I Guess This Is It.......

I am sure the reason for the delay in this final post on this blog has much to do with how much I am missing the island.  Do I really want to sever that last connection I have to the place that we spent the last 20 months and loved so dearly?  No - I do not, but there is a time and a place for everything and life must continue on.  It is not like there is nothing in the future to look forward too, in fact we have so much it is a little overwhelming.  We leave Aug. 1st from Denver and head to England for about 10 months.  But before we say good bye I must post some favorites from our time on St. Maarten.  After all this blog is mostly about photos, a virtual photo album in a sense.  From the time I was young I have always enjoyed plopping myself down in front of a book shelf that contained our family photo albums. I would browse through the pages and look at photos that would bring back memories.  Now that we are always on the go this blog has filled that empty space when you cannot bring ALL those albums with you.  A chance to record life, memories and experiences to look back on and remember - through photos.

from the very beginning of our travels to the island  - EARLY AM in the Charlotte airport

we cannot forget our welcome to the island  - Hurricane Earl

I have to point out how TINY the boys were when we moved to St.Maarten.  They grew up so much while there - not just physically but mentally and emotionally through the whole experience.

Our sponsors the Tiffee's

dear friends we shared our first island adventures with

real butter

our car that was meant for adventures

special time that was created by power outages - puzzles, story telling, yoga, games, fort building, learning to embrace the QUIET

the arch by Bai Rouge that is now filled - thank you for the opportunity to take the boys snorkeling through it before it was gone forever

special times with dad

visits from family

experiencing halloween in a different country

baking and cooking together

quality togetherness

brother time

homeschooling

new friends of the four legged kind

new life long friends

yes, Alexi was cold

exploring the island

brotherly bonds like no other

learning new skills

windy reef

the beginning of surfing on the island

discovering our love for plum bay

supporting Michael in all his hard work to accomplish his dream

limited but special daddy time

so much boy fun

endless ocean fun

no words for this one

embracing our love for the ocean

easter with family and friends on another island

the carousel

the only real emergency on the island

birthdays

awesome food

starting a garden

Dillon's first surf competition

island visitors

yummy goodness

island history

fruits of our labor

art time

time with island friends

beach time with good friends and new babies

progression at Bai aux Prunes

ronan's new sport

family island christmas

christmas waves

island hopping

new AUC families

sharing our love for the ocean with good friends and neighbors

more island exploring

Dutch traditions

a community that was like family

wonderful ocean adventures

island festivities

exploring different islands

raising money for Michael's trip to Bolivia

great family memories

in the end all I can do is give thanks - we were given an opportunity and we took it and ran.  it has provided us with life experiences that could never be recreated.  my children learned life lessons and skills that I hope they carry with them for a lifetime.  we all developed friendships with fellow students, families, spouses, neighbors, and island folk that we will hold dear to our hearts.  we were able to further develop our love for the ocean and immerse ourselves in island life.  we were able to strengthen our love as a family and work together as a cohesive unit to help Michael achieve his dream and in what most would have seen as a sacrifice we saw as a gift of so much - unmeasurable.  Yes there were challenges and trying times but those only made us stronger and better at understanding one another.  we also give thanks to all our friends and family that made it possible to move to St. Maarten and focus on Michael's dream.  we thank the island for all that it has given our family - the courage and ability to live a simple life.  I will carry our island moments, experiences and memories in my heart as I continue on through life.  Island life has become a permanent part of me - I will never truly leave it forever.

I will be blogging our time in the UK on the new blog (and some of our summer adventures)

www.ukclinicaladventures.blogspot.com

I hope you will make the jump over with us and follow along.......