Do We Stay or Do We Go... (part 2)

  Are you wondering what happened at immigration?? What "final" answer did they give us?  Hahaaaahhhaaahhha.   They gave us another list of to-do's including repeating things we have already done because the documents have "expired" or been lost.  Funny, if our application would have been dealt with 3 months ago the documents wouldn't have expired.  We only had to pay $500 to get a 28 day stamp to stay on the island to handle the to-do list and reapply.  Once we reapply and pay more money they will expedite our application complimentary and we will get the real "final" answer.  Ahhahaahaa.   Really?!  In September, are we really going to get approved or denied??
   Sounds easy enough to apply and wait for the answer, but the amount of money we have to pay will pretty much drain us.  Leaving us in an sticky spot to pay our other bills.  Is this the kind of faith God is calling us to have right now?  To take another leap, knowing that He will sustain us, even if we can't see it?  Knowing that even if our application is denied and the funds aren't returned to us for 6 weeks, that we will be able to relocate???  Or better yet, know that our application will be approved and the God will provide for our needs.

We are all so tired of this limbo- do we stay or do we go.  We are on the edge of our seats, praying that God will come through in a big way.

What do you think?  Invest all we have to go for this dream or give up right now in the face of adversity?  I think there is only one choice...we have to go for it.  The worst that can happen is we fail, but that is so much better than not even trying...

God's Plan...that's all I want.  I'm praying for His wisdom to fill me husband's decision on whether or not to pursue staying.  His plan...that's it.  If it's His path, we will be good.

Your prayers for guidance and success are needed and appreciated!

Thank you.

Do We Stay Or Do We Go...

As of August 9, our stamps to stay in Grand Cayman expired.  Immigration has been stringing us along for months without approving or denying our application to stay and work.  Over the last few days there has been multiple emergency meetings regarding our application because they are aware that time has run out.  It is so much different opening up a company in another country; we don't have the liberties that we do in the States.  Jacob is in a meeting with the chief of immigration right now. Today they we give us a final answer.  Whew!  It will be nice to finally know what is going on.  Whether we will be staying here or not.  It is in God's hands so whatever the answer is we will be happy.  We always have to trust his direction even if we don't understand at the time.

Last night Jacob and I were reminding ourselves how God had better plans for us last year when Jacob couldn't find a job in Las Vegas.  If Jacob would have found a job we never would have made it to Grand Cayman.  We would have missed out on this amazing opportunity.  "When one door closes another opens."  I'd like to see Jacob have the opportunity to keep heading forward and building our business, his dream.  He has come so far it would be sad to see him have to start over.   I am so excited to know where God is taking us.  Will we stay or will we go???

Romans 14

Romans 14

I've read Romans 14 once, twice, three times...and for at least 2 weeks I have been reading and re-reading it nearly everyday.  It is a meaty portion of scripture God is using to refine my character and bring more understanding.  

  Obviously,

  16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

but this is the one on my edification platter at the moment.  This post marks the realization of some things I have learned thus far through this scripture...

Our Resident Tree Frog has a name...

      ...Skeeter

We also found a big hermit crab. 

Our Resident Tree Frog

About a week or so ago, my lil' j's and I were relaxing, chatting, and hanging out in our hammock.  It was dark and a bit breezy so little noises were spooking us just a bit.  Or maybe it wasn't the wind...maybe it was an iguana, a land crab, a wild cat, some other critter, or....

TREE FROGS!!!  

Yes, we witnessed a frog jump from the top of the 14 foot palm our hammock hangs from into the grass just beside us.  Talk about shocking!  We weren't quite sure what it was at first so we all jump up to see.  We watched it for a while and then it disappeared into another tree.  I didn't take a picture, only enjoyed the moment.

Last night I was given the opportunity to photograph our resident tree frog.

 He even posed...

Hahaha, I tell you what.  Everyday, God can remind you of the beauty of His creation if you just stop to enjoy it.  I think this fella needs a name...What should it be?

Our Stay-Daycation

Inspiration:

We have to take each day and live it to the fullest making sure to accomplish things on our bucket list, doing the things we HAVE to do more efficiently so we have more time for the things we like.  

So we went to East-End Grand Cayman to see the blowholes and on our way we stopped to see the old pirate caves.  Check out the photos below to see a glimpse of our Stay-Daycation.

THE BLOWHOLES...

...brought smiles to our faces and cooled us down.  The laughter that filled the air was magical.

One more item crossed off my bucket list!

East-end fish market pictured near the sea on the left.

We bought an extremely fresh barracuda to fry up for dinner.  These fish are aggressive and have extremely sharp teeth, but the fish market fellas were very kind.  We all agreed that the barracuda was delicious. 

A cool art piece created with an array of things like tree branches, shoes, strings, bottles.

I couldn't resist...

I left my mark ;o)

Then Joie and Jayden made this a photo opportunity.

We made it to high ground!  Because the land is relatively flat it's rare when you can see the land going on for miles.  I totally had to capture the moment. 

My hunnie and I...

Squirrel Fish

Marine Butterfly Fish

Jacob and Joie released some fish caught in this trap.  Sorry Mr. Fisherman but the little reef fish were calling to be free.

Goodnight Day.

My little green thumb

Growing your own food is an art. It isn't easy by any means, every plant has it's own pests and nutritional requirements.  Not to mention growing some plants together will either enhance their well-being or be harmful to their growth.  If you weren't raised a farmer it can be challenging.  It wasn't until recently that I came to enjoy growing plants and I am still learning. This summer I am growing
Basil...

 Parsley...(have to get cilantro for homemade salsa, mmm)

 and Cucumbers...

 I didn't know what a cucumber plant looked like until they started to grow.  They are so neat! I love how they have these curly tendrils that wrap around anything nearby.  You can see them sprouting off the picture below.

 I didn't do much research on how to grow these, but what I did read said thety were super easy!  I may need to move them to a bigger planter.  I can't wait to have my first homegrown cucumber!  I can almost taste the cucumber salad I'll make with it now!