Just Listen! I don't want solutions....i want to grieve....

Wow. This has been one of the most difficult and emotional months of my life......so much so that I have not been able to blog or really even talk about it.....packing up and leaving a place that you so loved and became your "home" was one of the hardest and most painful things that I have ever done and I hope not to repeat the experience soon.....I feel so blessed that I understand grief and loss so well thanks to my work....otherwise I'd seriously question my mental stability.....but I know what I am going through is normal when you suffer a major loss....and people, leaving Nevis was just that.....MAJOR LOSS.....

sometimes I feel like others dont understand where I am coming from .....my friend Stacey, from Louisiana, another med wife as we call ourselves.....told me that when she returned home people didnt really understand the loss that she was experiencing, the changes and the reverse culture shock.....so she has been a wonderful source of support and encouragement for me through this time......

I came across another med wives' blog today....and it was like I wrote it......I identified with it so much so I am going to copy it for you all to read:

"I've just come away from a very bad week. The kind that changes your life FOREVER (so you know its heavy stuff)
Sometimes life sucks.....BAD
I started crying on the job.....CRYING.....ME....HELLO.....the ultimate professional.....
What can I say ? I 've been out of sorts?
I've got no juice....nothing....nothing to write......
In an effort to help me, other people try to think of someone else they know whose situation is worse or turned out great, with a beautiful ending......or reminding me of the great things that I have......
Well let me tell you folks.....THIS DOESNT HELP.....
I'm not interested in comparing crappy situations, Im not interested in those feel good, turned out great in the end stories.....they dont make me feel better, I know people are just trying to help but seriously.....STOP it.
I just want to be heard by people who love me and care about me and then hear them say wow, that really does suck, I feel so bad for you.....and in some wierd twisted way, t his helps, this validates my feelings.....Im just a woman who wants to be heard.....I dont want the solutions just yet. The problem solving conversations aren't helping.........

I think this woman broke into my private thoughts and blogged them.......this is EXACTLY how I feel.....

So for all of you out there who are going to welcome us back home, back into your lives......please....don't start with the well you were so lucky to have that experience yadda yadda, isn't it great to be home crap......JUST LISTEN.......and pray......that God brings me through it with grace and dignity.

Enough said.

If I could save time in a bottle......the first thing that I'd like to do......

..........Time. How come when we want time to hurry up, it slows down, but if we want it to slow down it speeds up to what feels like a breakneck speed? Ever watch a pot boil? sooooo slow.....but when you want time to slow down so that you can enjoy something, savor every second, it absolutely refuses to do so......I've been singing that old song, if I could save time in a bottle, the first thing that I'd like to do......I won't bore you with all the words....lol......I am very aware of time right now and it appears to be the dominant theme or thought in my head. I have less than 4 weeks in my Caribbean home and I really can't believe it. "Wasn't it just yesterday that we packed up and moved here? Where did 20 months go? I can't believe it is almost time to leave.....I'm so not ready. this little island has absolutely stolen my heart and while many of the other med wives are happy to head home, this med wife is not so much. It's not that I don't love my home in PEI, and it''s not that I am not excited to see friends, family, people that i care about......its that I am going to miss this little island, this weather, the wonderful people that I have grown to love, my horses, my lifestyle, sooooo much. I have already played the final day over and over in my head, the getting on that airplane and flying off to the other side of the world, watching Nevis get smaller and smaller beneath me until she is out of sight......sigh.....this is going to be much harder than I ever anticipated.
I have been busy getting things organized for moving so my apologies for not being a very faithful blogger. We are trying to really minimize so instead of the say 25 bags we usually travel with, we only have 4 or 5 max. It is awful to travel with an abundance of luggage, so we really want to come home with as little as possible. We will be leaveing behind clothes, toys, anything that we can live without or easily replace. We are leaving the evening of august 19th and heading over to St maarten for a few days to meet up with some of our saba friends, and our friends, Ronnie and Brett, from nevis (from England originally) Then on the 22nd we leave the Caribbean and head home. By the afternoon of the 23rd, we will be back on PEI soil, the Caribbean behind us....well some of us anyway. Joe will return to Nevis for one last semester while we get settled back home. It's going to be hard to be apart from Joe for so long but I know we will get through it, hopefully the fall will fly by as it always does (see theres that time theme again....lol) with kids getting settled in school, hockey starting, halloween, christmas preparations.
So as part of my preparation for getting myself in the mindset of leaving I have been making a list of the things I wont miss.....LOL.....so here goes:
1, the mosquitos....well all the bugs actually including the big ugly centipedes, the tarantulas, the ugly yellowy pink spiders that love to come in on my towels, the scorpions and the gnats.
2. The lack of good variety in groceries.....oh sweet superstore, I am going to just spend a few hours standing in your produce section, smelling and staring in awe at the wide variety of fruits and vegetables. The selection down here is quite minimal. There is plenty but sometimes it is strange produce that I don't recognize.
3. Being sweaty and sticky all the time. I take cold showers to cool off (well and to smell pretty again) and by the time I dry off, I am sweating again. And drying your hair with a hair dryer?? thats crazy talk, your hair is soaked with sweat by the time you are done! kind of defeats the purpose.
4. No shopping. There is no walmart, no department store of any kind and really no place to buy clothes and shoes.
5. Opening a cake mix and finding weevils.
6. Leaving a crumb of food out and 1 billion ants show up to celebrate.
I'm trying really hard to make a bigger list of things I won't miss, you know, to balance out the things I will miss list......but it's not working.....LOL
How about the things I will miss:
1. The natural beauty of this island. Its stunning, if you haven't been here, you need to come.
2. The weather, eternal sunshine and warmth. I love it.
3. My friends who have become so dear to me.......my karaoke palsl!
4. the sunrise
5. The sunset
6. The clear sky at night perfect for star gazing.
7. Oualie Beach
8 my horses, oh how i will pine for these creatures.
9 my house and pool.
10 The simple life.
oops , no balance there at all, I better stop, i need to go figure out a few more t hings that I won't miss....lol....
ok its late, I need to get to bed! So friends, less than 4 weeks and I'll be heading home. It will be nice to see you all.
Take care and God Bless.

Just another day in Paradise.......

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, screaming "WOO HOO, What a ride!"

I love this quote.....
There are days when I question our sanity.......really and truly, how many people sell everything they own in their mid (ok, almost late) 30s, put the rest of their stuff in storage, give up great jobs and move to the Caribbean to study medicine, accumulating more debt than most families make in 5 years? But then that quote comes to mind......and I realize that while what we are doing is not the norm, may not be conventional, and is totally outside the box, in essence we are skidding in....screaming woo hoo what a ride the whole way......This caribbean adventure has been awesome and I wouldn't trade it for everything.....even if we had to give up everything we had to do it.....we have gained so much in return and had so many great adventures and we will have amazing memories that no one can take away (not even the bank if we can't repay all the loans....lol) I am so thankful and I feel so blessed that we got to do this......it ROCKS......

As you can see I am in a contemplative, thoughtful mood......you see I am entering a phase where I am very aware of time.....and that our time here is now coming to an end.....and I am starting to grieve, taking stock, looking ahead to the future and what that will bring, and staring behind at what I am leaving......there is so much going on in my head that I could never share it all in a million years! It dawned on me today as I was driving home from the barn that I want to remember EVERY thing, EVERY little tiny seemingly insignificant detail......I want to have the drive from the stable to my house burned into my brain, the potholes in the road, the flamboyant bushes on the side of the road, the palm trees with no tops by Coconut Grove that stand looking lonely, the swampy area in front of Cotton Ground that is so beautiful, the barn itself with its breathtaking view of Mount Nevis....I could go on and on and on......so over the next few months....I am really going to try to record everything I can, take pictures of everything I can, write down all of the details that I am sure to forget if I don't get them on paper.......

I am going to start by telling you right now a little bit about our everyday routine ....what we do day to day.....it might be abit boring for you, but for me, it is a record of my day to day life and how wonderful it is so that I never forget this time.......
My day starts at 545.....my alarm goes off, yuck and I roll over and think noooo, it can't be morning, but it is.....my little finch friend is outside my bedroom door singing away waiting for me to fill his dish......I quickly get into my workout clothes and throw my hair into a pony and out the door I go to meet my friend Jen at Oualie Beach......we head out for our hour long walk, where we admire all the beauty and peacefulness, we talk about life as "medwives" and we work up a good sweat. I get home at 7 and wake up the kids, and work on getting them ready for the day.....I make breakfast, lunches, pack bags, and chase 2 half asleep boys around the house, trying to find uniforms, and shorts and socks and where they left their shoes etc......Monty leaves the house with Joe at 7:30 because he has to catch the 8 AM ferry over to St Kitts. He attends SKI academy over there. Then I finish getting Christian ready, clean up the breakfast mess, feed the dogs and get myself ready. I drive Christian to school (they don't hvae school busses here) and then I head over to the barn. I wander around in the pasture for a bit, saying good morning to all of my horsies, giving them a treat and a little scratch, checking their shoes and the fencing.....and watching the monkeys steal all the mangos (buggers...lol) I lift 2 50 pound food bags up and pour into a wheelbarrow and then haul it around and get the horses fed.....I fill the water tubs, I feed the turtles and the chickens, then I figure out what needs to be done.....some days I have tourists to take out on the beach, other days I go riding with a friend, sometimes I just ride one or two horses in the paddock and make sure that they are getting a little schooling.....I am usually home from the barn by noonish, dirty and covered in sweat.....I shower and clean up and start work at home. I clean, do laundry (hang it out cause we have no dryer....) make beds, all that domestic stuff. I then usually go pay a bill, or get water at Nelson Springs (we only drink bottled water here.....) On tuesdays or wednesdays i go grocery shopping because that is when the ship comes in with fresh supplies and it is really the only good time to get milk and produce ...byt the weekend most stuff is picked over or gone......on thursdays I drive to the sea bridge and pick up my meat order from the meat man in st kitts......At 3 I am back on the road to christian's school to pick him up at 3:15.....I bring him home and he gets changed and we either go for a quick dip in the pool or hang out.....at 430 we hop in the car and go pick up Monty at the ferry terminal downtown......Then we head home, have supper, do homework, hang out and then everyone heads to bed....I usually watch a bit of TV.....Joe studies.....Tuesday nights the kids have soccer at the university. On Wednesday nights I often have an SOS activity, book club or desert night or cooking night....on thursday nights I have karaoke at Rumors Bar......weekends we usually have friends over to play with the kids or go to the beach.....sometimes my vet friends from St Kitts come over and we go riding.....Sunday afternoons Monty has sailing club so he goes sailing from 1-4, very fun....did you know that he can rig up his own little boat?? he sails a boat called a sunfish.....tiny little sailboat.....very cool......so as you can see I have a busy and full life....its a different busy from home...but still busy.
So that's it in a nutshell......it is a wonderful existence really, simple but sane and pretty relaxed.....I'm going to miss it like crazy.
I am going to try to put some of my favorite pics on my next post.....so stay tuned.....
Good night friends.

The road less travelled......

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;
5

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,
10

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.
15

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference

This has forever been one of my favorite poems......Most of you who know me well, know that I don't often take the "easy" route.....that I don't always follow the conventional path, that I like to go "against the grain" a little....it's just my personality......this poem has been in my head alot lately. We have alot going on in our household in paradise and I thought that I would share some of it with y ou.....at least get some of it down in writing while it is pressing to be released. So.....we have been struggling with a few decisions over the past month.....the two choices are 1) all of us to remain in Nevis until Joe is finished with his 5th semester (december) or 2) The kids and I move back to PEI after this semester (end of august) so that the kids can start the school year fresh. We have been back and forth and back and forth and then back and forth again trying to figure out what is best for us as a family......and we have finally come to a decision.......the boys and I will be returning home August 23......back to PEI......the main reason for this is that Monty is starting junior high and he really wanted to start with his peers and we wanted him to be able to have a smooth transition back to the educational system in Canada. Although he has learned many many valuable things here in the Caribbean, the education system hasn't always been on par so it has been a bit of a worry by times, especially with Monty. Over the last month, Monty has been strongly voicing that it is time for him to go "home" to be with his family, his friends, his school....he is ready to be a Canadian again, ready to play in the snow, ready to go to walmart, read to play hockey (he is a peewee now so will be checking and he is totally pumped about that....yikes) Christian has also jumped on the bandwagon and he wants to go home too....he misses his Nana, his puppies, Bernie and his friends. So with both of the kids feeling strongly about going home, Joe and I started talking about the pros and cons of this decision. I was quite opposed initially because well lets face it people, who wants to give up paradise??? not I said the fly.....I have absolutely enjoyed this adventure so much and I am so grateful that we had this experience.....I can't believe that 20 months has gone this quickly! So as you can imagine I have ALOT of emotions right now.....excitement to go home too, back to my country, my friends, family, my job, my choir (oh my blessed choir...sigh) my church family, all of the wonderful things that I know are waiting.......sadness, because I can't believe that I have to leave all of my friends here, my horses, the lifestyle, the weather, the beauty of the caribbean, the adventure.....it's going to be a big adjustment. We have all really enjoyed our time here...some of us more than others (right Joey?) LOL.....I am going to try to sum up our time here over the next few blog entries......so keep checking back :)
so I just basically wanted you to know that we are coming home.....soon......August 23 and we can't wait to see you all.
I have to run, I'll be back soon.
Love D

Time goes by so fast........

Hey everyone,
I know that we throw around the expression "Time Flies" but I have to say that here in the Caribbean I am experiencing time flying at a very high speed.....and I'm not sure I like it! Joe has entered semester 4,.....did you hear me? Semester 4....of 5 ....which means that we only have less than 2 semesters left here in Nevis......I remember clearly packing in PEI in the dead of winter, the crazy trip to get down here, leaving my office, setting out on this journey that seemed like it would last a lifetime (it was 2 years) and now here we are, 17 months later!! 17 months!! Wow.....and in that time I have had so many new, interesting, fun, memory making, life changing experiences! And I hope that I have several more in the next 7 months.....I think if I were to choose the highlights they would be:
1. Completing my first triathalon! Just getting fit was a huge feat in itself, and I am so excited and proud of myself for doing it!
2. Participating in Nevis Karaoke Idol....(and placing in top 6 :) I met so many wonderful local people and had a blast!
3. Learning to snorkel and appreciate what is beneath the surface....I know I grew up on an island but I never appreciated the ocean as much as I have learned to while here....I guess having access to it 365 days a year instead of 21 or whatever makes a person more likely to spend time there.....lol
4. The friends that I have made....I can't even list them all here, but I have met people from all over the globe.....from Europe, Canada, US, Caribbean, Gyana, India, and much more.....I have met so may people who have touched my life in very interesting ways.....a few of them that I know I will stay in touch with for a lifetime.....
5. Learning to Relax, Enjoy Life, Minimize, stop and smell the roses......our pace of life in North America really is crazy.....and we often don't even realize it.....here in the Caribbean things are much slower and there is more time to really stop and enjoy each day and the blessings it brings.
6. I'm tanned!!!! For the first time in my life, I am a bronzy browny color.....and I love it!
7. Learning to co-exist with tarantulas all over my yard....lol.....they have holes EVERYWHERE...
8. Watching the kids become more globally aware, learn about different countries , different cultures, learn to speak Dutch, Spanish....making friends from all over the world!
9. Seeing the boys learn to absolutely love the ocean and become excellent swimmers!
10. Getting to horseback ride every day.......wow......on the beach even!
11. and most recently.....assisting in the release of 2 hawksbill turtles back to their natural habitat! (read on to hear more)

We had to say goodbye to a dear friend tht we made while here in Nevis. Her name is Barb and she was the marine biologist here on the island. She is a terrific person and she taught the kids in a Sea Stars program, She also taught me to snorkel, and I mean really snorkel, proper technique and all! So she often rescues marine animals and for the past 2 years she has been raising 2 tiny hatchling hawksbill turtles that had been abandoned during the hurricane 2 years ago, Tia and Seaweed......well this weekend she was getting ready to leave and it was time to release the turtles. She had the kids out withthe turtles in the ocean on harnesses for months, teaching them to swim in the ocean! Monty got to do this several times......anyway we happened to be on the beach when she was heading out so she invited Monty, Christian and I to help her.....of course we were THRILLED.....we went out in her zodiac boat with Tia and Seaweed on our laps and we drove to a nice quiet cove about a mile away from Oualie Beach (where they were housed) We let them go one by one into the water.....it was very emotional....Tia went first and she hung around the boat for a minute or two, kind of looking up as if to say "mom wheres the harness??" Then she realized that she was free and off she went! Then we put Seaweed in, he had a few issues with his back flippers, they had been injured a bit and were slightly paralyzed, so naturally Barb was worried about him and she thought that he might really hang around us for awhile......so we set him in the water.....and he peeked up with a smile and took off like a shot! Dove down into the water....he looked great! It was so awesome......something I am sure that we will never get to do again! The kids and I marvelled at how lucky we are to be living here and having all these fantastic experiences and even though we miss home sometimes, we are making some incredible memories (and friends ) here......
Anyway just wanted to share that great story with you all....I have to take off and go get Monty now......I hope that you all have a great day!
Love Dawn

Is that a tarantula???? (funny Dawn story)

I almost forgot to tell you this funny story....it happened while my mom was here....so one evenign after karaoke Idol (lol) my mom and I were coming home......as i stuck my key in the door and leaned over to unlock the door, I felt something land on my head.....i thought what the heck is that??? I felt around but there was nothing there....my mom searched my head and nothing....I looked on teh ground, still nothing....mom says maybe you are just imagining it? I said no way I felt something big land on my head! She says well its gone now so lets get inside! I said I am a bit creeped out, there are alot of tarantulas here in Nevis....what if it was one of them?? (we had a very very ugly spider in our house the week before....about the size of my fist....ick I am still shivering) Anyway we enter the house and I have the creepy jeepys because i know something fell on my head.....as i walk across the living room my mother starts screaming bloody murder...."your back your back, its on your back....omg omg....its on you.....of course I am thinking "what? what? what?" so I start screaming and trying to grab at my back, trying to haul my shirt off, of course it is a dress so isn't coming off the way a shirt would.....the screaming is so loud and it is midnight so of course the kids are in bed adn the neighbor downstairs is very likely asleep as is her baby!! Joe comes running out in a panic as he is pretty sure that Jason from Friday the 13th is hacking us to bits....lol.....my mom is still screaming and pointing to my back....I have now scratched my back to shreds trying to rid myself of what I am certain is a big hairy tarantula......"get it off, get it off" I keep screaming....Joe starts to laugh hysterically, he grabs my hand and says stop....its ok....its just a gecko......a big ass gecko mind you, but a harmless gecko! Anyway I start laughing and my mother is still freaking cause geckos and tarantualas are all just as icky to her.....the gecko jumps off and runs for cover.....anyway quite the scene people! I'm just glad it was just a gecko!

So much to say, so little time.....:)

Hey there, hi there, ho there friends! How are you all? Before you say it, I already know...I SUCK....I have been so delinquent in my blog it is not funny....but I have to say the last 2 months have been a whirlwind of activity and I am extremely busy with life in the Caribbean....I will try to capture for you all of the fun and amazing things happening in my life these days!!!!
First and foremost, I just completed my first (and likely last...lol) mini triathalon.....it was so exciting adn I had a blast but man what a lot of work! My friend Stacey talked me into this way back when we started trying to get in shape and we stuck to our goal and we both went for it 2 sundays ago.....it was the real deal, a few hundred athletes.....we had this special "athlete's area" to sit in and I looked around and it dawned on me that I was ONE OF THEM.....I was thrilled.....that was until I was standing at the start line staring out at the open water that I was about to swim into! Then I started saying holy **** what am I doing??? Anyway my goals were 1. to complete it and 2. to not come last....and I accomplished both and have the medal to prove it! It was great and a real feeling of personal satisfaction...I don't see myself becoming super interested in completeing tris on a regular basis as the training is quite intense and complex....also I am a very weak swimmer....but I could see myself running 5 ks or something like that, fun runs......anyway it was a great great day!
Second interesting event in the life and times of Dawn.....I am a finalist in the Nevis 2010 Karaoke Idol contest.....and what a hoot that is! We started off with 38 and we are down now to top 15....announcements come out tomorrow for who made top 12 (3 get booted each week til the end now!) It is set up alot like American Idol.....of course without the stage and 3 million viewers....lol....but it is so much fun! I am the only caucasion (which gets pointed out each week!) and the only non caribbean person.....but because of my temporary residency status i was permitted to enter.....I have met some amazing and very fun and talented people and I must say the show is very well organized and really entertaining.....some of the performers are fantastic.....my cheeky side is really coming out as I watch other people and I think hey I can do that too.....some of my performances include Shania's Man I Feel Like a Woman, Fever by Peggy Lee, Black Velvet by Alanna Myles and Vogue by Madonna.....anyway i entered it as a bit of a joke and also to win the 1000 prize money......but it turns out to be a very fun thing to do.....I am having a blast....I am somewhat of a local celebrity....ha ha ha.....i did a radio interview the other day and also recorded a commercial for a local business.....anyway what fun!
Third, the riding business has exploded and I am very very busy with rides....taking people out on the beach several times a week.....I am so happy over at the barn around the horses.....it is like therapy! I basically volunteer there as I am not allowed to work here.....this weekend we are taking the horses down to an SPCA fundraiser and giving pony rides.....Monty is going to help me with it so I think it will be a great time! the boys still love coming to see the horses with me, Monty isn't riding quite as much but still jumping on from time to time.....
4. I have had some awesome house guests down to Nevis! My high school buddies Nancy and Valerie came for 7 days and I had so much fun with them that it was crazy.....i haven't laughed that hard in a long time (thanks girls!) We had an absolute blast and I was so sad to see them leave at the end of their time......the boys LOVED them too and Christian raved on about Vals cheese sandwiches for days.....(made the same way as I make them but apparently much better tasting...lol) My mom was just down for 2 weeks as well and that was awesome.....I think she really enjoyed herself and I know the boys loved having her.....we were all sad to see her go....especially me! She was my stage manager for my karaoke performances so i was a bit at a loss when she flew off! Next week we have our dear friends from Saba, Dr Koot and his son Jim coming to stay for a week.....the boys are also off for a 2 weeks easter break and our friends Joe, Tammy and Max from Calgary are coming down for a 7 day visit! So we've had some great company and looking forward to some more!! Any one else want to come join us in paradise??
5. We are moving!!! This week, although from the look of my house and non packing you would not know it! We found a house down the street that is prettymuch the same cost but has a pool....so we figured why not have a pool? It really is so hot here most of the time that we figure a pool will be awesome! So the boys are looking forward to t his.....I am a little sad to leave our house behind because we love it here and the landlord has been great, but the new house will be great too! I'll post some pics on facebook as soon as I have some! I pick up my keys on wednesday morning!!
Anyway those are some of the highlights of what we have been up to! I am going to try to post some pics here on teh blog pretty soon....i find it difficult and the internet is slow so it gets bogged down trying to upload....our new house apparently has very fast internet so I am hoping that once we get settled i might be able to upload with a little more ease!
Everyone is happy and well....Joe is almost done of semester 3, can you believe it.....only 2 more to go....Monty and Christian are doing well with school and with life! We are all pretty settled and enjoying our time in the Caribbean.....I tell you real life is going to suck after this!
so that is my quick update! I hope that you are all well! Take care and I'll talk to you again soon,
Love Dawn

THIS IS THE LIFE!!

THIS IS THE LIFE!!
"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." -Abraham Lincoln

Well hello people! It's been awhile since I have sat down and written anything about how things are going in Nevis......that is to be interpreted as a good thing (well except for those of you who are dying to know what is happening in our world!) as it means that we are busy and having alot of fun......Things are going great here and we are all very settled into our routines......I was reading one of my friends blogs today (she is a dear friend that I made during my time in Saba) and her title was as per above "this is the life", and I thought you know what? She is so right! It really is! Every day I realize that we are so so blessed to be having this experience! 18 months ago, when we decided to go down this strange path , I don't think that we could ever have foreseen some of the neat and awesome things that we would be doing or the great people that we would meet or just how amazing this all would be.....its funny how we always say when one door closes another opens....or at least a window opens.....I know I always preach that to people....but I remember when Joe did not get in to Dal, how disappointed we both were and how it almost seemed like the end of the dream.....and then I remembered my friend Lynn who had mentioned something that I thought whacky and crazy at the time, about studying medicine in the Caribbean and I said to Joe, lets look into that! Maybe it is an option! We were not so sure initially....we thought this is about the craziest and nuttiest thing that we have ever considered or done in our lives! But you know, here we are a year into our time here and it has been an amazing experience....sure the road has not been smooth or easy and many sacrifices have been made, but at the end of the day, I know a good thing when I see it, or live it! And this is definitely a good thing! I can just imagine myself for years to come talking about our time here.....looking back and saying Remember when we lived in the Caribbean? How exciting is that?? How many people can utter those words? Wow!
So as you can tell things are great! the weather is perfect everyday (sorry to say it yet again!! I know how you all love my weather reports!!) I am having a blast.....I still have my horses around so I am trying to get out riding as much as I can. Monty is doing great with the riding and enjoying it, Christian loves his best buddy, Big Red and I love them all! They have become very dear to me and I am not sure what I will do when I have to leave them all behind! I spend alot of time down at the barn and I love it there. What an animal adventure park it has become! There is a big wildish pig that hangs around and she just had 6 piglets so we are enjoying watching them grow. There are about 20 monkeys that hang out there and they are always putting on a show and performing for me....the other day I just sat in the middle of the field for about 30 minutes and watched them play, they watched me just as closely! It was very cool.....Besides the barn, I am also putting alot of energy into getting into shape....I know I know, you've heard it before! But this time I am really sticking with it! I have a small group that I exercise with and we run/swim/bike and climb together at least 5 days a week at 615 AM! We are now up to running about 4 kms.....then we walk another few.....we are aiming for 5......all of us are planning to go in the Try a Tri, which is a mini triathalon the end of March.....we are all pretty excited and somewhat nervous about it.....I may change my mind and just do the 5 km run but I am training for the Tri just in case! The running is coming along great, and the biking is pretty easy peasy, but the swimming is going to be an issue! lol.....I am really trying but I am so slow in the water! I imagine I swim about as fast as a jellyfish! I am trying to learn to do the front crawl with proper breathing but it is hard! You know how I am about putting my face in the water! So I put my face in and do 3 strokes and I am supposed to be in theory blowing water out while I do those 3 strokes....then come up for a breath in after the 3rd stroke....yes it sounds easy, but people, I SUCK! so I come up for my breath and then I realize, oh crap, I forgot to blow out the last breath, so then I have to blow out the air and grab another lung full before plunging my head beneath the water for the next 3 strokes....so my breathing is all uneven and after about the 3rd cycle of this I have to stop and stand up and breath properly for a minute (which I am thinking is problematic for the Tri since I am fairly certain the water will be OVER MY HEAD....which translates to no standing up for air!! Anyway Monty was trying to coach me the other day and he got the greatest kick out of how terrible I was (and he's quite good by the way!)....and my friend Jen, who is this amazing athlete, brought her boys along and one of them was swimming beside me saying "wow Dawn, you are really slow, I can totally swim faster than you" (he's 8!) He said it a few times so finally I stood up and looked him in the eye and I said "if you tell me how slow I am one more time, I might possibly drown you!" He laughed and laughed and then off he went....little bugger! I know I am slow but I dont need to be told how slow every few strokes!! Anyway it is an ongoing saga and I will keep you all posted how (or if) I progress! I am thinking that I can talk the organizer of the Tri into letting me use a flutter board, or floaties....lol! Just kidding!
The boys are doing great, both enjoying their school, both have made some wonderful little friends and both are involved in some great activities! Monty's Seastars group is so cool, they are working with a young sea turtle that the marine biologist rescued after the hurricane.....yesterday Monty had it on a leash in the ocean, teaching it how to maneuver around in the wild! He is totally thrilled with this! What an amazing experience! He is also playing soccer and still going to Survivor Camp....and he has a few really nice friends.....I have to say that this is the happiest and the most relaxed that I have seen Monty in a long time....maybe ever! I am so happy that he is happy here! And Christian is doing great....he misses his family back in Calgary and PEI....but he is pretty happy too.....
Joe continues to do well in school.....he studies round the clock.....that is probably the only real downside to this journey is that he isn't really getting to experience alot of it with us.....his workload is crazy! I am so glad that it is him doing it and not me! But it is great that he is doing so well.....and it is all going so fast! It feels like time is just flying by!
So I better tell you a few funny Christian stories before I sign off! The other night we are watching a movie and the 2 main characters end up kissing....so Christian says in a very indignant, somewhat disgusted voice "oh well, now i guess they have to get married!" I said why dear? He said "because they kissed and now you dont want her going and kissing other boys and spreading all those germs now do you?" I laughed and laughed.....then the other day as we were driving, he says, "mom, I dont think that I am going to get married...and I say ok why? he says, well you know because grown ups dont wear pajamas and have to sleep in their underwear and I would be way too embarassed to let her see my underwear!" I laughed, and said its ok dear, you can wear pajamas when you are married if you prefer.....he still didnt look convinced.....it was so funny....I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing really hard.....cause he was pretty serious about it! Anyway he is such a cute kid, a delight really......I have some pretty great boys I tell ya!
ok all, I better sign off....my hand is aching from all my typing (not just from my blog btw, I am a serious facebook/email/messenger addict! I will be looking for a program upon my return.....do they have Facebook anonymous yet? I might have to start a chapter! any of you out there want to join with me??
So have a great night friends and take care, I'll try not to take so long between postings! I miss you all, so God Bless and we will talk again soon! Love Dawn

The revenge of the bugs.........and Run Forest Run....

Hello friends! It has been awhile since I have written. Don't worry, I have been told that my slack-ass ways are not acceptable and that I need to be much more vigilant about keeping this blog up to date.....(thanks Chrissy...lol) So this is my attempt to be compliant and obedient (shaa, as if.....lol) Anyway, life continues to be grand in Nevis, 34 degrees everyday, sun shining all the time, hanging at the beach with the kids, snorkeling, horseback riding, SOS fun nights, karaoke and much much more....REally people, I am going to need oodles and oodles of support (and possibly alcohol) to help me cope with real life next year when I return. This is the life that I was meant for, this life of leisure, this R&R simple life stuff.....I absolutely love it!
So let's see, what to tell? Hmmmm......well, this might come as a shocker to all of you who know me, but I am now exercising every day and contemplating a triathalon in march......ok stop laughing before you read on......lol.....I am serious. I have made this wonderful new girlfriend, Stacey, from Louisiana, she conveniently lives right across the street, and she has done half marathons before. Well she is kicking my ass out of bed at 545 every morning and making me run......we are only at 3-4 miles a day, and we walk some of it too, but it is a great start. we also climb this very steep road/hill that goes up for a mile......a few times a week. In addition, we are using the 30 day Shred, an exercise video. We are both tired of having that extra "baby weight" (well hers is baby weight because she actually has a baby, mine is more like chocolate and french fries weight, but baby weight just sounds so much better...but perhaps the gig is up, Christian is 6 after all! Lol) I am also doing pushups and crunches....working very hard trying to get fit! Oh and of course still trying to ride a few days a week. Stacey and I have a fellow lined up to start training us in January for the tri.....whether we compete or not, we are going to do the leg work.....the running doesnt scare me, it is only a 3 k run and a 10 k bike, which I am sure I can do.....it is the 250 meter swim that has me terrified......do you think they will let me wear Christians floaties? I know the life jacket is out! Or maybe use a flutter board? is the dog paddle an acceptable method of swim?? I am sure I will figure it out......even if I just do the training I will be proud of myself! So all in all, I feel great, I am finally starting to accomplish the skinny part of my Caribbean tanned and skinny goals......(the tan goal was accomplished many months ago!!)
I am keeping very busy, have tons to do, and can't quite figure out how I ever fit work into my busy schedule?? I am sure it will all come back to me next September when I return home! (you will have to take it very easy on me for a while Marylou! There are no promises of stellar job performance for at least the first month......lol)
The boys are doing well. Monty is doing awesome at his school in St Kitts and Christian is enjoying his school as well....they really enjoy this island, they are both pretty active with different camps and activities, both into riding, love the beach and snorkeling, just having lots of fun......I have to tell you, that Christian is turning into quite the boy! He really has quite the sense of humor (finally, glimpses of my personality, he has been all Joe!) I always thought that Monty was the funny one, very dry, quick wit like my brother,Kris, but lately Christian has been coming out with some pretty good lines too.....for instance the other day, Christian and Monty were their regular breakfast war ( you know where they fight during breakfast and you go into an Ally McBeal moment and imagine punting them across a football field...lol) Christian was egging Monty on (which of course we know is like waving a red flad in front of a bull) and Monty was responding, very predictably......so after we dropped Monty off I had the chat with Christian about not picking at Monty in the morning, Monty being very sensitive blah blah blah...Christian looks at me with those killer blue eyes and that cute blond hair, and he say s "ah mom, you know I love messing with Monty" and he cackles.....yes CACKLES......I was like "WHAT??" I had to stifle a giggle as I tried to be stern and tell him that he needs to try not to antagonize Monty in th mornings.....lol....too funny....then later in the day, i picked Christian up from school and we were driving home and I ran through another pothole! (ok I regularly run through potholes and Joe has had to replace 4 tires on our car.....he blames me of course.....well what do you expect, the potholes are frickin' huge here! And our car is so low to the ground....and.....oh whatever, the point is I keep blowing up tires! Get over it!) anyway, so I hit a pot hole and I said oh no, I ho pe I didnt blow another tire, Christian looks up and he says Mom , Dad is going to be mad at you if you did it again......I said I know.....Christian looks at me and he says, dont worry mom, we'll go home and bust into the piggy bank and I will buy the tire and we won't tell Dad....and he giggles and cackles that same little giggle from the morning conversation.....I looked at him and started laughing, I couldn't help it. so I say Christian! First this morning you admit to purposefully antagonizing your brother and now you are suggesting that we decieve your Dad?? He was laughing so hard, it was quite hilarious.....I tried my best to look stern, but really people, it was near impossible!! Anyway the boys are doing great. Joe is also doing well with school. He is very excited to be done another semester (well as of next week) Did I tell you that he bought a scooter?? And yesterday, he took me out all afternoon driving around the island! It was so fun....i think when my mid life crisis starts, I might have to get myself a scooter, or a bike....lol.....
So the bugs.....yeah......there is 1 advantage to having winter, it substantially decreases the bug population.....and here, with eternal summer, there is no bug control.....and there are so many bugs it is unbelievable.....the ants are the worst.....they are everywhere, and there are nasty biting kinds (and they hurt!! esp the fire ants!) You absolutely cannot leave a crumb anywhere or the ants show up with a whole town! Seriously, you know the song the ants came marching 2 by 2? well they dont march 2 by 2, I have witnessed.....they march 10 by 10 at least, and a line that can stretch from one end of you house to the other.....dee-sgust-ing! Other people seem to have serious cockroach issues (shiver...oh yuch) We have been very lucky and have not seen one in our house or around it.....which is good, because over at the barn , I have seen plenty, and they are the size of my pinky finger, so I am ever thankful that they do not come into my home....there are bugs everywhere, the dogs are all loaded with tics (which the boys like to pull of dogs and squish, watching them explode....aren't boys yucky) there are tarantulas, other weird spiders (spider webs EVERYWHERE), strange caterpillars, fireflies, mosquitos, centipedes (which also deliver a nasty bite) Oh and lots of bugs in the food.....yes you read that right.....the cake mix was just the tip of the iceberg.......I went to make another cake mix the other day and it was so gross I had to throw it out.....and we bought miniwheats the other day, the boys were so excited because it was the first time we had seen them here.....well we pour in the milk, and lo and behold, there are bugs in the miniwheats.....we were all gagging, it was so gross........so needless to say I am DONE with boxed baking goods and I now make things from scratch! (yes you read that right.....it is amazing what a girl will do to avoid bug confrontations!
Alright, well my horsies are calling (well whinnying) so I have to get over to the barn......
oh I forgot to mention, we head to St maarten next friday for a day and then off to Calgary for 3 weeks! I can't wait to hit the mall (real shopping with my non money) and the grocery store (can we say selection?? lol) and to see dear friends and family....I am NOT looking forward to t he weather, apparently they are in the midst of some nasty snow storms! But at least I know that in 3 weeks I will return to paradise!! And then I will have only 8 months left, wow!
Talk to you soon, dear friends,
Love Dawn

Weevils....the other white meat.....

Hey friends,

I apologize for not getting to my blog in awhile....I am sure that you are all just on the edge of your seat wondering how things are going down here in Nevis...Lol.....well things are fantastic and quite busy so I rarely get much time these days to blog! We are all having a wonderful time here in Nevis, really enjoying it! The weather has been absolutely beautiful, albeit slightly hotter than i would like (yes I said it!) It has been 34 most days and about 40 with the humidex! I have sort of gotten used to sweating all the time....ahhh...nothing like sweat rolling down your back or into your eyes and blinding you....Lol.....so subsequently we have been spending alot of time at the beach. Nevis has some great beaches! Our favorite is Oualie Beach (you can google it http://www.oualiebeach.com/) It is a great place to go swimming and build sand castles, very calm and they have nice beach chairs to sit on as well as a little beach pub that you can order fries, drinks and other good grub. I have gotten to know the owners a bit, the woman is Christian's spanish teacher, she is a lovely woman. The daughter, Rachel is in grade 11 at Christians school, a very nice girl. Anyway we love Oualie! We also like to go to Paradise beach, it is close by and has a great spot for snorkelling (for an amateur like me) There is a sunken cannon, which the boys love. We went for a snorkel after school today and Joe and Monty saw a moray eel, which apparenlty was quite exciting to them! According to Joe, it was about 3 feet long.....according to Monty it was about 6 feet long...(hmm could he be related to me??) It was lots of fun and a great way to cool off after a hard day of.....oh ...who am I kidding......after a day in the sun! Lol....I am telling you people, I am so loving this not working for a living thing. I told Joe the other day that I was staying here forever, he could go off and be a doctor or whatever, but this is where I belong! Of course then the reality of 1) I have no money and so cant stay and 2)I am not allowed to work here (officially anyway) so again money will be an issue longterm! (esp with the cost of living, can we say a $400 US electricity bill for september....GULP)

So we are all very busy and doing great. Joe is doing very well in school, he is busy and he doesnt get to enjoy the island quite as much as the rest of us do, but he is happy and content overall and working his butt off!! Christian is happy in school and doing great...he is learning spanish, and he can still remember how to count in Dutch from Saba! He is also enjoying riding a few days a week, is becoming a master snorkeler and swimmer and is now taking Tae Kwon Do. (and loving it) Monty is doing quite well now, we moved him to St Kitts to the Montessori school as he was not doing so well in the little school here and we were also afraid he would get behind. He likes the school in St Kitts, but the downside is that he has to travel back and forth every day on the ferry (45 minute ride) then catch a cab (same fella everyday) then school and back home. There are 5 kids coming from here so at least he has company. He finds the day long but he loves the school and he has a fantastic teacher. Monty is still in survivor camp and marine bio camp and he and I have been out riding alot. He is becoming quite the horseman....getting braver all the time. It is really nice that we can get out and share this together, I hope that we are creating many lasting memories! And I couldnt be better, really, I am so loving it here in Nevis! I am riding almost every day now, starting to get in shape and tomorrow going to be running to the beach with my friend Stacey.....we are going to run the 2 miles to the beach (ha ha) and then swim for 15 minutes then run back......(so she thinks....lol) I am thinking alot of walking is going to be happening since I havent run since my failed attempts at running the last few summers!! I really want to get in shape though......So the riding on the beach is awesome.....really.....loving it.....I feed and water the horses every day for the fellow, and I also take tourists out on beach rides....probably about 3 rides a week for now....busy season starts next month.....I love it, what a job to have. I dont get paid but I get to ride as much as I want and take the kids riding too so that is definitely payment enough for me......being around the horses every day is so soothing, good for the soul.......I am loving it. So what else am I doing? well, I have made some great friends through SOS and I am on the executive so i spend alot of time helping with planning and organizing activities for our organization. It is alot of fun and we do get to enjoy each others company quite often. If you are curious you could check out our website at http://www.muaspousesofstudentsandfamilieso.shutterfly.com/

So you are probably wondering by now where I got this entries title......or maybe not.....well people, shall I say the bug population is abundant down here? We have ants, ants and still more ants.....I hate ants.....little nasty biting fireants....I want to kill them all......we have the biggest cockroach/beetle thing i have ever seen (the size of a hamster!) and oh yes, we have tarantulas...christian and I saw our first one up close last week....and I am still shivering.....big hairy ugly spider....yuck......one of my questions when I get to Heaven....ummm God, about the bugs? " Anyway, I have seen all kinds of ugly, bizarre, crazy bugs these past few months.....including recently while making Christians birthday cake. I open the packaging of my Duncan Hines mix ( or was it Betty Crocker? ) feeling very domestic to be making a cake instead of buying one at superstore like I usually do.....our friends Joka and Jim were here visiting from Saba.....(she is a physician) anyway I digress......so I pour the packaging into the bowl and start to add the other ingredients and I look in and I think what is in the cake mix? is it moving? is it a bug?? Lo and Behold, it is a bug! Several to be precise......uck....I choke back a gag......and I stare in horror at Joka, my friend......she laughs.....says this is quite normal. I ask her how did the bugs get inside the bag of mix and manage to stay alive????? Apparently this is not uncommon all over the world AND she announces that the bugs are called Weevils (hang on a second while I retch again) Anyway, I am horrified but also in a bit of a conundrum.......cake mixes are not always easy to come by here and we bought one of the only ones......sooooo....if we throw it out.....what kind of birthday is it without a cake????? You see where I am going with this dont you??? I had decisions to make.......lol......lmao actually.....(this is one of those times where I am down on my knees thanking God for celiac disease.....) anyway, Joka says "Dawn, they are just weevils, no big deal really, I mean if you have another cake mix, use it but if not just PICK THE BUGS OUT" (again the gag reflex) So I get the sifter thingy out of the cupboard and I start sifting weevils out of the cake mix....I know, I know,......I am horrible......we got alot of them out, probably most, but definitely not all........there were body parts that went through the sifter and a few weevils that managed to as well (no idea how) Bottom line is I made the cake, weevils and all......and no one was the wiser.....well except for Joka and Joe and I......and they both ate a piece...can you imagine?? I wanted to vomit as I watched them all shoving cake in their mouths.....and usually I want to grab the cake and stog it down......anyway I am happy to report that Christian had a great birthday AND he loved the cake!

Well folks, I can barely see the screen now from laughing/crying over that story, so I better sign off....I will try so so hard to be more diligent in writing regularly....I do love writing this blog!

I hope that you are all happy and well, we certainly are....we do miss you all! Take care and have a great week.....God Bless......

I remember how much I love horses now......

Hey all,

Well it has been a great week in Nevis.....we are slowly getting into a routine, Joe at school, the kids at school and me, well.....that is the good part....me.....I am RIDING HORSES!!!! ON THE BEACH!!!! I have been out riding 4 different times this week, all along the Caribbean ocean and I have to say that it is the ultimate ride! It is so beautiful, so peaceful, so serene......I absolutely love it. My whole life I had a love affair with horses, they are without a doubt my favorite animal.....and I have ridden since I was a little girl....but once we had kids, it just got difficult to own/ride/visit horses. So I got away from it for a while......and I forgot that I loved it so much....or perhaps suppressed it because I couldn't have it?? So these last few days have been so amazing.....getting back in the saddle again.....feeling the horse underneath me......enjoying the Caribbean ocean from horseback! Riding the horse into the water and getting soaked by the waves! Well I just wish you were all here to experience how wonderful it really is! Having said that it is also exhausting, time consuming and my butt is objecting a little (can we say bruising?) but I am sure that with time I will toughen up. I convinced Joe today to come with us for a family ride and so the 4 of us went on a beach ride today. It was awesome!! The kids loved it, even Joe looked like he enjoyed himself! So basically I have been taking care of a fellow's 10 horses in exchange for riding privileges......sweet deal in my opinion! All I have to do is pop over to the barn twice a day for about 30 minutes to feed, water and check the horses.....keep the paddock areas tidy.....(and to be honest I spend alot more time than that there, just hanging with the horsies, enjoying their company, bonding!)

Other than that, things are going fairly well....Joe has first round of block exams tomorrow so we are praying that all goes well! The boys are slowly getting settled into their school.....they each have some nice new friends....Monty is very busy with survivor camp, sea stars and he starts tennis lessons on Monday....so lots of stuff on the go!

Anyway, it is a short post tonight....I am really tired....all this fresh air, sunshine, riding and beach stuff makes a girl tired you know! LOL.....so take care and God Bless and talk to you all soon! D

Hey there hi there ho there friends! Well we are entering into week 3 of our Nevis adventure and I have to say that I am really really pleased so far. I really like this island, it has much to offer and we feel that we made a great decision in coming here. I have so much to tell you but to get it all in would require a novel length document....soooo I am going to try to give you the readers digest version.....(and you know how good I am at keeping my stories short and to the point....NOT) but I am gonna give it a go.
So Nevis is beautiful, the beaches are awesome, there is lots to do, we are meeting many new and fantastic people....I feel so blessed to be here......I am not going to lie, that the first week was tough and an adjustment....leaving PEI after getting to spend the summer with family and friends was not easy.....but I am feeling really positive now that we have been here a few weeks!
I will start with Joe since he is the reason that we are here.....he seems to be liking the med school so far, likes his profs, meeting some nice students....there is actually a guy from Montague PEI here in his class and they knew each other a bit as this fellow was a nurse in Montague and Joe was a paramedic there....so that is kind of neat. Joe misses some of his Saba peers obviously, but he is adjusting well and appears to be happy with the decision to move......He has been snorkeling and swimming for stress relief......and loving the water and the beaches here. He is hoping to get out golfing sometime soon and he has a few fellows who are interested in doing this with him.....so overall h e is pretty pleased I think.
The boys are doing well. They have had their first week at their new school and they are both settling in. Monty made a new friend, Lu, who just moved here as well from Cancun, Mexico (his parents run a hotel here in Nevis) and they have really hit it off. They are a very nice family and they live closeby so the boys have had a few playdates already. Monty being Monty isn't completely thrilled by his school but he isn't hating it either...so I will count that as a positive! Christian is enjoying school so far and has made some friends there. He has an awesome teacher, originally from Sweden and recently from England. She is lovely and so kind and he seems to really like her. The school is very tiny and so this has been an adjustment for both of them. Monty is excited though because on Fridays the school offers archery lessons to the older kids...so he thinks that is pretty cool!
Monty is enrolled in a few programs here and he is very excited about them. The first one is called Survivor Camp (based on the reality show) and the leader calls it "Scouts on Steroids!" which I think is hilarious. the leader is a special ops fellow who was in the army in South Africa and he is a real outdoors fellow! Basically he takes the kids up the mountain and they learn how to survive off the land, making shelters out of whatever they have, making fires (without matches), making spears for fishing and catching and cooking the fish, learning what bugs they can eat if they are hungry!! (he ate a centipede on Saturday...the guide, not Monty) Anyway it sounds so great and I think Monty is quite excited about it.....the second program he is in is a marine biology camp, where he will learn about sea life and conservation and will go out on a boat snorkeling and learning about underwater creatures.....it will be a great opportunity for him and the leader, Barbara is a very nice lady.....I am only slighly nervous about Monty going on the boat snorkeling as last week a local was eaten by a tiger shark....so that freaks me out a little....apparently that is extremely rare and not usually something to worry about...but you know me! I love to worry...it is like a sport for me....and I am an Olympic calibre worrier!! Unfortunately, Christian can't attend these camps as he is too young...but that is ok because he is having lots of fun anyway! He is doing so well with snorkeling I can hardly believe it.....he just skims across the top of the water now like a pro......it is so amazing to watch him! Not that long ago he was afraid of the water....now you should see him!!
The beaches here are amazing and we have spent alot of time down the road at Oualie Beach Resort (you can google it) the beach is great there, very safe and calm. We just had a big SOS bbq there yesterday and it was a blast. We have a fantastic SOS group and I am meeting so many wonderful people from all over who are here for the same reasons....to support husbands through med school! (so basically we are all crazy!) I have to tell you a funny story about yesterday......we were all sitting around and chatting and beside me was Hedda, a quite pretty blond woman from Norway.....well Hedda looks pretty good in her bikini and I see Monty eyeing her....finally he looks at me and says " so Mom, look at her, isn't that the body that you have always dreamed of having?" Said so matter of factly that it was as if he was asking me h ow I enjoyed the bbq!!!! I nearly died laughing....and poor Hedda....she thought it was pretty funny...some of the other moms weren't sure how to react! it was just Monty being Monty so i wasn't too put out over it! I mean, really, its not like he was saying something that wasn't true! I would have loved to have Hedda's figure! Anyway he is a funny funny kid.......
So I am having a great time.....I am connecting with my new SOS friends....i am now the Treasurer of SOS......(yeah I know....me with money......) I am exploring the island and learning my way around.....I am learning to drive on the wrong side of the road....it is going much better than I expected;....well except for the part where I continue to turn on the windshield wipers instead of the signal lights and then I get flustered and turn the wrong signal on......LOL.....but overall it really isn't that hard to get used to.....I also have a very cool opportunity that has popped up here.....kind of like my dream job! There is a stable here that has been closed for a while for a number of reasons and I searched the owner out and offered my assistance with the horses in exchange for some occasional riding....Well he was so thrilled to have me to help out (he works full time and drives to the stable to feed the horses 2 times a day) and in exchange i can ride all I want, anytime I want and he may start up some trail rides and have me be the guide.....so that will be taking people from the cruise ships on beach rides with horses....ok really people....does life get any better than that!! So I am excited that I will get to do some riding and so will the kids...and maybe some evenings all 4 of us will go down to the beach on horseback.....so exciting I can hardly believe it....
Anyway I better run....lots more to say but it is very hot out and the boys want to go over to their friend's pool for a swim......so I will talk to you all again soon!!
God Bless and have a great week!
D

Welcome to Nevis...the land where Heelies are cheaper than Rice Krispie Treats!

Hello friends and greetings from Nevis.....I don't officially have internet yet so I feel a bit cut off from all of you fine folk....I am currently sitting on my beautiful deck, with a lovely caribbean breeze blowing (ok so maybe it is the remnant of the tropical depression but whatever) It is about 28 degrees out.....lovely and warm.....I can hear the crickets chirping in the background, and maybe some frogs?? And I am "borrowing " my neighbors internet.....mine should hopefully be hooked up within a week and then I will be able to get back to communicating with the rest of the world! This moving to a new island in the Caribbean and having no internet is tough stuff!! So we arrived on Sunday morning in St Kitts, hopped a cab and a ferry and another cab and arrived without too much incident to our new home for the next year in Nevis (no vomiting, no snow storms, although there was the threat of a hurricane!).....our initial impressions of the island are that is beautiful, and flat, with real roads and beaches, beaches, beaches! Some of the things that we will have to get used to are driving on the wrong side of the road, and paying alot of money for things.....as well as watching out for tarantulas (yikes, shall I remind you that I am an arachnaphobe) and green vervet monkeys! So we are getting ready for this next phase of our journey through medical school. Leaving PEI was pretty tough.....lots of tears....we always hate the going, you know I have addressed my aversion to goodbyes (I will have to follow that up in counseling some day...ha ha) So we were very sad to leave. We had a great summer with my mom, staying in her home, driving her crazy most days! We got to see lots of family, visit with friends and just had a great time. So leaving was tough.....and arriving here to start all over again was hard because the reality of my loss of my Saba network started to hit right about when I was rolling into my new home in Nevis.....Luckily, to cushion the blow, my new neighbor, Stacey was there to greet us! Her husband is a med student too, they are a wonderful family from Houma Louisiana.....and they have 4 beautiful children....so our two families have really hit it off and I feel like I have a great friend already! My downstairs neighbor Afton and her husband and little baby are very nice too....med students as well from Nashville Tennesse.....I also met a few others and we will have our first SOS meeting this Saturday so I am very excited to meet some of the others as well. We have the boys registered to start a very tiny private school on Monday.....this school is interesting, and has a policy of a maximum of 12 students per class....so currently Christian has 10 in his class for Grade 1 and Monty will have 5 others with him! So it could be interesting and very different from what they are used to! We are busy trying to orient ourselves to our new home, figure out where everything is (this island is much bigger than Saba) and of course learn to drive on the "other"' side of the road.....I have yet to try it...it freaks me out a little if I am honest! But hopefully tomorrow I will be brave enough to give it a go! And I will remember to stay on the right (or is it wrong?) side! I keep trying to climb in the drivers seat though so that must mean something??? (yes that I am utterly confused!!) Anyway we have been able to buy a few groceries and I must say that the prices here are pretty steep for food! We found this great store with an upstairs that has everything....from toasters to bikes to heelies and remote control cars etc....well the Heelies were very cheap ($22 ish dollars a pair) and so the boys convinced us to get them each a pair....so we did because they were such a great buy! We bought our groceries and supplies and we were heading out heelies in hand when Christian spotted a big box of Rice Krispie treats.....he was so excited as he loves them....so I said I will run back in and get them so that the boys can have a special treat in their lunch next week! Well I grabbed the box and ran through the cash and when she told me the price I was sure that my hearing was gone and I was hallucinating (heat stroke?) I said pardon me? She repeated the same number.....so then I was standing there with a bunch of people behind me and the girl with her hand out waiting and Christian half way to the car with a big Rice Krispie treat type of smile on his face.....so I took out the money and paid it.....all $40 of it.....yes you read that right......$40!!!! But in my defence it was a jumbo box!! With 40 treats in it.....and they are Christians favorite...and the boys needed an "adjustment" treat...ok you are right, it was a ridiculous decision....but what do you do...so I told the boys that the treats were quite expensive and they were for "school only" and that we would not likely ever get them again so they should enjoy them!! Joe was floored and he stared at me like I grew another head or something.....then he just laughed...we both giggled about how the heelies were cheaper than the treats.....funny stuff I tell ya!
Anyway I think overall we are doing ok....it isn't easy, so we are trying to look at the bright side of t hings.....we are so thankful for our new friends across the road because without them we would be lost! They have been wonderful and perhaps the type of people that we will be friends with for years to come!
I better run, just wanted to say a quick hi and let you know that we are here, we are safe, we are working on the getting settled thing.....once my internet is established I will get back to my regular updates!! I miss all of you and I had such a wonderful summer with you! Take care friends and God Bless.....D

Never a Dull Moment......

Well friends....Hello! It has been a while since I updated the blog and I was sitting here this evening thinking that it might be a good idea to let everyone know what is going on in our lives as there is plenty! So we have been on PEI since June 24th.....about 6 weeks now and we are having a wonderful time with family and friends.....the weather hasn't quite been "caribbean weather" but ahhh well, can't have it like that all the time! And soon, we will head south again and we will be basking in the sunshiny weather every day for the next year or so......we are missing Joe (he is still in Saba) but we are having lots of fun....we have spent lots of time with friends, on the beach, swimming, shopping, eating fast food (yum).....I have been to summer work parties, hung out with friends, visited with family and been to my 20th high school reunion....yup....that was such a blast from the past! I had the opportunity to catch up with people that I hadn't seen in well.....20 years.....it was a fantastic night and I didn't get home until quite late (errr...early) but I haven't had that much fun in a long time....my stomach muscles were so sore the next day from laughing so much.....many thanks to Melanie for hosting a superb pre and post party!! Personally, I think we should make it a yearly event! Any others interested?? LOL
So we have some interesting and exciting news......it will come as a surprise to some of you.....Joe and I have made a decision to move to another island for medical school.....Joe has applied and was accepted and is transferring to MUA (Medical University of the Americas) which is located in Nevis - St Kitts. There are many reasons why we decided to do this but bottom line is it is a great decision for our family. Monty was finding life on Saba pretty tough and so we feel that Nevis has alot more to offer for his age group, better schools, has alot more activities than Saba, way more in the lines of things to do, and beaches, beaches, beaches......we feel really good about this decision. Joe has been over to Nevis 2 times already and is very impressed by the staff at the medical school. He also really likes the island. He has rented us a stunning house (I think it belongs to Angelina and Brad...lol) and has a car purchased already for us (that Joe is such a go-getter!) It is all a little overwhelming really, but exciting and has the makings of another "excellent adventure"! The downside is that we are all going to miss the wonderful friends that we have made in our time in Saba.....The Koot family, Marylene and the boys, Amanda and Nathan, Lucia and little Harlow (and Jonathon too) Lisa and Billy, Rachel and Greg, Becky and Jaron, Heather and Ben, our church friends, Brother Reilly.....so many more .......wonderful wonderful people that have been a very important part of our lives in Saba....so saying good bye to all of them is going to be hard (you know how I love goodbyes...NOT) I am so grateful to have met and made so many wonderful friends in our short time there.....you have all been fantastic and I will miss you soooo much.....I am hoping that each and every one of you will come to visit us in our new home! We would welcome company any time!
So Joe will be arriving this weekend coming and we are all very excited and happy to have him back......7 weeks is too long to go without Joey! Someone please remind me of that next time I consider leaving him for such a long period of time! Actually we have done quite well, managed fine, but we certainly have noticed his absence from our lives....and we will be excited to have him with us for the rest of our vacation...which by the way , is hurtling by faster than the speed of light! I can't believe how quickly time is going and in about 2 and half weeks we will be flyiing back to Saba.....we will arrive on Saba the 29th for the evening and then finish our final packing (Joe has most of it done now) and then we will fly over to Nevis likely on the 31st.....(quite the jetsetters we have become!) We will have just 2 days to say our goodbyes and get the final business of life in Saba wrapped up! It will be a whirlwind of activity.....
Oh and for those of you who have been following along on our animal adventures....here are the updates:
the guinea pigs are multiplying...we think that someone has been throwing water on them or feeding them after midnight (gremlins) Anyway Joe went out to feed them one morning and lo and behold.....one of our girls had 5 babies overnight.....yes you read that right....5......so that made 10.....ok I am an animal lover (freak whatever) and even I think that 10 guinea pigs is a bit much! So our friend Marylene has agreed to take over our flock and find homes for them as we can't bring them with us to Nevis....they have very strict rules for importing animals so we are going to even have trouble bringing our dog there......anyway that is the story with the guinea pigs! As for birdie....the little pigeon that we hand raised....well she has flown the coop......literally....she finally decided that she was ready to be independent and away she went.....she started off by flying away for a few hours at a time and slowly progressed from there.....one of her last adventures she was gone for 3 days so Joe figured that was it....she was gone.....until our dear friend Joka came by with Birdie and a great and extremely funny story....Joka is one of our dear friends, and one of Joe's profs as well as one of the Island Physicians. She and her husband have been meeting with Dutch officials as Saba is revamping its Health Programs....anyway Joka is this tall, elegant, classy dutch lady and she was in a meeting with all these Dutch suits.....at a very fine out door restaurant....as she sat talking about serious issues (health care transformation in Saba) a funny thing happened.....a pigeon swooped in and landed in her hair! causing quite a fuss I might add.....so Joka reaches up and pulls at the bird in her hair.....and gets the bird out and looks at it and exclaims "oh my, thats Birdie, thats Joe and Dawn's bird!" True story I swear it.....anyway Joka brought Birdie home to Joe once the meeting ended......I laughed for about 2 days after I heard this.....and of course wondered what are the chances that Birdie would pick Joka out of a crowd?? Did she recognize her as a lift home?? a familiar face?? (Birdie would have met Joka a bunch of times) Anyway it was such a great story that I felt that it had to be shared here!! so since that time, Birdie has flown away again.....she hasn't come back this time, on her own accord, or with neighbors! It has been almost 2 weeks so we figure she is rehabilitated and free as a bird! Just the way it should be!!
Anyway friends , it is getting late, I better get to bed....just wanted to quickly update you on what is happening in our lives! So start saving your pennies people....we want visitors! And when are you going to have a free place to stay in Nevis?? This is your opportunity!!
Have a great night and God Bless.

Obsessed with Twilight.....

Hey everyone! How's your week? Mine has been great.....+30 everyday, sun, sun, sun, no working, carefree lifestyle, beaches, snorkeling.....what more could a girl ask for?? I am busy preparing for our trip home....well maybe busy is a bit of an overstatement...more like every now and then again thinking about it, what to bring ( some clothes), what to not bring (the dog...Monty isn''t impressed).....I am looking forward to coming home and seeing all of you fine folk (well the ones that live in PEI anyway!!) Monty has been excited since we booked the tickets and he is counting down the days....and Christian has finally gotten really excited now that it is getting so close.....I am happy about it too....but a little anxious for a couple of reasons....1) I am going to miss Joey (the obvious) and 2) the not so obvious...I have never flown across countries by myself with my kids before....I usually follow Joe around the airport like a lost puppy....I know ...shocking.....and I never pay any attention to where the gates are, what to say at customs (I was cut off after my fiasco with customs and forgetting to declare fruit and getting in trouble...long "Dawn" story) etc.....so I have to admit I am a little nervous about the travelling...I am sure I will be just fine.....right?? anyway we head over to St Maarten on Monday afternoon...Joe is coming with us....and we will spend the night there at the Sonesta Bay Maho (you should google it to see what you are missing! It is awesome....and a quick walk to the famous Maho beach where all the planes fly in) Then tuesday afternoon the boys and I will leave St Maarten bound for Halifax....it is really kind of hard to believe actually that by this time next week we will be home......
So this week has been pretty good...the boys are winding down at school, amost done...only 2 school days left for them! We have spent some time down at the beach, had supper there with friends last night and you should see Christian snorkel....last night he took off the floaties and started to snorkel all on his own....I was a bit terrified...ahem....nervous....after all that is my little baby floating around in the water out there.....anyway he was delighted as he and Joe followed a stingray for a few minutes.....and he was pretty proud of himself for going without the floaties! (it was only about 4 feet of water and Joe stayed right beside him the whole time.....anyway he had a wonderful time! Monty played in and out of the water with his friend Helke and Helke's 2 brothers, Martin and Jella....it was alot of fun....I am definitely going to miss our beach suppers....
This week has also seen the development of a new obsession for me (along with my hotmail, facebook and reading the Guardian every morning) People kept offering for me to read the Twilight books and I kept saying no thanks....I mean really.....a story about teenage vampires.....yeah, I don't think so, but thanks.....anyway my next door neighbor Lucia said they were so good that she couldn't put them down and she was thinking about them constantly when she wasn't reading.....hoping her baby would take a nap so she could spend a little time with Edward.....so she offered me the first one yet again as well as the movie....so I said ok I will take it home and read it (maybe) and I could watch the movie...I like movies.....anyway on tuesday I picked up Twilight late morning and sat myself down on the couch and thought "what the heck" I have nothing to lose by reading......and that was it......a few chapters in and I was a gonner.....hooked.....I could NOT put the book down.....I read the whole thing ( a few hours in the morning) and then completed it at midnight on tuesday night.....then I was a bit crazed because i didn't bring book 2 home until I remembered the movie....I had to have more of Edward and Bella.....so at midnight, I started watching Twilight....yes, I know, a bit nutso really......although the movie didn't blow me away....I found that alot of the book was cut out....but I didn't care, watching Edward and Bella come to life was awesome......so first thing Wednesday morning, I ran to Lucia's house and gave her Twilight and said "I must have book 2" I need to know if Bella is going to become a vampire? " Lucia laughed and said "I see you liked it" Anyway so yesterday I couldn't wait to get everyone out in the morning so that I could spend some more time with Edward and Bella....and again I read the whole book....all 563 pages of it....I couldn't stop.....so now here I am.....Lucia is reading book 3 so I don't have it and I am absolutely dying to know what is going to happen next! I guess I will have to wait until we get to St Maarten on Monday and I will buy myself a copy to take on the plane!! anyway if you haven't read the Twilight series.....run, don't walk...run to the bookstore right now and get them......I promise that you too will be obsessed!!
Other than that things are going along....the guinea pigs are growing, the pigeon is growing and Joe is studying......not much new to really report!
So I guess I should go....I have to take Monty to a birthday party in a few minutes and they are both out there claiming that they are starving.....so take care and hope to see alot of you soon!
God Bless.

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.

My get up and go has got up and went.......

I have a serious case of the lazies......I have never not had a job before so I always have relied on the structure of the work day to kick me into gear and so now, with me not working (well outside of the home anyway!!) I am finding that getting myself into a productive state before 10 is becoming a challenge! Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining....at all!! I actually kind of like it, (ok I really like it) but I am a little concerned that when I one day return to the real world I am going to be in serious trouble (Hey Mary Lou, can I start work at 10?) So most mornings now I get up at 630, get the kids ready for school, lunches packed, clothes out, teeth brushed, you know the drill.....then I shove Joe and the kids out the door at 7:20......then I go in and stretch out on my bed for a few minutes and think about just how lazy I might be today! I usually spend a half hour or so catching up on emails, facebook and reading the deaths.....errrr....the Guardian....(gotta stay current with what's happening on the PEI homefront!....nosy freakin' islander!) After that, I usually very slowly go about cleaning the house......I do this every day for about an hour in the morning and it never ceases to amaze me that it is just as messy and dirty each time I go to do it? It is some strange phenomenon worthy of an x-files episode! Laundry, dishes, sweeping, dusting, tidying, making beds etc....there is a never ending pile of things to do! Then I get dressed and ready for the day (which usually consists of pulling my hair back into a clip or pony tail and putting on clothes instead of wandering around in my pj's) Some days I put on a little make-up...others I just go au natural.....it is funny.....most of us SOS girls here have shown each other what we used to look like pre-Saba.....nice, classy, professional looking chicks....and we always react with a "wow, you looked awesome"......did you notice the past tense.."looked"......nowadays we are all just hanging around with our pony tailed hair and not a tack of make-up.....it is liberating and scary all at the same time!! One day for fun I put on my make-up and went down into the town and every person that I met that I knew said "wow you look really nice today" or "wow you are glowing today" (I think to myself, that is not a glow, that is the magical transforming power of clinique......) Anyway it is pretty funny.....so back to my non-working topic.....I am trying to get myself motivated to at least get out and exercise each morning...I keep saying that I am going to go out for a walk (which in Saba is actually a climb since everything is a hill) I have gone a few times and come back all sticky and sweaty....see that is the trouble with exercise.....the sticky and sweaty part.,....yuck......I mean it is bad enough that my hair is in a pony tail and I have no make-up on but sticky and sweaty too?? So I have recruited a few friends who are also experiencing symptoms of this serious illness (L.A.S......short for Lazy Ass Syndrome....Melissa coined that one!) and we are now going to try to motivate each other to get out there!
So all talk of laziness aside......my afternoons are quite busy with the kids (my own and usually at least 2-3 more) And of course I am also copresident of the SOS so we have lots of events and planning etc......and Joe and I are in charge of the music ministry at our church so that involves some work as well. And today I start co-facilitating a 6 week parenting course.....I am excited to be doing this but also feeling a little like my brain has been on vacation and so I am not sure how exactly it will perform! I was speaking with the supervisor/coordinator of the agency that has contracted with me to do this course and she advised me yesterday that they are likely going to be looking at hiring a pt social worker 20 hours a week......so that may be an option for me.....it is goiong to be tough decision to give up my mornings though.....
So what else is going on you ask?
Well, we have had a good week on Saba.......the beach is wonderful right now so we have had supper with friends down there 3 times last week! The water is so lovely and warm.....the waves are a little daunting by times, but I am getting used to it.....we have had a park day with the SOS and that was fun and another one coming up this week. Also an SOS cooking class next week, where Heather, a new SOS from Louisiana is going to teach us all to cook authentic Gumbo! And we have a few women from India who are going to give us a class as well next month....we are planning a wine tasting evening.....and maybe a day trip to St Maarten for just us ladies, so lots of neat and interesting upcoming events......there are some really nice ladies in the SOS so I am feeling like I am making some great friends here......Christian is of course doing fine, having a wonderful time in Saba.....Monty is doing better now that he has 2 really good friends to hang out with......school is still a bit rough for him but we are taking it day by day...and he is counting down until we go home for the summer......Joe is studying....thats pretty much it for Joe.....he emerges once in a while from his study, but for the most part he has his head down in the books....semester 2 and 3 are notoriously difficult for students....4 and 5 become a little more manageable again.....so I will see him in about 8 months or so!! ha ha.......Oh, our ginuea pig had babies! 2 sweet little babies......they are adorable and the kids have been so excited! The pigs bring us so much enjoyment....really they do......they squeak and whistle when we come out (hoping for treats of course), we carry them around and cuddle with them, they are really alot of fun.....I highly recommend every family have 2 (maybe not 5 like we do right now!) They are cute and fun little critters....Joe is slowly warming up to them.....he says that he doesn't like them, but he often comes in to tell me that my pigs are calling to me, they must need something etc......they are definitely a great addition to our family!
Oh and it never ceases to amaze me what a small world we live in.....recently I found out that my next door neighbor Lynn rents her guest house out to students and there is a student there named Susan....so I finally meet Susan and her husband Ian.....and if you can believe it....Susan is from PEI, Cornwall! And her husband Ian is from Alberta! Red Deer ,which is where Joe grew up.....so it is so wierd....our neighbors are a couple from PEI/Alberta all the way down here in Saba.....anyway we had a wonderful chat with them and they are a super nice couple....Ian is just here for a few months as he is at the U of T working on his Masters.....so I was struck with what a small world this is....I mean what are the chances of that???
Anyway I guess that I better go enter the housework phase of my morning, then get cleaned up and pull my hair into a pony tail to get started on the day! Hope that you are all well....I am really looking forward to seeing you all this summer!! Until then....God Bless, Love Dawn.