Sunday Thoughts, Walks, and More...

Today my heart is full of gratitude. We had an excellent week and I feel so lucky to be here. It is afterall a once in a lifetime opportunity. I want to take the time to thank all of my family members (hopefully you know who you are) who have made it possible for us to be here. So many of you have helped us in countless ways and we have not forgotten about it! We have been here for just over 2 months and not a day goes by without us realizing how grateful we are to be here, sharing this experience as a family. Each Sunday we usually go for a walk on the beach or in our neighborhood and we still look at each other and say, "I can't believe we are here, and that this is where we live." Grenada is such a beautiful place full of amazing people. We will indeed come home with a different perspective on life. I wish sometimes that I could place all of my experiences and feelings in a jar and send them home to you so that you could understand what it's like to live here, but my blog explanations and skype calls will have to do.

 I am also incredibly grateful for the new friendships we have made here. We have a network of support that I know I can count on. They are my Grenadian family that I love so much (again, hopefully you know who you are). I have enjoyed learning from you, crying with you, and most importantly laughing with you. We are all so far away from home but so blessed to have each other. Thank you for being there for me.

Okay, now that I have all the touchy feely stuff out of the way.... Have a great week everyone!

(and for the Grandmas here is a picture of Emma on our Sunday walk last week, she wanted Dadda to write her name in the sand)

Guide to Becoming a Granola Girl in Grenada

Definition of Granola Girl: a female human who is more in tune with inner beaty rather than outside appearances. One who could care less about others views of their outward form. One who feels exterior maintenance is time consuming and not always important.

Tip #1: Wear your hair up in a pony tail or down without actually being dried, who cares, hair does not hold well in humidity so don't bother fixing it.

Tip#2: Makeup is not necessary in this kind of heat; you are who you are, looks included.

Tip#3: It's okay to stay in your wet, sandy swim clothes all day if you feel like it; live like you are on vacation.

Tip#4: If you are loosing weight and your clothes are sagging-its fine. The baggier the better; comfort is what matters most.

Tip #5: Though clothes are required there's no need to look nice everywhere you go. Just throw on some old gym shorts, a T-shirt, and any color flip flops and that will be just fine.

Tip #6: Bugspray is the new perfume and bugspray over sunscreen just adds to the scent you should be

going for.

Tip#7: Black feet and chipped toenail polish are perfectly acceptable. There is no such thing as clean floors

in Grenada.

Tip#8: Facial oil blotting sheets are a waste of money. The more you sweat the more you glow.

Tip #9: Bug bites are now equivalent to beauty marks. Embrace them. If itching causes a scar it's just a reminder of how tough you are.

Tip #10: No need for expensive skin exfoliants and creams. These are products only doctors wives can afford and you will not be one for like a billion years. So go to the beach and scrub with wet sand followed by a salty sea rinse.

Disclaimer: Clearly this is not a complete guide to Granola Girlism. I have not been able to forget about shaving, wearing a bra, or applying deodorant daily. I will also admit that I don't always follow all of the tips listed above, but most days I feel pretty Granola!