I'm off again!

Less than 12 hours left until I leave home yet again... It has been GREAT being home although I have to admit I'm a little anxious to get back to warm weather, back in the water and where it doesnt matter what time it is let alone what day of the week...
Thanks to everyone who re-arranged their schedules to spend some time with me while I was home, it was awesome seeing everyone, you all made me feel special.
Off to Amsterdam to meet up with Kat and Anna whom I met while in Roatan. What a great place to celebrate the start of a new year! After Amsterdam I will be going to Malaysia to travel a bit more and then try to settle and find a job as a divemaster... somewhere...
I've been running around trying to get everything I need along with spending time with family who constantly seem to be trying to fatten me up...
Packing, updating my i-pod; my single favorite thing and weighing my bags. Tons of fun!
Hope everyone has a fantastic Holiday and will try to keep you updated on my travels.

3 MORE DAYS IN THE STATES

my fam after my mom's bday dinner
more family, christopher, kristy, me and brad,

had a little bit of wine:)

my room which is a dumping grounds right now and my bed buddy Bo

So, I only have 3 more days left. I have felt like I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off but things have finally slowed down which is good since I have loads of odds and ends to sort until I leave for another 6 months. It's been great being home altough I've realized living next to my mom and Grandma is NOT good for my waistline! Spent time with family for my mom's birthday, lots of meals with friends and Christmas was good altough I dont take rain as a replacement for snow. Think I'll live...
My blood still hasn't thickend (sp?) up yet and have been wearing 2 pairs of socks (my mom's of course since I have only 2 pairs of my own). Bought a dive gear bag and BCD (the vest that controls your buoyancy and holds the tank) which is super exciting. I sold my car to my Dad which was great just because it's one less thing for me to worry about and makes it easy since he's family.

Getting prepared to meet my girls in Amsterdam for New Years and can not wait! That should be a crazy time...

Hope everyone has a GREAT holiday!!!

GETTING TOGETHER WITH OLD FRIENDS

Liam and I
Megan, Harmony, Betsy, Liam, Andrea, Erin and Myself.

Everyone in the back row is either pregnant or has a baby.

So I've been home for a little over a week now and have been getting together with friends, seeing the changes I have been missing. I have a group of 5 girlfriends from high school that I had been getting together with for about 2 years once a month and when I left my friend Betsy (whoI have been friends with for 23 years) was pregnant and now she has a 4mth old baby boy and 3 of the other girls are pregnant. Crazy how things change. It's been really good to see everyone although I have to admit I still can't believe we are old enough to have babies!!!

Also got together with my girlfriends from college including Jessi who was in Roatan with me. Not much has changed there... we spent the night drinking wine and pretty much acting as we did 10 years ago...

It's been really fun.

HOME

SPENT ABOUT 36 HOURS GETTING BACK HOME... HAD 3 STOP OVERS IN BANGKOK, TAIWAN AND LAX. GUESS IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE.
I ARRIVED IN DC AT 5am AND JESSI PICKED ME UP FROM THE AIRPORT AND WE HAD A LITTLE REUNION DAY AND THEN SHE TOOK ME TO MEET MY MOM WHO IS DRIVING MY CAR WHICH WAS REALLY WEIRD TO GET INTO AFTER BEING AWAY FROM FOR SO LONG.
CAME HOME AND IT FELT LIKE I HAD NEVER LEFT. THINGS SEEMED THE SAME AS WHEN I LEFT WHICH WAS NICE. GOT UP ON FRIDAY MORNING AND DROVE UP TO ANNAPOLIS AND WENT TO MY OLD WORK CHRISTMAS PARTY. NO ONE KNEW I WAS COMING SO THAT WAS REALLY FUN TO SURPRISE EVERYONE. HAD A GREAT NIGHT CATCHING UP WITH EVERYONE AND DANCED LIKE CRAZY AS WELL.
STAYED AT JULIE'S LAST NIGHT AND CAME HOME TODAY AND HAVENT GOTTEN OUT OF MY PAJAMAS. ALL MY WINTER CLOTHES ARE PACKED UP AT MY FRIEND KIM'S HOUSE SO MY SUPPLY OF WARM CLOTHES ARE LIMITED. WENT TO THE VIDEO STORE TODAY AND RAN INTO MY MOM AND STEPDAD, TOM AND I HEAR HIM FROM ACROSS THE STORE SAY DO YOU ALWAYS WEAR YOUR PAJAMAS OUT? IM WEARING PINK STRIPED PAJAMA PANTS. ANYWAYS, SO I WILL BE HOME FOR ABOUT 3 WEEKS AND THEN WILL BE HEADING TO AMSTERDAM FOR NEW YEARS AND THEN BACK TO ASIA. I WILL BE GETTING MY CELL PHONE TURNED BACK ON WITH THE SAME NUMBER TOMORROW SO I WILL START CALLING PEOPLE SINCE I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT ANYONE'S PHONE NUMBER IS WITHOUT IT. HOPE TO SEE EVERYONE SOON!!!

PICTURES FROM THE SANCTUARY

MY FRIEND CLAIRE AND I DOING WHAT

WE DID EVERYDAY WHILE FASTING

LONGTAIL

SITTING ON THE BEACH
THIS IS THE WELLNESS CENTER WHERE

I HUNG OUT MOST OF THE TIME
THE SANCTUARY FROM A DISTANCE

LIVEABOARD PICTURES

HERE ARE A FEW PICTURES ...

FIRST IS OF ONE OF THE SIMILAN ISLANDS, ELEPHANT HEAD ROCK; ONE OF OUR DIVE SITES, THE BOAT AND THEN LASTLY THE DOLPHINS...

BACK IN THE WORLD OF THE EATING

I FINISHED MY FAST AND FEEL GREAT. I DEFINATELY HAD A HARD TIME FOR A FEW DAYS OF IT BUT ON MY 6TH DAY I FELT BETTER MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY THAN I EVER HAVE. I WOKE UP AND WENT TO THE BEACH, I FELT LIKE I HAD TONS OF ENERGY, EVERYTHING LOOKED BRIGHT AND CRISP. IT WAS A REALLY GOOD DAY. WELL, I COULD GO ON AND ON ABOUT HOW GREAT THE DETOX WAS BUT WONT BORE YOU, JUST SAY THAT IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I HAVE EVER DONE.

I AM IN PHUKET NOW AND WILL REMAIN HERE UNTIL I COME HOME. LAST NIGHT I STAYED IN PHUKETTOWN AND RANDOMLY STAYED IN THE GUESTHOUSE THEY USED FOR THE MOVIE THE BEACH. THE ONE SUPPOSEDLY IN BANGKOK WHERE HE MEETS THE GUY THAT GIVES HIM THE MAP... ANYWAYS WAS KIND OF DINGY AND CREEPY. I HAD THE FLOURESENT LIGHT SHINING THROUGH THE SCREEN ONTO MY BED FROM THE HALLWAY ALL NIGHT AND THEN MY NEIGHBOR MUST HAVE HAD A LITTLE TO DRINK AND COME HOME LATE AND WOKE ME UP. SOUNDED LIKE HE WAS IN MY ROOM BUT COULD HEAR HIM STAGGERING AROUND HIS ROOM FOR WHAT FELT LIKE AN HOUR. WHEN I WOKE UP THIS MORNING AND WENT TO THE TOILET THERE WERE SMALL PILES OF CLOTHES THROWN ABOUT... INCLUDING HIS SHORTS WITH THE BELT STILL ATTACHED AND HIS UNDERWEAR SOAKING WET. GAVE ME A GOOD LAUGH FIRST THING AT LEAST.
MOVED TO PATONG BEACH TODAY. FOUND A REALLY NICE PLACE TO STAY FOR MY LAST FEW DAYS. SPENT THE DAY WONDERING AROUND CHECKING OUT SOME SHOPS THAT SELL DIVE GEAR AND TRYING FOR A FEW CHRISTMAS PRESENTS.
I AM REALLY EXCITED ABOUT COMING HOME ALTHOUGH I DONT KNOW IF I CAN HANDLE THE WEATHER. CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME!!!