Sunday, December 16, 2007
Teddy Bear Tea at the Ritz Carlton
A Christmas tradition - a girly afternoon at the Ritz Carlton Teddy Bear Tea. This year, hosted by Taylor's Godmother, Diana, and her daughter Callie, a great afternoon was had by all .
Sailing in the Islands
Ryan has been taking sailing lessons all term. 
Here, he is sailing an Optimist. Tina, the motorboat chick, referred to this incorrectly as a Pico.
Here, he is sailing an Optimist. Tina, the motorboat chick, referred to this incorrectly as a Pico.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
My First 10K
November 18th. I ran my first 10K race. The annual Pirates Week "To Hell and Back" started at 7am at the Governor's Beach. The route took us up Seven Mile Beach Road to Hell Road in West Bay with the Devil's Hangout being the turning point (hence the name). The race ended at the Courtyard Marriott where a feast awaited the runners. Melissa Boxall was my running partner, and thanks to her level of fitness and ease with running, she kept me occupied with stories for the entire run. We finished in 1hour 4 minutes. Taylor, Ryan and David came out to cheer us on.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
National Gallery Casablanca 1940's Black & White Ball
November 3rd. The Nat
ional Gallery of the Cayman Islands hosted their annual ball with a twist this year. The Gala was held in the Island Air hangar at the airport! The Cas
ablanca theme was evident from the moment you entered, with a Rick's Cafe sign posted above the entrance, to parachutes on the ceiling and elegant decor. Every corner of the venue had a Moroccan flair, and a blackjack table was a creative touch for fundraising, with prizes given out at the cost of $25 per hand. Once the 
guests were seated for dinner, a belly dancer wowed the 
crowd of 300. After an auction of paintings from local artists, and a raffle prize donated by British Airways for a trip for 2 to Morocco (no, we did not win) the evening was capped off with a filled dancefloor. Even when the music ended, guests were in no hurry to leave this fabulous affair. We look forward to seeing what they could possibly do to top this event next year ..... Stay tuned!
ional Gallery of the Cayman Islands hosted their annual ball with a twist this year. The Gala was held in the Island Air hangar at the airport! The Cas
ablanca theme was evident from the moment you entered, with a Rick's Cafe sign posted above the entrance, to parachutes on the ceiling and elegant decor. Every corner of the venue had a Moroccan flair, and a blackjack table was a creative touch for fundraising, with prizes given out at the cost of $25 per hand. Once the 
guests were seated for dinner, a belly dancer wowed the 
crowd of 300. After an auction of paintings from local artists, and a raffle prize donated by British Airways for a trip for 2 to Morocco (no, we did not win) the evening was capped off with a filled dancefloor. Even when the music ended, guests were in no hurry to leave this fabulous affair. We look forward to seeing what they could possibly do to top this event next year ..... Stay tuned!
Halloween
October 31st. The High School Musical Cheerleader, the Cammo Ninja and a Dirty Old Man get ready for Halloween.
David turns 39.
October 19th. We celebrated David's birthday with a South Beach Themed party . 50 close friends and family came over for the celebration. With Mise En Place and Barnes Bartending taking care of the guests with food and drink, the
evening was a great success.
Taylor gets rid of her trainer wheels
September. Taylor decided that it was time to ride her bike on 2 wheels. By the end of the afternoon, she was like a pro!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Our UK vacation
How to sum up a fabulous summer vacation? Well, it is no easy task, but here I go.
We spent 4 weeks this summer touring England and Scotland ... first staying with family in Basingstoke, England recouperating from our transatlantic trip (thank you Uncle Tony & Aunt Sybil). Once over the jet lag, we head into London where we enjoyed visiting with friends, sightseeing, museums, the London Eye & Tower of London (see photo, left, with Ryan, Taylor & a Beef
eater). Then on to Edinburgh on the Flying Scotsman (4.5 hours train ride from Kings Cross Station, London to Edinburgh) where we met up with the Woodfords and Robertsons, our good friends from Cayman, and some of their Scottish friends (see group photo above). We all overlapped in Edinburgh for literally 24 hours and had a great afternoon and evening together. While in Edinburgh, we stayed with family and had a super time getting to know them over fabulous family dinners, a wee dram, and lots of laughs. After spending 3 fun filled, action packed days in Edinbur
gh climbing Arthur's Seat, Touring Edinburgh Castle, Ghost Tours and getting to know the city, we travelled North. Our first stop was Blairgowrie & Dundee, where we had dinner with some of David's family that he has not seen in over 15 years and met up with more friends from Cayman (left: Duncan, Taylor & Ryan and Scone Palace). We continued our journey North to Pitlochry and Aviemore, then South to the Isle of Mull (see photo of the seal colony and Tobemory in the background), finally ending in Glasgow. Every moment of our 2 weeks in Scotland was an adventure, whether we were visiting the smallest distillery in Scotland, 
Edradour, with the Petrie's, or driving in the highlands through some one lane mountain passes with no one but the highland cows observing, or braving the north winds and rain on Isle of Mull as we tried to visit Iona. The kids tried blood pudding and Haggis, searched for Nessie on the Loch Ness, travelled on an old fashioned steam train in Aviemore, and met the Clan Chief of the Maclean's at Duart Castle in Mull. We stayed at beautiful Bed and Breakfasts and, for the most part, had pretty decent weather .... for Scotland. 
We spent 4 weeks this summer touring England and Scotland ... first staying with family in Basingstoke, England recouperating from our transatlantic trip (thank you Uncle Tony & Aunt Sybil). Once over the jet lag, we head into London where we enjoyed visiting with friends, sightseeing, museums, the London Eye & Tower of London (see photo, left, with Ryan, Taylor & a Beef
eater). Then on to Edinburgh on the Flying Scotsman (4.5 hours train ride from Kings Cross Station, London to Edinburgh) where we met up with the Woodfords and Robertsons, our good friends from Cayman, and some of their Scottish friends (see group photo above). We all overlapped in Edinburgh for literally 24 hours and had a great afternoon and evening together. While in Edinburgh, we stayed with family and had a super time getting to know them over fabulous family dinners, a wee dram, and lots of laughs. After spending 3 fun filled, action packed days in Edinbur
gh climbing Arthur's Seat, Touring Edinburgh Castle, Ghost Tours and getting to know the city, we travelled North. Our first stop was Blairgowrie & Dundee, where we had dinner with some of David's family that he has not seen in over 15 years and met up with more friends from Cayman (left: Duncan, Taylor & Ryan and Scone Palace). We continued our journey North to Pitlochry and Aviemore, then South to the Isle of Mull (see photo of the seal colony and Tobemory in the background), finally ending in Glasgow. Every moment of our 2 weeks in Scotland was an adventure, whether we were visiting the smallest distillery in Scotland, 
Edradour, with the Petrie's, or driving in the highlands through some one lane mountain passes with no one but the highland cows observing, or braving the north winds and rain on Isle of Mull as we tried to visit Iona. The kids tried blood pudding and Haggis, searched for Nessie on the Loch Ness, travelled on an old fashioned steam train in Aviemore, and met the Clan Chief of the Maclean's at Duart Castle in Mull. We stayed at beautiful Bed and Breakfasts and, for the most part, had pretty decent weather .... for Scotland.
After our Scottish adventure, we flew back to England and enjoyed chilling out and going to movies back in B
asingstoke. Grandma and Grandpa Kirkaldy were also visiting Basingstoke from Cayman and we all took a day trip into London. We visited the Imperial War Museum, took a boat tour down the River Thames (see photo's, right), visited The Royal Observatory in Greenwich, and met up with a childhood friend of Tina's for dinner.
asingstoke. Grandma and Grandpa Kirkaldy were also visiting Basingstoke from Cayman and we all took a day trip into London. We visited the Imperial War Museum, took a boat tour down the River Thames (see photo's, right), visited The Royal Observatory in Greenwich, and met up with a childhood friend of Tina's for dinner.
The trip was a super adventure for our family and a great chance to connect or reconnect with some of David's family. Ryan and Taylor were perfect travel companions ..... and most importantly, had a chance to get to know their paternal roots.
Post Dean
As you are all aware, we dodged a real bullet with the threat of Hurricane Dean. Even though the Category 5 hurricane passed just over 100 miles south of us, this is still what happened to South Sound (Mimi and Taylor are standing in the middle of South Sound Road). Coastal flooding was minimal this time around, but some homes did sustain damage.
We are very saddenned for Jamaica, Nicaragua and Honduras.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Hurricane Dean
Well, we were going to blog about our long vacation to England and Scotland, but this has been pre-empted by Hurricane Dean. Luckily the 7am local time update from Miami Hurricane center has dean going about 80 to 100 miles south of us. With memory of Hurricane Ivan just 3 years ago, that 80 miles still feels too close. We have finished all prep work. It was 3 intense days at Massive to get all equipment up 3' off the floor to avoid flooding, and all the vehicles and rolling items up to mom and dad's home in West Bay. At home we are stocked with tons of water, food (including MRE's - hoo-yah), and have just filled all the bathtubs with water. All doors and windows are shuttered and we are ready to get it on. Water is to be turned off at 9pm and power to turn off at 10pm, to coincide with the imposition of a curfew. Sat phone is on, we are as ready as we can be. Will blog on the aftermath when we can after power back on.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Ryan rock climbs
July 16th. Ryan works up a sweat with a fun morning at the Ritz Carlton camp. Good technique Ryan!
Taylor's Birthday Party
Taylor and a few of her BFF's celebrate an early 6th birthday party with afternoon Tea at the Ritz Carlton.
Cayman Heritage Day at School
June 15th. Taylor and her classmates from year 1 dress up to celebrate Cayman Heritage and treat the parents to a traditional Cayman Feast for lunch. Here Taylor is with some friends enjoying the day.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Hugh's birthday brunch at the Ritz
Ryan and Taylor help Grandpa (David's Dad) blow out his birthday candles after our feast at the fabulous Ritz Carlton. Champagne flowed and the food was endless and spectacular. Happy Birthday Hugh!
The Hospice Big Bash
May 2007. Always a sell-out event with a waiting list for tickets, the Hospice Care Big Bash is one of the must go-to events of the season. Hosted at the Pappagallo Restaurant, this fund raising party is guaranteed to be great fun.
Boating with the cousins
April 2007. We took David's cousins who were in town from Canada and Jamaica, out for a beautiful day in the North Sound: Maia from Jamaica (standing), Dara (Maia's sister who lives here) in the water, and Keira and Christina from Canada (on the float).
Easter and Dominoes
The dominoes competition heats up every year! This round was Mike and Jennifer (Tina's parents) against John and his girlfriend (and J.C.'s Mum) Tara.
Easter and Stingrays
My brave goddaughter from Atlanta, Rebecca, along and her Mum, BFF Rachel, did not know what to do when the stingrays came close by. Taylor was safely perched on David's shoulders. This was an amazingly calm late afternoon at the Sand Bar on Good Friday.
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