Peace Out, 4th Term!

I've been home a little over 2 weeks and honestly am not sure where time has gone! Life has been busy, but a fun busy! I've been running all over doing last minute wedding stuff- dotting our Is and crossing our Ts. Thankfully, we got SO much help from family here on the home front while we were gone that although I feel like I have been doing a lot non-stop- really, there was not too much left that needed to be done :) We are SO appreciative of all the help because it has allowed this process to stay fun and relatively free of stress!

The final missing piece to the puzzle lands in the U.S in a few short hours!!! YES, Nick has OFFICIALLY completed 4th term and I could not be more proud! Now, I say this each term and after each test (and genuinely mean it each time because he amazes me) but let me tell you... 4th term, was hard. It was draining. It was exhausting. It was stressful. It was consumed by Pathology, with several other classes also demanding attention as well. It was long. And Nick handled it like a freakin' champ and now I get to brag on him a bit :) He ran on just a few hours of sleep each night and endured 12+ hour days filled with class, followed by lab, further followed by hours of studying... for 5 months straight. Yet, through it all he still managed to come home with a smile on his face more days than not. Still managed to leave his stress from studying at the door more days than not. Still would surprise me with help around the house whenever he could. And still sent me sweet messages on Skype, when the days got long and we were hardly seeing each other. Annnnnddd, on top of all that, he ROCKED Pathology, a 13 credit, hard as can be class. He's a rock star. And probably not going to be a fan of all my bragging about him... but it's deserved, and I am allowed :)

Tomorrow starts wedding week! And I am so excited to have him home to be a part of it! I love how excited he is and how much he likes to be involved :) Nothing sounds better than a week of pre-wedding last minute things in front of Christmas movies with my favorite guy, family, and closest friends!

Good riddance 4th term! I'll GLADLY take my student back now :) So proud of Nick and all of my 4th term friends and their SOs for surviving this beast of a term!

Social Work Exam- CHECK!

I most definitely have some major catching up to do. For starters, as I've mentioned, the reason for my lack of blogging and fun recently has been due to studying for my Social Work Board exam. I've heard over and over again about what a tough exam it is and the practice tests I took definitely had me studying EXTRA hard out of fear of failing. Well, all the hours put in on campus and all the hours and days spent bummin' because I had to miss out on Limes and time with kids paid off because... I PASSED!!!!! There are no words to describe my relief and excitement! It is obviously so rewarding and nice to see all my hard work pay off, but even more than that, I am just beyond happy that I don't have to split or sacrifice time with the Limes babies next term... it was such a sacrifice for me to do this term, and I often felt distanced by others when my attendance started to dwindle that it really made for a couple of rough months and so when I saw I had passed I literally got to my car and cried. All the stress, hard work, and sacrifices had paid off... not to mention, it was the hardest exam of my life, so I was down right just proud to have passed! SO yes, just a huge relief and SO looking forward to being able to soak up tons of kiddo time during our final term in Grenada starting in January :)

Social Work licensure is strange in that, in order to be fully licensed in Michigan (currently I have my temporary license, which is good for 6 years) you need to pass the ASWB board exam and work 2 years PAID full time. It's so interesting and odd to me that what they require as a requisit for "doing social work" is a paycheck. Some of the best and most valuable social work I have done in my life has been in Grenada through different things and I am NOT receiving a paycheck to do it. I don't know, maybe I am the only who thinks it is weird, but I do. It doesn't matter, because I have all the hard parts done for my licensure, and will complete my 2 years well before my 6 years is up, but still... when it comes to Social Work- it's funny to me that something like a paycheck is what they deem the greatest factor in determining whether you have experience or not.

A highlight in the final weeks before I left Grenada was in thanks to two of my lovely friends in Grenada- Jessica and Desiree who put together a Grenadian Bachelorette Party for me!! It was so much fun and so sweet of them to do! We went on a sunset boat cruise, played some games, enjoyed some drinks, and had a full boat dance party- the bonus to having an entire catamaraan to ourselves! It was perfect! I am so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful friends in Grenada, they definitely know how to make a girl feel special! It was especially fun because I had been oddly MIA from activities in the last month and half leading up to the party due to studying my butt off, so it was really nice to see them and I definitely appreciated everyone for coming out!!!

Thanksgiving in Grenada

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It always has been. Growing up Thanksgiving was marked by waking up extremely early (or so it seemed to me- I've never been a morning person a day in my life) and heading downtown to meet up with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins to go to the Thanksgiving Day Parade. We'd all meet at big boy and eat lots of yummy breakfast before putting a million layers of clothing and bracing ourselves to fight for a close spot on the street for the parade. Thanksgiving morning always seemed to be one of the coldest Michigan days of the year, but we were armed with hats, gloves, hand warmers, boots, and everything else my parents wisely thought to bring to keep young kids happy (ish)... in -0 temperatures, said kids may have just been crying, cold, handfuls... But, when we were super young we got the perks of having a really tall dad and got a shoulder view, and when we got a little older, we had the fun of weaseling through the crowds, and pushing aside other people to successful get to the street side- in perfect position to high five the parade people, snag some candy, and of course see Santa. It was the best!

As we got older we stopped going to the parade but still the days were marked by other things I loved. No school. Family. Lions football. And lots and lots of food. Who wouldn't love a day filled with those things?

I also love the sentiment surrounding Thanksgiving. I love that this time of year forces us all to focus our attention on what we are thankful for and the many blessings we have in life. It's so easy to get caught up in stress and negativity that it such a nice, and heartwarming change. 

That brings me to this Thanksgiving. My first Thanksgiving away from home EVER. My first Thanksgiving not surrounded by tons of family members. Not curled up watching the Lions game on a real TV. Not picking an outfit that will allow me to over-eat all the delicious Thanksgiving food. Instead, we are here in Grenada, where if it weren't for Facebook updates telling me it is indeed Thanksgiving, I'd never know it. I woke up hot to sun beating in the window. Nick left for classes somewhere around 7:15. And my agenda basically consisted of heading to campus to study with the Lions game on in the background. All in all, it was just a pretty normal day here on the island.

However, whether it feels like Thanksgiving or not, I have SO much to be extra thankful for this year.  I of course am thankful for family, friends, health, opportunity, and adventures of all kinds. In addition to the normal blessings, this year I am thankful for the opportunity to be in Grenada and for Nick to have the opportunity to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor. I am thankful for the life- changing experience of living on this island, which opens my eyes to the importance of the small things in life and where the children warm my heart unconditionally. Although we may yearn for home and to be surrounded with family and friends, there is no denying that Grenada will always be like a second home to us and will always hold a super special place in our hearts.

For a couple of weeks I had been planning on trying to cook us something "Thanksgiving-ish" for today without breaking the bank as the cost of Turkey here can be pricey and without taking too much time away from studying. But then a wonderful opportunity presented itself. Several of the volunteers who work with Limes have put together a fundraiser to help send one of our little girls (Kylie) and her mom to the States so that Kylie can have brain surgery.  Kylie was diagnosed with a tumor and needs to have a shunt put in and while it has been arranged for the surgery to be done pro-bono and her mom will be able to stay at Ronald McDonald House for free, the flights to get them there are not cheap. So of course, our wonderful Limes coordinators put their heads together and came up with an excellent idea of offering a hot, home cooked Thanksgiving meal, on campus! Boy, was it a success! They sold out of all their food in under 10 minutes!! Needless to say, although we did not make it there quick enough to snag a plate, the over-all goal was to help Kylie and they certainly accomplished that! She's such a sweet baby, and so so loved by so many of the volunteers, and it was great to see so many people pull together and help and support her! One of the downsides to studying for my test is that I feel much less able to help with things like this, but my heart is so happy seeing all the hard work of fellow SOs pay off.

And, with some help from some friends, I was able to toss together some mashed potatoes which allowed us entry into a Thanksgiving dinner later on, so we still got our Thanksgiving meal :) 

All in all, a pretty successful Thanksgiving if I do say so myself!

Slacker blogger award

Time is passing SO quickly these days, I can't even believe it!

Life update since my blogging has been less than stellar... Nick survived the second round of exams and once again did awesome! He successfully completed Microbiology and is happy to check yet another class off the list! There is no doubt that the past 7 weeks were the hardest in medical school. They were unbelievably exhausting, but all the hard work and lack of sleep paid off :) I am extremely proud! Since Microbiology is officially done, he has started Nutrition as a replacement, but compared to Micro, it is much easier and so the trade was welcomed with open arms! Nutrition is only a 1 credit class that he has for 2 weeks (his final is already on Monday) and then is done and he will only have Pathology and CPD for the remainder of the term. Although the term is not over yet, and finals promise to be hard as always, I think we can officially say there is a small light at the end of the tunnel!!

Lots of beautiful sunsets these days!!! Since we've both been studying on campus, we've been enjoying dinner in front of them almost every night!!!  I sure don't hate it!

In other news: Nick's parents came to visit, so we had a blast doing some fun things and Nick was able to break away from studying to hang out with them more than we expected, which was great! There was lots of beach time and just hanging out, and the highlight of the trip was easily deep sea fishing! We've been before but did not catch anything so we were excited to go again and try our luck... and this time caught SEVEN FISH! It was SO awesome! All in all we caught 1 Tuna, 2 Rainbow Runners, and 4 Barracuda! This was my first time catching anything ever deep sea fishing so I was pumped! Having visitors is always so nice, especially when you haven't seen anyone from home in 5 months!!!!

Showin' all those fish what is up... Yeah.. wasn't expecting to be handed a slimy fishy though!

Otherwise, life has been a little more boring for me. I haven't been able to go to Limes much at all the past couple of weeks because I have been on house arrest studying for my board exam (that I take in only 20 days... eeek!) It makes me sad to miss out on Limes and definitely makes me realize how much those Limes children have made my life here as great as it is... but unfortunately, for now, studying has to be main priority. Still bums me out though. I miss those kids SO much and am hoping to get there at least a couple times before I leave to head home in 2 weeks!

And lastly, wedding planning is coming along amazingly!! I still love it and enjoy every minute of it! Definitely starting to feel the crunch a little bit (37!!! days!!) and can not wait to be home and more hands on in the getting ready process! Thank goodness for so many people at home helping with calls, setting appointments, and doing a lot of the leg work for us because otherwise this whole planning thing would not have been possible! All in all too, I think we are really on top of things, and everything should continue to run smoothly (Mom, don't think about the number of days left!) Reality that it is so close still has not completely hit me though because the weather here makes me feel like it is still a couple months away, but we are really excited and looking forward to it! It is the perfect way to end this crazy term!

FINALLY got to see our invitation in person!!! You can't even imagine my excitement!!!!

Medical school student in da house!

I've mentioned before that Nick is currently taking a class commonly referred to as CPD, which stands for Communication Skills and Physical Diagnosis.  This class is interesting because it actually allows the students to start learning and practicing basic physical exams, assessments, and evaluations on each other and (paid actor) patients..... and in our case... Nick gets to practice on me.

For the past several evenings Nick has come home from studying on campus a couple hours early, and our house has turned into Dr. Leo's medical office. He runs through these general assessments- obtaining vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, respiration, temperature), checks for jugular venous pressure and pulsation, checks peripheral vascular system (using tests such as: Allen’s test, Buerger’s test, a manual compression test,  Pratt test and Homan sign), does examinations on the ear, nose, and sinuses (using tests such as the Whisper test and sinus transillumination).... you get the idea. Lots of fun, real life doctor stuff- with real doctor tools. He continues to impress me with his ever growing knowledge and seeing him apply it is fun... plus, it appears that according to these tests, other than needing stronger contact lenses (sad day when you fail a vision test that is supposed to just be for practice) I appear to be healthy and regularly functioning!

So, while seeing him act all professional is all super fun and cute, when he announced he was coming home to test out some skills on me the other night- more specifically the ears/nose/throat skills, I was a little less than enthused... see, I am currently battling a cold. Awesome. It's already a little weird to spend my night having my fiance looking up my nose or in my ears- let alone on a night when I am a bit under the weather... But, he is going to be quizzed on these assessments soon, so in true medical school spirit, the exams went on! Weird or not, a passing grade is definitely more important than him not being prepared due to the possibility of wax in my ears or boogers in my nose.

Yep, getting married to a doctor-in-training sure is a romantic.

Operation Grenada Child- Bringing Santa to Grenada

"There is a spirit in the world of generosity- 

That brings good things to all of us, whoever we may be

 So I believe in Santa Claus, for it can't be denied- That he is generosity personified.

 Yes, there is a Santa Claus for children everywhere- 

Though you may watch the chimney tops and never see him there.

People say his magic sleigh flies in the sky above- 

But you might find it anywhere you find unselfish love.

Oh, yes, he really does exist- And Santa Claus will live!

As long as hearts can realize- How good it feels to give.

So when you are feeling blue- Keep up your hopes, because...

 If there is kindness in this world- There is a Santa Claus!"

-Martha Cratchit, in "The Stingiest Man in Town" 

Childhood memories at Christmas are really hard to remember without Santa. We would write him letters asking for the newest and coolest toy, doll, tamagotchi, or whatever the must-have item of the year was that was coming out. And if our minds changed before Christmas- the panic that Santa might not know, lead to another URGENT letter being sent to clarify the new request.

But imagine, growing up, and from as young as 2-3 years old not having a Santa. Not having that excitement each Christmas morning, and not getting presents- big or small.  That's how the memories of Christmas are for many of the Children here in Grenada. When we talk to them about Christmas, there is very little mention of Santa, or presents, or anything that most of us, as children, associated with Christmas. I was actually talking to one of the "older" girls about how I was getting married at Christmastime and so I would be going home to Michigan to celebrate the holiday with my family and little brothers. She immediately asked how only my brothers were and when I told her they were just a little younger than her, she responded "that's good you are going to see them, Miss, ... Santa doesn't come here." I could have cried and honestly didn't even really know how to respond.

While the purpose of Christmas is not about gifts, how do you explain to a 9 year old that Santa and presents happen to some children throughout the world and not others? And although she didn't seem overly sad and it is a normal thing to her, it was the vast line that was drawn between her and children (like my brothers) at her age that really killed me. I hate how grown up and aware of discrepancies they are at 8,9,10 years old. And I hate that some kids get presents and some don't.

However, this year some SGU SOs- both here in Grenada and those already back in the States, have decided to make sure that Santa does indeed visit Grenada this Christmas. They have started a project called "Operation Grenada Child." The idea is a simple one. For $20 or less, you can create a shoebox that will be shipped to Grenada for a Limes child. It doesn't have to be anything super fancy, these kids get excited over simple things like pencil sharpeners! If you don't personally want to shop for the gifts, there is also the option to assist with shipping the boxes to Grenada- which is equally as helpful as the shoe-boxes themselves.

For more information, or to sign up to send a box follow THIS LINK.

Thanks for helping us put smiles on these sweet children's faces!  

And in the words of Tiny Tim... "God bless us, every one"

Long over-do for an update!

Yikes! I've been a major slacker on the blogging lately!

Honestly, that is because 4th term is the same thing just about every day. Nick continues to leave around 7:30am each day and returns somewhere between 10-midnight. It's busy. It's stressful. It's exhausting. It's all work, and no play. His next set of exams are in a couple weeks, so send him extra positive vibes as the intensity is upped (if that is even possible) over these next couple weeks :)

As for me, I've also pretty much gone into hibernation mode. My days pretty much consist of the normal house chores, wedding planning, and studying for my board exam. With my board exam right around the corner, I've sadly started to have to prioritize my time a bit differently. I still volunteer a couple days a week, but not every day. Although being with the kids is A LOT more fun and honestly a lot more hands on social working experience... this girl needs to pass the multiple choice board exam in December! Wish me luck... I will be needing it. After a year off from school, I have become the worst student ever. I'd rather watch paint dry than hammer out over this material all day. But, I am slowly getting back into a groove.

A few fun things from the past week or so:
IEA (the school's honor society) put on a dodge ball tournament 2 Friday's ago, and Nick's football team played in it. It was really fun and SO great to see them all letting loose... and not to mention relieving some stress by hurling balls at the other teams head for several hours! His team did awesome and made it all the way to the finals, but unfortunately could not pull off the championship win. Still all in all a great night! It was awesome to see Nick out there having such a good time, and to actually get to see him/spend a little time with him for the first time in several weeks!

Two of our volunteers, Miss Taylor and Miss Katie, at LIMES used to be cheerleaders, so they brushed off their cheer-leading caps and introduced the Limes kids to cheering! One day was spent making pom-poms, which was so much fun! They made them by cutting up garbage bags, which I thought was so creative! The kids absolutely loved it and were so focused and serious about making them. The next day Taylor and Katie taught them a cheer that they performed at the end of class. Talk about cuteness! All the girls (plus Jade) got so into it... these kids crack me up!

Was chatting with Jada at Limes last week and she holds my hand and says "Miss, yo hands big." I responded with something like "yep, they sure are big next to your little ones aren't they?" To which she said, "No. They aren't big next to mine. They are big to hold onto mine." You couldn't be more right Jada- girl, that is exactly why my hands are so big  :) It's little moment like those that just absolutely melt my heart and make my entire week!

Although our internet has been strugglin' really hardcore recently, I've still been able to stream all the exciting sports games :) Both Nick and I have been proudly wearing our Detroit gear and our neighbors wonder who the crazy girl is screaming at her computer for every Tigers baseball game and Lions football game. Man, Detroit sports sure like to make their fans sweat! Needless to say, took a lengthy study break yesterday to watch both the Lions and Tigers bring home victories :)

And just because they have been so beautiful, here are a few pictures of sunsets recently!

Videos are worth a thousand words

I've taken some pretty funny Limes videos this term but haven't posted them yet... so this post is dedicated to that :) I can't get enough of their little voices and know that years from now when I am missing these kids more than my heart can bear, I will be SO happy to have these to look back on.

This is just a short clip from my buddy Jade. Miss Kelsey was volunteer who was here for 2 years and although she has been gone almost a year I think, they still miss her very much! It just goes to show what an impact volunteers really can have on these sweet kids. He begged me to take this and said it was a very important message!

We made music makers in class this week and they were a huge hit! After they were all made, without any prompting they entertained themselves with their chanting and dancing for a good half hour or so. They crack me up!

The girls breaking it down before heading to the beach on beach day. Jada's signature move kills me! Please make her stop growing up! (I can't figure out how to rotate it better... boo!)

There are several more if only I could figure out how to get them off of my phone... hmm. Hope you enjoy their silliness as much as we do!

1/3 of the way through 4th term!!!!!

Okay so... I need to brag a little bit here.

Nick just completed his first round of 4th term exams! He had a Pathology (the huge 13 credit class) exam on Monday and a Micro exam on Friday. The weeks leading up to these exams were even more intense than usual, with him easily putting in 15+ hour study days and battling ever growing stress and exhaustion. However, all that hard work paid off and Nick brought home 2 A's!!! And, not just any old A's... but two good, solid, above average, completely rock my socks off, A's! I could not be more proud :) 

There is nothing better than seeing all his countless hours of labor, endless cups of coffee, and nights with far too little sleep, pay off! My fiancé is one hardworking and smart man! I'll steal a little credit and say it's because I keep him clothed and well fed... ;)

So, it goes without saying that after exams were done Nick deserved to let loose, have some fun, and sleep! And that is exactly what we did all weekend long! We had a perfect weekend filled with time on the water in the "donut boat", dinner at our place with friends, late night swimming at our neighbor's pool, sleeping in, big yummy breakfast, thunderstorms, napping in the hammock, church, movies, and football... LOTS of football!

Our set up for the football games. Doors wide open, breeze blowing in, thunderstorms pouring down... as close to fall weather as we will ever get here... it was AWESOME!

I am not ready to surrender Nick back over to 4th term yet, but sadly our weekend of bliss has come to an end and he was back out the door early this morning for class and studying. 4th term sure does make you cherish quality time and I am already looking forward to our next weekend of fun in about... 5-6 weeks... sigh. In the meantime, send positive thoughts and prayers his way so that he is able to not only continue chugging away lecture by lecture, but that he continues to dominate :)

"Miss I smart!"

Over the summer  Nick's mom took us to the largest flee market I have ever seen. Tents and goodies were everywhere and the prices for things couldn't be beat. There were sundresses galore, tons of random nick-nacks, and just lots of great stuff. But I hit the goldmine in the dollar store of all tents. This tent had the most random assortment of things ever.. for a dollar or less!!  It was great!! Instantly, my mind went one place- Limes.

In a matter of minutes my arms (and Nick's) were loaded with more things than they could hold. Card games. Flashcards. Dry erase doodle/alaphabet/number boards, bouncy balls, coloring books, activity books, crayons, and 60 toothbrushes. I probably would never have moved on from that tent if it weren't for the one minor issue of needing to transport all my new found goodies back to Grenada! I was so excited to take them to Limes the first day and ever since have taken my bag of "new goodies" with me each week. It is so fun to see their eyes light up during a game of Uno and to see them practice their writing on the alphabet boards. I have also been beyond amazed at how well they have (for the most part) shared these new things with each other, sat in a circle and played cards together (with minimal arguing) and their enthusiasm to learn and show off with the flashcards. I just love it!

Cutie pants! So in love with that smile!

Bradley scheming at Uno! I love watching him smile and laugh playing this game!

Jada the silly head!

Adore them! Sassiness and all!

Miss Katie and sweet Kyle girl :) Love her representin' with the Limes shirt!

We continue to be blessed with a ton of volunteers at Limes. I can't say enough how much of difference it makes and how incredibly awesome it is. Not only that, but our new volunteers are all so great with kids, many bring teaching backgrounds to the table, and so it has been fun to have so many new ideas and bodies around! Today, one of our teachers, Miss Nicci, sat and played a game with addition/subtraction flashcards with a group of boys for almost a full hour... a-m-a-z-i-n-g! Several times during the game one would come up to me and say "Miss, I smart!" then proudly tell me the answer to the problem on the card.  It was so cute! I love seeing them not only having so much fun, but learning at the same time!

Fire, fire! The yard is on FIRE!

Well, today was one for the books.

I was studying for my Social Work board exam in the bedroom, with 2 fans blowing on me from different directions to help avoid heat stroke and completely engrossed in the land of the learning... or at least trying to be.

Then Nick Skype messages me saying that they can see smoke in the LAE area from campus. Interesting. I went out of the bedroom, didn't smell anything. Glanced outside. Still nothing. And wrote it off as not being a big deal. So I sat down at the table to tell Nick I don't see any signs of smoke when our entire house becomes engulfed in smoke. And when I say engulfed... I literally mean 100% filled with smoke... I couldn't even see my feet. My first reaction was "Oh my God, it is OUR house that is on fire!!!" 

I coughed my way outside and breathed a breath of fresh air 1) for my lungs and 2) because it wasn't our house going up in flames, but rather I could see it was coming from a couple houses down. Curiosity got the best of me, so I walked down closer to the water to try and get a look. At this point I was thinking it was contained, but still... I was interested. That's when I see fire quickly moving across the dried brush of our neighbors backyard quickly approaching our own backyard. After staring in awe for several seconds, I realized I should probably do more than just stare at it and ran and got our neighbors. Dana and I proceeded to run up and down the street and called security to connect us to the fire department and Dan joined some other neighbors in throwing buckets of water on an ever spreading fire.


Since we don't have the fire department number on hand (or didn't before, but now do) we called campus security to get the number. Dana and I each talked to them once, and I thought my conversation with them was pretty comical and  pretty typical "no panic, no rush, you can't really have an emergency" Grenada, so here it is:

me: "hi, we would like to report a fire, could please connect me to the fire department or give me their number"

security: "okay, we will file a complaint"

me: "no sir, a fire, there is a fire, we need the fire department, is it possible for you to give me their number?"

security: "yes, yes we are filing a complaint"

me: "This is like a real fire, and it is quickly spreading through ours and our neighbors backyards, we need the fire department"

security: "We will send one of our officers to come and check out the situation"

me: "this is not a situation where we need security, we need the fire department. I called you because I do not know the fire department phone number, please just give me their number"

Finally, I was connected to the fire department, who acted like it was new news to them that there was a fire (even though I do believe others called it in as well). The fire department did respond relatively quickly though, which was good!

Anyways, long story short, we watched the fire spread (and inch closer) to our backyard for about 40 minutes- hour before it was finally put out.  During that time the fire truck ran out of water which required them to leave with the truck and re-fill before they could return and put it out. While they were gone, there was a Grenadian man with his 2 buckets who walked up and down the rocks throwing water on the fire and actually kept it contained relatively well... and I stood nearby and had my bucket ready to assist if necessary too of course :)

The reason it started was not because of the dry ground and overly hot sun, but actually someone was initially attempting to burn things on their own. Hot day. Lack of rain. Very dry ground. Bad decision. It could have been SO much worse, and it was not easy to get the fire out. A few more feet and it would have been heading toward our houses via a wooden fence- really fast. And I would have been running to gather a few of our belongings before hitting the hills! Counting our blessings <3 

Our house after I went running out as it filled with smoke... there were few clouds in the sky today, so yeah... the white around it... not clouds.

The first time I ran down it was burning off in the distance a little bit, but the smoke was already way intense and I could tell it was moving pretty quickly

A few minutes later when I ran back down I saw just how quickly...

At this point we were anxiously waiting for the firemen to return as the fire came within a couple feet of the wooden fence that would have been really rather disastrous if it caught on fire and made the problem SO much worse... they arrived in time and other than smokey houses, none of us had any actual property damage.

Definitely was not an ordinary day and being from Michigan- I have never experienced a fast spreading brush fire before... thankful that my first experience ended with no major damage done and simply a good story to tell! 

Oh, and so my streak of being the crazy, white girl running up and down the street gathering the troops for some crazy event continues... reality tv ain't got nothing on our life here in Grenada :) 

While the men study, the girls go to crab races!

The SOs had a wild and crazy night out yesterday for the weekly crab races! It's always a good and hilarious time, but yesterday was especially fun because we had a lot of first timers going with us. I loved re-living my first time experiencing one of Grenada's favorite activities through their shocked and amused looks that THIS was what crab races are all about. With school being busy for most students at this time of the term, the SOs pretty much took over The Owl and got to run the show, AND win all the races!!

There have been so many more SO outings, both formally planned and randomly thrown together, this term and I have really been enjoying it! It could not have come at a better time with Nick on campus studying until late into the night- every night.

Cheers to girl friends in Grenada! 

"All you need is love" (and Limes)

Limes is officially back in action! This week was our first week back holding class on Tuesdays-Thursday at 3-5pm. It's amazing how much I missed it!

"It is not enough to love children, it is necessary that they are aware that they are loved"

 - St. John Bosco.

I heard this today and I instantly thought of Limes and how true this is. To these kids hearing "I love you" is nice and for some the shocked looks on their faces when you say it shows how infrequently they hear those words, but it is also evident that more than saying that... it is our actions that have the power to speak volumes.

This does not simply have to be showering them with new toys, snacks, and fun games/activities. But also through structure, reliability, compassion, and patience. It is by those actions combined that we demonstrate to them that we truly do care about them, and that their needs and feelings are important to us. Words can be hallow, and many of these kids have learned this lesson much too well, so our actions can be more meaningful to them than a phrase. One little guy who I just love to pieces came running up to me to say goodbye one day this week. I have been bringing fun new toys and games and he was able to play with those on several occassions, but that doesn't mean the day went by without incident. The downside to new things is that no one wants to share, so this little guy and I had had several talks throughout class about sharing, listening, and following rules. Although he would end up relinquishing the toy or stop what he was doing, it was done so with a pout, and for the next several minutes I was the worst person in the world to him. However, I continued to engage him and despite it being a bit of a rocky day for him, when I went to leave I heard a shouting "Miss" and turned around to him leaping into my arms for a goodbye hug. It was so special and cute.

It is important for us to demonstrate love not only by the giving of materialistic things, although of course those things are nice, but also through our ability to look past their misbehaviors- especially on the most challenging days.

When they are acting selfish, it is important to remember what it might feel like to have very little to call our own. When they are constantly tattling or accusing others of wrong doings, it is important to remember the reasons they might be growing up with so much suspicion, distrust, and need to prove someone else wrong. When they get angry and frustrated over something seemingly small, remember what it might feel like to experience a loss of control that easily.  Amidst a thousand complaints, think about what it might be like to never be able to just be happy with how things are, and to always feel the need to find something wrong... or to rarely have your needs met and satisfied. We are all different, come from different backgrounds, living conditions, family structures, etc. and we don't know how their personal experiences have affected them, but the bottom line is the same... we all need to know we are loved!

Ohhh, children of Grenada...

how do you possibly manage to steal my heart more and more every day?!

Saturday was the LIMES beach party to kick off the term, so we met at the Limes field and walked the kids over to Grand Anse Beach. Let me just say... with 20 VOLUNTEERS this was amazingly smooth and easy. Remember back to last term when I wrote about beach day and all the craziness and worry the handful of us volunteers had steering all the kids down a main road in Grenada... well, that was far from the case this time!! There were approximately 30-35 kids and so the kid-adult ratio was amazing and that not only made the walk and time at the beach much less stressful, it made it a million times more fun for the kids and volunteers.  There was no fighting for attention because there were so many doting volunteers to spread love and silliness every child. It was seriously wonderful and made my heart so happy! Laura and Julie are the SOs who are running the Limes show this term and have done such an amazing job so far! To top off a great day at the beach they had also ordered pizza, made brownies, and had juice waiting for the kids after they were done swimming- which was obviously a huge hit. AND as if that wasn't enough each child was also given a back-to-school gift!! They each got notebooks, pencils, a pencil sharpener, and the best of  all... stickers!!!!  Great job on putting together a wonderful day for those kids Laura and Julie, you sure did spoil them silly!!!

The fun continued today as we had our first visit of the term to the Queen Elizabeth Orphanage! This is something I have not participated in as much as I would have liked to in the past, so it was really heartwarming to see the kids again for the first time in forever and it really helped me realize that I need to prioritize my time better to make sure I make it there more regularly this term.  I just love them. We also experienced an abundance of volunteers for this today as well, and actually ended up with more volunteers than kids! How amazing and unheard of is that!? The kids loved it. Everywhere they turned there was a volunteer wanting to play with them and wanting to give them undivided attention.. it was perfect!

Whether at Limes or Queen Elizabeth, these kids touch my heart in ways I never even knew possible. I don't want them to be hungry. I don't want them to suffer from illness and not have proper medication. I don't want them to turn to "thieving" or drugs, or anything bad.  I want them to get plenty of food and grow and develop into healthy teenagers and adults. I want them to get a good education and to enjoy learning. I want to teach them things. I want to play with them until they feel so secure in our relationship that they no longer crave endless attention, support, and love to a degree that is unimaginable (but yet always want to continue to provide it.) I am so thankful for this opportunity to spend time loving on them and getting to know them, and there is no doubt I am right where I need to be. Nick being in medical school here may seemed to come out of left field at first, but now there is no doubt in my mind that as much as Nick needed to be here to work toward his dream of becoming a doctor- I needed to be here too...with these kids. God always has a plan and it's amazing how things work out in ways better than we ever could have imagined :)

Shower with caution...

Not a morning person?  Me either.
Want a better way to add some extra spark into your morning routine? Well, I don't know how the rest of you do it, but in our household we tend to do things a little unconventionally... like say, taking an early morning (lukewarm) shower and starting a fire in the bathroom.

Yesterday morning I woke up to Nick cussing in the shower and a loud crash. In my sleepy haze I was convinced someone had broken into our house and so I leapt out of bed in pure panic.

The good news: no bad guys were in our house. The bad news: Our shower had gone up in flames WHILE Nick was showering. Sounds safe right? Most importantly though- Nick was not hurt too badly.  His neck is a bit sore from the fall, but otherwise he is no worse for the wear and for that we extremely thankful!

Luckily it didn't completely break the shower itself, so we can still take cold showers. So no fears, we won't be the smelly couple you want to avoid sitting near on the bus. But unfortunately my life has now turned into the never ending game of waiting to see when the repairman actually arrives. Oh, and then when he does arrive I get to hover around him while he does his job to make sure he actually replaces the piece that burst into flames and doesn't simply tape over it. Sorry Mr. Repairman, but it must be done.

I mean, this looks perfectly safe to me...so I cant imagine why it caught on fire...

And I thought the smell of burning from my hair straightener at home over summer made me freak out... yeah, there is a slight possibility we leave Grenada with some post-traumatic stress.

My life in Grenada...

...should be a sitcom.

Seriously.

2 nights ago I had a 10 minute full fledged fight with a cockroach. I am terrified of them and this one was gigantic! But, with Nick gone, I had no one else to pass the buck to and had to kill it myself.

So, I armed myself with bop (a bug killer) in one hand and a shoe in the other and headed into battle. This cockroach was terrifying. It kept dive bombing my head which resulted in me screaming, swinging the shoe recklessly, and spraying bop in a very unorganized and rather non-productive manner. I jumped on the couch, then it followed, so I jumped down... it landed on the floor, so I jumped on a chair... and this dance continued for a good 10 minutes. Finally, after spraying enough bop to kill a 300 pound man, flinging the shoe across the room, and enduring several near face to face collisions with the nasty creature- I won. Take that cockroach. Ugh.

Today, I have spent the last 3 hours killing ants. Yep, living the dream. While in the bathroom I noticed several around our window, so I killed them and moved on. Later, I noticed a few more, and after accessing the situation I realized they were nesting in our ceiling. Awesome. Even on one of our kitchen chairs I am only about a 3rd of the way up the bathroom wall. So I set off to create a trap to lure them down to the ant killer... and yes, it was quite an elaborate process that required lots of leaping off the chair and splattering the sugar killer as high as I could to lead a trail downward.... Anyways, 3 hours and thousands of ants later... I think we are well on our way to being back to ant free.

Just another exciting day in my life here in Grenada :) At least if Social Work falls through for me, I've got quite the resume to submit as an exterminator...

Warning:: Nick & Lindsey engagement picture overload!!!

4th term has hit us like a pound of bricks. We knew it was coming, but seriously it is amazing the difference that I saw in Nick after just one day of Pathology. The tension is higher and the exhaustion is already beginning to set in.

This week all 3 days, he has been out the door by 7:30am and home around 11:00-11:30pm. The schedule that I posted before is legit and in that15 hour + day (INSANE) he gets a short break for lunch and dinner and otherwise is in lecture, labs, and study hall. And no, this isn't a "finals week crunch"... this is just the life of a 4th term medical student. Holy schnikeees!

Soooo, on that note, I am now taking applications for a new island pal! I'm nice, fun, like hiking, adrenaline rushes, swimming, and kids. Oh, and reading, cooking, and basically anything you want if you will just hang out with me! Haha just kidding, I am not sitting around bored, but it is an adjustment getting used to talking to him only a handful of times through out the day and only seeing him for MAYBE an hour a day- nah, an hour is too generous... maybe a half hour a day.

BUT today there was a little bright spot in Nick's crazy day because we got our engagement pictures back!!! I wanted to get cutesy pictures around the island before we left and so when we got engaged I thought "HEY, what a perfect excuse?!" We are SO blessed to be on this beautiful island for 2 years and although I take a bajillion pictures, I wanted to get some nice ones to hang on the wall back home after we leave here. We are also SO lucky to have a ridiculously talented photographer friend, Kat, who was willing to spend a couple hours running around the island with us making us look good! She captured our special moments perfectly and the pictures are very, very Nick and Lindsey! We couldn't be more pleased and I am in love with them all (there are hundreds... so that is how good Kat is!) At least I can stare at Nick's cute face in these pictures if I forget what he looks like during this intense term ;)

Enough rambling... take a look for yourself. It was so hard to pick a few ... but here are several (okay, TONS) of our favorites! Love is in the air, in Grenada!

For more of Kat's amazing work check out her photography blog HERE!

4th term is here!!! Dun, Dun, Dun!

Nick is officially in week 2 of the dreaded 4th term and after looking at his schedule, let's just say- better him than me! 4th term is no joke. He is going to be one busy, busy, busy, BUSY, boy!

His classes for 4th term are: Pathology (13 credits), Microbiology (5 credits), Nutrition (1 credit) and a Communication Skills and Physical Diagnosis Class (aka "CPD", 3 credits).  So his day will more or less look like this for the next oh, 4 months:

•  6:30am wake up
• 8am-12pm- lecture
• 1-5pm - on most days, some sort of lab will most likely take place somewhere in here
• 6/7pm until he can't continue on any longer = studying
• Sleep, wake up, repeat... until December. 

So far, he has been putting in long hours trying to get ahead before classes pick up and the pure craziness/stress begins! I am so proud of him and his hard work and determination. I swear, I don't know how he does it! Like I said, better him than me! 

As for me, I have plenty to do to keep me busy this term as well. I am on the Significant Others Board this term, will continue to volunteer with LIMES (which starts up so soon and I can't wait!), am studying for my Social Work Board Exam (which after jumping through a million hoops is finally officially scheduled for December!), and of course wedding planning!

Needless to say, the next 4 months are going to fly by :) Speaking of which... we get married 4 months from Wednesday!!!! YAY!!

Reunited with our Limes Babies!!!

Yesterday a few of us went to visit several of the Limes kids at their house. Let me just say, there is nothing like their cute, excited shrieks as they saw us walking up toward their house! So excited! They were so silly! Kyla was cracking us up, showing off and being her typical sassy self, Jivvy seemed to want to give us the silent treatment at first and made us work to get some smiles out of her, and Mel-Mel was her typical lovey and thrilled to see you self. They were all just too cute for words

My heart was ready to explode with happiness as soon as I saw them and I couldn't get enough of their hugs and sassy commands to be picked up. They all sprouted up over the past several months and are so much taller!

Oh sweet Limes babies how I missed you! Can't wait for Limes to officially start up in the next couple weeks! We have several new SOs on the island, so hopefully that means more volunteers at Limes each week to play with these sweet kids!

J-Ouvert/Carnival in Grenada!

This past weekend we joined in Grenada's Carnival celebrations. This was my first time being here for Carnival and let me tell you, it is quite the experience!

Jouvert festivities started at midnight on Friday and I think we walked in our front door around 8am Saturday- yes, it is literally an all night country-wide party! We'd heard stories, but this being our first time were not completely sure what to expect, but were told "wear clothes you don't like, cover your hair, drink lots of fluids, nap, and be ready to be covered in paint and oil." My thoughts were pretty much "what in the world kind of party is this" and "what am I getting myself into?"

The answer?! We were in for hands down the most ridiculous night ever and would come home completely covered in paint and oil. And yes, 2 days later, still be trying to get it out of our hair.

Basically, the gist is that people get together and start to party and head out to St. George and continue to party until 4 am when the more formal celebrations begin. Students were given goodie bags which consisted of rum, a monster energy drink, red paint, a water bottle, a bandana, and a fireman hat. Once you have all these things, you run around and throw and smear paint over each other for hours while loud music begins to blare, dancing starts in the street, and Grenadians in bright colored costumes roam the streets. Like I said, it was bizarre, and nuts!

It was definitely not completely my scene, but I am glad we went. It was fun to participate in something that Grenadians do every year and that is such a great tradition in their culture.

Some of the dancing and outfits were definitely a bit inappropriate and slightly uncomfortable, but it didn't phase me too much because I was expecting it. For those who went in completely blind, I think it was a bit shocking! But what was hard for me was seeing all the kids who participated and roamed through the packed streets late into the night/early morning. Parents held babies on their shoulders and hips and didn't let them stop them from having a good time and basically if you were over the age of 3 it was apparently okay to wander about unsupervised... there were 3 adorable brothers we saw at one point and the oldest must have been 8 or 9 and he was holding on to his youngest brother's shirt as tight as he could so he didn't get separated. SO heartbreaking. They all looked overwhelmed and scared and so we gave them our fireman hats and chatted with them for a few minutes- but really I was ready to swoop them up and take them home away from all the madness.  Definitely a different kind of living here.

All in all quite the Grenadian experience and a really fun night! I was exhausted for 2 days after, but when will we ever get another chance to participate in something like that?

BEFORE being covered with paint

AFTER being covered in paint

The following pictures I did not take but gathered from other people because I thought they were awesome and showed off the costumes and crowd well!

A ride and a box of double stuffed oreos

I wouldn't say homesickness is typically a problem I encounter while in Grenada.
Technology is awesome and makes the distance seem much smaller- and I still talk to family and close friends multiple times a week.
There are days when I miss things and convenience, but for the most part I have learned I don't care much about stuff and I can live without those things.

But every now and then there is a day when the heat is annoying, sweating constantly is enough to have me admitted to a mental institution, the crappy internet connection is infuriating, and the thought of cooking another meal or cleaning another dish by hand could make me cry.

Today, may or may not have been one of those days.

And then I went grocery shopping. The mile walk was a million times more annoying than usual.
Seriously, stop honking, I don't want to get in your stupid bus. 
Really? You think whistling or making kissing noises out the window will make me think you are cool?
Is the sun always this damn hot?
Gah sweat is literally dripping in my eyes.
Crap, I forgot my shopping list.... think Lindsey think.. what was on that list... STOP HONKING... 
Am I walking slower than normal? Why is this taking so long?
Yes, I know you are selling mangos and grapefruit, I see you several times a week, but no, not today.

You get the picture. I was very pleasant...

But then, I ran into friends at the store and they offered me a ride home. I am usually perfectly fine riding the bus usually feel bad making people treck me out to the end of Lance Aux Epines, but today they insisted... and man, was I grateful!

And then another awesome thing happened... Grenada decided to throw me a bone and win me back... on the shelf hiding behind the nasty cookies was a package of double stuffed oreos!!!! It was like the sky opened, angels started singing, rainbows appeared and skittles fell from the sky. The island has not had double stuffed oreos since middle of 2nd term, and I had been wanting them SO bad. I rarely have snacks here, they are too expensive, but I had been checking the cookie aisle every shopping trip just to be let down that yet again, no oreo cookie shipment.

Today, I spent a good chunk of the day pretending I lived in Antarctica and was laying face down in the snow and then was pulled out of my funk by 2 things I hadn't even necessarily known I needed- nice and caring friends and a box of double stuffed oreos...

It is the small things in life and Grenada has indeed made me beyond thankful for all those small and wonderful little blessings that appear right when you need them in every day life <3

Lawn Day Rant

The Grenadian lawn people are here.
One of my least favorite things about Grenada.
I literally dread this day.
Basically, any plans for the day- out the window as soon as they show up.
If there is laundry on the line- plan on re-doing it due to nasty fumes.
If you were planning to Skype or listen to  music or watch a show or think- too bad, it will be too loud.
If you wanted to sweep your house- don't bother all the little grass pieces will make their way inside somehow.
If you wanted to work out- dont. You'll look up to see a worker not working and staring at you instead.
If you wanted to cook- again don't. It's too close to the window and the guy will just stand and stare at you.
Also, it will always be the hottest day ever when they decide to visit, so even though you want to close your back door or window- you can't or you will die of heat.
Basically, when it's lawn day, the only option is to pull out your computer and blog/complain about it, while babysitting the workers to make sure nothing outside goes missing as they pick up every single thing of ours that we keep on our back porch.
And no, glaring at them when they do so will not deter them.
But, continue to give them a disapproving/grossed/annoyed look anyways to make yourself feel a little better.

I love most things about Grenada. I will miss a million things about Grenada when we leave. But I assure you, lawn day will not be one of them. As a matter of fact, I will probably never allow a lawn crew into my yard ever again as soon as I have that control.

So if someone wants to buy us a lawn mower for a house warming gift someday, that'd be excellent.

7 Sisters Waterfalls!!!

 I have been wanting to do the 7 Sisters Waterfall hike and falls jump since before Nick actually stepped foot in Grenada. When researching the island I heard all about it and decided then that I just had to do it! Well, today it finally happened!!! And, it was even better than I had hoped for, and let me tell you- I had high hopes!


7 Sisters is located in Grand Etang National Park.  It takes about 45 minutes to get there, and although the roads are very steep at times, the drive is a pretty easy one :) Once there you pay 5 E.C and if you want to jump the falls you need to get a local guide to help you. This is very important, as without proper guidance, jumping the falls can absolutely be dangerous!

The hike to the falls is a pretty easy one, mostly downhill, but also very muddy!! We stopped at The Honeymoon Falls on the way, which is not one you can jump, but is SO gorgeous and you can swim in the pool of water at the bottom. The water is sooo refreshing and awesome!

When jumping the falls you have to either commit to be all in or out. There is really no in between. Once you get to the top, the only way down is to jump the falls... all of them. They are each uniquely different with some being higher than others, some requiring you to adjust the way you fall because the pool of water isn't that deep, etc.  It's such an adrenaline rush! I was so excited that I didn't even give anyone else the chance to go first, I just volunteered myself and took the first leap of faith :)

Our guide was AWESOME, and carefully instructed us of where to stand, how to fall, and what spots to avoid. Although it was definitely scary at times, I did feel safe through the whole thing and can not wait to do it again!

The highest waterfall is 35 feet tall and if you want to get down, it is one you have to jump! There is really no way to explain the feeling of looking down 35 feet into water and knowing that you are about to free fall all the way down... Not to mention the jump is high enough that you have time to register "wow I am still in the air" while falling, and register the pounding and power of the water behind you! Again... it was awesome!!

5 of us did all 7 jumps and I am so glad we did and so proud of everyone! It definitely wasn't easy, but it was so worth it! Definitely one of the most fun things I've done in Grenada so far... well, really ever in my life!

Took lots of pictures (of course) and our friend Naomi did not jump, but the tallest fall is at the end of the jumps so she was able to get a few pictures of us doing the biggun! Check them out below!

My 35 ft jump!

Nick's 35 ft jump!

Honeymoon Falls!!! Before going in :) Pretty right?!

Oh ya know, just hanging out under a waterfall :) Life. Is. Good!
Honeymoon Falls

What did you do today? Oh we just woke up drove a short ways and were surrounded my all this beauty! Pretty unbelievable!

Group shot of the jumpers at the top of the 7 water falls :)

Zach doing the jump where you had to land like you were sitting in a chair since it was only approximately 5 ft deep!

Top picture is of the jumpers with our guide "Super butterfly" and the bottom is all of our hiking friends!

Oh, and my camera made every, single jump with us and is no worse for the wear! Seriously, best investment EVER!