Getting Settled

We are still getting settled in Morgantown....there are boxes that still need to be unpacked, shoes that need a place to live, pictures I can't find a place for and laundry piling up but we are loving our life here! The fence is 99% done (a small portion still needs to be stained), and it looks fantastic! Zach did such an amazing job.

I've had orientation everyday from 8-4 and it is definitely a reality check. Life is about to change dramatically starting Thursday. I think busy and exhausted will be frequently used in my vocabulary. But despite that I am still really excited to get started. The learning curve is going to be large and I'll spend most days overwhelmed but welcome to residency. Zach is at the VA for his first 2 months. Unfortunately the VA is 45 minutes away and he won't get to come home much. The surgery department furnishes an apartment for the residents that complete rotations down there.

We had a date night last night and decided on dinner at the Olive Garden and a movie. We really wanted to see Robin Hood but for some reason it wasn't at the theaters here....strange? So we went to Toy Story 3.....very cute in some parts and pretty cheesy in others. No where near as good as the first one. And Zach is a good sport for sitting through a Disney movie with me on our date night.

Today we did more fence staining and tried to go for a hike out at Coopers Rock but as we were driving the bottom fell out of the sky and traffic on the interstate was at a stand still so we turned around. Tonight we are going to try out our new grill for the first time!! Steaks and sweet corn....love summertime!!

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to two great men in my life! I've been blessed enough to have my biological father in my life for the last 28 years. He has been so supportive and loving and there for me...even if it was from a distance. I have many, many fond memories of growing up in small town Iowa and things I used to do with my dad. They are the types of things I hope one day Zach does with our children. Bike rides, long walks in the pasture, sports, reading books, yard work....Thanks for all that you do for me Dad....I'm so grateful for your love and support!
When I turned 15 I was lucky enough to have another "dad" figure enter my life. My mom remarried and I don't think I could have hand picked a better stepdad. He is the silent strength in our family and he loves Kendra, Danny and I like his own. His support is invaluable and I value his opinion. Thanks for everything Steve...but most importantly thanks for loving our mom and making her happy! Cause we all know that makes the world a better place :)

Lovin' it...

The small town life that is....Morgantown has been wonderful! It has about 25,000 people and when the students come back in the fall that number will double. Coming from Baltimore, it's so refreshing to be in this smaller community. We have meet 4 of our neighbors, 4 more people than we met the 3 years we lived in Bmore. Granted the average age of our neighbors here is 73 but they are so friendly! One man even brought over cookies that his wife had made for us! I love that kind of stuff and it is so rare to meet people that still do that!

Zach is busy putting up the fence outside and loving all the home projects. He is completely in his element. I am still working on unpacking boxes...totally NOT my element! I wish I could just wave a wand and have it all be done and organized the way I want it....We are really enjoying the new house though and being able to call Morgantown home.

I started orientation at the hospital Wednesday and it will continue until July 1st and then I will officially start on the Labor and Delivery floor. I'm definitely anxious and nervous but very excited! We went to a dinner last night honoring the outgoing 4th year residents and I know that these next 4 years are going to fly by and I'll be sitting in their position. I am 100% comfortable here and feel like this is the place for me.....

Moving Day

We are moving tomorrow to West Virginia and that's why I've been absent...I'm knee deep in boxes and moving responsibilities!

We received our professional wedding pictures Wednesday night and I am in LOVE!

I'll be absent until we get internet next Thursday....peace out until then!

Oh here is our new home!!

Italy

Well after we got back from the honeymoon I immediately left for St. Maarten and my medical school graduation. So the blog has been neglected.....but I'll try to get back on track!
Italy was amazing! The food, culture, shopping...it was all perfect! Zach and I had a great time just exploring and eating and having fun with each other. We left Saturday afternoon out of Dulles airport in DC and flew overnight to Paris. From Paris we took a regional jet to Florence. We got there around 9:30 local time. We figured it was best to just go ahead and start the site seeing otherwise if we went to the hotel we would probably crash and lose a whole day. We hoped in our Ford Fiesta (blah) and took off with no clue where we were headed (this happened frequently on the trip!) but that was part of the charm. We found downtown Florence and began exploring.....First was the duomo...Each city we visited throughout Italy had a duomo that dated back to the 1200's. The history in this country was unbelieveable and definitely part of its greatness. These are the famous bronze doors on the duomo in Florence. Notice the artist heads for the doorknobs.Zach and I still think that the meal we had in Florence for lunch may have been the greatest one! We had bruscetta, a salad and pizza and everything was so fresh! We continued to walk around most of the day but but the time 4:00 hit I was ready to crash so we decided to go find our hotel. We stayed in a castle out in the Chianti (Tuscany) region.It was beautiful and peaceful and built in 1010!! We both laid down for naps and neither one of us woke up until the next morning!
Monday was meant to be our traveling the countryside and exploring the cities day...and boy was it!! Zach found this scenic road that wound it's way through Tuscany and off we went! Here are a couple shots of the drive...
Notice the jackets...it wasn't as warm as I though it would be over there! Felt more like early spring than late spring! So be prepared to see me in some of the same clothes everyday!

First up was Siena....this was probably my favorite city of the whole trip. The history, ambiance and feel of it was really special! It's an old medieval town with a maze of cobblestone streets.

After Siena we were off to San Gignamno. Another medieval town that once had 76 towers built by rival families to ward off invasion. Today 14 of those towers still exist and it gives the city a neat feeling.All along this trip plenty of gelato was consumed and many, many snacks. In San Gignanmo we stopped at a market and bought a loaf of bread, salami and some cheese....delicious!

Next stop was Pisa....we were so close we felt it would be remiss to not stop and see in the leaning tower!


Alright....that's it for today! And that's only our first 2 days!

I'm off to do more packing because we close on our house Thursday and move next Saturday!!