San Juan, Here We Come!!!

It's official!! All the forms came back and the flights are booked... Kyle is taking Step 1 on July 12th in San Juan!! We can't believe it's only 2 weeks away!

So, as you can imagine, Kyle has been spending all his time either at class in Roseau or studying. And, I've been acting as his patient for his midterm exam on Monday, which he has to do a full full physical exam for. These next 2 weeks are definitely going to be busy ones, but we're excited for the 12th to come!


























































We need your prayers, though! (Especially for Kyle's sanity until he takes the test!) He's been really excited to study and prepare for the exam - such a true, studious medical student - but pray that he doesn't get burnt out! Also, pray that material he studied weeks ago would still be easily recalled. I really have no idea how he gets all the info in his brain... it's amazing!














As I said, these next 2 weeks will be busy but after that test will be so great!! Though Kyle will still have some studying to do for fifth semester, there will be so much time for us to just hang out and have quality time together for our last month on the island.













Also, I know that recently the blog has been mainly all about me (and all my baking escapades!), so I asked Kyle once he got done with the test, if he would make an appearance of his own on here. He would do a much better job of retelling his stories during his rotations and how excited he is to have taken the step! So get ready for that in a few weeks. But in the meantime, THANK YOU for all your thoughts, prayers and encouragement. We are so spoiled by all of our friends and family!!

Happy Anniversary Courtney & Andy

Today is Courtney & Andy's two year anniversary! They are a couple down here in Dominica and are in their third semester. Courtney asked Ashley and I to make their anniversary cake, and we were pretty excited to do it! We found a picture of their wedding cake online and wanted to try and duplicate it - well as best we could with limited supplies and our beginner cake-decorating skills!

Though it may not be exactly the same, we loved it and really enjoyed making it for their special day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEY!!!

Today is Ashley's 26th birthday!! We celebrated a little early, since the Mini was on Monday night and people were ready to take a break. I spent the entire day before we went to dinner making Ashley's cake. We already exchanged presents at the beginning of the semester (we couldn't wait to give them to each other!) so we decided we would both make each other's cakes. Well, since we've had the decorating kit, we have been stepping up our cake & cupcake-decorating skills! So I searched online for some fun ideas, and was set to bake the cake!

I was planning on making a 2-layer round cake, but as I started baking, I figured it should be a little bigger. Well, I ended up with a 4-layer chocolate cake that wouldn't even fit in my cake carrier! I had a lot of fun decorating, and finally found icing recipes that won't melt down here!

I had Ashley come see the cake before we left, because we had about a 30 minute ride to the restaurant, and knowing the drivers down here, and the roads, I was picturing my cake toppled over by the time we got there!

But as we got to the restaurant, Sunsets, the cake was all in one piece, thank goodness!! Kyle and I had never been to Sunsets, but it was so nice, and the food was delicious! It may even be better than Blue Bay. So after dinner, the owner of the restaurant had a "special song" for Ashley - a somewhat Opera version of Happy Birthday... and he even came over a planted a few kisses on her cheek!

We had a great night celebrating with Ashley! And today, we're both celebrating again by making bread :)

Another Congratulations!

We just want to say CONGRATS to Kyle's Aunt Eileen! She'll be graduating from Rush University Medical Center receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Vascular Technology. (Just reading that sounds like a lot of work!) We'll have you in our thoughts this Saturday Aunt Eileen! :)

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Last semester, I started getting emails from a couple who was planning on moving to the island in May and start this semester. Well, as the emailing continued, we found out we would be neighbors! Chris and Katy came to the island this past break and live just 3 doors down from us! It's so great to have another couple because Kyle and I used to be the only couple living here. We barely even see our neighbors, and half the time I'm the only one here out of all 12 apartments. We were pretty excited to have another couple move in to the building, and better yet, on to the same floor!

Chris and Katy are from Oklahoma, and just got married this past December - newlyweds, like us. They've been coming to RCF and Chris is even thinking about leading worship next semester. And, this is one of our favorite parts.... they LOVE playing cards!! We've already had several spades dates, and taught them how to play euchre. (I never knew that was just a Midwest/Ohio game). It's been great getting to know them!


Once Ashley and Ryan got back to the island, the six of us decided to go out to dinner. We had heard people talking about the Iguana Cafe and how great it is, but let me tell you, the actual cafe is probably no bigger than our bedroom (which is tiny!) It's pretty much a shack on the side of the road.

The sunset that night was gorgeous! We snapped a picture from the third floor before leaving

Kyle outside of the Iguana Cafe

Though the restaurant was tiny, dinner was great!! Kyle and I aren't big seafood fans, but we've been trying it down here to see if we can learn to like it. I ordered the Mahi Mahi, which was delicious and Kyle got the lobster. He learned a little while back that he is allergic to shrimp. Well, he started eating the lobster, and I kept noticing him scratching and clearing his throat. He even had to undo his watch because he was getting so hot. Well, we added lobster to Kyle's allergy list that night. But he said it was so good, he couldn't stop eating!

And of course no night out in Dominica is complete without a little bit of randomness. The Cafe was so small, you could completely see the kitchen. The whole place was being run by a younger Dominican man and a woman, who did the cooking. Well, at some point we hear the woman telling the man that "he just needed to get outside." Well, he proceeds to go outside, and all of a sudden we begin to smell a smell all to familiar in Dominica. Apparently, he needed to go outside and relax with a little help from the ganja... Well by the time he came back in, he was feeling great. He even performed a few numbers for us on the karaoke machine sitting about a foot from our table.

After a few performances, we were waiting for our check when we realized the woman was bringing us dessert. Eating at most restaurants here is like being a guest at their home. So we happily thanked her for the cheesecake, and Ashley was the first one to dig in. I could tell by her face something was up. I took a bite, and it was like taking a huge bite of pure cream cheese! Well, we didn't want to look rude and not eat the dessert she prepared for us. So Kyle took one for the team and ate two big chunks. (Part of me thinks he actually liked it!)

We ended the night grabbing actual dessert at The Tomato. It was the perfect way to end a great night with awesome friends!

The Girls: Ashley, me and Katy

The Guys: Chris, Kyle, and Ryan

We all got together about a week later for a Pizza Party at Ryan and Ashley's apartment. Ashley's friend Julie came to visit from Tennessee, so we all got together to meet her. Ashley came up with this great idea for the party - she baked a bunch of pizza crusts, and had pizza sauce and cheese. Everyone was responsible for bringing their own toppings and we each baked our own pizzas. It was fun seeing what everyone liked on their pizza!

This is what happens when you spend so much time together... you start dressing alike! :)

After eating, we played so many games - which Kyle and I love to do! We started off with Catch Phrase, then Musical Catch Phrase (one of my new favorites - though not everyone was into it!)and then ended the night with our personal favorite, Garbage! We had a blast, and the night served as a reminder of what amazing friends we are blessed with down here!

Having a Crumby Day?

Make it all better with Daily Bread! Trust us, you knead it! :)

We're getting pretty official down here with our little bread business! Over break, we designed Daily Bread shirts, and Ashley had them printed at home. Kyle and Ryan have been sporting them around campus, and we even sold a few as well to some loyal customers!

The front has the official Daily Bread Logo

The back has a very sad piece of bread pictured, and is says, "Having a crumby day? Make it all better with bread. Trust us you knead it."

We made fliers to match the t-shirts, and posted them around campus. We've got a few comments from people that they couldn't help but laugh when they read it. We're more than happy to make someone smile in the midst of hectic studying!

Our latest venture has been baking and designing birthday cakes. Thanks to Ashley's Pampered Chef icing kit, we've been having so much fun decorating the cakes. Who knew we had bread and cake skills??

Two cakes for a Virginia Tech fan!

This cake is for Harriet Myers, one of the Deans at Ross!

This past Tuesday, Ashley made cupcakes and brought them to the cake table to sell. How cute are these?? Of course, they were a huge hit with the kids here (and the students, too!)

I love the pig cupcakes!

Kyle loves all this new baking because he gets to be the taste-tester & extra-icing-eater

Also, for Ashley's birthday, I made her a Daily Bread Cookbook from Shutterfly that turned out so cute! So cute, in fact, that we wanted to let our friends and family back home order one if they like! For around just $17, you could have your own Daily Bread cookbook. Before you know it, you'll be baking bread and muffins like the pros. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! (that's my favorite part of infomercials!) - included in the book are tips for bread problems as well as common substitutions. If you would like one, just email us at DailyBreadDominica@yahoo.com!

The Dog Lady?

I’ve been called the bread lady before, and even the cookie lady for doing the birthday ministry for RCF, but now I have a new one...

The Dog Lady

It all started when I found a woman’s blog who posts great recipes, so I use it a lot when I’m looking for new ideas for dinner. Well, this time I definitely found something a little different: Peanut Butter Doggie Bones!

Ok, now I know you’re saying, “Andrea, you and Kyle don’t even have a dog…” Well, we’ve somewhat adopted two dogs from the neighbors on either side of us. We’ve told you about Pup, the older brown dog that is so ugly he’s cute. And then there’s Baby Pup, who has the coolest coloring – it’s like gray, brown and black tiger stripes. (Yes, we came up with these names…their real names are Bruce and Sly, but they respond to Pup and Baby Pup now!)

Where are my treats??

Each time we come home, they follow us right up the stairs. We always feed them leftovers, and I used to leave a water bowl out, but the bowl turn into toy for them and who knows where they carried it off to…

So, when I found this recipe, I thought it was perfect! It would give me something to do, and of course the dogs would love it.

I do feel just a tiny bit embarrassed by the dog lady title. But then we saw a guy carrying around bags of dog food in his backpack, stopping at all the stray dogs and feeding them. Hey, someone’s gotta love these dogs! So though I may feel like an old woman baking my bread and making my dog treats, at least Pup and Baby Pup will be well fed!

Island Tour

While we had a car, we decided we would go on a little tour of Dominica. Well, at least the portion of Dominica from the airport to our apartment. That side of the island really is beautiful, because the Atlantic Ocean is on that side. The water is a pretty blue color, and there are always waves – our side of the island has the Caribbean Sea, which is relatively calm a majority of the time.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy a little drive through Dominica with Kyle and Andrea…

Our faithful driver for the weekend... the drive from the airport is a lot easier than the trips to Trafalgar Falls and Bense River. I think Kyle was a little relieved to get rid of the car at the end of our trip...

This is the view as you leave the airport - beautiful!

Our big stop on our tour was at Club Dominique. It is a hotel that someone started building, and after financial problems, they threw in the towel and left the island. Kyle always joked that we would buy it one day and retire on the island. Well, we've really only seen it as we zoomed by in a transport. So we thought we'd give it a closer look.

So, Club Dominique wasn't in the greatest condition... but the view from the back balcony is gorgeous!

So after giving up our dreams of spending our older years in Dominica at Club Dominique, we jumped in the car and headed home...

Yes I know, that was a pretty short island tour. But after a weekend full of adventures with my mom here, we were ready to nap the rest of the day away!