As if I haven’t had a wonderful trip to Jamaica already…last night alone would have been enough to make my flight worth it ten times over. There is something almost surreal about having a friendship that goes beyond the chaos of everyday life, that has been through years of ups and downs, and through all of it never changes. Well I guess it has changed in one respect and it’s that I now appreciate it for all that it’s truly worth. Last night Beth and I sat outside on her balcony for hours and did what we do best-talk. And as we talked about the past….some good, some bad, and some painful, we were showered by a constant spray of falling starts. At one point in the conversation I even said to Beth “we better start wishing on these stars” and she said “I think we already have and one is falling for every topic we have talked about.” To have a friendship of 25 years that has latest the test of time, distance, and life changes is truly amazing to me and priceless. I am so thankful.

Last night was such a cleansing for me. To be able to talk about anything that came to my mind. All the things I have been thinking about and not saying finally were said out loud. All my insecurities were disclosed without fear of persecution. I said in my very first blog about this trip that it was going to be a blessed trip and it truly has been. I needed to take time to breathe and be revitalized, sometimes our days just go and go and we never stop to recover from one event before we are faced with another.  So my advice is to sit outside with a dear friend and wish on as many shooting stars as you can find.

So keeping on with my trend of seeing famous people on my trips, yesterday I saw Shaggy and Etana. Beth had invited me to attend her awards banquet at the embassy but I decided against going until last minute one of the wives decided to go so I went along for the ride. We missed the awards and mini concert but as we were walking in we passed right by Shaggy and Etana. Very cool. If you haven’t heard of Etana you should definately check her out, I love her music. Click on her name for a link to one of her songs. And the greatest of all was that Beth got an award in recognition for her efforts during hurricane Gustav….how appropriate that I be here and I fully agree with Pete when he said I should have gotten an award too (smile). Sooo a big congrats to Beth because she did an awesome job in Montego Bay and put up with a lot of crap! We also discovered yesterday how difficult it can be to get a Christmas tree in Jamaica. The local nursery was ridiculously priced so we headed away from the nice part of town and found a much better deal. Even though it doesn’t look like our Douglas Fir or Fraser Fir it’s definitely a beautiful full tree. It looks a little more like it was grown in the woods rather then in a tree farm. Our only challenge now is finding a tree stand for it that doesn’t cost $40.

Today I found out that someone hacked into my debit card and has been making all kinds of purchases. So my word of advice is to check your accounts daily because now it has happened to my mom and me. It’s a huge pain in the butt and I was dealing with that all morning. Not fun being in a another country with no way to access money. Luckily they are going to overnight me a new card so all should be well soon. Since I had such a stressful morning I headed down to the pool and relaxed this afternoon. It was warm and sunny and I had the whole place to myself.  So my parting note for the day is to keep your eyes out for famous people and crooks you never know when you will run into either one.

As I landed in Jamaica the whole plan began cheering and clapping. The woman next to me (who had on four large top hats) began shouting loudly and for about five minutes “Thank you Jesus, Bless you Jesus, Ohh thank you sweet Lord” and it was in that moment I knew that this was going to be a very blessed trip!

So once again I am back in Kingston and loving in. I have completely shut down. I am with one of my oldest and dearest friends and enjoying the slow pace that island life has to offer. There are no signs of any hurricanes this time and the weather is perfect so I am looking forward to the week.

There is nothing better then a trip that includes; old friends, new friends, reality tv stars, smuggled alcohol and Cuban cigars, and of course lots of food. Well our caribbean cruise had it all. Nicole and I set sail on Friday out of Miami headed to the Bahamas. We wandered the ship Friday night and then headed to karaoke and the late night comedy show. We laid low the first night because I got sick Thursday night and was still recovering. While running a fever and drinking sounded tempting I opted out the first night in hopes that I would will myself better quickly.

Saturday we arrived in the Bahamas. We had breakfast on the deck and then ventured off to the straw market. The market has changed a lot…..but it was still fun to wander around and shop. We had a snack back on the ship and then met up with Kristen (my grandbaby in my sorority from college). She picked us up and took us around and went the Green Parrot right on the water. Kristy (another sorority sister) stopped by to see us and I finally got to meet her new husband!

We had decided no to go to the captains dinner but when we got back on the ship we still had enough time to change and make it to yet another meal! It was definitely worth going. The lobster dinner was Divine! Our table at dinner as a fun mix. There was a group of four teachers from Miami that had just graduated and then two sisters from Canada. I think the Canadians felt left out because the rest of us had so much in common to talk about.

Anyways after dinner we showered and headed down for another night of Karaoke. Then we met up with Kristen and Kristy around 12:30. We ended up at this club called Pirate were we were able to get in for free and got to listen to some really good reggae music. It was packed and the crowd was definitely enjoying themselves.

We left port the following morning and spent the day at sea. Since we weren’t able to leave the ship Nicole and I decided to go to any activity we happen to come across including the hairy chest contest, bingo, and the holiday show. At some point we were standing in line for food (of course) and Nicole says I know that guy…..who is it. Then it dawned on her and I that it was Dan from the real world. He looked quite angry for some reason. How can you be angry on a cruise with free food?

All in all we had a great time. I will definitely be going on another cruise soon.  Luckily I was able to recover relatively quickly and it didn’t ruin our trip!

For pictures click here

I am back safe and sound to good old south Florida.  What a different world Jamaica is.  I remember telling Beth on about day two of being at the hotel that “I couldn’t imagain going to Jamaica and just staying at a resort the whole time”  The tourist there have such a false impression of what Jamaica is like.  If you stay within the confines of the resort you never see the depths of poverty that plague this country. 

The big question everyone is asking “Did you feel safe?”  There was not one single moment that I didn’t feel safe.  I actually felt more safe there then I do in some of the bad neighborhoods in Florida.  So sad though to see so much poverty. But the one thing I did take away from one of the guys we met was this: we were talking about if he had ever been to the states and if he liked it his response was “In the US everyone is so worried about paying bills for big houses and nice cars.  They spend there days running around taking kids to soccer classes or going to the gym.  They move so fast that they never take time to actually enjoy life.  Here in Jamaica we run in the brush outside for fun half the fun of going to school was the walk down through the valley.  We enjoy life here in Jamaica in the US you are so busy you forget to enjoy what you have.”  So even though there is less in Jamaica people value what it is that they do have.

So we survived the storm, which I think was the easiest part of our trip.  We made the six hour trip back to Kingston from Montego Bay today that should have taken 3 hours.  Why was it so slow?  Mainly because our wonderful driver acted like he had no where to be or not a worry in the world.  He was more concerned with watching the world go by then watching the world.  Now don’t get me wrong, he was a nice guy and knew all the roads really well, but he literally had his head and body turned around in his seat stairing at anything and anyone we passed.  So while it was scarry we survived.  The other thing that slowed us down was the roads.  We ended up going the mountain road because the lower road was washed out and the bridge over the gorge will be out for six months (well that’s what they say).  There were a lot of lands slides and we could see where the ground just fell out.  We were also able to see where the water had been and it was very very high.  So while our drive was scarry (it’s a good thing that Beth and I don’t get car sick) it was at least scenic. 

We arrived at Beth and Pete’s unpacked and then headed out to see more of Kingston.  It’s so different here but not that much of a culture shock for me.  We are laying low tonight and I will fly out in the morning.  It’s been a crazy and interesting week, now I need a vacation!

We r checking back into the our hotel and will try to leave tomorrow the one road will hopefully open then

Plans changed we spoke with the disaster people and the one way back is impassable for 4 or 5 days and the other way the bridge is closed

Its is over!!!! We r headed to the office and then going to see if we can make it across the island if we can’t make it the whole way across the island we are gonna at least try to make it to ocho rios which is only two hours from kingston instead of four. Things look great here though. Just hope that the roads have had time to drain off. We did get quite a bit more rain last night so it’s hard to tell. Beth and I finally got some rest last night, aside from a few phone calls in the middle of the night. I think we are both ready to go home to kingston. Even though we have been at a resort it hasn’t been much of a relaxing vacation so we are ready to get back. We are doing great though no need to worry at all. I am not sure if and when I am headed back to Florida. i don’t see any reason at this point wwhy I wouldn’t be back on Monday but I will keep everyone posted. Once we get back to Beth’s I will have free calling again so I will touch base. Thanks for all the prayers and phone calls sorry that I cost everyone money!.

Things r good here we r headed to bed for the night

Sorry for all the jarbaled reports.  Texting is easy but doesn’t come out so cleanly.  Beth and I are in the office doing some e-mails for her so I only have a second on here.  Things here are fine and dandy.  We are sarting to get some more bands come through but it’s been pretty quiet all day, just cloudy.  We will hopefully get to leave tomorrow but it depends on how fast the roads are able to dry out.  When we went to the airport things were pretty good outside.  Until now our only view of the storm has been the ocean.  The roads are a little flooded here but nothing to terrible.  We are going to bunker down again for the night because we think we are gonna get some more bands come through.  Thanks for all the calls and texts.  Know that we are safe and sound.  Thanks to MJ and Erika for hooking my up with the text.

Just went to the airport to check on things 11 flights r going out tonight damage doesnt seem so bad lots of flooding though

Beth and i r headed to get something to eat and then to the airport to check on things and see how the roads r. Still no more bands

Beth and i r doing fine we r in our room awaiting the back end of the storm we survived the night just fine.

So mj just figured out how i can blog by text so i hope this works. Beth and i r doing fine we extended our stay at the hotel for another night. We have been in a lull but the storm is now picking up again and we should be getting the back end of the storm soon. We heard word from kingston that they are still getting slammed. We also heard that the roads we took to get here are flooded out and here r flooded out and the gorge is over flowing. Beth and I did get stuck in teh elevator once for about two seconds and that was enough for us we are staying putt in our room even though everyone in the hotel is drinking and swimming and being stupid tourist. Love to all.

This is Michael-John testing a new system for Michele to post by text message. If it works she’ll be able to post here from Jamaica by sms.

This is Michael-John and I’m taking advantage of the access I have to Michele’s blog to update everyone who reads it on Michele’s status in Jamaica. 

I talked to Michele this morning and they’re doing fine.  They are in the eye at the moment and the second half of the storm is about to come through.  I talked to her at 9:45am eastern.  They heard from Kingston that the second half of the storm is worse than the first and Kingston (about 200 miles away) was still getting storm winds.  They are still in the hotel room and decided not to go down to breakfast and just stay put in the room.  They put box springs up against the windows last night  so they could sleep in the room without worrying about glass breaking etc.  The hotel has backup generators so when the power went out those kicked in.  But aside from some window rattling all is well so they aren’t too concerned.  They haven’t heard any reports yet of damage on the island etc so have no informatioin about what it is like outside of their hotel. 

So that’s the update from Jamaica.  If Michele can’t post later today I’ll try and post after I talk to her this afternoon once the storm has passed. 

So Beth and I received a call at 6:00am this morning informing us that the storm has turned and is now going to be a direct hit for Jamaica. But it’s still a tropical storm and we aren’t too worried at this point. We are staying at an all inclusive resort and have an ocean front room for the storm. No one here is boarding up or seem to worried.
We have to run we are at the US consulate office right now. I will be in touch as much as I can. No one should worry we are doing great. Beth and I did a video this morning but we don’t have internet access to connect. Love to all!

PS Don’t worry Beth and I are trained girl scouts and native Florida girls so this storm should be a breeze

Here is a copy of what Beth just e-mailed out.

Michele and I are at the consular agency in Montego Bay right now. We will be weathering the storm at the Sunset Beach Resort room B707 You can
google for the hotel number.=A0 Its free for me if you call my cell… I don’t how much it’ll cost you, but at least you can call.

We’re going to get some supplies, but our hotel is all inclusive so
we’ll have food. I’ve got an emergency kit and the hotel has generators. If
the roads are flooded, we’ll be here for a few days, but our embassy
driver will be at the hotel and will take us where we need to go.
I’ll keep you updated.

Love, Beth

I stayed up late last night loading the first of the photos so everyone could see.  So needless to say at 6am I was sound asleep in my wonderful bed sleeping so sound when I receive a text message from my mom saying call me.  So not only was I impressed that she actually was able to text me but I was kinda worried that something was wrong.  So I drag myself out of bed to call her.

She answered the phone as if it was 12:00 in the afternoon and said “umm not funny.” Well I am still half asleep and don’t have a clue to what she is talking about.  The she asked me what my plan is and if I am concerned.  Still not clued in to what she is talking about till she says “Michele have you not looked at the weather channel today?”  As nicely as I could I responded by saying I usually don’t watch the news at 6am when I am vacationing in another country.  Anyways apparently Gustav is now a hurricane!  We checked the weather this morning and we aren’t too worried.  It’s supposed to go north of us just like Fay did…I am more worried about Florida then us.  If it does become a strong hurricane, which we doubt, we will go to Montego Bay.  This is where they send all of the Americans…and most likely Beth will have to go and assist with them so Pete and I would go along.  As of right now though we aren’t concerned probably just some rain.  I will keep everyone posted though as the storm gets closer and we know what we are doing.

I knew from the moment that we landed that Jamaica was like entering a different world, and I was gonna like it here.  The title of this post is a direct quote from our pilot as I landed in Kingston, Jamaica yesterday morning.  I arrived at 8am Jamaica time which is an hour behind Florida time.  Beth, Pete, and Ms. Bell picked me up and off we went to the mountains.

I don’t think I could explain what driving in the Blue Mountains here is like.  I thought Colorado was bad with no guard rails on the side, but here no guard rails are the least of your worries.  The roads all wind like a tightly coiled snake the whole way up the mountain.  There is barely enough room for two cars to fit and some places two cars don’t fit.  As we snaked out way up the mountain sometimes there was just know way to know if someone was coming around the bend.  That’s where honking comes into play.  People honk here a lot here.  But it’s not that New York City kinda honk.  People honk to let you know that they are coming around a bend, or to let you pass and sometimes to yell at you.  Anyways thank God for Pete, he was the only reason we all survived.

Our first stop was at a placed called Irish Town.  It was once a privately owned coffee plantation that has since been bought by Japan.  We sat out on the veranda where it was a cool 70 degrees (my kinda place) and learned all and I mean all about the history of coffee….I had no idea that it had such a deep history.  Then we got to sample some Blue Mountain coffee which I even tried.  It was pretty tasty after I put some sugar and this sweat milk in it.  The sweet milk is thick like honey and so tasty.  After coffee we headed out to take our short ten minute tour of the coffee plants.  Well the tour guide lied about the short ten minute walk.  It was a hike and I was in flip flops all the way to the top of the mountain.  Well I tried to make it but quit about halfway up and headed back down the enjoy the veranda.  If you look at my pictures there is one that shows the plantation house and in the top left hand corner there is a gazebo where everyone else climbed to.

After the coffee tour we headed further into the mountains and went to a place called Strawberry hill.  Strawberry hill is a very lavish resort of sorts.  It has little villas scattered around the mountain site where people stay, and at the top there bars and restaurants and an infinity pool.  It was just breathe taking.  This is where Bob Marley came to recover after being shot back in the day.  It’s also known to be a favorite place for stars to come.

We decided to head back down the mountain and grab some lunch in Kingston.  We drove by the University of the West Indies, which is where my visiting professor from last semester is from.  We also got to see the US Embassy where Beth and Pete work, which is like a fortress compared to the Canadian Embassy that just looks like an office building.  Lunch was at a Jamaican/Mexican restaurant where we sat outside and enjoyed burritos and grape soda.

Around 3pm we finally headed back to there house which is a large building that sits up on a hill.  There house is just amazing.  It’s probably 2,000 square feet and even though it’s a condo when you are inside it feels like you are in your own home with a rap around balcony.  Great views of Kingston and the ocean.  When you are sitting inside looking out (if there weren’t bars on the windows) you would think you were in any upscale condo in the states.

I love it here and can’t wait to see more.  I will keep you posted as the adventure continues. Don’t forget to check for pics that I will post as I can.

So another semester has come and gone.  I thought for sure that this one was not going to end.  Classes were not the greatest this semester and I found myself working harder for three classes then I did last semester with four.  More papers, more test, more crap.  Juggling things has become harder and learning each professors individual style is the key to my survival. 

The semester ended with trying to figure out where I would spend my next semester for field.  By the grace of God and thanks to my wonderful supervisor at Memorial who advocated for me to come back to the hospital I will be placed at Joe Dimaggio doing pediatric dialysis, and floating around the hospital again.  I am definitely excited and thankful.  There are soooo many bad placements and I know at Memorial I will get the supervision and education I need. 

So when all was said and done this semester…and after waiting for professors to slowly post their grades I can officially say that I survived with semester with a 4.0!  I think I am still in shock, not because I don’t deserve straight A’s but more so because it’s the first time I have busted my butt in school and it has actually paid off.  So thanks to everyone for all the support and understanding when I disappear for weeks at a time.

Keep your fingers crossed for next semester, I hear it’s the hardest of all four semesters with lots of memorization, which we all know is not my forte.  I leave for Jamaica to see Beth on Monday, start work again September 3rd and school begins on the 9th.

It’s amazing to me that no matter how much your life has changed, or how long you’ve been apart, there are just some people in your life that you are able to pick up with right where you left off.  It’s been years since I have seen or even talked to some of my friends from the Abbey….and when we got together this week it felt like nothing had changed.  Maybe it’s because the Abbey is so small but we truely were a family there with all the good the bad and the ugly that went on.  There have been many times when I have longed to be back on that campus again living in the 4th apartment where my biggest worry was whether or not I should go and hang out at the back of the 3rd or the front of the 3rd.  But it’s good to know that no matter what state we are living in or what we are doing with our lives we will always have the Abbey and we will always be family.

So after months of planning and list galore of things that must get done, my best friend is now married!  Nicole and Eddie are officially Mr. and Mrs. Navarrete (Nicole did I spell it right?)  

The weekend Kicked off Friday night with the rehearsal dinner at the Masters home with food that makes your mouth water and salsa instructors that got us all moving and groovin (and yes by all I do mean me too!……that’s what I get for allowing Ryan, Nicole’s brother, make me drinks all night).  I was such a good time and a great start to the weekend.

Yesterday was the wedding at Mary Help of Christian and the reception at the Heron Bay Club House. Prior to the wedding my mom and I snuck into their hotel room, got their room upgraded and decorated. The guy didn’t want to let me in but finally we were able to prove to him that I knew the couple. 

Nicole did have her seven minutes of fame as Bridezilla while she was getting dressed (luckily only her mother, sister, and I saw it…and we are very forgiving people).  She recovered beautifully though, and no one else had a clue.  The ceremony at the church was short and sweet highlighted by the fact that the unity candle I made her didn’t light, oh well.

And finally after loads of pictures the reception began!  Fabulous food (although I didn’t eat but a bite or two) and terrific drinks (yes I did stick with my gin and tonic from the night before) it couldn’t have been more perfect.  By the end of the night I was walking around with my pink boa and all I could say is “I can’t believe my best friend is married, I just can’t believe it”  and I still can’t.  It was such an honor to be a part of the wedding party, and to be by her side as they were joined as husband and wife. It couldn’t have been a more perfect day. 

There are some pictures posted, but I didn’t take a single picture all night, so there aren’t many.  We will have to wait till get the official pictures for any good ones.

I hope not to bore you with similar stories that you can find on MJ’s blog, but at the moment we have been together for all of the latest and greatest events.  I do have to admit that I have the greatest niece and nephews alive!  Try taking a five month old, a wonderful two year old, and a five year old and telling them to sit quietly through two days of long speeches, it’s definitely not something most parents would try to attempt.  The Myette kids did it and they did it beautifully at that.  Erika manned Maggie and I was on the boys as they sat through speeches and took countless number of pictures (the boys are kinda infamous around Fletcher and MJ is known as a super dad…..not sure how that happened).  We took walks and played ball when needed but for the most part they were there through all the events to support their daddy.  So while my impression of this weekend has mostly been shaped through the eyes of my nephews and most of my joy came from the fact the Michael was successful in using the port-o-potty without getting his pants dirty before walking across stage with MJ, and by Jacob turning to me in the middle of one of the ceremonies and as loud as he could said “Tia you drew a house, Nice house Tia, great job Tia.”

It was worth all the hard work of having the boys running around to see them walk across the stage with MJ…it was such an awesome moment.  MJ should be posting the video of graduation soon so keep checking his site . And of course I am incredibly proud of my brother who once again skated through another degree…jk he actually did do some work this time! It was a fast and fun weekend and now everyone is trying to muster up the last of their energy to distract the boys and pack the house  before MJ and I go to pick up the moving van at 7 tomorrow morning.  Pictures are posted check them out.

I finally received all of my final grades for the semester, and lets just say I am no longer an average C student!!!  Going back to school after being out for almost 5 years has been an adjustment in itself.  I actually found myself loving it.  Undergrad was all about my ”social life”  and I had a pretty damn good one….but I dreaded classes and took most of them because I had to.  In grad school I am still taking classes because I have to but this time the classes are more relevant to my life and the work that I want to be doing. 

I spent my first semester working at Memorial Regional Hospital.  My field educator is the greatest and if at the end of all this I am half the social worker that she is then I will be satisfied.  The hospital has been quite a different experience for me.  I am used to being in the field and spending more time working this clients.  At the hospital my time will the clients is brief and too the point and much of my time is spent dealing with different agencies, working with the doctors and nurses and fighting insurances. It’s hard to adjust but I had a near perfect evaluation, so I guess even if i don’t love it I can do it and that’s gotta count for something. 

School has been more interesting then I first imagined it would be.  Even my policy class gave me knowledge and understanding that I needed but never before wanted.  I hear fall semester is even more of a challenge to survive but as of now the once average girl who struggled to make c’s now has a perfect 4.0 for the first time in her life!!! 

Hanging in Boston as my brother’s “Disorientation Present”  AKA I am hanging with his kids so that he can play with his graduating class.  I will be here until Friday if anyone needs me just call. 

So MJ has a page, Erika has a blog, and I guess I am now falling into the trap of being a computer junkie and starting my own page. Plus mom said I should get a hobby…so here it is for all of your view pleasure. I am new and it will take me some time before anything exciting is actually posted but be patient. Check out my brother’s page in the mean time…his is actually pretty exciting.