Comments:
Has it really been 20 years?
I attended Michigan State after graduation and earned a degree in Interior Design. Three days after graduating from State I began my first job in the Caribbean (Grand Cayman) doing commercial and institutional interior design and volunteer work in historic preservation (which is very fun working in a foreign culture). The Westin Casuarina Beach Resort was one of my contracts as a designer and I eventually went to work directly for Westin Resorts. After opening the Grand Cayman resort I tossed away my interior design credentials and went into something that paid far better and was immensely more interesting- bartending.
I found my initial design job on Grand Cayman while still in school. While on spring break with my family I took scuba diving lessons... one thing lead to another and I ended up marrying my instructor several years later. He was on a boat delivery to Barbados, called me on a Monday from the Dominican Republic asking me what my schedule was on Thursday. Considering I was only working the morning shift, I was free in the afternoon for a wedding! It was a gorgeous day and in a horrible $10 moo-moo I found in a seedy shop in NYC paired with ridiculously expensive shoes (which somehow sums up life in Grand Cayman) I picked the most beautiful flower from a crack in a friends driveway, enlisted the help of co-workers and friends to impromptu organize, and met Brian at the top of the Bluffs by Pedro's Castle where we said our vows. Then of course we had a proper state-side wedding with family and friends (none of whom knew we were previously married) in South Carolina by the lake in my parents backyard. I still feel God is going to strike me down based on the Catholic priest asking us if we had ever been married before. We did not know how to answer- in general? to other people? Please be more specific... we answered "no". I keep waiting for lightening to strike.
We attempted to leave the island three years after I arrived via our beautiful sailboat "Blue Skies", a 39' 1971 Ericson which had been fully restored and that was firmly the center of so many warm island memories: riding the bunson chair to the top of the mast to construct our 100 ft. "Christmas Tree", swimming in to work with my uniform over my head after "winning" the around the island race... She lost her rudder in rough seas outside of Cayo Largo, Cuba two days into the journey home, we ran aground, we sank. The End.
If you ever want to feel rich when you think you have lost everything (all of our worldly possessions were on that boat), do it in Cuba. It is the most pristine nation; an incredible untouched paradise. The people are selfless, friendly, resourceful, and seemingly unaware that they are cleaning their floors with mops having no fibers or wearing shoes with no soles (bare feet literally touching pavement). We made the journey to Havana in a WWII Russian bomber with the headliner panels literally falling down mid-flight, drove in cars that were started via a crank, and passed by homes missing complete walls. With only a duffle bag and a guitar we still had more than the people of Cuba who seemed blissfully oblivious. Quite a lesson to remember in today's world.
After a very short stay in Portland, OR (too cold coming from the tropics!) we again headed south to the Florida Keys. Our welcome was hurricane Mitch after only having time to move our belongings from the moving van to our new home. This provided job security for me transitioning back into design with plenty of storm damage to clean up until the next storm, which came often. I went from insurance jobs in mobile homes to A-list clientele such as Nick Carter (Backstreet Boys) and Kelly McGillis' restaurant in Key West (Top Gun) and publishing in Open House Magazine. It was here that I learned to design, open, and run design centers with D'Asign Source (my employer) being the first. I would be told how glamorous my work was but in reality it was a lot of hassle with little time to play and enjoy the environment. We lived in a home we dubbed "the tree fort", a simple box on stilts hidden by the gumbo limbos with an iguana named "Margarita" taking up residence upon our roof. We had a small flats boat in the marina in our backyard that we would hop aboard after work with a picnic dinner to watch the sunset. It was a peaceful but very isolated life...
Itching for some stimulation we packed up and headed back to Oregon (which is sadly lacking the Con Leche). Life has become somewhat "normal" and I have spent the majority of my time here (6 years) consulting for, opening, and managing new design studios. When the children came and the market began to shift I headed for the hills and made the short leap into pharmaceutical sales. It was a logical move really- HVAC, erectile dysfunction... If you ever want to talk a little overactive bladder, it is a fascinating subject! (For instance, did you know Mary Lou Retton competed in the Olympics with an untreated overactive bladder?)
Pfizer took us to Southern Oregon for a short stint living in rural america amongst the cows, horses and hills but Portland has always felt like home and relocating back for a third time we hope to stay put for awhile.
My husband, Brian is from Vancouver, Canada. He is adventurous, funny, and the perfect Dad (a big kid at heart himself). He has worked with large trucking and heavy duty engine manufacturers such as Caterpillar, Freightliner, and most recently DSU Peterbuilt. He runs his own company and goes to school in his "spare" time.
My lovely daughters... The decision to have children came after we had had enough of jet setting and playing (and wanted something to force us to stay put for awhile... though it hasn't worked having moved 3 times in the past 18 months). They keep us grounded. Kierra figures it is her job to be a "big girl" at the old age of 3 and show her little sister Ruari (proun. Rory...Irish spelling since Brian is Irish) age 1 how things are done! Kierra goes to a "school" that I am convinced is investing my tuition well obviously teaching her to do things like bite the tops of Doritos to make "trapezoids" since I know it didn't come from me (do I even remember what a trapezoid is???). Her idol in life is Dora the EXPLORLA! (This a twist on Dora the EXPLORER). Ruari is gearing up to someday compete on "Dancing with the Stars" and has a wiggle to rival all wiggles. I know she will campaign to have the distinction of "Cat" changed to "Dog", the cat figures she was put on earth to inflict sheer torture on small furry creatures. Who knew children could teach you so much after you are totally and completely convinced you have life figured out. They are a joy.
We spend much free time between the Oregon coast and the mountains where the fact that kite surfing has taken over windsurfing at the Gorge somehow makes me feel incredibly old. This is the beauty of Oregon... not as rainy as Washington or snowy as Michigan (in fact, they say we get no snow though that is a complete lie!), no sales tax, and within a couple hours you have your choice of ocean, mountains, or desert. If you an outdoors person it is heaven. When we are not feeling so outdoorsy there is plenty of city life to dwell in like theatre, wonderful restaurants including the best coney dog ever, and wonderful boutique shopping.
Who am I kidding... I have two young children and a career, it is a good day when I actually get to sleep in until 8 am and take a shower by myself two whole days in a row! We play "Wormy Apples" and watch "Madagascar" for the THOUSANDTH time on a big nite in and a gourmet meal is takeout chinese. But I wouldn't have it any other way...
It has been fun to catch up with all of you and read your profiles! I hope to change my "no" to a "yes" and find a way to attend the reunion. UGH I feel old thinking about the fact that it has been 20 years!!!
