Celebration time

Today is actually Sat. Aug. 18th in Saipan.

The past few weeks have flown by, although nothing moves too fast 'on island'. Nicholas started a pre-K program and he is now going 4 mornings weekly. Morgan goes to the nursery class and claps and sings along to the Bible songs (SDA influenced). Ryan continues to enjoy his job. He has no call and no weekends (only sees outpatients), so the schedule leaves him time to enjoy the island and family.

Tomorrow is my birthday. Ryan is always sweet about making a fuss over the 'day of my birth'. This morning I slept in, am heading to a spa for a massage, then a babysitter is coming tonight (is 4:30pm considered night??). Next weekend we are taking advantage of a 'local promotion' at the World Resort Hotel and will spend a family day at their waterpark followed by an overnight stay for Mom and Dad. We have found a sweet babysitter (Zennie). She spoiles the kids and cleans the house as a bonus. Nicholas is still getting used to the babysitters (to put it nicely). The best part of the week was receiving a huge birthday package from my sister. It was filled with all kinds of love from home, including lots of activities to keep the kids busy. She sent us the BBC DVD set 'Planet Earth', which is absolutely amazing. Thank you, Kelly!!

After 6 weeks on a Pacific island, I am starting to feel at home. I know this will be a good change for us. The sense of community is strong, the no-frills lifestyle is omnipresent, and the physical environment is no short of breath-taking. I miss people the most. As I write this, my best friends from home (KC)are gathering for our annual reunion. I feel a world away. The love that we have for our church, our friends, our parents, etc. is more clear now than ever.
loving and missing you all,
Kim