The Medical Crew

I stole this picture this from Kelley Flint's blog, because I realized that after 4 years of medical school I still didn't have a picture of our whole group together.  It's from our celebration dinner on Match Day.  People are headed all over the country, so this was one of the last times we'll all be together.  In the 4 years of Medical School there have been 3 marriages (including ours) and 11 children born (Nathan being one of those), and quite a few lasting friendships created.  It's been a good 4 years in Hershey.

Wahooooo!

It's official- We're going to the Buckeye State for at least the next 3 years: Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH!!!  Joel got his first choice- I'm so proud of him!

Phew.....

I knew today was going to be a good day when I stepped out of my house and it smelled like I was swimming in a huge tub of milk chocolate.  Yum!  It's a good way to start the morning- one of the advantages of living in Hershey, PA.  Later Joel got the email that said, "Congratulations.  You've matched."  We were pretty sure he would match, but there's always that little nagging question mark until you actually receive the confirmation.  At least now we know we don't have to go to Akron.  The rest is mere details.  We're guessing 80% chance we'll go to Ohio State and then if we don't get in there then we're thinking #4 Rochester, NY is the 18% (2% somewhere else), because #2 & #3 are technically "better" programs and have more name recognition than Ohio State.  Who knows......you never know.  The countdown begins until Thursday @ Noon.  You can take the poll up above.  We thought it would be fun to take a vote.  Why not?

Another Love

Becky- I love when I complete a project.  It's a nice feeling when I can cross it off the list and admire it before I go on to the next thing.  I like the nice sense of accomplishment.  Here's Justin and Jenny's quilt with the train theme to match their nursery.  Only a few more weeks until their first bambino makes his debut!

Joel- I love growing up.  As Becky and I will be moving for residency, we are looking at the possibility of buying a home in our new locale.  We are starting to meet with banks about mortgages and looking at real estate online.  It all is the sort of thing you think about when you are young--getting married, starting a family, buying your first modest home, getting a real honest-to-goodness job, etc.  And now it's all happening.  I love it!  Now I hope that someday I actually feel like a grown-up, rather than just doing grown-up things.

Throwdown Love

Becky- I love a good Iron Chef throw-down challenge.  Our activity tonight for Young Womens (church youth group) was awesome!  The secret ingredient was strawberries.  I was so impressed with the creativity and expertise of the girls.  I was a judge (since I'm never one to give up the eating aspect of any activity) and I loved every second of it.  I must say that after tonight I'm considering a new career in taste tasting.

Joel- I love reading.  I don't know why I didn't try it sooner in life.  :)  I think the key for me was understanding that it is OK to start a book, not like it enough to invest the time, and put it down.  Once I realized that, I have really begun to enjoy it.  I just finished "Liberty and Tyranny" by Mark Levin (it was OK, but mostly a rehash of conservative ideals I already understood).  Reading doesn't get your heart rate up any more than watching a movie, but I always feel better after spending an hour doing the former rather than the latter.  Love it, love it, love it.

Family Love

Becky- I love my in-laws.  You constantly hear people complaining about "the other side of the family," and how they didn't help with the baby or how they don't like you (some of my friends have some serious doozy stories), but I have to say that I consider myself truly lucky.  My in-laws are wonderful- they've always treated me like a part of the family and they were SO incredibly helpful when Nathan was born.  When I thought I was going to break down and cry if I didn't get some sleep they came over and took care of him all through the night (on several occasions).  They are wonderful grandparents and Nathan loves them, too.  Yep, I'm pretty lucky- No scary in-law stories from me.

Joel- Given Becky's comments, I feel now would be an appropriate time to share how much I love my in-laws.  Now, my father-in-law does have a gun collection to be admired and envied, but I have never felt that there was a significant chance he would ever use them on me.  So that's a plus.  :)  Seriously, though, they have been very supportive of me from the beginning.  They have never drawn a distinction between me and the rest of the family; I was always one of them.  Becky's siblings, too, have been accepting of me and have always treated me like a real brother, not just some random brother-in-law.  I have some stories I could tell about my in-laws, but they are all stories of love, humor, and faith.

Wishful Thinking Love

Becky- I love to read- love it, love it, love it!  I just wish I had more time to do it.
Joel- I love to feel needed and wanted.  Today, Nathan was playing in one corner of the room.  I wanted to see what he was up to, so I got down on all fours and went to find him.  He saw me coming, and his face just lit up.  He motored on over to me and pushed his face into my stomach (his sign for "cuddle with me").  Especially after his doctor's appointment where he had to get a shot, it was nice to see that he didn't hold a grudge.  I love that little boy!

Movie Love

We love thought-provoking movies.  Joel and I just recently watched "Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?"  It's by the same guy that did "Super-Size Me."  He's funny, witty and actually I thought he did a really good job of discussing a lot of fascinating ideas about the "War on Terrorism" and such without actually getting political.  It took Joel and I 3 days to get through the movie because we kept pausing it to have deep conversations about things brought up in the documentary.  We had quite a few lengthy and shall we say lively debates about American Foreign Policy. :)