Guinea pigs, pigeons and Gumbo......

Greetings from sunny Saba....the land of eternal sunshine and +30 weather! It has been awhile since I last wrote.....the days seem to go by so fast.....and before I know it 2 weeks have passed and I haven't written a thing! Time is a flyin' and before you know it I will be PEI bound....only 16 days until we depart for our little fair isle.....I am excited to see people, to shop, to eat at chain restaurants, to go to movies and just really enjoy a PEI summer....I hope that you have all ordered up good weather for me?? After all, I am leaving +30 behind so I will need to have at least +25 or I will be wearing a sweater and wrapped up in a blankie!! ( I am sure you all feel the same after that long, cold winter!)
Life continues to be an adventure here on Saba......things are going well for the most part. We have had potlucks at the beach, snorkeling, guinea pig births, park days with SOS, a cooking night with SOS (where we were taught how to make authentic Louisiana cajun gumbo!) So lots has been going on! Christian is really loving it here and he is a little sad to leave, although happy to see family back home....he has become quite the little snorkeler in the past month or so.....when we came here in January he barely tolerated swimming (in a pool) and particularly disliked getting sand on his feet at the beach....soooo....we are so pleased to see that he has changed so much...he is becoming a great little swimmer and now enjoys the beach and absolutely loves to snorkel....he throws on the floaties and his snorkel gear and out he and Joe go into the deep sea (well about 20 feet) I think I hold my breath the whole time that he is out there, after all that is my baby out there.....AND there are sharks and moray eels and stingrays swimming about! Christian was so excited the other day as he saw sea snakes...yellow ones with dark polka dots...he was pretty pumped.....Monty is now a pro snorkeler and part fish, so he loves to get into the water! The other day at the beach, Joe pointed out that I was the only one not snorkeling or swimming out past my waist....(uh oh ...he is finally on to me!) So he says why dont we go out for a snorkel together.....I'll stay with you.....our friends can watch the kids for a few minutes.....so I am not sure how to turn this down without looking like a total baby.....so I agree to go....after a few swim strokes, I tell Joe that he has to hold my hand! Because I am pretty scared and almost hyperventilating a bit.....so he does, dear fellow that he is.....and he basically drags me out into about 20 feet of water where there are literally tons of fish and sea snakes and sea urchins etc.....the sights are amazing....that is until I let it register again that I am now in 20 feet of water....nowhere to put my feet down if I am tired....no floaties....and no life jacket (people were starting to make fun of me....and they weren't buying the "I am wearing it so that I can help Christian bit anymore") So I pull on Joe's hand and motion to him towards the shore.....he thinks I am pointing at some fish....I do it again.....he still isn't sure....so I pull hard and give him a bit of a grumpy look....he gets it and takes me back in.....so after we get back in, he convinces me to go out and give it one more try....so I did....and I got a little further this time, and a little longer.....it was fascinating for sure....but still scary....man I am a big baby!! After the swimming and snorkeling we had a big potluck on the beach with friends.....pasta salad....BBQ burgers and hotdogs.....dessert etc.....it was a great time......
So another great night was our SOS cooking night....all of us gals got together and Heather, a new SOS'er from Louisiana made authentic cajun gumbo.....everyone raved about it. And we had a wonderful night of socializing....we have decided that this cooking night will be a monthly night and since we have people from a lot of different ethic backgrounds, it should be really fun and interesting.....next month (which I will miss) is mediteranean food! I am not quite sure what I am going to make when it comes to my turn....is Kraft Dinner authentic canadian??
I have been trying to get out walking every day.....uphill both ways of course! When I came here my goals were tanned and skinny....the tanned part is now accomplished...I have never been so tanned in my life and I love it!!! I am sure it will age me about 10 years but for right now it is awesome...so golden and healthy......ahhhhh.....so now the skinny part needs to be at least attempted! So I am trying to get out walking every day with my friend Lucia who has a 3 month old baby girl (the sweetest) and the heaviest stroller I have ever pushed in my entire life...I tell you we are a sight to behold coming up the home stretch (the biggest hill of all!) She pushing the stroller, me pushing her from behind.....we laugh and laugh......and have to stop every 10 steps or so! We blame it on the baby or whatever else we can find to blame it on, when really we are both just quite out of shape! (although Lucia looks like a model so you would never know!) My friend Amanda has offered to walk me too as well as a new friend Nora...Nora is a marathon runner though and in extremely good shape...her idea of a walk is my idea of punishment!! I told her I better do the hills a few times with Lucia before I attempt to go with her! I bet she could whip me into shape though!!!
So the boys are all doing decently....Joe is studying and studying (he's in the thick of exams again), Christian is having a great time and Monty is day by day! Some days he really likes it here, others he is still homesick....he is looking forward to coming home the most! It will be really nice for him to touch base with all of his old buddies.....
So our newest project is raising up a baby pigeon....and yes I know, I have become a crazy animal lady....well truth be known, I have always been like this! But now that I have some time on my hands I just am able to indulge in this hobby a little more (much to Joe's chagrin!) I really really enjoy the animals.....anyway the pigeon has been quite interesting. I have to hand feed it with a syringe every 4-5 hours, baby pablum.......it loves to eat.....and it follows me around.....so cute.....well he isn't really that cute...but the kids and I (and Joe) are having a lot of fun with him....we are sure hoping that he is able to eat on his own come June 23 as I don't think Joe is going to be so happy if he has to keep up the hand feeding when we are gone!! Anyway the kids found this little fellow on the road one day and we looked all around for a nest or some parents etc.....couldn't find one so we didn't feel we could leave him there in the middle of the road....so he came home with us...I call him Mr.Peeps and Christian calls him Whistles (because he whistles all the time!) Anyway he is neat.......
Our guinea pig babies are growing like crazy! They are about 2/3 the size of the mother now and only 3 weeks old today.....I guess we have to decide whether to give them away or not....and our other pig is due to have babies anyday as well....the kids and I have alot of fun with the pigs and they have such great personalities!
Other than that, life is slowly becoming "normal" for us (whatever that is) We feel more adjusted, more at home, more like we have made our lives here.....although some days we feel like coming home, we try to remember just how blessed and grateful we are that we are here having this amazing opportunity/adventure, even if it isn't perfect, even if it means separation from family and friends for awhile, even if it means getting away from the conveniences that we are used to, even if it means no income and incurring a huge pile of debt!! We are still so blessed to be here......Attitude is 90%, it really is....one of my favorite pastors out of the states is a man named Dr James MacDonald and he has a saying .....it goes "Gratitude is the Attitude that sets the Altitude of your life".....I love this......it is something that I think of often here....days when I start to feel a little bit down about being so far away and maybe not being in the same place as my friends back home (financially, being settled etc) or when I have to have a military shower and all i really want is a long one, or when I see an unflushed toilet yet again (when it is yellow...) or when I can't get the foods I want, or go to the stores I want, or I don't have a job or any money coming in etc......then I start hearing Gratitude is the Attitude in my head and I start to look around and appreciate the absolute raw beauty of Saba, the eternal sunshine and +30 weather, the fact that I am not working which means that I am getting to spend more time with my kids at a time when they really need it, the amazing and wonderful new friends that I am making, the tiny little church in the outdoor cafeteria that I get to attend that is so rich spiritually, and the fact that Joe will finally get to be what he has always wanted to be......so like every experience in life, it isn't perfect or always easy...but so much to be learned and gained....I've been listening to the Hannah Montana soundtrack....don't laugh....it is awesome...and I love her song "The Climb" ....it really reflects where I am in my life....that life isn't about arriving....it is all in the "getting there"....some wise supervisor that I have had for a long time (Cathy) preaches this alot and I am finding it to be more and more true every day! Anyway I hope that you are having a wonderful week.....and I can't wait to see all of you and catch up on what has been going on in your lives! Talk to you again soon,
God Bless.