Update

Still no apartment to move into tomorrow. Looks like our things are going into storage, but I guess a miracle could happen in the next 10 hours (fingers crossed!)

I do still believe that people are good though. I believe that the cab driver in Bermuda, after taking us to our hotel, tried to return the $200 that his previous clients dropped and we found in the cab. I believe that people will follow through on their promises (even though one landlord has repeatedly fallen back on her word).

That's all for now. More details to come post move!

It was the best of times...

...and yes, it was the worst of times! Honestly, sometimes you feel like you're on top of the world - nothing could possibly go wrong. But inevitably, you know a time will soon come when the world will be on top of you (and my is that world a heavy weight to carry)! And although you know it is inevitable when you're on top, you still feel it is impossible.

This weekend the world was definitely on top of me! Late Friday night, the apartment we were supposed to be moving into fell through. The back up option that the landlord gave us might just be an infinitely better option except for the fact that it's a fifth floor walk-up with no laundry in the building (I know, I've been spoiled in my NYC apartments thus far) AND she couldn't promise it to us (still awaiting word). I hate the feeling of not knowing where we'll be on Wednesday - the only sure thing is that we HAVE to be out of our apartment by end of day Wednesday so the new tenant can move in on Thursday. Instead of spending all weekend packing, we went back and forth between packing and looking at apartments (which yielded NO fruits). I know, I'm a total whiner. It could be worse, right? I mean it was slightly over three years ago that I lived among those who had no running water, two outfits to wear (that they took turns washing in the river), days where they couldn't afford food and lived off of whatever fruit fell from trees around them (whether edible or not), no formal education...the list could go on. And here I am complaining about the possibility of having to walk up and down five flights of stairs countless times a day and walk my laundry to the laundromat on the corner and then haul it back up the stairs. Or the possibility of having to put all of our stuff in storage and stay in a hotel or with someone else (what about a cardboard box on the street? People do it here all the time). I mean, really, perspective Kris, perspective! These can be my "pioneer" stories that my great grandchildren will be telling of me! And let's be honest, the downside of the apartment is at least a health benefit for all of us (definite help in losing baby weight)! But the question still remains if it's ours or not. Apartment situation aside, the weekend was still just a tough one - stress levels in our apartment were at a high and for those of you that know Brett or me are well aware of what happens at those stress levels! We made ourselves miserable! And to top that off, where has all my energy gone? I always figured I'd be the invincible pregnant one - no morning sickness, no aches and pains, all the energy in the world. And though this second trimester has brought more energy, I'm still a lot more tired than I ever used to be. So I had to kiss those late nights of packing til 2am goodbye and tuck myself in for the night at 10:30. I also had to look away from the mirrors. This having no control of gaining weight thing is just not conducive to my obsessive 'need to be in control' nature.

I am grateful, however, that through all of this there are shining moments that give you the strength to keep fighting. Like Friday, for example...what moment could be better than sitting together watching your little one moving around inside of you and finding out that a little baby GIRL is headed your way?!?! Or having 5 smiling kids in seminary this morning (and that's a lot to ask of teenagers at 6:30am) and sharing a fabulous 45 minutes with them talking about Proverbs. Or getting a phone call from your husband and hearing him admit that maybe you were right. Or laughing hysterically with Adrienne on the phone because she thought you said 'hold on' and you thought she said the same and subsequently sitting in silence for a minute for no reason at all! It's absolutely crazy that life can be so bitter and yet so sweet all at the same time. And boy am I ever grateful for the "sweet" moments - and there are many! No fear though, I plan to be back on top of the world very soon...

Life is full of surprises!

Pink Sand Beaches and Coral Reefs: Day One!

I've decided to break up the post about Bermuda into days. The thought of going through all of these pictures and uploading all of them for one post now sounds exhausting. So, instead I'll break it up.

I arrived in Bermuda late Thursday night with no problems...I managed to catch my first flight, so unlike Brett, it was easy to get there. It's only an hour and a half flight from JFK! Thursday night was uneventful considering I got in well after dark (and it gets dark late there). The cab driver was so friendly and we chatted the entire 30 minutes from the airport to the hotel. He told me the top three places to go while in Bermuda and of course he recounted his life story (hmmm...reminds me of the mission).

Thursday morning was overcast and windy, but we didn't let that stop us. Here is a view from our room that morning...beautiful view and those clouds cleared up and we never saw them again the rest of the trip.

On the way to sight see, but I just loved this little nook of the hotel and all the coi swimming beneath my feet.

We stayed at the Fairmont Princess. There is another Fairmont in Southhampton, so they provide free ferries down there every few hours. We hopped on one of those and spent the rest of the day getting to know the beaches of the South shore.

Enjoying the ferry ride. Brett made sure to be first in line to get us a front row seat!

Approaching shore with a perfect view of Gill's Lighthouse.

The hotel's private beach.

Horseshoe Bay (one of the world's most beautiful beaches)! And since the day started out overcast, the people went elsewhere and left the beach almost entire to us!

I know, it wouldn't be a vacation post without some pictures of the food (I got that from my family). We didn't eat this bad the whole time, but it was the only thing around, so we sucked it up and enjoyed a grease-filled lunch from the snack bar!

Testing out the waters.

Enjoying the warmth of the Atlantic! I would have been there with him, but "they say" not to leave your things unattended and we surely didn't want our nice camera or cash stolen. And for the record, I spent some time in the water, but didn't go all the way in since it was still breezy and we only had a small towel (already used by Brett) with us.

So you can't really tell here, but the sand really is pink (or better said, it has a mixture of pink and, for lack of a better description, sand-collored grains of fine sand). It was heavenly to walk on!

Overlooking Horseshoe Bay before heading back.

We couldn't figure out what kind of fish were laying all over the beach.

Then we saw a sign on the way back warning beach-goers about Portuguese Man-O-War and their stinging tentacles.

There were so many beautiful, tropical flowers and I just couldn't snap enough pictures. Here's one of my favorites:

On the trolley back down to the ferry. Note: Brett had already spent two additional days in the sun, hence his color and my sheer whiteness. Oh how I miss the days of a year-round tan in Cali. Someday!

Since I was the photographer 99% of the time, this is about the only view I had of myself. It was a relaxing ride back - much warmer than that morning and almost no wind at all.

A view of our resort from afar!

And there she is, the Fairmont Princess in Hamilton.

All in all, day one was great! We enjoyed a stroll (that word makes us sound 50 years older) in downtown Hamilton where we went to the Lobster Pot for dinner. I was all ready to get Lobster until I saw that it wasn't anything special...it was Maine lobster! Hello, I can get that in New York AND it's probably fresher in NYC since it has a lot less distance to travel! Unfortunately we didn't bring the camera with us that night, so no pictures to document the evening or the great food...sorry to disappoint! :)

Absolutely in heaven!

It's been way too long since I've spent time with my former love, volleyball. Well tonight, after a couple of years, we reacquainted ourselves. A few weeks ago I was up in the studio at work and this girl walked in looking for something. She looked at me and said, "Girl, how tall are you?" (I was wearing three inch heels that day, so I was looking that much taller). Upon telling her my height, she continued, "You play volleyball?" And there began a little friendship. She has been playing on a Division 1 team (meaning that it wasn't just like monkey ball) in a city league here and invited me to join them for their last three games of the season. Unfortunately I couldn't make it to the first one, but tonight I made sure to keep the calendar clear. And oh boy, did it ever feel good to get back on the court and brush up on those skills. I wasn't up to my game, but considering how long its been, I thought I held my own. It was an hour of heaven. Oh how I miss that part of my life. I used to spend 12+ hours each week practicing and during club season, most of my weekends were consumed by tournaments. I literally lived and breathed that game. Thanks mom and dad for allowing me the opportunity to play for so many years!

Leaving, on a jet plane...

Poor Brett has been leaving on a jet plane for the past 24 hours. What a nightmare of a flying experience he has had over the past day. He missed the first day of his three day conference. Let's say that just about everything that could have happened did. I'll spare you the details, but after a missed flight last night, a cell phone left behind in the car, a delayed flight this morning that caused a missed connection, a flight back to LGA, a car ride from LGA to JFK, and 5 hours waiting in the airport, he is en route to Bermuda. Only one day late. Pobrecito! On a good note, I got to see him last night, even if only for a few hours! And now it's only two days until I get to see him again. I head out to Bermuda on Thursday evening (and yes, I am planning on leaving extra early for the airport just in case). Looking forward to a relaxing weekend, just Brett and I on a tropical island enjoying the sun, more warmth than I've experienced in at least 5 months, maybe a bit of snorkeling, or golf, or scooter-riding, swimming, sleeping in and all the other luxuries of our resort. Here's a taste of what is to come: