Pictures of our apartment and our first few weeks in Dominica are up on our Shutterfly website! Be sure to check them out at : www.kandamorgs.shutterfly.com!
Miss you all!
Kyle & Andrea
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Wedding Pictures!!
Our wedding pictures are up and our photographer did such an amazing job!! Be sure to check them out by clicking the link under the title "Our Pictures" (on the left side of the page). There are about 450 wedding pictures (haha you may want to take a few breaks if you plan on looking at them all! Be sure to look at the groomsmen jumping one - it's one of our favorites!) and then some from our honeymoon. We'll be sure to keep adding to the collection while we're down here!
Back on the Island!
Sorry it has been awhile since we last wrote! Time has been flying down here! Last weekend, I actually got to take a trip back to the states to be in the beautiful Mrs. Kelly O'Donohoe's wedding! It was so great to be home, to celebrate with Kelly, see friends from Miami, and hang out with my mom. The wedding was so beautiful - you couldn't ask for better weather (I mean, I thought every wedding had to have at least one natural disaster!) It was just so great to be back with my best friends for a bit!
But going back home came with a price.... last Friday I was travelling from 6:30am until midnight, and then going back home, it was from 6am to 7pm. There were 8 flights in all! And I tend to get motion sickness.... so it wasn't the greatest experience. I think the worst of all is the 45 minute ride in between our apartment and the airport in Dominica... on the way home Kyle surprised me at the airport when I thought I was going to meet him at home. Lucky him, he got to sit next to his sick wife the whole way back... Good thing I love Kelly so much :) It was definitely worth it to be there with her!
Also, both Kyle and I realized just how much we're getting settled into having our home and being with each other each day. I know it was only 4 days, but both of us realized how hard it was to be apart!!
While I was gone, Kyle had his first football game against fourth semester. His team, the "Thundercats" has been making quite the news here at Ross. (Trust me, when all you do is sit in class and study, anything that can take your attention away for a little bit is great. So naturally, sports are a big deal here!) Since first semester, they have only lost one game, and they have won the school championship 2 years in a row. They started this season off with a win as well! Kyle says he didn't play so well, though he got a touchdown. (I think it's just because I wasn't there, so he couldn't show off for me:) His next game is tonight against the first semesters, and there has been a lot of talking about their team... but hopefully I'll report back with another victory for the Thundercats!
I know last time I mentioned the grocery stores and my apprehension at cooking... well, I'm happy to say that my cooking has been a success so far!! Kyle got me a cookbook compiled by the Ross spouses, which has been a huge help. It's hard to find certain items here (like I have yet to find lettuce to make salads, or cream of chicken or mushroom soup for casseroles) so the recipes in the cookbook are great at making things simple or modifying them. I've always love baking but now I'm realizing cooking is a lot easier - you don't have to worry about having every measurement so exact! So the first dinner I made, which was Kyle's favorite, was Garlic Chicken (I'm not joking - my hands still smell like garlic!), then I made Honey Lime Chicken, Chicken Stir Fry... see a theme here... chicken. Yesterday I actually found ground beef at Tina's grocery store, so I made spaghetti and meatballs. Kyle loved them! And when I went home, I stuffed my suitcase full of Lipton side dishes, rice side dishes, and pots & pans. That made my life A LOT easier down here! It's like you have to hunt and search for every single ingredient (and hope that it's not expired!)
Kyle has been busy studying, and it was nice for him to have some "guilt-free" study time last weekend while I was gone. Though he has less classes and more time than last semester, third semester is when you actually start feeling like you're in medical school. They get to practice patient interviews, and eventually Kyle will go to a clinic here in Dominica. He's been studying a lot - and it definitely shows! Though Kyle swears his alliance to Scrubs, I got him hooked on Grey's Anatomy. There are so many times when they're interviewing a patient or in surgery when Kyle yells out something that I can barely understand, just to hear "Dr. McDreamy" say the same thing in his next sentence!
We also just found out that Ross opened up a site in Michigan where Kyle could do his fifth semester instead of in Miami! It is in Saginaw, Michigan, which would be about a 4-5 hour drive away from both of our families in Ohio and Illinois. Also, there could be the possibility he could do his 2 years of rotations there instead of travelling all over! Kyle's semester would be the first to use the campus, and they're only accepting about 50 students! We're both big fans of the Michigan idea... it would be a lot cheaper than living in Miami, closer to family, and less travel! That gave Kyle even more motivation to study! So we would love your prayers about that - if God wants us there, for Kyle to focus and have an understanding of what he's learning to keep his grades up. (His first mini - which is what they call their exams that combine all their courses - is coming up in a few weeks! If you need Kyle, he'll be at the library...)
Well, that's about it for now! I'm off to meet Kyle for his lunch break and then off the beach (for the first time!) which a few other spouses - Jocelyn, Chika, and Ashley. I'll think of you all while I'm relaxing!
Oh, and tomorrow I promise I'm going to take pictures of our apartment and just what we see everyday down here - that's for all of you who replied "I have no idea how to even imagine your life" when I told you that we have goats in our backyard and cows in the streets! We added a link on the side of this page under "Our Pictures." It's http://www.kandamorgs.shutterfly.com/. Be sure to check those out!
Love you guys!
Kyle & Andrea
But going back home came with a price.... last Friday I was travelling from 6:30am until midnight, and then going back home, it was from 6am to 7pm. There were 8 flights in all! And I tend to get motion sickness.... so it wasn't the greatest experience. I think the worst of all is the 45 minute ride in between our apartment and the airport in Dominica... on the way home Kyle surprised me at the airport when I thought I was going to meet him at home. Lucky him, he got to sit next to his sick wife the whole way back... Good thing I love Kelly so much :) It was definitely worth it to be there with her!
Also, both Kyle and I realized just how much we're getting settled into having our home and being with each other each day. I know it was only 4 days, but both of us realized how hard it was to be apart!!
While I was gone, Kyle had his first football game against fourth semester. His team, the "Thundercats" has been making quite the news here at Ross. (Trust me, when all you do is sit in class and study, anything that can take your attention away for a little bit is great. So naturally, sports are a big deal here!) Since first semester, they have only lost one game, and they have won the school championship 2 years in a row. They started this season off with a win as well! Kyle says he didn't play so well, though he got a touchdown. (I think it's just because I wasn't there, so he couldn't show off for me:) His next game is tonight against the first semesters, and there has been a lot of talking about their team... but hopefully I'll report back with another victory for the Thundercats!
I know last time I mentioned the grocery stores and my apprehension at cooking... well, I'm happy to say that my cooking has been a success so far!! Kyle got me a cookbook compiled by the Ross spouses, which has been a huge help. It's hard to find certain items here (like I have yet to find lettuce to make salads, or cream of chicken or mushroom soup for casseroles) so the recipes in the cookbook are great at making things simple or modifying them. I've always love baking but now I'm realizing cooking is a lot easier - you don't have to worry about having every measurement so exact! So the first dinner I made, which was Kyle's favorite, was Garlic Chicken (I'm not joking - my hands still smell like garlic!), then I made Honey Lime Chicken, Chicken Stir Fry... see a theme here... chicken. Yesterday I actually found ground beef at Tina's grocery store, so I made spaghetti and meatballs. Kyle loved them! And when I went home, I stuffed my suitcase full of Lipton side dishes, rice side dishes, and pots & pans. That made my life A LOT easier down here! It's like you have to hunt and search for every single ingredient (and hope that it's not expired!)
Kyle has been busy studying, and it was nice for him to have some "guilt-free" study time last weekend while I was gone. Though he has less classes and more time than last semester, third semester is when you actually start feeling like you're in medical school. They get to practice patient interviews, and eventually Kyle will go to a clinic here in Dominica. He's been studying a lot - and it definitely shows! Though Kyle swears his alliance to Scrubs, I got him hooked on Grey's Anatomy. There are so many times when they're interviewing a patient or in surgery when Kyle yells out something that I can barely understand, just to hear "Dr. McDreamy" say the same thing in his next sentence!
We also just found out that Ross opened up a site in Michigan where Kyle could do his fifth semester instead of in Miami! It is in Saginaw, Michigan, which would be about a 4-5 hour drive away from both of our families in Ohio and Illinois. Also, there could be the possibility he could do his 2 years of rotations there instead of travelling all over! Kyle's semester would be the first to use the campus, and they're only accepting about 50 students! We're both big fans of the Michigan idea... it would be a lot cheaper than living in Miami, closer to family, and less travel! That gave Kyle even more motivation to study! So we would love your prayers about that - if God wants us there, for Kyle to focus and have an understanding of what he's learning to keep his grades up. (His first mini - which is what they call their exams that combine all their courses - is coming up in a few weeks! If you need Kyle, he'll be at the library...)
Well, that's about it for now! I'm off to meet Kyle for his lunch break and then off the beach (for the first time!) which a few other spouses - Jocelyn, Chika, and Ashley. I'll think of you all while I'm relaxing!
Oh, and tomorrow I promise I'm going to take pictures of our apartment and just what we see everyday down here - that's for all of you who replied "I have no idea how to even imagine your life" when I told you that we have goats in our backyard and cows in the streets! We added a link on the side of this page under "Our Pictures." It's http://www.kandamorgs.shutterfly.com/. Be sure to check those out!
Love you guys!
Kyle & Andrea
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Two Weeks Old!
Welcome to our website! We were hoping to find a way to keep all of our family and friends up to date on our new life together in Dominica, and hopefully this will do the job!
We can't believe it - we're two-week-old newly weds finally living together in Dominica! We're both still adjusting to this whole married thing but trust me, we are loving every second of it! After being apart for that last 4 month stretch, it's hard to believe we get to wake up next to our best friend every day! That might sound corny, but it is so true! But then there are those adjustments, like sharing a bed, wearing a wedding ring, continuing a personal relationship with God when "personal" time is cut back, finding places for all of our clothes, and arranging a way-too-small apartment. (Andrea rearranges or decorates just about every day... slowly but surely, our apartment will feel somewhat like our own home!) Despite all those new things, we've both just loved being a team together. We have already learned so many ways that God created us to compliment and complete each other. For example, Andrea's gift of overpacking for everything in her life (she brought 4 pieces of luggage, 2 weighing about 70lbs) is complimented perfectly by Kyle's strength and ability to carry and drag all those bags from columbus to dallas to cancun to miami to san juan and finally to dominica! (Thank you LGN diet!)
Dominica has been treating us well, though. First off, Kyle is slowly getting back in the swing of things after his first week of classes. These first few weeks are packed with classes, but it seems to get a little better later during the semester. It's been interesting for him to balance his time between classes, studying and spending time with his new wife! He has definitely placed Andrea at the top of his priorities - which she loves and appreciates very much. Like today, we spent the whole day lounging aroung, just quality time together. It will take some adjustments, but with God in control of his time, Kyle will find just the right balance, and Andrea can't wait to be there to encourage him the whole way - especially when those crazy mini's roll around!
Tomorrow, Kyle is actually giving the sermon at Ross Christian Fellowship (RCF). He's embracing a more laid-back attitude toward his talks and is taking less time to prepare every single word but instead, trusting God will speak through him and let him talk right from the heart. (Knowing how Kyle is so thorough about studying and organizing, it's been tough. But he actually said he's a lot less nervous than the last time he spoke!) Since this is the first RCF of the semester, Kyle really wants to focus on what RCF is all about and what they believe. So he's going to share the Gospel, which is just like the message shared at the wedding. We'll be sure to let you know how it goes!
As for me (Andrea), it's been interesting getting used to living on the island, but I promise, I really am liking it so far. Sometimes I just stop and think, wow this is my life! I am married and live in the Caribbean now! With all the wedding planning, it seemed like I would never get here, but here I am! The biggest adjustment has been getting used to the heat - I don't think I've ever sweat so much in my life! One of the first days, we were standing in line for Kyle to register for classes, and I almost passed out just from standing out there. It was very humid in Ohio this summer, but this is just completely different. Everyone says it takes about a month to adjust, so keep your fingers crossed!
I've been filling up my time like I mentioned before by cleaning and rearranging the apartment. I'm also going to sub at the Ross Day Care center, and hopefully some families will need me to provide childcare at lunch and in the evening. I went on my first grocery shopping trip - which was very interesting considering the stores are more like convenience stores here. You have to hunt for what you want. I took some recipes with me from a Ross Spouses cookbook and the only recipe I found all the ingredients for was chocolate chip cookies! Though they don't really make a great dinner, I made them in our propane oven and they turned out great! When we got engaged, I would always joke that we would be eating cookies and cakes for dinner because I love to bake and am still learning to cook.... maybe that could actually come true!
So that's been our life so far - we've been loving it! Thank you to all of you who have sent such encouraging emails & messages and posted wedding pictures on facebook (we LOVE looking at those since we don't have the professional pics from the wedding yet!) Please keep the emails coming - it is so great to hear from back home and know what's going on in everyone's lives. We miss you guys and will write again soon!
Love,
Kyle & Andrea
Kyle & Andrea
Kyle's Message
Hi again!
I thought I'd put this up for those not on Facebook or Kyle's "Listserve." This is a little update email he wrote on Tuesday, September 4. Enjoy!
Hey!!! Ok, I've sat here and stared at the screen for the last few minutes with no idea how to even begin. I guess that little anecdote will have to do....Anyways, I'm back to Dominica, back to classes and MARRIED! I'm still adjusting to this whole married thing but I am loving every second of it! It's crazy all the stuff that you have to get used to that I never even thought of like sharing a bed, wearing a wedding ring, continuing a personal relationship with God when you don't have much "personal" time, finding places for all of your clothes, and arranging a way-too-small apartment. I promise I'm not complaining, because I really have enjoyed adjusting to the new lifestyle, there's just so much infamiliarity! It's been amazing having Andrea down here so far! It's just so great and comforting to come home to someone after a long day of class/studying, and to have someone that can help out with everyday things (I think we're really getting this whole teamwork thing down!).
But, enough about all that, I know more of you are interested in the wedding/honeymoon...For those of you that weren't at the wedding, I'm really sorry, I really do care about you or else you wouldnt be my facebook friend. It's one of the hardest things to do to sit down and plan that whole thing out; you'll understand when you get married. For those of you that did come, I can't thank you enough! To me, that day was everything that I thought it could be and more (minus the freakish tornado mishap)!!!! I loved seeing each and every one of you and I hope you had as much fun as Andrea and I did. I also thank you all for the incredible gifts! Andrea's working on the thank you's so you'll be receiving those in a few weeks. But, seriously, I thought I'd be a little disapointed that the reception had to be indoors, but that's not the case at all. You all made the reception so much fun and I thank you for making the day so special! But, when you think back to that day, I also hope that you remember the ceremony (the Morgan-Mankins ceremony, not the Smith-Lopez wedding or whichever that was that some of you showed up at!). Andrea and I really poured ourselves into that ceremony because we really wanted to share with you the most important part of our lives; our faith. If it had any impact on even one person, it was so worth it for us. We just hope to convey that the ceremony wasn't made up of generic wedding vocab, but words we hope you were able to take to heart. Again, I could never let you know how much it meant to have each and every one of you there (from Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Colorado, Illinois, Arizona, New Jersey, Michigan and Ireland!).
Ok, honeymoon. To put it simply, it was way beyond any expectations either Andrea or I had. Most of you probably don't know the story, but Andrea and I actually won this trip thanks to Theta Chi. More specifically, Sean Oswald won this trip because Theta Chi hosted a scam-type buyers club meeting, and Sean was randomly selected to win this free trip out of all 30 or so people that attended the meeting. He told me before he went that if he won it, he would give it to Andrea and I for our honeymoon. Sure enough, my phone rings a few hours later and it's Sean telling me he had won the trip. So, we look at the voucher and it is a free week long stay at one of their 10 different time share locations with about a billion "clauses." We assumed it'd be a half-rate motel, with a small, diving-board-removed-for-safety-reasons pool, where we'd have to attend a time share meeting and end up paying way too much due to room tax or something like that. But, when we showed up at "The Mayan Palace" (Riviera Maya, near Cancun, Mexico), we were shocked! It honestly was the second nicest place I have ever stayed (behind the Ashford Castle in Ireland)!!!! I would, and I'm no professional resort ranker, honestly rate this place a 5 out of 5! The room was enormous, the food was amazing, the pool was beautiful and the staff was beyond hospitable! And, since Andrea and I had begun saving in our "honeymoon jars" (no seriously, we did, you should too when you get engaged) 11 months ago, we had money saved for room service, fancy dinners and a couples massage! Honestly, for those current Theta Chis that read this note, have "Time Out Vacations" back for another scam meeting. It would make a great spring break spot! And, there is no catch.......
So, yeah, the honeymoon was incredible. Of course, we could have stayed at the Westin Great Southern in downtown Columbus (NEVER stay there by the way) and it still would have been the best few days of my life thanks to the fact that I was with Andrea, but the niceness of the resort made it that much more surreal. Amazing. Thanks again Sean.
Well, that is about all for now. I'm starting class again and I'm sure things will pick up again real soon. I actually cut back on some of my extra-curriculars so I can spend as much time as possible with Andrea, but will still be swamped no doubt. I'm playing football again (going for the three-peat!) and am still a leader for RCF, but that is about it! My first year of medical school is over, and I'm now starting my second year with all new classes. Instead of Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, Neuroscience, Cell Biology, and Doctor, Patient and Society, I am taking Pathology, Pharmacology, Microbiology and Behavioral Science. Should be a little more interesting and medical related....
In closing, I'm not going to ask for simple replies to this notel. That never works. Instead, I really really want to hear what went on after the wedding and little stories about the wedding/reception that I may have missed.....I know there are some good ones out there so PLEASE PLEASE fill me in!!!!
Talk to you soon,
Kyle
P.S. All the wedding/honeymoon pics are on Andrea's profile....friend her
I thought I'd put this up for those not on Facebook or Kyle's "Listserve." This is a little update email he wrote on Tuesday, September 4. Enjoy!
Hey!!! Ok, I've sat here and stared at the screen for the last few minutes with no idea how to even begin. I guess that little anecdote will have to do....Anyways, I'm back to Dominica, back to classes and MARRIED! I'm still adjusting to this whole married thing but I am loving every second of it! It's crazy all the stuff that you have to get used to that I never even thought of like sharing a bed, wearing a wedding ring, continuing a personal relationship with God when you don't have much "personal" time, finding places for all of your clothes, and arranging a way-too-small apartment. I promise I'm not complaining, because I really have enjoyed adjusting to the new lifestyle, there's just so much infamiliarity! It's been amazing having Andrea down here so far! It's just so great and comforting to come home to someone after a long day of class/studying, and to have someone that can help out with everyday things (I think we're really getting this whole teamwork thing down!).
But, enough about all that, I know more of you are interested in the wedding/honeymoon...For those of you that weren't at the wedding, I'm really sorry, I really do care about you or else you wouldnt be my facebook friend. It's one of the hardest things to do to sit down and plan that whole thing out; you'll understand when you get married. For those of you that did come, I can't thank you enough! To me, that day was everything that I thought it could be and more (minus the freakish tornado mishap)!!!! I loved seeing each and every one of you and I hope you had as much fun as Andrea and I did. I also thank you all for the incredible gifts! Andrea's working on the thank you's so you'll be receiving those in a few weeks. But, seriously, I thought I'd be a little disapointed that the reception had to be indoors, but that's not the case at all. You all made the reception so much fun and I thank you for making the day so special! But, when you think back to that day, I also hope that you remember the ceremony (the Morgan-Mankins ceremony, not the Smith-Lopez wedding or whichever that was that some of you showed up at!). Andrea and I really poured ourselves into that ceremony because we really wanted to share with you the most important part of our lives; our faith. If it had any impact on even one person, it was so worth it for us. We just hope to convey that the ceremony wasn't made up of generic wedding vocab, but words we hope you were able to take to heart. Again, I could never let you know how much it meant to have each and every one of you there (from Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Colorado, Illinois, Arizona, New Jersey, Michigan and Ireland!).
Ok, honeymoon. To put it simply, it was way beyond any expectations either Andrea or I had. Most of you probably don't know the story, but Andrea and I actually won this trip thanks to Theta Chi. More specifically, Sean Oswald won this trip because Theta Chi hosted a scam-type buyers club meeting, and Sean was randomly selected to win this free trip out of all 30 or so people that attended the meeting. He told me before he went that if he won it, he would give it to Andrea and I for our honeymoon. Sure enough, my phone rings a few hours later and it's Sean telling me he had won the trip. So, we look at the voucher and it is a free week long stay at one of their 10 different time share locations with about a billion "clauses." We assumed it'd be a half-rate motel, with a small, diving-board-removed-for-safety-reasons pool, where we'd have to attend a time share meeting and end up paying way too much due to room tax or something like that. But, when we showed up at "The Mayan Palace" (Riviera Maya, near Cancun, Mexico), we were shocked! It honestly was the second nicest place I have ever stayed (behind the Ashford Castle in Ireland)!!!! I would, and I'm no professional resort ranker, honestly rate this place a 5 out of 5! The room was enormous, the food was amazing, the pool was beautiful and the staff was beyond hospitable! And, since Andrea and I had begun saving in our "honeymoon jars" (no seriously, we did, you should too when you get engaged) 11 months ago, we had money saved for room service, fancy dinners and a couples massage! Honestly, for those current Theta Chis that read this note, have "Time Out Vacations" back for another scam meeting. It would make a great spring break spot! And, there is no catch.......
So, yeah, the honeymoon was incredible. Of course, we could have stayed at the Westin Great Southern in downtown Columbus (NEVER stay there by the way) and it still would have been the best few days of my life thanks to the fact that I was with Andrea, but the niceness of the resort made it that much more surreal. Amazing. Thanks again Sean.
Well, that is about all for now. I'm starting class again and I'm sure things will pick up again real soon. I actually cut back on some of my extra-curriculars so I can spend as much time as possible with Andrea, but will still be swamped no doubt. I'm playing football again (going for the three-peat!) and am still a leader for RCF, but that is about it! My first year of medical school is over, and I'm now starting my second year with all new classes. Instead of Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, Neuroscience, Cell Biology, and Doctor, Patient and Society, I am taking Pathology, Pharmacology, Microbiology and Behavioral Science. Should be a little more interesting and medical related....
In closing, I'm not going to ask for simple replies to this notel. That never works. Instead, I really really want to hear what went on after the wedding and little stories about the wedding/reception that I may have missed.....I know there are some good ones out there so PLEASE PLEASE fill me in!!!!
Talk to you soon,
Kyle
P.S. All the wedding/honeymoon pics are on Andrea's profile....friend her
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