I Want to Drink Olive Oil

I maybe should have titled this post something normal like, "Lavender Festival," but who would want to do that? As you can tell from the randomness of this blog, I am always poking around for fun things to do in the area. Having grown up more familiar with the Los Angeles area, this is all still brand-new territory for the both of us. I saw this event advertised online and it looked pretty fun and popular. We thought we would give it a try.

The event spans two weekends and is at a fancy resort in Cherry Valley. It was just under a half hour drive. Very close!

There were a couple fields of lavender, and about a billion more people taking selfies. The bees were particularly enjoying all the blossoms. 

The farm produces a variety of lavender products and there were lots of other vendors there too. Arts, crafts, food. The lavender cheesecake and lavender lemonade sounded pretty interesting.

I honestly have no idea where I found the courage to NOT walk about with a huge bottle of this-makes-your-skin-the-softest-skin-ever lotion, bath bombs, and olive oil. 

The olive oil was particularly delicious. They prepared samples on little pieces of bread. I don't mean to be disgusting, but I was tempted to drink it. Yes! OLIVE OIL. What in the world is wrong with me? 

Since the vendors were all artsy and hipster we decided to follow suit and take pictures in a field that wasn't quite as violaceous (no, I don't know if that works. yes, I looked up synonyms for 'lavender'). 

Also, this busted up cart wheel? Very popular with 'photographers' at the event. They also had a little petting zoo and this crazy fluffy angora rabbit!

The rabbit was actually by a yarn vendor but I decided it was a petting zoo annex because how can you resist something that insanely fluffy?



Me: Ross, go peek out from behind those pots of lavender.
Roos: *just goes with it*

Omg, stawwwp, we are so cute. 

After the event we stopped by this place we always see on our way out to places like Joshua Tree and Palm Springs (and Idylwild and Niland). 

For as many times as we passed it and as much comfort food it appeared, it didn't quite live up to expectations. We tried to redeem the meal by getting a slice of pie to go, probably shouldn't have.

But anyways, it was a fun (and sunny) day and always fun to try new things.

Pack, Clean, Repeat BREAK!

As you can tell from my previous post, packing and cleaning, cleaning and packing has been the bane of my existence. Ross and I are sooo close to being done. I can just feel it. Because Ross and I have a terrible track record of amicably packing and moving, I built-in little breaks. The breaks were designed to help us get some fresh air and enjoy our last moments in this beautiful country. 

After some Friday morning packing we headed to the ever-classic Grand Anse beach. 

The beach is a great photo accessory - it always makes you look great.

I love our tan lines. You can tell we have desk jobs. ;)

I took a ton of photos and a couple videos. I'll miss this being our backyard, but I just have to remember that getting to hang out with Ross in the warm Caribbean waters wasn't every day life, but a nice perk once in a while. 

After some beach time and swimming we decided to get some lunch at Umbrellas, a restaurant on the beach. I ordered a virgin pina colada of course. I got into a bit of a habit of ordering them every once in a while if we went out. I am happy to say I found the BEST one on the island. I am sad to say I found it on my second to last day on the island. Haha. 

As Ross and I were staring out at the amazing view from our table, we laughed to ourselves. Grand Anse was the first beach we went to, and Umbrellas was the first restaurant we ate at. Funny how life so often comes full circle like that. 

Our friend Ethan met us and later we took a classic beach pic with him. 

We will take as much beach time as we can get! But for now it's back to packing. 

The Coconut Beach

Wednesday evening some of my work friends arranged a nice chill hang out. After work we went out for drinks at this restaurant called The Coconut Beach. I didn't have a preference but when Lauren suggested the place I was really excited because I had always wanted to go. Apparently the food isn't great but we were just there for drinks so it was all good. 

Plus, look at that sunset! That is hard to beat. Cassie, I just loved the atmosphere, you know? Being able to kick back and relax with your toes in the sand, a pina colada in your hand is the quintessence of island life right? It was the perfect evening. It was one of those events that you kick yourself for not doing more often. The company and conversation were the best I have had in a long long time. I am reminded once again of the truly amazing people I have met here in Grenada. I am beyond lucky to be such good friends with them, and I know that the bonds I formed will last long after I leave. 

Sadly not everyone could make it, but for being last minute, I think 5/7 is still pretty good.

Beaches, Stampedes, and Family Visit Day 5 (Part 2)

After having fun at the Belmont (Chocolate) Estate, we were ready for some lunch. We stopped at Bathway Beach for a picnic lunch since we were all pretty hungry. We had some visitors too. :)



The water is pretty rough, so we didn't go swimming. Ali and I stretched out and started to nap (happens to be a habit of mine at this beach), but decided to head over to Lavera before it got too late.



Lavera is my favorite beach on the whole island. Maybe because it's like a unicorn beach. Rare and beautiful. I've only been to the beach three times, which I think makes it more special.

Ali and I wore matching shirts on accident, and it pretty much made my day. I was pretty excited that she wasn't mad about it. Twwwiiinns! :D

Next up is a little gem that Ross and I found over Christmas break. I knew that the fam would like it, especially since Dad had packed his binoculars.

We had fun checking out the mangrove but before long we headed back through Grand Etang. It was already Thursday and we had yet to see a waterfall, so we decided it was time to fix that. As we started to pay for our tickets (you know I got us a discount), we see a hoard of Germans flowing like a geyser straight down the trail. No sleep til waterfall! 




Panicked, I madly dug through my purse for coins and told everyone "goooooooo!!!"



Lucky for us all they decided to go on the nature trail before heading to the waterfall. It was nice to enjoy a few peaceful minutes by the falls before they came down.

I've never been to Annandale with no one else there. It was really serene.

As much as this country gets on my nerves, it has been weird to think that this is the last time I will ever see these sights. It's been good to take my family around and get to do all these things once more. 

Maybe because it's like slow steady closure. I know I have been here for less than 2 years, but it's still been a trip (mean that in more ways than one).

For dinner mom and dad wanted to treat us to some place nice. It's pretty sad but I had no idea where to go. Ross and I never eat out, and I think we have forced ourselves into a mentality of not being allowed to even think about it. We decided on a nice place, Sangria. Ross and I went there for our anniversary last year and loved it. Cass, it has an amazing "atmosphere" if you know what I mean.

The family got to learn about getting your food on Caribbean time (= forever & 1/2). But we just relaxed and hung out. It was definitely worth the wait. My seafood alfredo was amazing, but my parents' Catch of the Day swordfish plate was absolutely incredible. It was a fun way to end the day - fat and happy.

Have it Your Way (BK!)

How many of you are just craaaving a Burger King burger?

Like maybe one off the dollar menu?

*crickets*

No one?

How about an Oreo milkshake? Or a mini funnel cake from Jack in the Box?

Maybe a few people now? 

And on a completely different but related note, when you dream, what do you dream about?

Flying? All expense paid trips to Hawaii? Talking to genius minds like Albert Einstein? Sailing around the world? Winning the lottery?

It may seem random, why am I talking about Dollar Menu items and dreams? Well, The Monster Chronicles continue...

The other day when the dreaded alarm went off, after a few seconds of coming to, I stared at the ceiling.

Huh?
Burger King?

I had just dreamed about BURGER KING? Who am I? Where am I?! Seriously people. I dreamed that I got to pay for Burger King food. In the dream I was staring at the menu, salivating at the thought that I could have an oreo milkshake and a drooling over a dollar menu cheeseburger. No juicy steak from Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. No decadent Great Wall of Chocolate from P.F. Chang's. Not even some coconut shrimp from Outback. Not even a fresh salad from Panera.

Dollar. Cheeseburger.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is what rock bottom looks like (and a countdown 'to that $1 burger).

Spring Break: Go Wild!

On Friday Ross finished his last exam of the first round of midterms. It's times like this when a little candle flame of hope flickers, and you gotta take advantage while you can.

Saturday some of our friends were celebrating a belated birthday by getting day passes at a nice resort. Ross and I didn't get the day pass, but that didn't stop us from hanging out on the beach and having a nice relaxing day.

The resort is on a small beach that I have never been to, Groom's beach.

It has a mix of white and black sand with decent shade (always a plus). The snorkeling was absolutely amazing. I've always just gone to Magazine beach for snorkeling, but I have been missing out all this time. I saw bright yellow fish, iridescent fish, striped fish, corals, and a sea fan forest. It's moments like that when I really wish I had an underwater camera.

It was so nice to sit in the sun and relax. I love pina coladas, and I have been trying them wherever I go. I got one at the resort (La Luna) and it was really really good.

Mmm. I felt so fancy sitting at the tiki bar sipping my drink staring over the chic pool out towards the beautiful water.

The friends that got the day passes got access to their paddleboards, kayaks, snorkel stuff, hobie cats, etc. They had fun taking them for a spin. The birthday girl Ida had fun doing some yoga while she was out.

Our friend Ethan took a couple pictures for us, no need for selfies today!

Eventually we headed home so we could get cleaned up and go out to dinner.

One guess where we went. Here is a hint.

Yes, none other than Schnitzel Haus! It was, amazing as always. We went with Ross's friend Ethan. He was joking that this was their Spring Break, so they could go all out.



Yeap, this is how we spring break, going to the beach and eating out. Haha. Ethan got an appetizer for us to share, and we all got desserts. I liked these even better than the apple strudel last time. Ross and I got an "Ice Pancake," ice cream in a crepe with whipped cream and a cherry. Ethan got "Hot Love" which was warm raspberries with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. Since I was little I loved the combination of hot and cold in desserts (thanks dad!).

Let the record show that Ethan's shirt was not actually that tight. I honestly have no idea how the picture turned out like that. 

It was a truly unforgettable day. Lots of fun with great friends. 

The Greek Food Truck

I've been working a lot this semester, which has its benefits and drawbacks for sure. One drawback is that I am always scrambling for dinner. The benefit though, is that Ross introduced me to this awesome Greek food truck just outside campus. I was a bit skeptical at first, (you kind of need to have low expectations to really enjoy yourself) but oh man was I wrong! 

This. 

Food.

Is. 

Amazing. 

Why I am just discovering this now. I don't know. But what I do know, is that it's a good thing because bye bye loan money... 

HELLO GREEK FOOD!!

I may or may not have eaten there several times in the span of a couple weeks. Hey, it's not my fault, it's all these long hours mmkay?! 

For like $22 EC you get a big plate of lamb, yogurt, and taziki. And you get a decent sized Greek side salad with a lemon vinaigrette, cheese crumbles, peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, and lettuce. Mmm. The first time I ate there I had enough leftovers for lunch the next day. Buuut, I guess I was hungrier the next time because I finished the whole entire thing.  

Recently they cleared out the space behind the truck, and I like how this picture makes it look a little more epic. 

Now the only thing that is missing from my Greek food experience is Kelli and Larry!

Mocha Spoke & First Day of Freedom

Well, Ross's fourth term if medical school is officially OVER. Today he received official grades and is now officially...

FIFTH TERM!!

For those if you who don't know, the fourth term is the most epically difficult term of them all. Here at SGU the students get the added bonus of the administration being incredibly inefficient and just an overall joke. 

But I'm not here to talk about that, I am here to hopefully do a better job posting than I did over last holiday break.

Monday morning was so nice to sleep in and not be responsible for anything, at all, in any way shape or form. :D We spent the morning cleaning up and decorating a little more for Christmas.

This wonderful woman I work with surprised me with a $20 certificate to a cafe near campus, to thank me for my work. So in the afternoon Ross and I moseyed over to campus to get some waffles! I got a M&M waffle with blueberries, and a HUGE scoop of ice cream. Not as good as Dad's, but it definitely did the trick.

Ross got a chocolate chip waffle with strawberries and whipped cream. We rarely go out to eat, and as you can tell, we were pretty excited.

The waffles were great! I would go back in a heartbeat. We already planned what waffles we would get next time. Haha. We have tried their paninis and they are really good too. The owners are super friendly and nice too. Always a bonus. 

That night I finally got around to making this California Pizza Kitchen copycat recipe for a Thai Chicken pizza. The recipe was really long and a lot of unnecessary work, but it was nice to have this guy named Ross around for once to help. 

The picture wasn't the best, but it was pretty good. I branched out and even tried a new dough recipe. I really like pizza. 

Holiday Break Wrap-up

Well, it has taken me long enough to catch up on posts of all the adventures the Petersens Beyond the Sea had over the month break from medical school.

Still I can't believe all the things I didn't write about in the blog. I realize that I have been blessed with amazing friends that can make anything and everything fun. Flexible friends, spontaneous friends, friends who always have space in their car no matter how many children and adults are already in there!

One of our first adventures after midterms was to hike to Hog Island. We went with some friends and just explored. It was great to finally get out! The island is just  small with some fun hiking trails and a cool little beach. It is kinda funny because during break I ended up hiking to Hog Island 3 TIMES. The second time with some SOs on a morning walk, and the third time on a New Year's Day hash with some other med students.

Photo compliments of the talented Brandon

On the way home from Seven Sisters with the Fergusons we saw my favorite guy.

Brandon pulled up beside him and asked him if he was selling. 

SNOW CONE MAAAAAN!

Of course! So we both pulled to the side of the road and he whipped us up some snow cones. We got to talking with him and he made this contraption and brought it over from Guyana, where he is originally from. This time I got my snow cone "Grenada Style" = half yellow, half red with a green strip going across it. Haha. 

Photo compliments of Brandon, yet again!

When Brandon went to turn the car back on the brakes were out. Someone was looking out for us though, because we were right across the street from a gas station and we maneuvered in to figure out what needed to be done. A guy saw us struggling and he came over and helped the Fergusons bleed the brakes. It was just the thing because we were able to get back on the road and pick up their son from school in time. Thank goodness for the Brakes Samaritan!

Break also involved one or two trips to one of my favorite places... The Merry Baker!
It is a neat little bakery located in the ever fancy Port Louis.

The owners moved here not too long ago from South Africa. They are super friendly and they always recognize me and Patty. I guess you could say we are regulars. Haha.

Anyways, on Fridays around lunch time they do a $10EC burger bar! You can get a ground beef patty or a fish patty and Nigel, the owner, has a tiny BBQ grill and cooks up a patty for you. Then, inside, you can layer on the toppings! The best part is the homemade bakery style bun. :)

Last time I was putting some pineapple on my burger and this chap comes up to me and exclaims, " I have NEVER seen anyone put pineapple on a burger!" *laughs and walks away*
Us silly Americans will layer anything on a pile of meat! What a spectacle to see!

Break was awesome! It was so much fun to hang out with friends and play games and eat desserts and just be lazy. Ross had the great opportunity of going to the beach multiple times! How often do you get to swim in warm crystal clear waters at this time of year?
The weather has cooled down so much from when I first arrived in August. It is more temperate and there is a nice breeze. I can actually see myself enjoying living here. :) I wish it was like this all year!