Ladies' Luncheon @ Palm Court Gardens

A group of we Ladies of Leisure met at Palm Court Gardens this afternoon. I have been to this venue several times now, but there were a few ladies who had not, so I was looking forward to sharing this pretty location with them. Our plan was to bask in the sunshine, enjoy the beautiful view of Basseterre Bay, walk the grounds, check out the Shell Works gift shop, chit chat, and enjoy lunch. However...the weather had different plans for us as soon as we arrived. After deciding to go sit outside near the pool to provide us with a nice breeze, we saw that a rainstorm was headed our way. Go figure. (And of course, it is currently bright and sunny as I'm writing this.) It eventually rained downpoured, and we had no choice but to move inside. And by 'inside' I mean into the actual owners' living space. The restaurant is designed for semi-covered, indoor/outdoor seating, but the the rain was spilling into every available seating area. Despite the rain and gloomy weather, we still managed to have a nice time...thanks to the staff who were very accommodating. 

The entrance to Palm Court Gardens.

I ordered 'rum punch' for lunch. I loved the conch shell-shaped glass. 

Normally, you can see the rest of the island from this view. Not so much in this photo. Instead, you can see the rainstorm slowly making its way towards us. 

I have a thing for chandeliers. I couldn't resist snapping a photo of this one while we were inside for lunch.

Probably my favorite photo from this afternoon. From left to right: Tracey, Stephanie, and Tamsin, with their babies. As Stephanie mentioned, there must be something in the water. Good thing I ordered rum punch...

Only in Saint Kitts...

I saw this on my Facebook news feed. How could this have happened? On a Friday? With a security guard at the door to let customers in? Annnnnnnd this bank shares a parking lot with a fairly busy grocery store...I just don't get it. OISK!

Mitten-bound

Didn't I just arrive in St. Kitts? No? Oh...weird. My memories—of climbing out of the Delta airplane onto the SKB airport tarmac with the sun shining high and the heat hitting me like a wall of bricks—are still quite fresh. So, when Matthew lectured, "Baaaaaaaaaabe. You really need to book our flights back to Michigan...I know you've been procrastinating," I experienced a mix of emotions.

First and foremost, I was annoyed. I did not feel like dropping almost $1000 USD on flights to the US for us, (and that's fairly inexpensive). Not to mention the upcoming costs of also flying Milo and Trooper back. Generally, I don't mind financing legit expenses. I just like to whine about spending money on things that don't include me getting new clothes, super cool gadgets, or fun accessories for my pets. Ha. Oh, one more thing. We can always get to SKB in one day, but we can't get to Michigan within 24 hours. It's very inconvenient. We settled on this itinerary:

Depart SKB at 3:30 p.m.
Arrive MIA at 5:30 p.m.
~Overnight in MIA~
Depart MIA at 7:40 a.m.
Arrive ORD (Chicago) at 10:00 a.m.
Depart ORD at 11:55 a.m.
ARRIVE IN GRR at 1:45 p.m.

Kind of overkill, don't you think? Especially since you can leave Grand Rapids, MI, arrive in Miami, and fly directly to SKB afterwards. *sigh*

So anyway, moving on. I often feel anxious when I think about our future move. Booking our flights today means change, big change. It means that we will be packing up our lives in about five months to head to the States, leaving behind our sunshine-filled island that we have called home for about 2-3 years. And it means that we will have to find a new home, in a new and unfamiliar place. Annnnnnnnd it means that we have a lot of work ahead of us. Oy vey.

Next, I felt sad. I love SKB! I have truly loved my life here. It's been so simple and uncomplicated. I've learned to live with less and to sometimes live without. I've met some of the most interesting people, and I've made such beautiful, lovely friendships. Leaving St. Kitts means that I will be leaving my simple way of life and my treasured friends behind. Not cool.

I know that I'm beginning to sound quite negative about heading back to the mainland US, but I won't lie. There are definitely some things that I am looking forward to when moving back. Seeing our family and friends again, buying fresh produce at the grocery stores, seeing affordable prices almost everywhere, having endless options of places to shop, using clean public restrooms, etc. are all things that I am excited about.

And while I am bummed out, depressed, and sad to be leaving my island home, I do find myself looking forward to the future. To finding a new place to call home, to seeing where we go next, and for new life adventures. I never in a million years thought I'd ever live in the Caribbean. It was never part of 'the plan.' And yet, we ended up here, we have loved it, and we are sad to be leaving. But our time here is almost over, and while it may take me some time to snap out of my slightly whiny state, I will embrace what life brings us next.

To conclude, I'd say my overall feelings about leaving SKB, and heading back to America, are bittersweet. Yep, that's definitely a fair assessment.

{Conversations}

Matthew: You're so angry.
Me: I am not...okay maybe.
Matthew: I'm going to have to enroll you in AMAA.
Me: AMAA?
Matthew: Yes. Anger Management for Angry Asians.

Tracey's Baby Shower

Yesterday, Tamsin and I threw a baby shower for our friend and coworker, Tracey. We enjoyed a lovely afternoon celebrating our pregnant friend, and her soon-to-be-born baby boy. The theme was anything ocean/beach-related, and we hosted the soiree at Silver Reef's outdoor pool.

Every guest brought either a dish or beverage to pass, so we ended up with enough food and drink to feed a small army. Or a bunch of hungry ladies and kids. Whichever. Anyway, I made 'Land & Sea' cupcakes, and they turned out really quite well. I stole was inspired by Martha Stewart's 'Shark and Beach' cupcakes, which of course I later pinned. I chose to make (from scratch), vanilla cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. My icing didn't quite turn out as 'wavy' as Martha's, but I got over that. Oh, and just so you know, they were very tasty!

I also stole found a freebie print set of Wishes for Baby cards on one of my Pinterest boards that I pinned a long time ago. I felt pretty awesome for actually making use of an idea I pinned!

As with all baby showers, we played a few games. Since we were hosting the beachy-themed party at a pool, I figured I'd incorporate our environment as well as our theme into the activities. We played Beach Ball Toss and Beach Dress-up Relay Race. No, I did not come up with the games myself. Haha. I found a list of them here. The guests seemed to think they were fun, and I didn't have to heckle them too much into participating. 

Overall, I'd say that everyone had a nice afternoon snacking, splashing, and seeing Tracey and her adorable pregnant belly. Only a few more months to go before Jaden Ty arrives!

The 'Land & Sea' cupcakes that I baked and decorated. Too cute! 

Shark fin!

'Sea' Cucumber Sandwiches.

Brainstorming ideas for the 'Wishes for Baby' cards. 

View of the pool and a few guests. 

Here I am, informing the girls on how to play the 'Beach Dress-up Relay Race' game. 

Here are a few of us playing 'Beach Ball Toss.'

Tamsin, Tracey, and me. 

The guest of honor and a few friends. 

Happy Birthday, America!

Matthew and I may not have been in the U S of A for the 4th of July, but we certainly celebrated anyway!

Our generous friends, Sharon and Tyler, hosted a party at their home, complete with festive holiday dishes, and party favors in the form of sparklers! Everyone had a great time, sampling foods...okay overDOSING on foods (ahem, me and Tiff), playing cornhole, and lighting fireworks.

Happy birthday, America! We're sorry to have missed your birthday two years in a row now, but we've celebrated from afar. Next year will be a different story, seeing as though we will most likely be stateside.

Me and Sharon...amidst the sparkler fumes. 

As I mentioned earlier, Tiff and I overdosed on delicious goodies. Don't judge. 

4th of July party goers. 

Matty and Matty---Cornhole CHAMPIONS!

Sharon and my funny husband.

Sharon Caron. <3

Dincau Family Beach Day

Once upon a time, a young couple went to their favorite beach on St. Kitts. With their dogs. On a lovely Saturday morning. They had a magical afternoon. The end.

Love for SKB.

There are ridiculous challenges and situations that go hand-in-hand with living on an island (that also happens to be a 'developing nation'). But...then I see views like these, and I fall right back in love with St. Kitts.