Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas from the Cayman Islands!

We hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday!

Wichita

In Wichita Bob and I were able to do something we can't do in Cayman - drink interesting beers. We miss breweries and microbrews; going to the store and having the option of buying a new, well crafted, beers.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that one of my favorite beers from Free State in Lawrence has started bottling!

We also tried the beers at River City Brewery in Old Town, had an Ad Astra at the Anchor, and made it to Fox and Hound for a new favorite called Buffalo Sweat. Unfortunately Buffalo Sweat is made by the Tallgrass Brewery in Manhattan, KS. It may be the only good thing that has come out of that city ;).

We did manage to take in a few other Wichita "landmarks". Here we are getting ready to watch Harry Potter 7 part 1 in the upstairs lounge of the Warren. I love the Warren Theater and made specific plans to watch HP on the main screen. I was so excited to see the movie in the USA! Bob is pretending to be excited.

Here is a photo of my parents new dog Foster. They've actually had him for over a year now. He is a rescue Australian Shepherd. He may be the most obedient dog (other than service dogs) that I've ever met. On his nose is a piece of "Beggin' Strip". He seriously sat there waiting with that on his nose while I went in the other room, found my camera and took the photo. Such a good dog!

Kansas City

Thanksgiving in Kansas was a good idea. Reason 1, we were able to see a lot of friends and family that frequently are out of town for Christmas. Reason 2, the weather. Oh how lucky we were to have 40-60 degree highs instead of the winter weather domination Kansas is experiencing now.

We spent half of our time in KC and the other half in Wichita. I really didn't do a very good job taking photos, though I thought I was rocking it at the time. Bob never takes photos, so I did a 100% better job then him.

Here we are at our first Mexican meal at Mi Ranchito with Lindsay and Travis. This was a fun night as we used to live with Travis at his house in OP and it was like old times, eating at the restaurant and hanging out at his house.

Lindsay was a little tired after working nights in the month of November. :)

Here is Bob cuddling with their beagle, Emma. I think someone had puppy withdrawal!

We had a nice time in KC and had some quality time down on the Plaza. We spent one afternoon shopping and came back the following week for fancy dinner and the Plaza Lights!

Here is Bob with his Grandma and Mom. Such a good boy.

I carried a watermelon.

I carried a watermelon?!?

That is EXACTLY how my encounter went with Bill Self. My mom found him standing around The Oread lobby on his phone. As you know my mom is not shy so she asked him for a photo. She ran over for Clifton and me to come meet Bill Self. BILL SELF?!? I was all flustered. I literally hid behind a pole while he continued his phone conversation. Then he said "Well, are we going to do this?". I jumped from around the pole and all I could say was "I came all the way from the Cayman Islands to see the game last night!", then I froze. Just like Baby. I felt super stupid until the unthinkable happened, Bill Self started talking to me! Like a real conversation! The first photo is him talking to me about Cayman and me looking super creepy.

Then a very nice Oread employee offered to take a photo of the three of us. This photo looks much better, I think!

We were the only people to bother him for a picture. I justified that since he was standing in the lobby of the Oread, 30 minutes before the start of the KU Football game, he was kinda asking for it. Also, I live far away now and I can't act all cool around local celebrities. I need to take advantage!

All I have to say is thank goodness I did my hair!

Glorious to view . . .

While in Kansas I made my way to Lawrence, of course :)

There is a new hotel in Lawrence called "The Oread" (KU's main campus is on Mt. Oread) and sits in the location of The Crossing and Yellow Sub. I was very bummed when I heard they were tearing down those KU landmarks. It is sad to think I am one of the last classes to enjoy an afternoon beer in the spring or a sandwich you have to wait 20 minutes for. I digress. I was apprehensive about the new hotel, but was won over this weekend by it's limestone decor and wonderful rooftop terraces.

Here is a view from the top terrace.

While in Kansas I found a way to go to a KU Football and Basketball game. Those of you who know me well can only imagine how happy that made me! Friday night was the KU Bball game. KU won, of course!

Saturday morning we went to the KU vs OSU football game. We did not win but it was nice to go and enjoy the atmosphere. Also, check out that new video board!

It was the first time in a long time that the original Mason's were together. Bob stayed in KC to hang out with his family. We also met up with my dad's cousin Mike that lives in Lawrence.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk, Go KU!

Oh Give Me a Home . . .

Get ready Kansas, because here we come!

I am SOOOOO excited to visit Kansas this week. I'm glad we aren't going back for Christmas mostly because I can't wait any longer. Also because November offers both KU football AND basketball! I know the football team is a bit over par this year, but still. A game is a game and I'm going to enjoy myself this weekend, win or lose!

Next I want to address the SERIOUS lack of Mexican food on this island. I have severe salsa deficiency right now. I plan to eat my weight in enchiladas during this trip. If I haven't gained at least 5 lbs due to Mexican food by the time I go back to Cayman then I will consider the trip a failure!

There are some old Wichita favorites that I also hope to see. One is the classic Old Mill Tasty Shop. So yummy, so simple.

Of course, there is also the phenomenon of wheat beer that we miss so much. Bob especially can't wait for a few Boulevards!

I promise we are also excited to see our family and friends! It is time to get off the "rock" and back to the real world!!

The unthinkable has happened!

I have a JOB. Like a real job, with a real work permit and real paychecks!

I am a server at a new restaurant opening in Camana Bay called Ortanique: Cuisine of the Sun. I started training today and the restaurant opens Nov 24. I was hired for the job almost 2 months ago but I didn't want to say anything until the work permit was approved. As an expat, you don't really have the job until the government says so.

Did you click on the link above? Ortanique is fancy, no? Doesn't the food look amazing? I can not wait until the food tasting day! The restaurant is really nice and they have a location in Miami with a great following. Also exciting is that the head chef in Cayman was on Top Chef, Season 3!

This job does change things around here, but hopefully the hours won't be too strenuous. Bob will be very busy this winter at work, so hopefully this job will keep me from going stir crazy!

Here is a photo from the first day of training. I'm the tall one in the back, like always :).

A Caymanian Engagement

If you have visited us here in Cayman then I am sure you met our two friends Jackie and Shaun. They are from South Africa and have been here on island a little longer than we have. We met them through Monica and Rob, who knew Shaun and his roommate Yohan from back home.

Last week, after 7+ years of dating, they got engaged! Monica wasted no time and the next day we had a small engagement party to celebrate!

They will be married next September in SA. They aren't sure if they will be coming back after that or not. It is so great to see two friends happy, especially Jacs.

Congrats Shaun and Jacs! We are so happy for you!

PS Grandma, if you notice on the table there is a half eaten cheese ball! It was specially requested for the party, everyone loves it!

Food

I read a lot of blogs and recently have started receiving the Food Network on television again. Here is what I have learned. Local, homegrown and organic foods are cool. Like really really cool. People can't stop talking about them. I can understand the fad, I love a good homegrown tomato and I have fond memories of picking strawberries in my mom's garden growing up. Also, I don't want to eat pesticides and I like fresh food. I get it.

Here is the issue: I live in Cayman. In Cayman, I'm lucky to find produce that will last more than 2 days, regardless of the status. I frequently get home from the store only to realize that some of the food I bought has expired. In Cayman, when food is "on special" that means it is already a day off. Our local section? It has no regulation and is usually filled with odd species of coconut, banana and avocado that don't taste right and were picked from random peoples yards by the landscaping companies. The local goat? Don't get me started.

So I have accepted this is a trend I must watch from afar. I will drool over your photos of produce and hear about the wonders of downtown farmers markets and pumpkin patches.

I feel I should contribute to the foodie community and offer my suggestion of this cookbook:

Jamie Oliver's "The Ministry of Food". At first I was a little put off by the title. "Anyone Can Learn to Cook in 24 Hours"? I already consider myself a cook. I enjoy cooking and I understand most cooking instructions. Add in my background in lab sciences and forget about it! Anyway, my good friend Monica gave me this book and after a few recipes I was hooked. It is the best cookbook ever. Everything turns out amazing. The instructions are easy to understand and ingredients don't have to be precise. Jamie encourages you to make additions and substitutions, many times taking one basic recipe and showing you how to make it four different ways. The recipes are all foods I would like to eat. Many I already had recipes for but I have found his way to be either easier or tastier. I think I have completed 1/4 of the "basic recipes" in the cookbook and have loved every minute. The great thing is that with all of the extra versions he gives, the possibilities are endless!

I also enjoy having a British cookbook and being able to find the British ingredients in my store. That is the one good thing about our grocery stores, we have lots of imported foods. Recently, Jamie came out with the American version of this book "Jamie's Food Revolution", you know, like the tv show that won an Emmy. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys good food. I know my friend Annie has purchased the book and uses it every week. Seriously people, I have never used a cookbook this much. Rachael Ray and her 30 min meals are SO 2002.

Now for the glamour shots. I made the Vanilla Cheesecake with Raspberry topping. It was SO pretty and like the photo that I had to take a picture.

And yes, it was as delicious as it looks. I have never made a cheesecake before and it turned out perfect. Actually, all of the foods I have made from the cookbook look like the photos. It is nice to know they are true to life.

If only I had my pretty Pottery Barn cake plate.

Stormy Days

It has been cloudy and rainy since Sunday. It reminds me of Kansas in April. Sometimes it stops raining for a bit but the air is still thick and the water falling off the trees makes it feel like it is still sprinkling.

In case you are wondering what storms here look like, here are two photos:

Photo 1: Tropical Depression 16, taken Monday evening

Photo 2: Tropical Storm Nicole, taken Tuesday morning

I like the rain. It has cooled the island off which makes walking Siena much more pleasurable. The only problem is the streets around our place flood easily.

Obviously

First off, sorry it has been so long! I have a laundry list of excuses (new camera won't load photos easily, nothing exciting has been happening, etc) but I realize none of them are very good. Sorry.

Okay, I'm not sure if I blogged about our status here in Cayman but obviously we are staying another year or so. We bought a new car and moved into a new place, which must have tipped most of you off. We are for sure staying through next summer and will be re-evaluating our lives at that time. For now we are just going to enjoy living in our little "Twilight Zone" where time passes quickly and technology stays the same.

The reason we chose to stay here in Cayman should also be pretty obvious. Bob was promoted to Manager at Deloitte! He is very very excited as he now does not have to do the actual auditing anymore but will be involved in the planning of the audits, timelines, working with the clients and adding input to the general direction of the office. He is so happy, especially since this promotion put him years ahead of where he would be if he had stayed at PWC in KC. The promotion is effective Oct 1 and, though we have known about it for quite some time, it has been a secret at work.

As for my job search, things have been up, then down, and now up again. I was hired by a restaurant/lounge but it ended up being a nightclub, so I quit. Now a new and fancy restaurant is moving in to Camana Bay from Miami and I've been hired as a server! I still have to hope that a work permit goes through. Immigration has cut back on work permits, so this could actually be a problem. It is going to open in November, so there is still time for them to change their minds. Hopefully everything will work out!!

Other than that, it has been same old, same old here. It rains every day and we are on hurricane watch. I hope we don't get a hurricane but I wouldn't mind a nice tropical storm that would give Bob the day off. I'm interested to see how these storms stand up to the kind we get in Kansas. According to my brother in St. Thomas, they aren't anything we haven't seen before.

Going for the BIG ones

I know it has been too long since I posted Siena "working". Rest assured, Siena is still catching iguanas, crabs, and whatever else crosses her path. Last week she tracked a snake for a while. She didn't formally catch it, I think she is still confused as to what it was. Also our new area has a lot of large land crabs and she is smart enough not to try and put one in her mouth (they have very large claws).

Iguanas are still #1 on Siena's "Most Wanted" list. She spends most of her day watching and waiting for them. Here she is sitting, staring out our back window.

Today Siena captured a larger iguana near our place, so I had a chance to run inside and grab my camera.

The iguana was just small enough that she felt okay picking it up with her mouth. Usually she just corners the big ones until she gets bored or they run away.

Look at that cute puppy, she is SO proud of herself!

Grimmer's on Island

This past week the entire Grimmer family was on island for some fun, scuba, and family time! It was nice to see them when I could and help make sure their trip to Cayman was as good as it could be.

We held a beach bbq on 7 mile beach on Friday. This meant a beautiful sunset complete with a pirate ship.

I am too frustrated with my new camera to fix this but below is a photo of Rachel with her son Finley. He was such a trooper!

The motto of this story: Cayman is fun so come and visit. We will be staying through next summer, so plan your trips now!

4 Years of Wedded Bliss

After a broken camera and a new camera purchased that had incompatible software, we are back!

On the 22nd Bob and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary (we are at 7 years of being together, for those of you keeping track). We decided to do two small dinners this year, both at the Ritz-Carlton.

First was sushi dinner on Thursday at Taikun.

The tuna was phenomenal. So fresh and so yummy. The menu is limited but priced reasonably. We will definitely be back!

Second on Saturday we went to Periwinkle. It is an Italian restaurant that was doing a pasta and pizza taster menu. We celebrated the Christina way with a bottle of Prosecco.

Our anniversary gift to ourselves was this beauty: The Playstation 3

So far I think I have gotten more use out of it than Bob. Mostly this is because he wants to play online games but our signal is too poor. Also, our TV is not large enough for him to read the gaming instructions. I have Lego Harry Potter and it is SO much fun! It is made for like 12 year olds, but perfect for a non-gamer like me. I enjoy it's "Mario Bros" feel and the fact that it follows the first 4 movies very closely. So fun!

Though Bob may not play as often as me, he really enjoys having it so much so that we added a second TV to our living room. Yes, we are regressing to the college dorm room days but we love it.

In other news, Bob passed the first test of the CFA - though he doesn't know how. He seriously must be the smartest/luckiest guy in the world. Just goes to show the quality of the KU Business School and the CPA. Congrats Bobbo!

Cayman Apartment #3

Here is the first and most important picture of our new place:

You guessed it, this is our new guest room. Fancy, no? It has it's own bathroom and everything. So it is time to come to Cayman, whether it is for your first time or you are a repeat visitor.

Our new place is SO awesome. Bob and I are super excited. We have moved from Governor's Harbour and now live in Snug Harbour. It is closer to George Town, which is nice for driving Bob to work. For those of you familiar with Cayman, we are just north of Camana Bay (like a 5 min walk). It is fully furnished, everything is in good working order and it actually feels like a home. They even had a candy dish with a lid JUST like the one I used to have back in KC. We will be here for a year, so you have plenty of time to book your trip. I'd suggest coming in the winter to escape the cold and snow :)

Back to the photos. Here is the kitchen. Note all of the cupboards - they are filled with nice dishes and cooking utensils. And let's not forget the coup de grâce - a dishwasher!

After I took the kitchen photo I turned 180 degrees and took this photo of the lounge:

I already moved that pink, yucky chair to the corner. I'm trying to convince Siena that this is her chair, but so far she doesn't like it either. She has better taste than Bob, he thinks it is fine. The little hallway to the bedrooms and bathrooms are to the left of this photo.

Drum-roll please for the next photo, our view and back patio:

Yes, that is a screened in patio. There is a door to the right going out to the lawn and a door to the right leading into our bedroom (our room also has a walk-in closet and bathroom. Awesome). Bob and I have had most of our meals out on the patio. There is a light and a fan and, most importantly NO MOSQUITOS! Siena likes the patio, though she did run into the screen twice. We are trying to be cautious with her, I'm sure if an iguana walked onto the dock she'd bust through the screen in a heartbeat.

We are so happy in our new place. We are renting through a property management group and our rep was born in Wichita, KS. I knew she'd get me a great place, but I couldn't have expected this. Other good news, we are getting DVR!! It is new to the island this year and we are super excited.

That is about it. This week has been filled with me moving, cleaning, trying to start up/close out utilities, wait for cable and internet service men, unpacking, etc. Everything is done now and, needless to say, I'm pretty tired. I'm ready for the 3 day weekend with Bob (Monday is Constitution Day here). No plans for the 4th. Maybe a boat trip or a brunch. Something fun :)

And because it just isn't a post without a photo of Siena, here she is with her latest catch.

Siena and the Iguanas

I was finally able to take some photos of Siena chasing and stalking iguanas. So far she has trapped two large iguanas (she doesn't try to bite them) and captured 4 small iguanas.

She is such a good dog!

3 in 4

Siena has caught 3 iguana's in the past 4 days. She is on a roll - photos to come!

PS - Go USA on Saturday!!!

Super Success!!

Still no photos. Sorry. I just want to disclose that fact at the beginning of this post. I know this may be a tough concept for some of you to understand, but I don't carry a camera with me at all times. Also, my phone doesn't take photos (thought I rarely carry it with me regardless). I live in a bubble . . . on "the rock" . . . in a twilight zone time warp.

Today we experienced the ultimate success. Siena caught an iguana. Like, she had it in her mouth. None of this "cornering it" crap, this was a full on catch. Super caught = super success. She played with it until it played dead long enough that I felt bad and made her walk away. She obviously learned from the first baby chick she caught not to kill her prey right away; she was very gentle.

Siena has been gunning for the iguanas ever since her arrival on the island over a year ago. Today was a big day for her.

June

Hello June.

I can't believe you arrived so quickly this year. I think that may be because the weather here doesn't change much. Many things are happening/changing this month and I wanted to give you all a preview of things to come!

June 5th - Bob takes the CFA exam. He assumes he will fail as he had decided he doesn't want a job in financial services or fund management after all and stopped studying a couple of months ago. The past week he has been off to "study", which was mostly to take a break from work and do some skimming of the CFA books. After his exam Bob has requested our dinner specialty of peppercorn steak with gorgonzola, asparagus and sweet potato. Bob can grill a perfect medium to medium rare steak, so it should be super delicious!

June 11th - USA vs England, FIFA 2010 World Cup. How do I know this? It is the first time ever that I've been aware of the soccer world cup, let alone know a game and it's time. I think I may actually watch (and by watch I mean have the game on while I do other things around the house). All my friends down here are excited for the World Cup and I would enjoy if the long shot USA team actually beat #3 ranked England. I may gloat a bit if that happens. Sounds like a good Cinderella story to me :).

June 12th - Sad day. We were meant to go to Kingston, Jamaica this day for the West Indies vs South Africa Cricket Test Match 1. Why aren't we going? Well, the stupid Jamaican government finally decided to extradite a drug lord wanted in the US (9 months AFTER the US asked them to) and a riot ensued. The cricket has been moved to Trinidad and our trip cancelled. Luckily our money will be refunded. There was a group of 25 people going and we all had shirts made. Here is to having a t-shirt and never attending the function (you had a t-shirt like that, didn't you Rach?)

June 15th (maybe earlier) - Michaelyn arrives for a relaxing holiday. I expect it will be filled with snorkeling, reading and sight-seeing. Should be a good time! Now that Jamaica was cancelled, she may arrive earlier as Bob has Monday the 14th off for the Queen's Birthday holiday and may bring Bob's father as well.

June 30th - We move! We are moving to a new place in Snug Harbour on Palm Heights Drive. The place is in a 4 condo building and our unit is on the first floor. We have a screened in patio (YEA!) with a great back lawn out to a canal. The views are great! The layout much better than we've had so far, two proper bedrooms and two baths, big kitchen, and large lounge. The furniture is a little dated, but who cares? I'm so happy to move! Oh, the craziest part! Our representative at the property management group that runs the unit was born in Wichita, KS and lived most of her life in Missouri! What are the odds?

I think that is about it. Siena is doing well and probably really happy she doesn't have to be boarded this month during our trip. Bob and I are working out a lot and are not eating out until Michaelyn arrives. Hopefully we can lose a little of our "vacation" weight!

Here is to a great June. Please do not get too hot, rainy or mosquito-y!

Limited Access

Sorry it has been so long between posts. My Apple power cord died last week, leaving my computer incapacitated. I am currently writing from Bob's work computer. Luckily Bob's mom is coming in a few weeks and can bring us goodies from home.

Today is the start of Bob's vacation from work. He is supposed to be studying for the CFA exam the next two weeks before the exam. So what do you think he is doing today? No, not studying he's jet-ski fishing with his friend Rob. Hopefully they will catch some yummy fish for dinner tonight!

Not much else going on. The rain has really picked up and when it stops the mosquitoes are terrible. Needless to say, I've been staying indoors lately. Also, the seas are way to warm and I'm really hoping this isn't the precursor to a bad hurricane season!

Out With the Old . . .

Say goodbye to our old car, the 1996 Honda Integra. You've been nothing but a problem since the beginning. I hope you are the last car from the '90s I ever have to own. Soon you will be sold for scrap and I feel no remorse. Thank you for never blowing up while I was driving.

Say HELLO to our new beauty, 2005 Honda Civic. I've never been so happy to own a 5 year old car :) So far, she drives like a dream and here is hoping we have no more car issues!

Here they are, side by side. Notice how the muffler has fallen out of the Integra and is lodged next to the tire. That was the final straw for us. That and it didn't pass government inspection and couldn't be registered.

It is like the "Devil and Angel", "Yin and Yang", "Good vs Evil", "Mizzou vs KU". I even have a KU sticker to put in the back window. I bought it in August and couldn't bring myself to put it in the Integra. The Jayhawk deserves better than that.

Sorry I've not posted any photos for a while. Blogger doesn't want to upload any of the underwater photos I got from Monica and Jackie. Boo. I guess I'll just cut my losses and move on. Tonight we are going to the rugby club. The club team from South Wales is in town and having a scrimmage with the Cayman team tonight. The real game is on Sunday. Should be fun! Tomorrow I'm going to a cooking class (more observation than participation) at The Lighthouse and Bob is going to play video games and do dude stuff. Just another weekend in Cayman!