Joelle and Dave Visit - Rum Point and Starfish Point

Note: This was written about a week ago, but I just now have internet to publish.  Sorry for the delay!

I have to say, I just got a pang of sadness uploading the pictures for this post.  Because the truth is, we are now back in Cincinnati, living the "grand" midwest life.  Brent and I moved back to the States on Tuesday, July 3rd.  We surprised his family in SC for the 4th of July, so I didn't want to write anything about our approaching return on the blog.  But now we are back in Ohio, busy unpacking, doing landscaping, and just getting acclimated with our city again (we are watching a Reds game as I type this).  Thank you Cincinnati for the 100+ degree heat.  I feel right at home.

I still have a few pictures left from Grand Cayman so there will be a couple more island posts.  Enjoy shots like these while they last!

We stopped at Seven Mile Beach one night before dinner for some beach portraits.  Love this beautiful couple! 

My favorite place on island (tied with Camana Bay)...Welcome to Rum Point!

Drinks, round 1 - you know your guests are in serious "vacation mode" when they open a tab at the bar :)

Ordering lunch

Blackened mahi sandwich and veggie panini ( I should add that Brent and I went back one last time before the move and ordered the fish and chips - A-MAZ-ING.  I asked Brent how he would describe them and he said "perfect.")

After Rum Point, we drove a little further out to Starfish Point.  We've only been to this remote spot once before...on a boat trip our first month in Grand Cayman.  The starfish were just as plentiful as I remembered.

Front and back

Joelle and Dave, thanks for being our last Cayman guests!  It was fun getting to do all our favorite things one last time with you.  

After J&D left, we had a little over a week to pack, ship our boxes, sell our car, and squeeze in a little bit of extra sun and fun as well.  It was a hectic time, but we survived.  A special thanks to Jenn and Nate for making our last couple days so memorable!  I probably still have a couple more Cayman pictures on my camera, so I'll do a few more posts to wrap up :)

Two Years Ago / The Banks Visit

I was putting away notes from our small group last night, and decided to look up my prayer journal from this day two years ago.  Here's the first entry from May 7, 2010:

"Lord, Brent is accepting the Cayman Islands job today, and I am a little nervous/anxious.  Please help me to trust you.  Give me peace.  Help our families not to feel too sad when we tell them.  Help all the arrangements to work out smoothly - finding renters, finding an apartment, Brent's job, Walter, KruBooks."

It was such a random and divine thing that I picked up that journal to read today.  As we get (scary) close to the last day of Brent's contract, I once again need peace and reassurance that we are doing the right thing.  Leading up to that journal entry, I have days and days of prayers asking God to help us make the decision, that more than anything we desired to know and follow His will.  It's interesting that the last few months have been the same prayer, reversed.  Stay or leave, leave or stay.

My prayer journal continues to October 7, 2010 - 11 days before our move to Grand Cayman.  The pages are filled with prayers for this adventure.  That God would provide for us, that we would have safety traveling, that Brent would enjoy his work, that this would be a time of spiritual growth, that God would give us people to love and people who love us, that we would have wisdom and be open to His direction, that our marriage would be strengthened through the experience.  Oh how I want to go back to that Katie, doing her quiet time on the front porch with nervous butterflies and pages of worries, and whisper in her ear, "God will do all this, and so much more.  You have no idea how good our God is."

The last thing I have written in the journal is this verse from Psalm 143, which is quickly becoming a life verse for me: "I remembered the old days, went over all you've done, pondered the ways you've worked, stretched out my hands to you, as thirsty for you as a desert thirsty for rain.  Point out the road I must travel, I'm all ears, all eyes before you." (The Message translation)

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That was a long intro for an unrelated post :)  I've have these pictures from Emily and Steven's visit loaded for a while, and since I wanted to share that first bit I figured I would go ahead and add it here.  Our first night with the Banks, we did pizza on the beach with Jeremy and Sheena.  There's nothing like starting vacation with a beautiful sunset.

On their last night, we did another sunset dinner, this time at AlFresco.  This sunset was the prettiest, softest pink.  It was like being inside a cotton candy dome.

Steven and Emily were such fun guests.  Brent met Steven in Greenville, SC, way back in his high school days.  Even though I didn't know Emily that well before the visit, I quickly found how much we had in common.  I love instant friendships.

Our next guests will be my sister and brother-in-law.  Two more weeks - I can't wait!

Sunsets and More

Another "this and that" post. As promised, more sunsets - starting with a particularly special one.

In Remembrance

My beautiful grandma, Isabel Bongey, passed away on March 8th. I don't really have the words to express how wonderful she was or how much I miss her, so I won't try to fit it into the sphere of this blog. On the evening she left us, I escaped to the beach to watch the sunset alone. To think of her and picture her looking down on this same sunset from heaven, with her precious Savior, her beloved husband, and all the others who had been eagerly awaiting her arrival.


You are deeply missed, Maw Maw, but we celebrate your life and rejoice at your homecoming. Well done, good and faithful servant.

Sunset and Chicken

Last Friday Brent and I decided to do a little dinner on the beach after work. The plan was to be all healthy and get salads from the grocery salad bar, but one look at that and we quickly changed our minds. Plan B - rotisserie chicken which came highly recommended by the lady in the meat department. No side dishes, no forks...just chicken.


Hey, I didn't say this would be pretty.


Luckily we had this big body of water nearby to wash our hands.


This white cloud hung above the sunset. Brent said it looked like a shell, later we agreed it resembled fish bones.


Leaving Governor's Beach, I turned around to snap one last shot...


The Definition of "Comfortable"

Whoa - I wish this is what Walter does when we say "play dead," but no, this is just a regular afternoon nap. He opened his eyes once I started taking pictures, but don't worry, he didn't feel the need to move an inch.


Sleep on, dog.


Island living can be exhausting.

This and That

Sunset Drinks at Calico Jacks

Get ready: I've got a lot of sunset beach pictures coming up these next few posts. I'll take as many Cayman sunsets as I can get! One night, we met up with Jenn and Nate at Calico Jacks to enjoy some tropical drinks. Life doesn't get much better than this.


Weeknight Sunsets

We are now officially in Brent's busy season. Since he's been working till 7:30 or 8pm the last couple weeks, I've had some extra evening hours to fill. Walter and I are trying to fit in more sunset walks on the beach. Exercise for the dog, soul-recharge for me.


Maybe my favorite sunset picture yet? It's definitely up there.


Michael's Genuine Food & Drink

Our friend Brad celebrated his big 3-0 birthday with a three part-celebration. Brent and I met up with the b-day boy and his lovely wife for drinks at Michael's. As always, Camana Bay doesn't disappoint.


As darkness fell, I snapped this little shot of one of the fountains all lit up. Kids love to run and play in the water. There's something for everyone here!


House Hunters International

Last Thursday, Jenn and Nate made their House Hunters International debut! Brent and I went over to their apartment to watch the show with them. They had wine, dark chocolate and a bunch of international cheese. That's my kind of party!

The show was wonderful. They both looked great and were total naturals. I felt so honored to be watching with the stars! It was very surreal to see my friends on a show we watch all the time. To read more about their experience, check out Jenn's blog. If you missed the first show, you should try to catch a rerun. Brent and I make a brief cameo in the bonfire scene at the end :)

Beach Volleyball

It's been a while since I posted beach volleyball pictures. A couple weeks ago, Nate and Sheena's team was a few players short, so Jeremy and Brent helped out. It was fun to watch the four friends in action together!

This first picture isn't really of "our" team, but I like the spray of sand! (You can see my co-photographer Jenn on the other side of the court.)


Nice jump!


Not all plays are successful. Love the expressions, though!


Could there be a more beautiful background?


Fun times!