Slightly cheesy

You definitely see people from a completely different perspective, as well as get to know them on a much different level when you live with them.

When I came here last year with my big sister and her family, I definitely didn't think about how close we'd all get, as well as how often we'd experience "roommate issues."

When I was four, Carina was getting married, she's fourteen years older than I am, and when she was eighteen she was already married, moved out of the house, and enjoying a family of her own, so I don't remember growing up with her. At all. She tells me stories of how she and I shared a room when I was little, and she'd come home from school to all of her drawers emptied and sifted through (which is totally coming back full circle since her little girl is now doing that to ME. Karma) and how she'd put me to bed and tell me stories and help take care of, change my diapers, etc, etc. But I don't remember any of that. I don't know what the average age is that people can first recall memories, but I can guarantee mine isn't what it's supposed to be. I literally don't remember anything before middle school, and constantly people are reminiscing with me on something I said before, or did before, and it almost never rings a bell to me.

I've pretty much accepted that my memory SUCKS, the story to perfectly illustrate my point is the following: I was once text messaging with my friend Sara, and she was telling me how my memory was just "abysmal" and she told me I should "google" some memory improvement exercises, so I remember pulling up an internet browser, and going to google, and then a couple of minutes later I was sitting there staring at the monitor and I was like, "wait, what am I googling again?" its pretty ironic that I forgot I was about to research ways to help remember better...boo.

Anyways, back to my story...this is story time. So, I don't remember growing up with Cari, she lived in St. Cloud with her husband and kids and St. Cloud is only an hour north of Minneapolis where I live (although once my friend Kenzie clocked me driving home from there and it only taking half an hour---so I guess it depends on who's driving, weird that I've been pulled over so many times-that's a whoops) and my family would see Cari's family probably at least once a month they'd drive down, or we'd drive up there just to hang out, or for birthdays/fathers day/Christmas, etc. So I grew up seeing my sister and her family BUT she never felt like my big sister really. I never confided in her, I just felt like we were on such different pages of life, she had her own kids, she was going through way different things than me, and it felt awkward to really talk all that in depth with her...until I came here.

By far, one of the biggest reasons I'm glad I came here was to make that connection with my own sister, and to feel like she's my sister. You definitely bond and grow close with someone when you're here first hand to experience trials with them. I'm glad I could be here to help her as she's been bent over backwards and up to her eyeballs in stress from trying to balance a life of a mother of three, a wife, and a full time student who's just giving everything she has into pursuing her dream of being a doctor and helping people like our sister, Amy, who died of cancer so long ago. It's remarkable to watch her go...it just makes me exhausted watching her. For real. All I can say is that in my personal opinion, doctors deserve every stinking penny of what they make, because they're dedicating YEARS AND YEARS to NOTHING but helping US. There's so much information they're trying to put together, process, and work through, and I really think if I was in medical school my brain would actually explode in the middle of a lecture--like seriously be some giant gooey mess. I'll just stick to doing hair, thanks.

Obviously from living on the island I've also gotten much closer to my brother in law, Casey, and my nieces and nephew as well. It says a lot for their whole family that they came here to support Carina. Casey the most, I mean, leaving your awesome job and comfortable nice life in Minnesota where he had all these hobbies and friends, just to be a backbone for his wife is awesome, and speaks volumes of his character. It just makes me happy that these people are my family, and i'll have them forever. Thus ends my rant on how much I love my family, because its fairly evident to anyone who knows me, that family is, and always will be, number one.

DONE WITH CHEESY/SAPPY PART OF BLOG...MOVING ON TO LIGHTER AND MORE FUN THINGS ;)

Before half of the family went back to Minnesota for the summer, I tried to soak up some extra time with Andi and Tanner. These two...oh man, these two. We totally took our relationship from Aunt-Niece, and Aunt-Nephew, to big sister-little sister, and big sister-little brother. We totally fought, laughed, talked like siblings after a couple of months. I got to know these two so well while I was here, and I'm SO glad. They're SUCH good kids, I love them so much, even though sometimes I wanted to punch them in the face, and I KNOW they'll say the same about me. That's how siblings are ;)

I took the kids to Rima which is a giant souvenir store on the island, I've posted about this place before. Locals buy stuff here and then sell it for twice the price on the beach, sucks to whoever falls for it. *cough* me *cough*

Tanner and Andi wanted to buy some presents for their friends when they went home so I took them there and of course Tanner bought a bunch of swords and spears and walking sticks, and Andi bought jewelry and stuffed animals. Typical girl/boy differences.

When we were checking out the cashier tells me that because I've spent 50 dollars I can receive a complimentary skirt/shirt set so I was like, "oh sweet! thanks!" she shows me the outfit and I laughed inside and told her no thank you...it wasn't quite what I was expecting, so she says, "no problem" and puts the outfit in our bags...uhh, okay.

We get home and I'm emptying the bags and I pull out this Caribbean outfit and trying to wrack my brain for who the deuce I could give this to that would like it, nobody comes to mind, then I decide it's going to a friend as a joke, then for some sick reason I decide I'm going to just put it on, so I unwrap it in the kitchen and just throw it on over my clothes and Cari starts dying of laughter.

Cari says she'll pay me fifty bucks to wear the outfit on the airplane home, I'm still considering it, I have student loans to pay off, i'll do anything for a dollar. Just kidding! I'm pretty sure if I wore that on the airplane home Piper wouldn't even want to walk next to me, and whoever picks me up will just take one look at me and then leave me at the curb, driving away at 100 mph with the tires squealing. Fair to say that I will NOT be wearing that home. Sorry, Rima saleslady.

The kids and I took Piper to Burger King because its A.) heavily air conditioned B.) They sell ice cream shakes for two dollars and we sometimes get sick of gelato (can you believe that?) and C.) They have a play place that Pipey LOVES. I'm pretty sure Andi, Tanner and Piper stayed up in that bubble/play pen for like half an hour.

Pipey misses her big brother and sister, and it is weird not hanging out with all four of us. I love those three kids, maybe soon I'll kidnap them and flee to Canada or something? Weighing the pros/cons still. JUST KIDDING CARI & CASEY, YOUR KIDS ARE SAFE.

Speaking of children I love: the primary kids I teach at church. A couple of weeks ago it was Yensen's birthday, and I told her I'd bring her a cake the next week. The next week came around and I FORGOT. What did I say about my memory? Agh! So I took out my lesson book and wrote huge on the next weeks lesson (which I'd see the following Saturday when I prep my lessons) "BRING CAKE FOR YENSEN, IDIOT" so that totally worked, the next Saturday I saw it, bought some stuff, and made birthday girl her cake...a couple of weeks late.

Yensen is my favorite student, I KNOW i've already talked about her before, but she's just exquisite (I say awesome and cool way too much, so i'm trying out some new adjectives, ya like?) Yensen has an extremely delicate home life situation, but she's such a brave and loving girl, she's only seven and she's already such an example to me. She teaches me a lot. I get so sad on weeks when she doesn't come, I miss her.

After the people, the best thing about the island is definitely the ocean. People who say "if you've seen one beach, you've seen 'em all" are SO wrong. Every beach here I like for different reasons, and I never get sick of going to the beach, I really do feel bad for people who live here that just don't like going to the beach, so I'm grateful I like it I guess, and that Piper loves it, too.

A couple weeks ago I went with Gary and Ashley to Guana Bay which is full of seaweed, so you don't go there for the scenery, you go there for the big waves, best for boarding. We learned last time we were there that sea turtles lay their eggs in the sand on that beach so you're not supposed to bring umbrellas because they don't want you to puncture the eggs in the sand. The waves were SO big that day and my board kept getting ripped away, so I had this super cute wrist rash for a couple of days, but still a lot of fun. The ocean is the best.