Elaine is now officially a certified diver

Elaine swims through the coral "canyons" on the outside reef at Shacks on her final certification dive

Elaine got her SCUBA diving certification card this week. HOORAY! Way to go Elaine! Now we're both certified which means we can rent SCUBA tanks and gear and go diving on our own. There are a lot of little places we want to explore.

When we first got here she was perfectly happier to "just" snorkel. I was the one who really wanted to dive. Her passion was (and IS) her horse. I like to ride, but I'm not nearly as good or as passionate about it as Elaine is. Our "deal" was she rides, I dive.

But the more you snorkel, the more inviting, the more interesting diving becomes. And I do like to horesback ride. Plus, we both want to share our passion with the other, and we both want to share in what makes each other happy. So Elaine learned to dive so we can go together. Now it's my turn to learn to be a better rider.

On Saturday, I take my first horseback riding lesson since I left college. A good good friend is a trainer and for my birthday, she is giving me riding lessons. We're hoping this can lead to regular access to another horse in addition to Chocolate so we can ride together.