Christmas, Christmas, Merry Merry Christmas!

(Pretend that you are reading this Sunday, December 14-----because if not, you might get confused!)

This past week has really brought the Holiday Spirit as I have been able to attend a few different Island Celebrations. The first one was on Tuesday night at our church building with all of the people from our ESL (English as a Second Language) Classes. We had an end of the semester Christmas party and it ended up being so much fun. Natalynn started out by welcoming everyone and showing a short video on Christ's birth which was a great start. Kellie then told the story of Frosty the Snow Man (after explaining what a snow man was) with awesome detail and expressions! (Kell, have you ever considered story telling as a career?) Next we sang a few different Christmas songs which I tried to play by ear on the keyboard. I could have done a better job, but I was surprised at how much I actually got! Everyone loved singing and they kept saying "Again! Let's do it again!" We sang until the end of the party (everyone even tried to do the actions to "Up on the House Top!") and then had refreshments. It was a lot of fun and I was sad to say good bye to everyone for the next month & 1/2 until classes start up again. We were able to get some pictures and video though, hopefully it'll spread a little Island Christmas Spirit to everyone else!

The next event was on Thursday at the Elementary Prep School on Ross Campus were I work. The kids sang songs and performed A Christmas Carol (or Scrooge as the kids called it). They did a great job and the whole production was really cute. At the end, some workers from the day care did a little song and dance that was pretty fun.

Lastly, we had our Christmas program today at church along with a linger-longer and it was all really nice. A lot of people (a lot meaning about 30 of the 60) from our small branch are leaving the island for next semester either because they've "served their time" or they are going to the new campus in the Bahamas that opens the Jan. semester. We will miss everyone so much and we're just praying that we get a big group in next semester!

Anyway, I hope this finds everyone in good spirits and we can't wait to see everyone at the end of the week!

Above:  Most of the branch that is left as of now. (not all are staying though!)

Below:  The students from our branch.

Ok, I have a lot more pictures and some more video to upload but since I've been working on this post over the past 3 days (started on Sunday)  I'm just posting it and I'll add everything else when we get home this weekend.  Yes, HOME!  As in, home to Idaho!

Truly Thankful

Although I may tend to be a bit sarcastic (or overly sarcastic) and sometimes negative on my blog, I really am very grateful for the things that I have in my life. This past year has been tough, interesting, challenging, (WARM!), full of growth, and somehow, simply amazing. I really do love our lives here and I just want to publicly say that my heart if completely full of gratitude for the things that Keith and I have, be it knowledge, loving families, or just a shelter over our heads. Not having a big Thanksgiving feast in which we are able to visit for hours with our families has been hard, but it has given me time to really ponder this time of year and to count my many blessings. We are missing our friends and families at such a time, but send them our love from the Caribbean with the knowledge that they are on the top of our "We are Thankful for..." list.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

SUCH A FUN TIME!

If anyone is in need of a good time, boy do I have an idea for you!!!

Start by collecting a group of 12 children--I've found that if the ages range from about 3 to at least 12, it works best. Once the group has been established, send them to school on a blistering hot day to play on a WAY-too-small playground and do all of the other fun school things kids are doing now-a-days. Bring the kids outside after their long, exhausting day at school and let them play in the blazing hot sun for at least 30 minutes (on nothing other than the way-too-small playground). Within that 30 minutes, make sure that 2 of the children try to ninja-fight while you are helping another child, and that as you call the ninja-wanna-be's off of the playground, a different child falls off of the monkey bars. If you can have the most dramatic child announce repeatedly (in nothing less than a scream) that the falling child has "FALLEN FROM THE TOP OF THE MONKEY BARS AND NOW HER FOOT IS TWISTED!" it really adds to the whole thing. Of course, as soon as the twisted-but-not-actually-twisted-foot situation (which wasn't nearly as bad as it sounded) gets resolved, if you sent one child to jump over a small and very wobbly picket fence right before his name could be yelled, it's perfect. Make sure that on the other side of that fence, there's a sidewalk to cushion your fence climbers fall, right on his hands and stomach. When all of this outdoor funness reaches it's peak, have them move locations. I've learned that asking for one single file line is a lot of fun too! Next, I DARE you to ask who has homework. I DARE YOU! Make all of the 9 children of differing grades with homework sit at a table and without prompting I'm sure they can figure out the next step to your "super fun packed time." (if not, just make sure that your name is called, said, or possibly even cursed at least 25x in 60 seconds) Oh, but back up. Before entering the school, you have to make sure that every child understands that the one child who should be with the group but is not, has been throwing up all afternoon and is asleep on the floor right inside. Ok, understand that it is possible to get 9 children with differing grades to get their homework done, so when you finish that, allow the sleeping puke-child (whose Mother's phone is broken making her unreachable) to awake. Pull everyone together on the rug and as soon as you FINALLY have them all sitting "crisscross applesauce" on the rug-start to give directions for the activity for the day. At this exact moment (I'm talking exact) let the sick child raise his hand and announce that he is going to throw up again. (This part is really a lot of fun) So as you rush the sick child to the garbage can, allow the 3 and 4 year old girls to follow and squeal and whimper as puke launches forth into the garbage can. As though on cue, the rest of the children should understand that this is possibly the most appropriate time to start doing cart-wheel kicks and calling for their pokemon ("pickachu-I choose you!") to come and play around the rug. Now, when you choose the child to go and pull the principle out of the 4th "staff meeting" of the week, don't forget to choose the slowest moving child in the group, because seriously---what could be better?. When "reinforcement" arrives, let them see the fun that you are having and for fear of interrupting your jolly time, surely they will be understanding and tell you something like "Well, his Mom has been called. There's nothing else to do," and disappear again as children run amuck in the room. (don't forget about puking child though, because at this point, the water he drank 5 minutes previously is gurggling in and up through his throat---literally!) Finally, when you've had enough fun doing that (and believe me, it's WAY fun-so you might be there a while) announce that people can go and get board games out. Now, here's another crucial part. If you don't have a Hungry, Hungry, Hippo's game, purchase one. Either way, make sure that there are only 3 marbles in the game at the time and that 4 children are always playing it. Nothing is more fun then when at least 1 person looses completely. As "Hippos" and other such super quiet games are being played, have a few of the children get out Monopoly and throw the pieces at one another while tossing the money in the air like they are rich. This is loads of fun. When so much fun is being had that it actually becomes too much for everyone, confiscate "Hippos" and Monopoly, because no one should be allowed that much fun! At this point it might be best to have a seat (but don't abandoned puking child, who now has a seat by the trash) because all of the joy and fun that should be spreading like wildfire might be causing a slight twitch in your whole body. Sit down, twitching and all and take a moment to soak in the joy you are feeling because seriously, fun times like these don't happen everyday.............. *sigh* which is something that I am just learning to deal with.

(Disclaimer: This is not what a typical day in after care is like, but when such a fun time is had, how can one not feel guilty about keeping such a great time to themselves?)

Uninvited Guest

Saturday night we had just fallen asleep when all of the sudden Keith sat straight up in bed, turned, lifted his pillow and started smacking the bed with it. As I was coming to, I asked "Keith? What's going on?" "It's a centipede," he calmly replied. I'm not sure what all happened after that, but somehow I ended up hitting at it (my eye sight is much better than Keith's and this was all happening in the dark) as it ran towards my pillow and Keith grabbed for a book. Big woop-dee-doo, you are probably thinking. A centipede, that's not any worse than a spider. Fellow blog readers, let me inform you that you are wrong. Centipedes in Dominica can be much worse than the small spiders you may find in your bed (or even the slightly bigger spiders you may find in your bed.) I did a little research and found what I believe are the type of centipedes we have here, called Vietnamese Centipedes. They can get really big here, but our friend was just a baby. Click here to see an accurate and gross picture of a a full grown one as well as learn fun facts---like their length can reach up to 8 in. long and they are "a large, aggressive species with a nasty attitude and a serious bite!" (Or so says animal-world.com) Anyway, back to the story. So, a little panicked, I pushed as hard as I could on the bed with the big, hard cover book, but knew it was not killing it. I asked for a shoe, but was not successful in pinching the centipede between the book and the shoe. Finally, Keith had both of my flip flops on his hands (somewhere in there the light got turned on) and as I lifted the book and jumped back, he grabbed the finger-length centipede between the shoes and took it into the bathroom sink. Well, if you are wondering how Keith woke up at midnight with the knowledge that a centipede was uninvitingly partying in our bed, it was because Keith was crowding Centi (the centipede) out and he gave Keith a nice bite on the shoulder to let him know it. It broke the skin on Keiths shoulder and gave him a welt the size of a coin (if you like a good story, pretend it was the size of a quarter. If you are more interested in the truth, go with a penny.) After the fight, the death, and the picture taking, Keith and I stood against the wall farthest from the bed, staring at it. We glanced at each other and stared back at the bed, not speaking a word. Sometime between that moment and 7:50 the next morning, we both made it in to bed and I guess we literally killed the party because I didn't wake up again until I could smell Keith cooking breakfast.

(Mind you, this is after it was beaten on the bed and then smashed between 2 shoes)

Husband Tag

I'v been tagged!   (thanks Megs)   :)

The rules are posted at the beginning. Each person answers questions about their sweethearts. At the end of the post the person then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they are tagged!!


WHAT IS YOUR HUSBAND'S NAME?  Keith Alan Taylor
HOW LONG HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN MARRIED?  a little over 2 Years & 2 months
HOW LONG DID YOU DATE?  6 months, (or 8 months if you count our engagement)
HOW OLD IS HE?  He will be 27 on Wednesday!  
WHO IS TALLER?  Keith is taller by about 6 inches, which I love!
WHO CAN SING BEST?  When Keith sings low, he takes the cake.
WHO IS SMARTER?  Well, it depends on which kind of smart you are talking about.  Scholastically, Keith is brilliant and SO much smarter than me (and he remembers all sorts of stuff)  but I think (as probably every wife does) that I am more logical and "street smart"
WHO DOES LAUNDRY?  Hermina, our laundry lady!  (we both did pre-Dominica)
WHO PAYS BILLS?  Both of us, he pays most of the on-line bills and  I take care of everything else
WHO SLEEPS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BED?  When we are laying in bed, I do
WHO MOWS THE LAWN?   HA!  What I wouldn't give to have a lawn!
WHO COOKS DINNER?  Usually me, but Keith is really good to help out or step in when needed.  (He is a much better cook than I am and he enjoys cooking a lot more than I do)

WHO'S THE FIRST TO ADMIT THEY ARE WRONG?  Probably Keith (He's a pretty easy guy to live with)
WHO KISSED WHO FIRST?  He kissed me first
WHO WEARS THE PANTS?  oh gosh, I don't want to say me, but it's possible that I do

I tag  Kellie, Natalynn, Teresa, Becky, Kimi, and Ashlie
 

LE COURS D'ANGLAIS

Every Tuesday and Thursday night a small group of people from our church meet in Portsmouth (at our church building) and teach English as a Second Language classes. They are open and free of charge to everyone, but most in attendance are from Haiti. There is one female who attends the class I teach every so often, but it's mostly just me and the guys. I teach the intermediate class and now have help from one of our church's senior missionaries, who is here serving a religious mission with her husband. When I first started teaching, I was extremely intimidated but I now look forward to teaching and interacting with such a funny, hard working group of people. Props to them for leaving their families in Haiti behind to come and work as hard as they do, study English and improve their lives. I really am grateful for the friends that I have found in these guys and the laughs that they provide every week. (Including the times they try to teach me French--I'm just not cut out to be bilingual!)

Here's most of our class, but we are missing a few people.

(Double click on the pictures for a better image)

They were supposed to pull a funny face in this picture, obviously they didn't all go for that.

If your face can be seen in this picture and you are reading this, "Faites vos devoirs!" :)

"Rain Day"

Thursday morning I woke up and it was pouring rain. Not too much of a surprise, as it's rainy/hurricane season. The rain got pretty crazy and sometime around 10:00 am, Keith called to tell me that campus was closing because of a storm surge. The Prime Minister ordered that every thing on the island be closed and people return home. So, naturally I put all of our buckets outside to catch rainwater so that we could flush the toilet if the water went out, turned on the AC to cool the apartment, because I knew the power was going to go out, and jumped in the shower. I'm not sure that was the best choice, seeing how it honestly was liquid mud, but---what do you do?
Ironically, the rain stopped and the worst of the storm had hit before 10:00. It was Hurricane Omar, which was somewhere up by Puerto Rico but we caught a little of the tail end of it. Later, our landlord stopped by to see how we rode out the storm and told us that in Portsmouth (just down the road) some ships and barges had washed up! BIG ships and barges! He said that everything was a mess and some of the roads were blocked off. So, later that afternoon, my friend Natalynn and I walked down to see what all the fuss was about. Turns out, Nick was right. Everything was a mess!

Here's a look at some of the waves. The Caribbean Sea is normally VERY calm, but here it looks more like the Atlantic during a storm.
As you can see, hours after the worst of the storm, the sea was still crashing up onto the road.

This was on the street that runs along the bay front. The streets were covered in sand and small fishing boats were washed up everywhere. They got washed up and over the street, the waves were crazy!
(Check out that pile of sand and debris that was washed up--they had what looked like a small snow plow scraping sand off of the streets)


All of these boats had washed up, from small fishing boats to great big boats!


All of these boats are beached on the shore---not a good thing! We heard that you have to hire a tug boat from Miami to get boats like these pulled off shore! (not cheap!)

Luckily the bus stop is here, or else this boat probably would have been sitting in the street!

So, instead of a snow day, like we are used to back home, today we had a "Rain Day." Awesome.

Operation Rescue

Thursday morning I woke up and started getting ready for a hike I was going on. I walked out to the kitchen and found this little gecko guy hanging out in the corner of our kitchen counter. I was in a hurry to get going on the hike so I didn't bother catching him and figured he could be in charge of bug control. That night, he was no where in sight. Um, that was a little nerve racking and I was hoping that he wouldn't come and find me in the middle of the night. Fortunately he stayed in our kitchen and I finally found him again today, up on the top of the window. I made Keith rescue him and take him outside because gecko-man was not looking good. (And he did nothing by way of bug control)

Keith to the rescue!
Gecko-Man jumped onto Keith's hand but then onto the ground and ran into an ant trap. Bad News! Do you know what are in ant traps?
We quickly took it outside and pulled it apart to free Gecko-Man.

He ran away and hopefully he's doing better now. Good luck little Gecko-Man!

3rd Semester Beach Bash

Every semester after the first big test Ross puts on a Beach Bash Party. They serve free hamburgers and fresh local fruit juice and give out free T-Shirts. I had to work until 5:00 so we didn't swim, but as always, we had a good time and the sunset was absolutely beautiful!

Cute Kids With Big Imaginations

Today I babysat our neighbor girls during the lunch hour (on campus). Here are some cute pictures of them with some of our other friends kids. Everyone could see a black object out in the Caribbean Sea and they were SURE it was a baby whale and they did not want anyone to miss out on it. (Don't get too excited. To me, it looked like a coconut)


It started out with just 3 kids. Sitting on a bench quietly, talking amongst themselves.

Then the girls I was babysitting and a few other friends got called over to see the "baby whale."

They were all occupied for quite some time, (and very intently) watching the black object, deciding whether or not it was actually a whale.Almost everyone had a theory as to what it could be that they were seeing. They finally narrowed it down (between garbage, a monster fish, a sinking boat, a person swimming (if it was a person, how good would they feel to be confused with a baby whale?) a buoy and a baby whale.) One girl said "Okay. So, it's either a buoy or a whale. That white thing over there could be a buoy, but the black one has to be a whale." It was so fun listening to them weigh out the different possibilities.

They finally decided that the black thing out there was a whale. The object was really small, but their big imaginations made up for it. Aaahhh (sigh), the joys of childhood.

Pictures from the Taylor's Visit

Here are a few pictures of when Keith's parents were visiting. (from over a month ago, sorry!)  We didn't get too many before our memory stick became "unreadable," but we got a few.  Anyway, we were really glad that Bill and Katherine were able to come and visit.  It was SO good to see them and we had a great time hanging out with them.  

We are also making sure that everyone knows, VISITORS ARE WELCOME!  We would LOVE it if more people came down to visit!  (You can stay in our extra bedroom for FREE!)

(All of these pictures were taken at Cabrits National Park)

 

At a battery on top of the mountain at Cabrits.  

Keith, locked away in prison

Bill and Katherine with some of the ruins at Cabrits

Overlooking Prince Rupert Bay.  We live in the general direction that Keith is looking.

 

Keith with a painting of the original Fort Shirley

For More Info on Cabrits (or some info, since I didn't give you any) click HERE

9 days of nothing but Twilight!

Now that I am only working  a few hours a day, I have had a little bit more time on my hands. So, I gave in and started reading Twilight. I borrowed Twilight a week ago from Sunday and started reading later that afternoon.  By Wednesday, I was in dire need of New Moon (the 2nd book) and by Friday, I was on to Eclipse (the 3rd one).  I finished Eclipse Saturday night and started Breaking Dawn (the 4th one) on Sunday evening.  By Tuesday, I was done.  Completely obsessed, but done.  Other than working and teaching English class for 2 days last week, I honestly did nothing other than read from the time I woke up until the time I couldn't keep my eyes open any more at night.  I have never read a book that I honestly "couldn't put down" until now.  (Harry Potter was close though)  Needless to say, the books were better than I expected them to be and I might reread them shortly, but at a much slower pace.   :)

Oh, thanks Keith for eating Soup so much last week for dinner.  You are so great to understand that I just "didn't have time to cook."

One month and many events later.....

It may appear as if I have abandoned by blog, but the fact is, I have just had zero desire to even look at my blog.  Why?  I'm not sure, I've just been really busy, our memory stick for our camera stopped working so pictures weren't a motivator, and when I get home I have 2 things on my mind: food and sleep.  My job working all day is over now though, and I'm at just 2 1/2 hours, so hopefully I will be more committed to blogging.  Quite a bit has happened in the past month, so here is a short update:

**Keith made it through 2nd semester, which is great.  It wasn't very fun.  He didn't do to badly either!  (Good Job Babe!)

**Keith's parents came to visit at the end of August.  We had a lot of fun touring the island with them and just being able to visit and enjoy their company.

**Keith and I decided it was time we had a break from this island and we headed to St. Lucia, which is 2 islands over.  We stayed at Coconut Bay Resort (which was all inclusive) and lived the life that many of you back home imagine us living:  Relaxing in hammocks on the beach or chairs by the pool, reading (or napping), and drinking pina coladas all day long.  For one awesome week we answered to no one, ate all of the food we wanted whenever we wanted, had unlimited food and drinks, received a free massage, and wore our swimming suits all day long.  It was awesome.  Unfortunately, we couldn't take pictures because our memory card was screwed up.

**Now, we are back in the grind of everyday life on "The Rock" as our beautiful island is often times called.  We do enjoy it here, but Coconut Bay was more our style!

"You wear me out!"

As much as I have enjoyed my job this summer, I am starting to feel bad for the poor children who have to listen to me day in and day out. There are 4 children who have to listen to me not only Monday-Friday for 6+ hours, but also on Sunday for 1 1/2 hours during primary. 2 of those lucky girls happen to be my downstairs neighbors and I get the feeling that they are especially tired of me as I see them quite often, even when it's not at school or church. My hunch was proven right today as I talked with them during our lesson on Obedience. Of course, since 2/3rds of the kids in my primary class are also with me the rest of the week, when the lesson is "I can obey my Parents" I drop in the friendly reminder that we also need to obey our teachers at school and church. (Which is Me and Me) We talked a little bit about being respectful of each other. I explained that disrespect tends to lead to a crankier Miss Chelsie, who doesn't enjoy being cranky and it's not fun for anyone.  I said "I don't like to tell people to sit down during singing again and again, or to stop hitting, or get in line, or.......(you get the point) over and over again. It wears me out." (At this point my class was giggling) I continued, "I often times go home and take a nap after school. When you don't listen it wears me out!" My 7 yr old neighbor girl with her elbow on the desk plopped her head into her hand, sighed and said, "But sometimes Miss Chelsie,  YOU wear ME out!"

Fair enough I suppose.

Memory Game

Alright, by demand, I'm joining in on the game.......


Here are the rules...

! As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together( it can be for Chelsie, Keith or both). It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you! If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you!

Lets have fun!

2 Years of BLISS!

Engagement Pictures

Exactly two years ago today, Keith and I had the amazing experience of being married and sealed for time and all eternity in the Idaho Falls, Idaho, LDS Temple. I can't believe that we have already been married 2 years and yet it seems weird to think of my life "pre-Keith." The past 2 years have been amazing and I wouldn't trade them for anything. What an amazing thing to be married to my very best friend! Keith, you are my absolute world and I am grateful for such a kind, loving, strong, patient, persevering husband! Thank you for all that you do!


I LOVE YOU KEITH!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Nothing New

Well, nothing new has really been going on. Keith had his 2nd big test and he passed everything, which is good. He just studies all of the time but neither of us can believe how fast this semester is going! There are only 5 weeks left! I am still enjoying my job, the kids are great. They keep me laughing. I do often come home a take a 1-2 hour nap after work though, I can't believe how tired I get!

English as a Second Language (ESL) classes have started up again. It's a lot of fun, I just feel bad for the poor people I try to teach. My brain is fried by the time 6:30 rolls around, but luckily there's another teacher to explain my babblings to the class. I do have a lot of fun though.

Other than that, not much is new. We are just here, working, going to school, and living life one day at a time.

4th of July--Island Style

Although Keith was taking a test on the 4th and I was working all day, we still had the opportunity to celebrate our country's independence. I have always been proud to be an American, but this year things just really hit home. I have never been as grateful for my country before as I have been the past 6 months. We really missed our families, but we had a great time with our friends down here. Everyone contributed and we were able to come together and have an AWESOME BBQ! We had everything: hot dogs & hamburgers, baked beans, pasta salad, red and blue star shaped jello jigglers, fresh fruit, star shaped sugar cookies with red, white, and blue sprinkles, cupcakes, the whole 9 yards. It was quite the feast and everything from the cookies to the hotdog buns were homemade (We have made friends with some excellent cooks!) . Keith brought his baby (his football) and some of the guys threw it around while the grill was warming up. It was a great day and for not being in the states, it actually felt a lot like the 4th of July. The whole evening I felt so much gratitude for both our friends on the island and my country. The song "God Bless America" ran through my head multiple times. We are so blessed!

Keith getting the grill going. (We bought this grill from a student and haven't regretted it for a second)Everyone enjoying the food!


Feeling very full and very happy!
After the BBQ, we joined some of our friends for night swimming. It ended up raining at least 1/2 the time we were there, but we still had a lot of fun!

"Fun in the Sun"

As of Friday, June 27, 2008 I am officially employed! Hooray! There aren't a lot of job opportunities down here and luckily things fell into place for me. So far, I LOVE IT! I am working at the elementary prep school on Ross Campus , teaming up with 3 different teachers throughout the summer to do the summer program. Our theme for the summer is "Fun in the Sun" and so far, it has been. Here are a couple of pictures from our summer so far! We have some fun activities on the program and hopefully things will run smoothly the rest of the summer.


This is the sign that some of the other wives helped me make. ("helped me"= they pretty much did it all)Here's most of the little Hooligans that I get to run around with this summer. We had a field trip to the fire station, police station, and purple turtle beach today. They got to climb into the fire truck and explore a little bit.
A close up of some of them, giving me their "best" smiles. What characters!!!

As you can see, they are cute kids and since I don't have my own kids to blog about, prepare to get to know these kids better over the next 2 months!

p.s. For any of you Moms out there, www.4kraftykidz.com has some really fun things on it. Activities, coloring sheets, songs, educational things, etc. We pulled a few things off of there and the kids seemed to really like them.

Lost Addict

The past little while, Natalynn (one of my good friends down here) and I have started to watch ABC's TV series, "Lost." After the first episode, I was a little hesitant, as the scene was all too familiar. (For those of you unfamiliar with the story, a plane crashes on a deserted island and a group of people are left to survive on their own) Now, I am addicted. After reasoning with myself that if I were to actually get stuck on a deserted island after a plane crash, I would know how to survive now! It isn't all that different to what I've been doing the past 6 months! Anyway, if you haven't watched it yet, I'd suggest waiting until you have a couple of days with nothing to do and have yourself a "Lost" marathon!! Once you start, you won't want to stop!

Change of Attitude

*Apologies for the negativity on the blog*

Although living on Dominica can be a challenge, I am setting the goal to always see the positive in whatever situation comes our way. (thanks to those who spoke in church today)

* I am grateful that the water went out for a day, as it was a good warning to us to get ready for hurricane season. Also, we found that we may want to get more water in storage, just in case.

* I am grateful when the power sporadically goes out, because when it goes out and I am sitting at home in the dark, I am reminded how blessed I am to have electricity at all. Some aren't so lucky.

*I am grateful for the opportunity I have to walk everywhere, because I constantly get to enjoy this beautiful earth that my loving Heavenly Father created for me. It can also be peaceful and it leaves a lot of time in my day for contemplation and deep thought. And---it's great exercise.

*I am grateful for the market early Saturday morning because I can find healthy food for a very good price.

*I am grateful for the days that it poors, it means that there will be a beautiful rainbow shining over the green mountains of Dominica or the sea.

*I am grateful that it is warm year round here, so that when it does rain and I am walking in it, I don't get cold.

*I am grateful for the neighbor children who talk, play, and scream outside my window at 6:00 am, because I am reminded of the joys of childhood.

*I am grateful that my husband is gone all day studying because it means that he is getting an education and that he is fulfilling his dreams. It also reminds me how much he loves me, because he is sacrificing so much now so he can support our family later.

*And I am also grateful for a family who lives so far away, because it helps me to remember just how much I do love and appreciate them!

Days Like Today.......

In the post previous to this post, I was reminded why I like living here on Dominica. Days like today however, remind me why I still look forward to returning to the states! It started at some unknown hour this morning, (or late last night) when I woke up and realized that the power had gone out. (no fan or AC all night--blah!) Keith woke me up when he left this morning (still, no power) and said, "The water is REALLY dirty, you may want to wait to shower, to see if it will clear up." (we had a huge storm last night with lots of rain, lightning, and some thunder) It turns out that waiting might not have been my best option, since we have had no more than one drop of water come out of any faucet in our household since 9:30 this morning. It is now 11:15 pm. Not having water is pretty rough, but the electricity was out all night long and part of this morning, and then again later this afternoon. It makes it a bit harder to live without running water and electricity! (I know it's do-able, but when you aren't planning on it, it's no fun at all!) Luckily, my Mom has stressed to me over and over again (even when we lived in the states) the importance of water storage! (it's come in quite handy over the past 14 hours!) Anyway...... I thought that we were coming to Med School, not a campout! We miss civilization!!

2nd Semester Beach Bash!

On Monday, June 16, Keith took Mini 1 of his 2nd semester. Mini 1= first big test. Why they call the tests mini's, I'm not sure, but there is probably a reason. Anyway, after the first Mini of every semester there is a Beach Bash in which they give away free t-shirts, hamburgers, and juice. The school also rents sail boats and other water toys for the students and everyone heads to the beach to party. There is a DJ right on the beach and although most people get insanely drunk, us non-drinkers still have a lot of fun. This semester Cabrits Dive Center had some people there who were offering to take people on free "exploring dives" (in about 10 ft. deep water) to get a feel for diving. We did it and although there wasn't much to see, it was still really cool. When the sun starts to set, they light a big bonfire on the beach and it's just kind of fun to hang out. We stayed for the lighting of the bonfire and then started home. We were walking with some of our friends, Paul and Natalynn, when we all got distracted by the swimming pool. We stopped for a little bit of night swimming and then finally made our way home. It was great timing on our part, as the power had been out until about 3 minutes after we walked in the door. We had a lot of fun hanging out with everyone at the beach. It's days like those that make me realize.... "Oh ya, I do kind of like it here." (minus the power being out)Here we are hanging out at the beach, you can see some of the sailboats and things in the background.

Live Star Fish!

Sunset on the ocean that we were able to enjoy

The bonfire, just getting started!