Pictures from Aug '15 break

More pictures... not of St. Kitts, but from Austin's phone download. 

(Most of these are from our trip home and the break in August 2015.)

Temple trip! Couldn't miss the chance while we were home.

Photo Blast! A life on St. Kitts

We just took the pictures off Austin's phone. So.. here's a photo blast of life on St. Kitts

On campus with Daddy. He took Eden flying!

Yaba had a birthday so we made him a cake. Everyone needs cake on their birthday.

This is how we roll. I clean. Eden sleeps. In this case, we are cleaning the church.

AMSA Health Fair for the islanders

Views of St. Kitts from school and our neighborhood... the daily sighting of cruise ships

Getting here

Walking to church

Pioneer children sang as they walked, and walked, and walked...and walked

One year older and wiser too...

It happened. Eden had a birthday. We now have a one year old in our family. Crazy! Thanks to a kind family in our branch, we had a delightful celebration and one that I was not expecting. Austin had his first final to kick off the day. He performed with excellence as usual, and came home in time to party! The Kims invited us over to their place for a big birthday lunch. This is the family who lives at the Marriott. The father is now our branch president, they have a 14 year old son, 12 year old daughter, and soon to be 10 year daughter, and they are Korean. I have talked about them many times before- now you know them better! We are so well taken care of and loved by this family. It's been a great blessing to know and be friends with them. Their daughters absolutely love Eden and the mom, Yahn (aka. Sis Kim) is what I call the "branch grandma." She is not nearly old enough to be a grandma herself, but she LOVES babies and has taken a fondness to us because of having Eden. I can't say enough about how selfless and kind this family is. We just love them! 

You also need to know that Sis. Kim is a fabulous cook! She bakes wonderful bread- often with surprises in the dough, like hot dogs or cream cheese- and always has a unique dish of something to share with us. You should see her rice cooker. It's worth 500 US Dollars and is practically a robot. It's a digital touchscreen and talks to you. It's an insane piece of cookware! And it keeps your rice good for a week- hot and ready! For Eden's birthday, she made bacon-wrapped shrimp, Korean flavored Ribs, salad, rice, this noodley-Korean dish with spinach and eggs- (which is apparently the Korean party dish, especially for first birthdays because the long noodles are said to represent a long life), and cream-cheese rolls. Oh, and homemade lemonade and orange/strawberry juice. Talk about a feast, eh? To top it off, she had a cute little cupcake with a candle for Eden to blow out. (Well, I blew out her candle for her, but she thought all the attention was pretty awesome.) 

We had a breakthrough at their house: Eden voluntarily left the room and played with the girls without Austin or I being with her. She had to be at least 20 feet away and out of sight. I don't think that has ever happened on the island. Our good friend, Genevieve, and her baby Jack joined us for the festivities. That was fun for Eden too. She's loving other kids right now. It's fun to watch her interact with other kids, smile, talk, and laugh hysterically at them. 

After lunch, Yahn had planned for Eden to take part in a Korean tradition. They set out a bunch of items, all corresponding to a different attribute. They set out all these different items and let Eden choose one. Because she chose the ball, it was said that she would grow up to be sporty and athletic. Her other options were to choose money and be rich (sorry dad, I guess she'll have to marry rich instead), string for a long life, a book for smart and well learned, a doctor tag, or a pencil for artistic. We think she can be all these things, but only time will tell!

We had our own celebration at home with just mommy and daddy later. After dinner and talking to aunts, uncles, and grandmas, she got another try at blowing out a candle. Lucky girl, Eden got sung happy birthday to 4 times that day! Her favorite present was the cards of all things! Thank you for thinking of Eden and giving presents an ocean away. Grandma Cutler- you amaze me with how thoughtful you are! It was really sweet of you to send a card with mom and dad so far in advance! It looks like the candle on the card is lit as we speak. It's super cute and I plan to open a savings account for Eden when we get home. She'll be thankful for your gift one day! Thank you, thank you!!

So... as of Eden's first birthday, she has 3 teeth. Maybe 4 will be showing by the time come home in the next few days. We can't wait to show her off. We made it to the beach another two times this week. We took Yaba with us the first time. The ocean is good therapy for his leg and shoulder (which are debilitated from a car/pedestrian accident). The second time, we went to the Marriott beach, which has harsher water, but better sand. It's fine for us because we only stay on shore. Eden loved it! There is always something to point at, show off, and eat (but not really): sea shells, sea weed, waves, and sand. What a fun life!

This post was all about Eden, but it was her big week, afterall. Austin has three more finals to go before he is done with his second semester of medical school! Time is flying by! I feel like we have adjusted and made it our home here. I never thought the day would come. Life and attitude is all about perspective and being grateful. Oh how we are blessed. We have great neighbors, a wonderful branch, (I love my calling,) a nice place to live, Austin is doing well at school, and we are all healthy. 

AND we are coming home soon! How could I forget? Next week, my update will be in person!!

Achieving Excellence

It's the most wonderful time of the year! That saying is just as true in St. Kitts as it is in America. The weather is cooler, school is out (or almost), people are busily shopping, Christmas music blares in the grocery stores, and it's birthday time. Can you believe it? Eden will be 1 year old on Friday. Boy has time disappeared. 

Eden has yet again gone through a sort of transformation where she is a new person again. She has also decided to grow a good 4-6 inches in what seems like a week. This happy little child of ours thinks she is invincible and is happiest on her feet, though she puts up  good competition racing on her hands and knees. Her walker is no longer for walking in, but for climbing on, as is everything else with a ledge to hold. I can't even begin to describe what a delight she is. Even she thinks she is funny and will laugh at herself.

We don't often go to the beach because it feels like so much work and is so dirty. I'd rather be in a pool. But, this week, I took Eden for a day and was delighted to find that she loved it. She really is growing up! Now that she is mobile, the sand was a blast. We looked for seashells on the beach for a good hour together, which was just the coolest thing. She had to show me EVERYTHING she found. What fun!

On Thursday, Eden and I got to go to class with Austin. He received an award for having a 96% or higher in Biochemistry at the time (which includes grades from 3 exams and 3 quizzes). There were only three people in his class that were awarded this "Certificate of Excellence." Truly, Austin could get this award in every class if it existed. I can count the number of questions he has missed in all his classes from both semesters combined on my hands and still have left over fingers. Needless to say, he has a near 100% in every class. It was a big deal and hard achievement; the dean was invited along with the professor to present the award. I think we got a good picture or two and were allowed to stay for part of class following. The professor was pleased to see that Eden was smiling and clapping for his teaching. 

The only Christmas lights we have seen on the island are right across the street from us. Good ol' Yabba decorated his bush. And it even sings! Austin and I laughed, noting that even the recordings here are off tune, but it may just be that the batteries are dying. We are lucky that we get to experience the festivities first hand. Christmas lessons have begun at church likewise. I was in charge of teaching sharing time in Primary today- we talked about some of the Book of Mormon prophets who prophesied of Jesus Christ's birth. I'm loving Primary and these kids. We have a lot of fun, but I also feel like we are teaching them a lot and letting them feel the spirit some. It has been neat to me to teach because they are not as familiar with the Book of Mormon stories, so anything I say is fascinating and new! We acted out most of the stories today; the kids all got a change to be King Benjamin and stand on a "tower" and say something that he prophesied of Christ. How amazing that he knew our Savior's name would be "Jesus Christ" and that His mother would be "Mary" and that he would do such descriptive mighty miracles, including the Atonement. Next, we got to act out the story of Abinadi preaching to the people and King Noah and talked about how he gave his life as a testimony that Christ would be born on earth. Lastly, we sang about Samuel, the Lamanite. I LOVE that Primary song. It may be my favorite Christmas song. The words tell about the signs that Samuel prophesied would come and then shout Hosanna! It goes like this:

1. Said Samuel, "Within five years
   A night will be as day,
   And Baby Jesus will be born
   In a land far, far away."
2. Hosanna! Hosanna!
   Oh, let us gladly sing.
   How blessed that our Lord was born;
   Let earth receive her King!

Once again, we were able to talk about how Samuel risked his life for people to know that Jesus Christ would be born. And then the kids got to "cast stones" at Samuel- one of the kids. So we had a good time. 

Special Visitors

What a wonderfully busy week had here on the island. The highlight was, hands down, having mom and dad visit. We can honestly say that was the most anticipated day since before coming here. Technology is a miraculous blessing. We are most grateful and lucky to Facetime/Skype, email, and send pictures back and forth; but nothing compares to the real thing. Having mom and dad visit was much like the reunion I imagine in heaven: greatly awaited and joyous! I never thought I would cry at the sight of a cruise ship yet there I was, driving down the hill to the Port with tears in my eyes and all chocked up at the sight of my parents- the first off the port. It was a beautiful sight to see them waving, happy. (not yet sweaty,) and running to get past the gate to give Eden and I hugs. See? Heaven. It does exist, even here in St. Kitts.


The best part of the entire 8 1/2 hours was just being with mom and dad for 8 1/2 hours, but hopefully they had some fun too. We were able to show them a little bit of downtown Basseterre, Wingfield (an old rum factory, which I mistakenly remembered as a sugar manufacturing plant), Brimstone (St. Kitts' battle fort and historical sight), and our house, where we had lunch. Afterwards, we were able to take mom and dad on a tour of Austin's University, and Frigate Bay, including the Marriott and St. Timothy Beach. That about sums up the entire island, or anything worth seeing that we could drive to. I was just happy to show mom and dad where we live and what we talk about all the time. They were able to meet the important characters often mentioned. Yabba taught them a new "Peace, Love, Happiness" handshake; you'll have to ask them to show you. They also met Troy, the guy who sold us our car. The consensus was that we got ripped off, but I smiled inside when mom met him and innocently said she was so glad he was there to keep fixing our car for us. Yes, yes indeed. AND they met our caretaker Pearl, who came by to deliver our new mattress. A new mattress!! Ah! Austin and I now feel like we are in a hotel instead of a cave floor. It's awesome. Good thing dad was there to help lift the mattress onto our bed and mom came all that way to make it for us. One thing I have learned: parents will always be parents. And boy are they the best!


Dad hopefully has all the pictures to show. There are some good ones! We found out that as underdeveloped as St. Kitts is, it was the most developed of the islands thus far that mom and dad had visited. It was nice to hear that we are living well comparatively. They said our streets were wider and not as steep. It's hard to believe, but like I said, good to hear. Being the 4th or 5th stop, the shock wasn't as big as I expected when driving mom and dad around.


I'm sure they will fill in the rest of the details. As for us, it was a great day.


The young men and young women invited me to come talk about how to be healthy for their combined mutual activity on Tuesday. I was happy to do a short presentation and then a demo exercise class with them. What a funny sight...


Austin volunteered to help at a health fair given to the locals as part of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA). It took all day Saturday. Though he said it was HOT in his scrubs and lab coat, it was a good experience. Eden and I cleaned the church while he was gone. Well, I cleaned and Eden roamed the halls in her walker. We made a good team. I have to brag for just a minute here: I killed a cockroach. I had no choice but to do it myself because Austin wasn't there and only one other person was in the church with us. There were two cockroaches in the Primary room. One was dead and the other looked dead, but I have learned from Austin never to assume. Good thing. I poked it with the broom to find it wiggly and alive. You can imagine me trying to smash it with the broom and missing every time- not completely, but I couldn't seem to hit it with the hard part of the broom. That's when the dumb thing flipped over and started running. There's no way I wanted it anywhere Eden nor did I want to lose it or have it chase me. That was enough motivation to act fast and aim perfectly. With one big whack I killed that thing. I not only killed it, but I decapitated it. Guts smashed and the head went flying in the other direction with the antennas still waving. I'll teach you to mess with me.


Our Primary Program was today during Sacrament meeting. It turned out really well as I had anticipated. Since I was in charge of the program, Austin was in charge of Eden. What a good dad. He kept her quiet and happy the whole time! Cute thing even helped the kids sing some of the songs. Her favorite- and loudest voice was heard- in the song "Follow the Prophet."


Eden has figured out how to climb our one stair and is getting pretty brave. She almost feels invincible yet still knows some sort of limit. Just maybe she will be walking by the time we see you all next month!


I forgot to share a cool experience that happened last week-
Yabba and another man were talking on the awning just outside our door. I could only make out so many words, but those I could decipher included sin, wickedness, and creation. I assumed that they were arguing over religion. My theory proved to be right when I went outside and interrupted their discussion, which really was more like an argument. I asked if they were talking about religion, to which they said yes. Then I asked if they could read, to which they answered, 'of course.' So I handed them both a Book of Mormon and explained that it would answer all their questions. Austin about died with how bold I was. We might just get the name of being religious zealots with my behavior lately.... So I thought it was pretty cool to give out two Book of Mormons. The next day Yabba proceeded to tell me that he gave his copy away to another guy who was there and wanted it and asked if I would get him a replacement. How awesome is that!?Who knows if anything will come out of it, but it feels so good to think that I just might be introducing more truth and light into these guys' lives. I love the quote, "He (God) has no hands, but ours." I've always trusted that God's work and wonder would indeed go forth and fill the whole earth, but it isn't until recently that I have taken that charge personally and realized that we have a responsibility to make sure that happens.

Moving Forward

It seems another week has gone by already. I believe more and more the old folks who say time flies. Blink too many times and you will blink yourself to heaven!


We had a rather productive week. Austin is yet again filling his brain with words I can scarcely pronounce and pathways that seem impossible to memorize while Eden is growing ever bigger and continues to be my best bud 24/7. Eden and I had our normal week of playing, going to the swimming pool, and whatnot, but Saturday was a treat. Even though Austin didn't have time for it, He came to the beach for a little bit and got to throw around a frisbee and football for an elders quorum activity. Eden and I, of course, crashed that party. The place we went is called Timothy Beach, also known as 'The Strip.' I'm sure what comes to your mind is much like Austin and I were expecting. Instead, what you find is a line of hut-like restaurants made mostly of bamboo and palm leaves. I am nearly positive they all have the same ending as the little piggy who built his house of straw when the storms hit. Nonetheless, those restaurants are quite popular- one, the Shiggidy Shack, serves full, all-you-can-eat lobsters and is supposed to be pretty good. Volleyball courts line the shores of Timothy Beach. We hardly see anyone play, but we hear that there are tournaments with hundreds of people every Friday night. We might just have to venture out one of these days. Until then, you can count on seeing people losing their minds and drinking in the ocean. Is that not a dumb idea? Yet it's the thing... I am constantly grateful for the commandments- in this case, the Word of Wisdom- especially when I see people make fools of themselves and tempting fate.


Anyway, we came to the realization that Eden does not know what to do with a telephone. Rightly so, Eden thinks that a telephone is for eating, taking pictures, and looking at. We acquired a play telephone that goes with Eden's walker and she had no clue what was going on when we put it to our ear and said, "hello, hello?" To her, when we say hello it means wave and look for someone to smile at. The only way we talk with our phones is through FaceTime or Skype. We are already witnessing a new generation and being outdated by our kids!


It has been raining a fair amount lately- not enough to stop the water rationing or end the drought, but we are grateful for every bit. Plus, it cools things down a bit. Eden and I got caught in a big rainstorm on our way to visiting teaching. We sat in the back of the car and watched it pour around us. It was quite lovely until the rain became so hard we had to roll up the crank windows. Then it got so steamy hot inside the car you'd have thought we were in a steam shower. Oh, St. Kitts. And tell me this... since when does a rainbow appearbefore the storm? It was pretty anyway.


Eden and I walked to Seaglass Beach and back on Tuesday. I say we walked there and back because the water was rough and the tide was high so we didn't hardly get wet. On the way home, we ran into some locals- one of which was our neighbor friend. I asked them about the ocean and when the tide comes in because I can't seem to pinpoint the best time to go. They explained to me that St. Kitts doesn't really have a tide. The ocean's behavior is mostly dependent on the storms and weather. I guess you really just have to pick the right day, not necessarily the right time. Most of the time, you can tell from afar if the water is calm or choppy- even from our house. In talking to these locals, I found it hilarious that Denzel- our friend, who is normally difficult to understand- became my translator. As difficult as he is to understand, the others there must have been speaking in tongues! Whoo wee! They were spouting off all this jibber jabber and I couldn't even pretend to understand what they said. I tried to nod and show that I was listening and then Denzel would say, "do you know what he said?" Heh, no. Not even one bit! Thankfully, he became my Urim and Thumim. Everyone here keeps telling me that we are going to have a little boy in a year. I don't know what they know that I don't. We want lots of kids, but none here!


Let's see… Eden and I caught a lizard in our house this week – that was pretty exciting. The fast little bugger tried to get away and scampered across the floor, but it was no match for us! We caught it in a clear glass and then left it for Austin to come home to. It was enough for me to know that it wasn't going to run freezing in my house, but I didn't want to touch it and I for sure didn't want it getting loose.


Thank you for all your advice regarding my Daniel study! I'm excited to go tomorrow and hopeful that I will have more of an opportunity to bear testimony of what I know. Most of the study is done by watching an hour long movie- it's not exactly a discussion. The lady preaching almost quoted the 10th Article of Faith word for word, but had no clue. I wanted to say, "YES! The kingdom of God IS literal. It's on the earth and Zion WILL be established as a new Jerusalem here! just like it is being built in our hearts and in our stakes. Christ is coming to reign personally on the earth. He is coming!!" It about killed me when she was talking about all these philosophers and scholars who are well studied that have hypothesis about the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream concerning today. She said we didn't have to agree, but that we would be discussing the different thoughts by these educated people. I'm thinking, WHY? Why hypothesize when we KNOW of a surety. Why trust your own judgment when you can trust the prophet who gets the answer straight from God?


On another note- I taught Sharing Time in Primary today and it went really, really well. I can empathize with mom now when she said she had the kids captivated! It is so motivating to feel the kids learning such pure doctrine and to know that they are learning by the Spirit. I suppose I felt accomplished because I figured out how to teach by the Spirit. We talked about repentance and how no one is perfect, yet we are trying to "Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him." We talked about how each of us has sinned and in so doing, we are the ones that put the holes in Jesus Christ's hands, feet, and side. It is because of us that he Atoned and was crucified YET it is for us that He did it so we could return to Him. They learned how to apply the steps of repentance: feeling sorry, asking for forgiveness, righting the wrong, and not repeating the sin. It was awesome. I am loving Primary. For one, I feel like I am making a difference; but also, I learn the gospel in its simplest and purest form. Sometimes, I amaze myself with the things the spirit speaks out of my mouth. It's really cool.

Conference Weekend

I had the coolest thing happen with Conference yesterday. We have been told that our prayers can be answered as we listen to the prophets and leaders. And so, in preparing for Conference, I had a few questions in mind that I want answered. Friday night, I mentioned those questions in my bedtime prayers. Some were general, but one question in particular was pretty specific. You see, this week, my friend Jackie is starting a Bible study on the book of Daniel. I was invited to attend, and am excited to participate and share the little bit of knowledge that I have. This week, I read the entire book of Daniel to prelude the discussions, which brings me to my prayer. I began praying that I would be able to better understand the scriptures and then felt that I could challenge God even more- if I dare say so. I asked that the stories of Daniel specifically would be explained to me. This is where I consider a miracle to have happened. Out of all the scriptures and 15 million people watching Conference with questions of their own, my prayers were answered directly by President Uchtdorf in the Priesthood session. (It's a good thing I watched it with Austin.)

And so I believe that God answers prayers and keeps His promises as does he speak through His servants. We love Conference. 

In the middle of Conferece sessions, I watched a few clips of Grandma Jack speaking at the pulpit and in Nauvoo. There's no question where Gregory and Bryce got their stage presence from. Such poise and dignity are attributes I hope to develop one day. 

It's a good thing we have mom and dad to tell us about the news and the hurricanes in the world. We had no idea until I talked to dad this week. It has been H-O-T! this week with an exception of Saturday, which was rather cool and windy in comparison. It was a fun surprise to be able to hear the ocean from our backyard while doing laundry- most likely because the hurricane has caused choppy, rough water. Before moving here, I thought we would be able to hear the ocean from our windows, but it's a rare treat. 

Eden and I have gone apartment browsing a bit this week. It's more for fun than in all seriousness, but we would consider moving if we something comes along. So far, it has proven that we are SO very blessed to be where we are. It has been another answer to prayer to be here, especially after seeing so many other places. Multiple times, I was praying that we would even make it home- the last apartment we viewed was, unbeknownst to me, half way across the island and at the tippy top of a hill. We met the realtor at a roundabout and followed her there. She took us over curbs, through construction, up a hill, up another hill, and yet up another! I cannot accurately describe just how steep the roads are. Just imagine a 70% grade hill to another 70% grade hill. I was 3-wheeling just to take a right turn. With a quarter of a tank of gas, the hill was so steep that my gas light came on! The good news was that I had a "half tank" of gas on the way down :). Now you can see why I was praying the entire way there. It really was a miracle we made it, let alone got home safely and without our brakes giving out on us. 

Eden and I made it to the pool once or twice this week, and I have successfully written our primary program for next month. I'm quite happy with how it turned out and am more excited now that I have an input. 

Austin has his first set of block exams tomorrow. Four classes, four whopping tests. He is quite amazing and has stayed remarkably calm despite the pressure and stress he is under. At the same time, he has been able to help lots of other students in their studies both in his classes and as a TA. 

As for Eden- she is still the cutest thing around. Last time we went to the store, I kid you not- she had at least eight workers surrounding her, trying to get her attention, waving, smiling, and talking to her. It is like living with a celebrity! They know us well at the grocery stores now. We are easy to pick out because I'm a white momma with a cute blue-eyed baby and I often make a scene with my paying methods. Once, I had to run 4 credit cards before I found one that worked. Last week, I paid $32 in coins, and the rest was split between US dollars and Caribbean money. They had reason to hate me after that one. 

Anyway- Eden is getting really good at peek-a-boo and pulling herself up. Her new trick is blowing really hard. I don't know how she does it, but Eden can successfully puff her cheeks out and pucker at the same time. Try that! and then blow. It makes for a funny picture and one adorable little girl.