Dive Right In!!

Let's face it, true fulfillment is all about relationships and we, Ed, Denet, Holly & Summer, are excited about the fascinating people we are meeting here in Cay-man! (Hopefully when you read this word you are hearing it with the local pronunciation. It is not pronounced Caymen as we say it in the states, it is K--Man with the emphasis on the Man!)

We'll start from the bottom up with Summer. Summer has met many new friends and is loving interacting with them. This past weekend she spent the evening friday and again on Saturday with Chloe & Dean. They are twins whose parents are from Capetown, South Africa. Their father is a doctor on the island and coincidentally Ed has a physical with him monday morning (we discovered that as we were introduced to them. Small community :) These children are two of the most polite, gracious, delightful children I have ever met. In addition to their charming british accents, they have a lot of knowledge of the world and the island and we enjoyed conversing with them as though they were two little adults--complete with giving us suggestions for restaurants we should try. Their mother Shelley and I met briefly and bonded instantly. I look forward to developing a friendship with her. Interesting coincidence: On friday after we dropped her friends at their home, Summer remarked to me that Shelley reminded her of Rochelle, in fact she said, "I think Shelley is your new Rochelle." The next day when she saw Shelley again, she told her about Rochelle. Shelley told Summer that her best friend also died in a tragic car accident. Interesting how the universe brings people together...

Holly went out to the movies on friday with friends from school and then to dinner and a party on Saturday. May I say that her friends are wonderful as well. They are surprisingly protective of her standards. A couple of them from the states know what it means to be a mormon and they are quick to point out that Holly is a "good girl" and as one young man put it, "there are few of them left in the world so keep her that way." They won't allow anyone to offer her alcohol, they apologize when they curse around her and they even changed the movie they were going to see so that she could come along. Wow. Such respect. I'm thinking she may have an easier time living the standards of the church here on the island than back in Utah :) They taught her to play Dominoes which is THE game on the island. She caught on quickly and gave the champion a run for his money last weekend. Her friends are from all over the world and it is fascinating to her. She says she now thinks in different accents and finds it very strange!!! She gets to take a school trip to COSTA RICA in May. Can you stand it? Such great experiences....

Denet: I am looking forward to lunch this week with author neighbor Marilyn Jax. (See picture above.) Her novel is "The Find" and I tried to buy it here and it is sold out until thursday. The reviews on amazon are great. I can't wait to read it and I am so excited to get to know her. She is lovely. The condo unit we are staying in is called The Sovereign. It is filled with retired couples , mostly from the US, Michigan, Minnesota, Tennesee and Florida. They all stay for the winter and then return to the states in April or May. They are delighted to have children around and always want updates on how the children are enjoying school, etc. They have been so welcoming it is great.

Ed works with interesting people from all over the world and there always seems to be a function we are invited to. The Dart "Family" is great and very comfortable to assimilate into. Ed also has the opportunity to work with the missionaries at church. (See photo above) Elder Wilson is from Jamaica and a lot of fun! Elder Mason is from a small town in Utah that we'd never heard of, the Bradleys are a wonderful couple from New Jersey who are on their way to The Bahamas. We are sad about the transfer because they are a lot of fun and also they are not being replaced with another senior couple. The mission is losing 5 senior couples.

To all of our friends and family in Utah--We love you and miss you and will remain close to you. It is great to expand our circle of friends but we treasure our bonds with you!! I hope you are all well and happy. Spring is coming--I promise!!! If it makes you feel any better we have been in sweats--it turned a little cold here last week. Our neighbors claim it is the coldest they've ever seen it in 20 years of coming here (high 60's low 70's.... but the breeze was nippy) Things are set to warm up again this week.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY: People who say it can't be done are often interrupted by someone doing it!