One year

So I am officially the world's worst blogger. I started off strong, but got a bit too busy along the way. It has been one year and almost two months since we arrived in Dominica. I have not been home (to the US) since. It is very hard to believe that so much time has passed when it seems like a blink of an eye. I guess this just goes to show you how time does pass us by, and reminds us to make the very best out of every day.

We did a lot of island sight seeing during the last break. We wanted to get in all we could before it was time to leave. We rented a car for the two weeks (since ours was still broke) and toured the island with some friends of ours, Paul and Brandy Tarap. The girls have probably hiked more and seen more than most people ever will. Hopefully they will be able to look back at this when they are older and appreciate what a treasure this journey truly was.

Wes and I celebrated out 10 year anniversary on May 14. To commemorate the occasion, we island hopped to Barbados for a couple of days. You would think one island is the same as the next, but that is not so. Barbados is not a volcanic island, in fact it is flat. It is a coral island so it has the bright white sandy beaches. The turquoise water was spectacular and there were even wild monkeys at our hotel. Amazing! We had a great time relaxing in comfort that you don't find in Dominica.

Wes and the girls left Dominica to get re-established in the States in the middle of June. This gave the girls time to enjoy the grandparents and get settled in before entering a much larger school system. Leaving their friends was probably the hardest part. They stopped over in Barbados for two nights on their way home and got to enjoy the monkeys as well. They adjusted to life back in the States within the first few seconds of stepping off the plane.

Life is much quieter here. I seem to have a lot more time than I once did. This must be what 'regular' medical students experience. Weird. But, I am hoping to utilize this time to my advantage and get good enough grades to get off the island in August. (so I am blogging...hmmm).

The journey has been very memorable and looking back there are plenty of lessons we have learned that I don't think would have been possible anywhere else. Wes has become a hands-on father and the girls now know that their daddy loves them very much. We have all learned that life in the US is not what 'real life' is for the other 99% of the world. Hopefully we can all remember that the US is not the center of the universe and that there are others who are much less fortunate than we are. I hope to always be thankful for lights, water and food! Things that were not always plentiful or present in Dominica.

Thank you God for taking us on this journey and opening our eyes to Your creation. I look forward to the next leg and what it has in store.