A Year Ago

As a few friends from the island have moved here to worthing over the holiday I began to think about where we were a year ago.  The activities on sunday brought to my attention even more how much of a contrast our life is now to a year ago.

A year ago we were living on the island.  All of our family visiting for Christmas had left.  We had taken a quick trip to Saba and the boys had hiked the volcano in their bare feet.  We lived in our swimsuits and had warmth and sunshine every day.  Michael had started his fifth and final semester of basic sciences of med school.  The boys were working on their homeschooling to get as much done as possible before our friends from Vancouver arrived to spend 3 weeks frolicking in the ocean with us.  Our days were filled with swimming and playing in the waves, surfing and hanging out with friends.  OH - the island life.

Sunday here was a wonderful English winter day.  We woke to light snow falling but knew we had rugby training.  I woke the boys when it was still a little dark to start the process of putting on all the layers to keep warm.  We headed to training and they had a great time working hard in the snow.  We took our time and joined our friends in the club house for a pint and some chips.  The kids continued to play with their team mates.  We made it home to snuggle on the couch watching movies, working on the blog, and a little studying (Mike is about to start his 3rd clinical rotation, Surgery, in a weeks time).  We were all very content to be warm and cozy in our home.  

We may spend less time outside, we may see the sunshine less, we may be wearing more clothes, we may be playing different sports, our skin may be pale as a ghost, the ocean is colder here, the temperatures are colder here, we depend on public transportation here BUT we are enjoying the experience of all that is different.  As much as we miss the island, one day we will miss England too.