Happy Birthday Shelby!

Today Shelby turned eleven! What a wonderful day. She has provided me with eleven years of joy, fun, laughter, and lessons. Shelby's amazing spirit and enthusiasm inspire me every day.

When I think about how far she has come and how much she has enriched my and Wendy's life, I am overwhelmed. Although it is a bit clichéd to say it seems like yesterday that we brought her home, it really does.

Reflecting on all of our experiences up to this point is awesome and I look forward to many more. Thanks, Shelby and keep being you!

Our Dive In Cozumel!

This post is about our second ocean dive, this time in Cozumel. Of course, there is a video at the bottom for your enjoyment.

We had heard about the awesomeness (real word) of diving in Cozumel for a long time. Many divers have extolled the joys of drift diving at this wonderful spot. I was particularly excited about this dive for that reason, the idea of following the current along the reef seemed very cool.

We arrived at the Blue Angel dive shop mid-morning ready to rock-n-roll. The sky was cloudy but it was very warm. We met our guide, Edgar, and waited for our boat to arrive. One thing that was cool about Blue Angel was they they were full service. They prepared all of our gear and took care of everything. All we really had to do was enjoy the boat ride and patiently wait.

Our first dive was supposed to be along the wall.It was about a 60'-65' dive. One thing cool about the wall is as you drift along, you look down and see nothing but blue. Apparently the depth is far enough to not be able to see the bottom. After Edgar explained the dive to us and we discussed the plan, it was time to go. This dive was doomed from the beginning. As soon as I jumped in, my regulator started to free-flow. This means that air flows through without stopping.Luckily, the dive shop had an extra regulator so they hooked me up with a replacement.

This did throw me off a little. I don't have much experience, so whenever anything unusual happens it takes me a minute to pull it together. But pull it together I did, and it was time to descend. Once we got to about 27', Shelby signaled she wanted to go to the surface. We didn't really know what was wrong, so we went up. Once we popped up at the surface, Shelby let us know she had been stung by a jelly-fish. What a bummer. She was pretty upset and we went back to the boat.

On the boat the Blue Angel folks were great. They had vinegar on board and were very kind and gentle with Shelby. There was no pressure to get back in and Edgar in particular was very understanding. After about 40 minutes we picked up the other divers and headed for the reef. I really didn't think Shelby would want to go back in, but once we arrived at the dive spot she said she wanted to try.

I am so grateful she made that decision, the dive was wonderful. The water was 79º and wonderful. The current was pretty strong which led to a pretty fun dive. We drifted along the reef at between 20' and 40'. The reef was beautiful.

We saw a wide variety of fish.Some of the highlights included a giant eagle ray and, of course, a barracuda. The entire experience was wonderful. I was really happy for

Shelby, it took a lot of courage for her to jump back in. Despite the jelly fish, Cozumel diving was a definite thumbs up. I'm sure we will dive there again.

Diving in The Caymans

I included the video at the bottom if you are interested.

This dive was our first ocean dive. We have had several fresh water dives and have eagerly anticipated our inaugural venture into the deep blue sea. We went to Sunset House for our diving needs. They came highly recommended and now I know why. Their service was impeccable.

We decided to hire a dive master since this was our first ocean dive and we were a bit frightened. The dive master was a wonderful British guy named Andy. He was very patient with us and a great guide.

Our dive was a shore dive. All that really means is that you don't go out in a boat.

There is a sea pool you initially jump into before you swim out to deeper waters. What was cool about this particular spot was that the current actually sucked us out into the ocean. It wasn't difficult work for us and it was a cool sensation.

The water temperature was 79º ON JANUARY 12th!!!!! It was fantastic. On our first dive we went to a depth of 37'. The visibility was at least 50'-60'. The water was a little choppy so it wasn't limitless, but I'm certainly not complaining. We saw a lizard fish, a sea turtle, a peacock flounder, and several angel fish. The reef was incredible. We stayed down for about 31 minutes.

On the second dive, after a 57 minute surface interval, we went to a depth of 47'. It was the deepest I have been which was pretty exciting. An artist had placed a statue of a mermaid on the ocean floor, so we visited it. We also had two barracudas swim right in front of us. Surprisingly, none of us were afraid. There is something about being in that environment which removes some of the fear of being around the animals that are supposed to be there.

The entire experience was incredible. I am so grateful to have shared it with Shelby and Wendy. I hope you enjoy the footage and I will post about our dive in Cozumel soon!

They Eat Those Things?!?!?

We just returned from a cruise through the Western Caribbean. It was a wonderful experience. I learned a lot about some different cultures, which I love to do. I learned that a little coconut oil completely changes beans and rice. I learned that there really are jungles. I saw that Caribbean reefs are prettier in person than in pictures. I also learned that some of our friends enjoy partaking of a dish called Bamboo Chicken. Sounds tasty, maybe even a little exotic.

Before you start hunting for this at your local Piggly Wiggly, allow me to inform you of what Bamboo Chicken really is.

But before I do......

Wendy, Shelby, and I decided to venture into the countries we visited rather than rely on the cruise's excursions.

We recognized that by booking our own adventures that we would experience a little more authenticity.

We were right.

Our first stop was Grand Cayman. It was fantastic!

We dove with our guide, Andy through Sunset House. We did a shore dive which was also our first dive in the ocean.

Grand Cayman is a beautiful island. Andy referred us to a local spot for lunch called Hammerhead's. Really good food and great atmosphere.

We next ventured into Roatan. I had only become familiar with Roatan a few months ago after my family started diving. Roatan is a small island off the coast of Honduras.

Although we didn't dive here, we experienced something almost as fun. We zip-lined through the jungle. This was a great experience. One of the highlights was that our guide, Pedro, actually built the course. It was a blast.

Next we headed to Belize.

Again, I had never really been familiar with Belize but once I started doing some research I got really excited. It too has a huge reef and a beautiful interior. We decided to go horseback riding through the jungle. We went to a resort deep in the jungle called Banana Bank lodge. It was unbelievable.

It is right on the Belize River and surrounded by the thick jungle. We were surrounded by Howler monkeys and even saw a wild Tucan in the trees. Pretty amazing.

Our trip ended in Cozumel. We dove with a company called Blue Angel.

They were great. For example, at the beginning of our first dive, Shelby got stung by a jelly fish. She was obviously upset and wanted to get back on the boat. Our dive master was very understanding.

I really thought we were finished at this point. The dive master was very patient and helpful with Shelby. He never pressured us to go in for the second dive. After a while Shelby decided she wanted to get in again and try.

The dive was fantastic. We saw a giant eagle ray, a barracuda, and the beautiful reef. We had heard about drift diving in Cozumel and were excited to try. The current was strong and made for an easy dive. The day ended with some great fish tacos and a sense of amazement at the natural beauty of what we had just seen.

All in all the trip exceeded any expectations I had. The people were very open and eager to share their culture. On the subject of culture.....

Meet the "Bamboo Chicken", also known as the Iguana!

And here how the iguana becomes the bamboo chicken:

If you want to see more pictures, go to my Flickr page, there are some really good ones. I'll be posting about the dives in the next few days, so stay tuned!

2010: So Far, So Good

I realize the New Year has just begun, but:

• I am off for a western Caribbean cruise this weekend
• I just enjoyed an amazing holiday with friends and family, and
• Work is really good

In 2009 I committed myself to learning. I realize education never stops (except on Learn Nothing Day) but I have shifted my focus in 2010 to taking action. I really want to stretch myself and experience as much as I can.

So far, so good. I am facing a fear next week by doing my first ocean dive with my family. Diving is still new to me, and as excited as I am, I am still scared. BIG STRETCH.

I recently completed a coaching course, so now I am a certified coach. I will be building another part of my business which is another stretch.

I am also committed to some more speaking events this year. I love speaking and it is a lot of fun, but I am focusing more conscious energy to this area of my professional life. Say it with me now......STRETCH!

I am re-releasing my book, fresh with a new title, a new design, and super editing. I understand the business a little better now, so I am looking forward to what will happen with it. By the way, the book is Connected: The Art of Building Relationships, and it's pretty good.

Finally, my daughter will be eleven in a few weeks. WOW!!!!!! That is the quickest decade I have ever experienced. Wendy and I feel so lucky to live and experience life with Shelby. She is an amazing person and I look forward to what each day brings.

I hope you enjoy my little ramblings about my life, I certainly enjoy sharing them. So until next time, CARIBBEAN HERE WE COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!