Good to be Home

Back to reality -- we have had cold rain all day long in Texas. It has made me miss the warm breezes and sunshine of the Bahamas. Oh well. It is just weather. I have really enjoyed being with the kids today. Relationships are so much more important than weather.

Jake, Emma, and I did a really neat experiment today (we actually began it a couple of weeks ago) on how salt beds form. We dissolved some salt in a bowl full of water and waited for it to evaporate and then observed how the salt formed on the sides and bottom of the bowl. We even took some samples and put them under the microscope. It was fun because they both just lit up with enthusiasm and questions.

Then when I picked Phillip up from school we came home and they all painted pictures while I prepared dinner. Phillip is my abstract impressionist, Emma is my cartoonist, and Jake is my realist. All of their paintings are beautiful. That is something I would have missed if we were still in the Bahamas.

Bahama Mama!

Home again, home again! Wayne and I had such a good time in the Bahamas! We went to Nassau, which was a lot busier and more metropolitan than I imagined. Even so, it was absolutely beautiful! At the straw market, I met a new friend, Walter, who was an absolute jewel. He sells sea shells in the straw market and was pure joy to be around. If you ever go to Nassau and see him, please tell him hello from me. Wayne and I try to buy souvenirs that support the local economy and artisans. You also meet the nicest people that way!

We took a day trip out to a private island (only 5 people live there) and it was breath-taking! I fed sting rays and snorkeled in shark infested waters over the reefs. At first I wasn't going to do it. I was so nervous and scared! But then I talked myself into it somehow. I just thought, "this may be a once in a lifetime experience, am I really going to let this pass me by?" Even as I was walking into the water with my snorkel gear on I was thinking I was crazy for doing it. My heart was racing what felt like a million miles an hour. If you have ever snorkeled then you know once your face is in the water the only things you can really hear is yourself breathing and your heart pounding. I was literally talking to myself to slow down and take deep breaths. I am so happy that I did not miss it! Seeing the reefs was like seeing another planet, mysterious and mystical. It was scary, but worth working through the fear.

I also had the BEST pina colada I had ever put in my mouth! It was so YUMMY! (We let our hair down a little bit.) We walked all over the city so I got lots of exercise. Plus it was very easy to eat vegetarian, and even vegan as they have lots of fruits and veggies. We toured churches, local markets, beaches, Atlantis (which was incredible and uncomfortable), and even pirate museums. Wayne and I spent a lot of quality time together and had a blast just lazing around in a hammock on the beach for an entire afternoon!

I am so thankful for my parents who came and stayed with the kids so we could go, and for Wayne's mom who helped get the kiddos where they needed to go on Saturday when everyone had something scheduled at the same time. Without them, Wayne and I would never have been able to do this trip.

Summer smoothies, swimming, and bikinis

Today it was warm again, but kinda rainy all day so we couldn't go to the park. Having a summer smoothie was the next best thing. We broke out some fruit we had frozen from the summer and made some wonderful freestone peach, blueberry, banana, spinach smoothies. They were very good and it was a nice treat to have some "summer" fruit.

Jake and Emma started swimming lessons today. They swim competitively in the summer and take lessons during the school year to keep up their skills, but last semester they took a break from swimming. When Emma went to put on her bathing suit it barely fit! I didn't realize how much she had grown in just a few months, but we got out the measuring stick and she has grown about three inches. Jake has passed me already, and Emma is close behind. Pretty soon I will officially be the shortest person in my family, which is saying a lot because I am not short. I am 5'9". It is strange to think of myself as being the shortest. They are growing up right before my eyes.

All of that thinking of Emma needing a new suit made me start thinking about the Bahamas. Good thing, because I hadn't even thought about trying on my bathing suit. I dug the bathing suits from last year out of my drawer and tried them on and they were way too big! This is definitely a blessing, but the curse is that I have to find a bathing suit I can wear in the next nine days. Let the great bathing suit hunt begin! Maybe, just maybe, I will be brave enough to wear a bikini this year. Wish me luck!

Wonderful Day!

Today was an absolutely GORGEOUS day in my "neck of the woods" (as Al Roker would say). It was 73 degrees and partly sunny with a nice breeze. After school today we headed to the park for some soccer and playground time, we even took the dogs. I don't know who liked it more the kids, the dogs, or me. It is hard to believe that two weeks ago it was 11 degrees. It made me hungry for spring to be here!

The day started out wonderful and stayed wonderful. I drank a liter of green smoothie this morning. It was kale, mango, banana, orange, and was it ever good! Later I had a Go Raw! bar. I also ate lots of fresh fruit and finished the day off with a large salad. I am considering making a batch of raw brownies this evening. It has been a while since I made some and they just sound so good!

At the end of next week my mom and dad are coming for a short visit and to stay with the kids while Wayne and I go to the Bahamas. We have had this planned for a while, but it just finally seemed real today. I am starting to get pretty excited! It is going to be a quick trip, only four days, but it will be a wonderful four days. Wayne and I are really making an effort to spend some adult time together as a couple. I think every marriage needs that. It gives us a chance to remember how much we like and love each other, a chance to remember why we fell in love with each other in the first place. Not that I have forgotten, but it will still be lots of fun to remember. :)