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!