The Millicans

Update with Dusty and School

2010-09-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

I apologize to those reading this that have not heard from Dusty and I in awhile. Life gets busy and it seems theres not enough time to update the blog like I so desire to do. Some of us stay in touch from seeing each other at our jobs, others of us stay connected through texting and emails, others we haven't seen since Cayman or Baltimore, and some of you reading this are in the same boat as Dusty.....about to take your Board exams. Most all of you though have been our backbone through this entire medical school journey! You have been the ones praying for us and being patient with us through the confusion and lack of communication on our part. We have been discussing lately with friends (and some of my coworkers) just how much God has guided this entire process. Though every step hasn't been easy and Dusty has spent many sleepless nights staring through books and the computer screen, there have been many days and many moments with Jesus, being reassured that this is HIS calling for Dusty and that HE would not have continued to bring us to this step if He did not have some sort of plan to finish what He has started in and through Dusty. My prayer is that we don't take one day for granted or hesitate to hit our knees and thank Him for his guidance when most days it seems like we don't deserve even half of it. He is good. He is faithful. He is gracious. He is our Provider. And, He is the Ultimate Healer. Dusty will just be an earthly vessel that demonstrates that love and healing.

Dusty takes his Step 2 CK exam tomorrow (Friday, 10/1/10) here in Birmingham. This exam confirms his graduation in December which will then lead us to the Match in March 2011. This is where he will get placed for Residency ( which will then start in June ). His exam starts at 8:00 a.m. and will last for 9 hours.

Like I have always said, I understand that we are all busy and have our own individual prayer requests and concerns. If you get even just a moment to lift him up tomorrow, I would be so honored. I know our Creator hears the prayers of his children. My prayer will be that he combines all these wonderful things he has been studying and experiencing in the hospitals and that they would come rushing back to him as he sees them on this test; that he would be confident, well rested, and stress-free :-).

Thank you from the fullness of my heart! You are the people that make us who we are and that we are so so incredibly thankful for!!

Humbly,

Leigh-Anne

P.S. God has ALWAYS provided for me along this journey as well. I am teaching 2nd grade in Birmingham and am loving it!! I am inspired more and more as I work with this staff because they truly care about these kids. I am blessed to have such a rewarding profession!

Camden Yards

2009-08-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

Our first trip to Camden Yards to see the Baltimore Orioles play! It is a beautiful stadium!! We are hooked on going downtown to watch them play!
April 2009

New Update!

2009-08-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

So....I am very behind in updating our journey here in Baltimore. The last update was of the snow, and well it is definitely past the snow season! Ha!
As I have always blogged, Dusty and I are continuing to flow in the blessings of God! Although being away from home doesn't get necessarily easier, God ALWAYS provides amazing friends, connections, and times together while away! I don't know how to explain how He provides, but He does! We believe more than ever that our God is Jehovah-Jireh, God our Provider! He increases our faith when we rely on Him and trust, against all odds, that He will prepare a way, that He will open doors, that even when our ways don't plan out, His is always better!

I realize that trying to explain every step in Dusty's School can be confusing, but realize that in this time of clinical rotations, it is possible for them to send you all over the nation to complete the different required rotations (ex. Chicago, Orlands, New York, Baltimore, etc.). There are 6 Core Rotations that have to be set up with the school. Then there are 7 electives that Dusty gets to choose of his own desire, that can be completed wherever he likes as long as it is a teaching hospital. We have been beyond blessed to be kept here in Baltimore for 4 of the 6 core rotations. (In between, Dusty has been allowed to work on elective rotations) The other two are not offered here and we will figure that out as we go. Dusty started here in January in Internal Medicine. From there, he completed and Infectious Disease Elective. Then he completed an OB/GYN rotation. After that was completed was where we got a little nervous of what was next. They offered to send us to Orlando once and Chicago once. We declined while praying another rotation would open up soon. ( The sooner we complete the cores, the sooner we come home). We prayed for the Surgery Core Rotation to open up because it is a 3 month rotation and seems to be the most demanding of them all. Just as Dusty was finishing OB/GYN, he got a call from his advisor. She didn't understand how this could happen, but a last minute spot opened up for a Surgery Rotation here in Baltimore. And guess who got to fill the spot....! Amazing provision!
Dusty is still currently in his Surgery Rotation, and yes, it is very demanding. He works abnormal long shifts that start at 5:00 in the morning and is on 24 hour call at least once a week. From here, he will complete a Cardiology and Radiology elective. In December he will begin his Psychiatry Core Rotation. That is all we have planned so far.

I am sorry for rambling, but maybe that is a little clearer picture of what is going on in regard to Dusty's school. I will post random pictures of our time here, our family visiting, and our new friends we have met!

Our First SNOW in Baltimore

2009-01-19T11:21:00.000-08:00

Ok well the weather has predicted snow SO many times since we have been here, but we have yet to get any! So today, Dusty left for work and at about 9:30 I look outside, and it is pouring snow!! I actually got all giddy like a little kid. I dressed Kyleigh and myself up and went outside!! I couldn't drive anywhere though because the roads were covered and I am not used to driving a car in the snow. Dusty sent me a message around noon and said it was doing the same thing downtown! It is just beautiful!! So, here are some pictures that I took today (which by the way it is still snowing...pouring snow to be exact!). I had to take them myself because Dusty wasn't here. Enjoy, but do pray that Dusty gets to and from work safe when it snows. The hospitals don't close around here for snow ;-).
The entrance to where we live :-)

Yes, that is our little car down there all covered in snow. We have one covered parking spot and then one uncovered. But we can look right out to this spot. This picture is actually taken from our balcony.
Little different sight than Kyleigh swimming in the Caribbean waters :-)
Outside, around the complex where we live here in Columbia.

Baltimore, Maryland

2009-01-18T19:33:00.000-08:00

Well as most of you know by now, Dusty and I are living in Baltimore, Maryland. We had originally mentioned staying in Alabama for this, but God had bigger plans. Dusty found out in early December that he was placed in Baltimore to begin his clinical rotations, starting in Internal Medicine. It all happened so quick and we needed to find a place to live. We headed up here during the second week in December. Yes, an 11 hour or so road trip! While here, we met with a friend of the family who showed us around the area and taught us different things about Baltimore (major interstates,etc.) After leaving Mrs. Velleggia, Dusty and I were in a horrible car accident. Neither of us saw it coming. I, to this day, don't remember anything except leaving the trama unit in a hospital gown. I say all of this to say, that yes, we are ok, but it did change us forever. We found a wonderful place to live through the whole thing and are enjoying it so much right now! We went back home for Christmas and officially moved up here on the 30th of Decemeber. My parents came with us and helped us move in. We will only be here for about 9 months to a year, unless of course God has something else in store. We will keep you updated on our journey here in Baltimore as Dusty continues with his career in medicine! I will upload more photos as we take them :-)

Mama and I cooking our first meal in our new apartment.
Downtown Baltimore- Baltimore Harbor

It was beyond freezing!
Eating at McCormick and Schmitt in Baltimore Harbor

Christmas 2008

2009-01-18T18:36:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures from this past Christmas. As I was doing this I realized that somewhere along the way, I accidentally deleted some pictures. That really bothers me, but oh well, here are some great ones anyway! These include visiting my Granny in Atlanta, and my family in Chattanooga. We also went to Gatlinburg with my family this Christmas!

Fun Times with The Duke's during Christmas!

2009-01-18T17:51:00.000-08:00

We adore our friends Chris and LeeAnn and their precious babies, Ethan and Anna. They moved to Huntsville recently and we were able to go and visit them a couple of times. We went to Santa's Village in Huntsville and The Polar Express in Chattanooga! I miss hanging out with them so much already!All of us at The Polar Express
Anna with her jingle bell
Ethan talking to Santa
Precious! Santa was about to board the train!

The Adorable Duke Family!
The Polar Express- Chattanooga, TN

Sweet Anna Banana!!

All of us at Santa's Village
Yes, Dusty did one too :-)
Ethan and Anna writing their notes to Santa.

The Duke Family
The two LeeAnne/Leigh-Anne's :-)

Our Family from Covenant!

2009-01-18T17:28:00.000-08:00

Dusty and his boys Zeke and Ti-Ti
Zoe girl! Alan and Angela's little girl!
My sweet "joyous" Caroline! My mentor Amy's little girl.
My favorite picture! All the boys! Austin, Sam, Titus, Dusty, Ethan, Chris and Zeke!
Me and Jack! He was playing hide and seek with me all day and I caught him!
Me and my sweet Kaylie (This was my flower girl in our wedding :-)
The boys playing their game of Sunday football in the front yard of Covenant
I adore this picture of Zeke! He was on the other team and trying to overhear the plays of Dusty's team! His face is priceless!!!
Caroline wanting so bad to play with the boy cousins Ethan and Zeke!
Dusty with sweet Caroline and Baby Shepard!

Our family at Covenant make up so much of who Dusty and I have become! During our time at home from Cayman, and before leaving for Baltimore, we got to spend a lot of great time with everyone from Covenant Life in Alexandria!

Brian and Laurissa Millican

2009-01-18T16:14:00.000-08:00

Off to Jamaica!

Silly!
With the Bride and Groom!

Mama Vickie and Gene
Adam and Lacie (Dusty's cousin)
Nathan (Dusty's Brother)
With Uncle Tommy
Shea and Erin
Brothers
Beautiful Bride! One of my favorite pictures!
Brothers and Sisters at the Rehearsal Dinner
Cutie!
Me and my new sister-in-law

The wonderful men!
The ladies at Brian and Lauri's Tea
Aunt Leachy, Lauri, Me, and Lacie at the Tea
Dusty, Me, Mama Vickie, and Ida Mae
Mammaw and Pawpaw (Dusty's grandparents)

At last, we got to enjoy the beautiful wedding and wedding festivities of Dusty's brother Brian and his beautiful wife, Lauri. Lauri has become one of my greatest and dearest friends over the past two years and now to have her as family is such a blessing. The four of us are relatively all the same age so to have that friendship along with family tied to it is so wonderful! Enjoy these beautiful pictures!

Roll Tide Roll- Fall 2008 Season

2009-01-18T15:15:00.000-08:00

And, the Mom's....
Some of the Dad's
You can feel the emotion in this one....ha!
And....we win!!

The kids!
Brad couldn't talk he was so nervous/focused!
Bama just scored!

#1 Bama fan right here!
Intense!
Oh Yeah....go Tide!

This is a mix of pictures from throughout the season this past fall while we were home. We would watch the games with Dusty's family, with mine, or just wherever we were. Either way, we had a blast and cheered the Crimson Tide on! It was sad to see them end the season with a loss to Florida...but hey 12-2 is amazing!!! Roll Tide Roll!

Watching the Crimson Tide Roll

2008-11-19T16:28:00.001-08:00

Needless to say, Dusty has very much missed Alabama football while in medical school. Some Saturdays, we were able to make time to watch the game on t.v. For the Mississippi State game, Brad got us both tickets and had a blast watching it at Bryant Denny. How awesome that they are undefeated this season on top of everything! For those of you viewing this that aren't from Alabama or the South...I am not sure I can explain how big Alabama football is to our families. I think that is why our veins run Crimson ;-) Enjoy!

UnAshamed

2008-11-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

Being silly brothers
"Bleeding Love" drama
Mary Claire in one of the scenes
Allie in "Bleeding Love"

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes"
Romans 1:16

The Lord has giving Brad and Mary Claire such an awesome opportunity to minister in His name on the campus of the University of Alabama. Since giving their lives completely to Him over a year ago, an amazing journey has taken place. Along with a group of friends and other students, as well as the Basement Ministry in Birmingham, they have formed UnAshamed. A college ministry that meets on campus on Thursday nights. It is just amazing with over 300 students meeting there every week, including some of the Alabama football players. Now that Dusty and I are home, we have been able to be a part of a few of their worship services! These kids are passionately in love with Jesus and are truly UnAshamed of His name!
If you have a chance, go to this link to watch the drama, "Bleeding Love"
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=89806625391&oid=8162950805

Back Home in Alabama

2008-11-19T12:31:00.000-08:00

Mr. Millican's birthday :-)

My 23rd birthday dessert that Dusty and Mrs. Vickie made me.
Brothers and Sisters
Visiting family in Trussville
Eating our wedding cake on our One Year Anniversary!

Sweet Home Alabama
We are home and this is a mix of pictures from different things we've done in the first month back home. Dusty of course has been studying night and day, so we were laying low for most of our first weeks home. We enjoyed birthday gatherings and just being with family. We already greatly miss Grand Cayman but feel so blessed to be back in Sweet Home Alabama and are enjoying the things we missed while away :-)!

Our One Year Anniversary!!

2008-09-19T20:27:00.000-07:00

One last stop at our favorite coffee house, Paperman's, before boarding the plane :-)
Esther telling us bye before we left Cayman.Our last time in the Cayman Airport....for now :-)

So, how do I begin this one? We can not believe that we are celebrating one year of marriage together already! It has been a wonderful year, living on a beautiful island and learning to live together as one! God has indeed blessed us, in ways we probably still haven't quite realized yet! To begin our honeymoon, we stayed at the Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta. So, to celebrate our one year anniversary and to say goodbye to this beautiful place, we decided to stay at the Ritz-Carlton here in Grand Cayman. Needless to say, it was our gift to each other :-). The pictures will say enough for themselves, but we wanted to share this with you first. On our day of arrival, a man named Rudolph greeted us by bringing our bags to the door. Normally, a bell hop wouldn't keep you for an hour talking about this and that. However, this had to be a divine appointment with God. He began talking to us about how beautiful marriage is and things he has learned along the way through his. He shared how the first year of marriage is the most trying and that we had overcome that milestone and that we would continue to share a beautiful marriage together. He talked about things that rang so true in our hearts that it made us cry standing there. We knew that the Holy Spirit was talking through this man to us. On our anniversary, a special love message just to Dusty and I from our Heavenly Father. To tell us that, Yes, He has His hand on us and that He will be our sustainer and provider through our journey together! It was beautiful and a trip we will never forget!

P.S. Dusty bought our first family camera and we enjoyed having it to take these amazing pictures at the Ritz. It is a Nikon and the most wonderful camera we have ever owned! Enjoy!

Shanan comes to Visit

2008-09-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

For those of you that didn't already know this, a friend of mine that I graduated high school with started Vet School at St. Matthews last semester. It was nice to have a familiar face for Dusty and I so far from home. We would sit with Jesse and talk about home or just hang out. It was such a blessing for us! His girlfriend, now fiance Shanan, came to visit a couple of times and we would all go eat when the boys weren't studying. Shanan kept me company during the day too :-) We were able to catch up from when we were younger and very close friends! Enjoy!

Mimi and Becca come to visit!!

2008-07-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

And they arrive!!! I was so thrilled to see them!
We immediately went to pick Dusty up from the clinic! It was exciting for them to greet him and I got a picture of him dressed up!

Getting our fish "locally" for dinner with Big Red.

Slide at Margaritaville
Cooking the fish we got in town earlier in the day

The Millican's :-)

Our last family visit before we return home was Mimi and Becca coming to visit! They could only stay for a few days, so I planned everyday to the max, and we had a blast!! Dusty had to study, but when he could take a break, he would hang out with us!! It was hard to see the girls leave and I don't think they wanted to, but our trip was blessed with the Lord's favor and was worth every minute!! These pictures have to surely some up the entire trip!!!

Kyleigh in the Caribbean!

2008-07-30T20:04:00.000-07:00

And she sees Dusty coming.....

Yes, Kyleigh loves to swim......and she loves to swim in the Caribbean :-) In these pictures/video, she is swimming with Mama and me and then she sees her Daddy come walking up and goes crazy and starts showing off her new swim tricks. She is precious!!

Dusty's 25th Pirate Birthday!!!

2008-07-30T19:43:00.000-07:00

Dusty's best SMU buds!
My favorite Caribbean girls!
The whole gang!
Ok everyone, this is the "birthday book" that I put together for Dusty. Thank you for all of your messages, he absolutely loved reading them!

ARRRR Matey!!!!

Yep, pirates we are! To celebrate Dusty's 25th birthday here in Cayman, I got some of our closest friends here together and booked a sunset cruise on a pirate ship. We had never done it before, so I knew it would be perfect and a birthday Dusty wouldn't soon forget. Mama was in town for this and helped me plan so much! It was truly a blast! We sailed for about two hours, enjoyed appetizers and birthday cake!

Mama comes to visit!!

2008-07-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

Mama came to visit us and planned to stay for a week!! We talked her into staying a little longer. These are pictures of us when we would go out to eat at night and different things we did around the island. She was able to be a part of Dusty's surprise birthday party on the pirate ship as well! It was hard to see her leave....
Playing with the turtles at the Turtle Farm
Mama learning how to weave....a big part of the culture here

I think she enjoyed herself!!
Mama bought Kyleigh her own Cayman souvenir.... :-)
Dinner at Guy Harvey's....our favorite!
Dinner at Casanova.....our other favorite!

Going to the spring concert.
A market here for the locals that Mama and wanted to go to...
Eating lunch on the water at Rackam's
Eating at Periwinkle at the Ritz

Last few days with Preschool

2008-07-13T11:22:00.001-07:00

These last few days with the preschool consist of our spring concert where they sang multiple songs and our field trip to the Turtle Farm!
Needless to say, he was so excited to pick up the turtles!

I was exhuasted after this day :-) Overly worth it though!

A really old turtle from The Turtle Farm
Two of my "girly-girls" for the spring concert. They LOVE pink :-)
Reuniting with some of my 5th graders during the spring concert at Triple C
My buddy Jerome

Movie Night! Iron Man (again :-o)!!!!

2008-05-13T17:04:00.000-07:00

der dernt der dernt der..... der-der-der-der-der-dernt der dernt der....I am Iron Man!!
as Dusty kept on singing over and over! :-)

Our first week back in and we missed our friends. We were invited to go see Ironman, and for our family reading this...yes we already saw it but went again :-). Yall know that Dusty had to see it again!! (he grew up reading the Iron Man comics). Our friend, Jesse, in this picture next to Dusty is a friend of mine from high school who just started Vet School down here. He and Dusty really have a lot in common, too bad these are our last few months in Cayman :-(
Wes was trying to be Ironman in this picture :-)

Our time in Sweet Home Alabama!

2008-05-13T15:39:00.001-07:00

Us with Jason, Amy, Caroline and Shepard
Here he is! Shepard Tru Smith...born May 1, 2008 around 1:30

Sydney Kate and I :-)

Mimi's 19th birthday party at Kinomi.

Syndey Kate Worsham (Pat & Alice's little girl) helping decorate Mimi's birthday cake. She was in charge of all of the candles.
After UnAshamed.....with Becca and Allie :-)
We came in town just in time for the last "UnAshamed" of the year. This is the ministry that Brad and Mary Claire have helped start down on the campus in Tuscaloosa. It has been growing and growing!! This picture is of a drama that they were performing that night. It was an amazing thing to be a part of. These guys and girls really have their hearts set on Jesus and His love for that campus!! We are all called to be....UnAshamed!
Everyone at The Tavern for Brad's 21st birthday dinner! My little brother is all grown up :-(

Or maybe not!! haha! just playing B!!

The boys traditional Braves game trip! They go to several games a year, but this trip was for Brad's birthday. They loaded up in the "Chester" van, as the boys called it (hahaha), and headed out. Dusty said that they were treated like royalty with 755 Club passes and 3rd row seats!!! And I think the Braves even pulled out a victory against the Dodgers!

They were really close to the action!!! Dusty said that Chipper Jones could win MVP this year.
Time at the ballpark with his brother and Dad is one thing Dusty dearly misses while we have been away! He says that his brother's knowledge and passionate love of the game has taught him to truly appreciate and love baseball as well! He sure does miss you Brian! and I do too!!

They got to the park early for batting practice

Kyleigh-Anne Millican and her new friend, Prissy Millican (Mr. Millican and Stephanie's new puppy). Aren't they adorable.

and this might be what we miss most.....

Here are some random pictures during the time that we were home this April. They range from Brad and Mary Claire's birthdays, to Amy and Jason's precious Shepard coming home!

Preschool @ Triple C

2008-05-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

One of the many signs I got to create for the preschoolers.
Adorable right...Nicholas, Jerome, Peirce and Joel. My little Cayman and Jamaica friends :-)
Tijon, Jamie, Sarah, Shanti, and Rafi having a blast playing outside!

Rachete and Caleb opening up their Easter eggs.
Rachete begged me to let her carry my purse. It was slightly bigger than her :-)
Arianna, Xaria, Carter, Joel, Nicholas and Justin outside of the Butterfly Farm.

These kids will forever bring joy to my heart. They are some of the most amazing kids, as you can probably tell in these pictures!

Grand Cayman Dog Show

2008-05-13T12:09:00.001-07:00

Hannah, a sweet 1st grader from Triple C that I know.

The Humane Society and Pedigree put on their annual Cayman Islands Dog Show. Dusty and I are always wanting to do new things on the island and things we might not have the chance of doing again....so when I heard about this, we immediately wanted to go. If you're like me, I watch the real dog shows on tv and knew Kyleigh or I had no idea what to do. However, this was more for fun, so we entered two of more than 20 different events that they had....the "First time entry" and "Toy Breed" groups. I was so excited when they called Kyleigh for first place out of all the toy breeds there. It was really so neat! So we then got to be in the "Best in Show" competition. No she didn't get gift certificates or anything like that, but she got a nice blue ribbon and had a wonderful time :-) Ok, you can laugh at us now if you want.... :-)

Grand Cayman Murder Mystery Dinner Party

2008-05-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

THERES GOING TO BE A MURRRDDRRR!!!!!! As Dusty kept on saying over and over! :-)haha

Our beautiful view

Dusty is reciting his lines in his Sean Connery "do you enjoy luxury" voice! He was Sooo Funny!!

Cristal, Rebecca, and Josh trying to put clues together....

Sutffy and Chatty :-) Look at that Ascot on Dusty's neck!!hahahaa

Our friends Esther and Wes hosted a Dinner Party that was a murder mystery with Cayman themes. It was one of the neatest things we've ever done. We all dressed in character. Dusty was "Stuffy Barnacle" the old rich father of the groom in our mystery. I was "Chatty Bodden Ebanks" the journalist. You have to know Grand Cayman.....Bodden and Ebanks are the two most common last names of Caymanians.
It was a six course dinner, and in between courses, you were given more clues. We then had to walk around and talk with the other characters to try and solve the case. It was a group of our friends from school and church. And yes, they set it all up right on the shore!

Spring Fair @ Triple C

2008-05-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

Two of my most precious preschoolers....Rachete and Arianna

The teachers I work with in Preschool....Allison (who is from Trussville, crazy isn't it!) and Deleta

The Spring Fair was so much fun! Our pre-school both was "The Goldfish Bowl". If students could ring the right cup, they won a free goldfish, it was adorable!! There was face painting, dunking booths, and tons of other things. The students throughout the day, could pay a dollar and sign the teacher of their choice up to participate in the finale, a suitcase race. I knew my fifth graders from earlier in the year were up to something....and sure enough, I was one of the teachers picked. Honestly, I took it as a compliment :-) We had to race around the gym and pick a suitcase and then dress into the clothes in the box....mine was a pirate! I didn't win, but it was so fun!

Coffey Anderson Concert @ Sunrise

2008-05-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

Sheena and I
Us with Jeremy & Sheena and Coffey. We have really connected with Jeremy and Sheena!

Us with Coffey
Event Staff :-)
Dusty, Sheena, Jeremy, Me, and Lisa getting ready for the concert.

Coffey Anderson is an up and coming Christian artist. Our church hosted him for a concert here on the island. Dusty and I were a part of the even staff :-) It was really a lot of fun and an anointed time of worship!!

White Coat Ceremony

2008-05-10T17:52:00.001-07:00

The whole group! About the only picture we have of daddy that night because he was the one behind the camera.

Dusty with Ivan, Neil and Daniel

Ivan and Greg, probably Dusty's closest pals here at St. Matthews

Dr. Dusty to be...Dusty receiving his honors pin!

With his White Coat!

Here is Dusty with Ivan. Ivan and Dusty have become great friends and study partners since first semester. If you remember, Ivan is the one who came all the way from Canada for our wedding last August.

Dusty and Sanders. Sanders is one of the first people Dusty got to know besides Ivan. The three of them rode to school together all of first semester. He is from Miami.
Here he is...Dusty with Dr. Sreenathan, professor of Neuroscience. Dusty said that he was the most amazing instructor!!
Dusty and I with Wes and Kacy who joined us because they wanted to be a part of this night for Dusty!

March 7th, 2008
Tonight was a memorable night for all of us, but especially for Dusty. As you see in the pictures, Dusty's class was presented with their white coats. It was a beautiful ceremony at the Ritz-Carlton, where we had a four course meal and inspiring speakers. Dusty's favorite professor, Dr. Sreenathan, was one of the speakers. These pictures are a testament to the Lord's provision and Dusty's hard work the past four semesters. Out of 120, only 19 are ranked with honors.....and I will say proudly, that our Dusty is included in that small number! Enjoy the pictures!

Last Day :-(

2008-05-09T19:35:00.000-07:00

This was there last day with us....we had lunch at Guy Harvey's before we took them to the airport. Dusty had to take me to work right after, so needless to say, that was very hard.

Treasure Island Cookout

2008-05-09T18:28:00.000-07:00

Craig, Katherine, Sheena, Jeremy and us at the cookout
Regardt loves Kyleigh :-)
Kacy, Annalize, Esther, and Rebecca
Daddy being goofy while playing volleyball...
Daddy did the grilling
This group picking their teams for some football
And another group playing volleyball
Some of the group gathered around to bless the food

We invited all of our friends to come and meet our dads and Anthony while they were in town. We were reminded just how blessed we are by the hand of our Lord when we saw all of our friends that showed up. We really have met a multitude of friends here! Kyleigh enjoys them too!

Golf at the Ritz

2008-05-09T17:59:00.000-07:00

Here they are with their Scottish caddy - Larry (in the blue)!!

I told you there would be a lot of pictures! These are when the boys played golf at the Ritz-Carlton, and yes they had a blast!

2008-05-09T17:50:00.000-07:00

Dinner at Casanova's

Our wonderful friends! Esther, Wes, Sheena, Jeremey, Craig..and Katherine who was taking the picture.

The girls :-)

2008-05-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

He's not going to like this one......he didn't really eat it
I was terrified......these sting rays are huge!

My daddy loving snorkeling!

Dusty doing what he loves!

2008-05-09T16:47:00.000-07:00

This parrot wanted Mr. Millican's sunglasses so bad!
You can tell I wanted this picture over pretty quickly...

Our sailing trip with Esther, Rebecca, and Andrew

Our Dad's come to Visit for the White Coat Ceremony!

2008-05-09T16:26:00.000-07:00

And they arrive....:-)
All of us right when they got here at Margaritaville

Both of our dad's, and our friend Anthony, flew in together during the first week of March for Dusty's White Coat Ceremony. We had the most wonderful time. We took them to our favorite restaurants. We went sailing, and snorkeling with the sting rays. It was very sad to see them leave. Well....you'll see in all of the pictures! There will be plenty!!

Turtle Farm/ Class Party

2008-03-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

I posted this one late, but before I left the 5th grade, we went on a field trip to the Turtle Farm. This is one of the favorite attractions here on the island and I really enjoyed it! Now Dusty and I have to go back together!
The next day, my last day, they through a suprise going away party for me! It was such a blessing and I truly felt loved and admired by all of them!

From 5th Grade to Pre-School

2008-03-16T20:35:00.000-07:00

Well, as of Monday March 3rd, I started working with the pre-school class at Triple C. I am absolutely loving it and just truly feel blessed everyday. I come home with funny stories to tell Dusty everyday. I still get to see my 5th Graders and it is blessing when they run up to me and tell me about their day. The pictures will speak for themselves at how adorable these children are!

Dusty speaks at Sunrise/ Cyclone

2008-02-24T19:51:00.000-08:00

February 24, 2008

Dusty spoke today at Sunrise and it was just an amazing message. I danced to "None but Jesus". It was seriously the most amazing service! Afterwards, we all went to the beach and ordered $5 pizzas and played in the sand! A cyclone formed over the water while we were eating and it was so amazing to see! It was far enough away that it wasn't scary :).

Sports Day at Triple C

2008-02-24T19:32:00.001-08:00

February 22, 2008

Triple C had a Sports Day that began at 8:00 on Friday and lasted until 1:00 just before the students went home. It was quite an interesting day to say the least, but tons of fun!!

Our 1st PARASAILING adventure!

2008-02-24T19:06:00.000-08:00

February 17th, 2008

Esther and Rebecca invited us to go parasailing with them this weekend! I was a little nervous because I am scared of heights at times, but it was absolutely the most amazing thing to do with Dusty! It was so peaceful and beautiful. We could see the entire island while in the air. None of us had ever been so it was special for the first time to be above Grand Cayman.

Fiddler on the Roof

2008-02-21T18:34:00.000-08:00

February 15th, 2008

Triple C hosted their "Fiddler on the Roof" play last weekend. Dusty and I went and met up with Esther, Rebecca, Wes, Cristal, and Alan. We really had a blast. Four of my students were in it. Afterwards, we went to get dinner and ice cream.

BBQ at Treasure Island

2008-02-19T19:00:00.000-08:00

our crazy friends...KACY and ESTHER

Craig, Lisa, J.P. and Terry being goofy for the camera.
Esther, Christelle, and Candice
Dusty and Alex
The grill masters....Alex, Dusty, Craig, Jeremy,and Sheena

February 16th, 2008

So the gang from Sunrise had a barbecue on Saturday night, right here at Treasure Island where we live. It was Wanda's birthday and we all pitched in to bring the food. I made some caramel popcorn mix and it was a hit :-) We really had a blast. We are so blessed with these wonderful new friends!

Our 1st Valentine's Married & Dinner at 7

2008-02-17T19:19:00.001-08:00

February 14th, 2008

What a wonderful day for us! We both had school, but...I cooked us a few heart-shaped peanut butter pancakes to get the day going. Dusty ordered flowers to be sent to my school but they never came....all in all we ended up getting them for free and I got them the next day. They are the first set of dozen roses I have ever received and they are absolutely beautiful!!! He bought me a new purse and some Chanel lotion to go with the perfume he got me for Christmas. I bought him some new scuba gear...flippers and the whole thing! He sent me to the salon and I got my hair highlighted and had a manicure, while he was upstairs in the room doing the dirty dishes for me :-). And no, I didn't ask him to do them....but yes, I do have the sweetest husband ever (we all know Dusty doesn't do dirty dishes! haha). We then went to dinner the most amazing restaurant we had ever been to in our life! The restaurant is called 7 Prime Cuts and 7 Sunsets at the Ritz-Carlton. I had NEVER seen that many lobster tails and Fillet Mignon!! All you can eat!!!!! Dusty ate around 10 lobster tails and 3 steaks! (and ran 5 miles the next day) Thats MY BABY!! We had a BALL!!

Beach Volleyball At Sunset!!!

2008-02-17T18:58:00.000-08:00

February 10th, 2008

The crew from Sunrise (our church here) loves to play some kind of sport on Sundays, so this day it was volleyball. I of course decided to sit and watch....well we took Kyleigh and so I watched her and worked on lessons. It was an absolutely beautiful day!!

Copper Falls & Rambo

2008-02-09T20:24:00.001-08:00

We had the best dinner tonight at Copper Falls Steakhouse. Kacy, Wes, and Marius joined us and we all ordered a steak! Dusty and I went to see Rambo after the movie. It was very violent but had a pretty good message. A group of Christians went into a village to deliver bibles and medicine. I won't tell all but we did enjoy ourselves. I have been wanting popcorn and chocolate during a movie for a while now....the Lord blessed us as soon as we walked in. A lady gave us a "free popcorn" ticket! Complete Favor, right :-)!

Dusty's Exams

2008-02-09T15:26:00.000-08:00

4th Semester has started at St. Matthew's and Dusty had his first set of exams this week. Thank you Lord for your provision.........Dusty made all A's!! I couldn't be more proud of him and I know that all of you are too! It is so amazing to watch and to experience as Dusty prepares to be a doctor, and a mighty good one!!!

Ash Wednesday & The Weekend

2008-02-09T14:37:00.000-08:00

February 6, 2008
Here on the island, we were out of school for Ash Wednesday. We are a Christian school so it makes sense for us to be off, but most places were closed as well. SO.....we had some friends over here to Treasure Island and we enjoyed the sun and sand. Afterwards, some more friends from church joined all of us for some basketball at the school. All in all, it was a wonderful and relaxing day off of work. Because Dusty was finishing exams, he was able to join us too, which made it all worth the while!
The pictures include Esther, Rebecca, and Wes at the pool and then Craig and Kacy from Sunrise joined us for basketball......oh, we can't forget little miss Kyleigh who got right in there and played basketball with them. She followed Dusty everywhere he went with the ball!

February 9, 2008
Esther and Rebecca came back over to TI (Treasure Island) to spend the day with us. They threw the ball with Dusty as I watched and snapped some pretty photos! We had another wonderful day hanging out with our new awesome friends. Dusty is done with exams and has been dying to see Rambo, so....we are planning on going to dinner and a movie tonight and para-sailing tomorrow, so check back in a day or so to see pictures of those :-)

Champions for Triple C

2008-01-28T18:21:00.000-08:00

My soccer boys played the most amazing game this past Saturday. It came down to a shoot-out and they won! It was so much fun! I didn't take Kyleigh this time but some other teachers were there. Triple C is in the red and blue.

The Periwinkle @ The Ritz-Carlton

2008-01-28T17:58:00.000-08:00

Dusty and I were really wanting to go to this restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton, named The Periwinkle with world reknowned Chef Eric Repert. Its one of three of his restaraunts in Cayman. It is dinner with a movie. They were showing Casa Blanca!! After dinner, you can walk down to this little beach and watch a movie on comfy lawn chairs. We went with Wes and Rebecca, good friends of ours! It is beautiful and we plan on going back!!

Connect Groups @ Sunrise

2008-01-28T17:08:00.000-08:00

So, we've started going to Sunrise Community Church and really connecting with people. It is so awesome because everyone seems to be from a different place. Here, we were hanging out at a couple's house from South Africa. Dusty and I have really enjoyed getting to know these people and building relationships!

1= this is a group of the girls from Sunrise
2= the boys from Sunrise
3= Dusty and Kacy. She is our friend from Hawaii

Uniform Day at Triple C

2008-01-28T16:58:00.000-08:00

Kids have to dress in uniform everyday except Friday. So, teachers dressed in uniform on this specific Friday, while the students came in free dress. It was hilarious, and everyone thought I was a student.

Dinner at Hard Rock Cafe

2008-01-28T16:46:00.000-08:00

Dusty and I were invited to a birthday party at Hard Rock Cafe this month. It was the little brother of one of my students, Easton. A couple of the others teachers came that Dusty and I have gotten to know! Part of our wonderful experience here in Grand Cayman!

Our First New Years

2008-01-28T16:43:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2007

2008-01-28T13:17:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful Christmas we had this year! Yes, it was our first Christmas married, so that was wonderful in itself. We got to experience Christmas in Cayman as well as fly home to be with our families. Dusty and I have never enjoyed being home more than this trip and never felt more blessed! We went to Christmas cantatas, Christmas parties, and just enjoyed being with our entire family!

Brian's Graduation from JSU

2008-01-28T12:21:00.000-08:00

Decemeber 14, 2007, Brian and Laurie graduated from JSU. This was pretty much the first family gathering since our wedding in August. It was wonderful!

Dr. Dusty-to-be

2008-01-27T20:23:00.001-08:00

Dusty finished another semester strong!! He aced his finals and could enjoy Christmas break! 4th Semester, here we come!

Kyleigh was encouraging his studies here :-)

Triple C Soccer Game

2008-01-27T20:07:00.000-08:00

Some of my students play on the school's Under 11 Soccer team. This was the first game I went to and they won! Kyleigh was a hit. They wanted to focus on her more than the game!

Pavla comes to visit...

2008-01-27T19:51:00.000-08:00

Ivan's girlfriend came to visit from Canada and we all hung out through the week! We went to a luau at a nearby restaurant where we watched a guy dance with flaming torches. You'll see the fun in the pictures!

Our Honeymoon- Antigua

2008-01-27T19:24:00.000-08:00

I am posting this one a little out of order, but here it is anyway.

Dusty and I had the most amazing honeymoon. We stayed at the Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta for two nights. It was the most beautiful room! We flew out on that Monday to the island of Antigua to the amazing Sandals resort, where we stayed through Saturday. The pictures below will speak for themselves.

Triple C School- (God's Provision)

2008-01-20T18:58:00.000-08:00

www.triplecschool.org

So, without ever knowing it, God had been working to provide me with a job while here in Grand Cayman. I applied to be a substitute teacher and in return was offered 7 months of maternity leave positions, meaning full-time teacher salary here in Grand Cayman. I am working at a private Christian school here on the island. It is however, an American school. The island is British, but in this school I teach American History with a little Cayman History. I am called Mrs. Millican every day...that was one of the neatest parts :-)

I am working with 5th graders. I have 24 students, 18 boys...:-) It was a huge challenge for me at first, but ask Dusty, I have become so attached and love ever second in the classroom. I do not want to give them back to their original teacher. I get to teach Bible every day. We pray together, we sing worship songs together (Hillsong mostly :-)), and we get into the Word together! Yes, the biggest blessing that I have been a part of!!

Here are some pictures below. My boys play on the Under 11 Soccer team at the school. They are wonderful!! Some of my girls play Netball (similar to Volleyball) and others play instruments and perform in the Drama club.

Daddy, Mama, Brad, and Mimi Visit

2008-01-12T22:26:00.000-08:00

October 2007

Daddy, Mama, Brad, and Mimi flew in and were in town the same time as Mammaw and Leachy! It was so much fun! They flew in with Kyleigh so that she could live here with us! Six of us slept in a studio apartment for almost a week but it was so wonderful to have them here! We went sailing and swam with the stingrays. We went out to eat and to Rum Point. We didn't want them to leave ever!

Leachy and Mamaw Come to Visit!!!

2008-01-12T21:59:00.000-08:00

October 2007
Mamaw and Leachy came to visit us and we had a blast!!! We went on an Atlantis Submarine 100ft underwater. We did a lot of fun things and wish they had not had to leave!!

August 25, 2007

2008-01-12T21:33:00.000-08:00

The most exciting day of our lives happened August 25, 2007. After 3 1/2 years of dating, we were married in the most amazing ceremony of our dreams.

Life in Grand Cayman

2008-01-12T21:24:00.000-08:00

Dusty and I have been wanting to find some sort of way to keep you guys updated on what's going on in the new life of the Millican's. We hope you enjoy this as we will post pictures and comments about our lives since August.