Hi guys,
I know it's been a while so here is what we've been up to. I went back to that dance studio to talk more about teaching and taking classes. It turns out I will be starting a hip hop class the first week in February. I will teach the class and in return I will get to use the studio in the mornings if I want and I can take any class I'd like free of charge. I was pretty satisfied with the answer.
Brett is doing well in school and today had to dress up, In third semester they will dress up a lot and if they don't they will get docked points. He looked so handsome! He rides a bike to and from school every day it's about an 8 minute comute without the wind that is.
Brett likes riding his bike. We love our place it really feels like home and we find ourselves still saying wow I love our house. I love this place.
Sometimes I will have these Ican't believe we are here moments, married, in the Bahamas going to school. But it is a good feeling. Brett's school is in the same complex as a grocery store that's really nice being as I have no car and have to take buses to any store I want. A bus ride here is 1.25 one way. The bus drivers are usually very nice. The transportation for me is an issue. I would like the freedom of a scooter or car. But we just can't live like that now. One day. One Day.

I have really enjoyed the way Brett's schedule has worked out. He is home with me all evenings all saturday and sunday. I love it!

Well I will post some pics later but that's it for now!
Love, Kellie

So we are settled into our place! We cleaned it already and we feel very lucky! We discovered we have a washer and dryer in our place and that was not mentioned before. When we got to the airport the people were so nice to us. Ross had a representative there to meet us and they gave us a care package with food and things in it. When we were dropped off at our apt. We met Fred and clover a man and woman who manage cove house, the place we live. Fred and clover really took care of us. Fred introduced us to a man named T.B he tells us think of tberculousus and remember him! anyway, T.B is from Colorado and migrates here every winter. T.B gave us a bike to use whenever we want and he also showed us were he keeps his other bike and said anytime but morning we are welcome to use it! nice huh! so we went cruising aroung town on bikes.

The people are so nice here. Everyone talks to you and when they hear you'r from Ross they get a big smile on their face and start asking all kinds of questions about the school. We think the school will really help the economy here. The tourism thing isn't very strong here and hasn't been for a few years. Brett and I both have blisters from walking so much. Some of our friends have gotten cars and scooters but I think we are going to stivk with bikes. We have been to the beach, oh man it is so nice! long white sandy beaches with clear blue water! The best part is that the water is not very salty! On our walk yesterday we found our church builing, we were so excited!

Our church building is light olive green and looks like a building you might see in Utah. The steeple is typical of an LDS church building steeple . Across from the church building is GB fitness and inside GB fitness there is a dance studio. We went in the studio and talked to the lady there. Her name is Garret. I told Garret that I wanted to take a class and we talked a little and I told her I have taught for the last like 8 years. and she got really excited because her hip hop teacher just left and so did her gymnastics teacher. The only problem is that you are not allowed to work here at all. A work visa is really hard to get and by the time I got it we would be leaving. So brett and I talked a little about teaching to Garret and Brett suggested maybe I could take a class and not have to pay for it if I teach a class. I am thinking I will teach her hip hop and maybe suggest a lyrical class if she will let me use her studio durring the day one or two hours a week so I can teach the little girls from our branch. That way I am making money by teaching my two girls and not have to pay rent for the studio. besides I loves teaching hip hop so that wouldn't be bad at all. I am really excited about this and sounds like they are too. The studio is called the Louis Sieler Academy of Dance. Today Brett and I went to the food store as they call it here. We haven't heard it called the grocery store yet, it's always food store. We walked to the store and loaded up as much as we could and packed our back packs and headed home. A man named Dave cook picked us up and turns out he was a double for Bootstrap Bill in pirates of the caribbean Brett says he looks like a pirate. Dave has a lot of gold teeth but was so nice to us and his boat is in the marina behind our apt. He also wrote a book called pirates of the Bahamas. So today we realised we still have alot to learn, we bought fabric softener and we thought it was laundry detergent. :)

We really like our apt it has 3 ceiling fans a huge table and a huge enterinment center with a itty bitty tv. we have a mini couch and chair. We created a desk and moved the furniture around to look really nice! The mattress here is so much better than in Dominica. In Dominica Brett always had a sore back and so far he has had a good night sleep and no sore back. The homes here are huge and this place is full of older people that you can tell are probably here for the winter. They are all really nice so far though. We have a movie theater here and two dance studios, we swam in our pool today it was a super nice day

This island has a Wendy's! yesterday we had a #6!!! and a diet coke! a weird thing is that every buildig wether it's wendy's or the bank has a security or door man at the door who will open the door for you.

family

Paige was doing my hair

 

So it's been really nice to be home and hang out with family. here are a few pics from our family get togethers.

Brett & Brylie being goofs.

Good Times

We are so blessed to have such great friends and family! 

Tonight we were able to have dinner at Tacanos in Salt Lake with a few friends from our branch in Dominica. It was so much fun to actually be in America and be with our friends from Dominica. We love that these people are our friends, they are all so wonderful and great. It's good to have friends like these people.  It's kinda sad to me to say good-bye and watch them walk away not knowing when we might get another chance to see them again. But the good thing is that you know they are there for you even though you are not around each other.  

For New Years Eve we had dinner at Grandpa Checketts' we ate yummy lasagna and breadsticks. It was so nice to get to see all our cousins and their new families. Jen's Baby London is such a doll!!!

After Dinner we played bunko as New Years Eve Tradition. Between Brett and I  we made 2.00! we figure thats a good amount to start our children's college fund! :)  

Speaking of children... is it just me or does everyone have a baby? I swear maybe the lord is sending me a message but I have held so many babies since we have been home. I love it! Babies are so fun and cute! Even my Yorkie dog Koellie has two babies!  ha ha but really no babies for us for a while.

We have had a few family parties on both sides of our family and have picked up all the things we think we will need for the Bahamas. We are going to go to the temple soon and after that I think we are ready to head for the Bahamas! 

We are very very excited to get there and get settled in.

Tonight was a blast! to get to chill with friends from the island!

We are home!
We love being back in Utah! it's funny because I feel like we have been through so much and changed so much while experiencing so much of the world and we come home and everthing is still the same. you ask people whats new and usually they say not much. I am glad that we have had so many cool experiences and that things are changing.

My view of change has changed. I like it! I like moving and meeting so many new people and going new places!

We are so blessed! being home has really made us realize how blessed we actually are. With families who love us and the church all around us, and temples!!! It's nice to be so close to the temple. It's sad to see people on the island with huge testimonies but not the means to visit the temple.

It didn't take long for us to get use to the comfort of home. We love being close to our families over the holidays. Although we are excited to move to the Bahamas!

LIFE IS GREAT FOR US!

Hey Yall!

Today was a very very fun day!  We slept in! that is a first for us in months! we got up when we wanted ate breakfast when we wanted. Later we met up with some friends and we rented a car to go on a road trip down the island. So we loaded up the car and we headed down the island, the drive is always nerve racking for me cause people are CRAZY! drivers here! I am not just saying this... you would not believe it unless you saw it! We drive on the left hand side of the road here, and there  are no speed limits or stop signs here.  The roads are so windy and twisty.

We went to a place called Titou Gorge earlier on this  blog there are some pictures of it. I have been before and I really wanted Brett to experience how cool it was!  needless to say he loved it!

We leave the island for good on tuesday Dec 23. We are so so excited to go home for christmas before our move to the Bahamas.  Brett did well on his final mini of the semester! It has been an awesome 5 months!  Learning and growing and loving has been a blessing in our lives.

Merry Christmas!

Bahama Bound BABY!

This is a map of Freeport Bahamas, our next home to be.

we are moving January 7th and are very excited!

We will be getting bikes while we are there, we are told it is very flat (unlike here)

and are excited to ride around town.

If you find the red circle that says Ross U. and you see the golf course under it, we will be living to the left of the golf course, in the canal-ish area! water all over! The beaches in the Bahamas are white sand beaches and the snorkeling and diving have a great reputation too!

This is our condo/ timeshare/aprtment builing! We are on the third floor and are paying the 3rd cheapest rent on the list of apartments! We have a pool, Tennis courts, blacony but most of all we have each other! :) ... cheesy? I don't care.

I called prior to comitting to this apartment and asked the landlord if we could make a deal. I told her I would only sign the lease if she comitted to painting a monochromatic apartment for us. She readily abliged! ha ha just teasing! but isn't it sweet! our whole place is white and black... I actually have seen four or five other Bahama apartments that are black and white so it must be a thing they do there? oh well!

Look we have a ice maker in our fridge! and a dishwasher next to it! We have a couch! and a huge table that can seat 6! a queen size bed! I know you American are thinking ok whoopee..... but for us not having a table, couch, toaster, and sleeping on a foam thing with shoved pillows under it we are pretty excited that we have this opportunity!

We hear the Branch there is a good size, we look forward to going to church there!

Brett is currently studying in the other room for his Anatomy test. oh wait he just walked in to get a good luck kiss and know he is out the door headed to his 3rd big test in two days! next week there are 7 more... He is doing great! we are going to trade some of his books back for next semesters books, that is gonna save some mula!

My school is over after I take 2 more finals soemtime between the 6-9 of December! Life is nice here, simple.