Pool Time

We spent all day next to this awesome pool where we swam among the multiple falls, played game upon game of football, and explained why young European girls swim topless. 

The pool proved a safer bet than the beach, though, because Swedish women were topless here and Keagan's peering eyes proved too much for me to handle. 

We've never encountered such a diverse group of people while on vacation, not even Disney World compares to this. I feel like we are in Europe without an American within earshot. 

None of us can fathom returning home to sleet and snow. 

Factory Tour x Three

If anyone had told me I would be fascinated with nutmeg on my trip to the beach, I would have laughed. I mean, I don't even like nutmeg in my food. Never mind the fact that it is a seed. How can a seed be interesting? But I will admit that today I was in total awe with the production and distribution of a seed. Last week it was dirt moving down the river on a barge. Now it's seeds. What's next?

We toured a nutmeg factory this morning and learned the seeds are separated into three groups by hand. I repeat. By hand. This was what really struck me as fascinating. In some parts of the world, people still work with their hands and take great pride in doing so. I could tell you why there are three groups, but I know normal people would find that boring. 

 Then the seeds are dried. 

 Last, they are cracked and distributed. 

Let me go on record to say it was at this point in our trip that Evan wished he was born into another family. Who goes on vacation to visit a nutmeg factory? We do, Evan. One day you will thank me for this experience because it will show you are well-traveled and open to new experiences. 

But the fun didn't stop there. We also visited a rum distillery, where the rum is produced using the same machinery as that used three hundred years ago. 

Then we stopped at a chocolate factory. 

We tasted cocoa beans. Well, all but Evan because he was still wishing a calamity on our tour bus so he could get back to the pool.

We witnessed all of the steps in the production of chocolate. The seeds we are first fermented. 

Then they are dried in sun rooms. 

We left this stop for the gift shop and bought our weight in fresh chocolate. Interestingly, Evan's mood perked up. I've decided to keep chocolate in secret places places around the house, and when his blood sugar drops and his foul moods begin, I will shove chocolate down his throat. Then all will be better with the world. 

Tomorrow we lounge all day at the pool. 

Etang National Forest

Sometimes the rainforest can be as enchanting as the beach. This is especially true of the Grenadian rainforest. The flowering plants, the variety of trees, and the aromas are breath taking. Our first stop was Etang Lake, created in the crater of an extinct volcano.

The island is known as The Spice Island because spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and saffron grow in abundance here. But the rainforest has beautiful trees like the rainbow sycamore. We even saw a kapok tree; the elementary teacher in me was so excited about this!

The national park is home to monkeys and the national bird, the Grenada dove. Interestingly, a guy was imprisoned last month for four years for running over a dove. After hearing this story, I was so glad we ran out of money and didn't rent a car while we were there because I would have been yelling, "Stop! A bird!" with the flap of every wing for fear of killing a bird. I don't think Wes would have approved!

Our favorite site in the national park was Annandale Falls. 

The boys were brave enough to jump in! We were taken by this place and would love to return one day.

 

He Said It

Me: Hey, Keagan. What would you like to drink? Lemonade? Sprite?

Keagan: No, I want to try the rum punch.

Me: I think there's a bowl game on TV tonight.

Keagan: It's the Independence Bowl, Mom. It will only be worth watching if there are hot cheerleaders. 

Evan: There are too many meaningless (football) bowls: Auto Zone, Music City, Popeyes, Chick Fil A Peach Bowl...

Me: But the Popeye's Bowl game is in the Bahamas. That can't be all bad. 

Evan: If they serve peach shakes to the players at the ChickFilA Bowl, then that's the one I want to play in. 

Keagan: Mom, do I look okay? I mean Dad's wearing a button up. E is wearing a polo, and I have on sports wear. 

Me: You look fine. We're just going downstairs to eat. 

Keagan: But I gotta look good. You never know what might happen. 

Me: Like what?

Keagan: A hot cheerleader might want to check me out. 

Evan: This milk doesn't taste like milk in the United States. What kind of milk is it? Taste it and tell me if you think it's goat or llama milk.

Evan: All Grenada needs to be perfect is a Chick Fil A and milk chocolate...

Keagan: And hot chicks.

Day 2 Adventure

Today we took a boat to snorkel at Molinere Reef and Pelican Bay. 

Much of the reef was destroyed by a hurricane about 20 years ago. Ten years ago an artist created an underwater sculpture garden that he hoped would revitalize the growth of new coral. The art work was amazing and at the same time a bit odd. Our favorite sculpture was a group of children standing in a circle and holding hands. Underwater. All I could think of was drowning children. It's beyond odd really. Evan wanted to know why, even after ten years, there wasn't any coral growing on the statues. I was still stuck on drowning children, and my eldest was in deep thought about the life cycle of coral. Our guide assured us this is the first of many underwater sculpture gardens to come. We can say we saw the first, even if it is the last. 

We, by we I mean the boys, spent the afternoon at the pool with a football (I had a date under the sea grape tree with my Kindle and desire to produce as much vitamin D as possible), and then we caught a game or two of beach tennis. 

I'm still dreaming of the school's upcoming accreditation visit. A few more days in paradise and I hope to be cured!

Green, White, and Blue

Oh, be still my heart! Grenada is everything we had hoped with beautiful white sand, turquoise water, and lush green mountain sides. In all of our travels, the people here are the friendliest and most welcoming we have ever encountered. 

Today we took a city bus downtown to the spice market; Keagan was thrilled with the tight curves and the high rate of speed that mimicked a Disney ride. Evan was less than thrilled to be squished in a mini-van with a total of seventeen people.  After exploring the spice market, we walked through the historic St. George Fort.

 

 

The views here were spectacular.

 

 

We spent the afternoon on the beach and in the pool...

with the football, of course. Tomorrow we snorkel.

Battle of the Brothers

It took the boys over an hour each to prepare the big guns and pistols for the first Battle of the Brothers. Then the rules of Air Soft Battles had to be explained. I overheard Wes say, "Stop talking" several times during the rule run-down. That took another half hour. Then it took some time to get the gear on.

It only took a full morning of prep, but the boys were finally ready. The first fight was temporarily halted when I found Evan three lots over on the roof of the house under construction.

Keagan was deemed the winner of the first fight. Due to Evan's cries of injustice, Wes is now mediating the second battle.

The irony of our celebrating the gift of life while my boys are out shootin' each other up, is not lost on me, but some traditions are hard to break.

Christmas 2008 in Virginia
 

This is Awesome!

Thank goodness that last package from Amazon made it to our house on December 23rd! According to Keagan it was that last box filled with Air Soft guns that sealed this year's Christmas as the best one yet! Both boys are geared up with protective eye masks, visors, neck guards, and chest vests. Keagan is running through the house in full gear and must have said thirty times already, "This is awesome!" I even got a head nod or two from Evan when he opened the guns.



And then there was this...

Keagan opened his fins and said, "Well, this will be great when we got to the beach again...next year!" Why in the world do you have nutmeg, snorkeling gear, and binoculars under the tree? The boys had no idea and so we had to reveal that we are taking a family vacation. Tomorrow we will make our way to Grenada for snorkeling off the white sand beach, a hike through the rainforest looking for birds, and a tour of a nutmeg processing plant. The last one really had them excited! :)

The most thoughtful and unique gift was a set of arrowheads collected by the boys' great-great-uncle Bennie in the 1950s when he lived near San Antonio. The boys' wild imagination had them thinking of the Alamo, Indians, and battles. The boys loved it, Moo!

Merry Christmas to All!

Merry Christmas Eve

The boys and I spent our morning volunteering at the church, 

we made batch number two of cookies for Santa (since batch one was eaten after lunch),

 

 

we attended Christmas Eve service, 

and now we await Santa's arrival. 

(The best part of the evening is knowing we have no toys to put together this year and we can go to bed without feeling guilty about saying a bunch of bad words on Jesus's birthday.)

Merry Christmas Eve!

Engineers and Artisans We Are Not

I guess it's no secret my boys have a hate relationship with art and music, but I do not foresee either boy exploring the field of engineering either. Today we put "easy to assemble" and "fail proof" gingerbread houses together and both houses collapsed within minutes. 

I would doubt the product and its promises except the neighbor kids' houses stood straight and resembled the pictures on the box.

The next time one of my boys scores on the soccer field, I will take extreme pleasure in their talent. 

Even with structurally unstable houses and a designated last place finish in the design competition, Evan was all smiles. The sugar high from licking fingers full of icing may have had something to do with it, though. 

Keagan didn't care what his looked like, as long as he wasn't in last place. He just wanted to eat it! Until he remembered he doesn't like gingerbread. 

Next on the agenda is decorating Christmas cookies. 

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

Nothing says holiday spirit like a Christmas light display. Tonight our neighbors went with us to the river to see the Christmas lights. I don't think anyone really noticed the lights, though; the boys were rolling down hills and running races alongside the water. The adults were mesmerized by a tugboat pushing a barge filled with dirt. Proof positive we don't get out enough. Or maybe we are just getting old. Perhaps we didn't spend a lot of time with lights, but we are grateful for the Christmas season and the people we have grown to call friends in the last year. 

Powerful Toes

After I finished all of the Christmas shopping last week for the boys, I realized I hadn't bought any shoes. I thought it was pretty amazing that no one needed shoes this year - especially since we seem to need new shoes at least every three months. Tennis shoes, cleats, bball shoes, church shoes... We always need new shoes. 

Today at church I happen to look down, and I see the seam on Evan's shoe has ripped leaving a gaping hole and a bunch of unraveled thread.  I ask E what happened and he said, "I swear all I did was flex my toe and it ripped! I must have some really powerful big toes."

This might have been unbelievable a few years ago, but I totally believe this today. With all of the advice I have received about rearing boys, no one ever prepared me for how fast boys can grow. As I write, I realize that Evan has been napping for two hours. I fear he will wake up another half inch taller and all of those new clothes beautifully wrapped under the tree, will no longer fit!

I see long lines under the return signs in my future!

Two Kids in the Woods

The boys had an entire afternoon to themselves. This is a rarity! When the calendar is free of soccer games, birthday parties, or basketball practices, the boys usually play sports in the yard with the neighborhood boys. Today Keagan had something else in mind.

Keagan decided he wanted to test his ability to survive in the wilderness. He decided to try his hand at building his own shelter. Evan was intrigued and agreed to help him. Imagine my surprise when I looked up from my cleaning today to find the boys on the far side of the pond with a machete and a small fire going! They used hay bales that we have been using as the back drop for air rifle target shooting as the walls. Then they collected reeds and tall grasses to make a roof.

This is today's end product with a promise that more's to come!

Battalion Christmas Party

Tonight the boys and I attended the unit's office holiday party. I knew one person in attendance; this was not my idea of Friday night fun. I was imaging PJs and sleep. Evan was peeved that he had to walk in front of an entire room of people to receive a present from Santa, and Keagan was upset that he had to spend his Friday night on post when he'd rather have been playing with the neighbors. We were one happy bunch.

Then Santa made his appearance! He greeted us with the customary HoHoHo.

And without missing a beat, Evan and I both said, "Santa got some tats!" Then we were laughing; laughing so hard we were crying. 

Christmas with the Army! It doesn't get better than this!

Basketball Season is Here

Keagan is playing basketball this winter. Evan is not and for reasons that we are not even certain. How can my 5'8" sixth grader not want to play basketball? It makes me sick - literally - to go to these games and have my older son sit in the bleacers as a spectator. But we are very excited to watch Keagan, or as the African American play-by-play announcer refers to as Key'on, play his heart out.

He is playing in a middle school league and played Evan's middle school's JV team today. He was playing against a kid today that is the center for the varsity middle school football team. Keagan didn't even bat an eye. Sol lost that game, but only by four points. Game two was just a couple of hours later.

Keagan's wearing number one, but perhaps, it would be easier to look for the white boy.

What Keagan lacks in height, he totally makes up for in heart. He is one heck of a defensive player.

He's the youngest and smallest kid on the team, and yet, he is one of the starters. So proud of our little Key'on!

St. Nicholas Day

St. Nicholas found his way to our house! The combat boots are stuffed with a few German treats, but

I am sure very few German kids are waking up to a flag football kit. Keagan came home last weekend from playing football with the neighborhood boys with a black eye. I'm certain big E was responsible for the elbow that caused the black and blue, but this is the second time this school year that he has gone to school with a black eye. To prevent any future markings (or questioning looks from the teachers), St. Nicholas thought it wise to invest in a flag set.

Fun Fact

Fun fact: No one can rope a plastic bull like our three year old nephew, and no six year old girl can make pop-up birthday cards or beaded jewelry like our niece.

We are roping cows, target shooting, and drinking Big Red in the warm Texas sun. In other words, we are making sweet family memories East Texas style. 

Our time in Texas is coming to a close, but we are so thankful for the memories made with our families this past week. 

Happy Thanksgiving

We will find out in a month or so our next assignment. This year we can be thankful that we still live so close to "home" that we can make it back to Texas for the holidays. 

The boys are on day two of playing cops and robbers among the trees and endless games of baseball in the front yard of Oma and Opa's house. Texas is perfect this time of year for playing outside; the boys will find it hard to return to true winter weather in a couple of days. 

Just Call Us Crazy

Another weekend of soccer and another set of wins. This time Oma and Opa made the trip to Alabama to watch the boys play. (They have now traveled to every state in the Southeast to watch soccer.) We huddled together wrapped in blankets and under tents in torrential rains, we drank hot chocolate and hot tea to stay warm, and the boys were layered in mud and grass after the last game. 

Just call us Crazy. 

Then look at these smiles! We're making memories, people! Wonderful memories!

This weekend I only had to be told once on the sidelines to quieten down. Baby steps I tell ya. Baby steps. 

Both boys played up, both boys played excellent soccer, and this last picture proves upgrading to a new phone has just moved to the top of my must-dos. It makes me sad to say good-bye to outdoor soccer, but hello , indoor!

Ratting Out Big Brother

When Keagan came home from school today, he couldn't wait to tell us his juicy gossip. He heard from another kid at the elementary school that Evan had been seen at the middle school hanging out with black girls. Gasp! Evan doesn't hang out with any girls, and Keagan was itching to catch Evan in a secret liaison. This is how it unfolded when Keagan made it home.

Evan! Come here!!

Yeah?

Dallas told me you were at lunch today hanging out with a bunch of black girls!

Yeah? So?

Then it's true? You were with these girls?

Why?

Because they're funny! It's entertaining for me to sit back and listen to them. Yeah, they said one boy was acting crazy and then "Ooh-Wee! That boy need him some Jesus." 

Do they know you are listening to them?

Yeah, they know. 

Keagan was a little disappointed that he didn't unravel the story of a secret girlfriend. He thought for sure he had caught his big brother in some drama. Next time, Mr. K, next time.

Mr. K is Ready to Ball

This is a tall-tale, certainly the truth has been stretched, but this is Keagan's version of today's events. 

"Hey, Keagan! You want to play a game of 4 on 1?"

"Sure. Let's ball."

Then Keagan proceeded to take on four really BIG fifth graders with a pick-up game of basketball. In his very first possesion of the game he juked out big guy number one and the fifth grader fell on his backside; the second player was faked out and tripped over his own feet;  and the third guy fell for the fake pump just in time for Keagan to pull up and shoot. He shouted, "Splash!" and the crowd (of two) went wild. 

Keagan won the game, he now refers to himself as Mr. K, and he's ready to produce street ball videos for YouTube. Watch out, World!

Sneak Peek

Nothing can make my twelve year old cry like the mention of a photo shoot, but I'm so glad we did this! Look at how well the first shots turned out!

I have to look extra hard at this because this guy can't possibly be mine!

Open farmland, tobacco barns, fall leaves..nothing says Tennessee like the property in the background. It's exactly what I wanted. 

Goodness, he's cute!

Can't wait to see the family pictures!

White Trash

Today we had family pictures taken. In part because it's been three years since we had formal pics taken and in part because we were owed a favor and got a free photo session with a local photographer. 

On our way to the photo site, we were joking about "good" places to have our pictures taken. Ideas included:

In front of the industrial park. 

At the goat farm. 

Next to the junk yard.

Then Evan says, "We could all climb in a trash bin and then have a caption on our Christmas cards that says 'Merry Christmas from White Trash.'"

Bro Night

The boys' mojo is back! This weekend our U10 boys played 8v8 in a U11 bracket in Kentucky and came home as finalists!

We told them all before the final game that we were so happy with their impressive performance and making it to the championship game while playing up that we didn't care if they won or lost. I think they took us all a bit too seriously, though. Don't they know that's only a figure of speech? They played half asleep and had two own-goals. Final score was 0 to 3. 

Keagan drove up Friday night with Wes for a "bro night." They had White Castle burgers for dinner and went swimming in the hotel pool. Keagan couldn't wait to tell me on Saturday night how the bro night was almost ruined when Wes suggested that they snuggle in bed and watch TV. He said, "Snuggling when we have two big beds on a bro night? I don't think so!" 

However, when I asked Wes about it, he said Keagan was the one who wanted to snuggle, and Wes was the one who said, "Snuggling when we have two big beds on a bro night? I don't think so!"

Who to believe? I think we can all be thankful Keagan plays soccer better than he can tell a story! This weekend's five games, bitterly cold temps, and a long drive means we are all ready for our own beds! 

The Lone Wolf and Pam Oliver

The final football game of the season could not have gone any better. Snap five and Evan ran up the middle for a touchdown.

A few plays later, Evan ran up the middle again for the two point conversion. 

We won 27 to 6, but as much as Evan might have celebrated or as much as others might have congratulated him, this is where he stood when the defense took the field. 

One could argue his interest in the game is so intense, he can't be disturbed by sideline chatter. He stands next to the coach listening to play calls. He contemplates the strategies for winning and absorbs the entire game day experience. 

Or one could argue he is the Lone Wolf. The boy who would rather contemplate the game on his own, rather than listen to the opinions of the group. The boy frustrated by the mundane chatter of the other boys. The boy overwhelmed by the large group and much more content on his own. 

Either way, it was such a joy this fall to watch him play the sport that brings him such happiness. 

All season Evan has dismissed and doubted my football knowledge. He has shared all of his new plays and game plans with Wes and has assumed I couldn't possibly understand such a complex game of throws, catches, and runs. I'm a female, after all, and my wisdom is limited to advance mathematics and analytical reasoning. But today Evan paid me the highest compliment. He called me "The White Pam Oliver" of football. Finally, my voice will be heard! I'm reading "Football for Dummies" in the off season to live up to these high expectations. 

Until August.