hitting the road

In six short (yet long) days, the husband takes off on an adventure -- his audition rotations. This marks the beginning of a crazy season for both him and me. Audition rotations take place all around the country at spots where the husband feels he has the best chance of getting matched for his future residency in Orthopedic Surgery. So for those of you who like to keep track, here's the reader's digest version of our next six months:

June: The husband is in Harrisburg, PA; I am soaking up CO summer and taking a summer class
July: The husband will be splitting time in Denver, CO (with me, yay!!) and Cleveland, OH; I will be enjoying my time with the husband, taking my summer class, and studying for the Math Content PRAXIS exam
August: The husband will be in Lansing, MI; I will be starting my 2nd teaching internship at Adams City Middle School
September: The husband will be in Detroit, MI; I will be fully immersed in the busiest semester of grad school thus far
October: The husband will be at a different program in Detroit, MI; as for me, see previous month
November: The husband will be in Akron, OH; and again, as for me, see previous two months
December: TBD - either the husband will take on an additional rotation or he'll be back in Denver and I'll be finishing up my semester

The husband and I will try to visit each other when we can, but due to our demanding schedules and limited funds, the visits will probably feel few and far between. My hope is to visit each location so I can scout each one out. I mean, one of these places will be our future home for 5 years and I've never been to any of them before!

Although this upcoming season seems completely absurd and undesirable, it is truly an exciting adventure. The next six months will play a huge role in determining our next 5 years and that is an incredibly alarming yet thrilling thought.

After the husband completes his tiring six months of audition rotations, things will slow down for him. He will have completed almost all of his 4th year medical school requirements so he'll finally be able to breathe and relax. The residency match process takes place in February which is when we'll find out where we get to move to in June 2014.

I know this next year will be a whirlwind and I'm sure we'll face challenges unlike any others that we've faced thus far, but I am looking forward to this season - a season that is truly building our future.

The husband and I truly appreciate prayers all along the way. In six days, we leave to drive across the country to get him settled in at his first rotation. We are making the most of this trip by visiting friends in Kansas City, stopping in Indianapolis, visiting my sister in Baltimore, and making a quick 36 hour trip to NYC. I'm really looking forward to this trip but I'm not looking forward to saying goodbye to the husband. Please pray for safe travels, great time together, and an easy departure.

                        

the in-laws came for a visit

Why is it that whenever you announce the word "in-laws" people immediately grimace, cringe, and comment? There's such a negative connotation around the idea of in-laws. Even if you think your own parents are great, once they become in-laws, there is apparently something wrong with them. It's a weird concept and I don't really understand it -- maybe because I'm one of the lucky few who has been blessed with some pretty great in-laws.

My in-laws are laid-back, happy-go-lucky people. They are easy to be around and they bring such joy to both my life and the husband's. We've basically been begging them to come for a visit (well, really, we've basically been begging both of our parents and our friends to visit). Either way, we were beyond thrilled to finally have them back out to Colorado.

Colorado has been overly snowy and blistery of late (despite the fact that it's spring) but our little weekend was full of warm sunshine just to greet our guests. The combination of having visitors and seeing my oh so beloved sunshine again, made me one giddy girl. I love exploring this great state and having visitors gives me the perfect excuse to do so.

Our weekend was the perfect amount of go-go-go and relaxing. As soon as the in-laws arrived, we wanted to get things started off right so we took them to a great patio happy hour spot in Denver, called Root Down. I highly recommend it! The next day was our adventure day -- a trip down south to Colorado Springs with a slight detour to gawk at the husband's cadaver that he's been so meticulously working on. While in the Springs, we wondered around the Air Force Academy, Garden of the Gods, and Old Colorado City. After a full day of driving and sunshine, we had a laid-back night of tacos and card games. Oh and of course, an inaugural trip to Yogurtland for the in-laws!

Sunday consisted of some of our "must-go-to" spots for our out of town guests -- Snooze for breakfast and Wash Park for fun. Since it was the first nice weekend in what felt like ages, the park was a zoo of volleyball nets, dogs, exercisers, and so on. We happily contributed to the masses and enjoyed our little spot of grass. Sadly though, the trees have no leaves since the snow keeps preventing them from blooming, hence, no shade to hide from the first intense heat of the year. Bring on the tan sunburn!

The in-laws last day in town was a little more low-key. The husband had to start his Orthopedic rotation in Denver and I had to study. But my attention span for studying when I have visitors is quite small, so a detour to go shopping with my mother-in-law was a must! She treated me to quite the shopping spree as a sweet early birthday present. I absolutely loved the gesture and of course, adored the added pieces to my wardrobe!

Overall, the weekend was quite a treat and the husband and I feel so blessed to have had such a wonderful weekend.

Here are some visual representations of the weekend:

Thank you Jim & Dana, for everything!!!