Farewell Friday Island Cruise

As part of our Christmas we decided to go on the Eagle Tours Friday Farewell cruise. Can I say.... IT WAS AWESOME!!!! 100 Thanks to Rachel for watching little Holdyn ALL DAY so we could go on this cruise.

Here I am as we are just leaving Great Bay. We got to go right by the cruise ships.

Then Ben was roped in, by the crew, to help hoist the sails. Our first stop was a little island called Tintimarre. It has some kind of fancy mud that you put all over to "exfoilate".... I don't know how to spell.... anyway, I rubbed it all over... obviously... I then was silky smooth after I rinsed it off. (Actually, I didn't notice much of a difference, but it was fun to do anyway)Here is a shot from the shore of our Catamaran... again... not sure of the spelling. It was SOO fun to ride completely around the island on this thing!!

We sat on this webbing stuff... it was great to be in the front and catch some of the waves splashing. After our stop at Tintimarre we went to Creole Rock... a GREAT snorkeling spot. Ben and I saw a baracuda swim right in front of us and loads of other fish.... we've got some pictures but I need to touch them up still.After snorkeling we went to Grande Case. It is on the French side and we stopped there for lunch. It was DELICIOUS!!! We also had a beautiful view of the blue waters!Here is Ben on our way around the island.

Here we are with Pelican Key in the back ground... we live in an apt that is just above my head.

Here are 3 members of our crew doing the dance to YMCA! They were great and hillarious the entire day!! They really made the trip a great one! Anyway... it was a beautiful day to be at sea! I LOVED being able to spend the entire day with Ben.. it is SOOO great for him to be on break... we are really enjoying all the extra time together!

I don't know where she gets it?!

All I can say is we had to move the markers to a higher place!!
I'm not sure how that marker tasted, but Holdyn seemed to like it.

I didn't get the camera until after we'd cleaned up the Marker all over the floors.....

I didn't find the humor until a few minutes after I found her.

Here is Holdyn being a cutie.

Obviously she gets her smile... and the rest of the

mischieveousness from her daddy!

The last few days

Okay, to start off, today, Ben and I went to the highly recommended, Good Life Spa, in Maho, for a couples massage. I still feel completely relaxed! It was GREAT!!!

Holdyn has also been giving herself driving lessons. She's getting pretty good. She is probably as good of a driver as most of the St. Maarten drivers, and is MUCH cuter!!
We went for a nice walk last night to watch the sunset, and gather seashells. Holdyn has this thing about eating sand... and as much of it as she can shovel in before her dad or I stop her! Maybe she is low on iron.... I craved dirt when I was pregnant with her, or maybe it really just tastes good. I'll have to try it next time.
The sunset was much prettier than it shows in this picture, but at least you get a little taste. It sure is beautiful here. I'm glad we are having soo much time to enjoy the island as a family with Ben having a 3 week break!

Ben and Holdyn also got one Christmas present a bit early.... a fishing rod. Here is Ben our first evening out. We went near the bridge and we were able to watch some of the mega yaghts come in and out of the bay. They are pretty amazing!
Here is Holdyn helping her daddy reel in a weed. We didn't have much luck that night... BUT, Ben caught a baracuda this morning and has had lots of fish action the last couple of mornings. We are going to go get some tarpon in the next day or two :)
Here is the shot of the boats waiting to enter the bay. It is a pretty amazing sight to see them all lined up. There are a few mega yaghts in the back that you can't really see.

Anyway, we're sure enjoying our time with Ben home! We've got lots more fun to have in the next couple of weeks!!!!

Way to go Ben!!!!

Ben passed his 3rd semester of Medical School with flying colors!! This is supposed to be "the hardest semester" from what we hear, and he did the BEST he's done soo far!!
WE LOVE YOU BEN and we are soo proud of all that you are accomplishing!!!

A Quick update

Holdyn has been sicker than sick! She started out with a very nasty headcold.... she produced more mucus than I've seen in awhile... Then she started vomiting... she even vomited at the Dr's office, and on the way there and on the way home. It was an interesting few days. One thing that we finally tried that calmed her down was for Ben to take her on scooter rides.
She absolutely loved it! She'd cry and cry and cry and we'd just about tried everything we could think of... but the scooter worked every time. Anyway, she is back to feeling somewhat normal... which we are VERY thankful for.

We also put up a few decorations. I'll have to take some more pictures to give you the full effect. We can't find a lot of decorations... the ones we do find are expensive SO we bought two packs of construction paper and went to town! Anyway, here is out "charlie Brown" Christmas tree. It is small, simple and will work out perfectly for the Holiday's. Holdyn is still in her PJ's in this picture... and she came out and saw the lights and wasn't sure what to think... she was soo fun to watch. Her face was filled with excitement.

Anyway, other than that things are good. A few more details on the pregnancy, we are due sometime the middle of June, which puts me at 11 weeks along. I've been pretty lucky and haven't been too sick... up and down, but not too bad. We've also been doing research on the Dr's/midwives in the area. Most of the girls we know who've had babies here have had C-sections. We recently found out why the Dr's are soo aggressive with them. There is no infant ICU...if the infant has any problems they have to life flight them to South America. So if the delivery is going longer than normal, the Dr's don't want to put any stress on the infant, so they take it C-section. We REALLY don't want to be forced into taking that route, so we are lookig into the midwife at the hospital. We will see. There is also the other stuff like getting this kid a passport to come back to the good old USA. Since we are due about 1 month before we are finished on this island we've got some paperwork to get ready AKA getting the birth certificate translated into English and meeting with the US consolate for the passport, when they are on the island. We're going to be busy that last month! Anyway, that's about it for now!

Oh, one more thing! We have 2 Elders/ missionaries missing on Martinique. They've been gone since Monday... they went out for a hike and never returned. We know one of them very well since he's been to our place a few times for dinner before he was transferred. Anyway, keep them in your prayers!!!

Quick overview

We are still alive and doing well, the water situation is still "being worked on" but at least our landlord has a cystern water back up. So we've had running water! YIPPEE!! We've also had a LONG week. Holdyn has been very sick.... she started out with a very bad headcold.... more mucus than I've seen in awhile... and then she started vomiting mucus. It was awful. We took her to the Dr. where she continued to vomit in the car on the way there AND while we were waiting at the Dr's office... luckily I got her outside before she lost it! Anyway, enough about that... she is doing much better!!

We also purchased our humble Christmas tree and put it up. Holdyn was asleep when we got it put together and when she woke up she was soo excited to see the lights.

Rocking and Rolling!

Here is our latest headlines:




Caribbean Hit by Earthquake Felt as Far as Venezuela (Update1)
By Kelly Riddell and Steven Bodzin

Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) -- The most powerful earthquake to rock the eastern Caribbean in 33 years struck near the island of Martinique, sending shock waves felt from Puerto Rico to Venezuela. Minor damage and injuries were reported, the Associated Press said.

The magnitude-7.4 temblor occurred at 3 p.m. local time (2 p.m. New York time) 14 miles (23 kilometers) north-northwest of Saint-Pierre, Martinique, in the Windward Islands, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site. The center was about 90 miles deep, the agency said. No tsunami alert was issued.

``The quake was felt widely throughout northern South America,'' Geological Survey seismologist Rafael Abreu said in an interview. ``We're getting tremor reports from Venezuela to San Juan, Puerto Rico.''



Heck yes we felt it! The tile floor beneath our feet moved in a wave motion and the walls of our concrete apt did a little rumbling. We were just hoping the pool above wouldn't crack and flood us out of our place.... luckily it didn't.... I guess we should stop praying for water... we might just get it hee hee!

You never know what is going to happen in a day on St Maarten!!!!!!

Where did all the Water go??

AARG! We've had the water on and off the last few days.... mostly off! This is the first article in St. Maarten's "Daily Herald" Newspaper this morning!!!!

"Water shortage
plagues island


~ Water to be bought from French side ~
PHILIPSBURG--Residents in several areas across the Dutch side woke up yesterday to a slow trickle of water and in some cases no water at all, prompting the Island Government to consider alternative sources of providing water."

So they are supposedly "working on it." We will see..... for those of you in the good old USA... be thankful that when you turn the water on it comes...... and when you switch the light switch.... you get light! We've never had so many power/water outages in all our lives!! But, hey, one more reason to be greatful for where we are from!

Hope you all enjoy your showers today... take an extra long one for Ben, Holdyn and me!

Thanksgiving.... Caribbean Style

Here are Ben and Justin getting the final things done before the feast!
This is Tangra, going after the leg... YUMMY!!! Holdyn is enjoying her Thanksgiving dinner... we ate upstairs from our apt. The view is great and it was a nice evening to be outside.
Ben and Holdyn enjoyed their after dinner swim.
We also celebrated little Noah's, Birthday. Hillary did a great job making these pirate cakes!!! Here is the view... As we sat relaxing after dinner we watched two cruise ships leave the island. It was a great time.

Holdyn's Thankful......

Tagged twice...

Okay, So we've been tagged and I need to catch up. The first one I am supposed to say 6 Random things about us and the second is a list of questions. Here it goes....

RANDOM 1
**I was a thumbsucker! I don't know how old I was when I finally stopped but I was old enough to know better. I remember going to sleepover's and being worried someone would see me sucking my thumb in my sleep. Now, Holdyn is also a thumbsucker. Hopefully she quits before she is as old as I was!
RANDOM 2
**Ben was born with two thumbs on his right hand. This is the thumb now... he had the second removed when he was 18 months old. In 6th grade he had surgery to straighten it out. Six months later, he had the splint taken off. Just one week after that he got in a fight... and messed it up again. It has been crooked ever since. It has also gotten him out of a few jams. In High School he got a "B" on an assignment. The teacher's remarks were "Your handwriting was soo horrible I couldn't read it." Ben told his mom and she talked to the professor and told him that Ben was unable to write neatly because he is "handicap." The next day the teacher came to Ben and apologized. He changed Ben's grade to an "A". This all because of his "Handicap." Thanks to....The Mutant thumb!

RANDOM 3
**Holdyn is named after a little girl I was lucky enough to meet on my mission. I hope our Holdyn turns out to be just like the one she is named after!

RANDOM 4
**I LOVE to eat Oatmeal cookie dough... I'd rather eat the dough than the cookies anyday!!

RANDOM 5
**Ben REALLY wants his brother Aaron to teach him to make his own bow and arrows so that someday he can go on an archery hunt and get a deer with his handmade weapeon! "Bring home the meat babe!"
RANDOM 6
**Holdyn was sleeping through the night at 6 weeks... at least she slept 6-8 hours straight! Which I am VERY GREATFUL for!!


Okay, now the next ones.....

1. What time did you get up this morning? I woke up when Ben left at 5... then I got up at 7:30 w/Holdyn
2. Diamonds or pearls? I like seashells :)
3. What was the last film you saw at the movies? Ben took me to the 3rd Pirates of the Caribbean (How appropriate)
4. What is your favorite TV show? The Office... hands down, CSI (All versions) takes a close second
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Strawberry/Peach smoothie w/toast.....OR a bowl of Life cereal with Powdered milk when I can choke it down.
6. What is your middle name? Hmmm.... I don't really have one BUT Ben's is Joseph.
7. What food do you dislike? I don't like muscles, octapus, squid, other chewy seafoods...OR Spaghetti and Lasagna
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? hmmmmm, that's a good question, I listen to my itunes...all my fav songs :)
9. What kind of car do you drive? Ben's drives a SAWEET island scooter and I drive the Hyundai Accent
10. Favorite sandwich? Currently craving Charlie's Supreme..... the Charlie's special with, Swiss cheese on French Bread :)
11. What characteristics do you despise? hypocrocy!
12. Favorite item of clothing? Whatever is clean.... I'm not too happy with my clothes right now.... My favorite item on Ben is his Red Polo shirt :)
13. If you could go anywhere in the world for a vacation, where would you go? The good old USA.... God Bless America!!!
14. What color is your bathroom? White tile with a few random navy blue tile's thrown in.
15. Favorite brand of clothing? whatever is on sale :)
16. Where would you retire? hmmm..... somewhere out in the country... maybe Montana or Colorado
17. Most memorable birthday? probably my 16th... my friends woke me up early for breakfast at Denny's then made me wear a horrible shirt that said "I'm finally 16... I can date... my phone number is ...."
18. Favorite sport to watch? Basketball or Soccer
19. Furthest place you are sending this? My blog
20. Who do you expect to send this back to you? anyone who wants to
21. Person you expect to send it back first? no idea
22. Favorite saying? "Don't do whatever you like, Like whatever you do!" Ben says, "Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime."
23. When is your birthday? just when spring is turning to summer
24. Are you a morning person or a night person? Ben is a morning person.... I used to be a night person... but now I go to bed as early as I can.
25. What is your shoe size? 6 1/2
26. Pets? if you count the random animals running around we've got....rats, roaches, crabs, monkeys, lobsters, stray dogs/cats, iguana's, gecko's, hmmmm, that's a good start :)
27. What did you want to be when you were little? A Veterinarian
28. What are you today? A Mommy, and a Medical Student supporter.... GO BEN!!!
29. What is your favorite candy? Kit Kat or Peanut butter Twix, oh and I like Milky Way's, and 3 Musketeers, and Strawberry Mentos and tootsie rolls, and blow pops, and all the candy that I can't get here :)
30. Your favorite flower? Daisy's
31. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? December 11.. that is Ben's last final.... then he has 3 weeks off!
32. What church/synagogue do you attend? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Philipsburg Branch in Cole Bay.... WE LOVE IT THERE!!
33. What are you listening to right now? The baby monitor.... I'm listening for the neighbor kids to wake up from their nap, Hillary had to take Anabel to the dentist... AND Charlie Daniel's "The Devil went down to Georgia" on my itunes.
34. What was the last thing you ate? Beef flavored Ramen Noodles... how sad is that! I really like them, so I eat them when Ben is gone:)
35. Do you wish on stars? ALWAYS!
36. Do you believe in Angels? Charlton is our Angel
37. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Hmmmm, Yellow I think
38. What is your pet peeve? People who LIE.... or make promises they don't/can't keep.
39. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My Grandma Oakeson
40. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Heck yes I do
41. Favorite soft drink? Diet Coke and Ginger Ale
42. Favorite restaurant? Hmm... this is a good one... I consider all those that I can't have my favorites at the moment AKA Tony Roma's, Red Lobster, Cafe Rio, Panda Express, Mandarin Buffet in Flagstaff, AZ, TGIFriday's, Le Bou, Strings, Arby's... okay I've got to stop, I'm getting hungary.. those Ramen Noodles don't quite measure up!
43. Hair Color? Currently is struggling!!! I've got brown with some blonde highlights that start about two inches from my scalp... HELP... Kandice where are you when I need you!
44. Siblings? Jill: 3 Brothers, 2 Sisters..... Ben 3 Sisters, 4 Brothers... all married so total Sis in laws=7, Bro in laws=5 and 39 neices and nephews!!!
45. Favorite day of the year? Hmmmm, anyday Ben can be with Holdyn and I ALL DAY is my favorite!
46. What was your favorite toy as a child? Do Blankies count? I also had a pogo ball that I ROCKED at LOL... My mom also made me a cabbage patch... I hope I still have it someplace!!
47. Summer or winter? Currently I'd love some Winter weather!!! It's not the holiday season when you want to go swimming or go to the beach to cool off!
48. Hugs or kisses? Both from Ben and Holdyn.... Hugs from everyone else :)
49. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate....YUM I'd go for a Wendy's Frosty about now!!!
50. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? Sure if they are bored
51. When was the last time you cried? I'd rather not answer this one
52. What is under your bed? distgusting white tile and hopefully no cockroaches or crabs or any other creepy crawlies
53. Who is the friend you've had the longest? Do Sisters count? If not Kandice... who is now my Cousin!!! ROCK ON!
54. What did you do last night? I helped a lady in our branch with a slideshow of her pictures from a trip to the Santo Domingo Temple.... then watched "The Office" Ben was in the backroom studying... ALL NIGHT!
55. Favorite smell? clean babies, freshly dried sheets and towels, rain, Thanksgiving dinner cooking:)
56. What are you afraid of? Ben or Holdyn getting seriously hurt..... or drowning!
57. How many keys on your key ring? 1
58. How many years at your current job? I've been a bum for my whole life :)
59. Favorite day of the week? Sunday... We get to go to church and Ben takes the day off from studying
60. How many towns have you lived in? Draper, UT....Washington, UT..... St. George, UT..... Provo, UT..... Lodi, CA....Citrus Heights, CA...... Carmichael, CA........ Hurricane, UT....... Flagstaff, AZ..... Fredonia, AZ.... Cupecoy, St. Maarten..... Pelican Key, St. Maarten, N.A...... I guess that makes 12
61. Do you make friends easily? Sure
62. How many folks will you send this to? WHOEVER WANTS TO :)

Happy St. Maarten Day!!!

Sunday is St. Maarten's day so the University didn't hold classes on Friday. Hooray for a day off! Ben probably should have spent more time studying BUT.... he chose to take the day to have some fun! It started Thursday night with another Night Dive/Lobster hunting expedition. This is Ben, Matt, Chuck, and Justin just after the dive.
Here is Chuck making friends with the lobster just before throwing it into the boiling pot.Friday Morning, Holdyn was ready to go outside! She'd had breakfast and a bath and was ready for the day. I usually take her for a walk as soon as she is bathed and dressed.... so she thought it was time to go. She sat in front of the door and cried until we took her out. We decided to go to a nearby park. It is actually for a resort, but we sneak in too. Here she is with daddy... playing in one of the little houses.
When we got there Matt was there with his kids. So Holdyn followed Noah around for a while.
If you know Ben, you know he likes to do what he can to "fix" things. We got there and they have two little dolphin swings that were both broken. I played with Holdyn for awhile over on the slides etc and next thing we know Ben has used the ropes from both broken swings and made one of them swingable. Holdyn Loved it! Later Friday afternoon we met up with some friends and went to Baie Rouge for some GREAT snorkeling. We had to swim a little ways, but it was well worth it! We went through this arch and it was AWESOME!! The rock formations we were swimming through and around were beautiful! THere were also some great coral formations and very colorful fish. We'd been wanting to try the snorkeling here for a long time but hadn't had time to do it!
There was also this little private beach. We took a quick break there before going through the cave. It was beautiful! There was a villa high above us on the cliff that had this windy staircase leading down to the beach. It was soo neat to see!

Anyway, Ben spent all day today studying to catch up and tomorrow we are celebrating St. Maaten's day by taking it easy and going to church, and having some friends over for dinner. It's been a great few days!