Friday, July 13, 2012
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
The Craziest Month We've Ever Had
*Warning: This post is without anything visually stimulating. Pictures will be done in another post. And all of those pictures, which aren't many, were taken from my phone.
*Another warning: This post is seriously boring.
About three and a half weeks ago, I was scrambling to finish packing all of our stuff into the POD and clean our house, which is still on the market by the way. I have such a good, sweet neighbor keeping an eye on it for us and ironing out a lot of annoying details. She is an angel.
Someone please buy our house soon. Please.
So that was that, I packed up, cleaned as best as I could and flew with the girls to California, leaving Go at home to finish up his residency, finish packing and more cleaning than I would have liked. I had such a good time in Irvine, hanging out with my family, going to the beach or the pool every day. *pictures to come in another post* When our car shipment people called Go to let me know that they were coming three days early, leaving him with no cars in PA, he scrambled around, made arrangements to come to CA early, which was after staying up all night long, doing the work he had planned on having three more days to accomplish, like moving the last of the furniture and cleaning but he managed to do it.
Then came a week in Hawaii a few days later, which was so great. *pictures to come in another post* Go and I left the girls with my parents (two other angels) went to Maui and spent most of our time in Hana, more specifically and stayed my brother and sister-in-laws place. You want to go? Here it is. It's available for rent. It's seriously heaven on earth. We played, we swam, we hiked, we surfed, we paddle boarded, we ate, we relaxed, we had the best, best time. I'm so glad we went.
The day after we came back from Hawaii, we packed up and made our way to Vegas. *pictures to come in another post* Our caravan consisted of a big moving van holding the contents of Go's office waiting room chairs and he and his sisters' (our office manager) desks. The moving van towed Go's car and then I drove the girls in my car. The following couple of days after that, we unloaded the POD into a moving van and took our stuff to a storage unit and moved some things into my in-laws house, where we're living right now. We also set up Go's office and waiting room and all that jazz. *pictures to come in another post*
His first official day was Monday. Just a small procedure and a couple of consults so far but I just word that he booked his first case. Very exciting. He is stressed but it's so nice to be here with so much support, for him to be working side-by-side with his sister (yet another angel) and to finally be doing exactly what he wants to be doing and what he's trained and sacrificed so much for. It's just really exciting. As for me, I've spent most of my time setting up our room, the three oldest rooms and Juni's room and doing the normal "moving" stuff. I can honestly say that so far my time here as been great. It was 114 degrees yesterday and I didn't even care. Dry heat doesn't bother me. My brother and I were talking and we both agreed that given the choice between 120 degrees and 20 degrees, we'd choose 120 degrees. Maybe I can get him to move here too.
Anyway. That's that. We're doing well. I'm so, so happy to just be here. I think it's going to be awesome.
*Another warning: This post is seriously boring.
About three and a half weeks ago, I was scrambling to finish packing all of our stuff into the POD and clean our house, which is still on the market by the way. I have such a good, sweet neighbor keeping an eye on it for us and ironing out a lot of annoying details. She is an angel.
Someone please buy our house soon. Please.
So that was that, I packed up, cleaned as best as I could and flew with the girls to California, leaving Go at home to finish up his residency, finish packing and more cleaning than I would have liked. I had such a good time in Irvine, hanging out with my family, going to the beach or the pool every day. *pictures to come in another post* When our car shipment people called Go to let me know that they were coming three days early, leaving him with no cars in PA, he scrambled around, made arrangements to come to CA early, which was after staying up all night long, doing the work he had planned on having three more days to accomplish, like moving the last of the furniture and cleaning but he managed to do it.
Then came a week in Hawaii a few days later, which was so great. *pictures to come in another post* Go and I left the girls with my parents (two other angels) went to Maui and spent most of our time in Hana, more specifically and stayed my brother and sister-in-laws place. You want to go? Here it is. It's available for rent. It's seriously heaven on earth. We played, we swam, we hiked, we surfed, we paddle boarded, we ate, we relaxed, we had the best, best time. I'm so glad we went.
The day after we came back from Hawaii, we packed up and made our way to Vegas. *pictures to come in another post* Our caravan consisted of a big moving van holding the contents of Go's office waiting room chairs and he and his sisters' (our office manager) desks. The moving van towed Go's car and then I drove the girls in my car. The following couple of days after that, we unloaded the POD into a moving van and took our stuff to a storage unit and moved some things into my in-laws house, where we're living right now. We also set up Go's office and waiting room and all that jazz. *pictures to come in another post*
His first official day was Monday. Just a small procedure and a couple of consults so far but I just word that he booked his first case. Very exciting. He is stressed but it's so nice to be here with so much support, for him to be working side-by-side with his sister (yet another angel) and to finally be doing exactly what he wants to be doing and what he's trained and sacrificed so much for. It's just really exciting. As for me, I've spent most of my time setting up our room, the three oldest rooms and Juni's room and doing the normal "moving" stuff. I can honestly say that so far my time here as been great. It was 114 degrees yesterday and I didn't even care. Dry heat doesn't bother me. My brother and I were talking and we both agreed that given the choice between 120 degrees and 20 degrees, we'd choose 120 degrees. Maybe I can get him to move here too.
Anyway. That's that. We're doing well. I'm so, so happy to just be here. I think it's going to be awesome.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Friday, June 08, 2012
Friday Photo: Juniper, week 32
The toys are scarce at our house right now, packed away in boxes. The girls were resourceful and threw Juni and "birthday party." Juni loved it.
Saturday, June 02, 2012
Friday Photos: Juniper, Week 31
I knew the little girls would have a much better time out in the lobby watching the off-stage dancers at the big girls' dress rehearsal last night. Olive was free to stare longingly up-close and personal and do some twirling of her own when the "real" ballerinas weren't looking and Juniper was free to crawl around on what I just went ahead and told myself was a clean floor.
Monday, May 28, 2012
What I Want
This next phase in our life is providing me with a new beginning, a chance to think about my life and what changes I'd like to make. I have so many, it's sort of overwhelming.
"What I Want", presented in bullet points.
-I want to have a positive attitude no matter what my circumstance is. We are coming up on a whole lot of unknowns. Basically everything is up in the air right now. This is mentally and emotionally uncomfortable for me. I can't choose what happens but I can choose how I react to it and in turn, how that reflects on my life. If I whole-heartedly believe that things aren't that bad, then they won't be. My attitude will become my reality.
-I want to be truly happy for the good things that happen in the lives of those I love, no matter what's going on in my own life.
-This sort of goes with the statement above, but I want to completely squelch the emotion of envy or jealousy from my whole being. It's so unbecoming and just gross. I used to be pretty good about this but in the last little while, I have notice it creep back in and it's time to stomp it out completely. I believe this can happen by actively seeking ways to exercise more gratitude.
-This goes along with the above, but I want time the time to notice more things to be grateful for and express it.
-I want to build my relationship with God. I want to feel His presence more in my life and as a result, I believe I will be able to see His hand more clearly, which is something I think is really important.
-I want to get used to having a husband and father around. I don't know if I can explain this one very well, but I've learned to function really well without Go. On the weekends when he's around, I'm all out of sorts, I have a hard time being productive, I'm out of my routine, it messes with me and I can get cranky. What a waste of something good. I would like to figure out how to turn this behavior around.
-I want to focus on health rather than weight loss but without really focusing on it, if that makes sense. Going to the gym now will be completely up to me and for the first time in 9 years, not because I *have* to be there to teach a spin class. I would like to adopt an active lifestyle and most of all, eat clean. The other side to this is that I would like to do this without having to talk about it all the time and not let it rule my life. Just do it and shut up about it like it ain't no thang. I admire people who live their live this way and don't feel the need to constantly talk about it...it just...IS.
-I want more order. I lived the first part of my life being extremely sloppy. I was just born that way; it's my nature to be disorderly and helter skelter. Every year since I've been married to my OCD neat freak, I've become more orderly and more tidy to keep the peace and out of respect for him and his space. It's been really hard to literally change the course of my DNA. Today I am in no way on the same level as Go but I'm really proud of the strides I've made in this area. I'd like to keep continuing down that path. Living at my in-laws will be good for me and my continuous battle to become more clean and tidy. I'm going to try very hard to be conscientious about keeping their home in order and not feel like we've completely bulldozed their whole life with our crap.
-I want to be more careful about the way I react to my children. I want to slow my mind and really think about what I say and how I say it rather than just let the first thing that comes to my mind fly out of my mouth because oftentimes it can be sarcastic, more harsh than is necessary or instead of explaining things, just say whatever is quickest or easiest. They deserve for me to be more careful with them verbally.
-I want to live more deliberately. It's something I've been thinking a lot about lately and another blogger, I forget who, mentioned this and it was like "YES! Exactly!" It's hard to put into words what I mean but the things I do, from the smallest to the largest need to hold greater purpose than they do or have been. I generally don't think about the reasons I do things or don't do things; I just go and do or don't do. I'd like to spend my time more wisely, slow down, find greater purposes and let them soak in.
-I need to spend less time with things that are electronic and more time with things that are organic. No longer having a photography business will be a huge part of this.
-I need to give my children more attention and can do this by the sentence above. I want to incorporate them more in the things I love to do and share that joy; realize that every moment holds the potential to be a memory. This doesn't necessarily mean that I have orchestrate some big project or activity on a daily basis. Just being together and smiling is important.
...19 days more and then it's the start of something new. And now it's time to get off the computer and do something fun with my girls.
"What I Want", presented in bullet points.
-I want to have a positive attitude no matter what my circumstance is. We are coming up on a whole lot of unknowns. Basically everything is up in the air right now. This is mentally and emotionally uncomfortable for me. I can't choose what happens but I can choose how I react to it and in turn, how that reflects on my life. If I whole-heartedly believe that things aren't that bad, then they won't be. My attitude will become my reality.
-I want to be truly happy for the good things that happen in the lives of those I love, no matter what's going on in my own life.
-This sort of goes with the statement above, but I want to completely squelch the emotion of envy or jealousy from my whole being. It's so unbecoming and just gross. I used to be pretty good about this but in the last little while, I have notice it creep back in and it's time to stomp it out completely. I believe this can happen by actively seeking ways to exercise more gratitude.
-This goes along with the above, but I want time the time to notice more things to be grateful for and express it.
-I want to build my relationship with God. I want to feel His presence more in my life and as a result, I believe I will be able to see His hand more clearly, which is something I think is really important.
-I want to get used to having a husband and father around. I don't know if I can explain this one very well, but I've learned to function really well without Go. On the weekends when he's around, I'm all out of sorts, I have a hard time being productive, I'm out of my routine, it messes with me and I can get cranky. What a waste of something good. I would like to figure out how to turn this behavior around.
-I want to focus on health rather than weight loss but without really focusing on it, if that makes sense. Going to the gym now will be completely up to me and for the first time in 9 years, not because I *have* to be there to teach a spin class. I would like to adopt an active lifestyle and most of all, eat clean. The other side to this is that I would like to do this without having to talk about it all the time and not let it rule my life. Just do it and shut up about it like it ain't no thang. I admire people who live their live this way and don't feel the need to constantly talk about it...it just...IS.
-I want more order. I lived the first part of my life being extremely sloppy. I was just born that way; it's my nature to be disorderly and helter skelter. Every year since I've been married to my OCD neat freak, I've become more orderly and more tidy to keep the peace and out of respect for him and his space. It's been really hard to literally change the course of my DNA. Today I am in no way on the same level as Go but I'm really proud of the strides I've made in this area. I'd like to keep continuing down that path. Living at my in-laws will be good for me and my continuous battle to become more clean and tidy. I'm going to try very hard to be conscientious about keeping their home in order and not feel like we've completely bulldozed their whole life with our crap.
-I want to be more careful about the way I react to my children. I want to slow my mind and really think about what I say and how I say it rather than just let the first thing that comes to my mind fly out of my mouth because oftentimes it can be sarcastic, more harsh than is necessary or instead of explaining things, just say whatever is quickest or easiest. They deserve for me to be more careful with them verbally.
-I want to live more deliberately. It's something I've been thinking a lot about lately and another blogger, I forget who, mentioned this and it was like "YES! Exactly!" It's hard to put into words what I mean but the things I do, from the smallest to the largest need to hold greater purpose than they do or have been. I generally don't think about the reasons I do things or don't do things; I just go and do or don't do. I'd like to spend my time more wisely, slow down, find greater purposes and let them soak in.
-I need to spend less time with things that are electronic and more time with things that are organic. No longer having a photography business will be a huge part of this.
-I need to give my children more attention and can do this by the sentence above. I want to incorporate them more in the things I love to do and share that joy; realize that every moment holds the potential to be a memory. This doesn't necessarily mean that I have orchestrate some big project or activity on a daily basis. Just being together and smiling is important.
...19 days more and then it's the start of something new. And now it's time to get off the computer and do something fun with my girls.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Friday Photos: Juniper, Week 30 (7 months!) and Olive, too
This little Juni Bird has slept through the night consecutively for almost a full week!
...
until last night when she woke up every three hours.
I'm hoping the waking up is just a phase,
as opposed to the sleeping through the night being a phase.
If having four kids has taught me anything it's that when it comes to babies,
they're really into taking two steps forward and one step back.
Figuratively, of course.
Speaking of mobility, she started vigorously army crawling a couple of days ago
and as of yesterday, full on crawling but she seems to prefer army crawling.
And then there's this one.
Oh, Olive.
This past week you were highly destructive and mischievous,
but you charmed everyone in your path.
You are plain delightful.
She always picks out her outfits herself.
And her accessories.
This shy little smile kills me,
it's so deceiving.
She is so not shy.
it's so deceiving.
She is so not shy.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Friday, May 11, 2012
Friday, May 04, 2012
Friday Photo: Juniper, Week 27
Her eyes are so light and sensitive to the sun. She probably doesn't even know what it looks like outside, as every time we step foot out the door and into the teensiest bit of sun, she won't open her eyes. Behold:
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
45 Days Left
Every status update I post on Facebook lately has been about moving. It's all-consuming. I think some people here in PA might be a little offended that I'm this eager to get gone, but I think what they might not understand is how hard our time in Pennsylvania has been for us. It's been so difficult that I don't feel like people can relate to me any more, even other people who have gone through residency. This notion is ridiculous and a little...snotty or something, like my problems are worse than everyone else's, which I know is totally wrong to think that way. Everything is relative. I know that everyone has hardships in their life but because of all the factors--the excruciatingly long hours, the absentee father, the quasi-single parenthood, being so far away from our families, dealing with seasonal depression, financial hardship, health issues left and right, and a handful of other stresses I don't feel to share publicly, I feel like I'm a soldier coming back from war--trying to fit in and relate to normal civilians is awkward and strange. I feel like some sort of survivor, who someone no one else except for Go, will really ever understand. That's the silver lining, I guess, about this whole thing. At the end of this, I feel incredibly bound to him in a way I didn't before, necessarily. I also realize how whiny and "wo is me" this sounds and I sort of hate myself for it, but that's just where I'm at right now and someday I will stop talking about it and feel normal and relatable again, hopefully. Every time I sit and think about it being over, I get emotional; it's just so hard to believe that it's really coming to an end. 10 years is a long time. A lot of our hardships will be alleviated once we're done with residency, I'm just anxious to leave them behind and that's where my enthusiasm for moving comes from. I'm going to miss the wonderful people I've met here in my little communities--church, the gym, the school. I've met some incredible people here but I know there's some gems out there in Vegas for me to find as well. All this is not to say that I think Vegas will be paradise in every area of my life. I know we have some really hard times ahead, possibly even more financially stressing; I do not recommend opening an medical practice all by yourself from scratch if you want to be carefree and wealthy. I believe in him though, and we are doing it and it feels like a great adventure. The nice thing is, we have absolutely nothing to lose if it doesn't work out but I really think it will. The future, though uncertain, has the great potential to be bright. And that's good enough for me.
Go and I are going to Hawaii right after we're done, the girls will stay in Irvine with my parents. I cannot wait. I day dream about it hourly. We need this like you wouldn't believe. Then right after that, we head to Vegas and hit the ground running. Our plans to move into a home have halted, as it's nearly impossible to get financed with no proof of income and especially since our house here in PA still hasn't sold, so we will be living at my in-laws indefinitely. I've come around to being ok with this. I've had to because it was our only choice. Every other avenue was a dead end. Though the situation is less than ideal, their house is more than ample to accommodate us, there's always something fun going on, and I not only love them but I like them, so I'm just focusing on being grateful for the opportunity.
And that's the end. In the meantime, I will be purging, packing, coordinating, scheduling, sweating, slaving, dreaming, and hoping.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Friday, April 06, 2012
Tuesday, April 03, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Friday Photo: Juniper Week 23
We went to the doctor yesterday
where she got shots
and was repeatedly called "Peanut"
by all who crossed her path.
She is officially my most petite baby:
13.4 pounds = 16th percentile.
24.3 inches = 18th percentile.
(stop everything. she hears her sisters.)
(and now we have at least one of them dancing behind me.)
Her sisters are her most favorite, favorite things.
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