An Italian Holiday - Introduction

Waayyyyyyyyyyyy back in April of this year, Scott and I took a trip to Italy for 10 days. It was a celebratory and why the hell not sort of trip. It seems like ages ago. We left for Italy only a couple of days after Scott finished his fourth year rotations of medical school and since we got home, our life hasn't slowed down... until now.

We decided to go to Italy on March 1st and left on April 8th.  Let's just say I ate, drank, and slept trip planning. It was a whirlwind of preparation. Neither of us had traveled internationally (Canada and the Bahamas don't count) and therefore I had to do lots and lots of research. Research makes me feel better about life. What can I say, I'm a planner! Also, Rick Steves' books are awesome. I was basically in a relationship with him for the 5 weeks leading up to our trip.

Anyway, I'm going to break our trip up by day so that means a lot of posts but there will be pictures too!

Thankfully we had a travel journal with us and we wrote about the day's events before we went to bed each night. The details are still fresh four months later. I'll share our adventures over the next few weeks.

Here we go!

Italy here we come! 

The Other Charleston

The location of Scott's third month of rotations was in Charleston... West Virginia.  Like Detroit, this city gets a bad rap. Especially when compared to it's distant relation Charleston, South Carolina.

A typical conversation about possibly moving to Charleston, WV goes like this: 

Them: "So do you know where you are moving after graduation?" 

Me: "Not yet. It could be Charleston..."

Them: *eyes light up and envy washes over their face* 

Me: "...West Virginia."

Them: "Oh. That's too bad. How awesome would it be if it was South Carolina?!" 

Yes, it would be awesome if it was Charleston, SC. Scott would probably sweat to death but that's okay. However, there is something to be said about the mountains. They give off this peace and sense of solidarity. Charleston, WV is nestled among the mountains of West Virginia and sits on the Kanawha (pronounced Ken-aw) River. Here are a few things I loved about the "other Charleston".

1. There are delicious places to eat. I guess this is a universal truth in most cities because we are human and we like to eat. Charleston is no exception. The first weekend I went to visit Scott, we went to the cute place called Lola's. They serve gourmet pizzas and salads. I was digging their cajun shrimp pizza!

Another delicious place was Black Sheep. We had brunch there but they are known for their burritos. Hopefully we will get the chance to try them someday.

2. The City Market. It's a farmers market that is open year round. It also has a gourmet grocery store and a restaurant.

It's the perfect place to take a Saturday morning stroll for some fresh produce. We were there in the Fall so there were pumpkins galore.

3. An old fashioned bookstore. Nuff' said.

4. It's 2 1/2 hours from our families. I can't tell you how nice it would be to be able to hop in the car to visit our families for the weekend or even the day. No 10 hour drive or expensive plane ticket. Just a tank of gas and a few tolls.

To sum it all up, Charleston is the perfect size city for us. It's not too big but not too small. It's rural enough for my hillbilly hubby but enough shopping options to keep me happy. Like Detroit, this city has much more to offer than first meets the eye. You just have to give it a chance.

Merry Christmas

Where to start? In 2014 we said good-bye to our townhouse, moved in with Sarah's parents, Scott started his 4th year of medical school, we lived apart for over 4 months while Scott traveled for school, and that's only the last 6 months! Don't worry, 2014 wasn't all work and no play. We went to Myrtle Beach for vacation with Scott's family, celebrated 5 years of marriage in Hilton Head, and even spent a day in Canada while Scott was in Michigan for school!

Photo Credit: Änalee Photography

What does 2015 hold for us? Lots of changes! We find out where we are headed for residency in February, Scott graduates from medical school in May, we move to wherever residency will be, and start a new chapter in our life!  As always, we would appreciate your thoughts and prayers during this time of change and transition. We couldn't do this without you!

Merry Christmas, y'all! 

The Motor City

I thought I'd share my thoughts on the cities we might move to come May or June 2015. I've visited Scott in every city he has rotated through (more on that process here). He started out the summer in Detroit and spent two months there. He rotated through three programs in Detroit that we could potentially move to in 2015. 

So Detroit. Every conversation I've had with someone about possibly moving there goes like this: 

Them: "So do you know where you are moving after graduation?"

Me: "Not yet. It could be Detroit or...."

Them: **winces** "You do NOT want to move there!" 

I would say 50% of the time that person hasn't even been to Detroit. They are basing their opinions off of articles, the news, and rumors. I was one of those people which means I had LOW expectations going to visit Detroit. I'm kinda glad I did. No, it's not New York City or Washington DC (or insert your favorite city here), but it's still a city with lots of things to do. Yes, there are abandoned buildings but you can feel the city renewing itself. So here are few cool things about Detroit. 

1. There are cute and safe towns/suburbs right outside of the city. We stayed in a town called Northville while I was visiting. There were so many beautiful Victorian Era houses. I could have died from all the character oozing from that town. They had a yummy pizza place called Pizza Cutter that we ate at twice. 

We also found the town we would try to live in if we moved to Detroit. It's called Royal Oak which I think would be fitting (Get it? The Kings would live in Royal Oak). It's a suburb with lots of young people and young families, good restaurants, a farmers market on Saturday and an antique market on Sundays. It's only 20 minutes to Detroit.

2. Arts and Culture. This city has a rich history of blues, jazz, pop, and rap. Not to mention it's the birthplace of the automobile industry. We went to the Detroit Institute of Arts for a Jazz Concert one night. It was so much fun! 

The mural inside where the concert took place was pretty fabulous. The music was too. As Scott would say, they were jammin'. 

That's not all Detroit has to offer. There is the Ford Museum (we didn't make it there during our visit), there is a HUGE Farmer's Market (we did make it to that and we had some amazing custard pie from one of the vendors), and even Eminem was in town for a concert (sorry to disappoint but we didn't make it to that either). 

3. Food. Detroit is melting pot of cultures. We had southern BBQ (it was AAAAH-MAZING), authentic mexican food, and, though I didn't get to go, Scott had some yummy sushi at a place called Noble Fish. 

Also, they have this new trend around Detroit of turning old service garages into restaurants. We went to one in Berkley (another cute town). They have American cuisine but with a flare. Also, two words: adult milkshakes. 

4. You can visit Canada! We only went to Windsor, Canada (across the Detroit River from Detroit) and I'll be honest, it wasn't very exciting. Being questioned by border patrol (or whatever it's called) was intense! 

We also had to buy gas in Canada and we had no idea how much money we were spending or how much gas we were getting! haha! Also, the speed limit was in kilometers, I know that's not really surprising but somehow I was.

That's us in Canada with Detroit in the background. 

5. Sports. Detroit Tigers, Lions, and Red Wings (hockey if you were wondering). The Tigers were in town while we were there and we were even planning to go to a game on Scott's birthday (shout-out to the best brother-in-law ever for getting us tickets). Sadly, Scott didn't get off until 9:30pm on his birthday so we missed the game!  

To sum it all up, Detroit was a pleasant surprise! I spoke with someone from Detroit and they said it's a fun city to live in but not a fun city to be a tourist. I would agree with that and it's all about expectations. If you ever visit, try to look at the city with an open mind and I guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised! 

Fourth Year

Oh hi there. Long time no see! I have lots of excuses why that is but the main one is:

it's Scott's fourth year of medical school.

I can't believe it! Anyway, I thought I would explain a little bit about what this year looks like for us. It's kind of complicated so bear with me. If I get something wrong you medical folks, forgive me.

Let's start with the basics. Scott is an osteopathic medical student (want to learn more about what that is? Go here). The other philosophy of medicine is allopathic which is what an M.D. trains in. After medical school both D.O. and M.D. go to residency. The length of residency varies depending on the field of medicine the student chooses. Once all is said and done Scott will be a fully licensed physician (same as any M.D.) but he will have D.O. after his name.

At both osteopathic and allopathic medical schools, there are 4 years of school. The first two years are in the classroom. The second two years are clinical rotations. There are differences depending on the school with how the 3rd and 4th year are laid out. For Scott, his 3rd year of medical school had 9 months of 1 month rotations in mostly primary care medicine (Family, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine). All of these month long rotations were set up by the school and all students had to complete the same rotations.

White Coat Ceremony 2011

4th year is a little different. At Scott's school and in the D.O. world (I don't know much about the M.D. process) the student schedules two week or month long clinical rotations in the first half of the year in the field of medicine they want to practice. Most of the time they schedule rotations at the residency programs they are applying to. These are called "audition rotations". The student spends two weeks to a month with doctors and residents at one of the residencies the students is applying to. This gives the student and the doctors/residents a chance to see if the student will be a good fit at the residency program. Often the audition rotation determines if the student is invited for an interview during interview season. Students typically schedule their audition rotations between July-November. Interviews begin in November and run through January.

Audition rotations can take you all over the country. Scott has audition rotations scheduled in Michigan and West Virginia. Because of the speciality Scott wants to do, we are limited to certain areas of the country. It's not like that for everyone.

Once the student is finished with audition rotations and interviews. It's time to rank the residency programs for the Match. The Match is what determines where you go to residency. The student ranks each program in numerical order starting with their first choice. The residency programs do the same thing to their applicants. Both the student and residency submit their rankings and some magical algorithm in a computer matches a student and a program based on the rankings both submitted.

At this time, there are two matches. The AOA Match (D.O.) and the ACGME Match (M.D.).  At this time a D.O. can participate in either match and can attend either a D.O. or M.D. residency. An M.D. can only apply to the ACGME Match because they have not been trained in osteopathic manipulation (Side note: in the next few years the Matches will be combined and there will only be one for both D.O. and M.D. students). The AOA Match is in February and the A.C.G.M.E. Match is in March. Scott is participating in the AOA Match this year so we will find out where we are going for residency in February 2015.

Mr. VCOM Pageant 2013

After the audition rotations, Scott will be back in the New River Valley completing the rest of his fourth year rotations in various fields of medicine. I can't remember all of them but I know Emergency Medicine is one of them.

Scott will finish rotations in April, graduates in May, and will most likely start residency in July.

CRAZY! 

Anyway, to sum all this up. Scott has been gone since the beginning of July and will be back at the end of November. We trade off who visits who and we Facetime A LOT. (What did we do before iPhones?). Because 4th year is so expensive with all the traveling, we downsized. I am living with my parents while Scott is gone and we have rented our townhouse to another VCOM couple. We will relocate in January to live with Scott's mom so Scott will be closer to the hospitals he will be working at in the New River Valley. We are so incredibly thankful for our families' willingness to let us mooch. Love y'all.

So, yeah, we are basically nomads with two cats in tow.

why not?

It all started with a New Year's resolution. More like a phrase, really. I wanted to take risks this year and step out of my well worn comfort zone. So I decided to ask myself a question each time an opportunity arose, and the question was "why not?" The purpose of that question was for me to examine why I was saying no and hopefully encourage me to say yes.

I put this to the test a couple of times in early January, I went riding on a scooter in the Bahamas, slid down a huge water slide (that may not sound like a risk to you but it's not my thing, people!) both of which I would normally say no to. In mid January, I decided to stop making excuses and start dancing again, because why not?  If you know me or my family, you'll know my sisters and I grew up dancing. After high school I went on to major in dance in college. I continued to dance after college but not nearly as often. After a couple of years my "real" job started interfering with rehearsals. I decided that it was time to give dancing up. So I stopped. That was in in May 2012.

Hear no evil, Speak no evil, See no evil -1997

 Soon after college I started dealing with anxiety and even had a couple of panic attacks. It got even worse during the summer of 2012. Late last year, I started to see a counselor and began working on strategies to cope with my anxiety. Through that I realized that the start of my anxiety coincided with not dancing often, and then getting even worse when I stopped dancing entirely. Now, I don't believe that not dancing was the reason for my anxiety. I had a lot of life changes going on (getting married, graduating college, husband in medical school, new (stressful) jobs) but I do believe that I used dance to cope and relieve stress most of my life. Once I took dance out of the equation I lost my best coping mechanism.

Diamond Fairy in Sleeping Beauty - 2003

Thankfully, I have learned to cope with anxiety and stress without dancing (let's face it, my body is slowly deteriorating and it's not going to be able to dance forever!). In January, I decided I wanted to revisit one of my first loves - dance. I had taken a class before with a student organization on Virginia Tech's campus and decided I would try that again. I ended up finding a student organization specifically focused on ballet and my sisters danced with a couple of the dancers in the organization in high school. I contacted one of them and she gave me their class information. She also asked me to audition to be a part of their show in March. My first instinct was to say absolutely not! I knew I was out of shape and older than all of them. Yet, I asked myself the question, why not? I couldn't think of any real reason not to. What was holding me back was fear. I decided to audition and audition I did. They accepted me and thus my dancing career started again.

College - 2010

There have been days when my feet hurt, days when I was tired and felt too old, and days where I didn't feel like dancing. BUT through all that, I still felt joyful, exhilarated, and alive each time I danced! What is the saying? Absence makes the hear grow fonder? That's usually used in the context of relationships but it's true with almost anything. I took dancing for granted for so many years. Now, I appreciate and treasure each time I get to dance because I know what it's like without it and I know there will be a day when I truly won't be able to dance anymore.

To Build a Home - 2014 (photo credit: Kevin Dickel, photo courtesy of Ballet Project at Virginia Tech)

So ask yourself when an opportunity arises, why not? Who knows where it will take you. 

the happiest place on earth

At age 26, I can say I've been to Disney World! It was an experience, let me tell you. It MIGHT have been because we went on New Year's Eve. It was insanely packed and I thought I was going to punch a few moms in the face who insisted on trying to bulldoze me over with their child's stroller. We had longer wait times for rides and trying to get back to our car after midnight? It took us 2 1/2 hours! I felt like a cow being herded to my death! Yet, it was still a magical place. Cinderella's castle? loved it! Fireworks? It was like it went from night to day in 0.5 seconds! We met several really nice Canadians (who actually said aye!). Most of all Scott and I made some pretty awesome memories. Take a look!    

Top left is my "I feel self conscious and awkward face" 

Bottom left was before take off on the Astro Orbiter in Tomorrowland. 1.) Scariest ride ever 2.) I don't know how we both fit in that spaceship! 

I'm kinda lame, I know, but I love carousels! 

No visit to Disney is complete without some Minnie Mouse ears. Sequins make them even more awesome!

Can I be Cinderella? 

We will definitely go back someday. Next time not on New Years Eve! At least not unless we stay on the resort. We only made it to the Magic Kingdom this time so there is still a lot left to explore!

What's your favorite memory of Disney World?

Christmas Card 2013

MERRY CHRISTMAS Y'ALL! 

Our year in review: 

Scott started his third year of medical school and Sarah helped over 40 couples get married as an event coordinator at the War Memorial Chapel. It was an EVENTful year! Get it? Ahem. Moving on. We added a new (feline) addition to the family. Her name is Rory and she is Mia's best friend. We also took a mini vacation to Asheville, NC this fall. It was gorgeous and we are currently devising a plan on how to live at the Biltmore Estate. (We know we aren't Vanderbilts, but that's a minor detail!)

What does 2014 hold? Some big decisions. We will be making those over the next few months regarding Scott's choice of specialty and where we'd like to pursue the next chapter of this journey. We would appreciate your thoughts & prayers. We definitely couldn't do this without all of our friends & family's love and support. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

What being married to a medical student has taught me....

It's okay to be alone

I can't say I'm the best at this. Growing up with 2 sisters, sharing a bedroom, being homschooled, taking dance classes, I was never really alone. That carried over into college, and into our first year of marriage. Then medical school started and it all changed. That was a tough transition. I also graduated college that spring so I  had to adjust to a new job, all my friends leaving but me staying in the area, and of course, Scott being gone. When I got off from work I sat on the couch by myself, stuffing my face with oreos, watching every crime TV show I could find. Yeah, that was a tough year.

Somewhere along the way though, I picked myself up and started being industrious around the house. (I'm sure this had to do with my mother's gentle nudging).  I cooked, I crafted, I sewed, I read. I came to realize that being alone wasn't that bad. I had always relied on another person to fill my time and it was rather freeing not having to rely on someone else. I still have bouts from time to time of self pity and comparing my life to others, but I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to cultivate myself on my own.

How to say crazy medical terminology

Hepatosplenomegaly. Nuff said.

It's the little things

There were so many moments I used to take for granted but I savor now. I love to sit on the couch with Scott and just watch TV (dare I say, football!), to take a walk in our neighborhood, hold hands at dinner, the list could go on and on. Our time was/is so limited that we choose to savor the little things instead of dwelling on the "big things" we can't do right now, like actually spending the entire evening together or taking weekend trips.

Flexibility 

Scott's schedule can change at the drop of a hat. He can get off early from the clinic one day and then be hours late the next. It makes planning difficult. If you know me, you'll know I don't deal with my plans changing well. I get all moody and pouty. Being in a medical marriage has taught me to check my attitude... most of the time. I've learned that my attitude isn't going to change the outcome except make myself miserable.

Sacrificial Love

Marriage is supposed to be a life long lesson on sacrificial love but sometimes I believe we took an accelerated course the past few years. I've put things on hold, at times I've taken the back seat to school, I've worked jobs I've hated to pay the bills, and more. It was/is hard. These years are about us but with a concentration on Scott. It bothers him and he wishes things were different. I have days where I get wrapped up in ME, totally selfish and self serving. Forgetting what Scott is doing is for us and our future. He is sacrificing BIG TIME to go to school for us. I try to bring those things to the forefront of my mind but what really helps is when I think of Jesus. When I compare my measly sacrifices to His and it flips my perspective upside down. I realize I am blessed to have the opportunity daily to emulate Jesus' sacrificial love in my marriage.

Support is Crucial  

Neither one of us could have gotten this far without the support of family and friends. Y'all are amazing! We are incredibly blessed to have family close by but I also got involved early on with a ministry for medical wives. It has blessed me beyond measure. If you take anything out of this post, please take the steps to become involved in a supportive community!

We are a team, it's not just his success it's ours  

This summer, while making small talk to a friend of a friend, they asked Scott what he did and he said "I'm in medical school" (He most likely didn't come right out and say it. He is very humble and unassuming.) They asked how much longer he had left, and I chimed in with " We only have two years left, thank goodness!" The person had a surprised look on their face and said "Oh, your in medical school too?". I laughed and cleared that up really quick. I realized a little while later that my answer was pretty indicative of our mentality though. It's not just Scott, it's us. This journey is ours, even though I'm not in the classroom or clinic with him. We see this as a team effort and we couldn't do it without each other.

I don't think any of these things are learned just through being in a medical marriage. Everyone will have challenges that can teach them the same thing. This is just my reflections of the last few years. I hope it's encouraging for someone, medical marriage or not. 

to my littlest sister

Annalee,

Today marks the day YOU graced the world with your presence. I can't say I remember too much about July 31st 1992, but what I do remember is getting a mermaid Barbie among other toys. I guess Mama and Daddy were trying to bribe Katie and I to like you. Unfortunately, it didn't work on me.

Up until you were born it was just me and Katie. It's hard to believe now but Katie was very quite, shy, and did pretty much whatever I wanted. I was THE boss (Sorry, Katie. It's made you a stronger person!). Then you show up, with your blonde hair and chubby cheeks. Let's just say you stole the spotlight that I thought was trained on me. All the attention suddenly was on you, which is totally understandable... now. Unfortunately, my childish brain could not see reason. I took on a personal vendetta against you.You did nothing to provoke it but be adorable. For the next 18 (probably more like 19) years I was MEAN to you. Seriously, I was terrible. I was critical, I pulled pranks on you, the list goes on and on. Through it all you were always so sweet. You took everything I gave and more with grace. That alone should have tipped me off that you were something special. In all likelihood, it did and fueled my jealousy more.

All I can say now is that I'm glad with age comes wisdom. Our relationship has been on the mend for several years now.  I'm sorry it wasn't sooner. I missed out on so many years of sisterly friendship because of my selfish jealousy. What's even more incredible is that you were open to my friendship after years of abuse. No, anger or resentment, you just took me as a friend without question. Again, it's a testament of what special person you are. I want you to know that I regret those years but I'm so thankful that God mended and changed my heart towards you. I treasure you, sweet sister.

You are a beautiful, kind, faithful, forgiving, spontaneous, Jesus loving woman, and that just scraps the surface. You are so many things I am not and I love you for it. Thank you for all you have taught me through the years. Thanks for loving me. Oh, and have a Happy Birthday.

Love you, littlest sister.

P.S. Congrats on being legal! I owe you a drink when you get back.

a new addition {part 2}

Here is Lucas Allen's debut! He is a beautiful boy and big to boot! The nurse doing all of his measurements kinda had this mime/charades thing going on. She would make gestures like her arms were tired from holding him or that he was going to be a big strong guy! It was pretty funny. It was such a joyous occasion and so cool that, not only were both Lucas' grandmothers there, but his great-grandmother was too. I think this makes 9 great-grands for my grandparents!

Congratulations to Becca and Brian!

a new addition {part 1}

My mom, sister, and I went down to Georgia this past weekend. We didn't go for any old reason though. We made the 8 hour trek to help celebrate a new life coming into the world! My sweet cousin, Becca, and her husband, Brian, had their second little boy on Friday, May 24th. As with anything in my family, waiting for Lucas Allen to make his debut was a family affair. Below are a few pics I took in the waiting room. 

I have to admit, I'm a little jealous of my cousin! Whenever the day comes for me to have a little one, I highly doubt I'll be close enough in location for my (extended) family to be sitting in the waiting room, or have all my aunts, cousins, & grandmother descend on my hospital room with hugs, kisses, and advice. I know Becca enjoyed every minute of it and will treasure those memories.

Next post, baby Lucas. Wait until you see him! My cousin and her husband make some beautiful babies!

Happy Birthday Mia!

One year ago today we brought the cutest little kitten home!  Scott wasn't keen on the idea, but let me tell you, Mia has won him over (even if he won't admit it!). She has been such a blessing for me. Mia keeps me company when Scott is studying, which is a lot! Happy Birthday to my little furbaby!

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.”
― Anatole France

Mia Monday

I've decided, in an effort to post on this blog more often, I'm instituting Mia Mondays. What are Mia Mondays, you might ask? It' the day I post a picture of my cat. Yes, I am THAT person. Get over it.

This photo is from the first week we got her. I don't think she had a name at this point. I was indecisive. We called her Little Bit, Miss Priss, Little One... you get the picture. I wish she was still this little. sigh. But don't let that sweet facade fool you. She was and still is a little spitfire.  

Everyone will have to forgive me for these self indulgent posts.

Next up... Scott Saturdays anyone?

i'll cross that bridge

Let me tell you a story...

There once was a guy who really liked this girl. The girl didn't like the guy. Well, not like THAT. She thought he was a nice guy and liked being friends with him, but that was it. They would hang out from time to time, always with one of the girl's sisters in tow (much to the guy's chagrin). One of those times, they were all hanging out in her living room. During one of their conversations, they got onto the subject of weddings (much to the girl's chagrin). While they were talking they guy asked the girl, "What kind of wedding do you want?" The girl not wanting to give the guy any ideas, blurts out,  "I'LL cross that bridge when I get there!" Emphasis on the "I". The guy got the picture loud and clear. Not for the first time did he leave the house with his dreams crushed.

Would you like to know the end of the story? Well, the girl ate her words.


They crossed that bridge together. 

gettin' thrifty with it

Goodwill, oh, Goodwill! Why must I always leave thee empty handed?

Ok, let me just go ahead and put this out there.  It's not because I'm snobby or have high standards, it's because there is literally nothing worth taking home at my local thrift stores.  I read all these blogs and magazines and they talk about all their AWESOME finds at thrift stores. All I ever find are ugly Christmas mugs and faded silk floral arrangements. I have better luck with clothes, it's the home goods section that stinks. I know that the nature of thrift stores is hit and miss but I seem to be missing consistently. Then I went to Goodwill yesterday on a whim and my luck changed. Let's just say I did not leave empty handed! Check out my spoils....

 Sorry for the blurry-ness but if you made out that the sticker says $0.95 you would be absolutely correct!!!! Seriously a complete Apples to Apples came for under a buck! Scott and I love this game but never wanted to spend $20+ on it. 

 Then I found these beauties. I think I got all 3 for under $12 bucks. They were marked down at Goodwill. I didn't know they marked stuff down!

I think I want to hang them somewhere. Kind of along the lines of this: 

 Source

   Last but not least, I found these milk glass vases. I think they were $2 a piece. 

I was thinking of using them like this:

Source

 or this:

Source

Do you have good or bad luck at thrift stores?

two more years

It's official. We will be staying in the Blacksburg area another two years! What, you thought that was a given? Well, it wasn't. I assumed it was until somewhat recently. Anyway, because of the school Scott goes to and the area it is located in, all of the third year rotations are not located in the same area. (For those of you who do not know, the first two years of medical school are in the classroom and the last two years are in a clinical setting. During the third and fourth year they rotate through different disciplines of medicine. Thus the name Rotations.)  Scott's school has seven regions you can go to for third year rotations ( and multiple sites within those regions). You are not randomly assigned (which was a relief!) but you do have to rank each region 1-7 and then rank each site within the regions. The school tries to match you to your first region and first site but that doesn't always work out. So that is where the uncertainty came in. Also, for an entire weekend Scott was seriously considering putting Roanoke as his first choice. I tried to be supportive but my heart wasn't in it. The idea of moving 45 minutes up the road for a year wasn't my idea of fun and then there was the issue of my job. I have nothing against Roanoke mind you, it's just everything for us is in Blacksburg and surrounding areas at the moment. My philosophy is, since we will have to uproot in two years anyway let's not do it sooner than we have to. Scott eventually decided to put the Blacksburg area as his first choice but if he hadn't, I would have moved to Roanoke. Really, I would have. I'm just glad our feelings ended up aligning! Long story short, we found out a little over a week ago that we were assigned to our first choice and it looks like most of Scott's classmates were assigned to their first choice as well. I think it's amazing that the school was able to make the vast majority happy. I don't know how they did it! I also realized, after all was said and done, how weird it is to think the next year of our life was in another person's hands.

This is a taste of the future. We will find out where we are going for residency in a similar fashion, except residency is not just a year. It's three to five! I prefer not to think about that now. We will cross that bridge when we get there!

For all you prayer warriors out there, pray for Scott over the next several months. He is taking step one of boards this summer. Scott likes to say, "studying for this isn't a sprint, it is a marathon." Please pray that he has strength and perseverance. And that I have understanding and patience through this process. 

That's it for the life update. I'll leave you with this oldie but goodie.

October 4, 2007 | The night Scott asked me to be his "girlfriend" after one of my dance performances

Ice Ice Baby

I have officially checked off one thing from my 30 before 30 list! Of course, I haven't listed 30 things yet but that is besides the point! A couple of weeks ago Scott decided we were going on a date. At first, he said it would be a surprise. I don't like surprises. Well, that's not completely true. I like surprises when I don't know there is going to be a surprise. Like a birthday party or gift. I don't particularly like the type of surprise where you know you are going somewhere or doing something but the what is a surprise. It gives me anxiety and, more importantly, I don't know what to wear. Anyway, I digress. Scott told me our date destination when I reasoned with him (probably because he knew I wouldn't dress appropriately without knowing!) and off we went to Roanoke Civic Center to ice skate. Some might think my background with dance would help me on the ice. False. I was a hot mess. There were kids flying by me!  BUT I never fell once (I can't say the same for the kids whizzing by me)! That was my only goal for the outing and I am quite pleased with myself for fulfilling it. Scott took some embarrassing footage of me attempting to skate, which unfortunately for you I will not be sharing. I know, I know, you really wanted a good laugh today. Sorry! To lessen the blow, I have included some pictures from our ice skating extravaganza. Check them out!!!

 Scott insists he was looking at the camera. Uh, no! 

 Oh the eagerness of children...

 Don't be fooled, I was faking it for the camera.

Ice skates are surprisingly uncomfortable but they make for cute photo ops.

In case you were wondering, Scott was a natural. Typical.

Christmas | 2012

All our presents are wrapped and stowed safely under the tree. Two pecan pies are cooling on the counter and Scott is playing dodgeball with his friends. Yup, it is definitely Christmas Eve.

Here's a little peek around our house this Christmas. 

 I used boughs from our Christmas tree all around our house to decorate. Scott was concerned that a spider was hiding in the ones above our bed though.

 

Fake tree in our bedroom which is Mia's favorite toy. Thankfully, I put non breakable ornaments on the tree. She achieved her goal and knocked it over yesterday.

 

 Christmas balls and wine corks for fillers. 

Clothesline Christmas card display in the kitchen

Told you they were wrapped!

My mom gives us ornaments each year. This is mine.

 And this is Scott's! (shocker, right?)

 Mia loves Christmas too! 

Merry Christmas!