Caribbean Ramblings . . .

I just want to preface this post by saying that I sincerely would much rather be home in the freezing cold weather in Utah, expecting snow storms than having to be away from my dear wife. This has been a longer trip than usual, and I'm anxious to get home.

With that being said, I could definitely think of many worse places to be on a business trip right. I flew out on Thursday morning, taking a cab to the airport at 4:30 am in 7 degree weather, to Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Jamie and I went on our honeymoon to Jamaica five and a half years ago - and at the time, I didn't particularly care for what I saw of Jamaica (except for the incredible Ritz Carlton property we stayed at).
But this time, I really like Jamaica. The topography is beautiful. Lots of lush, green hills. Beautiful beaches. Colorful plantation houses. That being said, Ocho Rios isn't a place I'd like to vacation to. It's not a place you feel safe walking around in after 8 pm. That's for sure. I think that's why all of the hotels there are all-inclusive resorts - hotels where you don't have to leave the property are most popular here. But the people with whom I've been meeting and working with couldn't be happier and more friendly. They're so hospitable and so welcoming. I mean, I get offered a 'good time' or a chance to 'get irie' every time I walk down the street!

The good news is that my purpose in being here worked out great. As some may know, I've been given a new position within our company to head up a new brand, a new business. The name of the new brand is Cariloha (www.cariloha.com), and we're opening three stores in 10 days. The first was in St. Thomas (January 23rd). The second was Ocho Rios (January 28th). And the third is Cozumel (February 1st). So, I got to Ocho Rios just in time to build out a new store within two days. Needless to say - it was a lot of work. We worked two consecutive 18 hour days, and we put together the most beautiful store in the entire shopping area. Our store opening made quite a buzz our first day. Here is a picture of our store and staff:




Well, now I am in Cozumel - the Pearl of the Caribbean, as its called. And I couldn't agree more with that name. Cozumel has a special place in my heart. And in contrast to most islands, you always feel safe walking around here at night. It's 'todo tranquilo'. The food is fantastic. The shopping is great. The diving is even better. It's just a cool, cool place. And it's growing so much - for the good and bad. Bad, because it takes away a little of its charm. Good because there are so many more options for restaurants and the area just looks nicer.




But not all is 'todo bien' here in Mexico. We've come across some complications. Check this story out: Our designer, a young lady named Sabrina, flew down here by herself to get started on overseeing the build-out of the store. Well, she was in the store, and some store manager from another store who felt threatened by our presence, apparently called immigration, reporting that Cariloha has 'illegal americans' working in the store. So, Sabrina's in the store on her first day. Keep in mind she speaks no Spanish. And immigration comes in and asks for her working papers. She doesn't have them, so they apprehend her and take her to the courthouse. Fortunately, she's not having to stay the night in a mexican jail. She was just given a subpoena and ordered to not leave Mexico and to not enter the store, and she has to appear in court at the end of the week. Crazy!
So, fortunately we're working with a great attorney who does all of the work permits for the church when they construct churches and temples internationally. I think it will work out fine, and Sabrina has been a good sport. She's just working from the hotel room. The poor girl has barely left her room - even though she's in paradise here.
We did all go to Carival last night. They actually began doing "Carnival" here several years ago when some brazilians came and taught them how to put together a traditional Carnival. I saw it six years ago when I was living down here, and it was neat then. But now its huge. They had a parade with, I'd guess, over 100 floats, and most of the spectators and participants were wearing costumes. There was loud music - salsa, merengue, techno - and everybody was dancing. There were taco stands, juice stands, esquites (corn with mayonaise and chile and really good) stands set up on every block. It was awesome! If anybody is ever planning on traveling to Cozumel, I highly recommend planning your trip during Carnival, as it's just a ton of fun.
Well, this morning, since we're under the 'federale' microscope until Sabrina's court date and we can't work in the store, we went scuba diving. Cozumel has some of the best diving in the world. They've got the second largest reef in the world along its coast with a constant drift. It has great visibility and pretty good marine life. I went with a group that didn't have as much experience, so I was the most experienced. But you wouldn't think so. After our first dive (we dove the Santa Rosa wall, which I highly recommend. It has caves, tunnels, and goes down about 100 feet), I came up with a huge head ache and was throwing up. Somebody pointed out that my eye sockets were really red - and it turns out that I had several popped blood vessels. Apparently, the pressure from my mask was too high, and it caused major pressure in my head, and caused me to get sick.

But I'm alright. The good news is that I may be able to come home a day earlier than planned. Despite not being able to work directly in the store, we're meeting off-site and making great progress. We likely going to be open on Saturday, which is exciting.

I'm really excited about this new business and this new career opportunity. The next few months will tell us a lot about where we are and where we need to go.

President Gordon B. Hinckley

I guess this wouldn’t be a journal if I didn’t write down my thoughts about a man who has just passed who has had such a profound impact on my life. President Gordon B. Hinckley (President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) passed away around 7pm on Sunday, January 27th. Just over an hour after that, breaking news had hit the television sets and the news spread like wildfire. I wasn’t watching TV and Dustin (who was in Jamaica) was calling me to break the news. Within minutes I received 5 more phone calls. This is a man who others strive to be like. His knowledge and testimony of the church along with his natural charm, charisma, social grace and wit have touched the lives of so many all over the world. Not only those of the same faith, but those of many other faiths, the non-believers, the cynics, and the hard-core reporters as well. He was so in tune with everything that was going on in the world, yet he lived as though he was detached. He has won over the hearts of teenagers throughout the world. (I work with teenagers on an almost daily basis and I truly understand how hard that can be). When many of those in high school here in Utah found out about President Hinckley, there were at least 5 or 6 high schools in which the students decided to dress in their Sunday best to go to school on Monday in order to pay tribute to this man. My Grandma didn’t believe in a lot of teachings of the church, but she always had the most wonderful things to say about President Hinckley. People couldn’t help but love and respect him, even admire him. He won over the hearts of everyone he came in contact with. Not to mention that he was able to accomplish more in 1 lifetime than I could ever do in 10. At the age of 97 he was traveling the world and touching the lives of so many. As many have said, I cannot even begin to imagine the reunion that he must have had with his wife and so many others that had passed before him on Sunday evening. We may be mourning the loss of him here, but there is a big celebration on the other side. I never was able to meet him in person, but I was able to attend quite a few meetings where he was speaking or in attendance. The feeling in the room when he was speaking was truly amazing and I will hold onto those feelings for as long as I live. I am so grateful to have learned from such a remarkable man. It has been a blessing in my life.

Greatest Snow On Earth

What a winter. It seems like it's been winter for too long already. I remember going to the Utah/Utah State game in September during a freezing snowy day. Now, it's near the end of January, and winter is only half over.
I don't know how many out there aren't football fans (if you're not, you're just not watching a game long enough), but watching the two conference championship games made my bones hurt. I couldn't imagine playing in sub-zero temperatures like they did in New England and Green Bay yesterday. When you play in weather that cold, it just intensifies the pain you feel. It's hard to justify how much professional athletes get paid - but I'd have to say that they earn every cent of their paychecks during January.

Well, last night we went to bed, and it seemed that the weather was warming up a bit. The snow was mostly melted from the driveway. I had started to run a little at night. Well, I woke up this morning for my early morning meeting, and there was about six inches outside with plenty more to come. But what I loved about the snow was that it was pure Utah snow. We busted out the shovel - but I could have removed the snow with a broom. It was so light and powdery. That's why Utah has the best skiing in the U.S. - hands down. I've been to Colorado. I've been to Wyoming. They may have great terrain - but their snow doesn't even compete. And there's nowhere like Salt Lake, where you can get to your choice of nine world class resorts within a 45 minute drive. Now, I just need to get up there to ski a bit more. Attached are some pictures of the 12 inches that finally fell at my house when it was all said in done.




One more fun thing. I guess the Salt Lake Tribune was doing another article on my brother Steve about his chances of going to the NFL. There were some recent mock drafts projecting him to be a fifth round draft pick (http://www.nfldraftsite.com/). Well, he told me about it, but I didn't think much of it (Jamie and I have almost become immune to the news as he's kind of a media slut), and had even forgotten about it.

Well, he called me last night to remind me to read it (which he never does). So, I went to the website to read it (http://www.sltrib.com//ci_8025907?IADID), and it was what I expected . . . except for the second to last paragraph where it mentions that he and Savanah are expecting their second child. WHAT? That was news to me. I guess they've known for more than two months, but this was how they decided to break the news. So - my little brother who is six years younger - will have two kids before we have one. Who'da thunk?

Duddies and Yamie

Most people know us as Dustin and Jamie, but in the world of our nephew Bo, it's Duddies and Yamie. It was Savanna's birthday on Wednesday so Steve took her out to dinner and I had the distinct honor of watching Bo. At almost 20 months old, he has more personality than he knows what to do with. When he was walking up to our house, Steve asked him who's house it was... his response was Quique. Little does anyone realize just how right he is! When he walked in he saw me and gave me a big smile and then gave me his perplexed face with scrunched eyebrows and a tightened mouth (it's the signature Bo look). "Duddies?" He didn't understand why Duddies wasn't at the door to greet him too.

Quique gets so excited any time one of the kids comes over, she loves kids so much! She just kept kissing Bo, whether it be his hand or his face or his back when he bent over. One time Bo leaned over to her said "kisses" and then kissed her mouth and Quique licked him. For any of you not grossed out by that, it was adorable!!!

That night I had to go to Young Women (church) since I was leading the activity that night so I brought Bo. From the moment he arrived, I don't think that he stopped talking. Now when Bo talks it's ja bla di la ma cha ra ta star dah blah de. In other words, there are usually a whole bunch of words that I don't understand mixed in with some that I do. So he was walking around the perimeter of the room at church saying his jibberish and then points up to a picture on the wall and says "Jesus" and then continues with the jibberish. It took me a second to realize, wait, that kid just said Jesus!

When we got home, "Mom and Dad" were ready to take Bo home, but first he wanted to go downstairs and play with the cars some more. Dustin and I seriously have 3 or 4 toys for the nephews to play with and we always think that it is so funny how they always want to stay and play more. I can guarantee that their toys at home are a lot more fun than what we have to offer. So after a little bit of playing, it was time to go home. Another funny thing that Bo does is he will tell on you if you're doing something he doesn't like. Anyway, Steve picked up Bo to take him home. Bo immediately starts in"Duddies (followed by some jibberish and then points at Steve) no daddy (followed by more jibberish). He was trying to tell on his Daddy to Dustin. Pure Entertainment! (And these were only a couple highlights from the 3 hours we spent with him).

We have been blessed with such awesome nephews, each with their own distinct personality. Even though the oldest just turned 3, it has been so fun watching them grow and learn and watching their personalities unfold. Of course the spoiling part is a lot of fun too. The only thing more fun than being an aunt is probably being a mom and maybe a Grandma, but those I have yet to experience. I love being an aunt!!!

I'm Spoiled!

On Saturday I had to work, so apparently that day Dustin had the great idea to make me dinner on Sunday night. This is probably the second time that Dustin has made me dinner, (not including reheating dinner from the night before) since we’ve been married. And for Sunday, we’re not just talking pasta or salad, we are talking the works! He was actually on the computer looking for recipes as to how to cook our fabulous dinner.

Drum roll… he grilled up some steaks or shall I say pan-fried steaks and made an excellent bleu cheese butter for the top. He cooked mussels in some type of sauce made with garlic, green onions and who knows what else and how could the meal be complete without two crab legs. WOW!!! It was awesome!

So while Dustin cooked and learned the art of multi-tasking in the kitchen (at least I got some empathy there) I was able to kick back on the couch, catch up on food blogs and watch football while smelling all of the wonderful aromas from the kitchen. In all fairness, I do love to cook so I don’t expect Dustin to do the cooking. But can I tell you how wonderful it was to sit back, relax and be catered to! It was truly amazing! I love my husband so much and I was so blown away by this romantic and thoughtful gesture. He didn’t just make me dinner, he made me a feast! I don’t even think he can begin to realize just how much I appreciated our Sunday dinner. It was one of the best! Thanks My Love! Maybe I should work Saturdays more often...

PS A very special THANK YOU to Liz. This meal couldn't have been made possible without the cloves of garlic she gave us. Thanks Liz!

The Great Debaters

Last night Dustin and I saw the Great Debaters. This was Dustin's choice. I knew that I had seen the previews and thought that it looked good, but could not remember what it was about. But I guess any time you have Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker in a movie together, it's bound to be good! (Also directed by Denzel Washington). Anyway, we loved it! It's inspired by a true story about a debating team at Wiley College, in Texas. It takes place in the 1935 when many colleges had not integrated. The acting was great and the story was inspiring. Dustin and I were talking after the movie last night and it's hard sometimes to watch how ruthless we were to each other, but it is inspiring to see how much we truly have overcome. I'm not saying that we don't have a long way to go, but at least times have changed.

At the beginning of the movie, Dustin was commenting that the kid who played Forest Whitaker's son looked a lot like Forest Whittaker. (He noticed they had similar ears). Well, what do you know? It actually is his son, Denzel Whittaker. Where else did he get his first name but from Denzel Washington. Not only was Denzel Whittaker named after Denzel Washington, but he is one of his inspirations and he had the opportunity to work closely with him on this movie. How cool is that?

Just wanted to give a plug for the movie. I thought it was great!!! If you don't make it to the theatres, at least rent it when it comes out!

Tagged

So my dear friend Heather tagged me. This is the first time I’ve been “tagged” for anything so here I go…

5 Thing I was doing 10 Years Ago

1. Attending BYU… yes not one of my finer moments in life!
2. Visiting and spending time with my grandma and uncle in Salt Lake almost every weekend.
3. Quitting swimming for BYU. Decided swimming had dominated my life for too many years.
4. Hating Provo and wishing I was back in California or anywhere else for that matter.
5. Doing a 360 on I-15 realizing that a Rabbit Convertible doesn’t hold up well in the snow!

5 Things on my To Do List

1. Text and call girls about Young Women church activity tonight.
2. Put together agendas and figure out snack for Presidency meeting Thursday night.
3. Complete 5 reviews for work.
4. Hire a cleaning lady to help me out a couple times a month. (I hate cleaning!)
5. Call my dad!

5 Snacks I Enjoy (I'm more of a food/dessert person than a snack person)

1. Anything sweet!
2. April’s Dill Dip with veggies (especially the peppers from Costco)
3. Popcorn with peanut M&Ms
4. Diet Coke with Lemon… does that count?
5. Chips and Guacamole or yummy Salsa

5 Things I would do if I was a Billionaire

1. Make sure my family members are all taken care of and then my mom has no excuse to not live near me.
2. Travel, travel, travel!
3. Set up a foundation for Infertility to help fund those that need help but don’t have the resources to do so (Dustin’s idea).
4. Take Quique to Doggy Daycare, swimming and on hikes... whenever she wants!
5. Build my absolute dream kitchen with all the works.

3 Habits

1. Procrastinator – why not put off ‘til tomorrow even if you have time today?
2. Lazy – I love to sit on my butt and watch movies… just ask Dustin.
3. Nail biter – Yuck, I know! That’s why I have acrylic nails, it helps kick that habit.

5 Places I Have Lived

1. Walnut Creek, CA
2. Provo, UT
3. Salt Lake City, UT
4. Madrid, Spain (1 month for a Study Abroad)
5. Holladay, UT

5 Job’s I’ve Had

1. I also began my career at the snack bar, like Heather and Kristin. I think all I did was eat!
2. Coached Synchronized Swimming.
3. Coached the 6 and unders (Speed Swimming) at Walnut Creek Swim Club.
4. Worked with Jennifer @ Sunflower a flower design wholesale store.
5. I’ve worked for Marriott for the last nine years… wow! Started with making reservations for Ritz-Carlton hotels, then managed Member Services for The Ritz-Carlton Club and now I’m managing a team with Marriott Vacation Club.

I wish my life was more exciting to read about, but not so much! So, I'm going to tag: DT, April, Liz, Amy, Sarah and Autumn (if she ever does any of the blogging).

I'm Baaaack!

Yes, I know! It has been a few weeks since I’ve jumped back on the blog bandwagon. I’m a slacker… what else can I say? Here is my list of excuses: my mom and sister were in town for two weeks over the holidays, I started a new job (same department, new responsibilities) and and excuse for Dustin is that he is heading a new project at his work and they are opening some new stores beginning this month so things have been a little hectic in the Tate household.

Christmas was great! It is always so wonderful to have family around to spend it with. I actually stayed up to ring in the New Year this year with some great friends and my mom, of course. Usually Dustin and I do our goals for the upcoming year and then I just go to sleep, but not this year!

So much has happened over the last two weeks that I would hate to bore you with the details, but I have one cute story about our sweet puppy that I wanted to share. You haven’t had too many Quique stories so I want to share this one for the blog archive. A few days before Christmas, I hit up Petco and got some treats, toys and a cute “paw” stocking for Quique for Christmas. I put everything in the spare bedroom since that was my junk room during the holidays. Whatever the case, later that day, Quique followed me in the room and when I turned around her nose was in the Petco bags sniffing around. I immediately shooed her out of the room and closed the door behind me, or so I thought. A little while later, I was sitting on the couch chatting it up with my mom and sister when I heard squeaking. I figured it was just Quique playing with one of her toys, but then I remembered that none of her current toys had the squeakers left, only the new toys did. I ran into the spare bedroom and there she was chomping away on one of her new toys. That stinker!!! I kicked her out of the room once again and then she just sat in front of the closed door whining. She continued to do this until Christmas. Sometimes she would just walk by and whine, other times she would stop and sit, but she certainly didn’t forget what was in that room. It was just like a little kid that had found her presents and couldn’t understand why she couldn’t play with them since she knew they were hers. Just another reminder to myself that I do in fact have a child! She may have fur, but she is as human as you get, without being human.

Back from the Holidays

So, the holidays were obviously hectic. Much more so for my wife than for me. And for proof, look no further than seeing two consecutive posts from Dustin before Jamie posts at all. Not likely to happen again any time soon.

For those who care, the Poinsettia Bowl was a lot of fun. Utah nearly found a way to lose the game, only to barely hold on. But it was the best bowl game that I've been to - in terms of the crowd atmosphere and organization. It was really a treat to play against a team like Navy. Their fanbase is very committed, and they were all very classy. They have a team ritual, where the cadets march on the field and do a military yell for their opponent, and then yell "Go Navy", and run to their seats. Then, win or lose, at the end of the game, they invite the opposing team to sing their school hymn with them, and then they go sing the opponents fight song with them. It was really cool.

After the game, Steve signed with Weddle's agent, and he left today to Hawaii to prepare for the Hula Bowl, for top seniors across the country to showcase their talent in front of NFL scouts. Not bad. He gets to go to Ko'Olina, Hawaii twice in seven months.
Wait. I hope that I didn't wake him up by typing his name. At the game, Eric, as well as his agent, gave me a bit of a hard time because they get google alerts every time their names appear online. So, in my last post, when I wrote about them, they both were waken up by their google alerts. Little did they know that they were going to be waken up at 4 am (in the case of the agent, who lives in Florida, three hours ahead of California time), only to see that their name appeared in the highly underrated blog "Tate Chronicles". In any event, Eric's as classy of an individual that you'll ever find. And I was relieved to see that his Chargers crept past the first round of the playoffs today. I'm hoping that they knock off the Colts next week. Go EW!

That's it for my San Diego trip. I've included my album. Click on the link, and you'll see my flickr album of the SD trip.
San Diego Trip