The Day of Match

I can't believe it has been a week since match day. Now that we know where we're going, it seems like we've always known. It's weird how the way things work out just make sense and seem to fit. This post would have been more exciting if I posted on the actual day so all of the emotions were new and fresh, but I will still do a less exciting post now, a week later, for my journaling purposes. (Why do I always feel like I need to put a disclaimer on all of my posts?)

If you've been reading this lately, you know that this day came with much anticipation. I had planned out in my mind all of the different possibilities of where we were likely to go and had some experiences that made me think it would one place over another. This was on and off throughout the past month. We have always been excited about Wake Forest, but as time approached I got the feeling that we would be staying somewhere West. It seemed like a lot of programs matched their residents by region, so we thought it would be unlikely that we would be heading to the southeast, the furthest possible away. So I started focusing on the West. The week of, I was certain is was going to be California or Seattle. There were a few in the midwest, and although they were ranked high, I never thought we would end up there. Even if it meant he would get a spot lower on his list like Seattle. The morning of the match, Dave and I asked each other where we were thinking it would be. I had woken up feeling good with no anxiety, and Wake Forest popped back into the picture. That's weird I thought, but we're still probably heading to the West coast. And so the story goes on...

We meet our friends and the rest of his class at the stadium for the breakfast. I could feel the excitement from everyone in the air. I loved it. It was such a fun atmosphere. Anna was in heaven because she got to play with other kids and eat scrambled eggs and smarties. At 10:00 sharp they announced they would be handing out the envelopes. There was a big table with a red ribbon blocking it off. They did a little ceremony with big scissors and everything and the ribbon was cut. Time to rush to grab the envelopes! Dave and his friends went and got the envelope that held the future of their life and career for the next 6 years. No big deal.

I am my mother's daughter and took lots of pictures, so I have a play-by-play...Here's Dave walking back to the table with his envelope unopened.
We all opened our envelopes at the same time. Here is Dave opening ours. WAKE FOREST! He's going to kill me for this extreme close up, but there was no time for zoom adjustments!
Like I said, I was sort of expecting a West coast school, but as soon as he said Wake Forest. It just fit! Of course it's Wake Forest! And felt a sense of calm and relief. And I just knew this is what is best for Dave and our family.

Here we are with our letter. As you can see, Anna is more interested in her food than what city she will be attending elementary school.
We traded exciting news with our friends. It was fun hearing where they will be, but it's sad that we're spreading all over the country. Brandon and Nate have been Dave's good friends all through med school. These guys are 3 peas in a pod. Same work ethic, same brains, same sense of humor. Dave has so many memories with these guys from school and we have so many memories together from hanging out and traveling. We haven't been able to see each other much during these last 2 years. Once you start rotations, your schedules are never the same, so to find a weekend that everyone has off is rare. But I know these guys will always be our friends, no matter how far away we move. We're so excited for them! They both got good spots in their top 3! They are both smart, top notch kind of guys and deserve the best!

Brandon and Kerstin - Going to Mayo Clinic for Radiation Oncology!


Nate and Jacey - Going to Wisconsin for Orthopedic Surgery!


After everyone celebrated their results, there was a little ceremony for everyone to tell where they matched and put their sticker on the map. Here is Dave placing his sticker on Winston-Salem, North Carolina!


Anna was really excited for everyone that matched. She was happily applauding in between bites.

The rest of the day was a whirlwind. It was around 4:00 before Dave and I actually got to talk to each other about it. Thanks to all of you who called and were excited with us! We went right to work on our house now that we knew for sure it would be going up for sale.

That evening there was a fancy celebration on the 23rd floor of the Wells Fargo Building. It was nice to relax and let things start to soak in a little. I forgot to take pictures, but we had a fun night at our "black tie and cocktail dress" event. No cocktail dress for me. All of my prom dresses are packed up or long gone. And I hate to say it, but they probably wouldn't cover what they need to cover anyway. Ah-hem! There was a little roasting ceremony where Dave got a little roast for his signature "nod." And then they had an award ceremony where Dave received awards for "Most likely to become the Surgeon General" as well as "Most likely to pimp (quiz) medical students." It was a fun night with delicious crepes, and a good way to end an exciting and exhausting day.

And like I said. It just fits. I've never even been to North Carolina, so I'm excited to go and experience it for the next 6 years. I'm sure there will be adjustments and it will be hard at times and we will miss our families and friends, there will be long flights back here with kids, but I feel good. I don't mean to be cheesy, but I do. And that says a lot. Because I am the biggest worry-wort, and always second guessing myself and changing my mind. I just know that this is where we're supposed to be. period.

Top 10 Reasons why we're excited we matched at Wake Forest

10. It's an awesome program! He'll only have 2 years of general surgery compared to 3 at most places. The training will be awesome and he gets along great with all of the doctors.

9. He already knows the people and the program since this is where he did his away rotation last Fall.

8. Because it's in the charming old south! I love all things colonial. And I can't wait to experience the southern side of things. Plus it's beautiful there I hear! It will be so fun to explore this whole region of the country.

7. Because we can actually afford to live there! Finally a 2-car garage! And dare I wish for a mudroom? OK. maybe not, but a girl can dream.

6. Winston-Salem has a Super Target and a Costco, and a Children's museum. That's all I need!

5. Because it's only 3 hours or so from the beach!

4. Because during Dave's 4th year, part of the curriculum is to go to Africa for a month. And Anna and I are even invited!

3. Because it was his in his top 3! Not to toot Dave's horn, but I will anyway. 60% of applicants for plastic surgery don't even match, let alone get in their top 5. We feel very lucky!

2. It's warm! We can throw away our shovels!

1. Because 11 years ago, my brother caught Dave and I... holding hands...I mean cuddling...um, actually making out during the March Madness games. We quickly stopped the make out session to look like we were watching the game. He asked us who was playing, and Dave said Wake Forest. Lucky guess! And the rest is history.

And I'm going to make this top 10 count down to 0, because I have one more reason...

0. Because all of you are going to come visit us at least once during the six years that we will be there!!!

As you can tell, we couldn't be more happy with the way things turned out. The only bummer about North Carolina is that it is far away. However, my brother Eric and his family just live a few hours north in Arlington, VA! So we will still have family nearby, which we are also excited about. I guess that's another reason. Sorry I didn't really stick to 10.

Once I get motivated to get my camera out of my bag and load the pictures on our computer, I'll post about our exciting match day. Thanks to everyone who has supported us and prayed for us during the last few weeks. We feel really loved and we appreciate you all!

We matched at...

In case you haven't heard, we matched at Wake Forest! We're "Going to Carolina"!!! And we're so excited!!!

Dr. McDreamy in print

This is not a shot from the set of Grey's Anatomy or ER. This is my very own McDreamy on the cover of the Salt Lake Tribune today. It was for some article on Medcaid funding, but I like the picture better than the story of course. The caption reads:

U. residents and medical students, from left, Michael Mumert, Raul Weston, David Kelly, Jennifer Gordon and Nathan Faulkner gather in the surgical intensive care unit. University Health Care Hospitals and Clinics faces a difficult challenge as Medicaid plans to cut reimbursements to teaching hospitals, a move that will cost the U. hospital and medical school millions every year.

It's too bad about the loss of millions, but more importantly, he looks pretty good in print, don't ya think?

Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow. Don’t stop. It’ll soon be here.

This song has been in my head all day.

Tomorrow is match day and I'm so excited!

All Mixed Up

These days I feel like I'm a walking blender. That's right. a blender. I don't have a brain, I'm just all mixed up inside. Too many emotions for my brain to comprehend. Someone hit the puree button and there is simply nothing solid left.

Once I found out Dave matched for sure, I have been giddy with excitement all day. Where did we match? It's crazy and somewhat frustrating to think that SOMEbody out there knows where we will be spending the next 5 to 7 years of our lives and we don't. It's so exciting to think what is in store for us. A whole new city to explore, or possibly region of the country, for that matter. We can pick up and have a whole new life somewhere!

But then I get sad. And start to think that maybe it would be better if we matched here. Do I even want a new life? As I've tried to get our house in "for sale" condition, I've realized how much I really love our little house. It's just right for us. I will miss it. What will our new living conditions be like? We will be complaining about the nosy neighbor upstairs? Or will we get a house with a 2 car garage and a big yard? How will I fit all of my scrapbooking supplies that I never use, but will "someday" in an apartment? Will our new neighbors be friendly? And friends! Oh, I am going to miss my friends! Will I be able to make new friends to keep me company while Dave's so busy? What if we go somewhere cold? Will I be able to handle it? Really? And then I start thinking that we'll definitely need to purchase a snow blower because I do not want to shovel the driveway by myself every time it snows and Dave's gone. And then I realize I'm getting ahead of myself. again. And then I start thinking about moving away from our families. We love our families. We are so lucky to have them so close by. Anna loves both her grandparents and all of her cousins. She'll miss out on all of the cousin fun if we move. So I think, if we move, we better move somewhere that has an easy direct flight home. But then I remember we don't really get to choose at this point.

And then I think of the nice relaxful Sundays where we can just stay home and have dinner with our own little family. No where to run. No family parties to juggle. Just us. But then I think, well, just me and the kids actually. Because Dave will most likely be at the hospital. So maybe that doesn't sound so nice for every Sunday.

But then I get excited again and think, wow, we might get to move somewhere so fun! What if we go to Chicago and we get to live in a big, fun city, with so much to do! Good shopping, good museums, an American Girl store, and let's not forget Oprah. Or California, one of our favorite vacation spots! Would it be like a vacation? Could we go to the beach and Disneyland every weekend? Probably not, but it sounds fun. And we would get lots of visitors there for sure! And Seattle? I've never been there, but it sounds like a cool place. Remember Sleepless in Seattle? That was a good one. Or what about North Carolina? I've always wanted to experience the old colonial south. It sounds so charming and so completely new to me. The unknown can be so thrilling and as you can tell I like to visualize things and I start to make plans in each city. But then I remember I'm getting ahead of myself. Again!

And then I get scared. Not just to move. But for what we're moving there for. Residency. Does anyone have any good stories about residency? Because it seems like all I hear about is how bad it sucks. Will I be able to handle it? Will we be able to handle it? I keep hearing about all of these doctors getting divorced and it freaks me out. Does life change that much? I have a friend who is going through this now after her husband just completed his residency. She told me, "Beware of residency. It sucked away his soul!" Ohhh kaay! Scary! Now, don't get me wrong, of course I love Dave and I know he is one solid dedicated guy, but these guys and their wives seemed like they were too. What happened? And I realize I'm going to be on my own a lot, which is fine because I'm pretty much used to it by now. But will I really be fine if we're somewhere without any family or friends? Will I lose it? If anyone has a positive story about residency, please share. I know it's going to be rough, but can't it be good too?

And then I think if we stayed, would we be a little disappointed? We're both pretty adventurous and like to explore new places. Here we had all of these opportunities to move away for a set amount of time, and never did. The U undergrad, the U med school, and then the U residency. Not very diverse and adventurous.

As you can see, there is a lot going on in my head right now. This post probably doesn't even make sense. And sorry to those of you who talk to me on a regular basis. You probably are dry heaving right now because you're so sick of hearing about all of this. I can't help it though. It's what's in my head. I can't sleep at night because I just start thinking...and trying to plan...ahhhhhhhh!!

But I can't! I just need to wait 3 more days! And I realize it's out of our hands anyway. I know that wherever we go (or don't go), it will be right for us. Even if it doesn't seem like it at first. I just hope we can make it a positive experience and truly EMBRACE it and GROW from it. But we will just have to wait and see. The anticipation is killing me!

tick...tock...tick...tock...

Sorry for this random, weird, emotional post. I told you I was all mixed up. Please don't try and answer all of my questions. It's just me and how I think.

Now, for some random pictures...

I didn't have any sisters growing up, so I think in return, I got some amazing sister-in-laws! I love them all and they are each examples to me in different ways. My amazing sister-in-law Sue who is always so thoughtful, made me this "countdown chain" that goes until the 31st, the last day of my stupid job. She knows how excited I am to be full time on my favorite, but harder job of motherhood. Each day I take off a chain that has a great quote about motherhood on the inside. And then, to top it off, I get to open a chocolate for each day too! She is so thoughtful and creative. I just love her! Thank you for making the countdown even more fun Sue!

Anna, the bag lady. Here she is carrying around some of the bags Dave brought home from Guatemala. I put one on her shoulder and then she decided what to do with the rest. And then of course she needed her lotion bottle too. It was hilarious. She really is quite a pack rat.

And since Dave is on call and didn't get to see Anna today, I just wanted to show him that she really was his lucky charm today. Genuinely Dad's Lady Luck!

How was that blend of randomness for you?

matched!

Dave can breathe a huge sigh of relief, because we just got the email that he has matched! Although, we won't find out WHERE until Thursday. It's just a relief to know that he will for sure get to do a residency in his preferred specialty. No scrambling for us today! Phew!

Congrats Dave! We are SO proud of you!

Want a little Hollywood in your life?

Are you thinking about moving? Do you know anyone who might be thinking of moving? Well, whaddayaknow! We might be moving too! And we have a lovely home in Surgarhouse that we will need to sell if we do. I just thought I would open it up to all of my blogging friends and family before we put it up on the market. Sometimes word of mouth works best in real estate. Plus, we'd love to see this house that we've loved go to someone really great. (i.e., YOU, or someone you know)

Here are a few house stats:

- 4 Bedroom

- 2 Bath

- 1 Car Garage (just restored last fall)

- Alarm System

- Newly refinished hardwoods

- Air Conditioning

- Sprinkling System

- Awesome, safe neighborhood

- Charming tree lined streets

- Street lamps (and it looks extra cute and Christmas when everyone wraps lights around the lamp pole!)

- Great ward (if you're LDS, and even if you're not) I got 3 weeks of meals after I had Anna! There are always fun activities for the whole neighborhood throughout the year.

- Convenient to everything. Grocery shopping, restaurants, schools, sno cones, you name it.

We will ask a very reasonable and competitive price for this neighborhood. (Especially if we don't have to go through a real estate agent.) Now, please note that there IS a slight possibility that we may be staying here, but odds are we won't be. So our house is basically for sale, but it can't be official until March 21st.

If you, or anyone you know may be interested in our house, please email me at ashleybkelly(at)hotmail.com. And I promise that the paparazzi really aren't that bad on Hollywood. :)

Dave's Guatemala Trip (According to Ashley)

I managed to get some details out of Dave about his trip in the few hours we've crossed paths this week. It would be better coming from Dave, but he hasn't quite hopped on the blogging bandwagon quite yet. So I picked my favorite pics and I'll do my best to report about this awesome experience. Most of the pictures do the talking.

If you're sick of hearing about this, sorry, but I know some of you are interested. Plus this is our journal and remember, no one is forcing you to read this!

And again, another warning on the pictures. None are too graphic, but they may tug at your heartstrings!

As I looked through the pictures I feel so humbled. so blessed. so grateful. so guilty. so sad. so happy. so amazed.

Dave in front of the Children's Hospital

Families waiting at the hospital. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, most traveled 8 hours or more to get there, and they stayed in this waiting room all week.

This little baby is one of my favorites! She has a cleft lip and palate. Here she is ready for the operation.

And here she is post-op. Isn't it amazing what the surgeons can do?

Handing her back to her Mother. This picture makes me cry! I can just see the joy and love in her face.

I can only imagine how a mother would feel. So glad to have your baby back safe in your arms. It would be so scary sending your baby off to surgery. So grateful to have your baby healed and able to eat properly and of course SMILE!

Even doctors get sick. This is Dr. Siddiqi hooked up to an IV. Luckily Dave didn't get sick, but many of the volunteers do. (mostly related to the food)

Another patient after surgery with his mother. Don't you think all of the mothers are so beautiful? There just seems to be something in their eyes that shines.

Dave and Dr. Siddiqi with one of the patients. I believe this is the one where they rebuilt her ear.

Another adorable patient healing from an ear reconstruction.

This one is crazy and amazing. It's Dave's favorite and I hope I can explain it correctly. This little boy was wearing a ring on his finger and some how lost his grip from a tree or something and the ring scraped off all of his skin but the bone was still there. I know. Pretty sick, huh. So to keep the bone alive, the surgeons in Guatemala sewed his finger with the bone inside his abdomen. I guess this helps keep the blood flow good or something. So he had to keep it like this for several months until the American doctors came to fix his finger. The circle on his stomach around his finger is where Dave cut the skin to form around the bone. They then just pulled his skin together and sewed up the gap. I can't believe I just typed that. I would have fainted by that four years ago.
And here is the finger post-op. The skin will mold around the bone and will get blood flow since it was kept in the stomach. I don't quite get it. You should probably ask Dave to explain it!

Dave with the little boy after the surgery. I love this picture because I think both little boys are so cute! Doesn't Dave kind of look like a little boy dressed up as a doctor here?

Another patient with her mother post-op.

Another Mom and baby after surgery. Sorry, I'm just realizing how many of these I've posted, but they're my favorite!

If you read my previous post, you saw the girl with the hairy nevus that was removed. Here she is with Dave and her mom. (Her face is bruised from the surgery now, but it will fade soon.) Her mother gave Dave this bag that she made. What a meaningful souvenir that we will treasure!

I have a hard time looking at this one. This man got bit by a mosquito and he got a bacterial infection that ate away his skin and nose. They rebuilt his nose last trip and they did dermabrasion on his skin this time. Dave said it will heal and look better soon. I hope! That looks painful.

The doctors and nurses of Hirsche Smiles (well, one ALMOST doctor)

The Nurses

Those are my favorites of the surgical photos. I seemed to be drawn to the ones with the Mothers in them. I guess because my heart goes out to them so much! I wonder how much they sacrificed to take their children to this hospital. Each story is amazing.

And I'll include a some pics of the surgeons outside of the hospital once they finished. (They did 75 surgeries in 5 days!)

Out to eat at a restaurant that was in a monastery.

A few of the volunteers went to Tikal on Saturday. They flew to this city to experience the ancient Mayan ruins.

They call this the Tree of Life. It looks beautiful.

This shows how huge it is compared to the normal sized man standing in front of it!

Here is one of the Mayan temples.

The group inside the ruins.

Dave standing in front of the temple. This puts the size into perspective.

I am so grateful that Dave could go on this service trip and have this amazing experience. I am in awe of what the team accomplished and for the first time it made me wish I was a nurse so I could go. (Actually, that's not true, when I heard about some of the awesome nurse schedules, I wished I was a nurse then too.)

So if you made it this far, I'll leave you with a few of my favorite images of Dave's observations from Guatemala. They don't need any explanation.

I Quit!

As of March 31st, I will no longer be an employee of McCann Erickson! I gave my notice today and I am couldn't be more giddy about it! It has been 5 years too long at that place. However, before I eat my words, they offered possible contract work that I might agree to if the price is right. But the sooner I'm done there, the better. See ya later suckers! (Although I am the sucker for staying there for so long!) Yes, funds will be tight the next few months, but it will be well worth it for me.

In other developments, Dave returned home from Guatemala late Sunday night. We are glad to have him home, but to be honest, I've only seen him about a total of 3 hours so far. He immediately started a new rotation at the SICU (Surgical Intensive Care Unit, i.e., crappy schedule) Monday morning and has been on call, so hopefully I can hear all about his trip tonight. I'll try and post some more pics after I get to actually have a conversation with my husband!

Hi. My name is Anna. And I am no longer an alcoholic.

Anna has kicked her alcohol habit and has been dry for 5 whole days. I'm so glad that we didn't have to waste money on rehab because based on Lilo and Brit, it doesn't seem to help. She now has become attached to her bottle of lotion, which is much safer. And now, when she finds a bottle with a potentially hazardous liquid inside, I just pretend that I can't open it. I make funny faces and make it look like I'm trying really hard to open it, but I just can't. This seems to distract her and she thinks it's funny. Genius! Why didn't I think of it sooner?


However, I cannot be too proud, because earlier tonight, this is what happened when I turned my back.

She found some Hershey kisses in my secret candy drawer. I saw her find them while I was on the phone and so I rescued them from her as soon as I could. Well, I guess she is on to me and had one hidden somewhere because after I got off the phone and the kisses were all cleaned up (to my knowledge) I put her in the highchair for dinner. Then my little neighbor Madde calls and wants to borrow some powdered sugar. While I'm busily getting the sugar for Madde, I look over and what do I see? Anna eating a Hershey Kiss foil and all! She had a death grip on it and so it was melting all over and she tried to shove what she could in her mouth before I took it away. So much for avoiding chocolate on her clothes. I'll be trying the OxyClean! Luckily Madde arrived shortly after and cheered her up. When did my little baby get so sneaky?