Recipe: Easy Jambalaya

This recipe is quick to make and so yummy!! You can serve with bread or veggies on the side, or eat it all by itself!

Easy Jambalaya 
- 8oz package of Vigo Black Beans and Rice
- 1/2 package of Kielbasa sausage
- shredded cheese
- sour cream

*Prepare black beans and rice. Boil kielbasa on low until rice is finished. Slice sausage and mix in with beans and rice. Cover with cheese and serve with sour cream on the side!

Serves 3-5 people. This recipe is so easy and delicious!! Let me know if you try it!!

Makeover

Sky got a hair cut. When he walked into my job with this "new" hair I didn't recognize him right away. I had to do a triple take. Seriously. And then I started to shriek. He didn't warn me that he was doing it and it was kind of shocking. I know it sounds silly to say that, but it's true. Here's the before and after:

Before

After

It may just be me, since I do like the scruffy beach bum look, but I liked his hair longer!! But he said he has to start being respectable (which I guess means keeping his hair cut?) since he's going to be a daddy. Man logic if I ever heard it.

It's Official!!

Sky and I have decided to move back home. We're heading back to Atlanta!!! I am beyond delighted; Sky is (understandably) a little less enthused. While I'm in love with and am used to living in a big city, Sky is pretty much the opposite. He grew up and lived on small islands and small towns pretty much his whole life. So I guess the idea of living in a big, bustling city is a bit overwhelming to him.

I, on the other hand, am so excited for all the things that a big city has to offer us right now! One of the reasons we're moving from the VI is the healthcare. The healthcare here is less than stellar. I had a scare two weeks ago that could have been solved by a simple sonogram. Well, as it turns out, there isn't an ultrasound machine on the island. Or a hospital. Or even a doctor. They, of course, have clinics and nurse practitioners here. But this doesn't give me enough confidence or comfort to go through 9 months of pregnancy, labor, and caring for a newborn. As for Atlanta we wouldn't be more than 15 minutes away from doctors, hospitals and specialists should something go wrong.

Another reason we've decided to make the move is our families. I have never felt a stronger need to be around my family and friends as I feel now. I guess it's something about bringing a little person in the world that makes you want to surround yourself by the familiar and comforting. Besides I think it's perfect that most of my friends back home are moms anyway. And my sister just had a sweet little baby (Happy 2 months Sadie Baby!). There's nothing better than being around people in the same stage of life as you are!!

The last (logical) reason we are moving back is the cost of living. Here's a sample of a few things we pick up at the grocery store each week and their prices here:

Gallon of milk- $6
Loaf of bread- $5
Box of cereal- $7
Frozen pizza- $ 13
Dozen eggs- $3
1/2 Pound of turkey- $6
Bag of chips- $5

I could go on but it's depressing!! On average a trip to the grocery store for 1 1/2 meals (dinner and some leftovers) we spend about $28 to $35. A large majority of our income goes to eating. The rest of life here is pretty expensive too! Gas is about $3.65 a gallon right now. We live in a pretty tiny studio apartment that costs us $750 a month. Pretty much the only thing that's cheap here is liquor, which is no longer a pro for me! All of this on top of the fact that on average jobs here pay 15% to 30% less than in the States. This math does not add up when you're looking to build a life and a family!!

So those are the "real" reasons we're moving back to Atlanta. I feel confident in the fact that we've made this decision based on logic and fact! And that's how I presented it to Sky which is why I think he's fine with it. If he knew some of my PERSONAL reasons for wanting to move back, he would think I'm nuts. I really want to move back so I can decorate the nursery from Target and Pottery Barn. And I really want to start taking prenatal yoga in Piedmont Park. And find a mommy group ITP. And I can't wait to sign up for Music classes, specifically at Toco Hills so I can get Miss Berne. And let's not forget Gymboree!! I want to do all the fun, silly things you can do when you're a mommy!! To me these are just as good as the real reasons I listed above.

Either way, back home we go!! I hope one day he learns to love Atlanta as much as I do, but until then I can love it enough for all 3 of us!!!!

Beautiful, Wonderful, Amazing News!!!!

Sky and I are so excited to announce that we're expecting our first baby!!!!! Yes, I'm PREGNANT!!!!!! We found out very shortly before we got engaged that we're having a baby. We thought it was a good idea to wait just a bit before we announced it to everyone!!! We are both so full of joy and love for this little one already!!!! My EDD (Estimated Date of Delivery) is May 1st. I'm going to be a May Mommy!!!!! I couldn't be happier or more in love with my life right now:)

Homesick

I guess it takes moving very far away from home to appreciate everything you love (but thought you were over) about it. For some reason it's this time of year, the beginning of fall, that I've always loved being in Atlanta. I used to love unpacking sweaters, day trips to pumpkin patches, watching the leaves turn, camping trips, feeling the air turn crisp in the early morning, watching sweet boys play soccer (Miller & Shea!), and the smells of pumpkin and cinnamon everywhere!! These are the little joys and pleasures that don't come with a never-ending summer.

Please don't get me wrong! I am so blessed to be where I am!! Being on St. John has been an experience that I will never let go of as long as I live. Living in the Virgin Islands is an amazing, fun-filled, beautiful, but often difficult, experience. Somehow I thought life would be simpler, easier, sweeter living near the wide open sea, near breath-taking sandy beaches, in climates that never dropped below 78 degrees.

This may be paradise for some, but I am slowly but surely recognizing that I left behind My Paradise nearly a year ago. The longer I am away the more I appreciate, love and miss my friends, my families, my paradise, my home: Atlanta.

Alaska

For now all I'll say about our trip to Alaska is that is was a beautiful place to visit. I wish the temperature was about 15 degrees warmer and that it didn't rain so much, but in the end, beautiful. And that is how I'll leave it. :)

Skype with Me!

For anyone who has had more than a 5 minute convo with me while living here in islands, you know that reception here is EXTREMELY BAD. So I set up a Skype account!! You can search me by my email Kourtnie_e@yahoo.com, or my Skype username Kourtnie223. I would love to see your smiling faces!! It's free and easy to sign up. So Skype with me!! I really miss all of you:)

What a Difference...

What a difference a year makes!!!!! Today marks our one year anniversary. Sky and I met this time last year when I vacationed in the Virgin Islands. I think our story is a sweet, romantic one. It's a story that's filled with a dash of adventure, a lot of hope, a touch of heartache, and lots of love. As with any relationship, we've had our ups and downs, our highs and lows. But we made it through and we're stronger for it in the end. This time last year I was a single girl looking for fun times in the sun! This year I'm a girl who's ready to marry the man I know is The One. This post is dedicated to Sky and our love story. It's a story I can't wait to tell our children one day:)

Then...

Now:)

Our Engagement Party: Willow Style

Sylva and Bill, Sky's mom and stepdad, were amazing enough to throw us an engagement party during our visit! We met lots of sweet people who have known Sky, Sylva and Bill for years!! Here are a few of my favorite shots:)

All in all it was such an amazing time!! The food was yummy, the people were amazing, and there was lots of laughter that day!! The sun even peeked out for the better part of the afternoon. Lots of thanks to Sylva and Bill and everyone who showed up to help celebrate our love and happiness!! 

We're Engaged!!!!

Sky and I are engaged!! We both knew it was coming but where and when he did it was such a surprise!!!! He asked me to go for a walk with him so we took a trail that runs behind his parents' house to Willow Creek. Once we got there Sky asked me to help him look for heart shaped rocks (something we've done since we first met) by the river. So I was wandering around in a circle looking for rocks to take home. Sky sort of nudged me in a specific direction and told me to look "over there". Once I walked in the direction he pointed he asked me if I had found anything. Sitting on a big rock was a small, carved ivory box. I think that's when I realized what was happening so I started freaking out. I picked it up and opened it and when I turned around Sky was on his knee!! I laughed hysterically while Sky asked me to spend the rest of my life with him!!! I, of course, said yes. Then I cried!! It was a very sweet moment. It is definitely something I will remember for the rest of my life!!!!

 

Sky and I right before our walk...

I'm excited to see where we're heading!!

The rock I found my ring on...

It was a special moment for us and this is definitely a story I look forward to telling our children one day!!!!