Maune (May and June)

132 - Approximately how many things I want to blog about. But of course I can't. So I'm going to attempt to blog about some of the events of the last 2 months in one post. I want to get caught up without skipping over details. You know how I hate that. So here's the cliff notes version of the last 2 eventful months of the Kellys. I'm not really good at being brief, so I have a feeling this will be a long one. so prepare to scroll. And yes, there will be lots of pictures. Because this is basically my scrapbook. And I was going to do a number thing, but then I got sick of it. So it's kind of random. Nothing creative here. Just the facts.

8 best friends that I will miss dearly. In May my friends got together for a long awaited getaway up in Eden at Abby's parent's gorgeous home. It was A BLAST! We had so much fun laughing and just relaxing with no where else to be, but with each other. It was awesome. We're a weird bunch. When it got late, we started to play around the world ping pong and somehow that turned into muscial chairs. I haven't laughed that hard in awhile. It was the most fun ever! I love every single one of these girls SO much and I look up to each one of them for different reasons. I hope to make good friends while I'm here in NC, but I know these old ones will never be replaced. And I'm really trying to get them to plan the next girls trip to NC! Miss you guys!

1 big award for Dave

I am going to try and humbly say this, but it will be hard because I'm so proud of Dave! He was honored with the "Paul Wintrobe Memorial Award" by the medical school. In my opinion, no one was more deserving. Before they had announced the winner, I was listening to the qualifications for the award while eating my dessert and thinking, that is SO Dave. He was surprised when they announced his name because on the way there he commented how he probably wouldn't get anything because awards usually go to the kids who lobby and brown nose the faculty, etc. I wasn't surprised because I knew no one better deserved it than Dave! Way to go honey!

Here is the description for the award:

The gold Wintrobe Medallion is presented annually to an outstanding graduating senior, based on evaluation of his or her character, breadth of interest and culture, scholastic attainment, interest in research and promise for the future. Since the award was first presented in the mid 50s, recipients have gone on to distinguished careers in diverse medical specialties.

It was a great night for us and Dave really deserved it after all of his hard work and dedication throughout medical school. It was also so fun to be there with our friends to hang out before we all head our separate ways. We'll miss you Faulkners and Barneys!

Is there doctor in the house?

DAVE GRADUATED!!! He is officially an M.D. and I can't believe how fast those 4 years flew by. And yet so much has changed since he began medical school. Again, I am so proud of Dave for working his hardest throughout medical school. Not only in studying, but his dedication every aspect of it that he participated in. I admit that sometimes I wished he didn't try so hard so that I could have more time with him to myself, but that just wouldn't be Dave. He doesn't do things half way. He does his best. Always. And I'm so grateful for it. CONGRATS on 4 years, and here's to 6 more!

It wouldn't be graduation with lots of picture posing. Here's just a few...

me and my M.D.

"The Gunners"

Dave, Nate, and Brandon

The Gunner Family

Dave, me, Brandon, Kerstin, Nate, and Jacey

Dave and his dad, Colin

I love this picture.

The Kelly Boys

Dave was lucky to have all of his brothers come and support him for his graduation. Paul even flew up from Arizona for the day, just for Dave! All the SLC Boyacks came as well. It was great to have everyone there. Dave has so much respect for each of his brothers And the benefit of being the youngest is to have all of these great examples to look up to not only growing up, but through each stage of life.

Our family photo. Sorry for my cheesey smile.

Anna made it through about half of the long ceremony. It must have been at least 2 hours. She was very proud of her daddy and especially liked his tassel from his neat hat.

One of my favorite moments.

Caroline and Anna held each other's hands going down the stairs. And then they wouldn't let go. So cute. We sure miss that darling Caroline.

Only 1 Darcie, for 3 babies! Anna sure loves her aunts!

And that baby in Darcie's belly was born on the 17th. We can't wait to meet sweet Madelyn!

14 augmented cupcakes to form 2 perfectly round desserts!

I laughed so hard when I saw this. We had a wonderful celebatory lunch back at the Kelly's. It was fun looking through Dave's dad's U med school yearbook along with Dave's. In case you can't read it in the picture, the cupcakes along the bottom read, "Do your breast job!"

CONGRATS DAVE!

1 last visit to the zoo with Grandma and Caroline.

They both had to sit on Grandma's lap for the train ride.

2 Bouncy Girls in twiner pants. And they didn't even plan it.

Cruisin

It seems like a dream that we even went on this cruise because we left the day after Dave's graduation and then came home, sold our house, packed up and moved. It's still kind of a blur. But it was a fun little trip and it was good just to have a trip by ourselves before Dave starts his 6 years of slavery to the hospital. We just wanted to go somewhere quick and easy. We left Anna home with the 2 excited Grandma's and went on a crusie from LA, San Diego, Catalina, Ensanada Mexico, and back. This was our first cruise, so we were excited to see what the party is all about. It was fun, but just really cheesey. So cheesey. I can be kind of cheesey, so I take it when it comes, but the cheese is nonstop here. I sort of felt like I was at a high school dance for 5 straight days. Don't get me wrong, we had a blast. But we're just not sure if it's our traveling style. Plus all these people want you to do is spend more money on the boat! We're kind of cheapskates, so we didn't buy any pictures (we brought our own camera, duh), fine art, jewelry, or refillable soda drinks. We had a good time though! Thanks Royal Caribbean!

leaving San Diego

The "formal" night. And I love how the lady behind us is also posing for our picture.

Dave and I both honestly fell asleep during this singing and dancing show. And yes, I have my fleece over my "formal" I made my black fleece pretty trendy on this trip. I wore it with just about everything. It was pretty good weather, but there was just enough wind always to make me chilly.

26 miles across the sea

Our favorite stop on the cruise was Catalina Island. I love this little island and it's charm. We skipped the excursions from the ship and hopped on a trolley to see the island. Then we went to the beach and rented snorkel gear and hopped in for a bit. And my very favorite part was just relaxing on the beach on the soft grass. I know it sounds weird, it should be sand, but the sand there is rocky and so they have this skinny long stretch of grass that was so comfy and cozy. I never wanted to leave. Plus, this was our view...Perfection

Ensanada

The last port was Ensanada, Mexico. We took a bus to the main attraction there, the blow hole. It was pretty cool. Just like the one in Hawaii, but a little smaller. Then basically there's a whole street full of vendors trying to sell you sunglasses, purses, and prescription medication. We didn't want to spend our money on junk we would have to pack when we got home, so we went exploring ourselves and found this cool little cove.

And that was our cruise. We had fun and we sat with a fun couple during our dinners. He reminded me exactly of Jack Black. I loved being able to order 3 desserts and taste each one just because I could. The comedians were actually very funny. And Dave and I had fun just being there together.

The OC

After the cruise, we rented a car and drove down to the o.c. to spend a few days. We were glad we had a few days to do our own thing. We cruised the PCH and walked along Dana Point, did some shopping, Wahoo's, In N Out, the temple, Balboa beach, Balboa bars, Cheesecake, and Laguna. The cruise and this visit to the OC was bittersweet because we had such a great time, but it was weird thinking we probably won't be anywhere near the Pacific Ocean for the next 6 years at least.

Dana Point

Laguna Beach

Whew! Almost done.

The Big Move

Packing stinks! I don't know how people move around so much becuase I think it is one of my very least favorite things ever. Especially packing up the kitchen. It's amazing that one room can hold so much stuff. And most of it needs to be wrapped in newspaper or bubble wrap or something. My mom is a rock star and came and helped us pack up every day our last week. We couldn't have done it without her.

One priceless little package.

Poor Anna was a trooper this last month. She didn't know what was going on and endured lots of late nights, minimal attention from Mom and Dad, and lots of DVDs. I felt like the worst mother ever. She also spent a lot of time on our neighbor Madde's tramp. Don't you just love this picture?

Once we got the truck, Anna loved running up and down the "slide". She was so happy to have one of her favorite cousins, Romey, come and play. Anna had so much fun with her all night and didn't want her to go. I think she must have known something was up, because when Romey had to go, Anna had a total breakdown. It was like she knew it was a real goodbye. It made me so sad. Come visit us Romey!

26 feet on wheels

We drove this humungo truck with a trailer holding our Subaru on back. I can't believe we have enough stuff to fill this thing. And we even had a yard sale to get rid of stuff! I think about half of it was Anna's stuff. It was a weird morning. Waking up and driving away from home. Especially with out Anna. We left her with Grandma G and then Dave's parents flew her back to us so she wouldn't have to endure the road trip. It's a strange thing to walk through your house and know that you will never be coming back to it again. We loved our little house and it was sad to say goodbye. But we knew this day would come and we're ready for the next adventure.

2037 miles we drove from our old house to our new house. We made it in 3 1/2 days with no flat tires, breakdowns, or accidents. It was a long, bouncy drive. And I'm glad it's over. The countryside was nice (except for Wyoming and Nebraska) and we had good company.

The roads in Iowa. The waves were literally breaking on the highway. I hated when my house flooded. I can only imagine what it would be like to have a whole city flooded!

Dave the trucker driving past the arch in St. Louis.

It seems weird not to have an ending picture of us at our house. We took one, but I think it's on Dave's parent's camera. We're here! Dave's parents brought Anna and helped us unpack and get settled. They were a HUGE help and it was nice having some company while we were transitioning. It's still all a blur. But it's definitely feeling like home now, but strange. I feel like I'm living someone else's life. Living in their house, driving thier car, in their city. It's weird. I like it here. It's just different. Change is uncomfortable, but once you get through that uncomfortable stage, it can be so rewarding and usually better than how things were before. We're excited to see what the next 6 years have in store for us here in North Carolina!

1 million thanks to my parents for their help packing up and Dave's parents for their help UNpacking and getting us settled in. We couldn't have done it without you!!!

Seriously, if you made it this far, you are a true friend.

Finally here!

We've made it to North Carolina!!! After a 3 and a half day drive in a Penske with a trailer, closings on 2 houses (barely, I'll spare you the details, phew!), unpacked (almost - thanks to Colin and Mary), an ear infection for Anna, and now we finally have internet, TV, and phones! We're back in civilization, just feeling a little transplanted. I have SO much to blog about, so it's a little daunting to even log on, but I thought I'd just say that we're here and then try to go back and blog about the exciting events from May '08 and on. It's starting to feel a little like home, but still very weird. We love our neighborhood and have the friendliest neighbors in the world I think.



Anna is really missing both of her grandma's so she wanted to show them a few of her favorite things about our new house:

She LOVES the swingset! She would stay in that swing all day if I let her. And she lets out the cutest, heartiest giggle when she's swinging. It's definitely my favorite sound in the world.


Before we moved, I bought Anna a baby stroller to give her when we arrived to our new house. She loves changing her baby's diaper, putting her on the stroller, and then putting on the baby's "hat" (which is really a towel), then she just pushes the stroller from room to room and keeps saying "babee" "babee". If only she liked being IN the stroller this much, I could actually go for a walk!

So, that's going to do it for today. I know there's much more to say, but I can't do it all right now, so it will come in a little at a time.

SOLD!

Just in the nick of time, our house sold last Tuesday! It was on the market for just over 2 months, but it seemed like 2 years. We're so grateful it sold. If it hadn't sold by tomorrow we would have rented it. That would have probably worked, but it would have been a huge hassle overall. It's weird to say goodbye to our cute house. But I think it's going to a cute couple who will hopefully take care of it and enjoy the neighborhood as much as we have.

And Tuesday was even more eventful because we sold Dave's steady old Honda too. It sold within a few hours of listing it. Dave is really gonna miss his Honda. It served him well. Thanks to the Walkers for selling it to us 6 years ago. It lasted all 6 years and is still going strong! We heart Hondas!

Home Run

One home purchased! One left to sell!

Dave and I just returned from North Carolina on a house hunting trip. It was a weird feeling going to a city that I've never been to before and realizing that this is just not a vacation destination, this is where I will be living for the next six years. Instead of relaxing in the car, I was trying to memorize streets and which direction was what way and so on. The good news is that I fell in love with Winston-Salem! It's so beautiful and green and there are so many charming old neighborhoods. You all really need to come out and visit! Especially because the other good news is that we found and bought a great home!

The home searching process was overwhelming. Soooo many options. And it's hard to pick a neighborhood in a city you've never been to before. The housing market is pretty good there and it was great to have so many options. It was a hard decision, but we feel really good about the one we chose. When it came down to it, we decided the neighborhood was most important to us. When I fall asleep at night, it won't be high ceilings, granite countertops, or huge kitchens that will make me happy about my day. It will be because Anna and I feel safe, we'll be surrounded by other families, and we can have a fun day with the neighborhood kids. (I hope!) We'll have room to grow over the next few years and the house even has....drumroll please...a 2 car garage!!! We need to do a little work on the kitchen, but everything else is pretty good. It was weird pulling away from the house on our last day knowing that the next time we see it, we'll be moving in.

Now we just need to sell our house here in SLC! Any buyers? Please!?! We're a getting a little anxious!

And because some of you have asked to see it, here's a picture of what we will call home for the next six years.

We're excited and we will make a good cozy guest bedroom for anyone who will come visit!

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!!!

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?