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!

I've been a horrible blogger lately...

So for a little update on our life these days.

We have been enjoying the post-midterm slower schedule lately. Although classes did not slow down much, the amount of hours needed to be spent in the library every day has. For the past couple of weeks I have enjoyed having a boyfriend who studies all day, but is home in time for dinner and a walk to the cliff to catch the extra beautiful sunsets we've had here lately!  We even got brave and sat on the edge one day... talk about an adrenaline rush! It was so fun, but super scary! The wind was really intense which added to the excitement, and the feeling of the wind between our toes was super awesome! And hey- it made for some cool pictures too! 

I'm obsessed with sunsets normally, so the fact that they have been even prettier than normal has made me even more in awe of them! So many colors that literally just paint the entire sky. It really makes you stop, think, and appreciate living here. 

We still got to participate in March Madness here in Grenada :) I finally managed to find a website that would stream here with limited lag and interruptions so that made me a happy camper! Also, our friend Marty is a die-hard Kentucky fan (luckily I had them winning in my bracket, so we avoided conflict there) so we went out to Bananas, a local bar to catch several of the final Kentucky games with him and a large group of friends. Oh, and yes, Kentucky did indeed win :) 

The countdown until I head home is officially here! 3 more weeks! How crazy is that? I really can hardly believe it. I am very excited though! It will definitely be weird to be so far away from Nick again and I am not looking forward to that, but with it being mid-terms I'm sure he'll hardly notice that I'm gone- and it's only 2.5 weeks. I will also miss all the kids at Limes, I so love seeing their little faces every week and have become so attached to them! However, with a few big things happening at home that I am missing in the next couple weeks- a funeral and a wedding, it has made me a little homesick. I love Grenada and my experience here has been a great one, and I will definitely be looking forward to returning in a couple months- but missing out on big life events is the hardest part of being away.  It is hard to miss out on the celebration of child's life and courageous battle with cancer and harder to grieve and get closure when so far away. It is hard to know her family is hurting and going through something no parent should go through, and I can't even give them my condolences and a hug. And it is a bummer to miss my best childhood friend walking down the isle to her soon to be husband and the official beginning of her new life as a wife.  These are some of the sacrifices you make when living so far away, and these are the times I just hope that even in distance they know I am with them in spirit.... And when technology and pictures really helps make it a little bit easier. Shesh, how did people honestly do this before Skype, Facebook, e-mail, etc? 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Definitely missing everyone at home this Valentine's Day, but very happy I got to chat with my mom on Monday for her birthday and then the whole family- including my grandma and grandpa at dinner! That was so fun, gotta love Skype! Plus, my brothers told me they would love me forever- so that was very timely for Valentine's Day :) Valentine's Day in Grenada is lower key and I absolutely loved that! There weren't a million commercials or row after row of Valentine's Day gear, but rather people wished each other happy Valentine's Day and the bus played silly and cheesy love songs all day (which I absolutely loved and was amused by obviously).

This Valentine's Day thousands of miles from home and having the unique experience of being able to live in Grenada and work with the children here for a year and half really caused me to reflect on how many things I have to be truly grateful for. I am constantly surrounded by such beauty- the crashing waves and crystal clear water and the best sunsets I've ever seen. I am constantly reminded of how much I have when I walk down the street past children and adults who aren't wearing shoes, have torn and ragged clothing, and are hungry. I am reminded how blessed I am to have grown up in a loving family surrounded by so many family members giving me attention, love, and support, and how not all children get nearly enough of this every single day. And how the lack of good role models in their life really makes you wonder what will really happen to these precious little ones as they grow up, as we leave the island, and as they stop coming to the Limes program. Hopefully we can be a positive influence and nurture them and help guide them to the a good path, but for now all we have control over is the here and now. And for this Valentine's Day we were able to share the love and encourage them to make special cards for the special people in their lives.

Valentine's Day is all about love and I got lots of it from the cute kiddos at Limes yesterday. We made Valentine's Day cards, and oh my goodness were they so cute deciding who to make them for and so serious about cutting the paper and making theirs look really cool. It was such a fun day and a perfect way to spend Vday because I got SO many hugs, kisses, and Valentine's day cards from them- it was really adorable and so sweet of them.

Nick and I also had a wonderful Valentine's Day evening. I baked way too many cupcakes and cookies, and he made a delicious dinner! We enjoyed both from our kitchen table while watching the sun set and it was perfect. Afterwards, he took a break from studying for the night and we indulged in at least 3 episodes of LOST because we are addicted. It was an absolutely perfect evening with my wonderful valentine :)

I know, my cupcake decorating skills are super impressive...

Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.

-Antoine De Saint-Exupery

We've had extra beautiful sunsets the past few nights and I've finally figured out the night mode on my camera so the pictures turned out pretty well and I didn't even need to enhance the color on these! A-m-a-z-i-n-g. Happy Valentine's Day Grenada, I love you and your breathtaking sunsets. Oh, and the rain on our tin roof late every night makes me smile in my sleep. When we move back home I might need a tin roof just to help me sleep, because adjusting to life without the ocean in my backyard is going to be tough enough! I've become so spoiled by it!

Love unlocks doors and opens windows that weren't even there before.  ~Mignon McLaughlin

Time flies when you are havin' fun!

Hard to believe we have already been here one month! Well, I guess I should say I have officially been here 1 month! Time has passed surprisingly quickly and I stay much more busy than I expected. Nick's school schedule is really picking up, and he has had been really busy with Surgery club and Emergency medicine club lately as well. In addition, he is considering getting involved in research at SGU and is looking into a selective in Kenya at the end of the semester. I think he should take on a few more things don't you? He's such a go-getter, and I am very proud! Kenya would be a really unique and exciting opportunity and definitely be a resume builder, so I'll definitely keep ya'll posted on whether he decides to do that or not! Oh, and I don't think I mentioned before that he did great on his first 2 finals with A's in both classes! Great start to Term 2 :)

As for me, my heart continues to be stolen by the children at Limes every week. It really makes me happy that I went into social work, because this experience has opened my eyes even more to the toll poverty can have a children and their families and how much need there is in the world. It's so rewarding knowing that I went to school for 5.5 years for something I really am truly passionate about. Speaking of which, I am also (somewhat) studying for my licensing exam.  I am hoping to take it in May. In all honesty, I really need to put a little more effort into studying though. Oops. I've also been babysitting a few times a week, which has brought in a little bit of spending money. Oliver is full of energy so it doubles as an excellent workout for me as well! Yesterday, I raced him up and down the street with him on his bike and me riding one of those little scooter things. Needless to say, I haven't beaten him yet, and I'm always huffing and puffing by the time I cross the finish line, just to be asked in his innocent little voice, "Why aren't you trying to win?" Sigh. So, we ran into Nick in front of our house about to go for a jog, and so I recruited him to race Oliver instead ;) Oliver loved it and Nick got to do hardcore sprints instead of going for a jog... that sounds like a win all around to me! 

So I'll leave you with a few pictures because what's a blog post without pictures right? Many of the Limes pictures below were taken by other SOs :) Such beautiful moments with wonderful volunteers and precious children! 

We had a BBQ at our house and took a walk to the peak to watch the sunset! 

The Friday tradition of cliff jumping has continued every week so far this term :) This week we jumped during this absolutely beautiful sunset. Grenada continues to amaze me <3

Oh, and purchased my plane ticket home yesterday!! I will officially be home for 2 months at the end of April! Looking forward to spending quality time with family and friends for sure :) 

Girl Friends!

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to hang out with a few of the other SOs (significant others) at the beach yesterday! Yay friends! It was really nice to meet some girls who are in the same boat I am and who can help me learn the in and outs of the island! They invited me to tag along with them on their trip to Magazine Beach, which was absolutely gorgeous! I didn't bring my snorkel stuff, but will have to next time... I think it is about time I actually learn how to use it! I am really excited about having girl friends down here, and think it will really help to make our time on the island that much better! Also, with all the talk about Limes (the school program the SOs run) yesterday I am soooo excited to begin volunteering next week! It sounds so up my ally and can't wait to see what opportunities the programs has for me to get involved!  Also, on the way back from the beach I got to meet a few of the kids who attend the program because Stephanie needed to stop by their house. Omgosh, talk about cuteness- they were so silly! Like I said, I am very excited to start next week! :)

Unfortunately my camera battery died so I only got one picture of the beach (amateur mistake) but good thing I am sure I will see much more of Magazine Beach over the next year and half so I'll survive this time!

Hard to believe, but it is even more beautiful in real life!!
Magazine Beach was great too because it was much more quiet than Grand Anse Beach :)

Also, I have to add, as I am writing this, I am watching one the most beautiful sunsets I have yet to see in Grenada!! I love that I can watch them from my house and/or back porch... so spoiled!

Yeah, sunsets like these never get old and continue to amaze me! I'm a pretty lucky girl eh?