Last Few Weeks on the Island!

I have not blogged as much over the past months. I think it's because I have finally realized that my time on the island is coming to an end. It seems like ever since Mom and Blake left, that they took my soul with them, and I have just been so ready to go home ever since. We have less than 4 weeks left, and I have tried to find reasons for me to change my ticket date and fly home early! I am really tired of just having nothing to do..this may sound funny to some people, but seriously having no job for almost 2 years is really starting to get to me. I feel like I went to college, got a degree, and then did nothing with it. I am ready to actually put my brain to good use! I am so ready to move to New York. I am really looking forward to all of the amenities that I have had to live without for 2 years while being abroad. I am looking forward to actually having our own furniture, dishes, cookware, stuff, king size bed, and all of my clothes and shoes (not just what I can fit in a suitcase)! I am ready to be in a place where I can actually buy something to decorate with, and not have to worry about not being able to take it with me when we move. I can picture Cody, Macy, and me on a rainy weekend in New York, curled up on our couch with blankets and hot chocolate watching a good movie..that seems like heaven to me! I will be glad to finally be in a place where there are actually seasons. In England we had one season: COLD, WET, and CLOUDY! In Grenada we had one season: HOT! I am trying my best to get through the last few weeks, so I can get home to start our new life. I am keeping myself busy with lots of exercising (I have actually lost some weight and toned up quite a bit, which I'm very proud of). I really don't have many new pictures to post, but I do have some new ones of Macy that always make me smile!


Macy was being so funny in this picture..Cody was taking pictures of me, and Macy kept getting in the pictures like she wanted her picture taken, so she sat still and posed while I took her picture :)


Laying on the balcony..One of her favorite past times!


Chewing on a raw hide while laying on a pillow..She's too much of a princess to lay on the floor..haha!

Next Destination: Brooklyn, New York

(Photo: compliments of google)

We got our placement for Cody's two years of rotations on Friday. He got placed at the Long Island College Hospital (aka LICH) that is in Brooklyn, NY. I am so excited! We knew that we were more than likely headed to New York, but this just makes things a little more official. I have been job searching like crazy for the past few weeks. I have applied to any and all jobs out there! I really don't care what I do (ok maybe I'm exaggerating a bit), but I'm just so ready to have a job. After two years of not working, it is time for me to step into the real work world. I know that Cody's clinical years will be challenging, but I really feel like this move is more of a challenge for me than it is for him. I mean if you think about it, I'm the one that's going out on my own into the fascinating work field of New York..it's kind of scary! Especially when I'm not even from the Northeast! Cody will be safely in the hospital that SGU provided for him..he's guaranteed a position, and I'm not, especially with so many people out of work. Hopefully I will hear something back from some of these people that I'm sending resumes to. It's just so difficult when I am in Grenada, so they can't contact me by phone. I have to depend soley on email. I will be so glad to be back in the States, which will make it a little easier. I still think the sooner we get to New York, the easier it will be for me to actually get a job, b/c then I will be able to go to job fairs and interviews. It's such a mess. I have to remember that it's all in God's hands, and it will work out the way he wants it to! As of now, we only have 4 1/2 weeks left on this island until we come home for our break. We're not exactly sure how long we will be home this time, but Cody takes his USMLE towards the beginning of July, so sometime after that we will be New York bound!

Cody's GSP Graduation

Today we went to Cody's Global Scholarship Program graduation ceremony, and he received a higher learning degree from Northumbria University (which is an equivalent of a Master's degree in the States). I guess it's just one of the perks of doing his first year of medical school in the UK. I think it's pretty cool for him to be able to say that he actually has a degree that came from England, and just one more certificate to frame and put on the wall in his future doctor's office! I am so proud of him!

Here are some of the pictures from the ceremony:


Cody and me before the ceremony


Cody receiving his degree


Cody and one of his classmates who is actually from Grenada


After the ceremony


Chase, Cody, and Zach

Intruder

I came into the kitchen, and this is what I saw on my wall, so I screamed! I usually like little creatures, but something about his little tail twitching as he climbed up my wall just totally freaked me out. I got my broom thinking that I could knock him off the wall and out the door in one motion. Didn't work out exactly as I had planned. When I got my broom close to him, he jumped off the wall and ran under the stove as Macy chased after him. I tried to get him out from under the stove, but it's hopeless. He has made it his permanent home and has no intention of moving. Thankfully Cody will be home soon, and hopefully will be able to get him out of the house!

Bittersweet Goodbyes

Macy and I took Mom and Blake to the airport this morning for their flight home. I have to admit that I am extremely sad. I wish that they could stay here with me all the time, but I know that my Dad probably misses them terribly. We only have 9 weeks from tomorrow left on this island. I think that I am ready to pack up my bikini and sunglasses and put an American flag on my car :)..It is so weird how we have lived in 2 different countries for almost 2 years. I am ready to be back on US soil, and soak up all of the great things that come along with being an American! Most of all, I am ready to be closer to my family. Even though New York is still a plane ride away, it is at least in the States and not as far away as we are now. I am grateful for all of the experiences that I have had in my short life and at the same time, long life. I feel that it has made me a stronger person, and really made me appreciate the simple things in life that God has blessed me with. I intend to enjoy my last 2 months in Grenada, but am looking forward to what the future holds for us!

Here are some pics from Mom and Blake's visit..We took like 600 pictures, so there's no way that I'm gonna post them all :)


Macy with her new favorite toy that Mom brought her!


The Beach House


Mom and her kids at the Aquarium


At the Aquarium for Blake's 20th Birthday!

Mom and Blake's Arrival to the Island

Mom and Blake will be here in about 2 hours, and I absolutely can not wait! They will be here for a whole week, and I am looking forward to much needed time with my family. My Dad decided to stay home since he's not really into the sun and beach, but at least my Mom and brother are coming. These will be the longest 2 hours ever!!!

These are some pictures from when Mom, Dad, and Blake visited us in the UK this time last year:


Dad, Mom, and Blake the day they arrived in Newcastle


Cody, Blake, and Me in Hardrock Cafe in London


Me, my parents, and brother in front of Kensington Palace in London


Me and Blake on the coast in front of Bamburgh Castle


Mom and Me at Bamburgh Castle

Golfing Day

This weekend was the first weekend in a while that Cody did not have to study for exams, so we took advantage of it and went golfing. Cody is actually the golfer..I just tag along and occassionally pick up a ball or club to look like I'm doing something useful. I was the scorekeeper, even though I may have lost the scorecard on the course..but luckily retraced my steps and found it! There are no golf carts in Grenada, so you have to get around the old fashioned way..by foot! I must say that this is excellent exercise, but unfortunately I wore the wrong shoes and came home with two huge blisters. The grass was basically dead from the drought, and the ground was cracking and hard as concrete. I did get to meet a family of goats that were lounging around the course, and one of them had a brand new baby! We had a great time and got lots of sun and exercise!


The course


Me and my hubby


Swinging


Taking a break


The little goat family