A Christmas at Home

I know I should be posting about my New Year's resolutions today.  IF I were, it would include something about eating better, working out more, making more time in my day to connect with friends back home, oh and blogging a little more regularly!  BUT....I haven't posted about Christmas yet, so those New Year's resolutions are going to have to be put on the blogging backburner for a few more days.

Christmas has always been one of my favorite times of the year.  I look forward to it now just as much I did when I was a little girl, perhaps even a little bit more.  I have enjoyed carrying many of the traditions from my childhood into our family.  Josh hasn't been quite as thrilled about my Christmas traditions.  I'm pretty sure he could do without sending Christmas cards, cutting down a Christmas tree, getting a new ornament for the tree every year, and perhaps his least favorite, new matching pajamas for Christmas Eve.  But these things are important to me and Christmas just doesn't feel complete without them.  Luckily, he's been pretty obliging these past two years about traditions, even if he does them a bit unenthusiastically.  We're working on it.  :)

On Christmas Eve, we gathered at my parent's home for their annual open-house party.  There was lots of good food and as always, a birthday cake for Jesus.

We especially enjoyed being with my Gramma and all of her grandchildren.

We then headed over to Grandma Scurlock's house for Christmas Eve chili, gifts, Christmas carols, and a whole bunch of fun.

Sissys-in-law

Then it was time to head home and open up our new PJ's!  Josh just loved them.  He has already put in a special request for a full onesy for next year.  :)

On Christmas morning, we spent some time at my parent's house opening gifts with my family.

Brother, Sister, Me

And then it was off to Josh's sister Brooke's home for a homemade breakfast of biscuits and gravy and some great time with our nephews.

The Whole Gang!

Josh and Caleb

Our Christmas morning was busy, but we weren't done yet.  We went to my Gramma's for Christmas dinner.

 And we took my Mom's annual Christmas card picture while we were there. This year's theme was "Ugly Sweater Christmas."

Our last stop for the night was at Josh's Dad's home.  I don't have any pictures from there, but we enjoyed the company of the Scurlock family and ended the evening watching Warrior, which was a surprisingly good film.

I hope everyone's Christmas was wonderful and that as we ring in 2012 tonight, we can all look forward to a happy and healthy new year. 

As for the Scurlock's, we are flying back to Grenada in the morning and we are excited to spend a few days together on our island before Josh's last term of basic sciences begins.  God has truly blessed us and we will always look back on 2011 with the fondest of memories. 

Happy New Year Everyone!

Oh Christmas Tree

I've been a bad blogger.

But in my defense, Josh and I have been home in Bakersfield for just over a week and we have been enjoying all things American and Christmasy.  There is nothing better than being with all of the ones you love during the Christmas season.

The day after we arrived back in Bakersfield, we set out with the rest of the Scurlock sibs on a hunt for the perfect Christmas tree.  Our journey took us out to Shafter where we searched high and low for the best-looking tree.  And of course with my amazing tree searching abilities, we found it.

Josh, Brandon, Kristin, and Me

Then we had to cut the thing down.  It was a group effort.

 But one person really did most of the work. :)

It was such a fun day with all of the family.  I only wish we were in town more so we could stuff like this a little more often. 


Brooke, Cole, Me, Josh, Brandon, Kristin, Caleb, Jeff, and Jacob

 When we got home, we I decorated.  So now the tree is done, and it is beautiful.  And it finally feels like Christmas time.  And I am so glad to be home.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Goodbye 4th Term

Josh just left to take his last final of 4th term!  We have both been so anxious for this term to be over.  I don't think that Josh has ever NEEDED a break more than this term.  I've really been worried about him these past couple of weeks.  He's kinda been losing it.  I think he has been stuck in his man cave for too long.

Case in point, he's started doing this when I leave the house.  He comes out on the balcony and tells me not to leave all the while giving me a sad face and looking longingly at me. 

We really need a break from school! 

We'll be back in California tomorrow night and are SO excited!  See ya 4th term!  You weren't very much fun, but we made it through.  One more term left of basic sciences!

A Limes Christmas

Today was the last day at Limes for the term.  I'm going to miss these kids over the Christmas break, but we ended the term with a bang.  We had a huge Christmas Party for them complete with presents and pizza.  One of our volunteers LAURA, was able to get her home town church in Tenessee to very generously donate some money so that we could buy the kids Christmas gifts.  We did some Christmas shopping in St. George's last week and then spent Sunday afternoon wrapping up the gifts.

Some of our dedicated volunteers!

All of the volunteers were so excited for the party today.  We couldn't wait to watch the kids open their gifts.  I know the kids absolutely loved their new gifts, but I think the volunteers might have enjoyed it just as much if not more!

This term has been such an amazing experience for me.  I have enjoyed every single moment spent with these precious children and I can only hope that next term we can continue to have a postive influence on their lives. 

I am also so thankful for all the volunteers that we had involved in the Limes After School Program this term.  It's not always easy to deal with these kids on a daily basis.  Some days it's ridiculously hot.  Every once in a while we get caught in a torrential downpour.  We have to break up fights and be disciplinarians.  But perhaps the hardest and worst part of it all is that we have to watch children we LOVE on a daily basis knowing that many of them aren't getting nearly enough to eat, go home to abusive families, wear clothes that don't fit, get little to no medical care, are shoeless, and will NEVER have the kind of things that we have.  It's definitely not easy, but we do it because we have to believe we are making a difference.  So again, THANK YOU to all the volunteers.  I am so looking forward to what is to come next term. 

Mush

There are so many times when the Limes kids do something funny, or sweet, or loving, and my heart just melts.

But this,

this just turns it straight to mush.

A Real "Girls" Night

Girl's nights became part of my weekly routine back in Newcastle.  There were so few of us girls in the UK, that we could easily accomodate every SO that was living in England at one person's house.  They were a necessary part of my week while we lived there and I really looked forward to the escape from the boredom at my flat. 

In Grenada, we have continued to have them but not with the kind of regularity that we did in Newcastle.  I think it might be due to the fact that there are over 100 SO's on the island and a "small" girl's night quickly turns into an organization wide affair.  Also, we see each other so regularly during the day at volunteer events, the pool, the beach, etc that it becomes easy to just forget about getting together in the evening.

This week however, a small group of us met at Lyndzee's house for some real girl fun.  It was a Newcastle reunion, plus one. :)  We painted nails, put on red lipstick, rolled our hair in rag curls, ate junk food, and took tons of pictures.  It was a night straight out of junior high, minus the prank phone calls and toilet papering our neighbor's house.  In other words, it was fantastic! 

These girls have been my rock during this journey through medical school.  I truly believe I never could have made it living in a foreign country without them.

 

Going, Going, Gone

We had our SO closing social a couple of weeks back.  It was at Ali Babba's Restaurant on Grand Anse Beach.  There was great food, a pool, and best of all, water sports!  Kelsey and I especially enjoyed the giant tubes. 

Going

Going

Gone

We never got flipped, but we thought we were going to!  We had white knuckels at the end, but it was so much fun!  Many thanks to the entire SO Board for a great closing social and overall a great term. 

Breaking Dawn

It is an absolute miracle. 

Breaking Dawn came to the movie theater in Grenada. 

And it came in a timely manner.  Most movies take FOREVER to get to the theater here, if they ever even make it at all.  For instance, The Help just came out in theaters in Grenada, and it was out this summer in the states.

When new movies come out in Grenada, it calls for celebration.  This is the highlight of the week people!  Especially when it's the week before finals and all hubbys are completely MIA.  So a bunch of us girls went to our fabulous Grenadian movie theater (all 2 screens of it) on two-for-one night to see the new Twilight movie.  And it was great! We screamed, we laughed, heck some of us might have even cried.  It wasn't midnight showing in the USA kind of packed, but it was as packed and crazy as the theater gets on this island.