After 5 weeks apart, Ben finally finished his away rotation in Gainesville, Florida and joined us in Utah!! To say we are excited is an understatement…this was the last big chunk of time we will have to be apart. All that's left is 10 interviews in the next 8 weeks. WHAT? Yes, TEN interviews in TEN different cities all across the U.S. to see where we will match for residency. Ben will be traveling a lot and I hope to join him for some of the interviews that we are really excited about. We have an interview in San Francisco, California; Portland, Oregon; Two in Pennsylvania; Three in Texas; then Florida, Michigan, and Nebraska. This means a lot of flights, hotels, rental cars, and decision making. It's so STRESSFUL but also exciting to try to analyze all these different places and try to get in to the best program for Ben's surgical training but also for our family. After interviews, Match Day will soon be upon us and we will open up a letter indicating where we are to live for the next 5 years! Crazy.
To be honest we've been so Thankful for all the time we've been able to spend with family. I can't foresee another time in our lives where we will have the luxury to just go to the park, eat dinner, and do fun activities with BOTH sides of our family. Its been a really great blessing to reconnect before potentially moving across the country!!
Kaden is 17 months! Almost a year and a half! This sweet, sweet boy grows more tender and fun each minute. He is a little chatterbox and SO CREATIVE! Give him a crayon and paper and he's in heaven. He loves to be read books too, (mostly the same books over and over called Pingo and llama llama, red pajama) and loves to be in the bath. He is still crazy about balls but it has spanned out to include bubbles and marbles. He's also really into "Tractors" which is basically all motor vehicles including cars and trucks. He also loves to "Roar" like a monster/dinosaur and is constantly insisting that I draw a dinosaur and a truck over and over again on his paper. He says "bubble, ball, drink, mama, daddy, Maddie, Bompa (grandpa), hot, and tractor" very clearly. He also has a word for "Grandma" that we all understand but not sure how to spell it here:) He is so happy-go-lucky and such a people pleaser. He LOVES to dance and show off for his cousin Claire and will go down any slide, no matter how high.
He loves hanging out with daddy. Their special thing is that they love to go swimming together. Its fine with me because I'm not a huge fan of swimming…in the winter. Kaden is shockingly tolerant of cold water and cold weather!
That blonde hair, though…
Thanksgiving was with Ben's family this year and we had a great feast! I was especially hungry after running the Thanksgiving Point Turkey trot…I was freezing even after I finished:) There is nothing that motivates me more to run hard than a big slice of pie to look forward to after the race!
Now…to get ready for Christmas!!!! Thanks for reading!
So crazy that med school is almost over! I can't believe it. If any of Ben's PA interviews are in the Philadelphia area, you guys are more than welcome to stay with us! We have a guest bedroom that doesn't get nearly enough use. Good luck to Ben!
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