Our First Visitors...Boxing Day...

If you're British or Canadian...or Antiguan - today was a holiday - - Boxing Day. Since neither Justin nor I had ever heard of Boxing Day I did a little research about the holiday...here's what I found:


"Boxing Day is a traditional celebration, dating back to the Middle Ages, and consists of the practice of giving out gifts to employees, the poor, or to people in a lower social class. In England many years ago, it was common practice for the servants to carry boxes to their employers when they arrived for their day's work on the day after Christmas. Their employers would then put coins in the boxes as special end-of-year gifts. This can be compared with the modern day concept of Christmas bonuses. The servants carried boxes for the coins, hence the name Boxing Day. " - Wikepedia


For us...today was a special day, not because it was a holiday, but because we had our first visitors. Joel and Nancy are some dear friends of ours. Justin has known Joel for over 10 years, he is currently serving a one year tour in Kuwait (his third tour of duty in the middle east). On his mid-tour break, he and his wife Nancy are on a cruise, which happened to port here in Antigua for the day. We met them this morning and spend the entire day sight-seeing on the island! It was wonderful...

We spend an hour or so at Jolly Beach. Every time we have been there a woman carrying a case of jewelry on her head comes by. Nancy picked out a few hand-made pieces.

Justin and I, at what remains of a 1700's Moravian Church overlooking Carlisle Bay.

Fig Tree Drive runs through the Antiguan Rain Forest. There are several little stands like this one, where you can buy a Antiguan Black Pinneapple. They are a young pinneapple that doesn't have the hard core. Sliced up and served with toothpicks...very yummy!!

Nancy and the boys on Long Beach. The boys absolutely adore Joel and Nancy. Zach said this morning "Mom, I can't wait to see Mr. Joel and Mrs. Nancy!"

Joel and Nancy on Devil's Bridge