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We were so excited to dive in Cozumel, one of the most beautiful diving sites in the world.  However, there was one major concern:  we've dived with the cruise's diving outfit before, and it was a bad experience.  Lucky for me, I had recorded all of the details in my dive log which gave John all the information he needed when we docked. Not only were we diving with Sand Dollar divers again, but it was the same dive master too.  And when John asked, he was taking us to the same sites as before.  John knew he was going to have to go in fighting for us to have a better experience, and once his feet hit the Mexican sand, he went all conquistador/gaucho.  Pulling out his fastest, meanest Spanish, he told them that we were planning on returning to Cozumel in August for an entire week of diving, all seven of us , and if Sergio wanted our business and money, he would show us a good time.  John then sat back and listened as a whole bunch of conversations and...

We couldn't have asked for bluer skies than the day we arrived in Roatan.  This is actually the location where Johannah and I finished our SCUBA certification, and all of us have only the best memories from here.  Last time we came, it was raining cats and dogs (which makes for lower visibility in the water), so we were happy to see the sun.  We dove with the biggest outfit on the island, Anthony's Key.  If John could have the SCUBA fairy grant him one wish, he would come back here and stay for a week, or two.  It's his favorite place, by far. I always love to see the surprised looks on the dive masters' faces when they ask Glo how many dives she's done.  They're glad to hear that she has some experience under her weight belt, and after they see her in the water for the first dive, all their worries fade. Unfortunately, the flash on my camera was on the entire time, so the colors aren't perfect in these pictures.  However, they are still great mem...

Oh man.  Deep breath.  Diving in Belize is ALWAYS an adventure.  This time was no exception. We woke up to cloudy skies and a downpour of rain.  We don't usually panic about rain because in the Caribbean it comes and goes, but every direction we looked, it was rainy and grey and scary.  I was sure that the dives would be cancelled, but John was sure they wouldn't.  While we waited for the tender to take us to shore, he visited the Internet Cafe and found out that the dives were still ON.  (Ethan "purged" the stinky smell from his swim suit by sitting in the chlorinated hot tub for a few minutes--always reason for a good laugh, especially with the smile on his face).  We had to just figure that we would be soaked all day as we boarded the tender with very wet seats. As with the last time we dove here, John had arranged for a "Fly and Dive" package (just typed "Fly and Die " package which would have accurately reflected my feelings that day...

We were super excited to board the ship! Back in May, a friend of mine asked if our two families could go a cruise together.  Uh, yeah.  There's nothing we like to do more than go on trips with friends.  We actually booked the cruise that night....and our friends backed out. So, we headed off to warmer skies during the always hectic month of December.  I must admit that I sighed relief when I told people that we wouldn't be here to play, or sing, or participate in this or that Christmas party.  It's always a crazy experience for me to either find arrangements for violin and viola (rarely happens), or to write my own arrangements (happens more than I wish it would).  We literally go from one party to the next, sometimes practicing only hours before we are supposed to perform.  To my girls' credit, they are becoming professionals at making their music sound like they have been practicing it for weeks.  Sometimes we have to review exactly how t...

There are moments when I look at Johannah and Glo, and I think, "Really?  John and I created those two beautiful people?"  There seriously must have been some genetic mutation along the way, or perhaps intervention from Aphrodite, because the sum of John and me does not equal these two beauties.

When we think of teachers for our kids, I imagine each of us hopes that those teachers will be the absolute best examples to our children.  Most people, when looking to buy a house, look at the school system (and its' respective teachers) for this reason.  When my children were in elementary school, I wanted teachers that would push my kids to learn more and succeed, but I also wanted them to reinforce the values of kindness and respect.  I can specifically remember the teachers who did this. In church, I hope for teachers who will allow the spirit to be in the classroom.  I want the teacher to share stories from their own lives which will help the kids to learn.  I want them to be positive role models for my kids, so that when my kids are teachers themselves in church, they will fall back on these examples. I have no doubt that parents of athletes hope for coaches who not only have winning records, but who teach good sportsmanship.  Brady Hoke, the cur...