Families at American University of the Caribbean The Crookstons

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. Read the rest of this entry »

Written on December 3rd, 2012 , AUC: American University of the Caribbean, St. Maarten Beaches, St. Martin Activities, Rainbow Beach, Mormons in St. Maarten Tags: American University of the Caribbean, Families at American University of the Caribbean, St. Martin Activities, St. Martin Beaches

The Girls Have Been Busy (mostly by Michelle)

Halloween on the island isn’t quiet what it is at home, but the American community still makes the most of it

While Tanner and I are keeping busy up in the northern hinterlands of Minnesota, the girls in St. Martin are filling up their days with lots of fun island activities as well. Andi and Tanner have both had birthdays recently… Tanner turned 12 and Andi turned 14. Michelle recently shared a fun report on her blog, and I thought I’d re-post a condensed edition here as well. If you’d like to experience the whole report, checkout her blog!

Take it away, Michelle….

“We like to parrty. With two r’s”

Christmas came early this year for the estrogen tank in St. Martin. As I mentioned in my last post, my niece Andi who JUST turned 14 (WOOT WOOT) went home for medical tests and was diagnosed with Probable Lupus. With a brave face and confidence from her doctor, she decided to return to us on the island to continue her school year as normal and get her regular teenage life back. We missed the little nugget, and were so excited to have her back, and just in time for her birthday. Read the rest of this entry »

Written on November 13th, 2012 , AUC: American University of the Caribbean, St. Maarten Restaurants, Learning Unlimited, Mormons in St. Maarten Tags: American University of the Caribbean, Families at American University of the Caribbean, Learning Unlimited, Mormons on St. Maarten, Mormons on St. Martin

a Tropical Storm, a Beautiful Autumn, and a Medical Diagnosis for Andi

It’s Sunday, October 14th, 2012. Down in St. Martin, Carina, Piper and Michelle are enduring Tropical Storm Rafael. Luckily it wasn’t too brutal, but from what I’ve heard, it dumped a lot of rain, knocked out power and water for long stretches of time, and threw up an impressive wind storm.

Rainy season, hurricane season, and hot ‘n humid season are all at their peak in the Caribbean right now. Although I miss Carina and Pipes terribly and wish I was with them, it might be stretching the truth just a little if I said I wish I was on the island right now. Read the rest of this entry »

Written on October 15th, 2012 , AUC: American University of the Caribbean, Everything Else Tags: American University of the Caribbean, Families at American University of the Caribbean

Estrogen Tank (mostly by Michelle)

Piper, Carina, Andi and Michelle at the White Coat Dinner, fall semester 2012

Well, it’s been almost three weeks since Carina left with Andi, Piper and Michelle to head back to St. Martin. Tanner and I miss them terribly, but otherwise we are doing well in Suburbia, Minnesota. We are enjoying the cool fall weather and the turning trees, and we both agree that if we have to be here and not in St. Martin, this is the time of year to do it, as the girls are suffering in crazy hot and humid weather right now.

Tanner is loving 6th grade where he has enrolled in the yearbook committee, an after school golfing class, and a baseball batting clinic. He and his uncle Tommy (who is a year younger than him) are living it up together. And Tommy, who would otherwise be an only child as all of his siblings are grown and gone, is thrilled to have a built-in room mate.

We are hearing good reports from the island, and I thought I would take some extracts from Michelle’s blog (with permission) and share them here as well. But before we turn the floor over to Michelle, I’ll include one update that happened after she wrote her last blog post. Read the rest of this entry »

Written on September 24th, 2012 , AUC: American University of the Caribbean, Mormons in St. Maarten Tags: American University of the Caribbean, Families at American University of the Caribbean, Mormons on St. Maarten, Mormons on St. Martin

Whirlwind Trip Back to the States

Entering customs at Newark airport

As I write this, it’s Sunday September 9th, 2012. Tanner and I are settled down into the home of Cari’s parents for an unknown period of time, and all the girls are back in St. Martin. Andi has begun 8th grade at Learning Unlimited, a private k-12 island school, and Tanner is enrolled at Highview Junior High in New Brighton, MN.

Nine weeks ago, Andi, Tanner and I left Saint Martin and flew back to Minneapolis. Four weeks ago we were joined by Piper and Michelle, and two weeks ago Cari escaped finals and made it back here in time to squeeze in a short visit as well. One week ago, Carina, Andi, Piper and Michelle left to go back to the island, and Tanner and I stayed here.

It has been a crazy, intense nine weeks, full of the entire spectrum of emotions plus lots of catching up with friends and family. We shuttled back and forth between St. Cloud and the Twin Cities, and managed to squeeze in a trip to Utah to see my family as well.

I’ll let the photos do most of the talking. My good camera was broken the entire extent of this trip, so this post is heavily indebted to the photography of others, and to the very few pics taken with my poor little ancient iPhone camera. Read the rest of this entry »

Written on September 10th, 2012 , AUC: American University of the Caribbean, Everything Else Tags: American University of the Caribbean, Families at American University of the Caribbean, Family Separation, Summer Vacation

No Longer the New Kids, Happy Bay, And Other Stories of Time Moving Forward

Two of Five is Almost Half Done

Trail marker at the head of the path to Happy Bay

It’s Sunday June 10^th, and tomorrow Carina heads into the second block week of her second semester. This means we literally won’t see her all week. And, as there are four blocks per semester, it also means her second semester is almost half over.

Wow.

Wow!

Okay, now that I’ve gotten the “wows” out of the way, I do also have to say that it’s nice not having Cari being in her first semester any more, for a couple of reasons. Read the rest of this entry »

Written on June 11th, 2012 , AUC: American University of the Caribbean, St. Maarten Beaches, St. Martin Activities, Everything Else Tags: AUC, Families at American University of the Caribbean, Happy Bay, Semesters, St. Maarten Beaches, St. Martin Beaches, beaches, family, kids

“You guys sure are having an amazing adventure down here”

: Grandma, Grandpa, Andi, Piper and Tanner down on the beach below our condo

Well, tomorrow morning life is going to change dramatically. Again. Cari goes back to school, and I go back to work.

For Cari, it’s been a fantastic, relaxing, rejuvenating and much needed three week break. For me, it’s been a… (searching for just the right words…) a … an unexpected but inspired four month weekend.

Just today I got word that tomorrow I will start a short-term contract for a company in Minneapolis to code a new web-based application for them. It’s not a long term gig, but it’s work. And I’m grateful. On one hand I never thought it would take this long to find a company that would let me work entirely from a remote location, but on the other hand, not working the first semester of Cari’s schooling is exactly what our family needed while we all settled in to this strange new land.

But more on this later. Right now I want to focus on my Mom & Dad’s visit and on Cari’s break. Happily, my parents were able to arrange there visit to coincide with Cari’s freedom so we could all spend time together. And we had so much fun! I’m not even sure where to begin, so, let’s start with Cari’s birthday. Read the rest of this entry »

Written on May 8th, 2012 , AUC: American University of the Caribbean, St. Maarten Beaches, St. Maarten Restaurants, St. Martin Activities, St. Maarten Shopping, Rainbow Beach Tags: AUC, Families at American University of the Caribbean, Jungle Hike, Orient Beach, Pic Paradis, Rainbow Beach, St. Maarten Activities, St. Maarten Beaches, St. Maarten Shopping, St. Martin Activities, St. Martin Beaches, St. Martin Shopping, family

Easter Weekend BBQ & Egg Hunt with the Mormons

Ribs and Chicken on the Barbie.... Sea Side. Mmmm!

One of the great things about being on the island with the American University of the Caribbean and as Mormons is that we get to know people in both communities. In only a few months we’ve met some wonderful people through AUC who will no doubt be friends for many years to come, if not for life. And through the LDS branch here on the island we’ve also met some local islanders who are fantastic people and who we never would have met had it not been for the Mormon church.

(Quick vocab update for non-Mormons: Mormon congregations come in two types: wards and branches. Wards are big, branches are small. The congregation on St. Martin is too small to be a ward, so we’re a branch.)

This past Easter weekend the branch sponsored two activities: A beach side BBQ on Friday and an Easter Egg hunt on Monday. I didn’t make it to the egg hunt, but all the kids and Michelle went and the report was tremendously positive. I did, however, make it to the BBQ with Andi, Tanner and Piper. And wow! What a treat! The chicken and ribs flowed endlessly, the company was terrific, the weather was beautiful, and the beach (which we hadn’t been to before) was beautiful. But most of all, the chicken and ribs flowed endlessly and the company was terrific!

I thought I’d share a few photos of both events. Read the rest of this entry »

Written on April 12th, 2012 , AUC: American University of the Caribbean, St. Maarten Beaches, Mormons in St. Maarten Tags: Families at American University of the Caribbean, Mormons on St. Maarten, Mormons on St. Martin, St. Maarten Beaches, St. Martin Beaches

Block Weekends, aka “Killer Exam” Weekends, and How to Make Them Fun

Carina getting out and enjoying the shops on Front Street with family and friends

Block weekends are no fun, for anyone. “Blocks” are just a nice way of saying “killer exams”, and all of Cari’s classes have them on the same Monday, four times a semester. For most of the week leading up to blocks we don’t see much of her. And the weekend before, we don’t see her at all, unless she’s asleep in bed. Okay, she still comes to church with us, but other that those three hours, she is held up on campus with her nose buried in text books, flash cards, notes and anatomy videos. For 14 hours a day.

On Block Monday she gets up extra early and gets in a last few hours of review before she spends pretty much the entire day taking exams. When she comes home she is finally able to relax a little, but she’s on pins-and-needles until she is able to get online later that evening and see her results.

On those Monday evenings we’ve usually made it a point to do something fun, like go out to a movie and dinner. But the real fun comes on the weekend after blocks. That’s when we kidnap Cari for an entire Saturday and bring her to places on the island we’ve been enjoying all along, but which she hardly ever gets to see. Read the rest of this entry »

Written on April 9th, 2012 , St. Maarten Restaurants, St. Maarten Shopping Tags: AUC, Block Weekends, Exams, Families at American University of the Caribbean, St. Maarten Restaurants, St. Maarten Shopping, St. Martin Restaurants, St. Martin Shopping

Feeling Settled, Home School, and Discovering More of the Island

In another week we will have been on the island for 3 months. Time is going both fast and slow, if that makes sense. And while we still miss so much about St. Cloud, we are finally starting to feel as if this new life is settling down. We’re learning the island, developing routines, and meeting new people. There are still the occasional tears over missed friends, and while I’d stop short of saying that we feel like this is “home” we are at least headed in that direction.

Home School

Andi and Tanner enjoying an apple sauce while taking a study break.

Where to begin…

I am learning so much about Andi and Tanner that I never knew before, and I’m also beginning to grasp the holes that exist in public education. If I could go back in time, I would involve myself to a much greater level with their schooling and homework.

I’m not implying they are deficient, but I am saying they both have strengths and weaknesses I didn’t know about. With more careful scrutiny and one-on-one attention, I think their strengths could be more developed and their weaknesses less pronounced. Out of fairness to them I won’t go into details, other than to say I hope this home schooling stint will help in both areas. Read the rest of this entry »

Written on March 24th, 2012 , St. Maarten Beaches, St. Maarten Shopping Tags: Families at American University of the Caribbean, Home School, St. Maarten Beaches, St. Maarten Shopping, St. Martin Beaches, St. Martin Shopping

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