Can you say crab races? We took Macy to the crab races on Monday night in downtown Christiansted and my crab "Moses" won us a dinner at the Caribbean BBQ at the Divi resort. It was great, because Rachel and Don wanted to go, but we couldn't really afford it, so winning it made it possible for all of us to go. The dinner and show(Mocko Jumbies) was fun, made even better by the fact that it was free.

So....we went to the crab races again tonight, nobody won, but we had a good time. The pictures above are of Macy, at the races, of course, and the other two are the crabs themselves. They are Hermit Crabs, pretty small, for the most part and they scare easily, so you have to be real still, any quick movements and they stop and pull into their shells. they have great prizes and a treasure chest of toys, so that at the end all of the kids get a prize.

Went to the beach on Protestant Cay(pronounced key) today. It's called Protestant Cay, because years ago, Protestants weren't allowed to bury their dead on St. Croix, so they buried them on the Cay. Anyway... it was fun, but not the greatest beach, so far Cane Bay and Sunset Beach in Fredricksted are the top two, the beach at the Divi Resort is probably number three. We have been having a great time visiting all the different beaches but I am absolutely pickled after spending so much time in the ocean. Maybe this weekend we will stick to the pool for a day or two. Don flies home tomorrow but the girls get to stay another week.

Finished reading the Book of Mormon today. I really love Moroni, every time I read Moroni 10:4 I remember how I felt the very first time I read this passage. Very important to my personal conversion. I'm not sure where I will go next, probably just keep on and read the Doctrine and Covenants, I'm always a little sad when I finish the Book of Mormon. Don't know why, I could just read it again.

This week with the kids here has been interesting. It does make me grateful for family but also grateful for my new life here on St. Croix. I'm not sure how to explain that, but I have to admit that every day I wake up and look out the patio doors and see the Caribbean and think just how grateful I am to be here. I do wish my family could be closer and I do wish they could experience what I am experiencing. It's hard to put into words. I keep praying that any of you who read this will have the courage to live your lives out loud. I'll keep praying for you, keep praying for me, keep praying in gratitude, oh and pray for our world too.

Waiting for Rachel to download the pictures of Rick's new office. She and Don went with him yesterday to check out the job site and she took some pictures but hasn't downloaded them into my compute yet, will try to get them on by tomorrow. You'll see how rough his life is.

Finished reading Either this morning have to admit I fell a little behind in my Book of Mormon reading withe the kids here and all, but back to Either, what an incredibly sad story. The parallels of the Book of Mormon to our time are incredible, it was definitely written for us. It's amazing just how dumb people can be. If the whole world only knew. You know, I figured a long time ago(of course, not long enough) that if we each would listen to the previous generation(our parents) and not make the same mistakes that they did, we of course would make some new mistakes, but then if our children listened to us and so on and so on we would truly be on the road to perfection. But....the natural man is so dumb he insists on making the same mistakes over and over again and not learning anything. They say that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different out come each time is the definition of insanity, Well there you go, the world has gone insane. Are you surprised, I'm not, just trying not to go there myself. I suppose the first change we need to make is with ourselves and hope for the best.

Tonight, we go to the Beach BBQ at the Divi Resort and see the Mocko Jumbies. It should be fun. My crab won, at the crab races the other night(only cost me $2 for the crab) so I got a free ticket to the dinner tonight, that sure helped out the budget, now we only have to buy one(or Rick could stay home, just kidding). We'll get paid next week, YEAH, it's been a while. Going back to the beach again today, more snorkeling, hope for good weather.

Keep praying, especially for your families, maybe we can all get on that road to perfection, better late than never!

My last post was from Monday morning and here it is Tuesday night. I have been worn out, I forgot what it was like to keep up with a 4 year old. Macy is still bouncing off the walls, she is so excited to be here. Rachel has been taking pictures, so I have some to download. The one to the left is Miss Macy in all her Caribbean splendor.

I hope I can get these pictures to line up right. I had mentioned that Macy learned to snorkel. Well today at Chenay Bay, she went out into the deep with her Mom, Papa and me and we even say a starfish. This next picture to the right is of her practicing snorkeling in the pool.

Ok, they aren't exactly lining up the way I had hoped but you get the idea. Tonight we had fresh Caribbean lobster for dinner(a treat from Don & Rachel). Check out the size of these guys.

Well we are having a good time and enjoying one another's company. Don and Rachel got lined up to go Deep Sea Fishing on Thursday, so we will have Macy all to ourselves. We are gonna have some fun.

Keep praying especially for all of our families.

Been a little preoccupied lately, Macy, Rachel and Don got here on Friday night and we have been having too much fun. It is so great to have them here. I can tell Rachel is in heaven. The beach, the pool the tropical splendor, what more can you ask for. Macy is still bouncing off the walls. Don, who is our "non-water" person seems to be having the time of his life. We had to drag him out of the Caribbean on Saturday when we went to the beach.

Saturday we took then to the beach at Cane Bay,had a great time. We bought Macy some snorkel gear and she took to it like a fish to water. Of course, like her mother she is part fish. She really doesn't swim well enough to snorkel yet, but we had bought her a life jacket and with it on she can float on her tummy with her face in the water and kick along. It is incredible to watch her, she is delighted with the fact that she can have her face completely in the water and still breathe. Her goal is to see an octopus.

Yesterday, Rick and I got up and were getting ready for church, the Thorp's were still asleep, so we were preparing to leave them a note, when Rachel came up and asked to borrow a skirt and a shirt for Don cause they wanted to go with us. We had never said a word. We were so excited. Then at church the spirit was so strong. The two sisters who spoke had talks tailor made for them. It was wonderful. Rachel and Don did go home after Sacrament Meeting but I think they were touched by the meeting. Macy of course, stayed for all the meetings with us, she made some new friends in Primary.

Things seem to be changing in the Branch, ever so slowly, but changing in a positive way. I don't really believe that is because of us or anything we have done, but there has been a real collective effort to get things on track here and everyone is responding. It's a beautiful thing to see and even more awesome to be a part of. Our Branch President is a totally spiritual person and he is the force spearheading these changes but the members are truly in tune.

Rick has to go to work(boy oh boy, does that sound good) this morning but should be home by noon and we'll be off to another beach. I guess we'll just have to content ourselves with the pool in the morning. Can you tell I'm really having fun!

Keep praying, I promise you those prayers will be answered. Maybe not in exactly the way you think but they will be answered and most times in a way that is better than anything you could have imagined.

Yesterday was a mostly boring day. We did go to Scripture Study Class at the Meeting House. They are studying the Book of Mormon and it is helpful to read together and get other peoples insight on what we have read . Not many there today, some came late, apparently there is road construction going on at the center of the island that is slowing everyone down.

Rick is working but mostly from home and he is antsy to really get started. Today, Friday, they had their pre-construction meeting at the site. Apparently the plans aren't very good and they will be designing as they go. Probably more work for Rick but I don't think he minds. All these months of basically being idle are starting to get to him. He is anxious to work. I am anxious for him to work and our bank account is really anxious for him to work. We won't see a paycheck until about 24 Aug, but I think we can make it. It would have been nice to have some extra $$$ while the kids are here, but that does not seem to be the way our life is going to go. Oh well we will be alright, the beach and the pool are free.

Speaking of the kids, we are anxious for them to get here. Their plane is supposed to land about 8:30pm tonight. Rachel said she would call before they left this morning, I suggested they call before they left Dallas, because at the next stop, San Juan, PR their cell phones get expensive, but we haven't heard. KIDS! I really can't wait to see my little girlfriend Macy. In her whole life, this is the longest I have gone without seeing her.

Not sorry that we are here on St. Croix, but being so far away, really makes family seem so much more important. I am so grateful to be sealed to my husband and daughters for time an all eternity. I do so wish that Rachel could have that for her family too. I know she really doesn't know what she is missing and how important it is. I have worried for some time about Macy not being sealed to anyone, but it has been explained to me that she would be sealed to us through her mother as a connecting link. Hopefully if her parents don't get their act together she will be sealed to her spouse one day and continue that link into eternity. The same goes for her little sister who isn't here yet. I wish everyone could have the comfort of knowing that they are sealed to their loved ones for time and all eternity and the sure knowledge that they can be together with their families after death. It certainly doesn't minimize the pain of losing a loved one, but it is easier for me knowing that I can see my parents again. The blessing of the Temple are real.

I need to keep praying that my daughters will both realize how important Temple worship is and get themselves there and get there often. I hope they will realize how important it is to instill a love of the Temple in their children. I hope my grandchildren will stay strong and continue on, raising righteous families. I will remember to remember this in my prayers.

Computer running really slow and acting up. Gonna make this quick before I get the "boot". Rainy day, on and off, Rick is working but for now mostly from home. I'm busy trying to get everything caught up so we can enjoy our time with the kids.

Keep praying, keep reading(especially the Book of Mormon) and always keep on the straight and narrow. It's the way Home!

Today I was a slug. Did do some things around the house in preparation for Rachel, Don and Macy's visit. Rick and I had a long discussion about the trip to Florida in September, we really can't afford to take it, we need at least another month and maybe more to catch up. We have decided to try to work with Worldmark and see what we can do to move the time in the condo. We'll see what happens with that.

I mentioned in my blog a few days ago that I have been reading the Book of Mormon. I also mentioned that I have been reading it more like a novel, just going right on through, well today I have been reading 3rd Nephi. I had forgotten how much I love this particular Book. In just a really short space the Savior teaches everything necessary(actually everything He taught in Palestine during His three year Mission) to the Nephites on this continent(well in the Americas). It is so clear and concise, completely straight forward. I love how He teaches the people in such a loving manner, especially the children.

Rick and I are reading the Old Testament, one chapter at a time(we should bet through it is a couple of years) for our family scripture study. It is difficult to read, difficult to understand, just plain difficult all around. I really have trouble keeping the "time line" straight because the books are not chronological. We do discuss what we have read and I hope I'm getting more out of it than I think. It is definitely not as plain and straight forward as the Book of Mormon.

It does help to pray(you were wondering if I was going to get that in weren't you) when reading and studying the scriptures. I find that when I pray before hand for a better understanding and afterward for enlightenment things do seem a little clearer. I need to get back to having strictly prayers of gratitude(I can't seem to help but ask for something) as I do really feel as though I have so much to be grateful for.

Getting excited about the kids visit. They will be here on Friday night. Can't wait to see Miss Macy in person and hold her in my arms. I have really missed her.

Keep praying for and over everything.