The Broge Family Blog

21000+ Word Essay To Catch Everyone Up!

2009-01-31T09:19:00.008-05:00

So here it is...the catch-up of all catch-ups. While I was home last time I was confronted by quite a few people who were upset that I have not been doing my part so I am going to try and get it together. Here we go...you will have to start at the bottom of the post and come up for chronological order. It will take you from my previous post to Christmas Vacation so ... here goes!

Papa picking us up at the new Indianapolis International Airport.

Noah and I waiting on the plane in Charlotte after an unexpected overnight stay due to weather.

Noah's Birthday party (the craziest party in History!)

Chuck and Shean putting the hurt on the kids! (Yep we are definitely having a ball fight in the house! I love being an adult!)

Noah's Birthday Cake that I made him! (Happy 3rd B-Day Buddy!)

Church ICAN Children's home event at Buccaneer Beach Bar.

The view from our hotel room at the Westin on our weekend outing without the children. (Thank you McKnights!)

Noah and Mommy Date Day!

Halloween at home during surprise visit.

Box the boys were in when mom came to the door during surprise visit home.

Our turn to babysit the babysitters!

The worst wedding location of ALL TIME! (No really it is Sea Weed and did I mention it was decaying!)

View of the Wedding location just minutes before the ceremony. (All that brown stuff is decaying sea weed that the Hurricane pushed ashore!)

Our Island Hurricane Breakfast...gotta love not having any power or water for 3 days!

Jill and Bernard (owners of Buccaneer Beach Bar) after Hurricane Omar.

My Poor boat after Omar!

View of the Pool across the street after the Hurricane...notice that it is completely full of sand!

View from our balcony of Hurricane Omar's aftermath the day after the storm

Date night without the boys with Chuck and Geneva.

My Boys Chillin' in the Sunset!

Tang and I at the White Coat after party!

WE'RE BACK!

2008-09-12T10:33:00.002-04:00

Well, Tuesday the boys and I made it back to the island. It is official that Tangra is the reason that flying is usually less than enjoyable. The boys and I had no problems what-so-ever. We really had a great time over the break. Hopefully I will be able to get some pictures posted soon so that I can catch everyone up on what all we did but for now let's just say...we were busy! It was very nice to see everyone again and if we missed you hopefully we will get to see you the next time.

Now that we are back it is time to get back at it! We got to just relax and hang out the first couple of days but it is looking to be a very busy weekend. Last night we went to Chuck and Geneva's house for some true Louisiana cookin' and it was AMAZING as usual! However, the morning diaper changes were less that appealing! Gotta love cajun! Tonight is the White Coat Ceremony for the first semesters followed by a party for everyone. Hopefully I will be able to find a babysitter so that Tangra and I can make it a date, but we shall see. Tomorrow morning is the Spouses Org Welcome Breakfast which is always good because we get to sit around and eat the buffet at Ric's! However, because the new class is rather large it is looking like it will be relatively packed so Chuck and I are having a bbq for all the male spouses tomorrow afternoon so that we can all get to know each other a little better. Sunday morning we have church and then CMDA callout in the afternoon. So like I said..."it is looking to be a busy weekend."

I'll try to take some pictures of everything and post about them later.

Take care for now,

Matt

A little catch up...

2008-07-18T21:55:00.008-04:00

Well a lot has been happening since our last entry, so lets do a little catch up...
On June 21st Matt and I celebrated 5 amazing years together. We are so fortunate and have been so blessed. When we said "I do" 5 years ago we NEVER would have dreamed that we would be where we are today. God has given us joys that we never expected and could have never deserved.

We had a wonderful night together, and Matt suprised me (as he always does) with some beautiful island wood jewelry and informed me that he chose wood because it commemerates 5 years of marriage, just like paper is for 1 year, gold is for 50, ect....impressive huh?? I thought so!

School is going really well this semester, and I have finally figured out the whole studying thing. Since my studies are going well, Matt and I have been able to commit more time to working with some groups on the island and on campus. Matt put a lot of work into equipping the church at AUC with the tools they need to expand the service, and we have gotten heavily involved with worship. We have seen God do amazing things so far, as new students, their families, faculty, and even members of the local community are coming to the service every week.

We have run into some real challenges along the way, but God has been so faithful! We have seen that if we just do the little things that God asks us to do, He will take care of the rest. Nothing is impossible for Him!

The boys continue to grow so big!!! Noah is truly a great big brother...he is always looking out for his somewhat ornery little bro and trying to keep him out of trouble! Nolan is getting more and more independant, demanding to feed himself, walk up and down the steps, and basically follow Noah wherever he might go!

There is never a dull moment!

Our family has also gotten involved with the Christian Medical and Dental Association and coordinating outreach activities for the ICAN Children's Home, a local orphanage on the island. The children range in age from 2 to 12 years old, and you should see their excitement when we go to pick them up from the home!

It is a profound reminder of just how fortunate we are when something as simple as a day at the beach or a Dominoes pizza can be a huge thing for these children. It feels like we can only do a little, but we pray that it makes a difference.

Anyway, we are all REALLY looking forward to coming home in August! We keep reminding Noah that we will be going on a big jet soon, and he quickly starts going down the list of all of the people we are going to see, including "Chucky Cheese"...we went there twice over Christmas and for some reason it is now the epitome of all things fun. I have a feeling we will be there a lot in August!

Till then, we are thinking of you all and can't wait to give everyone hugs!

A full day of Character!

2008-06-20T10:09:00.005-04:00

So, let me start by saying yesterday was not my best day on the island. Bare with me, I will start at the beginning. I got up and went for my run like normal and things went good but when Tangra got ready to leave for class she realized that her car had been broken into because all the stuff that was in the glove box was scattered all over the seats. Luckily for us we don't have a pot to pee in so they didn't get anything but an AUC sweatshirt. Now think about that for a minute. Wouldn't you be so proud as a thief to spend your time breaking into a car to only get a sweatshirt? After all we do live in the Caribbean where there is like 2 days a year when you can actually wear a sweatshirt! What an IDIOT! Anyway, after finding out that all they got was a sweatshirt we really weren't too upset and decided to go on with our day feeling positive and upbeat. This was obviously not acceptable for Satan so he continued his wrath. About an hour later, I went out to find that my car had also been violated by thieves. Luckily as I said before, we don't have a pot to pee in so there was very little in my truck as well. After a quick inventory, I determined that they had stolen a pair of $7 jumper cables and a half of a can of WD40. All I could think at that point was, “man this Idiot will starve if he keeps this up too much.” This too seemed almost comical and so it didn't really faze me too much.

Let’s continue...so I load the boys in the truck and proceed to start it only to find that my clutch will not disengage. (Broken Vehicle #1) Fairly certain that I know what the problem is and that I will not be able to fix it myself I unload the children, take them back upstairs, and call a mechanic. I set up an appointment for him to come over the next day and look at it and Skype Tangra to let her know that I will not be able to make it to the school to see her. Tangra then decides that she will come home and pick us up so that she can stay at the school all afternoon and study and I will have a car. She comes home and picks us up and we drive back to the school. As we arrive at the school she glances over at me and says, "oh...by the way...this thing probably needs some gas (the gauge doesn't work but it had been a while since we last put some in)” at which point the car begins to lurch and chug to a stop completely bone dry. With a slight grin and a few under my breath comments I get a hold of Chuck to have him take me to get some gas (half broken down car #2) Chuck picks me up at the school, we run home to get a gas can and funnel, and then head back to the car. After about 45 min we are finally able to get the entire 5 gallons of gas ($30 worth by the way...yeah I don't want to hear you crying about $4 anymore) into the tank. I get the car started up, drive the rest of the way to Tangra's office and we all have some lunch together. Tangra finishes up her classes and then we all headed for home. We get, I kid you not, about a mile from the school and the car just shuts off! (Completely broken down car #2) A nice taxi driver that is near by tries for a little while to help me get it running and then when we can’t he offers to drop us back at the school where we can get some help. (He was such a nice guy!)

Ok, so before I go on let us reflect on the MORNING thus far! Sweatshirt stolen out of car. Jumper Cables and WD40 stolen out of truck. Truck breaks down. Car runs out of gas. Car breaks down. Driven back to school where we are with no cars and two small, tired, children.

Let's continue. Tangra goes upstairs to see if her friend Farnaz will allow us to borrow her car. Because she is the sweetest person I know she says yes and hands her the keys. We walk out to the parking lot to her car and find it with an all but flat rear tire! Not wanting to ruin her tire I pull the car over by the schools gym where there is an air compressor and pump up the tire. However, in order to use the air compressor you have to park on a slight hill and as we are parked there the car dies!!!!! I get in and realize that it is nearly out of gas as well, but I do not have anymore gas in my can because I poured it all into broken down car #2! I let the car roll down the hill to a flat spot where the gas can get to the fuel pickup and it starts so we decided to limp the car to the gas station and see what happens. Luckily we were able to make it to the gas station and the car never died again...it only sputtered a little as we were pulling in the gas station parking lot. After filling the car with gas I continue home to drop off the family before (against my better judgment) continuing on to the parts store to try and get parts.

As I said before I knew that I could not fix the truck by myself so I thought I would try and fix the car. Knowing that the car had run completely out of gas and that after a few minutes it died from fuel starvation I figured that it was probably a clogged fuel filter or at worst a fuel pump. So off to Napa I went. I walked in thinking I would buy a relatively inexpensive fuel filter (maybe home $15-20, island $50-60) and replace it to see if that worked before getting any further involved in the repair. However, after a short conversation with the parts man and a little computer searching on his part he returned my verdict.

"The 2001 Kia Rio doesn't have a separate fuel filter. It just has a little screen on the end of the IN TANK fuel pump that is PART OF THE WHOLE ASSEMBLY which we have IN STOCK for $314 PLUS FREIGHT of $25."

Please allow me a minute to break this statement down for you as I did in my head after leaving the parts store without any parts!

---The 2001 Kia Rio doesn't have a separate fuel filter. --- What kind of crappy, ridiculous car doesn't have an inline, maintainable fuel filter!

---It just has a little screen...that is PART OF THE WHOLE ASSEMBLY--- Really?!...you can’t just sell the little screen...what a crock of crap!

---IN TANK fuel pump--- Honestly, can this be anymore ridiculous that it already is!?

---for $314--- Why yes...I guess it can be! Thanks for that one too!

---which we have IN STOCK...PLUS FREIGHT of $25--- If anyone can rationalize this one then by all means let me know!

Needless to say I left the parts store, drove straight home, walked into the house, went back to my room and went back to bed. Hopefully today I will be able to start the process of getting everything fixed and back to normal.

Thanks for letting me vent,

Matt

Block Day!

2008-06-09T09:51:00.004-04:00

Today is Block Day! Meaning that Tangra has her block exams and we are so excited because this means we get her back for a little while. The last week or so she has been leaving for school at around 7:30am and coming home sometime between 7 and 11pm depending on what she needed to get through. (We are all so proud of her determination and drive!) I can't imagine having to study that hard. I think she studies more in one day than I did in my entire college career. (Sorry Mom and Dad, but it does explain a lot doesn't it!) Anyway, as you can imagine this is always a difficult time for the boys and me. Not that we don't love hanging out together or that we can't find things to keep us busy but there are some times when only Mom will do.

I try to give everyone their fix each day by taking at least one meal to the school for her. Usually we will pack up and go for lunch, spend about an hour with her, and then head off to concur the rest of our day. Needless to say we all enjoy the time together very much but we all hate the end.

On another note, we have really been witnessing the hands of God at work here on the island. For the last couple of weeks, we have had the opportunity to help out with the campus church service put on by the AUC Christian Medical and Dental Association. The service consists of a live worship set and then a prerecorded sermon from Cornerstone Church in Brentwood CA (http://brentwood.cornerstoneweb.org/). We have always been impressed with the sermons and really enjoy the pastor's laid back approach and sense of humor. After attending the service off and on over the last 2 semesters we saw an opportunity to get involved and we took it. Tangra worked with a group of people to start a nursery/children's church that has allowed more families to attend that otherwise could not (including us.)

I have also worked with a group to add instruments and sound equipment in order to make the live music set more inviting. Attendance has really taken off and each week we have more people excited and eager to help out in any way they can. We just ask that you would all pray that God would allow the service to glorify him and that he would continue to encourage us and help us to see ways to reach out to more and more people.

Well, I think that is about it for now. I gotta go get some errands done!

Later everyone,

Matt

Maybe I'm Not Cut Out To Be A Marathon Runner!

2008-05-22T09:36:00.002-04:00

So, as I said before I successfully completed the mini-marathon on Sunday...my official time was 2:28:32 which I am very happy with...however since then things have went somewhat down hill. Monday I was a little sore, nothing major, but by Tuesday morning I couldn't stand up straight and had to spend most of the day on the couch. Wednesday was pretty much the same way, but I felt bad that the boys had to spend all day inside the house so I tried to take them to the Domino's playground after lunch. I thought I would get a drink and read my book while they played in the ball pit but the whole trip was miserable! I couldn't find a comfortable way to sit but I couldn't stand either. Noah couldn't understand why I wouldn't play the Lion for him, and for the first time ever Nolan decided he would like to try out the ball pit too. Which is a little deep and once he got in it he couldn't get out. After trying about 20 seconds he decided it was hopeless and just stood there screaming hysterically. I tried to get Noah to help him but Noah couldn't stand the screaming and got out of the balls instead. So I'm sure you can imagine the scene...Nolan screaming, Noah yelling at me that "Nolan is screaming!", and me trying to shimmy up a small tube slide, through a tunnel of tubes, and pulling Nolan up out of the balls to safety. All with extremely uncomfortable back pain. At which point I realized that the tubes were way to small for me to turn around in so I had to back all the way back out. To make matters just a little worse, all the screaming and commotion had drawn a rather large crowd of spectators just in time for my grand exit which appeared to be a cross between a round off back hand spring and a belly flop! Let's just say that Noah couldn't get his crocs on fast enough. After that we went back home and the boys watched movies while I iced my back.

Today I am feeling a little better and hopefully by mid weekend I'll be back to normal. I'm going to try and take them for a walk later to see if my back will stretch out a little. Wish me luck!

Matt

Let's Just Say Tangra Is Happy!

2008-05-19T09:41:00.007-04:00

I am so proud of myself! Yesterday morning I went for 2 1/2 hours without stopping! I never thought I would be able to go that long! My record prior to that was only about 45 minutes!

Oh...you perverts...that's not what I meant!!!!!!!

I'm talking about RUNNING!!!!

Yep that's right, I ran a mini marathon yesterday for the first time in my entire life! It was 22km (13.6 miles) and took me just about 2 1/2 hours which I was very happy with. It started right across the street from our house, went all the way around the lagoon, and ended up across the street again! I even had people finish after I did! Which I might add is probably another record for me! :-) They had a person taking pictures while we ran and stuff so I will try and post them when they arive! I will also post my official time then as well.

Later,

Matt

We're All In Trouble Now!

2008-05-16T08:20:00.003-04:00

Well, what else can be said...Nothing!

Later,

Matt

Kids Don't Miss A Thing!

2008-05-15T21:43:00.005-04:00

So the boys and I went for dinner tonight at Ric's. After we ate our food Nolan was laying on me drinking a bottle while Noah sat in his chair and watched the hockey game that was playing. As we sat there, Nolan arched his back and screamed so I lightly swatted him on the leg. Just as I did, Noah spun around and said, "Daddy...no more spankin's!" Caught off guard I said,"what?" to which he replied, "Noah said no more!" "Don't spank him anymore because Noah lubs him!" Wow, Kids say the darndest things don't they! Anyway, in true parental fashion I replied, "Well, I love him too that's why I spank him!" "I also love you that's why I spank you!" With I slightly perplexed look he said "Noah lub you too daddy!"...and swatted me on the leg!

Red Bull Rides Again....

2008-05-07T18:54:00.003-04:00

Little strong-willed Nolan has picked up the nickname Red Bull. This is why.....

Time to catch up!

2008-03-29T11:13:00.010-04:00

While Grandma and Papa were here Nolan, Mommy, Daddy, and me had so much fun. Daddy has been too lazy to write about it so I figured I should tell everybody what we did.

First, papa helped daddy get his boat running.

They worked really hard. Nolan and I helped a little too.

The first thing we did once the boat was working was go through the bay...

to a restaurant called Tijuana Yacht Club.

We parked the boat right on the dock, ate a good dinner, and got some cool hats.

Nolan and me love grandma and papa. Grandma made Nolan sleepy though.

She also cleaned him in the sink!

Grandma and papa had their anniversary while they were here too. 38 years seems like a really long time!

We all went to Shrimpys to celebrate.

Grandma and papa went on a special boat ride too. Grandma was so excited!!

There was a big boat race here too. Daddy called it the Heineken Regatta. There was a big concert in front of our house on the last day of the race. Me and Grandma went down to the beach to see what was going on. I made her chase me.

I am so fast, she can't catch me!

We also went to family fun day,

which was pretty cool. I went on some rides and even rode a little pony.

We went to a special island called Pinel. We had to ride a ferry to get there!

Once we got there, grandma floated in the water. Nolan took a nap with daddy.

Chuck and Geneva came too.

They are awesome!

For Easter we had a Easter egg hunt.

We had a potluck too.

There was all kinds of food, but Nolan and I mostly ate watermelon.

The last day we took Grandma to the airport. We watched her big jet fly back home.

We were very sad that she was gone but we had a great time while she was here.

Grandma Left And It Really Blew!

2008-03-28T11:33:00.005-04:00

First, I will appologize to all my faithful readers for letting you all down. I am sorry that I haven't written lately. There is a ton to catch up on which I will not try to do now. I will only say...what a couple months. Mom and Dad came and went and we all had an absolute blast. We did everything from watch Shaggy on the beach across from our house...

to ride scooters around the island...

...and between everything ate a little bit (or in some cases a lot) of everything!

We drove boats, we watched boats, and we even almost sank a boat (luckily it was only almost!) The boys loved having Grandma and Papa around and we were all very sad to see them go!

Now we are starting to get back to "normal" and I will try to keep everyone informed a little better. The last couple of days we have been recovering. We took Tangra to school and then got some breakfast. We played a little on the slides at the school and then watched some airplanes. After naps and picking Tangra back up from school we went to get some groceries and then Tangra and the boys went home while I went with a group of people to watch Drillbit Taylor (What a GREAT movie!!!)

Well, I think that is enough for now. The boys are getting restless so I need to go.

Talk to you all soon,

Matt

I Waited and Waited and They're Finally Here! By Noah Broge

2008-02-26T07:31:00.005-05:00

Grandma and Papa came to my house on the Big Jet and Daddy took Mommy, Nolan, and I to the airport to pick them up. They told me they were a day late because of the pilots of their first flight not having enough sleep, but I was so excited that they were here that I didn't even notice. After we picked them up and dropped their stuff off in my room they took us to the Buckaneer Beach Bar for Cheeseburgers. It was YUMMY!

The next day we went for a walk on frontstreet in Phillipsburg. We showed Grandma/Papa all the little shops and took lots of pictures.

We went to the place where they make Guaveberry Rum...

...and I showed them where my house was on a big map!

I even got to chase some lizards...

...they were HUGE!

I had soo much fun!

The Next day we all went to McDonalds for breakfast and Nolan and I played on the slide.

After that we went home and Grandma and I went to the beach in search of shells for Madelynn. We found a lot but I decided to dump them in the water just before we came back up...Grandma was very upset!

That night Nolan and I stayed home with Grandma/papa and had popcorn while mommy and daddy went on a Date! They were so excited that they could hardly contain themselves. I guess Nolan and I can be a handful sometimes!

Well, Grandma is ready to go...she says we are burning daylight...so I'd better go!

See Ya,

Noah

For entertainment purposes only!

2008-01-28T14:28:00.000-05:00

Over the last couple of days Noah has been gradually getting more and more little "bites" all over his body. We thought at first it was misquitos but when I layed in his bed with him I didn't get bit. Then being the Dr that she hopes to be Tangra bursted into action (after I told her I would take him to the clinic in the morning) and got on WebMD to diagnose the problem. (Side note: WebMD is the dumbest thing I have ever seen. All it does is give average people enough of what they consider information to be dangerous and waste money! Case in point our evening last night!) As I said Tangra got on WebMD to diagnose the problem and quickly determined that it must be either dust mites, scabies, or some foreign burrowing larva! One of which states can be easily diagnosed by rubbing a felt tipped pen on the surface of the skin and then washing it away which should leave a dark line where the ink has soaked into the tunnel that the little bug has burrowed under the skin. Well, needless to say that was determined not to be the problem once she had made Noah look like a long time customer of Miami Ink. The next possible cause instructed her to replace all the linens on the bed. Determined that this must be the problem she proceeded to gather up all the sheets and pillow cases on Noah's bed and stuff them in a trashbag for me to carry out to the dumpster. (Another side note: As I said I had already decided to take Noah to the clinic and fearing the WebMD diagnosis may not be completely accurate I neglected to take the trash out till after the appointment today...Thank God for rational thought!) After all the linens had been "thrown away," Noah had been drenched in OFF and dressed up like a character from the Mummy, and I was safely in bed with him to "take the bite before he did" Tangra was finally content to go to bed. Luckly for me because I think the next remedy she was supposed to try was smoking them out and I don't think we would have gotten our deposit back after that one! Anyway, sure enough I took him to the Dr and the Dr informed me that chicken pox have been going around right now and that that was surely what he had. He said that Nolan probably won't get it because he is so young but if he does it should be a very light case. Needless to say I believe there really is no substitute for Medical school and that WebMD should be labeled
"For Entertainment purposes only!"

Till Later,

Matt

Getting Back in the Swing!

2008-01-22T06:53:00.000-05:00

Well, we have been back on the island for nearly two weeks now and we are finally getting back in the swing of things. Noah is really getting upset though because he has only been swimming once since we returned. We have just been taking care of business like crazy!

While we were gone we decided that the rental car we had was costing us too much money so we decided we would get rid of it and buy an "island car" instead. We searched around a while and finally found one that was in decent shape and our LOW price range at the same time (Amazing!) It is a V6 with 4 wheel drive which I am really excited about but we decided to sacrifice a litte right now and go with a Manual transmission (Tangra can't drive it yet but she doesn't really mind) and no AC (She's not as excited about that part!) However, the temp here is absolutely perfect and there is always a breeze so it really is nice. We will just have to figure something out closer to summer when it is not so nice. It even came with a cattle guard which may come in handy if the locals try to stop me in the golf course and take advantage of me!

I got a GREAT deal on it but I feel kind of bad because I think I took advantage of poor Muhammed. You see he came down on price because of a problem in the frontend. He explained it like this...

"...the last couple of times I drove the truck it acted a little funny. Whenever I turned it would make a clucking noise and it really wouldn't turn very sharp. It felt as though it was jumping a little."

He then continued on by saying he would "...gladly knock another $300 off the (already low) price." He also told me that I could take the car for a couple of days and drive it around to see if I really wanted it (which would allow me to experience the problem for myself and Tangra to examine the no AC thing.) I quickly agreed and we were off.

Here is where the advantage comes in! For all of you fimiliar with 4x4 vehicles you may already see it but for you who are not, I will explain. You see I've always been told that the easiest way to see if the 4x4 is working is to turn it on while you are on dry asphault and try to drive in a circle. If it works it will "not turn very sharp and jump/lurch a little." So after Muhammed was well out of eyeshot I took the truck out of 4x4 and it drove just fine! Needless to say the next day I called him and told him I would take it. I know it wasn't nice but it did save me $300!

Anyway, as you can see I am very excited about the new vehicle, but other things have happened too. For instance, we finally got Nolan a highchair that he loves! He likes to sit in it and eat Cheerios while he watchs cartoons on TV.

It has been so nice because it isn't nearly as messy that way and I don't have to constantly hold him.

Other than that we have been going to see Tangra for lunch and watching boats almost every day. Taking walks usually 2-3 times a day. And we go to the store or run errands every couple of days. My favorite part though is "chillin" at night time!

Till later,

Matt

Back Home Again in Indiana by Noah Broge

2008-01-06T15:55:00.000-05:00

After mommy finished her tests, we went to the airport and got on a big jet so we could come home! Mommy said that Nolan and me were very good on the airplane.

When we first got home there was lots of snow on the ground so I had to help daddy shovel grandma and papa’s driveway. Me and daddy wore our matching coats and Grandma tied Wal-mart bags around my feet since I didn’t have any boots.

Grandma bought me, Nolan, and my cousin Madelynn matching pajamas so we could go see Santa Claus. It was so fun. Santa Claus scared me a little at first, but then he told me that I could have a dinosaur for Christmas and gave me a lollipop.

I got to play with all of my old toys and I even let Nolan ride my Mater. He was too little to ride on it when we left!

I got to hang out with all of my aunts and uncles. Mommy has lots of brothers and sisters so Nolan and I got lots of attention.

We also went to one of my favorite places to eat – BUCK CREEK PIZZA!! We went with mommy and daddy’s friends. They are my buddies too.

We went to the Sebald’s house and had so much fun. They made daddy a big steak. He ate it really fast.

Sarah Sebald was there too. She is so pretty, so I had to get my game on.

I hope long distance relationships work out...

On Christmas Eve we went to Grandma and Grandpa Riggle’s house. There were LOTS of people there! We had to take a couple of pictures just to fit everyone in.

Here I am with my Aunt Alexandra, my cousin Elijah and my cousin Roman. I know, it’s kinda confusing to me too.

On Christmas Eve everyone gets an early present and a flashlight that is just like the star that shone on the stable where Jesus was born. I got a Bob the Builder tractor and Nolan and Roman got trucks. They are little so me and Elijah helped them learn to ride.

Grandma and Grandpa Riggle got coupons to go out to eat. They were pretty excited.

I even got to meet my Great Grandma Marnie for the first time. Nolan liked her a lot.

I met my great Uncle George too. He plays in a banjo band. I guess he is a little nuts.

Christmas morning was so awesome. We got up very early and had so many presents. Mommy helped us open them.

After we opened our presents daddy and Uncle Zeke went outside and shot boom booms! I watched them from the window. It looked so fun!

Mommy said they had too much fun

All in all, we had a really good Christmas. Happy New Year everyone!

My Boys Are SO Big!

2007-12-10T11:08:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to take a minute to show everyone some pictures we took before church the other day. The boys are getting so big. I can't believe how fast they've grown up! I am so blessed to be able to spend my time with them! I love them more than words can say! Enjoy!

Matt

One Long Walk!

2007-12-10T09:27:00.000-05:00

For all of you who still are unsure exactly where we are, I thought I would draw you a map! :-)

(Click to enlarge image)

Yesterday was a fun day. After I got up Tangra called and said she had run out of gas at the school. (Good to know some things don't change no matter where you are!) So Chuck helped me out and brought her home. Chuck and I ran to the gas station and then to the school so I could get the car. While I was gone Tangra decided to take a nap with the boys, but not before locking the little flipper lock like they have in hotel rooms. So when I got home and unlocked the door I realized that I couldn't get into the house. She wouldn't wake up and I didn't feel like trying to climb in the balcony (because quite frankly I don't think I could if I would have!) so I went out on the beach to find a nice spot to work on the tan. I ended up finding a really nice spot. There is little rock cluster that sticks out into the bay and I climbed out on the end of it.

It was really comfortable which was good because I was out there about an hour and a half!

After Tangra and the boys got up and I got into the house, Chuck came over and we decided to take the boys for a small walk. However, we managed to underestimate distance and ended up taking them on a rather LONG walk. We walked all the way around Simpson Bay, around the airport, and back home.

(Click to enlarge image)

I think it took us nearly three hours but we had a really good time. The kids sat in their stroller and we pulled/pushed them all over. They were great, they had plenty to keep them entertained. There was one spot on the beach where we stopped to watch the planes that the only thing seperating us from the active runway was an old chain link fence. It was very cool.

When we got home we were all exhausted! We made some dinner and watched a movie before going to bed.

It was a good time had by all,

Later,

Matt

Holy Cow It's Been A While!

2007-12-08T15:42:00.000-05:00

Man, time sure flies when your sitting around baskin in the sun of the Caribbean. I can't beleive that I haven't written in so long. Sorry to everyone who is a faithful reader! (Ok, so maybe my blog isn't that important but you never know, better safe than sorry!)

So, what have we been up to? Well, Tangra has continued to study her little fanny off for her last exam of the semester. She feels pretty good but of course she is a little stressed given that it is on Monday. I think she can actually bomb it though and still pass so that helps take some of the pressure off. The boys and I have been doing a considerable amount of Yacht watching! There was a pretty big Yacht show this week so we tried to see as much of that as we could. However, that didn't go too well because as the security guard reminded us we are "OBVIOUSLY not yacht owners or brokers!" Why he had to be like that about it I don't know! I mean really, did he have to say it was "Obvious!"? I'm sure there are a lot of yacht brokers and owners that walk around in khaki shorts and John Deere shirts with a dirty boy and a baby strapped to their chest! How did he know?!

He did try to give me an out though. As he was showing us the door he said "...unless you happen to sell something...if you do then you can pay to register and peddle your goods all you want. Do you sell anything?" Seeing an opportunity for greatness I quickly searched the depths of my psychy searching for an answer. However, before giving it a completely thorough examination my mouth blirted the first thing I could think of..."Mary Kay!" (Who thinks of Mary Kay at a Yacht convention?!) To which I followed closely with "CRAP...I'm sorry that's all I could think of...we'll leave!" Thus ending the events for that day. We did get lucky though and the guard at the local marine told me that because I had kids he would let me walk through the marine and look at the boats. It was really cool but we weren't allowed to take pictures so I can't really show you.

Other than yacht watching it has been kind of typical. We walk a lot, we swim a lot, we nap a lot, and we hang out a lot. Most every day goes like this.

We wake up around 7 and drink coffee on the porch till Tangra leaves at about 8. We then have breakfast and get dressed for the day. At around 9:15 we head towards the bridge so that we can watch the boats come in at 9:30 when it goes up. After that we come back home and get ready to go see Tangra for lunch. We go see her for about an hour then it is home for naps. After a couple hour nap we get up and get ready to go to the pool. We go to the pool for about 2 hours and then come home and get ready for dinner. After dinner we either go across the street to listen to the musicians or we watch some tv. At about 8:30 we get in the car to go pick up Tangra at the school. When we get back the kids go to bed and Tangra and I discuss the day before going to bed around 10:30 or 11. It really is a great little routine. We aren't rushed or forced to do anything but we don't just sit around all day either.

Well, I have a couple of things I need to get done so I'd better go for now. Sorry again for the delay and I will try harder in the future.

Later,

Matt

Lobster Hunting (The Sequel)

2007-11-26T11:21:00.000-05:00

Well, we gave lobster hunting another try the other night and did pretty well. We caught 3 that were keepers and three that we had to throw back.

Well, I should be fair and say that Justin caught 3 keepers and two that he had to throw back, and I caught one I had to throw back! I decided to take a picture with this one though and pretend that it was the one I caught so that I had a picture of my first time catching a lobster.

Chuck was not successful this time because he had a head cold that would not allow him to go under the water for any amount of time, but he did manage to pose for the nastiest picture ever.

That is correct everyone, he has a lobster in his mouth. However, what you can't see is that this is a lobster that has been boiled and had it's tail removed so he actually has the nasty gut oozing part in his mouth! Like I said NASTY!

This time it was much easier to relax and enjoy the event. I wasn't as worried about sharks and the dark! I still need to get comfortable grabbing the little buggers though. Eventhough I managed to catch one little guy, I missed about 5 other big guys. It could have been quite a feast but instead it amounted to enough lobster for Tangra to have one good dinner. We also caught a big crab but it was a female with babies so we put her back in the water so she could plant her eggs!

All in all it was a good time and I would definately suggest it to anyone wishing for a real caribbean thrill!

Matt

Tangra Broge...SGA SECRETARY 2008

2007-11-26T11:14:00.000-05:00

It's official...Tangra is the new AUC Student Government Secretary for the 2008 academic school year.

She is very excited about this new honor. It is a great opportunity for her and it will also look very good on a resume! :-)

Congratulations Tangra ... We are all so proud of you.

Love,

Matt

My Little Man Is 2!!!!!!!

2007-11-26T10:34:00.000-05:00

It's official folks... Noah Wade Broge is 2! I can't believe it has been 2 years already. Time sure flies when your having fun! This year his birthday fell on Thanksgiving so we celebrated both events together. It was very nice. Our family got together with the Brox family and the Cluff family and had a nice dinner around the POOL! (Yes it was a little weird eating Thanksgiving by the pool but it sure beats SNOW!) Everyone brought some food and there was quite a spread...

I think we all had difficulty knowing how much food we would need. It was all wonderful though. Tangra was so hungry by the time we ate that she couldn't even wait for them to cut up the turkey. She just went nuts, tore a leg off, and dug in.

(It was just a little gross!)

Hillary baked an awesome pirate ship cake for Noah that he loved!

It was pure genious! She used little tube-shaped cookies and candles for the canons and fruit roll-ups for the sails. It was very cool. Nolan decided it was the best cake he'd ever had!

It was a very nice Thanksgiving although in some ways it felt more like the 4th of July!

Later,

Matt

One more to go!

2007-11-20T09:19:00.000-05:00

Tangra had her 4th exam yesterday so that means that she only has one more before she completes her first semester of Med-school! I can't believe we have been here that long already. Time has flown by! In three short weeks we will be headed back to the good-ole USA for the Holiday season. Although we love the island and our experiences we are definitely excited to get back and visit everyone!

I should tell you that contrary to what you may think, I am turing into quite the Betty Homemaker! I do the dishes nearly everyday, I pick up toys constantly, and I cook at least two meals everyday. Sunday night before her test Tangra wanted a Carb-filled dinner to help get her brain ready so I made her spaghetti. I think that Noah enjoyed it more than anyone else though!

So lets catch everyone up. As you saw in the previous entry we have had a string of colds circulating through the house. I think we are finally getting close to having that over with. Tangra has been studying nearly every waking hour although one of the perks of being in the Caribbean is there are a lot of great places to study ...

... Tangra is seated at the top left of the pool so don't feel too bad for her!

The boys and I are gearing up for the first week of December. That week there is a huge Super Yacht convention here on the island. It is rumored to be the largest gathering of Super Yachts in the world! Some of the boats have started to arrive so everyday we take a walk down to the bridge and sit at the yacht club and watch the boats come in. Here is a picture of the boys and I returning the other day.

Last night we all went to the Broxes' house and while the women watched the kids play in the pool, Justin and I went snorkeling for shells. Justin gathered a lot of sand dollars that Hillary is going to use to make necklaces and I was able to get my very first Conch shell. However, when you get them in the wild they don't look like they do in a store. When you get them home you have to soak them in bleach water. Here is mine soaking.

I'm pretty proud of it! It really was a good time.

Well, the boys are getting restless so I need to go.

Talk to you later,

Matt

Oh what a night!

2007-11-16T09:30:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday night we got our first taste of the St Martin Medical system and lets just say it is not an experience I ever want to have again. It all started about 11:30pm when Noah woke up and was having difficulty breathing. It has happened before and we knew that he really needed a breathing treatment. However, after some searching we realized that when we packed to come down here we neglected to pack his inhaler. So we quickly decided to take him to the emergency room. We loaded everyone in the car and headed to the hospital on the Dutch side of the island. After three phone calls and 4 U-turns we finally managed to find the unlit enterance to the emergency room. They gave Noah a shot of steroids and a breathing treatment and sent us home. About half way home we realized that he was actually getting worse instead of better and that he needed further treatment. Tangra had heard that the Drs were better on the French side of the island than they were on the Dutch side so we decided to try there.

On the way there I dialed 911 to get directions to the hospital only to hear "I'm sorry but it is hard to explain . . . can't you stop and ask a security guard somewhere?" Furious, I decided to ask the next person I saw, and of course it would have to be 7 drunk french guys who all pointed in different directions. The next person I came to said there was not a hospital but if I went back one block and turned I could follow that road to one. (Is it just me or does that sound confusing to anyone else?) So I went back to the next block and turned. The road was similar to an apartment complex driveway, but we did see a sign that said hospital and pointed in that general direction. However, after driving another 150-200 yds the road turned to dirt and looked like a construction enterance to a new subdivision. As I was turning the car around my headlights shined on a dark sign that was back off the road about 20' that said Hospital and had arrows pointing one direction for visitors and another of emergencies. We quickly followed the sign and arrived at the emergency room.

The Dr gave Noah another dose of steroids (this time orally) and then started him on another breathing treatment (this time they used adrenoline which treats inflamation of the throat instead of asthma and he quickly started breathing better.) After giving him about 3 doses they announced that he would need to spend the night in the hospital so that they could give him further treatments every 2 hrs until morning. However, given that we were paying out of pocket and this was not the first time this had happened we decided to take him home instead and come back if we needed too.

The next morning he was sounding much better but I wanted to be sure that it didn't come back so I took him to the Mullet Bay clinic. What a visit. The Dr and Nurses were all very nice (unlike everyone from the night before.) The Dr discussed everything with me and explained what each hospital had done, and then said he didn't seem to need anymore breathing treatments. He wrote me a prescription for two medications and they have really worked wonders. As I was getting ready to leave he handed me his card and said "Next time give me a call. I am on call 24-7 and I can meet you at the clinic anytime." Oh the other thing was that it cost me nearly $500 for the emergency visits and it only cost me $25 for the clinic visit. So lets see... I can get rude treatment, shady service, and pay hundreds for it or I can get friendly treatment, real service, and pay a minimum for it. I can definately say that, "I WILL NEVER GO ANYWHERE ELSE!!!!"

After all that the boys and I got home around 9am and quickly fell asleep until around 1:30pm. Now Noah is doing much better and we are all almost caught back up.

Till Later,

Matt

I totally redeem myself!

2007-11-13T10:37:00.000-05:00

Well, just when I think that I couldn't possibly do anything dumber, I go and totally redeem myself! When you start your weekend off jumping in an ocean full of sharks, at 1 am, while breathing through a tube, it really doesn't seem like it can get much dumber, but of course where there's a will there's a way! You see for some reason, I decided that even though I haven't run more than 100 yds since freshman PE, it would be a good idea to join in the adventure of running a relay around the island. Yes, I know, it does sound pretty stupid but it is amazing what peer pressure will do to you. At one point it even sounded fun!

Anyway, we had a team of 10 that split up the 25 mile course. The legs ranged from 1.4 to 2.9 miles and included hills, valleys, and everything in between. My leg was only about 1.8 miles which sounded better than most, but it turns out that 3/4 of it was straight up! Anytime you are reading the leg description and it ends with "at the top of Mt William", you know it is going to be a long day! Lets just say that although I made it to the end, it was not the prettiest sight. In fact, speaking of unpretty sights, this would probably be a good time to talk about the team uniforms. I suppose the best place to start is by saying 8 of the 10 members of our team were women and that they decided we should all have matching shirts.

Their oversight however, was that when they selected a style for the shirt they neglected to take into account the potential for varying body styles, shapes, and sizes, and quickly settled on THE AMERICAN WIFE BEATER! It didn't take long for Chuck and I to realize their flaw and refuse to use the shirts. (We didn't think it would be fair to use such intimidation tactics!) However, as the race wore on and we approached my leg it became apparent to me that we may in fact need to use them! So in good team spirit I stretched that little shirt to it's max and jumped on the line. . . however from the results of the race I think it must have been too little too late. We finished the race 43 out of 45 followed closely by two "Junior"(8-14 yr old) groups. Aside from the running and the near heart attack the event was very enjoyable and we were very excited that we didn't come in last.

After the race we watch some of the award presentations and then went to Hanna's pool to relax.

Later Sunday, Tangra and I took the boys to the bar and grill across the street to listen to the live band and eat some dinner. It was very nice to spend a little time with the family again before Tangra got back to studying.

Till Later,

Matt

We're Alive!!!!!!!

2007-11-10T07:10:00.000-05:00

Amazing...that is really all you can say about lobster hunting! Now, I will be the first to say, "it is not for everyone," but it was amazing! Anytime you are climbing into the water with snorkel gear and a flashlight when you really should be climbing into bed it's not for everyone!

We ended up having four people go Ben, Me, Chuck, and Justin. It started out looking like it was going to be very prosperous when Ben caught one on the way out to our spot. However, it would prove to be the only one caught for nearly an hour.
So we all decided that maybe the elements weren't quite right and we should call it a night. But before we called it we decided to make a loop the other direction through the bay. Fortunately, it turned out that there were a few more over there so Justin ended up catching two more. So all said we ended up with three lobsters but one was a female with eggs so we threw her back. Leaving us with two that we boiled, cleaned, and Chuck and I took home to our wives.

Well, that is how the overall trip went but lets discuss my time! As you can read above, I did not catch anything. In fact, I just barely TOUCHED anything. I can only explain it as gradual progress. Basically, it went like this...for the first half hour my body and mind were coping with the fact that I was floating in the ocean, breathing through a tube, holding a flashlight, while thousands of unknown creatures moved around me!

After spending another half hour determining that in order to catch a lobster, I had to know what one looked like and look for it, I started concentrating on that as well. Once I had mastered that process I realized that no matter how far I stretched my arm out, I could not reach the little booger and breath through my tube at the same time! Another 15 minutes passed while I observed the art of free diving and my body said "alright,you own this!" So I search a little while and sure enough there he was! I took a deep breath, dove down right above him, opened my hand, and my mind said, "extend hand, open palm, grab tail, and swim back to surface." However, somehow in translation my body heard, "open hand, slightly extend arm, there is no way you're touching that thing, ah just do it, NO WAY, ah just do it, NO WAY, hey where did it go, oops he's gone, I can't breath, SWIM STUPID, there is water in my mouth, I STILL CAN'T BREATH, OH NO, OH NO, blow out, inhale, pretend you know what you are doing!" After gathering myself, I realized that although I thought it may have looked somewhat normal and I'm sure no one saw me, that Justin had quietly observed the whole event and was laughing from a distance! Needless to say it took me a couple of more attempts to convince myself that it was ok to touch them and a couple more after that to actually make it happen. Lobsters really move a lot like cockroaches! They will sit there pretty still till they feel you touch them and then they bolt, and no matter how prepared I was for it, it scared me every time. I touched two or three but couldn't grab them. I think that next time it will be a lot easier though, because as we were waiting for the water to boil we spent some time holding them and getting comfortable with the fact that they really are quite defenceless.

When we originally planned our excursion we had decided to have a lobster party on Friday night to enjoy the lobster we caught and spend time with friends. However, we weren't sure that two lobsters would feed 11 people, so everyone came over to our house and had steak instead. We grilled out, ate watermelon and leftover halloween candy, and chatted till nearly 1:30 in the morning.

It was a lot of fun and the kids played so much that all of them fell asleep on Noah's bed watching cartoons.

Today, Tangra has a couple of study sessions to go to and then she will be studying on campus till late. I will probably take the boys swimming and maybe go walk through the marina to look at the big boats. I hope you all are well and we can't wait to see you over christmas break.

Later,

Matt

Just in case!

2007-11-08T21:22:00.001-05:00

Well, tonight is the night. In about a half hour Chuck and I are headed out to go Lobster Diving. Basically, we are going to leave the house at 11pm, go to Justin Brox' house, get in our snorkling gear, and jump in the ocean with a bunch of hungry sharks. So I figured if I was going to do something that stupid I should say goodbye just in case. So...Goodbye!

Anyway, I haven't written since Halloween so I better catch everyone up. After the festivities I got a 24hr flu which quickly spread to Tangra. We were down a couple of days but luckly we were able to stagger sleeping and taking care of the kids so that nothing go abandoned. Over the weekend we went to the beach a couple of times and cried as we watched the Colts get beat. This week we have been doing a lot of housekeeping and I have been trying to finish up some projects that I started a few weeks ago. Hopefully I will get them all done soon but you never know.

Ok, sorry this is so short and chopped up but I have to go to the big hunt. I will write soon and let you know how it went.

Till later,

Matt

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T22:06:00.000-04:00

...from all of us to all of you!

Tonight the AUC Spouses Club hosted a Halloween party for all of the families complete with pinatas, games,...

pie eating competitions,...

and a trunk-o-treat! We decided to decorate the trunk like "Survivor St. Martin." We had palm branches, trees from our house, and jungle sounds on the laptop. I even managed for find gummy geckos for treats!

Noah tried his hand at the Pinata,however for some strange reason, when I see this picture, it makes me think that when he grows up he may not be much of a ball player!)

Anyway, on to costumes... For the boys this year, I decided that purchasing real costumes would not work because they were far to expensive and more importantly VERY HOT! One lady tried to sell me a pink wool sleeper that was supposed to be a whoopie cushion for Nolan for $89. Needless to say I decided to try my creative side. After roping Chuck into the process we came up with making Noah a Jack-in-the-Box,...

...and making Nolan a dice!

However, due to some design flaws and the fact that the poor kid doesn't sit up very straight yet, he spent most of the time sporting his little pumpkin shirt!

We all had a really great time. It was so nice to have some time with the family and also to have plenty of kids for Noah to play with. He ran around for the entire 2 and a half hours chasing his buddy Issac! Unfortunately it didn't make him very tired because as he was running he also was eating a ton of candy. I think he is finally recovering from his sugar high though. Nolan even had some buddies to hang with!

Well I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween.

See you soon,

Matt

PS. If you would like to see more Halloween pictures please check them out in my Photo Album.

A Little Wet...But Who's Complaining!

2007-10-26T16:33:00.000-04:00

Well, the last few days haven't been too eventful. The weather has been a little wet so we have spent a lot of time inside. However, we did make it out the other morning to the pool.

I was getting the boys ready to go when I got an email from some of the other spouses saying they were all going to go to the pool and asking if we would like to come along. So we met them and had a really good time. Noah had a wonderful time playing with the other kids...

and everyone had to hold Nolan...

so I got a pretty relaxing break.

Last night Chuck cooked dinner and everyone came over here to eat and watch Grey's Anatomy. The meal was great and we had a really good time. After dinner the boys all watched Happy Feet on TV while the girls did some more studying.

Today the boys have been playing around here while I worked on the computer and did some laundry and then tonight we are going to go to dinner with Chuck and Geneva after we pick up Tangra at the school. I hope everyone is having a great week and we love you and miss you all.

Later,

Matt

Pinel Island...or is it heaven...I forget!

2007-10-22T16:51:00.000-04:00

On Saturday we attended the Spouses Club Beach Day at Pinel Island. All I can really say is ... WOW!!! The boys and I picked Chuck up at 10am and caught the ferry to Pinel Island at around 10:30. It was absolutely beautiful. The beach part of Pinel is nestled in a bay so you have very few waves and the water averages around 2-3 feet for the first 100-150 yards, which is perfect for Noah in his swimmer. He could just swim to his hearts content.

Nolan took some time out of his busy schedule to enjoy a little coconut...

...and what beach excursion would be complete without a nice nap!

Man, I have to say after looking at that picture, my 6 month old son has a life most retirees would die for!

Anyway, after we had all enjoyed the sunshine and sand we headed off for higher ground. Nothing like a little exploration with friends to make a day complete. Like I said before, Pinel Island is Gorgeous! OK, I know you don't believe me and quite frankly I want to make you jealous so here are a few pictures to prove it! If you would like to see more pictures please visit the Photo Album in the section titled "The Places They Will Go."

Love ya all,

Matt

Friday night on the town!

2007-10-22T13:49:00.001-04:00

Well, this weekend was another fun one! On Friday afternoon the boys and I went to a birthday party at McDonalds. One of the med-school student's children had a birthday and we were invited. The boys even dressed up a little.

After the party we picked up Tangra at home and went to meet Chuck and Geneva for dinner. We went to a restaurant that looks similar to a 50's and 60's diner called Cheri's. It has pretty good food and there is a show while you eat. The show is put on by three guys who dress up in costumes, sing, dance, and act out little skits. Noah was excited because everyone gets a free "clapper" when they sit down that they use throughout the show.

Oh ... and Baby got a mask! :-)

Lou Lou really stole the show though!

After the show we went out in the street and watched the short show put on by the casino every night at 9:30. Then it was time to head home to bed so we could get plenty of sleep for our big day at the Beach on Saturday!

Later,

Matt

A picture is worth 1000 words!

2007-10-17T08:59:00.000-04:00

So, I came out to the living room this morning and found Noah in this pose.

Now, I'm sure that you're all thinking the same thing I was but look closer!

Yep, that's right...he is trying to ride his motorcycle...but I'm afraid it may be a little to small!

I guess where there is a will...there is a way!

HaHaHa,

Matt

A Nice Weekend.

2007-10-15T10:02:00.000-04:00

This weekend was very relaxing. Noah and I got a chance to go to the pool on Sunday while Tangra and Nolan took a much needed nap. Noah met a new friend, Luke, from Northern California. (Luke's father took some pictures and will be emailing them to me when he gets back to the states next week so I will post a picture then because Tangra says I don't put enough pictures in the posts.) After the pool we went home and hung out with baby while Tangra went to the school for a study session. We did a little cleaning and the boys took naps. After Tangra returned we made some dinner and vegged on the couch.

On Saturday I was able to have coffee with my wife on the patio! It was great! After that Noah and I went to Grand Marche' to get some much needed groceries before taking Tangra to school for an afternoon review session. While Tangra was studying Chuck and I took the boys to Marigot to see if the bike shop could fix the bike the neighbor gave us for Noah. Of course they couldn't (or didn't want to) so I ended up buying a new one instead. I just couldn't figure out how to say no. The only thing I could think to say was, "I know that I gave you a bike that doesn't work son but it will have to do because I am too cheap to buy you a new one of your very own," and that just didn't sound right. Anyway, after buying the bike we took him back to campus so he could ride it around the school courtyard. He really did quite well . . . when he wanted to!

Well, I guess I need to get going. Doodlebops just got over so the boys are ready to go. We are going to go to campus again so he can ride his bike some more before we meet Tangra for lunch.

Talk to you all soon,

Matt

Time with Mommy!

2007-10-12T08:54:00.000-04:00

Hello again everyone. I hope everyone is doing well. Things here have been great the last few days. Tangra had a test on Monday which means she doesn't have another one for 3 weeks so the last few days she has had a little more time to spend with us. We were even able to rent a couple of movies. It was just nice to have her around a little bit.

On Wednesday we gave Noah his bike! (The neighbor had one for her son that he outgrew so she said we could use it.) However, it is broken so I have to push Noah around everywhere. I took it to the bike shop but it wasn't expensive enough for them so they said they couldn't fix it. We are going to try a couple of other bike stores today. Noah just doesn't quite understand why the bike doesn't move when he peddles, but it was a good opportunity to teach him left and right which he is doing very well at.

Nolan continues to get bigger and more determined. He is trying to crawl but tends to go backward. We do have to be careful though because he likes to roll off the beds which is never good.

Yesterday I decided to try my hand one more time at cutting Noah's hair. I wouldn't exactly say that I am a professional but it didn't turn out too bad. I was so happy because he didn't cry once. I was a little smarter this time and I cut it while he was watching cartoons. I think I could have cut it with chainsaw and he wouldn't have noticed.

Well, the boys are starting to get hungry and we have a lot to do today. (Not really it just sounded good, I'm retired remember!) So I better go for now.

Take care,

Matt

Where has the time gone!

2007-10-09T15:58:00.000-04:00

First, to all my readers...sorry for the delay! I logged on today to do a post and realized it has been a long time since my last blog entry. We've had beach days, birthdays, and test days since then. My birthday was on the 5th and I had a really good time. It was rainey and Tangra had to study all day but the boys and I hung out and took a good nap which was nice. Tangra got me a new little phone to use at home with the skype system. It was really sweet of her and I really like it. That way I can walk around the house and talk to people at the same time!

The boys have been having a blast! We've really been walking a lot to keep ourselves entertained and in shape (or at least trying.) They are both getting so big. Noah is always trying to be Mr Independent and Nolan is trying to do everything Noah does! It won't be long I'm sure!

Tangra had another round of exams yesterday and she did fairly well again. To celebrate the test being over, we went for dinner at Ric's with Chuck and Geneva. I guess it was the happening place to be because half the campus was there. From the conversations around us it appears that not everyone did quite as well as Tangra did though becausea a lot of people were discussing the options in Nursing which I suppose is not a good sign!

Oh, on a somewhat funny note...about a week ago we went to lunch with Tangra at the school and the lunch lady asked if she could hold Nolan. Of course we said yes because that would give me enough time to eat without him trying to grab my spoon! Anyway, when she picked him up she began to tease Noah by saying "My baby...I think he is going to go home with me!" To which Noah would emphatically respond "My Baby!" with a small bit of worry in his voice. After a few minutes I was done eating and she decided to give me the baby back and life went on as normal!

Well, today we went back to the school for lunch again and when Noah saw her he started whining and said "My baby!" Just before we left she came out to say goodbye and when she went to pick up the baby, Noah pointed at the kitchen entrance and said, "you go your house." I couldn't believe that he not only remembered but he held a grudge all that time.

Ok, I guess that covers the highlights for now. Sorry again for the long break and see you all soon,

Matt

HOLY CRAP!!!!!

2007-10-01T10:59:00.000-04:00

It is amazing what you can find in a mop bucket that has spent some time on your porch!
Notice that the porch is covered with 12"x12" tile!!!!!!!

Another relaxing weekend!

2007-10-01T08:48:00.000-04:00

We had a great weekend. On Friday night Chuck and Geneva came over and we had a K-Bob party. I prepared some steak, chicken, shrimp, potato, tomato, onions, peppers, and pineapple. We each prepared our own k-bobs and then I cooked them on the grill. It made for a late night but it was great eatin!

Saturday was another beach day with the spouses club. However, Chuck and I are starting to feel like they might not want us around. The invite said we would all be going to Anse Marcel but when we showed up, the beach was empty! Now I don't claim to be the sharpest crayon in the box but that seems like a pretty good hint! So we decided to take the kids to the beach across from the house instead and we all had a really good time! In fact we had such a good time that we stayed on the beach for nearly 4 hours. Thank God for 50spf sunscreen. Baby took a small break around hr 2!

But after a short snooze he was ready to go again!

Noah had a great time playing with his new toys and chasing Chuck up and down the beach . . .

. . . but even Noah has a limit! So after the beach it was back to the house for a shower followed by some R&R wrapped in a towel. After all that is the latest form of enjoyment!

Saturday night we decided to go to Ric's for some Tex Mex food and then it was home to bed.

Sunday we spent most of the day around the house. Tangra studied and the boys and I took a couple of long walks which lead to a long nap! Like I said, "I've really grown to love naps!" Other than that we didn't do a lot which is what we like sometimes.

Today the guys are here to fix the broken kitchen faucet and the guys are on the way to fix the AC. Once they are gonewe are going to go get some necessities from the store and then meet Tangra for lunch. Have a great day and we will see you soon.

Till Later,

Matt

2007-09-28T08:08:00.000-04:00

Well, things are still going great here in beautiful St Martin! It is starting to feel like home here. We don't really have a routine or anything but we do have some things that we have to do and we know where and how to do them. We went shopping yesterday for a couple of things. We had to get a new DVD player because the one we had blew up from watching too much Doodlebops and Elmo videos (and here I thought I was the only one that was going to explode if I heard "Hey Moe" one more time!) We also got some cheese and a really nice peppercorn beef loin from Cost U Less that was cheap but looked awesome. I thought that because Tangra had been studying so hard and hadn't seen the boys and I in a while I would have her take the evening off of studying and I cooked her dinner. We had grilled loin, mashed potatoes, and corn (not the hardest meal to cook or the most glamorous but it was good and the evening was very relaxing.)

Other than that it has been the same type of things here! We take lots of walks on the beach and down by the bridge to watch the boats. We've done a lot of exploring to see what we can find. There are just so many places to go look around! We can even go to the end of the runway and watch planes take off which is always a crowd pleaser.

Today I feel like a pool day so I am going to take the kids to the pool up the street for a couple of hours so they can swim and I can get a tan, then we will probably have to come back here for naps! :-) I have learned to love naps! Tonight Chuck and Geneva are coming over for K-bobs on the grill which should be fun.

Have a great day and we will talk to you all soon,

Matt

The "Zoo"!

2007-09-26T08:37:00.000-04:00

Well, on Friday we went to the zoo with the Spouse's Club and we really had a good time. It wasn't the best zoo I've ever been to but considering it's on a Caribbean island it was nice. There were plenty of animals to see and there was also a nice playground for the kids when we were done walking. The highlights for us were the screaming bird and the rock chucking monkeys. (I was relieved that it was just rocks and not poo!) If you threw a rock in the cage the monkey would pick it up, climb half way up the cage, and then aim at someone and wing the rock at them. We had to be careful though because he was really good aim and threw really hard! Chuck almost lost a spleen in the line of fire. As for the screaming bird . . . well, I'll just let you see for yourself. (click on the video.)

Once we were done at the zoo we went home to take naps before going to dinner with Chuck and Geneva. We started off walking Maho trying to figure out why all the places were closed. Turns out that because High season starts in November a lot of businesses close around this time each year for a vacation before the big rush. We ended up at a little French Bistro close to the airport that turned out to be the slowest restaurant on the planet. It took over two and a half hours for them to serve the 6 of us dinner. The food was OK but after waiting that long for it I can't say I would like to go back again.

Saturday was beach day at Friar Bay. It was a nice beach with relatively calm, shallow water that was perfect for the kids. The boys had a blast playing with the other children and thanks to the other spouses I even got a little break from childcare to go on a hike to Happy Beach about a half mile away. After visiting the beach we went to Rick's for some free Iced Tea and Dinner with Chuck and Geneva. (It totally made up for dinner the night before.)

Sunday morning Tangra had a study group so the boys and I took Chuck and went to Ace Hardware and Kooyman (Caribbean Menards) to find a swiffer and a grill. Luckily we were able to find both. Once Tangra was done with her study group we decided to take the afternoon to tour the island some more. We went exploring on the french side for a while before getting Domino's for dinner and relaxing at home.

Today the boys and I did some shopping to stock up on the necessities and just hung out. Tonight was quarter wing night at Pineapple Pete's so Chuck came over and we had a cheap dinner. Now the boys are playing with their toys and getting ready for bed. I think that catches everyone up. Be sure to check out the pictures that I have added to the Photo Album!

Talk to you all soon,
Matt

2007-09-20T14:30:00.000-04:00

Today it was pool day again! After doing some much needed house work, we headed up the street. Noah met some new friends and had a great time playing. After that we headed back here for naps which were by that point much needed!

The last couple of days have been pretty normal. We spent some time looking around for a little car for me to drive. I had hoped that I would be able to get a bike and get around that way but with traffic and the streets the way they are I am afraid that will not work. So we are trying to find a cheap little 4x4 for the boys and I to take exploring. Hopefully we will be able to find something soon because there is a lot of island for us to explore.

Tomorrow we are going to go with the spouses club to the Zoo which should be fun. I'm not sure it is much of a zoo but I hear the monkeys tend to throw poo so that should be entertaining. After that I think we will probably continue the search for the 4x4.

Talk to you all later,

Matt

Tangra's first block exam is over!

2007-09-18T08:55:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Tangra's first block exam. She hasn't received her grades yet but she feels like she did pretty well. The exam started at 8am and went until about 12:30. After the exam they were asked to go into the Rotunda where they were greeted by applause and cheers from all the 2nd-5th semester students congratulating them on completing their first test. They had cake and punch for everyone and all the 1st semester people really appreciated it. I can't say I can imagine that happening at a school in the US. Everyone here has been so nice.

At around 4pm we got together with a few other married couples at Mullet Bay Beach (No Nick it has nothing to do with real Mullets!) and had a cookout. It was very relaxing and everyone had a great time. Noah is a little fish and loves the ocean!

Over the weekend Chuck and I did a lot of exploring with the boys. On Saturday we went to our first Beach Day with the spouses club at Plum Beach.
There was a pretty good turnout and the boys had a ball. Noah swam and played with the other boys while Nolan rode around in his baby boat. He is quite the floater.

Once we were done swimming we went to change and take naps after which we all went to Phillipsburg to see if Taco Bell here tastes the same. I must say that, what they had, actually tasted better, however, they are always out of at least 2-3 basic things. When we were there they were out of hard taco shells, rice, and baja sauce.

Sunday we decided to go find the fort but we went all the way around the island without actually finding it! OOPS! We had a great time though. We tried out the Getz's abilities on some more good "island roads" which it handled with ease. We saw a couple of new beaches (Cupecoy, Oyster, and Pinel) and walked front street looking for the quicksilver store which we also did not find.

After we had explored nearly all day we met up with the girls around 6:30pm and took them out for a good dinner to help them prepare for their first big test the following morning. (They had been told by their professor that they should stop studying around 7pm the night before the exam and not look at the material again until the test, so that is what they did. We'll see if it works or not!) I think it was just a ploy to get a really good meal from Pineapple Pete's, but if it works who am I to doubt!

Well, I think that brings us back to current on the blogging. Hope everyone is doing well and we miss you lots.

Take care,

Matt

It's been a couple of days.

2007-09-14T14:10:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a couple of days and boy have we had fun. On Wednesday afternoon I packed the kids up in the stroller and hiked off to campus to meet Tangra for lunch. Turns out that it is a little farther than it seems. I think the exact math is nearly 4 miles which in a car seems quick but by foot pushing two kids seems like forever! We made it though. I can't complain too much because Chuck offered me a ride twice but I was determined to make it so I kept walking. After lunch you can bet your backside that I took the car home though!

Yesterday it was time for another trip to the pool. Tangra was home for lunch before spending the afternoon and evening studying at the school so while her and Nolan took a nap Noah and I took off. I finally remembered to take the camera and snapped some pictures.

This time, after we arrived a few other children came down so Noah had fun playing with them. The only problem was that the other boy kept getting in trouble because he was not allowed to get his head wet and Noah was practicing his jumps which are more like a glorified belly smacker. After the first few I had to have him do something else.

When we returned from the pool, Tangra was finishing up typing some notes and then she had to leave for her lab and a couple of study sessions. Noah took a nap while Nolan and I played on the floor and then we all went for an evening walk before eating some supper and sitting down to watch some tv. Tangra returned around 8:30pm and we all cashed in about 10.

Which leads me to today! Like normal Tangra was gone when the boys and I got out of bed. I decided that because our diaper stash was running low that today would be a great time to try out the cloth diapers. Now, I'm not sure what IDIOT invented cloth diapers and thought they were a good idea but thank God for the guy who decided they sucked! I mean really, who wants to reuse something that has had crap shot all over it! Anyway, for some reason, I had decided that because my mom had used them (God bless her for putting up with that) I should too. Besides that I might be able to save some money!

Ok, so here's the story. It took me about fifteen minutes to get the stupid pins to somewhat hold the diaper and another five to put the little plastic shower cap thing on. It took Noah about 15 milli-seconds to take it all off again. All he would say was "I don't yike it Daddy!" and sit it on the floor next to me. After another ten minutes and some stern conversation, I had convinced him that daddy knew best and that if he left it on he could have a snack. This of course lasted long enough for him to scarf down the 6 measley fruit snacks that come in a package (which is another story that I won't get into now) before ripping it off again. About 6 packs of fruit snacks and an hour later I finally got Noah to watch some Elmo (with his diaper on) giving me some time to attend to Nolan who was supprisingly quiet through this whole ordeal. What I soon found out was that he was quiet because he was unleashing the motherload in his shorts! Now we aren't just talking a little poop were talking a HOLY CRAP! The poor kid had it from his belly button to his shoulder blades and everywhere in between. I got about half way through the diaper change process when I realize that unless I wanted to use all the wipes that we owned I had better just give the poor little guy a bath. So I stripped him down and plopped him in the sink at which point Noah walked up and said "Daddy, I need go poop!" I left the baby sitting in the still dry bathroom sink and proceeded to try and get the now bionic pins from the cloth diaper that before would not hold anything. Unable to get my nimble fingers to unclasp the pins I decided to pull the diaper down like a pair of underwear only to find that I was too late! Now I had one poopy kid in the sink waiting to be cleaned off, another poopy kid on the pot waiting to be cleaned off, and a soiled cloth diaper stashed in the corner which also needed to be cleaned off because as we all know "you don't throw them away... that's how you save money!" Well, needless to say after two showers for each boy and four for myself. . . I LOST MONEY!

(On a side note, whoever said that you could just put the poopy part of the diaper in the toilet and flush it and all the poop would just "COME RIGHT OFF" has obviously never tried it!) I trashed that thing quicker than you could say Huggies and packed that poor kid in one of Nolan's diapers till I had a chance to get more.

After all that it was lunch time so I made some Ravioli for Noah which as you can see he thoroughly enjoyed. Of course I gave him one more shower and now everyone is laying down for a nap. As a matter of fact, that sounds like a great idea.

Later for now,

Matt

PS. To top off the whole story . . . as I was finishing up writing this message, Noah came up saying "Ucky daddy!" When I looked over I realized that three of his fingers were covered to the second knuckle in crap he had dug from his too small diaper, so I had to take a break to clean him off one more time. What a "crappy" day! :-)

Pretty Uneventful.

2007-09-12T08:49:00.000-04:00

Well, yesterday was pretty uneventful, but very relaxing. In the morning I did some housekeeping while the kids slept in. Once they got up we took a walk to get milk and then returned home to watch Mickey Mouse, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins, and Doodlebops. After all the shows were over they both decided it was time for a nap which gave me time to do some more cleaning. After they took naps we had grilled cheese and dutch apple pie (Baby Food!)for lunch! It was yummy! We just messed around all afternoon playing games and stuff until Tangra came home around 5pm. We ate dinner with her and then she studied on the porch while the boys and I walked down past McDonalds and back (about 1.5 miles.) By the time we got back they were both ready for bed so we laid down on our bed and watched Doodlebop and Elmo videos. When Tangra was done she took the boys in their room and put them to sleep.

Like I said, uneventful but relaxing. I'm not sure what we are going to do today. We might go to the pool and then to see Tangra for lunch but we will see.

Thanks to all of you who have been keeping track of us. We really appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Take care and we will see you all real soon.

Later,

Matt

IT HAS BEEN FOUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-09-10T21:44:00.000-04:00

After days of searching and searching . . . the elusive donut has been located . . . and it was delicious! We couldn't believe our eyes when we saw it. It was just as I had dreamed it would be! There Chuck and I were in some shady little bakery shop in the middle of nowhere when all of a sudden we both squealed with excitement like a couple of little school girls! Gazing through the glass we could almost taste the fattening flavor. However, dreams could not prepare us for the tastebud heaven that we were about to encounter! Words can not describe it, but pictures sure come close!

Anyway, after enjoying our donuts we headed to Cost-u-Less for all the things that our wives had told us to buy (and a couple of things they didn't.) Once we had finished with our shopping we met the girls at the cafeteria for lunch. Then it was off to Phillipsburg to find DVD-R's and a printer for Chuck.

All in all we had a great day and didn't even spend too much money.

Talk to you all soon,

Matt

A couple of good days!

2007-09-09T14:06:00.000-04:00

We have had a great time the last few days. Friday was Tangra's white coat ceremony and it was really neat. The only problem was that with all the speakers, presentations, and 171 new students it took nearly 3 and a half hours. I am proud to tell everyone though that I was the only person there with children and no one even knew! The only peep they heard out of the boys was during the moment of silence when Noah though someone was getting in trouble and said "Uh-Oh", which gave everyone a nice laugh. I am soooooo proud of them! After the ceremony they had a dinner at the school and then Chuck and Geneva came over for ice cream, and we sat around talking till about 1am. Needless to say none of us were worth much on Saturday without a long nap.

Saturday Tangra kept Nolan and had a study group come over while Chuck, Noah, and I went to the Spouses Club Welcome Breakfast. We all met at Rick's place and had breakfast and played some games. I won one of the games so as a prize, I got my breakfast for free (Yeah me!) The new people also received beach bags with various St Martin pictures on them. After that we went home and both the boys decided it was nap time so Chuck and I left them with Tangra and her study group and went for a drive. We decided we would like to see just what a Getz can do!

We went and found a couple of "Island" roads that went up the side of the mountains and drove till they stopped at the top. WOW!

At one point we were going up a hill that was probably at least a 45-50 degree angle and I had the gas all the way to the floor and the car was almost stopped. On the way back down it was so steep that Chuck took off his seat belt, opened his door, and keyed 911 into his cellphone in case he had to bail out that way it would be easier to get help. However, I had 100% confidence in the Getz and she didn't fail me! (We will try to go back sometime so that we can get some pictures to share.) After we got home from that we all took naps and then Tangra had a study session at the school and we walked Maho and watch planes until she was done.

Today, Tangra had another study session and was going to study on campus the rest of the day so the boys and I went to the kiddy pool up the street to relax and catch some rays. We all had a great time and now the boys are both sleeping so that is a perfect time for me to write in the blog. I think tonight we may go to the pool at Chuck and Geneva's house and grill some hamburgers and hotdogs.

Talk to you soon,

Matt

The search for the elusive donut (and other island tales!)

2007-09-06T21:04:00.000-04:00

Today the boys and I dropped Tangra off at class so that we could have the car to do some errands. However, as I drove out of the parking lot we were all overcome by an extreme craving. One like we had never experienced before. We had to do something and fast! I picked up my buddy Chuck (another one of the spouses from Louisiana) and we set out in search of the elusive donut. Now we aren't talking about some French pastry that resembles an extremely small loaf of bread, we're talking about a jelly filled ball of yeast, boiled in grease, and covered with sugars. We set out across the island stopping at every bakery, supermarket, and convenience store that we encountered but each time we were pointed in the direction of the stale bread and croissants that they consider breakfast. (How anyone can see that as breakfast I will never know.) Anyway, long story short I am convinced that there is not one donut on this entire island. We had one store that showed some promise at first but quickly lost clout when the lady told us to come back in the afternoon. (I mean really, who needs a donut in the afternoon?) Needless to say we didn't get a donut today and I am considering investing in a Dunkin Donuts Franchise.

Ok, enough ranting about the donut search, on to new things. Tomorrow marks the end of Tangra's official first week. It is going well but it is very hard. She was really excited the other day though because she got to start dissecting her cadaver. I guess by the time it is done they will have dissected and examined every part of the human body. (Great, yet another reason for me not to mess with my wife!) Her first "block exam" (a two hour exam that tests all 3 of her classes at once) is a week from Monday. It finally sank in yesterday and likewise caused her to have a slight meltdown but as usual I was able to help calm her down and she is much better today. I can understand her worry though because she has more notes from one week of class than I had in my entire college career!

Tomorrow night is the white coat ceremony where all the first semester students get a chance to put on their white physician's coats and go through a ceremonial march similar to a graduation. It is a very prestigious event which marks their entrance into the field of medicine. I will be sure to post pictures for everyone to see.

Well, I guess that is enough for now. Talk to you later,

Matt

I finally have my own internet!

2007-09-05T16:44:00.000-04:00

After 3 weeks, 14 calls, and 12 arguments I finally got someone to come out and hook up my internet. Although they say the people on the island are friendly they can never say they provide good customer service.

Anyway, hopefully I will be able to do a better job of keeping everyone up to date on the happenings. Tangra is doing a lot of studying which we figured she would, but we may have under estimated the actual amount of time it would take. It is a lot of info to know but as usual she is handling it like a champ.

The boys are doing very well, although we had a rough day yesterday because of the internet guy. (We were stuck in the house all day waiting for a tech that never showed up!) Needless to say by night fall we were all in desperate need of a walk!

I will write more later, I just wanted to say hello!

Later,

Matt

One Day of Freedom Left!!

2007-08-29T08:55:00.000-04:00

We have been having an awesome time and are enjoying our little vacation. Classes start Thursday morning so I am glad that I have had these 2 weeks to spend time with Matt and the boys. We have also spent quite a bit of time seeing the island on foot and driving to all of the scenic spots - it has been an adventure! We all went coconut hunting yesterday, which basically consisted of driving around to different palm trees and chucking rocks at them. As you can see from the picture, Matt is holding his coconut:)

We have met some great local families that live in the area. A woman in our building who has 1 and 4 year old boys gave us a bouncy seat and a play mat for Nolan - which is GREAT because toys here cost about 2-3x what they do in the states. Every evening we can take the boys down to the beach for "happy hour," where they can play with the dozens of children who congregate there with there parents after work. Noah even got his first "french" kiss from 4 year-old Holly, who leaned over, said "bonjour," and planted one on him!

Exciting first-time parent news, Noah used the big boy potty 3 times today (yes, we even took a picture). He gets fruit snacks every time he goes, and looks at magazines during his time on the pot - Matt is so proud!

We had orientation for the new medical students this morning - it is going to be pretty intense! They gave us study tips and told us what to expect. They said we should plan on studying 1.5-2 hours every day for each subject - so about 6-8 hours a day! I plan to do several hours in the morning before the boys are up and space the rest out during the day. This should leave my evenings free to spend time with Matt and the boys. It is going to be tough but I am so excited.

We should be getting Internet and phone set up next Tuesday so we will be able to video conference and chat more often. We love and miss everyone already and are so grateful for the prayers and support.

Tangra

One Week Down!

2007-08-24T13:25:00.000-04:00

Well, our first week is officially over and we are still loving the Caribbean. We have been able to start getting settled in. We rented a car for the week so that we could spend some time exploring the island and we have had a blast! We went for a trip around the island and wow is the driving different (Mike would love it!) There are only 2 stoplights and 3 stop signs on the entire island and we didn't go through any of them. People here go on what we will call the buddy system. Basically how this works is you just drive and hope your buddies don't hit you! If you want to go first you go first, if you want to stop and talk for 20 minutes to your "buddy" you do and everyone else just waits patiently. However, if you venture to the French side it's not always so patiently! (Gotta love the French.)

Anyway enough about the driving now on to the weather. Yes, it is correct that Hurricane Dean went through down here but it was about 250 miles south so all we got was some wind and a lot of rain. Leave it to the great travelers from Indiana to decide to try the 3 mile hike to the school pushing their two small helpless children in a bike trailer just as the worst of it hit the area. Luckly for us there were plenty of spots to take cover however, it seemed that every time we found cover it would stop raining and then everytime we started out again it started raining. I will say though that the islanders are very friendly (at least they are if you have children.) We had about five different people offer to drop what they were doing and drive us home, but seens how we were already soaked we figured we might as well continue on. We're so dedicated!

Other than that we have just been having the vacation of all vacations full of sightseeing, sunbathing, and swimming.

I also thought I would post a picture of our view from the patio at sunset last night so that you could all be jealous.

Later everyone,

Matt

WE MADE IT!!!!!!!

2007-08-16T13:25:00.001-04:00

Holy cow we made it! We are finally here and it is fabulous! I will try to post pictures as soon as possible but for right now you will have to take my word for it!

The flights went well. The boys slept most the time (without drugs) and when they were awake were perfect. The only problem we had was that we almost missed both flights! I guess we are why they have last calls for boarding!

We have started to get settled in. We went this morning to Cost-U-Less which is a lot like Sam's club to get some necessities and then to the grocery store. Now we are at another spouses club member's house so we can make a post and send some emails. Hopefully we will get our internet and phone set up soon but we'll see. It may take a while.

I better go for now but will try to post again soon.

Later,

Matt

Only a little while now!

2007-07-10T14:15:00.000-04:00

ONE MONTH TILL MY RETIREMENT!!!!!

My official resignation is in with a final date of August 10th!

This last weekend we decided to have our first of many yard sales. We didn't do too bad except that it appears everyone was in the mood to buy little things. The only big stuff we sold was the Crib and changing table and the washing machine. However, we did alright because we sold a lot of little things. Yeah for us! We will probably be having another one this Saturday to see if we can get rid of some more stuff.

We finally ordered our plane tickets to depart on Aug 16th in the AM. We have to be out of our rental home on Aug 1st so it looks like we will be squatters for a couple of weeks. That's ok though because that will give everyone a chance to spend some good quality time with the boys before we leave.

We are all getting a little nervous now because there is a lot to do and just over a month to do it in. Wow, that is fast! Oh well, I guess ready or not we will be leaving on the 16th anyway! Man I can't wait!

Later,

Matt

A lot going on!

2007-06-26T13:36:00.000-04:00

I can honestly say we have a lot going on! Over the last couple of weeks we have been swamped. In fact we were so swamped that we both remembered last Sunday (June 24th) that our anniversary was last Thursday (June 21st.) Lucky for me we both forgot because that would not have been pretty.

On Father's Day I got the opportunity to sing at church and it was an awesome experience! I sang the song "Watching You Dad" and it was a hit. I had so much fun although it was a little difficult not to cry. Throughout the song they had my name and the song title displayed on the screens and then when I went into the final chorus they switched to this picture and everyone would say "Awe!" It was so cool!

We have started to sell things to prepare for the big move but it is going very slowly! We are realizing every day that we should have started earlier, but it is me and lord knows I will procrastinate everything! But we're getting there. There is just a lot to do!

Today I was officially granted access to the AUC Spouses club which is a group for spouses of current AUC students. They are going to provide us with a sponsor that will help us find housing, pick us up at the airport when we arive, show us around the island, and answer any questions we have along the way. It will be nice to have someone that can go look at apartments and give us the lowdown that isn't the landlord or the real estate agent. However, it kind of makes me nervous because that is just one more thing that proves this is really going to happen. How cool is that!?

Well, I guess I should go.

Take care for now,

Matt

Everyone Loves To Save Money!

2007-06-11T12:51:00.000-04:00

Well, I may have spoken too soon. I guess we are not going to Grenada afterall. Just goes to show you that you can't try to read God's mind. Sometimes you just have to shut-up and listen!

Anyway, we will still be leaving in August for the Caribbean, but we will be headed to sunny St. Martin (sometimes spelled St. Maarten) instead of Grenada. It turns out that St Martin has a somewhat abbreviated Med-school program that will allow Tangra to be a Dr. about a year and 10 months earlier than if she attended in Grenada. Thus saving us time away from family and a whole LOT of jack! We love that! It will also be easier for all of you to come visit because instead of the nearly $1200 per person to fly to Grenada you can get a flight to St Martin for around $500. See, everyone loves that!

Later for now,

Matt

Caribbean here we come!

2007-04-30T09:21:00.000-04:00

And so it begins! The verdict is in . . . Grenada here we come! Holy Cow, I can't believe that we are actually going to go. I think I can handle it. I mean who can't handle a high of 85, ocean breezes, and sand in your toes?! WooHoo!!!

There is a lot to do before we leave though. We have to sell everything we own, get passports, get financial aid, and be in Grenada by August 18th. Now that's fast! I will try to keep everyone informed on the happenings in the Broge Family as we go along by posting to this blog as often as possible.

Take care,

Matt

A joke for starters!

2007-04-23T15:21:00.000-04:00

I thought we could get started with a little humor. This reminded me of a lot of people I know.