Shark Diving

   Way back before we found out about E's hearing issues, my husband and I had booked a trip for our five year anniversary. We considered canceling the trip many times because we weren't sure it was a good time to leave E for the first time or to spend any money. We knew we couldn't get a full refund and as the time grew closer, we realized that we needed this vacation now more than EVER. My parents drove up to keep E for the week while my wonderful husband and I set off for our dive vacation in the Bahamas :-)

View from our room at Sandals Royal Bahamian

  I found the ONE PLACE that my mind isn't filled with thoughts of hospitals, audiograms, and worry: at the bottom of the ocean. We have been divers for about three years now. Swimming among the coral is by far the most at peace I have ever found myself. One of the first things we did when we found out that E was deaf was to find that silver lining and say, "Well, you don't need to hear to dive and he'll be one up on everyone else by being able to use sign under water!" I hope our little man is as much of a water lover as his mom and dad.

  We saw plenty of amazing things during our dives, but one of my favorites was a juvenile sea turtle that was very friendly. It stuck around quite a while to swim with us and pose for the camera. For my anniversary and Mothers Day present, my WONDERFUL husband decided we should go on a shark dive! I was SO EXCITED! I have been wanting to go to Belize to dive with nurse sharks from the moment I became certified. Obviously, we haven't made it to Belize yet, but we did get the opportunity to dive with reef sharks :-) I thought I would be really nervous, but as soon as I stepped into the water, I was overcome by their beauty and grace. They were very curious about us goofy looking fish swimming beside them, but otherwise unconcerned with us. An added bonus of swimming with the sharks was the amazing wreckage perched perfectly along the floor. I guess it is kind of funny that when I relax, it involves swimming around with 20-30 massive sharks, but it was HEAVEN for me!

Our little turtle friend

 Hubby cheesin' with Gary the Grouper

Exploring a wreckage

Posing for a pic with the sharks

  We love meeting people when we are on vacation. We were very excited to meet a great couple to spend time with during the week. They also happened to be divers and joined us on the shark dive as well. It was a blast to get to know them and hang out for dinner and just to chat on the beach at night. While talking with our new friends one day, we were overheard by a man nearby when we mentioned that our son is deaf. He excitedly piped up to tell us that his son is deaf too. Of course this was an instant connection. His five year old son has bilateral CIs and will be attending mainstream kindergarten. After a really great conversation, we exchanged information and will be keeping in touch. He very kindly offered to assist us with the journey ahead (state law, insurance info, IEPs, etc, etc). I really just couldn't get over how amazing it was to meet this man while just hanging out at the hot tub in paradise. It was as if God reached down, hugged me and whispered, "You are NEVER alone."

  I am SO glad we decided to go ahead and take our trip. I am SO in love with my amazing, shark-diving hubby! I was SO excited to get back home to my fantastic little boy who greeted us with the greatest snuggles and giggles. In short, it was a wonderful trip and hopefully refueled my tank to take on life with renewed strength.