I love Grenada

I do, I love this island. My feelings about living here have evolved so much since we arrived in 2008. It was nice to be in America for Christmas, but I am glad to be back.

And it's not just because Liam sleeps better in his own room, although it is a relief to be in a routine with him again.

I forgot how much I don't like cold weather. If you think I was wimpy about it before, I am ruined for life now. I'll take the warm sun, flip flops and a tank top any day over freezing cold winds.

I missed the beautiful beaches. I missed the simple life. Our little apartment, one rack in the propane oven, one car, one kitchen knife, one pair of shoes, no dishwasher, no clothes dryer, no make up, no hurry. Less choices, less shopping, less food, less people, less is more.

We kicked off the new year with a visit from some best friends. First, Cory and Jordan came for a week then three days later Jason and Karen arrived with their daughter, Sadie (Yes, they traveled 2,000 miles with a four month old. Big up to the Welches!).

Snorkel cruise with Jordan and Cory

Hiking with Karen, Jason and Sadie

These were some amazing house guests - fun, gracious, adventurous. We couldn't have asked for better visitors. While hosting these couples we enjoyed so many things around the island. It really made us appreciate how unique and beautiful it is here.

We went fishing, snorkeling, hiking, swimming under a waterfall, driving along the coast, to our neighborhood beach, to the market in town, to a cocoa plantation, to a rum distillery.

We ate great local food like fried bakes, cou-cou, callaloo, pumpkin soup, fried plantains, macaroni pie and lobster. We drank rum with Ting (grapefruit soda), rum with sorrel juice, rum punch, rum and coconut waters, rum with lime juice and sugar, rum and coffee liquor, rum in Pina Coladas.

We tried new things like salt fish (not bad), coconut bread, lambie waters (seafood soup), sour sop (fruit with a green prickly outside), pigeon peas and rice, dasheen (a root vegetable) and mauby juice (made from tree bark, tasted terrible).

Every time we left the house we marveled at the scenery - school children in uniform, hand-made business signs, colorful rum shacks, fruit stands, tiny houses on stilts on the hillside, narrow winding roads, laundry hanging out to dry, barbecue pits grilling up jerk chicken, goats, chickens, dogs, men walking with machetes, wooden fishing boats, steep tropical mountains, games of cricket in green fields, gorgeous coastlines, rainbows, palm trees.

I have some favorite memories. With Cory and Jordan:

- Finding a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in St. George's with the best stewed pork I've had yet

- Stopping at dusk to see the point where Carib Indians leapt to their death to avoid being taken captive by the French

- Eating tender and delicious Wahoo caught fresh only hours earlier on our fishing trip

With Karen and Jason:

- Making juice with the guava we got from a farmer along our hike to seven sisters waterfalls

- Dancing to the drums at Fish Friday

- Stopping to ask about a certain tree and getting a friendly response from a dreadlocked rasta. "A breadfruit tree. No problem, mon."

Our real life here isn't so full of magic moments. C.J. is back to school. I am back to household chores and child care. But I'm feeling more aware of how special our time is here.

Maybe I am loving it so much because I know it will end soon. Everything now is "for the last time." Last flight here, last January, last dry season. It makes me sad to think of leaving our comfort zone, starting over, cold weather, no beaches.

When we are back in America will it all feel like a dream? Did I ever really live on a beautiful Caribbean island? I want to soak up every minute of it for the next four months.