greetings from paradise!

Hello my friends!!  It’s been too long … and quite honestly, I’ve missed you!  And thank you for the sweet emails & tweets you’ve sent saying you missed meeting me here too! ;)

I’m happy to be back and even happier to be back with a brand new look!  For those of you reading in google reader, bloglines, or an rss feed … hop on outta there and take a look at my purty new site!  Oh! and take a peek at my new twitter page too.  Thank you, thank you Jane for my fresh new look!

Are you curious to know how things have been going?  :)  In a word … fantabulous!  Couldn’t be happier we did this!  In fact, I was surprised as heck when CJ, in casual conversation, asked if we’d stay this long or longer next year.

This place really is a paradise.  There’s crystal blue water everywhere we turn.

CJ’s parents have owned this house for the last 25ish years?  I’m not positive as CJ’s story changes every time he tells it. :)  Anyway.  The house is located off the main road and on a cay {pronounced key} surrounded by water.  So every which way we look, we see nothing but the bluest of blue water.

The weather’s been super iffy.  Very cold the first week and a half.  And yeah … I know, I know … at least we don’t have snow and freezing cold temps.  But come on … we didn’t come here expecting to be dressed in pants and jackets!  Not to mention, there is absolutely nothing to do for “cold weather” entertainment.  And scuze me, but one can only play so many games of Apples to Apples, Connect Four, Zingo and I Spy … before said one goes crazy!

We fully intended to be entertained outside … so when the weather goes south, it’s a major change in plans.

Gee, don’t you feel sorry for me? ;)

Never fear!  The weather’s gotten better.  On and off, but probably just right or we’d come home looking like raisins, right?  Seriously though … even with some fair-weather days, we’re still having a great time.  The girls are incredible.  They find so many things to do and are seriously having the best time.

They’re just now starting to get a little homesick … missing their friends and animals back home.  But big bro and sis, Odinn & Skye are coming to visit in a few days and that should really fill the gap for them.

And Taylor’s here too.  I realize I don’t have any photos of her … but she’s having a good time coming “undone” {no makeup, no hair primping} and therefore won’t allow a camera near.  She left for a week … her dad got married and she also flew back home for the Nick Jonas concert.  Man, I miss her when she’s gone!

Anyway.  Back to paradise.

When we have a nice day, we do our best to take advantage of it.  We’ve gone on lots of boat rides and have been exploring a bit, which of course seems to be what my family is all about!

I’ve given my camera a major break … and it feels good.  Feels good to just treasure the moments and tuck them away without trying to get the “perfect” shot.

That said though, I have, of course, taken a few photos to share with y’all!

My little diva star, Hunter …

Oh! sorry … more of Huntie J.

Blue, blue water!  Our house is nestled about half way into the photo below.  This is the cay I mentioned and the other side of this small strip of land is nothing but water.

The girls on a new beach we found …

And the other day, we ventured out to a beach called Stocking Island, with a cute little bar & grill called the Chat n’ Chill.  Sounds like my kinda place!

This is a photo of the girls on our way to the dock.

This area is a big stopping point for sailboaters and sometimes, the occasional yacht.  The water across our bay is sprinkled with them.  And when the weather gets too windy or wavy … we’ll see a couple of the boats docked in our bay to shield themselves from the weather.

Here’s Hunter inside the Chat n’ Chill.  The place is covered in handwriting, used t-shirts and business cards.  People from ALL over the world leaving their mark.  It’s a lot of fun looking at everything and reading about who’s been there and where they’re from.

Hunter needed to get in on the action and leave her “mark.”  She was beyond thrilled when I gave her a marker!

We met a few families that are docked in the bay … here are the girls with a new friend.  One girl we talked to has been on her boat since September!

On the beach in front of the Chat n’ Chill, is this awesome sign.  I found Ottawa for my good friend Brig; Milwaukee, just over a thousand miles away; and Paradise … just steps away!

A few people have asked how I’m doing physically.  Worse, better, status quo?  Status quo pretty much sums it up.  I suppose that’s better than being worse, right?  I’ve come up with a plan though and will be sharing it in the next few days.  I’m excited and can’t wait to share.

And now … all the blue water and paradise aside … can I be brutally honest?

While this has been a most amazing experience and we’re seriously so happy we did it … it’s not quite what I expected.  I thought I would be completely relaxed … instantaneously … magically … in fact, we have a masseuse coming to the house for weekly massages.  And while I’ve absolutely slowed down, for some reason I still feel wound up.  And my hair is still growing in grey!  What’s that all about?

The good news?  I’ve been doing so much thinking.  Self-reflecting … on my life, my business, my marriage.  And I have loosened up.  I am having fun … being silly, enjoying life, the kids.  Somewhere over the last few years, I’ve forgotten how to be silly.  It’s cute, actually … watching Piper look at me with a little smile, sorta saying, “gee, I didn’t know mom could be silly.”

I’ve become more patient.  We have no where to go, no where to be … we can walk slow, look for lizards or rocks or shells.  No “hurry up!”

Heck, I’ve even forgotten to take my injection … twice!  I’m not saying that’s a good thing, but it tells me I’m not focused on it and that I am loosening up and relaxing.  {and no worries, fortunately, I realized I forgot as soon as I woke up the next morning, so have taken the missed one right away … I definitely don’t want to make a habit of it, but no harm done}

This experience truly has been the best thing for me.

But now to work on that husband of mine.  Can I continue to be brutally honest?  There have been moments I’d love to ship that hubs of mine back to the States!  He’s definitely not a front runner in the relaxing category, so that’s in no way, shape or form helping me!  I’ve found myself so irritated with him.  And don’t get me wrong, I’m the first to admit, we have so much work to do in our marriage.  At times it feels like a marathon.  But what I’ve realized in the last few days?  It is a marathon.

Have you heard of the movie Fireproof, or the book that goes along with it, The Love Dare?  CJ and I watched the movie about a year ago.  And I started doing the Dare about a month later.  But after 3 days, stopped.  Based on the dates I had written in the book for the journaling part of it, I think we were out of town … so that’s my excuse.  And I just never picked it back up.

Well … I packed it for this trip, but again … just didn’t feel like picking it up.  As I became more and more irritated with that man of mine, I thought something’s gotta give.  And I’m afraid, it’s gotta be me.

So I picked up the book and am currently on day 6 … perfectly titled “Love is not irritable.”  Fo realz!  It’s only been 6 days, but I swear my heart is softening towards him.

I know other marriages are suffering too.  I’ve heard you.  I feel you.  If you want to change that, you need to change yourself first.  Such a hard lesson … concept.  But it’s true.  We have no control over others, only ourselves.  We need to be the change we want to see.  So yeah … I highly, highly recommend this book.

Anyway.  I didn’t mean to and don’t want to, turn this into a post about marriage. Just wanted to be completely honest with what this trip has been for me.

I’d be lying if I said it was all I thought it would be.  But has it been amazing?  Without a doubt.

78 Comments

  1. minecraft secret free download October 18, 2018 at 5:19 pm

    What’s up colleagues, how is all, and what you want to say regarding this piece of writing, in my view
    its truly remarkable in support of me.

    Reply
  2. Health Benefits of Coconut Oil October 19, 2018 at 11:02 am

    Hi! This is kind of off topic but I need some help from
    an established blog. Is it tough to set up your own blog?

    I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast.

    I’m thinking about creating my own but I’m not sure where to start.

    Do you have any tips or suggestions? Thanks

    Reply
  3. Coconut Oil Benefits October 20, 2018 at 6:33 am

    Incredible! This blog looks just like my old one! It’s on a totally different subject but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Outstanding choice of colors!

    Reply
  4. Health Benefits of Coconut Oil October 21, 2018 at 6:17 am

    I love reading an article that can make men and women think.

    Also, thank you for permitting me to comment!

    Reply
  5. Health Benefits of Coconut Oil October 25, 2018 at 1:03 am

    I visited several web sites except the audio quality for audio songs present
    at this web page is actually wonderful.

    Reply
  6. celebrity endorsed products October 25, 2018 at 12:51 pm

    I actually take pleasure in, lead to I discovered exactly what I had been taking a look with regard to. You could have was over this Some day prolonged quest! God Thank you man. Employ a good time celebrity endorsed products. Bye

    Reply
  7. Health Benefits of Coconut Oil October 25, 2018 at 1:03 pm

    Wow! This blog looks exactly like my old one! It’s on a totally different topic but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Great
    choice of colors!

    Reply
  8. Coconut Oil Benefits October 29, 2018 at 9:04 am

    Thanks designed for sharing such a pleasant thinking, article is nice, thats why
    i have read it entirely

    Reply
  9. beli volumetric filler jakarta October 29, 2018 at 1:23 pm

    Heya we are in my ballet shoes here. I found this kind of plank so i find It truly practical & this solved the problem outside a great deal. I am hoping to deliver one thing all over again as well as support people just like you made it easier for everyone.

    Reply
  10. Coconut Oil Benefits October 29, 2018 at 2:12 pm

    I blog frequently and I truly thank you for your content.
    The article has truly peaked my interest. I am going to book mark your blog
    and keep checking for new details about once per week. I subscribed to your RSS feed too.

    Reply
  11. http://twitter.com/descargar_hq November 2, 2018 at 6:00 am

    Descargar facebook
    I’ve been browsing on-line more than three hours nowadays, yet I
    never discovered any interesting article like yours.
    It’s pretty worth sufficient for me. In my view, if all site owners and bloggers made good content
    as you did, the net will be much more useful than ever before.
    Descargar facebook

    Reply
  12. quest bars cheap November 3, 2018 at 11:09 am

    Today, I went to the beach with my children. I found a sea shell and
    gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.”
    She put the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit
    crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back!

    LoL I know this is completely off topic but I had to tell someone!

    Reply
  13. quest bars cheap November 4, 2018 at 8:24 pm

    Quest bars cheap fitnesstipsnew1 quest bars cheap 516999410492780544 quest bars cheap
    Simply wish to say your article is as amazing.
    The clearness in your post is just nice and i
    could assume you are an expert on this subject. Well with your permission allow me to
    grab your feed to keep updated with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please continue the gratifying work.
    Quest bars cheap fitnesstipsnew1 quest bars cheap 516999410492780544
    quest bars cheap

    Reply
  14. Quest Protein Bars November 6, 2018 at 11:18 am

    Hello! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a collection of volunteers and starting a new initiative
    in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us useful information to work on. You
    have done a marvellous job!

    Reply
  15. Sling TV November 10, 2018 at 11:06 am

    What’s up to every body, it’s my first pay a quick visit of this web site; this web site contains
    awesome and genuinely fine stuff designed for visitors.

    Reply
  16. What Equipment is Needed for Sling TV November 12, 2018 at 4:57 am

    Thanks for the marvelous posting! I really enjoyed reading it, you can be a great
    author.I will make certain to bookmark your blog and will come back in the future.
    I want to encourage one to continue your great work, have a nice holiday weekend!

    Reply
  17. What Equipment is Needed for Sling TV November 13, 2018 at 12:37 pm

    Hi there! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone 3gs!

    Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts!

    Carry on the outstanding work!

    Reply
  18. Sling TV November 15, 2018 at 1:17 am

    I read this post fully regarding the comparison of latest and previous technologies, it’s remarkable article.

    Reply
  19. sling tv coupons and promo codes for november 2018 November 16, 2018 at 8:12 pm

    Sling tv coupons and promo codes for november 2018

    I’ve been exploring for a bit for any high quality articles or weblog posts in this kind of space .

    Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this website.

    Studying this info So i’m happy to express that I have an incredibly good uncanny feeling I found out exactly what I needed.
    I most unquestionably will make sure to do not
    put out of your mind this website and provides it a look
    on a continuing basis. Sling tv coupons and promo codes for november 2018

    Reply
  20. sling tv coupons and promo codes for november 2018 November 17, 2018 at 7:15 am

    Sling tv coupons and promo codes for november 2018
    I am sure this piece of writing has touched all the internet users, its really really fastidious piece of writing
    on building up new web site. Sling tv coupons and promo codes for november 2018

    Reply
  21. What Equipment is Needed for Sling TV November 17, 2018 at 9:19 am

    I’ll immediately grasp your rss as I can’t in finding your e-mail subscription hyperlink or
    newsletter service. Do you have any? Kindly permit me realize in order that I could subscribe.

    Thanks.

    Reply
  22. What Equipment is Needed for Sling TV November 18, 2018 at 7:20 pm

    I am really enjoying the theme/design of your website.

    Do you ever run into any internet browser compatibility problems?
    A handful of my blog readers have complained about my website not operating
    correctly in Explorer but looks great in Chrome. Do you have any advice to help fix this
    issue?

    Reply
  23. What Equipment is Needed for Sling TV November 20, 2018 at 11:42 am

    I like the valuable information you provide in your
    articles. I’ll bookmark your weblog and check again here regularly.
    I’m quite certain I’ll learn many new stuff right here!
    Good luck for the next!

    Reply
  24. descargar facebook November 22, 2018 at 1:12 pm

    I read this piece of writing completely about the resemblance of hottest and preceding technologies, it’s remarkable article.

    Reply

Leave A Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *