#tightlikeuntoadish

Earlier today our friends, Stacey and Steve, asked us if we wanted to come over to their house for dinner. It was incredibly sweet of them, and really a major blessing. Stacey always knows the ways to make lives more cheerful. (Life is crazy with moving, boxes, and getting Ryan set for his big embarkation (T-minus two days and six hours). Not to mention our renter moving in Friday afternoon.) 

When we got to Stacey's house, another neighbor, Misty, opened the door and her little girl, Cici, yelled, "Surprise!"

I thought it was just a little dinner with Stacey and Steve and their kids. Stacey had really planned a little going away party. It made us feel loved, appreciated, and really, really happy and sad at the same time! I hadn't been too emotional about leaving--life is full of adventures--but at that moment and a few other times throughout the night, I realized how sad I was to leave my sweet friends and neighbors here in Blackhorse.

It really goes to show that Heavenly Father has a plan when he places you in various circumstances throughout your life. I am so glad we bought our first home here and that Adi has had some of her firsts here: first group of friends, first bike, first smooches (not sure if that'a good thing, Stacey?!?). We sure will miss it, but we're excited that we'll have the same opportunities in Grenada.

I wanted to document the fun we had, so I snapped some photos...

The first thing I noticed were Misty's amazing decorations... 

And her amazing usage of #hashtags

At one point, Adam was giving us a hard time about the usage of a good hashtag and he said something like #imleaving to which Misty responded #dontletthedoorhityouonthewayout. 

Oh Misty is so clever! 

Hilarious. 

We were all dying! 

Misty's last effort to make us stay... 

We'll miss Lindsay and Mary Anne

And Bri (and Ada), Cassidy, and Stacey too... 

We'll miss Adam. He'll miss our amazing #hashtag wars, and he's already said that nursery (where he and Ryan serve together) just won't be the same without him. Apparently they had a system. It really warmed my little heart to hear Primary callings going well. 

Adi and Dani were getting Jenn's amazing cookies. (I had waayy too many.)

We finally got Cassidy to smile--Misty and I were a sight to be seen to get this.

Little Gavin wanted to join in the fun

Although at times it was hard. (: Misty and Kim made it fun! 

Sam, Dave, and Adam were chatting with... 

Steve who was watching some of the kiddos. (Oh my goodness Finn is such a cutie.)

Callen had fun with cars

And tiny Ada observed from the sidelines.

I'm pretty sure the only person not pictured anywhere is Anderson, who at age seven was an awesome photographer!

A little hand... 

It was hard to get everyone together... 

And for everyone to hold still long enough for a picture. 

Left to Right

Adam, Lindsay, Cassidy, Colton, Ryan, Misty, Jesse, Me, Stacey, Adi, Finn, Steve, Ellie, Mary Anne, Maisy, Matty, Kim, Benson, Grette, Gavin, Same, Ada, Jenn, Sam, Bri, and Jack. 

Not pictured: Callen and Anderson 

Whew. 

A huge than you to Steve and Stacey for hosting, and for making delicious chicken and to everyone else who brought yummy, yummy food. I look up to you and emulate each one of you! 

We have been incredibly blessed to have this amazing group of men and women in our lives. We hope our paths cross after med school and for eternities to come. 

Barbecue with St. George's Friends

One of the most amazing things about St. George's is the significant other (SO) organization on campus. It really is amazing. They provide a lot of information on housing, schools, travel, and simply what to expect. They even assign you a "Footsteps Buddy" that helps you get things squared away and to make sure you have a friend and ride from the airport. My buddy, Beth, has been so insightful about schools, where to live, Internet and phone information, etc! 

But, the close-knit feeling doesn't end there. In addition to the St. George's SO group, the group of students (and locals) who belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-days Saints (aka the Mormons), have a small congregation down there that is incredibly tight-knit. So close in fact that we've already become friends with over ten student families who have either been down there previously or who are headed down there for the first time this fall.

Those who have been there on the island for 3rd term this summer have even helped us get our apartment squared away and offered to help with grocery shopping and schools. 

Really, amazing. 

Knowing that, and already being connected to many of them on Facebook, Ryan and I had a great idea... why not host a BBQ for the students who will be there this fall! New students would get to know old students and new students would get to know new students. A really great win-win! (Especially because I'm excited about having a group of friends down there when Adi and I arrive in September.) 

So, last night we hosted a little BBQ with eight different families. It was so much fun. We are already so grateful for these incredible families and their examples and friendships. The next two years will be such a fantastic adventure! 

Grenada or Bust! 

L to R: Anna, Laina, Tim, Me, Ryan, Jason, Lori, Megan, Kylee, Erin, Paul, and Brad

(Plus children... I didn't quite catch all of their names) 

Notre Petite Maison - Finding a House

In late May, Ryan and I decided that St. George's would be where we pursued medical school. And once that decision was made life became a whirlwind.

Whirl. Wind. 

To sell or not to sell? Private school or Public school? Where do we live? When do we fly out? When do we end our jobs? Do we store our stuff? The list went on and on, but we found a way to organize some of our thoughts via a free website called Trello that allows you to keep lists and tag people in comments. It helped us (me?) keep our "To Do" list in order, especially when came time to finding a place to live.

Grenada has various parishes (i.e., provinces) around the island with St. George's being the one in which most students live. After that, each parish is broken into smaller neighborhoods. After hearing about Grenada for over three years, we knew that the most ideal place to live was the Lance Aux Epines (LAE) (French for a solider armed with a lance) neighborhood.

Luckily because of the number of students (6,000+) that come and go from St. George's University (medical program, veterinary program, and MBA program, among others), someone at some point formed Central Lease, a real estate organization and site that focuses specifically on rental properties (from $300 studios to $6,000 six bedrooms). This is great for a variety of reasons, one being a legitimate source for good housing options when you can't afford to spend thousands on a quick trip down to find a place to live.

I first started perusing Central Lease in late May and quickly found a few great places. The only problems were the total signing costs... first, last, deposit... $3,000. Ouch. And a year lease (friends had advised us to avoid this if possible)? No thank you, we'll keep looking. We kept asking questions and kept looking. We knew something would work out.

Fast forward six weeks. After exhausting all  of the 2-bedroom options (through well over 50 emails with a woman named Sonja about seven different units), we started looking at studios and one bedrooms. We figured that because Ryan was flying out a month an a half before Adi and I, that those options would also be good bets.

Finally we found a darling, well-priced ($750) one-bedroom that would work for us! We asked the right questions... only one minor issue... okay, we'll take it!

Wait?

It's gone? How can that be?

Square one.

There was one more 2-bedroom left in LAE, I decided to ask... gone.

But the most amazing thing happened.

Sonja said, that although that one was gone, another one in the building had just opened up, a 2-bedroom. It wasn't on Central Lease yet, but we could send someone to take a look if we were interested.

She named the price: $375.

Did I misread the screen?

$375? 

Too good to be true?

Sure enough, Sonja posted it on Central Lease the next morning. A two-bedroom in LAE for $375. The cheapest 2-bedroom listed. It said "Not Available" so I panicked and called from Google Voice. She was saving it for us if we wanted it. We felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for Sonja's help and to our Heavenly Father for always providing a way.

We don't know for sure if it is too good to be true, but the pictures look decent with a healthy dose of Caribbean flair.

We're very excited and hoping and praying for a good cross breeze because it would be amazing to save $500+ monthly on rent for the entire two years.

We'll make it work. (:

So, without further adieu, here is "Cameron II Economy".

 

Notre petite maison

Dusk.

9:00am church is so nice, but sometimes I feel like I don't leave my house after 12:00pm. That's how I felt today,  and so for some reason tonight I opened the door...

I love spring and summer evenings in Utah, and tonight was the beginning of many wonderful evenings!

Black Bats, Pink Cats.

Well, we finally managed to pull the Halloween decorations out of the attic. Our decorations consist of a box with a rubber spider that jumps out when you open it, and paper bats that my mom cri-cutted out for us last year. 

Binx now refers to our living room as the "spooky forest."

She has also decided that the chest at the foot of our bed is a great stage to entertain us at night.

Performances are now given nightly during the 8:30 - 9:30 pm hour.

Nightly performances include jumping and singing. Some of the time she faces us, but mostly she likes to see herself in the mirror. This performance is somewhat reminiscent of this from last year. 

It usually ends with an encore of jumping on our bed and then us tackling and tickling her.

(She's irresistibly tickle-able in her footed pjs.)

On a tangent regarding that performance last year, Adi is convinced she is going to be a cat for Halloween again this year. A pink one. She told a lady at the mall that on Saturday. Apparently, her cousins (both boys) are also going to be pink cats. I'm sure this will be news to them.

Garden Delight

Because we planted so late, we are just now starting to harvest from our small garden. 

This morning we picked our very first zucchini and can't wait until our tomatoes finally ripen! 

Toast, messy, face, cheesy eyes-closed smile, and the first zucchini.

Priceless. 

Saturday Morning Around These Parts...

This morning, I met Maleen for a 7:30 run.

Let's talk about how 7:30 is so much better than 6:15.

When we got back, Ryan was up and headed out for a run. But, before he left we started tidying up.

After he left, I got down to business. And, I'll compare it to this...

With Ryan and Adi gone, I found a groove, and by the time they got back, I'd done dishes, laundry, cleaned all three bathrooms, cleaned all the mirrors in the whole house, stripped bedding, vacuumed (well, technically Wall-E vacuumed), and had started dusting.

After they got home we kept cleaning, and I'm happy to report our house is in tip-top shape (minus needing to vacuum a little more and mop).

But, Maleen, had given me an idea a couple of weeks ago when she mentioned that she deep cleans one thing once a week. Genius.

So, wanting to start small, I identified an area for improvement, and went for it.

                                           Before                                                          After

Small and insignificant?

Perhaps.

But this is a start of a beautiful weekly tradition...

New-New

I love getting a good deal, but sometimes I hate the wait involved.

Ryan has taught me this patience over the past four years, and I'm thinking (or rather hoping) that it's starting to rub off.

Previously we posted pictures of our new pistachio-colored exercise room.

I'll admit, it looked a little bare.

It definitely needed a treadmill!

So we looked.

We looked and looked and looked.

And almost bought. And then we waited.

I'd given up the idea of getting a treadmill this year, thinking we would have to fork over $600 or more for anything decent.

And then, thanks to Facebook, we saw that some friends were selling their gently-used treadmill for only $100!

I called Ryan immediately and we were both in sold!

So a fresh, $100 bill later we had a not-so-bare exercise room!

Tonight I was able to take her for a spin for the first time (in my new pink shoes I might add), and I must say I scored a personal record for my mile time!

Now I just need to hit the pavement that fast!

Here's to running, I guess I'm starting to warm up...

(The before picture. Lonely weight bench.)

(The after picture. Yay!)

Now we just need some decor and a wall-mounted TV. (;

Home Ownership Defined

When we got our first power bill after purchasing our town house, I had a bit of sticker shock.

Heck, you would too going from an average of $30 a month to a $139 bill.

I chalked it up to a new house, more square feet, more exposed walls, etc. But, it was unsettling to be sure because we hadn't even run our A/C once during that time.

So, when the next bill came and it totaled $183.26 I about had a heart attack. That was more than double our cumulative utilities for the past two years.

Needless to say, I started to ask questions. A lot of questions.

After hours on the phone with Rocky Mountain trying to convince them that I don't run my A/C at 60 degrees every second of every day (among other ridiculous things--such as potentially having cats living in my ducts like the customer service rep?), Ryan and I performed a breaker test to no avail.

Finally, I asked my dad to come help us figure this thing out.

He went to the breaker and cut the main breaker to our house and our neighbors' A/C stopped short. We looked at each other... and when he flipped it back on, it started whirring.

It turns out the meters were mislabeled five years ago and it's only now that it's being discovered.

I called Rocky Mountain and they said that they would note that it's possible the meters are mislabeled.

Possible? I. don't. think. so. They are. Period.

To top it off they said that I didn't have to be there when they went to check... and then I get a phone call saying that because my doorbell doesn't light up, they need me there. Oh brother.

It turns out that the difference between my current bill and my actual bill is $117.26.

Ladies and gentleman I just saved $1,407.12 a year.

A electricity bill with a high of $66. Yes. Please.

---

Because Ryan and I had to leave work early to take care of that yesterday, we decided to run to Lowe's for a couple quick projects.

Ryan thinks I was a little two excited about the $23 and change that we spent but check these out!

That's right ladies and gentlemen! We have a new, lights-up doorbell and (drum roll please............) a peephole in our front door! I no longer have to be suspicious of when my doorbell rings! 

I may have been a tad too excited for the peephole, but seriously, best $23 ever! 

PS, I love my handy, hot husband with his awesome power tools!

My Girly-girl's Space

Two weekends ago, Ryan and I sent Adi to Seven Peaks with my brother and sister-in-law while we put her room together. We painted and decorated, and were so excited to show her her new surprise... 

When we bought the house... 

After the transformation (including a little reading corner with an Ikea spice rack, hacked, painted and hung as a children's bookshelf (although we will likely take it down and re-hand two instead), thank you to Jillian for the idea! 

We love decorating and are so excited to be able to make our little house a home! 

The Nasty Patch

We had this nasty patch of dirt in the backyard along the house. It was pretty much a litter box with wood chips. I had the dream (obsession) of covering it all up with garden boxes. So, the in-laws were kind enough to donate some old lumber to the cause and we made a Family Home Evening activity of it. (Actually, we had several FHEs on this subject. I think Binx has, "Faith is like a little seed. Plant it and it will grow." ingrained into her psyche sufficiently by now.)

We dug, cut the wood, and screwed everything together.

Laid and leveled the boxes.

And even though we threw out most of the top dirt, we decided a barrier might be good between the box dirt and the overhauled litter box.

After filling the boxes and cleaning up, pictures were necessary.

And planting eventually followed. 

It's pretty much a pizza garden, because we like pizza around here.

We had pizza (grilled, whole-wheat, thin crust, margharita) last night, and the night before. 

(And that's grilled cabbage ladened with Tony's.)

There's no shame in being a dinner repeater, right? 

The only problem is that our two potted herb gardens full of basil might not make it through the summer...