Another Update

I forgot to mention that we went to dinner with some people from PwC Tuesday night. There were 9 people there (two other married couples) and I was the only non-accountant at the table. I guess I'll be a little out of my element here :) We went to Triple Crown Pub, and I ordered a veggie burger. It was wonderful - I told Brent that it was better than most the regular burgers I've had.

I took these shots by the pool yesterday. There was still a little sunshine after we went to the beach (well, it wasn't very sunshine-y, but at least it wasn't raining). I guess you could call this "paradise":


Another random note - I am not sure what to do with my hair in this foreign place. It's so humid, and we are caught in a drizzle at least once a day. Straightening seems ridiculous, but when I curled it they all fell out into a frizzy mess. Yesterday I just blew it dry, then put it up. I think there will be a lot of pony tails happening here. Maybe things will be different when rainy season passes...


Last night Brent and I went to Aqua for a dinner date. It was maybe the best meal I've ever had! Brent ordered Sauteed Shrimp and Scallops with Champagne Rice in Mushroom Sauce and I got Brandy Lobster Crepes. It was all so decadent...I can't even put into words! (Am I blogging too much about food??)


Today Brent's been calling about cars, and we went back to some of the apartments we saw yesterday. We didn't go back inside any of them, but we wanted to park our car there and actually walk to the beach to see how long it would really take (everyone tells you it's "just a short walk" but it took us 17 minutes from one place!). It was beautiful weather walking to the beach, pretty hot actually. We walked along the shore a bit but didn't get in since we had the long walk back. It was still nice when we got to the second location. It drizzled while we walked to that beach, then it was DOWNPOUR on the way back. We were absolutely soaked, singing "If you like piña coladas, and getting caught in the rain..."

More adventures to come...

Last and First

Finally catching up on our blogging! Brent did a great job detailing our last couple days in Cincinnati. It sure was crazy and hectic. Things on the island are still go, go, go as we get phones set up, search for apartments, find cars, get licenses, etc. It's been rainy pretty much since we got here, which is probably a good thing since we haven't been tempted to do more leisurely activities in the sun. The sun did come out today for an hour, which was a nice little pick me up. We ventured to the beach for the first time (can you believe it took us about 41 hours to do that?!), took a dip and walked along the shore. Let me tell you, Seven Mile Beach is not overrated! I didn't bring my camera (shocking, I know), but I promise to get pretty beach pics soon.

I thought I should start this post with some pictures from our last days in Cincy. Brace yourselves - I have a ton of images to share!

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On Friday I had a girls lunch with my mom and sisters. It was so much fun - I'm really going to miss all our time together. We went to Bonbonerie for dessert and coffee. I got this amazing French Chocolate Mousse.


The girls


Our last night at home my family had a little b-day party for me and Brent (his birthday is Oct 15th and mine is the 25th). We had the most delicious pork chops, played games, opened presents. It was the perfect last night together. Here's some pictures from my parents' front porch:

Busted!


The night ended with a bunch of teary farewells. Oh my goodness, it was so rough saying goodbye to my sisters. They are my very best friends and absolutely mean the world to me. Brent will tell you, I am never more passionate, protective, or defensive than when it comes to my sisters. (Sarah, Amy, and Joy - you three are the most amazing women I know and I already miss you incredibly.) After saying goodbye to my dad before bed (he left for work before we woke up Monday), I went up to our room and cried and cried. My face felt swollen and tingly. I worry so much for my sisters, and what if something happened to them while I was gone? Who would take care of them? I tried to calm myself down by remembering that my whole family is in God's hands (which are far more capable than mine!), and that 20 months will fly by, but rational thoughts aren't my specialty past 11 pm.

Moving on to Monday morning...we ate breakfast with my mom, ran some last minute errands, and off the the airport (after weighing our bags for the millionth time!). I was so grateful my mom took the day off to drive us to the airport. It felt like the first day of school, when I was all nervous and weepy. Luckily my strong mom kept me from falling apart at the dropoff. No easy task, for sure! We had plenty of time at our gate, so we got a Brueggaccino and called family (Dad - I called all three sets of grandparents!). These are a funny series of pictures - Brent was looking at his phone and heard something interesting on the TV, he turned his head so quick, then back to drinking.


Gate 3 - flight to Miami


Up in the air


Waiting to takeoff in Miami


We arrived in Grand Cayman around 9:00 pm. Here was my first glimpse of palm trees from the plane window.


Our new friends Jenn and Nate were there to pick us up. Nate and Brent will be working at the same place, and we met online through our blog before we left. They've already been on the island three weeks, and we were so grateful to have their "expert" advice. They are staying at the Sunshine Suites with us now, almost immediately below us. There have been so many funny connections already - it didn't take long to realize we were totally destined to be friends!

Driving back to the hotel that night, the weirdest part was seeing in real life all these places we've been looking at on a map for the last six months. We kept saying - there's Camana Bay, there's Lakeside, there's Lime Tree Bay! It was so surreal - like actually visiting a town from your favorite fiction movie or book.

The next day we had breakfast and lunch at The Sunshine Grill outside our hotel. Very delicious!


Love the fan


Lunch - Triple Decker Quesadillas for Brent and Island Fish Tacos for me (aren't you so proud of me that my first real meal was seafood??)


Hanging out at the hotel - Brent trying to make appointments to see apartments (more on that in a later post).


All in all, things are going well - off to a fast start. It's weird...we kept saying how these first two weeks would be like a vacation because Brent wouldn't be working and we'd be living in the hotel. But it honestly feels nothing like a vacation. I guess that's because we are mostly doing administrative things to get settled. And I'm not super bothered by all the rain because I know there will be plenty of time for sunshine.

I'm sorry this post was a long time coming. It will be much easier once we are settled and in a routine. I'll keep taking pictures and uploading more. We miss you all!

WE'RE HERE!!!

I'm sorry that it has been several weeks since my last post. I think the last post I made was about Aroldis Chapman's 105 MPH fastball which occurred over 3 weeks ago. However, as you can imagine the last three weeks of our lives have been extremely hectic.

TIMELINE:

October 15 - Was my last day at PwC in the US, a day filled with admin tasks, exit interviews, and a very nice happy hour. During the day I also ran a couple errands including a trip to the BMV (bureau of motor vehicles - is Ohio the only state that doesn't call it the department of motor vehicles?) The trip to the BMV was unsuccessful and miserable just like all trips to the BMV are. However, this day also happened to be the day I turned 27, so Katie and I had a relaxing evening trying to empty our DVR before we left the country.

October 16 - We packed up our entire life and put in one of four places 1) the attic, 2) our suitcases, 3) on a boat to be shipped to Cayman, 4) Katie's parent's basement. We also had to clean the entire house so that the tenants could move in. Praise the Lord for all the help we received from Katie's family!

October 17 - I had the impossible task of fitting about 500 pounds worth of clothes and household items into 4 suitcases that should weigh no more than 50 pounds each (doesn't add up). We also had one last family get together to celebrate some birthdays (Katie's b-day is "10/25" as they say in the states, or "25/10" as they often say in the Caymans). Also, we had a very large sleeper sofa that would not fit in our attic, so we had to take it to our friends, Jordan and Elizabeth, to store in their basement. As of this writing, I have no idea if they got the couch to fit or not.

October 18 - We had one more errand to run before we left - getting the title for the car we sold to my sister and brother-in-law. After driving around aimlessly for quite a while, we finally found the right building. I was stressed and dejected after one already frustrating experience at the BMV on October 15 (see above). However, I'm fairly certain that the woman who helped us was an angel from God because she was so friendly and so helpful in a very stressful situation (trying to get a title to a car 3 hours before our flight to Cayman). Anyway, we got the title and it should be delivered soon. We arrived at the airport and the bags weighed 47.5, 49, 48.5, and 69 (oops $50 fee). I think we possibly could have had all suitcases under 50 pounds until Katie got a birthday gift the day before we left which included a very large camera tripod. The plane rides were uneventful (exactly how plane rides should be). We landed in Cayman to meet our new friends Jenn and Nate and got our first taste of driving on the left side of the rode. I did great, thank you very much. Our hotel here is nice, and after settling in we spent an hour exploring everything within walking distance, except for the beach.

Phew! Reliving the last 96 hours is exhausting. I'm so glad to finally be here! Look back soon for pictures that we have taken. Katie will post the pictures soon, I'm sure.

We have a showing or two today for apartments. I think we have some pretty good ones on the short list. Can't wait to see them.

Thanks for reading. Love you all.

Fallapalooza

Walter practicing his island sunbathing

Fall is my favorite season, partly because I'm an October birthday, but mostly because it's the most beautiful colors in the most perfect weather. We only have three October weeks in Ohio this year, and with all the packing and things to do, there's little time for fall-oriented activities. No trips to the pumpkin batch, no drinking apple cider, no walks to admire the leaves, no pumpkin carving, no fall decorations. All this to say that there's one fall tradition I am so glad I didn't have to miss - the 4th annual Fallapalooza! For anyone who doesn't know, each year the extended family on my mom's side plans a fall weekend to celebrate September-December birthdays. We camp at my aunt's house, have bonfires, do crafts, play games, and eat camp food. My family purposely planned it a little early this year so Brent and I could be there. Even Walter was excited on the way down!

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Setting up the tent


Saturday morning


I've been carrying my new camera manual in my purse and shamelessly pulling it out whenever I have a free minute. Lots to learn!


Loving on little Noah


Homemade donuts - powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar


Jocey organized the craft this year. The finished product - candy corn flower pots!


Jack listening intently to the birthday game instructions


Birthday Cake


It was the perfect weekend, a great getaway from that annoying to-do list. But now, back to the real world! Only 6 days left! Packing has been interesting. It's never a fun job, but usually it's pretty mindless. This time it requires so much decision-making! I'm mentally exhausted. Pack in the hotel bag for the first two weeks there, pack in the boxes we will ship over, pack in storage for the attic, pack in the little "winter clothes" bag we are leaving at my parents' for Christmas, give away, throw away, let people borrow...

Last night we finished the boxes we will ship over. Brent's taking them to the shipping place today at lunch. I hope they don't get lost! We mostly packed clothes and shoes, but a couple other items - printer, cookbooks, albums, games, movies, office supplies. I am torn between worrying we packed too much and we packed too little.

Last night was also the walk through with the house renters. Awful process - the idea is to point out all the things that are wrong so when we come home we know what was already there and what might have happened while we were gone. Two and a half hours of going room to room with people examining every last spot on the carpet and chipped paint on the wall. It felt especially bad because the house is a mess - everyday cleaning flew out the window long ago. It was pretty much my worse nightmare. Be praying that the renters take good care of everything and that I don't worry about it while we're gone. My new mantra - It's just stuff, it's just stuff, it's just stuff.

10 days

Well, we made it to the 10 day mark. Crazy crazy crazy. Despite our growing to do list, I feel like we are making progress. It's weird packing your life up in boxes...things I use every day being tucked away, not to be seen for two years. Where's it all going?

Right this way...

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Ta da!


Pretty amazing how much can fit in an attic, right? My dad came over Wednesday night and he and Brent took up a lot of furniture. It was a HUGE help, and it made me feel much less overwhelmed. Dad, you've been a lifesaver with the whole moving process - we appreciate you so much!

Other preparations are being made too - freshly painted toenails, all ready to bury themselves in some Caribbean sand!


Meanwhile, someone has to get some work done. Another hard day at the office for Walter...


Yesterday I was reading Psalms 143 and this jumped out at me: "I remembered the old days, went over all you've done, pondered the ways you've worked, stretched out my hand 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."


Such a perfect reminder for me. When I worry about upcoming decisions and the direction I should take, all I need to do is look back at the amazing, unexpected, mysterious ways God has worked so far. I think about Brent's youth group internship in Orangeburg, SC, which gave him a desire to change his major from Business to Youth Ministry, which caused him to transfer to Cedarville, which brought him to me (and eventually an Accounting degree). I think about me not getting the P&G internship I wanted, and instead getting a full time job at Ipsos, feeling unsatisfied there and starting KruBooks, which grew so fast I put in my two weeks notice at Ipsos, which led them to create a new part time position just for me, which has ended up being such a great fit and support for KruBooks. I think about Brent coming from a small, Christian school and yet still getting offers from two of the Big Four accounting firms, working four hard years at PwC, which eventually led to an opportunity to live in the Caymans for 20 months. When I remember the awesome places God's direction has taken us in the past, I absolutely want to stretch out my arms for more! Just keep pointing out the road, God, because that's where I want to be.

This weekend is Fallapalooza! I'm so excited! But then Brent's parents come Saturday night to take Walter and our Isuzu Rodeo. I'm dreading saying goodbye to our puppy :(

Last piece of business - I'm calling you out BRENT! It's time you made another appearance on OUR blog. Wasn't this your idea???