Goodbye 2011. Hello, 2012!

The year, 2011, was full of adventure, and it flew by oh so fast. I guess it's true when they say Time Flies When You're Having Fun.

January 15, 2011 is when I officially moved to Saint Kitts to be with Matthew while he finishes up the rest of his curriculum at RUSVM. Every month from then on, I met new people, I enjoyed the sun, I explored the island, I lived, I learned, I partied, I swam, I snorkeled, I loved, I liked, I disliked, I saw sea turtles, I drove a shady-ass car, I laughed a lot, I cried a little, I ate, I drank, I ran, I missed family and friends, I cooked, I cleaned, I read, I traveled, I earned a pretty fantastic tan, I grew (not physically), I lived simply...and I was happy.

And I'm still happy. I'm very much looking forward to 2012 and the adventures it will bring. This is our last year on-island, and we'll also be finding out where we'll be travelling next sometime towards the end of this year. In the mean time, I'm praying time slows down just a little, so I can soak up as much as I can. 

Goodbye 2011. You were...life-changing.

My friend, Kristen, sent me this image via Google, asking me to recreate it...it was difficult to do so, so I'm settling with this nice photo instead. :) 

Caribbean Staycation Part II

As you can imagine, we made several trips to the beach on our staycation.

One day in particular, we brought Leann and Brayton to Gong beach. They had never been there before, and it's one of our favorites, so it made sense to have them join us. Emily and Taylor went with us too! And of course the doggies tagged along; we even brought Zoe, one of the dogs we were watching.

With boogie boards in hand, we rode the Atlantic waves like professionals. Hahaha. It was such a fun afternoon. There's just something fun and refreshing about six adults playing in the sand and waves. Lots of laughs were had by all...and maybe we consumed a little too much saltwater. ;)

Leann, Brayton, and Emily

Brayton and me trying to get Trooper to boogie!

Trooper doesn't look quite as please as me and Brayton.

And here's Trooper hiding behind Uncle Taylor. No more swimming for that guy.

Mateo, Zoe, and Milo in the distance.

Another beach day was spent on Cockleshell beach and in Banana Bay. Matthew and I decided it'd be nice to have a "day date," so we packed up our beach gear, and headed out to the peninsula. Our plan was to snorkel areas we hadn't before, and end the afternoon with lunch before heading back to Frigate Bay to check on the dogs we were watching---including our own. And snorkel we did! We started at Cockleshell Beach and ended in Banana Bay. We saw an eel, the biggest starfish ever, a sting ray, sea fans, various species of fish, etc. Afterwards, we walked back to our car, drove back to Banana Bay and walked around to enjoy the views. Having spent a year in St. Kitts, I have no idea how I have not spent more time in Banana Bay. It's a gorgeous stretch of beach!

This is where we began our snorkeling adventure. 

I love how clear the water is. 

View of Banana Bay

Caribbean Christmas Staycation Part I

While a lot of students and their spouses leave Saint Kitts for the holidays, we chose to stay. Yes, we miss our families. Yes, we miss our friends. And yes, we even miss the snow. BUT—our move to the Eastern Caribbean is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and temporary, so why not experience Christmas elsewhere? Why not dive into the culture here, while we have the chance? Why not live a little, and do something out of the ordinary?

Matthew and I weren't the only people who wanted to stay over semester break. There were quite a few of our friends and students who we didn't know that were here. Who do you think pet sits when all of the students go home, eh? Our friend, Tracey, eventually created a Facebook group so we could all keep in touch. We met up to go to the beach, snorkel, play beach volleyball, play soccer, etc.

Our soccer fans: Harmony, Milo, and Trooper

Christmas dinner was hosted by the Emily and Taylor. Leann and Brayton, Peter and Audrey, Angelikie and Dan, and Matthew and I were the guests. We all brought something to share and feasted the evening away. It was heart-warming and fun to celebrate this special holiday with our island family. We laughed, we ate, and we enjoyed each other's company. No complaints. After a while, we ended the night early because on December 26th, at midnight, is when the celebration of J'ouvert begins (more about that down below). 

Here's our Christmas dinner group. 

Me and Em---Crasian Christmas!

The boys doing the dishes---as they should. Hehe. :) 

J'ouvert was our next big Staycation adventure. For additional information regarding J'ouvert and Carnival, click here to read Cory and Julia's blog  from a few years ago, when Cory was a student at RUSVM. Enjoy the photos...it was a crazy night/morning. Celebrations began at 12:00 a.m. and did not end until 9:00 a.m., or even later. The pre-party began in TDC field at midnight. While there, we partied, danced, listened to a live band, refilled our water bottles with delicious rum punch, got paint slapped on us, etc. At 4:00 a.m., we hit the streets of Basseterre following the troupe's big "float" with speakers and loud music. There were at least 500 people in our troupe...and almost ten troupes total. So...that's a lot of people! 

Here we are in our gear. Our troupe was: XTREME

Group photo 

I'm a happy girl with my rum punch. YUMMY!

Me and Leann...with all of our lovely paint. 

Here we are at about 6:00 a.m.

Here is a view form Ballahoo Restaurant of the troupes entering the Circus area.

   

We lasted until 8:00 a.m. WHEW! 

♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ How Will Santa Get Here? ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭

Happy Christmas from Saint Kitts!

We might be somewhere atypical for the holiday season this year, but we are still celebrating—Santa hats and all! Thanks to our friend, Tiffany, she took a few Christmas-ey photos for us. Usually we send out cards with our yearly photo, but we didn't get to do that this time. So we're sharing these photos instead. :)

Please also take a second to watch the YouTube video below. It features a popular Caribbean Christmas song, and the children at RUSVM Preparatory School included it in their holiday assembly this year. It was so cute watching them rehearse this song!

No-VAT-Thursday = Black Friday? ...Sorta

While picking up our mail on Thursday, the man at the counter notified us that it was, "No-VAT-Thursday," at IGA/Horsford's. VAT stands for, "value added tax," and it is partially why everything on this island is so damn expensive. So, on our way home, we decided to stop at IGA to get a few things. Why not, right? No tax? Let's do it!

As soon as we arrived at the store, we noticed that the parking lot was busier than usual...and then we saw that there weren't any shopping carts left, or shopping baskets for that matter. Upon entering the store, we saw checkout lines backed up all the way up a few aisles, and people with shopping carts filled to the top. It was like BLACK FRIDAY in the US. I couldn't help but laugh...and sneak around like a creeper and take photos. I have never seen so many people in that store, so I felt like I needed evidence for my fellow islanders.

In line with about 20 people in front of us!

Check-out line backed up to the freezer section. Crazy!

Burrr, it's a chilly 73 degrees (°F)!

I've noticed a few changes in the weather this week. It has been intensely windy, cooler in temperature, and a little rainy. In addition, the Atlantic side has been rather rough, and not safe for swimming. It's been a nice break from the intense Caribbean sun, but I don't think I like having to wear my hoody to the beach! Let's save that for Michigan, okay?

Horse Races at Beaumont Park

Beaumont Park Race Track & Entertainment Centre is a 198-acre sporting paradise that draws thousands of patrons monthly for premium thoroughbred horse racing and family-friendly entertainment---according to their website. 

On Sunday, December 18th, Matthew and I made the trip around the island to check it out. Never having been to a horse race before, I was really looking forward to it. The race track has a beautiful view of Mount Liamuiga, and it also overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. Pretty unique, right?

There were a lot of spectators at the race track that day...locals, expats, students, etc. When we arrived, we ran into Emily Yaw  and her family. They were on their island tour and lucky for us---they decided to stop at the race track to check it out. I love pleasant surprises! Our neighbors, Peter and Audrey, were also at the track, but we had planned on meeting them there. In addition, my friend, Brigett, and her family were there too. 

ANYWAY---the racing was pretty cool. I'd be interested in going again. I'm sure the racing here is nothing compared to what you'd find in Kentucky, but it was still enjoyable. (Excuse the random order of the photos below. Blogger was acting up a little when I was uploading them.) 

Mount Liamuiga in the distance.

Lush tropical scenery on the way to Beaumont Park.

Notice the Finishing Gate in the distance behind us.

Dance performer---I thought he was adorable!

The rest of the dancers...

Crasians at the track!

Spectators 

Beach Tokens

I am at the beach fairly often, as I should be. I live in the Eastern Caribbean...I would hope that I would be a bit of a sun-kissed beach bunny...with SPF 1000, of course.

Anyway, we take the dogs with us because it's the best place for them to get exercise. While they're romping around, swimming, digging to China, and hunting & catching (!) ghost crabs, I scour the beach for treasures. 

Here are a few photos of my recent finds. I would absolutely L-O-V-E a set of apothecary jars, but I doubt that will happen on this little island. The price would probably be way too high, and I don't have the space for them. *sigh* In the mean time, I've been keeping my eyes peeled for a clear glass bowl to place them in for my coffee table, but until then—they are just chillin' outside.