Our Special Day

Since I've known Kelley Taylor, we've endured butt injuries, crazy ass tropical storms trying to drown us, and at-risk kiddos with their strange medical afflictions and even stranger questions. We've nearly peed our pants laughing together so many times I've lost count. It's been six months of friendship. Today we took it to the next level and tried to achieve the perfect day. Or as it was also called: "Busack and K-Bot's DAY OF FUN!!!"

We got up this morning on a mission: to squeeze as much fun and adventures into a day as we could. The following tale is the result.

STEP 1: One or both participants must get tattoos...

Kelley woke up on a mission this morning to get a tattoo. When the Alex patrol (Tiberio and Busack) came out to watch, she said "Ok, which one of them will be leaving with ink today?" Sure enough, by the end of the day, Kelley and Alex both had tattoos. Don't worry, Mom, it was the other Alex...

Brandon getting started.

Halfway done.

Alex surprised us later in the day with a text saying he had gone back...and presto!

STEP 2: There must be a roadtrip of some sort, preferrably with a view of bright blue/green water...

Yahtzee.

Driving with the top down.

STEP 3: Dolphins

I'd had dolphins on the brain for days, making it difficult to get any work done. So after extensive research (1o minutes online and then a recommendation from Jinky) we decided on the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, FL. It was a bit of a drive (see Step 2) but it afforded us the chance to not only see real live dolphins frolicking around, but creepy giant ones out front as well (see Step 6).

Creepy dolphins out front.

Making a break for it. So long and thanks for all the fish.

Guy smiley.

So happy.

STEP 4: Flowers

Take pictures of flowers that you see, whilst yelling "Flower day!" and drawing attention to yourself as you snap away.

STEP 5: Pie

When you're in the Keys, this can mean only one thing: Key Lime Pie. And holy hell did we stumble upon a great Key Lime Pie at Ma's Fish Camp.

STEP 6: Find a roadside attraction, preferably something terrifying

Fortunately the Florida Keys have abundant resources of such things. You usually have to drive no more than 10 miles north or south to find a critter or animal enlarged to epic proportions.

Lobster apocalypse? Not concerned.

STEP 7: Cap off the day with drinks during a SPECTACULAR sunset

Anything less than spectacular is unacceptable, so that magic hour on either side of 7:30 p.m. can make or break your perfect day. We lucked out this time, and were joined by some good friends at the Big Chill for appetizers and beers as the sun set over Florida Bay.

So now that the perfect day is over, what else do we have to look forward to? We asked ourselves the same question and decided that this will be perfect day #1 of 4 for 2012. We've decided to call it the FANTASTIC FOUR. Our next perfect day will take place in Kelley's home town of Boone, NC. #3 will take place in my hometown of Olympia, WA. And the grand finale is scheduled for somewhere in Belize. Stay tuned.

A Sharp Breath of Cold Air

This post is a little late, but oh well.

It was a bit of a shock to the system earlier this month to go from the 80 degrees and full on sun blast of the Everglades to 20 degrees in Boston. In the Everglades, it's easy to take the sunshine for granted some days, but emerging from the Subway to the view above reminded me how startling the sun can be.

It was an interesting time to be in Boston as it was the weekend of the Super Bowl. So while the city was busy whipping itself into a Sam Adams fueled frenzy in anticipation of the big game, I went on a little walk along the Freedom Trail. Of course, here at Feneuil Hall there was a full size ice sculpture of Tom Brady.

Trying out the Macro Lens.

Paul Revere.

Ooh I love this picture. He looks like such a badass.

It was a wonderful trip, pretty much exactly what I needed exactly when I needed it. I spent the first couple days with Olga, who I hadn't seen since she left Outward Bound a year ago. It was during this time that we realized a strategy for overcoming the whole "spending the entire phone conversation catching up and that's all you talk about" syndrome. We may have stumbled upon something big.

I then had the chance to catch up with a couple friends from AmeriCorps, and during this time I realized that time and distance separates us as humans, but there are people in this world whose mere presence can transport you back to the person you used to be. With Nique and Shira, it was easy to tap into 2007 edition of Alex. And they served as a reminder of how important it is to not lose those people who are important to you.

Speaking of which, I was then on to see Sue, our last shot at some QT before she headed off to the Peace Corps for two years. We traipsed around Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts, hitting up lots of tourist traps that were closed for the season. I was thrilled though to see so many "firsts." Such as the first street to be lit by oil lamps in Newport, RI. And the first church established by the pilgrims. And Plymouth Rock. Lots of super historical places at which to nerd out. Fortunately, my partner in crime was the perfect person to indulge in my excitement over such things. It was sad to say goodbye. There is something surreal and unnatural in saying goodbye to someone, knowing it will be years before you see them again.

The trip was short and sweet and before I knew it, I was back in Florida for a few days before heading back out into the field. Unfortunately, somewhere between working with 8th graders from Savannah, traveling on planes, trains, and automobiles, and throwing myself into two extremely different environments, I had caught the uncommon cold. And a tendency for run-on sentences. Just kidding, that's always been there.

I call it the uncommon cold, because it so thoroughly knocked me on my ass that calling it "common" seems to be doing myself and the illness a huge injustice. But there I was, in my newly decorated room with ocean access, completely unable to move or enjoy my time off. Six days later, the crocs were back on my feet and a paddle back in my hands and I was out to the Glades with eight military veterans and a co-instructor who has been working in this job longer than I have been living on this planet.

Stopping for lunch and a photo op on Coon Key. It's amazing how much of that Zinc Oxide smeared onto everything: PFD, paddle, clothes.

The paddle is my new toy. She's super light and awesome. I named her District 12. Here we are about to head into a mangrove tunnel on Marco Island.

In the tunnel. This turned out to be the challenge and adventure portion of the trip for the vets. For Alan and myself, it was a bit of a snooze.

Life, in general, continues to be wonderful. I spent an awesome two weeks at home in Fernandina, where we did our best to play as much as possible. Tennis, video games, Settlers of Catan, you name it. My roommate and I created cocktails, we celebrated birthdays, and in general, just breathed in that salty ocean air and enjoyed the simple life.

In more exciting news, my little sister Micaela started her year in AmeriCorps*NCCC! My AmeriCorps alum roommates of mine (4) and I are enjoying our new past-time: living vicariously through her and imagining all the fun and new experiences she's having. I know she's turning southern because she's started dropping the "g" in her "ing" words. (Read: Muckin', Guttin') Turns out she's a darn good writer, too. If you want to live vicariously through her as well, you can read all about her adventures without a bucket here:

http://mbusack.tumblr.com/