Sunday, October 10, 2010

The Perfect Weekend

Today I had a flashback to the days when I was in school or working 50 hours a week. During those times, the weekend was a welcome break - a respite from the busyness and monotony of the week. But since I quit my job in January and moved to the Caribbean less than a month later, I have trouble keeping track of the days because each one is an opportunity to visit the beach, watch a movie, read a book, experiment with a new recipe, or take a nap if I so choose. I guess you could say every day is a weekend for me!

Unfortunately, the opposite is true for Ryan. The weekend provides little relief from the constant studying for him. Apart from Sunday church (which is never optional for our family), you will find him in the library every day of the week. Except for this weekend. For two perfect days, we have felt like we were on vacation. Ryan completed his midterm exams last week. So until classes start again on Monday morning, he is able to enjoy a real weekend with me.

The fun started Friday evening when we met some of our friends and enjoyed delicious Thai cuisine at a fabulous resort near the airport. Neither of us knew that place existed, but it's definitely a new favorite! A couple guys volunteered to pick us up, so this is us waiting on campus for our ride:


Earlier in the day, I baked a chocolate cake for Ryan to celebrate the end of midterms. We ended the evening by enjoying a (perfectly-sized) piece of cake and watching a baseball playoff game.

Saturday morning we had planned to go out for breakfast and then head to the beach. But when we woke up, we were greeted by a cool, rainy morning. So we left our beach towels and sunscreen at home and took a bus to a little breakfast place we've been wanting to try. The restaurant is just down the street from IGA and a block away from the beach. When we walked in the door, we were greeted by the smell of freshly-made coffee. The little diner felt very cozy with no more than 5 tables in the main area, and the cheerful decor, brightly painted walls, and friendly waiter immediately made us feel at home. We sipped hot coffee while we perused the extensive breakfast menu in front of us. Finally, we ordered a veggie omelette, cream cheese-stuffed French toast with strawberries, hash browns, and pancakes. The food was simple but flavorful, and we enjoyed a couple hours of uninterrupted time together.


Back at home, we spent the rest of the afternoon watching college football together. Around 7pm, we went to the gym and biked for over 30 minutes. We decided it's a good thing we don't work out together every day because we are both a little competitive. After a quick shower, I was able to talk to my mom and sister for quite a while before making nacho dip for our late-night snack.

This evening, Ryan took some pictures around the island while I relaxed at home and watched football. He surprised me and brought KFC home for dinner! For some reason, I had been craving fried chicken and biscuits for a few weeks now. KFC is one of only 2 American restaurants on the island. The food was as yummy as I had hoped, and I will work out extra hard at the gym this week to make up for it.

Monday is back to our normal routine. I am very aware of the fact that I haven't tried a new recipe for the last couple weeks, and I'm hoping to remedy that very shortly. With Ryan's study schedule, I usually run to the grocery store by myself. I definitely don't mind that, but I can't carry as much home with me as I would like when that happens. Friday morning, I pushed the limit and you can see the mark on my shoulder where the grocery bag rubbed it raw. (I bought a large, reusable shopping bag at Marshall's when I was home and use this to carry the majority of my groceries home.)

I completed a couple more knitting projects recently and look forward to sharing those with you this week. On Monday morning, Ryan starts another couple months of intense studying. As our weekend draws to a close, I am thankful for the fun, relaxing couple days Ryan and I enjoyed with each other. But I'm just as grateful for the regular weekdays because each one brings us one day closer to Christmas break, and ultimately the completion of medical school.

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