We are so excited! Being here is just great! We have already found way too many awesome restaurants, got lost on the subway and trapped by track construction, found amazing margaritas and mexican food, and I found some decent coffee within walking distance of where we are living.

Getting settled was a bit of a mess. The keys that were supposed to be mailed to Tyler’s grandfather’s house didn’t show up so we had to have new ones overnighted. That of course was massively delayed in part due to Memorial day and in part of FedEx being lame. Poor Ty didn’t end up in NY much earlier than me which kinda ruined the plan where he would get some things set up for us, go grocery shopping, etc.

But, we are here now. And unpacked. And sadly I need to resume my hermit-like studying and really buckle down because I have a LOT to go through between now and July 12th. A LOT!

Pictures of our NY life to come – but don’t get your hopes too high while I am still studying.

Oh, and lets all pester Tyler to get on changing that location map. We promise it will be updated soon. Just as soon as my nagging wears him down.  ;)

But it has come time to do it again. The same stuff has been repacked into the same large suitcases and more planes are to be boarded. This time taking us to an entirely different coast, to different climates and environments for a whole new adventure. Uprooting our lives to replant again as East Coast dwellers. To experience our first full-blown winter, 4 distinct seasons, city living, subways and likely impossibly tiny apartments.

We are moving into a summer sublet in Brooklyn for now. Hopefully we will simply move apartments and not cities once we get my hospital placements, but anything is possible. And you know what, there is a part of me that loves that unknown. That loves the planning and dreaming that comes from being able to go anywhere. Being unattached and the world full of possibilities.

So for now we pray for smooth transitions. We pray that we will love our new home, that I will love the snow in April next year as much as I do now. We pray that this new adventure will challenge us, grow us, and make us even happier.

Yay to new beginnings and new horizons!!

Medical school is not over, but the classroom part is done. The lectures and classes and finals are over. Now it is time for the fun stuff. Hospital rotations, patient care, learning by doing. Sure feels like medical school just started. I am 2 exams away from being 1/2 of a doctor! Now to push through one more tough week before a brief vacation and a hardcore summer full or preparing for the most important exam ever. No pressure, right?

Here are some pictures of my class (most of us) from our end of term mini celebration.

Two years ago today the greatest adventure of my life started.

An adventure full of joy and happiness, trials and disappointments, and more fun and laughs than any two people could share.

I married a man who laughs off fights, wipes away tears, puts me first above every responsibility no matter the sacrifice. He also is the man who will lazily lounge around on the couch with me all day, eat copious amounts of cheese-dip shamelessly late at night, and make any fun night-out unforgettable.

Tyler, I love you more than you will ever know and I thank the Lord everyday for making you so perfectly for me. Happy 2-years, I am looking forward to MANY more!

My grandparents raised cows when I was a kid so I think that is why cows just always spark fond memories for me. I used to love running out trying to coax the cows close to the fences so I could pet them and feel the funny feeling of their really long tongues on my hands. And my sister and I used to “help” my grandfather herd cows by running alongside their cow dog. I am sure it was quite adorable.

Anyways, this means the cows around Grenada are something I like. I have yet to be able to convince any of them to let me pet them though. So it was to my delight when one morning I woke up and walked to the front porch to find none other than the two little baby cows that are usually hanging around our apartment in our backyard! The front gate had been left open and the just waltzed in in search of new grass. It was a funny experience to herd out cows from our backyard at 7am in the morning.

And since this is a post about nothing other than cows, I feel it worth mentioning Tyler and I saw the tiniest, adorable baby cow while hashing recently as well. Momma cow was quite protective of the little one and was not so pleased I don’t think that so many people were trekking through her space. We kept our distance, but it made me quite excited. What can I say, baby things are kinda irresistible no matter what animal it is.

Oh, and you can note what happens when Tyler takes a selfie of us, I look microscopic. He may never learn that angling the camera down towards the ground kinda shrinks me…so he looks gigantic and I look teeny. Oh well, we are still cute.

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Less than 3 weeks to go and I will be 1/2 of a doctor!!! 6 days of lecture, 3 exams, countless cups of coffee – we can do this!

While we still don’t know if we will end up there for year 3 (fingers crossed though), we have decided that will be our temporary home for the summer. We were originally looking at moving to Pennsylvania (and had found a cheap cheap 3 bedroom house we were planning on signing the papers for) when some friends of ours that live in Brooklyn mentioned they were subleasing their place for the exact dates we would need. It took us all of 5 minutes to conclude that their tiny apartment in hip Brooklyn would be infinitely better than some college guys house in middle-of-nowhere Pennsylvania. (Let the record show when we got the pictures for the house, I was NOT impressed. College guys are yucky and have poorly furnished homes with too-big TVs).

So – we are moving to Brooklyn!!!! We are going to be majorly culture-shocked I am sure by the big city. I will be spending most of the first month and a half getting to know all the local coffee-shops (getting my much needed coffee fuel) and finding my study jam in the Brooklyn public library. But, we will at least get to start exploring and IF we do get placed there, it will be INFINITELY easier to start apartment hunting and we will even have a slight semblance of what it is like to live there. Plus, we think it will be much easier to find something fun to do on those rare study nights-off.

Praise God for always providing things. We are equally as happy to bless our sweet friends with someone to rent their place while they are in California for the summer. And we are certain they are happier to have familiar people coming in than strangers.

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Less than 6 weeks until I board my final plane leaving Grenada (Boo!) and less than 30 days until my last final (YAY)

July 12, 2013!

…July 12th.

This day felt forever away and now it is too close for comfort. But I think I will be ready – I can do it. I will have to live in the library but I can do it.

We should all start praying now. Pray for strength, pray for stamina, pray for wisdom, pray for peace, pray for calm. Pray it will go well and pray that I will remember that everything will be okay no matter what.

106 days to go! Lets do this!

We should find out in late July where we have been placed. We have selected New York area as our number one choice and are really hoping to get placed at New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn. The neighborhood, the hospital, the location – it is all perfect for us. Nothing is certain, but for now we will keep praying that we get placed in our first pick! And you should pray too! Everything lies in the hands of the placement coordinators. We are so excited and have each shamelessly spent a few too many hours googling all the cool things around our potential new home.

Fingers crossed! Did I mention things are sure getting real super fast? Only 54 more days and this term is over! Although, I must say I am SO looking forward to vacation.

Our 3 piece family for the day

Saturday on a seeming whim Tyler and I decided to go hashing. Our decision was based 100% on the fact that it was the GSPCA hash so the shelter would let you walk a puppy if you wanted. Needless to say I made sure we got there like an hour early just to be sure I would get a dog. I am dying without a constant influx of puppy affection and I probably bring it up in conversation at least 3 times a day.

We just barely got there in time before the available dogs were handed out, but luckily I did. I chose a spunky, skinny little rascal whose name was Thor. We bonded with little Thor and we are basically in love with him now. He was particularly fond of Tyler and started getting extremely upset if he walked away while we were waiting for the hash to start. Thor had a sad story as he was apparently tied to a tree and left to die and was rescued by the shelter. He had a bad infection and was finally on the mend and allowed to socialize. He was a skinny little dude, but he was so sweet. He was so excited to get out and about. I was afraid he would be a puller and he would make me run the whole hash, but he did well. After he got out some of that extra energy and decided that half-strangling himself by pulling on the leash wasn’t as fun as walking with us he was much easier. He had a blast. I think we basically gave him the best day of his life.

He won my heart

The hash this week was an around-town hash. The last hash Tyler and I went on was quite perilous and I seriously almost died. I guess that is what we got for deciding to do the “iron-man” finish. So we assumed that an around-the-town hash might be bit more mellow with less jungle traversing, stream crossing craziness. Of course this was silly to think and even though it was just round St. Georges I don’t think I have ever walked up so many stairs or steep hills in my life. We were so proud of Thor though for making it the whole 4 miles. Some of the other shelter dogs had to be carried. Not Thor, he was still charging uphill all the way to the end. I could have sworn he tongue would fly out of his mouth, but I think he was just so happy.

It was a fun, relaxing day. The GSPCA said the dogs loved it so much they are looking for people to take the dogs out for a day for walks and beachtime now. Hopefully we might get to play with Thor again then!

Here are some more pics we captured from our day out!

The prayers seem to have worked and it is fixed. Changing the filters and fluid seems to have corrected the lack of shifting and the over-reving it was doing and the general part where is sounded like it was going to explode It is driving just like it used to.

Not sure how all of that is possible, but we are so excited! Thanks for the prayers. The Children Are Not Well is back to its normal level of wellness.

Lets hope it passes inspection later this month and then we can sell it on to its next owner.

Hallelujah!