Part Two...

So we get to St.Vincent and it's night time, hot and we're exhausted! It is soo humid and oh the warmth was just wonderful... it was kinda funny, in the airport, there were guys wearing jeans, shirts and thick hoodies... I was slightly confused... Anyways we get there and all we want to do is GO TO SLEEP! Luckily, my uncle who owns the guest house we're staying at had made arrangements for someone to pick us up at the airport. So we get into this big van and drive. I was pretty excited despite the overwhelming exhaustion that was coming on, but I looked out the window and thought it was so amazing to have stepped into such a different world... the people on the streets, the music, the scenery... it was dark, but I could tell how different life there was, sooo different, yet so simple and so beautiful and so inviting.

We finally pulled up to the place, and walked up some stairs, found our room, and went to bed!
The next morning, I showered, got dressed, helped the kids get ready and then Nick came in from outside asking if I'd looked out yet. I hadn't and he insisted that I should. The night before it was soo dark we could hardly tell where we were let alone see any kind of scenery, so I decided to look...

Isn't it beautiful?

I was soo excited... we were in paradise, I was gonna meet my family I hadn't seen in forever and I was just soo excited! So the first day, we made a few phone calls to relatives and then decided to go into town to get some money, food and visit a few people. So.... we decided to hail a cab...

Now cabs in the Caribbean are not your typical taxi... they are people... anyone who'd like to... who buy a 15ish passenger van complete with NO seatbelts, they paint it so you know it's theirs, and then shove as many people as humanly possible into it (like 20 min), charge you all a few bucks and drive as fast and crazy as they possibly can until you tell them where to let you off and do that all day long. So, to enter into such an adventure, you stand on the side of the road and wave at the said death trap, if they aren't full to the max (and sometimes even if they are) they pull over, usually a few feet ahead of you because they're going so fast that they drive past you, and you climb in, sometimes over people and take your seat... or portion thereof. Did I mention that fearing for your life due to the speed and clear negligence for any safety laws was only a small fear as you look out the windows and see the crazily windy roads (purposely built as such to reduce the speed of motor vehicles) and the fact that you're positive you're gonna end up in a head-in collision with some oncoming traffic because you keep forgetting they drive on the left here, but it doesn't really matter because the roads are so narrow that there's no humanly way possible that 2 vehicles can make it going in opposite directions... yet they do... and somehow, miraculously... you survive!

The Long Awaited Post

So I have no idea why it's taken me so long to post about our vacation but here it goes!

So after Christmas we headed to the Caribbean! My parents were both born and raised on an Island called St.Vincent. It's pretty close to Barbados and not too far from Venezuela. I've visited before but when I was 3, 5, and then not again 'til this year... when I'm 24! So needless to say it was very much like visiting for the first time! So here's the story from the beginning:

Flights from Canada to Barbados only leave from Toronto, so our first leg of the trip was boarding a plane to the T-Dot at 12:00AM! Or something like that. It was sooooo much fun with the kids (3 1/2 and about to turn 2). Sorry if you got a little damp from the dripping sarcasm there... anywho... so the wait in the airport and the plane ride really wasn't too bad... the kids seemed to be fairly decent... Liv fell asleep and well.. Nick had Nixon! So the girls got some rest on the 5 hour flight and then we met up with my Mom in Toronto and waited just a couple hours for our next flight to Barbados! So that went not too bad either except the boy hardly slept! Then we get to Barbados! OH MAN!

Barbados was warm and beautiful and we started to get excited for our vacation... until...
Until we had to wait in line and go through customs even though we were just hopping on another flight! Well.. the plane to St.Vincent only allows you 1 piece of checked luggage per person unlike our planes from Canada.. (and a baby doesn't count... they have more crap than the rest of us!) which was fine for my family... but my mom had extra baggage so we had to juggle luggage around while at the front of the line to check in and while trying to make our next flight which was leaving VERY soon! (within 30 min) So... we move stuff around, get it all done and then we have to go through security and OH YA since we shuffled our crap around Nick's shaving kit ends up in a carry on and they throw out like all of his stuff.... toothpaste, shaving cram, hair stuff etc. etc.! AND our kids start freaking out and crying!

SO Nick is the first one through security... my mom and I are juggling all our carry on stuff, trying to take off belts and shoes, dealing with rude Airport people (VERY common in Barbados) and both kids while trying to get out passports and what not when Liv decides to have an even bigger freak out and that she doesn't want to go on another plane and wants to go back home... So what does she do?! SHE BOOKS IT BACK THE WAY WE CAME! Oh man I was about to kill her! SO I had to drop all my stuff and chase her down the airport!I catch up to her and she starts screaming and kicking (14+hours after we started with only like a 2-3hour nap when she's supposed to be asleep for the night... think she's tired much?)!

So I get Liv, we get through security with lots of looks and comments and then book it to the plane that has already boarded! We make it on the plane and are the last ones there... 30 minutes later, we're in St.Vincent! FINALLY!

Liv on the Plane.... when she was happy!

To Be Continued.... (wanted to add dramatic effect and I'm kinda tired lol)

LDS Apostles

So for those of you who are not LDS, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is led by a Prophet (kinda like the pope) and then he has 2 Apostles and that makes up the 1st Presidency. Then there are 12 others that make up the Quorum of the 12 Apostles and then there are other groups but for now that's all I need to clarify lol.

So I really want my kids to learn more about the religion we live and although just about every LDS kid can tell you who their Prophet is, they usually can't tell you much about the rest of the leaders of their church, and I really want to teach my kids more. So today, I found this awesome video on You Tube that a group of LDS singers made and I'm gonna play it for Liv so she can learn their names and a little about the 1st Presidency and 12 Apostles of our church. I think we're gonna do a Family Home Evening Lesson about it too. Here it is: