Feeling grateful for community near and far today. A photobooth shot of some small group peeps at a Christmas party back in December.

Happy new year

Quick update:

We moved into our new house!
I did my labor and delivery rotations last month - decided OB is not for me.
I start pediatrics on Monday.
Caught the flu in LA, so going to bed early tonight.

Talk later!

Homeowners

It's official. All of the papers are signed and as of today we are homeowners!

It also happens to be the day of our wedding anniversary. 4 years today.

It's hard to be in the thick of things with school. I just want to pack and be in our new home. But for now, I'm studying. I have my OB and Peds exams tomorrow, and then we will pack and move Saturday. I'll update on the home later.

Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving meal

Pumpkin pie & Rooibos tea

Hiking at Dakota Ridge Trail

This year was the first year we thought about going to LA for Thanksgiving because one of my good friends was getting married, but after much consideration, we decided to stay here.  My mom was supposed to fly out but she got sick so she stayed in LA, and it ended up being a laid back weekend.

We had friends over again for dinner this year. Thanksgiving has become a friend holiday for us, and we have enjoyed hosting and sharing the meal with friends. This year I'm grateful for the new friends we've made in our new city. W and I were talking last night about how we have turned a corner in friendships just in the last 2 months. We were in a very different place in terms of friendship/community even in early September. I'm also grateful that I got into nursing school here and that W and I could be in the same city. I'm grateful for our church and the ways we are both growing. I'm grateful for the prospect of being in one city for awhile.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving!

Update on Denver...

OK, so I think I scared everyone with my venting about Denver. But I've turned a corner and I need to update you guys on that so you don't hate Denver! ;)

Evidence of my change of heart: We bought a house!!!

More on that in a later post. Back to 10 reasons to love Denver:

1. Mountains: A 1.5 to 2 hour drive and you're in the beautiful mountains. Hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, whatever suits you, you can do it here. Or if you're a winter sport person, a two hour non-windy drive and you can snowboard or ski in what I hear are amazing slopes.
2. Outdoorsy culture: I can guarantee that you will become more active, get fit and have a healthier lifestyle just by the mere cultural force that exists here.
3. Seasons without extremities: I have come to love seasons - switching out the blankets, pulling out the fleece sheets in the winter, putting away my winter coats in the spring, the changing foliage in the fall. You have all of that without the super cold or super hot of Chicago, and without the humidity of the East Coast.
4.  Affordable housing: It's not as cheap as Ohio, but compared to California, housing is very affordable here (that's how we were able to buy), and schools are good. Most families could probably live off of one income, whereas that would be tough in LA.
5. Short flight to LA: Just 2.5 hours, or a 15 hour car ride and you're there.
6. Downtown: Denver has a substantial downtown with shopping, cute eateries and a free shuttle that you can ride up and down. 
7. Growing city: Denver has a light rail, and they are continuing to expand their transportation system. The average age of the city is 30 - so many young people are attracted to the city and move here. 
8. Many transplants: Along with the above, most of the people I've met didn't grow up here. So everyone is looking for new friends.
9. Jobs: I think jobs are easier to get here than in California. With the experience you built up in California, you could probably move a few steps up here.
10. Slower pace of life: Less traffic, shorter work hours, and laid back personalities make life and work more manageable.

When I vented a few months ago, I was at a low point from having done nothing for 6 months, transition fatigued (3rd new city in 3 years of marriage), and then having a hard time going back to school (feeling old, freshman jitters and insecurities). I also didn't have a good community or good friends back then. Now that I'm really enjoying school, more plugged in with my small group community (we meet at our place now), met a few more Asians, and had the summer to enjoy some of the unique perks of Denver, I think I have a healthier and balanced perspective.

Denver is not LA, but there are also some benefits to living here. Also, I forgot to mention that W loves his job. He told me he has 95% job satisfaction!

This was my not-so-subtle attempt at trying to convince someone to move here. :) You know who you are!

There are definitely certain friends that I know would love living here. We've already targeted 4 couples who we can see living here, and 3 of them are seriously considering it (looking for jobs here, etc...)!

So don't let my previous negative posts deter you. :)

A little break

Estes Park, CO

I finished one of my classes last week and the timing was perfect as we had a one night retreat with our church in Estes Park, CO on Friday. It was nice to be in the mountains and take a break from studying. One of the things I've grown to love about living here is how close we are to the mountains - as short as a 1.5 hour drive depending on where you're going. It's pretty addictive. A few weekends without going to the mountains and withdrawal sets in.

We met some cool people at the retreat. W and I had good quality time on Sunday too. Overall I'm glad for the rest I got over the weekend and grateful for my church, for W, for sabbath, for new friends and for the mountains.

On being a student again

I am really enjoying nursing school. I've been tired, stressed and sick all week, but I still love it. We are starting to get more into the meat of things. Over the weekend I spent 20 hours doing clinicals at the hospital and it was pretty great. My highlight was translating for a Korean woman on the unit who was a North Korean refugee!

Also, I am meeting some great people, and people closer to my age and stage of life. I am in the accelerated program (14 months), and the forty of us have started taking separate classes from the other 140 students in the traditional track. Nursing is a second degree for most of us, so we tend to be older and have varied life experiences.

I can't remember the last time I was this stressed out. With studying for exams, juggling schedules of multiple classes and clinicals of multiple classes I've had my hands full. Plus, in this 6 week course I've been out of town 2 weekends and had clinicals another weekend. I learned my lesson this quarter about not taking on too much (I got sick). It's hard to be gone all weekend when I have an exam every Monday. But I'm still surviving and W has been a champ - grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, packing my breakfast and lunches and taking care of me when I was sick. During this season I've been reminded that two is better than one.

I'm such a different student now than I was in my first undergrad. Back then I took my education for granted, didn't fully realize the financial cost, didn't know what I was going to do with my degree, and didn't have motivation to do well. Now that I'm back for a second time, I'm keenly aware of the cost, have a clear idea about what I will do with my degree (at least for now - I may go back for grad school later), and am highly motivated to do well.

Those are my thoughts for now...gotta get back to studying. Finals are next week!