Warning: this post is pretty long!!
I know this post is late and I am sorry. I really wanted to do a post about leaving Grenada right after we got back to Utah, but things don't always go as you would like and we had to move around a little until we got settled up in the mountains at Ren's parent's house. Needless to say, I can't get online very easily up there, so I have had to put blogging and anything involving the internet on hold,...which sounds funny, but has been kinda hard on me. I think after being in Grenada and pretty much using the internet to connect to the outside world, it was a little bit of a change for me to get used to. Anyways, here it is...my post about leaving the island. Grenada.
I don't think I can describe living there any other way, than a huge blessing. Things have come about in ways I didn't ever know would be possible and doors have been opened that will continue to lead us into many different rooms.
When we first found out we were going to be moving there, I was ready for a change. I was ready to quit work and spend my time being a full-time mom. I was so excited to do nothing but spend my time with Gabe and Ren. After a horrific time trying to actually get to the island, all of which included losing Gabe's new passport, getting stuck in Trinidad, missing all our flights and chartering a small plane with one other guy to our final destination...we finally touched the runway in Grenada and let out a sigh of relief, as we welcomed in our new home.
As the years passed, there were definitely days when I wanted to jump on the next available flight OUT of Grenada and fly back to "the states" without blinking an eye, but for the most part I really enjoyed the environment I was in and the relaxed state it made me breathe in. I needed to slow down my life and concentrate on what the really important things were. That was one of the biggest blessings Grenada was to me,..understanding my time and how to use it wisely, especially with my children. I loved dinner time and talking with Gabe about what her "sweets and sours" were for the day; practicing her alphabet & numbers, along with playing Barbie's (of course I was always the boy.)
I won't ever forget the beach and the love I have grown for it since living there. If I was ever having a hard day, I swear the beach would always cure whatever it was that was ailing me. There is just something about the sound of the ocean and the warm sand.
I loved getting to know the other students, especially the ones in our ward. We all grew so close and it really felt like we were family. I hope I am always able to stay in touch and close to those people. They really mean so much to me and my family and we honestly can say we love them as we love our other siblings. We had to depend so much on each other and since we were all going through some of the same things, it was so nice to have someone who understood when you just couldn't take the ants crawling in your cereal anymore. ha! Oh...the bugs of Grenada. I definitely will NOT miss those! I will miss the sound of the frogs at night, though, chirping their little hearts out. And the lizards. I know some people might not love lizards, but for some reason I loved searching for them in our yard, whenever we came home. (Sorry this post is so long! Ha!)
Another blessing that came about in the most unpredictable way, was my love for photography. Living in Grenada gave me the time I needed to play around with my camera more, and to experiment with whatever came my way. I loved going out with Sara Weir and Lexi Shaeffer, to find new spots to shoot at and asking random people to model for us..it was so much fun and I grew so much as a learning photographer during that time. I loved taking pictures of the people there and the gorgeous landscape all around us! Especially the sky. There is something about the sky on an island. It makes you feel like you are so open to the rest of the world, and it always felt so close. Almost close enough to reach out and touch. It always seemed to have a mind of it's own when I took it's picture, & it always played to my photographs. I loved it. It (the sky) couldn't go wrong.
Ok, I think this has been a long enough post. I think this is probably the longest post I have ever written on here. I think I will wrap it up by saying I loved and hated living in Grenada. It was such a growing experience and I am so lucky to have been a part of it. I think part of the key to having a happy life is to always try and find the good wherever you might be. To stay positive and to enjoy the time you have. Thank you Grenada for teaching me that.
Au 'revoir you spicy little island!
King Henry!
8 years ago
