March 19th

There really should be a documentary made about MATCH DAY. It's a pretty interesting cultural event in the lives of America's future doctors. It begins to feel pretty routine in this family full of doctors/medical students but for those of you who aren't familiar with it, you enter your possibilities (or rank order of the places with which you interviewed) into a computer system and by so doing, are legally bound to abide by the results. On match day you get an envelope with the program where will do your residency. Emotions run high and some people were crying because they were excited, and some others seemed close to tears because they weren't happy, people gave shouts of joy and, I think, pretty much everyone was shaking as they opened their letter and felt relief to finally KNOW where they would be training. Saint Louis University had their event this year at a place called Lumen, a modern private events center that turned out to be really neat. We got there and waited for Kevin's name to be called so he could pick up the coveted envelope. He got faked out several times, since there are 5? Kevin's in his class and three of them were called before he was. He finally heard our last name and headed over to get his envelope. I felt a strange sense of panic that he was not going to be able to wait but he made it back with the envelope unopened:) His letter said he would be doing his transitional year in...Bridgeport, CT at St. Vincent's Hospital. Although this may seem random to some of you, since we already know we'll be at UNC for his ophthalmology training, we are excited for one last hoorah before we "settle down," at least for three years. We can't wait to see what New England has to offer and live by NYC at Christmas time!!! If you've got any suggestions or must-dos for the area, let us know! We wish we had gotten photos of EVERYONE but here are some we did get on 03-19-09.

Some of the wives, and Dan, waiting...Heather and Pete-Cincinnati, Jenny and Al -Houston, Mandi and Joel-Dayton, Emily and Mike-Mayo at Scottsdale, Dan and Tera-St. John's, Heather and Matt-Mayo at Scottsdale.

Randy and Gina, headed to UMass

My boys

Little Miss Thing wouldn't leave her sweater on. Anyway, I think she had fun sampling the cheese and crackers and people watching, definitely Daddy's girl in that respect:)

Um, why are we taking a picture. Just let me open it! For posterity, dear:)

Alex, Trisa and Cannon - headed for Memphis, TN

Some of our friends, waiting

Mid-sentence, Calling Mom and siblings with the report

This little cutie was helping his dad open his envelope.

Brooke and Jim and our family. We're excited that they're headed to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, although it would have been fun to go with them to Wake Forest:)

The family, again.

I could really take a lesson

J, A, and L were really cracking me up at playgroup a few weeks ago. They were being good little sharers, as A is demonstrating above. They were also being so patient with each other, as J is demonstrating in the pictures. I am surprised J wasn't the one eating something of someone else's. Oh wait, I'm pretty sure that is the Dobson's banana. I don't know but I think they put nicotine in their bananas because J always wants them. And little L is just being her laid back self, covered in mud and not even noticing. All very admirable qualities if you ask me.

A great day at the park! Something about the longer shadows of a February afternoon and the barren trees sends me right back to the North Wales Elementary playground of my childhood. Can you just feel gravity lifting and the sense of weightlessness as you stare down at the ground in front of you?

Peter is still our pensive little man with a definite serious side but he gets the giggles more and more often now and loves to keep a good "joke" going once he's found something humorous, i.e. peek-a-boo, tickling, dancing/bopping and clapping.