Fast and loose

Finally, the longest semester has come to an end. C.J.'s last final was Friday. After so much anticipation, it is hard to believe our Christmas holiday is finally here.

The weekend after a round of tests is always anticlimactic. There are such high expectations for fun-filled, carefree time, but the reality is actually more like shell shock.

We are both emotionally worn out from the marathon of studying that happened the week prior, and C.J. needs some time to decompress. We have to learn to live together again outside the shadow of med school.

There is the tendency to waste away the hours holed up in our apartment watching Liam crawl around and sneaking peaks at the Internet or taking turns napping. We've been getting in bed around 8 p.m. and watching movies. C.J.'s read about five murder mysteries in the past four days. But we've forced ourselves to get out of the house here and there for some adventure.

On Saturday we went to our local beach, a short walk away. I don't often think of going there because it is not as pretty as Grand Anse Beach. How quickly I've turned into a beach snob, since our local beach is about 200 times more beautiful than anything we have in Texas.

Daddy finally enjoying island life

Paradise in the 'hood

Nap time

If I eat this will it protect me from the sun?

Beach bum

We've been to a barbecue and breakfast with friends and run some errands to get our car insurance renewed and our Internet hooked up for next semester. We've had some casual gatherings with the neighbors. We stopped in at the grocery store, and I found yet another local thing to try - sorrel.

It is a flower that blooms around Christmas. Grenadians make a drink out of it by boiling the flowers with ginger, cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon. It tastes kind of like mulled cider, but you drink it cold over ice. And of course, it can be mixed with rum.

Sorrel flowers

Yesterday we took Liam to school and then were undecided about what to do next. We walked down Grand Anse Beach to a craft market we've never been to. If you couldn't tell already, I am a sucker for all local crafts and food.

I bought some carved Calabash shells that can be displayed as wall hangings, some earrings made out of driftwood, a hot sauce we've never tried and a coconut turnover. I almost bought a painting but ran out of money. I probably should stay away from the craft market for awhile.

After our (my) shopping frenzy which also included some interesting conversation with eclectic Grenadians, we sauntered down the beach until we found a restaurant we've never tried. We decided to have a cocktail and enjoy the view.

Not a bad spot for a Wednesday afternoon

While gazing lazily at the ocean and watching the European tourists who were on a day trip from the cruise ship at port, we again marveled at the fact that...we....live...here. It is almost too much to wrap my mind around.

As I write this C.J. is watching Pirates of the Caribbean (again!??) in his boxers on the couch. Liam is napping. I am neglecting a pile of dishes in favor of jotting down what will probably be my last blog before we leave for America.

We've got some packing to do but we'll leave that for tomorrow. There was an opening at GAP this afternoon so we're going to take Liam to school and then possibly go kayaking at the University Club. Not that I'm committing. We'll just see how we feel.

We leave Saturday for Texas where we'll spend two weeks, mostly with the grandparents. We can't wait to show off our little baby to all the family. We think he's going to be a hit.

I've gotten over the longing for American food and American conveniences (not that I won't enjoy them while I'm there). What I'm mainly looking forward to is weather that requires scarves and close-toed shoes. And I can't wait to wear a pair of jeans. It's been 16 months (not counting maternity jeans)!

Playing it fast and loose makes the days fly by. I'm having some anxiety that our first week of break is almost over. I'm trying to live in the moment and enjoy being together. We are lucky to have so much time to relax over the holidays. I want it to last forever.