One Year Ago Today...

We made the trek to Dominica ... with a three year old and a very sick 5 month old and the bags on our back. It was a long crazy trip and the unknown of what we would encounter during our stay here was scary to think about. After realizing we forgot many important things (or seemed important to us at the time), we have survived. {Read the story here}. We were excited for a new adventure and came with no expectations.  We have loved our time here in Dominica. I have absolutely loved the experiences we have had. Though we came for medical school, the amazing experiences have far outweighed the hard times.


Some things have been really hard. Being a single mom of two while my husband is out studying from about 7:40AM to 2AM with short together times during lunch and dinner, attempting to figure out what meals to cook with what we have available, walking everywhere, grocery shopping and killing the bad guys by myself. However, these difficult things have been, they have given me a greater appreciation for the little things I really have taken for granted my whole life.

Ways my life has changed in the last year, while living here in Dominica: 

I stole this idea from my friend Kristen.

• I keep everything! I don't throw away any jars- peanut butter jars, jam jars, spaghetti sauce jars, etc... seriously you just never know when you will need something like this. I totally feel like a hoarder but we just don't have places to buy whatever so we have to use what we have.
• I have incorporated fish into our diet... It has become a staple at our table.
• Crew has claimed on multiple occasions, "When I grow up I want to be a Dominican!"
• I am a full time stay-at-home mom- (though I don't stay home very much)
• I bag everything in a ziplock bags to keep it safe from ants. 
• And put everything else in the fridge (chocolate, powdered sugar, flour)
• I am a sweat rag everyday. Seriously, the days of make-up and getting ready are just a memory
• I walk everywhere! 
• I buy my fish fresh on the beach from the fisherman. 
• I buy boxed un-pasturized milk... and feel like it's Christmas on the random times when they get "real" milk in... paying "$18 EC/ $7 US for a gallon of milk that expires the next day.
• I have become a slayer of bugs. I still hate them but I have killed a few cockroaches and some other nasty creatures. 
• I am a champ at killing mosquitos with my bare hands (sick I know but I will do whatever it takes to get rid of them)
• I don't cringe when I see a lizard in my house ... because I know they will eat the nasty bugs.
• I will say, "Come on kids come and get in the stroller"... in stead of "Come on kids come and get in the car."
• Ants, ants are everywhere. Still haven't gotten used to those nasties everywhere. Looking down to find them crawling on me- ugh. Still hate them! 
• Riding in a car without a seatbelt... not putting my kids in carseats.
• Traveling in a bumpy transport/van for at least an hour and getting car sick just so I can go grocery shopping.
• Not having everything at my fingertips has forced me given me the opportunity to create- recipes, wall decor, Christmas ornaments, stockings, gift wrap, etc...
• Watching people cut their grass with a cutlass (machete) and not think twice.
• New favorite past time: enjoying the Caribbean Coke (with real sugar) on the beach or at the pool.
• I do all of my dishes by hand. 
• Saying "ok alright" instead of "hey how's it going".
• I walk everywhere!!!
• Hot water is a luxury
• We don't watch TV
• Not thinking it's weird when I turn on the tap only to realize our water is shut off.
• Hanging my laundry out to dry.
• Showing up late and being on time.
• I love Bob Marley! He was great prior to coming here but he now makes a weekly appearance on our ipod! 
• I walk everywhere!
• I can bartar with the best of them!
• The fresh juice is one of my favorites!!! 
• Getting up early on Saturdays just to go to the market to get the best fruits and veggies
• Randomly looking down only to find ants crawling on me
• Having what we call a "bug night".
• Can't leave any food out or ants will come in the hoards... and any food left on the ground will result in cockroaches coming to help clean it up. 
• Having it pour rain at any given moment 
• I have a greater appreciation of having a car
• I have no growth stats for Jack
• I have a new found love for all things Rasta!
• I make 3 loaves of bread and at least one batch of tortillas at least once a week
• I feel like I have so much at a time in my life when I have never had so little. Seeing the way some people live and get by really has made me rethink my list of "needs" vs. "wants".
• Recognizing the greatness of the simplicity of life. It has really been as I have been here nad not had much and been surrounded by a wonderful people with very little that I have recognized the greatness of living a simple life. Though I feel I still have a LOT to learn, I am loving these experiences. And the never ending lessons I am learning of living a more simple life.

I feel overall I have been changed for the better as I have been given a greater perspective on life. We have been humbled again and again and I know that I will be forever changed by this experience.

One year ago- on the craziest ride of our lives (literally!!! from the airport to our new home).

After a year of living in Dominica.

My babies have really grown up here. Jack only knows Dominica as his home and Crew has made his first memories here. We have made some incredible memories and learned and grown so much during our time here. It is crazy that in about a week an a half Broc will be starting his 4th semester of medical school. Which means, our time in Dominica is down to about 4 months. I am feeling like it is coming way too soon. Through the ups and downs of this last year I would never trade the experiences we have had for anything. I am excited to see what lies ahead for us in the year 2012. In the mean time, we will continue finding joy in our journey!

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A Dominican Christmas in the making...

We are spending Christmas in the Caribbean this year. Crazy right?!! It has definitely been different listening to Christmas music while it is like summer outside... I just like to think of the heat as our built in fire place! And we are definitely toasty here! With staying here for Christmas, we basically had two options: we could sulk and complain about the fact that we are away from family, friends, traditions, Pottery Barn, Target, toy stores and snow- and don't have much by way of rescources, focus on the things we don't have and have a horrible holiday ... or we could utilize what we have, make it wonderful and embrace this opportunity as an experience of a lifetime!... We chose the second option.

I am often reminded of the quote, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." It has kind of been the motto we have been using since we moved to Dominica. Our resources here are limited, however, that has not stopped my giddy little Christmas mind from spinning! I have been so excited about our Caribbean Christmas, I can't even stand it! It has kept me up at night trying to finish all of my Christmas projects! My inspiration came from the Dominican Independence celebrations that started in October. Dominican plaid EVERYWHERE!!!

I instantly fell in love and thought that Dominican plaid would make wonderful Christmas stockings! I traveled to Roseau (a town about an hour away), found some amazing fabric and there it began... the beginning of OUR Dominican Christmas!


I borrowed a small (very small) portable sewing machine from a friend. One that only sews a straight line and doesn't back stitch. Not having all of my sewing things here, I had to unpick two stockings using fingernail clippers and tweezers. But it was worth it! My initial vision of having each stocking a different plaid wasn't working out how I had hoped, so I started ripping the fabric into pieces and sewing them into a patchwork design. Finally, after two days of staying up late, I finished the stockings. Though they are not perfect, they are ours... and will be a great remembrance one day of the amazing Christmas we spent in the Dominica. One that was without all of bells and whistles of Christmas but the one that taught us most about what Christmas is really about... making traditions with those you love most, being humbled by others, feeling grateful for what you have, and giving selflessly. I am loving the experiences we are having here and I would never trade them for anything.

We needed something Christmasy to hang... and nothing says Christmas better than something created by a child! Crew didn't want the google eyes for his reindeer. He drew them just exactly how he thought they should look! And with a smile too! And they look perfect! (These were made from Crew and Jack's foot and handprints!) I love them!

Then we made a Dominican Santa! The boys add a cotton ball everyday to make his beard! Thanks pinterest for this fun idea!

One of the greatest things I have found came from the art fair they had a couple of weeks ago. I saw it and instantly fell in love! Knowing we needed a nativity and thinking that this would make the perfect keepsake from Dominica- I bought it...  (that was after I had to talk the guy down to a price I was willing to pay!) I love it! I didn't have any cloth or white lights to put around it, so I utlitized what we had and attempted to make it work!

Let's not forget MISTLETOE!!! They don't sell that in stores here, so I decided to make my own! I picked leaves from the orange tree just outside my door, added a little red sparkle and a little touch of Dominican plaid and there you have it... out Dominican Mistletoe!!!

And finally... the TREE! I found this little gem at Jame's Store for $24 EC or $9 USD on Black Friday. Actually they don't have Black Friday here but it was a fun purchase I made the day after Thanksgiving! They said they didn't even charge me for the ornaments! Sweet hookups! Just check out how awesome those beauties are! 

As great as the tinsel and brightly colored dollar tree ornaments were, it seemed a little too American for our Caribbean Christmas. So I pulled them all off and made my own. I still used the sparkle balls but just wrapped them with the scraps used from our stockings and tied them with jute. 

The tree didn't however come with a stand... (well it was stuffed into a mug that I paid $4 ec for- got broken right as we walked in the door!) So I put one of the old jam jars I had been saving to good use! (I seriously don't throw anything like that away here- you just never know when something like this could be useful!) And then filled it with the unused silver tinsel! 

The lights I found at a Chinese store in Roseau. 

Added a little needed Dominican goodness! 

And how could I not use the Santas?!!

Threw on a some homemade popcorn garland...

Added a tree skirt... just used the one place mat that came with our place

And topped it with a star (made from a cereal box- thank you again pinterest!)

Dumdadadum! Behold our Dominican Christmas Tree!!!

I love it! It feels like Christmas! Add some Reggae Christmas music to the mix and it really makes it the perfect Caribbean Christmas! I love this! I love that we am here without all of the extra little things (even though at times I say I don't). Why?... Because it has forced me to attempt to be creative, to use what we have and make it work  wonderful!  And recognize that it isn't those things that make up Christmas. So good to be reminded of this. I love that we get this opportunity to celebrate it here in Dominica, a once in a lifetime experience, our first Christmas of just our family of four, a Christmas that hopefully will be remembered and treasured forever.

Our Dominican Thanksgiving!!

I have always felt like I was strong. I have always felt like I was ok to be away from home and family. I have embraced this experience and loved it. I was really really excited to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas in the Caribbean. I was excited to create (or help create) a Thanksgiving dinner. It was he first time I could actually help make the dinner and not just bring a pie or appetizer! I was excited to try to use what we have to make a beautiful dinner. It was really exciting for me to think that this is the FIRST Thanksgiving we would spend just with our own little family. After we were married, our families were so close that we never had to do the on/ off year. We still saw both families every Thanksgiving and Christmas. So truly, this was a first for me, but I was excited. When I woke up on Thanksgiving morning, I sent Broc and Crew on their way to SCHOOL (yes, they had school on Thanksgiving). Remember it is an American holiday. And it just felt like they should be home, and we should be spending this day together. It just didn't feel like Thanksgiving, I am not sure if it was the swealtering humidity or the fact that they had school, but I started to miss home and my family and the pie crust cookies dusted with cinnamon sugar that my mom always had waiting for us when we woke up on Thanksgiving morning. I missed making food with my family and enjoying the annual Durrant Pizza/ Movie the night before Thanksgiving. I started to feel homesick and I broke down. There have been moments here and there when I have missed things, but never really to this extent. It was my very first time being away on Thanksgiving and though I was so exicited to experience it on our own, in a new country, I missed my family and Broc's family... I missed home! I have always felt like I am strong, feeling like I am ok living here - and I am, but missing family is just a little harder than I thought it would be. So I am grateful for family... our family back home and our Dominican family here! We still had an amazing Thanksgiving, thanks to amazing friends. Here is run down of the day.

First, let's take a look at how Thanksgiving day looked here. No sweaters needed! Kind of weird. Sometimes I forget what month it is because it feels like summer year round!

I felt like I was rushing all morning long to get everything done before heading to see Crew's little Thanksgiving program. Luckily, I made it just in time to hear their sweet song!

(The lady in the back left is the principal)

While they were waiting to sing, Crew was messing with his hair and slicking it back. Just check out his sweet do' he did for himself!

These are all the kids in the Prep School.  Grades: Pre-K/ Kindergarten - 8th grade.

What a turkey!

 After the kiddos sang their Thanksgiving song, they had their traditional Thanksgiving lunch.  

Ok, back to our dinner- I still had a million things to finish for our dinner. We (me, Crew and Jack) rushed home after lunch, I got the kiddos down for a nap, and finished cooking. Only to find midway through making my rolls, that I ran out of butter and flour. Crap, no car, kids are asleep... I was left to call one of the transport drivers to pick up my goods at the store then bring them to my house. Oh the life we live here! Luckily, he got the goods and I was able to finish my stuff. Now it was time to make the trek to Paul and Kristen's. Called another transport driver (life without a car is fun), loaded the van to the brim (my roll dough was overflowing in the biggest bowl that I had, cranberry sauce was leaking, the oreo turkeys were melting and sliding all over the place, plus a few other containers filled with sweet potatoe goodness, the triple chocolate pumpkin cheesecake, a huge bag filled with the finishing touches for the remainder of the food, 2 bags of potaotes and our two crazy kids!) It was a fun bumpy ride over! But we made it and the food did too (luckily)!

Kristen had the table decorated to perfection! It really was beautiful! Seriously, she worked with what we had and totally made it work!

We finished cooking the rest of the food, taste testing to perfection and put the finishing touches on everything. We had 3 ovens baking (mini ovens that is!), stove tops going... man trying to time everything to make sure it is all done and hot at the same time is tricky!


{Note to self, do your make up and get ready first before anything else... because if you don't you will be too busy getting the food ready and forget to put on your mascara!}

Let the carving begin!!!

Our mouths were watering as Kristen took the bird out of the oven! And it tasted just as divine as it looks!!

I made the rolls and I was a little intimidated. The last few recipes I have tried really haven't been that great. (To be honest, I have only made rolls- homemade from scratch rolls maybe 3 times EVER!) So of course I was intimidated, but tried a new recipe (not sure why I do that the day of a big event) and they turned out! The recipe is a keeper and will probably be making a weekly appearance at our house!

The placesettings!

Kristen came over the night before and we made these little turkey lurkeys! They seemed like a great idea at the time, that was until we realized that these things really don't hold up in swealtering humidity. But we used a few tricks and made it work! I fell in love with these little turkeys. And I love that somebody else loves to do silly things like this with me!

Ready to eat!

Here is our smorgasbord of food! We had tons and it was all soo good!!

{On the Menu:}

Appetizers: Cheese ball - {Kristen shaped it into a pumpkin! (notice bottom right of picture)}, chips and salsa

Main Course: Turkey, Ham (with an amazing sauce), Pumkin Soup, Stuffing (homemade), Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Rolls, Sweet Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole and Cranberry Sauce

Dessert: Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake and Pecan Pie

We didn't go hungry! That's for sure! 

Our Dominican family!

{From left to right: Arman, Kristen, Paul, Ben, Blake, Tanya, Crew, Broc, Me, Jack}

Future Doctors! (Not sure if there is a shadow or if Broc's hair is just fluffy?)

Crew loved playing with the Domininos ...

and Jack loved destroying them!!! 

Time for Pie! I have decided that Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Cheeseccake is my all time favorite!!! I hate that I didn't have a springform pan here, but it tasted just as good- just wasn't as pretty!

"It'll go right to your hips!" 

Host and Hostess! Thanks so much for hosting such a lovely Thanksgiving! It was perfect.

We have so much to be grateful for. Though it was a little rough that day, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything! And I feel especially blessed to have such an amazing husband and two sweet healthy kiddos. I can't imagine life being sweeter than this!