2014 was quite a year here at Sarah Under the Sea. I made good on my 2014 New Year’s resolution to continue traveling and recommit to diving. I also started this blog in May, joined Twitter and Instagram, became a Venture Crew co-leader, and ended the year by landing a position at my current company that includes paid vacation and holidays!
2014 by Numbers
4 Countries:
- Bahamas in February
- England in August
- France in August
- Mexico in September
2 States:
- Louisiana in June
- California in November
2.5 new SCUBA certifications:
- Deep Diving Specialty in February
- Wreck Diving Specialty in February
- Stress & Rescue Diving- I completed the classroom and pool sections in November; but my trip to San Francisco prevented me from completing my open water check out. The check out dives will should give me a good start to 2015!
12 dives:
- 1 dive at Hudson Grotto
- 9 dives off of Bahamas
- 2 dives at Blue Grotto
14 Memories of 2014
14. Finally making headway on my Stress & Rescue certification. I decided this certification would be useful back when I was a junior in college, and that was four years ago. I will hopefully wrap that course up in January.
13. Successfully throwing together a last minute trip to TBEX Cancun over the course of seven days in September. Until this year I never had to think much past buying plane tickets, if even that. While this trip did not require figuring how to fill my time, I did have to orchestrate flights, taxis, and hotel accommodations. It was stressful but an experience I am glad I had this year. It was educational and rewarding.
12. Experiencing the wonder of the red woods at Big Basin State Park. It reminded me off the importance of being in nature and how small my day to day problems are. The trees, the forest, and views on the drive to and fro are worth the drive and the cold.
11. Losing my mom on the London Overground. This memory wins “Travel Fail of the Year” in my book. All I could imagine during those excruciatingly long hours was skyping my dad and trying to explain to him how I managed to lose Mom. Okay, and maybe I also imagined her having a bit of breakdown in some dark alley somewhere too (yay guilt!). Happily, it afforded us an opportunity to see a bit more of the city and learn about public transit.
10. Wandering the streets of San Francisco. So much life everywhere and each corner is a little different. My favorite parts of town were Chinatown and the piers. This is probably because I have a secret love of cities since Florida cities mostly fail at being cities in the more traditional sense. The company, my boyfriend and a couple of friends from high school, on this trip heavily contributed to the fun.
9. Wine tasting in Napa takes the next spot on this list. I love a good red wine, but it is even better with an amazing view with old friends. The Artesa tour sticker made me smile with its Treky-esque vibe; or maybe it was the yummy sparkling wine provided to kick off the tour.
8. Having the opportunity to lead Mr. Sea on his first ever night dive while we were in the Bahamas. A shark approached us out of darkness when we were alone on the aft of the deeper wreck. My heart fluttered at the sight, but his eyes bulged as the shark made a quick beeline in our direction. It cut away a good distance from us but it makes for a great story. He was also a bit slow on figuring out what was happening when we tried to show him bioluminescence (plankton that light up when the water is agitated).
7. The overwhelming feeling of accomplishment as our atchafalayak (psuedo-canoe-kayak crossover vessel) skidded ashore after paddling 60 mentally grueling miles through the Louisiana swamp with the Venture Crew. This trip proved mind over matter is a real thing…and choose your paddle partner wisely. Thankfully, Mr.Sea and I left the swamp stronger as a couple for it.
6. Diving with reef sharks in the Bahamas crossed off a desire I’ve had since my first year of diving. While it wasn’t the romantic Valentine’s Day most couples enjoy, it was the sort of adventure Mr. Sea and I relish. Plus, I got more pictures with him than I had in our (at the time) two plus years together.
5. Seeing the Eiffel Tower “sparkle” was hands down the winning moment of my time in Paris. I love sparkle and the romance of the moment was not lost, even with my mom complaining about the time (10pm).
4. Visiting the Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio Tour London was a highlighted of the year for this fan-girl. I should be embarrassed to even hint at how many times I was close to tears with emotion throughout this tour. Next time I go I will get to fly on a broom (stupid lines).
3. I have never felt as close to heaven as I did during mass at Notre-Dame de Paris. I speak practically no French but it was moving and beautiful. It was in part the beauty of the tradition and partly the wondrous beauty of the stained glass windows looming over us and the hollowed stone that holds tight to its secrets and ghosts surrounding us.
2. Tea at The Ritz London was simply divine. Delectable finger sandwiches, sweet scones, and mouth-watering deserts served as the perfect welcome to London for this tea lover. It was made even more special by my mother’s company. We agreed the only thing missing was devonshire cream. Sorry, clotted cream does not do it for me the way devonshire cream does.
1. Releasing a baby turtle at sunset on a beach in Cancun is the crowning glory of 2014. I lectured mine on the importance of avoiding suspicious food items because they are most likely trash, wished him the best in life and put him in the sand to flail wildly for the crashing waves a couple feet away. So readers, please think twice before you litter; it could be washed out to sea and my little turtle could eat it and die; but I know you would never do that.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! My New Years resolution for Sarah Under the Sea is to write more frequently and more timely after my adventures; so I hope you will stick around this year because 2015 promises to bring more adventures on shore and under the sea for me, and I hope it brings adventures for you too.
