Puerto Rico - Day 1

Friday, 1 May 2009

Travel day: L and I both had super early flights. We were supposed to meet up in Atlanta to catch our flight to San Juan. L's first flight was delayed and she didn't make it to Atlanta in time. She ran (even was losing stuff our of her bag) to get to the flight, but the gate agent had already closed the boarding door. I absentmindedly got on the flight for San Juan thinking she was already on the plane. Yeh, I little more stress than I needed AT 9AM. L wasn't able to get on the flight, but she did catch the next flight to San Juan. I only had to wait about 1 hour. In the mean time, I got my luggage and found that the zipper pulls had been ripped off of my bag. If I opened the zipper, the bag was useless. So, I took it to the Delta agent, and he is looking all over my bag for the zippers.....yeh keep looking....they are gone!! So, after 15 minutes of that, he brought me a brand new bag.

Once Lisa got to San Juan, we rented our sweet Hyundai Elantra and headed east to El Yunque (the Caribbean Rainforest). **Let's just say, Puerto Rico has some crazy drivers** We stopped and picked up some Subway (yeh we didn't look to hard for dinner) and drove up Highway 191 from the south part of the rainforest. We drove for about 20 minutes while our ears popped and stopped for a few pictures. We finally stopped at the Casa Cubuy Ecolodge http://www.casacubuy.com/for our 2 night stay. The Casa Cubuy was a clean, rustic, bed and breakfast type place. Meals are shared with all of the guests at a large dining room table. It was awesome to meet everybody staying at the Casa Cubuy. We checked into our room and ate dinner. We sat and marveled at the view of the rainforest and then decided we were tired and went to bed. Lots of reading and sleeping on this trip!

Here is the view from our room

Angels and Demons

Two thumbs up. We went to see the matinee show today.

First of all, I have to say that I haven't read the book yet and I still haven't seen the DaVinci Code. By the end of the movie, I was ready to plan my next trip to the Vatican.

We found the movie to be very suspenseful, but it didn't seem too long. Even though the story was fiction, there were some truths about the Roman Catholic Church.

Bowling Banquet

On Friday, 15 May, I decided to take the day off of work and participate in our Bowling Banquet....which is a golf outing. I was lucky enough to play with the most fantastic foursome EVER! We laughed, almost cried, and might have had a touch too much to drink. All in all, it was a gorgeous day. I managed to squeak out a 99 and that included one birdie. But once the bloody mary's and capt kicked in....it was all down hill:)

Life in Puerto Rico

What a different, yet similar world. The cars are the same, the fast food is the same, most people speak English, the post office is the same.....but there are so many interesting differences between PR and the states. We have been to the rainforest, the beautiful beaches of Vieques, and now we are in San Juan. I have so many incredible pictures to share....but that will have to be another time:) Hi to everyone in the States....see you soon.

Golf Outing for Leukemia and Lymphoma

Yesterday, my dad and I participated in a golf outing to support Pat Watson, a cancer survivor. Her story is incredible and her family is even more incredible. Pat has been in remission for over 5 years and continues to be thankful for each day. I met Pat yesterday and she was so thankful to us for supporting her golf event. I was impressed that she came to each table to introduce herself! What a special lady!!

The weather could have cooperated a little more. We were called off the course after 6 holes and just barely got into the clubhouse when the rain started.....and it started coming down sideways. The rain cleared out in about 20 minutes and we were able to finish the round. My last drive of the day won me the longest drive for ladies. I walked away with a giant basket of wine, wine glasses, wine rack, stirrers, and food. What a great prize!

A much needed vaca

....is exactly what I need!

I good friend called and asked if I wanted to take a trip. The choices came down to Puerto Rico, Argentina, a cruise.....it was decided that a trip to Puerto Rico would be the best option (so much less paperwork for me). So, tickets have been purchased and we are outta here 1 May. I just need to find someone to get my butt to the airport at 5:00am on a Friday!

Any takers?

Getting Organized

Over the past few months, I have been given the opportunity to participate in several Franklin Covey courses. The courses deal with the different aspects of leadership and how to become an effective leader. The principles learned in the classes can be applied to my professional life, as well as, my personal life. Unfortunately, change is only going to happen when the principles are exercised and used on a daily basis. I have found it very difficult to practice the principles because there just isn't enough hours in the day or I find it hard to facilitate change with others, when they have no idea what I am talking about.

Today, I took a FC course titled "Focus: Achieving Your Highest Priority." The class was fantastic and focused on time management and organizational skills. We were given a FC planner and taught how to use it. I have had planners in the past, but this time, I think (and hope) that the use of the planner will become a habit and help organize my work and my personal life. The class also focused on tasks that are important versus tasks that are urgent. I think we have become an urgency driven society.

So, I vow to use the planner for the next 21 days, until it becomes my newest habit! I just wish it was as easy as watching tv or one of my other horrible habits:)