Handy Farming

Handy Farming

Have you ever wanted to be a farmer for a day? Well, I have. So this past weekend, Mary and I drove to the King Mountain Ranch and farmed for my Father-in-Law. I felt pretty legit because we woke up to cows mooing outside the window. I found humor in being  woken up by their hungry moos. Mary laughed at me in response. I suppose waking up to mooing cattle was a daily reality for her as a child. We spent Saturday in the tractor raking hay. The Webbs will get three cuttings this year which hopefully will put the Webb ahead for next year. 

When Mike and Carol Webb first moved up to Moore after purchasing these ranches, they were a little upset to find fields full of pebbles when the snow melted. Nonetheless, the nice folks in Moore have helped them learn how to work this new ground. Surprisingly, the hay that he grew is higher in nutrients than most. I think it is because of the rocks, but I was only a farmer for a day, so what do I know. It just seems that with every obstacle comes some good. 

Mary is back in school working her little brain as hard as she can. I am proud of her, but I miss her being mine... instead of the books. She has enough credits to graduate soon. However, she has been thinking about graduate school. Thus she may be studying here in Rexburg for a few more semesters. 

I am loving my job at the hospital still, and have learned a lot about Public Relations, Online Marketing, Web Design, Information Technology, and all of the Social Media channels. I get to work with some of the most generous people in this community. Our Brake For Breakfast Breast Cancer Event was sweet, the Idaho Legislators visit was outstanding, and my online efforts have brought in a lot of quality traffic.

To The End of The World

Mary and I were the tallest couple in Idaho for a few minutes, as we gazed off Borah Peak. Second time is a charm, last time we chickened out at Chicken Out Ridge. The weather was perfect, and we enjoyed the company of Nolan Bybee, who had run it once in 3.5 hours, and Jonathan Bybee. Zack and Ashley Webb also joined our hiking crew. It took us 8 hours, and we loved it! The following week, we hiked Table Rock in the Grande Tetons. It was just over a 15 mile hike, but not as steep as Borah. After I made it to Table Rock, I walked another 200 yards to the edge of the world. The clouds had settled in around me, and I through a rock off the edge of the cliff. I couldn't hear it land, nor see anything below. So I propose that the world is flat. During the hike we ran into some friends, Grayson then Hannah. Hannah was my dance partner over a decade ago on the BYUI folk dancers, and was looking very healthy... must be all that dancing over the years.

Mary and I have also have become a little obsessive compulsive about genealogy. While talking with an older lady a couple days agon that I work with at Madison Memorial Hospital, Shareen Parkinson. She reminded me that she was from Burley. As we talked, we found that we were related through Julina Smith. She figured she is Grandpa Ken's 2nd cousin. However, Julina had 12 kids, which makes a lot of cousins, and Julina is Ken's grandpa, which would make them either cousins or first cousins once removed. I would have never known that we were related at all, unless I had been studying that line the day before. We have found dozens of indexed records with birth certificates, marriage licenses, census results, and drafts to wars that we have tagged our ancestors to. We have also been trying to get electronic versions of any family history books with stories, photos, and etc. So if you have any, upload them today!

Mary and I will have been together for nine months this week. It is an exciting time! She started back to school today. It made me sad. She is more fun when she has less responsibility. -Lucas

School started again today! I have bittersweet feelings. This summer was my first summer break since the summer between 8th and 9th grade. I've really enjoyed the simple things: having the time to cook a nice dinner, make my bed in the mornings ,and doing few arts and crafts here and there, but I've been spending the bulk of my time studying for the GRE. Studying for the GRE is really dry and overwhelming. I finally took it and did not perform as well as I had hoped. Regardless, luck is in my favor. Lucas and I just broke a chicken wish bone and I won. I wished for straight A's this semester!

It is so much fun to have our entire ward living within 3 blocks in the small city of Rexburg! It seems our ward is taking us in like we're here to stay. I think they have a hard time letting their hearts go out to the young couples, because they usually move. I ran into a lady in our ward while returning from the store a couple of blocks from our home. She had mentioned an afterschool program before and she asked if I was still interested. She's the coordinator for the elementary school.

Thus I have been hired by Madison School District to work with the after school program. We do everything from homework, playing sports, providing crafts, and teaching life skills like cooking. It's K-4 and they're separated into groups for their activities and given a daily snack. At 5 pm, they're transported home. It's a pretty sweet program they have going on and I get paid to play with and teach kids! It's a lot of fun and I'm excited that they were willing to work with my schedule.

Our sunday school class consists of 4 really great kids. The boys and the girls interact and they're all friends and they're even comfortable to interact with us. The new youth program is difficult to teach because it forces the teachers and the youth to really understand the principles, which is priceless. I think I'll cry when they release us from this calling...Unless they put me in young women's. I have come to love the youth we teach so much.


 Lucas planted the garden and I've been harvesting it. I picked lots of radishes. Sadly enough, neither of us are big fans of radishes so one full grocery bags full of radishes dried out in our fridge...that's without the stalks on them. We gave the other bag away to someone who liked them more. I'm still confused why Lucas planted so many radishes. He planted the perfect amount of peas. I like peas best when they're fresh. I could do without cooked peas. We're loaded with beans too! Talking around, everyone's beans did awesome this year. I'm a green bean lover, so I'm definitely not complaining about picking and freezing them. They don't last very long in our house anyway. Our corn came up really late, so I think we might get one ear. Yes, only one ear is even developing at this point. Most of our squash died, but we have one plant that is looking healthy and starting to grow a couple squash. I think we would have squash if it didn't frost until December.

Our landlords are awesome. They come periodically to fix this or that and make it a priority to check up on us. I don't know why, but God has blessed us to be surrounded by so many kind and wonderful people.

Lucas loves his job! His job encompasses so much. He's involved in every event with making it go through and I often come to them to help set up and take down. He's also in charge of the website and all the social media. I study in the office at the hospital sometimes and Lucas is always in meetings or working with someone from one of the departments to get some more information for the website. It is no wonder he comes home and keeps thinking about work.

We usually go on a bike ride after work so Lucas can clear his mind, but his bike is now broken. On our last bike ride, Lucas and I were going really fast across the street and his bike seat broke underneath him. I turned around to see where he was and I saw him laying on the sidewalk with his bike at least 20 feet away from him. At first, I thought he had done something to his back. I came closer and saw that he was holding his foot. I asked him what had happened and he had brought his foot down really fast when his seat snapped to catch himself. Then claimed it hurt worse than hitting your funny bone really hard. Despite his pain, I laughed out of relief that it was not his back. A couple in our ward was on a walk through town and had seen the incident. They were really sweet to come over and see if he was ok. Luckily, we were close to home and we were able to elevate and ice Lucas' foot before bed. He still had a little limp the next morning and some swelling, but that was all gone by the following day. - Mary

Love's Reminders

A young boy gave me a little silver bell, and told me, "Ring this whenever you are lonely, and remember that God loves you." The following years I served a mission in a city of 11 million people, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The bell rang more than once my first year there. In the shadows of the concrete jungle, we taught a young woman who had once believed and faithfully followed Christ's gospel. She had even served a mission like the one I was serving. As I looked into her eyes, I could see her loneliness. She had followed a path that had brought her no joy. I pulled out my small bell the boy had given me, and rang it as loud as it could chime. Then told her of the love that God had for her and gave her the bell with the same instructions the little boy had given.

Ten years later, technology has advanced. I received a pop up message from this woman. She was proud to tell me of the positive changes she had made in her life. She then reminded me of my little bell. She had been re-baptized, and had even served another mission to Belo Horizonte, Brazil. As she thanked me, I could not accept it because it was the love of God that she felt through the ring of a bell and her choices to follow the path of joy.

To share joy brings joy. So I wasn't surprised when she told me she had given this bell to another in Belo Horizonte. Her sweet message reminded me of the joy that comes with sharing.God's love.

Life's questions, and paths are filled with distraction. Some say north, while others go south. Our own paths cross thousands of others each day. We see other's journeys in relation to our own or our neighbors and judge one another. Above the distractions, the Creator molds you and I and the earth of the paths... a Father who hopes we return to Him, even a God of perfect love. He alone knows your best choices and paths.

Sometimes life's journey has clarity in directions each choice has a destiny. So it has been with me this year... a marriage, change in a career, and a new home. Mary is eleven years younger than I, and many laughed and doubted our love. As I listened to the distraction, I had decided twice against dating her. The truest advice was sent from above and filled my heart to help me know that I should marry Mary. Once again the sweet knowledge that the path I travelled was right.

I complained, and hoped for my career to get better to help me begin my life with Mary. Rexburg is not D.C. full of jobs I'd qualify for. Some told me to settle for whatever job I could get. I felt within a promise of something better. Six months have passed and I am earning, enjoying, and learning more than I ever could have with the other job offers and my previous position. Once again, the love from above spoke to my heart. Not logic, persuasion or another one's path. The Creator of all things blessed my life's journey.

Nobody is alone in life's paths and choices. I am proud to see my brother Clayton happy in Chico, California with his perfect job at Berberian Nuts. He left Logan, Utah less than a month ago as his heart and he chose to take his family to this new place. With no job arranged, enough money saved to cover a months rent, and the confidence that came from this heartfelt direction; he moved his wife and three kids to Chico. He has two bachelor degrees. One in business, and another in Forestry/Horticulture. Within the first couple days serendipity guided his path to meet the Director of HR and the General Director of a large orchard. Now he is employed with a house on the walnut orchard, a company vehicle, and a salary with benefits working as a professional! Congrats!

Life's journey can be full of His divine love. As we walk our paths may we ring our bell louder to help others along their paths. While examining another's journey, may we accept them with that same little chime. As we walk forward may we persistently seek for divine guidance along the way... He will guide us if we listen. When we review our live's journey, may we see His rich blessings and know that God loves us.


Prepared by Lucas Handy

Marriage Paradise

Do you know what it is like to be married for 6-months? If you don't, or forgot, let me remind you... It is wonderful! I feel like it has been the best 6-months of my life. Before I got married, I loved being single. I had visited every continent in the world except Antartica, had a few near death experiences by my own risky single behavior, and my social life was full. Still, I knew that a part of me was missing. Mary is that part, and together life is way better!

Application

The people you may be missing in your lives now is Mary and I. Rexburg is our hideaway, with our little love cottage. In my new marriage status and my new job, I am as content as a caterpillar in a cocoon. Nonetheless, our doors our always open to you. The principles that have helped our relationship are explained in this love triangle.  

Love Triangle: To increase your love potential, increase your love for our Father in Heaven.

Love is exemplified by Deity. Nobody has loved as much as our Father in Heaven during this life except His Son. The ability to love is increased when we follow Christ's example. He gave everything... His will, His Time, His Body, and walked the line of Hell to save our souls. He gave us agency to do what we want. As far as our marriage relationship, His example is the perfect to follow. Certainly, we fall short of His example; nonetheless, I am grateful for the small moments where I have been able to give more, and stretch my love a little further. This has made for a marvelous beginning and six months following our marriage.  

Dating
We have often been advised to continue to date even after marriage, especially after kids. Even though we get a lot of one-on-one time together, we still try to fit in formal dates. Here are some fun pictures of us on a date of dancing and ice ream and this weekend's adventure in Roberts, Idaho at a Cajun restaurant. Mary also made me a fruit basket with a potted flower for our anniversary and delivered it to me at work.

Work
Madison Memorial Hospital gave me an official proposal to hire me on full time, and I will plan on signing it tomorrow. Then become an integral part of their team. This hospital has an awesome work environment. In our wellness program, the author of Aura Personalities, came and determined our personalities. Since then I have read her book that describes 19 personalities, and was surprised to find that she was correct. It was a fun read along with Visions of Glory, a book that describes one man's visions of the future. Both of these books helped my imagination grow to understand life.
Lucas Handy

We Got Caught...By The Cops
On Mother's Day weekend we wanted to go home badly, but could not make it until late at night. We had forgotten to tell anyone that we were coming and did not make it to Burley until about 1 A.M. in the morning. With my bladder waiting to burst, I ran to the door and found it locked. It turned out all the doors were locked. Just my luck. I think I go to the bathroom outdoors more often than most girls, which is why we keep a roll of toilet paper in our car.
While I was doing my business, Lucas called all the men in the household, but they didn't answer because they were gone to a father-son camp out. Then his phone died, and he climbed on top of the roof and tapped on the window to wake someone up to open the door.  
I was standing below Lucas, instructing him how to best climb when the cop showed up. Lucas recognized him as a childhood friend, quickly climbed down the tree, and went to give him a hug, but he was clearly not in the mood for hugs. He had scared his mother, Kristine and sister-in-law, Jenna the only two adults home, and they had called 911. 

A Bunny Birthday
Our next favorite event was Hyrum's Birthday. Lucas and I were working in our garden when cute, wild cottontail hopped through our yard. We managed to chase it into our house... Watch the video to see the events that followed:

Life is a Dance

The other day while biking through campus, I passed the Eliza Roxy Snow Performing Arts Center. Then called my sister and asked if they had planned that their newest daughter was named Liza Snow, and their other daughter is named Roxy. Like the Handys, the Ramsey's will be excellent performers. They are also beautiful kids. I'll have to say that I have the most beautiful nephews and nieces ever. Ten from the Webbs, and Ten from the Handys. 

Mary and I also went to my Sao Paulo, Brazil East mission reunion in North Ogden, Ut. It was very exciting to see the Caldwell family again, including their little boy who shares my name, Lucas. He is a fun boy, in a good family, and so I am sure he will become a great man. 

Following the reunion, we drove up to Burley. Like normal, it was loud & crazy in the Handy home with Grandma watching almost all of the grandkids. Mary & I needed to escape. Clayton & Jenna joined us for a peaceful hike in the canyon around Lake Vineyard. The same place where a dozen of my friends and I had gotten lost during High School. Since then, I have been back a hundred of times to enjoy this beautiful, remote, desert oasis. 

Unfortunately, the Handy party was short lived because Mary caught the stomach flu the next day. I am so glad she is better. 

Finals Week has come and gone, including the week break between semesters. Phelipe & Lauren came up for a short visit because Lauren graduated with her associates online. The men, Phelipe, Lauren's Dad, and I, ditched the girls to get some gifts to surprise her with. When Lauren called us and asked why we didn't go with them to visit the gardens, I told her that gardens were for girls. Lauren's graduation was fun & a special memory for us. We know she will accomplish many other fantastic things with her life.

Thursday of this week, Clint and Keila (Mary's brother and sister-in-law) officially picked up their roots in Raft River and came to join us in Rexburg. Mary was so excited to have them here that she made a casserole for them and went to go help with the move. 

Later that day, we stopped by the genealogy center. I am so excited because familysearch.org built warehouses of data storage, genealogy storage, the cloud, for anyone to upload unlimited amount of pictures and stories of ancestors. Now anyone, anywhere in the world can login to this network and work on family history and accomplish what others have done in their family for their ancestors. One of the workers said that 1.7 million names are added to this database daily. I hope anyone who reads this takes the time to try out these tools, and at least share a story or two that they have of their heritage in these online annals. 

Following that, we partied at the Madison County Centennial Dance and must have done well, because the local newspaper put this picture of Mary and I in yesterday's edition. I love being here with Mary. It has taken me a while to adjust, but overall, it has been a very positive experience. The hospital that I currently work at is a nonprofit, county run hospital called Madison Memorial Hospital. I work with the director of Public Relations, Doug McBride, who captured the video below, and have found this fellow BYU MPA graduate colleague to be one of the most verbally supportive and positive individuals that I have ever worked with.  

   

Keila has offered Mary and I dinners for a few evenings a week and I am super excited to have real Brazilian food again. Keila is an angel for cooking for us.  Clint & Keila just started their semester in Rexburg. Between them, Hyrum, Kat & Eric, the Reis kids, and the Hepworths, we feel like we have family nearby, and feel like this place is home. In fact, Mary & I are starting our first garden. Wish us luck as we embark on yet another semester filled with new experiences at work and at play. If by chance you'd like to pay us a visit, our love cottage is open to whomever would like to stay.  

Love, 

The Handy Family

The Way to My Heart

When a couple first marries, each person has their hopes, wants, and needs. Observing the relationships of friends and family, roles between a husband and wife are different in every situation.The funny thing is I had hoped for many years that I would find a woman a bit more domestic like my mother. Today one of my hopes and wants came true. Mary Handy cooked for me all day so she doesn't have to cook during her school week. I didn't need to worry about anything to eat. All I had to do was the dishes, it was great. She made berry poppyseed muffins, Waffles, honey butter, cajun chicken, and pasta. I am tickled pink. I may need to go to the Gym tomorrow.

I hadn't eaten the Cajun Chicken dinner since the first time she had made it for me over a year and a half ago.  At this time, Mary and I had been on a few dates. The night before we talked over my concern, which was our age difference. She was still 17, and I had a decade on her. I knew that some of her family did not like the situation. Honestly, I did not want to be in this situation. I had decided that things were pretty much over. I had dated storms, and felt no attachment to Mary Elizabeth Webb. I figured she would just let me slip out the door.

During work I received a phone call from this sweet, high pitched girl. "Want to come over and help me make dinner," Mary asked.

Surprised that she called after the talk we had the previous night, I paused for a moment thinking about our situation. Then realized that I had nothing else to do. "Well, I don't have anything planned. Sure, I'll come over."

I came over to find Mary already started on our dinner. This sweet, petite girl knew how to cook, and was more than willing to cook for me. Nobody else was home, and I figured this would be a romantic evening. I continued to question whether or not I should further this relationship. However, she was doing just what I wanted, cooking me a dinner after a days work.

Before I knew it, the door flung open and in came a troop, or so it felt as Mary's family almost doubles the size of mine. Four younger brothers, an older brother, her parents, and even her brother and sister-in-law had showed up to spectate the situation. I felt very uneasy because this was my first time meeting the whole family. Mary's older siblings and mother helped her finish up the last of the dinner. Before I knew it, I was sitting down at the table in what felt like an awkward silence with ten pairs of eyes starring at me.

Mary brought in her Cajun Chicken and Rice dish, and we blessed the food. Everyone was eating in silence, still looking at me. Her dad asked me a few questions. Then he silently ate. I took a big scoop of her Cajun Chicken and acted just as intent on eating as everyone else. When I put a big fork full of rice into my mouth, I could hardly keep it in. It was like the rice had taken a bath in the Great Salt Lake before ending up on my plate. The peculiar thing was that nobody had said anything about it. Instead, they were just eating with a few long gazes at me. So I joined them and did not say a word about it. Finally Mary tried her dish and said what I had been thinking,

"This is nasty! What happened to the recipe? I swear I followed the recipe." Relieved, I didn't feel obligated to finish my plate. It turned out she had double the salt by accident. Her married brother spoke up and said that no one wanted to tell her how terrible the dinner was because they were afraid of hurting her feelings. She was embarrassed, but found something else to feed the family with the help of her mom.

I teased her about that incident many times over the course of our courtship with comments of her salty chicken. She vowed she would never cook for me again and I'm so glad she changed her mind!

That night, I felt like things could not have gotten worse, so I had nothing to worry about. My fear of her family, over a year and a half later, is finally gone and her Cajun Chicken recipe tonight was not salty. I guess it's true,

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

Good Night!
Mr. and Mrs. Handy
p.s I love Mrs. Handy

Cajun Chicken & Rice

4 chicken drumsticks, skin removed 4 chicken thighs, skin removed 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (Creole seasoning is a good substitute, it already has salt in it, so eliminate all added salt) 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided (tip: be careful not to put too much salt) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 can (about 14 ounces) chicken broth 1 cup uncooked rice 1 medium green bell pepper, coarsely chopped 1 medium red bell pepper, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat 13×9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. 2. Pat chicken dry. Sprinkle both sides with Cajun seasoning and salt. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 8 to 10 minutes or until browned on all sides. Transfer to plate; set aside. 3. Add broth to skillet. Bring to a boil, scraping brown bits from bottom of skillet. Add rice, bell peppers, green onions, garlic, thyme and turmeric. Stir well. Pour into prepared baking dish. Place browned chicken on top. Cover tightly with foil. Bake 1 hour or until chicken is cooked through.

There's No Place Like Home!

Mary and I, like Dorothy and Toto, have had friends help us along this journey in a new place. At the start of this path we have received wise counsel from many. Our hearts have been touched by the generous gifts, acts of service, and cheering words. Furthermore, as we look ahead at the yellow brick road, we find courage from those who have gone before . Everyone needs a friend like you to help them along their path. Thank you for helping Dorothy and I! We are grateful for each of your contributions, even if it was just a quick note. We had the best month of our lives, and look forward to many more together. I hope someday to be like you and help others on their journey too.

Love,
Dorothy and Toto
(Mary and Lucas)

Honeymoon Under The Sun

 KEEP IT AND DON"T BREAK IT is the most common response that I receive from the people here when I tell them we are on our Honey Moon. When we walk down the streets, I have never encountered a people so cool. The dread locks, language, and attire are like I am personally meeting Bob Marley. Where are we?
 I carefully planned this honeymoon to keep it a secret from Mary for her birthday, Christmas, and wedding present from me. She has never travelled outside of the United States. I wanted to give her the opportunity to broaden her horizons with increased understanding of people in the world. Also, to let her taste what being an American is. 

Mary and I are doing wonderful. We are falling more in love each day. The way they talk is how rappers talk, or how my friends and I would try to talk in High School to sound cool. It is broken English called patois (pat-oh-wah). Mary makes this experience the best travel that I have ever experienced. She is always by my side enjoying this new culture, temperature, and food. -Lucas

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Lucas carefully planned a honeymoon vacation to Jamaica shortly after we were engaged. He thought it would be fun to surprise me on Christmas Eve before boarding the plane. Unfortunately, I found out early. To play along, I packed winter clothes for the family cabin in Stanley, ID. I thought it was entertaining to watch him try and find excuses to pack a swim suit, and convince me to sign the passport papers. We both played our cards well. He told very few others about our trip so I wouldn't find out, and I didn't tell anyone so he wouldn't discover that I knew.

We boarded the first plane to Atlanta, GA after midnight on Christmas Eve. From Atlanta, we flew into Montego Bay, Jamaica. In all it was a 9-hour flight.

Immediately coming out of the airport, everyone asked us where we were going and if we needed a bus or a taxi. After getting some directions to our hotel, we walked a couple of miles. We packed light like backpackers with only carry-on bags. Seeing our luggage, every single car on the road stopped and asked if we needed a taxi. It seems each Jamaican man with a car is a self-designated taxi driver so he can pay off his expensive car insurance, and cover the price of gas.

After such a long plane ride, we were starving and exhausted. We immediately bought some food from the restaurant at the hotel. The food cost nearly 4 times as much as the food at the local restaurants, but it was excellent goat, chicken, and rice & peas. (peas are red kidney beans)

Since then, Jamaica has been a cultural experience that we've enjoyed observing and learning. One of the funniest things is that we've had countless people come up to us and say, "Hey, do you remember me? I work at the hotel." Since they never say the hotel name, we know that this is their pick up line to every tourist. From there, they pretend to be friendly and give you a tour around the city. When they're done, they expect payment for their services. Stating that tourism is the biggest industry in Jamaica just behind rum and they need to earn a living. It only took once with this pair of guides that charged us $20. Since then, we have managed to dodge these friendly, self-designated tour guides.

The most interesting thing we did was take a local bus and taxi to Negril where there is a famous 7-mile beach. When we asked one of the commercial tourist taxis how much they would charge for the journey, they said it would cost 40 American dollars. Lucas wanted to go the local way in Route Taxis that ended up costing 800 Jamaican dollars, or 9 American dollars, for a 2-hour journey. It would have cost us 4 times as much to travel with the rest of the tourists! It was really interesting when we got to the bus station where every bus driver was shouting where their bus was destined to go. The best bus marketer wore a suit with long dread locks and Jamaican colored beads in his braids. He snatched us up for his van before anyone else could. We were looking for a bus to Lucea (Lucy). When this bus driver found out we were going to his destination, he did everything he could to get you onto his bus. There were 10 passenger seat belts on the van, but they managed to squish in about 15. I was dying because it was very hot and there was this big lady sitting on top of my hip. From Lucea, we took a taxi to Negril. Our taxi driver also tried to keep his car full the entire journey, but did not have quite as much success as the bus. One of our drivers deservingly received a $7,000 Jamaican dollar, about $80 american, speeding ticket. Which made us chuckle.

The beach in Negril was lovely! It was sunny and had a ton of activities for the tourists, such as parasailing. We easily entertained ourselves by burying each other in the sand. We soon made friends with two little kids; a little girl named Lexi and her friend. They had a blast burying us and then getting buried in return.

Another thing we have found entertaining has been their accents. The Jamaican people speak Patois (pat-oh-wah), which is a broken English, the common language of the colonizers, the African slaves came from various tribes and dialects. The majority of the time, we cannot understand them! We thought we would be better after a week, but it still sounds foreign to us. Fortunately, they learn proper English in school. Many of the younger people are comfortable talking to us so we can understand. I never thought children would make more sense than their parents.

One of our favorite things in Montego Bay, or Mo Bay, are the sunsets. We found a park created for the tourists, but the locals love it. It overlooks the ocean and is the perfect place to enjoy the sunset. We call it "Lover's Park" because it's where all the couples go for their date at sunset. If it wasn't for color, we fit right in. (In the photo, notice the three couples snuggling on the lawn behind us.)

This is my first time leaving the U.S.A. I was not sure what to expect, but I was definitely excited. As a newly wed, I've enjoyed every second of being with my husband Lucas in the tropic weather. We've enjoyed exploring the streets of Jamaica together and trying to decipher the speech of the locals. I enjoy my time here more because I always have Lucas with me. His confidence and humor has helped us get through the crowded streets and find entertainment in everything. If there is one thing we'll take back with us to the States from the Jamaican people, it is to "take it easy". Often Americans don't take it easy enough because our lives are crowded with responsibilities. We also hope to take their motto home with us: Peace, Love, Unity, Respect! -Mary

P.S. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone. This year we're actually someplace warm instead of just wishing we were in Hawaii...like last year ;)

Lucas Handy

Who's Cuter?