5 Barrels

This month has been crazy. We've been throughout Florida, Northern CA, Greensboro NC... and we'll be in St Kitts in about a week. Finally home! We shipped 5 barrels of stuff from Miami today, and just have to prepare for the flight next week. Those 5 barrels are basically almost everything we own. We're only storing a few things here in FL. We shipped food, clothes, toys, school supplies, blankets, and a few tools and small electronics.

I graduated Cum Laude with a BS in Economics and Business Management. My MS in Pharmacy Economics begins a few days, or hours, after we show up in St. Kitts. Jeanann is realizing vet school is actually going to happen, and she's getting excited.

We had great visits with friends and family. Luke in NC gave us both new tattoos. He's amazing, and visiting with them was pretty awesome. Hopefully the next few days of Christmas are as good as they can be.

I can't wait to be done traveling and to be in our new home. Pictures and blog posts which capture our experiences will surely follow, after a trip to St Kitts Carib brewery and beaches of course.... if we can get time to do that before the craziness of life kicks back in.

Couch Hopping

2 classes down, 3 left! It's looking good, I should make it!

Jeanann is staying with Nicola in Deland, I'm driving back and forth to finish up the last few days. We leave FL on Dec 7th to visit CA. On Dec 16th we go to NC for a little bit. On Dec 21st we're back in Fl until Dec 28th to go to Miami and pack things to ship to St Kitts. We fly out of Miami on Dec 30th.

Our life is like a tv show at times. I met my friends' mother the other day, and was telling her bits and pieces of what's been going on the last few months and years in our life. I feel a little bit like what we've done, and where we've come from is amazing. When you add where we're going and what we're currently doing, I feel like there're few people who would believe us. Its not even worth explaining it all sometimes. People have to think we're making this stuff up. I'm content just taking all the experiences in and continuing the journey.

This is Jeanann now (Nate is forcing me to write!). Like he said, our lives are absolutely insane. I'm sitting on the couch at my best friends house with Nate and we just had heated discussions about online gaming. I love it when Nate plays games. The thought of him sitting there, having fun and enjoying life is incredibly sexy. Its difficult to concentrate with that image in my mind. Nate is the best man in the world, ever. OK, done with that rant.

The Grand Migration

Guess it's time for the latest! Nevermind I wrote a bunch of stuff and it was deleted... here we go again...
We're flying to CA Dec 7th to the 15th. It's cheaper and saves us a ton of time, which we are rapidly running out of. We plan to loiter around the rest of the month until we go to Miami on the 26 or 27th to head out.
We're ready to move out of the FL house just about. We still have things to go through (again and again and againg) but we're making progress.
There are only a few weeks left of school for me. I almost have the minimum grades in all of my classes to graduate. I do have one class which destroys my soul and stabs my heart each time I try to sit down and do the homework. Rushing through a schedule of senior classes before being prepared for them is not a good strategy. My near 4.0 gpa will suffer, but I pray for the minimum grade in this class to be done with it. It probably has cost a few years of my life trying to struggle through it, but it'll just make graduating that much better. I guess.
Here are some pictures... St Kitts house.

Kids drinking yoohoo.

Thomas the train in Georgia.

Halloween.

Time

Time is slipping away daily. Things that I thought happened months ago just happened a few weeks ago. Halloween is coming, and we have one month left in our Gainesville house until our big December plan, whatever that is. So here's the update.

We finally secured a house in St. Kitts! It's a nice place, close to school. A bit pricey, but it is nice. We paid for that huge expense, first and last months rent. We have our plane tickets Dec 30th. We have most of the supplies we need, a car almost paid off we bought for 4k. The expenses are dizzying. We're lucky to be pulling this off. Some people on Jeanann's facebook who are supposed to be going in January are short on funds, and may have to drop out. We have been lucky to get this far, and we'll make it down there.

Everyone wants to know what our December plans are. So here's the thoughts going through our heads. Jeanann wants to drive back and forth across the country to see everyone, and get the kids together. I want to see everyone also, BUT the biggest problem is time. I don't finish school until Dec 8th, and that assumes I've done well enough in my classes to be able to skip finals week through the 16th or something. If I need to stay to take a final, I'm staying so I can graduate. That doesn't leave enough time to drive as much as we would need to.

Of course, funding. We've paid nearly every big expense left to get down there to the island other than shipping some things (about $100 per barrel from a sea freight co). It's questionable we'd have enough to afford all this travel just before going down to the island. I'm freaking out a little since I'd rather have some funds left when we arrive down there, than to spend every last dollar before getting on the plane. The tradeoff is our kids won't get to meet some of our family for a few years. Not sure which is worse.

We're thinking of alternative plans. (which we haven't discussed with anyone). Maybe we can drive to Texas and visit Larry and Erica, hoping Liz and Ryan can visit. Jeanann can fly to CA to drop off the bird and fly back, then we can drive to NC to see some friends, until finally driving down to Miami a few days early to ship stuff before flying out (stopping by Jeananns family on the way if time permits).

Getting to the island and settling in will be so nice after the hectic craziness we've been putting ourselves preparing for all this. Not to mention I have some demanding classes I absolutely must graduate from. If I don't graduate, I can't take my online Masters program. We'll need the few hundred a month extra I could get from Stafford loans to really afford living down there.

Another thing about all this is my income is not settled. I may be able to pull in some money, maybe not. Depending on a few factors (graduation, VA stuff, unlikely work opportunities down there).

So we're surfing this crazy turn of events, and hoping for the best. We've prepared better than anyone possibly could, but dealing with some of this uncertainty makes study time for my senior semester dizzying.

Happy Halloween! We have pics of the island trip, video, and all sorts of stuff. Just no time to upload edit and post them for all to see!

St. Kitts - First Visit

It definately is an interesting place! We spent the last week down there checking things out and scouting all over the island. Our biggest headache has been trying to secure housing. It isn't clear how housing is distributed to incoming students but it is very clear that it is more distributed by Ross U's housing people, than it is chosen by incoming students. Having a spouse and children seems not to matter, but rather irritates this mysterious housing assignment system.

One thing I've learned about myself is, I'm still not very good at making friends. I've began the process of irritating some of these people as I feel they have contributed to my stress. Probably not a good plan since the island is so small, everyone knows everyone, and I'd probably need these people's help or approval to work in any legal form.

But if we can figure these things out AND I can graduate, I figure I'll try to shoot for 2 masters degrees still. It'll keep my busy and be worth my time I figure. My hopes and dreams of internship with any local government or the EC Central Bank are rapidly fading away as I get a taste of how things operate over there. I may be too much of an outsider, and my usual slightly caustic methods are even less welcome down there.

The island is beautiful. There are some amazing beaches. It seems there is a lot of development (although it may be that these development projects just linger for an extended period of time and more half finished buildings pop up). The roads and infrastructure are in terrible pain compared to the U.S. City planning is an extremely recent concept it seems. They do have 1 new road above Bassatterre that has recently opened that is nice.

The island is a mix of tourists and locals. The local areas definately have some poverty stricken areas. The tourist areas are completely over priced. Many people figured we had money since we are white. Even so we've met some of the nicest people and did feel safe in most of the places we visited. I'm sure we do 'have money' if you compared us to some parts of the city. It's a little scary to me though. Even though St. Kitts is nothing like Afghanistan, I have to admit that some of the less well to do areas of the island did remind me of the type of poverty I've seen in Afghanistan. It's not nearly that bad if the island is considered as a whole. There are neighborhoods of super nice houses also. Some may be foreigners, and some may be local government officials.

The neighborhood we thought we would end up in is Bird Rock. Some officials live there, it's a nice place. It's up the hill from the central bank, port, shopping mart and downtown. If you look up a map of the island, it really is that small, which makes the contrast of the neighborhoods hard to understand. BUT, a few roads over, and it's a different neighborhood with a different name and a different feel to it (that we could observe in our brief week there).

We're reaching out to a few of the local people we have met in hopes of finding a place to live outside of the reach of 'Ross Housing Dept's' control. I don't have much faith or trust in their recommendations at this point and would prefer to stay as far away from anything they offer as possible. We hope to have a place to lay down and sleep when we show up with the kids in January, but at the rate we're going, it's a possibility we should prepare for.

We're holding on, committed to fulfill Jeanann's dream. I'm still excited, even with the stress and worry. I hope I can pull off this last semester which seems to be getting more and more difficult as the distractions get worse. I do hope this whole experience turns out to positive for all of us. There should be plenty of volunteer type opportunities. I think some locals have a hard time staying in school, learning to read, and that sort of thing. Maybe I can help do something good in that sense. Maybe I can motivate some U.S. people to donate to some schools down here. I've already told Jeanann I'm probably going to want to adopt some kids from one of the orphanages. We haven't seen them yet, but we will, and we're probably going to want to adopt, at least I will.

That's that for now. Stay tuned for pics and videos. It may be awhile, I have so much school work built up. I'm in the process of blowing off certain things and preparing for the next round of homework, tests and projects in an effort to graduate and make it into grad school.

Bradyn's B-Day

Bradyn is turning 3 on the 4th! We're excited. We're going all out. Bradyn was going to have a party at grandma Wrens, but that didn't work out so we decided to throw a proper bash at home. We'll have a bounce house, adult entertainment, and we've invited everyone we know (which really isn't that many people for me since most the people I know are college aged and have no kids). Bradyn's going to have a blast in the bounce house with some of his friends. Some of Jeanann's friends will be travelling up from a few hours away. All this and Florida play Alabama tomorrow night, the team that stole our championship last year.

I've been accepted to my first choice Masters program. MS Pharma/pharmacoeconomics. I'm excited and worried at the same time. I'm sure it'll be a challenge, but I'm excited for this new opportunity. It should open up some exciting opportunities for me in the future.

All this good stuff is exciting, but it's hectic and stressful. Things have been a little chaotic at times, since we're prepping to move to another country as 'student's', get all the medical, finances, schooling, kids, animals, house, and possessions ready. As exciting and positive as things can be, they can catch up to you every once in awhile. We've been reminded, but we're seeing the light again. Matt not getting accepted to the Nevada police is an example. Life sucks sometimes, no matter who you are or what you do. You have to feel the pressure and 'embrace the suck' in order to really understand the good times.

Another example of this is an old friends band from the army days. I believe he's signed to a label in NY. I posted his video the other day. His band sounds pretty good I think, and I envy his position as a musician. The video though, is a reminder of how tough life was up there at times, and to think that he persevered and pushed through. The struggle, work and pain, and to know there's only more coming. Crazy, but that's life. The choices we make alter our futures if we're lucky enough to have futures.

I regret missing Matt's wedding, I think it's the only brother's wedding I missed. We've been to Jeremy and Sara's, Luke and Shawna (which was cool in Tahoe), Alicia's, and I guess one of Jeananns cousins is getting married on the 6th of november in Georgia. Jeanann tells me I'm going to that. She's an expert at making sure my calender never gets too empty.

The kids are getting older. We're moving out of this house on Dec 1st. We fly to the islands on Dec 30th. I get done at UF about Dec 8th (hopefully). Jeanann starts her quest for doctorage in January, and I begin my online studies about drugs and such in February. I look forward to seeing everyone. It'll be bittersweet knowing It'll be 3 years before seeing some of them again. Hopefully you all will take advantage of a brother and friend who lives on a small island and come visit us. Go get your visas.

Call us! Call Bradyn, it's his birthday.

My Space

Myspace used to be a place to get in touch with people. How many of us can't remember our old email addresses or logins. Or worse, are some of those people on our old friends lists even alive these days?

I've been curious about some old friends lately. Are they even around these days, or have they chosen to go off the grid and avoid facebook, myspace, and other online networks used to track people. I hope some of my friends may have just chosen a life 'off the net' in order to avoid stop losses or to get out of deployments. Maybe they're trying to get out of child support payments. Whatever it is, I miss them, and hope they're well.

If you remember Geocities, you're old. I'm old. Personal web pages used to require a basic knowledge of web programming languages. To think my kids are born in an age where wikipedia is available at each person's fingertips (or smartphone) is amazing considering I was born when the 'internet' was a network of bulletin boards accessed through modems and phone numbers. When an image took a good 10 minutes to download, and most online 'forums' required monthly fees to access.

We're moving to St. Kitts soon. I'll be going off the grid, only available online. I look forward to the experience, and hope to remind myself how things used to be. If you need me, send an email, or come over and knock on the door.

In my senior semester here at UF, one thing employers expect is a working knowledge of new technology. Let me tell you, learning how things are evolving is amazing! I recently purchased my first Ipod touch. Apps, internet, music, gps... it's amazing. This ipod doesn't have a phone or camera like Iphones do, but it's literally a portable touch screen computer. We bought Jeanann a new mac for vet school. It's amazing how things are evolving. The impact on social interactions is evolving. The business world is changing with tools like 'wikis' (the 'new' email type tool).

I'm deathly afraid of grad school online. At the same time, learning online is a skill which will be necessary in todays world. I welcome the challenge.

The kids are getting older, the season is slowly getting cooler. We have furniture to give away and are moving out of the country in just a few months. Our lives are exciting. As exciting and interesting our lives are, we are getting older and hope to keep the energy up to keep going. It'll be sweeter when we find a place to call home, a community to settle in, and work on developing new deep relationships.

To B or not to B -usiness school

What day is it? I don't know!

Things are flying by here in Florida. Let me recap the latest before talking about the near future. I have 15 units left to graduate from UF with a BS in Food and Resource Economics. Jeanann has been accepted to veterinary school at Ross University on St Kitts in the Caribbean. She hasn't received confirmation her school loans are approved, but she's 95% confident they'll be fine. If anyone would like to join the list of potential co-signers in case we need an alternate one of the three years we're down there... we'll give you hugs. We should be fine though.

I have a 3.8 GPA at UF, a good GRE 1170, and the GMAT this afternoon. I'm looking for online programs I can do while living down on an island. My first choice is a dual MS Pharmacoeconomics along with an MBA from UF/Stetson Universities. It's a 3 year program (part time) and will keep me busy the 3 years we're away. You can read about it here.

My backup plan is an MBA. If I score well on the GMAT, FSU has a good online program and is my second choice. Otherwise, there are a few options which will take my GRE and let me in. FIU, Florida International University, is one. North Dakota will let me in... I'm hoping that UF will let me into their dual program. It sounds interesting to me, and I'm excited to think about getting accepted and continuing my economics education in an interesting, specific, way.

Jeanann is home with the kids for the rest of the year. We've been going through things over and over again trying to get rid of things we don't need. We hope to have as little as possible to store while we're gone. We're taking as little as possible with us. We still need to figure out what we're going to do with her Ford Explorer. I hope to sell my VW to someone for cheap near the end of the year. We move out of the country in about 4 1/2 months! We have much to do. My primary focus will be on completing my degree. If I mess up a class, I'm pretty much out of luck since they aren't offered online and we're moving to a little island in January. I feel the pressure, but I should do just fine.

Bradyn and Brylee are getting big. It's hard to believe that Brylee wasn't even standing when we moved here a year ago. They're both running around, and talking. Brylee's vocabulary isn't as great as Bradyn's, but she can understand us and say a few things.

Some have asked about us coming to visit CA and family on the way before the trip. I would like to. Jeanann has some plans. I'm not sure I'll be able to find time in between studies to make that trip, unless I'm flying there and back. Jeanann may be driving her car there full of a few things to throw in someone's attic.... like the bird. I graduate on Dec 19th. I know some have said they'd be willing to come to FL. I think that's great, except I would think people would rather wait till we move to the island and visit us there. After all, If I get into a grad program, that graduation ceremony will be the one I'd rather people come to. I'm not too worried about UF's undergrad ceremony. I think it's because I know I'm not done yet, and don't want to celebrate my education too early. I still have a ways to go before I celebrate the end of it.

Well kids are wanting things, so I guess this post is done. I'm not sure what I've written in my multi-tasking blogging/kids yelling event here today. I have the GMAT this afternoon, so with any luck my MBA backup grad program at FSU will be secured with a good score. I'll post new pics later, or check out my facebook. We're always putting up new pics on there, especially Jeanann.

The Latest, latest, er something

Me and the kids at UF.

The 'french fries' at UF.

Gator

Jeanann interviewed for vet school at Ross University on the island of St. Kitts. Her interveiwer was a single guy, and his job is to present her case to the admission board. I guess it went well since he was reassuring Jeanann at the end of the interview that he feels he needs to try to give her a shot. It is a little of an uphill battle since her GPA is less than desirable, but she does have a couple of big plusses in her packet as well.

There are 4 possiblities. Acceptance for January, acceptance for january in a one semester trial program, wait list and rejection. Jeanann is hopeful, and we should know by the 4th of July-ish. It's crazy to think Jeanann could be a Doctor. How the F did I marry such a bright chick? I must be totally hot...

The backup plan is UC Davis. Jeanann has support there to attempt to get into Davis's program in a few years. If she doesn't get in, I'll probably apply to law shool at Davis, and any other interesting Masters programs around Davis I can find. I plan to find an online MS program to work on if we end up on an island.

My school schedule is looking busy. The 'fun' begins in about a week, just after I take my GRE. I should graduate Dec 19th if I don't fail something or screw up in some way. As of now my GPA is impressive, and I hope to keep it up to keep the law school option open. I don't know if that is my calling, but having that option is a priority right now.

The kids are getting big! I want to know how to motivate a 2, almost 3yr old to crap on the toilet, every time. He does on occasion but he doesn't seem very interested in potty training for the most part..... even though he's smart enough to do it, and understand it. Pain in the butt crack hole. Bradyn is quite vocal. He's constantly narrating something. I worry a little we spoil him some and aren't giving Brylee enough attention. She's walking everywhere and talking a little herself. Her fits are going to be on a whole new level compared to Bradyn. We feel we're doing well, but it's a little crazy around here at times. It's a challenge to stay on top of everything, and try not to get too frustrated with the kids. I feel we're doing a pretty damn good job though, and Bradyn can't wait to 'live on an island' or 'go to California'.

I think that's about the update. I can't wait to be done with my BS, and moving out of Gainesville. Our christmas letter should be good this year. I feel that if we keep up this momentum in life, we'll have to be in some sort of good spot in a couple years. We're definately working our asses off for it.

The latest

I will be able to graduate December 19th if I can handle 17 credits over summer and 18 next fall. Thinking about it makes me wanna puke, but since I cut all the pre-graduate classes out I think I can pull it off. I did this so Jeanann could apply to go to St. George in Grenada next January. We'll be sending off her application in the next 2 weeks and should know in 2 months or so if she'll have an interview. If she gets an interview, she should get an invitation.

With that in mind, I'll be too busy with school to do anything in life other than study and pull it off. I'm getting ready to chug coffee and confident I can at least pull it off. How it affects my gpa will be another story, but it shouldn't hold me back in any masters pursuits I may have. I may just have to settle for an MS from University of Phoenix or something rather than from a great University... BUT if Jeanann morphs into a doctor and fulfills a life dream, it's a small sacrifice in my mind.

Jeanann I think plans to take a couple classes this summer. A small load compared to what she's finishing up. I think she has 17 credits, which are all hard classes like calculus, physics, chemistry, and some other painful stuff. In fall, she'll be staying home with the kids and supporting my painful (but final) undergraduate school attempt.

If she does get into the Grenada school, and we can find a way to financially make it happen, we'll be moving to Grenada for 3 years. I'm hoping that the worst case scenario requires us to find a co-signer for some school loans, and that someone in her family that's able to fill that role can help. There's a chance we'll be able to secure it on our own, but we haven't figured the details yet. They say 2 years of Veterinarian income will equal the 3 year costs we'll face putting her through school, so hopefully things will work out.

GRENADA! So if we go, I'll be there 3 years watching the kids, with really no real opportunity to work. The best I could find would probably be a $5 an hour under the table job. If we can afford it, I'd like to get an online MS from somewhere, but her goals will come first. If we go, everything we own will be up for sale. Furniture, cars, some music equipment, toys, clothes. We only plan on going down there with a few suit cases of clothes, and maybe a computer. When she's done in 3 years, she'll need to do a 1-2 year internship which could be almost anywhere in the US, or possibly even somewhere foreign like Ireland, the UK or some other place. I'm not sure if we'll seriously consider it, but it's not out of the question in my mind. Once that's done, I hope that we can finally pick a place to settle down for awhile.

So 4 1/2 years out of the military, and 5 years in the future, hopefully I'll finally live in a place I can think of as a permanent home. We both agree though, that the process needs to be fulfilling, and up to this point it has. The work, time, and stress involved can be a pain, but it's not enough to stop us yet. We both believe the hard work and sacrifice will pay off some day, and we're crossing our fingers that we all stay healthy in the process.

The kids are getting bigger. They play together more and more these days. It'll be a relief since I'll be watching them for the most part. I think they'll be interesting little people growing up in these crazy places. Hopefully they'll be open minded, and unique in a positive way.

The Days of our Lives

Jeanann married a magical midget, and is facing trial for heckling the president of Zimbabwe...

j/k... But the real story is just as crazy. Jeanann will be applying to a shorter Masters program. If she doesn't get into UF for vet school, we'll be going wherever it takes to get it done. This includes foreign schools, like the one on Grenada, and some others she's looking at.

School's hard. What they're throwing at me is pretty insane, and I feel I need to be spending some extra time in the library.

Brylee's turning one soon, and we'll be partying at grammy mommy's house during easter weekend. Bradyn is talking quite a bit, and has tried to play with Brylee quite a bit more. It's kind of nice.

I'll be done with my BS next spring. After that, who knows. If Jeanann can get accepted somewhere we'll be there, and I'll either be selling chiclets, or trying to get into my own MS type of program.

salud

Feb Update

Ahhhhh, school. We're about half way through the Spring semester. This is about the time that getting to class begins to get difficult. The stuff they're teaching is kicked up a few notches, and some of the work becomes a little painful. For me, Statistics is brutal. It's the best thing ever if your goal is to go into a coma.

The kids are getting older. Brylee is eating normal foods almost, and getting ready to walk. She can stand on her own, but hasn't ventured to take that first unsupported step yet. Bradyn is talking a lot more now, in complete sentences, and coming up with his own ideas. They both love school. I think Bradyn would rather stay there sometimes rather than come home with me the three nights a week I watch him.

Jeanann is hanging in there. I'm not sure if she's acing all of her classes, but she seems to be doing well. Her load is heavier than mine for sure. She's considering trying to go for a 2 year Masters with thesis at UF. It will help her advance in her field, potentially get into vet school, or if that doesn't work out, go for her Phd.

As for me, I'm still on a track to go far a Masters. I don't know why I'm torturing myself sometimes. I still need to take the GRE... soon. The classes I'm in could be easier if I settled with a BS degree from a leading university rather than thinking I might be able to go after a Masters. I guess we'll see how things end up. My BS should be done by next Spring, but to get it done by then I need to pick up the load a little bit. I'm not sure how that will work out with the kids, and money, and all that life stuff we have to worry about in addition to school.

Here are a few pictures of the kids.