Breakfast at Ocean Beach Club

When we all arrived on the island of St. Martin sixteen months ago, the stress of relocation, of being jobless, of being in a strange place, and of med school all made it a challenge to really feel like this island was “home”.  After the last two months Tanner and I spent down there, however, my feelings for this place have changed completely.

I love this island.  I wish I was still there, and I hope I get to go back again before Carina is done in August.  I’m also a little sad it took me so long to feel this way about it.  I’m not saying I didn’t like the island at first… I guess I’m saying that it just took a while to be able to honestly say, “I LOVE it here!”

In an attempt to share a sense of what life is like down there, I’m going to let this post be almost entirely photos.  (The photos here represents a collection taken by me, Michelle, Trisha Wright, Andi, and a few others as well.)

We’ll start things off with a morning we enjoyed eating breakfast at one of the local (and many) outdoor restaurants.  Just down the road from Rainbow Beach is Ocean Beach Club, a restaurant owned by a jovial Canadian couple who have become fun acquaintances.  They serve breakfast as well, and one morning we decided to walk down to their place and try it out.  I’m glad we did…

The restaurants on this island are endless and full of variety.  One of the girl’s favorite is Karakter, which isn’t much more than a few tables, umbrellas, an old bus, and makeshift kitchen on the beach.

Tanner and I were glad to be on the island to celebrate Piper’s third birthday. We kept it pretty low key… no big parties.  But Andi did find a Lorax cake on Pinterest that she wanted to make.

Speaking of Piper, lately she has developed a disdain for clothing, especially when chillin’ around the condo…

(selectively blurred so as to not overly offend the easily offended)

Recently, Andi took a school field trip to an island farm.  All of these pics of the farm and her friends were taken by her, and I gotta say, I am impressed with her budding photography skills…

(is that a pineapple?)

(the local guy leaning in at Andi’s classmates is a bit creepy, but still a good pic)

Easter: Normally I would say that time, in general, goes quickly.  But when I think back to Easter a year ago when we were still brand new on the island, it seems like a really long time ago.  So MUCH has transpired between then and now.  This year, like last year, the Mormons gathered for a BBQ on the beach…

(Piper tells Trisha how old she is)

Alecia Frank’s husband is the head of security at AUC, and they live across the street from us in Trade Winds.  She organized an Easter egg hunt for the little kids…

After the hunt, Piper wanted to play with her “boy friend” Quinn, so we invited him over…

Enjoying the loot…

For the two months Tanner and I were on the island this last trip, we hired two tutors to help him with his school work: Allegra Brodie (who just went back home to have a baby), and Trisha Wright.  I borrowed these photos of Tanner and Trisha from her Facebook photos…

For the duration of our stay on the island, Church has been an important and integral part of of life.  Our friendship with the other Mormons on the island, both the long-term residents and the other medical students, has been invaluable…

Of all our entourage, there is no doubt that Michelle and Piper have seen the most of the island and been able to enjoy the fun it has to offer.  These two have become such the little duo, and their love for each other is obvious…

A vital part of the AUC community is the Spouse’s Organization, an official group of spouses who have organized themselves into a support group for spouses and families.  By “official” I mean that each semester they elect officers, they conduct regular fundraising events, and they sponsor all kinds of activities.  From day one, Michelle and Piper have been active participants. This is a small collection of photos taken while those two have been on Spouse’s Org outings…

(looking at the fish…)

(Ashley Attebury’s son was born in the hospital on the French side and is now a dual citizen of France and the U.S.  Ashley helped us tutor Andi and Tanner last year.  Her husband is a semester behind Carina, they also live in Rainbow, and are also LDS.)

(This is trampoline with a boat built around it.  Piper LOVED it.)

The butterfly farm is a favorite Spouse’s Org destination…

Matt and Cecily Lew have been our stalwart and constant friends since we first arrived on the island. Matt was a semester ahead of Carina and offered an endless stream of advice on how to make it through her classes and exams.  Matt held a leadership position in our Mormon church congregation, and Cecily taught Andi at church and helped us home school both Andi and Tanner last year.  They also provided Carina moral support and a shoulder to cry on when Andi’s medical issues began and I wasn’t on the island. Just before Tanner and I left the island, we threw the Lew’s a going-away party, and then Michelle and Trisha drove them to the airport.

Bon voyage Matt and Cecily!  You will be missed…

Robert and Trisha Wright, also Mormons, arrived on the island a day before us and have been with us all the way.

(Trisha and Robert)

Robert is in the same class as Carina.  They are both professional opera singers, both play the piano, and Trisha teaches voice and piano to a handful of students, including Andi and Michelle…

(Trisha on the far right, and her students beside her just before a recital.  You know Andi and Michelle. Cecily and Matt are between Michelle and Trisha.  And Noah is in front.  Noah is the son of Jason (a med student) and Kristen La Vigne, who have been our neighbors and friends since we arrived.)

Trisha has used her free time on the island to develop a new hobby: Photography.  Having hardly ever touched a camera before St. Martin, she has mastered both landscape and portrait photography in the sixteen months since.  The following is a collection of photos I “borrowed” from her Facebook albums that show the beautiful and fun side of the island…

(the private beach just below where we live)

And this is a small collection of candid shots by Trisha…

(Michelle and Cecily)

And, we’ll end this marathon photography blog post with two more photos by Trisha, both of our family…

THANK YOU to all of our family and friends (and to our friends who have become family) who have helped us all along this adventure.  We love you, and we thank you for all you have done for us.

When Andi became sick in third semester, I rapidly began to lose my sense of security. Up to that point I’d managed to cling to a sense of calm and control.  Despite having moved to an almost third world country, having left our St. Cloud, MN refuge and comfort, and having pushed my mental and physical stamina to maximum capacity, I still was able to maintain a reassurance in my core that helped me to see beyond the normal challenges and occasional pitfalls of medical school.

Then, in the middle of third semester with Casey and Tanner back in the States, Andi was diagnosed with Probable Lupus, and I began to unravel.  That sense of security to which I’d feebly been able to wrap around me was gone, I was afraid, and I felt completely vulnerable.

I recognized this as a life-altering turning point where both my faith in God and my commitment to this path I’d chosen must now be examined in depth, and as a result both would either be abandoned or strengthened.  I know this sounds extreme, but I also hope it gives you some insight into how truly troubling this was for me.  I had felt so sure that coming here was the right thing for our family.  Casey and I both did. But now my baby girl, my first born, was herself being pushed to her emotional and physical maximum.  I was willing to bear the burdens I’d chosen to place on my own shoulders, but now Andi had her own burdens for which she hadn’t asked, and they were forcing her to make impossibly hard choices.

Being on this island has medical disadvantages. The blood products at the hospital do not include platelets, and one of Andi’s complications is a low platelet count. These little proteins in her blood are vital in the clotting process.   It’s not that her body doesn’t make them, or even enough of them, it’s that they are getting trapped in her spleen, and as a result, her spleen is enlarged.  An enlarged spleen is at risk of rupturing, and if that happens with low platelets, the results could be deadly.  Andi felt trapped too.  And so did I.

Choices: Option 1) Andi stays back in the States with dad near good medical care.  Option 2) Andi comes back to the island with Mom and risk the poor medical care. Option 3) I quit medical school and we all go home.

I was all but decided that the third option was the right one.  Who would fault a mother for this choice? My children are my first priority. We could slowly pay off the almost 100K debt I had accumulated thus far. Casey would go back to work and Andi could be home, in St Cloud, by me, and by her friends –in a secure place she has known her whole life.  Wouldn’t it be far superior to have her in the U.S. should the worst case scenario come true?

Or, could we stay?  Andi loves her dad, but when given the impossibly hard task of choosing, she opted for mom.  Could we both stay?  Why would I do this?  Is this fair?  Is this selfish?  Is this right?  After crying tears enough to fill the ocean all around me and battling my vulnerability into the wee hours of the mornings, I had to admit to myself that I already knew why I should stay.

Back up in time more than 20 years when my beloved sister, Amy, died of cancer.  Her death brought solidity to my faith in God that has endured. I know God loves me and that I am His daughter.  I have literally felt heaven’s embrace.  If He told me He would bless and sanction my choice to come to medical school and that it would be a positive experience for my entire family, well then, this was the trial of that faith.

So, we stayed.

I have been hoping since this choice for some reassurance.  Andi struggled to deal with her new health challenges and the effects it was having on her life.  She has tried to make new friends and succeed in school even while missing so many days.  It has not been easy. And, I have waffled. Still, am I doing the right thing? If I’d felt staying was the right thing, why was this not becoming any easier?

One day a boy in Andi’s gym class accidently hit her hard in her upper left side, right where her spleen is. Michelle received the emergency phone call from Andi’s school that she had been injured.  All the feelings of fear and vulnerability came flooding back – my little girl.  I had asked her to stay with me and to trust in God.  What if her spleen was ruptured? I called the office and asked if she seemed dizzy, could they check her blood pressure. And I drove as fast as I could.  Scenes of horror crept into my imagination and I had to pray with every ounce of my faith for them to leave.  Andi was shaken when I picked her up, probably not as much as me, because I had guilt to carry as well.  Although she was fine, I still wanted reassurance that keeping her here, all of us here, was the best choice.

Carina, do you know you’re doing the right thing?  Do you?

A few months later, well into 4^th semester, Casey, Andi, and I woke up early on Saturday morning.  I was so happy because finally Casey and Tanner had come back to the island and my family was reunited. I had worked on becoming strong without Casey physically by my side since last fall, but now having him back with Tanner as well had been such a boon to me.  Being able to lean on his strength again gave me respite.

We had volunteered to help at a free medical clinic in the Dutch Quarter, one of the poorest areas of the island.  This was a joint experiment between the Ministry of Health, the med school, and a private doctor, and I had been invited to participate in the first ever trial run.  I was excited and terrified. Casey and Andi volunteered as extra hands to help setup, serve food, and generally lend a hand. With a handful of other students, I would use the clinical and basic science knowledge I’ve been acquiring since I began school here last January.

When we arrived, there were lines of people who had come to receive free care, some of whom had already been waiting for hours.  My heart began to race and I prayed that I would be able to help, to care, and to comfort those who had come.  When they looked at me I could see in their eyes the trust they had for me, and it was humbling.  There were young children hovering under their mother’s wings.  There were elderly with cataract filled gazes who held stroked-atrophied hands, and there were many who came because it was free care and they wanted a check-up.

I signed a confidentiality waiver, so I can’t go into great details, but I can say that my partner Alex and I started the day working in the station that took vital signs.  We measured blood pressure, heart rate, blood oxygenation, height, weight, and temperature.  My only practice before this was with Casey, Andi, Tanner, Michelle, and especially, Piper (she loves playing both patient and doctor)!  This felt different.  It felt real.

And I LOVED it!

I know my hands were shaky at first, but within a few minutes, calmness came.  Soon I was moved to the heart exam station, where I stayed for several hours, asking people personal questions about their bodies, about their life-styles, about their family history, it was so… I can’t even think of the right words to describe it.  I felt connected. Many had no insurance, no jobs, and no money. What an honor it was to serve them and to see the gratitude in their faces.

This was it.  This was the reassurance for which I’d been searching. I knew now that I was in the right place, and that staying had been the right choice.

Andi is still dealing with her maladies.  School is still unimaginably hard.  Casey and Tanner have again returned to the States after a two month stay.   But through it all, vulnerability is leaving and security and confidence are taking its place.

I’m writing this post as a one-day-old, fifth semester.  Fourth semester finals were yesterday.  This is my final semester of basic sciences at the American University of the Caribbean. I can hardly believe it.  I will continue to work hard. I will continue to push the limits and to trust in God. I could not have come this far without the immense help from my family. They have sacrificed so much.

I dedicate this journey to my kids. Already Andi and Tanner have learned that life is not predictable.  There are speed-bumps all along the way. I hope they will be able to take courage and work hard for their dreams keeping God close by their side.

Walking to Baie Long on the morning just before Andi, Tanner and I flew back to the U.S. Tanner and I would stay, Andi was just going back briefly for more tests. (The battery on the camera died just after taking this pic, so no beach photos.)

Andi sporting her trophy and medal

Each year Andi’s school, Learning Unlimited, host a science fair.

Collectively, the students put it a staggering amount of time and effort. They spent months and countless hours researching and prepping their projects, and the result was an impressive display of ingenuity across the board.  The competition was fierce  and until the awards were announced, Andi didn’t think her project was going to win.

Carina, being the scientist, was more involved than I was.  But by and large, she let Andi and her partner Manni work it out themselves. Cari’s role was limited to proof reading their reports and helping them construct their display. All of the credit for the field research, the model construction, the surveys, and the imagination behind the project go to Andi and Manni.

In addition to learning about their subject, it was also interesting to watch Andi work through a complex project with a joint partner, navigate the people skills needed to pull it off, and juggle time management to put in the required hours to make it all a success.  Job well done on all counts, Andi!

Their project examined garbage, waste and recycling with a focus on plastic water bottles.  On a small, crowded island with limited space for landfills, proper waste management is an issue.  They examined ways to re-use and recycle plastic water bottles and to keep them out of the landfills.

I’ll let the photos do most of the talking:

Polli-Bricks: “From Plastic Waste to Living Space”

A solar heat exchanger made out of plastic bottles

a model of a greenhouse

Andi and her partner Manni

Happy Mommy and Daughter

Josh Willingham autographs Tanner’s Baseball

 

We have a tradition in our family: When our kids turn twelve, we take them on a trip of their choice… anywhere they want to go (within reason).  Two years ago Andi opted for a cruise to the Bahamas, and Tanner decided he wanted to go to Fort Myers, Florida and watch the Minnesota Twins at their spring training.

It was SO!  MUCH!  FUN!

We just got back to the island a couple hours ago, and I thought I’d share a few of the favorite pics we took. We had tickets to two games… the first one got rained out, but the second game against the Yankees went all nine innings, and we have the sunburned faces and necks to prove it.

The big wish, of course, was to get Joe Mauer’s autograph, and while that didn’t happen, there were still some other Twins players who were more willing to be friendly.  Josh Willingham, pictured above, is a rising star (he had the team’s best batting average last year) who came and spent a few minutes visiting with us during batting practice.  Seriously nice guy!  And a bit of a goofball too.  He hung around long enough to crack a few jokes and laugh with us.

Tanner also got autographs from a few other, lesser known players as well.

Brandon Boggs, the Twins starting center fielder, takes time out of practice to come sign some autographs

Joe Benson is a backup center fielder

Carina was great at hamming it up and coaxing players to come give autographs. Her charms didn’t work, however, on Justin Morneau or Joe Mauer.

Manager Ron Gardenhire shouts orders from the dugout

Justin and Joe playing catch during warmups

Carina downing the peanuts during the Yankee’s game

Tanner and I arrived on Wednesday afternoon and drove straight to Hammond Field for the game against the Tampa Bay Ray’s (that got rained out).  And then Carina joined us the next day after finishing up this round of block exams.

This last block was by far the hardest one yet for her. I’ve never seen her so stressed, worried and wound-up in the eighteen years we’ve been married and the twenty-one years I’ve known her. The good news is that she pushed through and came out of block exams thrilled with her scores!  Then she came to Florida with no text books, no flash cards, no notes… no nothing but a desire to blow off steam, relax, and have fun for a couple days.

The three of us.  My “Circle me Bert” t-shirt was given to me by Tanner for Christmas a few years ago, and it got several smiles and compliments.  (If you don’t know what “Circle me Bert” means, you may not be a Twins fan.)

 

Burn Notice: The Hunt for Michael Weston’s Loft

the cast of Burn Notice

In between the two games, Tanner and I had an entire day with not much to do.  He and I are both fans of the TV show Burn Notice, which is set and filmed in Miami.  Michael Weston is the main character, and he lives in a dumpy concrete block building which he nicknames “The Loft”.  We decided that for our day with nothing to do, we would try and track down the actual building they use as The Loft (well, at least for the exterior shots, anyway).

We spent some time on Google and found the street address of the location, and headed out.  When we got there, however, what we found was not Michael’s loft at all, but… a recently cleared, totally empty lot.

the empty lot where Michael Weston’s loft used to be

Had we arrived before it was torn down, it would have looked like this:

The Loft before it was torn down

Not much to look at, I know… I guess you have to be a fan of the show.  What we did find, however, is the house they use as Michael Weston’s mom’s house.  Somebody actually lives here and it looked like they were home, so we didn’t want to make a fuss of photographing it.

The house used for the exterior establishing shot of Michael’s mom on the TV show Burn Notice

We had the rest of the day to kill before picking up Carina at the airport, so we spent the time exploring downtown Miami and some of the beaches.

A view of downtown Miami from one of the islands

Haulover Beach just before sunset

Guard shack on Haulover Beach

Tanner and I kept our clothes on

Kayaking:

A few weeks ago the entire gang (minus Piper) went on an ocean kayaking adventure.  The only thing is, I can’t post any pics of it because before I could fire off one single shutter-click, a big wave toppled my kayak and sent my camera plunging into the ocean.  Yeah, it’s totally wrecked. So, you’ll just have to  imagine the beautiful photos I might have taken of us on our ocean kayaking adventure.  (Let me know how they turn out.)

And the worst part is… Cari said before we left, “Are you sure you should bring your camera?  What if it get’s wet?”

Scuba Diving:

My time on the island of St. Martin is quickly drawing to a close.  A couple weeks ago I said to Carina, “If I leave here for good without having gone scuba diving, I will be sad.”

To this she replied, “Well then go!”

So, I did.  I asked who wanted to go with me, and the only taker was Tanner.  So he and I enrolled in a Discover Scuba Diving course offered by Tri-Sports (no certification required), and a few days before we headed up to Florida, we spent an afternoon in a crash training course, and then tried our hand at a shallow dive of 30 feet.

Over-all impression: I’m glad we tried it, but I don’t see myself rushing back to it anytime soon.

I’ve heard that St. Martin isn’t the best place to scuba dive, so maybe this wasn’t a fair test.  While we both had fun, I thought the cost of the experience was barely (if even) worth the experience.  We saw a few small fish and a little manta-ray about the size of a dinner plate, and that was it.  Also, Tanner had a head-cold at the time and his ears were giving him problems, so he ended up not staying down for too long.

Before we went, I spent $39.00 on a cheap little disposable underwater point-n-shoot film camera, and the photos turned out TERRIBLE.  So much so that I am embarrassed to post them.  So, you’ll need to take our word for it that we went.

Overall I’m glad we did it.  While it didn’t knock our socks off, it was a fun, bonding and memorable experience for both of us.

Three Weeks Left:

Today is Saturday, March 23rd.  In three weeks from today Tanner and I head back to Minnesota so he can join his little league team, the Blue Socks.    After we leave, I don’t know if I’ll make it back down here again before Carina is done in August.  The idea of not seeing her for five months is heart wrenching, so I’ll try and make one short more trip happen.  We’ll see.  Tanner doesn’t want to come back as it would mean missing out on baseball games and practices.  And I don’t blame him… there’s really nothing here for him. He’s not a lover of beaches and sun and water.

What a crazy season for our family!  Sometimes I think, “I can’t wait for all this separation, semi-homelessness stuff to be OVER!”  And other times I am able to have more patience and say, “Just take it one day at a time and enjoy the moment.” Depending on the moment, it’s a toss-up as to which of those two feelings is winning.

But this much I do know: I intend to soak up every second of the next three weeks.

Rainbow Beach Sunset

Last Saturday evening we were all sitting in our Rainbow living room when I happened to glance out the window. The sky was literally on fire with the pink glow of sunset, like I’d never seen before.  I grabbed my camera and ran barefoot down the stairs, across the parking lot, and around the middle building to the pool area.  By the time I got there, the best of the light was gone, but enough of it was still there to grab this photograph.

When I got back, Cari suggested Pizza for dinner.  Nobody felt like cooking, so it sounded like a great idea.  She Skyped in an order to Pizza Dan’s, and 20 minutes later she, Piper, Tanner and I made the short walk to pick it up. It was a pleasant evening… gentle breeze, not too humid, and even a bit cool (for Caribbean standards).

Pizza Dan’s… always busy. Piper was sleepy and seemed hypnotized by the florescent lights.

Pizza Dan’s is a little hole in the wall joint (literally) that’s right next door to AUC, and it’s a staple for most students.  The sight of one of Dan’s pizza boxes in the arm of a student is as common as lab coats and text books.    He’s got the usual options available, and he’s got some that are uniquely his own, like the Funky Special (buffalo sauce, chicken, bacon, extra cheese) and The Don’s (pesto sauce, chicken, tomatoes, artichokes, onion and garlic) and The Student Special (tomato sauce,  cheese, peperoni, gorgonzola, and honey).

On the walk down there, we stopped no less than half a dozen times to chat with students and spouses.  And about the same number of times Cari would shout to others, “Good luck tomorrow in Neuro!”  or “How did your interview go in Clinicals today?”  As we walked past Tradewinds, we heard Cecily Lew shout, “Hey!  It’s some of my favorite people!  How’s it going Crookstons?”

The short walk to Pizza Dan’s takes you right past BB’s.  Like most restaurants on this land, BB’s is open air with just a roof over it.  Their “kitchen” isn’t much more than a big charcoal grill out back, which often wafts tantalizing bbq smells around the neighborhood.  There’s a rumor I’ve heard, unconfirmed, that BB’s is land-squatting.  They don’t own the land, and they don’t pay rent.  They just thew up a roof and a kitchen and called it a restaurant.  So long as they pay their utility bills, the government doesn’t much care.  Don’t know if it’s true or not, but it’s believable.

Any given evening will find half a dozen professors and their spouses enjoying a drink with a few students playing fooseball and watching sports on the TV.  And this evening was no different.  I’ve been wanting for a while to capture a photo of BB’s just after sunset, and this night proved to be a perfect opportunity.

BB’s outdoor Restaurant

The neighborhood of Cupecoy, and even more specifically, the area right around AUC is a fun little student community.  There’s a sense of a common purpose, of a shared goal, and of mutual support.  It’s good to be here on the island with my family, and while sometimes I want to speed time up and fast forward to the next stage of life, on evenings like this I wish I could slow it down.

Our time here is quickly coming to an end, and for Tanner and I, even more so. Time will tell what memories we take away from our time on this island.  But for this night, which seems almost too idyllic to be true, I want a record of it in this blog so years from now when we look back, it won’t be forgotten.

Carina, holding Piper, volunteering at the tie-die event with at-risk kids.

Yesterday I received the following Facebook message from my sister, Rebecca:  “I’m trying to figure out where you live right now.  Did you get a job that lets you live in St Martin’s? Or are you just visiting? What are school plans for Cari? And how is Andi doing? I guess I’m hoping for an all-around update on life.”

And Rebecca isn’t the only one who has asked us the same thing, so I figured I’d set the record straight.

Yes, I have a fantastic job (with great people) that is 100% remote, meaning I can literally work from anyplace that has a solid and reliable internet connection. I’ve had this job since the end of October, 2012.  So, the obvious question is: Why have Tanner and I not been on the island since I’ve had this job?  

The answer is, in short, Tanner.

He was enrolled in school in Minnesota, taking guitar and baseball lessons, and living with his nephew Tommy.  He didn’t want to go back, and I didn’t have the heart to force him. However, after Carina, Andi and Piper came home from Christmas, I think Tanner realized just how much he missed the rest of his family, and not long after they went back to the island in early January, he began to hint that he wished he was on the island.

It took a while to work out the details… How long could we go? What about school?  I had some long conversations and traded a lot of emails with this teachers and principle, and together we came up with a plan.  His Jr. High has four quarters a year, and we agreed that Tanner would essentially home school for the third quarter.

Even though he would be gone long enough that they would have to un-enroll him,  they agreed to let him keep his textbooks and to help via email if we had any questions.  Most of his teachers post all their home work and class schedules online, so we could follow along.

So, for this third quarter, Tanner is being tutored by two spouses here on the island. My thanks and gratitude to Trisha Wright and Allegra Brodie for taking the time to prep his lessons, tutor him, and keep me updated on his progress. As of right now, the plan is for he and I to stay here until the first week of April, which is when fourth quarter and Little League Baseball   both start.  All in all, this will give us about nine weeks here on the island.

At least, that’s the plan for now.

Carina and School:

I’ve been bugging Carina for months and months (almost a year) to help contribute to this blog. I dunno… it’s like she’s busy with med school or something. I’ve come to realize that it’s not going to happen any time soon.  Yet by far the most common question I get asked these days is, “How’s school going for Carina?”

There is no short answer to that question.  But this is what I feel like saying: “If you really want to understand how she’s doing, you’ll need to enroll in med school yourself, move internationally to a small almost-third world island, deal with some serious medical issues with one of your kids, and have your spouse and one of your other kids leave for months at a time.  While you are at it, keep in mind that you are chalking up student loan debt at an alarming rate.  Ask yourself 500 times a day if you are doing the right thing, but then remind yourself that this question is pointless because the only way out is forward, so instead you fight off guilt that you’ve dragged your family into this mess to follow what you thought was your dream, but now seems more like a nightmare. And do all of this while trying to keep your grades and test scores up in med school, and while still trying to be something of a mom and wife.”

Piper at Tuesday Playgroup with other AUC children

But, of course, saying that might cause a bit of awkwardness, so instead I just smile and say, “It’s hard, but she’s a strong person and is getting through it all.”

And she IS a strong person.  And she IS getting through it all.

The other day I met one of her professors, Dr. Tisdale who teaches pathology. I was camped out in a classroom working, and he kicked me out so he could hold class.  But before he booted me out, we chatted a little.  When I told him that my wife is Carina, you should have seen his face light up! “Oh, I LOVE Carina!” he said. “She is such a delightful person!”

And this is the reply I get everywhere I go.  Her classmates, her teachers, the support staff on campus… everyone I meet who knows her positively glows with affection for her.

And, I also know from past experiences that hard times like these eventually end up shaping us into better people. The time will come when she will look back on med school with a recognition that it was a hard time, but also with an understanding of the blessings that came as a result. I worry about her for the short term, but in the long run, I’m not worried at all.

An Update on Andi:

The good news is that there isn’t much to report.  When she was in Minnesota over Christmas she did another round of doctor visits, and they are now questioning their own diagnosis of Lupus.  They are leaning towards Autoimmune Hepatitis, which is a lot like Lupus, but, different.

As I understand it, they talk about Autoimmune Hepatitis much the same way they do about cancer, meaning although it’s not really “curable”, it can go into remission, possibly for the rest of your life, but you still need to keep watching it closely to see if it ever comes back.  But, the treatments for Lupus and Autoimmune Hepatitis are just about identical, so for now… nothing much changes.

In the mean time, I am incredibly pleased to report that on the happy-scale, Andi seems to be doing much, much better. She is such a natively happy, funny, cheerful person, and it’s a relief to see all that finally coming back!  I think being enrolled in school and finally making some friends there is helping measurably.

Future Plans:

Carina will be done with core science classes in August of this year… in six months.  We still don’t know where she will go next. And from everything we have heard, we might not know until just before we actually go there, which is kinda driving me nuts.  If it was just Carina and me, I’d look at this uncertainty with a sense of adventure.

But it’s not just me and Carina, and there are a lot of things to consider that really need to pre-planning to work… like… what do we do with out house when the renters move out in a few months.

Options:

- We are going to make a real effort to have Carina transfer to the  University of Minnesota. We know it’s a long shot, but we’re going to give it an honest attempt.  On Thursday of this week she is meeting with Dr. Yoshid, Dean of Academic Affairs, to plan out her transfer application.  Should this happens, it would solve a world of problems, including keeping Andi near the small team of doctors working on her case.

- England: If she cannot transfer, there is a very strong chance we will spend about a year in England starting in September.  Carina would do her core rotations there (OB/GYN, Surgery, Peds, Psych, and Internal).  She would then go back to the States to do the rest of her elective rotations.  Where this would be is anyone’s guess, but most likely….

- New York City, Miami or Michigan: These are the places you can go and do all rotations (cores and electives) in the same place. If we don’t go to England, one of these places is where we will most likely end up.  But unlike England, you can’t schedule a start date until after you have passed the USMLE Step One test, which means it would probably be January when we start.

So, what would we do for the first half of the school year?  I’m not at all thrilled about starting the kids in school in Minnesota and then moving them again half way through the year. Short version: We still have no idea, and we won’t for a while.

In the Meantime… Volunteering at the Free HIV Testing Clinic:

I thought I’d report on some activities going on since Tanner and I have been here.

On our first Saturday, both Andi and Carina spent much of the day volunteering at a free HIV testing clinic.  The organization that runs the clinic often asks the med students to volunteer, and the med students are usually happy to oblige. I didn’t bother to bring my camera as the testing is totally anonymous and I was pretty sure they would frown on me taking photos, but it was interesting to hang around and watch (I was on Piper duty).

Some students went out into the street and invited people passing by in for free testing.  I was surprised at how many took them up on the offer. Other students did some pre-testing counseling which included asking some deeply personal questions about their personal habits.   Then a runner (Andi) would take them to a testing station where they would have their finger pricked and blood tested.

On that day, they tested about 200 people and nobody tested positive.

Volunteering with At-Risk Kids:

Making tie-die r-shirts

There is a program on the island for kids who come from troubled homes that helps keep them busy after school.  Often the AUC students will volunteer some of their scarce free time to help provide them with activities, and last Saturday Andi, Tanner, Michelle and Carina all helped host a tie-dye t-shirt event on campus.

Piper and Michelle wearing their tie-die t-shirts

These kids are all members of a marching band, and about thirty of them came to school to play for a ceremony to celebrate the construction of a new building on campus.

After they played, they split into two groups:  One went to an oral hygiene clinic while the others made tie dyed shirts, and then they switched. Andi’s school assigns each of their students to do twenty hours of community service during the school year, and both of these activities (the AIDS testing and the tie-die event) counted.

New Tires:

With all the speed bumps and the potholes, this island is hard on cars, especially their tires, brakes, and suspension.  Our little island car needed new tires, and so Michelle enlisted her boyfriend and our security guard Pierre to help her find the right shop.  Two hundred and fifty dollars later, we had four new tires installed and balanced!

The tire shop where Michelle, Pierre and Piper got new tires for our car

Piper and Pierre hanging out at the tire shop. I’m pretty sure having an islander with us helped get us a better price.

Ending On An Exciting Note: Piper is now totally potty trained!

Thanks to all our family and friends who have inquired about our well-being, especially Carina’s school progress and Andi’s medical updates.  We feel loved, and we are grateful to have you in our lives!

(P.S…. all the pics on this post were taken by Michelle.)

The ‘Welcome to St. Maartin” sign by which tourists love to take their photos.

It’s good to be back!

Hey, I’ll be honest… I wasn’t at all sad to leave winter behind and come down here with Tanner to spend two months in the Caribbean with the girls!

In the months that I’ve been away, I’ve fielded a lot of comments and questions from people back at home about the island.  As a result it made me realize that I’ve not done a very good job of documenting in this blog what the island of St. Martin is really like.  I vowed that as soon as I got back here, I would take some time to drive around and photograph the inside of the island, away from the beautiful beaches, to show the parts of the island that you’ll never see on postcards and tourist brochures.

The following  photos were snapped mostly from the driver’s seat of our little island car. (We long ago ditched the huge, gas guzzling white whale we bought when we first got here and traded it for a compact Hyundai.  Saved us a small fortune in fuel expenses.)

Leaving Cupecoy and heading towards Maho…

We live in small neighborhood called Cupecoy.  It’s tucked in between the ocean and the lagoon, and consists of the University, a smattering of hotels, resorts, apartment complexes, a casino, and a half dozen restaurants. I began the day by exiting the Rainbow Beach complex where we live.

They do love bright colors.  I’m not sure what this truck’s purpose is, but it’s turning into The Cliff’s, which might just be the most up-scale and expensive resort on the island.  It’s right next to Rainbow (where we live).  Rainbow is pretty nice too, but it’s put to shame by The Cliffs.

This is a “bus”, and for many islanders, it is their only means of transportation.  For $2.00 they’ll take you as far as you want to go, so long as you want to go somewhere on the main loop that circles the island.  At any point, you can flag them down and they’ll stop traffic to let you on.

Leaving Cupecoy and heading across the golf course.  Straight ahead is Mullet, one of the many beaches on the island.  At this point, we’re still only yards from where we live.

Looking up one of the fairways towards some of the new construction on campus of The American University of the Caribbean.  As you can see, this golf course isn’t one of the world’s best kept courses.

Driving through the golf course. This rickety two-lane road, barely wide enough for two cars, is part of the main loop that circles the island.

Entering Maho, a popular tourist strip full of night clubs, shops, restaurants, and a casino.  This is also where the medical clinic is where our family has spent way too much time.

This is a pic I took a while ago of Maho at night.

Just past Maho is the entrance to Sunset  Beach… the famous beach where jumbo jets fly in just over your head, and take off only yards away from tourists who love getting blown into the ocean by the jet blasts.

Yeah, nobody really pays much attention to this sign.

This little shack selling cold drinks and touristy souviners is on one side of the beach…

… and this much larger Sunset Bar is on the other side.

Every day Sunset Bar posts all the incoming big jet flights so the tourists know when to have their cameras ready.

Tourists come in all different shapes and sizes.

 An island hopper getting ready to take off.

The airport is small, but nice

The amount and varying size of private jets at the airport is impressive.

Zee Best is one of the better (but not THE best) French bakeries on the island.

Loooong stretch of road that runs parallel to the runway.

At the end of the runway, where the lagoon is narrow, they are building a bridge which should  help ease some of the terrible traffic congestion.

Here’s the other end of the bridge.  The distance looks condensed because I’m using a high-powered telephoto lens.

During high season (winter), the lagoon fills up with huge, private yachts.

Simpson Bay… a collection of restaurants hotels and businesses that all cater to tourists.  Ok, we spend a fair amount of time and money here as well.

Gebe is the island’s government owned power and water company, and this is the office (now closed) where we come to pay our outrageous power bill every month.

With The Mailbox, you can rent a Florida P.O. Box, and anything sent to it will be shipped here… for a price, of course.

7… alive?

The Dutch Side jail.

Just past the jail is the Simpson Bay Bridge.  During  high season, getting stuck behind the bridge when it goes up means turning off your car and watching the yachts go by.  Just as I drove up, the light turned red and the arm went down.

Forty-five minutes later, the bridge is going back down.

One of the restaurants I’ve not tried yet, but want to.

Yes, sadly, we have eaten here…

.., and here, many times.  Mmmm… Gelato!

Not at all a great shot of Top Carrot, but, it’s a fun (and spendy) little coffee, fruit smoothie, gift and book shop.  They have some great local photography books that I enjoy thumbing through.

The only movie theater on the island.  It’s actually a really nice place.  And going to a movie with popcorn and pop is just about the ONLY thing that is less expensive here than in the States.

Once you pass the movie theater, you’re in the area called Cole Bay. And the overall quality of… well… everything…. goes down hill fast.  The following photos are were all snapped in and around Cole Bay.

Haircut, anyone?

I bought some bananas from these two just so they would let me take their photo.

A very typical island house.

Not what you might expect an Art and Frame shop to look like.  I guess I should have gone inside… you know… don’t judge a book by it’s cover.

A typical island residential neighborhood, and typical means of island transportation.

This is a “Super Market”.

A couple people getting off a bus.

These little lottery shops are everywhere.

One of the many street vendors.

Ok, in all honesty, Carl & Sons is an awesome bakery. It’s the only place on the island where you can buy true American style doughnuts.  And they make really yummy bread that is better than the imported American bread and costs a fraction of the price.

Stray dogs are everywhere, but I’ve never felt threatened by them. This is right across the street from Carl & Sons.

This is the building where we attend church every Sunday.  I wasn’t expecting anyone to be there, but Cecily Lew and Trisha Wright (two fellow med school spouses) were there with three young men, brothers Patrick and John and their friend, Kasnick (sp?). They were cleaning the chapel in preparation for church the next day. I gave the three boys a ride home.

Another “Super Market”.  (photo by Patrick)

The street leading to the boy’s neighborhood.

After dropping off the three boys, I spotted this street vendor selling roasted chicken.  I was hungry, so I figured I’d stop and give her some business.  She was just as cheerful and friendly as could be, but only spoke the island Patois language.  She understood, however, when I showed her my money and pointed to the chicken, and she also understood when I held up my camera and pointed to her.

After my roadside lunch I headed up over the hill towards “Town” (which means Philipsburg) to one of my favorite lookout spots. (This isn’t it.)  This is a photo looking back from where I’d just come… Colebay in the foreground (the movie theater is the large blueish block building on the left), Simpson Bay in the middle with all the yachts, and in the way background on the upper left is Cupecoy.  The runway juts into the lagoon in the middle right, and the new bridge extends out of the frame.

Just to the left of the photo above is the Gebe power plant, the Dutch side’s very UNreliable source of power.  I’m not even sure how they generate the power, to be honest.  Mental note:  Find out.

THIS is the favorite lookout spot I was talking about.  You’ll need to click on the photo and view the large version for the full effect.  This is Great Bay, the town of Philipsburg is to the left behind the beach, and you can see a cruise ships docked just right of top center. After taking this photo I turned around and headed back the same way I’d come.

This side of the island, the south side, is sun drenched, dry and full of cacti.

Andi’s school, Learning Unlimited.

The road that cuts across the middle of the island between Cole Bay and the French town of Marigot is by far the nicest road on the island.

I’m not sure if these sheep are wild, or if they are owned by someone.

Marigot…

The other bridge into the lagoon, besides the one in Simpson Bay on the Dutch Side, is in Marigot on the French side. This photo was taken on the bridge looking out the canal into the ocean.

Once you go past the bridge you are out of Marigot and into the neighborhood called Sandy Ground, which is without a doubt the most Islandy neighborhood on the entire island.  The following pics were snapped while driving through Sandy Ground.  For obvious reasons, I was trying to be subtle with my camera. You’ll see why in a few photos…

Despite trying to be subtle with my camera, this guy somehow noticed me taking his photo.  He jumped on a motorcycle behind that car and started to chase me.  I decided that rather than run from him, I’d just have a conversation.  So I rolled up all the windows but the driver’s which I kept open just a crack, and pulled over.

Him: Why you taken da photo’s with dat camera, man?

Me: I’m just driving around taking pictures of the entire island today.  I’m sorry if I offended you.

Him: You police?

Me: (trying to laugh) No!  No! I’m a tourist!  (half truth, kinda)

Him: Listen to me, I tell this for your own safety.  You gotta stop taking da pictures and put away dat camera, boss. Okay?

Me: Ok. I understand.  Thank you.

He drove one way, I drove the other… and kept taking pictures, of course.

Cars will stop in the road, halting traffic behind them, to have long conversations with pedestrians.

After leaving Sandy Ground, the road winds for miles around the far side of the lagoon through secluded and expensive villas that are mostly hidden from view.

The road finally comes back into the Dutch side right by Porto Cupecoy, a resort / condo village with a strong French influence.

The Blue Mall is a massive obtrusion right next to Porto Cupecoy that has been in development for years and years, and still remains mostly empty.  There finally are a few open shops in it, including a frozen yogurt place that the kids love. (Interesting note: Right across from the Blue mall is Cupecoy Beach, which is known on the island as the “other” nude beach, after Orient.  Despite being so close to AUC,  students and their families pretty much avoid that beach.)

Just past the Blue Mall is the Saphire Hotel, and just past the Saphire, in the background, is Rainbow, where we live.

The front of Rainbow Beach.  Back home.

Having the girls back in Minnesota for a few weeks was a special treat. We spent a lot of time just being with each other and visiting with family and friends.  I’ll let the photos do most of the talking, but first, here’s a quick catch-up:

It’s been one year since we embarked on this adventure.

What a year.

The winding path we’ve been on has led us through experiences we never imagined. Many  have been enjoyable.  Some have been… memorable.  And we’re just getting started.

2013 now stands ahead of us with promises of more untold adventures.  Cari will finish up on the island in August, and at this point we have no idea what our summer will look like, or where we will land in the fall.

When she is done with the core science classes on campus, the next step is to spend two years doing rotations in a hospital, but not until taking and passing the Step 1 exam.  Every med student looks forward to getting out of the classroom into a hospital, and Carina is no different.  But, we are facing some logistics problems: We want the kids in school come September wherever she will end up next, but we won’t know where that will be until at least November, at the earliest.

AUC has relationships with hospitals in New York City, Michigan, Miami and England.  Yep. England.  You can’t (and would not want) to do all of your rotations in England, but you can do the cores there and your electives back in the States.  The attractive thing about England (among other things) is that they will allow you to reserve a spot before taking the Step 1 exam, and none of the other locations will.  For that reason alone, England is looking like a strong possibility because we could be there and have the kids in school before Cari even takes the Step 1 exam… At least, I think we could.  We need to look into that, stat. And by “We”, I actually mean “I”.  Carina is otherwise occupied.

If we go, we would be there for just shy of one year.  Ask the two older kids how they feel about the possibility of moving to England for a year.

Tanner: YES!

Andi: NOOOOOOO!

In the mean time… Back to the Island for the Boys?

I now have a fantastic job which allows me to work from anywhere.  In fact, I’ve had it since October.  Tanner and I are still in Minnesota because before I secured this job, we enrolled him in school and he has been enjoying it. He did not want to go back to the island with no school and no friends his age.  However, missing his mom and sisters is starting to take a toll on him, and just a few days ago we learned that his friend Jake is back on Saint Martin.  The prospect of having a friend his age and of being with his family has finally tipped the scales for him, and he told me just yesterday he wants to go back.

But, we can’t just pick up and go.  School is an issue.  Learning Unlimited, where Andi is, is full. Caribbean International Academy, the school we tried when we first got there, and the school which Jake is attending, has openings.  But they are expensive.  We need to figure out the finances before we head back.  But we need to hurry, because summer is coming fast, and pretty soon it will hardly be worth it.  Nonetheless, I am excited beyond words about the possibility of going back and spending 4th semester and half of 5th with the girls.

Okay, getting back to Christmas Break…

The following are a collection of photos taken by various people.  When everyone went back home, I sent out a call for photos and I also plundered Facebook albums for some of these as well.  Some were taken by me, most by others.  I’ll stop talking now and let the photos try and share a little of the Family Reunion and Christmas spirit enjoyed by all ten of Cari’s living siblings their spouses, her parents, and the grand-kids.  (I’m pretty sure Cari’s sister Amy was there as well, although we didn’t see her.)

The trip back home

layover nap (but I think she’s faking it)

Souvenirs from the island: Michelle, Grandpa Ron, Grandma JoAnn, cousin Vince, Cari’s sister Hannah, Cari’s brother Tommy

Christmas Eve… showing off our white elephant gifts

Cousins. Much to the dismay of the twins Quinton and Jackson, Piper kept kissing them

Cari’s maternal grandma.  Grandpa died just a few days before Christmas as Cari was taking final exams.  This was a hard time.

All the girls at Grandma’s

I think this is Jackson, but I’m not sure.  That’s his dad Marcus (Cari’s brother) behind him.

Tanner waiting his turn at baseball clinic

Dillon and Amy are raising their son properly

On the right, Cari’s brother Ben, his wife Katie, and their daughter Paige.

Girl day at the salon

Dairy Queen after dinner! Cari’s brother Dillon, Dillon’s wife Amy, Cari, Cari’s brother TJ, Michelle

Nickelodeon Universe at The Mall of America. Quite a contrast from the island.

Michelle and her mom, JoAnn

Tanner and Tommy on a ride which would have made me puke

Piper on her first (and only) ride.  She never opened her eyes until the ride was over.

Our gang

From left to right: Cari’s brother Tommy, Michelle, baby Vince, Cari’s brother Dillon, Grandma JoAnn, Andi, Cari’s sister Hannah, Ben’s wife Katie, Cari’s brother Ben, (two people I don’t know), Carina holding Piper.  As we were sitting here on the bench, Tanner and Dillon’s wife Amy were doing this…

Tanner in the yellow shirt, Amy just ahead of him

That’s Tanner… up top

Creating her custom-made teddy at Build-a-Bear

The spoils

Tired kiddos

Paige (Ben and Katie’s daughter) and Vince (Dillon and Amy’s son)

Enjoying some snow before heading back to the Caribbean

Sledding wasn’t her favorite…

… but throwing snowballs may have been

Here’s to Roads yet Untraveled…

After the tumultuous and adventurous 2012, we’re plowing full force into the new year.  It was fantastic to regroup with family and friends over the break, and I personally am grateful for the time I got to spend with Piper, Andi and Carina.  I wish it could have been longer, but I’ll happily take it.  This has been, and continues to be, a good opportunity to count blessings and be to grateful for them.

One of those blessings is all our family and friends on the island, in the Twin Cities, in St. Cloud, Utah, Morocco, Colorado and scattered around the globe who have been a help this past year.  Thank you!  And we look forward to having you in our lives throughout this upcoming year as well.

2013, bring it on.

Andi and Tanner taking off on a para-saling adventure

What a trip!

It is now Sunday, December 2nd, 2012.  Tanner and I got back to MN a week ago today.  The time we spent with the girls down in St. Martin was fantastic, and I was profoundly grateful to be back with my wife and two daughters.

Little Piper is growing up so fast it’s scary.  She talks incessantly and acts more like an adult than a two year old.  Andi is doing remarkably well considering all that life is putting her through, and I am deeply impressed with her resilience.  Carina is happily slogging along, and despite the pace at which new material comes at her, she still seems to be enjoying this whole med school thing.  (Thank goodness!)  The first weekend I was there was block weekend so I didn’t really get to spend any time with her for the first couple of days, but after blocks her schedule slacked off a little and we had some good, quality time with each other and the kids.

On Board The Random Wind:

A couple days after Tanner arrived, we got together with some other med students and their families and rented a huge sail boat for the entire day: The Random Wind.  It’s owned by a lady and her two children who live on the boat full time, and captained by a guy who honestly reminded me of Captain Ron.  (If you don’t know the movie reference, Google it!).

Before we set sail, the owner of the boat (far left) and her hired captain (second on the left) gave us a quick “Welcome Aboard!” speech.

The back of the boat was covered by a canopy so it was in the shade most of the day. This is where Cari, Andi and Piper pretty much parked themselves and stayed. Cari’s fair skin burns so easily, and Andi was told by her doctor to stay out of the sun as much as possible.

The front of the boat was all sun, and this is where the Sun worshiper Michelle hung out all day.

This little six year old’s mom owns the boat, and with her brother (who wasn’t on this trip) the three of them live on it full time. What a life!

The beige building with red roofs is Cari’s school. The big cranes are helping put up the new building which will be complete just as Cari finishes.

The building on the far right is The Cliffs, which might be the nicest place to live on the entire island. (No way we can afford to live there.) The complex just to it’s left is Rainbow where we live. (Well… it’s where the girls live and I now sometimes get to visit.)  And that’s  Jason LaVigne, a med student who’s a semester ahead of Cari.  They have a son two years younger than Tanner and they used to be our next door neighbors until they turned traitor and moved across the street

This is Cupecoy Beach. It’s a lot smaller now after tropical storm Ernesto, and it’s also entirely clothing optional. Before the storm you could walk there from the beach below Rainbow (now you’d have to swim).  One morning not long after we first arrived I discovered it while going for a morning jog along the beach, and when I stumbled across it, nobody had any clothes on. At all.

You can’t really tell in this photo, but none of the people on the beach in this pic are wearing clothes either. I didn’t have my nice zoom lens with me that day or I could have given you a nice show!

As we pulled into Baie Longue (Long Bay) and anchored, a school of fish swarmed the boat and stayed right next to it the entire time we were there.  Piper was fascinated:

Matt Lew is a medical student a semester ahead of Carina, and his wife Cecily and Michelle have become good friends.

Tanner about to swing and drop into Mullet Bay:

The day was most certainly one to remember, and I would happily recommend  The Random Wind to anyone looking for an enjoyable day trip in St. Martin.

Thanksgiving Dinner:

There is a small cluster of LDS (Mormon) students and families on the island right now, and we all gathered at our place together for Thanksgiving.

Gary Attebury is a semester behind Carina.  His wife Ashley gave birth to their son, Parker,  a few moths ago, on the island.

Robert Wright is a student at the same semester as Carina. He and his wife Trisha are professional opera singers. Trisha, faced with boredom on the island, decided to teach herself photography. Her portrait photos are stunning! She has become so good at it, and so well known in the med school community that students happily pay her for photo sessions. And, the school asked her to be the official photographer for the next White Coat ceremony.

Martin is a single student in Cari’s class who has become a good family friend:

Junior Golf:

Louis Sun is a first semester spouse who also lives in Rainbow and who has two sons, Luke and Lauren. Even before arriving here, Louis has made a great discovery: Junior Golf at the golf course right next to AUC.  One hour lessons twice a week with a professional golfer… and best of all of all, it’s totally free!

On the Saturday just before we left, Tanner and I joined them.

Para-Sailing at Orient Beach:

There are SO many activities on this island that are right there for the plucking… for a price.  Now that I have a job, we were able to treat Andi and Tanner to one of the activities we always wanted to do before, but could never afford.

(Brief Photo Explanation:  I had been tinkering with the white-value settings on my camera before this outing, and I forgot to set them back.  Much to my dismay, the colors were terribly off.  I did a ton of color adjusting in Photoshop and got them looking presentable, but still a bit weird.)

You should have seen the smiles on their faces!  SO much fun.  After the kids went, it was my turn.  I was surprised at how quiet, peaceful and calm it was way up there. And what a view!

Wrapping It Up:

I felt a little odd being back down there again after a four month absence.  It was like… like I belonged there, but like I didn’t at the same time. Where as before I always felt like, “this is home for the next while”, this time I felt like a temporary tourist, even in our condo. It wasn’t until we had our place full of friends at Thanksgiving that the old, familiar feeling of being home, of being where I belonged,  finally returned.  And then a few days later, I was gone again.

Although I’m not a fan (at all) of this in-between stage, of this feeling of being a man without a home… of feeling like I’m a guest both at my in-laws and in the condo where my wife and daughters live… None the less, I am beyond grateful for a job that lets me work from anywhere which made this trip possible.   Cari will be done on the island in nine months, and I know that time will fly.  As finances allow, I’ll be down there a few more times and hopefully Tanner will be able to come at least once more as well.

When all this began, this isn’t at all how I envisioned our island experience.  But it is what it is, and we’re making the most of it.  All in all, I can find reasons to be grateful for how it’s all worked out, and in the mean time, I hope we can fit in a few more island adventures before this comes to an end.

And when our island time does come to an end… well, at this point, we still have no idea where we’ll end up next.

The adventure continues…

Andi gives Tanner a huge ‘Welcome Back!’ hug

With my new job which allows me to work from anywhere, Tanner and I have the option of returning to St. Martin full time. However, there’s a catch: Tanner is loving life in New Brighton, MN. He’s enjoying 6th grade at Highview Jr. High, and he’s enrolled in a baseball tutoring program, guitar lessons, and a martial arts class. And, he and his uncle Tommy (who’s a year younger than him) are loving being roommates.

I just don’t have the heart to yank him out of all that.

And so, until Cari’s done on the island in August, I’ll be doing a balancing act between the two locations. On Saturday, November 10th, I flew down and joined the girls, and on Thursday November 15th, Tanner joined us. (A big “Thank You” to Cory Beard who got up at 3:30 AM that morning to take Tanner to the Air Port!! What a seriously good friend!)

Tanner and I will be on the island with the girls until just after Thanksgiving, and we plan to pack in as much fun as possible while we’re here.