Sting Ray City

Bob and I went an area of the bay with a sandbar that is called Sting Ray City. Sting rays like to congregate there because the shallow water keeps them safe from predators and people feed them. In the water below you can see the sandbar and all of the black dots are sting rays. 

In this picture I am standing in the water with a few sting rays swimming around me. Don't worry, they have only one very short barb on their tail and these sting rays are very used to people being around. We weren't even feeding them at this point and they still came close. It was fun just to pet them, they are very smooth. 
Bob loves this photo, he is holding the sting ray and I am squinting because it was splashing me. 
Here I am trying to give the sting ray a kiss. The large black sting rays are the females and the smaller grey sting rays (like the one behind me) are the males. The males stayed mostly on the ocean floor. You have to be very careful when you are in the water not to step on them. You have to keep your feet either planted in the sand and if you want to walk you need to shuffle in the sand. Apparently they are easily injured. 
We went to sting ray city on a boat chartered by one of Bob's work friends. It doesn't take very long to get out there and the water is pretty calm, making it an easy boat ride. I can't wait to go again. I just don't think that swimming with sting rays will ever get old!

Legends Tennis Tourney

This past weekend Bob and I went to the Legends Tennis Tournament at the Ritz-Carlton. We went with some of Bob's work friends. It was really interesting to be at an event like that, it was kinda classy. They had booths set up selling diamonds, champagne, and toy tennis balls that were larger than my head. 

In this picture Bob is sitting next to a guy that owns a lot of businesses in Cayman. He wasn't really supposed to be in the shot :)

Bob and his friends were all wearing headbands with the Jamaican colors, though none of the tennis players were from Jamaica. 
There really isn't too much else to report. I am glad that I took tennis at KU with Lindsay. I felt cool knowing the rules and calls and stuff. I liked watching live tennis more than I thought I would. Linds, we should have done Wimbledon! Oh well!

Siena and Yolanda

Siena has a new friend. Her name is Yolanda. Yolanda lives in the apartment upstairs (our place is a house that has been converted into a downstairs 2 bedroom apt (ours), an upstairs 2 bedroom apt, and a studio apartment. Every morning Siena and Yolanda play for like an hour. On the other side of the fence are two more dogs that they bark back and forth with. It is nice that she has a friend. 

So far, Siena is getting closer and closer to getting in the water. She has a beach dog friend named Blanche that she has tried to swim with twice, but Siena still won't swim. She likes to get into the water, but just won't make the leap. This week we will try again :)

Puppy's First Braai (and Christina's for that matter)

My first weekend here has been great and it's not over yet! I am still surprised at how beautiful it is here. Everyone should come visit, you won't be disappointed!

Doggy Swimming Lesson One: Failure.

Yesterday was Siena's first beach day. We tried to take her swimming in the morning, but that didn't go so well. She likes the water, she wants to be in the water, but once she got IN the water, she kinda freaked out. Bob and I have the scratches to prove it. She was mostly concerned with swimming toward the shore or trying to climb up Bob. I wish I had pictures to show, but it was way to wet and sandy. Maybe when we try again next week.

Beach Braai:

Last night Bob and I hosted a beach braai for a few  friends (basically means we brought the grill and picked the time and location). It was nice to talk to Bob's friends in a smaller group than the happy hours we've gone to. Everyone is really nice and South African. It is fun to hear stories from other countries and to explain certain things about the US. Like Target. And Mullets. 

Not much else is going on. Today Bob and I are going to brunch, which I guess is a big tradition here. Every restaurant has one and they run from like 11-3 pm, so lunchtime. This is going to be a fun life :)  

Success!

After months and months of organizing and planning, I have finally moved myself and my dog Siena to Grand Cayman. As most of you know, Bob has been working here for Deloitte as a Senior Accountant since January. I think one word best sums up my feelings right now, "Phew". 

Preparation: The list of things I had to do to get here was enormous. Sell the house, sell the cars, pay off any debt, cancel any subscriptions or utilities, pack the house, move the house, store our stuff . . . the list seemed to go on and on. The biggest challenge was preparing the dog. There was a lot of red tape to get through with the Cayman government and the airline. Lots of restrictions and rules! I won't bore you with the details :)

Travel: Tuesday my dad drove Siena and I to Chicago. Pets cannot be on flights that last over 12 hours and that includes check in time and layovers.  So, we chose to do part of the trip in the car. The dog does well in the car and the 12 hour trip actually felt fast. We stayed the night at the Holiday Inn by the airport, which was interesting. It was a little weird being there with the dog, but she did a good job and didn't bark much or destroy anything. Wednesday was the big flight from Chicago to Cayman via Miami. I was SO worried that she didn't get on the plane or would get hurt or die on the plane that it wasn't a very pleasant flight for me. Luckily, everything must have gone alright for her because she made it here.

Arrival:  Siena looked so sad on the luggage carousel but perked up after a little food and fresh water. She had been drinking all day out of one of those hamster water things that is larger and made for dogs. I bet that was tedious for her.

A New Home: Today has been our first full day in Cayman. After handling some of important business (Bob's car inspection and registration that was a month overdue) the pup and I went to the beach for a quick intro to the ocean! The waves are very small and gentle, and Siena walked right in the water. She followed me until she reached the point that her torso would be in the water and swimming was necessary. She's never been in water like that before, so we will have to kinda teach her to swim. That is the project for saturday. I'm just getting her acquainted with the water now. Surprisingly, she didn't try to drink the water at all. She was much more interested in smelling the area under the trees were I put my towel. And chasing the wild chickens and stray dogs. Man, is she going to love it here!

The apartment was all nice and tidy when I arrived, but now is a total disaster. My plan this next week is to do some painting and organizing of the kitchen and bathroom. Right now they are both kinda gross and have lots of left over chemicals and pots and dishes from previous renters. 

I'm not looking for a job right now, I'm going to take some time to get things organized and situated first. Right now Bob likes the idea of Unemployed Christina. I'm like the super hero that does everything for the house and our life here. I don't think I would call myself a "homemaker" right now. I think I like the term "CEO and COO of Christina and Bob". Bob's the "CFO", for those of you that were wondering. Did I make up COO? 

I'm not sure how I will do with the whole "blogging" thing. Keep checking in, I hope to post at least once a week!