Saba, bathing suits and cortisol

So....a friend of mine advised me that I need to write in my blog more regularly so that people can remain updated.....and of course I know that you are all hanging on the edge of your seats waiting to read the next entry....ha ha.....so I will try to be a little more regular.....there is lots going on though, so writing doesn't seem to take priority.....BUT all that will change when I am relaxing in the sun in Saba because I won't be working full time and trying to move my family to another country....I will have oodles of time to keep you all updated on our adventure!
So I learned something very interesting this week....I went to a conference on the impact of family violence on children and it was excellent. One of the things that I learned was about how we have chemicals in our brain that have to be released at the right times and in the appropriate amounts to keep us happy and healthy....we were talking about cortisol which is a chemical that drizzles out in the morning to give you your happy injection for the day....and the cortisol peaks at about 10 am, so theoretically you should be your happiest and most stress free at that time of day....so why now is this relevant or remotely interesting? Well it applies to my life with bathing suit shopping.....of course moving to the Caribbean I have been advised that I definitely need more than the one bathing suit I currently own......but bathing suit shopping for me is rated right up there with trips to the dentist, immunizations and overdue bills....a nasty, stressful event that should be avoided if at all possible! So I was chatting at my table with a couple of colleagues (of course not during the presentation....definitely coffee break) and it dawned (ahem) on me that I should take advantage of this optimal level of cortisol and go shopping for a bathing suit some morning at 10 am!! That the issue isn't my body being slightly out of shape, it is that I am shopping at the wrong time of day, the evening, when my cortisol is kaput! Anyway, we had a great laugh and we all thought it was an excellent idea! Sooo....Mary Lou, if I disappear some morning around 10, I could be found in a dressing room somewhere in Charlottetown trying on bathing suits...with a SMILE....
So...I assume that you are now wondering about the Saba plans.....well 5 weeks from today we will be in our new house in a new country! I can't believe it.....we are in the packing boxes for shipping stage and I am having difficulties picking which shoes to bring....I was trying to limit myself to 3-4 pairs but it is proving to be a challenging task! Who knew I was such a shoe monger?? We are also weeding out and getting rid of stuff and this weekend we plan to start packing things that we don't need to put them into storage.....We also have been advised by the Christmas commitee members (Monty and Christian) that it will be December in 2 days and the tree MUST go up....so we will be packing and decorating all at once it would seem! Anyway it is getting late and I have to be up early in the morning to practice with the praise team for singing in church....oh and those of you reading out there please feel free to come to Cornerstone Baptist's Christmas Contata...December 13 @ 7PM at the East Wiltshire School gymnasium....it is a great opportunity to share in some music, celebrate Jesus....the reason for the season! and get into the Christmas spirit! Love to see you there.....Good Night and God Bless!

Looking forward....and back

Time is flying......we are down to 5 and 1/2 weeks until we leave for our 20 month adventure in the Caribbean......the lists are a flyin'.....immunizations...check...dog travel arrangements...check....boxes and tape...check.....criminal record check...check.....you get the picture....it is alot of work to make this all happen! I am SOOOOO excited, anxious, terrified, thrilled (to escape this snow...ick), sad....I don't think that I have ever felt so many intense emotions at one time! I anticipate that it will be like this for a little while until we are moved and settled (thank God that I have a patient and laid back hubby who is quite capable of managing me with all these emotions ;) I am looking ahead to an awesome opportunity, an exciting adventure, an opportunity of a lifetime and imagining all of the possibilities....and I am looking behind at what I am leaving....beloved friends and family, an amazing church family (just when they are about to move into the new sanctuary!) , my choir (oh I will miss my choir), a great job and my 15 year old Eskie, Nikki (she is too old to make the trip and lets face it...an Eskimo dog in the Caribbean??) So I am trying very hard not to look back too long (remember Lot's wife?) I know that God has some amazing plans in store for us and some life changing experiences and I must go forward with joy and embrace this for the blessing that it is! Joe is so excited, I don't think that he has any reservations AT ALL....I mean it....he is just so darn happy to be going to medical school, it has been his dream for so long and he has worked so hard....he is like "let's get on with the show people" He has been a wonderful source of encouragement and strength for me (see I knew I kept him around for a reason...tee hee...) He is very positive about it all and calm, cool and collected.....( I guess that someone has to be!) The kids are mixed...both excited in many ways and both sad to leave their family and friends behind (just like their mama)....they keep asking "how many months until we come home, Mom?" I am sure that 20 months seems like a lifetime to them, but I keep encouraging them by reminding them how many people are going to come visit us on our tropical island.....they love the idea of people coming to visit!
Anyway just wanted to write a quick update to let you know how we are progressing in our "moving" plan! Slowly we are getting there and before you know it we will be in Saba (and in shorts...Hallelujah!) I can't wait to see and feel the warm sun....I am pretty sure I am just going to lay outside (in the shade of course or I will be a very interesting shade of RED) and feel the heat....I'll be thinking of all you chilly folk up here, shovelling snow for the 43rd time.....

Have a great night, God Bless,
Dawn

7 weeks and counting!

I can't believe that in 7 weeks we will be packed (hopefully) and leaving PEI for the Caribbean....it really is surreal, I almost don't believe it.....I am very excited in many ways, excited about the sunshine and the warmth (I hate this cold,dreary, cloudy weather) and not having to work full time (maybe not at all) and getting to spend more time with the boys and just living a laid back, simple lifestyle.....it all sounds great.....having said that, I am still me, you know the crazy lady with ANXIETY....so of course, you know it can't be a worry-free transition! So, yes I am nervous and slightly terrified to move to a totally different country!! and yes I have lost a few hours (ok full nights...who am I kidding?) sleep on the thought of the the extremely huge amounts of money that we will owe after we have finished this crazy adventure. I am also worried for the kids and their transition and how they will adapt, will they make some special friends, will they like it etc? I know that we will be creating some unforgettable memories for our family and in 20 years the kids will look back at pictures and say "Mom, remember Saba, remember when we lived in the Caribbean for those 2 years and ......" unfortunately when you are 5 and 10 you don't appreciate the concept of the "big picture". So both of them are excited but a little scared too (understandably). We have spent alot of time looking up Saba stuff on the internet so it has been fun, and we have purchased things from people leaving the island that will be waiting for us there (like all kinds of toys, fishing rods, games, books) so the boys are excited about all that. So many people have commented to us that we are so lucky, so blessed that we have such an amazing opportunity, to do something many people only dream of....and I know that they are right....it is an amazing opportunity and WE ARE BLESSED! Funny thing about blessings though....they are never simple, never just a blessing....with blessing comes change and adjustment and then personal growth ( and growth implies growing pains...ouch) etc....so it is never easy, never just a blessing....does that make sense? I have grown a little too comfortable and complacent in my life and I am about to have my world flipped around a bit, I know it will be amazing and fun and adventures that I could never dream of from where I sit right now....BUT I also know that I like my comfortable life...ahhh nothing is ever easy is it.....so we are in the final phase of planning to leave....getting ready to post for sale signs on everything, slowly packing things up, getting all the paperwork ready, the immunizations etc etc.....7 weeks....WOW......so close that I can almost touch it! Anyway thanks for listening (reading) I will post more in the weeks to follow....take care.....God Bless, Dawn