There's an End in Sight

Matthew survived finals week, and we are happy to announce that he will be heading into 7th semester starting in September! This means that we only have four months left on St. Kitts before heading to our clinical placement location, (which we'll find out about in four weeks).

In the mean time, we are on vacation until September 3rd. What are our plans, you ask? Well, we'll be spending his semester break here in SK. Here's a list of approved activities thus far:

— Beach

— Pool

— Snorkel

— Read

— Hang out with our friends (obvi)

— Take naps

— Enjoy copious amounts of food and drinks

— Beach volleyball

— Paddleboarding

— Sleeping in

— Haircut

— Fishing

— Movies

— Trip to Nevis

As you can see, we have lots of fun things in mind for our last SK break. (Can't believe it's our last one, btw.) Although, I'm sure Matthew has other things planned like cleaning our house and car. Regardless, we are looking forward to soaking up the Caribbean sunshine, spending time with each other as well as Milo and Trooper, and enjoying island time. It's a beautiful thing. 

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

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. 

Recent Beach Photos

I have been able to get out to Cockleshell beach a few times, which is a nice change of scenery. Now that it's tourist season, the beaches are beginning to fill with visitors, and the restaurants/bars/beach huts are loving it.

Tourists at Spice Mill

Bobsy's Beach Hut

Beautiful view of Nevis. 

I'm sure Milo and Trooper miss the woods and trails they left behind in Michigan, but they have definitely grown to enjoy the beach. In mid-November, we brought them to South Friar's to get some exercise. While there, I was able to get a few pretty photos of the early morning surroundings...and a couple of the puppies gallivanting about. 

That's Matthew in the water snorkeling.

It's December?!

Where did the time go? Where did November disappear to?

Hmmm...while I think about that, here are some photos from recent doggie beach days.

Here are some cute photos from our weekly trips to the beach with the pups.

Sophia, Remington, and Zoe at South Friar's

Milo at Gong

Ryan and Zoe on the floating dock at Shipwreck Beach

Jolie, Remington, and Sophia

Check out how clear that water is!

Tired Trooper and Milo

Great view of the Caribbean Sea

Took this photo on accident. Pretty cool, huh?

Ryan with the beach hounds

Snorkeling with Zoe

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!)

September Summary

BaCk To ThE GrInD:

When we arrived back home from our amazing vacation in Seattle, we had four or five days to ourselves. We spent that extra time going to the beach, snorkeling, hanging out with friends, and getting ready for the start of a new semester.

As usual, Semester Olympics occurred during the first week back to school, and this time, PINK, (5th Semester), took the cake! At the end of the week, we attended the Beginning of Semester Party, which had a theme: mustaches. It was pretty fun...until a monsoon decided to ensue. Normally rain doesn't bother me, but it was the cold that came along with it, that forced us to head back home. 

Beach*Fest which is hosted by the SCUBA club every semester, was held at Reggae Beach on September 17th. Matthew and I headed to Michaelene's for our annual Beach*Fest breakfast. Fortunately, we managed not to eat ourselves into food comas. Yay! We met our friend, Jackie, at Reggae when we arrived, played corn hole, and soaked up the sun. And then it rained, and we had a rather adventurous ride home! I feel very blessed that we both made it home safely. Whew!

Another fun event included celebrating Jessie's 30th birthday, and Diana's 24th. We went to dinner on their actual birthday at La Belle Vie, one of my favorite restaurants on the island. And later that week, we had a girls' night out for drinks and dancing. It was a lot of fun!

Lastly, we went to a goodbye dinner, for our friend and former Ross professor, Dr. Mark Freeman. The dinner was held at Formosa Garden Restaurant in Basseterre, and we had an amazing time. It was nice to see all of our friends come and wish Dr. Freeman well on his next adventure.

Beginning of Semester Party w/ MUSTACHES!

This photo just cracks me up. Bahahhahhaaaaa

Beach*Fest with my mustache...hehe.

Me with the birthday girls, Jessie and Diana. :)

We received free drinks at the Marriott. Woot woot!

Out at the Blue Martini dancing the night away. 

We'll miss you, Dr. Freeman!

Our group at Formosa Garden Restaurant