Junior Junkanoo

If you combine bright, colorful costumes, cute kids, Christmas in Nassau and music that makes you want to dance....you get Junior Junkanoo. Junkanoo is an energetic parade that sweeps even the spectators into the spectacle. If you want to know more about this Bahamian tradition you can read about it here.


The evening started out with rain which we were afraid would cause the parade to be canceled. Thankfully, though, the rain stopped and left bright shining streets which I happily photographed.



Our friends, Chelle and Jasmine, are the lovely people who invited us to go with them. Aren't they cute in their matching hats?

And of course the evening was all the more special because I shared it with Brett!

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas....

I don't know if I will ever get used to being in the tropics during the Christmas season. It just doesn't seem right somehow when I see Christmas Decorations on houses with palm trees in the yard, it's 80 degrees and I am still wearing shorts and t-shirts most of the time.

In my childhood the weeks in December were spent sledding, ice skating and building snowmen. We would be hoping the weather wouldn't be too cold and snowy on Christmas day so we could get together with all of our relatives.

Getting a Christmas tree was a big but fun ordeal. It involved finding the old, rusting, orange tree saw that probably hadn't been used since the year before, getting dressed with multiple layers from head to foot to fight against the cold wind, loading up into our 12 passenger red Dodge van and heading to the Kringlund Tree Farm. This was my personal favorite place to get the tree because they had Christmas cookies in abundance, hot chocolate and a wood stove. I remember thawing my frozen fingers on that hot wood stove after trekking all over their farm to find the "perfect" tree and being incredibly and blissfully happy. As perfectly happy as you can be with a burnt tongue from the HOT chocolate.

So, yes, December in The Bahamas is an adjustment for me. A couple of days ago I was thrilled that it was cold enough to wear a sweatshirt. People here were all bundled up against the lower 70 degree cold!

I think this picture sums it up for me. A Christmas tree sign, hanging in palm trees!

In other news, Brett and I met a parrot the other day. He was a very friendly little fellow.

Have a Happy Week!

....he brings me flowers

I was sitting on my bed working away on my computer feeling frustrated by my lack of progress. Tired from the long hours staring at the screen I was ready for something good to cheer me up. Then the door opened and Brett came in with a smile and a flower. My day suddenly became a whole lot happier.

My website is launched! This week has been long but in the long run profitable and I am pleased to introduce you to Frangipani Photography

And lastly a photo of Brett.... I love him so much! I really couldn't have finished my website this week without him.

Oh, and that is Gizmo on his shoulder. Gizmo is my friend part of the time. She isn't my friend when she poops on my shoulder and bites my finger.

Weekend Trip to Rose Island

Sparkling blue water, great company, beautiful reef to snorkel and abundant soldier crabs made for a wonderful weekend.

The Soldier Crab Race!

Cherries and Kites

My husband and I have been having such a great time on our summer road trip. We've already been through 10 states and traversed 3 time zones. Our car has been showered in rain, covered in bugs, driven through puddles, snow and over gravel. We've driven up mountains and along the pacific ocean. We've kitesurfed on lakes, rivers and soon we'll have kited in the Pacific. We've hung out with old friends and made new ones.

We found many things to love about Oregon. My personal favorites were the abundance of delicious fresh cherries, the gorgeous waterfalls and getting to hang out with friends. I am pretty sure Brett's favorite thing was kiting in Hood River where the wind was almost always blowing.

This is a waterfall that was just outside of our tent door at Viento State Park. It was great to have the sound of falling water to drown out the nearby freeway noise.

Meeting up with the IPS group was awesome, I got to see Kelley Kossan AND Hannah Brandau.

Brett and I got spend an afternoon with my roommates I had when I worked at Summit Ministries in 2007. They gave us a great tour of Portland and we met up with this wonderful brass woman who I guess did great things for Portland.

Road Trip to the West Coast

As many of you know Brett and I are doing some exploring of the US. Here is a map showing where we've been and where we are heading.

We just finished driving along the mountainous Oregon coast and are currently spending some time in San Francisco. Most of our nights are spent camping in State Parks so internet access has become scarce.

However, we have been documenting our travels with photos and videos so stay tuned and I'll fill you in with some lovely updates over the coming days.

Our journey will come to an end on August 19th when we will fly out of Atlanta to our cousin's wedding in The Bahamas.

These pictures was taken at the Painted Canyon in North Dakota on July 24th.

Brat Stand and Family at the Lake

In Minnesota we eat Brats and drink Pop...

Living Word Bible Camp

Better Late then Never camp pictures.....


Some of my awesome siblings who we got to enjoy camp with.