorkeling equipment and feeling like I can’t really breathe properly. I kinda lost it. But, they totally calmed me down, I think, because they were just so calm and sweet. I just felt so much more comfortable with them around- they’ve been going to Staniel Cay for 25 freakin’ years and know the area like the back of their hands. Chris knows like every single type of fish in those waters; they knew every kind of coral, knew what kind of coral not to rub against (unless you like the feeling of being engulfed in red hot flames for like 3 weeks). I was SO glad they invited us out!!! It pretty much made the trip for us. So, if you’re reading guys- thank you!!!!! Hope to see you next year! This time, the boat’s on us! Oh- and also, thanks for telling me the story about the Bull Shark AFTER our 1st snorkeling stop-otherwise, I would’ve never gotten outta the boat!!!! Oh, and Chris saw like a 15 foot barracuda that day, while we were drift diving- glad I wasn’t on his side of the boat!!
Chris and B, or Diane or Reese (I think she looks like Reese Witherspoon)
Storm Chaser- Alan's the captain of this boat- he gave us a tour!
Oh, what started that day out was the 4 of us, tooling around to Sampson Cay, where crazy Cap’n Alan’s yacht (Storm Chaser) was docked. Ya see, the night before, at the bar, after lots of Kaliks and mango daqs, Alan invited us onto the yacht for a tour. And, I’d bet a million bucks he never expected our asses to actually show up! Ha! Felt like an asshole. We made one pass-by to see if Alan was outside and Zach, his son, was out mopping the roof or something (very technical yacht-terms, I know), and he sorta just waved. We just ’bout gave up at that point, out of embarrassment. That is, until we dock the boat to grab a few things at a store and before we know it, Craig’s walked up to the damn GIANT yacht and knocked on the damn door (I didn’t even know yachts HAD doors!)!Jesus! How embarrassing. But hey, it worked! Alan was there and seemed totally cool with touring us around. And, the yacht was amazing. Alan is amazing. So is Sally and Zach. Awesomeness all around! My 1st yacht experience! Cooooooool. And, Alan is the coolest, craziest and best-lookin Cap’n I’ve ever met (ok, I haven’t met too many, but he was def. awesome!)!
Day 8
Last day. 8 hours of perfection on our favorite private island. Perfection. Tears when we had to leave. Oh, and funny story- got to the dock. I was sorta the “front of boat lady, responsible for grabbing rope dealio”, and totally ATE IT big time, and fell right on my butt in the boat….. just out of sheer clumsiness (and rum may have been involved). THEN, when I got it together, stood up and balanced myself and had us ready to tie-up, I noticed the camera was sitting in water in the boat, so I dropped the rope and lept for the camera. Well, Craig sees this, and for some reason, freaks the hell out because we’re drifting away from the dock, lunges forward for the rope and HE totally eats it and falls on his butt! Keep in mind, the dock totally backs-up to all the cottages so I’m sure all the SCYC guests saw the entire damn thing. Classic moves right there. Dem’ Chapman’s are a graceful bunch!
Craig was the man at man-handlin' the boat. Quite hot, really.
Day 9
Worst day ever. Complete shock to the system arriving back in the FLL airport with a bunch of turds hanging around. After being off the grid for a week, I felt like I was in some sort of weird, alternate universe plagued with greasy too-tan dudes donning wife-beaters, belt-phone clips and ladies with too big boobs and too big hair. Nightmare.
But, alas…..we got to come home to this beautiful slice of heaven so all’s right in the universe:
Cast of Characters:
One of the best things of Staniel is the people. Holy crap. I’ve never met so many amazing folks in my life. Characters of all types. If you don’t take advantage of striking up conversations in the SCYC bar, after a glorious day on your own private island, you’re insane. You meet people from all walks of life. Yacht crews, yacht owners, people who are there for the same reasons you are- (to completely escape, get “off the grid”, experience the complete unspoiled beauty of the Caribbean, exactly how it’s supposed to be- sans touristy resorts with oily-greasy douche-bags, booming techno music and just crap). Can you tell I hate places like Cancun, Miami, etc etc???? Yuck. The people here RULE. I looked forward to spending every night in the bar catching up with everyone we met, inquiring about their day and the plans for their next day in paradise.
David-owner of SCYC. Totally helpful and totally HOT. And, he pretty much has a drink in his hand the entire day. Need I say more? Shyvette- (sp?) An amazing woman who took the BEST care of us. I voted for her for employee of the month, she could run that place. Totally awesome. Kea- sweetie-pie, hope to see him again next year. He’s the one who took us all around in the boat- got to see his house, Shyvette’s house, Willy’s place, swam with sharks with him for the first time. Lizards and some of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen. Karl-awesome bartender who makes the best mango daquiries I’ve ever had! Dave-another amazing bartender with a smile that will light up your world. Alan #1- Man- I wish I could’ve talked to Alan more. I met him at the bar one night and started chattin’ him up. He’s from Staniel Cay and is a sailor. And, get this- he used to sail the Kennedy’s back to Mass. every year after their vacation near Staniel. Yep. I think he said he did that for like 20 years in a row or something crazy. He was awesome. Alan #2- The most hilarious Aussie I’ve ever met. Crazy Cap’n Alan. Love him. I would be his stew any day of the week. Sally- Alan’s stew on Storm Chaser. Totally hilarious, crazy and fiesty. Loved her! Chris and B- see above, the sweetest couple! Hung out with them a good bit-I hope to see them again one day! AND, they live in freakin’ Dallas! (Or as Chris puts it…… :-( Daaaallaaaas. Not too thrilled ’bout Dallas. I don’t blame him. Jay and Naomi- Crazy Texans!!!!! They were so much fun! One night, Craig and I were supposed to go out with them but we were way too tired from a day spent in the sun. We passed them on the way to our cottage and they asked if we were going, I said, “no, I’m tired”. Very next response: Naomi: “I’m DRUNK!” My kinda lady. Jay is a true Texan and brings his own peppers with him wherever he travels- like pounds of his own peppers!!!! Jay gave me a book he finished reading on the trip, and it’s awesome- too sweet! Bonnie- Bonnie was the sweetest lady, met her in the bar (of course). She was the owner of the very 1st yacht we saw in Staniel Cay- a complete beauty (both the boat and Bonnie). She’s from NC/GA and spends about half of her year tooling around the Caribbean on her boat with her super hot 1st Mate and Captain. Awesome. Birkee-I never got to really talk to him much but met him twice- once in his store (only store on the island, really), and another time getting gas in Chris and B’s boat. Rumor has it that Birkee (sp?) was in a landing-strip accident involving an incoming plane. The accident resulted in the loss of his arm. Crazy story. Super nice guy. Titus- a hilarious little guy, 7 yo, I think, who we meant on Pirates Beach during our sunset extravaganza. Hyper little guy but smart as a whip. He, for the life of him, could not believe that I, Shannon Chapman, could have ever been 7 years old. Willy- Willy is amazing. He is a driftwood artis and he gave us a tour of all of his work-that he’s been compiling for the last 30 YEARS! Amazing! Also- the man can grow anything. Made even more impressive by the fact that his entire yard is STONE. He finds a way to grow his produce through holes in the stones- let’s see, he had mango, papaya, grapefruit, sea-grapes, guava, aloe, bananas, some kind of apples, sweet potatoes, and the list goes on and on. It was pretty amazing. Steve-perhaps one of the best stories I’ve ever heard in my entire life. Met Steve in the bar. Asked him where he was from (looked a bit touristy, like everyone else in there)….. his response: Oh, I live here. Really? How did that happen? Get this: (and I hope I remember this right): About 5 years ago, he and his wife were vacationing on Staniel Cay, not unlike Crazel and myself. Started talkin’ up a guy in a bar, a few drinks later, gave him his business card. Steve is in IT (network guy). Steve and wife leave island. About 3 weeks after their return to the states, Steve gets a call from this guy. Tells Steve he owns his OWN ISLAND near Staniel Cay, and he needs the interweb real bad. Can he do it? Well, uh….. (can you imagine?)……. sure, uh, when do you need it? Well, as quick as you can do it, a few weeks???? Turns out, this dude Steve met in the bar is like a bazillionaire, owns a company, like 5 on Forbes…….owns his own damn private island. Flies Steve and his wife to said island to set up this whole interweb thing- on private jet. Stay in the guest house (marble everything, totally posh). Steve sets this guy up. The rest is history. 5 years later, Steve lives on Staniel Cay and has a business setting up internet, etc for all these richie private island-owning mofos (read: Johnny Depp, Faith Hill/Tim McGraw), eveyone who owns a private island around Staniel, Steve sets them up. INCREDIBLE! Goes to show you, you never know who you can meet in a damn bar!
Willy!
Crazy Texans- Jay and Naomi
Kea! And SHARKS!
B, Cap’n Alan, Sally and me.
ummm. ummm. yumm. RUM!
Me, Chris, B, Alan, Craig
Craig, Bonnie, Me
Click on Craig’s photo below to view all of our pictures:
My secret wish for Luci is for her to become a film director.
I picture a little cutie-pie with frizzy hair at 7 or 8 years- old, running around donning a teeny-made-for-lil-girls Gorilla Biscuits t-shirt that her Dad made her, with a video camera, filming her stuffed animals. Then eventually, going to film camp. Some kids go to like regular ol summer camp where they fish and have bon-fires and such. I don’t really see that for the Luc. I see lights, cameras…. action! Does film camp for kiddos even exist? If not, I’m going to start one.
Ok, so maybe forcing Luci to go to “film camp”, would be a selfish act. I’ve always, always wanted to be a director and if Luci became one, I’d be able to live vicariously through her. If not a director, I at least wanted to be that dude that gets to pick out the music for movie scenes. I sometimes think “movie-scenes” in my head…. when I hear a song, I make up a scene in my mind-music tends to do that to me- has the ability to remove me from my reality and sparks a sort of creative revelry (ok, so how dorky-dumb was that sentence?). What he says about songs and lyrics having the power to convey feelings that are hard to communicate otherwise on-screen is also so true in real life (just ask any angst-ridden 15 year-old. Heck, just ask any 35 year old working mom).
Marc Webb, director of the new flick 500 Days of Summer has my dream job. He’s a music-video-director come film director and he really has a kick-ass job. I enjoyed listening to how he encompasses music, lyrics into his movies. Well, movie. This is his directorial debut. And, I cannot wait to see it.
Side-note: The part where the two main characters meet (over The Smiths lyrics in the elevator) brought back some fond memories for me. Kinda reminds me of how I met Craig. Freshman chemistry class, 8 am. Craig walked in, my eyes fell down to his……. backpack patch (get your mind out of the gutter please). I was instantly smitten. I don’t even remember what random punk band’s logo was emblazened on the patch but I do remember this- I thought to myself, “this guy is awesome”. Ya see, I could tell instantly that Crazel didn’t give a shit what anyone else thought of him. How did I know this? Well, his damn Polo Shirt, tucked. Khakis. Preppy canvas belt. Neat and tight haircut (minus his infamous bangs back in the day). He was totally prepped-out. But, I was instantly intrigued with the punk patch on his backpack and I knew there was something more. What I admired about Craig then still holds true today- he doesn’t give a crap what other people think of him. He’s gotten SO much flack from our punk-rock friends throughout the years for what has been called his “golf boy” persona. He’s comfortable enough with himself to dress how he wants and saves the crazy for the inside. I love it.
Well, me and “Crazy on the inside” are leaving on a jet plane for our Bahamian vacay! I will write all about it upon our return. Peace-out!
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