---MERRY CHRISTMAS---

 Christmas away from home is always hard, but Christmas on an island is that much harder.  Having done this once before I was prepared, but being prepared doesn’t make it easy! Christmas is SNOW, Christmas trees, Christmas music, Christmas lights, spending time with family, and most importantly the birth of Christ.

Being on an island makes ALMOST ALL those things hard to find, instead of SNOW we had RAIN, instead of Christmas trees, we had PALM TREES, the reggae Christmas jams that played in the streets were not your typical songs bringing Christmas joy...everything about Christmas here, is DIFFERENT than home.  But I learned that the one thing that is NOT hard to find, no matter where you are in the world is the Spirit of Christ, which is the TRUE spirit of Christmas.
For such an unordinary Christmas—clearly the least FESTIVE of any I ever had before, I know these special days will remain in my heart forever as one of the sweetest Christmases I have ever had. I think that is because for the first time in my life, I found myself understanding Christmas rather than just enjoying it. I think for the first time, I was getting the message of Christ's birth and life—His message and His mission and His sacrifice for others.  When we understand the TRUE meaning of Christmas, we can find that Christmas spirit wherever we are.

That being said…

On the 14^th, Brandon finished his first semester of Medical school! One semester under his belt, one semester closer to being home, one semester closer to his DREAM! And the much needed 3 week break that followed has been such a blessing. 

Momma and Pappa J got here several days after Brandon’s finals…and so did the RAIN, RAIN, RAIN, and MORE RAIN.  Fortunately, the worst part of the rain was I had to stop playing “All I Want for Christmas is a Real Good Tan,” cuz I knew that wasn’t going to be happening! The rain cut back on the beach time, but didn’t cut down on the fun. We explored the beautiful botanical gardens and Diamond Falls, hiked New Jerusalem falls, visited the sulfur Volcano, had a warm satisfying MUD BATH, parasailed over the Caribbean ocean, eat some delicious island food, visited the historic Pigeon island, and enjoyed 20 mins of sunshine on Laborie beach.

 The view from the house they were staying at was AWESOME!

 

 

 Diamond Falls and the Botanical Gardens.

 

 I've decided since I can't have a puppy, I will get a goat! so FLIPPIN cute! they both crawled right through the fence and into my arms.

 

 YUMMM....muddy!

 

 Yeah...the driver thought it would be funny to take me and Bran swimming..ha ha!

 

 Lattile Falls

 

 

Desperate times call for desperate measures....a paper tree was the best we could do:)

 
Christmas eve we walked around down town Vieux Fort, which was the place to be. The streets were CRAZY, the music was loud, there were people everywhere, and island was alive. Christmas day was spent watching Christmas movies, talking to Elder Dakota Anderson, talking to family at home, and feeding the missionaries. We were so blessed and happy to get to share our St Lucian Christmas with family. We got spoiled like always, not sure what we would do without them! Love you guys!