a year around the sun living on sint maarten

one year ago today we landed on the little island of sint maarten which would be our home for the next 21 months. michael was beginning medical school at auc and i was beginning my new life as a stay at home mom to our 2 and a half year old son. we were both excited about our new ventures in life, michael starting a second career, and me leaving my career as a school teacher to do what i've always wanted to do - stay home to raise a family. a year into it, and we are both facing the joys and challenges that come with these worthwhile endeavors and feel right on track with our decisions. here are the most significant events and milestones of the last year that come to mind:

ezra's uncle christopher and aunt annie came to stay with us in our new home before michael started school. we experienced our first tropical storm with them and got to explore the island together and enjoy some fun family togetherness before school began for michael. a month later auntie di di came for a couple of days since she was all the way in puerto rico. we had one of my favorite beach days ever at orient beach.


michael has completed 2 semesters of basic sciences and is 2 weeks away from finishing his 3rd. hooray michael! i am so proud of you in your accomplishments so far. i watch you work so hard everyday and every night. your dedication to your studies is highly admirable.


michael turned 40 and we celebrated with a party in our home with some of our new island friends.


ezra began sleeping through the night, turned 3 and entered into a world of awesome imaginary play. he has grown into a 'big boy,' eats more and more food (other than his favorite bread and butter), says bonjour and bonsoir, loves to skype with his relatives back home, and is learning to ride a bike.


gigi and poppy came for a 3 week visit over christmas and new year's making what could have been a sad holiday time for us a special one to remember.


my lovely friend lena came to visit in january and we had some memorable snorkeling adventures and dinners together.


inspired by the blogging world i have come to know, i started michael and i on the 'green smoothie challenge' and we have been on a 75% raw food diet ever since.


ezra and i went home to california to celebrate my dad's 70th birthday and although it was our first time away from michael and ezra had his first sad feelings of missing his beloved daddy, i got to see mine and we both relished in the time spent with our sweet loving family.


one of my closest island girlfriends got married in a beautiful ceremony on dawn beach that we will always remember as a highlight of our time spent on st. maarten.


i started this blog to keep family and friends connected to us while living so far away and also as a place for me to keep our memories of this extraordinary time. at the same time it has opened up a community of bloggers around the world to me, all of them mothers keeping their memories and sharing tidbits of their lives. i have enjoyed becoming a part of this blogging community a lot while living far away from family and friends and living on this island, a foreign country, where i often feel isolated in my days of being a full-time mom. it has given me a place to be creative with a subject most close to my heart - my family, my son, my life and the world around me. thank you for reading, commenting, and sharing your world with me as well.