Where has the time gone?!

It's been a month since my last post here on the blog. I feel kinda bad, but not a whole lot has been going on, plus I post on the baby's blog every week... I've gotten lazy, what can I say?

My last post was written the day I got back to St. Kitts after being gone a LONG six weeks! To make matters worse, Rob had gotten shingles and I had to stay at a friends house for two weeks til he recovered. I was SO happy to finally get back to the Dolphin House after eight weeks! It was a pain to be able to see Rob during those two weeks but not be able to kiss or hug him hello! Stupid shingles.

Once back at the DH I was tasked with getting a list of things we wanted to sell before moving home so Rob can start at UGA's vet school. I've managed to sell nearly everything we are trying to get rid of, and I think we'll make a pretty penny to put towards anything we might need for our new house (which hopefully isn't much since all of our engagement party, bridal shower, and wedding gifts are still sitting unopened in my parents basement- after two years I CANNOT WAIT to finally use all the loot we got from our great friends and family!)  I have to admit though, I am going to be pretty sad to leave the DH. I love this house, and really, Rob and I probably will never have an amazing beach house with a completely uninterrupted view of the ocean ever again. Man... why can't UGA's vet school be located along a stretch of beautiful beach?

Seriously- look at that view! I can't leave!!!

There are a few other preg girls on the island- Tracey and Tamsin. Tracey is about 8 or so months along, and Tamsin is about 4 months along. I am smack in the middle of them. Last weekend Tamsin and my friend Catherine threw Tracey a baby shower. It was pool party with a beachy theme. Catherine came up with the CUTEST decorations. It was a lot of fun, and I ate a LOT of food. Success. I have to admit, even if it makes me seem kinda of greedy, I am looking forward to coming back to the states and having a baby shower! Yeah I will get cool baby stuff, but I get to see all my friends and loved ones in one place and I can't wait for that!

Three pregnant Ladies of Leisure... perhaps too leisurely :)

Yesterday some of the Ladies of Leisure were Ladies who Lunch. I had been wanting to visit Palm Court Gardens for a while, a few of the other VIP ladies had been there, and it was on my SK bucket list.  I believe it's an old house, now privately owned, that offers lunch and dinner, a pool, and the art gallery- Shell Works. There were some items at Shell Works that I have my eye on... definitely going back before heading back to the states. Catherine, Tiffany, Daisy, Tracey, Tamsin, Abby (and her four month old baby girl Zenalee), and I all enjoyed a nice, but slightly rainy lunch. It was a lovely time, I was super thankful they all came out, cause I am going to miss being and hanging with the Ladies of Leisure!  Before we left, we took a progressive pregnancy photo. Tracy, then me, and then Tamsin. It was cute! I wish I was going to have preg friends to hang out with back home! (I have no idea why this paragraph is white. My sincerest apologies).

While I enjoyed a stylish lunch, you may be wondering about what Rob was doing. Well, as a card carrying member of the Bovine Club at Ross University, my husband got to go on a "palp" trip to a local farm. Basically, they go to a farm with cows and shove their arms up the cow's butt holes. I'm not really clear on why you would do that... but Rob was pretty excited about it.  Today he is at school studying, but he has signed up for several "Calf Watch" shifts. The Ross cows are preg (seriously, there is something in the water here), and apparently a few are ready to pop out babies. So, Rob has to go check on them every now and them to... I don't actually know what the purpose of Calf Watch is. I guess they just check how the mommy cow is doing or see if she is ready to have the baby. I don't know, I'm not a vet.

This is my husband. The man of my dreams. With his hand up a cow's ass.
If I've said it once, I've said it a million times- I am one lucky lady.

I only have two and a half weeks left on the island. It's so bitter sweet. I can't wait to get home to the states and settle into our new life there and get ready for Baby Boy to arrive. I also do not want to leave the island. I really love living here, despite the ups and downs of living in a foreign country, and I will really miss all the amazing friends I've made.

Dolphin House Bed and Breakfast: Now open for business

Welcome to the Dolphin House Bed and Breakfast! We have a wide range of vacation packages that can be tailored to suit everyone's Caribbean dreams.  The guest house offers tasteful furniture, a spacious kitchen where the head chef will prepare anything you'd like, a lovely veranda with comfortable seating for enjoying a good book or a frozen cocktail, and the main deck offers panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and Royal St. Kitts Golf Course from our (almost) infinity pool. You can take your meals in our main dining room, on the gorgeous faux alabaster table, or out on the deck on our rustic drift wood table. Our well appointed guest room offers a pillow-topped queen bed, no views, and access to the laundry room.  Bathroom access is available, but limited (guests have a private half bath, but must share bathing accommodation with manager of B&B) Travel around the island to local beaches, shops, restaurants, and historic sites is provided by a vintage Toyota Rav4 that compliments the simple island lifestyle. Wi-fi is available throughout the guest house at no cost, and the low-def television boasts 14 channels! At the rear of the house is a stunning, large scale mural depicting a mother and juvenile killer whale, swimming happily in their 100% accurately represented marine environment; it is from this masterpiece the house takes it name (don't argue, Killer whales are in the dolphin family). The house is surrounded by stunning gardens, including a grove of fruit trees bearing coconuts and "papayas. Occasionally, wildlife can be seen from the veranda- monkeys, mongooses, random stray dogs have all found their way onto our grounds, delighting our guests with their adorable and destructive behaviour. In addition to the wild fauna, there are two domesticated animals that call the Dolphin House home: Autumn, an adorable coconut retriever puppy that bites and pees everywhere, and Lucy, the bulimic one eyed feral cat. They are sure to make you feel at home during your stray with their incessant barking, meowing, whining, and hissing.

Room rates are very affordable ranging from $0 in low season to $0 at the peak of high season, you need only confirm your travel dates with reception. Guests are responsible for airfare which is likely to be expensive and include at least one connection in either Miami or San Juan.

Here are some testimonials from some satisfied customers:

"Thanks again for the AMAZING trip."- Mauri H.


"Thanks so much to you and Rob for having me down there. It was a lot of fun and I miss you guys and the island already!" - John Paul T.


"Thanks for having me, I can't wait to visit again!" -Lia T.



"Ugh that view is so sick" -Lia T. (Referring to the view from the pool deck; I believe here that this visitor means "sick" in a positive way)


" I love this place. Not too many people who look like me, or drink whiskey like me, but it is very nice." - Zack P.

The Dolphin House is book through the end of May, but we are now accepting reservations for summer and fall! Hurry up and reserve your room before it's too late!

Home Sweet Home: Dolphin Style

After a really great trip back home for Christmas and New Years, Rob and I are back on the Rock. We spent two and a half glorious weeks with our family, who we really love, but we were both excited to get back to St. Kitts. It's too cold in the states for me now... All this desert and tropical island living has ruined me for winter! :)

The best part about coming back to the island was NOT having to live on campus anymore! It took a few days of cleaning and organizing (and a little bit of party-throwing) but we are finally settled into our new home- The Dolphin House. If you missed my original post about the DH, it got it's name from the enormous mural painted on the back of our pool. It is a delightful portrayal of a happy mommy and baby orca living in their salty underwater world. Yes, I know orcas are not dolphins (although they are in the dolphin family), but they apparently look like dolphins from the golf course behind our house.

View over our pool out to the Atlantic Ocean

Rob and I are sharing the house with Kate and Trevor. Kate and Rob and both in second semester, and we were all in the same orientation group last year. Our house is pretty awesome. We have a huge kitchen with tons of storage and a gas stove (thank God) and oven (double thank God), a giant tv and comfy couches, and a HUGE deck with a sweet sweet pool. Oh yeah, we also have private balconies of each of our bedrooms.  The awesome-est part of the Dolphin House is the incredible view. I can even see the ocean when I shower! Seriously though, we have a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean, completely uninterrupted. Life is good in the Dolphin House.

The pool

Rob's best friend Zack met us in St. Kitts for some island fun before Rob started school. They hiked to the top of Mt. Liamuiga on Wednesday, and they also cut the cast off of Rob's broken arm. Why you ask? "It had to come off Stephanie, it had to come off," was the response I got from my husband. It's strange though, because I don't remember Rob going to medical school or having a osteopathic medical degree...

Thursday was Trevor's 27th birthday, so we invited all our friends to come over for a party. I think everyone had a really great time. I had a lot of fun, minus the part where I was physically assaulted and thrown into the pool against my will. Oh well, I guess that's what happens when you hang out with a bunch of lushes.

Our bedroom

Friday we took a catamaran trip to Nevis. We loaded on the the cat, did a bit of snorkeling in good ol' Shitten Bay, then headed across the Narrows to Nevis. We had lunch on the beach, played in the water, and cruised on home.

Saturday Rob, Zack, and Trevor hiked up to the Bat Cave, while some friends and I went and had brunch at the Marriott and lounged on the beach all day.  I have to ease back into my lifestyle or I might hurt myself. Baby steps... haha just kidding, my life is a piece of cake right now, and I love it!

Sunday was a quiet day... Kate and Rob got ready for school and that was about it. Today they were back to the books, and Trevor and I went to our VIP meeting then grocery shopping. Big day right? Now the groceries are put away and we're waiting for the kids to get out of school at 3. Life has gone back to normal for me here in SK.

To see more pictures of our house and it's view click here!

Oh, and if you haven't heard yet: I got a job offer to go back to Egypt to work on an expedition. My old boss, Dr. Peter Lacovara heads up an dig at Malqata on an 18th Dynasty harem palace that may have been a childhood home to King Tut. As of right now I am planning on going next January and February to work with him.  We will see what the next year holds for Egypt before I book any flights!

Room with a view $

Our new house overlooking Half Moon Bay.

After three weeks of searching, I think we have found our new home here in St. Kitts!  Initially, I was searching for a one bedroom place for Rob and I to live in starting in January.  After a fruitless search, we decided to team up with Trevor and Kate and find a bigger place. Trevor and I engaged in some more fruitless searching, but finally found a great place Wednesday morning. We dragged out butts out of bed at 8:30 AM to meet with our realtor, Jo. She took us to the "Dolphin House" in Half Moon Bay. Totally worth getting up before 10 AM!
The house has three bedrooms (perfect if anyone wants to come visit!), 2.5 baths, garage/car port, papaya and coconut trees, a pool, and an INCREDIBLE view!!!

This is the view from the back patio toward the pool, golf course, and Atlantic Ocean!

Hopefully we will sign the lease early next week, and we'll only be 10 weeks from our rad beach pad! I am mostly excited to have a real kitchen again. I am also pretty excited about the view... ok, and the pool. Alright, I admit it, I am excited about the whole place!

One more thing. You might be wondering why it's called the Dolphin House. Well, the property slopes down toward the back, so the rear of the pool is above ground. What to do with a blank wall? I know, paint a huge underwater themed mural! Also, no dolphins are present in the mural- just orcas (which I think are in the dolphin family, but it's still a stretch). The paint is fading at the top where the pool water spills over. I can't decide if I hate it or if it is so outlandish that I love it. Either way, you can only see it from the very end of the backyard... or if you are playing golf on the course behind our house. :) From now on I will be calling it a fresco, cause it sounds fancy.

If cement counts as plaster, it's totally an a secco fresco. There, rationalized.