date night

Friday night Les and I went on our first "date night" since we moved here. Rahul and Grace joined us in Old San Juan. Rahul is one of Les's closest friends on the island. I was glad we were able to have a great night out with him and Grace. We started out at Marmalade for appetizers, then moved to Tantra for dinner. My lemongrass/ginger/mojito martini at Tantra was out of this world. We will definitely be returning to Tantra. The atmosphere was great, complete with a belly dancer, and the service was even better. Marmalade was good, but the portions were tiny, and the prices were not so much.

first thanksgiving in pr

While I must admit that I would have loved to be home/Egg Bowl this year, I had a great time at our Turkey Day potluck. Many of Les's classmates returned home for the holidays, but there were at least 30 of us that enjoyed a wonderful potluck dinner and games (see above). Thanks to John, from Louisiana, we had 3 fried turkeys....Les's favorite!!! He did an excellent job on the turkeys, ham, and his homemade dressing. Everyone contributed homemade dishes ranging from sweet potato casserole to pumpkin pie. I must say, our first Thanksgiving away from home was fantastic. Next year, I cannot eat 3 plates of food...bad idea!

el yunque rainforest

Les, Ryan, Mary Beth, and I recently made our first trip to El Yunque Rainforest. The rainforest is roughly an hour drive from home. It amazes me how many beautiful sights are so near to each other. We had a great time hiking the trails and swimming underneath the waterfall. The rainforest is a must see for anyone visiting the island!

the killers

The Killers came to Puerto Rico earlier this month. Mary Beth, Kristin, and I had a great time! Although none of us really listen to the Killers, we thought the show was quite impressive. They definitely put on a great performance. I must admit I did download a couple of songs on itunes after the show.

Halloween Party

Les's class had a fabulous costume party on Halloween night. All of the costumes were quite creative....a loofah, a bottle of glue, and a Rubik's cube. I was not able to make it, but Les had a grand time for both of us. The Rubik's cube costume was a big hit. By the end of the night Les was using it as a battering ram!

our amigos

I just wanted to post a picture of some of our closest friends. We are very fortunate to have such a great group!

Gulf Plant Explosion

On the night of October 22nd we had quite a scare. We doubted an earthquake, but our house and furniture did shake for a few seconds or so. After a few moments, we ran outside and found the entire neighborhood out in the street. We were soon informed that 11 boilers at the Gulf Oil Refinery had exploded. The vibrations could be felt for miles. The smoke cloud stayed above the San Juan area for nearly 3 days.

movie stars

Les and I were fortunate to be selected as extras in a Warner Bros. movie that was filmed here in September. The movie is The Losers featuring Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Denny from Grey's Anatomy). Les plays an embassy employee at the U.S. Embassy in Bolivia. I play the sister of the main character Jensen. Unfortunately, neither of us had speaking parts. The girl in the picture with me above plays my daughter. The scariest thing was that she acted identical to the way I did when I was her age. Everyone on set thought she was my real daughter!!!

Beach Days

We have definitely been hitting the beach since we have been here. There are great beaches everywhere. We usually go to the local beach, Ocean Park, which is about 10 minutes from the house. Les and some other friends have also been to Culebra, a beautiful island off of the east coast of Puerto Rico. This summer Culebra was the filming site of a movie, The Rum Diaries, featuring Johnny Depp.

We have also taken up surfing and scuba diving. Surfing is so much fun, but quite challenging. I can definitely say we won't be "hanging ten" on 20 ft. waves anytime soon. Yes...that is Les surfing in the picture!

My New Car

I love my car!!! After two weeks of searching in August, we found a great car. I am currently driving a 1994 Toyota 4-Runner with 188K miles. The interior is in perfect condition. The sunroof, power windows/doors still work too! It just needs a little TLC (maintenance), and it will be perfect. Hopefully it will last the entire 4 years we are here! Les is even talking about bringing it back to the states with us!

new job and new life

So it has been a while since I have updated....I am going to try to catch everyone up on what has been going on since the last time I updated.

Les has been studying a lot and doing quite well on his tests. He has also taken some time to enjoy being on the island. I haven't been quite as lucky. I have been working too much...as anyone who knows me can imagine. I am very fortunate to have found a job here, so I cannot complain one bit about working. I have been able to take advantage of some of my off days and go to the beach.

I am working at a great local restaurant called Bottles. It started out as a high-end wine and gift store. Over the past 5 years it has evolved into an amazing fine dining restaurant. The chef, originally from the Napa area, is incredible, and the quality of food is bar none. The best part of the job is that I don't have to speak Spanish! While I am trying to learn, it helps not to have that pressure.

With the unemployment rate in Puerto Rico nearing 16 percent (http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/10/22/puerto.rico.economy/index.html), I have decided to continue to work at Bottles as long as we are here, as well as begin graduate school. Beginning in January, I will begin working on my MBA from Mississippi State through their distance learning program. I am so excited to become a student again!

bowling bonanza

We went bowling with a few people in Les's class Saturday night! We had a great time getting to know his new classmates. Les, of course, had to show out during the first game, but didn't do so well the second time around. I had fun just slinging the bowling ball...let's just say I am not a professional.

our first visitor

Our buddy Sean came to visit our second week on the island! We were able to experience a bunch of firsts together! We gave Sean a tour of Old San Juan and went to the local beach. Next, we travelled to the west side of the island to Rincon. Rincon has beautiful beaches and world renowned surfing! They get swells that are about 20ft during September and October. The largest swell recorded reached 40ft. We can't wait to learn how to surf! Though the waves were minimal on our trip, Les and Sean had a great time snorkeling off of the beach.

We also went to the horse races while Sean was here. El Yunque Rain Forest serves as the backdrop to the race track. The horse track has races 260 days a year with the "Big Derby" in December.

Of course, Sean and Les had to cook-out on the deck like we did at home!

the doggies get a haircut

Even though the highs at home reach 100, it does not seem as hot as 90 degrees here. We have air conditioning in only 2 bedrooms. All of the walls are concrete, so there is no central a/c. We keep our windows open throughout the day to let in the breeze. It is quite nice when it is cool and raining, but not so much on a sunny day.

Needless to say, the doggies had to get haircuts. Poor Waylon and Trouble...I think they are a little embarrassed with no hair, but I know they feel so much better!

Les's truck

While walking around Old San Juan, Les spotted the Crowley barges containing his truck! The barge left Jacksonville, FL on a Wednesday and arrived the following Tuesday. The cost to ship vehicles is roughly $1000, not including taxes...You must pay a 10% tax on the value of your car. Les's truck was valued at nearly $4000 more than it did at home. Thanks PR for taking that extra $400 out of our pockets. Once it made it to PR, the process of registering the vehicle from the states was quite a chore. It took nearly a day and a half of standing in long lines and bouncing around the city to finally be able to drive legally.

Legally is actually an understatement. I have determined that there are not many laws in driving here. It is the craziest thing I have ever seen! I don't know if everyone drives really good or really bad...maybe just very aggressively. Les has already been hit twice (no damage done)!

We found a pretty navy blue 1994 4Runner for me to drive! It is in great shape to be 15 years old. There is no need for a new car here as every vehicle seems to have a small dent or twenty!