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. 

Koreans, cleanups, Conference, and pools

Hello to all! 

Another week has passed. Can you believe it?

With every passing moment, Eden is getting bigger, Austin is getting smarter, and I am... well, I am doing lots of things and trying hard to do more than just exist. It is easy to fall into the motion of doing nothing because nothing is on the calendar. In some respects, it is really nice to be able to go to the pool whenever, eat meals at my own convenience, and have time to take care of the house. At the same time, I realize that I was put on earth to do more than just breathe. Didn't one of the speakers at Women's Conference say something about that just last night? In order to do more than "just exist" I am eating up gospel material, working minimally, and finding small ways to serve. Being a Mom and a wife is worthy of existing especially, but like anything you can be passive and mediocre, or you can be present and stellar. I hope to always be the latter. 

You will be interested to hear that I saw a living replica of Sampson at the pool this week. I wish I got a picture. It was one of those moments where I couldn't believe my eyes and was almost embarrassed that I could not help staring. This man was about 50 years old, black, and had dreadlocks down to his knees. It was an incredible sight. To top it off, he was dancing like he was high and his maybe 3 year old grandson was growing hair just like him. 

Another time at the pool, I watched a family enjoy themselves from a distance. A happy of family with 4 kids, dressed modestly, happy and pleasant- they just looked LDS. And they were- I asked :) Isn't it awesome that even in the middle of the ocean, you run into people of your own faith? I love that we have a look about ourselves that says, yep, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. 

I was delighted to watch Women's Conference online last night. It felt like we were home. Surprisingly or not, I haven't been homesick really. The few moments of longing came from looking at the beautiful pictures of Temple Square of all things. At the same time, I am overwhelmingly grateful that the Spirit is the same here as it is there and that God is still my God and that the Church is one and the same. President Uchtdorf related a story around a picture of a pioneer happily skipping down the path even though it was sure to be difficult and full of trials. I imagine us to be much like that pioneer girl right now: happy despite our circumstances, which are still luxurious and blessed compared to most. 

Yesterday was supposed to be a Branch cleanup of the building. The Branch ended up consisting of Austin, me, Eden, the Presidency, and the Senior missionaries. Needless to say, it was a scanty show up. There are multiple reasons for this; however, I was grateful that we went to help out. I mention this whole situation because I appreciate the lessons learned from mom and dad (you). Despite how busy, inconvenient, afflicted, or whatever, they (you) never neglect duty and have taught me what it means to truly sustain our leaders and do what is right. `Thanks for that :)

The Branch President and his wife are from Korea. The wife loves babies and is always itching to play with, hold, and entertain the few that are at church. She sat behind us in church today- Eden fell asleep in the middle of Sacrament meeting; I handed her over to Austin and proceeded to stretch and crack my back. Seeing this, Sister Kim (the President's wife) came to the rescue. When church was over, she made me sit in a chair while she proceeded to manipulate, torque, and adjust me. Somewhat between a massage and a chiropractic fix, Sister Kim was exactly what you'd imagine a Korean to look like. Austin said she had her knee in my back while getting up on the chair with me and everything. Truthfully, I was scared she was going to break me.Two minutes later, she finished and asked me how I felt... Wow! That was extremely amazing! I honestly felt awesome, which is saying something because my back has not been the same since having Eden. I'm pretty sure there are underlying disc problems. Anyway, I am now a believer of this Korean magic. 

I am sure I am forgetting things- funny things happen all the time, but alas, you'll never know because I can't remember any more. 

Chicken Avocado Wrap & Modified Cafe Rio Black Beans

My Recipe Collection is made up of dinners from my kitchen. I am a minimalist chef; I have limited kitchen supplies and shop for basically the same things each week. That means our meals are simple, cheap, and use only what you have in the pantry or fridge. Where the kitchen is not my own and the food is outrageously pricey, this is how we live in the Caribbean!

Makes 8 Wraps

Ingredients:

• 8 Homemade Tortillas 
• 1 Large Avocado
• 1/4 Cup Salsa
• 2 Chicken Breasts, cooked and shredded

Directions:

1. Cut avocado into cubes. Divide avocado cubes evenly onto tortillas. Smash avocado leaving large chunks.
2. Pour salsa over avocado to your liking.
3. Layer with chicken
4. Roll tortilla into a wrap and enjoy!

Tips:

• My favorite tortilla recipe is Best Ever Homemade Flour Tortillas.  I make a batch or two and refrigerate or freeze what I don't use so it makes for fast and easy dinners later. They are still yummy if warmed in the microwave though they are best fresh. 
• The avocados that I use here in the Caribbean are HUGE! You may need 2 avocados to equal one the size that I use. 
• Chicken makes for a good roll over ingredient. I like cooking enough chicken to have leftovers so I don't have to defrost day after day. It also makes for fast meals later. 
• You can cook your chicken however you prefer. For convenience sake, and because I have a limited kitchen, I usually heat them on the stove in a pan with a little water. Slow cooked chicken would also work deliciously well. 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces black beans 
• 8 ounces corn
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp. cumin or cumin seeds
• salt to taste
• 1/8 cup cilantro

Directions:

1. Spray a skillet with pan spray or use Butter Spray and brown the garlic and cumin seeds. 
2. Add the diced tomato and stew. 
3. After about 5 minutes, add the corn, black beans, and salt
4. Stir in chopped cilantro prior to serving

Tips:

• Buying canned beans is too expensive, so I opt for dried beans. Because it takes forever to cook dry beans, I make two packages at once and freeze them in ziplock baggies until I am ready to use them in my meals. 
• When making this side dish, I used frozen beans and frozen corn. It works to use canned or frozen.
• The original recipe that this was modified from called for tomato juice. Again, I only had fresh tomatoes. When cooking with a fresh tomato, make sure to dice into small pieces to utilize as much juice as possible. 
• I made this dish without cilantro because I didn't have any in my fridge. It tasted just fine without it, but needed more salt.

Rain, rain, come our way

Greetings from the island! We send our love and excitement for all that is happening back home. Happy Anniversary Grandpa and Grandma! It's remarkable for some to live 67 years, let alone be married (and married happily) for so long! What a wonderful cause to celebrate. We were delighted to hear that you were able to enjoy dinner with my parents and a nice week in Sun Valley. It sounds like a nice, relaxing trip. Oh, how it would be to sit by a fire! The thought of being cold and needing a jacket is merely a dream at present- one which we are all looking forward to seeing through come December. 

Never in my dreams did I ever imagine the boys in our family to be singers, but even that came true. I laugh every time I think the thought. It used to be that only mom sang the hymns at church while everyone else sat stone cold through the songs. Now Bryce is taking voice lessons from Gregory and Dad is singing in quartets. When did this all happen?! It is so fun seeing everyone grow up. As they do, I appreciate more and more that family is what this life is all about. There is no greater joy!

Eden is also growing up. It seems like she changes from one day to the next. Last week, just as mom predicted, she started her "dropping phase." With no warning, everything was, and is, on the floor. This week Eden decided it wasn't enough just to drop things; she wanted to know where they went. This led to her pulling herself up on the edge of the playpen. I'm having to watch this child of mine! She has climbed as high as her knees so that her arms and head are clearly over the edge. Don't worry- I'm always watching, a must because her next move is to straighten her legs and topple to the unforgiving tile. That is how she crawls too- with straight legs. For not actually crawling, this girl sure knows how to get where she wants to go. Eden mimics an inch-worm quite well; while prostrating herself, face and all, on the floor she somehow manages to hike her bum in the air and push herself forward. It's quite tricky. Additionally, Eden is learning to stand up with little help and has figured out how to play peek-a-boo. She now hides and tries to be found. 

Yet again, Eden has a runny nose, but I'm hoping that means teeth are coming soon. She has been oddly sucking her thumb and pulling on her hair and ears, so something is in the works. 

It seems I forgot to mention that Austin was hired as an Anatomy TA for this semester. You all should know that he was sought out by his professors in each class, every professor wanting him to TA for their subject. While other kids were competing to get chosen, Austin had first pick for whatever he wanted. His preference would have been to TA for Cell Biology because it would compliment his current classes the best and because it is of high interest to him; however, Anatomy paid twice as much. In the end, his lucrative side won over and he chose Anatomy. Thanks to his hard work and good grades, he has knocked off 1/4 of his tuition between his scholarship and TAing. Like mom says, it pays to be smart (and to work hard). 

I guess it also pays to be a deadbeat hypochondriac and/or a homeless jailbird as long as you have a good doctor too, but I wouldn't opt for the easy road in that situation. 

Anyway... I'm not quite lucky enough to send a letter without some bug story just yet, although I will say that my complaints are slim after reading that dad was used to 10-12 roaches in the kitchen in Maryland. We had an infestation of flying ants all in a matter of minutes. I just wish I noticed before I trampled them in my bare feet. (Dad- Austin and I both asked the same question: where about does one find Boric Acid?) 

My creativity in the kitchen is continually being challenged, but I have come off conqueror to even my amazement. Without living here, I probably never would have ventured to make homemade pancakes. You forget that it's possible without Costco Buttermilk Pancake mix. And... if you've never tried vanilla and brown sugar syrup, it's a must. I like it better than maple. 

Have another fantastic week! Cherish the cold for us! We have gotten more rain than usual this week, but it's still hot! Imagine me driving in a rain storm and it's so hot and steamy that I can't see through the windows. Can't roll the windows down because the rain is coming down so hard. Can't turn on the air because there is no such thing. Yikes! Don't worry,  somehow the windshield cleared up enough for me to see that dirt hill that I was driving up looked more like a river than anything a car should be on. Oh, St. Kitts....

Back into it all

We are alive and mostly well. We can proudly say that we survived cockroaches, giant spiders, sickness, and water outages this week. Oh, "paradise!"

I thought we were pretty used to life here. Then again, I don't know if you can ever get used to living like this. More so, I think we have just come to terms and accepted the lower standard of living. You will get the gist of things as you keep reading. 

One letter, just maybe, you won't have to read about bugs. For now, overcoming creepy crawly critters is one of the biggest triumphs here. Since coming back, Austin and I have seen 6 cockroaches- dead or alive- at our house. We have sprayed as meticulously as possible and have successfully- hopefully- seen the last of those guys. The bigger deal is that we finally got rid of the ants in our kitchen! After 4 1/2 months, that is BIG news. The only problem now is that we pushed them out of the kitchen and into our bedroom. The war never ends. 

So the food chain goes- the spiders eat the cockroaches, eat the ants, eat our food. No food, no ants, no cockroaches, no spiders? WRONG! You'd think there were enough roosters, monkeys, birds and lizards to get rid of these guys too, but apparently NOT. Or maybe I don't understand the food chain? Get a load of this....

Eden and I came home from swimming to find that there was a funny looking branch/weed that got trapped in between our door and this foam padding we use as weather stripping. At closer look, I realized it was something more than foliage. Lucky for me, this baseball sized spider was smashed and done for. It's happened before with lizards too. Not wanting to touch it, I let it alone. When Austin came home, I unlocked the door for him and bid him to look at the real Halloween decoration I found. His eyes lit up as he realized what it was. So here was Austin, outside, and me, inside with the spider between us. It had been pouring rain and we have a broken rain gutter right above our front door that spills its contents so loudly that you can hardly hear anything but crashing water. As a result, Austin and I were yelling back and forth: "how long has that been there?" "Is it alive?" "It's dead." "Are you sure? No it's not." "Well it was." "It's Alive?" "AaahHHH!!! It's ALIVE!! I THOUGHT it was DEAD!" Good old Yabba heard us yelling and came over to see if we were all right. Austin yelled at him to come look at the spider, which he did, and continued to save us from it. It was a battle of spraying it with toxic chemicals, stabbing it with a stick, trying to keep it from running in the house after me and Eden who were hiding in the bedroom trying to still watch the escapade, and finally putting an end to that thing that was still twitching on the ground. Austin asked Yabba to step on it just to make sure he was really dead, which Yabba did. 

Whew! Glad we survived that one. Had I known that spider was alive, I never would have stepped foot in our house. I can't believe I stepped over that thing. Ew! Just thinking about the thing makes me shudder. Now you know why we have the reputation of being the sissy white kids in the neighborhood: a spider held us hostage. If only we got a picture.... that thing was HUGE! Yabba said they live in holes and come out when the rain floods them out. Rumor is they aren't dangerous, but rather advantageous because of the bugs they eat, but I'll tell you what- that spider was so big it could have eaten my baby alive!

On another note-

The island may be green, but we are still in a drought despite the water coming from the tropical storms (which we have yet to see). Our water is being rationed. It goes off anywhere form 8-10 pm and comes on in the morning around 6ish. That's no big deal. We have learned to fill the sink with water for hand washing and just wait to flush the toilet in the morning. What was a big deal, was not being warned that the water was going out in the middle of the day on Saturday. We have a water supply, but hoping it was going to come on sometime soon, we just let the dishes sit and didn't shower. Dealing with poop, making dinner, and cleaning are tricky when you don't have available water and a drain. How lucky we are to live in this day and age. The good thing is that I learned that we should have certain things on hand in case of a real emergency, like paper plates, disposable diapers, broth to cook with instead of water, and juice. Grandpa Cutler once mentioned that living here sounds worse than camping. Well, yeah. Camping is kind of what we are doing at times. 

Poor Eden caught a slight cold this week which quickly spread to the rest of us. She got over the most of it after 2 days of constantly sneezing snot rockets. I'm fine other than needing to blow once in a while, but Austin hasn't felt too well at all. Between the stress of school and not taking care of himself like he ought to, his immune system is what I would consider to be barely functional. Eden is now fake coughing to imitate her daddy. It's hilariously adorable. That, and she just won't stop talking! I love it other than making church a bit tricky. I don't know what kind of a lady we are raising though- Eden growls, screeches, and talks in her low, low voice. We have been blessed to inherit lots of toys from the other families on the island so Eden has lots to keep her occupied now. She really seems to enjoy being able to play. 

Home away from home again

Austin, Eden, and I made it home. We are safe and as sound as we can be in our circumstances. 

We enjoyed every minute of the last two weeks! If only it were longer. Being gone really makes us appreciate family and the time we get with you. How blessed we are to have such a wonderfully supportive, fun, and loving family. Thank you for taking us in and letting us sabotage your time.  

As you know, we left Wednesday night. The days all blur together when you have midnight flights like that. Luckily, Eden travels well and is happy for us. It was one of those days where I know it would have gone better had I said my prayers. Very seldom do I forget to pray, but that- of all days- was one of them. The lady who was checking us was not about to give us a break in any way. Our checked bag ended up being 50 pounds on the dot. She was sure it wouldn't be an ounce more. We had to prove to her that all our bags were carry on size. Ugh. We've never been asked to prove ourselves. It was tight and took a bit of pushing and shoving, but we got all bags to fit. Whew! That really was quite the miracle. Austin is like Popeye on these trips: popping out muscles to carry our house and the grocery store on his back. Somehow we manage and were even on time with plenty to spare. 

Once at the gate, we randomly bumped into Josh Cooper- Austin's BFF from high school and college roommate (until I came along and took over both those positions). That was a fun surprise and made the time go by quickly. He was heading to Washington DC for an internship with the Senator. We are all growing up! Lucky for us, the first plane ride was sparce! and freezing! One thing you don't think about coming from an island is that other parts of the world require clothing and blankets. We will be better prepared for next time. At least Eden was warm. There was enough space on the plane for us to have an entire row to ourselves. I laid down with my feet up on one row with Eden and left Austin on another to enjoy the on board entertainment. We made it to Miami where they checked our bags, making it much easier on us. We slept as best we could on the hard, straight-backed chairs, and made it one more flight home. Thanks to mom and the treats she sent with us, our bellies were happy too. 

To our surprise, the island looks completely different now than when we left. Rumor is that Hurricane Erika brought 8 hours of rain to the island while we were in Utah. Everything magically turned green! Things look a bit more tropical and like you would imagine an island to be like. It's a nice change. Oy! I'll tell you what though, it is HOT! In the short drive home, we managed to soak through our clothing as if we had jumped in a pool. Yep, a pool of sweat! Welcome back. Despite all the things to follow, we were very grateful that our ride was waiting in our car, to know the island, have something familiar to go back to, and to have a few groceries waiting for us- quite different from first arriving four months prior. 

What followed? Well... dare you ask?

We have been battling bugs since we got here 4 days ago. They sprayed while we were gone, which helped, but it also meant coming back to dead bugs and an apartment that needed to be swept and bleached again. Despite the exterminator's efforts, we still had ants galore and live cockroaches inside and out. It's been a constant battle thus far of spraying, leaving the house, and cleaning. We haven't yet unpacked because we don't want to contaminate anything with chemicals. What a mess. It's not too bad otherwise. We are somewhat used to having comparatively nothing to eat, being confined to our bedroom, and lounging around in our underwear all day. As a side note- I hung up our new picture of Jesus- compliments of Mom- and I told Austin that he will now watch over us and make sure the bugs don't eat us alive or in our sleep. 

Now that we are here, it's been a good time. With Austin at home instead of at school, it actually feels like vacation and more like paradise.... kind of, almost... we have been able to go swimming at the Marriott and at the beach. It is more beautiful here now than we have ever seen it thus far. The ocean is warm yet comfortable with the heat and the pool was incredibly nice. We tried out the Atlantic Ocean at the Marriott- where there was too much seaweed for our liking, but had silky, awesome sand; and the Pacific Ocean at Carambola Beach. That was a beautiful beach with calm waves and a restaurant that came out of nowhere! It was like nothing on the island with a grand piano, seat covers, polished wood... it looked like something you'd see in James Bond or another extremely nice, rich, fancy movie. Anyway, we had a fun time there and then joined our friends at their place for dinner while we watched the BYU football game against Nebraska.

Here it is, Sunday again. We are grateful to have the gospel here on this tiny island. It's filling the whole earth! Austin enjoyed the unusual luxury of staying home today and is ready for school to start again tomorrow. Second semester, here we come! Eden couldn't be happier. She is a doll and a joy to have around. I just love that she is saying 'mom' and getting good at high fives now.