Two More Classes Down & Another Birthday Missed

This morning Derek and I took our last of two final exams this week. We have now finished two more classes of the many we will take to reach our dream of being doctors. We took our Parasitology final this morning and Genetics final on Monday morning! While we were studying this past weekend we saw a rainbow outside our window...two days in a row!! It is kind of hard to tell in the picture but this is one of the brightest rainbows we have ever seen! As it was visible for over an hour!

I am not sure if Derek is mad because I was taking his picture

or because we were studying?

Also, Sunday was Tee's 4th birthday! This birthday is part of the many other birthdays we will miss while we are in Grenada! Derek and I sent Tee a new collar and leash for his birthday! I think he had a good day with his Grandparents...even though his parents were not there! Below is a video of Tee's 3rd birthday last year!

Success...Finally!

I am happy to report that after much trial and error, I have finally successfully made rice! I have tried several times to make rice and it has not turned out. It seems like an easy task but it would not do right. I have always had lots of success in the kitchen...but rice has not been my friend. While I was home over Christmas break my Mom and Mimi showed me again how to boil rice. Tonight I made one last attempt! I made stir-fry tonight and the rice was wonderful!

Now I can go back to normal rice and not the boil in a bag stuff. Thank you Mom and Mimi!

Inauguration Reflections

On Tuesday, January 20th, Derek and I watched history! We got out of class at noon, came home, and watched the inauguration festivities! I found it to be entertaining and intriguing! I must admit, however, I also found it to be rather sad.

I don't think it is a secret that I have always been a big fan of President Bush, so I was sad to see him leave office. Putting politics aside, I don't think there is anyone who can say he is not a wonderful man! From the beginning he has always been very open about his Christian faith and I admire him for that...he is truly a man of God! I believe this is the reason for a lot of his criticism throughout his term in office. Rather you agree with the decisions he made or not, I believe that he always did what he believed was best for our country!

As I said I was sad to see him leave but I was comforted to see him after he left the capitol. He looked like he had the weight of the world lifted off him...he had a bounce in his step! When he returned to Texas there was a welcome home rally for him. If you did not see the video of the speech he gave I would suggest watching it, I found it to be very good! Here are the videos, Part 1 and Part 2.

A little about the Obamas...I am hoping that President Obama will be a good president. I think he is a smart and intelligent man. He is clearly a great speaker and knows how to win people over. I am not sure if he knows what he is doing...but honestly who does...it is not like there is a school that teaches you how to be the President of the United States!

Onto his wife and fashion...I think she is a beautiful woman! But, I was not a big fan of the dresses she decided to wear for this historic day. I like the design of the first dress she wore for the swearing in and the parade...but I did not like the color. I think it would have been perfect if it was in a different color and with gloves and shoes that matched better. On the other hand...I thought the color of the ball gown she wore was great. But, I did not like the design! For one, it was not flattering to her figure at all! Like I said she is a beautiful woman and has a great body but that dress did nothing for either. Secondly, the designer must not have been thinking about function...the main event at the inauguration balls is dancing! I felt so bad for Michelle, she could hardly move in the dress much less dance. Also, was it just me or did she seem very uncomfortable being in the spot light? She had better get used to it!

Lastly, their daughters...they are the cutest little girls I have ever seen! The youngest daughter was so full of joy...she was smiling and bouncing as she walked. The oldest daughter had her camera in hand and was capturing as much as she could. It was clear how proud they both are of their daddy! On the Today Show this morning they had a segment about the Bush and Obama daughters. The Bush daughters wrote a letter to the Obama daughters giving them advice for their upcoming years in the White House. If you did not see it I would suggest watching it (the video it below)...I really enjoyed it!

Back On Island Time

After a wonderful Christmas season, we are back in Grenada! We have a truly joyful and relaxing break at home. We got to see a few friends and spend lots of time with family...which is what Christmas is all about! Derek and I racked up with Christmas gifts this year! One of the many exciting gifts we received was a new camera! I practiced using it while we were home and I hope to capture some good pictures of Grenada with it! Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to try out our new camera since we have been back because we have been so busy!

We got back to Grenada on Saturday January 10th, we spent Sunday unpacking, and we started classes on Monday! It has been a real whirlwind!! This term starts with two short classes for us! We are currently taking Genetics and Parasitology. We have our finals for these classes next Monday and Tuesday (January 26 & 27)! On Wednesday (the 28th) we start our normal full semester classes! Also, this semester we are taking a selective (which is kind of an extra class). The selective we are taking is a specialized anatomy dissection. Today was our first day to dissect, we started taking skin off the back. I won't go into any of the details but we enjoyed it! If you want to know more we will be happy to share, let us know!

Our trip back to Grenada was our best trip we have had! American Airlines has started a new flight direct from Miami, which cuts out one flight for us! Our flight schedule was wonderful, we have almost no layover time! It is amazing how better you feel when you get here after having a relaxing day of travel!

This time of the year in Grenada is definitely the best weather! I can not tell you how nice the weather is! It has been in the 80s every day, lower humidity than we are used to, and a nice breeze off the ocean! We could not ask for better weather! It has rained almost every day but it is usually at night and dries as soon as the sun comes up...so it does not really bother us!

Here are a few pictures I took with our new camera while we were home...I practiced with the dogs! I have also been trying to learn how to edit the pictures on the computer, hopefully my pictures will continue to improve!