Our last week in Grenada!

Wow, I can't believe that one week from right now, we will be in the air en route to Miami. So much has happened this year. We've gone through some really hard times, and we've had some really wonderful times. Although I'm really looking forward to our departure, I find myself having mixed feelings about it. Closing one chapter of your life is always bittersweet. It's always exciting to move on and see what's next but hard to close the door on any chapter of your life.

So many things to write about! I guess I should have posted individual blogs for the things that happened last week but we've been so busy I just figured I'd group them in to one HUGE post for today. Lucky you!

Last Thursday, we found out that Todd scored second out of 400 students for the BSCE 2, which is a cumulative exam of everything they've learned in Medical School thus far. Wow! I am so proud of him. He has worked so hard in school and he has his awesome grades to show for it :)

Also, last Thursday, our little monster decided it was time to leave mommy and daddy in the dust and take off walking! Scary! He was in the kitchen and had figured out that the remote did things to the TV, so he grabbed it, stood up, and proceeded to walk 7 feet over to the TV and turn it off! I was flabbergasted! Now, only a few days later, he is perfecting his walking and only crawls about 50% of the time. He's going to be running by the time we go home next week!

On Friday, we found out where we're headed in May.... well at least where the preliminary placement for Todd's clinical rotations is. Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, NY. We were a little shocked, as we didn't even put it as one of our options, and honestly we were a little disappointed because we were hoping for Grosse Pointe or CA, but we are there for a reason and are excited to see what's in store for us there. Rotations start the third week of May so we plan to head to NY eary May sometime to get settled. I had never pictured us living in NYC but if you asked me two years ago if I ever pictured living in England or the Caribbean, there's no way I would have said yes!

Alright, now on to the list. The thing I will mist the MOST about Grenada are my wonderful wonderful roomies. They have truly become a family to us in England and here, and it's really hard trying to imagine not being able to see them next year. (They were all placed in MI) It's going to be very hard to say goodbye to them. They are all such amazing people and I can't wait to meet their little bundles of joy coming in February and May!

The number one thing I will NOT miss about Grenada- BUGS!!! I HATE bugs. Always have. But they are EVERYWHERE here. Any type of bug you could every imagine, in mass quantities and ususally larger than normal. I have been wearing pants in my own house for the whole year because of how bad the mosquitos are. And those suckers will even bite you through your pants! We also have some lovely cockroaches in our bathroom, cupboards, you name it, they are there. What's kind of sad to me is that it hardly even phases me anymore when I see a huge roach. It's hard to even imagine not having to worry about bugs!

Alright.... that's about it! I may make another post, but most likely not. We have way too much to do! Next time you hear from us..... we'll be in the US of A! :)

Now here are some recent pics of our little goofball for your viewing pleasure.

2 Weeks!

Wow, I can't believe it's already time to make my 2 week post. In two short weeks, we will be at the Point Saline airport getting ready for our flight to Miami. Unbelievable. We are so excited, but we still have so much to do! (anyone want to buy a 4Runner in Grenada??!!!)

Yesterday was fun. We drove up to Grand Etang natural reserve at the top of the island and it was beautiful! It was a completely different Grenada than what I had seen before. It must have been at least 10 degrees cooler and the rainforest was absolutely beautiful! We even got to see a monkey! Jackson loved him :) It was a lot of fun to just be a "tourist" yesterday and to really enjoy this part of Grenada we hadn't seen.


Now, on to the list! The number two thing I will miss about Grenada is the great community of people we have all around us! Not only do we live with friends but we have friends and great neighbors all around! I have never truly experienced community living as I have here, and it's wonderful. Everyone truly looks out for and cares for eachother, the same way an extended family would. I am really going to miss everyone here a great deal.

The number two thing I will NOT miss about Grenada- things breaking and going wrong on a daily basis. That's right. I know that anywhere you go has it's share of that, but not like here. Just in the past week, our power has gone out a couple of times, the water pressure has been shut off, our internet has gone out, our hot water has stopped working in the evenings, etc. It's just a common thing here for some reason. On a positive note, however, I think it has made us far more patient in general!

3 Weeks! (Actually Less...)

I'm a little late in posting my 3 weeks countdown post.... time is slipping away from me! Today is Thanksgiving and although it's 90 degrees outside and sunny so it doesn't really FEEL like Thanksgiving, we really have a lot to be thankful for. We are happy, healthy, have great friends and family, and have really been blessed with more than anyone could ask for. So, on that note, the number 3 thing I will miss about Grenada is...

BEACHES!

(Grande Anse Beach)
The beaches here are beautiful! I love being able to walk literally 5 minutes down the road to our local beach and borrowing one of the local resort's lounge chairs and just relaxing. I've been tryinig to make it a part of my weekly routine since we've arrived. I love just being able to unwind for an hour or so and soak up the rays. What people spend thousands of dollars trying to find, we have in our own backyard.

The number 3 thing I will NOT miss about Grenada- the HEAT!!! All I do is sweat. I'm so tired of it. The heat has its benefits, but not when you don't have central AC. I'm hot. I'm cranky. You get the point :)

10 months?!

I can't believe my baby boy is 10 months old! The time has gone by so fast and I can't seem to keep up with his aging process! :) He continues to grow and impress me every day and I am so proud of him. So here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure...





Oh no, he's already figured out the TV!



Being sneaky and getting in to the pots and pans....



Caught in the act!

4 Weeks!!!

I can't believe that in 4 weeks from today, we will be waking up in Washington! It's amazing to think that after 9 months of living here, our time in Grenada is soon coming to a close. I've been reflecting on our time here, and there are some things that I will miss a lot about Grenada, and things I won't miss at all. :) I've decided to make a list, and each week I will update our blog with one of the top 4 things I will miss, and one of the top 4 things I will NOT miss. :)

The number 4 thing I will miss about Grenada is living a simple life. It definitely has its advantages. I wake up every morning knowing exactly what to expect. I can pick one out of my 5 outfits to wear, and nobody cares that it's not stylish, or whatever. It's always hot, so I can wear flip flops every day. In fact, its a rare occurance that you see Todd or I in actual shoes. Jackson wears a short sleeved onsie every day and that's it. He's OK with it, and so am I. We don't have much here, and not a lot of options, but that also means less choices and there's something kind of liberating about that.

The number 4 thing I will NOT miss about Grenada is living a simple life :) OK, it's great and all, but sometimes TOO simple. I am tired of my same 5 outfits, and can't wait to walk through a mall and see all of the pretty shops with their stylish clothes. I can't wait to wake up in the morning and have options. What should we do today? Go to the library? Go to the park? Go to a playgroup for kids Jackson's age? Go visit family? It's going to be so great to be a part of our normal environment again. I can't wait!

Recent Pictures

Not much to report today- Todd's busy studying for more exams this week, Jackson is finally asleep for the night, and I need to get to the dishes, but here are some recent pics of the little J! He's developing his personality more and more every day. :)

He's such a ham!


He loves his buddy Ralph!


Super baby!


What a smile :)

Baby shower extravaganza

I got the priveledge of throwing a monster baby shower for four of my girlfriends here in Grenada! They all looked beautiful and we had such a good time. Pregnancy is such a wonderful and special time and I'm so glad I've been able to share it with these ladies.

Thanks so much Bri and Marca for all of your help. Couldn't have done it without you!



The four pretty prego ladies outside Marca's house :)

Story Time

Yesterday, I heard Jackson talking up a storm, and when I went to see what he was doing, here's what I found..... enjoy!

What does the future hold?

As Todd finishes up his classroom years of medial school in Grenada, he is looking toward the next two years and is making decisions regarding where to spend his clerkship years. (The next two years are spent actually working and learning in hospitals) We have been discussing for several weeks now which locations would be the best for our family and Todd academically and Todd has reached his decisions! The way the system works is, you put down your top 3 choices, and the school does its best to match you in to one of those choices. 80% of students get their first or second choice.

Todd put in his request form last night and we will find out (hopefully) by November 21 where we will be spending the next two years of our lives!

Todd's choices were-
1. Kern Medical Center- Bakersfield, CA
2. St John's Medical Center- Grosse Pointe, MI
3. Brooklyn Hospital- Brooklyn, NY

We are really hoping for Bakersfield or Grosse Pointe. Only 3 weeks until we find out! :) I'll keep you posted, but in the meantime, please pray for us that God puts us where He wants us to be for the next two years!

When did this happen?

Yesterday morning I woke up and realized that my little tiny baby is going to be 9 months old next week! He's turning in to a little boy! Now that he can crawl, everything else seems to be coming so easily to him! He cruises around on furniture and pulls himself up on anything he can. (even me!) He's even trying to take a few steps on his own! It's kind of scary :) Jackson also is almost totally on table food now, with the exception of one meal a day where he has a puree with his cereal. He's growing up!











His best buddy, Ralph the dog

Just over 8 weeks?

I just came to the realization that in just over 8 week we will be packing up and leaving Grenada behind. We've definitely had our ups and downs here.... from brown water to hot humid weather- but also beautiful beaches and wonderful friends. I definitely think I'll look back at my time in Grenada with fondness, but we are definitely ready to start the next chapter of our lives- first back in Covington, then wherever Todd gets placed for his clerkship rotations.

WE are so excited to find out where that is going to be! We are hoping for California, but we are confident that wherever Todd is placed will be the right place for us.

Alright. I think that's it for now. Hope you're all having a great day!

A big day for my little boy

Last week Jackson started crawling! He was playing with his favorite toy (a spoon) and it somehow got away from him. Well, he just went right after it! I was so surprised and excited, because I was beginning to think he might just not do it at all! He surprises me every day.

Here's one playing with his favorite spoon-



And here's the crawling boy in action!

A fun night!

Todd and I got to get all gussied up and go celebrate his induction in to the SGU honor society last night at the University Club, which is a fancy, invite only kind of place. It was great! The food was delicious and Todd got a nice little certificate to commemorate the experience. Congratulations honey!

Recent Videos

Todd is studying like crazy for his exams this week, so I thought I'd upload some recent videos and show you what Jackon's been up to lately.

This one is him in his new walker talking to his Dad. :)



This is one of him "crawling". He hasn't really mastered it yet, but he's getting there! He is definitely mobile at the very least :)

Feelin Beachy!

Today was Jackson's first time swimming in the ocean! We just went to the beach that's just a few minutes away. He was a little chilly, but loved playing in the sand! We had a great time. :)

Roomies

I just wanted to give a little shout out to our housemates. To all who are unaware of our living situation in Grenada- we live in a duplex style house with a door that opens up to the next apartment, where 4 of our close friends live. I love that we keep the door open all of the time because it's so great to be able to talk to them all the time. I've grown accustomed to running over to Melanie to tell her something funny I just saw on TV, or anything else really. It's so great having them there, and we're going to be sad when December rolls around and marks the end of our time with them.



The 3 ladies last month at our house (Erin, Melanie, and I)



The 3 boys last year on St Patty's day in Dublin. Notice the green goaties. haha. (Evan, Jeff, Todd)

Hooray

Despite waking up with a nasty cold thanks to my darling husband, I'm in a good mood today and I'll tell you why.

1. Todd was accepted in to the SGU honor society! He turned in his application on Saturday and was just informed this morning that he had been accepted. I'm so proud of him!

2. It's raining today! YAY! Any day that it's not sunny, I rejoice because that means it will be a few degrees cooler and somewhat more tolerable.

3. I have the cutest baby ever. Here are some pics of my little 7 month old.

Fun with Dad

I took this video last weekend of Jackson having fun with his Dad. I can't believe my little bugger is 7 months old now! Wow, time flies.



Will give more of an update soon, including pics of my little 7 month old! :)

Just because...

Jackson goofing off this morning with his Pooh in his bouncer.... just felt like posting a new vid. We are melting here in Grenada. It's a sauna!

We are so excited too because everyone is coming back to the island to start the 5th term of medical school! Yay, friends for us. :) Todd has his 3rd term final exam on Tuesday. Wish him luck!

pool day

Last weekend, Todd and I took Jackson swimming at a neighbor's pool. He loves it! He kicks his legs and laughs the whole time. I think he's going to be a little fish. :)

Punk'd?

No one ever said Grenada was going to be fair. That's the phrase my friends and I came up with in the house after all of the mishaps we've had since we've lived on the island. And let me tell you, we've had our fair share!

Here's a fun one- getting your hair done. I ususally go to this woman down the street who was trained in Canada and does a pretty good job. She's no Rebecca (my hairstylist from back home), but she's aiight. I'm usually happy with the final product.

Anyway, the lady down the street was on vacation and I was in DESPERATE need of a hair cut and color. So, Todd showed me a flyer on his school's website of a salon down by our grocery store. "What can it hurt to try a new place?" I thought. Famous last words.

I made the appointment for 8 am on Saturday morning. I showed up on time. They did not. I had to wait until 815 for them to get there and unlock the doors. Strike one. Then, they asked me what color I would like my hair highlighted with.... I said "blonde." They looked around their shop and said "we don't have any blonde." Strike two. Hmmm..... so the hairdresser sent her receptionist out to get some. She returns with a box of Garnier Fructise blonde hair dye..... Strike 3....... Most people would leave after strike 3, but ever optomistic about the outcome, I stay.

She proceeds to do my hair and starts grabbing random chunks and putting the dye in, all the while reading the back of the garnier color box. (she must have read that thing for like 20 minutes). I have seen my hair highlighted a million times and I can tell you with absolute certainty that it was the WORST technique I have ever seen. And by worst technique, I mean NONE. I knew it was going to be a disaster..... and yet, I still sat there. Then, she proceeds to drop dye all over my white linen pants and back of my tank top. I said "how am I supposed to get that out?" and she said "Oh, it will come out." Yeah, bleach a tank top and it will "come out." Ok.

Then we get to the haircutting. She pulls out these large, black scissors and I'm thinking, "you can't be serious." But she is! No hair shears, just big, black scissors. I asked for her to trim the "minimal amount possible" as I'm trying to grow it really long. To her, that must have translated as a 2-3 inch hack job, because that's what I got. The whole time I was waiting for Ashton Kutcher or Jamie Kennedy to pop out, but they were nowhere to be found. MTV boiling points? Nope, not them either. This was REAL, folks.

The kicker is, I actually tipped her. I'm too much of a wimp. After she was finished, (I could tell this was clearly her first experience coloring euro-american hair) she said, "you like it???" The hope in her eyes was priceless. I had to tip. Gosh I'm a wuss.

He's a big boy!

Jackson is approaching the big 6 month mark, and I have no idea where the time has gone! He is growing up so fast, and learning new "tricks" every day. He's now enjoying rice cereal and veggies on a daily basis. We've learned that he HATES green beans and LOVES sweet potatoes! haha. He also really enjoys playing in his new bouncer and sitting up on his own. He says "ma ma ma" and "da da da" and is really trying to figure out the english language. :) He's also really working hard on crawling. He's got the legs down perfect and can scoot himself along, but can't get the arms working at the same time. He'll get it before too long, and then watch out mom and dad! I don't know if I'm ready for that!

Trip to Seattle!

Jackson and I just got back from a fun filled, and yet somehow relaxing week in Washington! It was wonderful to get some much needed time off the island and just kick back and relax in the cold weather! Thanks so much to my family for hosting us and letting us take over their house :)

People who live in the US just don't realize how good they have it. I went in to a Safeway and almost started crying as I walked down the isles and everything was stocked and beautiful. The produce isle really got me. Big, beautiful (chemically engineered?)fruits and veggies just calling out for me. Ah.... it was a lovely experience.



Look how cute my baby is! He's actually wearing clothes! haha (Jackson at 4 1/2 months)



Celebrating Father's Day early with my Dad, sisters and Jackson at Black Diamond Bakery. It was delicious.

Apparently, blogging is not on my list of favorite things to do

When I started this blog, I thought for sure I'd be on here all of the time giving updates and loading pictures and videos. Well, clearly Amy, you have slacked. And for no good reason, really. Apologies to those of you who read our blog! I will try not to be such a slacker....

Here is a rundown on the latest happenings.

Todd finished midterms in his hardest term of medical school thusfar sucsessfully with outstanding grades. He is doing so well and I couldn't be more proud!

We were recently visited by Todd's parents who came bearing diapers galore! I know it may seem strange and yes, they do sell diapers here, but not PAMPERS SWADDLERS people! These things are important ya know. Anyway, we had a good time with them and we hope they enjoyed their visit too! It was great for Jackson to spend some time with his Grandma and Grandpa Curtis :)

J and I are headed home next week for a visit. June 3-13. We are both excited! Well, I'm excited.... I'm sure J is too, he just doesn't know it yet. I am thrilled to get off the island for a while and looking forward to not being perpetually sweaty all of the time for a week or so. haha.

Anywhoooo.... here's a recent pic of Todd and I out to dinner for you. Hooray!

J's new best friend :)

Jackson "talking"

Hopefully this shows up OK. Jackson talks and coos all the time now. Here's him talking at about 2.5 months. Love this little guy!!

Stuff is different in Grenada....

Including the fruit! Lemons are lumpy, limes are large and look like lemons, in fact, i can't tell the difference between any citrus fruits. Imagine my surprise when I cut in to this watermelon....




It was so tasty though! :)

Happy Easter!!

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter! Here's our little guy in his adorable outfit with his bunnies :) He's two months old now and I have no idea where the time went! We had a great Easter, including a potluck brunch with some of Todd's classmates. It was a lot of fun!

OK one more...

because I can! Here's my guy smiling.... he's a little camera shy so I only got a couple...

Such a cutie!

Jackson discovers his feet!

Todd's Northumbria Graduation

On Saturday, Todd and his classmates went to their graduation from their first year of medical school at Northumbria Univeristy in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It was fun seeing some of the faculty members from their program come to Grenada for the event. It was a fun and well deserved day for Todd and his classmates. This was a big day for all of them, and for the school, as this is the charter class of the Global Scholars program through SGU. They actually ended up with better GPA's than the regular class at SGU! :) Todd did such a great job last year in school and I am so proud of my grad! :)

Here's a pic of Todd on his campus



Here's a pic of the whole class.

Our house :)

Our house in Grenada is great and we love living right next door to our close friends! I thought I'd post some pics to give you somewhat of an idea of where we live. OK I PROMISE I will start posting these more regularly :) At least once a week.... with pictures! Maybe we'll even take a video or two and put them on here! Well, maybe I'm getting carried away. haha. Anyway, hope you all are doing well and miss you guys!

Here's a picture of the entrance to our portion of the house.



Here's our front yard



Here's the back yard



Living room



Kitchen



The bedrooms are a mess! Otherwise I would have posted pictures of those too... hehe

And here's a pic of my adorable little guy at 7 weeks! I can't believe it's been 7 weeks already :) This is what happens when you have too much fun!