California Trip

Ryan and I got back from our 10 day trip to California this past Sunday.  We had such a great time visiting all of our extended family and good friends but were anxious to get back to our normal routine being gone for over a week.  Ryan did exceedingly well.  She really adapts to change like a champ.  Both a 3 hour time change, change in location, and lots of new (old) faces didn't really phase her, especially considering that she was getting her first canine tooth the whole time!

She is also such a great flyer.  A six hour plane ride with a 15 month old is a bit daunting for anyone but though I was exhausted from entertaining her the entire time, she didn't fuss once and I had a number of passengers comment on what a great little traveler she is.  I also got really lucky in that I got to have a seat for her despite not buying a ticket for her (makes a world of difference).   My advice for a long flight with a little one, lots of snacks, small new toys (try Target's dollar spot), an iPad with fun apps and a movie or two, and being ready to walk the aisles every hour or so.

Getting ready to deboard the plane. I think she was ready to get off!

Anyway, once in Bakersfield, we spent the week doing some super fun things like a dental appointment, hair appointment, and a trip to the DMV (enter extreme sarcastic voice here).  Haha.  We also got to visit with all of our friends and family that we hadn't seen in 5 months.  Ryan wasn't even walking when we left CA in May!  Her 3 older boy cousins, Caleb, Cole, and Jacob were SO excited to see her.

Ryan and Lala

Playing the hose water with her older cousins.

First ice cream cone

We also got to visit with one of my besties Andrea and her little guy Jeremiah.  She had him in May soon after we left for Massachusetts so this was my first time meeting him.  He's big (little) guy now!

Ryan got to enjoy so much time with her Grampy and Grammy Fairman, though they may have enjoyed it more. :)  We are so excited for them to visit us at the end of the month and experience an MA fall.  Especially since it was so warm in California still.

We got to see all of her aunties and uncles too.  They all spoil her with so much love.  As well as three of her Great-Grammas.  And no offense to any of our family, but she may or may not have loved hanging with my parents four little dogs more than any of them.  I think dog ownership may be in our future.

And perhaps tortoise ownership too.

What a great visit it was.  But we were so excited to get home to see Daddy and sleep in our own beds!

Headed to LAX on our way back to Dad!

Grenada Or Bust

We've now been in Grenada for over 48 hours and though I have lots of things I could blog about involving our first few days here, I think I need to cover the fabulous send off party we had before we left Bakersfield.  Our friends Julie and Kevin that we met in Newcastle live only about an hour away from our home town and so they decided to come for a night before we left for Grenada.  It was so great to see them again since we won't meet up again until January 2012. 

We took them to one of Bakersfield's best steak houses, Tahoe Joes, and then for a night out on the town at the Padre Hotel.  It was fun to take them to some of our favorite spots.  We are already missing them in Grenada.

Kevin, Julie, Me, Josh at the Padre

The next day, we headed to my Gramma's house for swimming, croquet, and a bbq.  My Mom had decorated the place in fabulous Grenadian fashion.

The croquet games were very intense.

Butt Buddies for life??

Josh may or may not have been taking this a little to seriously.

We are sooooo glad that Kevin and Julie came up to Bakersfield for a night.  And we are so thankful for our family who is so supportive of all of our adventures.  We love you all very much and appreciate all that you do!

GRENADA OR BUST!

Leaving...On A Jet Plane

The time is now upon us. 
We are heading to LAX so that we can fly to our new home in less than two hours.
Josh and I will miss our family while we are gone, but we are ready for new adventures. 
Grenada here we come.
I hope you are ready for the Scurlock's.

LBC

I'm sorry I've been a little negligent in my blogging as of late.  Considering Joshua and I have had nothing to do while we are home, we sure have been finding LOTS of things to do!  Every day seems busy and filled with errands, lunches with friends, or visiting family.  And now, we only have one week left before we head off on our next big adventure to the island of Grenada.  This month has flown by.  So I guess I'll have to catch you up on what's been going on around here.

A couple of weekends ago, we took a trip down to Long Beach to visit all of my friends from college.  Josh and I also had an extreme urge to dine at our favorite italian restaurant in the world, Roman Cucina in Sunset Beach.  We called up a bunch of our friends very last minute and told them that we would be in town for a night.  And surprisingly, many of them were able to meet us for dinner.  It was so great to see so many of our closest friends and we appreciated the effort that each and every one of them made to be with us that night.  The food, as always, was amazing and the company and converstation was simply great.  I only wish that we could spend nights out with these people a little more frequently.  Unfortunately, our current "medical school, romp around the world" lifestyle won't permit that at the moment, but we are lucky that when we are in town, our friends come runnin'.



BFF's since high school: Katie, Me, Tristen, & Liz



Can't imagine my life without this girl!

The Whole Gang!

The next morning, Josh, Katie, Tristen, Liz, and I went to Schooner or Later.  It's a breakfast/lunch place on the Long Beach Marina.  If you are ever in Long Beach, CA and looking for some of the best breakfast food around, Schooner is the place to be.  Plus, it's in just about the most beautiful setting imaginable, especially when the sun is shining.

I'm so glad that Josh and I were able to make the trip to see our friends in the LBC.  I really love that city and sometimes, I can't believe that I lived there for four years.  It seems like a lifetime ago that I was there, but it's nice to know that it's only a couple hour drive away, and that everytime we do make it there, we make more and more great memories.  

Our Tans Will Fade, But Our Memories Will Last Forever

As with everything in life, all good things must come to an end.  And our time in Ibiza was no exception.  It will be remembered long after our bags have been unpacked, the chlorine has been washed from our bathing suits, and our tans have faded (or in Kevin's case, the sunburn has peeled).  The four days spent by the Mediterranean Sea will be reminisced about through pictures (and blogposts) for years and years to come. 

We spent the early part of our last day taking a trip into Old Town Ibiza where the port is.  We admired the boats and expensive yachts and explored the streets and shops, buying a few souveniers along the way.  We were all glad that we took the time to head into town as it really was breathtakingly beautiful.

Port of Ibiza

Streets of Old Town Ibiza

When we arrived back at the resort, Josh and Kevin decided to sign up for a waterpolo match.  I'm not sure if either of them has ever played before, but it was entertaining to watch them swim around in swim caps after a tiny yellow ball.  Julie and I laughed and enjoyed it from the comfort of our lounge chairs.

His new calling in life??

After the four of us had had our fill of the sun for the day, we rinsed off in our salt water showers (Yes, the shower water as well as the faucet water were salty.  Try brushing your teeth with salt water.  Minty freshness and salt combined = yuck!).  Then we headed down for dinner and a little pool playing.

Julie and I

And as the sun was setting over the Spanish Island, we took a few last shots for the photo albums.

Julie and Kevin

 It was after this that we parted ways with Julie and Kevin.  They won't be heading to Grenada until January 2012.  We can't wait to meet up with them again next year.  They will definitely be missed this next term, but we are all glad that we got to spend a little extra time with them in Ibiza.  It was the cherry on top of a great semester. 

Josh and I headed to the airport early the next morning and as our plane took off and I snapped photos from my window seat, I couldn't help but be excited about the fact that in a few short weeks, I will be snapping similar photos as we arrive in Grenada for year 2 of medical school.