Thanksgiving 2009

Where to even begin? We had so much for which to be thankful in 2009! We’d been blessed with the gift of life and were anxiously awaiting the birth of our island baby.  We had our health, family and good friends surrounding us.  Life was…dare I say? Good! As we grew in faith and in our marriage, there was a wonderful comfort in knowing we were building something larger than ourselves. There was also a crazy anxiety that came along with the unknown, but we were mostly at peace.  We loved spending quiet moments together in those days (something which everyone with kids told us would be a rarity once the baby arrived: they were right!) So we made this our first ‘family’ Thanksgiving and enjoyed cooking, laughing and eating together. As per usual, Michael was entrusted to cook the bird, while I focused on the sides and dessert. It was thoroughly delicious.



 

Here’s a peak at baby boy! I’m in my 5th month here.

Aside from family, friends, good food, Michael wanted me to add how thankful he was for his moped!   He bought it from another student shortly after we moved into La Terrasse and had been on the go ever since! To say he loved this thing is a great understatement. He even decorated and named it: The Decepti-scoot! He says riding this thing around the island, manuevering through stand-still trafic and feeling the wind on his face was some of the most fun he had on SXM. We still had the Hyundai, but it was rarely used!

Here he is in front of BB’s BBQ  (yes, there’s a restaurant somewhere in that rubble).

When he wasn’t cruising the island, you could find him on our terrace or by the pool with a stack of note cards in his hands.  Pharmacology came into the mix during 4th semester. While he liked the subject matter, he says he could have studied night and day and still not remembered all the details. I wasn’t too worried. He was doing great in all of his classes and charging through his 4th semester.

4th semester continues…

4th semester was in full swing and we were starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Not that we were ready to leave the island, but Michael was raring to experience clinical rotations and see patients. He would have to wait a while longer.

While he was making progress in school, I was making progress as well! I was 19 weeks at this point and getting bigger by the day!

This was right before heading to our ob/gyne to find out the baby’s gender! We had anxiously awaited this day and had dinner reservations to go celebrate the good news. However, we ran into a minor glitch when we arrived to find this sign taped to the doctor’s door.

Most places would call and reschedule your appointment, right? They do things a little differently on the island.

We tried taking our minds off of our disappointment that weekend by enjoying some quiet time on the beach.

Mike also treated me to a mani-pedi downstairs at The Spa. My friend Leah came along.

We decided to go through St. Maarten Medical Center instead of the private doctor we had signed up with originally. It didn’t take long to get in for an appointment and find out what we were having….

A BOY!!!

We were overjoyed to finally know! It deepened my connection to him because I could now imagine the future and all the things we might do. Daydreaming became my new favorite hobby. I’d daydream about what he would look like, how he would sound, and what things he would like. I could not wait to meet him!

While I was getting bigger, Mike was getting faster…at keeping up with my cravings

Mmm…pizza from “Pizza, Pasta”, a little place behind Tantra nightclub in Maho.

 

Pre-Thanksgiving feast. I just couldn’t wait!

Fried rice, anyone?

I did some cooking as well. It was my turn to host Book Club (Life of Pi was my pick), so I got to work making some yummy treats for everyone. I love hosting, baking and organizing, so this was lots of fun!

 

Enjoying a lively discussion about Piscene and the animals.

Time was really flying! It was Halloween before we knew it. Our friends Allison and Austin came up with the idea to host a doggie costume party. Although we didn’t have a dog on the island, I thought this was going to be too cute to miss.  Here are two of their pooches: Mango and Marion, aka: the inmates.

Talk about cuteness overload!

I’m not sure what the pups thought of the whole thing, but we had fun. I was wiped out by the time it ended. A far cry from Halloween’s of yore when I would dress up and dance the night away. As fun as those days were, (and I’m glad I have them to look back upon), I wouldn’t trade where I was in my life for anything! With baby safe and snug, we were snoozing by 9pm

Tomorrow’s agenda: watch planes come in, watch cruise ships go out, go swimming, pick up a fresh baguette on the way back upstairs. Life on an island has its perks!

4th semester begins…

After an extended Stateside break, I reunited with Michael in St. Maarten. He was already one month into his 4th semester of basic sciences at AUC.  I, on the other hand, was nearing the end of my first trimester and happily starting to feel like myself again. Weeks 5-9 were spent deciding what to eat, changing my mind, feeling queasy, and sleeping. I have never slept so much in my entire life!  It takes a lot of energy to create and sustain a life.

I was so excited to get back to Michael, our new apartment, my friends, and our little island in the sun. The little island that had worked its way into my heart, that I had come to know as home. Yes, it was great to be home and have the whole family back together again

 We took every opportunity to spend time together. The reality that a) our time on the island was drawing near and b) our freedom as soon-to-be parents was about to end was hitting us!  We tried going out as much as possible (when I wasn’t passed out by 8pm!) We truly looked forward to our date nights and enjoyed every minute.

 

 

 Here I am making tortilla soup with some island buddies.

  

Lunch at the famous Sunset Beach Bar is always fun! You can watch the planes come in (it’s so, so close to the runway).

We spent a lot of time at the pool…just us, with friends, whatever! lol  The baby loved it whenever I was in the sunshine and water. He would kick and move all over the place. I even took a few aquarobics classes.

 

We also loved having this as our front yard!!!

 

Mike and the guys looking for a spot to cliff dive at the Sonesta Maho.

It wasn’t all fun and games for Michael. After all, he was still a medical student! For every bit of fun, there was just as much studying going on.

Hmpf! I could’ve sworn he was studying out there…

Blessing of the Hands

I know I’m jumping ahead here, but I had to break the order so I could post something very special. It’s Michael and I’s third wedding anniversary today (6.28.10)!!!   I’m so in love, sickeningly so! I’ve been thinking back on our wedding day, our vows and specifically The Blessing of the Hands we received that day.  These words have such a deeper meaning now that we have grown in love and in number (can’t forget Jude!) I wanted to share them with you.

Blessing of the Hands

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other.

These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy. These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children. These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it. And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

I love you, Michael and I love being on this journey with you!

NYC

We had a great time exploring Brooklyn and visiting my friend Rochelle during our trip to NYC.  We toured Brooklyn Hospital (one of the possible clinical sites) and just soaked up the atmosphere.  The area surrounding the hospital reminds me of the Uptown neighborhood in Chicago: very diverse, cheap clothes on sidewalk sales, food carts on every corner, brick buildings, etc. Although, when I left Chicago in 2008, Uptown was undergoing intense gentrification. I’d be interested to see it now.

Brooklyn

 

Uptown Chicago: Broadway Avenue

 

This is the neighborhood I worked in for 9 years. I worked 9-5 at a doctors office, then went to night school from 6-9pm. This was my El station and the train I would take home.  Hot Popeyes biscuits on a cold winters day were the best things ever!

I ran into some of the most colorful people anywhere. Some of the things you see and hear on the El at 10pm will blow your mind (let alone the things you see and hear coming home at 3am on the weekends!)  

 

Back on topic: Michael’s sister had just moved to Manhattan to attend law school. She was temporarily living with some Julliard students in a roommate situation she set up on Craig’s List.  It was our first time to see a tiny Manhattan apartment! Here’s the living room of this 3-bedroom.  Someone was crashing on the floor as well.  Her apartment in D.C. was really cute, stylish and clean. Sometimes you have to give up a little to get what you want…and finding out she was accepted to school, she dropped everything and just went for it.  So, we had to document this because it’s one of those things we’ll look back on and laugh.

 Here’s her bedroom.

She’s since moved into her own place and is enjoying life in the city.

 Having caught up with friends and family, Michael and I decided to play tourists. We were on a mission to pack in as much as possible during out trip.

We visited Central Park…

 

 

 

 

the Guggenheim (it was free day and the line stretched for blocks)…

 the Met…

MOMA…

Staten Island…

the Bronx Zoo…

street fairs…

HAIR on Broadway…

and more! Here are some random shots around town.

 

It was my goal to take pictures on top of the Empire State Building at Sunset, but I found that I needed a nap every day around 5pm. With all the random snacking and feeling so run down, we started to wonder…sooo I took a test!  This photo was taken moments later. Michael’s face says it all!

 That’s right: we just found out we were going to have a baby (hence my taking 8 months to update my blog)!

They say there’s never a “good” time to have a baby, and it certainly was tricky to plan with a husband in medical school. With clincals rapidly approaching, we didn’t know where we’d be in 6 months or even a year.  We only knew that we wanted to start a family and hoped to have him between basic sciences and clincals. We were so excited to discover we’d be doing just that!

Here we are on our way to JFK. It still hadn’t quite sunk in, but it certainly has now!

Jude Matthew: 11 weeks old (photograph taken 6.26.10) 

 

Summer Break, 2009

Our time here in St. Maarten is really flying by!  Michael finished up his 3rd semester of medical school on 8.19.09.  We decided to spend his break in New York City. Chances are good that he will do his clinical rotations there, so we wanted to learn as much about the boroughs, neighborhoods, and subway as possible.  We wanted to be near everything, so we stayed in Times Square at the Millineum Broadway Hotel.

 We wasted no time in getting over to the famous Junior’s Restaurant in Brooklyn.

 

We met up with my old friend Rochelle. She was kind enough to take us on a tour of Brooklyn Hospital as well as point us in the right direction towards anywhere else we wanted to go.

She also gave us a tour of the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood. We loved the neighborhood and the views of lower Manhattan were amazing!

All that walking reminded me of being home in Chicago. Being a city girl, I’m used to taking trains and buses, which involves a good deal of walking as well.  5 or 6 miles a day used to be completely normal.  

It felt great to be mobile again, but I found I needed to stop and eat all the time.  NYC had no shortage of great food to eat on-the-go.  Here I am with a scrumptious cannoli.

and some NYC-style pizza we took back to the room.

Re-fueled, we were ready to head back downstairs and walk around Times Square.

Having some fun at Toys-R-Us.  We’re big kids, what can I say?!

By the time we ate dinner, browsed a few shops and walked around some more, I was famished again! Luckily, I knew where to get more pizza

I’m not sure if Michael was actually hungry again or just couldn’t pass up the 1/2 off sushi Rochelle told us about!

I chalked up this food-fest to the fact that we were used to spending so much money on food in St. Maarten. Also, you can’t really walk around St. Maarten and just grab food to go the way you can here.  For instance, we only had to go down the block to get this $12 breakfast for two the next morning.

 

Charged and ready for another day in NYC! Where will we go next? Will we do anything other than eat?

Stay tuned…

A Change of Scenery

As Michael’s 3rd semester came to a close, the island’s power and water company seemed to be on the verge of collapse. We were losing both almost daily. We would check their website, only to find that generator 14 or 11 (or whichever one happened to be overloaded at the moment) was down. When you live on a tropical island, air conditioning and regular showers are necessities.  Not to mention how much food you waste when your power goes out mid-preperation…day after day.  It was really beginning to wear on us so we decided to keep our eyes and ears open in case one of the nice buildings with generators had an opening. As luck would have it, we stopped at a local mini-mart one day and found a flyer on their door for La Terrasse Resort apartment rentals! Located in the village of Maho, only a 4 minute drive to AUC (just on the other end of the golf course), La Terrasse is one three sister-resorts (others are LaPlage and Sonnesta Maho).

 

We wasted no time in calling for an appointment. We loved it! It’s a 1-bedroom condo in a building with a mix of time-shares, long-term rentals, and hotel rentals. Within a week, we had a deposit placed and contract in the works. There is a laundry room on premises, an infinity pool with a hot tub, a restaurant, a mini-mart on the first floor, a spa, bi-weekly maid service, and tons of little shops just outside the door! On a clear day, you can see the island of Saba from our place.

We enjoy trying out new restaurants and taking walks up and down the strip at night.

We can also use the amenities at the sister-resorts, including more pools, a beach, a gym, tons of activities (aquarobics), and $10 free “game cash” at the casino downstairs every night!   Michael wins $40 weekly on average. It’s great!!!  Not to mention, all utilities are included in the rent. All-in-all, we pay LESS here than we did at our old place with NO GENERATOR!

Needless to say, our outlook on St. Maarten changed dramatically as soon as we moved in   We feel like we’re on vacation everyday. It’s going to be really hard to leave here

AUC’s Got Talent!

One of Michael’s AUC classmates organized a talent show at the end of his 3rd semester. Michael hadn’t performed in a talent show in a few years, so he was really excited to participate.   He decided to perform a song he composed and wrote entitled ”Hellbent Blind”. He was lucky enough to find another performer who played bass and was able to learn the song in time to accompany him.  They didn’t have much time to devote to practice (that pesky med school always gets in the way of fun), but they did manage to get in about a weeks’ worth.

It was held in one of the lecture halls.

Concession Stand.

Michael warming up.

 

Audience arriving (almost showtime!).

It was a packed house.

The panel of judges consisted of three AUC professors. They did an “American Idol” style intro as well.

Michael and Sam were up first. Enjoy!

[I'll upload the video as soon as I find it!]

 

The show lasted about 2 hours and included singing and dancing. It was fun to see the students in a different light. I know most people had no clue Michael played or sang.

Although he didn’t win, he did a great job and had fun. I was soo proud!

I have a feeling you’ll be hearing from him at the next AUC’s Got Talent!

Wedding Anniversary: Take 2

Michael and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary here in St. Maarten at the end of June, 2009.

Michael made it special, as always. He surprised me with diamond earrings! I told him I thought it was traditional to give paper for the second anniversary, but he said he’d never heard those rules. I wasn’t complaining, believe me   I just didn’t want him to feel he had to top it every year…that could get very expensive.

We had dinner at one of our favorite steakhouses in St. Maarten: Rare. It’s located in the Atlantis Casino near AUC.

Michael had the cowboy.

And I had the filet (was there any doubt?!)

Our complimentary dessert: Pecan Pie! Mmmm

 

We ate, drank, and talked about some of our favorite moments together. I recalled a funny memory that led to our first date. Michael approached me after Chemistry one day and asked if I would go on a date with him. I asked if he knew my age, and when he discovered the age gap said “that’s hot!”  We still get a good laugh out of that!

 

Michael’s funny memory about me stems from my former misconception that men are never faithful.  One of the first things I asked him on our first date was “So, how many women are you dating at the moment?”  Hahaha!  I wanted to face the facts head-on rather than find out later. He laughed so hard that it caught me off guard. I was immediately at ease with him.

 

I know it’s cheesy, but I feel like the world is a better place because he’s in it. He’s always upbeat, I never hear him badmouth anyone, he has a strong work ethic, loves his family, friends, and pets ,does Bible study with me and has infinite patience.

I feel so blessed to have found such a wonderful man to share my life with.  As the inscription in his wedding band says (Smashing Pumpkins fans will get the reference), “I’ll Be Under Your Stars Forever.”

More fun activities!

—4th of July—

Fourth of July was approaching fast. As Activities Chair, I was excited to plan a party. If you know me, you know this is what I love to do.  I checked with some 5th semester spouses to see what they did last year. I was told they did a potluck on the beach, but that it was a lot of work in the heat. A couple of ladies really liked the beach idea. They volunteered to shop for the food and volunteered their hubby’s to run the grills and get the tables.  So, in the end, the beach was chosen again as the party venue.  The board felt we should all plan parties together from then on, so I volunteered to be in charge of decorations. I was happy they agreed.  Michael told me well in advance he didn’t want to be volunteered to do anything on this day.  I felt bad and realized I really had been asking alot of him since I don’t drive.  He wanted to enjoy his day off of school, exams, and studying and I completely understood. He knew he would already be driving me around in this crazy island traffic to get decorating supplies.   He still helped by carrying and setting up the potluck table and carrying all the decorations we brought . I decorated the coolers, set up the tablecloth and set out the baskets I had decorated for utensils and napkins before having Michael run me back home to pick up a cake I made to contribute to the potluck. Don’t feel too bad for him though: he still got in plenty of relaxation and enjoyed snorkeling and wake boarding with friends 

In recognition of the true meaning of the day, I arranged for a prayer to be said for our brave men and women who are fighting around the world so that we might continue to enjoy our freedom. My sister is a U.S. Army veteran and I am truly thankful for the sacrifices she and countless others have made and are making every day!

Here’s my pot of sparklers   I handed them out to everyone, including adults.

 

The kids definitely enjoyed playing with the toys in the favor bags (they had bubbles with hand-tied ribbons, noise makers, chinese yo-yo’s, animal squirt guns, sunglasses, and candy). I had to do a little research, since I don’t have kids and wasn’t familiar with what toys are safe for the different age groups or what they like.  I made two kinds: ones for babies and ones for older kids. I hand-labeled each type so I wouldn’t get confused when handing them out! LOL 

Even the littlest partygoers enjoyed the goodies!

I got a plain pinata and decorated it using glue, staples and ribbons in red, white, and blue. I’ve never made one before, but I was happy with the way it came out. I had to send Mike to the store at the last minute for more candy (sorry honey!) because it was bigger than I anticipated. 

I had to get creative and re-purpose a baby shower centerpiece with hand-made flags..they don’t sell 4th of July decorations on the island.  I can’t forget sitting on my floor hand-sewing red/blue streamers to a plain white tablecloth for an hour!  I was proud of it. I saved most of that stuff so the people who do this next year will have an easier time of it.  Honestly, I didn’t care how much work was involved with the decorations, favor bags, and activities. I just wanted the members to have a great time!  All-in-all, it was a good day.  I received a lot of comments on the details and was shown gratitude from S.O. members. That made my day.

 

 

—Pictionary Island-Style!—

I didn’t have anything too crazy to do for this one except reserve AUC’s multi-purpose room, make the topic cards and look for root beer (we advertised root beer floats).  Michael went to six stores looking for root beer!  Well, the island was out of root beer on this day!  We ended up with coke floats and they were still good.  He later took me to get ice cream and other goodies.

We also asked people bring a snack to share.

I handed out the cards and kept score while the teams took turns drawing out island situations while everyone guessed.  There were some funny scenarios, like “Bus stopping to let someone pee by the side of the road.”  OK people, this really happened while I was on a bus here!!!

We had a great turnout and it was a lot of fun!

 

—Surprise Baby Shower—

A few spouses hosted a surprise baby shower for another S.O. member, Janet.

 

Everyone waiting to yell SURPRISE!

I think it worked! haha  Janet thought she was going to get ice cream, but she got a lot more!

They paid me to make a cake!  It got a little melted on the way over, but I think she still liked it.

 The S.O. ladies really make some yummy dishes for potlucks!

What’s a baby shower without a diaper cake, right?   A group of ladies contributed towards the cost of diapers. My friend Jenni and I used them to assemble the diaper cake.  Some friends and I got together and made 3 of them last year for Jenni’s baby shower, so she was eager to make one this time.

Janet received a ton of cute baby clothes and accessories that day.

The hosts also organized a cute activity where people could pay a small fee and decorate a onesie for the baby. This one was especially funny.

All-in-all it was a great shower. I held the little angel, Sabrina, at Church this morning and let me tell ya, she is ADORABLE!

—Grease is the Word—

One of the last fun activities of the semester was when we got together to watch Grease. I found trivia questions online and made them into a quiz. We gave $5 to the winner.  Way to go Alicia!

The S.O. ordered pizzas (thanks to the girls who helped me carry them) and paid for the ice cream and all the fixings so we could make sundaes! Thanks to Mike for once again taking me to get all the supplies for this!   I love you soo much!

 

—Chicago Style Pizza!—

Duhn, Duhn, Duhn! It was finally my turn to host a Cooking Club! LOL.  Eeek..I was nervous seeing as how I have a tendency to burn EVERYTHING! I decided to keep it simple and make Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza…oh ya!

Not too shabby, eh? I didn’t even burn it!

Let’s see..what else?  Oh ya, we moved at the beginning of August!  We LOVE our new place. More on that later…I promise!