Big Changes

I have been struggling with the program here at Ross for a while now.  I have had to repeat two different semesters already and found myself getting a failing grade yet again.  Cramer and I sat down and talked things out and I decided to withdraw and come back to the states.

I feel like I've been beating my head against the wall for a while now, trying my hardest and only barely making the cut or not making it at all.  I think I've wanted to be a vet for so long and I'm so hard headed that I've let myself be miserable in a large part of my life for the last year and a half.  I'm happy with Cramer, it isn't even the island that bothers me, it is the academic program here at Ross that has drained me.

As hard and emotional as this decision was to make, as soon as I made it, such a weight was lifted from my shoulders as to leave no doubt as to its rightness.  The thought of being finished and not having to struggle to stand the pressure of yet another exam is amazing!

When I came to Vet school, I started exploring the different areas of veterinary medicine and decided my love was Theriogenology or animal reproduction.  The miracles of AI, embryo transfer, and untangling babies is what I love.  The crazy thing about this is that theriogenology is the one area of vet med that a person can practice without a license.  There are limitations, I won't be able to prescribe medications or preform surgeries as needed, but I can collect and process semen, AI, and assist in deliveries now without a DVM.  My new goal is to finish my bachelor's in Animal Science at WVU (ha imagine getting A's again!), getting some experience in the field and saving some money, and once half of my student debt is paid, opening my own semen storage/AI business.  

I've always had a positive outlook on life, and some things will never change.  I grew up wanting to be James Herriot and the reality is that even if I had made it through vet school, the profession is so different now, I don't know that I would have been happy or felt fulfilled.  Things have a way of working out and the sun will still rise tomorrow.  For now, I have two weeks of Caribbean to enjoy, and then back to the states to go where the wind blows me.  I'm tossing around the idea of setting up another blog as this one seems to be read and enjoyed, I probably wouldn't post as often, but it would be a way to share the big milestones and occurrences in my life....I'll be sure to let everyone know.

Grab mane and kick on...see you all soon

Puerto Rico!!!

 Puerto Rico!  What a whirlwind of a weekend with quite a cast of characters.  Cramer and I went on the trip to celebrate our fourth anniversary and Ashley (our roommate) and Amy (a classmate) came along because they have learned that CRAMER actually spells HAVE A BLAST :-)

Because we are all young and students, the budget was slim and  so we booked the cheapest hotel we could find and were brave and rented a car rather than go the taxi route.  I really enjoyed the hotel (despite dubious trip advisor ratings) as it was quaint and inn-like with every room being different and having real keys.  Any chance I get to support a small business versus a corporation I try to take.  The owner was very helpful and tried to give us directions as well as he could considering San Juan.

With that said, let me tell you, unless you speak Spanish, have cat like reflexes, and are very patient....DON'T RENT A CAR IN PUERTO RICO!!!!  We ended up alive but there was a very close call involving a toll booth that only excepted US coins and

 all we had was EC (eastern caribbean) dollars and credit cards. Trust me, no matter how much of a foreign currency you throw in an automatic toll booth, it still won't open!

Also, no matter what your directions say there is only one East exit, not two :-)

We only had two and a half days but we crammed them full.  Not only did we do touristy things such as kayaking in the bioluminescent bay, riding horses, riding ATV's, and touring Old San Juan, but we also braved our way to Walmart for the goodies we can't get on island and found an open Taco Bell to satisfy our American Fast Food craving.

Candy straws and Cheap Wine

 As we were driving along, lost mostly, we kept passing all these places called Condom World.  There were so many we thought there must be a different meaning in Spanish for Condom and it couldn't possibly be a store of only condoms.  So of course, we decide to check it out and I make the rule before we go in that everyone must buy one thing no matter what.  WELL, as you can see, it was an Adult Superstore chain and everyone stuck to the rules, even Cramer.  And before everyone gets alarmed, I was taking the picture!  Amy was reading the ingredients and trust me, you don't want to know!

One of the blogs I try to read regularly, posts pictures of "sky canvases" all the time...I felt this one qualified

I had an absolute blast in Puerto Rico and it had nothing to do with the island itself as I don't think the two of us will ever meet again.  It was the people I was with that made the trip and the memories.  So moral of the story, no matter what life hands you or how many bumps are in the road, surround yourself with good, genuine people and you won't even notice trouble; you'll be laughing too hard.

 As we were riding the ATV's all over crazy terrain, we came across a mud pit...yep, me, Cramer, and Ashley all tackled each other off the fourwheelers and bodyslammed.....the guides said they had never seen anything like it and took this picture to post on the office wall.  Famous!

 The Paso Fino isn't my type of horse, but I was just glad to get in the saddle.  Swinging up and settling in always feels like coming home.....

We flew home and back to real life totally exhausted, but if we felt rested it wouldn't have been a successful trip right?  Not in my book at least; life is to be lived!  

Lion Fish Hunters

 Although a beautiful fish, this species is actually invasive to the caribbean and is causing lots of problems with the reefs.  It is thought that the release was caused by a hurricane busting a large salt water aquarium in Florida causing an original six fish to escape.

Since that time, the lion fish has reproduced unchecked as they have no natural predators and eat the smaller fish that keep the algae from taking the coral over and killing it.

 When the boys are out and about on their dives, they are instructed to spear any lion fish they see to try and control the population spread to St. Kitts.  This is the first fish they have gotten but they have seen three total on the reefs.

 Normally the rules prevent bringing anything back to the boat from dives, but when there is a problem, such as invasive species, the dive shop instructors and employees are given permits and encouraged to help out.

Eventually the Lion Fish will come, but for now, the troops are holding them at bay :-)

Under the Sea

Recently, the shop Cramer dives at hosted a pair of photographers that were photographing/filming a wedding on the sister island of Nevis.  While they were on St. Kitts they got some diving in and took some truly amazing shots.  Makes me want to invest in an underwater housing for our camera, until I look at the prices at least!

Cramer catching the mooring line at the dive site

Baracuda!   Notice the teeth

Poor pupis....bar dogs have a lot to put up with :-) (she is hanging by a harness and not her collar, btw)

If you have an events you need photographed, check out www.exumphoto.com, they come highly reccommended.

Whirlwind Break

I've been everywhere man,
I've been everywhere man.
Crossed the desert's bare, man,
I've breathed the mountain air, man.
Of traveling I've had my share man,
I've been everywhere.

I've been to:

St. Kitts to Dulles, to sleep upon the floor,
Missouri to help pack up a house and watch the flood occur,
Back we went to Dulles, then on to Williamsburg,
Rode a bunch of coasters and watched some Nemo,
West Virgina for family, racing, and friends,
Rode horses so much I thought I'd never walk again.

Yep........

I've been everywhere man, 

I've been everywhere man.

Crossed the desert's bare, man,

I've breathed the mountain air, man.

Of traveling I've had my share man,

I've been everywhere.

We came back from our adventures well refreshed and counting down until my break at Christmas.  See you all then!

Package!

There was actually some stuff in the box for us too :-)  Thank you Becca, we love packages and surprises!

The Green Flash

When the sun sets over very blue water on a cloudless day, the very last tip of the sun turns a brilliant green.  In the Caribbean, this phenomenon is known as the green flash.  No matter how crazy the day or when the next exam is, we try to take a few minutes to pause and watch for it.  I've seen it twice so far and Cramer a few more times since he lives at the beach and gets to watch more sunsets :-)  We've tried to catch the moment on camera and it simply can't be done, it is one of those moments you have to live instead.....if you ever make it down to St. Kitts, I'll show you.

Birthday Blast

Sunset at the Beach with a bucket of Caribs + Good Chinese food + Chocolate cupcakes + Unknown at Movie Theatre (starring Liam Neeson, who as you can see personally wished ME a Happy Birthday) + totebag of smuggled candy at the movie (lots of Cadbury) + Several Amazon giftcards :-) = PERFECT BIRTHDAY, 24 here I come!

Kayaking

This weekend I had to fulfill my promise of educating some novice kayakers

Julie has kayaked on rivers before and so got the hang of the ocean kayak very quickly

Michelle on the other hand was relatively newer....

I had a bit of fall on the walk down to Rockies involving a rolled ankle...typical Rach

We only had a handful of near misses involving rocks and a stout buoy line before we became synchronized 

By the end of the day, Michelle graduated to champion Kayaker!  (well, with no rapids anyway:-)

The Bat Cave

One Sunday morning, a group of adventurous souls set out to find the bat cave.  The entire hike took about 3 hours and so wasn't supposed to be too strenuous....except for one part.  

All in all the hike was wonderful and has been my favorite of the hikes we've taken so far on the island.  We followed a deep dry creek bed up the mountain and so were in damp shade scrambling over rocks the entire time.  The cool temperatures and plant life reminded of WV.

The worst part of the hike involved a rock face that could only be navigated  through one crevice with the aid of a rope.  The athletic Cramer and Dan were able to get up unassisted, but as for the rest of us, it was akin to a second birthing.  Thank the lord Dan was strong enough to pull and Cramer is much stronger than he looks and was able to push from the bottom.  It was a humbling experience all around but at least we can say we didn't turn around!

The boys thought they were so cool climbing a tree, so I had to show them a girl could do it too!

After the hike we all trudged sweaty and dirty to a local bar and grill and revived with Caribs and burgers...perfect Sunday in St. Kitts.