Well, other than my brief About Me section, there really isn’t much more that you know of me thus far (that is, of course, unless you’ve read anything from the Travel section of the blog). So, I figured since I’ve been posting for almost a month now, I might as well let my readers into a bit more of my life.
The first photo is my tools. I love to paint and play around with different artistic concepts. I have found that by moving to the Caribbean, I’m surrounded by inspirations that just cultivate creativity. I’m so thankful for the opportunities I’ve had to express my artistic side while living in Puerto Rico and there have been many folks and events that nurture this process.
The second photo is myself standing on a VW beetle that has been buried bonnet down in the flat plains of the panhandle of Texas. Evan and I randomly happened upon several of these V-Dubs in a row while making our way home from our two week roadtrip to the West Coast. We were both impressed with the artists who compiled this massive heap of metal canvas. I personally love VW Beetles, as I drove one through high school and my undergraduate.
I know I’ve mentioned Evan several times. That’s him in the bottom right, doing what he loves. We’ve been together over two years now – after meeting in Florida at our undergraduate university. You can read all about how we met in this post here. It’s actually quite ironic, you might enjoy it! My little adventurous dog, Sophie, is in the top right. She’s like our little kid: she gets all the attention and love from both of us (regardless of what Evan may want to believe, he does really love this little dog haha). Sophie surprises me all the time – she loves to play fetch with anything, she doesn’t mind the ocean, she climbs trees, she gives “high fives” and she can retrieve specific toys by name. You may not be as impressed as me, but for a small dog with a small brain, I think it’s quite a feat!
Then of course, there’s my passion for the ocean, which I’m sure you are well aware of already. I took these photos when we first moved to PR and went exploring our beach right down from our house. Evan and I are always finding interesting things in the ocean. We love to dive, which is a major part of our research. But we do it for fun too. If you want to watch a silly video that I put together, you can find it here. It’s entertaining and there’s music to it (AND you can see me dance underwater in full SCUBA gear).
I received word recently that my first manuscript submitted to a scientific journal was accepted with some revisions. I’m thrilled! For those of you that may not know, being published is a highly sought after accomplishment in the scientific world. In fact, it’s what every researcher and scientist strives towards. Many will publish immensely in their careers, few care about it all, and the vast majority may publish various research projects (in particular graduate degree work), which is just fine in my mind. So, this was part one of my thesis work that I completed in 2011 and I’m very excited to have it published soon.
I made this from a newspaper clipping from my hometown in Tyler, Texas that featured San Juan as the “Passport Free Paradise”. With a photo and a bit of Photoshop, I turned it into a little motivational image (feel free to share). I feel like it is certainly a true statement. Paradise isn’t necessarily a tropical location in the Caribbean (trust me, our locale has its negatives too) but it is all about how you view it. There are many aspects of island life that can be difficult for others to adjust to, including myself. But I know that my experience here is based solely on my mindset. So I choose to focus on the positives. I see a difference :)
So, that’s a bit about me. I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading :) I’d love to get to know you better! I enjoy connecting with my readers and I love to meet new folks through blogging. Feel free to share your story here too :)
Until tomorrow,
Aaw – I loved reading a bit more about you. :) I forget how I found your blog, but I've been enjoying it all month! Love your photos, and your adventures – and I'm kind of an ocean addict myself…he he. I hope I can move to my own paradise one day, too!
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Oh how very sweet of you, Michelle! Thanks for the follow – I do LOVE hearing that folks like what they find here! I appreciate you sharing that with me!
And I do hope you move to your paradise too!! But of course, your paradise can be anywhere, really :)
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Congrats on getting published! I too love all the ocean themes in your blog. As we've established, I <3 the sea and your pictures and lifestyle bring a smile to my face in my overly hot, dry landscape :)
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Thanks for sharing. I very much enjoy your writing and you are an excellent photographer!
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Congratulations on having your first paper published! And Chelsea, I can't believe you're from Tyler. That's my boyfriend's hometown! Keith was born there and lived there until he was 12. We were there in June for his aunt's wedding, and I kept cracking up over the number of donut shops. There are twice as many donut shops there as there are in Nashville!
Also, we both have Pomeranians (I think Sophie is a Pomeranian?) Either way, Sophie is adorable! :)
<3 jen @ stuff jen did
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Aww thanks Jenny! I'm glad I bring you a daily smile! I've completed my goal of the blog, then :)
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Thanks Erin, that means a lot! I appreciate your compliments!
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No way, really!?! What a small world! haha that's one reason why I love to meet people through blogging – you never know who lives just right around the corner haha. Yes there are LOTS of donut shops in Texas. It's funny you say that, because I never noticed it at all, until a friend from Florida came through and said the SAME thing haha. Geez, I dunno what that says about Texans haha..
And yes, Sophie is a pom :) What are your poms names?? I think they are just the cutest and sweetest little breed. They each have their own really unique personalities. It's adorable!
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Crazy small world, I love it. :)
Our poms are called Carb and Cadet. They're HUGE for poms, 15 and 20 pounds each! They were Keith's dogs first, so I didn't name them, but I love 'em. They really do have distinct personalities. Cadet is my little spring-mounted shadow. She follows me everywhere and is obsessed with toys. Carb is the fluffy paperweight type.
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Haha I love the descriptions of your poms! haha!! too cute!
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Congrats! I love that pic of you with the vw beetle!
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Thanks!! I'm so happy we found that place, it was totally by mistake. That makes for the best trips though, right? :)
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