We’ve moved again!

I decided that I wanted to try Blogspot so our new blog home is http://joshandambergazo.blogspot.com/. See you there!

 

We’re supposed to get snow again tonight. Can I just say that I am completely over winter?

 

Friends Being Sweet

WordPress allows bloggers to view phrases or words that people searched to reach their blog. Yesterday I noticed this adorable little thing and while I don’t know who wrote (although I’m pretty sure it was Kelsey) it made me laugh. I miss my Grenada friends dearly and can’t wait to visit in March!

PS, I felt the need to add this picture at the end because recently I finally finished watching A Very Potter Sequel and couldn’t have enjoyed it more. For those of you that haven’t seen the online sensation that this the Potter Musicals you’re missing out. The first show got me through a lot of quiet nights in Grenada when Josh was gone. It’s just pure genius and creativity wrapped all in one package.

 

 

Christmas Break is Over

silly faces on christmas.

Yesterday morning when I woke up and was freezing I rolled over to my side and curled up against Josh and we spent the rest of the morning cuddling before we had to get up. This morning when I woke up and freezing I rolled over and no one was there. It’s amazing how much of a difference a day can make. Now Josh is countries away, ready to start his last term of medical school in Grenada. It was incredibly hard watching him leave. I know I’m going to visit in March but it’s so rough being away from him. Maybe if we hadn’t had to spend most of the summer apart it would be easier but it just feels like we rarely have any time together. I guess that’s what happens when you marry a doctor (or future doctor in this case.)

We had a wonderful break together which always makes it harder to say goodbye when you’ve been having so much fun. His sister Theresa’s wedding was a real great time. I only wish we’d been able to hang out  more and enjoy it together but since he was a groomsman and the DJ at the reception it was understandable that he was busy. With the exception of getting lost in the middle of downtown Washington DC with no clue where I was going or what I was doing, it was an incredible wedding. Theresa and Nick shared their first kiss at the altar and just about everybody cried.

beltsville for theresa's birthday.

Yesterday I got into a small fender bender. The car in front of me slammed on their brakes suddenly and while I had enough room behind me to stop and not hit them, the truck behind me did not and he knocked into the back of my car. Thankfully and amazingly enough there was no damage and no one was hurt. I knew that it was the other person’s fault since he was the one who hit me but I still felt guilty about the whole thing – like I could have swerved into the other lane to prevent it. But either way I’m just glad that there was damage either way.

I received some news this morning that had me furious and I’m going to write about it on the SO Volunteer Blog later. I’ll probably post a link on here at some point because I’m just that angry. All I will say right now is that Kelsey and I worked our butts off working those volunteer programs and poor Kelsey had to work even harder than that after I left and for people to be so negative about the whole thing is just infuriating. So many people spent their days in Grenada doing nothing but going to the University Club on pool days and then complained constantly how bored they were. We offered volunteering because it was not only a good thing to do for the community but a good thing to do on an island that doesn’t really have many social activities to offer. Just because we were enthusiastic about it doesn’t mean that anyone should judge. What was the most frustrating was that people kept saying they would help and check it out and then never did. If these people had never mentioned coming to spend time at these programs then we wouldn’t be asking them why it was they didn’t show. Running Limes with basically only 3 teachers and over 40 children was hard. Of course we were going to be hopeful that people would help. And the sad part is that if more people had just come out and given it a real shot, not just coming once or twice, they would’ve loved it. It wasn’t hard to fall in love with those kids.

christmas eve kisses.

Anyway, I will save the rest of it for my post on the Volunteer Blog.

If you get a chance send Josh some good vibes for his final term. It’s going to be hard but I know he’s going to do great.

Amber

 

Game On!

dear josh, i'm getting closer. beware.

Josh and I are obsessively competitive over this Facebook game called Bejeweled Blitz. We will literally sit across from each other at the kitchen table while playing and smack talking one another. Sometimes one of us will reach our hand in front of the other’s screen. It gets vicious, man. I will, however, admit that he is better than me because he can get higher scores without using boosts whereas I completely stink without them.

Josh is with his family for the evening and I don’t care if it makes me lame but I miss him like crazy already.

PS: Don’t you love how updates have gone from real, honest blogs of substance about volunteering and medical school and Africa to stupid games online? Yeah, that needs to change.

 

josh is home!

Josh is finally home after a long two days of traveling. I have some great photos from today to post but those will have to wait.

Sidenote: Today we figured out that on Josh’s wedding day, Katrina (at 10) was taller and weighed more than his bride and on Theresa’s wedding day she will also be taller and weigh more than Theresa’s groom. Katrina, I love you!

 

A Very Happy 24th to Josh!

As most of you know, today is Josh’s 24th birthday! So in celebration I thought I would post some of my favorite pictures of my favorite guy! Seriously though, looking through these I have no idea how I scored such an adorable husband! I can’t wait for him to be home on the 11th. Saturday can’t come soon enough.

Also, despite posting this for his last birthday – the point is still true. Joshua, you are my best friend and I love you more than you will ever know. Happy birthday baby boy!

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Thankful

one of the many things i'm thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving people! There are so many things I am thankful for this year. I really had a wonderful year and couldn’t have asked for more. First off, I am beyond thankful for my incredible husband. He’s been by far the best thing to happen to me in my life. We both say that we never knew love before each other and I can honestly say that I love him more and more by the day. I’m just so proud of all he’s accomplished (not to mention he’s incredibly cute!) and I’ve never laughed and smiled as much as I have since the day I met him. I can’t even believe that in March we’ll have been married for two years. Two! On one hand it feels like we just got married and on the other hand it feels like not only have we been married forever but that we’ve known each other that long as well. I still grin like an idiot every time I see his name on my phone. That boy still gets me every time!

I’m also incredibly thankful for my amazing family. I can’t even count how many times they’ve dropped everything for me and I know I can never pay them back. I love my family beyond words. We’re not perfect and we have our problems but we’ll always be a family and that will never change. They show endless support and love. I just hope they know how grateful I am for all that they do. If it wasn’t for my parents and Josh’s parents I highly doubt we could be in the situation we are now. They keep our heads above water and we appreciate it to no end.

I’m thankful for all the experiences I had in Grenada – both good and bad. Those are memories I will carry with me for the rest of my life and hold near and dear to my heart. I couldn’t have been luckier when it came to friends there either. I really had the greatest friends down there.

Speaking of friends I have some of the best friends here as well that I’m thankful for. When I look at friends like Alexandra, who I’ve been friends with since Kindegarten – or Panagiota, who I’ve known since she was nine and now she’s twenty!  I’m thankful that I have friends that I’ve been close with for over a decade! That just amazes me and like I said, I couldn’t be more thankful.

I’m thankful I got to not only watch my brother marry his soul-mate but be a part of the whole thing! It was extremely touching to stand up there with them while they did their vows. It really was a beautiful night.

And I just wouldn’t be me without posting some pictures so here are some of the aforementioned things I’m thankful for. If there’s not a picture of you please do not be offended. It doesn’t mean I’m not thankful for you. I love you all. Happy Thanksgiving.

Love,

Amber

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Baby Goat

rip baby goat.

Sadly, Baby Goat has passed away. Kelsey informed me the other day that it got sick and died. I know it’s a strange thing to be upset over a random animal a few countries away dying, but the truth of the matter is I loved that baby goat. Every day I would go and say hello and give him a pat on the head. It wasn’t until the last two days of Limes that he finally ran towards me when he saw me and started rubbing his head against my hand to get me to pet him. His horns were just starting to grow in and I think his scalp was itchy. He even was making cute little happy goat noises when I pet him and going towards my lap.

You will be missed Baby Goat, that is for sure.

I have a real update to write but will have to save it for later. Also, as a quick sidenote. I love that people from all over the world view this blog. Seriously, when I see that someone from Singapore and someone from Sweden has been here it just amazes me at how easily the internet connects us. If you’ve come from a different country please leave a comment and tell me how you got here!

 

The Wedding That Warmed Andrew’s Cold English Heart

my sweet little ella princess. i love this girl. she's always smiling until you get the camera out.

I am so incredibly pissed off right now.  I had this great blog written out and stupid WordPress deleted it. Also I started making my soup when I noticed the can expired in 2008. My dad swears it will be okay but still.

I wish I could remember everything I had written about Alex and Kasey’s wedding. It really was a beautiful night. I love when my family gets together, especially during happy occasions like this. We really do have a lot of fun with one another. I won’t lie, we spent most of the night tearing up the dance floor to Ke$ha, Lady Gaga and other delicious pop music. Ella was especially excited to be dancing with her beloved Uncle Brett – so much so that when it came time to leave, Laura asked her, “Ella. Mommy’s sleepy. Are you sleepy?” And Ella declared, “No! Potty (party)! Unc Bett (Uncle Brett).” She wanted to go back and dance her little heart out. And by dance I mean Brett carrying her in his arms and swinging her around.

Kasey was a gorgeous bride. I’ve never seen Alex look so happy. I know that they’ll have a really great life together. Like I said, I had a nice write up and then stupid WordPress froze and deleted it and I suddenly wished WordPress was a person so I could punch them in the face. What can you do,  though.

The ceremony was hilarious and I hope to post a video of it soon. Alex had told me ahead of time about certain parts of it but hearing it in person with Andrew’s lovely English accent just made it all the more amazing.

alex and the bridesmaids.

I talked to Josh today. He got an A on his Nutrition test and I couldn’t be more proud. He’s been working so hard this term and it’s really showing. I know he’s tired and ready to come home and I can’t wait to see him. I’m not a fan of being apart. Next term will be hard when he leaves to go back to Grenada and I stay here. There were parts of Grenada I hated and parts I loved but the part I loved the most was being there with him.

He got an earful of me crying to him tonight about how cold it is here. My dad even turned up the heat (which if you know my dad, he’s always warm so that’s a big deal for him) because he heard how sad I was about it. I didn’t love how hot it was in Grenada but I sure don’t love the fact that my hands always feel like ice.

I got to go on a walk with Yota today. She was heading home and called me (which is now illegal in Maryland) and then proceeds to go, “Oh no there’s a cop.” I was joking with her that she was going to get pulled over for talking on her on her phone while driving. She hung up and about ten minutes later, she called me again. “Funny story. So I did get pulled over by the cop but not for talking on the phone.” “Okay so what was it for?” “Oh you know. Just driving the wrong way down a one way street.” Love that girl. LOVE HER.

Anyway, here are some photos from the wedding. Enjoy.

 

kasey had this venture brothers groomscake toppers made custom for alex.

the lovely couple dancing.

my wonderful parents and brother.