Halloweenie Part IV

We did not carve a pumpkin this year. Imagine that?!

We did, however, carve a pineapple. It was a pretty easy process, and I've decided to carve one every year from here on out, as a sentimental tradition to celebrate our life in the Caribbean.

Halloweenie Part III

Matthew and I were invited to a Halloween event at Carambola Beach Club, which I was pretty excited about because it's a new restaurant here on Saint Kitts. I was really looking forward to checking out the place, even though the event was targeted towards families and their children.

We went with our friends, Matthew and Tiffany. We ate, drank, and had a lovely time watching the kids enjoy the games and events. The kiddies' costumes were all pretty cute too.

The restaurant itself was really nice. There's work to be done yet, but it's going to look fabulous upon completion. It's placed on South Friar's which faces the Caribbean Sea. There's a large full bar, a sushi bar, lounge seating, and a dining room. They also have an extensive wine cellar and a room for private dinners. While I haven't yet been there for lunch or dinner, I think we're planning on dining there soon.

Me and Tiff outside at Carambola

The boys: Matty and Matty

Love these two!

Pink and orange lounge seating inside of Carambola

Halloweenie Part II

For Halloween this year, I decided that I wanted to be a mermaid. Why not, right? I thought it was fitting since we live in the Caribbean. So, I went to Karron's Fabrics to see what fabric I could find to make my mermaid tail. Luckily, I spotted a medium pink fabric with gold striations. Perfect! Usually mermaids have green tails, but since I'm a pink-kind-of-girl, I decided to risk it and go with a pinkish hue. Making the mermaid tail went pretty well...sort of...eh not really...but it was totally worth it.

Getting Matthew to participate and dress-up never happens. HA. Except for this year. Mostly because I told him he was going to be a fisherman. Good duo costume, right? A fisherman and his 'catch of the day.' I also made a sign that read, 'I'm a Keeper,' because I couldn't decide which one I liked better.

The Halloween party was hosted by the 7th semester class and was held in somebody's back yard. Seeing as though Halloween was a drunken night of sorts, I'm having difficulty recalling the exact location. Meh, whatevs; irrelevant. Enjoy the photos.

Anna the piglet and me. She was so cute!

Hanging out with a Hogwarts dropout. 

Me and Diana; she was a tiger...can you see my scales? 

Ryan, me, and Brett—VIPs

And we're dranking...

Halloweenie Part I

Kendra and I decided to enter Trooper and Macey into a costume contest at Timothy Field the week of Halloween. Yes, of course I have Halloween costumes for my dogs. And yes, of course I purchased them the year before. I carefully chose a U.S. Postal Service Worker costume for Super Trooper, and a chicken costume for Mo-Myler. Kendra and I made Macey's costume ourselves, and she turned out to be the cutest little flower on the block. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of Milo in his costume...it's never too late though. He could wear it to our Christmas dinner.

Me and Kendra with our doggies.

{Conversations}

Matthew: I had MC Hammer pants and really dorky glasses back in the day. Oh, and racing stripes in my hair.

Me: I cannot believe your parents thought that was stylish.

Matthew: Well, it was. Hello, 1980s.

Me: Oh yeah...oh right. 

Matthew: And...I had a fanny pack. We were one fanny-pack sportin' family.

Me: You did? I did too!

Matthew: Those things are genius.

Me: No kidding right? Talk about hands-free and convenient. And no back pain. Have you ever tried running with a backpack? UGH. No thanks. I could around for run miles with my fanny pack!

Matthew: With one quick zip, I'd have everything I would need to go on an adventure. No backpack needed.

Me: We sound like an infomercial. 

Life...lately

It has taken me about six weeks to get back into the swing of things. After our vacation to the Pacific Northwest, I felt kind of stuck. As much as I was looking forward to getting back to my little island, it was a tough adjustment---and only after spending just one week back in the U.S. When we went to Washington, it was to explore and to ask ourselves, "Can we see ourselves living here?" It was an incredibly fun idea to entertain, because in about a year, we'll find out where Matthew gets placed for his clinical year. If the placement is at OSU, then we'll definitely be exploring more of the Pacific Northwest, and probably looking for area to settle.

When you daydream about the future, you think about where you'll live, where you'll work, where you'll take your kids, among many other things. And we did just that on our vacation. Every place we visited, we familiarized ourselves with that town, building, store, park, beach---with hopes of returning. In retrospect, I think it just took a long time for me to stop daydreaming and realize that we have to finish up on Saint Kitts first, before beginning our next adventure. Once I realized that I needed to get my head out of the clouds, find my footing on stable ground, and go about life like normal, it was difficult to tentatively let go of my future plans. OH---and not to mention that I was intensely missing Fall in the Mitten. Autumn is, hands down, my favorite season, and so I became a bit homesick for the first time since my move to Saint Kitts.

With that said, I'm happy to report that I have fully recovered from said rut, and am enjoying island life again. Living here, in the Caribbean, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I kind of lost sight of its blessing for a while. But, I'm joyfully back on track. The beaches have not looked more beautiful or serene. The sunshine has been an amazing blessing to wake up to every day. And I've spent quality time with those who matter. I've finally nailed down a schedule and have been busy the last couple of weeks. When people ask me, "How's this semester been going for you? What have you been doing," I can now honestly say, "It's going well and I've been [insert super fun activity here]."

Things I've been doing a bit more consistently this semester:

Sundays: Flag Football and Soccer
Monday: Running with Tiffany (RWT)
Tuesday: RWT and Trivia
Wednesday: RWT & Doggie Beach Day
Thursday: Tutoring and Spanish Class
Friday: RWT, Subbing at Ross Preparatory School, and Beach Volleyball
Saturday: Volunteering at the Sea Turtle Studio (jewelry creating and designing)

In addition to the activities above, I've been cooking every single night, managing to keep the house clean a bit more routinely, spending time with Matthew, Milo, and Trooper, going to the beach, and just generally having a good time.

So...that's the update for now.

{Conversations}

Sometimes my husband likes to think that he comes up with innovative ideas that are really 'cool.' Usually I just ignore him, but I felt like this one was especially lame. (And I mean this with the utmost amount of love.)

Matthew: Now this is what you should be singing on Karaoke nights at Bobsy's. [Cue "A Whole New World," from Aladdin...and Mateo singing along.]

Me: Ehhh...

And for anyone who needs a reminder: 

Things That Never Get Old: Wildlife Sightings of Sea Turtles, Green Vervet Monkeys, and Mongoose

Tuesday was a beach day. A few of we VIPs headed to Shipwreck in the morning. The water was choppy and the sun was kind of shy, but we still had a good time. We saw monkeys and mongoose as usual, but it just never gets old.

How cute is this little guy?

At first I thought this was the fattest monkey on the island...and then I realized that its baby is wrapped around her. Also, notice the mongoose in the background!

On Thursday, Kori Lee and I hosted a 'craft day' at her condo. Always looking for something to do, various female VIPs attended, and we had a great time. We snacked on cake balls, brownies, and popcorn, while we crafted away the afternoon. Meanwhile, Blaine, Kori's daughter, was crawling around and distracting us with her absolute adorableness. Can you blame us? She's too stinkin' cute! In between our chit chat and catch-up conversations, I taught the ladies how to create a few fabric flowers, and I think they were happy with their results. Even though I never end up making anything, (because I'm too busy instructing), I still really enjoy 'craft day.' It's fun seeing what each person creates, and I also like witnessing everyone's excitement as their projects come together in the end.

Friday was another enjoyable day of the week. Jennifer Chin, a fellow VIP and former teacher at the RUSVM Prep School, isn't working during her husband's last semester. Thus, she's available to hang out with the Real Housewives of St. Kitts, and become one herself! So, on Friday, we went snorkeling at White House Bay, (where we spotted a sea turtle), and then had a wonderful lunch at Spice Mill Restaurant. 

Jen and me. 

Sea Turtle!!

View from Spice Mill Restaurant

Ladies Lunching

And here's a rather large boulder that fell off the cliff.

Friday evening, I had beach volleyball, and dinner at Buddies Beach Hut to celebrate Matthew's 28th birthday. Funny that's he's 28 now; I've known him since he was 15!

Today, October 1st, is Matthew's actual birthday and we had a fairly relaxing day. He had to go up to school for a little bit to help with washing the kennel dogs. Afterwards, Matthew came home, we had lunch, and then headed to the movie theatre to watch, Contagion. I really enjoyed the movie, and it was pretty beneficial that Matthew could explain all the science-y terms to me. Oh that reminds me: I should probably tell you what classes he's taking this semester. 

Mechanisms of Disease

Epidemiology

Clinical Pathology

Pathology II

Pharmacology II

And now we're wrapping up the day in front of our television. We're watching the Nebraska vs. Wisconsin game, and so far, Wisco is winning! (Sorry Yaw Family!)

{Conversations}

I've decided to add a segment to this blog involving conversations that I find myself laughing at when I think about them later on in the day. If they don't seem funny to you, you probably weren't there, or know the people involved. But that's okay, because it's my blog, and I'm really the only one who reads this anyway...besides maybe mi madre.

A nearly new exchange between Diana and I—regarding her upcoming swimsuit shopping strategies.

Me: Hmmm...medium bottom, small top.
Di: A small? Really?
Me: Yep.
Di: Are you sure? I mean...this, [pointing to herself], is a size small and I feel like I'm popping out of it.
Me: Righhhht. Yes, well, some of us prefer that.