He's Here!!!!

He's finally here!!! (Rachel played the role of photographer at the airport.)

 

 I was pretty excited about him coming to visit!

  

 On the water taxi to Caye Caulker. Josh was enjoying his roast beef sandwich. 

  

My first sunset in Belize... it was amazing!

  

  

   

The view from the rooftop deck of the hotel....I could get used to this!

  

   

 Beautiful!

  

 Josh's first dinner in Caye Caulker!

 

Josh was pretty excited about crab claws!

Saturday morning began with eating breakfast in swings (the usual around here) and preparing for a full-day snorkeling tour to the Hol Chan Reserve which is part of the barrier reef. This is the same place I went with the girls a few weeks ago, but this snorkeling adventure was even more exciting than the last. We went out with a guide and only 3 other people. The first stop was in shark and ray alley and we got to see some nurse sharks up close and personal as our guide fed them. We also made a stop to see a local fisherman who hangs out in a particular area every day and prepares conch. He throws the leftovers overboard which draws in dozens of sting rays, manta rays, and loggerhead turtles. All of these creatures were huge and swam right under and around you. The turtles were absolutely amazing to see that close and was definitely one of the coolest experiences of my life. We stopped at 3 other locations to snorkel and saw lots of pretty fish and coral. Did I mention that Josh swam through a cave??? Yeah, he did! There's a short cave in part of the reef and he and the guide had enough breath to make it... I didn't : (  . It was really cool though, and you ask Josh about it when he gets home!

 Josh loves "fry jacks" for breakfast just as much as I do!

 Ready for a day of snorkeling on the barrier reef!

Those are 2 nurse sharks... this was our 1st snorkeling location! It was amazing to see them this close!

 

  

  

That's me swimming with a giant ray... they were enormous! They're the 2 dark spots in the water.

 

  

 

Our second sunset from the rooftop of our hotel... beautiful!

Sunday we spent the day laying out on the rooftop deck of our hotel that overlooks the entire island. We did some walking around and shopping later in the afternoon before we departed for a sunset sailing cruise around the island... it was beautiful and one of my favorite things I've done here. I would be ok with sailing around a little island to watch sunsets every night! I should add a sailboat to my wish list to accompany that private island.... lol. 

 

 

 

 

18 hours and counting!!!

That's right, the count-down to the time Josh arrives is down to just hours.... I'm soooo excited!!! By this time tomorrow I'll be walking down the beach in Caye Caulker with one of my favorite people! I'm really looking forward to showing him the beautiful Cayes and where I've been for the last 2 months. The girls are excited about his arrival too which makes me EVEN more excited about it! 

Let me catch you up on what's been going on this week.... 

This was my first week teaching all subjects except Belize History and reading. I even taught PE on Wednesday. Needless to say, it was a busy week but also really fun! I am having a great time teaching the kids and working with my teacher. I can't express how truly thankful I am for the experience I'm having in the school and the people I've met here...God has definitely been watching over me!

 

 

Our science topic this week was "Animals"

And I taught "Money" in Math.

The week started out with Mariana pulling her tooth out during class... she was pretty excited about it! 

Celine brought Ms. Morales and I home-made cookies... they were delicious!

Break Time!!! 

 

 

Emily, Celine, Alessa

 

 

Alex fell down the stairs at his house over the weekend... ouch!

Zachary

Travis

Leeza and Lindsey... they're sisters. Lindsey is in my class and Leeza is in Infant 2. 

Iman, Ramini, Lindsey, Marquis, Yesmina

I should also update you on the "unwanted houseguests" (aka mice) that are still making appearances on a nightly basis. It started last Thursday night when we saw the first one that I blogged about. Monday night marks the first night that we caught a mouse on the sticky trap we set out under our "kitchen" area. I was already asleep, but just after the girls turned out the lights one got stuck to the trap. Rachel and Jessica were brave enough to put in a bag and take it outside. Tuesday night the traps were set in place before we went to sleep and just after turning out the light another one got stuck to the trap. I was awake for this one, and the girls followed the same "disposal" routine as the night before. Have I mentioned that I have AMAZING roommates??? Then, last night just after turning out the lights Jessica heard one get stuck to the trap. A little while later a second one got trapped. So, for the last 3 nights we have caught a mouse at 11:15pm... hopefully we'll break that tradition tonight. I am absolutely not ok with this situation. The lady we're renting from is having the apartment fumigated this weekend while we're away, so we're hoping this will alleviate the problem. However, I'm a little more concerned with figuring out how the mice are getting inside in the first place. We had a massive clean-out session after school today, so we're hoping that a little extra organizing and cleaning will keep the mice away. Maybe Josh will play the part of an exterminator while he's here... or, maybe that's just wishful thinking...

An island of my own...

This weekend we were invited to go out on the Caribbean Sea with a guy who owns a private boat. (He's the cousin of 2 of the girls we have met here in Belize.) So, we put on swimsuits, packed up some snacks, and headed out for a beautiful day on the water. After about a 30 minute boat ride we stopped on a island for a little while. Did I mention that this was a private island? Yes, John (our friends' cousin) owns a couple islands and also works in real estate to sell them... a pretty amazing job if you ask me! Anyways, after our first stop we continued on until we reached his second private island which is where we spend the remainder of the day. It was absolutely amazing and one of the greatest days we've had! We didn't see another person the whole afternoon! I'm pretty sure that I'd be content with spending every day on an island of my own. John says they go for about $100,000 an acre... anyone want to go in together??? I can handle the first $50! haha

 

Setting out for a day on the boat  from John's house!

That's John driving and Nikki's cousin, Andres, in the front.

Gisele and I

 

first stop of the day

 

 

the second island where we spent the day soaking up the sun!

it was absolutely gorgeous and picture-perfect!

 

  

  

Jessica, Nikki, Rachel, and I

 

Seashells everywhere!

catch of the day!

 

  

Andres, Nikki, Gisele

 

Some lucky little kids get to play here in their backyard on the sea... I thought our trampoline and playhouse was pretty amazing in my backyard! lol

 

the end to a beautiful Sunday

I want to live here!

 

The sun setting behind our humble abode!