Keeping up With the Band: tennis

Showing posts with label tennis. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

TENNIS: Sony Ericsson Open

I went to a tennis match with my Mom. We watched Marion Bartoli play Yanina Wickmayer. Bartoli won the match but lost to Venus Williams in the Semifinals. I thought this was a cool picture.

Where it all began...

It's actually quite amusing to look back about ten years ago and I never would have thought I would be doing what I am doing now. I is even more amusing to think back at the road I have traveled to get to where I am now. I am officially an island girl after being raised in the Florida Key's. I started volunteering at the Wild Bird Center in the Keys for 10 years. Around the age of 13 I got involved with the National under Water research Center (NURC) and became a certified scuba diver and began diving at the only operational underwater laboratory in the entire world. There I worked with various scientist from around the world. I even had the opportunity to work with NASA as they trained their astronauts for their journey to space. While working at NURC I was introduced to the wonderful world of photography when one of the employees at the center showed me the pictures he took that day. I thought, "If he can do so can I", and I picked up another hobbie which is still a favorite of mine today. During this time I learned how to free dive. It took me three days to reach the ocean floor at 63 feet below the surface with just a mask snorkel and fins. I attended high school in the Keys and was given permission to to join the marine science program a year early. I became RECON Certified and REEF Fish ID. Certified and became an instructor a year later. I was the leader of a Seagrass Restoration Project and also helped out with a Coral Restoration Project. Around this time I was asked to appear in a BBC Television Program with Phillipe Cousteau Jr. as we broadcasted from the underwater laboratory. Sadly enough a hurricane alter our plans and we had to broadcast from the base instead. It was an awesome experience. I traveled with the Marine Studies group to the Dry Tortugas 2 times to survey the corals and the fish. Around this time my family made it a Sunday ritual to go see the band play at this little resort and marina in the Keys. i found out that my parents have been going to see them perform since my Mom was pregnant with me. That's along time