Aug. 31, 2009 - Happy 2nd Anniversary (late celebration...included flying objects)!!! St. Kitts - Marriott

Well!! It's been one heck of an adventure!! Me and Becky celebrated our 2nd anniversary a little late this year because I had block exams during our real date, but we made up for it in style!! We chilled at the Marriott in St. Kitts. It was really nice!

Of course we had to bring Mia along, our anniversary celebration just wouldn't be as fun without her!!! She makes life exponentially more joyful each and every day! xoxoxo

We spent our anniversary at the Marriott in St. Kitts...we scored an ocean view / pool view of on the 4th floor...killer views!

I love this picture of Mia!

We also scored a sweet breakfast:

2 Hot Chocolates
2 Orange Juices
1 Tropical Fruit Smoothie
1 Yogurt
1 Bagel and Cream Cheese
1 Steak and Eggs (1st time I had steak since being on the island)! and Hash Browns
1 Blueberry Pancakes and Bacon with Hash Browns
1 Side of Bacon
1 Side of Hash Browns
and 1 Fruit Plate

This view was especially sweet at night as they had the pool lit up and palm trees lit up...it was all dramatic, and nice...especially kicking it in our undies on the balcony till midnight. Mia was sleeping.

Mia is sooo cute!


Another cool thing that happened, was when Becky was on the phone with our bank, and talking to the automatic phone thing...and just for fun, when it would ask her to punch in our account # or whatever I would make an annoying noise, just for fun. Becky kept telling me to stop, so I just saw this as a tremendous opportunity for a little fun. I guess after I made the noise, the automatic machine operator would say that it could not understand Becky's response and she would have to start all over! LOL! So after she kept telling me to stop, well, I had to do it one more time...and then I was looking down after I made the noise, and BAM! My head deflected a cell phone, which hit so hard that the keypad and the battery flew off!! BECKY THREW HER CELL PHONE AT ME AND HIT ME IN THE PTERION!! The Pterion is the sight of the skull where the union of the frontal, parietal, sphenoid, and temporal bones come together (one of the few things I have learned in Caribbean medical school ;) ). It is the one of the weakest parts of the skull meaning that a blow to this area is very dangerous!!! At first I was upset, and Becky apologized...and then I got to thinking...that was kind of cool! In fact, I found the fire in her eyes and crazy reaction sexy! I mean, most people find Becky to be passive aggressive...if they only knew...and to think that I am the only one that can drive my wife this mad....well, I will have to say that I am honored.

Becky Darlin'....Here's to living life the way we please!


Love you Baby! XOXOXOOXxoxoxoXOXO


....love Mia too! ;)

Ch-ch-ch-changes!!

Well...we moved. Our first place was great and all...and of course we made memories there and it will always have a place in our hearts...but I wanted to check this island out. With nothing to do in June, I called a few local real estate agents and went all over the island looking at available rentals just for fun. I decided that if I found something that was comparable in price, location, safety, amenities, etc. then it would be worth it to move. One of the real estate agents really ended up liking me I guess and was determined to find me something that I would like. I was able to negotiate $400/month off the asking price and WHA-LA!!!! We moved into a gorgeous Caribbean Villa that will amount to about $60/mth more after all is said and done. SOLD!!!

Old View


p.s. this is a view of our old "dryer." Yes, I'm eco-friendly, but it rains like crazy here and it was tricky to do laundry. Now I am proud to use Miele brand appliances (they are top of the line german appliances that Dave and I are sold on)...so I'll just have to wait until I get back to AZ one day to dry on the line again... New View...I love the arch we drive/walk under to get to our house. We so want one of these one day...hahahaha.


Our new place!

This is a view of our neighbor/landlord's house. It is more adorable than ours. She's a great lady from New York that retired here.

This is a view of the garage...
This is a view of St. Kitts from our porch.

Our old porch...
Our new wrap around porch...
with plenty...
plenty...
plenty...
plenty...
plenty...
did I mention PLENTY of sitting/relaxing/lounge space? COME, COME, COME AND VISIT!!!! PLLLLEASE!!!!

This is our old Barbie/Pink Palace ceiling and kitchen...hahahaha. The glitter on the ceiling doesn't show in the picture...but it's there alright!

New ceiling/kitchen...ahhh better on the eyes...for sure!
Old sitting/living room with fabulous artwork still in the plastic...


A new family room with books, lots of comfy seating, and lounge options with NEUTRAL wall paint...
Even Mia's vibrating ELMO chair made the move...we couldn't leave him out...
Oh ya...another plug for visitors...that green chaise can be a bed and has a trundle bed underneath that pops up beside it...with an awesome fan overhead. We have plenty of room!!!
This is both Dave and I's favorite reading chair in the whole house. Out the window is a perfect view of St. Kitts and the ocean. Look! A framed piece of artwork!!! We scored!!!
Old dining room table with "surprise" chairs that were nice and wobbily and unpredictable. I knew that would be the end of any self-esteem I have left if I broke one of those...
A new dining room with comfortable, stable chairs. That's not asking too much...is it? wink winkOur old bathroom...and ohhhhh the smell. Don't be grossed out...but we were for FOUR months!!! The town water here can really smell bad, and the plumbing in this house is so old and in need of a complete overhaul, that we called it the poopy smell. Lucky for us, the bathroom wall shared with our bedroom closet. Yay for poopy clothes smell!!!


Our new bathroom...one of 2! First time for two bathrooms (the other is identical to this one on Mia's side) and NO POOPY SMELL!!! When you clean it, it's really clean! Yay!

Old hospital bedroom. The walls were a pale/pea green and the lights were flouresant. Not complaining...but during my "fun" of seeing what else was out there, I had to weigh some pros and cons people.

New bedroom, lovely, airy, and romantic. Ahhh...
Mimi's little bedroom. I love her bedroom, it is so pretty and bright. That chair in front of her window is called a corner chair. I love it! We have two of them here, and they are perfect. I've never seen one before, but now I will want to be on the lookout back home for some.
Of course, this place is fun, and sure makes our time here enjoyable. But alas, we're students, so we know this place is but a mere dream for us. The most important thing is we have each other and we have our little poopy with us. What can go wrong in life when you have this little beauty every day? We are grateful, and ever watchful for guests to come and visit...don't hesitate!!! Get down here as fast as you can!!!

Como se dice?

Man, I should have stuck with Spanish in High School. I took tons of Spanish classes, and was even inducted into the National Spanish Honor Society...BUT I always hated how I sounded speaking it, and I sure didn't keep up with it, that's for sure.
When we got here, the missionaries quickly caught wind that I was a teacher, so they asked me to start a weekly English class. I can't believe how fast my Spanish has come back, even though I still have a long way to go with it. Most of the members in our Branch are from The Dominican Republic, and only speak Spanish. They are here working, and can obtain better jobs if they learn English. So, I took it on and designed an English program and got the class going. It is a major highlight of my week here. I love it.

Here is Mia helping out. She comes with me while Dave stays home studying for school.

Here we are with two of my students...Julio and Fransica. They are hilarious. Julio likes to tell me how to drive when we're going home, even though if I would have listened to him, we probably would have died three times by now. Fransica is so special. She's 45 years old!!!! She doesn't look a day over 33 to us. She is so happy and kind, and she babysits Mia every Friday night for us so we can have a date!

Holy Cow...updates!!!

Well, as you can tell...we've been a tad-bit busy to say the least. Tons of updates and changes in our lives over the last month, so hopefully I can get on it and update the blog to let everyone know what's happening with us!

Here is a little bit about our church here. We meet in an old carriage house on the property of an estate that is now ruins. There are only 2 large rooms and 3 small rooms in the church along with a kitchen. Here are the side and front view, with a view standing in front of the church looking to the Caribbean Ocean.
This is the view standing in front of the church looking towards Mt. Nevis. This is the ruins that used to be the main house on the estate. It is told that this was all built in the early 1800's and when the owner lost his love, he burned the main house in a love-sick rage.
This is the old bakery building. The couple missionaries from Utah live in the guest quarters right next to this that was built in 1811.
Our Branch is small, but the members that come are stalwart. We usually only have between 6-15 people every Sunday, but we are really enjoying have a unique church experience here, and feel that our testimonies have grown A LOT since we've started our journey here in Nevis. Dave is the Ward Clerk, and I am the chorister, pianist, ESL teacher, and Sunday School teacher. We give talks regularly, and it has been a great experience for all three of us!

Awesome Experience, Special Day - July 18, 2009

Yes, we are a motley crew, but the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Nevis are growing! Today, the newest member of our branch was baptized. I'm proud to say that it was my good friend and neighbor Mickey Singh. It all happened this morning at Pinney's Beach, on Saturday, July 18, 2009 at around 8 a.m. Mickey asked me to baptize him. I was sincerely humbled and honored. I love Mickey like a brother, and I know that we will be life long friends.

Pictured here at the far left is Sister Allen, the Relief Society President, next to her is her adorable grand-daughter Alecia, but she likes to go by Leesy, behind her is the hamburger loving Elder Dixon from Longview, Texas, then in the middle is Mickey, and Elder Ted Murdock from Salt Lake City Utah is behind him, and I'm next to Mickey, then the Beautiful Sister Murdock is next to me, and then stoic Elder Hadley from California / Utah is at the far right. Becky and Mia are taking the pictures.

Here is a picture of Elder Dixon, Micky, Me, and Elder Hadley...notice the sailboats in the background...it was a beautiful morning. (Nice shot Becky! xoxoo)

Here are some more shots of me and Mickey.

I'll have to say that the gospel of Jesus Christ has brought so much happiness into my life. Because of it I have a wonderful marriage, a beautiful daughter, and I get to associate with some of the best people in the world. When I was pondering all that I have to be grateful for, and seeing the hand of Heavenly Father in my life, and in the life of my family and friends, I became a bit emotional and realized that my cup of joy has been overfilled.

I really hope that all of my friends, and family, and those that I have associated with will know that I am proud to say that I am a practicing Latter-Day Saint...maybe I need to practice a little harder at times, but I am proud to say that I am a Mormon. I hold my testimony dear to my heart. I want you all to know, that I know that the Book of Mormon is true, and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God, and that we have a true and living prophet on the earth today in President Thomas S. Monson. I know that Jesus Christ lives, and that He atoned for our sins. The gospel of Jesus Christ has brought so much true happiness in my life, and I know that true happiness, really true happiness, is found only in living the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I hope you all check it out.

love,
Dave