White Coat Ceremony & Hippocratic Oath

Today was the white coat ceremony and the hippocratic oath.  I thought that it was usually done after the four years and maybe it is elsewhere, but here we start in the hospital next week so I guess they wanted to make it official.  There are 170 students in my class, about equally mixed between girls/boys and puerto ricans/US students.  I also got my schedule for the first semester.  I will be in class/lab from 8am to 5pm and one day a week I will be at the hospital until 8pm.  It sounds like a busy day, but it should be fun and fulfilling finally getting to learn about the things that interest me and that I'll use for the rest of my life.  

We're Here!!

We finally made it, all of us, together. We'll have to post later with pictures of the drive down here. We did have a lot of fun along the way, we played at the beach and the pool, but it was a long trip. The kids really did well especially considering there are only so many McDonalds along the way.

But now we've been here for a little over a week and so far we love it. Our house is still virtually devoid of furniture and decor but we still love it. There is a lot of time spent hanging out on the

bed in our room, because it is the most comfortable place in the house, it's been a lot of fun.

Hyrum has become a pro at getting the help he needs to go up and down the stairs! He will actually stand at the top of the stairs &

yell over and over," MOM, MOM..." until someone comes up to

hold his hand and help him walk down the stairs. The kids love to "walk Hyrum down the stairs," and everyone takes turns.

Now we just find ourselves going outside all the time... it is that nice here! It is the kind of weather that you take a trip to the cabin for in Arizona! The last couple of days have been in the eighties and we just keep looking around saying, " is it hot? It Is hot."

We feel really safe, I don't worry about my kids playing in the front

yard any more, there is nothing to worry about!

Arrival in Mexico

Sorry there aren't any pictures this time, I keep forgetting to take pics whenever I go somewhere worth seeing.  I arrived in Mexico a week ago without Jenn nor the kids.  I came early to get the house ready, check into the school, and other chores that I thought would be easier without the kids, but in reality missing Jenn and the kids has made everything more difficult.  Jenn wrote my phone number down for Kirtlyn, and she is so good at reading numbers that she calls me pretty often without Jenn's permission or even knowledge.  I have been able to iChat with them over the webcam, and Kirtlyn is constantly asking for a tour of her new house.  Hyrum, I think doesn't quite understand that I'm a thousand miles away, because he tries to grab me through the webcam.  And Thomas is still very excited about whatever he can get his hands on to make a "sword".  I'm glad there will be a little yard for him to run around in.  Every once in a while Jenn and I will synch our iTunes to play the same episode of "Life" while we chat about it.  It has been pretty fun dating Jenn even though it is a thousand miles away.  

I have had some neighbors who have been so gracious as to take me everywhere I needed to go.  One of those places is a town called Tonala.  It seems to be what I pictured Mexico to be like.  It is this beautiful place that has tons of art shops, and when I say art shops I mean art in furniture making (wood and metal), glass, paint, and so much more, cafes, street vendors, and tons of people.  In the furniture shop we went into, they hand carve all their stuff.  You can take a hand drawn design in and they'll make it for cheap.  What would cost $1,000 in the States, it would cost $3,000 pesos or $275 US dollars.  All the students come here to furnish their entire homes for practically nothing.  Some of it is pretty outlandish, as you can see if you follow this link ( www.arteenmadera.com.mx ), but a lot of it is beautiful.

I'm going back to the States on Sunday afternoon to pick up Jenn and the kids, then we'll all drive down together next week.  It seems as though the hard part of this journey is over, or hopefully anyway.  For some reason there has been opposition in us coming down, Jenn and I both felt like this is what we're supposed to do, so hopefully it was just a test and we'll see the good at the end.

Good Bye with a Splash

We had a great time at a BBQ our friends organized for us!   

Greyson was jumping in with no fear, and so was Craig and the hot dogs!

The food was great, and the company even better!  

Just admit it, that is a cute group of girls!! Thank you for the party, and the memories!!  We will miss you Angie & Vince, Croft's, Franzen's, Perkin's, Tess & Boyz, and the Udall's!  Thank you for all you have done to bless our little family!   

  

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It finally feels real

I just got back from Guadalajara, Mexico with my dad and two brothers.  We went to check out the sights since we'll be living there for the next four years and not any of us have been there.  It is a huge city with more people than should normally fit in such a city.  It always seems like rush hour and the roads are nearly un-mappable. But within our little neighborhood it is quiet and beautiful.  Here are some pictures of the house we are renting.  There is a family that lives there now, but they are beginning their internship in New York next month so we'll just move right in. The city is beautiful, full of trees growing everywhere and the weather is unbeatable.  They told us that it was the hottest part of the year and it was only 22 degrees C or 72 degrees F.  To say the least we are very excited to begin a new adventure.  We will be moving down the 11th of June.

Our home is the one with the red roof.  It is in a gated community with a security guard on duty 24/7.  It is at the end of the street so not a lot of unwanted traffic. It has 3bed/3bath and an office.

Here is our backyard which is a lot bigger than the one we're in now.  It is just big enough to kick a soccer ball around.

Here is the office, it is all wood paneling and has a lot of space for everything.

One step closer to Thomas' ultimate goal!  Thomas has finished work, graduated ASU, and nothing is in our way .... here we come medical school!  (Thanks to the wonderful staff that has supported and encouraged us on our way!)  We will miss the medical staff so much, it has been a wonderful six years!  You are the reason Thomas is headed to medical school!  Thank you for inspiring!

Kirtlyn loved here special card so much, she used it as a little play area for her toy!  Thank you 

again, we will be back again!  (in a few years!)

Another Trip to Safford

We went to Safford again, this time to see Preston and Mindy's reception and also to celebrate Preston's 10 year anniversary of his heart transplant.  It was a lot of fun and we saw a lot of friends there.  I'm sorry there aren't any pictures.

We did get to do some other fun things though.  We went to Wal-Mart (where else would we go in Safford) and bought cheap kits and tried to fly them on a very windy day.  The kids weren't that impressed.  

The boys also got to ride on a short train trip from Safford to Pima and back.  It was part of the Salsa Trail.  We taste tested Salsa from all the area restaurants in Pima then the boys had fun sticking their heads out the windows the whole way home.

While the boys were gone the girls had a princess party and painted their finger and toenails.  Then everyone went swimming in the heat of the day.  Now we're back home trying to finish getting the house ready to sale and move to Mexico.