The fifth day before Christmas

Sung to the 12 days of Christmas

On the fifth day Before Christmas the Murvises, went dii-iiving,
Lucia went paddleboarding,
Then there was a bonfire,
Some somores, 
singing too,
And a trip to Guatemala!

5 days til Christmas!

An pre-holiday field trip to play kick ball, clean up some trash and play at the beach with the 1st thru 4th graders at SBAS! Fun day! Especially the ride home in the back of a truck....

 

First Visitors!

Kim: The rainy season is really here folks! I know I said it was here before but that was just a little rain.....It started with a Big Bang during my family's visit over Thanksgiving week with a 4 day storm that locals say was the fiercest in quite a few years!

To start at the beginning of our tale, the flight that my mom, aunt Debi and uncle Jeff arrived on was the inaugural American Airlines flight to Roatan. To celebrate this there was a buffet at the airport, that we were able to enjoy while we waited, a cake at the departure in Dallas, and a traditional hosing down of the plane with fire hoses upon arrival. I was a little concerned at first when I spotted the fire trucks on the tarmac after their plane landed! So good to finally have visitors!! We have been on Roatan five months already and most of our visitors are coming in the last couple of months we are here, so it felt extra special to have family come to see our world and spend time with now.

At the start of the visit, we were able to have a couple of partly sunny days during which we visited the eastern end of Roatan and hung around our 'hood. It was during the national elections, so there were no alcohol sales for 2 days and many things were closed! What a strange start to the visit as everywhere we went we found ourselves saying things such as, "Wow, this is different than usual." and "It is never like this!" However, we were able to do a swim off our dock at Sundancer, host dinner at our cabana, and walk through West End, a little town near us.

Then we moved to West Bay, the quintessential Caribbean beach area where we had rented a house right on the beach for the remaining four nights. The day we arrived was classically sunny, the water turquoise and clear, and the area buzzing with cruise ship passengers. We knew rain was coming (just not how much!), so we dropped our bags in the house and headed to the ocean! My adventurous and incredible mother tried snorkeling for the first time EVER and saw fish underwater. Lucia was a patient and helpful teacher. The reef almost comes right to the shore at the end of the bay. We had plans to advance her snorkeling skills slowly as the week progressed.   

The rest of us had a lovely snorkel where we spotted an eagle ray, a lobster, and many colorful reef fish. Off to the pool for a drink and swim, a walk down the quieting beach, as the cruise passengers returned to the ship, and as the sun dipped into the water so did we.  

Dinner was a table on the beach with delicious food and the wonderful night air all around.

The next morning we awoke to a crashing and tumultuous sea with waves breaking on the shore. I stood at the window for a full five minutes repeating "wow" over and over! I had never seen anything but Caribbean blue in this bay. For the next four days we had a front row seat to the storm as it continued to rage and blow the palm trees first this way and then that. That day we ventured out wearing our bathing suits, but got so pelted by rain and buffeted by the wind we soon retreated! It felt like a hurricane!

 

By mid day the power was out and it stayed out until the next morning, Thanksgiving day. We were woefully prepared with a few candles, a lantern that stopped working and a couple of intermittent flashlights. Somehow dinner was made and games were played by candlelight. It felt cozy and dry in our beautiful house surrounded by family! 

We had Lucia's teacher and finance, Laura and Andy, over for games and a Thanksgiving dinner of mashed potatoes, local sweet potatoes, salad, and fish. Delish! Fun too. Hide and seek and spoons were two favorite games as the storm continued outside!

The next two days were filled with ventures out into the tempest in our stylish trash bag and duck tape rain gear (see photos to truly appreciate!),

 

early christmas, making rubber band bracelets and games! It was a close and fun family time and although we wish we could have enjoyed the sparkling crystal Caribbean one more day, it was not to be!

 

Debi, Jeff, Dan and I did go diving on the last morning on the other side of the island. All the diving companies were shuttling people to do dives from Flowers Bay since the other side was too stormy. What an adventure! Once below the surface of water it was incredible and fairly calm, even though there were swells and rain above, the coral, sponges and moray eel we saw made it worth it. We never would have gone diving on a day like that it had not been for family! 

My aunt and uncle are so adventurous!

The last morning I awoke early and sat with my mug of tea on the front porch and marveled at the power of the storm after so many days. Lucia soon joined me and noticed that the dock in front us seemed to be at angle. With minutes, the dock started breaking apart and within hours two huge sections of the dock had broken off and washed ashore! It was quite a show to usher us out. From our dry little house, we also watched as the house next to us became flooded and the sand street we were to leave on in a few hours became submerged in more than a foot of water! A very dramatic farewell! The quiet family time we shared that week was really appreciated by us all. It is a time we will not soon forget for so many reasons! My heart images are filled with laughter and silliness from our little yellow house by the sea.

Since that time, I have been filled with a longing and missing of my friends, family, community, and mostly my mother that was lurking before but now it has assumed residence in my heart.  I am still enjoying my ocean swims, the island pace, and my SLP work, but something is missing. As I grow older, my desire and longing to spend time with my mom has increased and this time it felt like a heavy blanket that had been draped over me for the a week following her departure. I would be moved to tears whenever anyone simply asked about her and the visit. The parent-child relationship is so fluid and ever changing and unlike any other relationship we experience. I am filled with gratitude for it.   

Crazy last dinner! Too many captive days!!

 

The Day after our First Big Storm

Dan: What an amazing transformation this place is after the storm! Today was the first sunny day after one full week of storms that featured strong winds and heavy rains. It’s like the day after a huge snowstorm in Santa Fe. The air is clear and calm. The ocean is still and gentle. It truly looks, as well as feels, like two totally different places. It is as if a beautiful, sensual woman changed to an aggressive, protective mother, then back again.

During the storm the ocean was big and violent. It showed it’s strength and power with crashing white cap waves. The sea was swollen with rage and it brought ashore anything that was in it’s path.

The sea has now returned to it’s gentle, docile ways. The only way that we had known it before the storm. There is hardly a wave big enough to break over the outer-reef. Ones that do seem to break with caution and reserve. This tranquility of the sea can be overwhelming and it is the tone that usually sets the mood for this tropical island.