There is so much going on right now sometimes it is difficult to find time to catch a breath. I had my interviews in Omaha and in Iowa City. We stayed with Joe and Rena in Omaha. It was great to see Anne and Patrick and Greg and Roxanne. We were able to all be together for dinner last Friday night at Joe and Rena’s house. My interview in Omaha couldn’t have gone any better. I felt so at home with their residents and the faculty were very warm and made me feel pretty special. The brand new children’s hospital is gorgeous and their clinic is all new too. The environment is exactly what I am looking for. The residents are all married and all but one has children. They are like a second family to each other and their friendships all seemed so close and genuine. I would love to be able to move closer to family and bring our children closer to their grandparents. Chris would love to be closer to his siblings too, and I know he is already dreaming of working out and playing hockey with his brothers. Life would be good in Omaha for a couple of years…..that is, IF UNMC wants me.
Iowa was a different story. My interviews went well and I felt welcomed by the department, but there was just this sense of distance between the residents and the faculty and not such a family vibe. Iowa also didn’t really act like they would be thrilled to have me either, unlike UNMC. The interviews went well, just not as well as in Omaha. Time will tell, and Chris and I have decided that it is really not up to us, but up to God. If God wants me to be a pediatric dentist, then I will get into whichever program He sees fit. I am praying merely to accept God’s will for my family, not to be sent in one place versus another. And if I am not meant to be a pediatric dentist, then I will accept that too, a tougher pill to swallow. Chris has been a great support, with no pressure put on me at all.
I am taking work one day at a time. I had a meeting with the executive director last week, explaining that I will be leaving this spring or early summer. We talked about a lot of things and it was a relief to finally be able to express some of my frustrations with my job, and feel like someone was really listening. Only it is unfortunate that someone leaving their job makes their superior take notice and pay attention to some constructive criticism of the dental program.
We are hosting Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday for Anne and Patrick, Joe and Rena, Nick, and Greg and Roxanne. I am really enjoying the process of planning the meal, decorating, and shopping. I just wish I had a bigger dining room and that I lived in a town with some decent places to shop. UGGGGGHHHHHHH Marshalltown. The list was made on Saturday, shopping done today, cleaning on Tuesday, and cooking on Wednesday. I have Wednesday and Thursday off but I have to work on Friday. I am still trying not to be mad that I have to work on Friday. I asked for it off but got the big N-O on that one. I can’t wait for every toothache in town to show up at the clinic since we are going to be the only place open. Ahem… this email is about GRATITUDE!
This morning I got up early with the kids so Chris could sleep in. He doesn’t get to do that often. It was 6 am and I barely had my eyes open when Savannah starting singing, “tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow” from “Annie.” It was so sweet. We have been watching that movie as a family, for the past couple weeks. Every few days we sit down with a snack at night and watch 15-20 minutes. They really like all the singing and dancing. This morning I got Jack and Savannah situated on the couch, turned on the fireplace and made myself a French Vanilla coffee. We snuggled with our favorite fleece blankets, slippers on, and watched Annie while they drank juice and ate dry Captain Crunch. In the light of the TV, in our dark living room, I watched their faces in profile, laughing to the little girls on Annie, singing and pillow fighting. I just want time to stop. I want their childhoods to stop right in their tracks and I want to relive every joyful moment (I can fast forward the screaming in the parking lot and the tantrums in the car) at least twice so I have it burned in my memory. I love it how Jack picks up my hand and drapes it over his shoulder while we watch TV. I love how he looks up at me and smiles cutely, saying, “I so excited Mom, love watching Annie.” And I love how Savannah tries to feed me her cereal. She has the sharing thing down.
Funny quotes of the day:
Savannah as I snapped up her new purple puffy vest, “Whoa baby, big coat Mom!”
Savannah after I told her she was such a good girl at church, “I be quiet for Jesus.”
Jack after Mass today, “After eat lunch, after my nap, after my haircut, I be good and I get a new Jeep Dad?”
Jack as we walked up to Wal-Mart, “I see a W, we get a cart Mom? I like carts, I like them. “
Jack as we walked inside Wal-Mart, “I being a good boy at store Mom, I get a new purple Jeep?”
I have decided that instead of allowing myself to feel stress about our future, I am just going to “Let go and Let God. “ That is what Mom has told me so many times. It is definitely not easy, but I want to try. I want to enjoy each day instead of telling myself to just survive it. I have so much to be grateful for. I am so lucky to have my wonderful family. So this week, instead of lying awake and worrying about every possible little thing there is to fret over, I am going to just go to sleep and dream about how blessed I am to have such a good life.
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