HAPPY HALLOWEEN

OCTOBER 31. Ghouls, crazy clowns, cute little devils and .... Dog the Bounty Hunter? Halloween was, as always, lots of fun for the kids and grownups alike! The evening began with the always popular annual kids party hosted by Googie and Shane. Ryan and Taylor - aka Punk Zombie and Cute Little Devil - enjoyed bobbing for apples, the donuteating contest, and trick or treating around the neighbourhood. The kids had a great evening. Once the kids were settled and getting their candy overload, the adults had a party to get ready for - David & Kelly's annual Halloween party at Beach Club Colony .

THE BIG ONE

OCTOBER 18TH. David and Steven Hart, who came down from Atlanta with his wife (and my BFF) Rachel for David's birthday weekend, went fishing with Guy Harvey the day after the party. They caught a 45lb tuna and had a fun day of fishing at the 12 mile banks.

DAVID'S END OF 30s BASH

OCTOBER 17TH. David closed out his 30's in style. In true Kirkaldy fashion, we had to do something different and unique to celebrate the momentous occasion. We rented an empty unit at the popular plaza, Governors Square, and spent 3 days transforming it into a nightclub for the evening. As the DJ spun tunes, and the caterers produced an amazing array of food to satisfy our taste buds, the party, consisting of about 60 friends and family, continued until the wee hours.

BOOKS & BOOKS BRINGS AUTHORS TO CAYMAN

Books & Books at Camana Bay has been bringing celebrated authors to the shores of Cayman for book readings. I had the pleasure of attending two such events : Alan Alda and Candace Bushnell.

SEPT 11. TINA TURNS 39

The plan was a very low key birthday this year. WOW - my girls gave me a wonderful surprise! I walked into Icoa Cafe for a quiet lunch with Lisa, and 13 girls were there, awaiting my arrival with champagne, a beautifully laid table, and a delicious menu. Lisa, Aoife, Diana and Gilly pulled off the perfect surprise birthday lunch. Such a happy day surrounded by friends I love.

Later that evening, David surprised me with a romantic dinner at the Ritz in a private beach cabana. This was a great day of celebrating as I slowly approach the big one.

Sept 5-6. Diana's 40th Birthday Weekend

Girls just wanna have fun!! I had such a great time planning my friend Diana's 40th birthday celebration at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. The weekend kicked off with 7 girls checking into the Ritz-Carlton. We enjoyed champagne and jamming to 80's tunes while doing hair and makeup, and getting ready for the big night. Once all dolled up, we went downstairs and joined the rest of the fabulous party girls for dinner at Blue by Eric Ripert. The evening was a huge success!! Party bags filled with girly fun, personalized M&M's and photo confetti adorned the festive table. After a wonderful dinner with great friends, we all went upstairs to the Silver Lounge for after-dinner drinks and dancing. The evening was festive and fun, and epitomized friendship. The next day, some party goers enjoyed a relaxing afternoon at the Silver Rain Spa. Facials, massages, and more champagne was a perfect ending to a great weekend.

Cayman Brac with the Matthews

Aug 22 - 25.

A relaxing weekend in Cayman Brac with Aoife, Mark, Michael and Lara was just what we all needed to end the summer. The timing, and weather, was perfect as we now prepare for Hurricane Gustav's approach. Mark and David enjoyed 3 nitrox dives on Saturday while Aoife, Tina, and the four kids chilled out at the condo, enjoyed the pool and explored the beach. On Sunday, we went on an Island tour exploring the caves, The Bluff, and snorkeling at sunset. We flew back to Grand Cayman on Monday in time to start prepping for Gustav. As the rain beats down, it is hard to believe that a few days ago we were enjoying our beautiful Sister Island.

Viva Mexico!

July 15 - 26. We have just spent 12 amazing days in Mexico. We travelled with Rachel, Steven, Rebecca and Joseph Hart to the Yucatan Peninsula - here a few of the highlights. We arrived in Merida to beautiful sunshine - this would be our base for the next 6 days. Our first day of touring took us to Yaxcopoil, a very quaint abandoned Hacienda town, then on to Uxmal where we toured some incredible ruins. Our driver and guide was knowledgeable and great with the kids. After spending a few hours in Uxmal, our guide took us to a local restaurant where we saw the pollo pibil being cooked in the ground. Our first flavour of Mexican cuisine was a huge hit. After lunch we had a rare privilege to visit with a Mayan family in Santa Helena. Senor Felix is a local healer and he welcomed us to his home. While is wife cooked tortillas and his grandson slept soundly in a hammock, Senor Felix explained the Mayan life and showed us around his hut and gardens. It was a moving and touching afternoon. The rest of our travels for the week took us to the Cenotes in Cuzama where we were taken deep into the forest on tracks with horse drawn trolleys and we swam in the fresh water filled cavern; the coastal town of Celestun, were we took a river tour, and saw hundreds of flamingos, pelicans and other local birds, went through a tunnel of mangroves, and swam in the Ojo de Agua, where the fresh water meets the ocean. While staying in Merida we enjoyed the colonial city and the street fair that takes place every Sunday.We ate rabbit and cochinita pibil, visited small pueblos and market places, bought local crafts from the Mayan street vendors, tried cucarachas and tequila, and, with every meal, ordered quatro frias, por favor (4 cold ones please). On Monday July 21 it was time to move on to the second part of our trip - the Mayan Riviera! Our driver was at our hotel by 8:30 to take us on our journey. En route to Playa Del Carmen, we stopped in Chichen Itza, "One of the New Seven Wonders of the World". These ruins are remarkable, but much more touristy and commercial than what we had become accustomed too. It is best to get to these ruins early (as we did) to beat the crowds. After lunch in Valladolid, we were en route to our final destination. Playa del Carmen is a picturesque beach town 60km south of Cancun. We stayed a block south of the pedestrian street La Quinta Avenida (5th Avenue). For the next 6 days, this was our base. While enjoying some down time hanging out by the pool and at the beach club with Pepe mixing up the perfect margarita while the children played in the waves and David went scuba diving in Cenotes, we also found time for some cultural experiences. We spent a morning in Coba touring the natural ruins and climbing one of the tallest ruins still open for climbing; Rachel, Steven, Tina and Taylor braved the small stone steps to the top. We had lunch in Tulum, swam in the Great Cenotes, and spent time in Xcaret, an "eco Maya" type of theme park. Playa del Carmen was a nice and relaxing way to end a wonderful, eventful, cultural trip.