goodbye st. maarten!

well dear family and friends, this will be my last post from st. maarten.  i think.  you never know - i may have something spectacular to show you between now and our flight tuesday morning, but since i've had the flu these past 4 days and now ezra has come down with it too, i think i will be very busy with packing, cleaning, and caring for a sick child with little time to spare for another post.  i am able to write this now with a little thought as ezra is sleeping beside me and michael is out to dinner with rahul and his mother.  

if you've been following my blog the past 21 months, then you know who rahul is and also have seen almost every beach on the island, countless sunsets, and pictures of the amazing blue waters of the caribbean, not to mention the growth and development of the one and only ezra.  this blog all began as a way to keep family and friends back home connected with us during the 21 months michael attended medical school on the island of st. maarten.  i have enjoyed keeping this log of our time together and will continue to do so after our island time is over.  it has been a wonderful creative and social outlet for me while sometimes feeling isolated as a stay at home mom to a young child on a tiny island far far away from family and friends.  i would like to keep blogging and the connections i've made and hope that you will continue to follow my blog if you've enjoyed it thus far.  will you still follow though without the beautiful beach scenes, sunsets, and french bakeries?  we are not sure where we will be living next but beaches could possibly be in our future.  we will be moving at least two if not three times this year.  if you'd like to come along for the show, my new blog is called nunuland - click the name and you will be taken there straight away!

and now for the final pictures from the island...  first we have ezra contracting the flu virus from his mama (who wasn't sure if she was really sick) at top carrot where we went on wednesday with erica.  hopefully she won't be getting sick soon too - she didn't sit on my lap so she's probably going to be okay.  this was the first place we ate out at when we came to st. maarten and it looks like it will be the last place i eat out at on the island - just like a good movie will start and end with the same scene.  they have such good healthy food and smoothies here - we were so grateful to find it early on.  if i can find a health food store and a health food restaurant where we live next, i'll be happy.  

and if we find friends like erica and jon again we'll have struck gold!  this couple has been a blessing to us.  erica studied every semester with michael and was not only a support to him but a friend to us both.  jon moved to the island during erica and michael's third semester and we all got along swimmingly.  most notably, these two were like island fairy god-parents to ezra, who has a special bond with them both.  

now if it weren't for this guy - none of this dreamy island life we've been living would have been possible.  thanks to my amazingly disciplined, hard working, and brainiac husband, i got to leave my post as a full time working mom, to be what i've always dreamed of being- a stay at home mommy and caretaker of my husband and home.  we took a leap of faith together and have come this far already!  michael has successfully completed his basic sciences here on st. maarten and is preparing to take the biggest test he's taken thus far in just a few weeks.  all this time that ezra and i have been bouncing around from beach to bakery with different friends, michael has been inside a room studying.  when we were outside melting in the sun, michael was inside a chilly air conditioned room with a blanket over his shoulders to keep warm while ..... studying.  his academic accomplishments are something he prefers me not to blog about, he's a humble soul deep down, but since it's my last post i would like to say that michael kicked ass!  keep up the great work michael.  we are so grateful to be on this journey with you. we are ready for the next adventure!