Long Time, No Post!

First of all - I apologize for not updating this more in the past 10 days!  Brayton and I have been really busy and its been hard to find the time to sit down and actually do it!  I am going to attempt a quick recap of our lives in the past ten days!

1) Completely disregard the last post I made about the perfect apartment - yes, it was perfect...until we found out the 2nd story apartment above it was broke into in August of last year at 2am when the girl was home sleeping...and the landlord won't put burglar bars on the windows or doors...so we decided to keep looking and if we didn't find anything, we were going to go talk to the landlord about safety and such - but ended up finding a place equally, if not better, than that one.  Over the past ten days, we have looked at 20, yes TWENTY, different apartments on the island.  We looked at some that I walked into and, if it weren't for being polite to the person showing me, I would have walked right back out the door.  We looked at some that were brand new and had never been lived in and were quite nice - but had NO view (we had a REALLY hard time with this one...were we willing to sacrifice a view for a nicer apartment or not...).  We looked at some that were far too expensive for their size/niceness...and so the story goes on!  Then we met Jo, who showed us three VERY nice apartments, all at reasonable prices, with views and all the things we wanted.  One was a nice one bedroom on the first floor of a house in Fort Tyson rise with a spectacular view, and a pool at the owners level (which we may have been able to use), a nice, large, one bedroom at St. Christopher's Club - right on the ocean - with two community pools...and then she showed us the Villa at Half Moon Bay Villas.  The Villa was a bit more money than we wanted to spend - but we looked at our budget, decided we could do it and the amenities made it soooo worth it!  The villa is set right on the edge of the golf course across from the Marriott, has a decent view (not spectacular - but decent), has two floors (bedroom downstairs with bathroom - jacuzzi tub - and laundry (washer AND dryer) room.  There is a patio off of the bedroom which one get onto by passing through two beautiful glass doors with windows on each side.  The first(or second or top, or floor you enter in on) has a decent size kitchen (with a dishwasher and electric stove(negative but its ok!), a big living room with high ceilings, two AC's, a nice round glass dining room table, another full bathroom, a pull out couch - and the best part...2 sets of double glass doors, with windows on each side.  The front door enters out onto the 2nd floor patio and the other set opens up over our PRIVATE POOL!!!!!!!!!  Literally, you step from the living room - into the pool!  So, we are really excited to get moved in and settled!  Check out some pictures!  The best part is - the only place there is glass on the windows is the doors and above the doors.  Those brown 'shutter' looking things are in place of the glass.  They open like blinds rather than opening glass.  You will see some open ones in other pictures below!

Bedroom - patio doors!  Hurricane shutters are closed which is why you see the white

Living Room and Dining Room with two sets of double glass doors - one on the right opens up over the pool.  Again, hurricane shutters are closed!

Kitchen

Pooooool!!!!  Behind those Hurricane Shutters are the double doors into the living room!  AWESOME!

View - it doesn't really do justice.  Thats the golf course and marriott - ocean behind all that! 

pool again - its small, but private and OURS!

bedroom again

Living Room/Dining room with patio doors open

again

kitchen and entry door

the front side...its the one in the center and its the villa on the (looking at it) left side!

2) Brayton has taken an exam in all 4 of his main classes and passed them all with flying colors!  He got an A, 2 B's and a C.  (which is great for vet school...C's = DVM's =)) Those have consumed him greatly in the past couple weeks, he has a small break for another week now, then he has another round - then finals! I am hoping to be moved into the Villa before finals so he can study in the dorm room and I can go HOME (finally a place to call HOME!) and not have to be around!

3) I have also been so busy with work!  Teaching two grades at once = never a dull moment or a break!  

4) I made Brayton homemade banana bread tonight (his favorite) finally as he has been begging me for it!  

5) SCUBA diving has begun!  We completed our classroom session, our pool session and our first ocean session.  Brayton LOVESSSS it and I am not convinced I do yet...eeek!  I was EXTREMELY nervous both times (you go down twice in one boat trip out).  The first time was ok - but I was really nervous and had a hard time relaxing - Brayton was off loving it!  My mask also fogged up really bad and I couldn't see anything and my air got low - and I was nervous - but it really wasn't that bad!  The second dive I had a bit of a panic moment and my heart starting racing wicked bad (at 40 ft deep) and I had to stand on the bottom and try to slow my breathing.  I thought for sure I was going to have to have an instructor take me up to the surface but I caught my breath and made it.  We did have to go up early though because I used up a lot of air in my panic!!  We have to do dives 3 and 4 still (and that is where we have to take our Mask all the way off and put it back on - the scariest, most nerve racking thing for me!) and then we will be certified (well Brayton will be - we will see if I make it!!)

Here are some pics from our first dives:

Cool Puffer Fish one of the instructors pulled out to show us! 

Puffer Fish!

"Green" sea turtle we saw! (well I didn't cause I was too fogged and probably lost panicking!) 

Good Husband helping me stay calm! 

Brayton hanging out 40 feet below!

Some bubble blowing!


Well - I can't think of too much more excitement that has gone on in our lives.  We have not talked to anyone from home, or done anything super fun.  I think we may have gone to the beach once and done some stuff on island...OH I KNOW!!! I GOT MY LICENSE!!! I AM OFFICALLY DRIVING IN ST KITTS!  You wouldn't think that is a big deal - but its so weird and I feel like a 16 year old learning how to drive again and Brayton is always yelling at me because I'm 'too close to the ditch!)  Its like I'm scared of the center line!

We also got our engagement photos - there were some really nice ones!  Brief preview below!

I hope this catches everyone up a little!  I will try to be better at updating!  Hope all is well at home as summer turns to fall, and fall to winter - we are thinking of you when its 85 and sunny here everyday - and the coldest its going to get is 70 (maybe!) 

Much love to you all <3