The Shadid's

Micah's First STEPS

2011-05-04T09:57:00.001-03:00

Loading the Cannon

2011-04-14T20:49:00.002-03:00

Micah learning to play Golf

2011-04-14T20:21:00.001-03:00

Learning to walk...

2011-03-13T16:25:00.001-03:00

Get your ball...

2011-03-10T09:38:00.002-04:00

The coolest little boy EVER!!!!

2011-02-16T10:44:00.003-04:00

The Blizzard...

2011-02-02T11:15:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple of videos of how much snow we have. The front yard is not as bad as the back. We probably have 3 feet of snow with 5 feet drifts. It's crazy.The first video is the front and the second is of the back.

A bouncing Boy

2010-11-06T16:10:00.002-03:00

He is so fun!

We are Family

2010-09-27T21:26:00.004-03:00

There is nothing better than getting to spend time with family. I just love my parents and the more we are away from them, the more I appreciate every second I get to spend with them. We learn so much from our parents and whether we like it or not we are a product of our parents. I have learned that a child is a blank slate and every person is remotely who they are because of the way their parents raised them. I am thankful to say that I am thankful for my parents and the for the Christ-like upbringing I was given and in return to my children I can only hope to do as great a job as they did.

Decision... Decisions... Decisions...

2010-09-20T13:46:00.003-03:00

Being a new mom has posed many new important decisions for what is best for my child. Everyone wants the best for their own child and what is best for one child may be completely different from what is best for another. So when I write about what I feel is the best for my child may not be something some agree is the best decision. But in my heart of hearts this is what Chris and I have agreed is best for our child at this point. Currently one of our important decisions we have made is whether or not to feed Micah store bought baby food. Now I am not a health nut but I don't see why as a parent we can't just make our children their own food. I mean I am not eating food out of a can so why should he. The convenience factor is definitely there but as a stay at home mom my #1 job is to take care of my child and a few hours of cooking for him is something that I find to be a satisfying and rewarding decision. So as Micah prepares to eat his first new foods. I am going to be preparing these meals for him.

My boys...

2010-09-12T21:51:00.004-03:00

I love my boys more than anything. They are what make me smile.

Our little Sooner!

2010-09-12T21:44:00.002-03:00

We love game days!

Micah's first attempt at cereal

2010-09-10T10:21:00.003-03:00

Yesterday we tried to give Micah his first cereal. I think it went pretty good. He ended up getting frustrated with me because I couldn't get him the food fast enough so in between spoon fulls he would scream. Just a beginning of the first he will have.

A few of my favorites...

2010-09-09T10:36:00.002-03:00

Amazing!

2010-09-08T21:51:00.004-03:00

Okay I think I have officially decided to get back to the blogging world. After quite a long break I finally feel like I have plenty to talk about. In the last like year since I have blogged a lot has happened and a new life we have begun. So I will try and start from the beginning. Christopher and I found out we were pregnant a year ago. Holy cow I can't believe its been a year already how time flies. After moving from Saginaw, MI back home to Oklahoma Christopher took step 1 and passed and we headed off on our continued journey to Atlanta, GA. And might I say we absolutely love Atlanta. We found an amazing church of which we finally feel at home with. Then Micah Christopher Shadid came into our lives, the most amazing little boy ever!!!!! Now we are ending our journey in Atlanta and are headed back to Saginaw in October to finish out medical school. So lets just quit the babble and get to the good stuff. Micah!

So we could be the most blessed parents in the world because we have the coolest little kid ever. He is like the most incredible thing. I never really thought you could love someone so much but a child really steals your heart away. So in my past blogs this has been about Christopher and I but I officially am changing the focus of the blog to my little man and the happiness and trials of being a mother. Here are a few pictures for you all to see just how cool he is.
I just absolutely love my family. I could not be more happy and thankful for what God has given me. I am truly blessed. Children are definitely a gift a from God.

Micah Christopher Shadid

2010-06-28T13:13:00.002-03:00

Every good and perfect gift comes from above. More photos to come...

An Incredible Gift

2009-11-09T15:31:00.002-04:00

I find myself complaining a lot. I’m tired. I’m worn out. I’m exhausted. I’m sore. I’m growing. I don't feel good. My pants don’t fit. My shirts are getting tight.
And on and on and on.
But I know that this is an amazing gift and miracle that God is creating within me, and I know that that is a confirmation of how He loves and cares for us. I mean He is building and forming this tiny little baby in my belly.
I found this verse that gives true confirmation of what a marvelous gift the Lord is giving us.

Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift? The fruit of the wonb his generous legacy? Like a warrior’s fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth. Oh, how blessed you are parents, with your quivers full of children! Your enemies don’t stand a chance against you; you’ll sweep them right off your doorstep.
- Psalm 127:3-5

I hope I can keep the complaining down to a minimum and keep praising the ONE who deserves praise for this blessing!

Bring on the back pain, tiredness, soreness and everything else that comes my way!!

My baby is not a fruit...

2009-11-09T15:14:00.003-04:00

I think it is so funny that all of these books and websites compare your baby's size to a fruit. Now I don't really understand the analogy but I think I found one that men can definitely begin to understand.

http://www.hisboyscanswim.com/dads-pregnancy-guide

According to a fruit our baby is the size of a lemon but for men out there it is the size of a gas cap.

A belly full of God's Grace

2009-11-04T09:51:00.003-04:00

What an exciting time we had yesterday at our first ultrasound. It was so amazing to see that this little peanut was inside of me. The little baby was sleeping and then all of a sudden woke up and you could just see it squirming around. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced. What a blessing that the Lord is giving us. We could not be more excited.

Baby Shadid is due May 13, 2010.

A new approach

2009-11-04T09:47:00.002-04:00

I have decided to start blogging again, but instead of the exciting adventures of medical school life I think I have new and exciting adventure to start blogging about. WE ARE HAVING A BABY! Yup you heard right. Christopher and I are expecting our first child. Crazy, weird, and a an amazing blessing from the Lord. We are so excited for this adventure to begin and can't wait to see what is in store for us. Keep checking out our blog to follow this exciting adventure we are beginning.

MICHIGAN!!!!!

2009-07-19T13:59:00.002-03:00

We finally got word that we are moving to Michigan next month and I don't think we could be anymore excited about it. We have found a place to live, through friends that live there and a very nice landlord, we choose a place. I think it is going to be great. I am so excited to finally be able to experience a winter. It is going to be one extreme to the other, but I think we are going to really enjoy it. Most of our friends are going to be joining us in Michigan so we are really glad about that. We are just excited for this next chapter in our lives to begin.

This is the front of our Apartment in Michigan!

4th Semester Banquet

2009-07-19T13:46:00.003-03:00

Every semester there is a 4th semester banquet. It is a banquet for the 4th semesters to basically say goodbye to island life. At this point we will be leaving some of our friends because some will be going to Miami and some to Michigan. So this is basically a goodbye banquet. This banquet was while the Shadid's were here so it was fun to be able to enjoy this exciting event with them. At the banquet we have a wonderful dinner and they give out awards and show a video slideshow of our time on the Dominica and the Bahamas. After all the awards and stuff was over they had a DJ and we got to dance. It was really a nice night. We had a lot of fun. It was nice to finally be able to dress up for something. Since everything done here is very casual it was nice to dress up for once.

Luan and Christopher @ the banquet

Raksha and Christopher @ the banquet

The 4th semester Bahamas Class

Shadid's Visit

2009-07-19T13:19:00.002-03:00

I haven't blogged in a long time but decided to get a little blogging in because a lot of things have happened lately. I will put them in all different blog posts because I think I have a lot of different topics. Stan, Linda, and Linley came to visit. It was so fun. We hung out at the beach and just enjoyed some family time. It is so nice to have family around. That is one of the biggest things we have missed since moving away from home. There is just nothing like having your family around. The first day they were here we went to the beach and Linley and I went parasailing. It was so much fun. I have always wanted to go parasailing but have never done it and I am so glad that I did. We liked it a lot and I want to go again. We ended up spending a lot of time at the beach and also had a wonderful dinner at East. East is like the best sushi restaurant I have ever been to. Actually I didn't even think I liked sushi until we ate here. We have taken everyone who has come to visit to East because it is our favorite restaurant here. We had a great time together. It was sad to see them leave but that only means we are one step closer to being back in the US. We can't wait!

Chris's Birthday!

2009-05-31T12:21:00.003-03:00

Chris's birthday was a couple of weeks ago and we had a great birthday celebration. He turned the big 25. We went to our favorite restaurant here called East. It is a sushi restaurant that is outstanding. We went with about 15 of our friends. It was a great day to celebrate Christopher. After we ate dinner everyone came over and ate cake. I will say it was a little better than his last birthday we had in Dominica. I mean not that Blue Bay wasn't fun but this was a little more our style.

Things are moving right along here in the Bahamas. Before we know we will be back in the US. We should be applying for 5th semester (Michigan or Miami) in a week but we won't know for sure where we are going until about the first of July. We are excited to see where our adventure takes us next. Chris's next exam is next week so please be praying that he is well prepared.

Back in the Bahamas

2009-05-15T17:22:00.003-03:00

After a great break at home we are back in the Bahamas in full swing. Christopher has had one full week of class and they are getting to it. There is no time to waste.

While we were at home we just enjoyed hanging out with our families and seeing all of our friends. We went to the Lion King with my parents. Which was absolutely awesome. The costumes were outstanding and the music was great. We had a great time. Christopher played plenty of golf while I got to get some work in at my grandpa's office. It was nice for me to get my brain working again. In the little time we had to relax we packed up all of our wedding stuff in boxes in preparation of moving somewhere where we can actually use it all. Yay! We can't wait.

With Christopher's last semester of book work we are looking forward to moving back to the States while enjoying the little time we have left living on an island. We will be applying for Christopher's 5th semester location in June. 5th semester consists of an introduction to clinicals, and allows some time for Christopher to study for the USMLE Step 1. We are hoping to apply for Michigan but who knows we could end up back in Miami again. We are just hoping that wherever we go Christopher will have plenty of time to study for the Step. Because his goal is to take Step 1 by the middle of October. In the mean time I am looking forward to moving back and getting a puppy. Yes, still looking forward to getting a puppy I know its been like forever but hopefully once we get back to the States we will find the right time to get one.

The Bahamas are great. It is really hot here but with the wind of Oklahoma, which makes it a lot cooler. Christopher's birthday is on Monday and we are really excited because for his birthday we are going to go Deep Sea Fishing. We are hoping to catch some really great fish like Mahi Mahi, Tuna, and any many others. We can not believe that we have been out of the country for a year. It has been full of adventures and excitement and has made us both stronger people. Who would have thought that a year would have gone by so fast.

Getting it done

2009-04-21T09:27:00.006-03:00

Our time in the Bahamas is just flying by and Christopher's 3rd semester is almost over. One more semester of book work and we are back to the US to begin his clinical rotations. We are so thankful for this experience we have had. It has allowed us to understand that we shouldn't take anything for granted and that no matter what our plan is God's plan is what we should be looking for. We shouldn't be planning months or years in advance but learn to live for today. This has been quite a task for myself because my entire life was planned out before I went to college. So I am learning to live a life that is unplanned. While Christopher has been learning to be a doctor, I have been learning to be a better cook. I have learned that the way to my husbands heart is through lebanese food in his stomach. I think it is probably in his blood but because this is the case I have been working very hard to cook the things he likes. I have learned to make cabbage rolls and spheeha (meat pies) and many other things. It has been a really good chance for me to take my time and learn to make things because if I would have been back in the states I probably wouldn't have taken the time to learn to do these things.

Here is a timeline of what Christopher has done and has left of school. Hopefully this will clarify what he is doing.

October 2007-February 2008- Medical Education Review Program in Miami, Florida

May 2008- December 2008 - Basic Science courses in Dominica, West Indies

January 2009- August 2009- Basic Sciences courses in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island

August 209 - December 2009 - Advanced Introduction to Clinical Medicine in either Saginaw, Michigan or Miami, Florida *location to be determined in July 2009*

January 2010 - January 2012 - Clinical Rotations *location to be determined*

Easter!

2009-04-17T09:55:00.003-03:00

Easter, although different this year, was a really great day. Christopher took off the day studying and we just spent the day together. We woke up and the Easter bunny had come. Which was really exciting because it made us feel like we were still at home. On the Friday before easter we kept the tradition of dying easter eggs. It was a lot of fun and things like that alway give us a sense of home as well. On Easter we went to the pool and laid out and just enjoyed a day of relaxing together. Then that evening we had all of our friends over for dinner. Everyone brought something and it was a great dinner. We had a great time celebrating Christ's resurrection with all of our friends. Although it was hard not being with family, we made the best of it and enjoyed the day.

Dating a Medical Student

2009-04-02T13:58:00.003-03:00

This is an article about dating a medical student. It is absolutely hysterical to Chris and I because it is so true. My friend Ralna found it but I hope it gives you a laugh.

How to Date a Med Student

Friday, November 14, 2008 | FoxNews.com
Marissa Kristal

Dating a med student? Check out these tips for a "healthy" relationship.

1. Don't expect to see them. Ever.

2. Accept the fact they will have many affairs. With their books.

3. Learn to hide your “ew, gross” reactions when they tell you all the stuff you never wanted to know about your bodily functions.

4. Support them when they come home after each test, upset because they failed—and gently remind them after they get their well above passing grade how unnecessary the “I’m going to fail out of medical school and never become an MD” dramatics are.

5. Each week they will have a new illness. Some will be extremely rare, others will be more mundane. Doesn’t matter. They will be certain they have it (no second opinions necessary.) Med school can, and will, turn even the sanest into a hypochondriac. Date them for long enough, and you’ll become one too.

6. There will be weeks you'll forget you even have a boyfriend—friends will ask how he is and you'll say, “What? Who? Oh....right. He's well...I think.”

7. They'll make you hyper-aware that germs are everywhere and on everything. Even though you used to walk into your home with your shoes on, and sit on your bed in the same clothes you just wore while riding the subway, or sat on a public bench in, you'll become far too disgusted to ever do it again. Believe me, it's going to get bad...you'll watch yourself transform into the anal retentive person you swore you'd never become. And when you witness others perform these same acts that, before you began dating your med student, you spent your entire life doing too, you'll wince and wonder, “Ew! How can they do that? Don't they know how many germs and bacteria they're spreading??!”

8. Romantic date = Chinese take-out in front of the TV on their 10 minute study break.

9. A vacation together consists of a trip down the street to Walgreens for new highlighters and printer paper.

10. Their study habits will make you feel like a complete slacker. For them, hitting the books 8-to-10 hours a day is not uncommon, nor difficult. You'll wonder how you ever managed to pass school on your meager one hour of studying per night.

11. They're expected to know everything. Everything! The name of the 8 billion-lettered, German sounding cell that lives in the depths of your inner ear, the technical term for the “no one's ever heard of this disease” disease that exists only on one foot of the Southern tip of the African continent. But ask them if your knee is swollen, or what you should do to tame your mucous-filled cough, or why the heck your head feels like someone's been drilling through it for oil for two weeks straight, and they won't have a clue.

12. “My brain's filled with so much information, I can't be expected to remember THAT!" will be the standard excuse for forgetting anniversaries, birthdays, and, if you get this far, probably the birth of your first-born.

13. You'll need friends with unending patience who pretend never to get sick of listening to your endless venting and complaints. Or, you'll need to pay a therapist who will pretend never to get sick of listening to your endless venting and complaints.

But take this all with a grain of salt. It's not like I'm speaking from experience or anything...

Blogging Slacker

2009-03-24T10:46:00.003-03:00

I have been a very bad blogger lately and I have come up with the reason why that has become. I have never been one that has enjoyed writing and most of the time I don't feel like I have that much to say. But when we moved to Dominica I think that blogging was a way of therapy for me. It was a way to get through the tough times. I think it encouraged me to be a better person and to continue to work on the things that I need to work on as a christian, a wife, and a friend. When we moved to the Bahamas it was kind of like we went back to our previous life before we were stripped from everything we ever knew when we moved to Dominica. So it makes life much easier. You begin to forget the things like clean water, hot water, or even the grocery stores you shouldn't take for granted. I think that moving to Dominica and experiencing what we experienced there was something I would never give back and I am so thankful for everyday. But although I am thankful for that experience I am extremely thankful that the Lord brought us to a new place. We absolutely love the Bahamas. It feels like a home a place where we can both relax and not have to worry so much about other things. So I think because life has gone to a simple life and not so stressful I have less to blog about because now life is like it used to be and not crazy weird things happening on a daily basis.

Yay for Visitors!!!

2009-03-21T17:25:00.004-03:00

Betsy came to visit last week and we had a great time. The weather was a little crummy but we made the best of it and enjoyed our time together. It is always fun for me to get visitors because it gives me something to do during the day while Chris is studying. Betsy got here on Monday and on Tuesday we went to the beach all day. It was so fun and we both got really burned. It was a great beach day. We went to eat at a Sushi place and it was delicious. It was Betsy's first experience with sushi and thankfully it was a good one. Haha! She love it. If you come visit you have to go to this place because it is awesome. Along with our sushi we had the best lobster and soft shell crab. Mmm... it was delicious. On Wednesday and Thursday it rained all day. It was kind of a bummer but on Thursday we went shopping at Port Lucaya and found Betsy some great souvenirs. We also went fishing and caught a couple of small fish. I had a great time with her here and it has really been nice having people come and visit because it makes our time here go by so much faster.

Check out some of our Bahama's pictures

2009-03-01T12:14:00.000-04:00

http://candkshadid.shutterfly.com

Mom and Dad came to visit!!!!

2009-03-01T10:44:00.010-04:00

To view a slideshow of pictures from my parents visit to the Bahamas

CLICK HERE

My parents came to visit Christopher and me last week, and we had such a great time. We went to a great sushi place to eat dinner the night that they got here. It was very good. I didn't think I liked sushi but apparently I really do. After that we went out and watched some of the shows that they have down in the tourist area. They have a guy that can limbo and a fire dancing lady. It was a great first night having them here. The rest of the weekend we just relaxed, went to the beach, and we even fished in the canal behind our house. We caught a few fish and ended up cooking them for dinner. It was nice because Christopher was even able to come to the beach, even though he studied a little bit while being there. What a great time we had. I actually felt like I was on vacation a little bit. I have learned that after living at the beach for almost a year now we can really take that luxury for granted.

My parents stayed with us for about 4 days and then my parents and I went to the island of Green Turtle Cay. My grandpa owns a house out there and they were there so we went to visit them for a few days. The flight that we took over there was a 9 passenger plane. It was so small my head was hitting the top of the plane. But when we got there it was really fun and even more relaxing than Freeport. It was really a neat place. Everyone there drives golf carts and the conch that is available there is way better than what we have had in Freeport. I also learned that I really like looking for shells on the beach. Timi has a great collection of shells at their house in Green Turtle and I have decided that this might be my new hobby to go look for shells on the beach.

One of the days we were in Green Turtle we went fishing with a local that my grandpa has become good friends with over the years. We caught really awesome fish like Grouper, Red Snapper, Yellow Snapper, Parrot Fish, and Porgi. After we caught the fish Lincoln our captain took us to an island and cooked all the fish for us along with some lobster, potatoes, and salad. It was delicious. But the best part was when he through the fish guts in the water. There were sharks that came and ate it. It was the first time I had ever seen sharks and they were definitely as scary and cool as they seem. We had our feet in the water and the sharks were probably about 2 feet in front of us. It was pretty cool. We also had sting rays eat fish out of our toes. It was really neat. It was a great experience that I would hope to do again.

Christopher on the Ross Video

2009-02-03T19:53:00.004-04:00

We saw today that Christopher is on the Ross Recruitment Video. To view the video go to:

http://www.rossu.edu/medical-school/

Once you get there click on the link that says "Welcome To Ross" on the lower right hand side. The video should begin. Once it begins he is about 1/3 a way through the video. You can't miss him. It is when they begin to talk about problem based learning.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

25 Things About Me

2009-02-03T11:30:00.004-04:00

There is this new deal going around on facebook to create 25 things about you. It is kind of like a chain letter, and I have yet to fall into the trend until today when I decided I was bored enough to do it. So here you go, I hope you enjoy it.

I want a dog more than anything in the world, and have for about 5 years now. But I am patiently waiting for the right time to come for me to get one.
I am a planner and have encountered a life in which I can't plan my future.
I have lived in 4 places, 3 countries, and 2 different states within a year and the only place I desire to live is in Oklahoma.
I love my family more than anything and can't wait to live near them again.
I have learned that there is nothing more powerful than the grace of God and that no matter the situation you can always make it through if you have faith in Him.
I love the peacefulness of being by myself. I feel like being alone energizes me.
I truly believe that my husband was created for me. And it is by the grace of God that he loves me everyday.
I feel like I have failed the day if I don't make my bed.
I have learned since I moved away from home that my love language is quality time. I could sit on the phone with anyone and not say anything just because I know they are sitting on the phone with me (I know it drives my Mom and Dad crazy)
I always have sweaty hands and if they aren't sweating and I think about it, they will sweat.
I broke my leg in high school and will never forget my Dad carrying me off the field, he is always there for me and always will be.
I hate walking barefoot. I love to have socks on or walk on carpet.
I believe that the best thing for my marriage was for us to move away from home.
I love the cake shows on the food network and wishfully want to own a bakery.
I love that I am just like my Mom, from our mannerisms to our desire to honor and glorify God.
I have crooked pinkies and I think it's awesome.
Having a brother and a sister is like the best thing in the world, and I love being the middle child.
I require at least 8 hours of sleep. If I see past midnight it is a special occasion.
I love going to movies but have only seen like 5 movies in the theater in the last 7 years because my husband hates them.
I secretly want to star as Elfaba on the broadway show Wicked (I guess its not so secret anymore). Although God didn't grant me with the gift of singing, dancing, or acting.
I have a weakness for candy.
My best friends in the world are those that I don't have to talk to everyday or see very often but when we get together it is like we were never apart.
I wish I could remember all of the bible verses I learned when I was little, I think I will make this my new goal in life.
I would rather take a road trip than fly.
I have learned the power of prayer. It makes everything better.

Transportation... Birthdays.... Super Bowl Parties

2009-02-03T11:01:00.005-04:00

We finally found a way for us to get around. After debating a lot about whether or not to get a car, a scooter, or a bike we decided that a scooter was the best idea for now. A friend of ours got a car so if we ever needed to us a car we have access to one and it is really almost too far to bike and would cost the same to buy bikes as it would to rent the scooter. So we decided on the Scooter and so far we love it. I will admit I am a little nervous driving it but a little nervousness never hurt anyone I guess. It has been a great way for Christopher to get to campus and home, which I like because now he can come home for lunch. Before we were using the public bus system which is $1.25 one way so it was just a hassle. But we are happy with our new Scooter.

Last Thursday was our friend Adam's birthday. We all went out to dinner and came back to our place to have cake. I made him a chocolate cake with cream cheese icing. It was delicious. But we had a great time celebrating Adam's birthday.

On sunday we had a Super Bowl party at our house. We had a lot of fun. Adam brought Chili, Ilene and Knema brought guacomole and brownies, Raksha brought a chili layered dip, Chanel and Colt brought chip and Jered brought the drinks. Christopher and I just made a salad. We had so much fun. We were all rooting for the Cardinals so we were kind of disappointed in the outcome. But oh well it was a fun party and anything that can get these guys away from studying for a few hours is always fun for me.

Here is the whole group watching the game.

Dave, Colt, Chanel, Dave, & Jeff

Ilene & Knema

Crazy Adam (Who won't take a good picture for me), Christopher (Thanks for smiling), & Jered (who is too cool to even look @ the camera)

For Dinner...you better catch it!

2009-01-26T11:21:00.003-04:00

I have had a hard time blogging a lot lately because I don't find myself encountering crazy circumstances like I would in Dominica, but life is good here in the Bahamas. We just absolutely love it. Life here is like living in the US except with an easy going lifestyle. Things are still definitely slower and more like a vacation, but the grocery stores are great and the fact that we can get anything we want here is really great. We may have to pay for somethings if we really want it but it is nice to know that if we want it we can get it.

I will definitely say that we are thankful for the time that we had in Dominica. It really makes us appreciate the life we have and allows us to understand that we don't deserve the things we have but should be thankful that we do have them. We would not give back that time for anything. It has made us stronger, better, and more understanding people.

We live by a canal and last weekend we spent the weekend fishing. It was so fun. We caught probably seven or so fish and ended up cooking them for dinner. It was really fun and definitely really entertaining. We love living by all of our friends because we always have people around to hang out with and are always entertaining. For the last few weeks every Sunday we have like a pot luck dinner and everyone brings something to dinner. It has been a lot of fun.

Christopher, Adam, & Lou @ the school Fish Fry

Christopher Filleting the fish we caught

Our Bahama Apartment

2009-01-12T12:56:00.005-04:00

Here are some pictures of our new apartment. We love it!

Gate to enter our Apartment Complex

Our Living Room Kitchen BathroomBedroom

BalconyView from our Balcony onto the CanalView from below our Apartment

From the JUNGLE to PARADISE

2009-01-12T12:17:00.004-04:00

We made it to the Bahamas and all i can say is I will be on vacation for the next 8 months. This place is awesome. It is beautiful and and very Americanized. Before we got here we made a pit stop in Miami for the National Championship game. Although the outcome wasn't what we had hoped for it was still very fun and we really enjoyed it. We had endzone seats which sounds bad but they were really good seats. We were in the middle of the endzone and you could definitely see the whole field. We had a good time. The weather was really nice and we actually got pretty cold by about half time. Besides the Sooners it was a lot of fun. We stayed the night in Miami at Ashley and Ryans place. I was sad because I didn't get to see Ashley because she was still in Tennessee, but Ryan had already moved there to start studying for the Comp. They have a really great place, which was fairly close to where we lived before. It was fun to go back and see where we used to live.

The Bahamas have been amazing. There are great restaurants, the people are so nice, and it is very Americanized. We absolutely love our new apartment. It is bigger than our apartment before and everyone lives here so it is fun to have neighbors that we know. Our whole apartment complex is made up of Ross students. Since we have been here we have gone to the grocery store, the Cosco, and have just been trying to get situated. Yes they have a Cosco! It is amazing. It is actually called Cost Right but it is just like a Cosco or a Sams. It is awesome!

Adam and Christopher at Cost Right

on the Beautiful White sand beaches (they don't have sand flees)!
Jered, Christopher, AdamAt Shenanigans our first night here (an Irish Pub) They had great food!At the pool at our Apartment! Our landlord had a cookout for us!

12 more days in Dominica...

2008-12-07T13:28:00.003-04:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast with all of our friends here in Dominica. We went over to our friends Craig and Ralna's house and there were probably 80 or so people there. It was a lot of fun. I made the turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, corn casserole, fruit salad, apple cobbler, and pumpkin roll. It was definitely a little different from our usual family gathering back at home but it will be a great memory as our first Thanksgiving together. It was really fun being able to cook a big Thanksgiving meal. There is a lot more work that goes into the meal when you are actually cooking it as opposed to just showing up and eating, but it definitely gave me something to do for a couple of days. It was Christopher and my first attempt at making a turkey, which turned out fabulous. Christopher is quite the turkey carver if I do say so myself. But everything turned out absolutely delicious. Here are some pictures I stole from Ashley's blog because my camera doesn't work still. There were a lot of people and a lot of food. We had a great time.

Christopher has began his marathon of exams and is doing great. He has completed 3 lab practicals. He thinks that he did very well on each of them. After they were over on Friday he was exhausted, but he got a good night sleep and is back to studying this weekend. He has 3 exams this week and three next week and then we will be home! We are ready for a break.

Christmas has been a little different here living on this island because no one puts out Christmas lights, or decorations and the weather is still 85 degrees. I almost feel like it is still June or July. Anyway, we are like the only people in Dominica that have lights on our house. But every time we come home we are thankful that we brought them because it does make it feel a little more like Christmas. Bringing a Christmas tree and stockings to decorate our house has also made it feel like Christmas.

We can't wait to be home in 12 days!

God's Plan

2008-11-24T10:09:00.004-04:00

A couple days ago, at church it was 4th semester Sunday, and all of the 4th semester students that wanted to give their testimony about what God has done for them while being on the island spoke. Most of the people that spoke were our friends so it was really sad because they are leaving. Now the good part is that they are going back to the US and I guess it is good that we are moving as well but it really made me think about the last 8 months of living on this island. God has plans for all us. Whether it is to be a Dr., a homemaker, a school teacher, a successful business man, whatever it is if you let God take control of your life, it is what God has intended for you. We have learned that God's plan may not be our ideal plan but it is His plan and when we trust and obey his plan for us we will be where he wants us to be. Now 8 months ago I don't think I truly understood what it means to trust God, but God knows how to bring you to your knees. We have learned a lot while being away from home. We have learned to depend on each other and depend on God. I truly believe that God's intention for bringing us to this island was to help us learn to grow as a couple and to learn to depend on each other. I honestly think that moving away was the best thing for Christopher and I as a couple. We depend on each other more now than we ever have because all we really have here is each other. I mean don't get me wrong we have made a lot of friends who are like our family away from home, but when it comes down to it its just the two of us. So through all the trials and tribulations we have gone through while being on this island. We are thankful we have been able to have this opportunity because it has only made us stronger people.

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching we are preparing for a very large feast. It is going to be a little different from our usual family get together. We are going to be spending Thanksgiving with about 80 of our friends here. We are all going to get together at Ralna and Craig's house. They have a fairly big house so we are excited for this fun event. But the best part about Thanksgiving being here is that we are even closer to coming home. We will be home in 3 weeks from Friday. Yay! But Christopher is going to be really busy between now and then so please keep him in your prayers as he begins his 9 exams in 10 days. Which begins December 4.

Tick...Tick...Tick...

2008-11-10T15:47:00.003-04:00

Time is flying by. It is almost the middle of November and we will be home in 38 days. We can't wait. We have been keeping busy here. Christopher just finished up his last test and did great again. To God be the glory great things he has done. We know that we could not have the success that Christopher does without his help. Begining December 4 Christopher has 9 exams between the 4th and the 18th. So please be praying for him as he prepares for those upcoming exams.

I have been keeping busy going to Birthday parties, going to craft fairs, cooking, playing bunco, and sewing our names on our Christmas stockings. Last weekend I went my friend Ralna's little boy's Birthday party. It was on the beach and we had so much fun. They cooked hot dogs and Ashley made the most adorable cakes. One was an alligator and the other was a pirate. William turned 8 and I think it was really fun for them. The kids found probably fifty hermit crabs. Now these are the same kind of hermit crabs that you find back at home that have painted shells, but these crabs are wild. It was pretty fun to see all the kids have such a great time.

Earlier in the day I went to the an arts and craft show that Ross was hosting. A bunch of artists from all around the island came and set up their stuff just like an arts and craft fair back at home. They had a lot of beautiful paintings that I would have died to have but they were so expensive. By expensive I mean between $600-$2000 USD. I guess for art, its not that expensive but it is a little out of our price range for now. They also had a bunch of wooden carvings made out of different wood and also out of coconut shells, all of which were pretty cool but I don't think I would have ever really liked it if I would have brought it home. It would have probably ended up being junk. So I ended up buying hand carved salad tongs. They are really neat. They have dominica carved on one side of the handle. I think it will be something that I will actually use when we get back home. But other than that I had a good time looking around at the arts and crafts fair.

Besides that I have been working on making our Christmas stockings. I am in the process of putting our names on them with sequins. I hope they turn out cute. We will see.

We are doing well. We are just counting down the days. We can't wait to be home for Christmas! We miss everyone back at home!

This is not normal...or is it?

2008-11-02T13:21:00.003-04:00

We have been living in Dominica for six months now and everyday we are surprised by different things. Living in Dominica is not like living in the US if you haven't already understood that from my previous posts on the blog. Living here is truly an adventure. I just thought I would share some things with you that I don't necessarily think is normal but have become normal over the past six months of living here.

Making your own sour cream
Making your own buttermilk to make your own sour cream
Being so intimidated by a bull that is blocking the road that you turn around and wait for someone who is driving to take you past the bull
Watching a huge shipment of frozen chicken being run over twice by a truck and then still being delivered to the prospective restaurant
Local men hissing at you like a snake instead of the typical whistle you hear from a construction worker
Being picked up by a plane and landing on a different island only to be told that they sent the wrong size plane and we have to go back and pick up the people we left
Walking with your umbrella opened up out in front of you to keep dry from the horizontal rain
Buying eggs from the store only to find out that one of the eggs you bought actually has a chick inside
Going to eat at subway and ordering a footlong sandwich and not being able to make it two six inch meals when you pay for it because well of course its a footlong
Getting charged by a bull in the middle of a football game

We have now gotten to the point where these things are normal and although they sound absolutely outrageous it actually happens. These are the daily things that make us laugh here in Dominica. "Welcome to the JUNGLE!!!"

The Good...The Bad...The Ugly...

2008-10-26T15:13:00.007-03:00

I will start with the good news first. Good news is we are moving to the Bahamas come January. After attending a meeting last week with the President of Ross University, we have decided that this will be the best decision for both living and educational reasons. The University is going to be very helpful in our move to the Bahamas in processing our Visas for the Bahamas, shipping our stuff, and also in other expenses of moving. We are very excited about this opportunity and are looking forward to this exciting new adventure. After moving to the Bahamas, Christopher and I will have lived in 4 places in our first year of marriage (Miami, Oklahoma City, Dominica, Bahamas). That includes 3 different countries and 2 different states. Thats pretty cool to say but so far Oklahoma still tops the list of the best place to live.

And on with the Bad news... last friday night while Christopher was playing flag football he broke his hand. He dove after the other team to grab their flag and landed on his hand funny jamming it into the ground. We had to drive to Roseau Friday night, which is about an hour away, to the hospital to have it x-rayed. The Roseau hospital is the only place on the entire island that has an x-ray machine. I suppose it is because Roseau is the capital and is a city and all of the other places with medical clinics are mainly just small villages. I think the worst part of the whole trip was the ride to the hospital because well we get really car sick when we drive around here because the roads are very whindy and there are a lot of pot holes that the drivers are dodging. But he broke his fourth metacarpal on his left hand. Here is Chris's x-ray. I know its not a great picture because I took it with the webcam on the computer, because my camera is broken, but you get the idea, his hand is definitely broken.

So that is not so good news. But they put him in a cast. He has to leave it on for 6 weeks. We are going to have it looked at again when we get back to the States just to make sure that everything is healing okay. Christopher is not in any pain so that is a good thing but what a bummer.

And the ugly. I started playing bunco with a bunch of girls on Wednesday nights and it has gotten pretty ugly. Haha! Not really but it is so fun and it is really funny how competitive a game it gets. We play for money and also a gift prize depending on what part of the game you win. But the winner gets $60, the one who has the most buncos gets $30, the loser gets their money back and the Traveler gets the gift prize. We have so much fun.

The winners for the game: Martina, Joy, Me, and Liz

Having so much fun: Ashley, Me, Chika, and Briana

The group back row to front: Ashley, Ralna, Aileen, Summer, Me, Chika, Tricia, Crystal, Briana, Sarah, Liz, Allison, Martina, and Joy

Hurricane Omar

2008-10-17T14:41:00.008-03:00

Wednesday night and Thursday morning we got hit by part of Hurricane Omar. I don't think we got hit by the brunt of the storm but we did get a part of the Hurricane. We were warned by the US embassy that the Hurricane was coming and we were prepared with our 10 gallons of bottled water and extra food. Where we live is Hurricane safe. Now I

am not sure really what that means because we still have windows but I think that just means that our building won't be blown down so we were safe. We had a little bit of water seeping through our doors

but that was no big deal when you i put a town at the base of the doors. It was a pretty cool storm. It was thundering and lightening and earlier Wednesday night we were on campus and could hear the waves crashing up against the bank. It was pretty amazing to witness. Thursday morning Christopher woke up and walked to class and said that the river by our apartment was filled up to the road and it was moving really fast. After he got to campus they got an announcement from the Prime Minister of Dominica that had ordered all businesses and public places to be closed for the day and that all students must go home because the campus was going to be locked. I heard from one of my friends that in the town right next to

ours that there were boats washed up into the roads. We ended up Thursday with the brownest water we have ever had here in Dominica and temporarily with no electricity and all day wit

h no cable. Here are a couple of pictures I got some of the pictures from my friend Ashley's blog of our pier that is by the school. This is where we go when we go to the beach, but not today. The last picture is at the bottom of the stairs that come from campus to the beach. But don't worry we are safe and sound. Yesterday was actually a really great day because Christopher and I got to stay at home all day together, something we don't get to do very often. So while you all are getting the snow days back at home, we get "Hurricane days" here in Dominica!

Crazy Hurricanes

In the town of Portsmouth right by our town. The locals said the only way to get the big boats off of the land is to hire a tug boat from Miami, which is really expensive. So there is a good chance these boats will never float again.

on the turn from Picard to Portsmouth

streets in Portsmouth, piles and piles of debris

In Portsmouth

The pier on a normal day from the water

Hurricane Omar takes over

The pier is demolished

Yikes!

One of the many washed up boats!

This is right below campus. The stairs lead from Campus to the beach.

Be Grateful

2008-10-15T17:02:00.004-03:00

I began this blog to allow everyone back at home to have an insight into what we are experiencing here in Dominica but I have noticed that all I have really begun to tell you are the good side of things and the adventures we have had and that although we are thankful and grateful for this time that we have been able to spend here, I have really neglected to show or tell everyone how changed Christopher and I are as people and followers of our Lord and Savior.

We come from a country that has everything and until you have to do without those things that you may think you "have to have" it becomes a whole new perspective on life. Back at home many of you go to the mall or to a store and think man I have to have that shirt. Well you don't have to have it you want it and it is important for people to understand that life is so much more important than wanting things and living life wanting more.

I have learned that you should be so thankful for everything you have. From things such as a washer and dryer to going to to the grocer store and being able to pick up sour cream. We send out our laundry and honestly we have no idea where it is washed, where it is dried or anything. We trust its clean but there is no telling, it could have been taken down to the river and washed by hand in a river but I am grateful that I know one day I will be able to wash my clothes by myself and know for sure that they are clean because these people in Dominica may never get to experience what true really clean clothes are like. I often see many of the locals washing their clothes in the river by our house and its not an uncommon thing. Sour cream does not exist on this island if it does it is a very uncommon thing. Last week my friend gave me a recipe to make my own sour cream. So I am thankful that when we get back home I can buy my own but for now I'll continue to make it myself. Life is so easy in the US and if for some reason one day you wonder or are desiring more please thank again and be grateful for what you have.

Every day here is a struggle. Day in and day out we both wonder why we are here and both of us continually feel as though it was so that our Lord could change both of our hearts to truly understand that we are not in control of our lives just as it says in Proverbs 16:9 The mind of man plans his way but the Lord directs his steps.

Never in a million years could you have told Christopher or me that you will be moving 2,617 miles and 14 countries away from home. Because well if any of you know either us we are both quite the family people. But things don't always turn out like we plan, obviously because its our plan and not the plan of our Lord. I have often gotten the reaction "How do you do it?" or "You are stronger than me because I couldn't move to a place like that" Well let me tell you, its all about Trust! We trust that we are doing what God wants for our lives and although its not our ideal plan its His ideal plan for our lives. The bible teaches us that God is sovereign over both the "good' and the "bad" times in our lives.

Ecclesiastes 7:14 says When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.

Isaiah 45:7 says I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.

Lamentations 3:38 says Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?

God controls both the good and the bad. God has not looked the other way or been caught by surprise when adversity strikes us. He is in control of that adversity, directing it to His glory and our good.

So I have realized that just as we must learn to obey God one choice at a time, we must also learn to trust God one circumstance at a time. I know that trusting God is not a matter of my feelings but of my will. and I never feel like trusting God when adversity strikes, but I can choose to do so even when I don't feel like it. That act of the will, though, must be based on belief, and belief must be based on truth. So that is why we are able to make it work here in Dominica. Not because its easy and not because its what we want but because we believe and our belief is based on truth.

I am grateful and very thankful we have been given the opportunity that we have to learn and to grow closer to our God through this experience. I didn't write this for everyone think that we are miserable here because we aren't, but we are challenged and changed everyday by this experience. I will never walk into another grocery store or another home without being so thankful for the abundance of food we have in the grocery stores and the hot water running out of the kitchen sink. But we trust that our God has us right where we are supposed to be at this point in our lives and we will continue to serve Him. So be thankful and grateful for what you have because not everyone in the world gets to experience the wonders of the US.

We are Thankful!

2008-10-09T16:08:00.004-03:00

Mini 1 for the second semester is over and I am happy to say that we are very thankful for how well Christopher did. He has been studying so hard and we are so thankful that his hard work has paid off. But never a time to quit studying because he has a big Anatomy practical next Friday that he is beginning to prepare for. After the mini on Monday we went to the beach and just had a wonderful day relaxing and enjoying our time we had together for the afternoon and evening. Many of our friends were there as well just hanging out, snorkeling, swimming, playing frisbee, and grilling out on the beach. It was a lot of fun and then Monday night we went out for my Birthday to a place called Blue Bay. Christopher and I both had the grilled tuna and it was very good. We went with a lot of our friends and Ashley made me a wonderful Chocolate cake. She has become quite the cake expert here. I am so thankful for the friends I have made here. They have truly been a blessing to Christopher and I.

We are very excited about this weekend because we are going to be able to watch the OU/ Texas game. I think that if there was one thing this semester that both of us truly wanted (besides to come home) it would be that we get that game on TV because most of the time we get East Coast coverage. But I am excited to say that this weekend OU/Texas has national coverage! WooHoo!! It is so funny to us how the smallest things like a football game will make us so happy here. So remember don't take things for granted.

A little update on the Bahamas: Well they have given us word that the campus in the Bahamas has been accredited. Which basically means that the accreditors have gone to the campus in the Bahamas and made sure that the campus was in adequate condition for students to be there. So now it is completely our decision if we want to go because the campus will for sure open in January. So basically all we are waiting on now is for them to give us some more information on the cost of living and then I think we will make our decision. Hopefully we will be able to have an answer by the end of next week.

So we are very thankful for all of the opportunities that God has given us since we have been here. Please be praying for our decision about the Bahamas.

Top Ten Things We've Learned in Dominica

2008-09-30T14:12:00.003-03:00

If the asphalt is not melting then its not hot.
How to strategically hold an umbrella so you don't get wet.
Time does not exist
Eating fruits and vegetables the way the Lord made them for us (straight off the tree or vine) is way better than processed fruits and vegetables from a grocery store.
Going to the grocery store is an all day event.
Clear skies and rain, although it defies science, it really does happen, often.
Sundays, should be a day for the Lord, and all stores should be closed.
Chicken hot dogs don't taste like real PORK hot dogs, don't be fooled!
Roads are named after their surroundings: Moo Cow trail, Lizard Trail, Banana Trail.
Cows and goats have the right away. Animals Crossing!

The Bahamas

2008-09-22T15:39:00.002-03:00

So as many of you may know we have the option to move to the Bahamas in January. Many people have been asking about this particular event and I just thought I would write down what is going on so that everyone knows what's up.

Christopher has gotten accepted into a program called "PAcE". PAcE stands for Progressive Academic Education. This is a scholars program that was developed a few years ago that is designed for the idea that some students don't learn best through the standard didactic teaching approach. Instead of going to class and being lectured to by a professor for hours everyday, the founders of this scholars program thought that some students might learn better via a more interactive and independent program. There are also other additional added bonus's to being in the program such as quizzes that are then discussed by the professors that have questions on them, and other clinical cases that make the information that is learned more relevant. So by applying to this program and obtaining an appropriate GPA he was accepted to join this program.

Now this program is important to understand because this particular program is the only group of students that are being relocated to a new campus located in Freeport, Grand Bahamas. The new campus is only taking 240 students. That will include only third and fourth semester students.

This sounds like a great opportunity, but we have some reservations about going. We have been given very little information about the campus and learning facilities that are in Freeport, Grand Bahamas. So we are a little hesitant to be the guinea pigs of this new campus that is being opened. We have heard that we will hear more information about the campus by the middle of October. Please be praying that whatever decision we make is where God wants us to be and not our own desires and that we choose the best option for Christopher's schooling because that is the # 1 most important thing in this decision. We will keep you updated on our decision.

Bring on the Rain!

2008-09-18T14:10:00.002-03:00

It sure has been raining a whole lot here in Dominica since we got back. Which when I look at it, it is an amazing blessing because it will drop the temperature. Normally if you walk outside it will make you sweat just by standing outside but with the rain you can actually function in a normal manner. But obviously with the blessings of rain their also come some other complications. For example, it makes the water brown. So we won't have running water to use because it is so contaminated. I guess the water system can't cycle the water quickly enough to produce clean water when it rains all day long. So when we don't have clean water to use we have to brush our teeth with bottled water, not clean the dishes, and no showers. Well eventually they will turn the water off so that they can clean up the water system so when that happens we have to have even more extra water to flush the toilets and well also to drink. Now some of that may seem really awful because you have never had to deal with any of those situations but honestly I would rather have those problems than to be sweltering hot with the sun. I guess that kind of puts me in the wrong place because well its always hot.

Some other new news. My camera has gone to camera heaven. I am not sure what happened but it won't take a clear picture. It is completely blurry. So I guess for awhile I will only be able to post pictures and video that I take on my video camera. So sorry for the lack of pictures that are to come.

Christopher is almost complete with week 2 of class and well I think they are really working them this semester. Most days Christopher will have class from 8am to 5pm with an hour for lunch. Well this may not be so bad but it is when he has no time to study. His nights of freedom are now completely gone. He is not going to be coming home to have meals with me anymore, my new job is to take his meals to him. So I will bring him lunch and then I will again bring dinner up to campus. I know that he doesn't think the information he is learning is any harder than what it was last semester I think it is just a lot more, obviously. But he is doing so good. I am very proud of him. After this semester, God willing, Christopher will be done with his first year of medical school and one full year closer to becoming Dr. Shadid. Boy doesn't that sound good. Haha! A dream come true. We are so thankful that God gave us this opportunity to go after Christopher's lifelong dream. What a blessing.

Well for my life right now, well... I don't really do much. Last night I practically cut my finger off while making dinner. But don't worry I am going to live. I am not sure how I did it but I felt like I cut through half my pinkie. Christopher thought that I needed to go get stitches, and I probably did because it bled for like 45 minutes. But today is a new day and we are doing great. Haha! I have taken up a new hobby of knitting, and I absolutely love it. It is so fun and in a weird way really occupies my time. I think that is a better hobby for me than baking all the time because when I bake I feel the obligation to try everything, you know because you don't want to serve anything that doesn't taste good. Haha! But hopefully one of these days I will be good enough at knitting that I an actually make something that is worth my time.

I also started my bible study for this semester and I really like it. We have 10 girls in our group this time, which is bigger than last semester, but it has really been great so far. We are doing the study by Jerry Bridges called Trusting God and it is about the sovereignty of God and it is awesome. Now I have only done the first chapter but if you are looking for a good bible study, I would highly recommend it. You can even do it on your own if you don't have a bible study. It is great!

Back on the Rock

2008-09-08T10:19:00.007-03:00

We made it back safely to Dominica on Friday night and have just been getting back into the grove of things here in Dominica. We were quickly reminded of the slow pace life immediately after landing into Dominica because they lost our bags. For some reason they only put like 20 bags on the plane that had about 60 people on it. Now keep in mind that we got here Friday night and it is now currently Monday morning and still no bags. Well that is just typical for Dominica. I guess it is no big deal because all we really had in our bags was food. But I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't get our bags until the middle or end of this week.
We were so excited (well I wouldn't say soooooo excited but you know what I mean) when we got here because we just knew that on Saturday we were going to get the OU game on our TV since they were playing on ABC and well we have ABC so we were super excited about that but come to find out we didn't get the coverage for the game because we have the New York ABC network and we got some other game instead. So being the OU fans we are we were scrambling around trying to figure out a way to either listen to or watch the game. We finally found a website that we could listen to Bob Barry on which was at least better than nothing but then the greatest idea came to us. Lets call and get ourselves put in front of the computer at home using Skype. So We called the Shadid's and they put the computer webcam up to the computer and we got to watch the whole game on the computer. Haha! Super ghetto, I know but hey we do what we can down here in Jungle.

We had such a great time while we were at home. We saw a lot of friends and family, went to the lake, and ate at probably every restaurant we could. We just enjoyed being with everyone and getting to enjoy a little down time in the A/C. We have been very lucky lately in Dominica because it has not been too terribly hot since we got back. Which is really nice. Since we left we got a new store here in Dominica. I haven't been able to go over there yet because well I thought they were closed yesterday because well everything is closed on Sundays but I was wrong. They are actually open on Sundays. It is called 7-11 and well I can only hope it is like our 7-11. But I serioulsy doubt it. That would be amazing though. Haha! I never thought I would be hoping for a 7-11.

I have already been getting back into the swing of things because well in Dominica there is no "hey let me run to the grocery store real fast" because that tends to be a half a day trip. So I made some bread yesterday to get back into the swing of things. I also did it yesterday because we were being spoiled and had the A/C on all day so I baked with the A/C on for a change. It is a lot cooler when you do that.

I have also been attempting a new hobby. Baking cakes. This is probably not the skinniest hobby I could have tried to come up with but I think it is fun. I like it more down here in Dominica because there isn't a bakery that you can go buy any of that from. So I practiced a little bit while I was home. I made a dog cake for my cousin Molly's birthday. She wanted a pink dog and well when I heard that I was like I have no idea how to make a pink dog. But i researched it a little bit online and here is what i was able to come up with. I think it turned out pretty cute.

Before we left for home I also made another cake for a friend of ours birthday. Siva, our friend, had a birthday like the Friday after we left for home so before we left we wanted to celebrate and I made this cake for her Birthday.

Chris started class today and he absolutely loves his new class Neurology. He has always said that he enjoys that but after the first lecture I think he loves it. So although this could be a really difficult semester because it is a lot more work than first semester I think he is going to do great because he loves everything he is doing. I am so proud of everything he has accomplished and I know that God has us exactly where he needs us to be. There are times where we may question the purpose of us being in Dominica and why we have to be away from the ones we love back at home but God always reminds us that he has a plan for each one of us and although it may not be our ideal plan it is His plan and that is what we are here on this Earth for. We are here to serve our God and not ourselves so although circumstances may not be what we want it is God's will for our lives to be obedient and walk patiently with Him. For he knows the best plan for our lives.

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and hope. Jeremiah 29:11

One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure

2008-08-16T17:26:00.003-03:00

I woke up this morning and went to the 4th semester sale that began at 8:00 a.m. This is a sale at the end of the semester where the 4th semester students who are leaving the island sell their stuff that they don't want to pack or ship back to the US. Now basically it is like a garage sale but here in Dominica it is like going to a local department store. My dad has always said "one man's trash is another man's treasure" and I think that this statement has great importance her in Dominica. Any way being the first 4th semester sale here since we have been in Dominica I decided to go and check it out. They were selling things from computer chairs, textbooks, notecards, notebooks, pens, and highlighters to clothes, packaged foods, blenders, toasters, and medicines. It was really crazy. I think that the locals enjoy this sale more than the students because they don't get "American" things here very often. I really didn't end up buying much, I just got us a Brita water filter, some extra large notebooks for Christopher, and also a textbook that Christopher wanted. It was really kind of fun to see all of the weird things that people don't want anymore. They basically try and sell everything they think they might be able to get any money out of.

Christopher has been studying like crazy for his final. Yesterday he studied like 11 hours and I think he will continue to put in 11 hours today, tomorrow, and Monday. We are so close to be done with first semester and we could not be more excited to get done. Christopher did really well on his Histology and Anatomy practicals so we are really excited about that. He thinks he did well on his last Mini Exam but we have not gotten his scores back. Tuesday is the Final. He is going to do so great. I am so proud of everything he has accomplished this semester.

Yay! We will be home on Wednesday! We can't wait!

HOME = 8 DAYS!!!!!!

2008-08-12T11:43:00.005-03:00

We are so close for it to be time to come home, only 8 more days until we are in the "promise land" as Christopher calls it. We just can't count the days any faster. Christopher has two more tests remaining. One is this Thursday and his final is the following Tuesday. Please keep him in your prayers as he continues to study.

Recently our good friends Kyle and Andrea have gone back to the US for good. They have spent 5 semesters here in Dominica and are now going to begin their clinicals somewhere in the US, probably in Chicago. We are really going to miss them. They have been such great friends and neighbors to us in the short time we have been here. They have such a love for our Lord and it has been great to have Christian friends here when we are so far away from home. Last weekend Ashley and Ryan threw a surprise going away party for them at a local restaurant here called Blue Bay. We had such a good time with all of our friends and we are really going to miss them in the upcoming semesters here in Dominica. It is a shame that we were unable to spend more time with them here on the island.

Ryan, Kyle, Christopher
Ashley, Andrea, and myself

Exam Time

2008-08-04T21:16:00.003-03:00

Tests, tests, tests. That is what we have coming up. Christopher has 4 tests in the next 2 1/2 weeks. We are so ready to get home but we are focusing on one day at a time to get through the next few weeks. Christopher has been studying so hard. The only breaks he gets are the ones that he takes for meal time. He has been working so hard and I know that his hard work will pay off. Please keep him in your prayers as he continues to prepare for the upcoming exams. Here is his schedule for the upcoming weeks.

August 7: Anatomy Practical
August 7: Histology Practical
August 14: Mini 3
August 19: Final Exam

We will be home August 20. We can't wait to see everyone! We miss you all very much!

A great day at the Beach

2008-07-28T10:57:00.005-03:00

This weekend has been one of the best times we have had in Dominica so far. Normally our weekends just consist of Christopher studying and well of course going to Church, but this weekend was a little different. On Saturday Christopher studied in the morning and then at about noon we went to the beach with Ashley, Andrea, and Kyle. We had so much fun. We cooked hamburgers on the beach and just had a really fun day together. Christopher and I spend a lot of time together here but normally it is while Chris is studying, so when we actually get to go out and do something it is really fun. We went snorkeling, had a delicious lunch, and Christopher broke open a coconut for us to drink (which if you have ever tried to do that it, it is not easy unless you have tools, and well we didn't have anything.). We just had a lot of fun laying out on the beach and enjoying the wonderful weather together. Here are some of the pictures from the day.

Christopher and me at PBH (Portsmouth Beach Hotel) waiting for everyone else to get there.

This is the beginning of Christopher breaking open the coconut.

He made it to the inside, now he has to break open the harder shell in the middle to get to the milk inside.

I think this is the first time in Dominica that we have actually felt like we were on vacation instead of feeling like we are just in a foreign land. I mean take a look at this video of my walk to church on Sunday morning. I don't think that many of you back at home get to walk to church with goats running down the middle of the road. These are the things down here that give us a little laugh and spark the thought "I can't believe I live here". Haha!

God is everywhere!

2008-07-22T11:18:00.008-03:00

There may be times down here in Dominica where we feel completely homesick, desiring cold A/C, a hot shower, or even just wanting a propane tank in order to cook dinner but never is there a time down here that we don't feel as though God is constantly with us. I feel like more times down here that God puts his mark everywhere we are whether it is walking into the local store and hearing Christian music being played, walking down the street and hearing a local belt out a classic hymnal. But the best sign we see here is the beautiful rainbows. Nature here is one of the most beautiful things about living here in Dominica and the rainbows found here are no different. They are absolutely incredible. You can see from one end of the rainbow to the other. Here is a picture I took of one of the rainbows that I saw. The picture doesn't really do it justice but they are awesome. God always finds a way to remind us down here the he will never leave us.

This picture was taken right before Christopher's football intramural game. Now keep in mind that rainbows come with rain and well that makes a football field extremely muddy. It was a very big mud fest. It was disgusting. Here is a little clip from the game. They didn't win but they played really well. Christopher is the one in the red shorts.

The next day was the intramural dodgeball game. It is hilarious to me how big intramural games are down here but it makes this place a little more fun because besides the intramurals there is nothing else to do besides study. It gives the students something else to think about besides their school work. So that is good every now and then. Chris's intramural team won the whole tournament. They went undefeated. They were pretty good. His team is in the picture below. They are Jered, Tommy, Chris, Jeff, and Kyle.

Recent Happenings

2008-07-16T09:58:00.004-03:00

Christopher just finished up mini 2 and he did so awesome. I am so proud of how great he has been doing. I think it really gives us the reassurance that this is where we are supposed to be and that God will not take us somewhere so far out of our element without helping us to make it through. I got this little excerpt from a friends blog and I just felt like it was so fitting for what is actually going on down here. From the 1989 movie Gross Anatomy:

"Welcome to medical school. Many of you have only been here a day or so. In the next eight months you will be required to memorize 6,000 anatomical structures, read 25,000 pages of text, attend 200 lectures, and pass or fail 40 examinations. If you fail a class, you have to repeat it. If you fail two, you have to repeat the entire term. If you fail three, let's just say, you probably don't belong here anyway. Along with my duties as Associate Dean of Students, I also teach Gross Human Anatomy, the one thing you've dreaded from the moment you made the decision to come here. Nonetheless, it is the centerpiece of your first year of medical school; the systematic dissection of the human cadaver.....Your first year of medical school is a daily, hands-on exploration of it (death). It's not easy. It's uh, certainly not pleasant. And there's absolutely no reason for you to do it unless you want, more than anything, to be a physician"

Now let me tell you, this excerpt is not far from the very truth. Here is a typical day for Christopher

6:15 a.m. - Wake up
8:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. - Lectures
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m - Lunch
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m - Lab (depending on the day)
4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. - Study
6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. - Dinner
7:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.- Study
10:00 p.m. -11:00 p.m.- Relax and get ready for the next day
11:00 p.m. - Go to Sleep

Now of course everyday is not exactly like this. Some of the days he won't have lab but will have another lecture in the afternoon or he might just have extra time to go study. Then on the weekends he will have more time to study but rarely do weekends consist of relaxing at the beach or the pool. They normally consist of studying, but for the most part this is the daily life of a medical student. I am just so thankful that he is enjoying what he is doing and learning because otherwise this would be absolutely miserable. But never has Chris complained or wanted to quit. He just keeps going because I truly feel like at this point he knows that this is what God is calling him to do. There is absolutely no other way we would be able to conquer this battle without the help our Lord. He every day gives us the strength to keep going.

Growing up I have always had my own identity and after marrying Christopher and moving down to Dominica to follow Christopher's dream I have recently realized that although I still have my own identity, it has changed in extremely amazing ways. I went from being an independently driven person to a wife that is fully focused on her husband. I feel as my role has gone from thinking and doing for myself to being an encourager and support for everything that Christopher is doing. Although I don't necessarily do a whole lot down here in Dominica because the opportunities for jobs are slim and hard to find, I feel that my new job is to provide for Christopher (obviously not in a financial way). I make him lunch and dinner and continually encourage him to keep going. I think that for now that is the job that the Lord has planned for me. To make sure that he is taken care of and constantly prayed for and encouraged.

Happy 4t h of July

2008-07-08T14:23:00.003-03:00

This has been a really interesting 4th of July for Christopher and I here in Dominica. Well obviously since we aren't in the USA, they don't celebrate this holiday. I can honestly say that we have never been more happy to be Americans. Living here has really opened up our eyes to show us how great we have it in the US. But we made the most of the holiday. Friday Chris still had to go to class in the morning and then he had an intramural game in the afternoon. That evening we had a cookout for our Church (RCF). RCF puts on a free cookout every semester for the students and it happened to fall on the fourth of July this time. We had hamburgers! They were really good for a Dominican burger. RCF served over 500 people. It was really awesome. So although we missed our families a whole lot this past weekend while they were at the lake and just enjoying good ol' American food we made the best of it.

We also celebrated our friend Andrea's birthday. We went to a place called Big Papa and it was delicious. It was probably the best Dominican food we have had since we have been here. Christopher and I both had Red Snaper. It was great. We went with Andrea and Kyle and Ashley and Ryan. And then yesterday morning Ashley through a brunch for Andrea's birthday with our bible study. So we have had a fun weekend celebrating Andrea's birthday.

Me,Andrea, and Ashley at Big Papa's

My bible study group. Ashley, Andrea, Ralna, Me, and Katrina

Christopher is studying really hard for his next exam that is coming up on Monday. Please keep him in your prayers as he continues to prepare for it. We will be home in 6 weeks and we can't wait! We miss everyone!

It's been awhile

2008-06-29T21:36:00.002-03:00

I realized today that it has been awhile since my last post, so here is a little update on the Shadids.

It has been raining like crazy here in Dominica. In like the last 2 weeks, I think we have had maybe 2 or 3 sunny days. Now when I say its raining its not just some little sprinkle, its a major down pour. It is kind of like the hardest rain you get in Oklahoma minus the major storm part of it all. It doesn't really thunder and lightening, it just rains and rains and rains. The worst part about it is that since we don't have a car we have to walk in the rain everywhere we go. So Chris has to walk in the rain to class and I get to walk in the rain to the grocery stores. Luckily we kind of knew that it rains here a lot in Dominica so we are prepared with our umbrellas and rain coats. Although it is almost way too hot to wear a rain coat here. Now on the good side the rain has really helped cool this place down. Now instead of sweating everywhere you go it is just hot where ever you go. I don't think that they know what cold weather is like here.

So needless to say we have been spending a lot of time at home lately. Chris has began to try and study at home, which I really love because then I don't have to be by myself all of the time. I think he has been enjoying it as well but I am not sure how long it will last. He has his second big exam coming up 2 weeks from tomorrow. So please keep Christopher in your prayers as he prepares for his next exam. He has been doing so well so far so I know he is going to do really great.

I have not really been baking as much anymore since I came back from the States. I think that I have just felt really lazy and haven't really wanted to. But yesterday since Chris was at home studying, I couldn't watch TV or put on music or talk for that matter because he needed it very quiet. So I baked. I made chocolate chip muffins and chocolate chip cookies, and some pico dip, along with an omelet for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and chicken and mash potatoes for dinner. So I spent my day yesterday cooking away. I have decided that I really enjoy cooking well mostly I enjoy baking but I don't think I should do it very much because we are going to come back festively plump if I continue days like yesterday.

It has really been nice having some American food here since I got back. I brought back a lot of things with me from the States and it has just really made it feel more like home. It is amazing how great animal crackers can taste when you don't have access to them. Even iced tea is amazing.

Mini 1...Check!

2008-06-18T11:36:00.003-03:00

Christopher's first exam was on Monday and we got his results back yesterday. He did so great. We are so proud of his accomplishments. He studied so hard and we are excited to see his great results. First tests are normally pretty tough because you don't know how the professors will ask the questions, but Christopher did really great. For a great job well done I got Christopher a little surprise.

Yes Blue Bell Homemade ice cream. What a perfect way to say, have yourself a blue bell country day! Haha! We have never found any ice cream here except for local ice cream and it doesn't taste like real ice cream. So when I saw this at the store yesterday I just knew that Christopher needed it. Since I came back to Oklahoma recently I had the luxury of being able to eat ice cream, but Christopher hasn't had any since we left in April. So what a perfect time to have ice cream than after his first big test.

From "Home" to "Home"

2008-06-14T14:49:00.008-03:00

I think that I have truly been able to understand the famous saying "Home is where the Heart is". I have mixed feelings about it though. I made my trip to Oklahoma City for Emily and Michael Hemphill's Wedding, which was absolutely beautiful and they made the perfect Bride and Groom. It was especially nice to be able to see all of my friends and family. I realized that while being "Home" I didn't feel completely at home. And now that I am back "Home" I still don't feel completely at home. Now it may sound like an incredibly interesting statement but let me explain. I feel like the statement "Home is where the Heart is" is a very true statement because when I was in Oklahoma City I felt at home being with my family but not at home because I was not with the man I love. Now that I am back with the man I love I don't feel completely at home because I am not with the family I love. So I guess I just have to live with the mixed feelings of the statement. I will be at home wherever I am because I have someone I love close to me.

I had such a refreshing time being able to come home to civilization. It is absolutely amazing to me how different life here is on the island. I knew that it was different but I guess I had adapted so much to the island life that I just forgot. After stepping into the airport in San Juan I realized how fast past the United States is. Everyone is in a hurry all of the time. I have learned on the island to accept the slow simple life and I think I really enjoy it. Everyone here does what they want, when they want and in the U.S. everyone feels like they have so much to do and not enough time to do anything. Many times I feel like they forget what is most important in life. Just being with the ones you love and enjoying their company.

Now don't get me wrong I would rather be living in the United States but I have come to realize that the short time we are here is not as bad as it may have seemed. Although I really will miss my long HOT showers, hot water to wash the dishes in, a comfy bed to sleep on (that has lots of pillows), and most of all the luxury of being so close to drive to see all of my family and friends. I am just glad I am back with Christopher, helping him become the Doctor that he wants to be.

Please keep Christopher in your prayers this week as he takes his first big test on Monday. He has been studying so hard. He wakes up at about 6:30 and studies from about 7:30 in the morning until 10:00 at night. I just pray that his hard work will pay off for him.

Potentially Exciting News!!!

2008-05-28T11:44:00.004-03:00

Christopher and I have heard some potentially really exciting news. We heard through the grapevine (not official yet) that Ross has put in a new clinical site at St Anthony's in Oklahoma City. This is huge. This would put us back in Oklahoma City as soon as we get off this island (year and a half). It would become even more significant because you have a better chance of attaining a residency at the hospital that you do your clinicals in, which would keep us in Oklahoma for the long haul. So keep this in your prayers that they do actually open up this clinical site.

We had an EARTHQUAKE! Ok so last week Chris woke up and went to school and at about 7:45, while I was watching TV, our bed, which I was laying on, started shaking. I was like OMG! It only lasted like a minute and it didn't like knock anything off the shelves but the bed was totally shaking. So I told Chris when he got home and he thought I was crazy because they didn't feel it at the school. But I just knew that was what it was, so last night at bible study I was talking to some of the girls and sure enough they felt it too. It was kind of like going into that little booth at the omniplex except nothing was falling over like it does on the screen. It was pretty cool, well not cool but interesting.

I have began to realize that road kill here in Dominica does not exist of squirrels and rodents. Here in Dominica road kill consists of snakes and lizards. I was walking the other day and all of a sudden a lizard just ran out in front of me. I was like well excuse me. So any way I decided I would take a picture of it. Now this could be the last picture that this particular lizard ever took because the next day in the same location I noticed the same sized lizard dead in the middle of the road.

So I have been continuing to bake bread, which really occupies my time significantly. I have been baking for Christopher and I and occasionally some of our friends will come over and want some of it, so I have been baking for them as well. I never thought that this would turn into a business or anything but I think I may have started something. I often get kind of bored here in Dominica so I have been trying all kinds of things and I think the new best baking I have done was some cinnamon raisin bread. Christopher seems to think it tastes like some you buy back at home. I am amazed ever day by what I am able to do here because these are things I would have never done back at home. I would have never taken four hours out of my day to bake bread. And why would you when you could just go buy it, but it really has made me appreciate the baking and cooking our parents do because sometimes it can be a lot of work.

Christopher is still studying everyday and I think that he is really doing great. His first mini (which is the first exam) will be on June 16. So being praying for him as he begins to prepare for that test.

I am going to be coming back home on Monday June 2. I have really been having bittersweet feelings about coming home. I am soo excited to be back at home and see everyone, but I feel just terrible leaving Christopher here by himself. Now I know that I don't see him a lot during the day and that he is really going to be busy with this exam coming up but I just wish I could bring him with me. I have been trying to bake him enough bread to last him the two weeks, and go to the market for him so that he doesn't have to do any of that while I am gone. I don't want him to have to worry about dealing with the grocery stores here because that is the last thing he needs on his mind before a big test. So I hope I prepare enough for him to be alright while I am away.

We hope everyone is having a great day. We miss you all very much! We hope everyone is making plans to come visit us!

Just an Update

2008-05-23T14:59:00.003-03:00

Christopher has been able to finish his first two weeks of class with a breeze. He is studying a lot but it seems for the most part that he is doing very well and grasping all of the concepts very easily for now anyway. He studies for about 3-4 hours a night but is doing really great. Lately he has been very excited to start intramurals. They played their first football game on Thursday. It was the first semester students against the third semester students. Christopher's team lost but they played really well and scored more than another other first semester team from what we have heard. He also started volleyball intramurals yesterday and although they won their game, Christopher said it wasn't very fun because they other team was not very good at all. I am not sure he will continue to play volleyball for the whole semester. Now although it may sound like he is spending a lot of time playing intramurals, he really isn't. They spend like maybe 3 hours a week on intramurals and the rest I feel like is completely devoted to studying. But the football intramurals are a huge deal here and there are normally a ton of people who come out and watch the games. Last semester we heard that at the final game there were like 200-300 people out their watching. So it is pretty crazy.

In the meantime, I have been trying occupy my time by baking. I made four loaves of bread the other day because I was bored and all of our friends bought it from me. I was so excited. I just made it because I was bored and now people are beginning to ask me to continue to make it for them weekly or every other week. So that is exciting. It keeps me busy anyway. So I know that I have mentioned in the past about the grocery stores and how they don't really compare to the grocery stories back at home but here is a picture of James Store. It is the biggest grocery store here. Even though it is the biggest it isn't always the best because you have to make sure and check expiration dates here. James often sells stuff that are 2-3 months out of date.

The other two pictures are pictures of local places to eat. Brothers is a chinese food place that is really very good and Perky's Pizza is some of the best pizza I have ever had. These two places are the closet to United States food. I mean in taste anyway. It is so funny here but because it costs so much for electricity here all of the local food places do not have air conditioner. So at Perky's you eat outside and in brothers they have big fans blowing instead of A/C.

I am excited to say that we have been here for a month tomorrow. Which means we only have 15 more here on the island and 3 until we come home for a break. Time has gone by really fast here so far and we are learning to enjoy the simple life.

The Lord really has been working in our lives while we are here and it is amazing how blinded we were back at home by everyday luxuries. We truly have been able to enjoy God's beautiful creations. It is such a relief here to walk into a local store and hear Michael W. Smith playing in the background, or to walk into the local restaurant and the cook in the back is singing so loud you can hear him singing "How Great Thou Art". These simple things here keep us going because it is a constant reminder that our Lord is with us everyday watching over us and that he brought us here to do his work. We have learned more and more everyday the true understanding of living for Jesus and not for ourselves.

Happy Birthday Christopher!

2008-05-18T16:40:00.009-03:00

Today is Christopher's Birthday and we are trying to compensate for the different birthday atmosphere here in Dominica. Last night we went out to dinner for Christopher's Birthday at a place called Blue Bay. It was amazing. We sat on the beach while we were served the best Dominican food we have had so far. Christopher had the lobster and I ate the grilled Mahi Mahi. We both thought it was really very good. We went with Andrea and Kyle, Ashley and Ryan, Raksha, Siva, Vineet, Lou, and Carson. We had a great time celebrating Christopher's Birthday.

After dinner the boys decided they wanted to go out on the dock near by and smoke a cigar and while we were enjoying the beautiful night and ocean view a man came up and offered us a ride back the Picard (which is where we live, we were in Portsmouth for dinner. It is about 10 minutes from where we live (by car)). So we got to go in a boat back home, which was really fun. I just wish it would have been day time so we could have been able to see the beautiful land from the ocean.

Today we woke up and Christopher went to play his first football intramural scrimmage. He has been looking forward to the intramurals since we got here so he had a great time. While we were out there something hilarious happened. Well it was kind of scary but definitely something you don't see everyday. A bull out of nowhere came and charged the boys playing football. Well when I say boys he charged a guy in a red shirt. The guy wasn't hurt, he just ran and hid behind a tree but it was so weird how the bull just came out of nowhere because we were in the middle of campus and we don't normally see the cows and other animals on campus but I guess anything is possible here.

For lunch we went to subway and then went back home for some Birthday cake. There is nothing like blowing out "candles" for your birthday. (I don't know if you can tell in the picture or not but they don't have birthday candles here in Dominica so Christopher just had to blow out a match. But it was still fun and I know that even though it was korny he liked it.

So now let me get back to some past events that have occurred here in the past few days since we haven't had internet I have not been able to update the blog. Christopher was inducted into the medical profession on Friday by the White Coat Ceremony. This is a day that Christopher and I have been looking forward to for a long time. I am so proud of all that he has accomplished and I know that what God is doing in our lives is so amazing that he has so many great things for us in the future.

Let me kind of explain what the White Coat Ceremony is all about. This ceremony is when the new incoming medical students get to wear their White Coats for the first time. It is a huge ceremony that they have the president of Dominica come and along with him they had a few speakers followed by the actual White Coat part of the ceremony. Each student goes down in front and a current M.D. will put their coat on them. Following that they are then pinned with a Ross University Pin. The whole ceremony was very uplifting because they really praised all of the students for their hard work at getting to this point and it made the students feel like they were one step closer to becoming a doctor. I am so proud of Christopher and I know that he is going to do so great.

We wish that we could be in Oklahoma this weekend so we could spend the weekend with our families. It has been a big weekend with Christopher's Birthday and Betsy's graduation. Congratulation Betsy. We wish we could be there to see you walk across the stage but know that we love you and are thinking about you today. We miss everyone back at home! I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend.

June Cleaver and the First day of School

2008-05-13T16:34:00.008-03:00

Yesterday was the first day of school for Christopher and I think that he really enjoyed it. I think that they started off pretty light on the information just so that they could get acquainted with the new material but even still Christopher spent the first afternoon studying in the library. This semester Christopher will go to class from 8-noon and then depending on the week he will have anatomy lab like 3 afternoons out of the week. So he will have some afternoons off.

While Christopher went off to school I got up and began my day of what I would like to compare to June Cleaver. I woke up and swept the floors and began my day of baking. I have never actually taken on this baking task besides making a few loaves of banana nut bread, so this was a new adventure for me. I decided that since the last time we went and bought bread from the market it went bad in two days, that I would make us some home made bread. So I took out my recipe for Talemy bread from Sittie and began my adventure of the day. Once the bread was done rising I decided that I didn't want to just make bread I wanted to make some cinnamon rolls, and while I was at it I decided that I would try to make some egg stuffed bread (only because it was the only thing I had left in the fridge were a few eggs). I was very excited when the end result turned out awesome. Christopher came home and he absolutely loved the cinnamon rolls and he said that the Talemy bread tasted like Sitties, which was what I was going for. Now for anyone who has made bread, it takes a long time for the bread to rise, so this ended up being about a four hour adventure for me. Just enough time to keep me busy while Chris was in class. I really enjoyed it and decided that my daily job may be to make bread/pastries and potentially sell them.

Something I find extremely interesting here on the island is the way that they build houses and apartments here. The way that they hold up the frame of the house is by trees. Unlike what we do by using boards. It is so interesting and really a great art. This place always has something that is new and interesting. Speaking of interesting we learned the other day that if Christopher Columbus were alive today the only place on earth he would recognize would be Dominica, because it has not changed since he was around.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T19:06:00.003-03:00

We are so sad that we don't get to spend Mother's Day with our Moms. It has become apparent to us while we have been here the things we take for granted and today we realize how much we take our parents for granted. There is nothing more today that we wanted to do than to spend Mother's Day with our Moms. Being the family people that we are we are very sad that we are missing out on the lunch dates with our Moms, but we know that they are being celebrated today by everyone else back at home. We love you all very much and thank our Lord everyday for giving us such wonderful Mothers. We would not be the same without each of you.

Today we went to church for the first time here in Dominica, and it was very well needed. Although it was not like our church at home we really enjoyed praising the Lord with others and getting to meet great people. The church here is called Ross Christian Fellowship and it is more like an FCA than a church but they did have worship and a sermon. Today one of Christopher's fellow students taught the sermon but normally, from what we understand, a pastor from Oklahoma normally runs it. So we are looking forward to him coming back in June to hear him speak. He is a Baptist Pastor from Oklahoma so hopefully he will give us a sense of home.

We met some really great people at church today and I feel sure that they are going to help us spiritually through this journey we are encountering. I was also asked to join a bible study. I am really excited about it because it is with a group of girls that are about my same age but who are all very nice and will be great to get to know. We will meet once a week on Tuesday nights so I am looking forward to that.

Last night we went to eat with our neighbors Kyle and Andrea, and their friends Ryan and Ashley. We went to this place called the Iguana Cafe. It was really pretty good. Christopher and I both had the Mahi Mahi. Kyle and Andrea have been so great helping us get adjusted here in Dominica. We are so thankful for what they have done for us. Kyle is a fifth semester here so he will be done after this semester to head back to the States and Ryan is a third semester. But we are so thankful that we are able to meet other couples here who are great Christians and who are also great to be around.

We hope everyone back at home has had a wonderful Mother's Day and we miss you all very much. We wish we could have spent the day with you but just know that we are constantly thinking about you and missing you very much.

A day in our life while in the jungle

2008-05-09T10:40:00.005-03:00

Yesterday was a really great day. Christopher and I went to campus to register him for his classes. At registration it began with us filling out information on who your hurricane buddy was going to be so that in the case of a hurricane the school could get a hold of you by your cell phone or your buddies cell phone. After that we had to make sure he had turned in a bunch of paper work that had to have been done prior to coming and then it was off to the registrar. I am really not sure what they did there but they took his name and did something. After that we went on to get his Ross account set up for his school email address. Following that we went to the security building to pick up his ID. They are very peculiar about having your ID on you so that the only people on campus are the students, students families, and the faculty. I have not gotten my ID yet because we have to wait until next week. They like actually ask you when you come in the gate to see your ID so in the meantime we have had temporary ID's until they can be made for us. But I guess that is good so we know that the campus is a safe place to be. Following all of this we went to get Chris's books, dissection kits, lab coats, and well more books. It took both of us to carry his stuff back to our apartment which is like a 15 minute walk from campus.

So it was an exciting day. Christopher also was able to play volleyball all afternoon yesterday, which if anyone knows him that is like his most favorite thing to do. So I watched them play volleyball until it got dark and then we headed back home to cook some dinner.

So we have been trying to eat the food from the island but we are just having a really hard time. In order to save money you have to eat the fresh fruits and vegetables otherwise you will be spending a fortune on canned food. For a can of green beans it will cost us $2 US for one can so we have been trying to alter our style of eating. But we have found that is not working out really well because all of the food that we bought from the market on Saturday went bad. The bread had mold on it by the third day we had it, probably because we didn't put it in the refrigerator. The carrots just went bad even though they were in the fridge, we don't know why. We just feel like the fresh stuff goes bad really fast which makes it hard to only go to market one day a week. We also had a disastrous attempt with the fish that we bought. Now don't get me wrong we will probably still try and eat it but I don't know. We first cooked the blue marlin fish and what we didn't realize is that it is extremely tough. When I say tough it is more tough than a steak, so we were kind of shocked when we expected it to be like the fish we are used to where it just falls apart. So we looked it up on the internet to see if we just cooked it wrong and sure enough the blue marlin fish is just extremely tough fish. We bought the marlin because 3rd semester student here was at the market when we were and was just saying how great the marlin is and that it is rare here so if they have it you should get a lot, so he bough 10lbs. of marlin. So we thought well gosh if it is that good we should get a lot too. We are a little disappointed with that purchase. But since we also bought some salmon we are hoping that it will be a little bit better.

Now back to the fact that it is hard to eat the island food, haha. The last 3 nights we have had kraft mac and cheese with each meal. It has been our taste of home. We hope that it doesn't get old because right now it is the most delicious thing we are eating. But we are really trying to adjust to the food, it is just so different.

We don't have washers and dryers here, well when I say that, we don't have access to washers and dryers. So we have to send our laundry out to have it done. So I called Hermina (the laundry lady that our neighbors use who say she does a good job and does actually use machines to wash and dry the clothes) and she came this morning to pick up our laundry. Now when I say she came and picked it up this morning she came at 5:45 this morning. Our neighbors said to just leave it outside the night before because they come so early but I guess since they haven't picked up our laundry yet they didn't realize that that was our laundry waiting for them at our front door. So we got up at 5:45 to help them get our laundry. We hope it turns out well because we have heard horror stories about sending the laundry out. One lady washed their clothes in the river and brought their clothes back with holes in all of their clothes from scrubbing them on the rocks in the river. So we are hopeful that Hermina brings our clothes back tomorrow morning in good shape.

Now that I have kind of given you all an idea of what this island life is like I hope you have a great day and remember to be thankful for everything you have.

The HOLY Alphabet

2008-05-07T11:10:00.003-03:00

My Aunt Toni sent me this email and I thought it was so good I just want to share it with all of you. I truly think that everyone should live by this HOLY ALPHABET.

Although things are not perfect
Because of trial or pain
Continue in thanksgiving
Do not begin to blame
Even when the times are hard
Fierce winds are bound to blow
God is forever able
Hold on to what you know
Imagine life without His love
J oy would cease to be
Keep thanking Him for all the things
Love imparts to thee
Move out of "Camp Complaining"
No weapon that is known
On earth can yield the power
Praise can do alone
Quit looking at the future
Redeem the time at hand
Start every day with worship
To "thank" is a command
Until we see Him coming
Victorious in the sky
We'll run the race with gratitude
X alting God most high
Y es, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad, but...
Z ion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!

Our Barrel Made It!!!!

2008-05-07T10:01:00.011-03:00

Yeah! Yesterday our barrel came and it was Christmas for us in Dominica. We were so excited to see things like our knife, coffee maker, granola bars, spices, soaps, school supplies and cleaning supplies. Everything that is from America here is so expensive for example we went to the store the other day and it costs $10 US for a regular box of cereal or $8 US for a regular package of grated cheese and even $4 for one can of green beans. So we feel that sending our barrel was well worth it. We are so thankful for the luxuries that are available in the US because we don't have very many of them here.

Christopher and the man that went and picked our barrel up from the port had to carry our barrel up three flights of stairs because our apartment is on the third floor. The man had to pick our barrel up for us because well one we don't have a car here and also they say it is better to have a local go and pick up your barrel because they will charge them less on the tax on the barrel than they would someone like us. We also didn't want to carry our huge barrel by ourselves. But we are so glad that we have a little bit of home here in Dominica now. I think we have enough granola bars to last us the whole 16 months. Now probably not but it really feels like it.

We had a wonderful day yesterday because we got our barrel, there was a barbecue (not like an Oklahoma barbecue, but it was alright), and Christopher finally got to play some volleyball, while I got to watch the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. I am constantly in aww of the beauty that the Lord has created here. I wish everyone could experience the beauty of it. It is because of these things that allows us to keep going and enjoying every opportunity that the Lord has put before us.

Yesterday being a very exciting day, I can add that we had our first up close experience with a lizard. We have heard about the lizards here but we had yet to see one until yesterday. It was an extremely small and harmless little lizard but it was fun to finally see one.

Trip to the Carib Territory and Emerald Pool

2008-05-05T20:01:00.012-03:00

Yesterday we went on a little tour of the island, to see some of the nature sites that are here. We first went to the Carib Territory. This territory is like the Native American territory in the US. They are different people than the dominicans and from what we learned are not particularly friendly with the dominican people. We are friends with this girl named Joanna and she is from Dominica and she told us that she has never been to the Carib territory until yesterday. The things that the Carib people did were very interesting. We had a tour guide that kind of gave us some insight into these people and she explained to us that they are the only people who eat the whole cow. They even eat what is called black pudding and it is the blood of the cow. Really gross I know. They also eat the leather of the cow, or the skin of the cow. It was very interesting to see how these people live because it is so different from us. Most of the people there do not have air conditioner or flushing toilets. Keep in mind that these are the Carib people and not the local dominican people that we live by. Here is a picture of some Carib people making bread at their local bakery. The bread is made with a particular spice that if it is not prepared properly it is poisonous. They offered us a taste of the Cassava bread but we decided that we didn't want to take our chances with the idea that they may not have prepared the bread properly. A friend of ours tried it and said it was really good but we decided not to.

While going through the Carib territory I ate my first coconut. It was very interesting. The water inside of the coconut when you first open it tastes like flavored water, but not necessarily like coconut water. It is a distinct taste but hard to describe. The inside, which you can see me eating in this picture below was a very different taste. A lot of people really liked the inside but Christopher and I didn't really care for it. Christopher is drinking fresh pineapple juice in this picture and it was awesome. Although Christopher didn't really like it because it was too sweet, I liked it a whole lot. It was delicious!

After we left the Carib Territory we went to the Emerald Pool. This was really the highlight of our trip. We hiked into the rainforest for about fifteen minutes. We hiked down into the mountain and came upon the Emerald Pool. It was a waterfall that was so beautiful and the water it fell into was completely clear. It was so awesome. It makes you really appreciate what our God has created. Living in the city does not give you the gratitude for the wonderful and beautiful areas God has created. It was awesome.

It was worth the long bus ride their to see what we saw. As we were leaving Christopher had to go to the bathroom and their was a sign that said you had to pay $1 to go to the bathroom, and sure enough there was a guy there taking money for you to go use the restroom. I never in my life knew you would have to pay to use the toilet so I thought I needed to take a picture of it because I thought it was extremely hilarious.

Now keep in mind $1 is equivalent to $0.30 US so really it is not that much but still it is a little weird that they charge you to go to the bathroom.

Today we didn't do a whole lot because it has been raining on and off all day and it has been extremely cloudy. This is a blessing here because it has really cooled it off a lot and we aren't sweating everywhere we go. Although it has made it extremely humid for tonight.

Christopher is attending his orientation classes tonight so I am excited to here how that went. I am so proud of what he has accomplished and so blessed that the Lord has allowed us this opportunity to achieve his dream of becoming a doctor. We thank him every day for the blessings he has given us. Thank you so much for all of your prayers back at home, they have truly helped because we are really adjusting well and learning our way around this island. We love you all very much!

Trip to the Market

2008-05-03T09:38:00.005-03:00

We woke up this morning at 5:15 a.m. to make our way to the market. The school was hosting a free trip there so we headed down to the school at about 5:30. After we all loaded the buses we headed down to the market in Portsmouth, which is about 5 minutes away. It is just a little too far to walk and besides that, after all the food we got we didn't want to walk there. We got there and headed straight to the fish, because everyone said that it goes really fast and the best fish is the first thing to go. So we headed that way. Once we got there it was like nothing we had ever seen. It was so cool it was like they caught the fish and brought it straight to the table and cut it to the amount of pounds we wanted and gave it to us. It was so fascinating.

We kind of got last pick because the locals always got first dibs on the what they wanted, but even that we got some awesome fish. We were able to get 5lbs of salmon and 6lbs of blue marlin. We are going to freeze most of it so we can keep it for later. But we had a really great time at the market.

We got fresh fruit such as bananas and mangos. We also got a lot of other stuff like carrots vegetables, green onion, potatos, onions, lettuce, and bread. All of the food is sold straight from the farms so we don't have any processed foods here. It is really crazy here. We take it for granted in the states of how our food gets there and here we are able to visually see the farms and everything and we get to see how hard these people work to get the food grown.

We thank the Lord here everyday for providing for us in every way. Everything is so different here, that it is taking some time to get acquainted with our surroundings, but I feel like we are doing very well adjusting to this new and different world. But we are also so very thankful for what is provided for us in the US.

Things to be thankful for:

Hot water: we have a switch for the hot water in the shower and we only have hot water in the shower. Which 9 out of 10 times only makes the water tolerable. And the other time the water is boiling hot. We have not hot water to wash our dishes with.

Groceries are super expensive. They are overpriced groceries even for a third world country.

Pre-paid electricity - it is really depressing to see the power meter drop rapidly.

No Car- As sad as it is, we are so dependent on our vehicles. It would be so handy having a vehicle but really it is not necessary. It forces us to walk everywhere which is great for losing weight.

We hope you have a great day! We miss you all like crazy!

Trip to Roseau

2008-05-03T00:48:00.005-03:00

Today we took a 50 minute bus ride into the town of Roseau. Roseau is the capital of dominica and this town is much more like a tourist area. We had our first experience with the Roseau market and we ate some of the best mango we have ever had in our entire lives.

We were also able to shop at an IGA grocery store. It is small but it has things that you can get in the states which we can't find located near where we live. So we bought a few things but we mostly walked around the town and just enjoyed our time in the city. Another exciting thing about this place is that it had a place called Rituals which is a coffee shop that is very very similar to a starbucks. But we had a great day today and we are going to be going to the Market in Portsmouth tomorrow to get some fruits, vegetables, and fish. We have to leave at 6 a.m. in order to get the fresh produce. It actually opens at 5 a.m. We are really excited about it and hope that we get some really great stuff.

If you want to look at more pictures click on the link at the top right of this blog. There are pictures of our trip to Roseau and just some pictures of our apartment and the school and some other random pictures. We hope you enjoy them.We love you all and miss you very much.

Welcome to the Jungle

2008-05-01T10:21:00.006-03:00

We finally made it to Dominica. After an hour on the runway in Oklahoma City, to a "home alone" sprint through the Chicago airport to find out we missed our flight (we could see the plane pulling out), to a three hour night sleep in Miami with Givens, and a 4 hour layover in San Juan Puerto Rico, we made it to the beautiful island of Dominica.
The fly into Dominica was one of the most crazy flights I have ever had. After we arrived we took a 50 minute drive to the town of Picard where the school is located. We arrived at the school and they immediately took us to drop our stuff off at our new apartment. We are very pleased with our apartment. We secured a place before we came down here so we are glad that what we did was really great with out being able to see it prior to arrival. That is our apartment in the background. We live on Moo Cow Trail, and there are literally cows on trail to our apartment. And there is Christopher getting kind of close to the bull that lives next to our apartment.

After we went to the apartment we went back to the school for a school tour. It is pretty amazing. They have a lot of study decks where you are just over the ocean. You can hear the waves crash up against it. It is really neat.

Dinner was not exactly the highlight of our day. We went to a place called Bob's Chinese food and all I can say is that it was a struggle to get it down.

The next day was really fun. We got up and walked to campus and had a banana for lunch. They have banana farms here so if that tells you anything about how good the banana was. It was very sweet. Absolutely delicious. We then took care of some stuff for Christopher's school. And after going to the bank we decided we would eat at Subway, yes we have a subway! It was awesome. I think because we really hadn't eaten much but it was just like at home.

We went to the beach that afternoon and it was so beautiful. The beaches are black volcanic sand. It is really cool.

We are doing great and we can not believe we actually live here. We decided that our new theme song is going to be "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns and Roses because we truly feel like we are in the jungle. It is really weird that we have to walk everywhere and that the grocery stores are way less than a dollar general. It is truly amazing what God has created here. It is a completely different lifestyle here so we are learning to adjust to the island life. We miss everyone back at home very much and can't wait for you all to come visit so we can show you how amazing this island actually is. Please keep us in your prayers as we learn to adjust to this new lifestyle.

Almost Ready...

2008-04-14T12:03:00.003-03:00

We finally got our barrel all packet up after packing and repacking it a few times. It takes an art to get everything in those barrels. We ended up putting everything from a coffee maker and a mixer to soap and shampoo. I think the barrel weighs like 300 lbs. We had to put it in Chris's car to take it to the freight company and well it was really heavy. We had a fun time putting it all in there and can't wait until we get down there and get to open it up. We decided it would be like Christmas because it will be a sense of home in a far away land.

Chris and I leave two weeks from today so we are starting to get everything together we think we need to pack. Although we are sad that we have to leave our families, we are really excited to see what the future holds for us. Everything has been so unknown for the last few months so we are really excited to see what we are getting ourselves into.

From what we hear I will not be able to find a job down in Dominica, and if I were to find one the average pay is like $3 an hour. So Chris and I have been trying to come up with any ideas that maybe I could make or sell, like some girls that are down there now are baking bread and selling it to the Ross students. So if you have any ideas please let us know because otherwise I may just have to lay on the beach for the next sixteen months (which may not be so bad, who needs a job with a life like that haha)

What are you doing?

2008-04-07T16:05:00.002-03:00

Ok so for many people I have spoken to I have forgotten to explain the reason why Chris and I are going to the beautiful island of Dominica. Chris was accepted to Ross University school of Medicine last September. Ross Univeristy is a Caribbean Medical school on the island of Dominica, so that is why we will be spending the next 16 months in Dominica. After we complete the 16 months we will be back in Miami, Florida for another semester. We are so excited for this upcoming journey and I hope through this blog we will be able to keep in touch with everyone back at home. We are going to greatly miss everyone but we know that this is where the Lord is calling us to go. We are preparing ourselves to take the leap of faith in approaching these exciting times we have before us. We are so thankful for all of your prayers.

Preparing for Take Off

2008-04-04T13:22:00.005-03:00

As the time gets closers for us to leave, Chris and I are trying our hardest to be sure to have everything ready we need to take with us. We got our barrel, and for those of you who don't know, the best way to send items to Dominica is to send them in this big 55 gallon barrel. So we have made that purchase and are making lists so that we can get as much as we can into this barrel to ship down there. Here is a pictures of what I am talking about.

So the reason we need to send this barrel is because in Dominica they do not have some of the things available that we have in the states. If they do have some of the items available it tends to be up to three times more expensive there than it would be in the States. So for example we will probably be packing items such as:

Cereal
Nutri Grain Bars
All kinds of Spices such as: cinnamon and basil, etc.
Shampoo
Soap
Sheets
Towels
Any kinds of Kitchen items that are specific to your cooking needs such as a toaster for example

These are just some of the things we will be taking just so you can have an idea of what I am talking about.

Another really exciting event that has occurred for Christopher and I is that we have secured a place to live in Dominica. We are so excited about it and can't wait to get down there to see what it actually looks like as opposed to pictures. It is a new apartment complex that has only been open for 2 semesters and everyone that lives there currently goes to Ross. Although we have a little apprehension about it because we have not seen it in person, the landlord was so nice on the phone and the Ross Housing Department was very positive about it.