The Spirit of Giving

I posted quite some time ago about my involvement in a project called Operation Grenada Child.  Well, that project wrapped up last week as 80, yes I said 80 shoeboxes filled with Christmas gifts were handed out to the children of the Limes After School Program in Grenada, West Indies. 

I of course was not present for the gift distribution, but I was lucky enough to be in Grenada when all of the boxes arrived.  And am of course thrilled that so many pictures were taken by volunteers during the days festivities, specifically a saint of a man named James Forester who gave up his time to come photograph the day.  I cry happy tears every time I look through them.  The pictures fill me with the Christmas spirit more than Christmas trees, presents, stockings, and holiday lights ever could.

I KNOW that these children will remember this special Christmas for a long long time and I am so very honored that I had even a little part in the happiness that these gifts brought them. 

Here's a video of the days events, complete with games, reindeer puppet making, present opening, and a special lunch.

May it touch your heart just as it has touched mine. 

Merry Christmas.

A Bit of Closure

...and some sunshine too.

The trip to Grenada is over.  After 11 days in island paradise with my Limes kids, I feel like I may finally be able to move forward.  Of course I will always miss Grenada and the kids.  And I enjoyed every second of every moment that I spent with them, but I feel like after the trip, I was finally able to start letting that part of my life go.  Maybe someday I will go back and I will continue to pray for those children daily but it's time to move on.  And I'm finally okay with that. 

I have faith that there will always be volunteers who will fall in love with those kids just like I did and they will make sure that the children are getting the love and support that they deserve.  I will continue to remain as active as I can through projects like Operation Grenada Child and any other things that come along, but my life is in California, with Josh, and there isn't anywhere else I'd rather be.

So here's some photos of my time in Grenada.  Moments I'll never forget and treasure forever.

Life Lately

Well it's been somewhat hectic.  Which may account for my lack of blogging in recent weeks. Maybe it's just this time of year, you know, Thanksgiving, Christmas, seeing family and friends regularly.  Or maybe I've just been lazy.  Either way, I'm vowing to do better.

So what's been going on with us?

*Well, Josh started his surgical rotation last week.  His first two weeks are in Orthopedic Surgery which was his elective choice. He could choose between Ortho, Ear Nose and Throat, and Burn.  He listed Ortho first and got it, however I'm not sure he was thrilled that it was the first two weeks. Oh well. Students were off on Monday for the Veteran's day holiday, but don't you worry, even with Monday off, he has still managed to work over 75 hours this week...and counting.  He's still at the hospital right now.  The good news is, in the moments I've gotten to say a few words to him, since most of this week he's been working or sleeping, he says he REALLY likes surgery.

*I got a job!  Yay! I started working at Redlands Gymnastics Club two weeks ago.  I'm only working about 15 hours a week, but that is perfect for me.  The pay is just so so, but it gets me out of the house regularly and keeps me interacting with persons other than my dog. :)  Good timing considering the surgery rotation is 12 weeks long!

*Operation Grenada Child has been breezing right along.  In fact, almost all of the boxes have arrived at my apartment and the plan is to ship them out tomorrow!  It's been so fun to see what kind of things people have put in their shoeboxes.  They have all come in looking amazing and I just know the kids are going to be so thrilled. I mean I don't know if many of the little girls have ever gotten a barbie doll or Dora doll brand new in the original packaging.  Or a little boy who's ever had his own set of brand spankin' new toy cars or a new football.  I just can't wait.  And I can't wait to get these boxes out of my house.  They are taking over!!

*Speaking of Grenada...I leave a week from today for my 11 day visit!  In seven short days I will be reunited with my island in the sun and my Limes kids.  Ahh there really just are no words to describe my excitement.

So that's what has been going on with us.  What have you been up to?

An Update About Internal Medicine

Remember back in September when I did THIS post about our first weeks in IM?  Well, we are in the home stretch people.  Josh takes his shelf exam on Thursday afternoon and then we have a break!  Okay, maybe it's not much of a break, really just a long weekend before 12 weeks of surgery start on Tuesday, but still, we're excited. 

So how have the last 8 or so weeks gone you ask?  Well, pretty much like the first four.  Josh worked, a lot (one week over 100 hours).  He learned, a lot.  And we are still happy with our decision to come to ARMC. 

Last week, he had his oral exam (20% of your grade) given by the attendings at Arrowhead.  This was much like a "round-robin" type of question and answer session.  Each student was asked a couple of questions by the attending in front of their fellow students.  The students were given a list of topics that they could be asked beforehand.  He said it went well, the questions were not meant to be tricky, and he knew the answer to every question asked. 

So Thursday is the shelf exam and the students have had this week off to study which they all appreciate, but unfortunately, they are required to study in the library at ARMC.  Which personally, I think is kind of silly, but I guess if you are a procrastinator then this forces you to prepare for the exam. 

What else have we learned?

Well, a few weeks ago, SGU's Office of Career and Guidance held a lengthy meeting about what to expect during the next year and a half as far as applying to residency, scheduling 4th year electives, and all that jazz.  It was helpful and if you are interested, most of the information talked about at the meeting can be found on their website. 

Also, as soon as you start 3rd year, consider writing your CV or Curriculum Vitae.  It's basically a resume that you give to attendings to use as a guide when writing your Letters of Recommendation and you also have to include it in your Master File at SGU.  There are guidelines on the OCG website for how to write it.

I say this because you may end up like Josh and want a LOR from your very first rotation and if you are a slacker too busy to think about writing it early, then your wife ends up writing it for you during your last week of the rotation while you are studying for your shelf exam. 

Wife of the Year Award right here. Just sayin.

Just get it done early.  Save yourself  your wife the stress.

Also, sign up at www.sguclinicals.com for up-to-date information regarding the clincial years.  It has definitely been a great resource for us me.

So that's it.  IM is almost over and what a great learning experience it has been for both of us!  Can't wait to tell you guys the details about surgery!

Happy Halloween

I'm sitting at home on Halloween night, watching Hocus Pocus (the all-time best Halloween movie ever in case you were curious) and not one trick-or-treater has come by.  Not ONE!  Sad.  Guess I'll be forced to eat all the candy I bought on my own. Darn.

Josh is busy studying for his oral exam for his Internal Medicine rotation.  Did I mention he's done with IM next week?  Crazy right?  On to 12 weeks of surgery soon. 

So back to Halloween.

We carved pumpkins last night. 

Wait, let me rephrase that statement.  Ahem.  I carved pumpkins last night. 

Josh has never been a fan of pumpkin picking or pumpking carving.  So I guess the fact that I got him to the pumpkin patch to pick a pumpkin was a success in itself.  And the fact that I got him to scoop out his pumpkin was just a bonus.  Getting him to actually carve it would have been a freakin' miracle.

I mean I just don't get it.  He looks so thrilled while he's doing it.  I can't imagine why he doesn't look forward to this every year.

Maybe you have to be an October born baby to love all things pumpkin? 

At least half of our household was enjoying it!

I think my pumpkins turned out pretty cute.  Too bad no one has come up to my door to enjoy them other than me.  Oh well.  Either way, Happy Halloween from the Scurlock's!

 

Branding Iron

On Saturday night, we celebrated my 27th birthday.  My best friend Liz and Josh planned a night out on the San Bernadino town with some of my besties.  We went over to Super Sushi, the sushi joint across the street from my apartment complex that has 1/2 off sushi all day every day.  It's weird I know, but it's actually really good. And for those of you that didn't know, I have recently converted to sushi eating.  It's actually pretty delicious!  I also had my first and probably last sake bomb.  Warm hard alcohol and beer, not my fav.  But I guess you only live once. :)

Then we headed to the Branding Iron which is a country bar complete with line dancing and a mechanical bull.  It was costume night, but we ditched the costumes and opted for boots.  It was tons of fun and my college roommate Dena was even able to join us!

I'm not exactly sure what the guy behind me's costume was supposed to be.

We ended the night back at our apartment where we indulged in a little late night cake that my good angel friends Sarah and Stefani surprised me with on my actual birthday. 

Notice Doyle in the bottom left-hand corner.

It was so fun to celebrate the start of my 27th year with my friends and my husband, especially since we've been out of the country for the last two years.  I'm so lucky to have so many people that made an effort to celebrate me! 

20-7 and Thankful

Today is my 27th birthday.  Twenty-seven, that's awfully close to the big 3-0 isn't it?  But October 25th also happens to be Grenadian Thanksgiving.  And in light of the fact that I think I've been kind of a downer lately on my blog (and in my life) I think that I am going to choose 27 things to be thankful for today.  Because isn't life all about being thankful for what we have? 

Yes there are struggles and hard times, feelings of lonliness and sadness, but I think that in the past 27 years, I have mostly been the type of person to see the glass as half full and lately, I've chosen to see it half empty.  And honestly, I'm tired of it.

So today I'm choosing to be thankful.  I'm choosing to love myself and my life.  Because every single day you have to wake up and make the choice to love.  To love God, to love your spouse, your friends, your family, your enemies, the lady behind the checkout counter, the random person on the street, the other drivers on the road.  My childhood friend Grant Desme' said, love is not just an emotion, it is a choice.  And I think that's so very true.

So here I go.

1. My husband.  I'm so thankful for my husband Joshua.  He is my bestest friend in the whole world and as much as I have missed Grenada and the Limes kids in the past few months, there's no where in the world that I would rather be than with him.  He works harder than most anyone I know and he doesn't ask for much in return.

2. My parents.  I have to have just about the most supportive Mom and Dad a girl could ask for.  They are always there for a lengthy phone call or a dollar or two :) and they never cease to tell me how proud they are of me.

3. My siblings.  Bert, Rachel, and Anna, you guys are not just my sisters and brother, but my friends.  How lucky am I to have siblings that I actually get along with really really well!?! We have so many good memories as kids, but we have just as many as adults and I think that's pretty awesome.

4.  My in-laws, grandparents-in-law, sisters-in-law, brother-in-law, and nephews.  I couldn't have married into a better or more excepting family.  I have loved them from the beginning and they have loved me back in return.  They are always there to lend a helping hand and are just as supportive of my goals and aspirations as they are of Josh's.

5. My best friend Liz. We just get each other.  There's just not much more that needs to be said.

6. Julie.  My friend that I had to go all the way to England to meet, but I would do again in a heartbeat.  She's my go to girl when it comes to life as a medical student spouse.  I don't have to explain things to her, she just understands it.

7. My faith.  Sometimes I don't know how people get through life without a relationship with Jesus Christ.  I'm so thankful that I have one.

8.  My experience with the children in Grenada.  As much as I miss Grenada, I am so thankful for my experiences.  It opened my eyes to things I couldn't have imagined and changed my heart.  I can't look at the world the same way that I used to and I only wish everyone could experience the happiness that comes with doing something for others who aren't as priviliged as you.

9. My doggie Doyle.  He may stress me out sometimes with his separation anxiety and his internal issues, but he is my companion on most days and he brings me a lot of joy.

10. My health.  I am so lucky that I am healthy.  I know this is something that many people take for granted until they don't have it anymore, but after having good friends struggle with health issues and having a husband who sees severly unhealthy people daily, I definitely don't.

11. My bank account.  I know this seems funny.  Josh and I may not have much money, but we have ENOUGH and for that I am thankful because there are a lot of people in this world who don't.

12. My apartment.  I really do love it.  Which is good, because I'm in it a lot!

13. My travel experiences.  I've been to England, Spain, Scotland, Sweden, Ireland, France, Grenada, Cozumel, and many places around the United States.  There aren't many 27 year olds that can say they've gotten to do so much traveling in their lifetime. 

14. The Significant Others Organization of SGU.  Another funny one, but I would never have gotten through our two years abroad without it.  I feel lucky that Josh ended up at a school that had a support group for spouses like me when I know there are many schools that don't.

15. My job.  I know I work from home and maybe it's not ideal, but I'm thankful that I have a job.  There are many people here in the US and in the world, who don't.

16. My blog!  I started this blog almost two years ago not knowing if I would really keep up with it, if people would even read it, or what the future would hold for it.  But, I have to say it has become a part of my life.  I've posted over 200 times and I have readers all over the world.  It has been an outlet for my creativity and my internal thoughts and it has been used by many SO's as a source of information for medical school.

17. Diet Coke.  Enough said.

18. Mail.  I REALLY enjoy checking the mail.  It's one of my favorite things to do daily and I look forward to 4pm when I know the mailman has come.  I just like seeing what's in it. It's a little surprise everyday!  I even enjoy getting bills because I get to open them, mail a check, and feel accomplished when they are paid.  Is that weird or normal?

19. Books.  I'm very thankful for books.  And bookstores.  And Kindles.  And Amazon.  Whoever invented the written word...seriously, genius.  I could read a book a week.  I love getting lost in a novel.  What would my life be like with books?  It's too sad to even consider.

20. Sunshine.  God planned for me to grow up in Southern California.  I am convinced he knew I crave/need sunshine daily. He only sent me to England so I could reinforce my love for the sun.

21. Wine.  Sometimes you just need a glass.  Or three.

22. Iphones. Okay, sure, they are expensive and people are glued to them waaaaaay to much.  But google maps and Siri sure make life easier.

23. My dishwasher.  In Grenada, the dishwasher's name was Stephanie.  In Redlands, it's Nautilus.  And Stephanie is much happier because of it.

24. SGU.  They have their flaws, but they gave Josh an opportunity to become a doctor when some medical schools wouldn't.  He is able to chase his dream because of that chance.

25. Coffee. God's gift to us "not morning people."

26. Hot Showers.  Is there anything better?

And Lastly,

27. Random Acts of Kindness.  A few weeks ago, a friend gifted me with the chance to go back to Grenada.  It's these kinds of things that restore my faith in this world.  When people do something so surprising not because they benefit from it, but to help make your day better.  We should all make an effort to do this for others, even strangers.  Because of her generosity, I get to go back to Grenada in November. And I couldn't be more thankful.

Operation Grenada Child

As many of my readers know, I was heavily involved in the Limes After School Program during my year in Grenada.  And I think it has become completely obvious to people that I miss the children I worked with terribly.  But in the past week or so, I have had some friends inspire me to continue to try and make a difference in this world as well as remain active in these children's lives, even from a distance. 

I may no longer be in Grenada, but I still have tools in the form of public media and lots of friends and family that have been touched by my journey that I can use to help the Limes kids.  With the help of last terms Significant Other's Organization President Sarah and the current Limes coordinators in Grenada Julie and Laura we came up with the idea of Operation Grenada Child.  Our goal is to get 60 shoeboxes filled with Christmas goodies for these precious children who quite honestly might not receive anything on Christmas day.  In fact, last year I specifically remember asking one child if they were excited for Christmas and Santa and he responded despondently, "Miss, Santa doesn't visit Grenada."

If you've ever read my blog and wondered what you could do to help the Limes program, or if you've wanted to find some type of program that you could help make a difference in, here is your chance.  Please go to THIS  link and sign up to send a child a shoebox full of presents for Christmas.  It's only $20.00, but that $20.00 will go a long way.  All the way to the island of Grenada in fact!

If you don't have time for shopping, or it just isn't your thing, monetary donations will be accepted to help with shipping via a pay pal account on the website.  Or, you can send me a check and I will put a box together for you.  And lastly, if money is tight and you just can't afford to make a box, please pass the word along to your friends and family.  Help us spread the news!  You will be helping to make a significant difference in these children's lives.  And it really can't happen without YOU!

Sun Worshiper

My little guy is a sun worshiper. 

Just like his Mama.

He tends to follow me from room to room.  But no matter what room I'm in, he finds that little bit of sunshine to lay in. 

A dog after my own heart.

I think there's a chance we both suffer from seasonal affective disorder.

** And on another doggie note, obedience classes start tonight.  Wish us luck!

Pumpkin Patch

I really look forward to October every year.  For some reason sweatshirt weather, pumpkin spice lattes, the leaves changing color, pumpkin carving, Halloween costumes, my birthday, and Hocus Pocus just warm my heart.  For the last two years, we've kinda had to make due without the fall festivities and I've been okay with that because, well, we've been living in foreign countries.  And that's pretty fun too.  But it is sure nice to be able to celebrate fall with all my regular traditions this year. 

We finally had some cooler weather this past week and so Josh and I kicked off fall with a trip to the local pumpkin patch today.  The pumpkin patch, conveniently named, The Pumpkin Patch at Live Oak Canyon is by far the most decked out patch I've ever been too.  It was complete with a tractor, corn maze, gift shop, bounce house, petting zoo, band, food, and every kind of pumpkin available.  You could literally spend all day there.  Our friends Nick and Amy joined us as well as our doggie child Doyle.  We had a really fun time!  It was a much needed day date for Josh and I.

They had some beautiful sunflower fields!

Running away with his "pumpkins."

Amy, Nick, and the Scurlock family

Look closely, Doyle's in the middle.

My handsome little pup.

Josh even suggested we get a bale of hay to properly display our pumpkins!  A man after my own heart. :)

We plan to carve them once it gets a little closer to Halloween.  As for now, they are displayed proudly on our front porch for all our apartment complex to see.

Are you planning to carve pumpkins this year?