Where to start...

So I guess it's about time we start this thing so that y'all can check up on us whenever you want. I guess we'll see how it goes and maybe I'll find this is better than trying to email all my friends personally. I usually end up forgetting someone and then I lose track of how long ago and what you need to know about us since the last time I contacted you. Let's get started....

We moved to Dominica, an island in the Windward Islands in the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. Kevin decided over a year ago that what he needed to do was become a doctor. That required him to apply to schools. It was quite the process because he also had to take some classes while he worked. Long story short, we selected Ross University which has its main campus on this particular island. So, that is what brought us here.

Getting here is a whole topic in and of itself so I'll try to keep it down to the simple facts and not all the details. We packed our stuff in Alaska and had to try and figure out what we might need for the island. Having never been there I was really having a hard time. Luckily Kevin is a great doer and got things done. He gave me lots of instructions and we got it all done in time. We had it all shipped to Kevin's parents house in Massachusetts and we loaded our van up to make the drive to Iowa.

I am so glad that my kids are good travelers. They had fun and handled the trip very well. We were all glad to arrive at my parents house on the 4th of July. The kids were happy to watch all the fire flies and so we didn't need the fireworks, although we did see a few over the tops of the trees. We unloaded all our stuff and had to organize what we had because Kevin and I went to the island for a week to secure housing and get a better idea of what we were getting into. It was a nice trip and my parents enjoyed having the kids.

When we returned home from the island we had my family reunion in Illinois and it was great. We went farther east from there and made stops at Kirtland and Palmyra to see the Church Historical Sites. It was great for all of us.

We had a few days in Massachusetts before our stuff arrived and then we were busy packing stuff away and trying to get ready for the move to the island. It was nice to have so much family help in the unloading of the truck and moving it into the house. I'm so thankful that our family is willing to hold our stuff for us.

We left the airport in Boston at 6:30 a.m. (We were quite a sight to see with 14 checked bags and 14 carry-ons all packed to the limit and two strollers.) We made it to San Juan and then down to Dominica without incident and no lost bags.

So here we are. The kids are doing well and the house is fine. There are lots of little things that are different and yet it's just like lots of other places. Now that you are caught up to speed on the big things I can tell you specifics about the kids and share some of island living with you.