Mom and Dad Visit St. Kitts - Round 2!!!

Upon realizing in February that one week is not nearly long enough for both a visit and a Caribbean vacation, my parents decided to visit us one more time before we leave the Island - and this time for two weeks!!  500 photos later, this is what the their vacation looked like!

Early in the vacation, my parents soon discovered that they liked to start off their morning with a delicious coffee from Rituals!  More often than not, a doughnut or Jamaican patty would also be added to the menu!  Delish!

Venturing along the beach to find a great snorkeling area, we came across a section of the beach with massive waves!  Mom and Dad thought they could conquer the waves, but were quite outmatched and ended up being pushed onto shore!  At least we caught it on camera!!

On the first Sunday of their arrival, we celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving - Crackhouse style!  Our Canadian Crackhouse neighbours were able to join us for stuffing, mashed potatoes, veggies, and of course, a 13 pound turkey - the only turkey we could find at the grocery store!  Needless to say, we also enjoyed lots of leftover turkey sandwiches the next few days!  It was great to celebrate Thanksgiving with the fam, and fun to cook my first full Thanksgiving dinner!

On Wednesday, the the three of us left super early in the morning to catch the Ferry to Nevis!  I decided to work in the morning while my parents explored the Island, and then we met up after my shift was over!  So basically, while I was bringing home the bacon, my parents were eating the bacon at a local breakfast restaurant!  They also explored the beautiful Nevis beaches, as well as a local bar known as Double Deuces!  After my shift, we all headed to Dr. Stuart's gorgeous house in Nevis, with the best view on the Island!  An excellent day in Nevis!

One of the nights, I forced Andee into a wonderful photo shoot with our neighbour, Brigett!  Photos to come!!  We ended the evening with a yummy meal at our favourite St. Kitts restaurant, Sunset Cafe!  It was delicious!!

Later in the week we decided to visit Shipwreck Beach for some swimming, relaxing, sunbathing, a delicious lunch, and of course, monkeys!!  Shipwreck is my favourite beach on the Island, and my parents loved it so much that we ended up going back two more times!

The remainder of the vacation was spent at the Marriott, as it is across the street from our apartment!  We all enjoyed the beach, pools, pizza, and everything else the Marriott has to offer!  The benefits to living across from a resort!!

And what was Andee up to this vacation?  Other than a few meals together, Andee was, as usual, studying away like the dedicated student he is!  Andee and the Med 4's started their hospital rotations in St. Kitts, and so Andee was able to try out his new spiffy wardrobe!  Cutest Future Doctor I know!!!

So there you have it, two weeks with my parents!!!  And less than 2 months left on our St. Kitts journey!  Does time ever go by fast!!  I'm glad that I got to spend one last St. Kitts visit with my parents before we leave this beautiful Island for good!  And now, after 12 days in the sun, my poor Canadian skin needs a few days indoors to recover!  And yes, both my Mom and Dad left St. Kitts with a darker tan than me!!

Birthdays and Beaches - A Week Housewife Style!

Sunday, September 25th was Andee's 24th Birthday!!  To celebrate, Andee studied all day.....  Well at least he was able to enjoy some chocolate chip birthday cupcakes I made him!  Medical School Student Birthdays are not nearly as exciting as their spouses'.  However, the birthday also came with a promise that when we return to Canada, we will purchase X-Box Kinect and Dance Central for our Birthdays!  Yay for civilization!!

Monday, I caught up on some laundry, cleaning, and also a swim in the backyard pool!

Tuesday, a group of Desperate Housewives along with some kiddos went to Shipwreck Beach, where we enjoyed some sun, the floating raft, snorkeling, lunch, and a ton of monkeys, mongoose, and even a cat!  In the evening, I attended my first Trivia game of the semester!   Although we didn't win, it was an excellent day!!

Wednesday was work and Worship Team practice!

Thursday was pool day, which also happened to be Naomi's birthday!  We celebrated with some swimming and some cupcakes!  I then headed to Craft Day where we all made beautiful and tropical fabric flowers to complete our beach babe look!

Friday, some girls took a trip to Whitehouse Bay for snorkeling, followed by Cockleshell Beach for Lunch!  While snorkeling, we were fortunate enough to spot a Sea Turtle!!  So exciting!!  In addition, our lunch following was extremely delicious!

Saturday we attended the 2nd Annual St. Kitts Family Walk/Run to support a local charity in St. Kitts!  It was a lot of fun, good exercise, and was followed up with a yummy barbeque for the participants!  A good way to support a good cause and have fun too!

Andee has four block exams on Monday, which he has diligently been preparing for all week!  What a trooper!  Prayer and support is encouraged!

Countdown?  Glad you asked!  4 days until my parents' arrival!!  We are so excited for them to enjoy St. Kitts with us one last time before the big move!  Bring on the Beach Days!!

Happy Birthday St Kitts Style!

Can you believe that this is our final semester on St. Kitts?  I sure can't!  Our first week back has been a blur of Portland, Maine apartment searching, over-thinking and over-planning much too far in advance the details of our move, and prematurely freaking out about the major changes ahead, MAINE-ly (haha), missing St. Kitts friends and trading tropical weather and palm trees for snowstorms and winter.  However, this week has drastically improved!  Why?  I decided to trust God to help us through it, and stopped acting crazy and decided to enjoy St. Kitts while we are here!  Oh yeah, and celebrating my Birthday Island style sure brightened my outlook!

My good friend Jessie and I happen to share the same birthday, and so joint-Birthday celebrations were definitely in order!  We started with a classy and delicious dinner celebration at La Belle Vie, the French restaurant down the street!  Delish!  Did I mention Jessie turned 30 this year!?  All the more reason to celebrate!

Upon returning home from the restaurant, I was greeted with the dishes done and the laundry put away!  An excellent birthday present!  The following day, Andee and I attempted to enjoy the Italian buffet at the Marriott, but Tropical Storm Maria interrupted our plans.  Instead, Andee took Friday off to spend the day with me, sleeping in, making a delicious breakfast, spending the afternoon at the beach, and preparing and enjoying butter garlic pasta for dinner and brownies for dessert!  An excellent birthday with the hubby!

But the celebrations weren't finished yet!  On Saturday, Jessie and I planned a combined Birthday "Dinner and Dancing" Girls Night for the desperate housewives!  Nothing like a St. Kitts Girls Night to improve your spirits!  Not only did I get to wear my leopard dress while eating parmesan fries, but was able to enjoy the company of my favorite St. Kitts girls!  Perf!

The next day UMHS hosted a Beach Day fundraiser for the Med 4 Banquet, which consisted of volleyball, sand, sun, and lots of students!  Andee and I dropped by for a couple hours, and I insisted on getting photo evidence that Andee and I were indeed in attendance to a school-related event together!  What a gorgeous view!!

Countdown?  A little early, yes, but I was shocked to realize that we now have less than three months left on our little Island!  Also, only 17 days until my parents visit us for two whole weeks!  Bring on the Sunshine!!

Canadian Summer

Ready?  It's a typical Canadian Summer in pictures!!  (Because it is a known fact that I am rarely seen without my camera, mini tripod, and 10-second timer...)

Our two week vacation started as usual with an obnoxious/awesome airport greeting...

Followed by a day at one of my favorite summer places to be up North, Jungle Cat World Zoo...

A day at the Exhibition filled with shows, games, and of course, our expertise claw machine skills...

Our First Anniversary Family Party at the trailer...

Watching the boys play softball with the Family...

The much anticipated and highly successful Album Release Party and concert of our best friend Dave and his band Icy Redd...

An 'amazing seats' Jays game with our best couple friends Dave and Arielle...

Couples bowling...

And to top it off, an engagement!!  Congratulations to the most amazing, choopiest friends ever!!

After missing the cottage for an entire summer, I finally got my cottage time in!  A Birthday party, bonfires, hanging out at the beach, and some family fun!

Well, there you have it, Canada in pictures!  We had an event filled and wonderful vacation spending time with our families and enjoying all that Canada has to offer - fast food, nice people, customer service, an abundance of Canadian flags and the word "eh", big city, suburbia, cottage country, the Toronto Blue Jays, free healthcare, and of course, our friends and family!!

As our last semester in St. Kitts has arrived, there is both a lot to do, and a lot to just sit around and enjoy before we enter extreme winter in Maine.  Let the tropical activities begin!!