Island Life/Community

Our Saturday was a picture perfect island day!

The weather was just perfect! 83 degrees with perfect blue skies all day! Ocean breezes that never get old. We enjoyed sleeping in a bit longer and doing breakfast an hour later then usual.

Dave is still in Phoenix. He is enjoying his time there very much. He will be back here on the island again sometime tomorrow afternoon/evening. Things are going just fine without him here but we do miss his presence for sure. I'm so glad for my big boys over and over again!

The beach was so nice today... Jenika is so lucky to have big brothers...:) I just love when they love on her!... She thinks she is the most unfortunate girl ever to have ALL brothers but she does love them... Most times...:)

I just love this girl!! She is becoming a little lady right before my eyes! We hangout together a lot. Just her and I. I find myself enjoying her so much! I have time to take in everything about her and it's so much fun! I feel like I'm really getting to know her here...:) I love you Jenika!!

Her eyes get so much attention here! She is so friendly and makes friends everywhere we go and many times people comment on her eyes! They tell her they are the color of the water here with a mixture of coral reef...:) "How did you get them like that? They ask her..:)"

This morning we got out to the beach early because it was so nice and we had a crew scheduled to come in and change out our fans. Jen took off as soon as we got there. (she is quit comfortable with this place by now)

I seen her go out to the end of the dock. Two guys were out there doing what looked to be a really hard workout! She was out there with them for about a half an hour before I went to see what she was up to. They were enjoying her so much! She had them laughing! She does not get this from me for sure!! She loves people everywhere and did I mention she loves action! She likes older kids to. She tends to click with older folks as well as kids. She had two old ladies giving her a ride on there raft today and I could hear them laughing at her from a ways off...:) Hard telling what she tells people that make them laugh like that..:) (I don't even ask)

She pays attention to dogs everywhere! The ugliest dog here is "cute" to her!

We went out for a walk this evening... The Great House is the center piece of this place and that is where you will find the nicest sunset views... We were up on the top deck overlooking the bay...

It has been so quiet here the past few days! The landscapers, electricians and cleaning crews were here but not much else was happening. The digger equipment just set still and nobody was working on the sewer project. I finally ask someone today if it was a holiday or why nobody has been working the last few days?

 

They said they don't work on weekends!? Could have fooled me because we were here for four weekends now and they were working every other weekend before this!? I guess they deserve some time off because they have been going nonstop but we hope they don't stop now when they are so close to done! I'm thinking they will be back first thing Monday morning.

 

 

We plan to get Jordan's infusion in tomorrow morning before church, this seems to be working out the best right now. We will go to church and to the corn hole tournament without Dave. The big boys will be put to the test...:) Can they win without dad!? They have both proven they can win with him but can they get together and win without him? We will see...:)

KOMBUCHA...

We are so enjoying Kombucha Tea again!! We bottled two gallons and I now have three going so we are stocked and it's so great! It tastes a bit different here since I'm making it with green tea but it's so cold/fizzy and hits the spot on these hot days! I find I'm already eating less and craving less! It's amazing how this drink works! I went out for a run this afternoon in the heat just because I felt like it...;) All other weeks here I wanted to eat nachos instead...:) I didn't always but I wanted to..:) This drink does wonders for my appetite and cravings for sugar! Try it!! It hydrates within a minute, water takes an hour...:) I now take it with me whenever we go out.

Community...

What is community? I guess leaving makes me appreciate it. I miss my community. The feeling and sense of belonging. Knowing people and faces when going out for anything is something I haven't appreciated the way I should. I love to get away for awhile and just refresh but I'm starting to miss familiar faces. The people here are so friendly and we are getting to know many faces here but there is something about the hometown feel that I know I will never find anywhere else no matter how hard I'd search.

We have community events back home that bring us all together. We are comfortable at these events. Weather it's the ballpark, a benefit event, local concert or school/church events. We are comfortable. The children run and play with familiar friends or they make new ones and we are most times comfortable with whoever they are with.

I realize I cherish this. We are there for each other when there is sickness, death or hard trials. We have friends that we didn't even realize we had. Many in our community let themselves be the hands and feet of Jesus. Many sacrifice time to do things for others. Be it big or small nothing is taken lightly in times of need. A phone call or text. A drop in. A run to the grocery store might end up taking hours instead of minutes because you met that someone in need. Singing is big in our community! Many use there beautiful voices to bless others! I LOVE this!

Here in Belize we have each other. It has been so good for us as a family. We have been tested in character, we have been tested in "kindly" sharing our "space"..:) We are enjoying each other so much. I am enjoying the TIME spent with my children! I can actually feel like I have TIME to just cherish them. I have TIME to cater to there needs. I have painted fingernails, read countless stories, played many many games and I have just been more present in the world of my children. This is GREAT!!

BUT... I LOVE OUR COMMUNITY.  We will be so ready to be back where we can put names to many faces! It will be great to let the children run off with there friends! Jenika's biggest complaint here is this..."Mom just worries about me as soon as I'm out of her sight!" I love her!! She still has my watchful eye on her because even though she is older now she is still way to independent for her age!! She tells me..."I don't know why you don't just leave me go like you do Justin!" Oh boy! She has no idea!...:)

If you are at home in my community appreciate it for me today. Wave and smile at those around you... It's really amazing to me how after being here for only a month I can easily pick out the tourists. Many of them look kind of snobby... like us Americans can. (spoiled and snobby) In our own little worlds with our own agendas. It's not like that here. The people are so friendly here it rubs off. You just can't help but be friendly back...:) Also the tourists are all buying from the main street and eating along the beach where to food can be double the price yet taste the same! It's great though because the local people here depend on tourists to buy from them.

You will often see this out along the beach...

 

The child comes along selling something. If you know what to look for you will see mom or dad somewhere off in the distance watching... Hoping the child makes the sale. Sometimes the children are only three or four years old...:) They are adorable but I still think twenty five dollars is to much for the bracelet they are selling. It's amazing how many tourists actually buy from these kids..:) I'm sure it's appreciated by the parents and they have to get creative to support a family here on this expensive island!

 

 

Our community has been there for each other in times of snow to I saw...:) Helping your neighbor is where it's at!! Thank you if you live in my community and you love and help your neighbor! We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus no matter where we are. Today a guy stopped on his bike and was talking to Justin and I. He had his arm in wrap and Justin asked him what happened... He went on to tell us that his wife hit him with a board! He said she is demon possessed! He went on to tell us what is going on in his life and we talked to him about going to church. I told him we would pray for him. He said he is a Christian that is fighting to get his two kids away from there demon possessed mom. Families here are being torn apart just like at home....

Jenika was doing school the other morning... I overheard this... Why do you have a boyfriend if you have a husband!? Why do you divorce your husband? Who is your children's daddy? Do they see him? Do they miss him? Are you going to marry your boyfriend if you already have a husband? These were questions Jenika was asking Ariel! And she looked at me helpless!?? She said if your mom don't mind I'll tell you? I said "no I don't mind". So she went on to tell Jenika that her husband had a baby with another woman and that's why she is divorcing him. She is engaged to her fiancé because he loves and respects her. And would you guess the subject they were working on at the time all these questions came up!?? Yup you guessed it... Bible!! Ariel finally said "Let's read the Bible, maybe we can find something in here! Not a more PERFECT place to find answers for sure!!

We can be used wherever we are in this world if we let God use us! It will feel great to come back to the COMMUNITY that we love but for today we are here and it is amazing how we are starting to feel a sense of belonging here to. Just not near as strong!!... Have a BLESSED week-end and don't forget to bless that group of people that you can call "COMMUNITY"...:)

Missing HOME today. Not the weather for sure but the PEOPLE & the COMMUNITY...:)

Justin is missing his friends a lot to!!