Emily’s Musings

Three days and counting. I have felt GOOD for three whole days now! I hope this is the beginning of something new, something long-term. I can handle pregnancy, AND be a mom at the same time when I feel like this. Yesterday was not only a good day because I felt good, but the weather was beautiful. It was 80 degrees outside with a very light breeze. The other islands were so clear you could see cruise ships docked. The water was so calm, it looked like wedding cake frosting. Yum . . . And to top off the great day, we got Christmas packages! These packages were sent way back in November, but with the “speedy Caribbean Mail system”, we didn’t receive them until yesterday. And can I just say that ANY mail is exciting to get down here. Especially when we get boxes, with candy and presents and food! Yes, people care about us, it’s true. It’s a comforting thought.

My crazy friend Michelle sent us a box with LOTS of stuff. Mostly fun things for me, one thing for Hannah, and a couple of things (food things) for David. I know she likes me the most because she TOTALLY hooked me up. Oh, how I miss civilization, especially Bath & Body Works and other fine retailers. Hannah received a toy vacuum which she loves and has used constantly since it came out of its packaging 24 hours ago. Too bad it doesn’t really vacuum, I could use an extra set of hands around here.

One care package is very exciting, but two?! Yes, we got TWO yesterday! One of my best friends from childhood, Tricia, sent a gift to Hannah (a darling wall hanging with a doll made with Alpaca yarn. It’s so soft, it’s better than cashmere!) and one to me (sorry Dave, I’ll share my candy with you). She and her husband lived in Russia for a couple of years and she KNOWS what it is like to NOT HAVE ACCESS TO STUFF. She totally understands what it’s like to GO WITHOUT. She very thoughtfully put in some candy Whoopers, Nerds (which are not available here), and Skittles. And can I just say HOW excited I was to get Nerds? I totally forgot they existed, and when I saw them again, I couldn’t understand how I lived without them for so many years! I’m pretty sure the last time I ate them was at her house in 1994 from her old Halloween stash of candy that she rationed throughout the year. We were probably listening to Doug Stone and talking to our boyfriends on a CORDED phone. What a treat, seriously.

To top the day off, our lovely snowbird neighbors, the McCarty’s from Connecticut, are back for the next four months. Hannah, of course, received more gifts (which I think she is expecting from everyone now, just for being cute). One of the gifts was a Hello Kitty purse (just her size) with a UTAH quarter. Why is this special? Because when you don’t live in the United States, you kind of forget about things that other people are excited about. Both David and I had completely forgotten about the “new quarters” and every state getting their own signature design. I didn’t know Utah’s quarter had come out and we certainly had not seen it, so it was a thoughtful and fun surprise.

Although I don’t expect more “Christmas gifts” today, I am enjoying the left over “high” from yesterday’s surprises. I have been eating Nerds candy as I write this post and my happiness has increased by 100 percent as I savor the tiny, tangy, crunchy things. Yeah, they’re that good.

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I know, I disappeared. I have been sick. Not just kind of sick, but the really sick kind of sick. Since I have been sick 90% of the time, the other 10% of the time when I feel somewhat decent, I have to be a mother, wife, house cleaner, chef, dog caretaker, and entertainer to Hannah. I feel somewhat behind on life, but life certainly has not come to a standstill. A few things have happened in the last few months: we watched New Year’s fireworks from our patio from three different islands, we ACTUALLY left Saba and spent Christmas on Emerald Isle, North Carolina, and oh ya the sick thing . . . it’s not the contagious kind of sick, I am pregnant!

This pregnancy is very similar to my pregnancy with Hannah. I have to keep looking at Hannah to remind myself that feeling like trash is part of the program. Baking a baby is big work! I kind of forgot how exhausting it was until I got pregnant again. I am due on David’s birthday in July. Hannah was a birthday three days later, so they will be two years apart. I am in my 13th week of pregnancy now, just 27 more weeks to live through. YUCK.

David’s brother and sister-in-law own a beach house on Emerald Isle, North Carolina. David’s parents surprised us and bought us plane tickets to go out there for Christmas with them and his sister and her family. We hadn’t seen either his brother (who lives in NC) or his sister (who lives in GA) in over five years. They both have kids we had never met. It was great to get off this Rock and actually be with extended family for Christmas. This was David’s first time off Saba in a year, and his first time out of the Caribbean in two years. I was expecting him to have some culture shock (believe me, it happens to everyone, even when you have lived in the states your whole life), but it never happened. It may be because he never left the beach house. Maybe it’s because he didn’t got to Walmart with me on the Saturday before Christmas. Maybe it’s because he only saw a handful of people when he did actually leave the house to attend church. Maybe this is why his mind wasn’t overwhelmed with choices. Like all the candy available. Everywhere. Specifically Swedish Fish, and Red Vines. Let me rephrase, fresh Red Vines. Soft chewy candy, what a luxury!

We traded our ocean view on Saba, for another on Emerald Isle. Except, the beach house has private beach access, which is more than that I can say about my house. In fact, David and I ended up in “opposite world”. Pretty much everything we don’t have on Saba, we had at the beach house.

Let’s just note some of the differences:

Emerald Isle Beach House: 10 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, four floors, media room, sauna, hot tub, pool, two kitchens, three automatic dishwashers, ocean view, private beach access, kid play room, adult game room, and an elevator (because who wants to carry their pesky luggage up to the four floor?). Oh ya, and plenty of sea shells by the sea shore. You can rent this beautiful place for $12,000 a week. It can sleep up to 30 people.

Saba house: Two teeny tiny microscopic bedrooms, one “convenience” bathroom (where you can shower, go to the bathroom, and wash your hands all at once because it is that small), one “grand” room consisting of the kitchen, dining, and family room. Oh, we also have a large 13″ TV. Not flat screen, of course, but I know somewhere out there, someone is feeling better about their house after reading about ours. Our house does provide a beautiful view of the ocean and five other islands. It really is amazing. Our place can sleep up to four people and would rent for about $200 to $400 for a week.

Not only was it nice to get away from paradise, but it was nice to spread out. All over the house if I wanted to. Hannah was IN LOVE with the stairs, all four thousand of them. That meant that someone had to be on “Hannah stair duty” at all times, and since I could pull the sick prego card (which was legit) that left it up to David most of the time.

Here are some photos of our Christmas getaway:

Hannah and her cousins Ara-Jean and Micheal watching a movie.

Hannah and David on the top story of the house.

This is the front of the beach house. If you look closely, you might be able to see David!

This is the back of the beach house.

This is the view of the beach from our bedroom window!

Dennis, Gloria, and some of the grandkids out on the beach.

Most of the family out on the beach. I was on camera duty . . . so I got to watch most of the fun.

Hannah on her beach stroll.

Hannah and her Daddy on the beach.

This is Jake, Mike and Mary’s dog. He lives at the beach house and this is his turf.

Jennifer and Eliza walking the beach.

The ocean view from the balcony off our bedroom.

The back of the beach house.

One of the only pictures of Hannah and me. Proof that I was actually in North Carolina for Christmas.

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Thank goodness Thanksgiving at our house is over! The actual event was great, but all the preparation for the event could drive an over eager, anxious person such as myself to an early grave! I had NO IDEA what I was getting into when I said to David, “Hey Honey, why don’t we have a big Thanksgiving Dinner at our house?” David is not one to turn down good food and fun, so he jumped on the bandwagon right away. I can’t believe people women do this every year. It is one thing to attend a Thanksgiving Dinner. It is a completely different animal to host a Thanksgiving Dinner. I learned a few things, like HOW important it it to have an EXACT guest count prior to one hour before dinner. You know, just minor things.

After slaving away in my kitchen, which boasts an entire THREE FEET of counter space, I realized why Thanksgiving only happens ONCE A YEAR. My cooking skills were pushed beyond their limits and comfort zone. I am somewhat new to the cooking world (um . . . I really started cooking like a year ago . . . you do the math . . .) and some of the cooking required me to check with Google, which I had to do with almost everything. I have NEVER cooked a turkey or a ham. I used to buy the ready made Thanksgiving Dinners from Kroger’s in Texas. They are delicious - and easy. After this experience, I will be doing that again. The turkey that comes with that meal is pre-cooked. This was my first time cooking a turkey, and hoping I did it right. I didn’t want to give everyone food poisoning! Then, I had to carve the turkey. The word carve is a nice word for GUT and RIP the turkey apart. It was GROSS. Need I say more? I REALLY hate stuff on my hands (sand, eggs, anything) and this only made the situation more unbearable. This is where David came in. He was the designated “turkey gutter and ripper” because gross jobs should be left for the “Y” chromosome.

I found all my recipes here. I made a pumpkin pie (which was delicious), coconut cream pie, cheery cheesecake, and a lemon “surprise”. I called it a surprise because I invented it (you know, didn’t have the right ingredients to make a lemon pie, so I improvised). It ended up being the favorite desert of the night. Too bad I don’t remember exactly how I made it!

Saba doesn’t celebrate American holidays (so rude I know!), so all the students had to go to school. We didn’t start dinner until 6:00. We had 18 guests and two little people (Hannah and Deya) on our patio for dinner. We (as in the “royal we” - aka David) were able to rig up a table to accommodate all of us. It was so nice to sit at one table. Next year, I will not be a stressed out novice, but an expert Thanksgiving Dinner Planner! I don’t think I will try to feed 18 though . . . I don’t want to gray early!

David, Hannah and others getting ready to eat.

Lee, Kendrick, Paul, David and Hannah. All checking out the mashed potatoes.

Beth, Lee, Kim, Kendrick, Paul, and David. Waiting to take thirds . . .

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As David puts it, I have have been “busy and important” this past week working on a couple of advent calendars. When my friend Rebecca left Saba, she dropped off two advent calendar kits that she didn’t get around to making. Lucky for me! Since there are no fabric/craft stores on this island, it was a special treat to have the kits.

Now, I don’t now how to use a sewing machine, so I did as much of the needle work by hand (I don’t really recommend this unless you have TONS of time and don’t mind doing tedious projects). When it came time to quilt it and sew the front and back together, I called on my friend Sally (who has been known to solve several of my problems). She really made these calendars come together!

On this calendar, you put little treats or presents in the boxes. I can’t wait to fill it up!

On this calendar, you put up an ornament each day, counting down the days till Christmas.

Look how cute it is all dressed up!

I have really been in “project mode” this week, and I came across a website that has darling Christmas ideas. Click here to see a cute elf shoe pattern. I made an elf shoe today, but since I am limited on felt here (okay, honestly, I was SO GLAD to have found any felt, I really am not complaning) my shoe was done in brown not white. Maybe I’ll post pictures later, but check out this site. Also, the same site has a great advent calendar idea. I will be making that calendar next year!

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