Steinhatchee & Lochloosa

Jim and I went fishing in Lochloosa yeasterday evening. We were fishing for specks but ended up catching a ton of bream instead. We had a blast. It was our first trip to the lake and we look forward to exploring it more thoroughly when we have more time. Today we took the boat over to Steinhatchee ( about 1 1/2 hours from Gainesville) to go scalloping. We almost turned back when it started to pour down rain about 1/2 way there, but we stuck it out and were very handsomely rewarded. We had such a fun and relaxing day on the water together.

It seems like an eternity...

So much has happened in the last few months that I don't know where to begin. I guess I'll try to go by month. Jim and I went to the Keys in late April for his scuba certification dives. We stayed in Tavinerier and drove down to Key West after the first day to get a look at the place. We didn't stay long, but had a great time. Jim is now a NAUI certified scuba diver So begins our love of the Keys...we can't wait to visit again! The following weekend we went to Ginnie Springs for my skin diving certification. The water was so cold that I wore 2 wetsuits. I'm getting cold just thinking about it. We did some more exploring in Gainesville and finally found Split Rock, a very secret, unmarked nature preserve. It was really neat. We also found some unmarked trails along the Hogtown creek. May was a very busy time for Jim. He began his paperwork to become a Big brother. He also did a bunch of traveling for his lab. He attended a week long conference in Orlando called STLE and met up with his cousin Jack for dinner one night. A few weeks later, he was in Melborne closing a project with the Harris company. We attended a friends wedding in Tallahassee in June and got to spend some time with Richard, Brandi, and Marc. We had so much fun with the 3 of them. We can't wait to see the new adition to the Campbell clan...hopefully soon! A friend of ours joined us for an overnight stay in Cedar Key. We filled the horse trough and went for a swim. The stars were amazing. It was a very relaxing evening. Jim and I took a trip to the Destin area for our 1st anniversary and my birthday. The Campbells were nice enough to let us stay at their bay house for our visit. We went fishing for kings on my birthday and caught our limit almost immediately. What a fun time! Jim made his first solo dive since becoming certified. He dove on a barge near the Miss Louise and said he saw some amazing things. Lots of barracudas! We celebrated our anniversary with year old cake, sparklers from the wedding, and mimosas in our champagne flutes! I can't believe it's already been a year. The best one yet! On to July. Jim finally got paired with a "little brother". He is adorable, has red hair, and loves the outdoors just as much as Jim. What a perfect match! We drove to Marianna to go on the annual canoe trip on the Chipola river. The river was beautiful. I always forget how picturesque and tranquil it is. We had great fire works for the 4th at the camp site thanks to Jason and Virgina. I successfully threw Jim a surprise party in Gainesville for his birthday, and boy was he surprised! It was luau themed and everyone was dressed to the nines. What a fun night! We drove back to Marianna the next day to visit with his parents who were down from North Carolina. It was really great to see them, it had been too long. Jim is playing intermural soccer with a few of his labmates. We got one of our favorite mexican resturants in Gainesville to sponser the team. We are finally beginning to see fruit on our tomato plants. All of our hard work is paying off! We have been having some problems recently with some beautiful yellow rat snakes eating our chicken eggs. It's an inconvence but they're nice to look at. We hope to spend the rest of our summer eating great tomatoes, traveling, fishing and exploring. Until next time...

Misti Meadow

I opened a new shop on etsy.com called MistiMeadow. This is a place where I can sell my handmade bags and accessories. Check it out! MistiMeadow.etsy.com

Nola

Whew. It has been a busy couple of months! It seems like we have been traveling every weekend. We rang in the New Year with some friends in Miami and are really starting to like it there. We've been all over the state on various weekend adventures and just returned from New Orleans. We hung out in the French Quarter and went to one of the most popular parades, Krewe du Vieux, leading up to Mardi Gras. It was amazing and we had so much fun! We roamed the streets and took in the music and atmosphere, visited the local historic cemetaries, oogled the beautiful plantation homes, and ate the most amazing food. When we got back we were exausted but it was well worth it! We are hoping to have some more awsome adventures soon!

Happy Holidays!

It's December...15 days until Christmas! I hope everyone has their shopping done. The fall semester is almost over. Finals week is upon us. Jim and I are looking forward to a much needed winter break. We can feel the holiday cheer in the air. Our Christmas tree is up, the house is decorated, and we are looking forward to our first Christmas as husband and wife! We are going to see The Nutcracker next week (one of my personal favorites!) at the performing arts center on campus. We will be spending Christmas with Jim's parents in North Carolina and are hoping for snow. From our family to yours: Merry Christmas!

Puerto Rico

We just returned from a fun-filled, energetic, adventurous 4 day trip to Puerto Rico. It was nothing short of amazing!!! There was electricity in the air mixed with the calm, slow-going attitude found in the carribean. The coffee and food was terrific. We got a chance to practice some spanish and relax on the beach. We started our trip in Old San Juan where we walked around downdown on the cobblestone streets and made our way over to San Cristobal Fort. It has a wonderfully rich history and is one heck of a site to see. The following day we drove to the middle of the island to visit the El Yunque Rain Forrest. Wow! It was unbelieveable! That afternoon we hopped on a ferry to Vieques, a small island off of the mainland that is home to the world's brighest bioluminesient bay, called Mosquito Bay. We kayaked out to the middle of the bay and swam. Every movement caused a flash of blueish-green light that was totally breath-taking! The light is caused by aggitating dinoflagellates (plankton-like organisims) who use the flash as defense against predation. After our bio-bay tour we slept on the beach at one of Vieques most beautiful, hidden bays. We heard the popular Reggaeton music and the famous call of the Coqui frog all over the island. The following day we spent some time at the beach, and did some snorkling off of the shore, and saw an amazing coral reef. Jim even made friends with an octopus and jellyfish! We took the ferry back to the mainland and hit a street festival in San Juan. We tasted some food and had a few pina coladas and took in the local culture. That night we stayed at the Windchime Inn in San Juan. It was a neat little place that was full of character! On our last day we traveled to Arecibo Observatory. There we saw the world's largest radio telescope. It was huge! Later that day we returned to San Juan and wandered the streets of old San Juan one last time to picked up some souvineers before reluctantly heading to the airport. It really was amazing and we can't wait to have more island adventures soon.

Updates

Well, it's been awhile since our last blog and we have some news to share. I am leaving my current job with ASC next week. I have accepted a job on campus working for the Mechanical & Aerospace Department. I made this decision after agonizing for days over the pros and cons. I think that I will be happier there and it will afford me more time for studying, etc.. We will also be traveling to Puerto Rico at the end of this month with a small group of friends. We are looking forward to it :o) Other than that, it's business as normal.