Two Weeks Old!

Welcome to our website! We were hoping to find a way to keep all of our family and friends up to date on our new life together in Dominica, and hopefully this will do the job!

We can't believe it - we're two-week-old newly weds finally living together in Dominica! We're both still adjusting to this whole married thing but trust me, we are loving every second of it! After being apart for that last 4 month stretch, it's hard to believe we get to wake up next to our best friend every day! That might sound corny, but it is so true! But then there are those adjustments, like sharing a bed, wearing a wedding ring, continuing a personal relationship with God when "personal" time is cut back, finding places for all of our clothes, and arranging a way-too-small apartment. (Andrea rearranges or decorates just about every day... slowly but surely, our apartment will feel somewhat like our own home!) Despite all those new things, we've both just loved being a team together. We have already learned so many ways that God created us to compliment and complete each other. For example, Andrea's gift of overpacking for everything in her life (she brought 4 pieces of luggage, 2 weighing about 70lbs) is complimented perfectly by Kyle's strength and ability to carry and drag all those bags from columbus to dallas to cancun to miami to san juan and finally to dominica! (Thank you LGN diet!)

Dominica has been treating us well, though. First off, Kyle is slowly getting back in the swing of things after his first week of classes. These first few weeks are packed with classes, but it seems to get a little better later during the semester. It's been interesting for him to balance his time between classes, studying and spending time with his new wife! He has definitely placed Andrea at the top of his priorities - which she loves and appreciates very much. Like today, we spent the whole day lounging aroung, just quality time together. It will take some adjustments, but with God in control of his time, Kyle will find just the right balance, and Andrea can't wait to be there to encourage him the whole way - especially when those crazy mini's roll around!

Tomorrow, Kyle is actually giving the sermon at Ross Christian Fellowship (RCF). He's embracing a more laid-back attitude toward his talks and is taking less time to prepare every single word but instead, trusting God will speak through him and let him talk right from the heart. (Knowing how Kyle is so thorough about studying and organizing, it's been tough. But he actually said he's a lot less nervous than the last time he spoke!) Since this is the first RCF of the semester, Kyle really wants to focus on what RCF is all about and what they believe. So he's going to share the Gospel, which is just like the message shared at the wedding. We'll be sure to let you know how it goes!

As for me (Andrea), it's been interesting getting used to living on the island, but I promise, I really am liking it so far. Sometimes I just stop and think, wow this is my life! I am married and live in the Caribbean now! With all the wedding planning, it seemed like I would never get here, but here I am! The biggest adjustment has been getting used to the heat - I don't think I've ever sweat so much in my life! One of the first days, we were standing in line for Kyle to register for classes, and I almost passed out just from standing out there. It was very humid in Ohio this summer, but this is just completely different. Everyone says it takes about a month to adjust, so keep your fingers crossed!

I've been filling up my time like I mentioned before by cleaning and rearranging the apartment. I'm also going to sub at the Ross Day Care center, and hopefully some families will need me to provide childcare at lunch and in the evening. I went on my first grocery shopping trip - which was very interesting considering the stores are more like convenience stores here. You have to hunt for what you want. I took some recipes with me from a Ross Spouses cookbook and the only recipe I found all the ingredients for was chocolate chip cookies! Though they don't really make a great dinner, I made them in our propane oven and they turned out great! When we got engaged, I would always joke that we would be eating cookies and cakes for dinner because I love to bake and am still learning to cook.... maybe that could actually come true!

So that's been our life so far - we've been loving it! Thank you to all of you who have sent such encouraging emails & messages and posted wedding pictures on facebook (we LOVE looking at those since we don't have the professional pics from the wedding yet!) Please keep the emails coming - it is so great to hear from back home and know what's going on in everyone's lives. We miss you guys and will write again soon!

Love,
Kyle & Andrea