Wow!!! That is the most accurate word I can find to express my thoughts and feelings about what has transpired in my life in the last month and a half!As Inigo says, in the Princess Bride: "Le' me 'splain. . . . No, there is too much. Le' me sum up:"
James graduated from his residency program!!!! Yay!! Yay!! Yay!! Both James' and my parents were able to fly out to attend his graduation. It was wonderful to have them there to celebrate this momentous occasion with us. At all of the festivities, we heard again and again from those he had worked with what a stellar doctor/surgeon/resident/person/etc. that he is. (Not that any of us doubted. But, after all of that HARD work, it was nice to hear them say it so sincerely.)
On that same weekend, our wonderful, beautiful, hilarious, fun daughter turned two years old! It was a pretty low-key celebration with everything else that was going on, but I think she had fun and knew that she was loved and adored. (We'll make it up to her when she's old enough to care about the festivities.)
After these events, James had to work two more weeks. Yes, I know, who ever heard of graduating two weeks before you're actually finished??!? And I spent a lot of time packing.
Our home (not our house, but everything that makes a house a home) was packed into a truck and gone about 5 days before we moved. So, we camped in our home. The kids were in sleeping bags on the floor, and did AMAZINGLY well. So well, in fact, that James and I considered doing away with their real beds all together.
The Sunday before we left, some dear friends threw us a going away party! It was fabulous! We so enjoyed having a chance to visit and say goodbye to so many dear, wonderful people who have impacted our lives and have been the truest of friends. Boy, do we miss you all!!
Then, Monday, June 30th, we closed on both houses, finished up some things around town, (got stranded with a dead car battery for an hour or two), dropped one car off to be driven across the country by some friends, and headed across the country.
The drive across the country was about what I expected. Mostly it was good. The kids, especially Ben, did really well over-all. Brianna, however, finally revolted on the third day, about 4 hours before our final destination. We endured a rough four hours, but we all made it . . . ALIVE. We stayed in a hotel that night, and took possession of our new home the next day. Unfortunately, our things (you know, all that stuff that makes a house a home) didn't arrive for another 3 1/2 days.
Then, because we hadn't had enough living out of suitcases and sleeping in hotels or on the floor, we left on vacation early the next morning. I was soooo exausted the night before we were to leave, that I SERIOUSLY considered cancelling the whole vacation. But, as I prayed about it, I felt we should go. (Plus, James wouldn't have let me cancel it.) So, we went. Boy, am I glad we did!! It was really fun! Yes, we were still tired, but we were all together and we were doing FUN things together. I think it was important that we did that. We formed great memories, and it was wonderful to see how Ben's confidence grew the more time he spent with his Daddy. Brianna was really fun as well. She has never stayed in a stroller very well; she would rather push it, than ride in it. However, our first day in San Diego, we stopped at a Wal-Mart and purchased a cheap umbrella stroller, figuring that would be cheaper than renting one at our different places of amusement. Brianna LOVED that stroller, and rode in it quite a bit. It made our whole vacation go much better. She was even able to nap in it! Thank you, stroller!
The following is a quick summary of our vacation in pictures. More detail will have to wait for another post.
Thanks to a VERY LONG lay-over on our return trip, I was able to attend a baby shower for my youngest brother's wife, and James was able to visit his sister and her brand new baby!
Since returning from vacation, we have spent a great deal of time unpacking and organizing. Our house is really starting to come together. I made James promise that we would hang pictures before we had already lived here four years. (James was a bit busy when we lived in our last house, and there were rooms that literally didn't get pictures hung for a good 3 1/2 to 4 years!)
James began working this last Monday, and is loving it! His partners are really great guys, as well as all the others he works with. Our neighborhood and entire area is just beautiful, and we feel very blessed to be here.
The first three days James worked, he was home by 5:30pm. 5:30!!!! I was so happy, I could hardly contain myself! It was a bit confusing, though. I kept thinking I needed to put the kids to bed right away after he got home. I mean, surely, if the kids are still up when James gets home, then they are up waaay past their bedtime, right?? Ha, ha!! This is great!
This last weekend, we were able to have my parents and my oldest brother and his wonderful family come for a visit! It was so fun! My parents helped with so many projects that I don't think I could possibly name them all! We had yummy food, and wonderful companionship! Thanks for visiting!
Our door is always open to our friends and family! We would love to have you come visit!
(I think James had a great time on this vacation!! He became pretty good at surfing -- well, at least in this environment!)
