Winter Wonderland

A couple days after my last post, a huge snowstorm hit Maine, and I went into hibernation mode.  Thus, few photo opportunities or blog-worthy events have taken place since.  However, once all the snow was cleared and I stopped my bitter pity party, we have quite enjoyed getting to know Maine a little better!

The day of the snowstorm, Andee, being the good husband that he is, dragged me out into the storm so that we could "get a photo for the blog".  Whoa!  I finally understood the hatred he feels for me whenever I make him pose for a photo, as the snow, cold, and wind chill were too much for me, and I was barely able to muster a smile for the one photo we managed to snap.  Although I look pretty miserable, I'm posting the picture anyways because of the intense effort that went into getting it!

Since Old Orchard Beach is a bit of a Ghost Town in the winter, we have taken to going out for dinners with some of the Med students!  It's warm, delicious, and really fun to get out of the apartment for the evening!  And they have Tim Hortons!!

On some of the nicer days when the sun was shining and the wind chill was low, I thought it would be fun to get a couple pictures of the large mounds of snow that have developed beside the beach!  It still throws me off to see snow, beach, and ocean all at the same time!

Some great Maine news - we found a church!  It is very similar to C4 at home, and everyone is extremely friendly!  Gotta love Maine for that!  I am joining a couple Bible Studies, one of which I started this week, and am really enjoying getting back into the Word and re-submitting my life to Christ.  Seemingly such a small thing, but nothing brings more Joy than the Love and Grace of Jesus!  It is amazing to see him already starting to transform my outlook towards the move to Maine, and that there is always a reason for the places we are and the people we encounter!  God is Good!

Some more great news!   There is another UMHS Wife living in our condo complex!  God is Good!  As soon as the indoor pool re-opens in the beginning of March, it will be just like St. Kitts!  On an exceptionally mild day this week, Amber, Tate (her little son) and myself went for a walk along the beach!  With the warm sun shining, the beautiful ocean in view, and the interesting combination of snow and sand on our boots, I was all smiles!

On that note, I am really looking forward to my Mom and Auntie Anne coming to visit in just under 2 weeks!  I am excited to finally enjoy some Maine Seafood, as well as some much needed love from home!  Bring on February!

Maine!

I would like to start off this blog by stating that this morning I walked along the beach and admired the Atlantic Ocean on a beautiful sunny day.  Sound familiar?  It turns out that the Ocean is beautiful regardless of temperature, and although it was below freezing during my walk, it was still just as beautiful a sight as in the Caribbean.  A great start to my day!  Now, let's backtrack to our journey to this point!

On New Years Day, Andee and I packed up our car and started on our 12 hour road trip to Portland, Maine, where Andee's next step of schooling continues!  We will be in Maine for 5 months while Andee attends classes and hospitals required for his MD!  Quite a change from St. Kitts, but we were excited to get settled in our new condo in Old Orchard Beach, Maine (that's right, a condo on the beach.....looks like it's not too much different than St. Kitts after all!)

We took the journey in two days, stopping in Massachusetts for the night and for a brief shopping trip to take advantage of their lack of taxes!  Northeast America looks strikingly familiar to Ontario, so we felt quite at home making the drive!

We arrived in Maine at around 4pm on the second day, unloaded the car, unpacked, and got settled into our new place!  It is beautiful!  A slight upgrade from the Crackhouses haha!

Over the past week, Andee and I have been settling in, enjoying the conveniences of America, and getting ready for a new semester of school!  Even I can say that although I am generally freezing to death, Maine really is a beautiful place, and we really look forward to both visitors from Canada and enjoying Maine in the warmer weather!

Welcome to Andee and Diana's American Adventure!!!

Home for the Holidays

So, after 16 months of Caribbean "vacation", we finally made it to the great land of America!  But before we arrived to this point, we made a quick stop in the homeland for Christmas Holidays!  We were able pack an entirely new wardrobe suited for the winter months, enjoy some Canadian food, shopping, and civilization, buy a brand new Toyota Corolla (ok, lease one) and most importantly, spend some quality time with our families and friends!

Our first taste of Canada was this wonderful Doctor display from my family at the airport!  Best Family Ever!!

We flew in just in time for Jenna's birthday celebration, which occurred on the first day back, followed by Rob's birthday party the next day, Carol and Jamie's birthday dinner the following day, and my Mom's birthday the day after that!  It was great to see so many friends and family members just in the first few days!

Besides the holidays, we were also able to enjoy the company of our family and friends involving food!  Yummy Canadian sit down restaurants with people we love - Perf!

Finally, we celebrated a wonderful Christmas with our families at home in Canada.  It was a much needed vacation for Andee, and we look forward to returning in June!

After Christmas, we got ready for our road trip journey to Maine, but I'll save that for another blog!  And for one day and one day only of our vacation, it snowed!